by Tom Sine
“No Justification for a Brazen Invasion” declares the New York Times!
Explosions were reported in cities across Ukraine early Thursday morning after President Vladimir Putin of Russia vowed in a speech to “demilitarize” the neighboring nation…The magnitude of the Russian Gambit is staggering…an unprovoked invasion of a sovereign European state is an active declaration of war on a scale on a continent and in a century when it was thought to be no longer possible.” No Justification for Brazen Invasion” Editorial, the New York Times, February 24, 2022.
The government in Ukraine is arming civilians. Thousands of older citizens and moms with children are fleeing Ukraine. Many are praying. They need our prayers as well.
As Putin has launched this violent Russian invasion of Ukraine it is essential we recognize both the unwarranted nature of this attack and the consequences of this invasion on the lives of those who live there. It is also essential we recognize this is only the beginning of Putin’s plans to invade and take over other independent nations in Europe.
Any additional invasion into Europe by Putin will bring a military response from not only NATO but the United States as well. In other words, this ongoing aggression in Europe could tragically ignite another World War which would do much more devastating harm than simply raise our gas prices.
President Biden and leaders in Europe are immediately increasing the pain on not only Putin and the Russian economy but for Russian business executives. Those dramatic actions will also have a painful impact on the regular citizens, on ordinary Russians.
Let me take you on a quick trip back to another leader in Europe that embarked on invasions of other European counties that those of us who are over 80 can remember.
Join me for just a few moments as I invite you to travel back with me to the 1940s. That other leader in Europe was named Adolph Hitler, who was also determined to invade and capture other countries in Europe to expand his power and influence. As you know his aggression also spread into Asia.
Just before Christmas in 1941, I was 5 years old living in Twin Falls Idaho with my parents. On one bright morning on December 7, my mother Katherine pulled me up on her bed. She asked me to listen to the small radio near her bed.
I listened to a very dramatic voice declaring “This day will live in Infamy!” I was, of course, listening to President Franklin Roosevelt’s announcement. “This day of infamy!” what Roosevelt was announcing was the attack on the US Navy at Pearl Harbor. This announcement led America to become involved in the dreadful wars in both Europe and Asia.
After Christmas 1941 my dad took a job in San Francisco building ships to transport troops for this war. Moving to San Francisco was very interesting for me as a 6-year-old. However, because of World War II, our family had to get used to serious rationing of food and other consumer goods….which became the new normal.
Frankly what was much worse than rationed consumer goods was the regular air raid drills day and night. They were very unsettling for us kids…because we never knew if it was the real deal or not. After that first year of that war, we started hearing from people in our neighborhood who had sons and husbands primarily in Europe.
The reason I am sharing this personal narrative is to convey to readers a new troubling possibility. We are on the threshold of a new global military crisis that is a much bigger deal than increasing gas prices. For people in Ukraine, they are losing loved ones to this invasion every single day that Putin continues to seek to capture Ukraine and kill any who stand in his way. Huge numbers of citizens are also becoming refugees fleeing to other countries. Do remember Ukraine is only one of a number of countries in Europe that Putin has stated he intends to capture and dominate.
I encourage readers to continue to support the increasingly stronger action that President Biden is now taking in collaboration with the European Union with the strong support of both democrats and republicans in the US. We all need to ensure that this aggression in Ukraine does not expand into another larger European war.
I urge people of faith to focus on the challenges facing our neighbors in Ukraine rather than focusing on a few inconveniences we are suffering as consumers in the US. We need to not only pray for our neighbors in Ukraine we need to generously respond to the rapidly growing needs of the people in Ukraine.
I urge you to not only pray for the people but to also make contributions to organizations reaching out to those in Ukraine that are in need and those who have become refugees escaping the Russian invasion. Join those supporting Christian organizations like World Vision that are reaching out to the vulnerable people in Ukraine.
A Prayer for UKRAINE
Prayer based on Psalm 17:6-9
We call on you, our God, for you will answer us;
turn your ear to us and hear our prayer.
Show Ukraine the wonders of your great love,
you who save by your right hand
those who take refuge in you from their foes.
