by Christine Sine
Seattle just set a record for the number of 80+F days in a row. The beauty of these hot dry days inspires me not just to get out into the garden but also to get into the kitchen and use the abundance of produce ready to be harvested. Tomatoes, squash and basil are proliferating, potatoes, onions and garlic have been harvested, and we there is an abundance of Swiss Chard such as I have never seen before.
Cooking, like gardening, is relaxing for me, though I don’t always know what to do with the results of my cooking. I often make far more than we can possibly use. I don’t want to eat it all. Some of it goes into the freezer, but there always seems to be far more than we can possibly consumer.
When I attended the summer ice cream social at our local park on Wednesday I discovered a possible answer. Beth Altman’s stall advertised her little free bakery, which grew out of her love for cookbooks, recipes and baking. She places delicious desserts in her free bakery, a little like the free libraries that dot our neighbourhood and then posts on instagram. to let her patrons know what is currently on offer. What a wonderful way to share our love with neighbours I thought as I munched her free berry slice.
Beth is part of a small, but I suspect growing movement that provides regular treats that can become neighborhoods together. The moment started with Magnolia resident Lanne Stauffer who, about three years ago, turned her little free library into a little free bakery. The idea has caught on and there are now six or seven around Seattle. In Redmond, Washington, Deborah Voll decided to add a dog treat box at the bottom so not only does she have treats for humans, but also treats for furry friends. As well as that her box is stocked with books, so there’s something for everyone. Now all she needs is a pot of coffee and a seat.
You can read more about these generous women and their love for their neighborhoods on the PCC Markets Sound Consumer and and KUOW.org stories.
I don’t think I will join the free bakery movement any time soon but I do love to share. My cooking efforts were the centre of our community meal last week. We love to do hospitality at this season too and at Christmas I send out boxes of Christmas goodies to friends and relatives around the country. I also love to share recipes and the results of my creative cooking much of which featured in The Godspacelight Community Cookbook . We are all meant to be generous. The bounty of God’s good earth is meant to be shared. “Freely you have received, freely give.”
The kingdom of God is, I believe, the ultimate place of hospitality and we are meant to model it now. It is the place where friend and stranger from different cultures, ages and social strata all sit together at a great banquet feast, just as we have done with so many over the last month. It is a place where there is much fun and laughter and celebration, where barriers of class, culture and misunderstanding are broken down. Where fear becomes love, indifference becomes caring and enemies become friends. It is a place where hospitality and welcome beckon all of us towards healing and wholeness. Maybe there will be little free bakeries dotted all around.
It is this kind of feast that I think is previewed in Isaiah 25:6
In Jerusalem, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
will spread a wonderful feast
for all the people of the world.
It will be a delicious banquet
with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat.
Years ago, I remember seeing a painting that supposedly depicted this banquet feast of God. I say supposedly because it was a very formal dinner table set with beautiful plates and lots of silverware. But there were no people at the table and, to be honest, I cannot imagine most of my friends and acquaintances feeling comfortable with such formality anyway.
I think the kingdom banquet feast will be a place where not only do all feel welcomed but all feel honored and respected. None of us will feel out of place because we don’t know which utensils to use for which course. None of us will feel conspicuous because we don’t eat meat or dairy or gluten. There will be something for all of us to enjoy. And who will be serving the meal at that feast? Jesus our great and glorious servant king will.
Some of the last and most enduring images we have of Jesus combine hospitality and service – washing feet at the last supper, cooking breakfast on the beach for his disciples after his resurrection – hospitality and servanthood, the culture of the kingdom, the outpouring of God’s love through relationship, the rich and enduring signs of welcome that we have experienced time and again throughout our lives.
Here are a couple of my favourite recipes which I made this week. Have fun and I would love to hear about what you enjoy doing with the bounty from your garden (or from the supermarket).
Hunza Pie
A great vegetarian dish for a picnic or camping trip. the vegetable mix can be adapted depending on what vegetables you have available and what you like.
