by Christine Sine
Ever felt that there is something lacking in your spiritual expression? Ever sensed that there is creative energy within you just waiting to get out? It has certainly been like that for me over the last few years.
It all began about about five years when I started creating and using meditation gardens. I was bored with Advent wreaths and wanted something uniquely me that expressed my desires for the season, so I decided to create an Advent garden.
Advent garden 2017
My first garden looked a little like an Advent wreath with a few plants and candles, but as the years progressed I added themes, patterns, painted rocks and more candles, extending its use through the Christmas season with a blaze of lighted candles.
lenten garden
This year I decided to create a Lenten garden too. With its creation my meditation gardens have evolved. This garden began as a desert landscape with five small succulent gardens and some heart shaped rocks. focused towards the crosses of Calvary. Of course in adding those crosses I had already moved beyond the Lenten season as Lent traditionally ends with Maundy Thursday. But I have always loved messing with traditions and this garden has certainly done that.
Easter resurrection garden
At Easter I added a “He is Risen” rock and thought that would be the end of my garden’s life, but as Pentecost came and went I realized I did not want to put this garden to rest yet. Around me spring was bursting into life, a rich parade of flowers that sent my spirit soaring into the sky.
My meditation garden continues to evolve. Just added dried rose petals as a symbol of the changing seasons. Summer is on the way
Instead of creating a new garden I allowed this one to evolve. I dried an array of rose petals and sprinkled them over the sand, a symbol of the blossoming of life that emerges in our resurrection world.
This has been another lesson for me in listening to and responding to the flow of the Spirit of God. In the process I realize how easy it is for me to limit what the spirit is wanting to do, not just in creative expression but in every area of my life because I create artificial boundaries to the spirit’s movement.
Who knows what this garden will evolve into in the future? We are continually co-creating with our God. Nothing is forever. Everything is changing and rather than resist that change we can become part of the creative change of God and enter into the adventure.
What is your response?
Are there places where you peeled bored by traditional expressions of faith but have not given yourself permission to step outside the box of convention?
Sit in prayerful silence for a few moments. Take some deep breaths in and out allowing the spirit of God to flow into your lungs and spread throughout your body. Listen to what the spirit is saying.
How is the Spirit wanting to lead you today?
What artificial boundaries have you established that limit its flow?
How could you become a better listener and provide avenues for the Spirit to flow freely in your life?
By Lilly Lewin
Happy June! I’m not sure how it happened, but the calendar has changed again! Summer has begun here in Nashville and people are already heading off on trips and holidays and getting ready for the pace of summer rather than that of the school year. I know that in other places, you are not yet in the summer mode, but I’m finding that we need to plan ahead, rather than wait, in order to have time to water our souls. Too often when the seasons change, we get busier rather than less busy. My calendar for this month is already filled with work appointments, deadlines and a big family wedding. I’m realizing that I need to prioritize my time with God this month and actually plan for sabbath and silence in order to feel the refreshment of the Spirit and not just be a dried out dish rag by summer’s end.
I want to share with you the practice of the Sabbath Box.
I learned about the practice from Wayne Muller’s Book
Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives.
The Sabbath Box holds all the things that will distract you from actually spending time with Jesus. The Sabbath Box allows you to let God be God and hold the things that you try to control or the things that burden you, bog you down, and keep you busy.
You can create a Sabbath Box or purchase and actual box or a basket with a lid to use in this practice.
You can do this on your own or as a family or with your housemates.
The Sabbath Box enables you to create space so you can rest and hear from God. It’s a tangible way, a visible reminder, that will help you “Let Go and Let God,” and help you rest in Jesus.
First things first! We need to get rid of distractions! Put away your list and let God hold it in the Sabbath Box.
Getting Rid of Distractions…putting away your list!. We all have one. A to do list, a mental list, actual lists of stuff churning around in our minds that prevent us from resting and being refreshed. So….
Make a List…
Write it all down and then place it in an envelope…
and
when you are ready, place the envelope in the Sabbath Box…
You might consider these things as you make your list….
What are things that scare you right now…about your life, about the world, about your job, family, etc.
What are you worrying about?
What is bugging you right now?
Who’s bugging you?
What relationships are causing you stress or pain?
What are you frustrated about today?
What are the things that have frustrated you this week?
What things are distracting you?
What things back at work, at the office, or in your family are causing you anxiety, or stress?
What is in your head that is distracting?
What stuff is filling your head?
WRITE IT ALL DOWN and Give it God…allow God to hold this list, these things for you.
This practice can be done any time and any day. It could be done before you start your day if you are feeling overwhelmed and anxious. It might be something you do at night before bed, allowing Jesus to hold The List for you while you sleep.
