Extra Episodes (Scraps)

An Introduction to Futurescaping

If Easter is announcing anything, it is that the world is wide open. Possibilities belong to those who have eyes to see them and the will to work toward them. There are many things today that may make you cynical, resigned and hopeless, but that’s not all that is happening. There are movements, ideas and inventions that will not be ignored pointing to a future big enough for our dreams. It's time to do some futurescaping.
 

Living Room conversations with Sara Joy Proppe

Melissa, Greg, and Chris got the pleasure of spending some time with Sara Joy Proppe after our gathering to continue conversations about what it looks like to make Living Room in the physical spaces we inhabit. 

Practices to Make Living Room

"Lent" has been used as a tool for beating up on ourselves, but is there something helpful to glean from practices of self-denial, discipline, and space-making? Greg, Chris, and Melissa dig in to the ways that they're using this season to build practices, capacity and focus. 

Small "t" truth: Experience

It’s one thing to talk about the different worlds of Big “T” Truth and small “t” truth, but the real challenge is becoming fluent and comfortable in the small “t” world.  In this episode, we take a little time to cultivate space for truth. 
The text from the original poem that Chris Tripolino shares in this episode can be found here:
 
Today I had the courage to come to your house
I would have been mostly content to stand upon the threshold
But something within me reached out
And rang the bell
 
You came and welcomed me in
as a friend
Without a thought of the arrogant things I’ve said
about you
And right away I could see 
I was wrong anyway
 
These weren’t the sterile halls
Glass and polished ivory
There is life here; wisdom, and magic
 
Your house is full of children
Their songs and laughter echoing sweetly through the corridors
Elders sit at your table
and sometimes speak
But break the silence reverently, reluctantly interrupting a friend
 
The poets play in your fields
The scientists know to stay nearby
The theologians sit on the fences beyond
An interesting view, an uncomfortable seat
An unprompted vow to abstain
from experiencing these lands firsthand
 
Yes, there are many who live far beyond
The politicians in their perches knowing when to speak your name
The pundits, editorializing, obscuring
selling tickets as if the view was the main event
 
The rest, perhaps content to live on the borderlands
In the shadow of your gates
A s I was 
For a time
 

A Petrified God...

Chris Tripolino and Greg Meyer talk about some of the ways that society (especially Western Christianity) has gotten good at petrifying some of the profound parts of life. It's worth noticing where it happens to make it easier to avoid and keep focusing on the places full of life! 

What's Important or What's Happening

It's so easy to confuse what's important with what's simply happening. Greg Meyer, Melissa Lock, and Chris Tripolino share some conversation about how to get to those important things...those big decisions.

Thanksgiving Stress and an "Attitude of Gratitude"

Yes, we want to vomit when we hear that...and yet, there's something true in the triteness. Thanksgiving is about gratitude after all. But if you're asking, "But how am I actually going to make it through the holidays?" then this one's for you.  Melissa, Greg, and Chris talk about building a cycle of gratitude that doesn't fix anything, but does start to transform us. 

Scraps: the Beautiful Challenge of Sharing Your Mission

The things that doggedly call to us, that we can't get over, that we have vast energy for; our missions can challenge us in lots of ways, but another challenge comes when we share it with people who hold us to the vision that we've been given. Listen as Melissa Lock and Scott Schluter talk with Chris Tripolino about how this got really real for them over the summer. 
Scott is a part of the Fabric community and he and Melissa mention an organization that they've gotten involved with called Better Angels. Learn more about how they are working to bridge the gaps in our political discourse here.