This morning I sat down to write my Meditation Monday and my mind went blank. I had no idea of what my intended topic was. It’s something that happens to all of us so I thought I should treat it as though it were a gift from God rather than a liability. Which made me realize that the best place to start my morning was by exercising the parts of my brain that were still functioning properly and do a little research on “blank mind syndrome.” I am sure most of you are not interested in the parts of the brain involved as they all have big names like hypocanthus and hypothalamus, but you might be interested in some of the causes and what we can do to overcome it.
The most common causes of blank mind are anxiety, lack of sleep, medication, change and feeling overwhelmed. This morning I knew my lack of sleep was the culprit. My dog decided to vomit in the middle of the night and then cough her way through until the morning. Of course Tom slept through the whole thing and but I kept worrying about whether or not she was sick enough to take to an emergency vet. She wasn’t, but by the time I realized that, the whole night had passed.
Occasional mind blankness like this is not something to be afraid or ashamed of. In fact, according to Janis Leslie Evans in What is Mind Blanking? Tips to Get Rid of that Foggy Feeling.it helps to share our problem with others, laugh at ourselves and reset our goals, which is exactly what I decided to do this morning. I’m relishing my blank mind because it has led me into a new area of research, and taught me some new fun facts. It really is a gift and not a liability.
Evidently revisiting a sample of what we wrote or created in the past to remind ourselves of how productive we have been and can be again is helpful. “You are the same person with the same skills” What a great idea I thought. How rarely we remind ourselves of what we have accomplished and applaud ourselves for our productivity. So I picked up The Gift of Wonder intending to read some of my favourite portions and exercises but I didn’t get past the first chapter. “What do I enjoy doing that makes me sense God’s pleasure?” I wrote and I realized that was God’s word for me again today. God takes delight in us and what we accomplish and I don’t know about you, but I rarely take time to acknowledge that. So I stacked up the books I have written and thanked God for them. I looked through some of my prayer cards, and admired my Digging Deeper garden which still sits on my desk. Finally I hurried out to the front porch where some of my warm weather seedlings are still waiting for warmer weather before they can go outside. My basil needed pinching out so that the plants will bush out and give us a generous crop of basil. I took great delight in completing that task and walked back to my desk with the wonderful aroma of basil clinging to my clothes.
When blank brain sets in do some deep breathing exercises, center your attention outside of yourself. Take notice of your environment with the help of your senses Evans suggests so now I sit breathing slowly in and out aware of the fragrance of God, all around me. It clings to us at all times yet we rarely pause to notice. Now as I breathe, that wonderful fragrance relaxes me, I collect my thoughts and allow my memory to do its job.
So when blank brain sets in, take some deep breaths and allow the spirit of God to guide you. Like me I am sure you will be able to say “Wow, I think this might be what God wanted me to write about after all.”
It’s here! Christine Sine’s new book is now ready for purchase! Journey along with Christine as she walks you through contemplative container gardening. Reviews are coming in:
“This book invites and inspires everyone, regardless of skill or experience, to create expressions of the sacred through the media of soil, stones, and plants.” – Forrest Inslee, host of Earthkeepers Podcast
A contemplative service with music in the spirit of Taize. Carrie Grace Littauer, prayer leader, with music by Kester Limner and Andy Myers.
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Hard to believe it, but Easter Season is almost over! Ascension Day is just around the corner, and in a little over two weeks, Pentecost Sunday will be here. If you are not ready to let go of Easter Season, you may want to check out this free resource by Christine Sine – A Journey into God’s Resurrection-created World: A Celebration of the Easter Season.
Many of you are already preparing for Pentecost, or looking beyond Ordinary Times. You can find resources for Ascension Day, Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, and more on our Pentecost & Ordinary Time Resource Page. For example, just recently we updated our Resources for Pentecost post for 2022! If you are looking for a liturgy, you might enjoy this Pentecost Liturgy by John Birch. Perhaps you are looking for personal inspiration; you may enjoy one of many poems we have such as this Ascension Day poem by Rowan Wyatt, or this reflection on Making Space for Pentecost by Lilly Lewin.
If you aren’t sure what Ordinary Times is all about, we suggest starting with this post Introduction to the Liturgical Calendar -a fabulous resource list. However you choose to embrace the last few weeks of Easter Season and the coming shift, we hope we be a resource and blessing to you.
