March Image of Renewal

 What quiet rhythms do you see rippling through your life and work?

February Words of Courage

February Images of Renewal

January Image of Renewal

 What seeds sre lying dormant for you in your life and work?

 Photo Mandala © Donna Bearden 

December Words of Courage

According to “the Internet” a seven-year-old named Bobby defined love in the following way:  “It’s what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.”

What might you perceive if you stopped to listen?

To share your comment about this poem and question click on "write a comment" below.

This is our monthly offering of Words of Courage. It is our hope that the words that you read and the questions you consider will en-courage you to engage fully in your work in the world.

These "Words of Courage" contributed by Ann Faulkner, a long time friend and facilitator for CRNT.

December Image of Renewal

What holiday tradition are you looking forward to celebrating with your family & friends?

November Words of Courage

November Image of Renewal

 What threads do you follow?

How do they help you in these times of
uncertainty and challenge?

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Please visit our blog to share your comments on

today's Image of Renewal and questions.

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Photo Mandala © Donna Bearden

These images and words are a monthly offering from Courage & Renewal - North Texas. It is our hope that they will provide a moment of refreshment, of reflection, of renewal - and will enable you to live and work more wholeheartedly.

Thinking About Community

Thinking About Community

Last Thursday,  October 15th, 25 individuals gathered for Dinner & Dialogue to share and discuss in the hopes of learning more about themselves each other and our richly diverse community. On that night, Cindy shared a story about community written by Wendell Berry.  I would like to share that  story and the following questions with you now.

 What Are People For

I was walking one Sunday afternoon several years ago with an older friend. We went by the ruining log house that had belonged to his grandparents and great-grandparents. The house stirred my friend's memory, and he told how the old-time people used to visit each other in the evenings, especially in the long evenings of winter. There used to be a sort of institution in our part of the country known as "sitting till bedtime." After supper, when they weren't too tired, neighbors would walk across the field to visit each other. They popped corn, my friend said, and ate apples and talked. They told each other stories. They told stories about each other, about themselves, living again in their own memories and thus keeping their memories alive. Among the hearers of these stories were always the children. When bedtime came, the visitors lit their lanterns and went home. My friend talked about this, and thought about it, and then he said, "They had everything but money."

    They were poor, as country people have often been, but they had each other, they had their local economy in which they helped each other, they had each other's comfort when they needed it, and they had their stories, their history together in that place.

- Wendell Berry 

1. Think of a specific experience that you have or had where there is/was a real sense of community.  What did it look like, feel like, sound like?  What made it "real community"?  What was your role?

2. Based on those experiences, think about the following questions: 
      a.  What helps you to participate in community?
      b.  What keeps you from participating in community?
      c.  What do these reflections suggest as you are involved in
            community in the days ahead?

This is our monthly offering of Words of Courage. It is our hope the words  you read and the questions you consider will en-courage you to engage fully in your work in the world.

These Words of Courage contributed by Nate' Hearne, Cindy Johnson and Melissa Smart, a friend and intern of CRNT.

Dinner & Dialogue was a collaboration between CRNT and 3 great organizitions focused on helping individulas in the community.  Click on each organizations logo to learn more about what they do:

October Image of Renewal

On October 3, CRNT showcased the work of 3 North Texas artist as a part of Goggle Night (see photos), an event that promotes the art, music and local businesses in the Near Southside community.   One artist asked to participate was our very own, Donna Bearden, whose beautiful Mandalas (like the one above)and photography were on display!

To learn more about Donna and her wonderful work, please visit her webpage on the City of Addison's website.

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Please share your comments.

Photo Mandala © Donna Bearden

These images and words are a monthly offering from Courage & Renewal - North Texas. It is our hope that they will provide a moment of refreshment, of reflection, of renewal - and will enable you to live and work more whole heartedly.

www.CourageNorthTexas.org

"Reconnecting Who You Are With What You Do."

How to be an Educator

How to be an Educator

by Catherine Wehlburg

Listen carefully and don’t assume.

Students and teachers all need to

Learn and we often teach what we need to learn most.

Be humble. You do not know all the answers

You don’t even know all the questions.

But, together “we” might.

Be open to idea. The sky isn’t always blue

And the leaves aren’t always green.

Knowing and learning are both part of a process that never ends.

Search continuously.
There is always another way, another thought, another concept.

We are all students, we are all teachers.

We are all in this together.

How to be an Educator was written and "gifted" to us by Catherine Wehlburg, a member of our Board and great friend.

We invite you to share your comments . Thank you!

September Words of Courage

Stubborn Ounces

(To One Who Doubts the Worth of

Doing Anything If You Can’t Do Everything)

By Bonaro W. Overstreet

You say the Little efforts that I make

will do no good: they never will prevail

to tip the hovering scale

where Justice hangs in balance.

I don’t think

I ever thought they would.

But I am prejudiced beyond debate

in favor of my right to choose which side

shall feel the stubborn ounces of my weight.

Where are you currently placing your “stubborn ounces?”

Share your comments about this poem.

This is our monthly offering of Words of Courage. It is our hope that the words that you read and the questions you consider will en-courage you to engage fully in your work in the world.

These "Words of Courage" contributed by David Grebel, a long time friend and supporter of CRNT.