By Lilly Lewin
When we were little, most of us had a collection of things that we kept safe …we had a box of treasures that we collected along the way that reminded us of special times and places, and often just stuff we liked that we wanted to keep with us. Some of us still have these collections, we have shoeboxes, jars, or even scrapbooks with pictures and items that remind us of special people and special places and times that we don’t want to forget.
The Bible is filled with tangible reminders like these. God knew, and knows that we humans easily forget. We forget what God has done for us, so God uses tangible symbols to help us remember. Consider the Passover Feast, the annual reminder that God delivered his people from Egypt, or the tower of rocks in Joshua, built when crossing the Jordan River into the Promised Land. The annual festivals also reminded the children of Israel of the provision of God.
And all the sacrifices and offerings in the temple were tangible reminders…smelly, dirty, and physical reminders of what God was up to, and helped the children of Israel engage their God.
Like the children of Israel, we also need tangible, touchable ways to engage God. We all need symbols to help us remember and to remind us of what God has done, and what God is doing in our lives. We really need a tool box to carry with us on our journey so we have the tools we need to engage God and remember God’s goodness.
So why not start a collection? Why not start your own Spiritual Tool Box?
Find a box, make one, or buy one. One that brings you joy just to look at it or even a real tool box!
The ideal box would be large enough to hold a Bible and a Journal along with other symbols photos, objects that can help you connect with Jesus.
Here are some questions to ask yourself as you begin. These questions and activities can help you begin a life long every day engagement with Jesus. Providing tools for the journey.
What things help you connect with God?
What books, images, photos, symbols remind you of God and what God has done in your life so far?
Maybe you come up blank…maybe you’ve never thought of this at all.
So first, think of a time and place where you’ve felt close to God…
Picture that place or that setting…maybe it’s outside in nature, maybe it was while you were hiking, running, at camp or on vacation. Maybe it was spending time at the lake, beach or mountains, may be it was while you were looking at the stars or creating something, or playing music.
Find an object or objects, or photographs that remind you of this place or these times.Place these objects and/or photographs in your box.
As an additional experience, you might create a collage of pictures that
speak to you of places and experiences where you have felt God’s presence. Or a collage or drawing with words and pictures that remind you of God’s goodness and mercy.
What else could you keep in your box?
Art supplies, a sketch pad
Photos to remind you to pray for friends or family members.
A map of the world or a small globe. I found a ball at the dollar store that had a map of the world on it to help me pray for global issues.
Something local to help you pray for your neighborhood or town.
Lyrics to a favorite song or two.
The Children of Israel had a series of psalms they sang as they made their pilgrimage to Jerusalem every year. Is there a song that when you hear it reminds you of God…or helps you connect with God ? It doesn’t have to be a “Christian” song. What songs really speak to you? Write down or print out the words to the song…keep that in your tool box
When I did this practice with my youth group students, I gave out actual Tool boxes to keep their bibles, journals and the symbols and treasures in. The idea was they would keep the box handy and have it for their devotion times, encouraging them to spend more time with God. So this is a great practice to do for yourself and with your own kids, or students in your church community. All ages can start this practice! And the symbols and items in your spiritual tool box and can change and grow as your age and relationship with Jesus changes and grows! Be creative and use your imagination!
What would you like to put in your Spiritual Tool Box?
What things would bring you joy? What things would encourage you to be with Jesus and to engage God? What things would help you spend time falling more in love with Jesus? Consider the Practice of the Spiritual Tool Box!
By John Birch —
By Jamie Arpin-Ricci —
On June 12, 2016, a 29-year-old security guard named Omar Mateen entered the Pulse nightclub in Orlando armed to kill. In what became the deadliest act of violence against LGBTQ+ people in American history, Mateen killed 49 people and wounded 58 more, before being shot and killed by police.
Like most gay bars and nightclubs, Pulse was a place of refuge and community for many LGBTQ+ people in Orlando. In a world where they were never quite sure who around them was safe to be open about who they were, Pulse was a place where they could let their guard down and be themselves. And in an instant that was all taken away in the most horrifying way possible.
As quickly as the headlines swept across the nation, sadly, so too did the public commentary by those who believed being “queer” was wrong. Much of it amounted to: “What did they expect? If you are going to flaunt your lifestyle, things like this are bound to happen.” Some even went so far as to say that such an outcome was God’s justice. The terror from the event, combined with the all too common public criticism, pushed many LGBTQ+ people deeper into silence and isolation. To many, it felt dangerous and foolish to put themselves out there.