Photo by Nico Smit on Unsplash
It’s here! Christine Sine’s new book is now ready for purchase! Journey along with Christine as she walks you through contemplative container gardening. Reviews are coming in:
“This book is a spiritual gem written by a person who understands the role of wonder and awe as the gateway to the true love and knowledge of God.” – Alan Hirsch, author of numerous books on missional spirituality, theology, leadership, and organization. alanhirsch.org
We are quickly approaching the Ascension of Jesus, which happened 40 days after Easter. Jesus leaves the earth promising his followers that he must go, so the Helper – the Holy Spirit – can come and be with them (and us) as the Advocate. Ascension Day is May 26th this year. So we still have a little bit more time to celebrate the Season of Easter. Still time to do some reflection on the Resurrection and all that it means. If you are like me, Easter may feel like it was a long time ago, so take a moment today to pause and reflect on how you’ve been experiencing resurrection.
Maybe it’s in the new life of plants or flowers, maybe it’s in the birth of a child, or a calf or lamb or a nest of baby birds. Or maybe you need something to remind you to look for signs of resurrection around you.
44 Then Jesus said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ You are witnesses of all these things.
49 “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”
50 Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. 52 So they worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy. 53 And they spent all of their time in the Temple, praising God.
While in Glasgow, Scotland a couple of weeks ago, we visited the Kelvin Grove Museum and Art Gallery and saw the painting by Salvador Dali, ” Christ of Saint John of the Cross.” It’s an amazing painting that I’d seen in my art history books in college, but never seen in real life.
We watched a video about the painting’s history and how it arrived at the museum (see the brief video below) and how it was vandalized and repaired…the painting itself was resurrected.
In that video, a priest said that to him, this painting was NOT about the crucifixion of Jesus, but really about the RESURRECTION of JESUS! WOW! Mind Blown! I’d never looked at this painting this way before!
Notice that Jesus isn’t NAILED to the cross … He has conquered death!
Notice the boats and fisherman in the bottom of the painting.
What else do you notice?
I had never noticed the bottom of the painting. I love the boats! They remind me of Jesus calling Peter to come follow him and fish for people. They remind me of John 21 and the breakfast picnic Jesus hosted for his dazed and confused disciples post-resurrection. They remind me that I too am called to love and serve and live out resurrection in the world!
I also love the colors and the clouds….they inspire me with HOPE not dread. Jesus says in John 14…
“I’m telling you these things while I’m still living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught.
John 14:25-27 THE MESSAGE
Sit with this painting today and meditate/consider the John 14 passage above.
How does it feel to know that Jesus wants you to be well and whole?
How does it feel to know that Jesus doesn’t want you to feel abandoned but rather loved and filled with peace?
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. JESUS John 14:27 NIV
You might take some time to create your own artwork on peace and resurrection … or create a new playlist of songs that bring you peace.
This week, watch for signs of resurrection. Take time to remember the Joy of EASTER! And sit down and rest in the PEACE of Jesus!
©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com
Ground yourself in the earth and its summer season where you live and find the ways that God is speaking through it – all the details can be found here!
The 20th of May is Endangered Species Day, another of those days put on to calendars to help one focus on something else. But I wonder how often we see ourselves as an “endangered species,” especially when one sees the cries coming from certain Christian elements in the US around the potential lifting of the laws to allow abortion.
That is extreme but I wonder how often when we see polls saying numbers of church attendance is decreasing, an increase in various ethnic groups, and a rise in the voice of LGBTQ groups, that some think that we are endangered. When we feel endangered we act in fear, panic and anxiety. It does not make us nicer to be around but makes us harsher.
The focus is meant to be about endangered animals, insects, flora and fauna, with the hope that we will care about our earth, our environment more. But if we are feeling endangered then we won’t want to do that. We will want to build our walls higher, make our voices louder, our weapons stronger.
Yet Jesus tells us that when we feel threatened we should “turn the other cheek”[Matthew 5:39], that we should “love our enemies”[Matthew 5:43-48]. He tells us not to be afraid and to trust God in all things. As Francis Spufford says in ‘Unapologetic‘ [and I paraphrase], one of the hardest things about Christianity is that it isn’t about following rules but about our heart attitude. And our hearts need to be trusting God, need to not be filled with fear or anxiety, need to be open to God and listening fully.
