FITTING IN
Square peg, round hole.
I attempt to mould myself to shape
only to revert,
and have to try again to fit.
So, I wonder about giving up.
Unlearning all that I have learned to conform,
and maybe stand out instead.
Yes, today
I dropped the mask,
as I once again tripped.
But no grief.
I think I learned instead
that growth might be mispresented.
That true gain may be in the releasing of pretence.
The safe definitions,
and distracting finery
to disguise our differences,
what need do we have of these?
Yes, I wonder about
shedding the trappings of success,
stored for false assurance.
And instead, undressing,
stepping out and owning
the full sum of my truth.
Square peg, round hole.
Humility, that hard honest lesson,
has a welcome voice,
‘Accept yourself’, it says.
‘Allow shame to fall.’
by Christine Sine
It’s time to get started on my Christmas cake – no not making the cake but soaking the fruit which should sit for at least a month before the cake is made. Yep that’s it – a whole month for the flavors to really blend, and then the cake itself must sit for a couple of weeks before we eat it.
This is a process I enjoy every year, an important part of the rhythm of my life, probably partly because it can’t be hurried if I want to create a really good cake. It makes me feel as though Christmas is on its way and the entertaining I so enjoy doing at this season will really happen.
When I mentioned this on Facebook a couple of days ago several people asked for the recipe. Here is what I do. It is adapted from a recipe in the Australian Women’s Weekly Celebration Cookbook which I have had for about 40 years. I I have over the years adapted the fruit to suit what is easily available here in Seattle. I have also swapped the very expensive Grand Marnier for a much cheaper orange liqueur – don’t ue the really cheap stuff though – it just doesn’t seem nearly as good.
English Fruit cake
INGREDIENTS:
– FRUIT MIX
– 6 1/2 cups sultanas
– 2 1/4 cups raisins
– 2 1/2 cups dried cranberries
– 2 1/4 cups currants
– 1 1/2 cups dates, chopped
– 1 1/2 cups prunes, chopped
– 1/2 cups dried apricots, turkish style, chopped
– 1/2 cup crystallized ginger, chopped
– 1/2 cup mixed peel
– 3 apples , peeled and grated
– 1 cup orange marmalade
– 1/2 cup orange juice
– 1/4 cup lemon juice
– 2 cups brown sugar
– 1 teaspoon cinnamon
– 1/4 teaspoon allspice
– 1/4 teaspoon cloves
– 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
– 1 1/2 cups orange liqueur
– CHRISTMAS CAKE
– 1 cup butter, melted
– 5 eggs, lightly beaten
– 2 1/2 cups flourMETHOD:
1. FRUIT MIX
Combine all fruit mix ingredients in a large bowl, mix until all are thoroughly combined. Cover tightly with plastic wrap to exclude air. Place in a cool dark cupboard for at least a month before use.
CHRISTMAS CAKE
Place half the fruit mixture into a large bowl. Use your hands to mix in half the butter, eggs and sifted flour, then remaining butter, eggs and flour. Mix thoroughly to break up lumps of fruit.
Spread evenly into a deep 23cm round cake pan which has been lined with e layers of brown paper and 3-4 layers of parchment paper. This helps protect the cake while it is cooking.
Decorate with blanched almonds if desired.
Bake in a slow oven (150C / 300F) for 3 1/2 – 4 hours.
Use second half of fruit mixture for a second cake, plum pudding or fruit mince tarts.
by Christine Sine
Last week I talked about Canadian thanksgiving and my usual practice of starting Advent a week early with a time of gratitude. This week I realized that I don’t just want a week of gratitude, I want a whole season. Canadian and American Thanksgiving frame this beautifully for me.
My decision was made after spending time this week reflecting on what is life draining and life gaining for me.
I wrote “say no to what is life draining” then began to list what came to mind.
- Turn my back on negative thinking about what I am doing, the future, the world around me. That only leads to despair and depression.
- Say no to Christmas shopping. I find it overwhelming and very draining to go to the mall in the weeks before Christmas. Even the steady stream of ads and hyped up incentives to buy more leave me feeling exhausted.
- Switch off the TV. Watching too much news about climate change, political upheaval and polarization, refugee crises, hurricanes devastation, overwhelms, and drain me leaving me feeling inadequate and useless.
- Say no to too much food and “Christmas cheer”. The guilt that goes with over eating and over consuming is not only draining but actually makes me want to eat more. Now is the time to choose which gatherings are life gaining and which are life draining and say no to the ones I don’t really want to go to anyway.
Then I started to think about what is life gaining for me. Part of what I realized is that there are solutions to my life draining challenging that are actually life gaining for me.
- Negative thinking can become hope and promise if I focus on where I see God’s love and joy breaking through – Instead of saying “I can’t do this” I can say “This is hard but I can persevere.” Or I can say “in the midst of this difficult challenge I am grateful for friends and family that support me.” We can also do what my friend Sue Duby taught me to do – look for the joy spots. Where is God already at work in the situation that drains me? How can I join in?