Having written (cautiously) about my own journey as a bisexual pastor, I found myself suddenly inundated by emails, messages, and phone calls from LGBTQ+ Christians. From transgender youth trying to live authentically to middle-aged pastors struggling to come to terms with being gay, the desperate cry for support, understanding, and safety nearly overwhelmed me.
I also heard from pastors, parents, and friends. They were all broken by the tragedy and conflicted that so much of the negative public response was coming from Christians, making them hesitant to express even the most general public support or sympathy. They wanted to understand. They wanted to learn without being beat over the head with unhelpful claims that “the Bible clearly says…”. And I tried, as best I could, to offer what support and encouragement I could provide.
More than anything else, the sense of fear and isolation was the most common thread in all the stories I heard. After much prayer, I realized that I could help by making space and stepping out. And so I decided to be more bold, clear, and direct in telling own story, sharing my conviction that my bisexuality was no less a reflection of the image of God that I was created in than any other part of myself. And I hoped that, in putting myself out there, I might make it even a little easier for some others to do the same and get the help and support they needed.
However, when my wife & I discussed it, we also realized that to do so would put us at risk. As missionaries who reply upon donation to do what we do, we knew all too well that such a decision would likely cost us financially. With one child and another on the way at the time, it seemed like a foolish risk to take. In the end, however, we decided that our foolish risk was a small price to pay to help the countless we’d seen suffering.
Since that decision, our lives have changed significantly. The ministry supporting fellow LGBTQ+ believers walk into celebrated wholeness has become a central focus of my time and energy. I even received an award for my efforts (which, in turn, ended up costing us). We have been humbled to see lives transformed, inviting us to walk their courageous journey with them.
The foolishness of Christ is precisely this: When we love with the radical abandon of Jesus, we are freed from self-serving fear that holds us back, and we encounter Him in one another in ways that we can hardly imagine.
by Christine Sine
Today is International Women’s Day, a day that you can imagine I find particularly relevant. I love to reflect on the maternal images of God, and always replay this video I made several years ago.
This year it has seemed particularly meaningful as we all struggle with the implications of the #metoo movement and the growing recognition that equality for the sexes is still far from a reality.
I also love to reflect on some of the strong women in the Bible who are increasingly providing role models for me and other women. Women like Mary Magdalene whom I talked about in my post Why Do We Abuse Women?
Then there are the women of today, like Michelle Obama and the 2 year old she inspired, who stand out as examples of strong and beautiful role models.
Official portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama in the Green Room of the White House, Feb. 12, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
Then there are the role models of women friends who have stood with me through the years like my friends Ruth and Cheryl in the photo at the beginning of this article.
Last but not least, I love to reread this prayer, which I came across several years ago based on the Franciscan prayer Make me an instrument.
by Christine Sine
I wrote this prayer above a couple of years ago during Lent. I was reminded of it again last night as I looked up at the moon, shining brightly in the sky. Lent is a time when we all feel we stumble in the dark towards the light of Christ and the rich glow of Easter’s sunrise. We are about half way through the season and I don’t know about you, but this is when I feel I am stumbling. I am sick of the dark nights and I am aching for long days. This is when I need renewed energy to see me through.
This morning I had a special time of reflection thinking about my Lenten practices and what I need to change or revitalize to see me through the season. Then I spent time in the garden. We had a rather severe cold spell over the last couple of weeks and I was prowling around, examining the growing buds and wondering if all of them will survive. Some of them too need a fresh boost of energy, a few warm, fine days to get them growing again. Others, like these daffodils, delighted me with their sunny radiance, as they already joyously turned their faces to the sun. 
My prayer above reminds me that at the beginning of Lent, I stumble in the dark because the days are still short, but now when I take my dog out at 6 am there is a faint glow of light, and in the next couple of weeks it will grow until my morning trips are taken in full light. Perseverance draws us into the light. If we continue through the dark seasons of life, light eventually emerges. That is the promise of spring and in many ways also the promise of Lent.
by Christine Sine
For Love of the World God Did Foolish Things. As you can imagine I have thought a lot about this over the last couple of weeks and I find myself asking some challenging questions as a result. Who are the witnesses that our “foolish God” has sent to proclaim the message of good news.
Slaves Become Chosen People.
