by Christine Sine
Last week I purchased a couple of grow lamps for my increasingly spindly and anaemic looking succulents. I am amazed at the change in them in just a few days. Their spindly stems are still the same, but green leaves have turned red and gold and pink. They are drinking in the light and finally flaming with the richness of their true colours. How sad that it took me so long to notice how deprived they were.
I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life. (John 8:12 NLT)
These words of Jesus to his disciples ring through my mind as I look at my succulents today. I wonder how often I too am deprived of my true colours and of the fullness of life God intends for me because I step away from the light of Christ and don’t even notice it.
What keeps us in the light of Christ?
The natural response to this question is: reading the scriptures and praying. And of course that is right. We all need the disciplines of scripture study and prayer to nourish us and fill us with the light of Christ. However I wonder if there is more to it than that. Walking in the light of Christ is not just about getting the right information from the scriptures, it is about applying it too.
You might say my succulents had all the information they needed to thrive. They looked healthy, they were growing vigourously, but they were still light deprived. Their colours were dull and uninteresting compared to the vibrancy they were meant to have.
What amazed me is how quickly their colours revived. The reds and golds and pinks were still their, waiting for the light to reveal them. Perhaps I am stretching the analogy a little here, but it seems to me that their colours are like a light hidden away.
No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. (Matthew 5:15,16 NLT)
How often I wonder do we seem to be growing and think we are healthy yet we lack the vibrant colours God has woven into our being? And perhaps the vibrancy of our colours needs us to shine with good deeds in order to be fully revealed.
Are your colours dull and uninteresting because you have not applied the light that God shines on you? What are the good deeds God is asking you to perform so that your true colours can emerge and those around you will praise God as a result.
The Season of Lent begins on Valentine’s Day, February 14th this year. This is rather humorous since the tradition of Lent has a fasting component and often involves giving up things like desserts, sweets, and chocolate! I agree with Father Ed Hays that giving up chocolate just makes people angry and mean and really doesn’t bring anyone closer to Jesus. It was Father Hays who introduced me to the concept of using the 40 days of Lent to fall more in love with Jesus rather than the sack cloth and ashes stereotype or tradition of Lent.
What if we chose to spend the 40 days of Lent falling more in love with Jesus? What would that look like?
When we fall in love with someone we often get a little crazy and we do things to show just how much we love the other person. My first real boy friend was in 8th grade. I went to an all girls school in town and he went to the all boys school. We met at church and were in youth group together. I was smitten! And since I am an artist, I expressed my love for him with a hand crafted Valentine. I took a piece of cardboard and collaged it with words and phrases and pictures cut out of magazines glued on to a piece of card board. I even used my mom’s “pinking shears” to cut out the heart and give it a special edging. And since i was too young to drive, I had to get my dad to drive me across town to the boy’s house to give him this created treasure! I’m not sure he really appreciated the time and effort but for me it was an act of love to create something special. My husband expresses his love to me through amazing meals and fun cards. I have friends who write songs for one another. I know friends who go on hikes together and even take retreats to plan together and reflect on their lives. There are just as many ways to express love to someone as there are people!
Consider how you express love and how you experience love yourself. How have you shown someone you loved them in the past? How do you show some one you love them now? How do you show love to your friends? Your family? Your co workers or teammates? How do you like to experience love? Is it through Time, Gifts, Conversation, Creativity? Something else? Take some time to think about this and make a list.
Years ago, I created a sacred space prayer experience based off Father Ed Hay’s book The Lenten Hobo Honeymoon. Father Hays and I are kindred spirits when it comes to experiencing God and practicing our faith in touchable, tangible, symbolic ways. This book is still my all time favorite Lenten devotional. After hosting this Sacred Space for my church and youth group, I was invited to do something at the near by convent. Since it was still Lent, I didn’t create anything new, I just set up the same Sacred Space and sent nuns on a honeymoon with Jesus!
What if we saw Lent as a honeymoon with Jesus? How could this help you focus your time and Lenten practices?
