Soul Matters Starts in September

Last year, I did it reluctantly. Now, I am jumping in, head first.

That pretty much sums up the state of my spiritual journey over the past year. Around this time last year, I heard Rev. Joan and others talking about Soul Matters. I thought to myself, “Nah, I take pretty darn good care of my soul (whatever that is). I’m a good person, right? I’m pretty busy anyway.” My thoughts have a distinct Texan accent, if you are wondering.

I also had an area in my yard that consisted of several heirloom tomato plants that had grown in all by themselves. Many less desirable plants had also grown in and weeded their way between the tomatoes. When thinking to myself whether I should try gardening the area, I ate one of the few tomatoes on the vine and said, “Nah, these are pretty good. I have enough for a jar of salsa. I’m pretty busy anyway.”

Fortunately, I changed my mind about joining Soul Matters (although I left the garden as it was… never even making salsa). I received a packet based on a monthly theme (“Vision” was the first theme last year) and went through a process of contemplating various exercises, questions and readings. Going through these, I noticed some of the weeds in the Garden of my Soul… things I had not thought about in a long time… things neglected for too long.

My Journey

I signed up to meet with a Soul Matters group of about six other people from the congregation. I brought my thoughts to the group and was reluctantly ready to share. To my surprise, it seemed that everybody has weedy soul gardens! I’ll elaborate on one part of my Soul Matters journey by describing it through the words of our mission: Inspire, Care, Act.

I began getting pretty serious about my approach to the Soul Matters material a couple of months in… really taking time with it and trying to implement new exercises and meditations to help me improve on the ways that I thought about things and dealt with life. Others in the group approached it in different ways, but we all seemed to be moving with the Soul Matters material in some positive way. The theme and material for this past March was related to Journey, and I was drawn to this TED talk by David Whyte. The poetry and some of the other readings inspired me to think about taking a journey of my own. I started researching backpacking the Laurel Highlands Trail, even though I had never gone on a multi-day backpacking trip and was kind of scared of the woods at night.

In thinking about my possible trip and other things I read in Soul Matters, I realized the need to care for myself as a preparation for any journey. Through care and preparation, we can accept beauty and face obstacles through the journey. I started preparing for my trip, not just by shopping for new gear, but also by thinking about what I can control on this trip and what I cannot. If something happens, will I freak out? Will I lose my temper? Or, will I breathe; will I be mindful? Working with my group also helped with my spiritual preparation and care: caring for each other and seeing others care for me.

This all led to the act itself… backpacking the trail with my 10-year-old son Jonas last month. We suffered through steep climbs, carried heavy packs, and slept in places with nobody around. We also shared stories, supported each other, worked as a team, and had a real spiritual experience. Even though we didn’t finish the whole trail, we succeeded in a way that I would not have thought possible the year before. I link the decision to join Soul Matters to my decision to take this journey. I link the talks I had with my group and the things we shared together to our ability to have a special time.

Now, I’m excited to get back to Soul Matters… I’ve actually missed it! For those that haven’t considered it, I invite you to join one of the groups we will be starting. Don’t neglect the garden of your soul like I did my tomatoes.

How to Join

This year, we will have four groups that meet, each facilitated by someone that was part of a group last year: Bill Heberer, Josiah Gromley, Jesi Butler, and myself. We are still working out the scheduling, but it looks like groups will meet the third week of each month at the following times:

• Tuesday evening in the Sanctuary;
• Wednesday around noon in the Social Hall;
• Wednesday evening in the Sanctuary; and,
• One evening TBD near United High School (for the out-of-town group).

The four of us will also meet as a Soul Matters group ourselves, so we will get to experience it as both facilitators and participants.

If you want to join a group or want more information, please send me an email at boarduu.indianapa@gmail.com. We will also be setting out sign up sheets to get rolling in September.

See you soon,

Brandon