• Home
  • About
  • Resources
    • Celtic Spirituality
    • Church Calendar
      • Advent, Christmas, New Year & Epiphany
      • Lent & Easter
      • Pentecost & Ordinary Time
    • Creation Spirituality
    • Hospitality
    • Justice, Suffering, & Wholeness
    • Prayers, Practices, & Direction
    • Seasons & Blessings
  • Speaking
    • Speaking
    • Events
  • Courses
    • Finding Beauty in the Ashes of Lent
    • Walking in Wonder Through Advent
    • Gearing Up for a Season of Gratitude
    • Gift of Wonder Online Retreat
    • Lean Towards the Light Advent Retreat Online
    • Making Time for a Sacred Summer Online Retreat
    • Spirituality of Gardening Online Course
    • Time to Heal Online Course
  • Writers Community
    • Writers Community
    • Guidelines
  • The Gift of Wonder
  • Blog
  • Store
    • My Account
    • Cart
    • Checkout
  • 0
Godspacelight
by dbarta May 19, 2017
images
Celtic spiritualityLiturgyPrayerspiritual practicesspirituality

A Final Irish Blessing for the Day – Beannacht by John O’Donohue

by Christine Sine March 17, 2012
written by Christine Sine
  Shortly before his death in 2008, the late Irish poet John O'Donohue recited his poem, meaning blessing, during an interview with Krista Tippett. Here we see it presented woven his close friends' photographs of him in his Celtic landscapes with this reading. I love it.
 [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfvS2LYbZLQ&feature=player_embedded#!]
I also highly recommend this inspiring episode of the podcast On Being with Krista Tippet.
https://youtu.be/aqalrRkYP14
March 17, 2012 2 comments
3 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Lent 2012lifePrayerspiritual practices

The Lord’s Prayer – An Adaptation

by Christine Sine March 16, 2012
written by Christine Sine
[caption id="attachment_6491" align="alignnone" width="224"]Christ on the Cross Christ on the Cross[/caption] This beautiful and compelling rendition of the Lord's prayer was posted by the Society of the Sacred Heart. I thought that it made a great addition to our Lenten collection of prayers. Our God who is in heaven, And all of us here on earth; The hungry, the oppressed, the excluded. Holy is your name. May your reign come. May your reign come and your will be done: In our choice to struggle with the complexities of this world, And to confront greed and the desire for power in our selves, In our nation and in the global community. May your reign come. Give us this day our daily bread; Bread that we are called to share, Bread that you have given us abundantly And that we must distribute fairly, ensuring security for all. May your reign come. Forgive us our trespasses; Times we have turned away from the struggles Of other people and countries, Times when we have thought only of our own security. May your reign come. Lead us not into temptation; The temptation to close our minds, ears, and eyes To the unfair global systems that create Larger and larger gaps between the rich and the poor; The temptation to think it is too difficult To bring about more just alternatives. May your reign come. Deliver us from evil; The evil of a world where violence happens in your name, Where wealth for a few us more important Than economic rights for all, Where gates and barriers between people Are so hard to bring down May your reign come. May your reign come, for yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever and ever. AMEN!
March 16, 2012 3 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Lent 2012spiritual practices

Gil, Lent, and Ordinary Time – By Gil George

by Christine Sine March 16, 2012
written by Christine Sine
This morning’s post in the series Easter is Coming: What Do We Hunger and Thirst For? is contributed by Gil George. You can find the original post and the rest of his blog here

--

I have a lot of friends who are part of formal liturgical traditions that practice Lent. Even in some of the churches in the Yearly Meeting I am a part of there are discussions of Lent, and some even celebrate it to one degree or another.  Before we continue here is a brief description of Lent given by Christine Sine on the GodSpace blog.

