I know that many of you are not on the MSA mailing list so thought that you would appreciate an update of all that is going on. It is an exciting and rewarding season. Thank you for helping make it so.
MSA Imaginings September 2014 – Entering a New Season
The seasons are changing. In Australia the wattle is in full bloom heralding the beginning of spring. Here in the Pacific NW we are busily harvesting tomatoes, apples, pears and squash. The dehydrator is working overtime and the jars of marinara and applesauce are lining up on the shelves. And across the northern hemisphere students of all ages are heading back to school. We are entering a new season here at MSA, too.
Entering a New Season with Our E-course
Our kickstarter campaign was a huge success. Thank you for helping us raise $5,300 towards launching our first e-course Reimagining How We Pray. We are well into the planning mode: developing curriculum, lining up videographers and editors and working out the best way to make the course accessible to everyone. We expect to launch this new venture in November. Your supportive comments and prayers encourage us greatly as we move forward.
Several people mentioned that they were disappointed to miss the opportunity to invest in this project. It is not too late. Make a donation to MSA of $75 or more during the month of September, mark it e-course and receive the e-course for free when it is available.
Entering a New Season for MSA Events
The last few months of the year are always a busy season for events and we have some exciting possibilities coming up.
October 18th Andy Wade will facilitate a Justice At the Table seminar. We will explore together the intricate connections between our faith, fellowship, and the food we eat. Not only will we challenge ourselves and each other to bring our eating and buying practices more in line with our beliefs, we will also draft a “Justice at the Table Plan” to help us implement those changes! Don’t miss this exciting event.
November 15th I will facilitate a contemplative retreat day: Stop the Madness – Return to Our Senses for Advent. We once again invite you to prepare for Advent and Christmas by refocusing your life on what really matters. Take time to renew, refresh and restore your priorities. Make this an annual event and re-establish God’s rhythm for your life.
Save the Date: Our 2015 Celtic Retreat will be held August 8-10th on Camano Island. You may like to plan ahead, and if you don’t like the idea of camping, check out Cama Beach cabins which must be booked at least 9 months in advance, or Camano Island Inn.
Entering a New Season for MSA Publications.
We are also excited to announce a new MSA publication to be released in time for Advent this year. A Journey Towards Home: Soul Travel for Advent Through Epiphany, is a rich collection of daily reflections, weekly activities and resources drawn from contributions to Godspace and beyond. This collaborative resource, facilitated by Kristin Carroccino, will enrich faith and life for all of us as we look for new ways to celebrate the gospel story. Pre-ordering will be available October 1st. Consider using it for your small groups, church or personal journey.
And don’t forget to check out the books, videos, cards and free resources we have available.
Entering a New Season on the Web
At Godspace our focus will shift from Hospitality, the theme that has enriched and inspired our faith over the last few months, to spiritual direction.
- Check out Insights from the Authors of the New Parish
- Consider with Andy Wade, Where are You In the Story of Your Neighborhood.
- Tom Sine is also blogging again about the millennial generation.
And be sure to watch our two, new short videos:
Entering a new season – Our Plates are Full
As we move towards the end of the year our plates are obviously very full. We appreciate your prayers and your supportiveness.
God bless,
Christine Sine
Executive Director, MSA
Over the last couple of years I have watched in awe as my colleague Andy Wade has transformed his front and back yards. He began with the question: What if I designed my garden with God and neighbour in mind? I think that you will be inspired and stirred as I was by the results.
And if you are inspired and are interested in Garden Spirituality? Check out my book, To Garden with God.
My colleague Andy Wade has put together this beautiful slideshow from our last retreat. This is well worth watching not just as a record of the retreat, but as a reflective meditation.
We had a wonderful time worshipping, praying, chatting, walking the labyrinth and prayer trails, painting, eating, churning butter, celebrating Eucharist together, and so much more!
Be sure to save the date for next year and join us for our 24th retreat, August 7-9!
The music featured Go In The Wilderness is one of the songs we sang numerous times at the retreat and was recorded by our music leaders Matt and Sundee Frazier.
Many thanks to all those who helped with the retreat this year, with special thanks to:
- Matt & Sundee Frazier: music worship
- Cory and Ann Baker: children’s program
- Rev. Jonathan Myers: Eucharist
In the middle of the slide show you’ll notice a cake celebrating the dedication of our first classroom at the emerging Mustard Seed Village. Special thanks to:
- Doug and Rocio Woods for years of dedicated work on the land
- Architect David Vandervort for drafting, planning, and organizing
- Dennis & Cindy Todd and all the amazing volunteers who made this building possible
- J.Derek McNeil, Academic Dean of Seattle School of Theology and Psychology who led us in a prayer of dedication for the building
Check out the liturgies from the retreat too:
The first morning litany is posted here.
Today’s prayer is inspired by one of the reflections in Henri Nouwen’s book Home Tonight.