INGREDIENTS:
– PASTRY:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup wheatgerm
1 cup golden flax meal
6 ounces margarine or butter
1/2 cup milk or water
1 teaspoon vegetable salt
FILLING
25 stalks Swiss Chard or other garden greens ,leaves coarsely chopped
2 1/2 lb potatoes
1 1/4 lb cottage cheese
1 teaspoon mixed herbs (I like Italian herb mix or a mixture of fresh thyme, oregano and basil)
1 teaspoon salt
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil, or 1/4 cup fresh chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup mushrooms, diced
1 cup squash (e.g. zucchini), chopped or 1 cup broccoli
METHOD:
Pastry:
Sift flour and salt into bowl. add husks in sifter to flour fold in wheatgerm and flax meal. Rub in margarine until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Mix with enough water to make a stiff dough. Knead lightly.
Cut pastry into 4 pieces. Cover and place in refrigerator for 20 minutes. This is a very important step. I didn’t do it last time I made this recipe and I had great difficulty getting the pastry to hold together.
Roll out 1/4 of pastry on floured surface and place in base and up sides of a 9 inch pie dish. Do same with second pastry section. Spoon over cold vegetable mixture. Brush edge of pastry with water. Roll out remaining pastry in 2 pieces and place over pies. Trim edge with a sharp knife. Make slits in top.
Bake in a hot oven (400F) for 15 minutes then reduce heat to 375 and cook further 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown.
Filling:
Peel potatoes and cut into cubes. Cook in salted water until tender. Drain. Cook onions in a medium skillet with 1 tablespoon oil until brown. Add chopped mushrooms and squash. Cook a further 5 minutes. Add chard, garlic and herbs. Cook a further 5 minutes. Add cottage cheese and salt. Allow to cool before you spoon it into the pastry case.
SERVINGS: This recipe makes 2 pies, 8 servings from each pie
We love to eat it with hot sauce together with a tomato, basil, squash and mozzarella salad or with a quinoa salad.
Dried Tomato, Olive Tapenade
I adapted this recipe from one I found in the Australian Women’s Weekly Tomato Cookbook, one of the best places for tomato recipes I have ever found. Also I use tomatoes I dry from our garden rather than bought ones which are always soaking in oil that then needs to be discarded. The recipe is also at its best when the basil and oregano are picked straight from the garden.
- 1 cup drained sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
- 2/3 cup pecans
- 1 cup pitted kalamata olives
Process all ingredients until smooth. Spoon tapenade into cold sterilized jars; seal immediately or store in the refrigerator (stores 4-6 weeks).
We don’t like interruptions! We like everything to go smoothly and on our time schedule. Today, many folks woke up to delayed and canceled appointments and flights due to a computer glitch. I always say, ” We like technology when it works!” I just heard from my friend Ginny who has been organizing a large youth event this week asking for prayer. Many of her groups are stranded due to plane flights being canceled. Not what was on anyone’s schedule after a long week! And after a great time of learning and worship, when they are all exhausted, leaders must re-imagine what to do next! Do we see interruptions as gifts or as curses? How do we react when things don’t go as planned?
This week’s Gospel reading is actually interrupted and about interrupted plans.
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
6:30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught.
6:31 He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.
6:32 And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.
6:33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them.
6:34 As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.6:53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat.
6:54 When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him
6:55 and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.
6:56 And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
The disciples have had an incredible journey doing the things that Jesus sent them out to do two by two. But as I’ve said all summer about my dad’s recovery, ” We love miracles, but miracles are exhausting! ” and Jesus knows that these people need a break. They need to take time to process what just happened and all that God did in and through them and they need time to REALLY REST and just BE!
Instead, the crowd follows them and instead of a retreat with Jesus, they get bombarded with lots of people who have lots of needs! Especially the need for food! I would have been totally angry with this interruption! I wouldn’t have had compassion on the crowd. I would have resented the crowd. Thus, I really need Jesus to help me love as he loves, with compassion! I need love and compassion for my self and the people around me when plans don’t go my way.