What could you do to focus away from negative thoughts onto the positive?
- Transform crises into opportunities for generosity. Watching the news about the devastation of Hurricane Michael and speaking to friends who work with refugees, the homeless and those at the margins in so many parts of the world spurs me to be generous with my giving and my volunteering over the next few months.
How could you respond to the crises in the world around you? Is God prompting you to be more generous to others with your time or resources?
- Plan for shows that are life giving. Over the last few months Tom and I have found an array of wonderful programs on Netflix that are very life gaining for us – stories about creativity about animals and the natural wonders of our world. It has transformed our TV watching. Thinking about the “shows” that are life gaining for me has also spurred me on to plan our Advent and Christmas watching – Messiah, Advent carols, Advent retreat. There are wonderful life gaining alternatives.
What entertainment over the Advent and Christmas season is life giving for you? How could you say no to those that are not?
- Plan parties that are life giving. By now you probably realize that I love to plan parties and the Advent season is one of my favorites to get ready for. Tom and I are already planning for Thanksgiving and I have just soak my fruit for the English style Christmas cake that is always so popular at our Open House. (yep it needs to soak for a month before I make the cake) I might even get my first batch of Scottish shortbread made as I get ready for the Celtic Fling at our church next weekend. These are all life giving preparations for the coming season.
Planing parties and cooking may not be life giving for you, but what are the ways that you like to bless others? What are the sharing activities you love to participate in or plan for over the Thanksgiving/Advent and Christmas season?
- Plan for a zero waste DIY Christmas. What if I aim at a zero waste Christmas this year, like Mustard Seed House community member Lisa de Rosa? Making Christmas gifts is life gaining for me. What about a totally home made gift Christmas this year? Not only is that a fun and life gaining thought, it is also an inspiring and joy filled one.
How could you reduce the stress of Christmas gift giving this year?
- Create spiritual practices that are life gaining. My focus on gratitude is just one of the new spiritual practices I am planning for the upcoming few months. Last week we painted leaves, horse chestnuts and pine cones at our community meal – a wonderful beginning to the season and something that made all of us slow down, reflect and relax. Meditation gardens are part of my delight at this season, becoming more and more a part of how I love to prepare for a new season. This week I am working on a gratitude garden around the theme “my cup overflows” (more about that next week) and I am already thinking about my Advent garden. Other practices enrich the season for me too – our annual Advent retreat is already planned for the first week of December and I have some new Advent images to use as I redecorate my sacred space for the season.
What are the practices that are life giving for you over the Thanksgiving/Advent and Christmas seasons? How can you make sure that you protect these practices?
The upcoming season is meant to be one of joy and celebration. Prayerfully consider ways that you could make this more of a focus in the coming month… and maybe you could join us for our retreat November 10th as a start .
JOHN 2: 1-12 NIV
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
“Woman,[a] why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[b]
Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.
Considering the Celebration:
After reading this passage, I wonder what day the wine ran out? Our weddings in America aren’t usually multiple day affairs. But in Jesus’ day, weddings could be an entire week of celebrating, and include the entire village. Am I paying attention to the people around me? Am I paying attention and watching for the wine to run out? Am I paying attention and noticing when others need help? Am I willing to do what it takes to help the celebration continue? How can I be about bringing better wine to the party and helping everyone feel welcome?
I think too often I want to show off my gifts to the “big” people in the room, not to the “least” people in the room…not to the servants. But Jesus shares his gift, the miracle, with the servants. The “Least” get to be “in on” the FIRST MIRACLE! The “Least” get to be the ones “in the know” and be the ones to watch and see Jesus in action! They get to take the water, now GREAT WINE, to the steward of the party! They get to bring the joy back to the celebration! How can I do more of that?
I notice that Jesus isn’t there to preach. He’s there to be a part of the party. He’s there with his friends helping celebrate the bride and groom. He’s a part of the celebration not just a bystander. When Mary asks him to help with the wine, he hesitates at first. Maybe he just doesn’t want to make a scene. Maybe he doesn’t want to take away from the couple’s Big Day. But he figures out a way to do it without making it a big deal. But it really is an abundant gift, an extravagant gift.
Jesus doesn’t just tell the servants to fill a bottle or two. Jesus tells them to fill six large jars with water. That must have taken a while! They must have thought he was crazy! These jars were not small. They held between 20-30 gallons each! So that’s at least 120 gallons of wine! AN ABUNDANCE!
And this wine wasn’t just “2 Buck Chuck” or Smoking Loon!
This was EXTRAVAGANT WINE! This was the BEST wine!
Jesus was about Blessing them with ABUNDANCE and with EXTRAVAGANCE!
Can we believe that Jesus is about blessing us in that way too?
