• Home
  • About
  • Resources
    • Celtic Spirituality
    • Church Calendar
      • Advent, Christmas, New Year & Epiphany
      • Lent & Easter
      • Pentecost & Ordinary Time – updated 2023
    • Creation Spirituality
    • Hospitality
    • Justice, Suffering, & Wholeness
    • Prayers, Practices, & Direction
    • Seasons & Blessings
  • Speaking
    • Speaking
  • Courses
    • Finding Beauty in the Ashes of Lent
    • Walking in Wonder Through Advent
    • Gearing Up for a Season of Gratitude
    • Gift of Wonder Online Retreat
    • Lean Towards the Light Advent Retreat Online
    • Making Time for a Sacred Summer Online Retreat
    • Spirituality of Gardening Online Course
    • Time to Heal Online Course
  • Writers Community
    • Writers Community
    • Guidelines
  • Blog
  • Store
    • My Account
    • Cart
    • Checkout
  • Liturgical Rebels Podcast
  • 0
Godspacelight
by dbarta
HolidaysPrayerPrayer and inspiration

Freerange Friday: What’s In Your Cup Today?

by Lilly Lewin
written by Lilly Lewin

By Lilly Lewin

This week I’ve spent a lot of time at the hospital with a friend who is sick. I’ve been making pilgrimages through the maze of the hospital down to the coffee shop called Au Bon Pain for sustenance and coffee. Thankfully even the decaf is good there! But I discovered the disheartening fact that the holiday cups are already out! It’s mid October! And in Nashville it’s still warm! So it’s not even feeling like fall, much less Christmas! I’m not sure how you guys in Australia and Southern California do it with warm holidays. I prefer cold weather most of the time, but especially for the holiday season. I also noticed that Christmas lights and decorations are creeping into the stores, especially the craft stores so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that coffee shops are ready for the season. But i’m just not feeling it. Christine Sine reminded me that our theme for the next couple of months is “Joy to the World.” I have to admit, that the brightly decorated coffee cup does bring a smile and it’s encouraged me to consider just what is in my cup today? And realize that I need to pour out a lot of stuff that is keeping me from experiencing Joy. What about you? What’s in your cup?

Grab a favorite cup. Or you might go on a mission to find a cup that will make you smile and bring you joy just look at it or just to hold it in your hand.

Hold that cup in your hands. Feel the texture of the vessel. What are the things you like about this cup?

Consider the cup as your life. (if you’ve not read Joyce Rupp’s Cup of Our Life check it out)

What is your cup filled with today?

Honestly, my cup this week has been filled with worry for my friends in Northern California who are dealing with overwhelming wildfires. Many have had to evacuate and some have lost everything. I lived in Napa Valley for four years so I know exactly where these fires are burning and all the beauty the fires are destroying. My cup is filled with grief for the loss of lives, homes, livilhoods, and for the beauty.

As you hold your cup, Talk to God about what is in it today….

Allow the Holy Spirit to show you. What are the fears, worries, problems that may be floating in or filling up your cup? Name them out loud.

You can even fill your cup with liquid to symbolize those things, or write them on small pieces of paper and put them in the cup.

Give these things to God.

If you’ve chosen to put liquid in your cup, go to the sink and pour it out. Or symbolically turn your cup up and pour out the things that are there. Giving them to God.

Hold your cup again. What are things you’d like to be in your cup today?

What would you like your cup filled with? What things do you need in your cup today? Talk to Jesus about this!

Jesus, I’d like my cup to be filled with Joy!

Jesus, I’d like you to fill my cup with your love.

Jesus, I need you to fill my cup with hope even in the midst of the craziness and uncertainty around me.

Jesus, Remind me of this cup of love when I get scared, frustrated and confused.

Help me to know that you are holding me just like I am holding this cup. Thank you for filling my cup daily with good things.

AMEN

Keep that cup near you in the days and weeks ahead to be a symbol of God’s love, joy and hope!  Allow the cup to remind you of what you need it to be filled with. You can write down what you need in your cup and put it in the cup as a physical reminder too. Or draw a picture or take a picture of the cup as a reminder. And when you feel your cup being filled with fear, anxiety, bitterness, etc. Go to the sink and pour it out! And Ask God  for a better refill!

