I served with Rev Deborah Campbell at the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church when it was at Broad Street UMC,

She got ovarian cancer at that time. Her words have lingered on my mind. She said to me, “I got tired of surface living.” and we spoke for unceasingly about the deeps and what it would take to bring on the realm of true beloved community. We would end each email with deep love, deep healing, deep peace.

As I am home 14 days with the love of my life, I am praying for him (gary), sons, (Brad and Ben) and daughter, Jenna (through marriage) and Hannah (through common law relationship) parents, siblings, animals et al creation who are as family we are as one and each belong. I implore prayerful that we may grow in our depth and capacity with behaviors like Christ. As I heard Jim Wallis say once, the thing about Jesus is that he has friends who are equals who walking alongside and we are to love them too,

Debbie and I would end our email consultations saying,

deep love
deep healing
deep peace

In 2021, amidst the devastation of these pandemics of COVID, racism et al I’ve been praying:

May we live all that brings the deepest love, healing, truth-telling, reconciliation and peace.

from this little dot here at SharedSpace @ Bristle Ridge Zanesfield Ohio 43360 I emplore the Pope, Vatican et al our intimate pod and growing community to join us in this true “deep and wide”spiritual retreat.

This holiday, I honor the life of Rev Dr Martin King Jr by first reflecting on and interpreting the meaning in my life of King of Kings. Recognizing the Vision of Brother Martin and how he authentically sought to live out the King’s intent to fully implement the demands of justice. In our home, I’ve not been able to fully express my love to my committed life partner as he and our sons (and daughter Jenna) and my parents, sibling, brother through marriage et al have been impacted most (especially gary) by my work on justice.

Rev Dr King said, “All can be great because anybody can serve.” This holiday, so I can best be the true servant leader I want to be, I will serve gary first in many practical and attentive type ways. Our most intimate family and trust God and the Holy Spirit’s work in this.

Accompaniendo – walking with Christ and Christ companions in my ♥️ soul. That’s Power of Love, the Golden Rule. May we learn to be healthy in our interpretation of scriptures and how we do this so all are safe and unharmed. Humbly, I pray, that’s the evangelical message that is missing. I’ve been crushed, harmed and hurt by the church because of this and I join the ocean of millions of varied systems and legalistic practices uninterpreted that have left people traumatized by war and left as a bloody mess.

Again:

deepest love
deepest healing
deepest truth-telling
deepest reconciliation
deepest peace

gwyn with gary stetler, kids, pups, kitty et al creation and our growing family of promise