By Kimber Olson
We turn on the news and there is so. much. hurt. in the world. So. Much. Suffering. Does it ever feel to you like you've just had enough of it? Are you sometimes so enveloped in the thoughts and stories and news of your own and the suffering of others that you struggle to see the light in the darkness? The visceral pain of that light, of hope, as just a flicker when we want a whole wildfire of it, can be overwhelming.
Hope isn't toxic positivity, and it isn't pretending that suffering doesn't exist. But it is noticing that a seed can grow in the most unlikely of places and can peek into our lives as a tiny, fragile reminder of its tenacity. A flicker that can grow into a wildfire when we fan it and share it with others. A grace that we don't deserve but are given nonetheless. A beautiful message from God.
Join us October 22nd in HOPE, Alaska, as we identify together where we hold hope (and joy!) in our bodies, our hearts and our minds, and how we can bring its light, God's light, back into our lives again.
Register here for “Finding HOPE in Hope":
Details: October 22nd, 10am to 5pm, lunch provided, with optional dinner till 6:30pm
Cost: $10/person or $20/family
Who: All people and ages welcome!
Where: Hope Retreat Center, in Hope, Alaska
Kimber Olson is chair of St. John’s Discipleship Ministry Team.