by Christine Sine

I love photographing sunsets and probably have hundreds of photos of sunsets taken all over the world. I am not alone. Sunsets are one of the most commonly photographed things in the world.

A sunset is not primarily a photo opportunity however, it is an invitation to join God in the closing of one day and experience hope at the beginning of the next, a chance to sing and dance and shout for joy at the changing beauty of each moment.  They are often spectacular, awe-inspiring, and fill us with hope. No two are the same, and in fact, no 2 minutes of a sunset are the same. They are constantly changing and filling us with awe and I sometimes wonder if when we snap a photo and then walk away we miss the incredible impact of what a sunset is all about.

Mt Rainier at sunset

I thank God for the gift of sunsets, this sometimes wondrous flash of beauty displayed at the end of the day. I thank God too for the sunsets I cannot see, those that are hidden behind clouds and sheets of rain. They too are gifts of light when the world is falling into darkness, gifts to be delighted in as they remind us that the world is entering into rest and it is time to do the same. Unfortunately we rarely hang around long enough to see the sun fully set and allow the darkness of the night to envelope us with this quiet invitation.

We often forget that in the creation story the day ends at sunset and a new day dawns with us going to sleep and God beginning the work of a new day.

Have you ever wondered about what God did in the darkness of those first hours of a new day? For us, a good night’s sleep is so important, in fact, its benefits are amazing. Sleep boost’s our immune system, helps prevent weight gain, strengthens our hearts, improves our mood, improves our memories. It is often during sleep that new ideas germinate and take root. I wonder was this the time when God imagined the creative acts of the coming day? I know God is not like us. Our Creator does not need sleep like we do but I wonder does God need time to dream, imagine, and plan new acts of creation?

Thinking about this over the last few days was a wonderful, awe-inspiring practice for me. It’s autumn here and over this last week it seems that the leaves have changed in an amazing flash of brilliant colour, the waning of the year, that seems to be mirrored in the brilliance of the sunsets. Here too there is hope. Yes, over the next couple of months those brilliant leaves will give way to a pile of dead foliage, but even in that there is the promise of newness. Autumn scatters seeds in the wind, seeds that look for a new place to lodge and grow, and the humus formed by those dying leaves is one of the best ways to both protect and nourish those new seeds.

I love the way that both the end of the day and the waning of the year call us to a time of rest and stillness, a time when we are invited to pause and listen to the whisper of God’s voice in the darkness. Perhaps that is what God is calling all of us to do today and in the days ahead. Spectacular sunsets and brilliant autumn leaves remind us that we need to rest and refresh ourselves so that we enter the new day fully charged, with the energy to do what God calls us to.

Sunset Anacortes WA – Christine Sine

In this last photo I feel as though God is painting in the sky, which seems such an important image to take with me into the night. However, you may prefer one of the other sunset images.

Which of the photos above catches your attention? Focus on it for a couple of minutes. Take a few deep breaths in and out and allow you mind and your body to relax. Put to rest the activities of your day. Put to rest the stress and anxieties of the day. Put to rest all that holds you bound. Commit the coming day into God’s hands and allow yourself to relax into the night and the quiet presence of the God who calls you into rest.

The Spirituality of Gardening Online Course is available for 180 days of access for only $39.99. This interactive course includes video sessions with Christine Sine as well as 8 other guest gardeners. Visit our store page for more information.

This week’s contemplative service with music in the spirit of Taize from St Andrew’s Episcopal Church Seattle. 

A contemplative service with music in the spirit of Taize. Carrie Grace Littauer, prayer leader, with music by Kester Limner and Andy Myers.

Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-710-756 with additional notes below:

“The Kingdom of God” and “Atme in Uns” are songs from the ecumenical Taize community in France. Copyright and all rights reserved by GIA/Les Presses de Taizé.

“Kyrie” and “Even in Sorrow” are original compositions. Music and lyrics by Kester Limner and Andy Myers, shared under the Creative Commons License, Attribution (CC-BY).

“Tis a Gift to Be Simple” – Traditional words and music from the American Shaker tradition, as found in the public domain.

Thank you for praying with us! www.saintandrewsseattle.org

by Sue Duby,

Ankle biters. I don’t know where Chuck and I first crafted that phrase or where it came from. We just know they are… and that we get bitten more often than we would dare care to admit.

It’s like my morning rounds in the garden to pull off those pesky Japanese beetles that all too quickly devour my roses. As I tip toe among the plants, I feel nothing. Until… five minutes later, back in the cool air conditioning, my legs itch like crazy. Tiny mosquitoes (I never see them!) craftily camp in low clumps of garden greens. The record to date… 10 welts per leg… all in one short round!

I smiled pondering this and realized that the phrase itself explains a lot. My ankles are down so low… almost to the ground. I don’t spend much time thinking about them and am generally unaware of how they are doing… unless, of course, I twist one and feel pain. I don’t stand watching my ankles in the garden, waiting for a mosquito, else I can’t get on with my beetle-grabbing duties. I guess it makes ankles a prime target!

I wish my only ankle biters were mosquitoes. A bit of bug spray or anti-itch cream would quickly take care of it. Sadly, the real ankle biters that get me are emotional and spiritual. Those unexpected “bites”, that suddenly jolt me into varied measures of discouragement, self-doubt or fear. The ones that lead me down a trail of not-so-great thoughts, before I’m even aware how I got there.

In this season, I’ve purposed to try new things, explore new joys and be bolder. I gave myself a lecture in the process: ”Don’t worry about how things turn out or where they will lead. Don’t worry what anyone else may think. Don’t rate your efforts… just enjoy the journey”. No problem… in theory!

I love flowers and I love creating. That led me to a delightful batch of YouTube videos on water color flowers. I set up a table by a sunny window, found some paints and brushes on sale, played quiet music, and mixed some happy colors. One session and I was hooked. I felt peace and joy. My creations made me smile and I even shared them with family and friends (not to get a rating, just to share my fun discovery). A few weeks down the road, the ankle biters hit.

One day, I excitedly held a brand new brush, ready to follow a video on summer flowers. A young mom, who clearly loved painting, began demonstrating steps for tulips. Ankle biter #1 (out of nowhere): “All these videos are from young gals. I’m not that… and I’ll never be as good.” I followed along until my tulips were complete. Ankle biter #2: “My tulips look like watermelons! I’ll never get this right.” Then I dared to turn off the video and try to create my own version of a lily. Ankle biter #3: “That’s a big orange mess. Doesn’t look much like the photo I copied!”. Suddenly, I felt it – that old battle with perfectionism (thought that one had been put to rest!). Ready to quit. My joy totally sapped. A weight of “work” (trying to make it right) replaced freedom to create. 

I’ve been down this trail before… many times. Always the choice looms… to give in to the ankle biters and wallow in misery or remember what I’ve learned before, what’s true and move on with a smile. Some days I choose well. Other days, not so much.

Just a few months before, I’d exclaimed to a friend, “I know it’s in me, how God made me, and it just needs to come out. I don’t really care what it’s for or if anyone sees it, I just need to create”. No performance. No scoring results. No wondering what others might think. Just doing something that brought me joy. How very quickly ankle biters can fog what we know to be true.

Each of us are fearfully and wonderfully made – hand-crafted with love, affection, and purpose. (Psalm 139:14) “Fearfully” means with honor, reverence, and respect. The very notion! That God honors and respects me and did so when He created me. Not just “OK”, but made “wonderfully” – distinct, separated, and distinguished. That’s for all of us! Each unique, true wonders, designed by the only One who can perfectly design and create. 

And that’s not all. There’s a little nudge at the beginning of that verse I tend to forget… ”I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (NIV). I know in my head what’s true, but do I actually stop to truly thank Him for crafting me the way He did (agreeing with Him in my heart)? Acknowledging His amazing work is life-giving… especially when that work is me!

I know ankle biters will always be lurking. However, I’ve tasted the gift of discovering how He made me and rediscovering truths to guide me back to a place of rest and joy. “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty”(Psalm 91:1). I may feel those nips (and sometimes pay too much attention to them)… but I trust He’ll continue to strengthen the muscle that allows me to choose to dwell, rest, and continue tasting His joy in the unfolding journey of this life He’s given me.