Lent is a 40 day period before Easter that commemorates the time Jesus spent in the wilderness. In the early church this was a time of preparation for those about to be baptized. Today it is more often regarded as a season of soul searching and repentance for all Christians when we prepare for the joy and celebration of Easter by giving ourselves an annual spiritual check up. It begins with Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday.  (The Thursday before Easter)  If you are a good mathematician you probably realize that there are more than 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Holy Thursday.  That is because early Christians never fasted on Sundays.  They are excluded from the days of Lent because they are always celebrations of Christ’s resurrection.
I am quite frequently invited to participate in Lenten observances or reflections, and this blog post is my attempt to explain why I struggle with how to participate in this conversation, not only as a Quaker, but as the person God created me to be. Introspection is an ongoing process that is an integral part of a close relationship. My wife and I regularly discuss how things are going in our marriage relationship; we don’t just talk about how things are for a brief season every year. In the same way my relationship with God has times of introspection that occur on a regular basis in order for us to hear how we each perceive the other and ourselves  to be doing in the relationship. These times  are sometimes daily and sometimes weekly, but that is about as long as I can go without holding my life in the light of the Holy Spirit. When I get formal and address things in a formal manner that is my way of putting distance between me and others, including God. This is definitely not a universal thing and I realize it, but this is the way my mind operates. This desire for intimacy in my daily walk is one of the main reasons that the Quaker church has been so helpful for my journey with God. I am a Myers-Briggs type ESFP. My focus is on the immediate and I  desire to live fully into the now. If there is cause to celebrate I am not going to care about what the calendar says, I am going to throw a party. If there is cause to grieve, I will mourn with my whole heart even if the calendar says it is party time. Life never has been neat enough for me to be able to assign times of mourning or rejoicing however, there always seems to be sorrow alongside the joy and joy alongside the sorrow. In many ways it has become impossible for me to separate the two, every day is Lent and Easter. I wait for Christ to come and redeem me and Christ has already come. I feel the death embodied in my brokenness and I am resurrected every day. In the liturgical traditions a majority of the year (33-34 weeks) is spent in what is called “Ordinary Time”, and this is where I live. I have a deep love and appreciation for the insights and openings that come from the faithful practices of mundane life. From preparing meals and washing dishes to the daily “Dear God time” prayers as I tuck my daughter in to bed I find my connection to God and life deepen. As I fold the warm clothes after pulling them out of the drier and drape towels over my daughter’s head or have a “sock fight” in which we throw socks at each other I feel the love and presence of God. I occasionally wake up as tired as when I went to bed, and on most days I look in the mirror and wonder if I am ever going to be able to lose the weight. When the bumps, bruises, fears and crises of everyday life come, those are ministers of the ordinary as well, drawing me daily into the arms of the Spirit who I cling to as a Mama. She wraps her arms around me and daily mourns my deepest wounds with sighs that reach the deepest, darkest corners of my being, bringing light and healing. May your Lenten season be blessed and may you find Christ in the ordinary.
March 16, 2012 0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Celtic spiritualityKingdom of GodLiturgymeditationPrayer

An Irish Blessing for St Patrick’s Day

by Christine Sine March 15, 2012
written by Christine Sine
This morning I was sent a link to this beautiful Irish blessing which sent me hunting for other beautiful blessings to share. So here is the best of what I found. Enjoy and share the blessings with others for St Patrick's Day     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhVNW6PwVhY
March 15, 2012 2 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Lent 2012spiritual practices

