This wee
k, I am giving away a copy of Amena Brown’s DVD, Spoken Word. Amena is one of my dear friends who is a fantastic poet and performer. This DVD features four of her spoken word pieces that create a unique and beautiful worship experience.
To win, simply post a comment on this blog post at www.margaretfeinberg.com. The winner will be contacted on Friday.
Check out this video of Amena performing:
This is a great photo from LIFT Women’s Ministry Scouting the Divine Retreat from a few weeks ago. Do you have a photo of your small group going through The Organic God, The Sacred Echo, or Scouting the Divine? Email your photo to jessica at margaretfeinberg.com
I’ve been wrestling with blogging since the new site launched last fall. Part of the reason is a pragmatic one. I write a lot. For example, last year I finished writing and revising Scouting the Divine (between 30-50 drafts), a Scouting the Divine DVD curriculum including two leader’s guides and the participant’s guide , and four Women of Faith Bible studies. In addition, I wrote multiple presentations, dozens of magazine articles, and countless pieces for online publications. By the time I got to the blog, I thought, “What, um, er, is left to say?”
While I believe the blog is a great place to test out ideas for what I’m writing, I want you to open a Margaret Feinberg book and Bible study and not think, “I’ve read that before” but rather “How did she not tell me this until now?” I want the material to be fresh, unique, and worthy of your investment of time and resources.
All of my wrestling with blogging has convinced me that I need a bit of framework–something that sets me in a direction that’s unique from the books and Bible studies I’m writing–but is still an opportunity to interact, play, reflect, share, and laugh. I want to create something I want to be a part of…something you want to be a part of. Something where we can play together. That’s what friends do!
This summer (aka beginning next week!) you can look forward to three regular blog posts each week:
On Monday, look for Media Mondays: This is when I offer a movie, television show, website, or other media outlet that you need to check out or avoid like the plague. I’m hoping to highlight some under-celebrated films and tv shows that are worthy of a lazy summer afternoon.
On Wednesday, look for Deeply Theological Whimsical Wednesdays. I’m ridiculously excited about this one! This is where I toss out a question and allow us to think creatively, be clever, and play.
On Friday, look for More Funny Than Wrong: Every so often you stumble on a picture online or a scene in real life that’s just funny. Some of these are borderline wrong, but I’m hoping to stick to the More Funny Than Wrong ones. Look for these posting at the end of the week, when you need a chuckle, and feel free to email me your suggested pics, too!
On other days of the week, we’ll continue to have posts on anything and everything I think you need to know about, made me think, or caught my attention. We’ll still have fun giveaways and some surprises thrown in, too! I know some people use their blogs establish themselves an expert on one particular topic, others choose to use it to promote a particular book they’ve written or product they’ve produced, and still others use it develop a platform for consulting or speaking. None of those really work for me. Simply put, they’re not sustainable. I wouldn’t want to do that for more than a few weeks, well, probably a few days.
Instead what I want to do is create a place online where I want to be. Hopefully you’ll to come visit, too. Together, we can grow and learn and play together. Looking forward to seeing you here!
We’ve been amazed at the response by readers and small groups around the country going through The Scouting the Divine book and Bible study. People are discovering the wonder of God and His Word in fresh and engaging ways and I’m humbled to a part of the journey. As a result of people’s kind letters, emails, and notes, I’ve learned more since the book has released about farming, viticulture, shepherding, and bees than I ever could have imagined! I’ve loved every minute of it.
But I just received a special gift. A wonderful woman by the name of Caroline sent me a sterling Scouting the Divine ring. He emailed me ahead of time and let me know that she was was going to weave wheat, wine, wild honey, and sheep into a tiny ring, but she did it! And added a cross, too! It’s gorgeous and something I will treasure for years to come. I love it when God blesses people with gifts to create beautiful things–artwork, jewelry, photos!
Love Hard. Life Courageously.
As some of you may already know, I HEART Come Let’s Dance. This non-profit organization, based in Kampala, Uganda began in 2006 by my dear friend, Shane Gilbert. Her and a group of friends went to Kampala and fell in love with the people there. Since then, their grassroots organization has worked alongside the nationals to create self-sustainable microbusinesses, such as a taxi service, farm, and sewing shop–desiring to empower the communities in Uganda through education, health, and business.
The sewing shop, also known as Thread of Life, creates beads made out of shreds of trash–old magazines, newspapers, or wrappers. These beads are then pieced together to create beautiful necklaces–which are sold for the Ugandan women working in the craft shop.
This week, in support of Come Let’s Dance, I am giving away a beautiful Thread of Life necklace. This unique, handcrafted piece of art would be a great gift for any loved one.
To enter to win this awesome necklace, simply post a comment on this blog post at www.margaretfeinberg.com. A winner will be announced at the end of May.
To learn more about Come Let’s Dance, visit their website. They are always in need of computers, tooth brushes, and black shoes. They have a new website coming soon where they will sell all the products made by the women in the slums– including beautiful Thread of Life necklaces. 
To purchase a Come Let’s Dance t-shirt, visit Ruckus Apparel– all proceeds go toward Come Let’s Dance.
