by Christine Sine
Last week I read a fascinating article The Image and the Likeness by Justin Coutts of New Eden Ministry. He contends that we are made in the image of God, infused with a seed of the divine presence but that we must then grow into the likeness, the character of God. I was particularly struck by his reminder that the human story begins in goodness. All of creation is proclaimed good, but humanity is not only good but “very good”. He then goes on the quote from the Irish monk Columbanus:
“Moses wrote in the Law, ‘God made man in his own image and likeness.’ Consider, I beg you, the weight of these words: God, the all-powerful, invisible, unfathomable, ineffable, and unsearchable, when making man of clay, ennobled him with the dignity of his image. What does the human race have in common with God? What does earth have in common with spirit? For God is spirit. It is a great honour that God bestowed on men and women the image of his eternity and likeness to his own character.”
As I read this I was overwhelmed by both the responsibility and the wonder of who we are. I am not quite sure what it meant to Columbanus to be made in the image of eternity, but I am intrigued by the thought that we are created to grow into the likeness of God’s character. I love Coutts belief that we are not created complete:
To grow into the likeness of God’s character is the completion of our creation. God has left our creation incomplete on purpose so that we may grow and learn. A new baby is a potential and not a finished product. This incompleteness is a blessing which allows us to not only receive goodness but also bestow it. When we grow into kindness we become like God but when we turn away from kindness we do violence to our own souls.
Coutts words encouraged me to do a spiritual audit. What are the characteristics of God that I most want to grow into? What do I think it means for me to grow into the likeness of God? This has been my focus over the last few days. Not surprisingly 1 Corinthians 13 came to mind as I feel that this is one of the most beautiful statements of the character of God. So I read it several times, slowly, while asking myself “What are the characteristics of God that I feel God is encouraging me to grow into?:
Love is patient; love is kind. Love isn’t envious, doesn’t boast, brag, or strut about. There’s no arrogance in love; 5 it’s never rude, crude, or indecent—it’s not self-absorbed. Love isn’t easily upset. Love doesn’t tally wrongs 6 or celebrate injustice; but truth—yes, truth—is love’s delight! 7 Love puts up with anything and everything that comes along; it trusts, hopes, and endures no matter what. (From Voice Translation)
Loving, just, patient, a lover of truth, hopeful, kind, trusting God, these are the characteristics that I want to reach out and grab hold of. Then my mind moved to other characteristics God is developing in me, ones that I have worked hard to cultivate in my life over the last 30 years in particular. I think these too are essential aspects of the character of God:
Creativity – I did not grow up thinking of myself as a particularly creative person, but God keeps unveiling new places of creative expression in my life. It is an exciting journey of exploration and discovery, of joy and wonder that continues to draw me closer to my loving God. I have discovered my love for rock painting, poetry writing, contemplative garden making and many other creative gifts God planted in my soul and nourished until I allowed them to be revealed.
Compassion – this is not always an easy one to grow into, especially in the world in which we live in which climate change disasters, and the prevalence of war often leave us with a fatigue and resignation towards those who are victims of abuse, injustice and disaster. Maintaining not only an attitude of compassion, but to be willing to reach out with compassionate care to those who are in need of comfort, support and assistance is not easy.
Generosity – I see this as one of the central characteristics of God, one that I continue to learn as I harvest the abundance in the garden each year. God’s economy is one of abundance and generosity – enough for our own needs and an abundance to share. The more generous I am towards others the more God seems to lavish on us to share.
Hospitality – Our God is a hospitable God and invites us to be hospitable too. We see it in the wild produce that grows around us for us to pick – here in the Pacific NW blackberries, salmonberries, elderberries, mushrooms and much more. And God’s invitation to hospitality is not just for us to reach out to people we know, but to strangers and even to creation. God encourages us to welcome all the creatures of this good and beautiful creation through learning to live more sustainably and make room and comfortable habitats for all creatures.
