from Melissa Kelly
Today Christine and Tom begin their UK adventures. They will be visiting friends and making connections for the next two weeks. Christine is excited to see her friends, Tom wants to hear what good news the churches have to share. I will be keeping things rolling here at Godspace. I am Melissa, the admin for Godspacelight. I do the posts, edit the podcast episodes, send out the product mailings, and in Christine’s absence I will write the newsletters to keep you up to date.
Last week was the week after Pentecost and included Memorial Day weekend here in the States. We put out our 8th episode of Christine’s Liturgical Rebels Podcast on Wednesday. On Thursday we reposted Carol Dixon’s reflections on the Venerable Bede whose faithful service of written scholarship was done almost entirely from his monastery. Yet his work spread throughout Europe and down through the centuries. Lilly Lewin reflected on Pentecost in her Freerange Friday post and encouraged us to accept the invitation to dance with Jesus as part of being filled with the Spirit. On Saturday we posted links to all of the Liturgical Rebels episodes so far, just in case you missed them. And yesterday, in honor of Joan of Arc’s upcoming Saint Day, we re-posted Diane Woodrow’s wonderings about how we would view Joan of Arc today.
That’s it! You’re all caught up on Godspacelight activities.
I wonder what we would have thought of Joan of Arc today even in some of the more crazy charismatic churches. She doesn’t fit the stereotype of prophetic leader. She didn’t have visions of Jesus but of Michael, the archangel, Catherine of the “death by flaming spinning wheel from which the firework known as the Catherine-wheel comes from”, and Margaret who was tortured and murdered because she would not renounce the vow to remain a virginal bride of Christ when a pagan king wanted to marry her. Would we have been more like one source and just say “she claimed to have heard voices in her head”?
I wonder if she had come forward today, a young girl of 16 or so, and said she heard voices of an angel and two martyred women and that she wanted to lead her country to victory, she would be taken to a psychiatric ward? Or, if one of our children said they heard voices, would we tell them to hush and maybe get them checked out for autism? Or, what about ourselves? What would you do, what would I do, if we were sure we could hear voices telling us to do something bold and brave? I wonder if we would just keep quiet and wait for our voices to be “confirmed”.
As I pondered Joan of Arc, Greta Thunberg came in to my head, the teenager who has stepped up to the mark to try to lead the world to another place. I wonder if there were other young people who felt the same but whose parents, teachers, or churches, told them not to be so silly and the whole thing was too big for them. Greta, I believe, has only got as far as she has because her parents didn’t stop her. There is nothing to say what Joan of Arc’s parents thought but it was her relative who was bold enough to take her to a local garrison and from there she made it to the French court.
Joan experienced lots of opposition but preserved because of her total belief that this was what God was telling her through his messengers; Michael, Catherine and Margaret. How often do we hear something, and hear it very clear, and yet when we hit opposition, or lack of support from others, we give up? This doesn’t mean that we should power on through because we think this is what we should do but sometimes, like both Joan and Greta, we need to listen to what we are hearing, listen with our hearts, and keep on keeping on even if it means we lose our reputation, our livelihoods, and in Joan’s case, our lives.
I don’t think Joan cared what other people thought. I don’t think Greta cares much either. This isn’t to say I think either of these young women lack emotion at all. I think they both believe/believed that what they were doing is/was so right that they just can’t/could stop.
From pondering Joan of Arc, and as a result of that Greta Thunberg, my hope is that when I hear a voice or voices telling me to go and do something I won’t hold back whatever opposition I face, or however much it might damage my reputation. But also when I hear of some young person talking about a dream, a vision, voices speaking to them, that will change the world I will be willing to encourage them rather than hinder them.
Our world needs to change to stop it going back to the same pre-covid patterns where those who have stuff and status, fear of losing out to those who do not, and where those who do not have status are treated with disgrace and live in fear of having the little they have taken from them. We need to change and I believe we need younger people to help us with that – with more energy, more determination, more of an innocent belief that things can change.
