The Rev. Angela Ford Nelson is an ordained elder in the UMC, a spiritual director, and a supervisor with the Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Direction program at Saint John's SOT/Sem. In this video she offers heartfelt encouragement to listeners as they follow the Spirit into experiences of mutual blessing. Her insights reflect perspectives as a business person, a pastor, and a person of steady prayer.
See also https://www.angelafordnelson.com.
Thank you! A simple response to one’s generosity. How many ordinary gifts do your receive in a day? Somebody offers a “Have a great day?”. A surprise visitor stops by and says, “Here are some cookies, I made a few extra so you could have a treat”., Or someone simply, clears the dinner table. All of these prompt a thank you. In addition to being a good social skill, gratitude helps us become more resistant to stressors. Anne Kertz Kernion will share research that indicates gratitude helps us become more resistant to stressors. If we have a grateful outlook, then we’ll recover more quickly from difficult life events, and we’ll lessen our anxiety. Anne will guide the listener in practices of gratitude.
Karen Handeland ‘had to’ develop a small Christian community for her class in the Emmaus Institute, a lay formation program offered by the Diocese of Saint Cloud. As God would have it, Karen blossomed, her charisms bore fruit for young adults in the Sauk Rapids area as they prayed with an illumination of The Saint John’s Bible, shared faith, and painted a response. She was invited to Campus Ministry at St. Benedict’s College and offered an experience for the students and the Benedictine sisters. Another invitation came to Karen for an evening of reflection for the young adults in the Come to the Water Area Catholic Community. The adults at Sacred Heart Catholic Church wanted to experience this. They knew Karen as a parishioner, catechist and youth minister and invited her to facilitate the process for them. This article describes Karen’s journey in this artistic process.
