Podcast appearances and mentions of Suzanne D Williams

Recently, the topic of DevRel maturity sparked a conversation: What qualities define a mature community and a seasoned team? Join PJ, Jason, Mary, and Wesley as they share their insights on past experiences, current trends shaping the field, and key indicators to monitor as you strive to build a thriving, successful community. Enjoy the podcast? Please take a few moments to leave us a review on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/community-pulse/id1218368182?mt=2) and follow us on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/3I7g5W9fMSgpWu38zZMjet?si=eb528c7de12b4d7a&nd=1&dlsi=b0c85248dabc48ce), or leave a review on one of the other many podcasting sites that we're on! Your support means a lot to us and helps us continue to produce episodes every month. Like all things Community, this too takes a village. Photo by Suzanne D. Williams on Unsplash.

Photo by Suzanne D. Williams on Unsplash Are you wondering how to move from K-12 to Customer Education? Or academia to corporate learning? In this episode, we’re diving into how Customer Education professionals get into the business. Many professionals make a move into Customer Education from teaching, K12 or academia. Others move from Customer Success to Customer Education. Today’s guest has actually worked in each of those worlds! So tune in for a discussion with Monica Sindwani from AgentSync. Monica made the move from teaching to Customer Success and Customer Education. In this episode, she shares tips for teachers and academics making the move into instructional design or corporate learning. We discuss the paradox of transferable skills and how intellectual humility plays a big part in reskilling. And we talk about how programs like Salesforce Trailhead and other credential programs can be a huge asset for anyone looking to move into the technology field. Episode Links: Pivoting out of Edu Podcast

Photo by Suzanne D. Williams on Unsplash Are you wondering how to move from K-12 to Customer Education? Or academia to corporate learning? In this episode, we’re diving into how Customer Education professionals get into the business. Many professionals make a move into Customer Education from teaching, K12 or academia. Others move from Customer Success to Customer Education. Today’s guest has actually worked in each of those worlds! So tune in for a discussion with Monica Sindwani from AgentSync. Monica made the move from teaching to Customer Success and Customer Education. In this episode, she shares tips for teachers and academics making the move into instructional design or corporate learning. We discuss the paradox of transferable skills and how intellectual humility plays a big part in reskilling. And we talk about how programs like Salesforce Trailhead and other credential programs can be a huge asset for anyone looking to move into the technology field. Episode Links: Pivoting out of Edu Podcast