Contemplation and silence – these gifts from God seem to go hand in hand. I love the story of 1 Kings 19 where Elijah is in a cave when God passes by. The Eternal One is not found in the wind or the storm or the earthquake but in the sound of sheer silence or as The Voice calls it a gentle quiet voice in the midst of a calm breeze. Learning to grow into the God who is found in silence and gentle quiet voices continues to be one of the biggest challenges of my spiritual life.
I think my list of Godly characteristics I want to acquire could go on and on. I relish the idea of spending my life growing into the likeness of God. It is a joy, a delight and a huge privilege and responsibility. What do you think? What Godly characteristics do you want to cultivate in your life in order to grow into the likeness of God?
By Karen Wilk
Fire has been in the news a lot these last few months – it has been so destructive and cruel, Yet, in contrast to its devastation, summer also provided many of us the opportunity to enjoy its warmth and flame with friends and neighbours at home or out camping. This poem is an invitation to consider these contradictions.
Fire
Fire
Comfort, warmth
Security, light
A circle of grace in the night
But
In the wild
Fire screaming like a child
Terror, havoc, violent flames
Blazes forests, homes it claims
……….Destroying torching
……….……….everything
Smoke clouding, sky filling,
Time to evacuate, fear instilling
Dear God how could a good thing
Be so bad, so debilitating
Charcoal, black, what could cook,
Soothe, light, draw in
……….is snooked
……….……….In soot
But I love a campfire
With my neighbours, never tire
Sun goes down, starry night we admire
When we’re ‘lucky’ –blessed by an owl
Northern lights, a conversation going deep
We’re together, in the flicker, twilight sweeps
In this we learn, in this we might
Discover that
……….we all can
Burn bright with warming light
……….Or be cruel, and destroy what’s right.
Join Christine Sine on October 14 or watch the recording later. October and November, the season between Canadian Thanksgiving and American Thanksgiving, is gratitude season on Godspacelight. Christine Sine will encourage you to enter into the practice of gratitude in this interactive retreat that will help us enter this season of gratitude with joy and delight in our hearts.
This past week our Jewish brothers and sisters celebrated Rosh Hashana which is the beginning of the new year and a celebration of the creation of Adam and Eve and the birth of creation. It’s also known as the days of AWE. As we begin again into a new season, my friend Anya Almgren invites us to take time for AWE and WONDER and to receive this gift of NEWNESS. Lilly
“What is the biggest gift you have ever received? Did you know that there are some presents so big that nobody notices them? They are so huge that they are hard to see. They are so hard to see that the only way to know that they are there is to go clear back to the beginning, or maybe a little before the beginning.” – Jerome W. Berryman
Those are the words at the beginning of the Godly Play story of Creation. If you are unfamiliar with Godly Play, it is a Montessori-based ministry that mentors the spiritual development in children and can also be used with youth and even adults. Originally based in the U.S. in 1974, Godly Play is now implemented in various denominational and non-denominational churches and Bible camps in 57 other countries as well. But don’t let the word “play” fool you! As we know from Christine Sine and Lilly Lewin, play is important in our lives and faith. The designated Godly Play room becomes a sacred space for children to hear, wonder about, and respond to sacred biblical and liturgical action stories and parables. Each story is told using quality made wooden materials and incorporates contemplative moments of silence and a time of wonder before children respond to the stories using art supplies, the wooden story materials themselves, and other objects to allow the children to explore the deeper meanings in the stories and to process what they have heard and learned and relate it to their own life.
Each year in September, when the kids come back to school, and Chapel Time starts up again, we begin with the story of Creation. As I tell this story, I pause on each day’s creation and say “God gave us the gift of….” How often have we read through this familiar story in Genesis 1 and not realized that all that God created is a gift, not just for us, but for Creation itself? How often have we read that story and not realized that the sabbath rest was also a gift?
The hallmark of Godly Play is really the wonderings of the community of children. The storyteller is there to ask the questions to prompt the children to wonder but does not lead them to any specific answers. This wondering time always makes me think of Rainier Maria Rilke’s famous quote:
Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.
