by Laurie Kline
Her gaze froze me in place.
“Be a spokeswoman for peace,” author Susan Vreeland said.
Five words. Oh, how they sobered and thrilled me: a sacred charge.
Have I even begun to fulfill it? A little, perhaps. These days, with fewer years to grow into the calling, I want to live kindly, wholeheartedly—as St. Mildred did, in her tumultuous times.
Daughter of 8th century Anglo-Saxon king Merewald of Magonset, young princess Mildred braved the perilous journey by sea to France. The Abbess of the convent school there, in Chelles, had agreed to educate her.
At some point during training, a noble relation of the Abbess sought her permission to wed Princess Mildred. Did the Abbess imagine gold for her coffers? Consent was given.
“I was sent here to learn, not marry,” the girl meekly replied.
Despite threats and blows, gentle Mildred held her ground. The Abbess was not a woman of peace. Legend says that she threw her student into a blazing oven. For three hours.
Mildred stepped out, blinking perhaps, “unscathed and radiant.”
The Abbess went postal. Tradition tells us savage beatings followed.
Mildred endured.
Is this how a heart for peace takes root?
Reports of the abuse finally reached Mildred’s mother. The Anglo-Saxon Queen, by now an Abbess herself, sent ships to rescue her daughter. Escaping by night, Mildred carried home a sacred nail, reputedly from the cross.
Reunited at last, Mildred joined her mother at the island monastery, Minster-in-Thanet, where she became a nun. How surprised she would have been to learn she would become a revered saint, her feast day celebrated, worldwide, in July.
Eventually, Mildred succeeded her mother as Abbess, consecrated to her new calling by Theodore, the archbishop of Canterbury. For three decades, the former princess and bride of Christ ceaselessly served her community.
Legend claims that while Abbess Mildred prayed one night, the prince of darkness extinguished her candle.
An angel drove him away, then relit her taper.
Renowned and beloved as a peacemaker, Mildred died from a painful, lingering illness. In 1033, her remains were transferred to a shrine in St. Augustine’s Abbey, Canterbury, along with her precious collection of relics. Testimonies of miraculous healings surfaced, and her fame spread across England and Europe.
Paragon of gentleness, generous compassion, and serenity, St. Mildred was an advocate for widows and orphans, troubled people and social pariahs.
I like imagining a gravestone bearing her name, which means “peaceful counsel.”
Friends, what will we write or speak this day in the name of peace?
***
Author Juline W urges us to emulate Mildred’s example:
Through constant prayer and frequent fasting,
by ceaseless hymnody and great humility,
the glorious Mildred forsook
the allurements of her royal rank,
trampling underfoot all worldly pride
and presumption. Wherefore,
let us imitate her virtues,
that, free from all earthly attachments,
we may join her
at the wedding feast of Christ our Saviour.
Prayer cards are available in the shop for many occasions and seasons–from everyday pauses and Lenten ruminations to breath meditations and Advent reflections, enjoy guided prayers and beautiful illustrations designed to delight and draw close. Many are available in single sets, sets of three, and to download–even bundled with other resources!
My husband Tom and I are just back from our three day refocusing retreat at Anacortes. I loved walking on Rosario Beach picking up colorful pebbles and My husband Tom and I are just back from our three day refocusing retreat at Anacortes. I loved walking on Rosario Beach picking up colorful pebbles and breathing in the beauty of God’s world seemingly untouched by the disasters happening all around our world. My heart goes out to the millions suffering the impact of searing heat, of floods and forest fires as well as those whose lives are forever changed by the ongoing wars – Russia’s war with Ukraine, and civil wars in Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Libya, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, and Syria. We live in a very unstable and uncertain world. May we learn in the midst of it to trust God’s unchanging nature of love, faithfulness and justice.
