by Barbie Perks
When I was in lockdown in South Africa a couple of weeks ago, I was reading an online devotion from the Scripture Union UK WordLive site. I have been mulling over it ever since. It was a challenge to think a little differently about the Parable of the Sower (Luke 8:4-15; Matthew 13:1-23). Luke says the seed is the word of God, and describes the reactions of those who hear it in terms of belief, salvation, faith, testing and maturity. Matthew describes it in terms of understanding the message about the kingdom, and how growth results from that understanding.
The challenge I took from the devotion was to reflect a little more on the meaning of the parable, going a little deeper than just reading it, thinking it just refers to hearing the call to salvation, therefore since I am already saved, I don’t need to respond to it any further. The seed is the word of God – the message about the kingdom – what am I understanding about the seed, the message today since I became a believer nearly 50 years ago?
A farmer went to sow his seed: there are many ‘farmers’ out there today – in print, on tape, online, in person – sharing the word of God in many formats. Who are you listening to? What are they saying? Are you studying the Word of God for yourself, so that you know that what they say is truly based on a sound knowledge of the Word?
Seed fell along the path, it was trampled, birds came and ate it up: a path is a well worn place that many have travelled – how often do we hear the same Bible passage preached on, and just ignore it because we are so familiar with it? Think of the other parables of Jesus, his castigation of the Pharisees, his praise of those who had faith in his ability to heal. Think of the sermon on the mount, those wonderful ‘guidelines’ for living the Christian life! Think of the Advent season. Think of Easter. How often do you actually “hear and understand the message”?
Seed fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil – it sprang up, but withered because it had no root/moisture: it’s interesting that this seed is received with joy, but testing and troubles cause it not to grow. Which talks and sermons, which books, which studies and discussions have you heard, read, participated in that have brought a joyful insight into your situation, that sadly has been short-lived because of the overwhelming reality of your circumstances?
Seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants: people who hear the word, but the worries of life, deceitfulness of wealth and pleasures choke the word and make it unfruitful. There is a certain lack of maturity that results because we are so concerned with everyday matters and worries, we don’t get a chance to put into daily practice those things that we know would help us grow in our faith. Our level of trust, faith and knowledge of God remains very basic. We know we should be producing ‘fruit’ but wonder what that ‘fruit’ is. What concerns and worries do you have, very especially at this time of pandemic, panic, riot, economic and political instability that could choke your faith and trust in God?
Seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop – 30, 60, 100 times what was sown! Oh, don’t we all want to be this seed!! Matthew says it’s the person who hears the word and understands it; Luke says it’s those with good and noble hearts, who hear the word, retain it and by perseverance produce the crop. What is the attitude that we come to God’s word with – a desire to understand, to be changed, to be productive for the kingdom? When life throws curve balls at us, when the devil attempts to take the word away from our hearts – how do we respond? Do we retain what we have learned in good times, that will sustain us and help us to persevere through the bad?
Jesus ended his parable saying, “He who has ears, let him hear”, and in Luke 8:18a he says “consider carefully how you listen…”
God, grant me ears to listen and hear your word, a heart to receive your word with joy, a mind to understand and put into practice what I learn, and a calm, trusting spirit to enable me to persevere and grow in my knowledge of you.
Photo above © Christine Sine
by Carol Dixon
A Psalm of lament and praise in a time of coronavirus
How shall we praise you, Lord, our God?
When we are locked down,
how shall we praise you?
When the doors to your house are barred,
and your people cannot assemble?
When those desperately in need of money and work
cannot even wait in the market-place?
When we have to circle round people in the street,
and to queue for shops maintaining safe distance?
When we can only communicate
by hearing on the phone,
or seeing on the screen;
or digitally messaging,
or even just waving through a window?
When we cannot meet our parents and children,
grandparents and grandchildren,
or other family members and friends?
When we cannot touch them in their flesh and blood,
to know they are really alive?
How shall we praise you?
How, like Thomas, shall we not see yet believe
that your son is raised among us?
How shall we praise you?
How can I praise you, Lord?
Are you plaguing us with this virus
to punish us because we have all done wrong,
or thought wrongly,
or felt wrongly,
or just been wrong?