And honestly, I have needed Jesus to do this for me A LOT THIS WEEK! I felt I was just getting some margin back in my life after 3 months of emotional roller coaster with my dad in hospice and my husband having a heart issue, when the shooting took place on Saturday night. An assassination attempt on the former president… one more gun violence incident in our crazy country, one more mass shooting event, but this one with even more dire consequences. Gun violence and political violence of any kind is horrific. Social media of all kinds went crazy. My peaceful mindset was totally interrupted by fear, stress and anxiety.
How do we find peace and rest when our plans are interrupted?
What do we do when things don’t go our way? or things add to our stress and anxiety?
I got outside and dug in the dirt. I called a friend and chatted about how I was feeling. I owned my feelings of grief, despair, fear and worry. I did some journaling and I painted out my tears and fears.
The Lectionary interrupts the story. We don’t read about the feeding of the five thousand or the disciples leaving to cross the lake and being interrupted by what they thought was a ghost! They’d all witnessed an amazing miracle with the multiplication of bread and fish! and THEN they experienced Jesus walking to them on the water!
Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” JESUS Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed!
We love miracles, but miracles are exhausting! The roller coaster of emotions of the day! I can totally imagine they felt exhausted after all of this! They really need a break!
But instead they get another crowd! Another group of people who surround them and want to be healed by Jesus! Jesus heals the people. But notice that Jesus doesn’t stop them from running around. They ran around the lake to find him. And now they run from town to town to find healing. He doesn’t heal their running. My husband Rob noticed this on Tuesday during our Lectio Divina process with our house church. Jesus heals illnesses and demon possession, but it’s like he expects us to notice our own running about. Like the monastics of old, we need to notice and slow down and pay attention in order to not be exhausted all the time! In order to have margin, we must seek it ourselves, because the crowds will always be running and people and events will always interrupt us!
What speaks to you today? What is the Holy Spirit highlighting for you?
What do you notice from the passage that you didn’t notice before?
What questions come up for you as you listened to the passage?
As you come to this text, what are you in need of from Jesus? REST, PEACE, COMPASSION, SHEPHERDING, CERTAINTY, HEALING? What else? Talk to Jesus about where you are and how you are feeling.
Jesus said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. What kind of REST do you need this week?
The news of the political violence has filled our internet pages this week. Take time to be with your feelings and emotions. Anger, grief, worry, fear, frustration…what else? Talk to Jesus about this.
Here are some things to ponder:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[i] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. JESUS
The greatest challenge of the day is: How to bring about a revolution of the heart, a revolution which has to start with each one of us. Dorothy Day
I think the only choice that will enable us to hold to our vision. . . is one that abandons the concept of naming enemies and adopts a concept familiar to the nonviolent tradition: naming behavior that is oppressive…Barbara Deming
Nonviolence is not inaction. It is not discussion. It is not for the timid or weak…Nonviolence is hard work. It is the willingness to sacrifice. It is the patience to win. Cesar Chavez
Violence just hurts those who are already hurt… Instead of exposing the brutality of the oppressor, it justifies it. Cesar Chavez
Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence.
Martin Luther King Jr (1929-1968)
This prayer is from the Catholic Health Association found on Diana Butler Bass’s Newsletter
“Our God will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”
Isaiah 2:4
God who is beyond politics and nations,
Christ who transcends the power of violence,
Holy Spirit who animates all people,
Be with us in this moment of violence, division, and turmoil.
Transform our rage and hate that we might see our brothers and sisters with your eyes.
Break our hearts of stone, give us hearts of love and understanding that your peace might prevail. Amen.
LISTEN : REST
PEACE
This is the prayer we close with at our house church each week. It helps me everyday:
CLOSING PRAYER: Lord! Give us grace today to love as you love. Help us to love with extravagance. Give us hope today for ourselves and others. Heal our hurts and our hearts today, So we can serve and help those around us. Help us to know that you are enough. And help us live today and everyday in thankfulness. For all you’ve done and for all you bless us with. In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.