Join us on September 29th at 9am PST for the Facebook Live session with Christine Sine and Lilly Lewin. The recording will be available on YouTube later today if you cannot join live.

by Lilly Lewin

I take a lot of photographs. I will see something that inspires me and take several shots. That’s the beauty of the phone! You don’t have to worry about using up film or making a mistake. You can keep what you like and leave the rest.

I use art and photography to inspire me to pray. It’s become a prayer practice. Art is a part of our thinplaceNASHVILLE gathering too. We use slides shows of art to pray with and we go to art museums and art exhibits and let the Holy Spirit speak to us through the different art pieces on display.  This past week I discovered a great resource for both individual and corporate use in worship. The Vanderbilt Divinity School  has already put together slide shows of art and scripture to go with the Sunday lectionary readings. I’ve used the art from their website before, but this past week was the first time we did a prayer meditation with the pre-made slide show. It was a fantastic addition to our gathering! The process of using art and or looking at an object or photograph is called visio divina. You look at a photo, painting or other other visual item and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you. This link will take you to a PDF with more details on the practice if you want them. For our time today, I’ve selected some of my own photos and one from the Vanderbilt Slide Show to inspire you to try out Visio Divina. You can also pray with the lectionary slide show for this week, Begin HERE

Look through the series of photos below and the one above. Which one do you notice first? Which one speaks to you?

Look at each photograph and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you through it….LOOK FIRST.

What do you see? What do you notice? What is God’s invitation to you through this photograph?

AFTER YOU PICK YOUR PHOTO….

Then use the questions to help you pray or take time to answer the questions in your journal.

Are you feeling parked these days, like the truck in the photo above? or are you back on the road feeling overly busy?

What road is Jesus inviting you to try out? or do you need to stay parked and enjoy the view? 

What if the God is giving you the gift of the sunset every day, just for you? How does that make you feel?

michigan sunset

LOCK

How are you feeling locked out? What needs to be opened in your life? Talk to Jesus about this.

barbed wire

What pain are you feeling today? What Pain or suffering in our world can you give to Jesus to carry for you? Pray for suffering places or people.

Often we focus on the barbed wire and not on the open field behind it….why is that?

Iona doorway

What is the new door way you are being invited to walk through today? Are you willing to walk into new territory with Jesus?

Brazilian street artist, Eduardo Kobra paints beautiful murals. This one is called “Looking for Peace.” How are you looking for peace these days? Who helps you find it? How can you be a peacemaker in your community?

Looking for Peace

Fall is in the air. What excites you about this new season? What inspires you? Ask Jesus for new inspiration.

fall gourds

The water refreshes, calms or crashes against the beach. For many the beach or being near water is a chance to be with God. Take time to remember a favorite time near water. What were the feelings and emotions. Take time to thank Jesus for the beauty of the place. Maybe you are feeling alone today, like this seagull, talk to Jesus about this. What can you learn from the beach or from the bird, the seagull?

seagull at the beach

Now your turn to take photos. Take time this week to get outside and take some photos. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you through what you notice along your walk. Take several photos throughout the week and then sit down and look through them. What do you notice? What is the invitation from Jesus? What colors or symbols stand out? Take time to be still and be grateful for the simple beauty that is all around you!

If it’s too wet or it’s just nasty weather, find an online art museum or go to a gallery and look at the art. Walk through and find one that speaks to you and stand or sit in front of it and allow God to speak to you.

Share what you notice and what you learn with a friend!

Art is a reflection of God’s creativity, and evidence that we are made in the image of God.

Francis Shaeffer

©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com

by Rev Sheila Hamil,

I received the obituary of a former colleague via an email post the other day from the Diocesan office, which filled me with amazement and opened up a whole gamut of emotions in me.

She and I had both served in a church together for a few years, well over twenty years ago; she, as a reader and I as a curate. She was a very private person and fiercely independent, and I, being a schoolteacher, as well as a NSM part-time priest, was always too busy. We didn’t always see eye to eye on certain matters, but we were both hard workers, and content and eager to serve the congregation in our own separate ways.

But as I read this obituary, I discovered someone I wish I had known better; for here was a real gem of a person, a pure diamond. I could have learnt so much from her, and gained a much better perspective of the world around me, had we both chosen to chat in-depth.

I read in her obituary that she had had a distinguished professional career as a Consultant Anaesthetist at a top local hospital, for the Royal Army Medical Corps and the International Red Cross, including in Nepal, Afghanistan, and Somalia. Among her achievements, she was appointed the first female commander of a RAMC Unit. Her various activities were recognised through her appointment as Queen’s Honorary Surgeon and as Deputy Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear. In 1993 she was awarded the OBE for her humanitarian work with the Red Cross.

What a career! Such splendid service to humanity! I was ignorant of all this!

I had also missed out on remarkable stories of her faith and her courage, stories that I was only hearing for the first time when I attended her funeral the other day. A shell had once exploded 20 yards away from her as she worked in an operating theatre, and one of the walls nearest the blast had begun to collapse. The staff could barely see each other due to falling debris, and after a brief pause to allow the dust to settle, they all got on with the operation.

 I so much needed to be there at her funeral, because I wanted to take that last chance to get as close as I could possibly get to her, to say sorry for not being there for her as a friend, and I wanted to pay her my respects, long overdue.

How I wish I could have got to know her in her living years.

Kathleen (Kate) Clarke: (11/11/1938 – 29/07/21) Rest in peace

I am more and more convinced in life that God places certain individuals alongside us, with totally opposite gifts, personalities, and spiritualities, so we can complement one another over time, and bring insight and depth to lives other than our own, in our time here on earth. But we don’t always see these fine qualities in each other, do we? We can be so blind.

Let’s hope, by that same token, we don’t come before God at our time of departure, hearing the words, “I never knew you!” (Matt 7.23) because we have never taken the time to really get to know him.

Photo by Mayron Oliveira on Unsplash

Register and pay to join us for this virtual retreat experience with Christine Sine and Lilly Lewin on September 25, 2021 from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm PST. Check out our new sliding scale payment options. For more details, click on the image below.

by Laurie Klein,

Who but God would conceive an equinox? 

September 22^nd marks a Northern Hemisphere celebration. As if astronomically centered on “going halves,” we enter a sacred equipoise: ancient as time, vital as rain. 

On this day our planet’s axis, normally tilted, shifts to 0° in relation to the sun. 

Daytime and darkness balance.

________________________

Each will last roughly 12 hours.

Change beckons—both practical and spiritual. Whereas spring’s burgeoning energies urge us to seed and weed, autumn’s harvest and falling leaves invite us to reap and release. 

Perhaps we prepare our gardens for winter, enacting a kind of closure. 

It’s healing to embrace the annual exhale. 

Yielding, we cede and shed. 

Our tempo alters. 

Rest ensues.

As seasonal pressures abate, some aspects of personal drive lessen. Overshadowed desires may emerge. 

• Shelved dreams 
• That postponed trip 
• An orphaned brainchild
• A longing for contemplative solitude

Autumn’s bittersweet natural rhythms coincide with a lesser-known Christian feast day. On September 23^rd the Orthodox Church honors the conception date of John the Baptist. 

My all-too-visceral, first thoughts of John careen between camel hair tunics reeking of sweat and silt, Honey ‘n Bugs for breakfast, seven veils, and a bloodied sword. 

But there’s also the Jordan, and the Voice, and the dove, descending. 

John the vagabond Baptist, speaking of Jesus, said, “I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.”

Shoes are gifts I too often take for granted. They support us in our activities. They communicate something of who we are and what we choose. When I imagine the dusty sandals of Jesus, I want to emulate John’s example, align myself with his mindset, humbly walk out my faith, day after day.

“He must increase,” John also said of Jesus, “but I must decrease.” (John 3:30, ESV)

The equinoxes, whether spring or fall, send us to our closets. We switch up our footwear. We unearth or stow our sandals and flip flops. We slip into heels for a date or clogs for work in the garden; we double-knot work boots or cinch the laces of dress shoes. We adhere or peel back Velcro on sneakers. We buckle galoshes and rain boots. 