If so, why do only some die,
and those, apparently, the ones who are the least worst or most caring amongst us?
Or are you trying to teach us a lesson?
If so, why is it so hard to learn?
And how are we to find the answer
when we do not even know the question?
Or are you still the same loving God,
coming to us in our sufferings
and opening up the way to new life in Jesus?
Lord, I will try to praise you.
Through gritted teeth,
I will try to praise you.
I will try to remember that you have created all things,
and this virus is part of your creation.
I will try not to hate it
but seek to mitigate its harm.
I will try to keep myself and others safe.
I will work to pray for them
and seek to help in whatever way I can.
Lord, when I cannot pray or worship
help me be aware of all your people
and your saints and angels
hovering around me,
lifting me up.
When I feel alone,
let me feel you near me,
even if only for a moment that enables me to go on.
Let me hear you say
“Peace be with you”.
Lord, I will praise you.
Let all the peoples praise you. ©Revd Kenneth Howcroft (Used with permission )[Methodist 50 days Summer Reflections]
Recently, I came across the above awesome modern Psalm written during the current crisis. I found it very honest and powerful and it reminded me of how we need to be straight with God in our prayers – not wallowing in despair but truthfully sharing with God how we are feeling.
One of the Psalms in the Old Testament that spoke to me recently in my prayer time when I felt that the Coronavirus pandemic is never ending is Psalm 13. John Bell’s ‘How long, O Lord’ is a call for help that God in his mercy hears our cry.
The second Psalm that resonated with me is Psalm 137. This anguished cry from the heart is by someone unwillingly dragged off into exile in a foreign land, having witnessed the total destruction of his homeland and the death of many of his friends and relatives. The pain and anger in the words is almost palpable.
While I cannot begin to imagine how terrible that must be, this Psalm gave me great comfort and hope in a time of pain and difficulty in my own life. Some years ago I was laid aside with an illness that forced me to rest every afternoon in bed for almost 2 years and I had to give up most of my usual activities including my work as a lay preacher and co-ordinator of our church folk group. I felt as though I was in exile in a strange land. Yet it was in this time of disconnection from the familiar that I learned to draw near to God in new ways and began to ‘sing the Lord’s song in a strange land’ as God gave me the gift of hymn writing.
In grief and loss, I cry to you,
And by your cross, you see me through;
You hold me up, bearing my pain,
I drink your cup and live again.
When I am weak you strengthen me,
And as I seek your face, I see
You weep my tears, share my heartbreak,
And all my fears from me you take.
Jesus my Lord, reach out your hand,
Just say the word and I will stand,
Wounded and pained, my heart I yield,
Broken and drained, yet I am healed. © Carol Dixon
(music available from carol.dixon@talktalk.net)
Photo by Carol Dixon
Jesus himself spoke honestly to God and to those around him and his statement ‘I am the way, the truth and the life’ encourages us as we follow in his footsteps by the way we live our lives. If we are truthful when we speak to God and others, ‘speaking the truth in love’ and are willing to look for life-giving hope in dark situations, then the life that was in Jesus will live in us and guide us on our way with him.
Is there someone you know who needs God’s mercy today in their lives to whom you can bring the love and peace of God in this pandemic, through prayer or action, to lead them on the path from despair to hope? Is God calling you to walk the way of Jesus bringing truth and life in the Holy Spirit into their lives – and yours?
In a recent survey, we were told that people really like the prayer cards in our store, so we are offering them on sale for the month of August! A book bundle includes the book as well as a set of prayer cards. If you have not checked them out yet, please do!
These cards are great for using as a spiritual practice that allows you to focus on the words and photo by tangibly holding the prayer card. They make a great gift for family and friends as well!
Book Bundles on Sale!
- The Gift of Wonder + Gift of Wonder Prayer Cards
- Return to Our Senses + Breath Prayer Cards
- To Garden with God + Celtic Prayer Cards
- A Journey into Wholeness + Breath Prayer Cards
- A Journey Toward Home + Advent Prayer Cards
- Waiting for the Light + Advent Prayer Cards
- Return to Our Senses + Study Guide + Breath Prayer Cards – Download
- To Garden with God + Celtic Prayer Cards – Download
Prayer Cards on Sale!