Give yourself lots of grace this week. Take time to rest. Take time to call a friend, dig in the dirt, get outside for a walk or a swim or even a picnic. Watch for the gifts in the interruptions! Watch for the God surprises along the way. Let Jesus wrap you in his great love and show you his endless compassion. We are all sheep and we need the Good Shepherd. AMEN
©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com
Its been quite a week. The attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump shook all of us here in the U.S. no matter what our political affiliation. My heart goes out particularly to the family of Corey Comperatore who was killed while protecting them from the bullets. Violence is not meant to be the pathway that any of us follow as we seek to live out the lives of love for one another Jesus calls us to.
I think I learned a little more about the kind of unconditional love Jesus asks of us as I watched our dog Goldie recuperate after surgery on her leg this week. I shared some of my thoughts and some of the lessons I feel we can learn from our pets in my Meditation Monday: Pets, Pats and Mary Oliver. They are good for our physical, emotional and spiritual lives and in the current chaotic world environment we need them more than ever.
My spiritual practice this week was Walking Barefoot through Life. I love walking barefoot not just in the house but around the garden too and am fascinated to hear that it is now being prescribed by some health practitioners for their patients. When Jesus sent out the 72 disciples to spread the good news according to The Voice translation, he sent them out “barefoot and armed with vulnerability. “ Wow – walking more in the way that children walk – dependent on others, willing to vulnerable, not relying on their own resources just as barefoot walking can teach us.
Today we launched the 12th episode of Liturgical Rebels, a fun interview with my good friend Kathy Escobar – author, spiritual director, community leader at The Refuge in Denver Colorado and recent pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago. Kathy has been an important voice in the journey many have taken into deconstruction and reconstruction of faith and continues to lead us through her wisdom and insights. We have some great guests lined up for the next few months. Kathy Escobar will be followed by creative worship leader Martin Poole and then Celtic musician Jeff Johnson who will lead the way in a focus on Celtic spirituality. I also have Christine Valters Paintner and John Phillip Newell lined up.
On Godspacelight Lilly Lewin in Freerange Friday: Taking Time to Notice shares value insights on Noticing. She comments: “NOTICING involves stopping and paying attention. NOTICING involves being curious. The Practice of NOTICING allows God to surprise us along the way in our regular lives.” Two other authors took my suggestion to “write from your passion”, advice I was given by Phillip Yancey many years ago, very seriously. Karen Dibbens-Wyatt shares her passion for God in “First Passion” and Diane Woodrow in “Walking Away From Oughts” shares some of the journey she has taken to move from doing what ought to be done to what she is passionate about.
This week I began planning for an exciting Fall season. I started work on a new devotional for Celtic Advent. The popularity of the litanies I linked to in last week’s newsletter made me realize how easily they could be combined with some short reflections, stories of saints and exercises to provide a new and unfamiliar pathway through Advent. I became an advocate for Celtic Advent about 10 years ago and each year find something new, refreshing and compelling to contemplate in this extended period. I am thinking of calling the book Celtic Advent – Following an Unfamiliar Path and plan to dedicate each week to a different Celtic saint. There is a freedom in approaching Advent and Christmas in unconventional and maybe even subversive ways. As I mentioned in Monday’s post: One of the major themes that appears in the stories of the saints of the early Celtic Church is how intimate they were with animals, and how much they valued the contributions animals made to their lives. Our connection and communion with nature, which is also very strong in the Advent story will be a major focus of this book. I am excited to see where the journey of creativity takes me in the next few weeks and appreciate your prayers as I put the book together .
As well as that I am planning a couple of online retreats for the season from September to Christmas. The tentative dates are: Introduction to Celtic Christianity, September 7th; Preparing for Advent, November 16th. It will be a very busy season, but one that I am really looking forward to.
As you can imagine none of what I am talking about here comes easily or cheaply and I encourage you to become a paid subscriber to enable these projects to come to fruition. Paid subscribers will receive a 20% discount on the upcoming webinars as well as a discount on the devotional books, the quality of which will depend on your support and encouragement.
In view of this week’s events I will end with a poem that I wrote and shared earlier this year.
