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The
Ridgeline returns
A lot is happening at Penuel Ridge, and you need to know about it. Our
effort to bring you news of the center's retreats, improvements, needs
and
future plans is to revive The Ridgeline, the newsletter with a long
history and a longer absence than we would've liked. But it's back with
this
issue, the first quarterly installment of a publication that we want to
reach all of our constituency.
Yes, it's a little different than what you saw last. First,
it's
arriving online -- a new century means of communicating for sure, but
one that
a survey suggested that many of you want. Second, in this issue, you
won't find recipes or creative writing or other personal touches, but
we hope that will change as the new Ridgeline evolves.
We invite you to share your thoughts about what we're doing, what
you'd
like us to do, and what you'd like to do to be part of The Ridgeline.
Get in
touch at retreats@penuelridge.org. Meanwhile, we hope you
enjoy the stories and information in this issue and we look forward to many more to come.
-- The Communications Committee
In this
issue
- 'Head of Victory' sculpture: a gift to
Penuel Ridge
- Renovations update
-
In a fast-paced world: Robert Benson leads retreat Sept 20
- Don Beisswenger's confinement,
commitments,
compassion
- Here's wishing: the Penuel Ridge Wish
List
- Canine-in-residence now 'a country girl'
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'Head of Victory' sculpture: symbol of strength,
confidence
Laura E. Valentine, Resident Staff
The sculptor's idiom, as expressed by Michelangelo...Every block of
stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to
discover
it.
Rick Pride echoed this sentiment about his latest creation, Head of
Victory, which will be on loan at Penuel Ridge until June 2009. His
latest
artistic expression is a bold presence on the Penuel Ridge landscape on
the south side of The Well. Recently, I had an opportunity to ask him
a
few questions about the genesis of Head of Victory:
What was your inspiration? I didn't have a preconceived idea of what I wanted
to sculpt. I found the stone and it talked to me. I started chipping away until the sculpture revealed itself.
Tell me about the piece. What would you like for people to know about your sculpture?
I originally called it Head of Victory and wanted to convey strength, but not intimidating power, confidence, but not arrogance.Her posture,
expression and presence is that of one who has come through a great storm and is finding her way into safe harbor. You might imagine her a
figurehead on the prow of a ship, chin up, chest out, with an air of wildness. I hope visitors are surprised when they discover her.
Is feedback important and if so, how can people reach you? Yes, as an artist I
would like to hear people's genuine reaction. My email address is richard.a.pride@vanderbilt.edu.
Is the piece for sale? Yes, Head of Victory is for sale. As the artist, I want
to be a party to the sale, with the proceeds being donated to Penuel Ridge Retreat Center.
Penuel Ridge is indeed grateful to Rick for his
generosity.
Whatta ya Know?!?
Renovations
Update
Be careful entering the Main Retreat House...you may trip over scaffolding, paintbrushes, hammers, nails, wood and folks with helping hands working
on Phase One Renovations!
Here's what's new:
A stainless steel cook top in the kitchen • Hardwood floors in the bedrooms and hallway refinished (gorgeous!)
• Fresh paint
throughout the back of the house
• Knotty Pine paneling
softened with a whitewashing technique throughout the house • Storage closet in the Dayspring Room
Here's what's planned in the next two weeks:
New carpet in the dining room and loft • Gabled entryway over the front door
• Fresh paint in the
front of the house
• NEW BEDS!!!!!!!
Here's what's planned this summer:
New windows in the Dayspring Room and Resident Staff Apartment • Solar-powered exhaust fan in the loft • New furniture in the Dining Room/Dayspring room
So...are your ready to schedule your next retreat?
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In a fast-paced
world
When author Robert Benson urges readers to "dig in," he is not talking about anchoring
oneself
to a
particular place or pursuit. He is, however, suggesting a commitment to the paths, both literal and spiritual, that we explore by choice and by
chance.
Benson, in "Digging In: Tending to Your Own Backyard," quotes Frederick Buechner, who said, "The
journey through time ... is a journey in search. We search for a self to be. We search for other selves to love. We search for work to
do." It is that search - those searches - that Benson will explore when he leads a retreat at Penuel Ridge Sept.
