Message from the Associates

Summertime Spiritual Formation

The Rev. Dr. Jesse W. Abell, Associate Rector for Pastoral Care & Formation

Hello, friends, It’s hard to believe I have now been at GSL over 6 months! I feel so blessed to be a part of this very special community. Thank you all for your warm welcome to me and my family and for all your support and encouragement. As we move into summer, our church programming gets more relaxed, but please don’t forget about spiritual formation— remember that the Holy Spirit is still eager to help form you into the person God has created for you to be. Maybe, take some intentional time this summer to visit the botanical gardens or the Dixon and reflect on the care and beauty with which God has created the world (and you!). Maybe pick out some easy spirituality reading and work your way through it this summer. (You can ask me or your clergy for suggestions; we’re always happy to share our favorites!) We might also have some relaxed formation offerings organized through GSL, so stay tuned to the weekly eNews! Blessings to you as you spend time outdoors and with family and on any travels or vacations you have planned. Peace, Jesse+ The Rev. Dr. Jesse W. Abell, Associate Rector 901-252-6330 | jesse.abell@gracestlukes.org

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Coffee with the Clergy the Clergy

A Summertime of Hope & Connection

The Rev. Laura F. Gettys, Associate Rector for Community Engagement & Congregational Development

Hooray for summertime and a season with some hopeful breathing space to exhale and relax in ways different from fall and winter months. There is a loveliness, I find, in the anticipation and planning—whether it be extra good books to read, a trip to enjoy, pool lounging, more time for creative artwork, or wonderful garden produce. So many good things in this season of summer.

I remember as a child feeling such freedom in the anticipation of summer arriving and school letting out. It is a joy to watch it unfold in my children as it taps into some of those childhood memories of my own. This idea and feeling of freedom is wrapped up in another important idea, I believe—hope. Hope of connecting with ourselves, those around us, nature, and God.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Freedom is not the right to live as we please, but the right to find how we ought to live in order to live into our potential.” I think of these words as we move into summer living and spaces of freedom and breathing room. Will we return in the Fall clearer about a system or idea from our book reading? Will we be more in tune with the earth as we eat from farmers markets and our gardens? Will we now have a penchant for mixed media art?

My hope is that we return with a more deeply felt understanding of who we are and whose we are. I hope you take the time to live into your potential this summer, all the while honoring our neighbors around us as we live into potentials together.

So, hooray for summertime and breathing space and the freedom we have to live into our fullest potential. May the hope and joy be rich and boundless indeed.

Peace, Laura+

The Rev. Laura F. Gettys, Associate Rector 901-252-6329 | lgettys@gracestlukes.org