Donning shoes requires a change in posture, a bowed head. We stoop or squat. Even if we sit or stand, we lower our heads to align each foot with the opening. This small gesture of surrender moves us between relative stillness and ensuing activity, perhaps several times a day. Done attentively, might this prime the spirit for devotion?

Lately, this prayer is helping me to more fully enter the pause . . .

S      Slow me down; show me Your way.
H     Hold my hand and help me obey.
O     Oversee all I do and say,
E     Ever my Savior, come what may.

Having done this, I can “Stand… feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6: 15).

And therein grace aligns with human intention—not by halves, fleetingly balanced—but wholly given each day of the year.

***

For further reflection: Why not lace on your favorite walking shoes, then meander and muse?

In this moment, what is essential?

What season am I in, personally?

What currently tabled expression, unique to me, awaits my engagement?

What needs to be scaled back or pared away to release it?

How else might I more fully inhabit this season?

joan mm EHuyA oUCok unsplash

Want to experience more of the awe and wonder that God offers us? Check out the Gift of Wonder Online Retreat by Christine Sine. This retreat allows for 180 days of access for only $39.99 so you can move through the sessions at your own pace.

post and photos by June Friesen,

A day has been set aside for all of us in the world to celebrate gratitude. It is interesting that in a world of beauty and bounty in so many ways for so many, we struggle with what I call an ‘attitude of gratitude.’ Over the past twenty years of my life, I have been repeatedly challenged at how often I quickly become ungrateful in my own life. Psalm 42 is one of my ‘go to Psalms’ and in the King James version it begins, ‘As the hart/deer pants for water so my soul thirsteth after Thee O God….’  A discipline that I was encouraged to develop through a book I was reading years ago was the key to my own development of gratitude along with Psalm 42.

PSALM 42 (The Message)

A white-tailed deer drinks from the creek;
I want to drink God, deep drafts of God.
I’m thirsty for God-alive.
I wonder, “Will I ever make it— arrive and drink in God’s presence?”
I’m on a diet of tears— tears for breakfast, tears for supper.
All day long people knock at my door,
Pestering, “Where is this God of yours?”

4 These are the things I go over and over,
    emptying out the pockets of my life.
I was always at the head of the worshiping crowd, right out in front,
Leading them all, eager to arrive and worship,
Shouting praises, singing thanksgiving—
    celebrating, all of us, God’s feast!

5 Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?
    Why are you crying the blues?
Fix my eyes on God— soon I’ll be praising again.
He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God.

6-8 When my soul is in the dumps, I rehearse everything I know of you,
From Jordan depths to Hermon heights, including Mount Mizar.
Chaos calls to chaos, to the tune of whitewater rapids.
Your breaking surf, your thundering breakers crash and crush me.
Then God promises to love me all day, sing songs all through the night!
    My life is God’s prayer.

9-10 Sometimes I ask God, my rock-solid God, “Why did you let me down?
Why am I walking around in tears, harassed by enemies?”
They’re out for the kill, these tormentors with their obscenities,
Taunting day after day, “Where is this God of yours?”

11 Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?
    Why are you crying the blues?
Fix my eyes on God— soon I’ll be praising again.
He puts a smile on my face.
    He is my God.

When I think of gratitude my heart is overwhelmed with so many thoughts, so much bounty, so many gifts God has given. However, along with that, I am also reminded of many who may not enjoy the bounty I have around me whether in nature, in a secure home, in daily provisions being met and they are often thankful for just waking up alive each morning. There are those whose bodies are handicapped sometimes from birth and sometimes from situations that arise along their life pathway. Yet I am amazed as well as blessed at their attitudes of gratefulness. A mother who is blind enjoys the touch and sound of her infant and child as they grow; a father who is handicapped, in a wheelchair, is able to have his child sit in his lap and they go for a ride, for families who have been separated for months because of travel restrictions caused by Covid who have been able to connect through zoom, face time, and maybe like I did – preparing fun parcel gifts to send in the mail. Life really is so much about attitude and it is an attitude of ungratefulness that leads one quickly into despair, anger, and bitterness which blocks one from embracing the beauty that is present, as little or small as it may be from time to time. I have shared with you here several photos of natural beauty that I have had the privilege of enjoying over the past weeks/years. Below is a varied bounty of food (limited as it is) that we enjoy not only because it is available to eat but because God has created us with a sense of smell and a sense of taste. 

LIVING WITH A GRATEFUL SPIRIT

Life is a gift from the beginning – 
That first breath, that first cry, as the heart beats and breath fills the lungs –
Life begins with a pulsating heart that courses blood throughout the body
Nourishing the cells;
Life continues on as nourishment fills the body with energy and growth;
Life grows into fulfillment day by day, year by year
As one learns to live and embrace the moment at hand, one by one. 
Gratitude is a gift that one learns when embracing a thankful spirit – 
A ‘thank you’ for a meal or a treat;
A ‘thank you’ for a flower or a gift;
A ‘thank you’ for a walk in the rain,
A ‘thank you’ for the fall of a snowflake on one’s tongue,
A ‘thank you’ for the crunch of a cracker or chip, 
A ‘thank you’ for a warm fire on a chilly day,
A ‘thank you’ for the breeze on a warm, warm day,
A ‘ thank you’ for a hug as one heaves a heavy sigh,
A ‘thank you’ __________________…..
So, in a world where we take all good things for granted 
Until they are gone or nearly gone – 
How does one carry a spirit of gratefulness within – and without?
It comes with a change of heart or what I call an attitude adjustment,
When it is extremely hot outside, I am grateful for a home with air conditioning/fans;
When it is raining outside, I am grateful for the new and continued growth it will bring;
When I sit down to eat I am thankful for my sense of smell and of taste;
When I miss my family who is far away, I am thankful for the telephone, letters, and parcels;
When I have to say that forever goodbye to someone dear, 
I may weep but I also choose to embrace the friendship and memories we shared;
Today I choose to be grateful for each of you who also chooses to be grateful;
Together we can not only celebrate, but we can invite others on this wonderful journey;
You, I and they will all become more grateful, especially grateful for each other.
June Friesen 2021
(The book where I learned of a gratitude journal is Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach)

Register and pay to join us for this virtual retreat experience with Christine Sine and Lilly Lewin on September 25, 2021 from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm PST. Check out our new sliding scale payment options. For more details, click on the image below.

by Christine Sine,

Can you imagine if the whole world took a day to say thank you? Tomorrow, September 21st is World Gratitude Day. This celebration began in Hawaii in 1965 and was adopted by the United Nations but unfortunately, it is not as yet a day that has become universally celebrated.

What do we all have to be thankful for, you may wonder? In a world that is still suffering terribly from the effects of COVID and the economic impact on our lives, the aftermath of hurricanes, earthquakes, and wildfires, our fears about climate change, and our uncertain future; how do we come together as a global community and say thank you?

My new mantra “I thank you God for the gift of life, a wondrous gift so freely given” and which I will share more about at our Gearing Up for a Season of Gratitude online retreat on Saturday, revolutionized my life. Each morning as I sit in my sacred space with my cup of tea in my hand, I recite these words and relish the thoughts that come to me. I am amazed at what has welled up from the centre of my being. God has placed so many gratitudes within me that need to be expressed.

One day I found myself focusing on the new opportunities that each day brings – opportunities to appreciate the beauty and incredible diversity of our world, and to share the love and compassion of God, and to enjoy the creativity that God placed within me. The following day I gave thanks for the organizations Tom and I support that help us fulfill our desire for justice and equality and sustainability in this world. I am so grateful that our concerns for this world and its inhabitants are shared by so many others who are much better able than we are to respond.

On another day, after reading @blackliturgies on Instagram, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the rich and varied gifts that God has placed within each person in this world. Then there was the day that I sat and basked in gratitude for the memories of my childhood adventures, all evoked by watching the movie Swallows and Amazons on Amazon Prime. I grew up with this series of 12 books but Swallows and Amazons, the first in the series, was always my favourite. I entered vicariously into the adventures of others and it stirred into being a life lived in the open spaces of my imagination, a gift that even now spurs my creativity.