Keep them as the apple of your eye;
hide them in the shadow of your wings
from the wicked who are out to destroy them,
from the mortal enemies who surround them.
hide them in the shadow of your wings.
Show them the wonders of your great love.
Fill them with your great peace. AMEN
Pray with your Cup
Grab you coffee cup and pray
Lord we pray for peace!
We pray for all who are working for peace…
For diplomats, for leaders and those standing up in the streets throughout the world.
We pray for protection, wisdom and strength.
We pray against the greed, the desire for power at all costs, and wicked destruction happening in our world.
End the violence Lord.
Help us to be peacemakers in our families, neighborhoods, and our communities today and everyday. AMEN
As you hold your cup and drink your coffee/tea today…
We know that the you Creator God hold the people of Ukraine in the palm of your hand ??
And you hold the people of Russia working for peace too.
As we hold our cups today wes pray for peace to overflow and change the hearts of those who want war.
As we hold our cup Lord God, hold onto the people who are fleeing for safety
Hold onto the people who are hiding and scared.
Hold on to those who cannot leave.
God of our refuge Be a refuge! Hold them in your Love.
We stand in the gap for our sisters and brothers in Ukraine.
We ask for miracles, Hold us and Hold them. In your Name AMEN
As you use your cup, Drink in God’s peace and continue to pray for the end of violence and for peace in Ukraine and throughout our world.
by Laurie Klein
May I start with a confession?
I hate my limp. Lately, militant arthritis is on the rampage, sidelining me from activities I’ve taken for granted. Like walking. Standing. Dancing and running.
I’m tired of foot-stabbing pains; weary of rest, elevation, and various potions. O to swap these dicey ankles, arches, and digits for the bounding gait of a deer! I miss snowshoeing alongside the local doe who leaves deep, weaving, heart-shaped tracks. Those indentations look blue as my mood.
Woebegone, restless, hoping to distract myself, I google “hooves”—and discover anatomical wonders.
Who’d ever guess deer hooves are comprised of keratin, like our fingernails? Who knew that, like our ears, they never stop growing?
Lord, use my limitations; enlarge my soul.
I also learn the deer hoof is a working trinity.
- Compact horn absorbs shock.
- Elongated, cloven toes function like our middle and ring finger.
- Dew claws enhance agility, like our pointer and pinky.
Three-in-One God, thank you for hands that still work.
Hooves also reduce contact with the ground, lessening friction. Enhancing speed. And exactitude. Braving a cliff or rugged terrain, a deer only needs two stable footings at a time: Smaller back hooves naturally track with those up front.
Help me follow in your steps, Lord. Be my balance, my surefooted joy.
But how does the soul—limping or hale—make headway when facing crippling pain and dismay? When praying for suffering people, a struggling planet?
Perhaps you feel it too. During these times of violent uprisings and moral decline, our equilibrium falters.
Remembering the verse about “hind’s feet in high places,” I reread Habakkuk. The minor 7th-century prophet expresses his frustration concerning the lack of justice in the land, God’s seeming inaction. Turns out Habakkuk is echoing David’s words, first recorded in 2 Samuel 22:34 and Psalm 18:33. Expressing his backlog of complaints helps him forge ahead, with a fresh outlook. It gives me a lift, too.
“. . . yet I will rejoice in the LORD,” Habakkuk writes, “I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights” (Habakkuk 3:18, 19a, NIV).
How marvelous that, long ago, God embedded this truth within nature. Hooves enable pivots, when needed. They work in tandem with the ingenious “springing ligament,” which pulls taut, then snaps backward as the deer goes airborne, supercharging grace with power.
Soul, never forget: your God invented leaping.
I won’t be making any 8-foot jumps over obstacles in my path. I’ll never hit 40 mph. I can’t solve the world’s myriad woes. But the deer remind me that, in Christ, the soul can spring—even sitting down.
What keeps your soul nimble during rough times?
