kingdom praxis | a.k.a. eliacín’s blog

Help us cultivate Kingdom collaborations and creative expressions of love

Posted on | December 15, 2009 |

Dear Friends and fellow Kingdom collaborators,

As many of you know for the past two years Ricci (my wife) and I have been part of Mustard Seed Associates. Because of the loving generosity of many friends,  we have been financially supported to work full-time with this great ministry, allowing us to fully focus on instigating Kingdom collaborations and creative expressions of love.

As we race into 2010 and the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century, MSA continues to be in an exciting place of growth and fruitfulness. At a recent planning meeting, I commented to the MSA team that, we (Christ followers) are called to create alternatives for the future not because the future is scary but because we are called to co-create with God and to live into God’s future. If love casts out fear then we create as an act of love not of fear. Our central motivation at MSA is this desire to live into God’s future and unleash the creative potential of extra/ordinary people to make a difference in their communities and a world of urgent need. MSA have been for years at the leading-edge supporting creative emerging, missional and neo-monastic communities and organizations.

This coming year we want to continue expanding our creative networks, the Seed Sampler, website, and blogs to share new resources, liturgies, and spiritual reflections that respond to the challenges and opportunities we live into. We would love to increase the blessed opportunity we have had this year of being companions to missional, emerging and neo-monastic communities all around the world. We also plan to host more events at the Mustard Seed House that will provide practical responses for our faith, lives, and communities. Some of these will be:

  • New series of events on Monastic Spirituality in the 21st Century
  • More The Revolution Starts at Home events also like-
    • Rhythms of Grace with Christine Sine, February 20th
    • Justice At the Table with Ricci Kilmer, March 13th
    • The Spirituality of Gardening with Christine Sine, April 24th
    • and many others that are still in the works

As you well know, all this require time, energy and money. We at MSA appreciate those who have already joined the Mustard Seed Circle of Support.  We want to invite you to prayerfully consider donating to MSA. Please consider an immediate one time gift to enable us to reach our year-end goal. A further  monthly commitment for 2010 would enable us to expand our response capability and provide additional resources in 2010.  Anything helps! If you have been of the many whom have benefited by the ministry of MSA we ask you that you help us spread this word around.

Here are a few words of what some friends say about Mustard Seed Associates:

- Brian McLaren, Author & Activist brianmclaren.net
“I am one of so many whose life and ministry have been enriched through MSA. So much of what I have been able to do in my life - first as a pastor, now as a speaker, writer, networker, and activist - has been inspired by resources from MSA. Through MSA, I was given permission and encouragement to think new thoughts, dream new dreams, and see the gospel in a fresh, new, life-changing and world-changing light.”


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- Karen M. Ward, Abbes and Vicar apostleschurch.org
“MSA is worthy of support, because they offer resources for Christian living and praxis in the emerging culture that few other groups provide, and Eliacin Rosario-Cruz does an amazing job being a catalyst for MSA’s work and community. While many others offer flashier events, MSA offers engaging and interactive learning gatherings and informative and practical resources that support people who are seeking sustainable and grounded ways to practice their Christian faith and participatie in the Reign of God ‘day to day.”

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- Mark Van Steenwyk, Pastor & Community Organizer  missio-dei.com
“For Amy and I, the most important thing has been your friendship. Y’all are comrades in this struggle when too many would-be-comrades are too focused on fluff rather than substance. I know that we all have a long way to go, but I know that you, your family and the Sines are willing to fight the good fight, rather than simply being enamored with the mere appearance of being provocative. Things like “the revolution begins at home” and the workshops and conferences MSA does aren’t exactly high on glitz and polish, but they are focused on the grassroots….where change really begins.”


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- Jarrod McKenna, founder of EPYC (”Empowering Peacemakers in Your Community”), and co-founder of “The Peace Tree Community”.
“Threw the nightmare of apartheid, Desmond Tutu, with prophetic and infections joy announced “God has a dream!” The Mustard Seed Associates share this prophetic joy. This kingdom dream. With their lives they are making it their waking reality. In creative & dynamic faithfulness to the way of Jesus, they invite us out of our slumber of conformity to wake and walk in God’s new world of justice, peace and joy. They are, as Martin Luther King, Jr. put it, “remaining awake threw this great revolution” and equipping, inspiring and inviting us to join them.”


Have a very blessed (rest of) Advent and Christmas season.

Peace,

Eliacin Rosario-Cruz

Community Catalyst & Cultivator - Mustard Seed Associates - www.msainfo.org

planting mustard seeds of hope

Category: Communities, Community, Intentional Communities, Personal, Uncategorized, alternative, collaboration, creativity, eliacin, faith, friends, generosity, kingdom, missional, mustard seed associates, mustard seed house

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