Like in any relationship, you have to start small. Usually you date awhile before you get married and go on a honeymoon. So since we have a couple of weeks before Valentines Day and the beginning of Lent, let’s start!
Plan a date with Jesus. What do you do? Do you go out for a walk? Do you get out in nature? Do you go out and have coffee and take your journal? Could you find some old magazines and create a collage Valentine with words and phrases and pictures expressing your love to Jesus? or cook dinner for someone who is lonely? Bake some cookies for the neighbors or take flowers to friend who is sick? What will your date with Jesus look like? I’d love to hear about it! Mine definitely will involve chocolate!
A beautiful prayer by John Birch —
by Christine Sine
This is the second post in a series on my experience of writing a book
Step Four: Set up a schedule for the entire project.
This is a very important part of writing your book. You can’t write only when you feel inspired or motivated. You must create a regular writing habit.
At the beginning of my current writing project, I used Meistertask, a free planning software to help me visualize my entire project and the tasks involved in each part. I divided it into research, writing, publishing and marketing with specific tasks and timelines in each of these. It was very helpful for me as I visualized what I needed to do, but less helpful once I began writing. I am not a detail person and I think that the detail it encouraged me to use was a little overwhelming.
I also find that spelling out my weekly schedule in detail, blocking out time not just for the writing project but for other responsibilities like household duties, time with family and friends, self care, spiritual disciplines and exercise help me keep focused and on track. Looking at my commitments as a whole has helped me relax and have fun in the writing process without overextending myself.
Things to consider:
- Overall schedule: When would you like to complete your manuscript? How many words will you have to write each week in order to accomplish this?
- Research schedule: How much preliminary research will you need to do before you start writing? How long is that likely to take before you can begin writing?
- Writing Schedule: When are you most alert and productive during your day? Can you block out time during that part of the day for writing? What is the optimal length of time you can write for at one stretch. Mine is 2-3 hours, my husband can work in 5-10 hour blocks in a day. Write it on your schedule to see how realistic this looks with your other commitments. Does your proposed schedule feel comfortable or is it overwhelming? What other priorities need to be taken into consideration?
- Publication Schedule: how long will it take from the time you complete your manuscript for review, rewriting and editing before you are able to submit it to the publisher? What is the editorial process that the publisher uses? How long will it take for the book to be published once it has been submitted?
- Marketing Schedule: What kind of platform do you already have established that will help you market this book? What do you need to establish between now and the publication of the book?
Step Five: Create a relaxing and fun environment.
Find a spot in your home where you feel relaxed and ready to write. Maybe it’s your office, a standing desk, or your dining room table. Decide exactly what you need in advance so you’re prepared every day when you sit down to write. Do you need music playing? If so, what kind? Are you distracted by background noise and conversation or by messiness in your space? How can you avoid these? Do you want a candle or special image to focus on? Do you need a cup of tea or coffee, a snack or energy booster? Do you need to be near a window? Having all of this determined in advance will help motivate you to get started and to make writing an enjoyable ritual.
Some people prefer a library or coffee shop as an ideal place for them to write. Others like to find a retreat cabin they can inhabit for a few solid days or even weeks of writing. It all depends on whether background noise is distracting or comforting for you. Know what is most comfortable for you, find it and stick to it.
This is part of a 4 post series. Here is the entire series
Writing a Book – Part 1
Writing a Book – Part 2
Writing a Book – Part 3
Writing a Book – Part 4
by Christine Sine.
Many of you know that I am in the process of writing a book on creative spirituality. A number of you are writing books of your own. Others are hoping to. Many have asked about the process I use so I thought you might like a glimpse into what I have been doing over the last few months.
Writing a book is like embarking on a journey. It requires much preparation, involves some hard slogging and discipline, is best conducted in the company of friends and always includes some unexpected surprises. It is as much about creating an enjoyable process as producing a useful product.
I could just about write a book on this topic alone so thought that I would break it up into small chunks that are easy to digest. If there is advice you would like to share with others about your own writing process please comment below – we learn from each other.
There are ten steps I want to share with you – here are the first three!
