By Lisa Scandrette —
Mother’s day weekend gave me a chance to sit in awe and wonder as we cued up old family videos. My babies were captured on the screen, frozen in the mid 1990s—bright eyes, white blond hair, tiny voices, and emerging personalities. In some ways, these tiny ones seemed removed from the young adults who were watching them with me. But I can see a familiar crinkle of the eyes or turn of the mouth that still appears across their grown faces. We comment, recognizing that this child has ALWAYS carried a bag, or has been wearing the same style of shoe since age 12, or has raised their eyebrow in a certain way since they were a preschooler, or wrote stories since the time their writing looked like scribbles on a page. Their personalities shine through. Each of my babies, in the tiny package of their human selves held the potential of who they are today, with personality, interests, and passions all their own. Some things have been nurtured, somethings have perhaps lain dormant, still waiting to be awakened. Looking into their eyes, I can see past, present and even future selves. They are grown now, forging their own pathways, finding out how to continue to nurture themselves, continue to flourish, continue to grow.
I stand in awe of the process that turned them into adults….the slow-by-days, but rapid-by-years way that a child grows. Watching the videos, I am impressed that time will continue to move at ever increasing speeds. The time passed is likely equal to or less than the time to come. So, what is this Mama to do? I want to watch their journeys with awe, curiosity and wonder. I want to continue to expand and grow myself. I want to slow down and attend to the moments I am in, not living in the past or the future so much that I miss the present. I want to live life at the pace to notice and care.
When I was young, my mom often commented that if I “moved any slower, I would be going backwards.” Though my pokiness was not advantageous to completing household tasks quickly, I’m learning to appreciate it as a tool of presence. When I move slowly, I notice. I notice tiny flowers along the path. I notice small children. I notice the people I pass. I notice beautiful words, the way the shadows fall, the way wool feels, and I relish it. I also listen—to the birds in the trees, to the experience of another, to the emotion in the voice of the person I am sitting with. When I move slowly, I hear the whisper of Creator.
Unfortunately, this sort of slowing does not come naturally. I wish it was as easy as it sounds, but I need to cultivate it. Otherwise, my mind leap frogs from the cares of the past, skips right over the present, and runs circles around the concerns of the future. It forgets what is most real and true. As I have become more attuned to the need to slow my mind to focus on life in the present—the life I can actually live right now—I have begun experimenting with practices that aid me.
As basic as it may sound, it’s been helpful for me to place limits on how I engage with technology. It’s embarrassing how easily I can be distracted by email, social media, endless scrolling and googling, scrolling away far more time than I wanted to lend the activity. The information at my finger tips is often a larger portion than my human sized brain can or should digest in such a short period of time. The last six months, I have been trying to make it harder to unintentionally distract myself. I turn my computer off when I am done with my work day. When I sit down in the evening to rest, I charge my phone in a room away from me. The added steps of going to get my phone or turning on my computer give me a moment to consider if this is how I want to spend the present moment. As a by product, I’ve ended up doing more conversing, reading, knitting, resting and thinking.
Gratitude has also helped me to settle my mind. I might express thanks for my steaming morning coffee, the percussive music of the rain, encouragement from a family member, a warm, soft blanket, a house that keeps me warm and dry, or companionship during a challenging season. This keeps me grounded in paying attention to the present, especially when I am tempted to worry about the future. Gratitude reminds me that God has cared for me in the past, cares for me in the present and will likely care for me in the future.
Sometimes slowing the pace of my day helps me slow my mind. I choose to walk, rather than drive, to a destination in my neighborhood. I settle into knitting slowly and rhythmically. Or I set a timer and commit to an activity for longer than my restlessness desires. When I relax into a slower pace, my mind often begins to follow, slowing down, remembering what is significant, responding in thanks, trust, and wonder.
Slowing down takes practice. I want results. I want to have already learned to attend to the present and not miss any of the moments God has for me in this day of life. Yet, surely the way that children grow is the way we grow—that slow-by-days, but rapid-by-years way that God is at work in us past, present, and future.
by Christine Sine
We used to say ‘interesting’, then ‘very interesting’, then ‘amazing’, and now, at least in cool circles, or circles trying to be cool, ‘awesome’. An American waiter will routinely say ‘awesome’ when you give your order. This inflation has diminishing returns on the capital sum of experience. How quickly we forget or become bored with what we spend all our resources on praising to the heights. The value of the currency of language tumbles.