First I think of the slaves that became a chosen people and I wonder who are the slaves today that are God’s chosen ones? Are they those enslaved in the sex trade? Is it the children enslaved to grow coffee and tea or mine diamonds and gold? It’s easy to get irate at these forms of slavery and imagine that God wants to create chosen people of these marginalized ones.
Then however I think of those who are enslaved in poverty because of our desire for cheap goods and services – the farmers who often get only a pittance for their produce, the minimum wage earners who do not earn a living wage without working two or sometimes three jobs, the factory workers in China who often work in even worse conditions. I wonder how long will their cries for freedom rise as prayers before God until they are set free? I wonder too what am I can do to help them break out of their slavery.As I walk through Lent this year I wonder: Are there ways that I can become a spokesperson for people on the margins whose poverty I contribute to by my consumer choices?
Despised Are the Best Advocates
Next I think of the shepherds, the despised in their society whose testimony was not admissible in court and I wonder who are the despised today whose voices we do not listen to. Is it the homeless living in increasing numbers on our streets? Or possibly the indigenous people whose voices have been silenced in so many of our countries. Or is it the children crying out against yet another gun massacre here in the U.S.? What can I do to make sure I listen to the possibly exciting news about God they are wanting to proclaim?
Foreigners Welcome
Not surprisingly, my next set of witnesses that our “foolish God” sends are the wise men, foreigners from a distant land. They too challenge me to expand my vision – who are the foreigners – immigrants, those of other faiths or other races. Who are the foreigners kept out by walls – maybe not a physical wall like the one begin built between the U.S. and Mexico, both excluded by the walls in my mind that tell me these foreigners are not worth listening to. How can I educate myself more effectively about their viewpoints and build bridges not walls?
Forgotten Ones Come First .
Next I am reminded of the women who were the first witnesses to Christ’s resurrection. We so easily forget them or disparage them. Especially Mary Magdalene. She has been so maligned over the centuries. Instead of the awe due to the one who was the first witness to the risen Lord we condemn her as a prostitute. Who do we misjudge today? Is it people of other sexual orientations whose viewpoints we are closed to on whom we heap condemnation? Is it the poor that we condemn by fallaciously saying “they don’t work hard enough”? Or is it those in prison, gang members, drug addicts? We all have our lists of “condemned” people, those we want to keep hidden in our society. How can we make sure their stories are listened to with acceptance and love?
Unlikely Leaders
“Can any good come out of Galilee” the religious leaders say when Jesus comes on the scene. I am sure they kept saying it when Galilean fishermen became the leaders of this new movement too. Our foolish God has always chosen unlikely leaders, people that most of the world would reject as uneducated, irreligious, unworthy. God takes such people and molds them into a new community. How too can I be open to God’s unlikely leaders and look not to the rich and powerful but to the marginalized and the poor who are God’s primary spokespeople?
So as I continue to walk through Lent I am asking myself what new practices I should take on in order to be open to the “foolishness of God” in choosing people like me and you, the poor and the marginalized, the forgotten and the foreigners. I am looking for new ways to engage the unlikely people of God all around me.
By Lilly Lewin
This week at thinplaceNASHVILLE, our Sunday night community, we are looking at Sabbath as resistance to anxiety. As a high anxiety person, this is powerful to me! What if Sabbath REST, and actually having margin, is a gift that can help us all be less fearful? Less anxious, more trusting? That is powerful! What if God provided us with the Gift of Sabbath in order to set us free from the anxiety and stress of the daily grind? Would we think about practicing Sabbath, and actually consider resting if we believed it would help us be less anxious?
- What things make you anxious & cause you to worry? To fret? To toil & spin? Rather than rest & trust?
- What things are keeping you up at night? What things are driving you crazy and making you anxious? Actually take the time to make the list!
- How can you see Sabbath as gift that brings peace to your life instead of anxiety? What could that look like in your life?
- What would you like to do to put a little Sabbath rest into your life this week? What you like to do, or not do, in order to have some Sabbath time? Make a plan!
In Matthew 6, Jesus invites us to consider the lilies, the wild flowers. They don’t work or worry , yet God dresses them in glory finer than King Solomon’s! If God cares for the little flowers in the field, consider how much more God cares for you! Today, take some time to consider the Lilies! Actually look at the photos of the flowers, or better yet, go buy a lily or two and spend some time gazing at them. Enjoy their beauty. Consider how God has taken the time to bring beauty into our world and takes care of things as small as flowers!
Take time to pause, to breathe, to have a moment of sabbath rest in your day! And let God hold your anxiety like God holds the flowers!
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