One of the reasons I love teaching 3-5 year olds is because everything is new to them, and they still have their sense of wonder intact. They also have a sense of hope and responsibility. They always want to help and do the right thing. When I have asked the question, “I wonder which part of the story we could take out and still have all we need?” the children will have me remove the wooden story materials, day by day, as they discuss amongst themselves the pros and cons of removal of any part of Creation and the consequences thereof. It is quite an interesting phenomenon to observe these young children try to work out whether it is a good idea to remove all sources of light and water or annihilate all the creatures that walk on four legs and those that walk on two legs or to cause all of the creatures of the air and water to become extinct and the green growing things on the land to no longer live. It may surprise you that they are using critical thinking skills at such a young age, but children understand cause and effect and the consequences for actions. They are, after all, constantly being taught what to do and what not to do, what is right and what is wrong.
Sometimes there is one child who will ask me to remove the sabbath day of rest wooden board. Perhaps they think it is not important, but it may also be that they are simply following the pattern of having me remove each individual day of Creation for them to ponder and discuss. Inevitably, the other children will yell, “NO!” and will try to talk me and the child out of removing it. Some children have even put their hands on the board and begged me not to remove it as they try to impress their thinking upon the child who wants to remove it. They have come to understand its sacredness, but they also argue that it is important because if we did not have the gift of rest, we would always be working and moving and living nonstop. Hmm I wonder why adults have forgotten that concept. After all, it was the first full day after humankind was created and it was not a day to rest because we had been so busy working, but because God wanted to spend time with us, and it was God who had been so busy making all things new. In our world of go-go-go, we frequently stop only when we are through with our To Do List or can only take a vacation when we have accrued enough paid time off. Some folks do not even get a vacation. Isn’t it a wonder then that God gave us the gift of sabbath rest before we even did any work? How might that concept change your routine and rhythm?
READ: Today, I encourage you to reread the Creation story from Genesis 1and to reframe it from the perspective of all creation being a gift from God.
WONDER: Take time to wonder “Which day of Creation is the most important?” “Which day of Creation is your favorite?” “Which part of the story could we take out and still have all we need?” “Which part of the story do I see myself in?” “Which part of Creation am I indifferent to and which part am I passionate about?” “How will these wonderings affect how I live out my faith from now?”
ACTION: Then, if you are able, take a walk outside and let the Spirit direct your path. Find a tangible part of Creation and hold it in your hand as you walk along.
PRAYER: Dear God, thank you for the gifts of Creation. Thank You that You have provided all that we need for sustenance. Help us to witness the cause and effect of our actions and to act according to Your will in our daily lives, Lord. Guide us in our dealings with others who may be indifferent to Your gifts and help us to model for the younger generation what environmental stewardship truly is. In your holy and precious name, we pray, amen.
by Alex Tang
This article originally appeared on Alex Tang’s substack: Tang’s Takeaways
Why are we so forgetful? Have you ever found yourself puzzled by the peculiar nature of human memory? One moment, you’re profoundly touched by a sermon or inspired by a passage of Scripture, and you think, “I’ll never forget this.” Yet, the details become hazy just a few days or even hours later, and that initial feeling of inspiration dwindles. Perhaps you’ve had those mountaintop moments where God’s love felt incredibly close, and you were sure such a powerful sensation could never be forgotten. But then life happens. The bills pile up, the kids yell, and the day’s stresses seem to wash away those moments of clarity like footprints in the sand.
In these instances, it’s helpful to reflect on Psalm 103:14, which tells us, “For he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.” Our Creator is intimately aware of our human frailties, including our tendency to forget. He understands our limitations better than we do ourselves. It’s as if God designed us with a sort of “spiritual amnesia” that makes us prone to forget even the most transformative experiences and lessons, but why?