John Michael Talbot sings Hind’s Feet on High Places
Deer feeding: Photo by Jonnelle Yankovich on Unsplash
Deer leaping: Photo by Matthijs van Heerikhuize on Unsplash
Whatever season your garden is in – winter, summer, spring, or fall – there is something to enjoy and tasks to accomplish. And there is spirituality to put into practice! Find God and community through the richness of soil and the shared values of growth. We have many resources available to help – click here to explore!
by Sue Duby
While most of my days “unfold” without a fully scripted agenda, Friday mornings are different. My phone calendar chimes with a non-negotiable, every-week coffee date with “history friend” Joanne. A “must-do.” A place to swap family updates. Moments to confess places where our hearts, relationships, and personal journeys need “tweaking.” 3 hours of chatter, while sipping lattes. Laughing . . . a lot. Exercising my verbal processing, until I have few words left (I later tell Chuck with a smile, “I saved you from lots of listening!!”).
Last week, Joanne tossed out our “ponder question” for the week. “I’m reading a book that talks about flourishing. What does that mean anyway?”
Immediately, I pictured my garden. Thanks to hours of digging, dumping yards of compost and mulch, repairing irrigation lines, and ripping out tired plants, our buddy Mitch paved the way for us to create. Now, anything we plant grows without effort, blooms like crazy, and makes me smile. Flourishing.
Grandsons on the baseball field. Stealing bases like jackrabbits. Slugging a few home runs. Cheering on teammates. All “spill over” from the foundation of a secure and safe home, Dad’s encouraging words, and coaches focused on character over success. Flourishing.
Morgan with her creative design business. Birthed from crazy, bold steps. Leaving a secure job to travel the globe for a year of missions training. Returning with a vision to champion “redemptive brands” that give back. Matching her designs and client needs with passion, heart, and soul. Following whispers from Him along the way, in growing trust. Flourishing.
Then. . .Joanne’s challenge. “So . . . when have you felt that you flourished?” I wrestled against my first thought for a moment, then blurted out – ”My season as Operations Director on a medical ship in Caribbean!!!” One of the all-time most challenging, crazy, “pull out my hair” eighteen months of my entire life. Hurricane evacuations (two), engine failures (close to rocks, stuck on an island), crew shortages, drydock escapades, and perpetual out-of-control days. And yet, in the midst of it all, a sense of “firing on all cylinders”, creating, organizing, thriving with the unknowns, and clinging to Him for wisdom every single moment. Acutely aware of His presence, grace and protection at all times. Flourishing.
Flourishing happens when “a particularly favorable environment” produces healthy and vigorous growth or development. It makes sense when I dig in my rich garden soil or watch grandsons nurtured by loving parents. But, when life is hard, when my footing feels wobbly, when challenges feel overwhelming . . . how am I to still flourish?
Perhaps, it’s not what we do to create space for flourishing or what we can see that makes us feel secure and ready to charge ahead. Flourishing moments are not defined by “I did this, I succeeded here, I won this award, people noticed me here.” Instead, it’s all about WHO is with me, always paving the way with love, coupled with my choice to listen, follow and trust Him. Where I choose to firmly hold on to Him as my solid anchor. Then, the moments are ripe for flourishing!
What delight comes to the one who follows God’s ways!
He won’t walk in step with the wicked,
nor share the sinner’s way,
nor be found sitting in the scorner’s seat.
2 His passion is to remain true to the Word of “I AM,”
meditating day and night on the true revelation of light.
3 He will be standing firm like a flourishing tree
planted by God’s design,
deeply rooted by the brooks of bliss,
bearing fruit in every season of life.
He is never dry, never fainting,
ever blessed, ever prosperous.
Back to that attentive listening ear and a heart that continually asks, “Lord, show me, today. . .Your way!” Pondering and choosing to follow. Then, He “plants” us, enabling us to stand firm (my own efforts to “stand firm” never seem to last!). From that planting, we “yield . . . fruit in its season” (NIV). We flourish.
Matthew Henry paints a delightful picture of those who “follow” Him:
“. . . they bring forth their fruit (that which is required of them), in due season, when it is most beautiful and most useful, improving every opportunity of doing good and doing it in its proper time.” Matthew Henry
Waiting and patience – a part of the journey. His timing of that season (Father really does know best!) coupled with His knowledge of our “frame” (He crafted us each uniquely) leads to our flourishing at just the right moments.