The thoughts in this article sent to me by Rodney Marsh in Australia, echoed in my mind this afternoon as I reflected on my weekend. On Saturday I facilitated by first Gift of Wonder retreat in Bend Oregon and I had planned to share the highlights of the retreat and the lessons I learned in today’s meditation Monday. But providential encounters took over and I am still both sobered by the lack of awe in our society and carry a growing passion to reconnect people to the awe they should be experiencing and the language they need to express it.
On Friday as I headed through airport security I started chatting to a man from Alaska. When he found out where I was headed and what I was doing his eyes gleamed and his ears perked up. His wife died 2 years ago and since then he has been searching for meaning in his life. Awe and wonder is the avenue he has chosen through which to explore that.
He told me that there is a grove of cedar trees on his property, some of which are estimated at 900 years old. The deepest sense of meaning he has found in life is standing amongst those trees looking up. He is inspired by their majesty and by his imagining of the stories of those who have gone before him standing in this same space, admiring the same trees and being awed by their magnificence. This, he told me, is what has brought him the closest to believing in God.
People are hungry for awe and wonder and for the God it reveals to them.
On the flight I pulled out my powerpoint to revise my notes for the next day. As I worked on the slide above, the young woman next to me leaned over and asked “Did you write that book?” She had just bought 2 copies at Barnes and Noble intending to read it with a friend. She was hungry for awe and wonder in her life and felt The Gift of Wonder would help her find that. My suggestion, borrowed from Landmarks, that we need to re-wonder the world lit up her eyes with excitement. “We use the word awesome all the time.” she said “but it doesn’t have any meaning anymore. ” I was sobered by how closely her words echoed the thoughts in the article quoted above.
Then on the trip home I talked to a New Zealand woman who like me has relocated to Seattle. She told me that her mother would not let them use the word awesome for everyday encounters and events. She thought it needed to be used solely for God and God’s creation. Once again her words seemed to echo the article above. Not only don’t we notice awe inspiring sights, we are bored with the language of awe because we have so saturated our vocabulary with awesome words that they no longer have any meaning.
We don’t just need to re-wonder the world, we need to re-wonder our language.
I hope that I have not bored you over the last few months with the language of awe. Hopefully, as it has done for me, it has had the opposite effect and you find yourself dancing and laughing at the truly awesome nature of our world and our God. Bt just in case that is not true, I wanted to end this series with a few suggestions of how to keep your eyes and ears and our language alive to that which is truly awe inspiring. These are borrowed from The Gift of Wonder. and you might like to reread the chapter on awe and wonder. I find that things like this need frequent repetition and I suspect you find the same.
- Set aside awe inspiring language to use only for that which is truly awe inspiring. How often do you use awe inspiring language for that which is not awe inspiring at all? What would it look like for us to cut out words like “awesome” and “brilliant” and “amazing” from our speech unless we are praising God and God’s creation?
- Slow down and take notice. Awe is rooted in silence and slowness. If you aren’t walking or able to give something 100% of your attention it probably isn’t awesome. This is what the awe and wonder walks Tom and I take have made possible for us. We move slowly enough to notice and then our conversation encourages us to give the object that has caught our imaginations, 100% of our attention.
- Take notice of what gives you goosebumps. Goosebumps, unexpected gasps, and “wow” response are expressions of genuine awe. These are deserving of the word “awesome”. Relish what you have noticed, savor your response to it and don’t be afraid to call it awesome.
By Lilly Lewin
I believe strongly that we need everyday ways to experience and connect with Jesus. Too often, we make prayer too hard and complex.
I like to use things I do and see everyday, to help me remember and help me to connect with Jesus and help me pray.
I made similar list last summer, but here are a few ideas to help you practice and pray in this new season.
Breathing! Just Breathe! Breathe in the Love of Jesus, breathe out frustration. Breathe in the Peace of God, breathe out anxiety. Breathe in the Hope of the Holy Spirit, Breathe out uncertainty and fear. Breathe in Love!
Standing in the Wind… Stand in the Wind and let the breeze blow over you.
Imagine the wind of the Holy Spirit filling you and inspiring you.
Feel the wind on your face, your skin.
Imagine God touching you with God’s love and kindness.
Watch the trees. Listen to the sound of the wind as it blows the foliage. What is God saying to you through the wind and the breeze today? Ask Jesus to show you?
Putting on SunScreen/Suntan Lotion… As you put on your sunscreen, ask Jesus to protect you from harm.
or Use the lotion as a reminder of God’s love and protection. Every time you put on the lotion, remember that Jesus is loving, healing and protecting you.
