The Rowan Initiative

"My sturdy stick standing
Awaiting our Way
There by the door side
In the new dawn's day
Life's riddles to answer
Base or sublime
All on the Path
In God's good time."

  -Dennis Craft, Way Friend


"Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility. The higher your structure is to be, the deeper must be its foundation."

  -St. Augustine


"There is a level of cowardice lower than that of the conformist: the fashionable non-conformist."

  -Ayn Rand


"If the battle for civilization comes down to the wimps versus the barbarians, the barbarians are going to win."

  -Thomas Sowell


"You cultivate the essential virtues: high purpose, intelligence, decency, humility, fear of the Lord, and the passion for freedom."

  -William F. Buckley


"I leave from where the apostle arrived."

  -Pope Benedict XVI


"We do not destroy religion by destroying superstition."

  -Cicero


"A God who let us prove his existence would be an idol."

  -Dietrich Bonhoeffer


"It is a great consolation for me to remember that the Lord, to whom I had drawn near in humble and child-like faith, has suffered and died for me, and that He will look on me in love and compassion."

  -Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart


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The Rowan Initiative


Get a copy of Dennis' latest book The Week of Life by emailing him at wayfriend@therowaninitiative.org. We are seeking a publisher, until then we will be privately printing copies immediately.

   If you know beyond all doubt that you are seeking a pure and powerful Christian life, this booklet is for you.

   If you have looked within yourself and must admit that you are not altogether earnest in your search for such life, this booklet is still for you.

   This booklet's contents are minimal. The rule of its prose will be, when possible, sparse. The deepest truths, most profoundly expressed, are simple ones, expressed simiply. The booklet will not seek to advocate, debate, or persuade the reader with extensive argument. It will simply express the major milestones I have passed in thirty years following Christ.

-Dennis Craft, MDiv, JD


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   Welcome, Christians and other spiritual travelers seeking the Way, to friendship and adventure along the path of peace and wisdom. We are Way Friends who wish only to assist where we are welcome with the grace gifts at our disposal in order to inspire and enhance growth in God.

We are Christians who believe in the unique redemptive work of God in Christ Jesus. We are friends of Faith in the Word of God. Yet we also open our arms and hearts to the ways of peace and wisdom that do no violence to the witness of Christ, so that we may better learn to practice love and peace. We learn from many disciplines, traditions, and experiences, ever interpreting what we learn through the Word and witness of Christ.

   The Rowan Initiative is all about growing in Christ in the community of the Way travelers, for there is no true witness, faith, and mission of Christ apart from the community. Yet we underscore the need for personal, individual, and courageous initiative. We seek to bless others without depending upon or attempting to control them in any way. In brief, if you must do what you must do alone, do it.

   Like the Rowan tree, which grows farther into the most northerly, harsh, and cold regions of the world than any other tree, grow in your spirituality regardless of the spiritual coldness around you. Like the Rowan, grow in totally new territories where there is no forest. The Rowan is a pioneer, needing no surrounding trees, yet its growth leads to their establishment. Again, like the Rowan, grow in the midst of trees of another species, even joined to a differing tree. Birds drop the Rowan tree berries into the cracks and roots of other trees and the Rowan can literally grow out of that tree! Finally, like the Rowan tree, grow beautifully. The Rowan is both tender and hard, a delicate tree able to endure tough conditions, even seeming to grow on rocks. All the while, its graceful branches put forth abundant, blood red fruit and in the autumn, fiery red and orange leaves. Both leaves and fruit are reminiscent of Christ and His ultimate sacrifice of love.

   Grow anywhere, grow everywhere, grow for a better world. Plant a tree---be the tree. We at The Rowan Initiative hope this website is a blessing and of much service to your journey along the Way. Please check out any or all of our departments below.

Dennis Craft, MDiv, JD---Way Friend


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LATEST NEWS


Ask yourself, "What can one person do with God, alone, if he must?" -Dennis Craft


08.17.10:
New material! Sean Hannity and the Words of Jesus. An admonition and encouragement for Sean Hannity to give attribution to Jesus Christ for the words "Let not your heart be troubled" that the political talk show host regularly uses on The Sean Hannity Show. The prayerful appeal can be found in the Zeitgeist Preacher section.

07.29.10:
New material! The Sands Have a Way. A poem about coping with change in life through guidance from God. The verses can be found in The Arkenstone section.

07.28.10:
New material! Oil, Oil Everywhere. A poem on the Gulf oil spill that reveals the leak we most need to cap. The verses can be found in the Zeitgeist Preacher section.

07.25.10:
New material! The Week of Life Chapter One. Read an excerpt from Dennis' newest book! Check it out in the Classical Christianity section.

07.25.10:
New material! Bearing the Sun. A poem about the futility of bearing the weight of life and time apart from God. The verses are found in The Arkenstone section.

07.24.10:
New material! Apotheosis in Reverse. A humorous short story about how God uses failure far more often and more powerfully than success in the making of mature disciples of Christ. The story can be found in the Spiritual Spelunker section.

Interested?
Contact Dennis Craft for comments, free subscription to his weekly online devotional, or for prayer at wayfriend@therowaninitiative.org.



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Brief Bio.