Step One: Define your topic and your audience
What do you want to communicate or teach with this book? Writing is not about waffling on paper. We need to have a clear idea of where we want to go and what we want our audience to take away from the book.
Who is your intended audience and why would they be interested in this topic?“ Who will read your book and why” are important question that should be addressed up front. This can be more fully addressed in the marketing strategy, but if we do not know our audience from the beginning we will not know the best ways to connect and inspire them.
Why should you rather than someone else write this book? Years ago Philip Yancey told me “write to your passion.” It was very important advice that I continue to remind myself of when embarking on a new project.
Even then I find narrowing down my topic is not easy. There is always so much I want to say! Yes I can be verbose both in spoken and written words. Rather than covering a broad overview, consider how you could go deep with one element of the topic. This allows you to share much more information with your reader and gives you the opportunity to write additional books related to the topic.
Step Two: Research your topic
What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9) This is always a good starting point. It keeps us humble and willing to listen to the wisdom of others.
It is unlikely that you are writing on something that no one has written about before. Identifying who has already written on your topic, what they said and why you think you have something fresh to contribute are always important considerations. Don’t be discouraged when you find a book that seems to say much of what you wanted to write about. What I find is that the spirit of God often speaks through many voices on a topic at the same time. We need all the voices that God has anointed.
There are four types of research that I find helpful before starting on a draft for a book
- Reading – What are the best books and web articles available on this topic? When starting on a new project I enlist the help of my social media followers to get their book & website recommendations. For my most recent book project the list of suggested reading was a little overwhelming which made me aware that I had not communicated my topic very well and that there were already a lot of books out there that dealt with creative spirituality. On the other hand I got some very valuable advice that has helped me shape my book to make it uniquely my own.
- Conversation – Who are both the writers and practitioners you need to consult as you write this book? How will you engage with them? What questions would you like to ask them? It might be helpful to develop a set of questions that you ask each person you talk to. Working on a list like this often helps us clarify our thinking, objectives and goals.
I suggest connect to four groups of people: those who are experts on your topic, those who are practitioners, those who are searchers for information on your topic. And lastly to friends that can help you gather research or critique the research you are doing. How will each of these groups enable you to create a richer product?
- Visitation – Talking to people about what they are doing is great but visiting is even more effective as it helps us visualize and then put into words what we are seeing. It is also a good source of images and stories for your writing project. Before you plan visits ask yourself: what will I gain from this visit that I would not gain from a conversation? Again a list of questions that you send out before the visit might be helpful.
- Experimentation – my writing revolves around creative spiritual practices. I like to experiment with my own practices as well as gathering examples that others have created and trying them out. My creativity has blossomed as I worked on this book which is very encouraging for me as it suggests that I am on the right track.
Research needs to both precede and follow the writing of an outline. Preliminary research helps me know the elements I want to incorporate in a book. Writing the outline after that helps me know where I need more research.
Step Three: Recruit Collaborators
“A three fold cord is not easily broken”. In 2010 I was introduced to the Quaker discernment process, a group process that encouraged reflection, prayer and discernment in the context of community, moving us from a task oriented to a discernment oriented approach. In Mustard Seed Associates we came to see this as an essential part of any meeting as it focused on ourselves as community rather than on the tasks we needed to accomplish.
Like our meetings, most projects, especially the writing of books, are task-oriented. We have limited time to write. We have an agenda. We have deadlines. We open in prayer, knock out the details, and close in prayer to ask God to bless our words and our process. A better way is to weave prayer and spiritual attentiveness throughout the process, so that the writing moves from “task orientation” to “discernment orientation.” to make this happen we need friends, collaborators and advisors.
Recruiting a team of 3-5 people who can help guide you on the path to a completed manuscript will strengthen what you write and how you develop your book. They don’t need to be experts on the topic, though at least one or 2 of the people should be knowledgeable about your topic. Make sure that at least half of this team are part of your target audience. Consider this as a pilot discussion group for testing your product. Schedule a monthly meeting either individually or as a group (https://zoom.us/ is a good tool for such meetings if your team is not local.)
