Inspirations Blog
A multimedia collection of stories, learnings, reflections, and resources from the people and ministries of Juniper Formation.
Giving Testimony Where It Counts
How many congregations vote to support certain legislation or political issues, offering their pastors and lay leaders the support they need to speak publicly for justice on behalf of the congregation?Alternatively, how many pastors are too afraid of losing their jobs to speak out and advocate for legislation when it might be at the expense of their family’s economic well-being? Or worse, simply choose to play it safe, and don’t bother to ask for congregational support.
Lenten Reflections
We are preparing for new life and growth. What we need is a season of reimagining the world, when the world is falling apart—breaking open to new ways of being.The Empire that killed Jesus, and continues today to thwart liberation would have us remain in punitive, fear-based, scarcity frameworks. It is our calling as Christians to seek the freedom and new life that our Creator intended for us, and offers us in the gift of Christ, and the always present Holy Spirit.
Spencer LaJoye's Plowshare Prayer
Spencer LaJoye, has released the studio recording of the song “Plowshare Prayer,” which was originally written for a Juniper Formation prayer Gathering. LaJoye stated that the process of writing the song was a pivotal moment as it allowed for an expression of absolute truth without any filter, even within a church context. Writing and singing the song felt like a range of emotions, from anger and grief to peace and joy.
The song was written during LaJoye’s time with Juniper Formation. LaJoye believes that the welcoming and inclusive nature of Juniper Formation helped to create “Plowshare Prayer.”
2021 Highlights & Where We Are Headed in 2022
I’m writing to share with you highlights of Juniper Formation’s ministries in 2021, and what we are looking forward to in 2022. I’d love to hear from you what is energizing you in ministry these days, and where Juniper Formation might connect with you in 2022.
God’s Intervening Miracles Amidst Grief ✨
Hello! It has been too long since I’ve written, and I have missed you. The past several months of my life align with this Advent season of grief awaiting God’s intervening miracles, as we’ve passed over 800,000 COVID deaths this past week and may be choosing not to gather with loved ones this Christmas out of safety…
happy fall, y'all!
Someone New, Something New ✨
Grief + Grace 🙏🏾
Hello, I'm Javon! 👋🏾💜
Celebration. Affirmation. Pride.
This month, we are celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride Month and Open & Affirming Sunday (6/27). We are a congregation that centers LGBTQ+ individuals and families in the life, leadership, and sacraments of our faith community. Juniper Formation was co-created as an Open and Affirming ministry, and officially became an Open and Affirming (ONA) church number 1690 within the…
Reflections on becoming a "local church"
It is a common experience for people at the margins of the Church to work hard to be seen, experienced, and accepted, all while being ready to give everything up. By everything, I mean our faith and relationships within and to the Church. The stakes are far too high for the Church not to be continually self-interrogating its discomfort with new forms of ministry and new embodiments of ministers.
Juneteenth!
This Saturday will be the first national Juneteenth celebration in the United States, representing one way that we formally celebrate Black liberation together. And also, while we celebrate this milestone, we acknowledge that there is still so much work to be done to ensure Black liberation becomes a reality. For today, tomorrow, and the next day, we continue the work and ministry of liberation for all of God's children.
Spencer LaJoye’s Livestream Benefit Concert for Juniper Formation
Expectancy: A baby, a new church, and new ministries!
Keith and I are excited to share with you that we are expecting a baby boy sometime around July 7th!As a new church start founder about to go on parental leave, I am excited to invite our team of lay and staff leaders to fully take over soon! ... This year has been filled with expectancy around our baby, the birth of Juniper Formation as a church, and new ministries like ReFrame and our monthly Gatherings. Keep reading for invitations to join us in celebrating all three of these “births.”
Removing the Targets from One Another’s Backs
The expressions "I feel like we have a target on our backs" or "It's open season on us" viscerally proclaim the real suffering, fear, and trauma that Black and African American people are experiencing at the hands of the police, legal system, and white supremacy culture within our communities.This week, many of us sit in grief and fear, preparing to take loving action. We are in the company of Job, a man who lost his beloveds and who names this suffering, fear, and targeting in ways that are ancient, ancestral, and yet still present to us today.
There is Only Home
Acts of love and betrayal are ways in which we relate to one another and God, even if we don’t like to admit to the betrayal part. Such disparate actions in tension as we navigate what love really means. Sometimes in our attempts at love we unintentionally cause harm others out of fear, pain, jealousy, greed, power, and trauma.