Stretching, Reaching, Opening (Guest Speaker: Ruthie Tippin)

Ruthie is a member of Camas Friends Church, where she attends with her husband Jon. A recorded minister and lifelong Quaker, she loves the work and witness of ministry among Friends–that gift each person is given through the life of the Spirit in us. Ruthie continues to serve in community in various ways–on the Board of Right Sharing of World Resources, the Nurture of Ministry Committee for Sierra Cascades Yearly Meeting, writing and speaking in meetings/churches. Spending time with others in ministry is a joyful experience in the Spirit! She also volunteers at her local library, loves making music, reading, gardening, and of course–her family! Jon and Ruthie have two sons Matt(Rebecca) and Seth(Bethany) and three grandchildren–Ella, Ben, and Conor.

Genesis 1:26-27 (NRSV):
26 Then God said, “Let us make humans in our image, according to our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over the cattle and over all the wild animals of the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”
27 So God created humans in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

Ephesians 3:16-19 (NRSV):
16 I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. 18 I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Queries:

How limber are our souls?  Are we ready for the stretching, bending, reaching, work of faith?

How rigid is our understanding of God?  Are we ready for what God might reveal to us?

Do we have the capacity and the willingness to stretch our souls?