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
13 planted in the house of the Lord,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
15 proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”
May we continue to listen, trust and follow Him, as we delight in fresh, flourishing moments.
It’s not too late! Just a few days left to sign up for THIS Saturday’s Lenten retreat! Join Christine Sine and Lilly Lewin as we learn to lay down our grief and gather our joys through the journey of Lent. This retreat will be LIVE via zoom from 9:30 am PT to 12:30 pm PT. Click here for more details or to sign up!
by Laurie Klein
Our prayer group settles into the waiting silence. We inhale more slowly. Exhale fully. The woman guiding our meditation beckons us deeper . . .
“Picture yourself receiving a gift,” she says, “something to support your spiritual journey.”
Secretly, I hope for a jeweled lantern. A stargazer lily. A leaping gazelle.
Not an inchworm.
In my mind’s eye the creature is roughly the length of my fingertip, spineless, yet intrepid, and green as the first lettuce leaves unfurling in May. I flex my hand. The image persists, so vivid it almost tickles.
As if poised for travel down to my palm, my pretend companion raises its head. So, I expect the front end to lead. But the hind legs launch micro-steps and . . . hump! goes the legless, ungainly middle. Then the back feet anchor themselves, giving the front legs their turn.
Seems the inchworm gauges its progress in units, using its own body. A wave of affection stirs me. Here is a small-world Olympian bent on testing its limits.
Is this a prompt to listen more to my body? Or perhaps “Aspire to more” is the message.
Words spoken by 17th century philosopher/theologian Robert Boyle come to mind:
“The book of nature is a fine and large piece of tapestry rolled up,
which we are not able to see all at once,
but must be content to wait for the discovery of its beauty, and symmetry,
little by little, as it gradually comes
to be more and more unfolded, or displayed.”
Perhaps the gift goes deeper, intersecting with patience. Will I accept—even celebrate—my soul’s incremental headway?
In the 1952 movie, Hans Christian Anderson, starring Danny Kaye, local school children glumly intone arithmetic sums in a minor key. Anderson, rebuffed by their crotchety schoolmaster for waving at them, notices a caterpillar moving among the flowers, then sings:
Inchworm, inchworm (two and two are four)
Measuring the marigolds (four and four are eight)
Seems to me, you’d stop and see (eight and eight are sixteen)
How beautiful they are (sixteen and sixteen are thirty-two)
I feel warned. Eager for measurable spiritual growth, I tend to hyper-focus on well-meaning religious regimens or 3-step how-tos. Sometimes I miss the wonders unfolding around me. Rote learning works, but visitations of grace—like the inchworm—endlessly appear, to surprise and instruct me.
Will I pay attention? I long for Spirit-led plans, postures, and gestures, knowing they may be less than dignified.
Inchworms alternately crawl, pause in a looped omega shape, even stand, swaying, on stubby legs. Some species can roll and leap. When danger threatens, they impersonate twigs. Or they spin silken threads and bungee jump into the air; hitchhike on the wind to a juicy new leaf.
Hunger, peril, and beauty evoke diverse actions and postures in me too, as I . . .
- double-take
- sway
- bow
- tremble
- re-anchor
- arise
- stretch
- create
- twirl
- soar
Looping and lurching, the journey unfolds: always, those next awkward steps, that tenuous middle ground, then the moment of modest progress. Repeat. And sometimes, a setback, another chance to regroup. And repeat . . .
What a gift! Charming, tender, impelled—the inchworm points the way.
_________________________
“Inchworm,” by Frank Loesser
Danny Kaye plays Hans Christian Anderson here.
Photo by Ekaterina Shevchenko on Unsplash
Tomorrow! Christine and Lilly will talk about Celtic Christianity, as Lilly has the opportunity to attend a retreat with John Philip Newell! Join Christine Sine and Lilly Lewin on Wednesday, February 23rd 2022 at 9 am PT (check my timezone) for our next FB Live happening on our Godspace Light Community Facebook Group! Can’t make it? No worries–we upload the sessions on our youtube channel so you can still enjoy the lively discussions and interesting topics. And catch us live for the next session–happening here!