Can you see the trend here? This focus on the wondrous gift of life took my gratitudes from “me” to “we” and convinced me that gratitude needed to embrace the whole world with words of thanks and with actions of support and provision.

Evidently, there are 17 nations in the world that hold thanksgiving celebrations. It is not confined to the U.S. and Canada, though many of these were influenced by the American celebrations, as this article documents. Sadly, what began in many places as national celebrations tended to become more family-oriented private events. So today I encourage you to think about one small thing you could do to help make September 21st into a day of worldwide gratitude. Perhaps this Thanksgiving dinner blessing written by Adam Lee, an atheist will help:

As we come together to share this meal, let us first remember how it came to us and be thankful to the people who made it possible.

This food was born from the bounty of the earth, in warm sunlight, rich earth, and cool rain.

May it nourish us, in body and mind, and provide us with the things that are good for living.

We are grateful to those who cultivated it, those who harvested it, those who brought it to us, and those who prepared it.

May its consumption bring about the pleasures of friendship, love and good company.

Join us on September 29th at 9am PST for the Facebook Live session with Christine Sine and Lilly Lewin. The recording will be available on YouTube later today if you cannot join live.

A contemplative service from St Andrews Episcopal church in Seattle with music in the spirit of Taize. Carrie Grace Littauer, prayer leader, with music by Kester Limner and Andy Myers.

Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-710-756 with additional notes below:

“Nada Te Turbe” and “Što Oko Ne Vidje (What No Eye has Seen)” are songs from the ecumenical Taize community in France. Copyright and all rights reserved by GIA/Les Presses de Taizé.

“Bring Your Peace,” “Kyrie,” and “Parable Song” are original compositions. Music and lyrics by Kester Limner and Andy Myers, shared under the Creative Commons License, Attribution (CC-BY)

Thank you for praying with us!
www.saintandrewsseattle.org

by Tom Sine,

“Faith-based disaster relief groups balance COVID safety with speedy response to Hurricane Ida”. A spectrum of faith-based disaster relief groups were prepared to respond to Hurricane Ida when it recently struck homes and communities in Lousiana, Mississippi, and other southern states.

These Christian relief organizations sponsored by a number of denominations were prepared to respond to Hurricane Ida before it ever arrived. In 2020s Foresight: Three Vital Practices for Thriving in a Decade of Accelerating Change, we outline how not only denominations but local churches can also be prepared for new and increasing waves of natural disasters and other forms of disruptive change.

Here is a quick description of how some denominations prepared to deal with the impact of Hurricane Ida on hundreds of communities. For example, “Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, a ministry of the Presbyterian Church [USA], focuses on long-term recovery after natural disasters”. This organization is still “doing rebuilding work in Lake Charles, Louisiana after it was hit hard by Hurricanes Lara and Delta in 2020”.

These days, Presbyterian volunteers are required to be vaccinated so they don’t put the communities where they are serving at any greater risk.

The Southern Baptist Disaster Relief team are equipped to be able to “serve tens of thousands of meals a day” when Hurricane Ida struck. A number of these denominational disaster response groups actually began putting supplies in place before Ida made landfall on August 29, 2021. They created ways to keep in “constant contact with church leaders and other volunteer” agencies to coordinate their disaster response efforts.

Join those Prepping for Disaster Next in Your Home, Church, & Community

Since we find ourselves living in a decade of accelerating change and increasing environmental disruptions, it is important that leaders in local churches enable not only their members but also those in their communities to prep for Disaster Next where they live.

“During last week alone, millions of people across the country experienced catastrophic emergencies. Hurricane Ida left millions of Louisiana residents without power or without access to food and water. Flash floods in New Jersey and New York caught many people off guard. Near Lake Tahoe… some residents evacuated in less than an hour after an evacuation order as fires threatened their homes. In August, flash floods ravaged central Tennessee, and in February year, millions of people in Texas were left without electricity and water following a winter storm.

Unfortunately, climate scientists now warn that weather emergencies like these may be the new normal, as climate change leads to heavier rains, stronger hurricanes, more tornadoes and bigger wildfires. The average number of climate- and weather-related disasters per decade has increased nearly 35 percent since the 1990s, according to the World Disasters Report.”

In times like these, we need to motivate both those in our churches and communities to prepare for Disaster Next by joining those creating: The Go Bag & The Stay Bin. 

The Go Bag

“’No matter where you live, every home should have a ‘go bag’ and a ‘stay bin.’ The go bag is what you grab when you have to leave the house in a hurry, whether it’s to get to the emergency room or to evacuate” because of a fire or hurricane. “The stay bin is a two-week stash” of essentials “in the event you have to hunker down at home without power, water or heat.”

“Creating a go bag and a stay bin does not make you an alarmist or someone who lives in fear of the apocalypse. It just means you’re prepared… I came home to a wrecked apartment because an upstairs neighbor had left his water running. (I was able to rescue my passport and my cats, but I lost everything I owned.) The hardest part about creating a go bag is getting started. You don’t need to do it all at once. I started with a Ziploc bag and placed my passport, birth certificates and other important documents inside. Then I added an extra pair of reading glasses. Last year, I added a phone charger to my go bag because an emergency room doctor told me it’s the single most requested item in the ER….

I also added some masks, which we all need now because of Covid-19, but you might also need a mask if you’re fleeing a fire or a chemical spill… Recently, I upgraded my go bag to a more sturdy Stasher reusable silicone bag and added some emergency cash (small bills are best). I also added a list of phone numbers to reach family members and friends in the event that I end up in the ER….

You should also have a few days’ supply of your essential medications. Pack a few water bottles and granola bars for the traffic jam on the evacuation route or the long wait in the E.R.”

The Stay Bin

In the event “you need to hunker down, you probably already have a lot of the essentials for a stay bin” that might be needed in a stay-at-home emergency. “The stay bins should also have a two-week supply of bottled water and nonperishable food, pet food, toilet paper and personal hygiene supplies. Flash lights, lanterns, candles, lighters and firewood are important. (Wire-cutter recommends a head lamp.) A battery-powered or crank weather radio as well as a solar phone charger will help you cope with power outages. Extra blankets are a good idea. Other items that are often recommended are duct tape, a multipurpose tool, trash bags for sanitation, and hand wipes and sanitizer. If your prescription plan allows it, order an extra supply of your medications or ask your doctor for some free samples” to have in case of an emergency.

I’ve also created a crisis notebook in the event of a health emergency. My advice is to just get started today with what you have handy and work on acquiring more items over time. A little planning and preparation goes a long way in any emergency.”

By planning ahead for the unexpected in our own lives, we will also be more available to help our neighbors, during Disaster Next like the Christian relief organizations that responded to those hammered by Ida.

Why don’t you motivate those in your own church and community to be prepared for Disaster Next for yourselves and your neighbors?

We would love to share some examples of people who help others prepare for Disaster Next where you live. I will post some of your creative responses on this site to inspire others in this time of accelerating change. Contact me.

Originally posted on newchangemakers.com. Photo by Chris Gallagher on Unsplash.com

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By Lilly Lewin

I love giving gifts and I love receiving them too. This summer we did a whole series on the Gifts of a Sacred Summer, including REST, PLAY, SILENCE, GRATITUDE, LOVE, CREATING, and BEING IN NATURE. The Gift of Wonder is the title of Christine’s Book. WONDER is an amazing gift to open daily! But I’m not sure anyone really likes to open the GIFT OF INTERRUPTION!  When I was the administrative assistant at a large church, I used to say the job description needed to be “the ability to handle the gift of interruption! ”

If I’m honest, It’s not one of my favorite gifts to open!
I like the plans I’ve made and I like things to go the way I’ve planned.

Last month, we experienced the gift of interruption while on our summer holiday. We were finally going to be together as a family for the first time since Christmas 2019. We have the gift of a family cottage that we get to use on Lake Michigan and it’s a thinplace for us. A place of rest, connection and the time we get to reset for the next season. We arrived on Monday night, celebrated Rob’s birthday on Tuesday night and just after dinner, after starting the laundry and dishwasher,  a storm blew over the lake and blew over trees into the power lines. The power was out for five days. Now I totally know that this isn’t as bad as what happened in New Orleans or the North East with power outages post Hurricane Ida. But this just wasn’t what I’d hope for ….