As a true Sabbath practice, you’d make your list on Friday night before dinner and place it in the box and let Jesus have it for 24 hours.
Your job is to let Jesus carry all the things on your list.
And if you have more things come up in that 24 hour period, make another list and put it in the box.
To add to the Sabbath Box practice, you might put your lap top and/or your cell phone in the box. Start with a couple of hours. Allow God to have your undivided attention, no phone, no computer. Just you! Then work on this practice so you can actually put your phone, laptop, tv remote, etc away for longer. Could you do it for an entire 24 hours or even the entire weekend? I’m not there yet! I need to practice this practice! I’m starting with putting my phone away before bed and using a clock by my bed rather than my phone to know the time.
Here’s one of my favorite prayers to use as you entire a time of Sabbath rest and as you start your Sabbath Box practice.
Lord,
There is nothing more important that what we are attending to.
There is nothing more urgent that we must hurry away to.
We Wait on you Lord God.
Your time is the right time.
We wait for You to make Your word clear to us.
We know that in time
and in the spirit of deep listening
and in quiet stillness
Your way will be clear. AMEN
( based on a prayer by Thomas Merton)
I’d love to hear how you use this practice and see your Sabbath Boxes too!
And here’s to a peaceful, restful, less busy June!
By Jean Andrianoff —
At this time of year in the Pacific Northwest, wild rhododendrons are blooming in the woods. As we drive along the highway, I find myself watchfully scanning the evergreen forests for glimpses of the soft pink of rhody blossoms. When I see clusters of pink, I feel so rewarded. Why do these fleeting glances of beauty hold such an attraction for me?
I believe it has to do with God’s purpose in creation. As the first chapter of Genesis tells us, He has created things that He perceives as good. And He has created us in His image to share that pleasure in the goodness and beauty of His creation.
In Psalm 27, the writer expresses his one desire of God: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. Psalm 27:4 (ESV).
The Psalmist wants to dwell eternally in God’s house “to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord.” Do we have any concept of the beauty that is God? While I suspect that God’s beauty is far beyond anything we have ever seen or can imagine, I believe that God gives us glimpses of that beauty through His created world. Little gives me deeper pleasure than to spend time enjoying God’s creation in a natural setting. That beauty resonates with me, filling me with a sense of joy and calm. Imagine feeling an even deeper sense of such perceptions through eternity!
The Japanese have a practice called “forest bathing”—time spent simply being in a natural environment, not necessarily hiking or jogging or even sketching or journaling, but simply being. Some studies have found that not only does such a practice improve one’s mood, it can have health benefits as well. Could this be because creation gives us a deeper connection with the Creator? He has made us to love and appreciate the beauty of His creation and through it, to glimpse His beauty and to enjoy His goodness.
If I’m in a car traveling along the highway, I catch only glimpses of the nearly hidden beauty of blooming rhododendrons. If I park the car and walk into the forest, I can enjoy their loveliness more fully. And through that beauty, in turn, I catch a glimpse of the Creator’s beauty that I hope to adore more completely throughout Eternity.
by Lynne M. Baab—
As a young adult I was taught the model of ACTS prayer. Pray this way, my mentors said. Begin with (1) adoration, because you’re entering into the presence of a holy God. Then (2) confession will come naturally because God’s holiness will make you aware of your own sin. After you confess your sin, you’ll be aware of God’s great mercy in redeeming us in Jesus Christ, so you’ll want to spend some time (3) thanking God. Only after all of that should you engage in (4) supplication, asking God to meet your own needs and the needs of those you love and care about.
I found ACTS prayer to be very helpful for both group and individual prayer. I have also found that it’s a bit limited. When I compare ACTS prayer to the psalms, often called the prayer book of the Bible, I find numerous ways the psalms are different than the pattern of ACTS prayer. So, let’s get creative and use the ACTS model as a springboard.
1. Let’s try TATATATA. Psalm 136 models this pattern. One way to define thankfulness prayers is that they focus on what God has done, in contrast with praise prayers that focus on who God is. Praise and thankfulness are very closely related with lots of overlap, but it’s still helpful to try to do both. Here’s an example of TATA prayer:
Thank you, God, for the food on our table today. You have provided for us so generously. In fact, you are a generous God, whose bounty overflows into our lives, and we praise you for your abundant love and generosity. Also, I want to thank you, God, for the people in my life who love me. I’m thinking especially of Francis, who helped me with my project at work yesterday. You are a relational God, and I praise you for the love between Father, Son and Spirit, and that you call us to enter into your love.
