Celtic Christians were very aware of the Triune nature of God and treated the Trinity as family. Every family, clan or community mirrored the nature of God, an icon of the Trinity.
Reflect on this as you prepare for this coming week. Take some time to deeply look at your family and your community. How has God’s image been marred for you by the brokenness within your family and community? In what ways do they mirror the Triune nature of God for you? What actions could you take this week to strengthen that image?
Tom and I head out this morning for another time of retreat, so it seemed an appropriate time to let you know about our upcoming retreat Rest in the Moment, to be held here in Seattle September 26th. Many of us have relocated, are starting new jobs or a new school year and life can get pretty frantic, so give yourself a break, rest in the moment with us, refresh yourself and reset the rhythm of your life.
Rest in the Moment – A Retreat for Refreshment and Renewal
Facilitator: Christine Sine
Where: Mustard Seed House, Seattle
When: September 26 9:30- 1pm
As we race into the school year and gallop towards Christmas does your life become too busy and distracted to enjoy intimacy with God? Join us as we invite the spirit of God to stir our imaginations and guide us into a rhythm of rest and restoration that will sustain us in the months to come.
The pause God calls us to is one of enjoyment and satisfaction, a rest in which we hear God’s affirmation and pleasure in us, a pause in which we hear God’s voice say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Laying aside our work and busyness to pause, and focus on the presence of the living God is a wonderful way to centre our lives on the restfulness of mind and spirit that God intends for us.
Through prayer, reflection and creativity we will explore how to incorporate this type of restful pause into our days, our weeks and our year. Create your own spiritual rhythm and establish practices that strengthen your faith and draw you closer to the One in whom we live and move and have our being.
It seems to be the season for moving. In the last month four of our close neighbours have moved and three other houses are up for sale. Friends are moving across the country and around the world. People are settling into new jobs and new locations.
House blessing – praying at the front door
Recently I participated in my first house blessing for one of these friends. We started at the front door,
House blessing – sprinkling with water
then went room to room praying for each part of the house and sprinkling water over it and its occupants. We even blessed the bathroom – crowding into the small space with much fun and laughter.
Blessing the living room
It was a wonderful experience and one that I wanted to imitate when our new community members Forrest and Kayra moved in upstairs. However we simplified the process and stood in the living room while reciting the prayer above. It is adapted from a much longer house blessing in Celtic Daily Prayer.
Blessing the bathroom
I heartily recommend the experience of house blessing to you – whether you are moving into a new home, or welcoming new housemates. If possible have a priest participate and sprinkle water as a symbol of that blessing throughout your new abode. And if you do use this prayer please share your experiences with us.
And last but not least enjoy this house blessing which I found on Youtube this morning.
Our 24th Celtic retreat Shalom and the Reconciliation of God is over. It was, I think one of the best we have held, with almost perfect sunny weather in which to enjoy the serenity and beauty of this land. We gathered in our beautiful outdoor chapel to worship, pray and sing together with our awesome musicians Sean and Julie Hall and their daughter Lynna, accompanied by Melody George on the drums.
The ringing of the singing bowl, interspersed our liturgies and reflection times with a sweet melody that resonated through the forest enriching our souls.
For those that would like to enjoy our liturgies and prayers from the day, they are available here:
We began our program by decorating the altar with items gathered from the land that spoke to us of reconciliation and shalom.
At the same time we created a candle for altar made from the broken glass gathered from our vandalized building.
It glowed brightly throughout our services and well into the night
There was lots of time for quiet reflection, for fellowship and for creativity.
We finished the day with a beautiful Eucharistic service presided over by Andy Wade and Rebecca Joy Sumner, even blessing the many animals that joined us for this year’s retreat. Then shared wonderful BBQ together
And at night we sat round a “campfire” (propane run because of the fire ban) and enjoyed food and fun together.
Those of us that stayed overnight enjoyed morning and evening prayers together, a welcome additional time of reflection.
I am deeply appreciative of our wonderful MSA team and other much helpful volunteers who arrived Friday morning breakfasted at the Cookie Mill and then helped clear the land and get our space ready.
Hope you can join us next year for a very special celebration – our 25th Celtic retreat and my husband Tom’s 80th birthday.
Tom and I are about to go away for a few days of much needed rest. We are heading to Mayne Island in Canada and in preparation I have been gathering prayers, and preparing reflective exercises that will help me focus as I seek to refresh and renew myself. Rest is meant to be an important part of the rhythm of our lives. 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 to does God beckon us to rest after seasons of busy work.
What is Your Response?
Read through the prayer above and sit quietly in the presence of God. Take a few deep breaths in and out. Allow the wonder of God’s presence to fill you. Enter into the invitation of the prayer to look, listen and savour the moment. Rest in God.
Sunset on Mayne Island
At times like this I am always drawn towards Psalm 23, that wonderful prayer of David’s that calls us to rest in the presence of all life’s fears and challenges. Reading it this morning in The Voice, I have been struck again by its message. I invite you to read it together with me.