I suggest that you find a quiet place and set aside a few minutes each day this week to sit and absorb it’s words. Sit quietly, breathe deeply. Exhale your fears and frustrations, inhale God’s love and peace. Let go your busyness. Imagine yourself walking with Jesus in the early morning or late at night away from the crowds and distractions, into a quiet place of prayer. Sit with him. Imagine his communion with God – intimate fellowship with the One who is love, peace, compassion and joy. Stay and listen – What would God say to Jesus in this tender moment?
What is your response: What did you feel when sitting with Jesus? What did you struggle with? What did you hear in your imagination?
Now imagine yourself alone in your most sacred space settling into the presence of the One who lovingly created you and sent you into this world. Be still, relax, don’t speak but rest in the presence of the One who is love unending. Listen.
What is your response: How does it feel to sit and commune with God’s Spirit? What thoughts and emotions does it stir to consider yourself in the presence of unending love?
(This exercise is adapted from Home Tonight 98-99)
Wikipedia defines spiritual direction as: the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their own personal spirituality. It is a discipline that has emerged in many spiritual traditions, using language specific to that tradition.
In Christian faith spiritual directors are known by many names – soul friends, mentors, or my favourite – Kathy Escobar’s lovely term spiritual midwives. Some find spiritual direction through personal encounters, others seek help through their favourite blogs, websites or Bible apps. Anyone who supports us as we notice and reflect on God’s presence and activity in our daily lives, encouraging us to grow our faith and live into our calling, can be considered a spiritual director.
Many followers of Christ seek spiritual directors to grow a faith that is solidly rooted in traditional practices and church environments. Lectio divina, Ignatian spiritual exercises, silent retreats are some of the tools you may have learned to employ. Others have deconstructed their faith and are looking for help to rebuild outside traditional churches through the faith shifting process as Kathy calls it. Learning to look, listen and explore faith in new ways is probably more comfortable language for you. Like me you might have learned to paint rocks, weed your garden or walk your neighbourhood as a spiritual exercise.
Over the next couple of months spiritual direction in this broader sense, will be the focus for Godspace. A good preparation I think for the Advent and Christmas season. Where do you go for support in your spiritual journey? What or who has helped you rebuild your faith when you have struggled with doubt and despair? What practices draw you close to God and strengthen your faith? Whatever you think of when you consider spiritual direction, we would like to hear from you.
The focus for the last three months on Hospitality (read the series here) has helped many of us grapple with new dimensions of what it means to be a follower of Christ and I hope that this new series will do the same. Guest submissions should be 600-800 words long and contain only photos for which you have copyright permission. Please submit your article by email as a Word document and attach jpegs of your photos. A short bio should also be included. Please be aware that we may in future want to incorporate your post in a collaborative devotional book. We assume that submitting it for publication on Godspace means this is OK for you. If you are interested leave a comment on this post or email me for details. The deadline for submissions is November 1st though obviously the sooner the better as I will start posting whenever I get submissions.
Last week I posted my Reflections on a Celtic Cross, expressing thoughts that arose from painting and then contemplating on a Celtic cross that I drew on a rock while away on holiday. The rock still sits on my desk. Each morning I ask myself What do you want to teach me today Lord?
I have added the words gratitude, hope and compassion, reflecting on each of these attributes of God as I do so.
There has been much said about the importance of gratitude in the last few years. It seems to impact not only our enjoyment of life but also our health as this article from the Harvard Medical School suggests. Even though I know this I don’t always take the time to express my gratitude. This week have committed to calling family members I am grateful for and talking to friends to express my gratitude. Last year as a result of our Return to Our Senses Advent retreat, I decided to add a week of gratitude to the season of Advent. This exercise has been a good reminder of that for me.
Hope is less tangible but no less important. From a faith perspective it is one of the most important attributes we can bring to the world. Our belief that a better world is not only desirable but possible is often what motivates us to actions that bring about change. For me personally it has been one of the strong motivational forces that has kept me proclaiming God’s kingdom and seeking where possible to live into it.
Compassion – concern for the suffering and misfortune of others – is an emotion that I find often wells up from the centre of my being. This week it was stirred by this article stating that nearly half the Syrian population are now refugees. My heart aches even though my only response at this point is daily prayer for these people.
I have also placed other rocks around my cross. The one on the right is Australian aboriginal art, a reminder to me that rock painting is one of the oldest form of records we have of our ancestors. It makes me feel connected to all those who have gone before me, especially of the faithful witnesses who have proclaimed the love of God throughout the centuries.
The Celtic design on the left I also drew on my holiday. It reminds me of the many attributes of Celtic spirituality that both challenge and shape me.
One thing I love about painting on rock is the permanency of it. I can return to it time and again for fresh insights. And that of course reminds me that God is my rock, also permanent, also freely available at all times for guidance and instruction.
What tools do you use on a regular basis to contemplate the presence of God? How do they sustain and nurture your faith?
Gayl Wright posted this beautiful blessing after having struggled with sleeplessness for several nights. I often have seasons of sleeplessness myself and know many others that struggle with insomnia. Try reading this before going to bed tonight – even if you don’t struggle to fall asleep it is a great bedtime blessing
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