Hi everyone! My name’s Celeste Carpenter and I come to North Carolina from the grand state of Maine. Yes, it’s cold there, and no, I don’t miss the snow! I currently live in Carrboro with four other amazing JSC members. Together we enjoy watching The Office, playing badminton, working out (well, we don’t actually enjoy […]
trust
Who’s Expectations?
One of the main reasons I applied to the Johnson Service Corps was because I realized that I was playing along with other people’s expectations. At the time I did not fully recognize it to be God’s voice that was asking me to question the values, beliefs, and practices of my culture. I had an […]
Compassion, What’s Really at the Heart of It
Compassion partially means that “I confess my own humanity and acknowledge the heart connection I have with all who share the human condition.” It has been interesting to both experience how this value permeates all aspects of the JSC year and watch as my understanding of heart-connection acknowledgment evolves. When we first entered the program, […]
What if God gets a busy tone? Reflections on being open to Call.
This month, I would like to reflect on the idea of “co-creation.” Not because I hear God’s voice, but because I am trying to listen. I joked with my housemates that if God has been trying to guide me to a call, he’s been getting a busy tone for years. There are dozens of reasons […]
Center, Re-center
Admittedly I find Communion to be one of the most difficult values. Communion tells me to be in the moment, communion tells me to be anxious in nothing, communion tells me to surrender my plans, communion tells me to clear my mind in order for me to see and feel God’s presence in my life. […]
Rebuilding Trust
My main focus with working with the women at Freedom House Recovery Center is building trust and rapport. Many of the women have had their trust broken, they have broken the trust of those they love and they have often times been the victims and the abusers of trust. Trust is a very hard thing […]