For the month of August, our prayer cards are on sale! One card set is $9.99 and 3 sets are $24.99!
Breath Prayer Cards: Uniquely designed with a breath word and prayer each card will help lead you into a powerful meditation. Contains 12 cards in a set.
Celtic Prayer Cards: Each set contains 10 prayers inspired by ancient Celtic saints or contemporary Celtic writers. A short reflection on the back of each card will introduce you to the Celtic Christian tradition.
Advent Prayer Cards: This set of 12 cards will help you reflect on the Advent and Christmas story. They begin with Celtic Advent including 6 for Advent, 1 for Christmas Eve, 4 for the Christmas season and 1 for the Eve of Epiphany.
I’ve been doing a bit of taking known Bible stories and giving them a “flip” sideways. I have written a tale about Adam and Eve being bored with being shut in the Garden of Eden and wanting out which is why they succumbed to the temptation of the apple. I don’t believe it came out of the blue. ?
Anyway, yesterday I was chatting with friends about Bible stories people struggle with and how much is allegorical and how much was factual. One of those tales was Noah’s ark. So I will share my thoughts.
Noah’s Tale
The world was a bad place. People were going about their daily lives selfishly and not thinking of each other. The economy was in bits, people weren’t caring for each other. There were wars and rumors of wars and the fears of climate change.
Noah was praying and asking God what should be done when God said to him “Gather your family around you, your sons and their wives, and gather a selection of animals and food for you all and go to the place I have for you.”
“But how long for,” asks Noah. “And why?”
“Just take them all and gather what you need and shut the doors,” said God
So Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives, plus a selection of animals, at least one male and one female of each kind, went to the large farmstead they had built and padlock all the gates. As soon as they had done this, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced a global pandemic. Governments across the world said people must stay at home until further notice.
One month passed and Noah and his family were getting a bit fed up of just seeing each other, of playing board games, of reading books, of making bread, so Noah asked God how long this would last and God replied, “Until it is over.” Another month passed, then another. Slowly governments start to lift the lockdowns to restart the economy. The Noah family started to kill the rapidly breeding rabbits to feed themselves and some of the carnivores. They cut the hay, milked the cows and looked to the internet to see what was going on. There was the threat of a second wave and so they waited.
Ok, you’re getting the picture. Noah went into the ark whilst God cleared up the world around them. Noah did not know what was going on as him and his family were effectively on lockdown. Noah also did not know how long they would all be in the ark and how much they would need to continue their lockdown.
As I chatted with my friends about this, I felt we’ve had this tale sanitised in too many Sunday school classes and tried to explain it away so we like the story but if we look at it as an allegory we can see the tale as relevant for our lives today. God shut a family away together for an interminable amount of time and yet was still with them. They did not know how much food to take on the ark for themselves and these animals, but there was enough.
I believe God said to me yesterday that we are like Noah and in unprecedented times for an undeterminable amount of time, but that he is with us and there is enough to keep us going.
~~~~~
Post originally from Aspirational Adventures. Photo above by Jeff Jacobs on Pixabay.com.
by Christine Sine
It’s week three of my discernment process.
At the beginning of the week, I was getting really impatient and frustrated because I was a little sick of the journey and wanted to get to the end. So I drew another doodle. It was a very simple doodle that I realized when I opened my eyes, I had drawn with a pen that was on its last legs. So there were some gaps in the pattern. I quickly filled it in to create the pattern below and as I did so, I heard God say those unwanted words BE PATIENT.
Simple doodle
Be Patient
Be patient – some lines are incomplete and still need work to become what they are intended to be.
Be patient – those lines could become the strongest of all.
Be patient – the strong and the weak intermingle to form the completed pattern.
Be patient – don’t hurry, do not get ahead of yourself or ahead of God.
Be patient – allow God to fill in the lines.
It is hard for me to be patient, to wait for God and listen. I want the questions I am focusing on to move me towards action and I have a pretty good idea of what I want that action to look like.