Perhaps this “gift of forgetfulness” is a divine reminder of our utter dependence on God. It’s a humbling realisation, prompting us to lean not on our own understanding but to seek God continually. It forces us to go back to God’s grace, love, and wisdom daily. What’s even more astonishing is that, despite our forgetful natures, God’s blessings never wane. His mercies are not just for the moments we remember to ask for them or the times we feel we deserve them; they are new every morning and constant throughout our lives.
So, in the face of our forgetfulness, let’s find comfort that God remembers us always. Our memory lapses serve as invitations to return to Him, to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8) again and again. And as we do, we may discover that while our memory of God’s blessings might be limited, His love for us is limitless.
We Forget So Easily, But God Remembers Us Always
God’s Faithfulness: Think back to the Israelites in the wilderness. Each day, God sent manna from heaven, and when they were parched, He made water flow from rocks. And yet, they grumbled, complained, and doubted God’s plan for them. Doesn’t that sound familiar? I find myself doing the same thing. I pray for a job, and when I get it, I worry about job security. I pray for healing and worry about something else once I’m better. Time and time again, I forget God’s past faithfulness when new challenges appear on my horizon. It’s a shortcoming I recognise all too often in myself. This is why the words of Lamentations 3:22-23 are so vital: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Those words serve as a constant reminder, a clarion call, that God’s faithfulness is not dependent on my memory of it.
God’s Grace: If I were honest, I’d have to admit that my life has been a series of missteps, wrong turns, and sins. After each mistake, I find myself kneeling, asking for forgiveness, which God graciously grants. Yet, what do I do afterwards? Far too often, I stumble into the same sins as if I’ve forgotten the cost of God’s grace. Romans 5:8 is an anchor for the soul in these moments, reminding us, “But God demonstrates his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” This extraordinary sacrifice should not be pushed to the corners of our minds. Instead, it should be the centrepiece of our thoughts, reminding us to extend the same grace to ourselves and others.
God’s Providence: Our lives are bustling with activities, responsibilities, and endless to-do lists. During this chaos, how easy it is to overlook the quieter, subtle ways God’s providence operates in our lives. Maybe it’s a WhatsApp message from a friend when we need it or an unexpected opportunity that solves a looming problem. Romans 8:28 assures us, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” This verse nudges me to pause, to step back from the busy canvas of my life and see the broader strokes painted by the hand of God’s providence.
God’s Provision: Ah, the sweet moment when a long-standing prayer is answered! In that instant, my heart swells with joy and praise, convinced I’ll never forget this divine provision. But alas, how short-lived that memory often is. As the days roll by, that enthusiasm diminishes, and I find myself engrossed in new desires, new prayers, and new worries, forgetting the answered prayers lying in my not-so-distant past. Philippians 4:19 reminds us, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” This scripture should serve as a bookmark in the unfolding story of our lives, reminding us that God provides past, present, and future.
God’s Presence: Loneliness is a potent emotion. It can cloud judgment, sow seeds of doubt, and utterly isolate us. During such times, it’s as if a fog obscures my awareness of God’s constant presence. Yet, even in those moments, the promise in Hebrews 13:5 stands unshaken: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” When I feel abandoned, when it seems no one understands, I must recall this divine promise. No matter how strong the feelings of loneliness are, they are like passing clouds, and God’s promise is the ever-shining sun behind them.
Forgetting is a human trait, but the beauty of our relationship with God is that even when we forget, He remembers. And in His remembering, we find the grace to carry on, to rise again, and to draw nearer to the One who never forgets us.
Practical Guidance: How to Cultivate a Longer Spiritual Memory
Daily Reflection: Setting Intentional Moments of Pause
One practical step I’ve found incredibly beneficial is dedicating a few minutes every day—either first thing in the morning or right before bed—to pause and reflect on the blessings and lessons of the day. This isn’t just a fleeting thought but an intentional moment where I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths. I specifically try to recount how I’ve seen God’s hand at work that day, whether in a conversation, an unexpected blessing, or even a hurdle I overcame with His help. Doing this daily makes these instances easier to remember and shifts my mindset. The more I notice God’s work at the moment, the less likely I am to forget it long-term.