2. Let’s try CATS. Psalm 51 models this pattern in part. The psalmist comes into God’s presence with deep sorrow for sin, begging for forgiveness. By verse 15, the mood shifts to praise: “O Lord, open my lips and my mouth will declare your praise.”
3. Let’s try TSTSTSTS. I believe prayers where we spend most of our time asking God to meet our needs or the needs of others can merge into a kind of consumeristic approach to the Christian faith: give me what I need and want. This tendency can be moderated by generous applications of thankfulness. Being thankful requires that we pay attention to what God is already doing. I like to begin my prayers of request with some thankfulness for God’s work in the situation that I already see. An example of TSTS prayer:
Lord, thank you for helping us in the first leg of our long trip. You kept us safe, you helped us sleep on the plane, and you gave us an interesting person to talk to in the airport lounge. For the remainder of the trip, please help us not to be anxious, help us to trust you, help us to arrive safely. As we travel we’re thinking about our friend, Jane. Loving God, thank you for all you’ve done to make Jane’s surgery go well. Thanks for the surgeon and the recovery room care that was so gentle. Now we pray for the remainder of her time in the hospital. Help her to heal well.
4. Let’s try adding statements of commitment to our prayers. ACTS doesn’t provide a structure to do that, but statements of commitment are a big part of the prayers in the psalms. Psalm 130 provides an example. The psalm begins with words of pain: “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice!” By verse 5 the psalmist is speaking out words of commitment: “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope; my soul waits for the Lord, more than those who watch for the morning.”
Also missing in ACTS are silence and lament, which provide even more options for creativity with ACTS prayer. Maybe you’ll be able to think of other ways to get creative with ACTS. Whatever we do in prayer, God welcomes us warmly as we bring our praises, confessions, thanks and requests.
Today is Memorial day in the United States, when we remember those who have died in military service. It was first celebrated to remember Union soldiers who died in the American Civil War but now provides a memorial for those who have died in all the wars that have been fought since.
Though I struggle with any ceremony that seems to glorify war, I grieve the loss of life in war and the devastation it causes to families and society. And my prayer for this day is that in the midst of all our celebrating we may remember that those who died did so believing they were providing a peaceful and secure place for their families to live.
I find it is not so much those who have died that are in my mind but those who have survived. On this day I particularly struggle with the plight of those who have been injured as a result of war. Many of them end up on the streets because of PTSD symptoms they cannot cope with. There are so many ads on T.V. these days for organizations that try to help disabled vets. It makes my heart ache. A staggering 45 percent of the 1.6 million veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now seeking compensation for injuries they say are service-related. (read the article). Why I wonder doesn’t the government see their lives and their health as part of the cost of war? Why do organizations like Wounded Warrior have to raise money for their support? Isn’t this something that the government should include in their defense budget? And the plight of other victims of war – refugees, raped women, tortured and maimed civilians – confronts us in so many ongoing conflicts.
The cost of war is so high, and though I think it is important to remember those who have died, I think it is more important to remember and help those who have survived. And in keeping with that our focus needs to be on peace rather than war.
What About Those Who Have Died in the Faith?
Then I wonder: Why don’t we have a Christian celebration that commemorates the lives of so many through the ages who have died for their faith and through their efforts brought glimpses of God’s peaceable kingdom of justice and abundance into being? Yes I know there are days to celebrate the lives of prominent saints, and we do have All Saints Day but there is little that really celebrates the life of ordinary believers who died to keep the faith in Christ alive and I am a strong believer in the fact that we should take the celebrations of our society and transform them into celebrations of our faith.
On my first trip to Ireland 20 years ago I was overwhelmed by the graveyards filled with crosses around many of the ruined churches and monasteries. Just as the military graveyards are a reminder of those who have died in war, these church graveyards were for me a reminder of the many who have died in the battle against evil and corruption. Most of them are unknown, yet their faith has provided foundations through the centuries on which our faith today is grounded.
Perhaps today as you celebrate those who have died in war you should also spend some time reflecting on those soldiers of Christ who have gone before you too. Say a prayer of thanks for the rich heritage they have provided us all with. Remember those that were martyred, those that were persecuted (and in some countries still are) and those whose lives and families have suffered because of their faith.
Let me finish with 2 prayers – one a responsive prayer that reminds us of the saints that are with us, the other an ancient Celtic prayer that I think reflects well the awareness of the sacrifice that so many have made for their faith.
With saints of all ages, we come to God this night,
With those who were, who are, and who will come,
With saints of all ages,
We believe and trust in God the creator,
The one who is, who always was, and who is still to come,
The one who calls us to be salt in a world that has lost its flavour.