Is our world broken
Beyond repair?
Will we always meet violence
With more violence?
Death with death
Hate with hate?
What has happened to love
And the call to care for others
As we do ourselves?
What have we done with Jesus,
The One who holds it all together,
And promises to fix
All the broken and dislocated pieces
Of the universe.
The One who told us
Love your enemies,
Let them bring out the best in you,
Not the worst.
Live out your God created identity
Live generously and graciously towards others.
Be loving in all circumstances.
Shout out for justice where wrong is done.
Tread lightly on the earth
Care for creation.
Join God in kingdom work.
Enable all life to flourish.
In this conversation, Christine Sine interviews Kathy Escobar, the author of ‘Faith Shift,’ about her book and the impact it has had on readers. They discuss the process of faith deconstruction and reconstruction, as well as Kathy’s own journey of reimagining her faith. They talk about the unique community and church experience at The Refuge, which Kathy cofounded. She shares how the community has evolved and the challenges and joys of maintaining a diverse and growing community. They also touch on Kathy’s involvement in Community Heals and the work they do in creating spaces for transformation. Kathy Escobar discusses the importance of accessibility and community in healing, as well as her experience walking the Camino de Santiago. She opens up about the devastating loss of her son and the lessons she has learned about grief and making meaning. Kathy emphasizes the need to talk openly about death. She concludes by mentioning her upcoming book, ‘Turning Over Tables: Lent, Power, and a Weary World.’
Takeaways
- ‘Faith Shift’ is a book that explores the process of faith deconstruction and reconstruction, providing language and support for those going through this journey.
- Reimagining faith is an ongoing process of unraveling and reimagination, with core values of freedom, mystery, and diversity.
- The Refuge is a unique community and church experience that focuses on healing, social action, and creative collaboration, with shared values rather than shared beliefs.
- Maintaining a diverse and growing community requires ongoing commitment to growth, health, and resourcing.
- Community Heals cofounded by Kathy is a nonprofit organization that creates spaces for transformation, including Beauty Heals, a property for rest and renewal, and Presence Heals, offering spiritual direction and holding space for individuals. Healing should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their resources or background.
- Grief has no rules, and it is important to honor the rhythms of grief and make meaning out of loss.
- Talking openly about death is crucial for healing and supporting those who have experienced loss.
- Kathy Escobar has a new book coming out called ‘Turning Over Tables: Lent, Power, and a Weary World.
Kathy Escobar is Co-Founder and Community Cultivator at The Refuge, a hub for healing community, social action, and creative collaboration in North Denver. She’s a pastor, spiritual director, speaker, advocate, and author of several books including Practicing: Changing Yourself to Change the World and Faith Shift: Finding Your Way Forward When Everything You Believe is Coming Apart. She’s also Co-Founder of #communityheals, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating accessible experiences on the water and in the mountains for all ages. More at kathyescobar.com.
by Christine Sine
On Monday our dog Goldie had an operation to remove a tumor on her left thigh. Since then she has been sedated to slow her down, and encased in a “cone of shame” to stop her licking her leg. I was the one who took her to the doctor, and the one who forces pills down her throat so I thought she would see me as the monster creature who causes her pain and discomfort. However it has been quite the reverse. She clings to me and hates it if I leave the room and gets anxious if I leave the house without her.
Yesterday, I read an article about Briton Alex Larenty who lives on a game reserve in South Africa and spends his days giving foot massages to lions. Thanks to this pampering, he has formed a bond with the lions so strong that they lie down, stretch their legs, and smile as soon as they see him approach. It reminded me that often in the evenings Goldie will reach out to me with her paw wanting it massaged. It definitely helps her to relax. I benefit too. So while she is recuperating I am making it a regular part of my evening routine with her.
I am learning much from her during this time of recuperation. Her patience, her acceptance of what happened and her unconditional love towards my husband Tom and me, in spite of what we seem to have inflicted on her, is remarkable.
