Friday, May 1st, 2020
Spiritual Focus of the Day
by Keli Shipley Cooper
View from the Look Rock Fire Tower / Maryville, Tennessee / taken by Keli Shipley Cooper
Every day during April I have received a new writing prompt through a project called “ The Isolation Journals ," an online opportunity created by Suleika Jaouad.** The intention of this is to be “a daily creativity project to help make sense of challenging times.” There's no full way to make sense of these times; however, I have personally found it helpful to write and reflect more often than I used to pre-pandemic. The prompt sent on April 27 th  written by Jordan Kisner stood out to me, which focuses on “thin places.” 

Have you heard the phrase “thin place” before? 
 
Instead of trying to paraphrase the prompt, I copied it in its entirety below. This prompt and other previous posts from "The Isolation Journals" can be found here I encourage you to either reflect on or write a response to this prompt today.

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Introduction to the Prompt by Jordan Kisner

"The title of my book,  Thin Places, comes from a notion in Celtic mythology that the distance between our world and the next is never more than three feet (i.e. just a little more than an arm's reach away). There are "thin places" where that distance shrinks and then vanishes, where you can glimpse some other world or way of being for a brief moment. Often, "thin places" are literal places, geographical locations that feel holy or otherworldly, but you could also imagine these kinds of thresholds popping up anywhere: in a hospital room, in a bar, in your apartment, in your relationship, in you. A thin place may also be a moment, a time when you were briefly suspended between a world/life that you knew and something totally new, different, awesome, frightening.

Today’s Prompt

Describe a “thin place” or threshold you’ve encountered. It could be a location, an experience, a relationship, a period of time. Describe it in as much concrete detail as you can: what did you see, smell, feel with your hands? How did it make you feel? Who else was there? What led you there? What did you do? What happened afterward? Did anything change? It may feel hard to describe—that's ok! Ineffable experiences are the hardest to describe. Get weird!"

** I also encourage you to read Suleika’s story
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A collect for the (upcoming) Fourth Sunday of Easter to be read today:
O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people; Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
About the Author of the Prompt: Jordan Kisner is the author of the critically-acclaimed essay collection Thin Places, which was published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux in March 2020. She’s also the creator and host of the interview podcast Thresholds, where she talks with writers about moments that changed their lives and writing forever. She writes for the New York Times Magazine, The Paris Review, The Atlantic, The Believer, n+1, The Guardian, and many others, but spends most of her time chasing around her 18-month old hound. Learn more  about Jordan Kisner and her new book,  Thin Places .
My name is  Keli Shipley Cooper   and I am the Minister for Faith Formation at St. Paul's. We are excited to share stories, readings, Scripture, and practices with you all. In this time of physical distancing, we still join together through prayer and technology as we continue to be the church from at least six feet apart. 

We are glad that you are here.

I f you would like to respond to or discuss any piece of this devotion, reply directly to this e-mail to connect with Keli Shipley Cooper.
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Reminder of Online Opportunities

Check our website under the ChurchAway page for more information.

  • Morning Worship on Sundays at 10:00 a.m.
  • Morning Prayer Podcast available Tuesday and Thursday mornings
  • Evening Prayer on Monday through Friday evenings at 6:00 p.m.
  • Spiritual Focus of the Day coordinated by Keli
  • An e-mail devotion sent every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
  • These will also be posted on our Facebook page
  • Psalms Study with Charlie on Wednesdays at 5:00 p.m.
  • Wednesday, May 6th/ Scripture for next week: Psalm 100
  • Lectionary-Based Gospel Study with Rainey on Thursdays at 11:00 a.m.
  • Thursday, May 7th / Scripture for next week: John 14:1-14
  • Faith on Tap with 2nd Presbyterian every other Thursday at 5:00 p.m.
  • Next Meeting: Thursday, May 7th with Chris Graham
  • Spiritual Tools for Everyday Life Workshop with David Hoover
  • Saturday, May 9th @ 9:00-10:45 a.m.