I talked about our retreat time in yesterday’s Meditation Monday: My Work is Loving the World and how impacted I was by Mary Oliver’s poem My work is loving the world. Her poetry is currently one of my guiding lights. Her words are refreshing and renewing my soul. I love the way that God provides voices like hers at just the right time for us. As I mentioned yesterday, I have read very little scripture in the last few months, but poetry and my garden walks continue to strengthen and sustain me. I feel as though the last few months have been a bit of a Sabbatical season – unnamed but still refreshing. I have not held any workshops. I have written very few articles (some of you may have noticed that there has been a lot of reposting on Godspace recently.) Poetry and the garden have provided me with the kind of soul nourishment I most need. This last week I initiated a new practice – watering the garden instead of having a morning devotional time. It has been wonderful and reminded me of Vigen Guroian who, in his book Inheriting Paradise, reminds us that water is the lifeblood of the garden and of all creation. Every time we water the garden it is a little like baptism, “we tend not only the garden that we call nature but also the garden that is ourselves, “
I think that my Sabbatical time will probably fade as the summer does and focus once more on the serious work of writing and speaking. I am planning a series of retreats that you might like to pencil in on your calendar now: September 2nd – Rhythms and Seasons, October 14th – Living in Gratitude and December 9th – Advent Quiet Day Retreat. I hope you can join me for this series. Each will be a stand alone retreat but the series together, I think will enrich our lives, nourish us through the rest of the year and prepare us for a busy new year coming.
Don’t miss last week’s posts. They were all very engaging and inspirational. June Friesen’s reminder that Saturday was National Ice Cream Day had us celebrating with our favourite caramel caribou ice cream shared with good friends. Lilly Lewin’s Cell Phone Prayer Practice was greatly appreciated by everyone too. Such a creative and practical way to pray for those we care about. On Thursday we delighted in helping Jeannie Kendall launch her new book Heroes or Villains. Each chapter has some imaginative writing from the perspective of a bible character – twenty in all – the text of part of their story, and an exploration of a quality we may (or may not, there might be surprises!) associate with them, and the relevance for our lives. I can’t wait to get hold of a copy. Diane Woodrow, in her fascinating post juxtaposes 2 very different celebrations of July 12th – Malala Yousafzai, the amazing young woman who at 17 was shot by the Taliban for advocating and encouraging female education in Pakistan and Orangemen’s Day celebrating William of Orange’s defeat of the last ever Catholic king of Britain, James II.
If you are interested in the poem I wrote about the pebbles on the beach at Anacortes, check out my Instagram account where I posted it with a short video of the waves washing over the pebbles on the beach. It was a fun thing to do.
Let me end with another beautiful poem by Mary Oliver.
I WAKE CLOSE TO MORNING
Why do people keep asking to see
God’s identity papers
when the darkness opening into morning
is more than enough?
Certainly any god might turn away in disgust.
Think of Sheba approaching
the kingdom of Solomon.
Do you think she had to ask,
“Is this the place?”
~ Mary Oliver
From Felicity
Many blessings
Gift of Wonder Retreat
This online retreat is based on Christine Sine’s latest book The Gift of Wonder, but with much more! Going deeper into a discovery of new depths of awe to draw us closer to God. I invite you to reawaken your inner child and rediscover the depths of awe and wonder that reconnect us to our passionate God who delights in life, celebrates with joy and exudes a sense of awe and wonder.
by Christine Sine
Tom and I are just back from a delightful 3 days spent at Anacortes on retreat. In spite of the distraction of breathtaking views across to Guemes Island, and walks along Rosario Beach, it was a wonderfully refreshing and refocusing time. Our last retreat was at the end of December last year when I wrote a list of intentions for 2023. I wrote:
This year I am not making resolutions. Instead I am setting intentions. “Setting intentions is powerful when done properly” says Anna Marie Houlis in How to Set Intentions “It is more than setting goals – it is about being purposeful in pursuing your desire… an invitation to step into your preferred story especially when your intentions solidly align with your values.” She then goes on to say “When setting intentions, it is like laying foundations for what you would like to have, feel and experience, providing you with the opportunity to actively participate in your life the way you want to live it”
Unfortunately I promptly forgot my list of intentions. No wonder I needed another retreat. Here we are half way through the year and I have forgotten what I felt God was stirring within me. Fortunately, as I read through what I wrote six months ago, I realized that God has kept me on track in spite of my forgetfulness. Perhaps it is because God constantly nudges me and reminds me of who I am meant to be and how all that I am doing fits into that.
Interestingly the ways in which my intentions have been lived out is not quite what I expected. Here’s what seems to have happened.
- Strengthening my spiritual practices. As I thought about this I realized that I rarely read the scriptures each morning. Instead I wander around the garden admiring the beauty, inhaling the fragrances and listening to the birdsong. Gardening, creativity and writing are the practices that have drawn me closer to God over the last few months. Acknowledging that these are indeed spiritual practices and making sure that I continue to strengthen them over the coming months is part of my resolve for the future. Instead of sitting in my sacred space constantly distracted by the beauty outside my window, I plan to initiate early morning garden watering as my new spiritual practice. I think it will do more for my soul than the unfocused reading of scripture could.
