Food
I was at the grocery store this week. I live in America, which means that our stores are packed with enormous quantities of food in almost unlimited varieties. As I put a bag of pre-washed, pre-cut carrots in my cart, I wondered when it would be our turn to stare at empty shelves. I am concerned about us - all of us - plants, animals, people, water, land, sky. We have abused each other and our resources for so long, I sometimes feel as if the party is almost over. This post has nothing to do with Committed to Freedom. It has everything to do with my concerns to make life better and wondering how we can work together to do so.
www.committedtofreedom.org
Pope
Well, it was six years coming, but I was extremely happy that Pope Benedict met with clergy sexual abuse survivors yesterday. For all that has happened, he has been very verbal during his US visit in acknowledging and addressing the issue that created thousands of victims. It is my prayer that this openness will also open the door for more healing to take place in ways that are beyond monetary settlements. Even with all the billions in settlements to victims, those men and women are still left with the deep spiritual, emotional, physical, and sexual scars. Once the money is in the bank, you still have to figure out what to do with the nightmares.
Committed to Freedom has been working with several Catholic diocese throughout the US to provide our spiritual tools to help survivors move beyond abuse. It is my prayer that the momentum of the Pope's visit to the US will reignite many others to reach out to victims. I pray that Committed to Freedom can be part of that healing process.
www.committedtofreedom.org
New Events in NYC
Being a non-profit is difficult under good economic times. Being one now poses some unique challenges, to say the least! We know that people who have attended our retreats and seminars are very aware of how important the work of Committed to Freedom is. We're working on some new programs to give our friends an opportunity to be involved in both short-term and long-term ways, in large ways and smaller, more manageable ways.
I will be in NYC July 13th to teach a Beyond Abuse seminar. While I'm there, we're putting together an estate planning clinic so that people can include Committed to Freedom in their will. This clinic will be conducted by attorneys and other finacial professionals and give us an opportunity to have funds for the future.
Some other ideas that we're batting around include setting up a way to let people donate any air miles they have to help us with our substantial travel expenses, donate stock, and provide sponsorships for people who cannot afford to attend a retreat.
We're also putting together an alumni dinner in the NYC area so anyone who has attended a retreat and is in that area can get together, hear first hand what's happening at CTF, and get more involved through prayer, volunteer work, and resource investment.
It's exciting to see the wonderful men and women who have partnered with us to make sure we continue providing people with spiritual tools to help them move beyond abuse. We are certainly open to any innovative and do-able fund raising ideas!
www.committedtofreedom.org
publishing contract
I received the contract draft from the publisher to publish my book, Connected Voices. This is a very exciting development for me and a long time coming. I'm reviewing the draft right now and hope we can finish this stage of the publishing process very soon.
This week we are working on several media project for our ministry's retreats. My staff will be heading to California this summer to receive extensive training to achieve these media goals. We're doing some serious brainstorming to find funding for much of what we do. I'm reviewing the re-working of several events that we put on. Once these changes are refined and finalized, we hope to expand Committed to Freedom and make our tools available to a wider audience.
www.committedtofreedom.org
Rain and Noise
Our offices are in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Last week my husband and I celebrated our 35th anniversary and had a great evening in historic downtown Hot Springs. That is UNTIL the deluge began and 4 feet of water ended up flowing down our main street and flooding everything in its path. It was unbelievable and almost a week later, we're still getting hit with way too much water.
The good news is that our office, which is near downtown, did not flood nor did the roof leak in this very old building. The bad news is that the business that shares this very old building with us, decided to expand this week. They busted through the wall of another room in the building in order to do so, and then we were told this new expansion - which is connected to our office - is going to be a jamming room for drummers and guitarists - so our office is about to sound like a garage band rehearsal. Because the building is so old, nothing stops noise - not a cough, not a sneeze - so the noise is going to be unstoppable.
This can't work and we're attempting to "pressure" someone to soundproof this new development, otherwise we'll be forced to move. This year's schedule is very full and our work right now is very intense, so moving is going to create a horrible hardship on us. That, combined with the need to find an adequate office for what we can afford, is going to be quite a stretch for us on so many levels.
Anybody want to give us space for 3 offices, a workroom, and an adequate electrical supply? We like Austin, TX by the way. Yep - we're willing to relocate! Heck - if we have to move, we might as well MOVE!!
Rain, rain, go away - and take the garage band noise with you!!
www.committedtofreedom.org
Retreat in Texas
We concluded our women's retreat in Texas. It was a sacred and powerful weekend. It is impossible to really explain why. The "ah-ha" moments, the truly thin places between heaven and earth, and the fellowship were all life changing. The testimonies cannot be told because they are private and we guard that ferociously. All I can say is that none of us left the way we came. The work of God was profound for both the staff and retreatants.
