{"id":1134,"date":"2015-02-25T13:26:00","date_gmt":"2015-02-25T18:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.paracletepress.com\/index.php\/global-ministries-newsletterfebruary-2015-issue-2mission-insights-from-the-ge\/"},"modified":"2015-02-25T13:26:00","modified_gmt":"2015-02-25T18:26:00","slug":"global-ministries-newsletterfebruary-2015-issue-2mission-insights-from-the-ge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.paracletepress.com\/index.php\/global-ministries-newsletterfebruary-2015-issue-2mission-insights-from-the-ge\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Ministries Newsletter\nFebruary 2015 Issue 2\n\nMISSION INSIGHTS FROM THE GE…"},"content":{"rendered":"

Global Ministries Newsletter
February 2015 Issue 2<\/p>\n

MISSION INSIGHTS FROM THE GENERAL SECRETARY
Thomas Kemper.
The Holy Spirit and Lent<\/p>\n

I was overjoyed when I discovered a Lenten resource centered on the Holy Spirit, published in time for this year\u2019s observance of the season. 40 Days with the Holy Spirit (Paraclete Press) is a series of lively, provocative and inspiring meditations for these 40 days of preparation for Easter. The author is Jack Levison, professor of Old Testament interpretation and biblical Hebrew at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas.<\/p>\n

Our very own Global Ministries\u2019 statement of mission theology affirms the important role of the Spirit in leading us as Christians \u201cto fullness in God\u2019s purpose,\u201d that is, in God\u2019s mission. The centrality of the Holy Spirit in mission is also affirmed in \u201cTogether Towards Life: Mission and Evangelism in Changing Landscapes,\u201d a document prepared by a group organized by the World Council of Churches. The focus on Spirit in each of these statements provides guidance for our engagement in God##039;s mission.<\/p>\n

Each of the 40 sections in Levison##039;s book contains scripture, thoughts to consider, prayer and opportunity to reflect. Each also focuses on the breath in spiritual practice. I like this in part because it reflects the intention of \u201cTake a Breath,\u201d our weekly staff service of prayer and meditation at the General Board of Global Ministries. Taking a breath makes room for the Holy Spirit!<\/p>\n

Those of us who work together in God\u2019s mission need also to pray and study together\u2014to be silent in one another\u2019s presence, to listen to the Holy Spirit, who visits us in manifold ways.<\/p>\n

This year for our Lenten preparation, the leadership team (the \u201ccabinet\u201d) of Global Ministries is using 40 Days with the Holy Spirit as our prayer and study guide. <\/p>\n

I was privileged to have the opportunity to read and comment on the book prior to publication. I am deeply impressed by the sensitive, inclusive and biblically relevant insights Professor Levison brings to our awareness of the Holy Spirit and to the experience of Lent. I encourage others to spend \u201c40 days with the Holy Spirit\u201d this year in preparation for the celebration of the Risen Christ.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
40 Days with the Holy Spirit<\/a>
www.paracletepress.com
40 Days with the Holy Spirit – 40 Days with the Holy Spirit will inspire you to encounter God in fresh and surprising ways. You\u2019ll develop stronger spiritual muscles as you breathe, read, reflect, and …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Global Ministries Newsletter February 2015 Issue 2 MISSION INSIGHTS FROM THE GENERAL SECRETARY Thomas Kemper. The Holy Spirit and Lent I was overjoyed when I discovered a Lenten resource centered on the Holy Spirit, published in time for this year\u2019s … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"1","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-paraclete-press"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.paracletepress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.paracletepress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.paracletepress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.paracletepress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.paracletepress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1134"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.paracletepress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1134\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.paracletepress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.paracletepress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.paracletepress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}