加入【摄影早自习群】加叶梓私人微信：nihaoyelaoshi（暗号：喜马拉雅）早安，我是叶梓，今天是摄影早自习陪伴大家的第1631天。刚才看到“Harper”同学在早自习后方留言，他说看到草丛里有两只蝴蝶在飞，但是相机又只能对人脸和眼睛来追究，那怎么样才能拍到蝴蝶呢？这个事没有想象的那么容易，我今天早自习里面语音给大家做个解答。Photo by Ray Hennessy on Unsplash首先相机确实有的是有一些人工智能的。比如说有的相机能识别人脸，这是最常见的，就是人脸优先对焦。奥林巴斯甚至有一个选项，就是你是对着这个人脸的左眼对焦还是右眼对焦，还是这个人脸离相机最近的这只眼睛对焦啊？我们一般选最近的这只眼睛进行对焦。所以它除了识别人脸，它还能精准的识别哪个是眼睛，这样一来相机就会精准的对它进行对焦，并且跟踪它的距离变化，时刻都在对焦。有的相机有比这个更高级的追踪物体的方式。比如说它们能追踪狗脸、猫脸、马脸，甚至有的像摩托车的头盔它都能识别，它对焦在头盔上。因为摩托车的护目镜放下来你是看不见脸的，相机没有办法识别脸部，所以它只追踪头盔。还有行驶在路上的汽车，它追的是汽车前面的进气格栅，这是比较理想的状况。但是蝴蝶这种东西据我所知应该是没有哪个相机有什么蝴蝶的追踪的档的，所以得用一些笨办法，我教大家四个办法。第一个办法比较蠢，就是等蝴蝶落在那不动了你再拍照。这个办法其实又有一个衍生的用法，就是那个蝴蝶停那不动了，你对好了焦，但是等它一扇翅膀刚刚离开那朵花开始要飞起来，它的脚刚刚离开花的那一瞬间拍照。这个时候你拍到的其实是一个动态的蝴蝶，但是因为它刚刚起飞，所以那个焦点不会太偏，不会差别太大。Photo by Calvin Mano on Unsplash第二个办法就是稍微聪明一点的。蝴蝶它眼看着即将落到某朵花上去，这个时候你或许幸运，或许是眼疾手快，你刚好已经对焦对在那朵花上了。这个蝴蝶在降落之前，由于你已经在花上进行对焦了，你可以在使用这种单次对焦的前提下，把相机往后撤一点，往后撤远一点，然后按下快门。这个撤远一点的动作是什么意思呢？就是原本你对焦是在花上，离你比如说有20厘米，这个蝴蝶即将降落在这个花上时候，在降落的姿态中的时候，它离你可能没有20厘米，只有18厘米，这个时候你对焦是对在花上的，这个蝴蝶可能是模糊的，你可以身体拿着相机往后撤两厘米的距离再按快门。虽然你刚才是对焦在花上20厘米，但现在你离蝴蝶就20厘米了，所以蝴蝶就会清楚。不知道我讲清楚了没有，就是先对焦，再通过身体人肉撤远一点进行人肉对焦，再来按快门，这种情况有一定的失败的几率。Photo by Calvin Mano on Unsplash那么接下来第三种方法就是依赖一种比较新的对焦的方式，就是相机有的可以侦测运动事物，对运动事物进行对焦，静态事物它不对焦。那么这种情况下你只要手稳稳的拿着相机，整个场景里的事物是不太运动的，花花草草都不太动，只有一只蝴蝶在中间跑，相机会努力的去跟着蝴蝶走，它明白，动的那个东西就是你要拍的。这种情况也比较少见，因为大部分相机没有这个功能。Photo by Suzanne D. Williams on Unsplash第四种对焦方式就是另辟蹊径，干脆趴下仰头冲天拍摄。画面的中央的那一个大区域里边最好不要有什么草啊、花啊的遮挡，只有那只蝴蝶。这个时候你可以打开相机全部的对焦点，让相机自由的去找对焦点，并且使用连续对焦。相机这个时候就在中间那一大片的对焦点所在的位置随便找一个东西，那就是那个蝴蝶喽，因为没有别的东西嘛，然后就对它进行对焦、追踪和拍摄。这种感觉就有点像是拍鸽子了，因为背景就是远端的天空，没有别的东西，所以相机肯定是对焦对在蝴蝶上。Photo by AARN GIRI on Unsplash最后讲一个道听途说的东西，就是听说如果你自己带点蜂蜜点在植物上、花上，有可能有一定几率蝴蝶、蜜蜂会飞过来，然后停在蜂蜜那里，这样的话就方便你拍摄。我还听说也曾经有一些摄影爱好者是拿着一种类似胶状的东西，把那些小昆虫吸引过来以后，就粘在那了，走不了了，然后就到那儿一顿狂拍，产出了大片，还获了奖。我觉得这种行为简直就是怎么说呢，有点没人性。这个小动物为你那张好照片就被粘在那儿粘死了，要么就是所有的腿都断在那，是非常非常残忍的，各位同学千万不要干这种事情。咱们摄影爱好者是热爱大自然，热爱小动物的，不能为自己的这种所谓的好照片、好作品去牺牲别人的性命。好，今天我们就简单的聊这么多，惭愧的是我自己没有拍过蝴蝶的动态的样子，所以以上的那一些讲解只能是基于我拍摄其它题材时的一些经验，我觉得应该可以这样做，问题应该不大。如果有昆虫拍摄的专家，欢迎在底部留言来指正我说错了的地方，也欢迎大家一起来讨论。今天是摄影早自习陪伴大家第1631天，我是叶梓，每天早上6:30，微信公众号“摄影早自习”，不见不散。

加入【摄影早自习群】加叶梓私人微信：nihaoyelaoshi（暗号：喜马拉雅）早安，我是叶梓，今天是摄影早自习陪伴大家的第1631天。刚才看到“Harper”同学在早自习后方留言，他说看到草丛里有两只蝴蝶在飞，但是相机又只能对人脸和眼睛来追究，那怎么样才能拍到蝴蝶呢？这个事没有想象的那么容易，我今天早自习里面语音给大家做个解答。Photo by Ray Hennessy on Unsplash首先相机确实有的是有一些人工智能的。比如说有的相机能识别人脸，这是最常见的，就是人脸优先对焦。奥林巴斯甚至有一个选项，就是你是对着这个人脸的左眼对焦还是右眼对焦，还是这个人脸离相机最近的这只眼睛对焦啊？我们一般选最近的这只眼睛进行对焦。所以它除了识别人脸，它还能精准的识别哪个是眼睛，这样一来相机就会精准的对它进行对焦，并且跟踪它的距离变化，时刻都在对焦。有的相机有比这个更高级的追踪物体的方式。比如说它们能追踪狗脸、猫脸、马脸，甚至有的像摩托车的头盔它都能识别，它对焦在头盔上。因为摩托车的护目镜放下来你是看不见脸的，相机没有办法识别脸部，所以它只追踪头盔。还有行驶在路上的汽车，它追的是汽车前面的进气格栅，这是比较理想的状况。但是蝴蝶这种东西据我所知应该是没有哪个相机有什么蝴蝶的追踪的档的，所以得用一些笨办法，我教大家四个办法。第一个办法比较蠢，就是等蝴蝶落在那不动了你再拍照。这个办法其实又有一个衍生的用法，就是那个蝴蝶停那不动了，你对好了焦，但是等它一扇翅膀刚刚离开那朵花开始要飞起来，它的脚刚刚离开花的那一瞬间拍照。这个时候你拍到的其实是一个动态的蝴蝶，但是因为它刚刚起飞，所以那个焦点不会太偏，不会差别太大。Photo by Calvin Mano on Unsplash第二个办法就是稍微聪明一点的。蝴蝶它眼看着即将落到某朵花上去，这个时候你或许幸运，或许是眼疾手快，你刚好已经对焦对在那朵花上了。这个蝴蝶在降落之前，由于你已经在花上进行对焦了，你可以在使用这种单次对焦的前提下，把相机往后撤一点，往后撤远一点，然后按下快门。这个撤远一点的动作是什么意思呢？就是原本你对焦是在花上，离你比如说有20厘米，这个蝴蝶即将降落在这个花上时候，在降落的姿态中的时候，它离你可能没有20厘米，只有18厘米，这个时候你对焦是对在花上的，这个蝴蝶可能是模糊的，你可以身体拿着相机往后撤两厘米的距离再按快门。虽然你刚才是对焦在花上20厘米，但现在你离蝴蝶就20厘米了，所以蝴蝶就会清楚。不知道我讲清楚了没有，就是先对焦，再通过身体人肉撤远一点进行人肉对焦，再来按快门，这种情况有一定的失败的几率。