- Dream and be creative. This second one of my intentions still resonates deeply in my soul. My desires to start a podcast and write another book have had some setbacks but they are a growing passion within me. I suspect that this time of thinking, dreaming and planning will make both of these much stronger projects.
- Live in awe and wonder. Over the last couple of years, following my sinus surgery and the health issues that followed it, I let go of my awe and wonder walks. Reinstituting these has been one of the most inspiring aspects of the last few months, and it is not just as I walk that find myself in the awe and wonder of God. It is also as I garden, as I write poetry and create fun forms of art and spiritual activities that I enter into that awe. I am more convinced than ever that awe and wonder need to be at the centre of my life.
- Build relationships and connections. Part of the joy of the last six months has been the opening up of my life once more to social engagements. My trip to Australia to reconnect to my family was incredible and the added bonus of sharing them with one of my best friends stunned me and left me rejoicing in the goodness of God. Reconnecting to friends here in Seattle and other parts of the country and around the world has added to that delight. Zoom calls have become an important part of our lives and how we interact with people, but there is nothing like that personal contact to enliven our souls.
- Seek regular intellectual stimulation. As an avid reader, my life revolves around intellectual reading and learning, but this too has been greatly enhanced by the opportunities we have had this year to attend conferences, small group meetings and theological discussions. As an extrovert, I learn best through discussion and personal interaction and realize that I need to much more intentionally incorporate these in my days.
- Take Time to Retreat. Setting aside a few days, like we have just done, is wonderful but is not always possible. Setting aside an hour or two each week is often much more doable, and I know that as I move forward through the rest of the year, I need to do this much more intentionally.
- Relax in the presence of unanswerable questions. The longer I walk as a follower of Jesus, the less I realize I understand of who God is. The cosmic God who created the universe so immense and complex, is not a God we can ever hope to understand. We are too small, too limited, too unable to grasp the truths of God. Sitting in that place of uncertainty is increasingly a part of my faith journey.
No wonder I resonated with the words of Mary Oliver’s poem Mysteries Yes which I quoted in last week’s newsletter
Let me keep my distance, always, from thosewho think they have the answers.Let me keep company always with those who say“Look!” and laugh in astonishment,and bow their heads.
My work is loving the world.Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird — equal seekers of sweetness. Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums.Here the clam deep in the speckled sand.Are my boots old? Is my coat torn? Am I no longer young and still not half-perfect? Let me keep my mind on what matters, which is my work,which is mostly standing still and learning to be astonished.The phoebe, the delphinium.The sheep in the pasture, and the pasture. Which is mostly rejoicing, since all ingredients are here,which is gratitude, to be given a mind and a heart and these body-clothes, a mouth with which to give shouts of joy to the moth and the wren, to the sleepy dug-up clam,telling them all, over and over, how it is that we live forever. ~Mary Oliver
by June Friesen
Who does not love ice cream? Well, I have learned that some love and/or enjoy ice cream more than others. I grew up in a household where ice cream was almost like a staple in the freezer. For my father it was his regular bedtime snack. He had grown up on a dairy farm and homemade ice cream was definitely a part of the family lifestyle. The creamery that processed the farm milk processed milk for selling, cream for selling and they also made butter and ice cream. I remember a small oblong bar where one could sit on a stool and enjoy a sundae, shake, malt or ice cream cone. And there was not just vanilla ice cream – the creamery was known for its flavored ice cream as well. A few of those flavors I remember were chocolate, butter pecan, strawberry and cherry nut. There may have been others but I do not remember.
As I pondered this writing I wondered what one could look to in the Scriptures to possibly relate to this celebration. I chose some verses from I Corinthians 5 as I think we can take an analogy from the verses that for some may relate to the appetite for ice cream.
2 Corinthians 5:1-5
1-5 For instance, we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven—God-made, not handmade—and we’ll never have to relocate our “tents” again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move—and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what’s coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we’re tired of it! We’ve been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what’s ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we’ll never settle for less.