I would like to be like Joan of Arc’s relative, helping to get someone young person to where they believe they should be, helping and encouraging them to see the change they believe in.
Creating a Faith-Based Community Garden – Download
Since I wrote To Garden with God, a rich array of resources that connect gardeners to garden techniques and faith principles for gardening, have proliferated. In response, I started to publish several resource lists on my blog each year to supplement the resources in. However, numbers of people have suggested that a single publication would assist their efforts.
This booklet was created in response to this need and like the resource lists that are updated yearly on the blog, it will be updated each year to reflect the new resources and techniques available to help us. This has been updated for 2021. Enjoy!
We’ve done EIGHT episodes of Liturgical Rebels so far!
Episode 1 – Inaugural episode with Christine Sine and Forrest Inslee
Episode 2 – Poetry as Spiritual Practice with Christine Sine and Drew Jackson
Episode 3 – Explore Art with Scott Erickson
Episode 4 – Block prints & Faith journeys with Kreg Yingst
Episode 5 – Curating Worship with Mark Pierson and co-host Lilly Lewin
Episode 6 – Creative Worship with Lilly Lewin
And our two most recent episodes:
Episode 7 – Author & Activist Shane Claiborne
In this conversation, Christine Sine interviews Shane Claiborne, a Christian activist and author, about his journey and his work in advocating for social justice. They discuss topics such as community living, gun violence, the death penalty, and the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Shane shares his experiences and insights, highlighting the importance of love, nonviolence, and solidarity with marginalized communities. The conversation culminates in a discussion about the recent pilgrimage walk and protest at Lockheed Martin, a major weapons contractor.
Episode 8 – Into the Wild with Tony Jones
In this conversation, Tony shares his journey from being a pastor in the Emerging Church Network to finding solace and connection with God in the wilderness. Tony emphasizes the importance of nature in spiritual experiences and how it can be a place to interact with God. He explores the presence of death in life from composting and gardening to hunting. The conversation explores the paradox of valuing animals and of hunting and eating them, the responsibility humans have for the death of animals, and the need for honesty about animal deaths. The conversation concludes with a discussion on mortality and the focus on living the best life in the present.
Little kids love to dance. They move their bodies easily to music. They feel the joy of the music and aren’t afraid to move with it. I have a friend named Anna and her little daughter has learned all the River Dance moves by watching the videos. She started this at 3 and now at 5 is taking lessons in Irish dancing. She is passionate and free! I saw a video on instagram recently of a young toddler watching the music video of Jon Baptist’s “ Freedom.” He was moving with the music. His mom said this was his favorite song! It’s become one of my favorite songs too. It’s helping me relearn to dance! The joy in the music just makes me want to move.
I used to dance. I took ballet when I was in early elementary school. I loved it. There is even an old home movie of me trying to teach my little brother how to dance with me wearing a tutu. But somewhere along the way, I lost that love of dancing I lost how to dance!
I didn’t make it to pointe in ballet so never had toe shoes….If I had, I might have continued to dance. But I have that “not good enough” or “not perfect enough” thing and I tended to stick with things I that weren’t too hard to learn, things that I felt already good at like art.
As I grew up, I got into other hobbies and dance wasn’t one of them. It sadly wasn’t a natural part of me. While I loved listening to music, dance parties weren’t a part of my daily life. Instead, I was singing Broadway tunes in the barn to the cows as I threw down their hay.
When I had young kids, I tried another dance class at a local college. But there I felt out of place and uncorodinated. I’m not sure I even finished the class. My hips definitely lied to me.
Maybe it’s hard for me to dance because I haven’t done a lot of it. I don’t naturally move in that free way that real dancers do. What about you? Are you a dancer? Was dancing a natural part of your life as a kid ?
As an enneagram 7, I am much more in my head than in my body. This year as I’ve started doing strength training, I am learning just how disconnected I am from my body and my breathing. I’m learning how to breathe all over again. I am learning how to pay attention to where I feel emotions in my body and how my muscles all work together. It’s been a very good but rather humbling process.