It shouldn’t surprise me. Humans have kept dogs as pets and companions for thousands of years. Once mere hunting companions, protectors or helpers for farmers, they have now evolved into beloved family members. Pets of all kinds – dogs, cats, pigs, lizards, mice, and even wild animals like lions, can provide a unique bond with their owners by offering unwavering love and support. Research suggests that pet ownership positively impacts mental and physical well-being, including decreased stress, lower blood pressure, and increased physical activity. The stronger the bond, the greater the impact so maybe a little bit of foot massage for all our pets is a good idea. If only we could get them to reciprocate.
Numerous research studies demonstrate that pet ownership significantly benefits heart health. Pets can assist in diminishing the risk of heart disease by decreasing blood pressure and reducing bad cholesterol (LDL). This is because interacting with these furry companions stimulates the production of endorphins and other hormones that alleviate stress, which can help dilate blood vessels and sustain blood pressure levels.
I think that God intended us to live in partnership with animals, not just seeing them as creatures to be slaughtered but as companions and friends.
I love the way that animals are increasingly being used for therapy. A therapy dog is one taken by its owner to schools, hospitals and even prisons. From working with a child who is learning to read to visiting a senior in assisted living, therapy dogs and their owners work together as a team to improve the lives of other people. Then there are service dogs, specially trained animals that can help guide a blind person, alert a diabetic to changing blood glucose levels, assist those in wheelchairs or calm an anxious, autistic or disabled person.
Keeping pets is obviously good for our physical and emotional lives, but how is caring for an animal a spiritual practice? Well if we believe, as I do, that everything God created is good then we can learn from it and connect with it in ways that benefit our souls. We can love and care for pets in a way that helps us love and care for others.
As well as that, pets help us live in the present moment rather than in either the future or the past. They teach us to slow down and live mindfully. They also help root us in our relationship to the world which God created, the world in which we live, the world that God loves.
One of the major themes that appears in the stories of the saints of the early Celtic Church is how intimate they were with animals, and how much they valued the contributions animals made to their lives. I particularly love the story of St Cuthbert monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in Northumbria Northern England. Evidently he would stand waist-deep in the North Sea during his nightly prayer vigils. Afterwards two otters reputedly came and warmed his feet. Then there was Kevin of Glendalough. While praying with his hands outstretched, a blackbird built a nest in it and laid eggs. Kevin stood in trancelike stillness until the eggs hatched and the chicks flew away.
Animals are important for our physical, emotional and spiritual well being. Sit and think about your relationship to animals. In what ways to they enhance your spiritual well being.
And to round this off let me quote a Mary Oliver poem from Dog Songs
How It Is With Us, And
How It is With Them.
We become religious,
then we turn from it,
then we are in need and maybe we turn back.
We turn to making money,
then we turn to the moral life,
then we think about money again.
We meet wonderful people,
but lose them in our busyness.
We’re, as the saying goes, all over the place.
Steadfastness, it seems,
is more about dogs than about us.
One of the reasons we love them so much.
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Summer in America this year is extremely hot. When the temperatures and the humidity rise, I start dreaming of cooler places and checking in with all the folks I follow around the world who are building fires in July and wearing jackets rather than shorts and t-shirts. Even though I grew up in the South, I got spoiled living in the Northwest with it’s cooler summers and in Northern California where it could be really hot in the day time, but one would need a jacket as soon as the sun went down! Despite the heat, I am making an effort to embrace summer and take time to NOTICE the things that bring me joy along the way. NOTICING is a great spiritual practice that takes us out of our worry filled brains into the presence of God.
NOTICING involves stopping and paying attention.
NOTICING involves being curious.
The Practice of NOTICING allows God to surprise us along the way in our regular lives.
How has God been surprising you this week? What have you been noticing along your way that has brought you JOY? Take time to make a list, or paint a picture and/or look back through your photos to help you remember.