Journaling: A Tangible Record of God’s Faithfulness
I have found that writing things down makes a world of difference. Keep a notebook or digital document to jot down answered prayers, blessings you’ve received, and even your challenges. I don’t just list them; I try to write a sentence or two describing how it made me feel or why it was significant. Then, on days when God’s presence feels distant, I turn back the pages and relive those divine interactions. It’s like having a spiritual “highlight reel” I can return to, reminding me of God’s constant faithfulness over time.
Testimonies: The Power of Shared Stories
There’s something incredibly reinforcing about verbalising your experiences. I make it a point to share my small victories and big blessings with close friends or family members. When I say it out loud, it cements it in my memory. And hearing their testimonies does the same for me. Whenever I can, I also participate in group settings where testimonies are shared, whether that’s a church meeting, a small group, or an online forum. It’s one thing to remember God’s work in my life; it’s another level of reinforcement to see His work in the lives of others as well.
Communal Worship: The Collective Memory of God’s Goodness
While personal worship has its place, communal worship has incomparable power. When I join others in singing praises or partake in Communion, it isn’t just my memory that’s refreshed; it’s the collective memory of a community reminding each other of God’s grace and sacrifice. I find this especially powerful during Communion. As I hold the bread and wine, I look around and see others doing the same, and I’m reminded that this isn’t just my story but our story as the Body of Christ. If you can, engage in regular communal worship, whether Sunday services, midweek meetings, or special worship nights. The shared experience magnifies the impact and makes it harder to forget.
By integrating these practical steps into my daily and weekly routines, I find that my memory isn’t as short as it used to be—not because I’ve improved, but because I’ve built a framework that continually brings me back to God’s faithfulness, grace, providence, provision, and presence. It becomes a spiritual muscle memory, where recognising and remembering God’s work in my life starts to become second nature.
Embracing the Journey of Remembrance
In a world brimming with distractions, it’s natural for our minds to waver, our memories to falter, and our spiritual recollections to fade. But this inherent challenge isn’t a sentence to perpetual forgetfulness. Instead, it’s an invitation—a beckoning toward more profound, more intentional communion with our Creator.
God, in His infinite wisdom, understands our fallibility. He knows our tendencies better than we know them ourselves. Yet, His love, patience, and promises remain steadfast, awaiting our return to remembrance. Each time we forget, He’s ready with open arms, reminding us of His love, miracles, and promises.
As we integrate these practical steps into our lives—daily reflections, journaling, sharing testimonies, and participating in communal worship—we’re not just building a habit. We are creating a spiritual legacy. A tapestry of moments and milestones that, when looked upon, paints a vivid picture of a God who never forgets us, even when we forget Him.
So, let us move forward with hope and diligence. With each passing day, let’s strive to remember more, to see God’s hand in our lives more clearly, and to store these memories deep within our hearts. For in the act of remembering, we find the history of God’s work in our lives and the essence of His unending love for us.
May we, as the Psalmist proclaimed, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” (Psalm 103:2). Let this be our prayer, our mission, and our journey—a journey of ever-deepening remembrance in the vast ocean of God’s love.
Join Christine Sine on October 14 or watch the recording later. October and November, the season between Canadian Thanksgiving and American Thanksgiving, is gratitude season on Godspacelight. Christine Sine will encourage you to enter into the practice of gratitude in this interactive retreat that will help us enter this season of gratitude with joy and delight in our hearts.
by Christine Sine
In Tuesday’s letter I mentioned how overwhelming the harvest can be. We talked about this at our community meeting and asked ourselves: How do we cope and what do we learn along the way? Part of what occurred to me is that it is often harder to handle abundance than it is to handle scarcity.