 

October 13, 2017 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
PrayerPrayer and inspiration

Sowers

by Hilary Horn
written by Hilary Horn

A prayer from John Birch —

October 12, 2017 0 comments
1 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Books

NEW Download Available: Rest In The Moment: Reflections for Godly Pauses

by Hilary Horn
written by Hilary Horn

A PDF downloadable version of the book: Rest in the Moment is now available in our online store for $9.99!

The twelve meditations in this beautiful full color book are designed to provide moments of refreshment throughout the day or week. The blending together of prayers, reflections, questions and photos invite us to pause, reset and refresh ourselves. Rest is such an important part of the rhythm of our lives, not just a weekly rest of Sabbath, but pauses of rest throughout the day to reset our focus and renew our connections to God. Even my fitbit tells me that I should relax for 2-3 minutes at regular intervals. We all need times when we pause for refreshment and renewal. Just as the night calls us to rest after a busy day and the winter calls us to rest after busy seasons of planting growth and harvest, so too does God beckon us to rest after hours of busy work.

You can also find the hard copy of the  book here for $19.99 and other great books in our online shop.

October 11, 2017 0 comments
1 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Holidays

Thanksgiving Eh!

by Hilary Horn
written by Hilary Horn

Canada celebrated thanksgiving this past October 9. Kathie Hempel wrote a great article  —

Growing up in Southern Ontario, close to the American border where Romper Room and Ding Dong School were the Sesame Street of the 1950’s, images of Thanksgiving were typically those associated with the United States’ November Thanksgiving.

Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock meeting with the native North American Indians, multi-colored corn, chiefs with large colorful headdresses, women in aprons and bonnets and men in their tall hats and buckled shoes were the only images I had of the earliest of Thanksgiving.

Imagine my surprise when I found out that so much about those images were wrong. The pilgrim women also were known to wear the tall caps, known as capotains, with nary a buckle to be seen. They too expensive and so leather ties were used to hold up britches, tie shoes and decorate and fit the tall hats. They also did not only wear the somber black and white clothing. Actually; the early Pilgrims wore the many colors of the day created by natural dyes.

So, if that wasn’t true…

As humans, we love story and often get creative with the truth. How we see any experience or issue depends on the lens we use to view our world. When we zoom to focus only on what we want the message of our story to be, we can miss details that can enhance our understanding of the truth.

The first Thanksgiving recorded in North America was celebrated in Canada when Martin Frobisher, an explorer from England, arrived in Newfoundland in 1578. Long before Europeans settled in North America, festivals of thanks and celebrations of harvest took place in Europe in the month of October. Thus, the difference in the second Monday in October celebrations in Canada and the fourth Thursday of November festivities in the United States.

I now live in Michigan. Those pictures of what Americans commonly call the “First Thanksgiving” was celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World in October 1621. Historians; however, the earliest celebrations in the then US territory of Virginia are recorded as far back as 1607. The celebration then moved into December and several other months and days before the fourth Thursday November became the designated holiday here December 26, 1941 by an act of Congress.

While the story of Thanksgiving can vary, the heart of Thanksgiving is what is truly compelling. We read in Philippians 4: 6-7 the spirit of Thanksgiving whatever the day or month:  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I remember the first time I met my three brothers and three sisters in September 1996. During the drive to see them, I asked God to let me remember every ray of sunlight, every silky cornstalk, every tree beginning to show exquisite color. Life had been difficult and I had begun practicing gratitude in just that way.

When I struggled to find anything to be grateful for, I would focus on one tree. If I could be grateful for one tree, I could be grateful for all trees. As my gratitude grew, I widened the lens to include one person and all people, one experience and all experiences.

I came to understand that faith is gratitude expressed. Faith to me is the arms wide-open receiving of God’s tremendous grace and mercy in our lives, given to those who will accept it. Thanksgiving is my celebration of that; trumpets blaring, feast set out, family gathered, and even the extra pounds accumulated when you celebrate two Thanksgivings each year.

No matter the country, no matter the language, no matter the day; our Thanksgiving reflects the state of our hearts.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34

October 11, 2017 0 comments
2 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Prayer

A Psalm of Holy Invitation

by Hilary Horn
written by Hilary Horn

By Jenneth Graser —

Lord you are my refuge of long ages past.

I run into your strength.

Only you are the one who is able

to search me out for enemies within.

You blow through the rooms of my inward home,

as I open the windows for your Spirit

to see me in my entirety.

You rout out my inner darkness.

You expose my foes and reveal each scheme.

You are able to bring my turmoil

into peace that goes beyond all my striving efforts

to achieve peace.

It is only in your righteousness that I can rest.