Putting on your Sunglasses…
Use your sunglasses as a reminder to look for The Son in your world…in other people, in the views and vistas you walk by, and drive by. Thank Jesus for your eyes. Be grateful for all the beautiful sights and scenery around you. Practice seeing the world through Son Glasses. Ask Jesus to give you his eyes to see, to see the world, to see your neighborhood, to see as he sees it.
Working in the Garden…
Plant some seeds and watch them grow.
What is God planting in your life?
Do you know? Have you asked?
What does God desire to grow in your life this season?
Watering your plants and flowers…
Are you feeling dry this season?
Are you thirsty like a flower before the rain?
What are you thirsty for?
How do you need to be refreshed?
Talk to Jesus about this. As you water your plants or your garden. Ask Jesus to pour out his living water in your life.
What about weeds? Those pesky things that appear overnight and have to be dealt with before they take over. What weeds are growing in your life right now?? What weeds need to be taken out?
Allow Jesus to show you the weeds and use weeding your garden as a practice of confession.
Eating Fresh Fruit… When you are cutting up fruit,
take time to notice the smell, the aroma, the colors and textures. Allow the fruit to remind you of the sweetness and goodness of God. Reflect on a fruit of the Spirit. Then Taste and see that the Lord is Good.
Fruits of the Spirit…love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, kindness, faithfulness, self control. You might even choose a fruit for each word and meditate on that “fruit” as you eat it. Check out a cute fruits of the Spirit craft I found on Etsy.
Wrapping yourself in Beach towel or Blanket… Jesus wants to wrap you in his great love this season. Every time you wrap up in a towel or blanket, imagine Jesus wrapping you in his arms of love!
©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com
Transitions mean change. They are always challenging, sometimes painful. We want to hold onto the familiar and the comforting. The leeks and garlic of Egypt, all that sustained us in our past lives, beckon us.
Change is usually marked by deliberate steps we take that say life is going to be different. Jesus marked his move into adulthood (at the age of 12) by staying behind in Jerusalem to ask questions of the religious leaders (Luke 3:46). He inaugurated his ministry with 40 days in the desert (Luke 4:2) and he marked his transition towards the cross by a deliberate and determined walk towards Jerusalem (Luke 9:51). Jesus knew when it was time to say life is going to be different in the future and he knew how to prepare for those changes.
We are about to transition into a new season – in the church calendar out of Eastertide and into Ordinary time, in the seasonal calendar out of spring into summer or autumn into winter. Many are also transitioning into new stages in their lives. Some are leaving school to start new jobs. Others are moving across the country or even across the world.
Whatever the changes we are facing transitions are never easy.
Transitions require us to identify the stability points that will not change.
The place to start as we face transition is not with – what is changing but what is not changing. What are the stability points that keep me strong throughout change?
Part of what I have reflected on over the last few weeks is the foundations of my faith in the goodness of God, the bedrock of my life that I know should not change. I need the security of knowing that not everything will change. I need to be able to stand firm in my faith as well as in my important relationships.
Question: What do I need to hold onto that will strengthen my faith and beckon me towards God’s love?
Transitions require deliberate steps towards change.
It is easy to settle into the familiar patterns of the past and not consciously work towards the changes God wants us to make. Routines provide comfort for us and when they change we are often disoriented and destabilized. Suddenly there are lots of new options out there for us. We don’t know what we should be doing. It is easier to look back than to look forward. Deliberately working towards change is a very important and at times painful journey for us.
Question: What do I long for that I should be letting go of?
Transitions require the creation of new boundaries and new rituals.
When Tom and I stepped down from the leadership of Mustard Seed Associates we embarked on a major remodel in our house. As part of that remodel I moved the desk in my office so that it is not longer the focal point. My space became first a sacred space and then a work space. It was part of the transition, part of the establishing of new boundaries and new rituals. It provide a new environment for both of us to work in and encouraged us to establish new practices and new priorities.
Then we went on a major trip for our 25th wedding anniversary, taking 6 weeks off to travel Europe, visit some of our favourite people and places and set boundaries around what had been and what was to come. We both came back refreshed, renewed and ready to start on new things.
Question: What changes may be necessary in your physical environment to prepare for the spiritual changes ahead?
Transitions require space and time for dreaming new dreams.
Transition time is busy times. It is easy to fill our days without really thinking about the future. Sometimes the dreams that moved us towards transition seem to get lost in the process.
We need to take to time to breathe, to sit still and reflect. Clearing our calendars for a season, going on retreat, taking time to allow God to renew and refocus us is essential.
Question: What space is necessary for dreaming new dreams for the future?