Take the processing of so much fruit for example. At first I get excited about drying, freezing, canning and making some of my favourite recipes – olive/dried tomato tapenade and roasted tomato marinara sauce, green tomato chutney, apple cake and of course eating fresh salads, and tomato sandwiches, and fresh delicious apples and pears with every meal. At first it is wonderful and the flavours dancing on our tongue fill us with childlike delight . By the end of the season however, we tend to take these flavours for granted and the niggle at the back of our minds says – not tomatoes again, not apples again. A little like the children of Israel in the desert confronted with the abundance of manna each day, we want variety.
It’s not just the processing either. Even the picking of fruit and vegetables can be an overwhelming task at times.
What I wonder is the harvest in God’s garden that overwhelms us because it is ready to be picked but we have not thought to ask for harvesters to help us or not planned how to cope with the harvest?
It seems that there are many harvests in God’s garden that can overwhelm us. The fruit in God’s garden is incredibly diverse, and all of it needs a multitude of harvesters. Some of us would immediately think of the need for evangelists to go out and share the good news of the gospel. Others would think of the need to find harvesters to help the poor, care for the sick and set the oppressed free.
It is one thing to bring fruit to maturity, it is another to bring in the full harvest whether it be in the garden or in God’s world without letting it go to seed or rot. So the question is how and where do we find the harvesters we need? To be honest I am not sure of all the answers and many of us feel that we never have enough help. But I am convinced that though I don’t have all the answers, I do know that unless we ask we will never get any help at all. So here are some suggestions:
1. Identify where you need harvesters – I became very aware of this over the summer when I felt I was drowning under a workload too that I could not cope with. We asked ourselves the question what do we want to accomplish in the next year and who do we need to help us accomplish it? Jesus rarely worked alone. He was constantly together with his disciples – his harvesters in a field of plenty. Gardening and especially harvesting, is far more fun when we do it together with a community of people who share not only the work but also the harvest.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 9:37,38 that “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” We often interpret this to mean that people are unwilling to get out and help – as I processed my mountain of tomatoes and apples today with the help of family and friends, I wondered if it should instead be interpreted as a prayer for community, a reminder that harvesting is meant to be done together.
2. Be specific when you ask for help. Sometimes when I ask for help I can be rather vague. I am learning more and more however that once we ask ourselves who we need we then need job descriptions. Even garden helpers feel better when they know what is expected of them, and what they can hope to learn through the experience. What is the benefit for our helpers is a question we rarely ask ourselves yet it should be at the top of the list
3. Get the word out – I am not always good in this area, and part of my overwhelmed feeling this summer was because we did not recruit helpers beyond our small community. Getting the word out about our needs is always challenging but I suggest starting with friends, community members and neighbours. Those that are closest to us will usually respond the fastest and the most enthusiastically whether it be for help with a physical harvest or a spiritual one.
4. Share the harvesters and the harvest. A couple of years ago I went raspberry picking with some friends. At the end of the day we talked about what we learned. One person mentioned that she found it very hard to leave ripe fruit on the vines and felt she had not done an adequate job unless she harvested every berry in sight. Then she remembered that she was not the only harvester in the raspberry field that day and it suddenly occurred to her that she should leave some of the harvest for those who would come behind her.
Part of what I love about an abundant garden harvest is that it must be shared or it goes bad. God intends us to be generous towards others. An abundant harvest is a wonderful reminder to me that God intends us to be generous with all the resources that we are provided with. How often do we feel overwhelmed by the abundance around us because we think it is just for us? Remember you are not the only one called to preach or heal or set people free. Pick only what you are meant to carry, only what you can reasonably consume, only what will not go bad because you have tried to gather too much.
In Luke 12:16-20, Jesus tells the story of the rich farmer who responds to his abundant harvest by building bigger barns for himself. Jesus calls him a fool and he was a fool in so many ways, not just because he was greedy and wanted to become richer, but also because he missed the incredible joy of community and of generosity.