Photo by Calvin Mano on Unsplash那么接下来第三种方法就是依赖一种比较新的对焦的方式，就是相机有的可以侦测运动事物，对运动事物进行对焦，静态事物它不对焦。那么这种情况下你只要手稳稳的拿着相机，整个场景里的事物是不太运动的，花花草草都不太动，只有一只蝴蝶在中间跑，相机会努力的去跟着蝴蝶走，它明白，动的那个东西就是你要拍的。这种情况也比较少见，因为大部分相机没有这个功能。Photo by Suzanne D. Williams on Unsplash第四种对焦方式就是另辟蹊径，干脆趴下仰头冲天拍摄。画面的中央的那一个大区域里边最好不要有什么草啊、花啊的遮挡，只有那只蝴蝶。这个时候你可以打开相机全部的对焦点，让相机自由的去找对焦点，并且使用连续对焦。相机这个时候就在中间那一大片的对焦点所在的位置随便找一个东西，那就是那个蝴蝶喽，因为没有别的东西嘛，然后就对它进行对焦、追踪和拍摄。这种感觉就有点像是拍鸽子了，因为背景就是远端的天空，没有别的东西，所以相机肯定是对焦对在蝴蝶上。Photo by AARN GIRI on Unsplash最后讲一个道听途说的东西，就是听说如果你自己带点蜂蜜点在植物上、花上，有可能有一定几率蝴蝶、蜜蜂会飞过来，然后停在蜂蜜那里，这样的话就方便你拍摄。我还听说也曾经有一些摄影爱好者是拿着一种类似胶状的东西，把那些小昆虫吸引过来以后，就粘在那了，走不了了，然后就到那儿一顿狂拍，产出了大片，还获了奖。我觉得这种行为简直就是怎么说呢，有点没人性。这个小动物为你那张好照片就被粘在那儿粘死了，要么就是所有的腿都断在那，是非常非常残忍的，各位同学千万不要干这种事情。咱们摄影爱好者是热爱大自然，热爱小动物的，不能为自己的这种所谓的好照片、好作品去牺牲别人的性命。好，今天我们就简单的聊这么多，惭愧的是我自己没有拍过蝴蝶的动态的样子，所以以上的那一些讲解只能是基于我拍摄其它题材时的一些经验，我觉得应该可以这样做，问题应该不大。如果有昆虫拍摄的专家，欢迎在底部留言来指正我说错了的地方，也欢迎大家一起来讨论。今天是摄影早自习陪伴大家第1631天，我是叶梓，每天早上6:30，微信公众号“摄影早自习”，不见不散。

加入【摄影早自习群】加叶梓私人微信：nihaoyelaoshi（暗号：喜马拉雅）早安，我是叶梓，今天是摄影早自习陪伴大家的第1631天。刚才看到“Harper”同学在早自习后方留言，他说看到草丛里有两只蝴蝶在飞，但是相机又只能对人脸和眼睛来追究，那怎么样才能拍到蝴蝶呢？这个事没有想象的那么容易，我今天早自习里面语音给大家做个解答。Photo by Ray Hennessy on Unsplash首先相机确实有的是有一些人工智能的。比如说有的相机能识别人脸，这是最常见的，就是人脸优先对焦。奥林巴斯甚至有一个选项，就是你是对着这个人脸的左眼对焦还是右眼对焦，还是这个人脸离相机最近的这只眼睛对焦啊？我们一般选最近的这只眼睛进行对焦。所以它除了识别人脸，它还能精准的识别哪个是眼睛，这样一来相机就会精准的对它进行对焦，并且跟踪它的距离变化，时刻都在对焦。有的相机有比这个更高级的追踪物体的方式。比如说它们能追踪狗脸、猫脸、马脸，甚至有的像摩托车的头盔它都能识别，它对焦在头盔上。因为摩托车的护目镜放下来你是看不见脸的，相机没有办法识别脸部，所以它只追踪头盔。还有行驶在路上的汽车，它追的是汽车前面的进气格栅，这是比较理想的状况。但是蝴蝶这种东西据我所知应该是没有哪个相机有什么蝴蝶的追踪的档的，所以得用一些笨办法，我教大家四个办法。第一个办法比较蠢，就是等蝴蝶落在那不动了你再拍照。这个办法其实又有一个衍生的用法，就是那个蝴蝶停那不动了，你对好了焦，但是等它一扇翅膀刚刚离开那朵花开始要飞起来，它的脚刚刚离开花的那一瞬间拍照。这个时候你拍到的其实是一个动态的蝴蝶，但是因为它刚刚起飞，所以那个焦点不会太偏，不会差别太大。Photo by Calvin Mano on Unsplash第二个办法就是稍微聪明一点的。蝴蝶它眼看着即将落到某朵花上去，这个时候你或许幸运，或许是眼疾手快，你刚好已经对焦对在那朵花上了。这个蝴蝶在降落之前，由于你已经在花上进行对焦了，你可以在使用这种单次对焦的前提下，把相机往后撤一点，往后撤远一点，然后按下快门。这个撤远一点的动作是什么意思呢？就是原本你对焦是在花上，离你比如说有20厘米，这个蝴蝶即将降落在这个花上时候，在降落的姿态中的时候，它离你可能没有20厘米，只有18厘米，这个时候你对焦是对在花上的，这个蝴蝶可能是模糊的，你可以身体拿着相机往后撤两厘米的距离再按快门。虽然你刚才是对焦在花上20厘米，但现在你离蝴蝶就20厘米了，所以蝴蝶就会清楚。不知道我讲清楚了没有，就是先对焦，再通过身体人肉撤远一点进行人肉对焦，再来按快门，这种情况有一定的失败的几率。Photo by Calvin Mano on Unsplash那么接下来第三种方法就是依赖一种比较新的对焦的方式，就是相机有的可以侦测运动事物，对运动事物进行对焦，静态事物它不对焦。那么这种情况下你只要手稳稳的拿着相机，整个场景里的事物是不太运动的，花花草草都不太动，只有一只蝴蝶在中间跑，相机会努力的去跟着蝴蝶走，它明白，动的那个东西就是你要拍的。这种情况也比较少见，因为大部分相机没有这个功能。Photo by Suzanne D. Williams on Unsplash第四种对焦方式就是另辟蹊径，干脆趴下仰头冲天拍摄。画面的中央的那一个大区域里边最好不要有什么草啊、花啊的遮挡，只有那只蝴蝶。这个时候你可以打开相机全部的对焦点，让相机自由的去找对焦点，并且使用连续对焦。相机这个时候就在中间那一大片的对焦点所在的位置随便找一个东西，那就是那个蝴蝶喽，因为没有别的东西嘛，然后就对它进行对焦、追踪和拍摄。这种感觉就有点像是拍鸽子了，因为背景就是远端的天空，没有别的东西，所以相机肯定是对焦对在蝴蝶上。Photo by AARN GIRI on Unsplash最后讲一个道听途说的东西，就是听说如果你自己带点蜂蜜点在植物上、花上，有可能有一定几率蝴蝶、蜜蜂会飞过来，然后停在蜂蜜那里，这样的话就方便你拍摄。我还听说也曾经有一些摄影爱好者是拿着一种类似胶状的东西，把那些小昆虫吸引过来以后，就粘在那了，走不了了，然后就到那儿一顿狂拍，产出了大片，还获了奖。我觉得这种行为简直就是怎么说呢，有点没人性。这个小动物为你那张好照片就被粘在那儿粘死了，要么就是所有的腿都断在那，是非常非常残忍的，各位同学千万不要干这种事情。咱们摄影爱好者是热爱大自然，热爱小动物的，不能为自己的这种所谓的好照片、好作品去牺牲别人的性命。好，今天我们就简单的聊这么多，惭愧的是我自己没有拍过蝴蝶的动态的样子，所以以上的那一些讲解只能是基于我拍摄其它题材时的一些经验，我觉得应该可以这样做，问题应该不大。如果有昆虫拍摄的专家，欢迎在底部留言来指正我说错了的地方，也欢迎大家一起来讨论。今天是摄影早自习陪伴大家第1631天，我是叶梓，每天早上6:30，微信公众号“摄影早自习”，不见不散。