This is part of a 4 post series. Here is the entire series
Writing a Book – Part 1
Writing a Book – Part 2
Writing a Book – Part 3
Writing a Book – Part 4
This post was previously posted on the V3 Church planting blog by Tom Sine —
HIGHEST SCHOOL DEBT EVER!
The bad news is that an extraordinary number of the 80 millennials in the US are economically $crewed. School debt is significantly higher for millennials than for Xers, boomers approaching $40,000 per grad.
I have met three church planters that are struggling with a $90,0000 debt for their MDiv degree and working bi-vocationally in order to plan their church.
HARDEST TIMES GETTING STARTED!
Reportedly numbers of millennials are having difficulty finding jobs that relate to their college preparation. Some are responding by going back to grad school and incurring even more debt with little assurance that a job will be waiting for them when they graduate.
Still others find they have to re-locate to secure short- term contract work. This, of course, undermines their relationships and makes life more uncertain as they try to get started
MORE MILLENNIALS LIVING HOMELESS!
Millennials are also having to pay more for rent than older generations. As a consequence a higher percentage of millennials are either living at home or homeless than any other generation. For example, Christine and I have had two millenniums live with us, in our intergenerational household, that had lived in their cars for months because of the high cost of rent in Seattle.
NUMBERS GIVING UP ON BUYING A HOME
Since the cost to purchase homes seems to keep going up faster that the rise in each generation a huge number of millennials are deferring purchasing a home. Reportedly a growing number don’t ever plan to purchase a home. For example, many of us in the silent generation were able to purchase a house on a single income. For this generation purchasing a home, in many markets, requires such a high percentage of two incomes that numbers in this generation don’t feel it makes sense.
For all the daunting bad news…incredibly millennials are still the all time “good news generation!”
MILLENNIALS …THE GOOD NEWS GENERATION!
In spite of all the bad news facing millennials they are a GOOD NEWS GENERATION! {As I affirm in Live Like You Give A Damn! Join the Changemaking “Generation”} This is a generation that is much more aware of the issues of economic, racial and environmental justice.
More than that a higher percentage of millennials want to invest their lives in serious neighborhood empowerment to new forms of social enterprise to enable poor neighbors to become more self-reliant.
They also are discovering how to create new kinds of church to help them as disciples of Jesus, new forms church that empower them to put first things first in their lives.
Trevor and Hilary are a millennial couple who live in the top floor of our inter-generational household here in Seattle. They are planting a new church here called Kardia.
I am impressed that in the first year they have over 50 interested young people coming to their gatherings. A major part of the focus is showing members to become more creative stewards of their time and resources. As a consequence growing numbers are freeing up time and resources to make a difference in the lives of the homeless here in Seattle.
Clearly one of the most important topics for this generation is how, as followers of Jesus, to steward their entire lives to shift from Generation $crewed to GENERATION EMPOWERED!
In my February post I will share one creative way to enable millennials to become GENERATION EMPOWERED by helping one another discern how TO PUT FIRST THINGS FIRST IN THE WAY OF JESUS!
We would love to share your stories of and those of new startups of how millennials are becoming GENERATION EMPOWERED. SEND YOUR STORIES THIS WEEK!
Email you stories to me this week to twsine@gmail.com
by Christine Sine
Tom and I have just returned from one of our quarterly retreats. Our focus was a little different from usual. We spent much of our time thinking back over the almost 26 years of our marriage and reflecting on what we are grateful for. And there is much to be grateful for. We have shared some wonderful adventures as we explored special places around the world, have delighted in the rich experience of ministering together, and of offering hospitality in our home to people near and far. There have been challenging times too, such as when Tom’s son Clint died, and when our property on Camano was vandalized. Through it all, we have grown in our love and appreciation of each other, and in our love for God.
The word that stands out for us as we reflect back is resilience. So many people I know try to avoid the struggling times and wall off their pain. Yet it is these that build our resilience and strengthen our faith.