Becoming Indifferent
The second word that came to me was INDIFFERENCE, a thought that was stirred by Elizabeth Liebert’s The Way of Discernment. It may sound a little strange as we tend to think of indifference as unconcern. She, however, talks about becoming indifferent to the outcome of a discernment process by laying down our preconceived ideas of what the future should hold. I wanted to give birth to something new and therefore, in my mind, exciting – maybe a new book or a new focus for my writing over the next couple of years.
“Reaching the point of indifference in discernment simply means no longer being bound to any single option, outcome, point of view, ideology, person or strong impulse towards any single option. It means experiencing a freedom to choose what best nourishes both one’s deepest happiness and the world’s thriving.” (Liebert 34)
So I had just settled in to wait and had laid down all my expectations of what the future could hold when I had one of those providential encounters that seemed to bring everything into focus and help me to realize exactly where my heart lies.
The power of awe and wonder
Healing Power of Awe and Wonder
I don’t need a new focus, I already have a passion. Over the last few months, our souls have been battered by pandemics, race riots, economic insecurities and environmental crises. It seems to me that the whole population is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Awe and wonder are powerful but little recognized tools to help bring healing in the midst of this trauma. And that is where I feel my focus needs to be – helping people tap into the healing power of awe and wonder.
We all need to discover the wonder of a God who loves us and our world passionately and feels deeply the pain of what is happening. We need to rediscover the joy of living in the world as it is now, not as it was or as we hope it will be and to learn to rejoice in the beauty of the small and the hidden things, the delight of gasping in awe at the created world through which the glory of God shimmers.
We also need to reconnect to the wonder of a vulnerable God who feels deeply the pain of our world and who often most vividly appears in the outcast, the broken, the marginalized and the abandoned. When our hearts ache, it is God’s pain that aches in us. God suffers with us and I am awed by the wonder of this God who is present in inspiring ways in the midst of our lament.
I am not sure that my discernment process is over, but I now feel that I have a sense of the next steps and once again it is John O’Donohue who leads me.
When the heart is ready for a fresh beginning unforeseen things can emerge”
I realize that what has emerged here is not unforeseen to many of my friends. When I asked my Facebook friends what they saw as my contribution to the world, the commonest response was “connecting us to awe and wonder”. So expect to hear more about awe and wonder from me in the future. It really does have incredible healing power.
As usual I am posting the Taize style service from St Andrews Episcopal church in Seattle with Carrie Grace Littauer, Prayer Leader, with music by Kester Limner and Andy Myers.
I am also posting another service of Lament from The Many, as I know that many of us are struggling with lament and loss at the moment. I appreciate both these groups giving me permission to post these services which I know enrich so many of us.
by Tom Sine
Clearly, recovering from the Corona Pandemic is going much slower than many of us had hoped for. Economists are asking the urgently important questions about what kind of an economic future are we racing into now.
Increasingly, some economists are predicting that we could be entering a longer, more prolonged recession due to the increasingly high levels of unemployment and the dramatic increase in the number of businesses headed into bankruptcy. It could be a very rough recession for all of us… particularly Gen Next.
Churches Waking up to Recession Next
Every major corporation has a plan for how they will deal with the next recession. However, I have never found a local church that has any kind of plan to enable members and neighbors to deal with recession next.
In 2007, as we were headed into a new recession, we organized a group of some 50 Christian leaders here in Seattle to do some idea storming of innovative ways they might prep for recession next, which I wrote about in the Leadership Journal in 2009.
For example, Trinity Lutheran offered a course on financial steps to reduce their economic vulnerability. A number of congregations posted on their websites asking members who had an extra car in their driveways or vacant rooms in their homes to share with others. However, we did not consider coming up with ideas to enable the youngest millennial generation to deal with the impact of the recession as they launched their lives. Numbers postponed getting married, starting families and a surprising number are still struggling to get their lives started.
Churches Waking up to the Impact on Gen Next!
“The Great Recession has had a lasting effect on Millennials, including fewer jobs available, decreased savings, and a reluctance to purchase homes. Many Millennials graduated at the height of the crisis, leaving them with high levels of student loan debt.”
As a consequence of the 07-09 recession, Millennials have less money invested and own fewer homes. They are currently being laid off faster than older workers. Those that are working make less money, have smaller savings accounts and still have over a half a trillion dollars of student loans to keep paying off.
