The Meadow

The Great Sadness - Scott Buresh (pt. 2)

This week Scott shares about Peggy's passing, and how the grief intensified the following two years after her death. Scott recently took an unexpected pilgrimage along Saint Cuthbert's Way through the Scottish and English country side. He ended up in Northumbria, a Christian community whose Celtic Daily Prayer Scott had been using for some time. Christ has been transforming this season of loss as Scott embraces that through his great pain he is coming to a place of greater intimacy with God.

The Great Sadness - Scott Buresh (pt. 1)

Bob's longtime friend Scott Buresh joins us to share about his wife's journey with cancer. Scott and Peggy were married for nearly 30 years when they discovered she had glioblastoma. Their remaining ten months together were incredibly difficulty, but Peggy's spirit was strong and joyful. This is part 1 of 3.

The Great Sadness - Bob Arnold on life after Marcie's death

Bob shares about how he coped with the pain of losing his beloved daughter Marcie. Bob reminds us that when we are going through great tragedy and sadness to remember 3 main things: God is with you (He is your Father), learn to live in the present moment, and learn to enter into the sadness. Teresa of Avila once said that "all suffering is God's suffering," and that we can find hope in a God who has taken on the likeness of a human and compassionately suffered alongside mankind. 

The Great Sadness - Jeanne Arnold on life after losing Marcie

Pt 2 of 2 - Jeanne Arnold shares about life after losing their beloved daughter Marcie in 2002. Five years after Marcie's death Jeanne still wasn't at peace. She then experienced God's presence telling her to let go of her questions and fears, and to trust that Marcie was at home in heaven.

The Great Sadness - Bob Arnold on losing Marcie

15 years ago Bob and Jeanne unexpected lost their daughter Marcie, who was 23 at the time. Their lives changed instantly as they entered into the Great Sadness. Bob shares about the night that he received the news that Marcie passed away. It was the hardest night of his entire life - the Great Sadness entered with such finality and confusion. Stay tuned for the following weeks where Bob and Jeanne talk about how they coped with this loss and the hope that they discovered in the midst of suffering.

The Great Sadness - Jeanne Arnold on losing Marcie

Jeanne Arnold shares about the unexpected and painful death of her and Bob's daughter, Marcie, who passed  away in 2002 while living in South Carolina. Everything about Bob and Jeanne's life changed in an instant when they received that late night phone call with the terrible news. In the midst of such tragedy, friends and family showed up to support Jeanne and Bob and the Arnolds. It's been a long spiritual journey since then as Jeanne's story holds the tension of pain and sorrow with great hope and healing. This is part 1 of Jeanne's story.

The Great Sadness

"The 'Great Sadness' tints our vision with shades of grey and black rather than with bright, vibrant, and life-affirming colors. It sees the world through tinted windows. It is worse than blinding; it distorts the goodness of God." - The Shack by Paul Young

Sooner or later all of us will enter into the Great Sadness. It may come through the death of a loved one, our own illness or the illness of someone close. We may lose a job, get divorced, experience the emptiness of retirement, or maybe the void we feel when all of our children leave home. 
The Great Sadness can also come when life isn't what we thought it would be. We've expected life to be lived happily ever after. It was to be one great experience after another but perhaps things just didn't work out that way. In our upcoming podcast series on Grief, we will hear from people who have experienced the depths of pain that accompanies the Great Sadness. Our guests will share their personal stories and how they have coped with their pain and hear how their experiences have changed their relationship with God.

The Trinity - Podcast on the Porch

Bob and Bev discuss the Trinity and how contemplating Rublev's depiction of the Trintiy can deepen your spiritual life.

 

The Trinity is an icon created by Russian painter Andrei Rublev in the 15th century. It is his most famous work and the most famous of all Russian icons, and it is regarded as one of the highest achievements of Russian art. Scholars believe that is it one of only two works of art that can be attributed to Rublev with any sort of certainty.

The Trinity depicts the three angels who visited Abraham at the Oak of Mamre (Genesis 18:1-8), but the painting is full of symbolism and is interpreted as an icon of the Holy Trinity. At the time of Rublev, the Holy Trinity was the embodiment of spiritual unity, peace, harmony, mutual love and humility.

Christ on the Cross - Podcast on the Porch

Bob and Bev continue to share about contemplation and images. Bob discusses the importance of Christ on the Cross and how Jesus suffered alongside humanity, not just for the sake of humanity. Bob reminds us that the reason for the Cross was love, not simply sacrifice.

Rembrandt (Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn) (1606 – 1669)

The Christ Rembrandt portrayed here, merely a man nailed to a cross, is a far cry from the glorious, impassive anatomy dictated by tradition. The face, too, is no longer an archetype but individualized. Rembrandt’s research into the expression of human passions, particularly in his etchings, found its perfect expression here.

Return of the Prodigal - Podcast on the Porch

Part of our ongoing series on deepening your faith through the use of images. Bob shares about how Rembrand'ts Return of the Prodigal Son has impacted his prayer life!

The Return of the Prodigal by Rembrandt (1606 - 1669)

The Return of the Prodigal Son is an oil painting by Rembrandt. It is among the Dutch master's final works, likely completed within two years of his death in 1669. It depicts the moment of the prodigal son's return to his father in the Biblical parable. Some have claimed it to be the greatest picture ever painted.

Book Reference: The Return of The Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming by Henri J. M. Nouwen
https://goo.gl/42Jwn5