At the cottage, when the power goes out, the water goes out too! Thanks to covid, I’m used to washing my hands multiple times a day. 
I found myself standing at the sink with hands covered in soap just to realize  that the water didn’t work.
Or I’d walk into a room and want to turn on the lights…habit.
I’m grateful that I always take battery candles on vacations because we used them everywhere.

And instead of restful, rhythmic days at the lake, we were going to get ice or walking down the street to fill jugs with water to flush the toilets…doing laundry at the laundromat and trying to salvage the two weeks of groceries I brought from home.

This interruption showed me that I have less margin than I thought I had.

I wasn’t prepared. I thought I was rested and had taken time out over the summer to refill my cup, but along with the electricity being out, the world decided to get crazier and interrupt things further.
The crisis in Afghanistan happened, a horrific earthquake in Haiti, and then mask wars in my home state of Tennessee, that now has the worst covid numbers of the pandemic. I just didn’t have the bandwidth for all of this!

An Interruption of peace
An Interruption of presence
Interruption of the plans I’d made for a fun time with our sons.

Interruption of time
Interruption of relationships
Interruption of trust in my fellow man.

An Interruption of the plans I’d made for fall because the variant cancelled things.

I realized I needed to stop and remember JESUS!

On hearing this, Jesus slipped away privately by boat to be alone. But when the crowds discovered he had sailed away, they emerged from all the nearby towns and followed him on foot. ¹⁴ So when Jesus landed he had a huge crowd waiting for him. Seeing so many people, his heart was deeply moved with compassion toward them, so he healed all the sick who were in the crowd. Matthew 14:13-14 The Passion Translation

When Jesus tried to go on retreat, he got interrupted too!
The crowds followed him.
Instead of getting angry and frustrated like I did
Jesus had compassion.
Jesus healed them.
Jesus fed them.
Jesus showed up even in the interruption.

What about you? What interruptions have you experienced lately?

How are you doing with these interruptions?

Could interruptions be gifts in disguise rather than just frustrations that make you want to pull your hair out?

What if you could have compassion for yourself ? What if you could allow Jesus to show you his gift of compassion and healing just for you? How would that make a difference?

finding balance

I realized in receiving this gift of interruption that I need to find BALANCE.

 I need to rebuild peace and rhythm.

I need to do the practices that help me stay grounded with Jesus.

1. taking prayer walks
2. painting/doing art
3. making time to call or see friends
4. practicing gratefulness…I’m keeping a gratitude list adding to it each night before bed and saying thank you to God before I get out of bed each day.
5. giving myself permission to be just where I am, in all the messiness of the day and remembering that Jesus is with me showing me compassion and love.

What things help you find balance? What practices give you peace and restore your rhythm with God? Take some time to consider this over the next few days.

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” JESUS

And we’d love you to join us for our retreat next weekend. We will be live on zoom together on Saturday, September 25th. Gearing up for a Season of Gratitude A great way to build some rhythm and find some peace!

photos and writings by June Friesen,

As one ponders this phrase it can bring many things to mind as well as it can cause one to feel many emotions. Life is seasonal yet so often we find ourselves unsettled and maybe even ‘wanting’ for another thing or something else…in the summer one tends to complain about the ‘hot’ days, in the fall there are times one complains about the ‘frost’, in the winter one may complain about the blinding snowstorm/frigid weather and in spring it may be feeling overwhelmed with so much to get done such as preparing for planting and planting itself. The writer of Ecclesiastes took particular time to draw his readers’ attention to ‘time’/’times’ – 

Ecclesiastes 3:

3 There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:

2-8 A right time for birth and another for death,
A right time to plant and another to reap,
A right time to kill and another to heal,
A right time to destroy and another to construct,
A right time to cry and another to laugh,
A right time to lament and another to cheer,
A right time to make love and another to abstain,
A right time to embrace and another to part,
A right time to search and another to count your losses,
A right time to hold on and another to let go,
A right time to rip out and another to mend,
A right time to shut up and another to speak up,
A right time to love and another to hate,
A right time to wage war and another to make peace.

9-13 But in the end, does it really make a difference what anyone does? I’ve had a good look at what God has given us to do—busywork, mostly. True, God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time—but he’s left us in the dark, so we can never know what God is up to, whether he’s coming or going. I’ve decided that there’s nothing better to do than go ahead and have a good time and get the most we can out of life. That’s it—eat, drink, and make the most of your job. It’s God’s gift.

14 I’ve also concluded that whatever God does, that’s the way it’s going to be, always. No addition, no subtraction. God’s done it and that’s it. That’s so we’ll quit asking questions and simply worship in holy fear.

by June Friesen

I am not sure what phrase/verse may have caught your attention or eye but this time when I read it the last phrase stood out: ‘simply worship in holy fear.’ Ah… to simply worship God… in/with acceptance of what is and/or where I happen to be. How might that change my perspective in life/in my life in particular? Over the many years of my life and experiences, some things have been good, some great, some not so good, and some I even think back on as just not so good at all. However, that being said, I have also learned many years ago that the most important thing that I can do is to remember that God is in charge 24/7, every day, every week, every year so long as I have physical life on this earth. How practical this became in my life goes back to a response to an experience I had 12 years ago hiking in a valley when I stepped off a path to go down to a creek and in the thick underbrush was a branch that snapped. I fell, shattering my ankle. I remember laying back on the ground, looking up through the treetops towards the sun with this prayer, “God, You alone know all that I have to do in the next two months; I am Yours and this situation I give to You. It is now Your problem.” That changed my response to everything, and God did a miraculous healing even though it took some time. At 72 years I now can still run. I have a daily reminder of two scars. On one side the scar appears as praying hands and on the other side a heart. 

A SEASON OF GRATITUDE

God, as one ponders the beauty of the harvest time,
One sees the colors change;
While the changing colors are actually preparing for a time of rest –
Rest for several weeks/months, we embrace them with thankful spirits.
We see the sprigs of remaining flowers decorating a few spaces,
Soon to be just empty stalks and then no more.
We see the trees heavy with fruit for harvest,
Some to be enjoyed by humans and some for the animals’ nourishment.
We see the gardens with the last harvests ready of 
Potatoes, corn, tomatoes, and more that will be prepared for winter food.
As one ponders with gratitude the four seasons of nature
We too should remember that there are seasons of gratitude in one’s life – 
There are times of quiet, stillness –
When God desires that we just ‘be’
As He prepares us for new beginnings and life.
There are times of struggle and maybe even some frustration, maybe even some rebellion…
When God is doing a new beginning, a new growing in our life.
There are times when there is a flourish of activity and so many things/people are calling
And God gives wisdom, strength, and knowledge to share as well as to nurture self and others,
There are times when there is harvesting – seeing others around us bursting forth
With new beginnings, new careers, education plans,
Reaping the benefits of hard work, nurturing received, and now maturation. 
And so it is that the seasons will begin all over again
In new ways, with new things, with new people as well as the same people – 
In ourself hopefully, we will begin to see that embracing the present season in the moment
Will bring great blessing when the process of life is completed. 
Thanks be to God for designing seasons in nature 
But also designing seasons of life and giving us the grace and wisdom to live through them.
Amen and amen.
June Friesen 2021

Want to experience more of the awe and wonder that God offers us? Check out the Gift of Wonder Online Retreat by Christine Sine. This retreat allows for 180 days of access for only $39.99 so you can move through the sessions at your own pace.

by Rev Sheila Hamil,

I was reading Luke 5:1-11, in our church’s set reading for today: (020921) when some words jumped out at me. “Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch!”

It took me back to a time when my husband and I were on our first ever, and our only, ‘exotic holiday’, following our retirement. We were both snorkelling on a coral reef in the sunshine, amazed at finding such a wonderful variety of fish beneath the surface of the water, and it was all so exciting, so colourful; a brand new experience for us both.