With saints of all ages,
We believe and trust in Christ our Saviour,
The first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the nations of the world,
The one who calls us to be light in a world that is mired by darkness.
With saints of all ages,
We believe and trust in the life-giving Spirit,
The seal of our inheritance the guarantee of what is to come,
Who calls us to glorify God through our words and actions.
With saints of all ages,
We believe and trust in God’s kingdom coming,
A new world breaking onto ours, eternal world of wholeness and joy,
Where the poor will be fed and the prisoners set free.
With saints of all ages,
We believe and trust in God’s kingdom coming,
Where justice and righteousness will have no end,
Where the sick will be healed, the blind see and the deaf hear.
With saints of all ages,
We believe and trust in God.
Let us go forth,
In the goodness of our merciful Father,
In the gentleness of our brother Jesus,
In the radiance of the Holy Spirit,
In the faith of the apostles,
In the joyful praise of the angels,
In the holiness of the saints,
In the courage of the martyrs.
Let us go forth,
In the wisdom of our all-seeing Father,
In the patience of our all-loving brother,
In the truth of the all-knowing Spirit,
In the learning of the apostles
In the gracious guidance of the angels,
In the patience of the saints,
In the self control of the martyrs,
Such is the path for all servants of Christ,
The path from death to eternal life
by Christine Sine
According to Russian philosopher Nikolai Berdyaev, God created the world by imagination, yet for many of us imagination and creativity are rarely associated with our faith. Our playful imaginative selves often get buried in the adult world where we are encouraged to get a job, find a partner become responsible citizens. Yet God’s creative energy is still alive and well. In Isaiah 48: 6, 7 we read: I am telling you new things, secrets hidden that no one has known. They are created now – brand new, never before announced, never before heard.
In the last ten years my faith has been enriched, inspired and nurtured by creative exploration which believe it is this power of God’s Holy Spirit within me, creating new, never before announced things. I wanted to share some of what I have learned with you.
Creativity begins in silence – not the silence of an absence of noise, but the silence of a soul at rest, an internal intentional attentiveness toward God. This silence makes space for, and takes time for the One who desires our full attention. Yet it is hard to enter this silence. So much distracts us.
I love begin each day by sitting in my sacred space each morning, quieting my soul, drinking in the wonder of eternal presence. Sometimes I just take a few deep breaths in and out. At other times I read a centering or breathing prayer. Or I might look out my window and contemplate the beauty of God’s creation around me. At other times I read a scripture or a selection from a devotional book. This slows my heart and soul to that I can attend to God.
Creativity takes notice of what resonates in your soul – In these quiet moments I often find that a word, a phrase or an image comes to mind. I sit still allowing that thought or image to resonate and grow in my awareness. I give it my full attention until the image or word takes root in my soul. I sit with it for a while allowing it to grow and take shape.
Creativity finds expression in many ways: Most often, what stirs in my mind takes wings and the words flow freely until a prayer or a poem springs into life. At other times I write down the skeleton of a prayer knowing that it needs to be refined and fleshed out. Sometimes the words prompt me to pick up a rock and some of my paint pens to create a decorated rock that can form the focus for my meditations over the next few weeks. Or I might be prompted to create a meditation garden ore even just to pick flowers and arrange them in a vase. Whatever the creative impulse that stirs within us is, we should not limit it. This is not a time to feel self conscious or embarrassed. Perhaps God is asking us to dance, or sing or laugh.
Creativity is an ongoing process: God continues to create and so do we. No work of art, music or other form of creativity ever feel complete to the creator. As often happens, my prayer/ poems, painted rocks and meditative gardens continue to be reshaped and revised, sometimes in response to the seasons of the year, or of life events. Sometimes my prayers are reshaped in response to my concerns for the world around me, or by my passion for sustainable living. The prayer above has taken several forms, been imposed on different photos, and been used in different settings. I always rejoice when it takes new shape
Creativity has no rules. When I wrote my first liturgies, I asked a friend who had been doing this type of writing for years, what the rules for writing liturgies were. There are no rules: she told me. It was the best advice I ever had. Creativity has no bounds. Whatever we can imagine is fuel for creation. And it can be expressed in a million ways – words, images, material objects even ideas are all creative expressions that spring from heart of God.
For me there are no rules to creative expression, except to listen in the presence of God, giving our whole attention to the eternal One who is always with us waiting to be heard.
What Is Your Response
Watch the video below. Sit still in the presence of God. Ask yourself: What stirs your imagination and gets your creative juices flowing? How is God asking you to respond?
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