5. Pray – As Jesus reminds us we will never see harvesters without prayer. And that again has been my experience this summer. Almost before we ask God often prepares an answer.
6. Get creative. Abundance always forces us to be creative. It encourages us to think of new ways to use the harvest that has so lavishly been provided . Such creativity draws us closer to our creative God who constantly imagines new things to create and new ways to do things. Creativity keeps us flexible. It stops us from stagnating and encourages us to grow.
7. Community, creativity, and generosity are intertwined where abundance is concerned. It is wonderful to watch how when people come together to bring in an abundant harvest, new ideas and recipes are created, food, fun, and fellowship are shared and generosity seems to grow and overflow. That’s part of the reason we created the Godspacelight Community Cookbook, which many of my favourite recipes appear in.
Imagine what you could do with the abundant harvests God lavishes upon your life – they may not be tomatoes, perhaps they are friends or finances. We would love you to share your creative ideas with us and with others. What are your favourite recipes, ideas, ministry opportunities, creative arts that have come out of the abundance in your life?
Today’s post is adapted from Tips for Coping With Abundance
Note: Many of the recipes I use each year are in our Godspacelight Community Cookbook If you don’t already have a copy this might be a good time to add it to your collection. Your purchase of this book through Amazon helps to support the work of Godspacelight.
It’s been another week of harvesting and processing the abundant and rather overwhelming produce from our garden. I have given away apples, pears and tomatoes reminding myself each time that in God’s economy there is always enough for our own needs and an abundance to share. I love the way the garden encourages me to be generous, and I find that as I share from this abundance that it also inspires me to share from other resources God has provided me with as well. I know that many churches celebrate at this season with harvest festivals. Make sure you check out the prayers, liturgies and ideas in the harvest and thanksgiving section of our resource pages.
This last week was a very busy week. Interspersed with the harvesting were more meetings with friends and colleagues, the sharing of tomato salads and apple cakes. The highlight was our luncheon with good friend and Circlewood architect David Vandervort. Before his visit we listened to the recent Circlewood Earthkeeper’s podcast in which Forrest Inslee and James Amadon interviewed David not just about the Camano project, but also about his more extensive work in green architecture. In Meditation Monday: Building Green With Delight I share some of what David told us and our excitement at hearing what is happening at the Circlewood Village. Tom and I are still very much involved in this project and encourage you to learn my by reading the post and listening to the podcast episode.
One of my favourite posts this week was Catherine Lawton’s Are The Rocks Crying Out for Collect Rocks Day on September 17th. I too love to collect rocks and am tempted after reading her post to acquire a tumbler so that I can smooth some of my rocks and make them glow. So even though Collect Rocks Day is over I highly recommend that you go out and collect some rocks to reflect and meditate on.
Karen Wilk shares another beautiful piece of art and poem about a tree with us in her post I Hear With an Accent. I really enjoyed this as I am currently fascinated by trees and am gathering a collection of photos that I hope to put together in a short meditation video. June Friesen in her post The Wonder of Colour admonishes herself for not taking more notice of the incredible array of colours around her. I know that I often have the same problem and her words encouraged me to slow down and take notice of the colours around me too. In Freerange Friday: Join the Harmony Way Lilly Lewin, just returning from her own pilgrimage to Iona, shares an opportunity for virtual pilgrimage that sounds very interesting.
My next retreat A Season of Gratitude is only a few weeks away and as I start to prepare for it, I am reminded to once more do a scavenger hunt around the house and garden to collect items that I am particularly grateful for this year. Some of these I will incorporate in my sacred space for October and November as part of my gratitude display. I hope that you will join us for this important virtual retreat.
As you can imagine, the harvest is very much on my mind at the moment so let me end with one of my harvest prayers:
God we thank you for harvests of plenty,
Small seeds multiplying to feed thousands,
Sweet tomatoes ripening on the vine.
Trees laden with abundant fruit.
God we thank you for bounty overflowing,
Enough for our own needs and much to share,
Enough to feed the hungry and provide for the destitute,
Enough to reach out with generosity and care.