Here is a great video made by Come Let’s Dance about what is happening.
My friend, Jonathan Merritt, has his first book coming out and I couldn’t be more proud of him. In celebration, we’re giving away a FREE COPY to THREE of the people who post a comment about Green Like God on this blog post at www.margaretFeinberg.com.
In the meantime, here’s a quick interview with Jonathan to share why he wrote the book and why caring for the environment matters to you and me:
What was the aha moment that compelled you to write Green Like God?
My aha moment came in the most unlikely place: a classroom at a Southern Baptist seminary. I imagine not many people can say that. While sitting in a theology class listening to a lecture on the revelation of God, my professor said something that rocked my world. “There are primarily two ways God speaks to us: through the Bible and through nature.” he said. “Therefore, when we destroy God’s creation–which is God’s revelation–it is similar to tearing a page out of the Bible.”As a Christian with a deep respect for God’s word, I couldn’t imagine damaging a copy of God’s revelation in the Bible. But at that moment, I realized that I’ve been muffling God’s voice in creation every day through my lifestyle.
Walking out of my theology class, I began a journey in which I walked through the Scripture unearthing the divine plan for our planet. Two years later, I’ve discovered that God’s wants this whole world to flourish, and he wants us to be a part of that. Today, I can honestly say that I am an environmentalist because I am a Christian, not in spite of the fact.
If there’s one thing people of faith need to rethink when it comes to caring for the environment, what would it be?
Rather than asking people to rethink the environment, I ask people to begin rediscovering the Scriptures. There are so many hidden truths that talk about God’s plan for his creation, which Christians skipped over or have forgotten. From Genesis to the Psalms, from Romans to Revelation, the Bible is chock full of nuggets proclaiming God’s grand design. Green Like God helps readers place their fingertips on God’s pulse and feel his heartbeat for the world. Our Scriptures are clear: if you love the Creator, you’ll care for his creation.
This is a great picture of a few wonderful readers and me from Mountain Chapel United Methodist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. They are currently going reading Scouting the Divine.
Do you have a picture of your group reading Scouting the Divine, The Sacred Echo, or The Organic God? Send the picture to jessica at margaretfeinberg.com. Then, we can feature it on the blog.
It’s no secret that we’re big fans of Come Let’s Dance. The organization, led by our friend Shana Gilbert, is committed to community development and restoration in Uganda. Over the past five years, they’ve helped young men and women graduate from secondary school, own their own taxis, and grow their own crops.
In fact, four more students just graduated from secondary school and Come Let’s Dance wants to send them to university. Do you, or someone you know, have an OLD LAPTOP? They can re-furbish anything (yep, anything!) and sell them for school fees. Come Let’s Dance currently has two students in university full-time who are funded entirely with old laptops. We were thrilled to be able to join in and donate an old laptop last fall.
Will you join us in making a difference? If you have an old laptop you’re willing to donate, please post on this blog, and we’ll have someone from Come Let’s Dance contact you as to where to send it (in the United States, of course).
You can put the laptop in a flat rate priority mail box and send it to
Come Let’s Dance
PO BOX 770172
Steamboat, CO 80477
Feel free to include a request (with your contact information) for a donation receipt!
We travel. A lot. Some of our favorite people on the planet don’t live in our town. Our city. Our state. But we still celebrate them and the times we get to have together.
How do you maintain long distance friendships? While Facebook and Twitter provide quick updates, there’s still nothing quite like picking up the phone to hear someone’s voice. Some like Skype. I do not. Probably because I live in my pajamas (never a good look on the laptop). The annual Christmas letter is a must (yes, I know it’s old-fashioned!). And of course, prayer. Praying for others has a way of connecting us to others through the ups and downs of life.
How do you keep up your long distance friendships?
When do you know it’s time to let one go?
I’m often asked about the importance of mentoring, and I think it’s something that our generation craves. We long for older, wiser people to come into our lives and walk alongside of us. We want them to love us, pray for us, challenge us, and root for us.
Yet a good mentor is hard to find. Part of the challenge is that our expectations are out of line. We may look to a mentor to be a kind of expert, sage, or counselor beyond their expertise, ability, or comfort level.
A good mentor is simply someone who will walk beside you who has a little bit more dust on them. They may have been down the same road or a different one, but they know you’re better off not taking it alone. They know when to speak, when to listen, and when to silently pray. Being a good mentor (or mentoree) isn’t easy. There’s always some stumbling and fumbling involved, but knowing that someone is for you and with goes a long way to smooth things over.
In our increasingly fragmented society, I don’t think a single mentor will do. We need several. People who can offer their expertise and wisdom and prayers in different areas of our lives-our relationships, our work, our spiritual growth.
One person I consider a mentor I turn to when it comes to publishing. Another when it comes to issues of being a woman in leadership. Another when it comes to studying the Bible in depth. Another when it comes to navigating life in general. These relationships have developed naturally though intentionally and I’m grateful for every one.
The best kind of mentoring and growth comes when we’re intentional about our relationships and recognize the importance of intergenerational friendships-with those who mentor us and those we mentor.
What have you found works for you when it comes to mentoring and being mentored?
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