Identity, Intimacy, and Impact – Part 2

by Christine Sine March 15, 2012
written by Christine Sine
This morning’s post in the series Easter is Coming: What Do We Hunger and Thirst For?  is again by AnaYelsi Sanchez. This article series was the basis for AnaYelsi Sanchez’ January talk at Beggars Society. The original articles can be found here. Identity can be explored in solitary and with others.  Are you taking time for personal retreat, a small group, private counseling or some other identity exploring activity? Personally, I struggle being apart from others or from activity for too long.  I am an extreme extrovert and to say Quality Time is my love language would be an understatement.  I barely even sleep. Secretly, I think I’m afraid I’ll miss something horribly exciting if I dare close my eyes. Nonetheless, I realize how vital time alone and intimate time with God can be.  I have had to learn ways to make that time and how to use it effectively for me.  In my case, I love to paint and to write. Transmitting my thoughts, fears, and prayers to canvas or paper is a powerful act for me. What environment is most effective for you? Western culture is rich with people who celebrate a focus on independence, self-appreciation, and personal identity but much of that is wrapped up in our status, money, and appearance. It is a whole other thing to say I need time to “take care of me”, “to know myself”.  Particularly for women, there is a perceived air of selfishness in these types of statements.  Who are you to focus on you when there are so many of us clamoring for a piece of who you are? But even if we can get past those voices there is a more painful question at the root of this issue- “How do I pursue intimacy with myself if I’m not even sure I’m someone I want to know?” I have spent the better part of my life believing 3 things… 1. I am not someone worth pursuing 2. I am not someone worth loving 3. I am not someone that people stick around for. I spent my childhood passed around from orphanages to families to state facilities.  I had a mother who would look at me and tell me how little there was about me worth loving. Who would want to know that person? I certainly didn’t. The truth is that the ways that our parents treated us in childhood did not have anything to do with who we are but more to do with their fractured identity.  If my mother couldn’t see herself clearly she certainly could not see me – let alone love me the way a child deserves. Our relationship was filtered through a lens of her own hurts and shame. My mother taught me and society teaches all of us to be dishonest.  Many of our parents taught us that keeping up appearances, worrying about what the neighbors think, was more important than our feelings. My mother taught me that to survive was to not feel and, more importantly,  to conquer was to never reveal our true self. You may not have learned the exact same lesson and you may not have learned it from a parent but to a degree we all play these games.  We were all given lessons about just how how much of ourselves it is okay to share with others. I know, intellectually, that I am not defined by the lessons my mother gave me. Most would agree that who we are may not be defined by our past but it is certainly affected by it.  For better or worse, it is our heritage. Those lies that I was told as a child are a part of my heritage. We might think that because of our achievements or our relationship with our perspective gods that heritage shouldn’t matter anymore, that somehow it would just cease to affect our identity. That’s simply not true.  Healing of one’s identity requires intimacy; with self, with God, with others.  I had to be taught what it was to love… to be vulnerable.  I had to watch people in my community exercise acts of intimacy because I didn’t know what it meant. Every time my mother looked at me and told me what an embarrassment I was to her or raised her hand to me has required a healing experience of someone in my life telling what I am really worth; how I am really loved… by them and by God.  I have spent years observing healthy intimacy, learning about my true identity through it, and in turn being able to experience intimacy myself. In this video, Jean Vanier refers to “Taking out, from within us, all the seeds that separate us from people…” My fractured identity, my painful memories, the lies I’ve carried through my childhood and into adulthood… are all seeds that separated me from people. Even my passion for justice, something I believe God entrusted me with, was a broken version of itself.  My need to be needed, my fear of abandonment, my wounds had diluted that passion into something less than it was intended. Yes, each of us, with all our hurts and broken identities, can still bring about change in this world.  A person who is starving does not need me to be emotionally whole in order to enjoy the food I am offering them.  I can occupy Wallstreet.. or Omaha… even in the midst of my personal trauma. But do you want to bring about change in this world or great change… The kind that rocks communities, helps restore the identities of others, brings not only physical but spiritual freedom? Those types of changes require intimacy.  They require knowing your identity, being vulnerable enough to share it with others, and taking that step together towards impactful action.
March 15, 2012 0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Lent 2012Prayer and inspirationRhythms of life

St Patrick’s Creeds

by Christine Sine March 14, 2012
written by Christine Sine
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="470"]St Patrick St patrick via stepsofjustice.com[/caption]

Saturday is St Patrick's Day. As I have posted a responsive prayer and some links to Patrick's Breastplate and other prayers in the past as well, a post with his Prayer for the Faithful, I thought that this year I would post his creeds instead. I have found two that are attributed to Patrick - both very compelling and worth a read.

Creeds of St. Patrick

 St. Patrick, from his Confession

There is no other God, nor ever was, nor will be, than God the Father unbegotten, without beginning, from whom is all beginning, the Lord of the universe, as we have been taught; and His son Jesus Christ, whom we declare to have always been with the Father, spiritually and ineffably begotten by the Father before the beginning of the world, before all beginning; and by Him are made all things visible and invisible. He was made man, and, having defeated death, was received into heaven by the Father;