I will offer the gifts of my gratitude.

I will sing over the last touches of night

that are broken with the first bird’s kiss.

I will sing over the morning thanks

that rises with the sun from my back

and warms my every inclination into praise.

Your holiness is an invitation

and the pure in heart will see God.

When you ripped the curtain of deep separation,

you cleansed my heart at once.

I will see your face everywhere,

when I look.

Amen.

October 11, 2017 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Holidays

Indigenous People’s Day (October 9)

by Hilary Horn
written by Hilary Horn

We were late to get this posted in time for Indigenous People’s day — but here is a fabulous post from Rachel K. Taber Hamilton—

On May 4, 1493, at the urging of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, Pope Alexander VI confirmed their right of possession of all newly discovered lands in the Americas. Even at that point in time, 524 years ago this year, the Christian conquest of the new world was well under way.

Alexander’s papal bull was a continuation of what is now called the Doctrine of Discovery. The history of Europeans “discovering” indigenous peoples in their own land is a tragic one. In 1455 Pope Nicholas V had exhorted Catholic rulers to conquer, even those “in the remotest parts unknown to us,” who all were deemed to be enemies of Christ. The Pope gave explorers (the first venture capitalists) permission “to invade, search out, capture, vanquish, and subdue all Saracens [Muslims] and pagans,” take their possessions, and “reduce their persons to perpetual slavery.”  This was understood to be God’s will, with the new world interpreted as the “promised land” that God intended for them as the “faithful’ to enter and claim as their renewed Eden.

To settle a feud between Spain and Portugal, the papal bull of 1493 divided the world between them, leaving most the Americas to Spain and giving Portugal what is now Brazil and all lands in Africa and Asia.

The European invasion of the Indian settlements in the Americas was informed in equal parts by both profiteering and theology, each reinforcing the validity of the other. What Columbus did to the Arawaks of the Bahamas, Cortes did to the Aztecs of Mexico, Pizarro to the Incas of Peru, and the English settlers of Virginia and Massachusetts to the Powhatans and the Pequots.

In the case of Christopher Columbus, his “discovery” of an island in the Bahamas, in the Caribbean Sea, would launch a series of genocidal events that would decimate indigenous populations there and in what is now Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti.  From the island in the Bahamas, Arawak men and women, naked, tawny, and full of wonder, emerged from their villages onto the island’s beaches and swam out to get a closer look at the strange big boat. When Columbus and his sailors came ashore, carrying swords, speaking oddly, the Arawaks ran to greet them, brought them food, water, gifts. He later wrote of this in his log:

They … brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other things, which they exchanged for the glass beads and hawks’ bells. They willingly traded everything they owned… . They were well-built, with good bodies and handsome features…. They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance. They have no iron. Their spears are made of cane… . They would make fine servants…. With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.

The Arawaks had no iron, but they wore tiny gold ornaments in their ears. As Howard Zinn notes in his book, “History as A Weapon,” upon seeing their gold jewelry, “The information that Columbus wanted most was: Where is the gold?”

Not long after his arrival in the area, Columbus and his men herded the indigenous peoples into pens, enslaved them to mine for gold, and -failing that – shipped them to Europe to be sold as slaves, in payment of accrued debts to his investors. The Indians had been given an impossible task. The only gold around was bits of dust garnered from the streams. When they fled, they were hunted down with dogs and were killed. This scenario, exemplified by Christopher Columbus, would be reenacted by other Christian European countries throughout the centuries, employing the same theological, economic and geopolitical justifications.

The indigenous peoples of the United States also came under the influence of the Doctrine of Discovery in the founding of the country by its earliest European settlers. The Doctrine was formally indoctrinated into U.S. law in 1823, when Chief Justice John Marshall concluded that the U.S. had derived its right of “dominion” from Great Britain as the nation who “discovered” and settled “unoccupied” land. Justice Marshall concluded that America’s “heathen” natives had lost “their rights to complete sovereignty” and must now live as dependent nations within the U.S. Since that time, every single one of over 500 U.S. treaties with its indigenous populations has been broken by the U.S. government over time. Every. Single. One.

Genocide is never something to celebrate, though it can be important to commemorate. Nations that have been forged from the forces of colonialism have been built upon the premise of clearing away and subjugating indigenous peoples in body, mind and spirit.