When the natural world is endangered it cannot get itself out of the mess humankind has got it into. It needs that self-same group, humankind, to make the change. But also sometimes with other people, they need to shout to be heard and need to get other people to help with the changes. So when we hear people of different “tribes” to our “tribe” shouting loudly because they need to be heard instead of shutting our ears, building our walls higher, etc we need to stop and listen. We need to really tune into what they are saying, listen to their fears, but also listen to our fears about why we have reacted as we have; of why we want to not listen, feel fearful, want to push the oppressed group down further.
Unlike the natural world we are the ones with the power to change and to make a better world. We do not need to react. We have the God-given power to act and act in a way that is beneficial for all. But only if we stop hardening our hearts, unblock our ears and really listen to the world – human and natural – and follow God’s true leading in how to act.
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These beautiful prayer cards available for download include 11 prayers by Christine Sine and watercolor succulent design with contemplative imagery crafted by Hilary Horn. Each card provides a prayer on the front with a photo for reflection as well as a scripture and suggested meditative response to the prayer. Allow yourself to relax, refresh, and commune with God through each prayer. Immerse yourself in the reflection as you give yourself space to enter into God’s presence. You can find Prayers for the Day in our shop, as well as Pause for the Day – a sister set of prayer cards with morning, evening, and general prayers to pause and contemplate.
words and pictures by June Friesen
Many years ago I did an extensive study on bees, particularly honey bees. I gathered material from several places, one place being the state that I grew up in, North Dakota. I have very early memories of honey bees as well as honey being removed from honeycomb and processed for sale. You see my grandfather had honey bees and having a dairy farm he grew a lot of alfalfa for hay. Every spring he would move some hives close to his alfalfa fields and as the bees produced honey, he removed it, and my grandmother and he would process it. When they were processing the honey the house had a distinct sweet smell. I also remember the pride I felt if I saw some of my grandfather’s honey in the store being sold. But enough on my reminiscing – the other thing was I knew to stay my distance from those hives.
In the photo above you can observe the bee is all covered with pollen – his entire body. If you ever have the opportunity to watch a bee at work inside a flower, it is very fascinating. They often roll around in the center of the flower and become covered with pollen. Then they somehow work to get that pollen into some little sacs on their back legs – and those little sacs look as if they will burst. And then they are off to their hive to dispose of it inside the hive where some becomes food for them and some becomes honey.
May 20th was chosen to celebrate World Bee Day because it is the birthdate of Anton Jansa. He was born in 1734 in Slovenia and he is the pioneer of beekeeping. The United Nations approved this day in December of 2017 with the purpose of acknowledging the role of bees and other pollinators in keeping nature healthy.
The World Bee Day theme for 2022 is “Bee engaged: Build Back Better for Bees.” We may wonder how it is that we can make life better for bees. There definitely are struggles involved as there are people who are allergic to bees and also people who do not see the value of bees and their pollination gifts. We can be active in helping bees in a few ways. First of all, we can be alert for bee activity. If it is in a place where they may cause a problem, we can get in touch with someone who actually can come and move them to a safe place where they can build a hive or become a part of a beekeeping farm. It is important that we do not poison them or attempt to destroy them as they are not as numerous as they once were. Another reason to be alert for bee activity is if they are in a public place, they could pose a danger to those who may be allergic to a bee sting. Getting them removed to a safer environment for them to carry one their lives is helpful and important. This is all about building a better environment for the bees as well as for you and me. Another way to be helpful to the bee population is to plant flowers or even vegetables and fruit trees. These plants are very important for them as it is where they find their food which helps them grow and produce more bees as well as make the honey that many of us enjoy as food. Honey also has a medicinal effect on some people with allergies. Eating local honey can often build one’s immune system and help them not to have as many or as severe allergy issues.
There are a few references to honey in the Scriptures. One of my favorites is:
Proverbs 24:13 NLT My child, eat honey, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to the taste.
14 In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul.
If you find it, you will have a bright future, and your hopes will not be cut short.
Here the writer encourages us to eat honey because of its sweetness. In ancient times, honey was one of the ways which they used to sweeten foods as they did not have refined sugar as we do today. I like that it likens honey to wisdom – and it tells us that wisdom is sweet to our souls.
