Online Conversation | Invitation to Solitude and Silence, with Ruth Haley Barton
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- On March 19th we were delighted to host Christian author, leader, and teacher, Ruth Haley Barton. Barton is founding President/CEO of the Transforming Center, a ministry dedicated to strengthening the souls of Christian leaders and the congregations and organizations they serve. Ruth is the author of numerous books and resources on the spiritual life including Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership and Sacred Rhythms. She reflects regularly on spirituality and leadership in her blog, Beyond Words, and on her podcast Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership.
We hope you enjoy this conversation around her book, Invitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God's Transforming Presence. Our attention, Barton believes, has become a commodity that we must protect if we are to avoid being swept away by our distracted age. She invites listeners to engage in these ancient biblical practices to find the rest for our souls that Jesus promises. In this Lenten season, we hope this will inspire you to pursue God's transforming presence in new ways and contemplatively sit in solitude and silence with the Author and Perfecter of faith.
The song is "Revive Me Again" by Fernando Ortega.
This painting is “Eaton's Neck, Long Island” by John Frederick Kensett, 1872
Special thanks to Coracle, our co-host for this event-inthecoracle.org/
And thanks to our sponsors, Bruce and Susan Gwilliam, and InterVarsity Press-www.ivpress.co...
To learn more about The Trinity Forum, or to watch all of our past Evening Conversations with the World's premier thinkers and leaders, please visit: www.ttf.org.
Phillipians 4:8 '..whatever is lovely.. think on these things.' Live and let live.
5:06 "There's a guidance we need that we can't 'think our way into' - we only find it in a conversation in the depth of our being" with the Spirit of God ... the only one who knows the mind of God. Thanks Ruth for stirring us toward pursuing the voice of the Spirit, deep inside us, in Solitude & Silence
Thank you Ruth. I am being trained as a Spiritual Director. I am Thai residing in Bangkok.
Which part of BKK you are staying?
Really good. Thank you. I got so much needed insight.
Very nourishing to my soul. Thank you both
What a great conversation. There were so many things that resonated for me in this conversation such as leading out of emptiness and how leaders do things to shore up their identities when all we really need to do is do what we do and leave the outcomes to God by trusting in God and others. I have always talked about listening to my inner voice within and when I didn’t I regretted it. God speaks to me in that quiet voice but amidst all the busyness of life often I can miss it. What is so clear now is how God waits and doesn’t compete but is patient with us until God has our attention and we are receptive to what God has to say. It was so refreshing for me to hear the distinction between external and internal silence. That peace that will come within us that is spoken about in the Bible, the peace of God which surpasses all understanding and how that will guard our hearts and minds in Jesus Christ. That resonates with me in a new way. The example about the children playing in the house while Barton was trying to write and the remembrance of Julian of Norwich’s way of praying for someone is to look at God, look at them (their situation) and then look at God again (seeing others through God’s eyes) gives me a new perspective when I am lost in the distraction of life and getting defocused on things that really don’t matter in the whole scheme life. Also, thinking of my body as a way to connect with God and is a place of encounter and the notion of at a cellular level we need to deal with our brokenness as our cells carry our life experiences. A million thanks for this wonderful conversation as I feel so enlightened and encouraged of new practices and ideas to open up more pathways to my experience with God.
Several things resonated with me, first, the cause-effect relationship of being quiet and God’s willingness to talk with us. This idea that God doesn’t compete but waits patiently for us to be ready for God. Second, it is a very powerful idea of getting a quiet presence, in solitude with God by looking at God (We are in God), looking at ourselves (our situations) and then looking at God again (seeing others through God’s eyes). This is something that can make the difference between us and God and our relationship with the external world as a way to give love to others. Third, how we are all connected with God since the beginning even when we are not aware of it and in moments of psychological brokenness and experiences of abandonment, it allows us to be with God and experience God. What amazing grace of God is offered to each of God’s children.
I love the sharing of Ruth’s personal life as human being allowing God’s Spirit to have full access into the depth of our soul to be filled with His love day by day thanks so much for your testimony
4/13/21 8:43 I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation. Ruth's response to why solitude and silence are so hard for humans due to the enemy's resilience to see God's purpose thwarted. I absolutely agree. It's the wrestle I believe the Apostle Paul referred to in the book of Ephesians. The enemies wrestle to ensure God's divine children receive havoc rather than peace. Stillness and quiet in the presence of God reveal areas in which need to be transformed, so we live ours according to the will of God.
7:52PM 4/13/21: "in the depths of our being" encompasses what I appreciated most about the conversation with Barton. Silence and solitude can be a place of chaos and avoidance if we do not know what exactly what the "depths of our being" are like.
4.13.2021 oh my goodness this was so good. So many nuggets. One thing that stood out to me is that God is not going to compete. He has so much to say but we have to make time for him. In my prayer time this morning I was talking to God about this very thing and asked for his forgiveness. He said the assignment is still the same but your attentiveness shifted. Hit me like a ton of bricks. I know he wants to share his thoughts and plans with me but he’s not going to force me. I have to make him a priority. Thank you for a great discussion!
I liked how Ruth addressed the different stages of life in trying to find moments of solitude and silence. Great example of the HS friends of her daughter's going through the house showing that there are ways to keep our eyes focused on Christ at every stage even though some time periods are harder than others. Also good info about our different personalities (introvert vs. extrovert) and the issues with each personality type! Thank you so much!
Wonderful interview, it flowed so well. A real pleasure to to listen to you both. Thank you.
Thanks so much for your life journey experience with the Lord through humbling yourself to actually accepting the invitation of God for us to be with Him like Jesus with His intimate relationship day by day with His father - Mark 1:35.
Oh my! That was the best ever!! She tackled so many hard things, especially of my own scary mind. Thank you so much!!!! Again!!!
4/13/21 I appreciate Dr. Barton teaching and living out her dedication to creating space for leadership growth through contemplative practices and embracing silence. In seminary, I have been engaged with several groups off-campus that offer silence and community yet, I have experienced few opportunities from the seminary. The seminary teaches students how to speak and respond, but not how to listen and be still. I appreciate the opportunity to engage with Dr. Barton's teachings and I wonder how they might reform our approach to the education of Christian leaders. (my comment is required for a class assignment)
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4/13/21 - In academic spaces, where perhaps even in seminary the cognitive is pressed, how do we make more space and opening for continued encouraged trips of deep down into the souls of our beings to hear wisdom --- wisdom not of literature but ancestors and spirit. (my comment is required for a class assignment)