It is winter here in Seattle, and as I wandered round my garden this morning, I was struck by how barren it looks. The daffodils are just beginning to emerge, but the trees are still devoid of leaves. Winter is a time for building resilience and the garden teaches me much about how I can build accomplish this in my life.
izzy park 4tAqJ0BbMtw unsplash
Frozen leaves Photo by Izzy Park on Unsplash
Winter is a Time for Pruning
This is the season when we prune the fruit trees and roses. Why in winter you might wonder? Partly because when everything is devoid of leaves it is easy to tell what needs to be cut away. The dead wood, the misshapen and scraggly branches that will not bear fruit well are exposed. It is a little like that in our lives too. When we pass through the winters of doubt and depression, through the struggles with illness and loss that we become aware of the dead wood in us that needs to be pruned.
I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard. My Father examines every branch in Me and cuts away those who do not bear fruit. He leaves those bearing fruit and carefully prunes them so that they will bear more fruit; (John 15: 1,2 The Voice)
Pruning is done by God the master gardener. All it requires of us is that we stay close to Christ through regular times of prayer, meditation and scripture reading. It is primarily the strength of our spiritual disciplines that build resilience.
We need deep roots to anchor us
Winter is a Time to Send Down Roots.
Most of our fruit trees and berry bushes were planted in the autumn. Why you might wonder? Won’t they die over the winter. No, but when there is no growth above ground all the energy goes into sending down roots that can go deep searching for water and anchoring the plant.
He is like a tree planted by water,
sending out its roots beside the stream.
It does not fear the heat or even drought.
Its leaves stay green and its fruit is dependable, no matter what it faces. (Jeremiah 17:8 The Voice)
Resilience requires deep spiritual roots that protect us during all seasons from floods and droughts and chaos. And a tree with deep roots bears more fruit. It is not just our scripture reading and prayer that send down roots. The practice of gratitude is one that has deepened my roots and revolutionized my life over the last few years. Noticing and thanking God for the good things God has done is at the heart of a resilient faith.
Maple Syrup Harvesting photo Jason Aki
Winter Intensifies the Sweetness
Have you ever wondered why maple syrup is harvested in winter? Evidently, as the weather cools, the concentration of sugar in each cell increases dramatically and the plasma membrane becomes more flexible. It’s as though it produces its own sugary antifreeze that embraces the precious cell contents and stops it freezing, keeping it safe until spring. This mechanism doesn’t just operate in maple trees, it is an adaption that most winter hardy trees have. Without it their sap would freezes and branches would die.
In our lives too during the hard winter seasons we often feel all that is sweet within us has withdrawn to some inner hidden place. We want it to flow and fill us again, without realizing that its very retraction is what keeps the goodness within us alive. If we let it flow too soon, we will not be able to withstand the winter blasts.
Resilience grows in us as we slow down and enjoy the sweet sugary embrace of God’s protective presence.
icy tree
In Winter Buds And Fruit Wait Patiently.
Deciduous trees, which includes many fruit trees like apples and pears, and berries like blueberries, set buds that contain next year’s leaves and flowers, in the autumn. They then go into a dormancy to await the warm spring weather to stir them into growth. An early warm spell followed by a sudden freeze can decimate a fruit crop because the leaves and flowers unfurl too soon and then freeze.
How often I wonder do we force buds into bloom before their time? How often are we impatient to see growth when God is saying wait, there is another icy blast on the way? Yet resilience means accepting the season in which we find ourselves, even the icy winters when nothing seems to grow.
In Winter Trees Look After Themselves.
As I reflect on how trees adapt to the icy blast of winter, I realize that more than anything they are used to taking care of themselves. They know the signs that winter is approaching and they do what they need to in order to survive. They are pretty good at self care and because of that are indeed resilient.
It makes me aware however that we often ignore the signs of the changing seasons in our lives. We don’t build the inner resources we need to adapt and we don’t grow the resilience that will see us through. We want to keep growing and producing fruit all he time.
So my question for you today is: What do you do for self care? How do you grow resilience in your life?
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