Missio Alliance

10/19/2026

God loves the whole world, but has a particular preference for the poor, vulnerable, and oppressed. Heather Matthews connects us to scripture, diligent to emphasize that the Kingdom work is justice work.

“In God’s Kingdom, women will not face abuse, sexism, violence, r**e, trafficking, harassment, divorce, inequality, silencing, objectification, a glass ceiling, exclusion from leadership, single parenting, and the many forms of injustice that women encounter in everyday life both inside and outside the church. When we work for justice for women, we are participating in God’s work in the world.”

Read more at the link:

"In God’s Kingdom, women will not face abuse, sexism, violence, r**e, trafficking, harassment, divorce, inequality, silencing, objectification, a glass ceiling, exclusion from leadership, single parenting, and the many forms of injustice that women encounter in everyday life both inside and outsid...

10/15/2026

Thresholds can make us restless.

We want to know what comes next, which direction to take, how the story will turn out. But Jeremiah's invitation begins somewhere else. To stand, to look, and to ask.

This week, resist the urge to rush through whatever threshold you find yourself standing at. Name a place in your life, your community, or the Church where the way forward feels uncertain.

Give yourself a moment to simply stand there - not solving, defending, or deciding.

Take a look. What is true here that I need to see clearly?

Ask, what have I inherited that is worth carrying forward? What needs to be released?

Then listen. Where might the good way be emerging, even if I cannot see the whole path yet?

This week, practice standing at the crossroads. The way is emerging. The Way is with you.

10/12/2026

Are we visual creatures? Lindsey takes a look at the first of four postures we’re exploring in this new series and explores this question with us.

“Look carries all the meaning of a command, an action, a behavior we do when necessary. Look at this! We tell our toddler when we behold an interesting creature at the zoo. Look out! We yell when someone steps into a crosswalk without looking both ways... But what if we take Jeremiah’s suggestion to look not as a mere gesture, but as a posture we are meant to hold?”

Read the full article at the link: https://missioalliance.org/what-is-it-to-be-a-visual-creature/ 🔗
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This series is in collaboration with Cultivating Communities as we anticipate our Awakenings Gathering: A People at the Threshold in Spring 2027. Registration opens soon, so watch for new details! 👀✍️

10/05/2026

The global Church is asking a critical question: What is the good way forward? Lisa turns us to Scripture and the prophet Jeremiah, who provides timeless wisdom to God's people then and now.

This is the first article in a series that introduces four postures suggested by Jeremiah chapter 6—Stand, Ask, Walk, and Tend. These postures are the heartbeat of our Awakenings gathering: A People at the Threshold, and will invite us to be honest about where we are and hopeful about God's good way forward.

Click to read: https://cultivatingcommunities.substack.com/p/sitting-in-pews-standing-at-a-crossroads

Registration for the 2027 Awakenings Gathering will open soon. Learn more here: https://www.awakeningsgathering.com/

09/29/2026

"The natural world is a restorative place for our souls. In nature, God may not change my circumstances, but may bring about my healing."

Pastor and Mission Strategist Kris Beckert shares a fresh perspective about why we ought to take the church outside. Plenty of scientific research confirms that nature promotes healing in the body, but Beckert suggests it can also help heal our image of God.

"Not only does the natural world tell us of God, as the Psalmist declares – “The heavens are telling the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1) – it also refines, reflects, and redefines who this God really is, compared to the distorted image we may have caught or been taught." Keep reading: https://missioalliance.org/god-finds-us-in-nature-an-environment-of-healing/

09/21/2026

What might spiritual formation look like for the clergy mothers among us? In the mission of raising children and shepherding a congregation, it is in the rare moments of quiet that the mothering pastor might ask: What does spiritual formation look like for me?

"The last thing I need as a mother in ministry is another study to work my way through", Bell writes, "I need space to rest and to remember that God loves me and strengthens me for the things God has called me to do."

"For the mothering pastor, God as a mother can show her the tender love that her heart yearns for, and her clergy sisters become her soul neighbors. This embodied love, of God and clergy neighbor, bring deep and wide spiritual nourishment as she shows Christ’s love to church and family."

Continue reading: https://missioalliance.org/embodied-spiritual-formation-for-the-mothering-pastor/

09/16/2026

Humility is the doorway to sacred listening.

When we enter conversations, especially with those whose experiences differ from our own, with the need to defend, fix, or explain, we miss the deeper invitation. But when we come with open hands and hearts, ready to be changed by what we hear, we practice a holy kind of courage.

This week, our brave practice is humility.

Choose to listen without preparing a response. Whether it’s a conversation with an immigrant neighbor, a story shared online, or a testimony from the global church, pause before reacting. Ask: What might God be revealing to me through this voice? What assumptions do I need to release?

You might journal your reflections, or simply sit in prayerful silence after listening. The goal is not agreement, but presence. Not resolution, but reverence.

As we cultivate humility, we make room for God to speak, not just to us, but through those we might otherwise overlook. In a world full of noise and certainty, this kind of listening is a radical act of faith.

09/14/2026

Are Heaven and Hell final destinations or realities we create and live into? Artist and graphic designer Julian Shumpert offers a peek into his theological questions and invites us to consider what it means to "be saved."

"Are Heaven and Hell realities we create and live into, rather than simply existing as afterlife destinations? If so, Jesus' teaching becomes a call to create Heaven in the here and now, rather than selling the Gospel as a ticket to an afterlife destination."

As Julian puts it, "If we, as Christians, can create glimpses of heaven through our service, compassion, and mercy, then isn’t the opposite also true? Isn’t it by our ego, judgment, and malice that we create the reality of hell?"

Read the full piece: https://missioalliance.org/saved-where-will-you-go/

09/09/2026

"Despite the American myth, I cannot be or do whatever I desire – a truism, to be sure, but a truism we often defy. Our created natures make us like organisms in an ecosystem: there are some roles and relationships in which we thrive and others in which we wither and die.” (Parker Palmer, Let My Life Speak)

All across the Northern Hemisphere, as the calendar turns the page from a (seemingly) endless summer to September’s new beginnings, we are faced with a familiar choice: How do I make a life that is meaningful, God-centered, and prioritizes the things that I am to give my energy and attention to as autumn’s liminal space grows ever closer? If you are anything like me, your calendar is already too full, your inbox overflowing, and requests for your presence coming from every direction.

The delightful Quaker writer Parker Palmer suggests a wisdom that is worth heeding as the school year ramps up to full speed. “Our natures are created to thrive in certain ecosystems. What would it look like to give yourself permission to embrace your natural limits in this season – be they familial (You have young kids!), work-related (You do this job!), or embodied (You need rest and can’t do it all!)?”

Perhaps embracing liminality helps you make the wise choices God is confident you were created to make.

09/07/2026

"In a world like ours, and at a pace like ours, my sense is that Jesus wants to offer us a few more fermatas–a few more rests of unspecified length–so that we might know the rest that comes from the One who truly renews."

Today marks a day of celebration and, maybe, anticipation of new schedules and new rhythms. We can also accept today as a reminder of an invitation that remains open to us all year-round. Far better than a work-life balance or a better schedule, Jesus offers a gift that satisfies what Matthew Watson calls the "arythmias of life".

"Now we live in a 24/7 world–constantly at work, continuously plugged in, turned on and well lit, yet still expected to be fruitful year–round. Where we once rested when the sun laid its head below the horizon, now we work into the dark, driven to create our own light in the middle of the night."

Continue reading: https://missioalliance.org/finding-rest-amidst-the-days-of-labor/