Center for Courage & Renewal

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Greenville, SC
Center for Courage & Renewal

A nonprofit organization offering retreats, programs, events and consulting. Based on the work of author and activist Parker J.

The Center for Courage & Renewal exists to nurture deep integrity and relational trust, building the foundation for a more loving, equitable, and healthy world. Palmer the Courage & Renewal approach is distinguished by principles and practices intended to create supportive communities of reflection and belonging that help people move towards personal and societal wholeness.

10/12/2026

Inspiration for the Week:

Each of us has something meaningful to contribute to the communities we share and the world we are creating together.

Joy Harjo’s words remind us of the many ways people bring meaning, care, and possibility into the world. Through art, service, music, and acts of justice, we each have the capacity to strengthen our connections with one another and help imagine a more loving future.

Practicing courage means recognizing our responsibility to one another while honoring the many ways we contribute to our collective well-being. Even amid challenges and differences, we can choose to nurture connection, make space for one another, and remain open to the possibilities that love makes possible.

10/09/2026

Nature reminds us that the wisdom we seek is not always found in the voices around us, but in the quiet spaces where we can listen inward.

Just as trees grow through changing seasons, reaching toward the light while remaining rooted, we, too, can learn to trust the wisdom taking shape within us.

Notice what stirs within you this season and invite yourself to make room for the questions that do not yet have answers.

We may look to others for guidance, but our own reflections, reactions, and moments of silence can reveal truths that only we can discover. Like a path unfolding beneath a canopy of trees, the journey inward invites us to remain curious, listen deeply, and take the next step with intention.

10/05/2026

Inspiration for the Week:

The world around us is always changing, inviting us to recognize that the work of creating a more connected and humane world is never truly finished.

When we understand change as an ongoing journey rather than a destination, we can make space for curiosity, relationship, and the possibility of finding common ground with others whose experiences may differ from our own.

Practicing courage means staying engaged with what is unfolding while remaining open to what we can learn along the way. In that openness, we may discover new possibilities for connection, belonging, and collective change.

10/02/2026

Just as mycelium is the underground, often unseen, interconnected system that allows much of nature to flourish, so, too, is our inner life in relation to our outer living. Nature provides us with a clear metaphor for how essentially connected the hidden and visible parts of our lives are.

When there is erosion and disconnection, landscapes change and settle. When there is disconnection between our inner and outer lives, we can also feel unsettled. In those times, we can ground ourselves in our values and reconnect to our inner life.

We can move through cycles, just like nature, connecting and reconnecting with ourselves and others as we move through different phases of life.

What are you experiencing in this season? What might your inner teacher be waiting to reveal to you?

09/30/2026

Courage & Renewal® Touchstones for Creating Trustworthy Spaces

When the Going Gets Rough, Turn to Wonder.

When we encounter perspectives or experiences that challenge our own, it can be easy to respond with judgment or react before taking time to listen. Wonder offers us another way.

In challenging moments, turning to wonder creates space for us to discern how to respond in ways that are aligned with our values and gives us an opportunity to exercise more of our own agency.

Wonder opens us up to possibility and gives us the breathing room to ask ourselves and others honest, open questions that can lead to deeper trust in ourselves and others. Wonder invites us to meet moments of difficulty with curiosity and openness, allowing new understanding and connection to emerge.

09/25/2026

The natural world is full of patterns. The changing seasons, the rhythm of tides, and even the cycles of growth, renewal, and change.

When we take time to observe nature, we may begin to recognize patterns in our own lives. We, too, move through seasons and cycles of change.

What lessons might we learn from slowing down, observing the natural world around us, and hearing the voice of our inner teacher? What might the patterns or rhythms of our lives teach us about ourselves?

09/21/2026

Inspiration for the Week:

Community is essential to our collective liberation, belonging, and well-being. Strong communities are built through connection, care, and deep trust. When we trust one another, we create the conditions for communities where people can show up fully, support one another, and thrive together.

Community is not something we simply belong to, but also something we build, nurture, and strengthen together.

As you step into this week, take a moment to reflect:

How have you built or strengthened trust with others?

How have you contributed to the strength and well-being of the communities you’re part of?

When was a time you were the beneficiary of the power of community?

09/15/2026

Join us for tomorrow's Between the Lines Author Series event - Aging with Purpose: A conversation between Parker J. Palmer and Kathryn McElveen, Executive Director of the Center for Courage & Renewal

Parker is returning to this beloved collection after eight years, offering an invitation to revisit its wisdom and consider what it has to say to us now.

“It’s unfair to lay all responsibility for the future on the younger generation. After all, the problems they face are partly due to the fact that we, their elders, screwed up. Worse still, it’s not true that the young alone are in charge of what comes next. We—young and old together—hold the future in our hands. If our common life is to become more compassionate, creative, and just, it will take an intergenerational effort.”

Register here: https://couragerenewal.org/book-talk-registration-form.../

Event Details:
🗓️ Wednesday, September 16
⏰ 11:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m. ET
💻 Online via Zoom
📚 Donations of $50 or more receive a copy of the updated edition of On the Brink of Everything.

09/14/2026

Inspiration for the Week:

Our imperfections and experiences of brokenness can remind us that none of us moves through life untouched by struggle, loss, or change.

When we make space for our own vulnerability and the experiences of others, we can discover a deeper sense of shared humanity and a greater capacity for compassion, connection, and healing.

Practicing courage means allowing ourselves to be honest about what has shaped us while remaining open to what we can learn from one another. In that openness, our shared humanity can become a source of connection and help us create spaces where compassion, meaning, and belonging can grow.

09/11/2026

Seasons do not rush their transitions. Each arrives at its own pace. Sometimes, before we always recognize it, we also arrive at a new season or change in our lives.

What might your current season be preparing you for? What might it be inviting you to pay attention to?

Address

Greenville, SC

Telephone

+12064662055

Website

http://www.couragerenewal.org/

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