Older Gen Z grads are among the first ones being laid off as we enter this new recession. Many of the Gen Z young that are in middle school and high school are going to have classroom education interrupted which could postpone their high school graduation. College educational options are also uncertain which could put their future on hold.
Churches Creating New Possibilities With the Good News Gen!
All church leaders have learned the bad news from Pew Research about Gen Next… few of them are going to affiliate with churches. However, tragically, few leaders have read about the research that makes it clear that Gen Y and Z are actually the good news generations!
Since Gen Y & Z are the first digital generations, they seem to not only be more aware of issues like environmental, racial and economic justice, but a higher percentage of these two generations care deeply about these issues and want to invest their lives in serious change making. Burlap is the best website that reports on Gen Y & Z.
I urge leaders in churches and non-profits to immediately start working with those in Gen Y and Z in their neighborhoods and congregations that are likely to be unemployed by the accelerating recession. First, invite them to change-making workshops with local social action innovators to help them identify existing opportunities to be employed by governmental or social service non-profits.
Then, in a second change-making workshop, invite the unemployed young to idea-storm new innovative ways to do much needed change-making in their neighborhoods that both make a real difference and hopefully provide a modest income. A surprising number of innovative members of Gen Y & Z have already successfully launched new social innovations that are making a real difference.
Several years ago, I was invited by the Christian Reformed Church to lead a Futures Innovation Workshop for a group of 45 or 50 leaders of Christian non-profits in Grand Rapids. I discovered that a number of them didn’t realize that several creative millennials in their community had started their own social innovations. So I started our time together by inviting them to share.
Dana Doll began by sharing her story about starting the Tree Tops Collective. She and several of her friends became concerned by the growing number of women and their children who had migrated to the US from the middle east who couldn’t find work. They created a successful program to teach these women to make pottery to enable them to become self-reliant.
Justin Beene became concerned about the very alarming number of young people in the black community in Grand Rapids who couldn’t find work. He and his friends started the Center for Community Transformation that started two innovative programs that trains and employs the young. Rising Grinds produces and sells coffee. Youth Build both trains young people in the trades and helps them find jobs. It was clear as the non-profit leaders questioned these two millennials they were not aware that young people were creating these forms of empowerment.
One of my favorite examples is the Colonial Church in Edina, Minnesota that sold some of their land for $2 million. The pastor decided to use 20% of that sum to run an annual Social Enterprise Competition called Innove’ for young innovators. All you had to be was under 30 and have an innovative idea. You didn’t even have to attend that church. If you won, you not only received money for you and your team to get started, but a team of business leaders in the church helped you design a launch plan to get your social innovation off to a strong start.
Mike Glover was the Innove’ winner in 2015. He became increasingly concerned for the well-being of 80,000 Somali who had settled in the Twin Cities. Mike’s winning idea was to start Hoyo, an enterprise employing Somali women to make sambusas to sell in a broad range of grocery stores in the region. Using industrial kitchens in several churches enabled this social innovation to get off to a strong start. (from Live Like You Give a Damn! Join the Changemaking Celebration)
Couldn’t churches or non-profits in your communities start running social enterprise competitions in your communities to enable Gen Y & Z to start new forms of social innovation to make a difference where you live instead of waiting in their parent’s basement, like too many young millenniums did waiting for the 07-09 recession to end?
Please contact me and let me know if you have some new ideas of how to enable the Good News Generation to use their gifts to both create and launch some new social innovations for times like these. We are trying to get something started as quickly as possible.
Join the Launch Team!
If you are interested in joining the Launch Team for our book, 2020s Foresight, please contact me and visit our Facebook page.
- Buy it on Amazon on September 1st, sharing images of the book online
- When the book arrives, post a picture of you holding it on social media
- Read it, & post a 5 star review on Amazon, if you find it worthy… say a few nice things in any case
BTW… If you decide to read the book with a few friends, let me know… either myself or my co-author, Dwight Friesen may be able to Zoom into your group and join your conversation. It is designed to be a study book with questions at the end of each chapter. We would value your feedback.
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