Can we believe that Jesus wants to keep the celebration going in our lives too?
So, what have you run out of in your life? Have you run out of wine?
What do you need from Jesus to help you have more life, more joy, more celebration in your life?
What would it take for you to believe that Jesus cares just as much about you as he did about his mom and the wedding party?
How can you receive the abundance and extravagance of Jesus this week?
CREATE:
Get an empty Jar. or Six.
Fill them with Water
Pour some red wine or red wine vinegar( for color) into the water.
Allow the Jar or Jars to be a symbol for you of Jesus’s provision for you and his gift of abundance.
If you drink wine, pour yourself a glass of good red wine and allow the extravagant love of Jesus to fill you up as you sip your glass.
by Christine Sine
This has been a challenging week for many of us and I find that the weight of watching Hurricane Michael advance, reading about the growing impact of climate change around the world, and the increasing vitriol from those on both the right and the left here in the U.S., is overwhelming.
At a time like this I find myself reaching for prayers and psalms to strengthen me. This time it was Psalm 86. I read it over several times, relishing the words written millennia ago. They remind me of the constancy of our God and as often happens, today too, out of a time of deep prayer and reflection God spoke to me.
First I was reminded of the image above – a powerful image from one of the Wild Goose Festivals I attended many years ago.
Then as I reflected on the image, my words too were crafted into prayer and praise.
God almighty, creator of the universe
Holy and righteous One, loving and caring One
Into your hands I commit my life.
My body, my soul and my spirit belong to you.
Guide me to the wholeness hidden deep within,
The light in dark and broken places
That flickers and shines with hope and promise of renewal.
God ever present, Architect of all that is, all that was and all that will be,
Faithful and true One, gracious and merciful One,
Weave the wonder of your love
Into the tapestry of my life.
I will stir the dawn with praise and thanksgiving.
I will brighten the day with joyful shouts.
I will delight in your eternal presence.
Your greatness is beyond compare.
Your truth is a canopy in the heavens.
Your mercy stands firm around the earth.
Holy One, Sacred Three,
Your glory fills the universe,
I give myself to you.
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
By Rodney Marsh —
Down Under it is spring-time and here in South West Western Australia change is in the air, sea and land. The days are lengthening, the Humpbacks and Southern Right whales heading home to Antarctica and the land is bursting into bloom. The treasures found in this dry, infertile, ancient land are revealed at this time of year. The land hosts a diversity, uniqueness and richness in its unique plants. The area is the only ‘biological hotspot’ in Australia. A nearby National Park has 1800 different plant species and 80% of plant species in Western Australia are endemic (only found here).
God’s book of nature has much to teach us. For a short time, local ephemeral native orchids flower and then are gone. Some are pictured below. Orchid flowers are tiny, fragile, delicate and beautiful. Jesus drew this lesson from such natural beauty, “….look at the wildflowers. They don’t fuss with their appearance—but have you ever seen colour and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?”
Posted alongside a photo of a local orchid and following the death of a young person, here is what my Pastor, Rev Corina van Oostende wrote last Sunday…. “We are fragile beings. Probably more vulnerable than these orchids. We are so much more complex, and need so many different things to thrive, so many things to stay health, and so many things when we fall ill. All these plants need is some poor soil, some water and sunshine, to grow and bloom and go dormant, in a life cycle that can go on for 50 years or more. Their thin stems bear the weight of three flowers. Yet come with and weather they don’t break. Our bones can break, and so can our spirit. In times of feeling fragile, vulnerable, brittle, some words of Psalm 139 may bring strength. ‘You have looked deep into my heart, Lord, and you know all about me….. You are the one who put me together inside my mother’s body, and I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me. Everything you do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt.’”
If you’re curious to see more wonderful photos of many of the Western Australian native orchids flowering at this time of year, click here.
By Ana Lisa de Jong —
MADE FOR HIM
He made me not for me
and not for you, but for himself.
He made me delicate, complex,
unique.
In that where I see imperfect, flawed,
and inadequate;
he sees the beauty of his intent,
the potential of his design,
the splendid intricacy of his plan
come to life.
I was made for him and not for you,
or even myself.
For his pleasure
I have been breathed into existence.
That just for a moment of time,
I might sing the song he’s given.
That my voice and heart might inhabit the role
he’s signaled as mine.
The answer to our inadequacies
is in remembering why.
When we know the answer there is no question.
For we know where our worth and purpose lies.
Our protests die on our lips
and we rest in the peace of his providence.
Yes, I was made for you God,
nothing else.
Establish me entirely as your own,
for therein is the place I find myself.
As an Amazon Associate, I receive a small amount for purchases made through appropriate links.
Thank you for supporting Godspace in this way.
When referencing or quoting Godspace Light, please be sure to include the Author (Christine Sine unless otherwise noted), the Title of the article or resource, the Source link where appropriate, and ©Godspacelight.com. Thank you!