The fruit ripens on the tree, the roots are silently at work in the darkness of the earth against a time when there shall be new leaves, fresh blossoms, green fruit. Such is the growing edge!
Howard Thurman
The Growing Edge
Topic: Spiritual Growth & Practice
All around us worlds are dying and new worlds are being born; all around us life is dying and life is being born. The fruit ripens on the tree, the roots are silently at work in the darkness of the earth against a time when there shall be new leaves, fresh blossoms, green fruit. Such is the growing edge!
It is the extra breath from the exhausted lung, the one more thing to try when all else has failed, the upward reach of life when weariness closes in upon all endeavor. This is the basis of hope in moments of despair, the incentive to carry on when times are out of joint and men have lost their reason, the source of confidence when worlds crash and dreams whiten into ash. The birth of a child—life’s most dramatic answer to death—this is the growing edge incarnate.
Look well to the growing edge!
Howard Thurman, born on November 18, 1899, in Daytona Beach, Florida, was a highly influential figure in American history who wore several open-ended and overlapping hats as a theologian, philosopher, educator, and civil rights leader. Thurman's formidable intellectual pursuits led him to become an influential author whose writings and teachings underscored the intersection of spirituality and the fight for social justice. Raised in a segregated society, he became a beacon of enlightenment and understanding, leveraging the power of religion and spirituality as tools to combat racial discrimination and social injustice.
Among Thurman's most notable contributions was his mentoring of the legendary civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Thurman played a pivotal role in shaping King's understanding of nonviolent resistance, an essential cornerstone of the Civil Rights Movement. His book, "Jesus and the Disinherited," deeply influenced King and provided the philosophical underpinning for the nonviolent resistance tactics that King later popularized. In addition to his role as mentor to King, Thurman was the first African-American dean of a predominantly white university, serving as the dean of Marsh Chapel at Boston University. His legacy continues to inspire countless individuals in the fields of civil rights, theology, and education. Howard Thurman passed away on April 10, 1981, in Daytona Beach, Florida, leaving behind a substantial and impactful body of work.
The Growing Edge
Palmer, Parker J., and Carrie Newcomer. “Look Well to the Growing Edge.” The On Being Blog, On Being Studios, 18 June 2018, onbeing.org/blog/. [The Growing Edge, A sermon by Howard Thurman].
Howard Thurman
Theme: Spiritual Growth
Howard Thurman – Author, Educator, and Civil Rights Leader
The Growing Edge is a book of Howard Thurman’s sermons. For Thurman, the sermon is an act of worship in which the preacher exposes his spirit and mind as they seek to reveal the spirit of the Living God upon them…
Look Well to the Growing Edge
[Post by Parker J. Palmer and Carrie Newcomer on the On Being Blog introducing their project: The Growing Edge.]
Parker J. Palmer is a columnist for On Being. He is a Quaker elder, educator, activist, and founder of the Center for Courage & Renewal. His books include A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life, and Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation. His book On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity, and Getting Old will be published in June.
Carrie Newcomer is a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter. Her albums include Kindred Spirits, A Permeable Life, and The Beautiful Not Yet, and two books of poetry and essays.
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