This week I was frustrated by how tired and unproductive I’ve been this summer! My husband reminded me that I am recovering from care giving and being on high alert due to my dad’s illness that started in the middle of May. Thankfully Dad is doing so much better that hospice dismissed him for now and we are planning to celebrate his 95th birthday next Saturday! I don’t know about you, but I can forget why I’m exhausted. I can forget why I’m feeling discouraged. I need to take the time to NOTICE my physical body and NOTICE the emotions I am carrying around with me in this body and take the time to process these emotions. I paint to help me process. I go take a walk. I lay in the floor or bounce on my exercise ball or even take a bath to help me get grounded enough to NOTICE what I’m really feeling and experiencing.
This week I’ve noticed the clouds as they’ve blown over our hill. It was actually cooler yesterday and I sat out on my porch and took time to watch the beautiful clouds in the sky. As kids, we used to take the time to imagine and watch for the different shapes in the clouds and make up stories about them, but as adults, too often we just worry about the rain! And speaking of rain, I actually noticed a beautiful rainbow this week when out walking the dog. It was over the city and this rainbow gave me a lot of hope for that day and for our town that has been plagued by white supremacy marches and so much gun violence this year! I might have missed the rainbow if I’d been looking at my phone or listening to a podcast while walking! I really try to practice phone free walks! That helps me notice! and it allows me space to listen to God and pray around the neighborhood!
And speaking of phone free…I’ve noticed just how addicted I am to my phone these days! Rob and I are discussing how to PRACTICE phone free fridays and truly make this a real sabbath practice. And we are wondering how we can host PHONE FREE gatherings for building community and friendship.
What are you NOTICING about yourself this summer? What emotions, feelings, stresses are you carrying around? What do you need to give to Jesus to carry for you?
My favorite author Joyce Rupp in May I Have this Dance says that July should be about PLAYING…and that children know how to NOTICE the little things along the way! She suggests that we take time to use a different sense each day this week. Taking time to NOTICE the smells one day, the sights another, the sounds you hear, the textures and things you touch on another day. Scientists have noticed that we are loosing our senses because we are all so screen focused! As a multi-sensory worship designer, this is frightening to me! I don’t want to lose the ability to notice the wonderful smells after a rain, or the touch and scent of fresh soil when planting flowers, or the feel of grass and gravel when walking barefoot!
watch the clouds
Your homework assignment is to PRACTICE NOTICING this week! And watch for God surprises! Practice NOTICING with all your senses too! notice the colors, the sounds, the little things along the way that are signs of God’s love and the beauty of God’s creation!
What sounds do you hear just right now? I hear the freeway traffic and the birds at my birdfeeder outside.
What do you see? I see all my art mess on the counter, but also the hazy hills across the way and the beautiful brown and green velvety leaves of my magnolia tree right outside my window!
And don’t forget TASTE! Take time to taste your food this week! Notice the flavors and textures and be thankful! If you are in summer where you live, notice how different the blueberries taste. Notice how a ripe peach or a fresh melon from the farmers market can taste just like summer itself!! Today I am noticing all the wonderful flavor in my favorite cup of coffee! And the fresh mint that I put in my water!
And remember that this is a PRACTICE so you will need to practice! Don’t let it be a chore, just let it be fun to notice the clouds, the smells, the tastes and textures. If you need help with the PRACTICE of NOTICING, invite a child over to play! Kids are great at noticing the smallest details of life! They will watch a bug for minutes or play in the sand for hours or just enjoy the feeling of being in a swing or walking barefoot in the grass! Watch the clouds with a friend. Watch the sunset with your partner! Notice the colors and how the light changes in the rest of the sky.
Don’t be afraid to take time to just BE STILL and know that God is with you along the way! Allow Jesus to use the little things to show you his great love for you this week and RECEIVE THE GIFT of Noticing!
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“No matter how many challenges there are, nothing can take away from the deep satisfaction of getting one’s hands into the earth, digging, planting and harvesting the bounty of God’s good creation. Nor can they detract from the joy that engulfs as as we experience the awe inspiring generosity of a God who wants to provide abundantly for all of humankind. The garden is a place of healing, of wholeness and of deeply spiritual encounters where God restores our bodies and our spirits in a way that is truly miraculous.” (from To Garden with God)
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