Have you ever wondered at the way we as humanity struggle because of the way we choose to talk to, about or with each other? Many years ago, someone said that we attract more people with sweetness like honey than with the sourness of vinegar. I tend to believe that there is a lot of truth in that phrase, and for myself I have tried to make it something that I practice. It has served me well in building and maintaining relationships. God challenges us often in the Scriptures to think about our actions and behavior with others and towards others. Proverbs encourages us to embrace wisdom as it is something that brings sweetness to our spirits/souls. This week I have pondered quite deeply about how it would be in our country/communities/world if we would begin to embrace and practice wisdom, particularly godly wisdom. When we claim to be followers of God it would seem to me that people would rather see us as someone who has the sweetness of honey from the bee rather than the sting that the bee can inflict. So, as we consider the importance and care of bees as insects because of all the benefits we gain from them may we also be challenged to consider our importance for God by sharing godly character with others around us.
I have given some ideas for how we can improve and/or help the bee population to survive and grow as well as talked about the importance of it in our lives.
I am sure that some of you are thinking that you have no way of helping and/or improving or promoting the lives of bees. I challenge each one of us to think of ways we may help. If you see bee activity and it is in a place where it could be a problem alert a bee keeper/bee removal company. Second, plant plants that encourage bee activity. Sometimes they are plants that may be very important and even needed by bees. One plant we may not be aware of as needing bees is corn. It is pollinated by bees, wind and maybe some bird activity. I can remember also having to self-pollinate corn in order to get ears of corn because of a lack of bees. So, bees are even helpful even to plants we may not realize depend on the bees. Maybe do a little research for your own area as how you may plant for bees. As each one of helps the bees we in turn help each other.
BUILD BETTER FOR BEES/BUILD BETTER FOR HUMANITY
Build a flower garden, small or large for the bees,
Plant a garden of vegetables for yourself but also for the bees,
Plant fruit trees for the harvest of fruit but also for the bees,
Yes, let us build a better nature garden for the bees and it will also be a better life for each one of us as well.
Build a godly life – in whatever capacity you can,
Share godly character in your family home as well as in the world,
Plant positive seeds into the lives of others providing the nurture of a godly friendship,
Yes, let us build godly relationships – it will not only benefit us as individuals but it will improve out families, neighborhoods and communities as well.
Editor’s Note: World Bee Day is this Friday, May 20th! How will you celebrate?
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by Carol Dixon
(Photo: Whittingham Vale looking towards the Cheviot Hills ©. GT Photos Alnwick Used with permission)
I recently discovered to my surprise that in the Northern Hemisphere summer officially starts on 1st May! Perhaps where I live the seasons haven’t realised it – as my grandmother used to say ‘Ner cast a clout afore May is out’ (Never change into summer clothes until after the end of May).
Until the Industrial Revolution and its inauguration of Workers Day, May Day was always celebrated as an Earth festival, and people tried to give creation a helping hand by marking the beginning of the month as a turning point in the changing seasons. Early May was originally a time of celebration of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers heralding in the summer. The early Celtic peoples linked it to Beltane when domestic animals were driven through fires built with old wood taken from trees to encourage new growth (known as greening) before being taken to the summer pastures. The Germanic settlers added aspects of St Walpurga’s night on 30 April which was also celebrated with bonfires and dancing and the Roman Catholic church linked it to the Virgin Mary whose statues were often decorated with a crown of flowers on 1 May.
I find that early May is a good time to enjoy the beauties of the natural world and to praise our Creator God who has entrusted us with the stewardship of our Earth. Living in the county of Northumberland in North East England with its beautiful coastline, wild moorlands and rolling hills makes it a wonderful place to experience the wonders of God’s creation. I was brought up in Alnwick from where it was easy to look across to the Cheviot Hills which form part of the border between England and Scotland. On the top of one of the Cheviots – Yeavering Bell – are the remains of an old hill fort and in Anglo Saxon times it was the summer palace of the kings of Northumbria including King Oswald who later became a saint.
One Sunday morning as I was driving to take a service at the church I had attended as a child, I stopped to look at the wonderful view across Whittingham Vale towards the hills (a favourite view of my Scottish father) and was inspired to write a hymn based on his favourite metrical Psalm (121) ‘I to the hills will lift my eyes.’ I like to raise my eyes to the hills from time to time – to those summer pastures which remind me of the ancient landscape which has been watched over by our Creator even before the earliest Celtic Christians came to spread the Word of God in Northumberland. I invite you to join with me in praising God in word and song as we welcome the coming summer.