Breath and Breathing and Dancing are all invitations of the Spirit.
dance 1
Author Joyce Rupp, in her book, MAY I HAVE THIS DANCE, invites us to consider the Invitation of Jesus to dance with Him.
But just when
The old heap of bones seems most dry
And deserted,
A strong Breath of Life
Stirs among the dead.Someone named God
Comes to my fragments
And asks, with twinkling eye:
“May I have this dance?”
“God constantly visits my valley of dry bones and invites me to dance. “ Joyce Rupp
I think we all need to accept the invitation to DANCE with JESUS!
One year at the Abbey of Gethsemani, The Sprit invited me to go dance before God on the Cross hill…I went up the hill and danced with Jesus …and Jesus asked me to leave my shoes as a symbol of leaving behind the old things …Jesus invited me to leave behind my fears and dance freely in the love and grace of the protected one.
More recently I was invited by my friend Katherine to attend an experiential dance class led by Hillary Mcbride and Lisa Gungor. It was a step of faith for me and getting out of my comfort zone. But I decided to accept the invitation of Jesus and went for it!
While I wasn’t as free as some of the folks there to move and dance the entire session…through the dancing and movement that I did do, Jesus met me and showed me some powerful things.
I found myself swaying to the music and holding my arms as if I was holding a baby. I have taught myself and others that we need to be wrapped in God’s love just as Mary wrapped Jesus in swaddling clothes. In this dance experience, Jesus showed me that I needed to be rocked in God’s love as an infant in the arms of LOVE, and know too that I can rock myself and love myself. I backed against a wall as I moved and this reminded me that Jesus has my back….I smiled broadly as I danced up against that WALL OF LOVE.
How do you view dancing with Jesus now?
Did you have any experience dancing in a church or worship setting? Or was dancing illegal?
In 2 Samuel 6, King David Danced before the Lord with all his might!
Ecclesiastes 3:4 reminds us that there is a time to mourn and a time to dance.
And the prophet Jeremiah gives us hope….
Then young women will dance and be glad,
young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into gladness;
I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.
Jeremiah 31:13
How do you feel about dancing? What does dancing feel like to you?
Is it easy for you to dance?
Does music bring you to your feet and get you moving?
How does it feel to be invited to dance with Jesus?
Joyce Rupp says “Prayer is a time to dance with our Divine Partner, to let God take the lead, and to enjoy the true delight and source of life that God is for us. “
What if we practice movement/dance as an act of prayer? What would that be like for you? What music would you put on to dance to? Would you be inside or outside for you dance party?
In these days following Pentecost, let the Spirit fill you with love and freedom to dance again! Let the Spirit BREATHE into you again! Accept the Invitation to Dance with Jesus!
The Valley of Dry Bones Ezekiel 37: 1-5
The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”
4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath[a] enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
LISTEN to Jon Batiste’s Song Freedom and practice your Dancing! and receive the Freedom and Love of Jesus!
by Carol Dixon
May 26th is the feast day of the Venerable Bede who was born around 673 AD. The first we hear of Bede is as a 7 year old sent to the abbey of Monkwearmouth to be educated by the abbot Benedict Biscop, a well- travelled cleric who often visited Rome, taking illuminated manuscripts from Northumbria and bringing back books for the monastery, along with that at their sister house at Jarrow, to which Bede was later sent under the tutelage of Abbot Ceolfrith, and their library was known as one of the greatest in the Anglo-Saxon world. In 686 a plague broke out and many of the local population including all of the monks at Jarrow died, apart from Ceolfrith and Bede. Bede was later to refer to it in one of the many books he wrote, which included the lives of the Saints (such as Aidan & Cuthbert) and his now famous ‘Ecclesiastical History of the English People’.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bede – Public Domain
One of the amazing things I find about Bede that seems relevant to us today is that he made very few journeys and rarely left the monastery where he lived yet his writings were well-known in his own time across the whole of Europe and became stalwart reference books for people like Alcuin of York, who was invited by the emperor Charlemagne to be the leading scholar and teacher in his court.