These verses are talking about one’s appetite for God and how once a person really experiences God their heart will always want to follow Him. It may be hard for some of us to imagine that God really puts an appetite or desire for God in the heart of every single person. There are times when one may wonder how that can be true. I have met those who do not really have an appetite for ice cream as well.
First of all, let us consider how one can have or gain an appetite for God? For some of us it has been something that we have grown up with – we were taught about God from childhood and taught how to realize His love for us as well as respond to His love. As one learns more about God and embraces His presence in one’s life the reality is that a person will see the good around as gifts from God. They will not miss that there is the not so good but will learn how to embrace God in the midst of it as well. As one learns as well as embraces God in the whole of life every day they fall in love with God and would rather follow Him even if they do not necessarily like everything that happens. Each one of us may like a different flavor of ice cream. We may like a different brand of ice cream than another. We may prefer it served in a different manner than another. I have given you a few samples here of ice cream treats I have enjoyed over the years. Of course if you ask my sons or husband they would say ‘she will eat ice cream any way it comes,’ and that is almost true – although I have a flavor or two that I prefer to leave at the grocery store. My friends, it is the same with God – each one of us can experience God in a different way. For some they prefer a quiet space in their home, others prefer a quiet space out in a flower garden or in nature, others may prefer a library or a church sanctuary. Some prefer to sit in silence, some prefer to read and meditate over the Scriptures, some prefer to listen to readings of Scripture and/or meditations. Some prefer to journal while they are meditating. There is no one prescription (or flavor) that has to be followed to celebrate and embrace God in one’s life. What is most important is that one finds a way that helps them relate with God and it feeds their spiritual life.
So with the ice cream, it can be chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, cherry, peanut butter, cookie dough or any one that you can imagine to make and/or buy. This spring my one son and I were reminiscing about an ice cream store we would frequent as they were growing up. I am not sure if this flavor was featured more than one summer or not – but it was bubble gum ice cream. I just remember that as they were eating their ice cream cone the piece of gum grew larger with each bite. Oh my, that was quite the experience. Today there are Dippin’ Dots and I often see people enjoying those at the mall as well.
As I close today may I be so bold to suggest that maybe today would be a good day to enjoy some ice cream – preferably one of your favorite flavors and/or kinds. As I was thinking about this I had thought – I should dig out my ice cream maker but that would be more ice cream than I would know what to do with unless I went out in my front yard and shared with the neighbors. But in Phoenix where our temperatures now are usually well over a hundred degrees I think I will just enjoy a bit of ice cream as I enjoy a baseball game which is indoors. And along with that I will be grateful to God for taste buds to embrace the flavor that I choose to have. So whether you choose a plain bowl of ice cream or a special flavor in a cone or a milkshake or a float or sandwich or with a piece of pie or cake – embrace every lick right up to the last and then say:
“Amen God, thank you for helping us learn how to make and eat ice cream!”
Writing and photos by June Friesen; Scripture is from The Message
Digging Deeper: The Art of Contemplative Gardening
“My healing garden inspired by Digging Deeper has been a comfort to me in this time of transition.” – M Christine Sine’s latest book is packed full of contemplative wisdom and inspiration for creating your own meditative focus. Click for more details!
Happy Friday! Happy Weekend! I am on the road taking the slow way back to Nashville so a quick FreerangeFriday Prayer Practice today. I led this practice in my workshop this past week at the It’s All About Love: A Festival for the Jesus Movement in Baltimore. More on that next Friday!
This practice is great when you are standing in line at the store, or waiting to pick someone up at the airport, or when you are waiting anywhere! You might also try this first thing in the morning or before you eat lunch as a way to focus your prayers. It’s also a great practice to do with your family at the table and then have everyone put the phones away so you can have a real conversation. You can begin small groups or even church worship services with this practice and then invite everyone to put their phones away for the hour and be present!
All you need is a phone with a texting feature!
Praying with Your Cell Phone:
Set your cell phone timer to 2 minutes. If you are leading this with a group, even if it’s a small group, let them know they will be praying for two minutes, in silence.
Before you start the practice, open your texting app.
You are NOT GOING TO TEXT ANYONE. You are going to PRAY THROUGH THE LIST of people who have texted you recently.
Take a deep breath. Breathe in God’s love and Peace.
You could say:” Jesus show us how to pray for these friends, what they are needing today,’ but I usually just invite people to pray through their texts list and allow the Holy Spirit to lead.