20. He's aware that "digging in" grows more important as the pace of many 21st-century lives increases dramatically (and sometimes
overwhelmingly).
"The nature of the society in which we live has most of us on the move most of the time - from
job to job, town to town, and all too often from relationship to relationship," Benson writes. "Being transplanted is something that happens one way
or another to most all of us. Putting down roots in not always an easy thing to do."
A few years ago, Benson and his wife found themselves trying to do that in a suburban
subdivision, where sameness and rootlessness might've come to mind. But they dug in. And they've continued to do that, in different neighborhoods in
different times.
In conversations around the country, Benson has found others who are searching for rootedness as
well, and he continues to share what he's learned.
"If we are to have any roots at all, we must find them in the places where we are now, on this
day," he wrote. "If we are to make a home, if we are to deeply belong to the places in which we find ourselves, we must dig ourselves in
somehow."
That might happen on a small plot of land or in a high-rise condominium, and "how well we
fulfill our dreams and hopes for a place to belong might just come down to how well we tend to the life that is lived in our own back yard," he
said.
And, he added, "We have no other choice, actually. And so we may as well dig
in."
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'Locked Up' details Don
Beisswenger's confinement,
commitments,
compassion
By Linda Quigley
Don Beisswenger, a minister, scholar, professor and activist, was released from federal prison October 1, 2004.
It was a protest against the infamous School of the Americas that had landed him in jail for the
previous six months. But just six months after his release, an invitation went out: "Shut Down the SOA! Meeting at Don Beisswenger's house April 8 @
6
p.m."
So much for shutting down Don."I think we consent if we don't protest," he said.
Half a year behind bars didn't stop his protests, then or later. In prison, he worked and prayed
for justice and peace, sometimes antagonizing guards and administrators along the way.
This portion of Don's life journey, documented in his new book, "Locked Up: Letters and Papers
of a Prisoner of Conscience," is not surprising to those who have known him through his ministry, his teaching and his role as a founder of Penuel
Ridge.
From the time he worked with others in Nashville to build in integrated church in Edgehill in
the 1960s, people of the community had known Don as a man who would never waver in the fight for justice. He never expected,
however, to be fighting as an inmate.
"Some of the guards were kind," he said of the facility in Manchester, Kentucky, where he served
his sentence for civil disobedience. "In that setting, though, there is little capacity to nurture. It's the nature of the prison system."
While the system could not provide nurturance, Don and his fellow inmates could give something,
even though they were from widely diverse backgrounds.
"We learned how to laugh with each other," he said, noting that it didn't come
easily. "It's a culture where you try to survive, but you don't have open space, you don't have quiet."
What he did have, though, was faith, and it served him - and some others around him -
well. "God's abundant grace is a gift for which I give thanks," Don wrote in "Locked Up."
"My life is blessed not because I am good but because God has led me in a
life of faith."
Thoughts from 'Locked Up'
How does a faithful Christian endure prison? Don Beisswenger provides a personal answer in "Locked Up: Letters and Papers of
a Prisoner of Conscience" (Upper Room Books, 2008)
· "To be vulnerable is to be aware of possible harm or injury. Prison accents our awareness, especially if we look critically at what is
going on
around us."
· "I rejoice at how God has led me to care about the other inmates and to seek right relationships with them."
· "What has helped me to survive? The inmates, other people, and kindness. ... Basically, I consider the time an offering
to God. I do not yet know
its importance."
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Here's wishing
...
The Penuel Ridge Wish List offers an easy way for you to partner with
us in providing a safe, sacred retreat space for our friends, neighbors
and
loved ones. Here are four easy steps:
1. Print the Penuel Ridge Wish List and tuck it in your purse or pocket.
2. When you're out shopping, whip out the Penuel Ridge Wish List and pick one or two (or
10!) items and drop them in your shopping cart.
3. Set up a cardboard box in your house where you can collect the items.
4. Bring the box with you the next time you come to Penuel Ridge. No need for wrapping
paper or a bow!
p.s. Put your kids in charge of collecting the Penuel Ridge Wish List items. It's a great
way to teach philanthropy!