The Eternal is my shepherd, He cares for me always.
He provides me rest in rich, green fields
beside streams of refreshing water.
He soothes my fears;
He makes me whole again,
steering me off worn, hard paths
to roads where truth and righteousness echo His name.Even in the unending shadows of death’s darkness,
I am not overcome by fear.
Because You are with me in those dark moments,
near with Your protection and guidance,
I am comforted.You spread out a table before me,
provisions in the midst of attack from my enemies;
You care for all my needs, anointing my head with soothing, fragrant oil,
filling my cup again and again with Your grace.
Certainly Your faithful protection and loving provision will pursue me
where I go, always, everywhere.
I will always be with the Eternal,
in Your house forever.
What is Your Response?
As you read slowly through this psalm, listen carefully to the words. Read them aloud and invite them to lodge in your spirit. Is there a word or phrase that catches your attention? Recite it several times. Sit quietly in the presence of God and allow God’s spirit to speak to you. Respond to the Spirit’s nudging y writing down what you sense. Say a prayer of gratitude for God’s guidance.
Now watch this video – is there anything more that God is saying to you or nudging you to do?
A couple of days ago I posted about our abundance of tomatoes. I mentioned that such abundance makes me creative and it obviously makes others creative too. I have had several requests for recipes, have received some wonderful new recipes from others, and am still looking for more. Not only are our tomatoes overflowing, but the apples too are ripening and overwhelming in their abundance. We are getting ready to preserve and share.
So I thought I would share a few of my favourite recipes and ask you to add to the list. What would you do with an abundance of tomatoes, or apples, or whatever is ripening in your garden or overflowing from the supermarket shelves, or being discarded by your local farms.
We don’t want any of this wonderful produce to go to waste. Huffington post tells us that 6 billion pounds of produce is discarded every year because it is ugly. Wasted food says that Americans waste 40% of food that is produced. What other suggestions do you have for how we could use it?
Here are recipes that have helped us – what would you add to the list? What else should we do with the abundance?
We are also living on tomato sandwiches:
Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwiches a la Tom Sine
Take 2 slices of good, crusty Italian bread and spread it with mayonnaise, mustard, or butter. Fry pieces of lean bacon and drain off the fat on paper. Place the bacon on one slice of bread and top it with tasty cheese. Place under the broiler until the cheese is melted. Top with slices of sweet onion, avocado, lettuce, and large slices of Brandywine tomatoes. Pepper and salt to taste and place the remaining slice of bread on top. Enjoy!
Portabello Mushroom, Squash and Tomato Sandwiches a la Christine Sine
Take 2 slices of a good crusty bread and toast lightly under the griller on one side. Sprinkle 2 portabello mushrooms with soy sauce and grill until soft. Cut summer squash into slices about 1/4 ” thick lengthwise. Coat both sides with olive oil, sprinkle with Italian herb seasoning and grill until soft. Cut a large red bell pepper in half lengthwise and grill until skin is black. Leave in a paper bag for 1/2 hour and then peel skin. Layer mushrooms, squash and pepper slices on untoasted side of bread, cover with slices of cheddar cheese ( we love Irish Dubliner) and grill until cheese is melted. Top with slices of sweet onion, avocado and large slices heirloom tomatoes. Pepper and salt to taste and place remaining slice of bread on top. Enjoy!
My favourite tomato salad (Quinoa tabbouleh)
2 cups quinoa – I like a combination of red & white
2 lb tomatoes – if you use cherries halve them, larger tomatoes cut in small pieces
1 lb summer squash – my favourite is patty pan but any small squash works, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 medium sized cucumber cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 cup green beans – cooked & cup into 1/2″ pieces.
1/2 cup sweet onion
1 lb feta cheese – crumbled
1/2 cup olive oil & 1/2 cup lemon juice for dressing.
1/2 cup kalamata olives
1 cup parsley – finely chopped
1 cup mint – finely chopped
Cook the quinoa in 3 cups of water for 10 minutes and allow to cool. Add tomatoes, squash, cucumber, beans, onion, feta cheese, olives, parsley and mint. Stir in the dressing and enjoy. (serves 6-8)
One thing I like about this salad is that it is just as good the second day.
You may also like to look at other tomato and apple recipes I have posted:
And I heartily recommend the Australian Women’s Weekly Tomato cookbook which has given me much inspiration in the past.
So get out and savour those tomatoes – or if you live in the Southern hemisphere think about what you could do when the produce overflows next year. Enjoy!
In the Lord’s prayer “your kingdom come” Jesus encourages us to pray daily for the coming of God’s kingdom, but it easy in the busyness of life and the distractions of family and friends to forget. I need constant reminders and find that prayers like this area tremendous help in refocusing my life on God’s priorities. I hope that you will use it to refocus your life too,
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