PRAY through your text list for two minutes.
When the timer goes off after two minutes, consider what you noticed as you prayed.
How did the Holy Spirit invite you to pray?
Who was in your list?
What were some of the needs you saw?
Who or what were you thankful for?
Who might you connect with later to encourage them or just say hello in real time?
If you are doing this as a group or a family, you can ask these questions out loud and then let people share who want to do so.
This practice is really simple and great way to use your phone as a prayer tool.
You can also pray this way through the headlines in your news feed or even the old school paper newspaper. Set a timer for 2-3 minutes and pray through the headlines. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you. What does Jesus show you? What does the Holy Spirit highlight about the news? It’s much better for your soul to pray through the headlines rather than letting them stress you out!
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. I Thessalonians 5:16-18
I’d love to hear how you use this practice yourself or as a group. Have a great weekend!
©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com
‘He is a goodie’ my grandson said to me, as I asked about a cartoon character he was describing. Little did I know that the conversation would lead to my third book, Heroes or Villains?, of which more later. There are many gifted writers who contribute to Godspacelight, and that is one of the sources of its richness. But where, I wonder, do all our ideas come from? Sometimes, of course, the theme of the season helpfully supplied by Christine and the team may lead us in a variety of directions. But because of the the magnificent creativity of God, a myriad of life experiences can be the place of birth…
I have written three books now, and each one has had a different kind of conception. The first was very unexpected. I was due a sabbatical, and several friends had suggested I write a book. I just laughed! Although I had always blogged and written poetry, I did not believe I had a book inside me. Then a few weeks later I was on holiday with my husband on Jersey, one of the Channel Islands. While we were both quietly watching birds, I felt I heard clearly God say ‘You do need to write a book on your sabbatical. And this is what it is…’ I do not usually hear from God that plainly, I can assure you! I didn’t say anything, but at supper my husband – who I have been married to for 42 years but does not read what I write! – said ‘You know when we were bird watching? I felt God say to me that you needed to write a book on your sabbatical.’ I was astonished, and even more so when the first publisher I approached took me on, as a complete unknown. Finding our Voice was published by Authentic on 5th July 2019, which unbeknown to them was my 65th birthday!
My second book, Held in Your Bottle, was conceived in very different circumstances, during the autumn of 2019. I had seen some photographs of tears cried in diverse life situations and put under a microscope. The results were beautiful, and surprisingly different from each other. I began to wonder if there was a book that might emerge from an exploration of varied occasions in the bible when both men and women shed tears. Having spent years as a counsellor and then a minister, it had been my privilege to sit with many people weeping. So often they would apologise, as though tears were a source of shame rather than release. I also recognised my own ambivalence to my tears and that the book would need me to be honest and make myself vulnerable. I scoped out the book and the publishers gave me the go-ahead. In the end, that book was written during the pandemic, a time of many tears, and published in September 2021. As well as exploring the wealth of biblical examples of very different kinds of tears, I dug deeply into my own background and the way I had suppressed so many tears as I grew up.
The third book, Heroes or Villains? was so different again in its origin! As I said at the start, it emerged from a conversation with my grandson about a cartoon character, and my asking him if they were a ‘goodie’ or a ‘baddie.’ A train of thought started where I began to reflect on the people in the bible and how much more complex they are: Abraham with his faith and yet cowardly betrayal of his wife in the face of Pharaoh, David with is heart after God yet appalling acts of adultery and murder. As importantly, I became increasingly aware of the way in which those qualities we associate with bible characters (and some which surprised me) are there in me too, in need of either fostering and allowing to grow, or through the work of the Holy Spirit to be rooted out, healed or disciplined.
Heroes or Villains? has a simple format and is very accessible in style. Each chapter has some imaginative writing from the perspective of a bible character – twenty in all – the text of part of their story, and an exploration of a quality we may (or may not, there might be surprises!) associate with them, and the relevance for our lives. As each chapter has questions for reflection, it is ideal for small group or individual use, use in Religious Education lessons or even as the basis for a sermon series. My hope for the book is that as we encounter these characters, perhaps in fresh ways, we are able to take an honest look at ourselves and those same qualities – good or undesirable – residing in us too. As we do that, I believe we will find ourselves held in the love of our remarkable God, as he continues his work of transformation in us.
So how about you, Godspacelight writers? I would love to hear how your articles or books were born! Do email me on heroesorvillainsbook@gmail.com God’s creativity is extraordinary!
