Palm Sunday: The Forest Path

Reflection Point:

“All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost.”

—J.R.R. Tolkien

Scripture:

“They took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’” (John 12:13)...

“Why, yes…yes you can. And with great compassion and integrity!”

Emily Askew, PhD.

This is the answer I have given hundreds of times to people who do not believe that

online learning can be as good as face-to-face (F2F) learning in creating community,

offering a rigorous curriculum, and at...

Reflection Point: “A tiny sapling can feed the world and a small hope can lead the lives.” —Ruthwik Reddy Sunketa

Scripture: “Jesus said: What is God's kingdom like? What story can I use to explain it? It is like what happens when a mustard seed is planted in the ground. It is the smallest seed in ...

Reflection Point: “The oak sleeps in the acorn, the bird waits in the egg, and in the highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of realities.” —James Allen

Scripture: Then Jesus said, “This is what God’s kingdom is like. It’s as though someone scatters seed on the...

Reflection Point: “Life does not accommodate you, it shatters you. Every seed destroys its container, or else there would be no fruition.” —Florida Scott-Maxwell

Scripture: "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair." (2 Corinthians 4:8)

Wisdom from a ...

Reflection Point: "The tiny seed knew that in order to grow it needed to be dropped in dirt, covered in darkness, and struggle to reach the light." -Sandra Kring

Scripture: Jesus said, "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it b...

The season of Lent can offer grounding and growth. 

Lent is a 40-day period leading up to Easter, beginning on Ash Wednesday (it falls on March 5th this year). It is a sacred time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—a season where divine grace and human participation intertwine. Rooted in Christi...

As a kid, my mom cautioned me not to wander into the woods alone. Unfortunately, I wasn’t always known to be the most obedient child. Curiosity got the better of me and I decided a fun romp in the woods was just what I needed. We lived at the foothills of White Oak Mountain, and the forest touched t...

Maria Savage, who is graduating in August from the Wisdom Tree Collective program, is a spiritual seeker whose path began in childhood at her Southern Baptist church in rural Mississippi.

“I was there three times a week, witnessed on Saturdays, and played the piano on Sundays,” she says. “In betwee...

Many of you know Robbie Pinter, but it’s likely that few at Wisdom Tree Collective know the extent of her service and experience.

Recently retired after teaching English at Belmont University for forty years, Robbie has certainly a earned  few years on the porch, admiring her hydrangeas and reading...

A friend recently remarked on my “buoyant spirit.” It’s true: I can feel all kinds of dread, sadness, regret, guilt, grief, anger, fear, and agony, and then, right in the midst of it, I can bounce back to emotional equilibrium. I can’t help it. Wind in the branches, a toddler stooping to look at a b...