Who We Are

I Peter 2:5: "You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
Living Stones is a non-geographical Christian contemplative community. We take our name from the metaphor of living stones in I Peter 2:5 because we are committed to being the kind of spiritual community pictured in this section of Scripture and throughout the New Testament. Our community is not a church and is not aligned with any particular denomination. As a Christian community, we seek to support the work of the church of Jesus Christ and the growth of God’s Kingdom through supporting one another in our individual families, churches, and daily work.

By non-geographical we mean simply that we are not tied to a particular location or building. Although at times as many of us as are able may communicate by phone, travel to gather in small groups, or travel to meet in whole community conferences, we are widely dispersed and we see ourselves primarily as a web-based community, connected not by geographical proximity but by our common spiritual commitment and our commitment to engaging one another online through our blog.

In describing ourselves as contemplative, we refer to our commitment to live our lives in and from the spiritual center in faithful responsiveness to the unfolding action of God’s presence in us and the world. We seek to practice a spirituality that is present and open to God beyond thoughts, words, emotions, and images. We seek to honor the Spirit of God at our center and seek to maintain that center empty of all else. It is a spirituality that is simple, non-dramatic, and profound; it is an exercise in pure faith. We seek for this openness to God at the center of our lives to animate and inform all of the other aspects of our lives—our prayer, spiritual practices, and everyday activities. Thus our way of life is oriented by silence, humility, and depth. We see our heritage as including the Desert Ammas and Abbas, the Cloud of Unknowing, John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila, and many other figures throughout church history who have sought to be radically open and responsive to the Spirit in a contemplative way.

In calling ourselves a community, we mean that we find meaning and support in belonging to one another in a simple but explicit way. It provides us a sense of identity and mutuality. Ours is a “little way.” We don’t seek to draw energy or resources toward ourselves in a demanding manner. On a practical level, belonging to our community means committing to our core values and practices and to the community-making work of relating and dialoguing with each other through our blog. In terms of our annual commitment, we maintain an “open hand,” ready to “let go” and honor and love those who feel they should practice other ways of connecting and journeying into God.

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