(Written as the editor’s letter for the July 2021 GOL E-News. Read the full newsletter here.)

I’m writing this today when my head is in a state of excited frenzy that is anything but conducive to clear articulation! I’m sure there are a few people in the GOL network who have lived through a similar experience.

As we restart in-person Gatherings, bring in amazing new participants, prepare for the new lay and bivocational networks, deepen our partnership with ECF, and dream about the future of GOL and the church, my synapsis are exploding in the best possible way!

I was searching for inspiration to focus my mind and to decide what to write, and I found out that I apparently needed to shake like a dog…

“Stop a minute, right where you are. Relax your shoulders, shake your head and spine like a dog shaking off cold water. Tell that imperious voice in your head to be still.” -Barbara Kingsolver, author

Yes, I did it. Yes, it worked. Yes, I found inspiration.

My questions for this network of creative types are: Do you need to shake like a dog? Can you find a place to be still? Is your head fuzzy with all the newness and change that envelopes us today? Or do you find yourself already on a clear path forward?

The power behind the Gathering of Leaders network is that if you need help to shake or to be still, we’re here. Our in-person and virtual Gatherings can help you as you discern and focus on God’s call in your life, the life of your congregation, and the lives of those around you. I encourage you to take a moment to check in on yourself and see if GOL can offer you a good shake!

Blessings,

Haley Bankey
Executive Director, Gathering of Leaders
haley@thegatheringofleaders.org