Last Wednesday, I facilitated the last of a book study series I’d been leading on The Gift of Wonder. Each participant brought some slices of apple and a small amount of honey to dip them in. We ate them as we talked about the sweetness that we gained from community interaction through the sessions. For all of us, wonder brightened our winter days and strengthened our spirits as we moved forward towards the spring.
What astonished me was how much I enjoyed these apple slices. And the honey, which came from a good friend who keeps bees, was the most delicious I have ever tasted. This must be like the wild honey that John the Baptist ate during his sojourn in the desert, I thought. Maybe Jesus ate it too.
If you remember, John the Baptist lived and preached in the desert and survived on locusts and honey – apparently a common diet for desert wanderers and hermits. It may sound gross to us, but locusts are considered a delicacy in some cultures. Evidently, they are quite nutritious, full of protein, and when combined with honey, considered to be the food of the Gods. Simple but delicious food, just like the manna that God gifted to the Hebrews in the desert.
We are heading into the wilderness of Lent, a place we need to retreat to regularly so that we learn to follow God more fully. Some of us feel we have lived in a perpetual wilderness for the last 2 years. We think of a wilderness experience as a time of austerity, and in some ways it is, but we also need to recognize that in the wilderness God provides delicious food, sweet and nutritious.
Once I took my first bite of those apples and honey on Wednesday night I couldn’t stop until the plate was empty. They really were delicious and nourishing just like the food – both spiritual and physical – God sustained most of us with over the last couple of years. In the midst of heartache and distress there was much beauty to be uncovered we just need to pause, beautify our gaze, and take notice of what is all around us.
In preparation for our Lenten retreat: Finding Beauty in the Ashes of Lent on Saturday, I have been re-reading John O’Donohue’s book Beauty. Talk about sweet sustenance for my soul and so much wisdom that helps me understand the fruit of the journey we have been on. I will talk more about this on Saturday, so make sure you sign up but here are just a couple of his insights to end with. Good preparation for Saturday, and as you reflect on the quotes ask yourself:
What is the sweet but nourishing food God provided you with? What luminescence of beauty was uncovered for you as a result?
If our style of looking becomes beautiful, then beauty will become visible and shine forth for us…. When we beautify our gaze, the grace of hidden beauty becomes our joy and our sanctuary. (Beauty, 19)
When beauty touches our lives, the moment becomes luminous. Theses grace-moments are gifts that surprise us. When we look beyond the moment to our life journey, perhaps we can choose a new rhythm of journeying which would be more conscious of beauty and more open to inviting her to disclose herself to us in all the situations we travel through (Beauty, 23)
Greed for destination obliterates the journey. The digital desire for the single instant schools the mind in false priority. Each instant proclaims its own authority and the present image demands the complete attention of the eye….. The mechanics of electronic imaging reverses the incarnation of real encounter. But a great journey needs plenty of time. It should not be rushed; if it is, your life becomes a kind of abstract package tour devoid of beauty and meaning. There is such constant whirr of movement that you never know where you are. You have no time to give yourself to the present experience. When you accumulate experiences at such a tempo everything becomes thin. Consequently, you become ever more absent from your life and this fosters emptiness that haunts the heart (Beauty, 27)
When you regain a sense of your life as a journey of discovery you return to rhythm with yourself. When you take the time to travel with reverence, a richer like unfolds before you. Moments of beauty begin to braid your days. When your mind becomes more acquainted with reverence, the light, grace, and elegance of beauty find you more frequently (Beauty, 28)
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It’s not too late! Just a few days left to sign up for THIS Saturday’s Lenten retreat! Join Christine Sine and Lilly Lewin as we learn to lay down our grief and gather our joys through the journey of Lent. This retreat will be LIVE via zoom from 9:30 am PT to 12:30 pm PT. Click here for more details or to sign up!
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:
“Even In Sorrow”
Composed by Kester Limner in March 2020 for the people of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Seattle, shared under the Creative Commons License, Attribution (CC-BY)
“Nothing Can Ever”,”Atme In Uns”,”God is Forgiveness”
Copyright and all rights reserved by GIA/Les Presses de Taizé
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