Hymn: Towards the hills
Towards the hills my eyes I raise,
The Lord my God comes to my aid,
He gives me strength, I give him praise,
And I shall never be afraid.
Towards the sea I lift my voice,
Above the rolling breakers’ roar,
Proclaiming God shall be my choice,
And with the gulls my spirits’ soar.
To God alone I give my heart,
In verdant pastures with him rest,
And he and I shall never part,
In him I am forever blest. © Carol Dixon
* * *
Prayer: In sun and shade
Glory be to God in the world around us;
In sun and shade, day and night,
And the rhythms of the seasons.
* * *
Glory be to God!
Glory be to God
In the community in which we live;
In love and laughter, sorrow and joy,
And the patterns of human living.
Glory be to God!
Glory be to God in the way we live our lives;
In giving and sharing, thanking and knowing,
And in all that makes us Jesus’ disciples.
Glory be to God!
Glory be to God in the world;
In the search for justice and peace,
In all that makes us one human family,
Glory be to God!
Glory be to God In the smallest of things;
In tiny creatures, fleeting moments,
The smallest seed of faith new-growing,
Glory be to God!
Glory be to God in greatness and majesty;
In the tallest mountains, the highest cloud,
The awesome dance of the whole cosmos,
Glory be to God!
Glory be to you, God
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Now and forever. Amen. © Richard Sharples
One of my favourite Bible readings tells of Jesus love of the natural world (Matthew 6 v 25-30 JB Phillips) 25-30 “That is why I say to you, don’t worry about living—wondering what you are going to eat or drink, or what you are going to wear. Surely life is more important than food, and the body more important than the clothes you wear. Look at the birds in the sky. They never sow nor reap nor store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you much more valuable to him than they are? Can any of you, however much he worries, make himself an inch taller? And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the wild flowers grow. They neither work nor weave, but I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was never arrayed like one of these! Now if God so clothes the flowers of the field, which are alive today and burnt in the stove tomorrow, is he not much more likely to clothe you, you ‘little-faiths’?
Poem: ‘Consider the lilies’
To walk in silence
Is to walk with God,
To see the smallest flower
Is to see with God’s eyes.
To revel in the glory of the sky
Is to share God’s joy in creation.
To love the unlovely
Is to hold others in God’s heart. © Carol Dixon
As a youngster in church I remember an old lay preacher telling us ‘The Easter season comes every day as we savour the gifts of our God who gave us this beautiful Earth. All he asks is that we take care of it for him’.
Hymn: Praise God for Easter flowers (Tune Rhosymedre; Organ played by Rob Charles, used with permission) https://youtu.be/HIA5G-3mNCU
Praise God for Easter flowers
that cover all the earth,
their vibrant glowing colours
a promise of new birth.
Praise God for all his love and care,
His glory displayed everywhere,
His glory displayed everywhere.
Praise God for morning dew
that sparkles all around,
with myriad shimmering hues
refreshing thirsty ground.
Praise God for all his love and care,
His glory displayed everywhere,
His glory displayed everywhere.
Praise God for risen life
with each and every breath;
and praise the living Christ
who conquers fear and death.
Praise God for all his love and care,
His glory displayed everywhere,
His glory displayed everywhere. © Carol Dixon
Blessing:
The blessing of the quiet earth,
Upholding you, strengthening you.
The blessing of the wind that blows,
Inspiring you, strengthening you.
The blessing of the fire that burns,
Warming you, refining you.
The blessing of the water that flows,
Delighting you, refining you.
The blessing of the God of life,
Whom we come to know in Christ,
And who lives in us through the Spirit,
Be yours this day, and always. Amen. © Richard Sharples
(Prayers by Richard Sharples and Easter Flowers hymn from Summer publ. by the Iona Community Wild Goose publications. copyright © WGRG, Iona Community, Glasgow, Scotland. www.wildgoose.scot. Reproduced by permission.)
Available as an online course, sign up here to gain 180 days of access while you work through this retreat at your own pace. Join Lilly Lewin and Christine Sine in the awe of the broad array of summer symbols that can gain spiritual significance for us when we stop and think about them. Everything from beachcombing to putting on suntan lotion can be the inspiration for practices that draw us closer to God.
Ground yourself in the earth and its summer season where you live and find the ways that God is speaking through it – all the details can be found here!
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