Continuous Learning

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I’ve noticed something about myself over the years. I love to learn new things and like the challenge of poring over information and letting it sink into my brain. I relish teaching my muscles to do something new and the powerful feeling that comes from working until I accomplish that movement. No, I can’t do everything, but I’m good at some things, and I can improve at others.

As strange as it seems right now when life seems so busy for me as a religious educator – trying to navigate new technology, learning how to edit video, imagining new ways of connecting congregants – I’ve challenged myself to even more learning throughout this year. 

What am I doing?

I’ll be taking two year-long courses. The first course is Wellspring Deep Questions, the second in the Wellspring series. Two years ago I took the Sources track. It changed my perspective on my own vocation and my life. So much so that we have our own Wellspring class going this year, because I wanted to share the opportunity for the growth I experienced. We just held our opening retreat and our first session, and I’m excited to be facilitating a wonderful, thoughtful group of Live Oak congregants. 

In addition, Beloved Conversations – Within will deepen my understanding of anti-racism work and my understanding of my own relationship to white supremacy culture. This one will be a doozy. It hasn’t even begun yet and I’m deep in reflection and reading. I’ll be engaging with a cohort of white religious professionals for the small group portion of this class. Caucusing for this first track of Beloved Conversations is important because we are doing inner work, deep reflection and sharing. The course offers both a track for those who identify as white and those who identify as black, indigenous, or other people of color. 

You’ll probably see me writing in my column about my experiences throughout the year. Today, I want to share some of the resources I will be using during these courses. You might be interested in listening to one of the podcasts or reading some of the books on your own learning journey.

Wellspring Deep Questions Books

  • The Seven Principles in Word and Worship, edited by Ellen Brandenburg
  • Welcoming the Unwelcome by Pema Chödrön.
  • Becoming: A Spiritual Guide to Navigating Adulthood, edited by Kayla Parker. 

Beloved Conversations Resources (This is just for before we start the course!)

Resources Particularly for Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC)
  • Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall
  • Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong
  • I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
  • See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love  by Valarie Kaur
  • Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman
  • Womanist Ethics and the Cultural Production of Evil by Dr. Emilie M. Townes
  • Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Resources Particularly for White People
Resources for Everyone

Enjoy the journey and keep learning!

Carrie Krause, DLFD