Week 6

• Reading Resource: The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness by Timothy Keller. This short read focuses on the "blessedness of self-forgetfulness," which aligns with the Kenosis (emptying) of Christ in Philippians 2 and the shift away from ego-driven service.

• Core Truth: I empty my ego to make more room for the Spirit’s power.

• The Inside-Out Shift: Moving from self-sufficiency to holy interdependence.

• The Practice: When you feel the urge to "be right" or "be seen" today, take a deep breath and stay silent. Practice being a "weaned child" as Psalm 131 describes.

• Reflection: What "mask of status" are you afraid to pour out to make room for God?

• Breath Prayer: Inhale: Empty me... Exhale: ...to fill me.

For When We Greet Each Other

by Wendell Berry

I want a new ritual for when we meet each other—

strangers or beloveds, friends or rivals, elders or children.

It begins by holding each other’s eyes

the way we behold sunrises or the first cherry blooms,

which is to say we assume we’ll find beauty there.

And perhaps some display of open hands—

a gesture with palms up—that suggests both

I offer myself to you and I receive you.

There should be a quiet moment in which

we hear each other breathe—

knowing it’s the sound of the ocean inside us.

If there are words at all, let them be formed

mostly of vowels so they’re heard more as song

than as spitting, more like river current and less

like throwing stones, words that mean something like

I do not know what you carry, but in this moment

I will help you carry it. Or something like,

Everything depends on us treating each other well.

And if we said it enough, perhaps we’d believe it,

and if we believed it enough, perhaps we’d live it,

treating every other human like someone

who holds our very existence in their hands,

like someone whose life has been given us to serve,

even if it’s only to walk together safely down the street,

hold a door, pass the salt, share a sunset,

offer a smile, and say with our actions you belong.