Body Oak Cliff

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Creating Safe Spaces for Transformation

Have you ever felt a longing for something different than your current reality? Maybe it’s a restlessness at work, or a dissatisfaction in your relationships, or a spark of creativity that itches to be released. We all get stuck in one way or another, and my belief is that our world suffers for it. I believe that our collective well-being is tied up with one another, which means that my emotional health impacts you, and vice versa. Yes, you, whoever you are, wherever you live. You matter, and I have a vested interest in your well-being.

I believe that the health of my community (Oak Cliff) is directly related to the health of the individuals who inhabit this neighborhood. I’m talking about every kind of health - social, emotional, physical, mental, spiritual, you name it. I am particularly interested in spiritual health, by which I mean the sense of intimacy we feel (or don’t feel) with ourselves, with others, and with God. I believe that we were all created with a profound need for intimate connection. But of course, we live in a world where there is a lot of background noise that can make it nearly impossible to hear our own voices, much less the voice of God, or the true voice of those on the other side of whatever line is important to us (e.g. religious, political, racial, intellectual). If we could turn the volume down on the internal and external voices that vie for our attention, what would we hear? What might be possible?

Body Oak Cliff exists to create spaces for reflection, connection, and surrender. What if you had a little more space in your life to think about who you want to be, instead of staying stuck on the hamster wheel of daily existence? What if you had the tools to foster deep connection with people, even people who are radically different from you, instead of avoiding relationships that are challenging, awkward, or painful? What if you had the ability to surrender your need to control your environment, and could instead graciously accept the gifts that come with each passing moment? What difference would this make for you?

I know it can be hard to envision how all of this actually happens. Let me paint you a picture. Imagine you got clarity on one specific area in your life where you want to see transformation. For this example, let’s say that area is developing a more meaningful relationship with a family member (e.g. parent, child, sibling). What if you got connected with a handful of other people who had the same goal, and who were interested in going on a journey where transformation was not only possible, but inevitable. Imagine meeting with this small group of like-minded folks face-to-face over the course of a few months. Every time you gather, you explore topics and tools that directly relate to the struggles you are facing. When you are apart, you are given assignments that lead you, step by step, toward your goal. You are not left alone to complete these assignments, but are paired with a coach who helps you see where you are getting stuck and how to move forward. Then when you gather with the group, you get to share about your experiences and learn from the experiences of others. The concepts of “success” and “failure” become almost irrelevant, because you are in a reflective, connected space that allows you to learn from everything that happens. When the group comes to a close, you have made substantive progress toward your goal, and you have a new set of tools to help you keep that transformation alive, even without the structure and support of the group.

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