One morning though, I became adventurous, and I decided to move on out from the reef into deep water! I glided into a brand new world, out in the blue beyond, and I entered a totally surreal environment. At first I was elated. I had the strangest sensation that I was taking off from a cliff in slow motion, out into nothingness, all stretched out and soaring, wonderfully supported by the vast water beneath me.

It was so freeing and exhilarating!

The experience didn’t last very long though, because all of a sudden, I became aware that I had left the warm shallow waters behind me, and was entering a noiseless expanse where I felt a sudden chill on my skin. My entire body had become cold, and I began to feel afraid. After all, what strange creatures were lurking in the shadows? I turned myself round, and immediately headed straight back to where I felt safe and warm, and where everything was familiar once more.

In our reading, ‘the deep’ is where Jesus says his fish are to be found, way out there, not in the shallows; in other words not in the safety of our homes or churches, but in the world outside.

During lockdown we’ve grown accustomed to the comfort and protection of worship at home, by way of Zoom or by streaming in real time, where absolutely nothing is demanded of us. All we’ve had to do is switch on the power, click onto the given link, look in and worship.

Perhaps it’s time to consider going out once more, where it isn’t comfortable, where it doesn’t feel safe, and where bigger challenges lurk menacingly like unknown monsters from the deep. But to be able to become fishers of people, we need to do it together, supporting one another, and in fellowship with others. Jesus calls us not to remain forever in the warm shallows of our own existence, but to get out there where the poor, the needy, the lonely, and the exile are already enveloped in the chill waters. Perhaps we’re being called again to swim alongside them. (But let’s not forget to put our protective masks on though!)

 There’s a saying:

‘Ships are safe in the harbour, but that’s not what ships are for!”

The song above ‘Stir into Flame’ was inspired by 2 Timothy Chapter 1:6

www.sheilahamil.co.uk

More music videos on:-

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnUh_ZGnZNfUlV8HEyppRIv8FLBtyEY65

Feature photo by SGR on Unsplash

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Book release post for Jeannie Kendall,

Jeannie Kendall explores the value of tears in the Bible and in our lives today in her new book Held in Your Bottle publishing this September with Authentic Media.

There are a myriad of tears shed by various characters in the Bible. What might we learn from them about what it means to be fully human?

Whether we are crying tears of regret, loss, gratitude, or anger, the Bible says that God holds them all in his bottle. We can draw comfort from the fact that no tear goes unseen by him. Jeannie Kendall explores a rich variety of emotions in her new book Held in Your Bottle. Modern-day testimonies are related alongside a retelling of a relevant Bible character’s experience of the same emotion, and then honest and insightful reflections help us understand the issues raised.

‘Our emotions are as God-created as our bodies and minds. As such they are to be celebrated, not feared or suppressed.’

The book’s inspiration came from an unlikely source: Jeannie saw a collection of photos of tears taken under a microscope from Rose-Lynn Fisher that showed that tears cried in various circumstances looked very different. ‘Looking at the extraordinary variety started me thinking about my own journey with tears as well as the wider complexity we share as people.’ 

The title comes from Psalm 56:8, which in some translations reads that God has collected our tears in a bottle. Jeannie says, ‘It has been my privilege in my previous roles as a counsellor and then minister to be with people who are deeply distressed and I have sometimes quoted the verse to them, as a way of helping them see their tears are not something to be ashamed of, but rather are precious to God.’

Jeannie’s own relationship with tears has by her own admission been ‘ambivalent’ in the past, mainly due to her upbringing, when it was just not the ‘done thing’ to cry. Learning to be more in tune with her emotions brings an authenticity to the book. What Jeannie has come to realise is that tears are both important for our wellbeing and to God. She says ‘Sitting on my emotions has never done me any favours, and I don’t think that is unique to me! I truly believe Jesus was the most truly emotional person who ever lived, because his emotions were as God intended. He cried – sobbed – at times, as I explore in the book. Learning to recognise and express our feelings in an appropriate way and a safe setting, including with tears, is part of God’s salvation – wholeness – and because he loves us so completely our emotions and tears really matter to him, so much so he collects each tear.’

Jeannie Kendall hopes that readers will find new ways to look at the Bible stories, learn more about their emotional lives, but above all, find out more about how much God understands and loves each one of us.

Held in Your Bottle will enable you to look at the Bible in a fresh way and help you better accept and understand your emotional life.

Bio for Jeannie Kendall

JEANNIE KENDALL is a Baptist minister, who has served in two churches and has extensive experience working within a pastoral and counselling setting. She is a former Spurgeon’s College president and currently teaches on the Pastoral Supervision course.

Held in Your Bottle: Exploring the Value of Tears in the Bible and in Our Lives Today by Jeannie Kendall was published on 10th September by Authentic Media, 9781788931717, £9.99, PB.

Join us on September 29th at 9am PST for the Facebook Live session with Christine Sine and Lilly Lewin. The recording will be available on YouTube later today if you cannot join live.

by Christine Sine,

I am so enjoying getting ready for our upcoming retreat Gearing Up For a Season of Gratitude. What a wonderful preparation for my upcoming season of gratitude. As many of you know, ever since the year I celebrated Thanksgiving in Canada at the beginning of October, and American Thanksgiving at the end of November, I designate October and November as my gratitude months and I feel it should become a permanent season on the liturgical calendar. This year, I feel I need the season more than ever. The ongoing challenge of COVID, the impact of Hurricane Ida, the horrors of Afghanistan, and the struggles with racism and economic inequality weigh heavily on all of us. The practice of gratitude, interwoven with wonder, is one of the tools we all need to cope with the exhaustion and looming burnout that besets us.

Diana Butler Bass’s book, Grateful: The Subversive Practice of Giving Thanks continues to inspire me. As I mentioned in last week’s Meditation Monday, she helped me realize that one reason it is difficult for us to establish gratitude practices that stick is that we do not fully understand what gratitude is. She explains that gratitude involves both emotion and ethics (moral principles). We feel grateful when we see something beautiful or receive unexpected gifts from someone – that is definitely emotion. Writing a thank you note to show we appreciate the gift is a choice, an ethical decision that comes from our belief that thank you notes matter.

Most of us, she points out, have a distorted view of gratitude emphasizing only one aspect, usually relegating it to feel good emotions that come and go in our lives. It is this confusion that makes it so difficult for us to choose to practice gratitude as a way of life. When we get depressed or anxious or stressed, we are less likely to feel gratitude as an emotion. 

Gratitude is not only the emotional response to random experiences, but even in the darkest times of life, gratitude waits to be seen, recognized and acted upon more thoughtfully and with a sense of purpose. Gratitude is a feeling, but it is also more than that. And it is much more than a spiritual technique to achieve peace of mind or prosperity. Gratitude is a habit of awareness that reshapes our self-understanding and the moral choices we make the world.” (Grateful, 60) 

Don’t you love that? Gratitude is a habit of awareness that reshapes our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. In other words, we can choose to be grateful people and establish practices that develop it into a lifelong habit. In the process, we become happier, healthier, and less stressed people. Gratitude as a way of life is, I think, an essential tool to help us overcome burnout. 

Many of us, myself included, tried keeping gratitude journals that lasted a week and then got discarded. To be honest, making a list of things I am grateful for just did not seem to resonate with me, but I knew I needed something as well as my awe and wonder walks to help anchor me through this challenging season. Years ago, I read that there are three simple steps to make a routine into a lifelong practice: “Keep it simple, make it meaningful, stick to it”. Still good advice that certainly stood me in good stead as I developed my new practice. 

 Hopefully, my gratitude practice will help you too:

Gratitude Practice: 

When I wake up in the morning I make a cup of tea and sit quietly in my sacred space for a few minutes enjoying the early morning sounds and sights. I close my eyes, take a few deep breaths in and out, and recite what became my morning mantra: 

Thank you God for the gift of life

A wondrous gift so freely given. 