Heroes or Villains is published on July 14th 2023 by Authentic and is available from all the usual outlets.
1 Rose-Lynn Fisher The Topography of Tears Bellevue Literary Press 2017
As an Amazon Associate I receive a small amount for purchases made through appropriate links. Thank you for supporting Godspace in this way.
I find days where one remembers things fascinating. The mixture of things that different people remember on different days. Like the post I did back in February where cleaning out for Lent, loving your pet and social justice were all “celebrated” together.
A strange juxtapose happens again every 12th July, or has since about 2014 when it was decided to use this day to celebrate/commemorate Malala Yousafzai, the amazing young woman who at 17 was shot by the Taliban for advocating and encouraging female education in Pakistan. From around 1795 within the Irish Protestant communities 12th July was the day to celebrate William of Orange’s defeat of the last ever Catholic king of Britain, James II. A victory that is best remembered for passing that law that “no future monarch could be a Catholic or be married to a Catholic” as opposed to the establishment of a parliamentary democracy, representing a shift from an absolute monarchy to parliamentary monarchy.
I had written quite a ranty post about oppression, freedom, holding on to fears and hatreds but after reading both Lily Lewin’s post on Friday 30th June about praying for one’s country and Steve Wickham’s post about tolerance and hospitality in reconciliation I had a change of heart.
I still think that even though those commemoration dates might look random, God, somewhere in their infinite wisdom, wants to teach us something. Also, I believe, things don’t just happen by coincidence. So I was meant to read those two Godspace articles and I was meant to be wanting to write about 12th July and I know about both the events of the 12th July Orange marches and Malala Yousafzai. So what is God trying to say?
I think it is about praying with an open heart and not a closed heart. We need to have tolerance and hospitality within our hearts when we pray as much as when we open our homes to others. I wonder when Jesus said about letting in the beggars etc for a meal that he may have meant having our hearts open to those people rather than having already judged and boxed them into what we think we know already.
What if with the Taliban instead of praying that they cease to exist, we prayed not just enlightenment but a full realisation of God and all that means in their land, in their culture? We must remember that it wasn’t that long ago that women in Western countries were deprived of education, of voting rights, of rights with their own money and property, were seen as second-class citizens. Also it was not that long ago when slavery was thought of as just part of God’s plan. And even though most Christians don’t advocate slavery, how often do we turn a blind eye?
So instead of condemning let us ask God in prayer, what is the real desire for these peoples who are remembered whether through Orange marches, through thinking of Malala, and of all the other “celebrations” that occur during July?
I often get a little pang in my heart when I am with Americans who are celebrating 4th of July and wonder what things would have been like for the UK, the US and rest of the world if a form of interdependence had been sought then rather than independence.
I often think that instead of being triumphalistic at this time, whether with the Orange Marches, the remembering of Malala and feeling superior to groups like the Taliban, of the various Independence Days that occur in July, we humble ourselves and pray.
As God clearly says in 2 Chronicles 7:14 that if we, God’s people, who are called to pray for the nations, for ourselves and for others, really humble ourselves, pray, seek God’s face, turn from our self-righteous, know-it-all, fearful, greedy, self-seeking ways, then God will hear us, will forgive us and then will heal the land, whether this is just our town, our country or our whole world. Remember our land is this whole earth we stand on.
When it comes to anything from Northern Ireland’s marching season, the Taliban and their issues with female education, and all the other issues that cover our earth, are we willing first and foremost to humble ourselves and say “God what do you really want me to pray?” Then are we prepared to be silent, to listen, to allow God’s tolerance, generosity and hospitality sweep over us and so it can then pour forth to the nations?
Spirituality of Gardening Course
The garden has seemingly unending lessons to teach us about God and what it means to be a person of faith. We read about the miracle of the fish and the loaves but experience a miracle every time we harvest God’s bounty. Join us as we discuss connections between community, spirituality and gardening. Explore the wonderful ways that God and God’s story are revealed through the rhythms of planting, growing and harvesting. Spiritual insights, practical advice for organic backyard gardeners and time for reflection will all enrich and deepen our faith. This series is based on Christine Sine’s popular book, To Garden with God.
As an Amazon Associate, I receive a small amount for purchases made through appropriate links.
Thank you for supporting Godspace in this way.
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!