We all have a cocoon around us that may keep us safe, too safe, but there is a time for leaving the old and entering the new. Sometimes we have to walk through the crowd to get there.  Something new was happening in them. They were changing, leaving. There was a spark in their eyes, and people were starting to notice, comment, and ask questions. They were leaving a tired old cocoon. It had been a safe place,  but now it was getting too cramped and tight for all the work they had been doing on the inside. It had been mostly hidden work, and only a few knew the struggles and suffering they had been through, but now it was time to evolve.  When the memories joined up, and the story gained clarity, things began to make sense. When she was offered new truth and insights, further sense was made about who she truly was. Lightbulb thinking moments began to spark, then whole street rows of lights glowed, and a new path was shown. Massive learnings were beginning to take place. What she had believed about herself once was now being turned upside down. She was starting to see her life the right side up. Upon leaving the cocoon I’ve noticed that often when people have this sense of emergence, there are several responses. Wonderment and joy. Everything seems fresh, alive, and full of adventurous invitation. There is a whole new world to explore. Anger and Grief. There can be grief and anger at being kept in the old prison for so long. Celebration from others. People notice and rejoice in the change. Ambivalence from others. They don’t notice. They are so trapped in their small world contexts that they are blind to see the beauty coming forward. Rejection from others. Some will question it, challenge it, and possibly reject it. It makes them uncomfortable to see ripples of newness. Walkthrough the crowd In an interesting little story of Jesus, we see him breaking out of the cocoon of others’ expectations. Their response was a desire to kill the butterfly. He had just announced to his township who he was, and they didn’t take kindly to his divinity. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way. Luke 4:29-30 At times you have to leave the town behind because the town will keep you in the mindset of a town. The next time he came home, the town still kept him in the framework of the past. He came to his hometown and began to teach the people in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?  And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor except in their own country and in their own house.” And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief. Matthew 13:54-58 Your framework The town saw him as the carpenter’s son, mother – Mary, brothers, sisters. That was the identity for which they could place him in. The markers of identity were true, but he had left the cocoon of their context. They were trying to fit the box of their context around the Son of God. Impossible. No miracles happened there, nothing of life-changing power for them. Jesus moved on through the crowd yet again. Leaving them behind in their own cocoon. What’s your cocoon? What are the walls you are pressing up against that need to broken apart? Are there some beliefs about yourself that you need to tear away? Are you allowing others to define your town? There is a beauty and purpose that may well be waiting for expression. Let it come in its own time and walk through the crowd because, as Mother Teresa says, ‘it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.’ Quotes to consider And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death.Living never wore one out so much as the effort not to live.Life is truly known only to those who suffer, lose, endure adversity and stumble from defeat to defeat.Perfection is static, and I am in full progress.Abnormal pleasures kill the taste for normal ones.Anaïs Nin People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.Forgive them anyway.If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.Be kind anyway.If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.Succeed anyway.If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.Be honest and sincere anyway.What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.Create anyway.If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.Be happy anyway.The good you do today, will often be forgotten.Do good anyway.Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.Give your best anyway.In the final analysis, it is between you and God.It was never between you and them anyway.Mother Teresa All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy, for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter into another. Anatole France The word change normally refers to new beginnings. But transformation more often happens not when something new begins but when something old falls apart. The pain of something old falling apart—disruption and chaos—invites the soul to listen at a deeper level. It invites and sometimes forces the soul to go to a new place because the old place is not working anymore. Richard Rohr When Things Fall Apart Change can either help people to find a new meaning, or it can cause people to close down and turn bitter. The difference is determined by the quality of our inner life, or what we call “spirituality.” Change of itself just happens; spiritual transformation is an active process of letting go, living in the confusing dark space for a while, and allowing yourself to be spit up on a new and unexpected shore. You can see why Jonah, in the belly of the whale is such an important symbol for many Jews and Christians. Richard Rohr When Things Fall ApartQuestions to answer What frameworks do you and others keep yourself in? Have you had any experience of leaving a ‘cocoon’? What was it like? How did others respond? What is the cocoon you need to begin to let go of? Further Reading Image cc: Suzanne D. Williams