I continue to sit quietly with eyes closed, breathing slowly in and out, receiving that gift, and allowing the wonder of it to sink down deep into my soul. Sometimes a list of gratitudes flows out – thankfulness for breath, sight, a warm house, thankfulness for a loving husband, a silly dog, and food on the table each day. Some days the list seems endless. On others, nothing comes to mind and I sit content in the presence of God knowing that if nothing else, the gift of life provides me with the opportunity to appreciate the glory of God and the wonder of the world in which I live. 

When I sense my time of quiet contemplation is over, I open my eyes ready for the day. Then, if I feel prompted, I jot down what I felt thankful for that morning and end with the words:

Thank you God for you. 

A simple mantra like this does a lot to shift our thoughts from negative to positive. When we begin the day with gratitude, not only does our stress lift, but we are able to see the silver lining in clouds throughout the day.  So I hope you will try this practice or something similar to begin your day and ward off the burnout that is hanging over us. Notice in this prayer that I wrote as a response a couple of days ago that my gratitude that welled up was not for what I have but rather for God and God’s wonderful image within me. 

Thank you God for the gift of life,
A wondrous gift so freely given,
A gift of breath, and sight and movement.
Of light, and awe and beauty.
Thank you God for the gift of love,
For the joy of waking each morning
To the delight of new opportunity.
Thank you for the gift to see the world
More fully and deeply as you do
To become more aware of what is
And be grateful for what is now
To notice the unnoticed, unappreciated, disregarded.
To encourage what pushes forward not what holds me back,
To respond to the inner voice of the Spirit
Unveiling the goodness of God in my life and in our world.

Register and pay to join us for this virtual retreat experience with Christine Sine and Lilly Lewin on September 25, 2021 from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm PST. Check out our new sliding scale payment options. For more details, click on the image below.

A contemplative service with music in the spirit of Taize from St Andrews Episcopal Church Seattle. Carrie Grace Littauer, prayer leader, with music by Kester Limner and Andy Myers.

Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-710-756 with additional notes below:

“L’ajuda Em Vindra (I Lift up my Eyes to the Hills)” and “Surrexit Christus” are songs from the ecumenical Taize community in France. Copyright and all rights reserved by GIA/Les Presses de Taizé.

“On Christ the Solid Rock” is a Christian hymn in the public domain. Arrangement and additional verse by Kester Limner shared under the Creative Commons License, Attribution (CC-BY).

“Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord)” is a traditional Black American Spiritual. Folk arrangement by Kester Limner, shared under the Creative Commons license, attribution (CC-BY).

“Kyrie for September 12, 2021” – text and music by Kester Limner, shared under the Creative Commons License, Attribution (CC-BY).

Thank you for praying with us!
www.saintandrewsseattle.org

by Diane Woodrow,

The 11^th September 2001 is a day that everyone over about 25 can say where they were and how those around them reacted. Yes, it was a day that changed the world. Iconic? That depends on how you use the word. From the destruction of the Twin Towers and the other plane attacks, terrorism came to America. From that one day, major government decisions were put in place which has led to the culmination of millions of Afghans now needing to be housed in safer parts of the world. 

Terrorism was not a new thing. Many countries had endured it for centuries. Here in the UK, we had learned to live with the uncertainties of bombings by the IRA in our city centres. But I think it was the cunningness, the planning, the audacity, determination, tenacity, single focus, and utter belief in their cause that shocked so many. These men learned to pilot those specific planes with that specific airline so that on their maiden flight they took not only their own lives but the lives of many, many others. 

For Christians, we talk of living for a higher purpose but, especially in the West, how often do we? We may get reprimanded for praying in our schools, hospitals, etc, which we moan about, put a post on social media, but are very rarely willing to, or even asked to, die for. Suddenly on 11^th September 2001, we were confronted by a group of radical people who not only talked that talk but walked it too. Here were a people group who would literally stop at nothing, including the loss of their own lives, to achieve what they saw as a higher goal. 

Twenty years on, we are still reeling from it. Still feeling the effects of it. I believe it is because of the Western government’s decisions back in September 2001 which has led to the collective need in the West to help the refugees from Afghanistan. A need unlike anything that has been felt for those fleeing African countries, South American countries, Middle Eastern countries. Very much like when the Twin Towers were hit people were shocked at the numbers who died but more died in poverty across the world, from AIDS-related illnesses, from abuse, on that one day than in the Twin Towers attack, and yet the focus was on the terrorists rather than the things that we could help with. 

Over these last 18 months, we have had to face another unseen enemy – the coronavirus. We are not sure where it is or how it moves. We neither see it nor feel it until it is too late. Also, as with many issues in the rest of the world,  if it doesn’t affect us and those we are close to then we want to pretend it does not exist and to be able to carry on as normal and let “them” deal with it. We only react then when it touches one of those we love when it hits home. This was the same twenty years ago. Terror attacks across the world did get a mention in the media but not for a prolonged period and did not have the same gut reaction as the Twin Towers. They were acts that happened “over there” not on our doorstep. We would only really hear of events if there was a Western person, someone of our nationality, affected by it. So like we are now with Covid-19. 

To me with these two unseen things – terrorists who are willing to die for their cause and the coronavirus that keeps morphing so it can live – we have learned so little about ourselves. We are still only focused on what changes the lives of those we love and those we care for. 

I remember one of the things said by the media after 9/11 was that the planes were aimed at the Twin Towers because they represented Western economy. I think God was trying to tell us all something then about our greed and fears, and how we view our resources, what we in the West saw as “enough”. I think with this pandemic, God has once again highlighted our global economy and how much is lacking in our care for others – something the group involved with the 9/11 atrocity felt a dramatic need to highlight. It has been the less developed nations that have lost most during this pandemic and yet it has been in the West that people have bemoaned many things we have got used to seeing a right not a privilege. 

The questions arise again and again – are we willing to change? Are we willing to love all people whether they hurt us or not? Godspace’s focus at the moment is about the “new season.” Are we willing to move into a new season in how we view the world and realise how connected we are? My spending decisions affect someone in the Taliban as much as it affects someone in London, New York, the Philippines, etc. 

So my prayers today, 11^th September 2021, are that as we remember the loss of life at Ground Zero, and in the other attacks, we remember the immense bravery of the emergency services that day and the days following, the lives and livelihoods lost by so many connected with 9/11. I will also pray that we remember the loss of life – and livelihoods – of those from Covid-19, and also the immense bravery of the health services and other emergency services and support workers around the world over this time. I also pray that all of us, including myself, realise how much is “enough” and let go of our fears of sharing our “more than enough” with others – whether that be time, money, resources, but most especially our love and understanding. As one of my Youthshedz young people said, we cannot meet shame with shame. We cannot meet fear with fear and as Jesus said we cannot meet violence with violence. 

So I pray we will let go of our fear of others and our fears of not having enough and share and share and share. And that with our sharing we can bring peace to a hurting world. 

[There are many more blogs on this site that can signpost how to share and support those we do not have as much as we do]

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By Lilly Lewin

I get inspired to pray by what I see sitting around in my kitchen….the apples were left over from our thinplaceNASHVILLE Rosh Hashana celebration.

#kitchenstilllifeprayer
Last night, I walked the dog while wearing a sweatshirt.
It’s been cool and less humid in the mornings…glimpses of fall.
Glimpses that give me hope.
Last night,  Rosh Hashanah ended.
The birth of a new year!
Another sign of hope!
Apples and Honey tasted.
Prayers to receive the sweetness of the New Year and the New Season!
Blessings of Fall!
Yet, in the shadows, not far away
lurks the pandemic.
Still here. Still raging.
Still stressful and exhausting.
It’s not easy to exist in two worlds at once. When people suffer because others are afraid.
Yet.. there is hope.
Apples and Honey.
Sweetness…
even in these days of uncertainty.
Hope …
even when we do not understand the ways of others.

Lord Give us ears to hear and eyes to see! Help us to see as you see… with eyes of compassion. Help us love as you love, even those we disagree wit.  Help us to believe and have hope! Help us receive this new season and this fresh start. Amen

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish high holiday, also known as the Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23: 23-35 and Nehemiah 8: 10-11)  This is the Jewish New Year celebrating the sovereignty, faithfulness and presence of God.

