Igniting A Movement

Ellyn Sanna of Anamchara Books, New York and her colleague Ken McIntosh have been working with me on a substantial book about the life and times of Saint Aidan and his significance for Christianity today. Aidan's name means Flame. Holy Island's famous Aidan sculpture portrays him as handing on the  Flame of Christ as runners hand on the Olympic flame.  Our Foundation Course on the Aidan and Hilda Community's Way of Life is called Igniting the Flame. 

Ellyn is reading a business book called Brains on Fire, which suggests:  "A movement elevates and empowers people to unite a community around a common cause, passion, company, brand, or organization. . . . A sustainable movement happens when [people] share their passion . . . and become a self-perpetuating force for excitement, ideas, communication, and growth." The author goes on to talk about creating vs. igniting a movement, thoughts that reminded  Ellyn specifically of Aidan. He says that we do not create movements, rather we ignite them. "When you create, you make something from nothing . . . something unique that would not naturally evolve or that is not made by ordinary processes." "We might create tools and opportunities," but not movements. According to the author, movements draw on something that already exists in people. "All the ingredients are there; they're just waiting to be ignited. . . . Sometimes it's dormant in people, and sometimes it's very active, but it already exists. It's just up to us to find it, throw kindling on it, and light the match."

This fires me, and I hope you.  Pass on the flame.