I recently attended a bi-annual international gathering of indigenous peoples within the Anglican Communion. Indigenous representatives from Canada, Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia,Torres Strait Islands, Hawaii and the continental United States gathered in solidarity and mutual support to discuss issues we hold in common as inheritors of the multigenerational effects of colonialism and the Doctrine of Discovery.

The Anglican Indigenous Network (AIN) gathered on the land of the Haudenosaunee peoples of the Six Nations Reserve on the Grand River Territory in Ontario, Canada. There, we discussed the impact of Climate Change on indigenous communities and life ways. We received one another’s stories and shared tears of the impact of Historical and Intergenerational Trauma on our peoples today through high rates of addiction, poor health, homelessness, incarceration, family breakdowns, violence, suicide, neglect, and abuse/sexual abuse which are all disproportionately high across our peoples. We shared community case studies on how environmental racism negatively impacts our use of land resources and waterways within historical treaty areas and sacred sites.

Struggles for sovereignty and treaty rights continue today and are as much a part of indigenous people’s traditions as prayers, songs and dances. Court rooms, government offices, jail houses, clinics and schools are today’s battle grounds upon which indigenous peoples are still fighting for recognition, dignity, rights, resources, justice and life itself.  So, for us, today – October 9, 2017 – is Indigenous People’s Day. Please do not ask us to glorify those who have historically committed genocide against our peoples on this day or any other day. Instead, please use this day to reflect upon our common past and the actions of our ancestors, that together we might act thoughtfully for justice in the present and create a future grounded in mutual respect and self-determination.  Only within relationships of restorative justice can we – all of us – heal our peoples, our communities, our nations and our world. Reconciliation is the path we must walk together, if humanity and all Creation are to continue for generations yet to come.

October 10, 2017 0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Advent 2017Christmas

Recovering Awe And Wonder In the Festive Season

by Christine Sine
written by Christine Sine

by Christine Sine

I am already thinking about Christmas and what I want to accomplish during the upcoming festive season. It may seem a little early, but as we head into what for most of us is the busiest time of the year we need to be ready.  Halloween, All Saints Day, Thanksgiving, Advent and Christmas are almost here. What is meant to be an exciting celebration of the awe and wonder of Christ’s coming in human form to dwell amongst us, has instead become a season of overwork, exhaustion, and burn out. Added to that this year is the burden of our heavy hearts reacting to the devastation in Puerto Rico from hurricane Maria, the shooting in Las Vegas, earthquakes in Mexico and so many other disasters around the world. We might be getting ready to sing Joy to the world, but our spirits are far from joyful and even at the best of times it is hard for us to enter into the awe and wonder of the seasons.

Unfortunately, as I have mentioned before, research also suggests that we are awe deprived. We spend more time working and commuting and less time in nature, involved in art and music or with other people, the main situations that invoke awe and wonder. How do we prepare and enable our families and congregations to really celebrate with awe and wonder the coming of Christ and the impact he has on our world?

Partly for these reasons, I have chosen the theme Joy to the World for my reflections this year and invite you to join me. In the next couple of weeks I intend to put together a weekly plan for the season, a garden to help me center, and a series of questions to help me focus. I am starting with the question: How do I prepare for the joy of Christ’s birth? and would love your thoughts on this.

More than anything I want to re-enter the joy of Christmas and rediscover the awe and wonder of Christ’s coming. So here is what I am thinking.

Cultivate Silence

The first key to preserving awe and wonder in our lives is to allow for silence, not the silence that comes from an absence of noise, but silentium the silence of attentiveness towards God which we enter into as we make space for and pay attention to our loving, awe inspiring God. It is the place where we find breathing space for our souls and allow our imaginations to flourish.

It was the contemplative practice of lectio divina with its encouragement to a listening kind of silence that opened my soul to awe and wonder once more. I invite you to set aside time each week over the next few months for this practice which encourages us to sit quietly in the presence of God, deliberately shutting out the distractions of inner and outer noise, center ourselves on God, read scripture and listen contemplatively for what God’s spirit might say to us through our listening.

Get out into nature. 

Nothing stirs our imaginations or inspires us with awe like nature. Find out about outdoor celebrations of the season that can inspire you. I love to gather autumn leaves and decorate them with words of faith and inspiration for the Thanksgiving table. Or you might like to plan a candlelight walk in your local park or forest during Advent, create an Advent spiral in your backyard or sit on the beach and watch the sunset while you tell the story of Christ’s birth and imagine the wonder of the heavenly angels bursting into the earthly realm singing joy to the world.