Rosh Hashanah is a time to confess our sins and start with a clean slate. We get a fresh start. A time to remember and look forward to the New Season with hope!

And if you are like me, we can all you a FRESH START!

What do you look forward to in this NEW SEASON? With God, your family, friends, work, etc.

Talk to Jesus about where you are and what you are dreaming about for the this NEW season.

apples and honey

PRAYER PRACTICE: One of the traditions of Rosh Hashanah is eating apples and honey as a symbol of the newness and sweetness of the new year.  Gather an apple and some honey. Slice up the apple and dip it in the honey and talk to Jesus about the things you’d like to see in your NEW YEAR,  in this new season!  You can do this as a family, with your housemates, small group or entire church community.

As you eat your apples and dip them in the honey ….if doing this as a group prayer practice, you can have everyone pause and pray/consider between bites of apple.

What Sweetness do you want Jesus to pour into your life?

What new flavor do you need in this new season ahead? Ask Jesus to show you.

What do you need Jesus to make BRAND NEW for you? Talk to him about this.

Each time you eat an apple this week or use honey in our tea or on your toast, you this as a reminder to practice gratitude and be grateful for all the sweet things God is doing in your life. Ask Jesus to remind you of the sweetness of  his love and give you hope as you taste the sweetness of the apple and/or honey.

To learn more about Rosh Hashanah watch this…

 

©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com

post and photos below by Sue Duby,

In the dripping humidity and heat of Arkansas summers, any chance for an enjoyable walk requires an alarm-clock-setting wake-up. Usually, a stiff nudge from Chuck, a loud groan from me, a bleary-eyed grab for tennis shoes, and a shuffle down the driveway, pave the way. 

Around the corner, while we still struggle to fully focus our eyes, a gentle voice cuts the air… “Good Morning!”. It’s sweet Miss Lilly; our 80-something neighbor. In her favorite porch chair, coffee in hand, eyes twinkling, a smile that says, “I’m so very happy to see you!”. Always on the alert for whoever might pass by. We’ve adopted her as our neighborhood greeter, cheerleader, and historian. She knows everyone’s names, who just joined our tribe, what landscape projects need attention and which neighbors need help. All with a heart of grace.

Her life challenges us. Her joy is contagious. She smiles when sharing her secret.

“Every day is an adventure. So much to discover!”. Her curiosity never wanes. Discovery of new wonder is always just a breath away. We want to be like her when we grow up!

I quietly whispered to Him, “I want to be more curious like Lilly”. His creative ways to answer requests and teach new lessons surpass anything I could ever imagine myself. This time, with spiders and bagworms.

One night, heading to the hot tub before bed, the moonlight saved me from a full face plant into a massive spider web. I first noticed a yellow spider, anchored to a silk strand, blowing gently in the breeze. I grabbed a flashlight to investigate (a baby step in curiosity). Stunned, I discovered a two-foot circular masterpiece! Intricately woven, a few circle strands yet to be set, a few moths already captured and the spider scurrying to finish his work while bugs filled the airspace around him.

I yelled to Chuck, “Come see this!”. As I moved the flashlight, we gasped… a second equally masterful web (and spider) hung just a few feet away. 

The next morning, no trace of either web could be found. We spent the next few nights cautiously entering the night with flashlight in hand. Curiosity yes, but honestly, protection from being tangled in a big web! For three evenings, the first spider returned. Starting his web all over again at night, only to have it vanish by morning.

Curiosity took hold. I scoured YouTube for spider videos. They complete webs from start to finish in 30-60 minutes and only after dark. Spiders are able to distinguish between a breeze on their web and a bug landing for dinner. They spin two kinds of silk… one for tough main strands and another with glue to help capture prey. Whoever knew???

Just a week later, our second lesson in curiosity unfolded. Taking his daily “assess the landscape” walk, Chuck discovered the entire back half of a favorite screening tree gone…  no green needles, just brown sticks from top to bottom. Peering a bit closer, he found some strange “looks like baby pinecones” hanging from all the remaining branches. He picked one, gently squeezed (pinecones don’t squeeze!) and out popped a slimy worm. He rushed inside. “We have a problem!! I need your help!”. 

A quick internet search identified our foe… bagworms. Chuck’s curiosity led him to some wild facts. Bagworms spin a cocoon-like bag using their silk and needles from the trees (for camouflage). One female can lay over 500 eggs. That news sent us on a crazy four-day rampage, picking bagworm cocoons off four trees. Over 400 later (really!!), we sighed, hoping next year’s season will reward our efforts.

Both adventures felt like God-scripted lessons. With principles to grab beyond the wild world of nature and bugs. 

Curiosity is a choice. Many days, life passes by with lists of tasks, routine duties, and a “same old thing” mode. Yet each day, His invitation is there… waiting…  offered to us. Whether bugs, people, places, books, landscapes… it all whispers “Be Curious!”.

Children seem to naturally fill their days with curiosity, discovery, and wonder. The crawdads in the creek. The lizard’s lost tail growing back on its own. The magic of bubbles popping in the air. The splash of a rain puddle. As we grow, curiosity wanes and takes a bit more effort. 

 When we choose curiosity, it awakens something deeper inside. It stirs us to long to discover more. And that discovery leads us to wonder. And wonder leads us right to Him… the creator of everything that made us curious in the first place. He planned the journey well, knowing us. The “want to know” (curiosity), the fun adventure (discovery), and the awe of His creativity and handprint on everything around us (wonder). May our curiosity never cease. May discovery always beckon. May our wonder in Him captivate us, always. Even in our own backyard.

•  “Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” Exodus 15:11 NIV
• “He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.” Job 5:9 NIV
• “The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.” Psalm 65:8 NIV
• “… to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.” Psalm 136:4 NIV

Feature photo of cobweb by Kathie Hempel

The Spirituality of Gardening Online Course is available for 180 days of access for only $39.99. This interactive course includes video sessions with Christine Sine as well as 8 other guest gardeners. Visit our store page for more information.

photo by Karl Graser and post by Jenneth Graser,

Writing out and drawing your own prayers, poetry and imaginings is a wonderful stress relief and perhaps a different way to explore prayer in your times with God through creative contemplation. You will often be surprised by a revelation or something new to discover about yourself and others. Wisdom shines through the colours, paints, and pages as you go.

I recently released the Unlocking the Secret Garden Prayer Journal which is now available as a companion to Unlocking the Secret Garden: 100 Days of Imaginative Prayer. It can be used together with or independently of the devotional, with quotes from the book and journaling prompts to spark reflection and creativity.

And I will be vlogging my way through the Prayer Journal with you, using the prayer activations from Unlocking the Secret Garden and also the prompts in the journal itself. I will be gathering my coloring pencils, watercolor paints, magazines for collage, pens, and fine-liners for a time of calming journaling and prayer. 

Creative journaling is a therapeutic way to engage with God as you adventure through the Secret Garden using your imagination and art supplies. It is good to get in touch with the childlike parts in ourselves that are not afraid to try something new and get messy! 

Pastels, paints, glue and textured paper, magazine cut-outs, ribbons, stamps, watercolors, pencil crayons… the possibilities are endless. Sometimes these creative practices take a bit of time to get used to because maybe it’s just not something we usually do or we want everything to look perfect from the beginning. This can lead to putting off what will be fun and enjoyable when we feel that perhaps it’s not going to turn out the way we had hoped.

One of the things I need to look at in myself is creative procrastination. Because it doesn’t have to look perfect, and I don’t need to wait until I have done a course in art, completed an art degree, or received a certificate in scrapbooking or creative journaling to start! And if that is something that also causes you to feel hesitant, then I encourage you to join with me in this creative journey. Come into the Secret Garden with your art supplies handy and your childlike spirit ready to try something perhaps for the first time.

I welcome you to my first video session of prayer journaling, using Day 1’s prayer activation as my inspiration – Light of the World –

Find out more about the Prayer Journal here: 

Unlocking the Secret Garden Prayer Journal and devotional are available from your local Amazon.

Join us today at 9am PST for the Facebook Live session with Christine Sine and Lilly Lewin. The recording will be available on YouTube later today if you cannot join live.