Posted on by Tenneson Woolf

Less Prepared, But More Ready

Yesterday I was in conversation with a pastor friend and student from the NGLI program that I so enjoy. He brings wisdom, maturity, patience, honesty, vision. But quietly, which I also love.

We were talking about Circle. The movement he is feeling in Council Meetings. Just by including a Check-In. Not as a “convenience if there is time,” but rather as “essential part of the meeting.” Yup, it changes or restores a relational baseline, which, guess what, is so often the work.

My pastor friend then talked about a class he has been teaching. There too, check-ins. He was naming how by doing a check-in, it brought him clarity about what to teach and how to teach it that day. He could reference their stories and questions and tidbits.

And then he / we spoke it together. He said, appreciatively, “I’m less prepared.” He said it with a relieving glow in his eyes, telling me that he would normally have 10 pages of detailed notes. And then with similar glowing eyes, I added, “but more ready.”

Yup. Circle. It helps with that too.

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Gifts of Circle - Question Cardsasd
Gifts of Circle is 30 short essays divided into 4 sections: 1) Circle's Bigger Purpose, 2) Circle's Practice, 3) Circle's First Requirements, and 4) Circle's Possibility for Men. From the Introduction: "Circle is what I turn to in the most comprehensive stories I know -- the stories of human beings trying to be kind and aware together, trying to make a difference in varied causes for which we need to go well together. Circle is also what I turn to in the most immediate needs that live right in front of me and in front of most of us -- sharing dreams and difficulties, exploring conflicts and coherences. Circle is what I turn to. Circle is what turns us to each other."

Question Cards is an accompanying tool to Gifts of Circle. Each card (34) offers a quote from the corresponding chapter in the book, followed by sample questions to grow your Circle hosting skills and to create connection, courage, and compassionate action among groups you host in Circle.

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asd
In My Nature is a collection of 10 poems. From A Note of Beginning: "This collection of poems arises from the many conversations I've been having about nature. Nature as guide. Nature as wild. Nature as organized. I remain a human being that so appreciates a curious nature in people. That so appreciates questions that pick fruit from inner being, that gather insights and intuitions to a basket, and then brings the to table to be enjoyed and shared over the next week."

This set of Note Cards (8 cards + envelopes)  quotes a few favorite passages from poems in In My Nature. I offer them as inspiration. And leave room for you to write personal notes.

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asd
Most Mornings is a collection of 37 poems. I loved writing them. From the introduction: "This collection of poems comes from some of my sense-making that so often happens in the morning, nurtured by overnight sleep. The poems sample practices. They sample learnings. They sample insights and discoveries. They sample dilemmas and concerns."

This set of Note Cards (8 cards + envelopes)  quotes a few favorite passages from poems in Most Mornings. I offer them as inspiration. And leave room for you to write personal notes.

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