God we thank you for seeds you have planted in our hearts,
Seeds of righteousness yielding goodness and mercy,
Seeds of love yielding justice and peace,
Seeds of compassion yielding healing and renewal.
God we thank you for the bread of heaven,
Christ our saviour planted in our lives,
Christ our redeemer growing in our hearts,
Christ your Son making us one with you.
God we thank you for the gift of life,
Like water poured out on thirsty ground,
Spring and autumn rains that revive and bring life,
A river that flows from your heart and out into the world you love.
Amen
May we all go out and bear the fruit that God has placed within us.
Join Christine Sine on October 14 or watch the recording later. October and November, the season between Canadian Thanksgiving and American Thanksgiving, is gratitude season on Godspacelight. Christine Sine will encourage you to enter into the practice of gratitude in this interactive retreat that will help us enter this season of gratitude with joy and delight in our hearts.
by Christine Sine
Last week we had the delight and privilege of sharing lunch with David Vandervort. David has been a friend since we employed him to oversee a renovation on our house back in 1996. At the same time we recruited him as the architect for what was then known as the Mustard Seed Village on Camano Island. David attended many of the Celtic retreats we held on the island, walked the land with us and designed our first impressions of this eco-village of retreat and education. David saw us through the joy of building our first structure on the land and then wept with us as vandals destroyed the windows and brought everything to a halt. Some of you may remember that at the 24th Celtic retreat following the vandalism we used the broken glass to create a lamp that we used on the altar throughout the sessions. Here is the Litany I wrote for that retreat which reflects our pain and our hope for what had happened. Here are some of the photos we took at the retreat that shows the sequence of the event. Looking at them again was a delightful nostalgic trip for me, though my heart ached for the senseless destruction that was such a blow to our plans.
It was at that point that Tom and I realized we probably were not the people to see this vision completed. It needed younger people of vision and expertise to continue leading the charge. Fortunately God was preparing others to not only take over the vision but to expand it. James Amadon, who when we first met him in 2017, was in the midst of doctoral studies at Duke Divinity School, had a dream of a ministry very similar to what Mustard Seed Associates was all about. His thesis: The Ecological Pastor is an indication of how passionate he is about encouraging followers of Jesus to become more ecologically conscious in their faith.
James was recruited by another long term friend of ours – Forrest Inslee who is the host of the Circlewood podcast Earthkeepers. Forrest started the Circlewood podcast in 2020 as a way to learn from people who are actively pursuing an ecologically-grounded faith, and to share these lessons with people around the world who love God and seek to care for the Earth. Forrest brings to the podcast a deep attachment to the wild spaces and climate of the Pacific Northwest, where he was born and raised; he also brings a keen interest in ways that environmental justice intersects with economic development, social justice, and community building.
Tom and I have now deeded the property over to Circlewood, but our deep love for this land and the project that we still hope to see completed is obvious to everyone. We visited the property with our Mustard Seed House community a couple of weeks ago and our enthusiasm =was rather infectious. Everyone left inspired by the future plans for this beautiful property and hoping to be involved.
David Vandervort continues to be the architect for what is now known as Circlewood Village. Mustard Seed Associates also has a new name Circlewood, and under the able leadership of James and Forrest continues to thrive. Tom and I were excited to listen to the recent Earthkeepers podcast episode in which they interviewed David, not only about his plans for the land and the fascinating earth friendly materials that will be used, but also about his career as a green architect. His passion for the greening of architecture continues to grow too.
Here is a peak at the new plans for the village:
Listen to the podcast episode here:
Earthkeepers podcast
Join Christine Sine on October 14 or watch the recording later. October and November, the season between Canadian Thanksgiving and American Thanksgiving, is gratitude season on Godspacelight. Christine Sine will encourage you to enter into the practice of gratitude in this interactive retreat that will help us enter this season of gratitude with joy and delight in our hearts.
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