Welcome to “The Edge”…glad you stopped by.  Maybe you know me from Facebook, or maybe you read my previous blog where I was known as Purple in the RevGals, or maybe you found “The Edge” in some other way.

I am Elaine Besthorn, a beloved child of God who is ordained and serves in the Presbyterian Church U.S.A.

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away…wait that is another story!

In 2005, I began a long awaited foray into a program called “The Diploma in the Art of Spiritual Direction”, affectionately called the DASD at San Francisco Theological Seminary.  Every person in the three year program provided a bio so we could begin to get to know one another.  This is how I began mine…I quietly, live on the edge.

I have always loved exploring and learning new things.  That was true in my previous career as a veterinarian, as a full pastor, and now in a new venture of trusting, learning, and keeping my eyes and heart open to where the Spirit is nudging me.  There is an excitement and “alive-ness” created deep within when I push the edges of what we have always done.

I quietly, live on the edge.  I am not an in-your-face type of person.  I simply listen and then invite people to consider an alternative was of thinking, of moving forward, of becoming a more compassionate person.

This quote captures the essence of why “The Edge” is a great metaphor for me:

Come to the edge.

We might fall.

Come to the edge.

It’s too high!

COME TO THE EDGE!

They came.

And she pushed.

And they flew.

~~ Christopher Logue  (I have taken the liberty of changing the pronouns to reflect a feminine imagery of the Spirit)

Another image/metaphor for “The Edge”  (added February 2015)

The edge of things is a liminal space. The edge is a holy place, or as the Celts called it, “a thin place” and you have to be taught how to live there. To take your position on the spiritual edge of things is to learn how to move safely in and out, back and forth, across and return. It is a prophetic position, not a rebellious or antisocial one. When you live on the edge of anything with respect and honor, you are in a very auspicious position…. To live on the edge of the inside is different than being an insider. Yes, you have learned the rules and you understand and honor the system as far as it goes, but you do not need to protect it, defend it, or promote it. [You can] love both the inside and the outside…and know how to move between these two loves.

Richard Rohr, Source: Radical Grace, Vol. 19, No. 2, the Center for Action and Contemplation

Welcome to The Edge. Glad you are here.