and He hath given Him all power over all names in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue shall confess to Him that Jesus Christ is Lord and God, in whom we believe, and whose advent we expect soon to be, judge of the living and of the dead, who will render to every man according to his deeds; and He has poured forth upon us abundantly the Holy Spirit, the gift and pledge of immortality, who makes those who believe and obey sons of God and joint heirs with Christ; and Him do we confess and adore, one God in the Trinity of the Holy Name. --Another Creed by St Patrick Our God, God of all men, God of heaven and earth, sea and rivers, God of sun and moon, of all the stars, God of high mountains and of lowly valleys, God over heaven, and in heaven, and under heaven. He has a dwelling in heaven and earth and sea and in all things that arc in them. He inspires all things, He quickens all things, He is over all things, He supports all things. He makes the light of the sun to shine, He surrounds the moon and stars, and He has made wells in the arid earth, placed dry islands in the sea and stars for the service of the greater luminaries. He has a Son coeternal with Himself, like to Himself; not junior is Son to Father, nor Father senior to the Son. And the Holy Spirit breathes in them; not separate are Father and Son and Holy Spirit.
March 14, 2012 3 comments
2 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Lent 2012spiritual practices

Identity, Intimacy, and Impact – Part 1 – By AnaYelsi Sanchez

by Christine Sine March 14, 2012
written by Christine Sine
This morning’s post in the series Easter is Coming: What Do We Hunger and Thirst For?  is by AnaYelsi Sanchez. This article was the basis for AnaYelsi Sanchez’ January talk at Beggars Society. The original articles can be found here.

--

Intimacy with God enables us to maintain a passion for justice and a commitment to living in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in poverty. Intimacy with God opens up the door to intimacy with others. But what is intimacy? Is it emotional? Spiritual? Sexual? Experiential? And is intimacy taught or is it simply a part of what It is to be human? Many of us share this passion for justice, though it may not always look the same. If you were to ask my friends and colleagues what I have a great passion for, what lights a fire in my spirit, makes me sit up straighter, and speak a little louder, they would tell you- Human Trafficking. For others it may be a desire to see equality for the LGBT community, another might seek to improve the quality of life for the Sudanese refugees living here in Omaha, and so on and so forth. No matter what the cause, our ability to impact issues of injustice is directly connected to our ability to experience healthy intimacy and our ability to experience healthy intimacy is directly connected to our sense of identity. How do we tell a woman trapped in Kolkata’s sex trafficking industry that she is valuable and beautiful if we do not believe this about ourselves? How do we encourage a child living on the streets of Peru that God AND others want to know them and want to share a life with them when we don’t know the depths of that type of relationship ourselves? Hear me when I say that this is not about perfecting self before you can serve others. Identity, Intimacy, Impact… this is a continuous cycle… not a hierarchy of achievements. If you have an incredible sense of self-worth and identity but never look beyond yourself than you have missed the point. And if you are celebrated for your acts of service and your fervor for justice but cannot even be vulnerable about who you are with those who love you, than you have cheated yourself. God is a God of intimacy AND of action. She desires for us to know her, each other, AND ourselves…. and then to use that knowledge to bring about peace and justice. But, most of us do not even know what it is to be intimate with our self and yet, how we relate to the world is a reflection of how we relate to our self. When you consider that, it is easy to understand why we are rarely truly intimate with others. How often are you alone with yourself? How often do you spend time studying who you are and working on your sense of self?
March 14, 2012 1 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
  • 1
  • …
  • 589
  • 590
  • 591
  • 592
  • 593
  • …
  • 622

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

Thank you for supporting Godspace in this way. 

Attribution Guidelines:

When referencing or quoting Godspace Light, please be sure to include the Author (Christine Sine unless otherwise noted), the Title of the article or resource, the Source link where appropriate, and ©Godspacelight.com. Thank you!

Share FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

Products

  • Cookbook Godspace Light Community Cookbook - Book $11.99
  • FollowingTheStarIntoTheNewYear Following The Star Into The New Year Virtual Retreat $44.99
  • Cookbook Bundle 2: Cookbook + Graham Kerr's Gathering Place $22.00
  • Cookbook Bundle 1: Cookbook + Digging Deeper + Gift of Wonder card set $35.00
  • Shop Items 1 1 Cookbook Bundle 3: Cookbook + Lean Towards The Light This Advent & Christmas Devotional + Lean Towards the Light Journal $32.00

Meet The Godspace Community Team

Meet The Godspace Community Team

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

Search the blog

Keep in touch

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

© 2021 - Godspacelight.com. All Right Reserved.

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

Shopping Cart

Close

No products in the cart.

Close