In our times of the coronavirus ‘plague’ when so many of us were only able to leave our homes occasionally I found it heartening that the faith of this devout man had such a resonance at home and abroad, despite him being in ‘lockdown’ most of the time in his monastery. He still performed his daily chores and stopped for times of prayer, yet his insatiable thirst for learning, spreading his faith and encouraging others from the sanctuary of his own home kept him busy and his example even in his own time was a blessing to many.
Not all of us are called upon to write classics of English Literature but, as fellow followers of Jesus, we are also called by God to serve faithfully wherever we are and whatever circumstances we find ourselves in – whether doing chores, making times for regular prayer, or serving our neighbours and society in any way we can. One of Bede’s most famous prayers is still used regularly at St Paul’s Church, Jarrow which stands on the site of his monastery:
The Prayer of St. Bede “I implore you, good Jesus, that as in your mercy you have given me to drink in with delight the words of your knowledge, so of your loving kindness you will also grant me one day to come to you, the fountain of all wisdom, and to stand for ever before your face.” – See more at http://www.stpeters-wearmouth.org.uk/.
In my home church we sometimes sing an ascension hymn, A hymn of glory let us sing’ written by Bede (who wrote a number of hymns, including some music).
1 A hymn of glory let us sing!
New hymns throughout the world shall ring.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Christ, by a road before untrod,
ascends unto the throne of God.
Alleluia! (x5)
2 The holy apostolic band
upon the Mount of Olives stand.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
And with his faithful followers see
their Lord ascend in majesty. Alleluia! (x5)
3 To whom the shining angels cry,
‘Why stand and gaze upon the sky?’
Alleluia! Alleluia!
‘This is the Saviour!’ Thus they say,
‘This is his glorious triumph day!’ Alleluia! (x5)
4 O risen Christ, ascended Lord,
all praise to you let earth accord;
Alleluia! Alleluia!
You are, while endless ages run,
with Father and with Spirit one. Alleluia! (x5)
Hymnum canamus gloriae The Venerable Bede (673-735)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bede – Public Domain
Here’s a slightly different version incorporating his prayer:
At Godspace, environmental issues and creation care are two things we are passionate about.
This document is designed to help you celebrate Earth Day by making a positive impact on the environment. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale of environmental issues facing our planet, but by taking small, simple steps, we can all make a difference!
It is a grey drippy day in Seattle, more like what I expect of March than May. In spite of the inclement weather we managed to plant our tomatoes yesterday, 28 beautiful plants now ready to grow into the sky. We have found that a post hole digger is the perfect implement to dig deep holes for the plants so that they can form good root systems. It was a very satisfying accomplishment.
Last Sunday was Pentecost Sunday and we are now in what is known as ordinary time a term that I must confess I hate. I know that all it means is that there are no major feasts to celebrate in this season but it still seems a misnomer. To me this is extraordinary time, the time when we are out fully engaged in God’s world. Perhaps you are planning a special vacation over the next few months, or are involved in working with the marginalized or with the preservation of God’s good earth.
At least we do have some things to celebrate during this season. I love that the first Sunday of this season of the liturgical calendar is Trinity Sunday when we celebrate a doctrine that is at the very centre of our faith – the triune nature of God. This theme was particularly important for Celtic Christians who embraced the Trinity as a family, and each human family unit (be it family, clan or tribe) was seen as an icon of the Trinity. The Trinity was a very real presence in all aspects of life and creation, and an almost tangible Comforter and Protector who could ward off evil forces. We see this theological perspective reflected in the simple prayer above and I love the implication that this triune nature of God is reflected in the created world around us. Maybe you would like to go out and see how many tripartite flowers and leaves you can find.