Transitions require companions for the journey.
As part of our transition two years ago, I will engaged with a new spiritual director and a life coach to help me move into this new season of my life. I also read a lot and sort the counsel of a broad array of friends and wise counsellors. I had lots of ideas that I think are from God but realize that I cannot move into the journey God has for me without help. Some of those ideas have been lost and will never be fulfilled, others are slowly coming to fruition.
We all need companions who can walk beside us, as well as those who can guide and help direct us into new seasons of life.
Question: Who are the companions and advisors that help you through transition?
Transitions cannot be rushed.
When I go through major transition season I always hope for a brief, sometimes painful phase and then hope everything will settle down again without too much hassle.However I know from experience that transitions usually take months if not years It is easy to get impatient, to try to give birth prematurely. This is not a season to hurry through. The season between conception and birth is essential and even after that there is a long and sometimes slow season of growth until maturity.
Question: How have we tried to hurry the transition process and tried to give birth prematurely?
What is your response?
Maybe you are not in a major transition time, maybe it is only the brief transition of changing seasons, but I am sure that the next few months holds some form of minor transition that require the same kinds of questions I am asking. Perhaps you are starting a new school year. Or you may be preparing for a new liturgical season. Or, at least for those in the northern hemisphere, preparing for the coming harvest season.
Sit and reflect on the transitions in your own life. What is God saying to you at this time that could help you through the days ahead?
by Christine Sine
It’s time to get together our summer reading list, or if you live in the Southern Hemisphere your winter list. Maybe not quite as pretentious as Bill Gates’ list but to be honest I found his to be a little overwhelming and from my perspective much too heavy for the relaxing ahead.
Summer and winter are meant to be slow paced relaxing seasons when the work is done and we sit back and enjoy the beauty of life. Summer I see myself relaxing in the garden, getting away with friends and inhaling the fragrance of life. If you are heading into winter imagine sitting by the fire with a good book and a cup of coffee or a glass of wine generating warm cosy feelings for the season.
Catching up on a little rest and contemplation, having some fun and generally letting go of work and anxiety is a great place to focus as we get our reading list together.
Summer is also a time to get out and explore and as you know I am a keen advocate for walking and pilgrimage so I have included a couple of books that are great for this type of activity.
And a heads up – this is my reading list not yours (though I hope you will get inspiration from it.) Think seriously about what you want to read this summer – for relaxing, to guide you on a journey of pilgrimage and to unleash your inner child and bring a smile to your face for the days ahead.
If you haven’t got hold of a copy of The Gift of Wonder yet you might want to do so – someone told me it is a good book to read barefoot, sitting in the grass.
Focus on Exploration and Pilgrimage
Robert Macfarlane: Landmarks has been my constant companion over the last couple of weeks and I am still relishing the rich imagery of the language and the wonderful creativity in its pages. It is encouraging me to look at the world through new lenses yet again. His book The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot, is the next on my list of “must reads and as it begins with a midwinter walk, I know that it is a good book for any season.
Sheridan Voysey: The Making of Us. In this book Sheridan invites us to join him as he walks along England’s shores from the Holy Island of Lindisfarne to Durham. But it is far more than that. As Sheridan expresses it: Through that pilgrimage and the reflection that followed, I landed on some important conclusions: that when life as we know it ends, new adventures can begin; that the loss of an identity can help us discover who we really are and that the trials of life can help release our best gifts to the world.” This insightful book is worth a good in depth read.
Carol Berry: Learning from Henri Nouwen and Vincent Van Gogh: A Portrait of the Contemplative Life. This book is far more about Vincent Van Gogh and Carol Berry than it is about Henri Nouwen but I found the snippets gleaned from taking a class with Henri Nouwen to be very interesting. Her unpacking of Vincent Van Gogh’s story is extremely insightful. I wish I had read this before visiting the Vincent Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam. It would be a great book to take with you if you are heading off to Europe for a summer vacation.
Add a couple of old favorites
As usual my summer reading will include a couple of old favorites that I intend to reread. These are books that have richly shaped my life and continue to do so as I move forward on my journey.
John O’Donohue: Beauty: The Invisible Embrace, and To Bless the Space Between Us are 2 of my absolute favorites. They were great resources when I was working on The Gift of Wonder, and I find that I want to return to them over and over.
Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu: The Book of Joy. This is an amazing book with stories about the lives of two incredibly inspiring men as well as insights into life and faith is worth reading and rereading.