Take notice of the small beautiful things around you. 

At Christmas we are often overwhelmed by the mass of goods we are encouraged to buy and consume and feel condemned by the encouragement to cut back and simplify. Encourage your family and congregations to reflect on the memories and memorabilia of Christmas past, those small and seemingly insignificant objects that make Christmas special. Plan a make something party to bring together family and friends in a fun filled way. Cards, family photos and ornaments can form foci for attentive reflection and awe inspiring moments.

Seek out what gives you goose bumps.

Awe can be triggered by an unexpected smile, a helping hand on the bus, a mural on a wall. Think about what gives you goose bumps and talk to your congregations and families about what takes their breath away during Thanksgiving and Christmas and look for those triggers around you. Discuss ways that these experiences could be nurtured and highlighted.

See the world differently. 

For those who live in the Northern hemisphere Christmas conjures up images of snowy landscapes, Christmas carols by the fire and nativity scenes at church. For me growing up in Australia it is about BBQs on the beach, long family vacations and hot summer days. We all need different perspectives in order to keep the story of Christmas alive and awe inspiring. Encourage your family and congregations to read about Christmas traditions in other countries, or to walk with a child through the Christmas tree lot and marvel at their perceptions and curiosity. Or indulge in some Christmas baking and close your eyes and rejoice in the beauty of touch and smell. Then take it to the local senior care facility or homeless shelter.

Slow down and take notice. 

Tom and I attend a performance of the Messiah each year just before Christmas. Listening to this wonderful music together is a wonderful way to drink in the wonder of Christmas once more. Or you might like to take a day off from the season’s festivities and go away for a silent retreat..

What inspires you with awe when you think about the birth of Christ? How do you feel you could encourage yourself, your family and your congregation to discover this awe once more?

October 9, 2017 0 comments
2 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
  • 1
  • …
  • 372
  • 373
  • 374
  • 375
  • 376
  • …
  • 642

As an Amazon Associate, I receive a small amount for purchases made through appropriate links.

Thank you for supporting Godspace in this way. 

Attribution Guidelines:

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!

Share FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail

Products

  • Shop Items 1 1 Cookbook Bundle 3: Cookbook + Lean Towards The Light This Advent & Christmas Devotional + Lean Towards the Light Journal $32.00
  • Shop Items 6 Journal for Lean Towards the Light This Advent & Christmas - Download $6.99
  • Advent Bundle Physical Bundle: Journal, Prayer Cards, and Devotional: Lean Towards the Light this Advent & Christmas $33.99
  • Blog Ads 400 x 400 19 Walking in Wonder through Advent Virtual Retreat $39.99
  • To Garden With God + Gift of Wonder Prayer Cards Bundle To Garden With God + Gift of Wonder Prayer Cards Bundle $23.99
You can now join Christine on Substack

Meet The Godspace Community Team

Meet The Godspace Community Team

Christine Sine is the founder and facilitator for Godspace, which grew out of her passion for creative spirituality, gardening and sustainability. Together with her husband, Tom, she is also co-Founder of Mustard Seed Associates but recently retired to make time available for writing and speaking.
Read More...

Keep in touch

Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest

Search the blog

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Youtube
  • Email

© 2025 - Godspacelight.com. All Right Reserved.

Godspacelight
  • Home
  • About
  • Resources
    • Celtic Spirituality
    • Church Calendar
      • Advent, Christmas, New Year & Epiphany
      • Lent & Easter
      • Pentecost & Ordinary Time – updated 2023
    • Creation Spirituality
    • Hospitality
    • Justice, Suffering, & Wholeness
    • Prayers, Practices, & Direction
    • Seasons & Blessings
  • Speaking
    • Speaking
  • Courses
    • Finding Beauty in the Ashes of Lent
    • Walking in Wonder Through Advent
    • Gearing Up for a Season of Gratitude
    • Gift of Wonder Online Retreat
    • Lean Towards the Light Advent Retreat Online
    • Making Time for a Sacred Summer Online Retreat
    • Spirituality of Gardening Online Course
    • Time to Heal Online Course
  • Writers Community
    • Writers Community
    • Guidelines
  • Blog
  • Store
    • My Account
    • Cart
    • Checkout
  • Liturgical Rebels Podcast
Sign In

Keep me signed in until I sign out

Forgot your password?

Password Recovery

A new password will be emailed to you.

Have received a new password? Login here

Shopping Cart

Close

No products in the cart.

Close
 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.