Today we published the 8th episode of Liturgical Rebels podcast. This is a fascinating episode with Tony Jones about his new book The God of Wild Places. Tony shares his journey from being a pastor in the Emerging Church Network to finding solace and connection with God in the wilderness. Tony emphasizes the importance of nature in spiritual experiences and how it can be a place to interact with God. The conversation explores the hunting and eating of animals, and the role of hunting in conservation and the importance of respecting and caring for creation.
My Meditation Monday – The Spiritual Practice of Remodeling really seemed to strike a chord with many of you this week. Many of us experience God’s desire to repurpose, recycle and reuse the challenging experiences of the past as something we find compelling to reflect on. “What is your vision for the transformation God would like to accomplish in your life?
What do you think God wants to refurbish, preserve, repurpose or fix now to avoid disastrous consequences in the future?”
My Friday post on Substack Spiritual Practice: Look Up and See the Lights continued my thoughts on the aurora borealis and my sadness at discovering that “light pollution prevents nearly 80 percent of people in North America from seeing the Milky Way in the night sky. Our home galaxy is now hidden from more than one-third of humanity.” What would our world look like without all these artificial lights I wonder? I hope you took opportunity to go outside at night and gaze up at the awe inspiring beauty of the Milky Way.
On Godspacelight, in the spirit of repurposing, we reposted Lyn Domina’s fantastic post from 2018 Foolish Diversity in honor of International Diversity Day. “What was God thinking, creating us all so different and yet so opinionated? We argue about baseball teams, cookie recipes, whether the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son or only from the Father, daylight savings time, guns, beer, abortion, rock and roll or rap, and who makes the best pancakes. Why didn’t God just create us as more similar and more agreeable?”
On Saturday Joy Lenton’s post was a great preparation for Pentecost Sunday. I found her meditation exercise to be particularly powerful.
On Friday, Lilly Lewin’s Freerange Friday https://godspacelight.com/
Next week Tom and I are heading to Britain for a couple of weeks. We begin our journey in Brighton and London then to Malmsebury near Bristol and on to Durham and then Edinburgh. We are looking forward to catching up with friends and learning more about what is happening in the church in Britain. Because of our travels, Melissa will compose next week’s Keeping Up With The News.
We appreciate your prayers for our travels.
Many blessings
Christine Sine.
In this conversation, Tony shares his journey from being a pastor in the Emerging Church Network to finding solace and connection with God in the wilderness. Tony emphasizes the importance of nature in spiritual experiences and how it can be a place to interact with God. He explores the presence of death in life from composting and gardening to hunting. The conversation explores the paradox of valuing animals and of hunting and eating them, the responsibility humans have for the death of animals, and the need for honesty about animal deaths. The conversation concludes with a discussion on mortality and the focus on living the best life in the present.
Tony Jones is the author of The God of Wild Places and contributing writer to several outdoors periodicals. He’s written a dozen books, including Did God Kill Jesus? and The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life, developed the iPhone app, hosts the Reverend Hunter Podcast, and teaches at Fuller Theological Seminary and The Loft Literary Center. He writes a weekly newsletter on Substack. He holds an A.B. from Dartmouth College, an M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary.
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Takeaways
- Tony’s journey from being a pastor in the Emerging Church Network to finding solace and connection with God in the wilderness
- The challenges and advantages of being an Enneagram 8
- The importance of nature in spiritual experiences and connecting with God
- The metaphor of composting for the cycle of life and the interconnectedness of all creation.
- Humans are responsible for the death of animals, whether we eat meat or not, and it is important to be honest about our choices.
- Respecting and caring for creation is an important aspect of our relationship with the natural world.
- Focusing on living the best life in the present and embracing our mortality can lead to a deeper appreciation for life and the world around us.
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Contact Information for Tony Jones
Email: tj@tonyj.net
Mobile phone: 612-597-0441
Website: ReverendHunter.com
Facebook: facebook.com/jonestony
Twitter: @jonestony
Instagram: @TheReverendHunter
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