Add some poetry to your list:
I have 2 poetry books sitting on my shelf that I am really looking forward to getting into when my pace slows and I feeling in the relaxed and contemplative place I need for such reading –
Christine Valters Paintner’s Dreaming of Stones and Jenneth Graser’s The Present Moment of Happiness.
Don’t forget the Children’s books.
This year I am revisiting my favorite children’s book All the Proud Tribesmen a delightful story set in the South Pacific Islands that I wa given many years ago. It has been reread numerous times and never fails to delight me.
So what would you like to put on your reading list or add to mine for the coming season?
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By Corrine Lund —
Ideas often pop up unexpectedly for an artist. Experimenting with a color that just doesn’t work might lead to an unsuccessful painting but suddenly – a ‘light bulb’ moment occurs and wonder of wonders…a brilliant new thought comes to life. Unexpected accidents have the potential to become quite awesome.
How do ideas come to be planted in one’s mind? By magic? I doubt that but sometimes, almost from nowhere a creative idea begins to rustle around, stirring up possibilities – slowly, gradually becoming ‘something’. Maybe it was the colors on a piece of clothing that began the process, or maybe the words to a familiar song or even a memory. The idea germinates and grows. What was nothing has become something!
Ah, the wonder of a creative moment. I am in awe as to how one’s mind works. Countless thoughts, memories, ideas in such a small space…awesome! The wonder of the human mind!
When I begin to think creatively, begin to work on a specific project, I wonder at God’s creative plan as it might have grown from a ‘light bulb’ moment. Colors blended together. Maybe some sky blue spilled across some sunshine yellow and God exclaimed. “Awesome! I’ll call it ‘green’. It’s just what I need for my next job!” Pieces of texture were added to make it just a bit more interesting. I become totally involved in the awesome concept of how color works…which I don’t really understand. Just the right color can appear simply by experimenting or maybe it was a spilled cup of paint that ran just where is wasn’t supposed to go. God might have thought, “A color for spring, another for the sky and maybe something for autumn!”
THE WONDER OF IT ALL.
Genesis 1: 1 – 2 (Amplified Bible) says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth
(from nothing)
The earth was formless and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
(It was a waste of emptiness)
The spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
(How awesome is that thought! )
This place we call home was a formless void, a place of emptiness, a pot of boiling color. And then – nothing became something. Maybe it was the Spirit who got the show on the road. Some awesome possibilities began to develop from that slow, purposeful hovering.
Time passed. The earth bubbled and boiled. The formless began to form.
Do you know how something without form might look in the dark sky?
Do you know how the formlessness could slowly, over billions of years, come to be storm clouds and sunsets and thistles in the desert?
How did the prickly pear cactus grow as it did so that some creature might figure out just how it could actually become a meal!
The flowers bloomed and the dew nourished their growth. Dew, raindrops, rich soil and put them all together…a delicate, lovely flower. I still remember the song from my Sunday School years…
Oh who can make a flower? I know I can’t, can you?
Oh who can make a flower? No one but God, it’s true!
And the people danced in amazement as the world began to move away from its formlessness into something.
Creating was underway. God was working on my earthly home – the most wonderful building project ever, a world we would continue to hold in awe billions of years later.
WONDER AND AWE. AWE AND WONDER!
Consider the vast space of nothing that was about to become my home. It was to be a place where the Spirit would continue to breathe life into absolutely everything. A place where even the feathers of the birds are in just the right places.
And all the fanciful creatures on land, in the air and coming up from the sea that catch our attention. The comical monkey, the soaring eagle, the mighty whale. The storm clouds of winter and the first sign of spring; the heat of the summer and the colors of autumn.
Oh, who can make my world? I know I can’t. Can you?
Oh, who can make my world? Only God, ‘tis true!
Being an artist who is quite captivated with nature, I am also in awe of the magnitude and chaos of the cosmos. I can draw a tree but God created the forest. I can paint a sunflower but God created vegetation. I am able to throw clay on my potters’ wheel to make a container but God used the clay and created humankind!
I AM FILLED WITH AWE AND WONDER!
But…I must add just one more thing. If I had been the author of Genesis I would have written about God’s palette of color. “And God said, “Wow! Look at that color. It will take their breath away!” I think God would have been so enthusiastic with each discovery, “Amazing! Look at that sunset! Orange is just the right color!”
WONDER AND AWE.
A shapeless place taking shape. Something out of nothing. Balance and order. Strength and gentleness. Large and small.
God’s creating was basically complete when the Creator stepped back, filled with awe and wonder and said, “This is good. Very Good! Wait! I have another idea!”
At least, that is the way I think it could have happened.
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