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Greetings. I'm Jim Family.

And I'm Kirsten Oates.

Welcome to Turning to the Mistakes.

Welcome everyone to this bonus episode of Turning to the Mistakes.

Where we're turning to our very own Jim Finley to guide us into this Advent season.

And before I hand over to Jim, I just wanted to let everyone know

that we're here recording this podcast as part of a live virtual gathering.

And after Jim's talk, people who are with us today are going to be asking Jim some questions.

So we're very excited.

So Jim, welcome.

Yes, thank you. So glad to be here together like this. Thank you.

You know, I'll introduce this reflection here with you by saying that I first started writing these reflections

about this particular set of reflections about 10 years ago on how to live a more contemplative way of life in the midst of the world.

And seeing the one way to do this is to offer a series of reflections on the mystical dimensions of discipleship.

That is to take a saying of Jesus or a gesture of Jesus and seeing it as a path of clarity or awareness that we can internalize

to become more aware of God's oneness in our lives.

And so this is offered in the context of this kind of mystical gospel series of reflections.

I want to say also at the beginning that this is poetic and so it's not academic at all,

but there is a kind of intuitive density to it, which is why by having it archived,

if you care to go back and listen to it and sit with it,

...