Share your Word for 2015
In ancient times, wise men and women fled out into the desert to find a place where they could be fully present to God and to their own inner struggles at work within them. The desert became a place to enter into the refiner’s fire and be stripped down to one’s holy essence. The desert was a threshold place where you emerged different than when you entered.
Many people followed these ammas and abbas, seeking their wisdom and guidance for a meaningful life. One tradition was to ask for a word – this word or phrase would be something on which to ponder for many days, weeks, months, sometimes a whole lifetime. This practice is connected to lectio divina, where we approach the sacred texts with the same request – “give me a word” we ask – something to nourish me, challenge me, a word I can wrestle with and grow into. The word which chooses us has the potential to transform us.
- What is your word for the year ahead? A word which contains within it a seed of invitation to cross a new threshold in your life?
Share your word in the comments section below by Tuesday, January 6, 2015 and you are automatically entered for the prize drawing (prizes listed below).
A free 12-day online mini-retreat to help your word choose you. . .
As in past years, I am offering all Abbey newsletter subscribers a gift: a free 12-day online mini-retreat with a suggested practice for each day to help your word choose you and to deepen into your word once it has found you. Even if you participated last year, you are more than welcome to register again.
Sign up here and you can start your mini-retreat today. Once you subscribe you will receive the first email within an hour and then one email each day for 12 days. Your information will never be shared or sold.
Win a Prize – Random Drawing Giveaway on January 6th!
I am delighted to offer some wonderful gifts from the Abbey and friends and supporters of the Abbey’s work:
- One space in the upcoming online Abbey retreat Illuminating the Way: Epiphany and New Year Retreat with Monks, Mystics, & Archetypes (a fabulous way to begin the year!)
- A copy of Dana Reynolds‘ fabulous gold medal winning novel Ink and Honey
- A 6-week self study course from Dana Reynolds: Your Sacred Life Artisan’s Book of Wonderment
- A New Year Sacred Reading from the Ronna Detrick (let a woman from scripture accompany you into the new year!)
- A copy Betsey Beckman’s fabulous dance of The Creation on DVD (be inspired to dance into the new year)
- A copy of As I Lay Pondering from Kayce Hughlett (a wonderful book of daily reflections to accompany you into the new year)
- A 2015 calendar from Stacy Wills featuring her alcohol ink paintings (be blessed with Stacy’s stunning images each month)
- A copy of Richard Bruxvoort Colligan’s new album Love Stands With, with songs based on justice-oriented Psalms (be moved by powerful music to inspire your heart to prophetic action in the coming year)
- 4 people will win a copy of Sick and You Cared for Me: Homilies and Reflections for Cycle B with one reflection by Christine, plus also Richard Rohr, Rob Bell, Jan Richardson, and many more!
- 4 people will win their choice of self-study online classes from the following: Creative Flourishing in the Heart of the Desert: A Self-Study Online Retreat with St. Hildegard of Bingen, Soul of a Pilgrim: An Online Art Retreat, Seasons of the Soul, Lectio Divina: The Sacred Art of Reading the World, or Eyes of the Heart: Photography as a Contemplative Practice.
So please share your word (and it would be wonderful to include a sentence about what it means for you) with us below. Subscribe to the Abbey newsletter to receive ongoing inspiration in your in-box. Share the love with others and invite them to participate. Then stay tuned – on January 6th I will announce the prize winners!
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804 Responses
my word for 2015 is “tenderness.”
I forgot to add a sentence about how that word chose me! On Christmas morning I read the text of Pope Francis’ Christmas Eve homily and he spoke of welcoming the “tenderness of God and went on to say, “How much the world needs tenderness today!” These words spoke to my heart in such a powerful way. “Tenderness” is not just something I need to extend to myself, it is also something I need to welcome and that I am called to offer to the world.
“Home” is my word for this year. It just sort of settled in there while I was still looking out for it. It has stayed (even while I kept looking out the windows for another one) and so “Home” it is. It seems so ordinary, so plain, so unadventurous, so not-enough. And for all those reasons I didn’t (want to ) recognize it when it came. But there is a solidity about it that is calling me.
I caught myself scrolling through others’ responses to see if there was another “Home” in there, and I didn’t immediately find one if there was. This looking outside … for something … pulls me away from “Home”. I want to be Home in this coming year – not as a retreat from anything but as a grounding for the places I am called.
My word for this year is threshold…As i wondered and prayed as to whether this word was in fact my word, so many images and words emerged. Suddenly it seemed as if everyone was writing about or using that word. What a gift of confirmation that was! I embrace this word as i embark on a new journey this year leaving home and looking for a new space. Images of threshing floors come to mind for me and i imagine the harvest to come. For now, however, I purpose to stand on the threshold feeling the space underneath me and finding the goodness there.
‘LOVE’ This is the word/feeling/thought/heart of it for me this year.
This morning, on our ‘Holy Disorder… Facebook page, Melissa Layer shared a poem by Rachelle Lamb with an exquisite painting of a Polar Bear and woman loving each other. I didn’t know that as I thought of my ‘word for the year’ over the last couple of weeks, that Love would be what would choose me. I know the face of love, the deep feeling of love, being loved unconditionally. And… have hidden my heart for quite some time now, not just from a lover; from truly stepping into Love and all it’s magic. Of letting myself be loved again. Of really having that Love for creative expression fill me.
“… May you fall deeply, madly, hopelessly, inextinguishably in love.” I feel teary eyed just embracing the magnitude such love.
“Receive” ! Finally I found myword!
For weeks now I have been praying and pondering over what my word for this New Year should or could be. Some of you might be aware that since moving to Vermont I miss my very active life of Ministry in my old Parish in N.J. The trade off was this wonderful and beautiful life in Vermont where we live only 5 minutes from a Benedictine Monastery. We are blessed to be so close to the Monks and to take part in daily prayer etc.
And so I still was doing a lot of searching and complaining and wishing that I could find my Ministry …pretty much the way it was in NJ. At the moment I volunteer as a Music Minister at a very very small parish.
The other day as I was ( sadly) complaining about ( forgive me) not getting paid for this …my friend said..”yes, but you have the opportunity to share your gifts”. And that woke me up ! Thank God I have the opportunity to share my gift of music in whatever way.
And “Receive” is what I am feeling called to do. Receive and be open to all that is and all that can be. And not trying to force something or wish for something to be different. It is ALL Gift and I am happy to “Receive” all that God is offering me!
Peace, pat
Blessings to you, Pat!
Our word is “deep” and it is an invitation to learn to breathe under water as I daily surrender into the deepest heart of darkness. In this practice I am learning to hold the tension of terrible fear and great trust.
My word(s) are “lighten up.” Learning to hold everything more lightly and less tightly — to be kinder and gentler to myself and to others. And I like that the word also means to let more light in (and out?) — to be more translucent and more receptive to the light. But having a hard time right now — and so probably need these words right now most of all – when it’s winter and January and spring seems so far away.
” beauty” is the word that chooses to journey with me
My word for 2015 is “act”. I tend to spend a lot of time in my head. I commit to act, and by doing so manifest a fuller version of me for the benefit of not me.
I have been pondering whether to participate again this year – I went through My One Word last time. I’ve written a blog piece on my concerns here http://jellyjots.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/a-viewpoint-on-my-one-word.html though it is not this community that worries me at all, but some in the more evangelical church making it a “thing.” Anyway, that aside, my given word is Exchange. Exchanging viewpoints with others, but also exchanging joy and mourning, beauty for ashes, health (I hope) for sickness, etc. God bless all.