We all have a cocoon around us that may keep us safe, too safe, but there is a time for leaving the old and entering the new. Sometimes we have to walk through the crowd to get there.  Something new was happening in them. They were changing, leaving. There was a spark in their eyes, and people were starting to notice, comment, and ask questions. They were leaving a tired old cocoon. It had been a safe place,  but now it was getting too cramped and tight for all the work they had been doing on the inside. It had been mostly hidden work, and only a few knew the struggles and suffering they had been through, but now it was time to evolve.  When the memories joined up, and the story gained clarity, things began to make sense. When she was offered new truth and insights, further sense was made about who she truly was. Lightbulb thinking moments began to spark, then whole street rows of lights glowed, and a new path was shown. Massive learnings were beginning to take place. What she had believed about herself once was now being turned upside down. She was starting to see her life the right side up. Upon leaving the cocoon I’ve noticed that often when people have this sense of emergence, there are several responses. Wonderment and joy. Everything seems fresh, alive, and full of adventurous invitation. There is a whole new world to explore. Anger and Grief. There can be grief and anger at being kept in the old prison for so long. Celebration from others. People notice and rejoice in the change. Ambivalence from others. They don’t notice. They are so trapped in their small world contexts that they are blind to see the beauty coming forward. Rejection from others. Some will question it, challenge it, and possibly reject it. It makes them uncomfortable to see ripples of newness. Walkthrough the crowd In an interesting little story of Jesus, we see him breaking out of the cocoon of others’ expectations. Their response was a desire to kill the butterfly. He had just announced to his township who he was, and they didn’t take kindly to his divinity. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way. Luke 4:29-30 At times you have to leave the town behind because the town will keep you in the mindset of a town. The next time he came home, the town still kept him in the framework of the past. He came to his hometown and began to teach the people in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?  And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor except in their own country and in their own house.” And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief. Matthew 13:54-58 Your framework The town saw him as the carpenter’s son, mother – Mary, brothers, sisters. That was the identity for which they could place him in. The markers of identity were true, but he had left the cocoon of their context. They were trying to fit the box of their context around the Son of God. Impossible. No miracles happened there, nothing of life-changing power for them. Jesus moved on through the crowd yet again. Leaving them behind in their own cocoon. What’s your cocoon? What are the walls you are pressing up against that need to broken apart? Are there some beliefs about yourself that you need to tear away? Are you allowing others to define your town? There is a beauty and purpose that may well be waiting for expression. Let it come in its own time and walk through the crowd because, as Mother Teresa says, ‘it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.’ Quotes to consider And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death.Living never wore one out so much as the effort not to live.Life is truly known only to those who suffer, lose, endure adversity and stumble from defeat to defeat.Perfection is static, and I am in full progress.Abnormal pleasures kill the taste for normal ones.Anaïs Nin People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.Forgive them anyway.If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.Be kind anyway.If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.Succeed anyway.If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.Be honest and sincere anyway.What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.Create anyway.If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.Be happy anyway.The good you do today, will often be forgotten.Do good anyway.Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.Give your best anyway.In the final analysis, it is between you and God.It was never between you and them anyway.Mother Teresa All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy, for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter into another. Anatole France The word change normally refers to new beginnings. But transformation more often happens not when something new begins but when something old falls apart. The pain of something old falling apart—disruption and chaos—invites the soul to listen at a deeper level. It invites and sometimes forces the soul to go to a new place because the old place is not working anymore. Richard Rohr When Things Fall Apart Change can either help people to find a new meaning, or it can cause people to close down and turn bitter. The difference is determined by the quality of our inner life, or what we call “spirituality.” Change of itself just happens; spiritual transformation is an active process of letting go, living in the confusing dark space for a while, and allowing yourself to be spit up on a new and unexpected shore. You can see why Jonah, in the belly of the whale is such an important symbol for many Jews and Christians. Richard Rohr When Things Fall ApartQuestions to answer What frameworks do you and others keep yourself in? Have you had any experience of leaving a ‘cocoon’? What was it like? How did others respond? What is the cocoon you need to begin to let go of? Further Reading Image cc: Suzanne D. Williams

Drawing on the title of 60s US singer songwriter Sam Cooke's hit song, we look at the ways in which encounters with Jesus changed lives. We reflect on Bible verses that indicate that we are expected to change when we encounter Jesus and particularly when we receive Holy Spirit. We examine 5 characters in the Bible and we discuss how their lives were transformed when they met Him.  Photo by Suzanne D. Williams on Unsplash --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/grace-touch/support

von: Fülke Wagner Photo by Suzanne D. Williams on Unsplash