Exploring Peace with Whitney R. Simpson
  • Home
  • About
    • About Whitney
    • Contact Us
    • FAQ
    • Giving Back
  • Community
  • Offerings
    • Spiritual Direction
    • Yoga & Meditation
    • Energy Work
    • Retreats
    • Courses
    • Client Consent Form
  • Podcast
  • Book
  • Blog

A Decade Later

1/18/2020

 
Picture
A decade has passed since I stumbled into this space and told the world (maybe one person actually clicked through from my link to that first post) that God was inviting me on a journey of exploring the gift of peace on January 18, 2010. 

What began as a blog post written at my kitchen table, with a 5 year old under my feet, is now ministry. And, I'm mom to a teenager with a first job and a driver's permit. A lot has happened in ten years.

Ten years later, I'm learning and teaching and sharing all that God has shown me along the way and I'm more passionate than ever about evolving as a peace seeker (one seeking God's peace) and as a peace maker (one leading others to also seek God's peace) on this journey.

Do I have it figured out and live a peace-filled existence all the time? Let's get this straight, my friends: absolutely not. I'm knee-deep living into my sandwich generation (caring for both offspring and parents), learning how to run a brick and mortar yoga studio with my business partner, pondering politics, the future of the church, and inequality in our world. I'm feeling guilty over the plastic I toss and the water I waste. I wonder if I'm doing too much or not enough and where the fine line is in the middle that I can actually walk.

And I have discovered there is a false understanding that those of us who prioritize our soul care are living perfectly peace-filled lives. We aren't. The truth is that prioritizing soul care gives us peace, even when we cannot shift or change the circumstances. We begin to notice and ask, "where is God in this?" and draw nearer to the one who longs for us to pay attention. We get better at practicing presence and grow in every situation but we are not masters of the life or void of troubles.

As I reflect on drawing nearer amidst the reality and struggles in this world, I celebrate what I have learned in this past ten years of exploring peace. I've learned about my fears, my hopes, and what drives me (thanks, Enneagram!), about the world around me and creation care, how to slow down and savor time with God, how to meditate (or not), and what my Rule of Life entails (thanks, St. Benedict). I've learned what brings me joy and what makes my heart break. I've learned about essential oils and crystals and real food (thank you, Hildegard of Bingen) and how connecting with elements God created give me life and bring me peace when I need it most. I have learned how challenging it is to write down some innermost parts of myself and share those in the form of a book (thank you, Upper Room Books). I have learned how to be brave and say yes and how to say no (even when I don't want to). I have learned to walk away from places God had me for both long and short seasons and walk into new ones (even when I don't understand). I have learned what it means to meet God in consolation and desolation (thanks Prayer of Examen and St. Ignatius). I have learned about energy work and the amazing connection we have with our bodies and the way God made us. I have learned to explore grief, sadness, and disappointment. I have learned to feel joy and pleasure. Each of these has helped me to live present and embodied. I have learned that experiencing all this for myself deepens my relationships to others and my purpose in this world. I have learned that mastery is not the goal and exploring the gift of God's peace will forever be an invitation, not a destination. 

You know those self help gurus who tell you they have it all figured out? The ones that say the answers are all inside their latest release or class or program? Don't believe them. Your answers are inside of you, not them. We cannot look to anyone beyond our Creator and ourselves to explore what God offers each of us. We are each on our own exploration with God.

And while we are unique, we need each other! Because I long for companionship on this journey and suspect you do too, in the coming months, more resources are coming for your journey (I've been working on these for months and 2020 is the time to invite you to join me in each of these - I am so excited about what is coming and have been bursting to give you more details!). Keep reading for a little preview of what is to come!

This year, after ten years of purposeful exploration, three new things are on the horizon for this ministry space:
1. The Exploring Peace website will be getting a fresh new look and growing to include more resources for you (look below for a hint of what is to come).
2. We'll be launching online discernment groups (where we meet virtually to dive into some of these tools I've learned and explored over the past decade). Peace Seekers and Peace Makers will be equipped with resources each month and we will meet and learn together from our own experiences. If you stumbled here from your email in-box, you'll be the first to know when the groups are open for registration (later this year). If you've landed here from social media, be sure to click here and hop on my monthly email list (I promise, I don't email you all the time, that gets old quickly).
3. And finally, Exploring Peace Meditations will be launching soon as a podcast (no more clunky downloads from this site, I'll be right in your pocket as of early 2020). Yipppeeee!

I hope you will continue to follow along as we explore this gift of God's peace in our lives together. I'm grateful for your companionship and look forward to what the next decade offers us together. Oh! I have one BIG favor. If you read this entire update and you're still here, you're part of this growth and we need your voice here. Would you be willing to offer a few words about your own journey of exploring peace (how spiritual direction, yoga and meditation, retreats, my devotional book, or some other resource has impacted you)? These short testimonials will be offered to new peace seekers to encourage their spiritual formation journey.

Thank you for being here and entrusting me on your faith journey. May 2020 be a year of discovering God in deeper ways and learning about the one God created (YOU) along the way.

    How has the ministry of Exploring Peace shaped you?
    ​Only your first name will be used in sharing with others. 

Submit
Picture

Comments are closed.

      How about a Monthly Dose of Soul Care?

    Subscribe

    Picture

    Whitney R. Simpson

    author  
    deaconess
    podcaster
    ​​retreat leader
    spiritual director

    yoga & meditation teacher



    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture



    Click to connect:

    Categories

    All
    Advent
    Anxiety
    Aromatherapy
    Beads
    Body
    Book
    Breath
    Centering Prayer
    Christmas
    Community
    Contemplation
    Devotional
    Discernment
    Disciplines
    Downloads
    Dreams
    Equality
    Essential Oils
    Everbloom
    Family
    Favorite Things
    Fear
    Food
    Giveaway
    Giving Back
    Guest Post
    Healing
    Inspiration
    Journaling
    Justice
    Kombucha
    Labyrinth
    Lectio Divina
    Lent
    Life
    Listen
    Love
    Meditation
    Mindfulness
    Ministry
    Mission
    Music
    Mystics
    Peace Seekers
    Podcast
    Poem
    Poetry
    Prayer
    Prayer Of Examen
    Quotes
    Relaxation
    Rest
    Retreat
    Rule Of Life
    Sabbath
    Sacred Ordinary Days
    Scipture
    Silence
    Simplicity
    Small Groups
    Solitude
    Soul Care
    Spiritual Direction
    Spiritual Formation
    Spiritual Friends
    Trafficking
    Upper Room
    Wild Goose
    Women
    Yoga
    Yoga Nidra


    ​archives

    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    April 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    May 2016
    February 2016
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    September 2014
    August 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    November 2011
    September 2011
    July 2011
    April 2011
    January 2011
    October 2010
    August 2010
    May 2010
    March 2010
    January 2010


    Content @ 2010-2021 
    Whitney R. Simpson, 

    Exploring Peace Ministries, LLC

Listen to the Podcast
​Join our Community
Schedule Soul Care
Read the Blog

​Contact Whitney
© 2021, Exploring Peace Ministries, LLC
Picture
Photo used under Creative Commons from lululemon athletica
  • Home
  • About
    • About Whitney
    • Contact Us
    • FAQ
    • Giving Back
  • Community
  • Offerings
    • Spiritual Direction
    • Yoga & Meditation
    • Energy Work
    • Retreats
    • Courses
    • Client Consent Form
  • Podcast
  • Book
  • Blog