Your journey matters.
Well hello there, beautiful friend! What are you doing way out here, on the edges of faith? Some suggest you have wandered away. Others fear you are lost… are you? Or did you stumble upon a curious path where you and your faith are emerging, evolving, and becoming more. More authentic. More rich. More holistic and whole. Maybe this little, beautiful way is unfolding exactly as it should and you, my friend, are too.
This Beautiful Way exists to honor the faith journey of those who have sought God outside of the box and discovered truth, beauty, and love at the edges of faith. Rooted in the Christian tradition, This Beautiful Way seeks to uphold the value and authenticity of Image Bearers who take the road less traveled on their faith journeys, yet still find meaningful connection with the Trinity, extending permission and kindness to allow their stories to unfold as the Spirit leads.
Mission
to offer faith formation to support your evolving Christian journey, and extend an invitation to a slower, more beautiful way of life
Vision
to gather and grow a remnant of nomadic Christ followers in order to create a Love-based Movement which will lead an unconventional and transformative church into the next epoch
Values
Love
We believe Love is a personal, knowable presence who is the very essence and manifestation of the nature and characteristics of love; lavishly and indiscriminately offering love to all creation. As recipients of Love, all values, beliefs, words, and actions should be viewed, held, said, and done with and through Love.
Kindness
We believe in extending grace and practicing kindness, treating every human with gentleness, patience, and dignity. Even when we disagree, we hold the sacredness of the other, and the value of relationship, above our personal agendas or “being right.”
Authenticity
We believe in moving towards our most authentic selves. By intentionally living in loving tension with cultural, social, relational, and religious norms, we seek to reduce the influence of our own ego, allowing the truest, most beautiful versions of ourselves to emerge.
Growth
We believe that a significant marker of life is growth. While everyone’s journey is uniquely different, we value the openness to grow; to learn, try, experience, and embrace new and sometimes challenging things, people, and ways, through the lens of Love. Growth is what permits us live fully and to regularly become new creations.
Curiosity
We believe in remaining open and with softness of hearts to new ideas, people, and ways without passing judgement or implication. We approach life with a childlike spirit, searching for what is good, true, and beautiful as it reflects the qualities of Love.
Imagination
We believe in exercising our creativity in all that is seen and unseen, in order to continually offer newness of life as a co-creators. By applying innovation, audacity, curiosity, and creativity with Love, and for the sake of the world, we can breathe new life into ancient traditions, as well as birth completely new concepts and realities.
Mystery
We believe that there must be a balance between the known and the unknown. For those things which cannot easily be explained, we choose to not dismiss them simply because they have yet to be proven; rather, to open our imaginations to the possibilities of all that Love might dream up for our sake and for Love’s delight.
Generative Living
We believe in living well with whatever resources are available, and giving back to our communities out of the abundance of Love and Life from within us. A generous, generative life model includes good stewardship of ourselves, our relationships, our resources, and the earth; working in our creative giftings to manifest goodness and beauty on the earth.
Perichoresis
We believe in the Holy Trinity: the Father/Mother, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We believe this Godhead of Love is relationally interconnected and invites us into their relational dance. Once we have accepted Love’s invitation, we too partner in this sacred dance as co-heirs and co-creators.
Foundational Beliefs
adapted from the Nicene Creed as used by Dignity San Fernando Valley
We believe in one God, the Creator, the Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.
We believe in one Redeemer, Jesus Christ, the only Child of God, eternally begotten of the Creator,
God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, One in Being with the Creator: Through the Redeemer all things were made.
For us and for our salvation, Jesus Christ the Redeemer came down from heaven: (bow) by the power of the Holy Spirit was born of the Virgin Mary, and became human.
For our sake Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate, suffered, died and was buried, and, on the third day, rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures, ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God. Jesus Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and the Reign of God will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, the Giver of Life, who proceeds from God the Creator and Jesus Christ the Redeemer, who with the Creator and the Redeemer, is worshipped and glorified and who has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Formative Influences
This Beautiful Way was deeply informed by the lives, prayers, and works of several influential women of the Christian faith tradition. These incredible women dared to be their greatest selves, in the midst of opposition, bringing a unique and vibrant expression of Love to their communities.
Therese of Lisieux
Born in to a devoutly religious French family, Therese dedicated her life to God at an early age. Forfeiting her right to grow in religious leadership, she chose a more obscure path for the sake of love. Audacious, meek, childlike, but not without her doubts, Therese’s “Little Way of Love” stems from a larger body of writing which gained her recognition as one of the few women Doctors of the Church. Her “Little Way” is the foundation for This Beautiful Way.
Hildegard of Bingen
Hailing from Germany, Hildegard was a spiritual alchemist, mystic, musician, and prolific writer. Fusing the science of her day with the supernatural, Hildegard believed in an embodied and verdant faith. Creative and tenacious, this “Doctor of the Church” boldly lived a faith outside of the common construct, and continues to offer wisdom in both spirituality and health to our time.
Brigid of Kildare
Brigid is the female co-patron Saint of Ireland. Befriended by her contemporary, (Saint) Patrick, she was a pioneer in the art, social justice, and female independence and leadership. Though she and her works were very real, there is an essence of curiosity and mystery around her and the traits she shares with her Celtic mythology counter part.
Mary of Magdala
One of the best known disciples of Jesus, and referred to as “apostle of the apostles,” Mary is also the first documented evangelist to the Ressurrection. Though her narrative is steeped in controversy, Mary’s devotion and witness to the life of Christ remains undeniable, in life and in legend.
THIS BEAUTIFUL WAY 