Author Archives: Mother Beth Tjoflat

About Mother Beth Tjoflat

Episcopal priest, urban contemplative, playwright, lover of hounds, American of Chilean-Norwegian-Moravian descent. Interests include transformational ministry with the forgotten and marginalized; church planting and congregational development; 12-step spirituality; Hispanic ministry; radical hospitality, and spending time with dear friends.

Fresh perspective.

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Mother Beth Tjoflat

This week I am blessed to be able to attend a CREDO conference for Episcopal clergy. We have already done a heap of pre-work, taking stock of physical, spiritual, emotional, vocational and financial health. (That’s some pretty comprehensive inventory-taking.) As … Continue reading →

Posted in 12-step spirituality, Christianity, Episcopal church, faith, Grace, peace, Recovery, Uncategorized | Tagged 12 Steps, CREDO, hope, reflection | Leave a comment

What matters.

Posted on August 29, 2013 by Mother Beth Tjoflat

Recently, at one of our post-worship picnics, I enjoyed watching a local church youth group distribute lunches to the congregation. We had been able to have our service outside, under the sycamore tree, but then decided to come inside our … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Grace, Uncategorized, unity | Tagged church without walls, compassion, holy ground, homelessness, hope, street ministry | 4 Comments

Together, a dwelling place for God.

Posted on August 23, 2013 by Mother Beth Tjoflat

Last night, a cadre of folks who have been participating in various aspects of our “church without walls” ministry came together to reflect on what God might be doing in us. We took time to think and share about how … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, faith, Grace, Interfaith, unity | Tagged Christianity, church without walls, community, grace, holy ground, homelessness, hope, hospitality, spiritual growth, street ministry, vulnerability | Leave a comment

Grace happens.

Posted on August 21, 2013 by Mother Beth Tjoflat

Over and over again, I am humbled, amazed and touched at what God does to bring healing, connection and meaning into our broken world. A couple of days ago I was at a local shelter where I serve as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, faith, Grace, Interfaith, Ministry, peace, Recovery, Uncategorized, unity | Tagged church without walls, community, grace, healing, holy ground, homelessness, hope, mercy, radical hospitality, street ministry, vulnerability | 1 Comment

Better late than never.

Posted on August 12, 2013 by Mother Beth Tjoflat

For a moment today, I was upset with myself for overlooking the Feast Day of St. Clare of Assisi (yesterday, August 11). For Pete’s sake, this blog is named for Clare, about whom I became curious and to whom I found … Continue reading →

Posted in 12-step spirituality, Christianity, faith, Grace, peace, Recovery, St. Clare of Assisi | Tagged 12-step spirituality, Christianity, church without walls, community, grace, healing, holy ground, hope, radical hospitality, St. Clare of Assisi, St. Francis of Assisi, street ministry, vulnerability | 2 Comments

Under the sycamore.

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Mother Beth Tjoflat

This past Sunday, a dear, elderly man came to our outdoor service for the first time. He often frequents our Wednesday morning coffee & prayer fellowship. He is always gracious, always has a kind word, always a warm smile. The … Continue reading →

Posted in congregational development, Diocese of Florida, Episcopal church, Grace, Uncategorized, unity | Tagged church plant, church without walls, community, grace, holy ground, homelessness, hope, mercy, option for the poor, radical hospitality, simple prayer, street ministry | 2 Comments

Camp “do-over.”

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Mother Beth Tjoflat

This past week I was blessed with a doozy of a “do-over.” I spent a week at camp, serving as chaplain for a group of 97 beautiful kids, ranging in age from middle-school through high-school. It wasn’t until the last … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Diocese of Florida, faith, Grace, Ministry, peace, Uncategorized, unity | Tagged 12-step spirituality, Christianity, community, grace, healing, holy ground, mercy, mission, vulnerability, youth ministry | 4 Comments

Abbey cats.

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Mother Beth Tjoflat

This week I have been enjoying much-needed downtime at a Roman Catholic Abbey. I don’t like the term “self-directed retreat” — my hope is to get out of myself — but my time here is essentially unstructured. If I want … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, faith, Grace, Interfaith, peace, Recovery, Uncategorized | Tagged Contemplation, holy ground, hospitality, silence, spiritual growth | 3 Comments

Banishing loneliness.

Posted on July 7, 2013 by Mother Beth Tjoflat

Lately I have been struggling with various forms of media, and more specifically with the amount of time I spend scanning online news, and social media feeds. Fortunately I think I am too old to “get” Twitter though I do … Continue reading →

Posted in 12-step spirituality, faith, Grace, peace, Uncategorized | Tagged 12 Steps, church without walls, community, grace, healing, hope, inner darkness, mercy, social media, vulnerability | 2 Comments

The desire to please.

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Mother Beth Tjoflat

Each time I facilitate a spiritual journaling workshop for women, it is different. Some women repeat the workshop, but there are always new folks coming in so that the group dynamic is never the same. There have been as few as … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Grace, Interfaith, Ministry, peace, Recovery | Tagged 12-step spirituality, Christianity, church without walls, community, grace, grief, healing, holy ground, homelessness, hope, inner darkness, journal writing, mercy, recovery, spiritual growth, vulnerability | Leave a comment