For the Retreat House and Hermitage
Light Bulbs: compact fluorescent - Energy Star
Bird Seed: safflower, thistle or sunflower
Insect Repellent: lotion or spray
Flashlights & Size D Batteries, rechargeable batteries
Paper Products: paper towels, toilet paper, napkins
Bed Linens: new or gently used for twin beds
Towels: bath, hand, washcloth
Antibacterial Hand Soap containing no dyes or perfumes
Garbage Bags: kitchen and lawn/leaf size
Laundry Detergent & Fabric Softener containing no dyes or perfumes
Cleaning Products: Earth friendly for kitchen and bath
Liquid Dishwashing Detergent for hand washing dishes
Powder or Liquid Dishwashing Detergent for dishwasher appliance
Cooking Spices: salt, pepper, basil, oregano, curry, cumin
Personal Hygiene Items: 3 oz or hotel size shampoo, lotion, bath soap
For the office
Copy paper: letter and legal size
Ink cartridges: HP 22 or HP 27 for HP Officejet 5610 printer
Postage stamps First-class
Legal-ruled tablets: letter-size (white or yellow)
Nametags: peel and stick
Flip chart pads & Markers: Post-It easel pads are nice
For the land
Herbs for warding off pests: rue, pennyroyal, Artemisia, lavender, salvia
Herbs and plants for attracting butterflies: butterfly bush, mint, dill, parsley, zinnia, marigold
Herbs for cooking: basil, oregano, cilantro, fennel, dill, parsley
Planting materials for the gardens: perennials, native wildflowers, annual color
Just for fun
Gift cards: Lowe's, Home Depot, garden centers, etc.
The Wish
List is also available on
our site.
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Canine-in-residence now 'a country
girl'
Suddenly it's summer and I'm leaving tufts of brown fur wherever I go. Mom follows behind with the vacuum cleaner and THE DREADED BRUSH!
Being brushed, in my opinion, is as undignified as being bathed. I know ... I know we canines and humans hold different views about hygiene, so
you'll excuse me as I duck behind this chair where THE DREADED BRUSH cannot reach me.
Now that I've nestled in to MY little corner behind the chair, please, won't you have a seat and join me for a little chat? I hear you asking
Mom questions about me and for the most part, she gets it right, but won't you indulge me in answering, for once?What's your name? They call
me "Mocha", although Mom has other names for me depending on the situation!
What is your breed? My litter was quite a mix, you see my canine mom was a Labrador Retriever, but no one really knew much about dad.
Is "fence jumper" a breed, because that's what my foster family called him? Eventually, a trainer declared I was a mix between a Labrador
Retriever and an Australian Sheep Dog a.k.a. Australian Shepherd.
How old are you? I was born October 25, 1998, so will be 10* this fall. Don't tell Mom, but I'm going to register at the local pet
store, just in case you want to get me a present!
*Thanks for the opportunity to set the record straight. Mom always gets this question wrong!
Do you like living in the country? Oh my, yes! I had a good life in the city (Houston, Texas). Mom walked me three times a day
and we often went to the dog park, but that life holds no comparison to the freedom of running through the meadows unleashed. Here, at Penuel
Ridge, I can be a DOG!
What happened to your ears? What an embarrassing story! You see, shortly after moving to Penuel Ridge from the city, my path crossed
with a very large black cat sporting a dashing white stripe down its back. A friendly game of chase ensued with me closing in from behind, but
suddenly the kitty stopped, raised its tail and before I knew it, my head was drenched in the foulest smelling spray you can imagine! It was so
potent the hair melted right off my ears. That was nearly three years ago and [sigh] I'm resigned to the fact that it's not going to grow back.
Goodness me, look at the time. I believe a mid-morning snack and nap are in order. Before you go, I want to say how much I appreciate the
petting and the belly rubs and the cooing over how pretty I am and for the occasional tidbit of human food you sneak to me when Mom's not
looking!
Until we meet again, I leave you with a quote for the day: If your dog thinks you're the
greatest, there's no need for a second opinion.
Peace, love and milk bones, Mocha
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Penuel Ridge Retreat Center
1440 Sams Creek RD | Ashland City, TN 37015-5422 | retreats@penuelridge.org | (615) 792-3734
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