‘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.
Mysteries, Yes by Mary Oliver
Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous
to be understood.
How grass can be nourishing in the
mouths of the lambs
How rivers and stones are forever
in allegiance with gravity
while we ourselves dream of rising.
How two hands touch and the bonds will
never be broken.
How people come, from delight or the
scars of damage,
to the comfort of a poem.
Let me keep my distance, always, from those
who think they have the answers.
Let me keep company always with those who say
“Look!” and laugh in astonishment,
and bow their heads.
This week we are back on track and Tom and I are headed for one of our regular retreats. Mary Oliver’s poem Mysteries, Yes will travel with me as its words feel as though they are penetrating right into my heart. I will recite it at the beginning of each of our reflective sessions and look forward to what God will reveal through it. I love these special times away and as I mentioned in yesterday’s Meditation Monday: Are We Deaf to Silence it is often the voice of God revealed in the silence that speaks to me most clearly.
I am really looking forward to our days away. Walks on the beach with our dog Goldie, sitting in silence soaking in the beauty of the view from our little cottage, allowing the silence to penetrate my soul and bring new measures of creativity and wholeness are a few of the things I gain from these times away. I take lots of photos and write poetry too, as I did during our recent trip to Portland which gave birth to my Morning Poems which I posted on Saturday. As Mary Oliver says, delight and damage both lead us to poetry and bring enrichment and healing to our souls.
Resting and Relaxing was very much our theme last week. Lilly Lewin’s Freerange Friday: Encouragement for Your Rest Practice highlighted our need for rest and asks that important question: “What is Jesus saying to you about rest?” I have added all three of the books she suggests to my wishlist and look forward to reading them in a few months’ time. I continued this theme in my poem Rest in the Presence of God and in my popular post Welcome God into the Day and Into the Night talked about a different kind of rest that we need – sleep. It is fascinating to read some of the research on sleep and see how our use of electric light and of electronic screens has made this more of a problem than it once was.
Let me end with this beautiful prayer that Lilly Lewin wrote for Freerange Friday this week:
Uncrowd my heart, O God,
Until silence speaks
In your still, small voice;
Turn me from the hearing of words, and the making of words,
And the confusion of much speaking,
To listening
To waiting
To stillness and
To Silence. In the name of Jesus
AMEN
Many blessings on all of you
Christine Sine
Gift of Wonder Prayer Cards
We have created a special set of Gift of Wonder prayer cards to compliment Christine’s book, The Gift of Wonder. These cards are designed to enrich your book study and practice. Prayers from the book are illustrated with images to assist your contemplation. The back of each card provides a short excerpt with a question for you to reflect on.
by Christine Sine
Tom and I are getting ready to go on retreat tomorrow. Part of what I love about these times away is the silence of the place in which we stay. It is perched on a bluff looking out across the Salish Sea. One of the things I like to do during these times away is to reflect on the scriptures I have read in the last few weeks and think about what has stirred my creativity during this time. Last week my time in Portland held some of that same silent reflection time for me and as I mentioned in the prayers and poems I posted on Saturday, this was very refreshing and relaxing for me.
When I think about silence, there are two scriptures that come to mind. The first is1 Kings 19:18, the story of Elijah fleeing from Jezebel into the desert. In the New Revised Standard Version it reads:
Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire, a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
Have you ever wondered what sheer silence sounds like? How do we hear it in the midst of our noisy world and find stillness in our souls? When we do find this holy silence, what makes us want to respond by going out of the caves in which we have hidden in order to listen to God?
We live in a world that is full of noise. This morning I am writing to the sound of Tom vacuuming in the background, planes zooming by overhead and the ever present traffic noise around me. Silence is almost impossible to find and most of us don’t know how to listen or hear what it is saying to us. But if we sit in stillness and reach deep within our hearts, there we will always find the silence of God. This is not a silence that makes us ask Why can’t I hear the voice of God? Nor is it a silence that blocks out the world around us. Rather it is a silence, a stillness that resonates with the peace, joy and love that can only be found when we walk close to God. It is a silence that calls us to intimate relationship with the creator of the universe. It is a silence that calls us each day to move out into God’s world in compassion and love.
It is not just sitting in a quiet place that invites me into this kind of silence. Sitting in my sacred space, taking some deep breaths and reciting my breath prayers also does. Walking around the garden early in the morning and again late at night, examining the flowers and the growing fruit, breathing in the fragrance of the roses, watching the insects flitter from flower to flower, has a similar impact on me. The garden invites me into an inner silence that transcends the noise around me.
The second scripture that came to me was Matthew 14:22-33, the story of Jesus walking on the water. What about that story speaks of silence you may ask? After all it is in the middle storm, lots of chaos, wind whistling round the boat, the disciples crying out for preservation. But into that chaos comes Jesus, calming their fears, dispelling the wind, quietening the waves. In the stillness that followed I suspect that the disciples caught a glimpse of the peace, the calm and the silence that revolved around the revelation of Jesus as the Son of God.
Thinking about both of these scriptures today this prayer/poem welled up within my heart.
Christ you come to me,
Not in the wind and the storm,
Not in the earthquake and fire,
But in the sound of sheer silence.
You come in a breath of calm,
That quiets the waves upon the sea,
Stills the turmoil of my soul,
And calls to my unquiet heart;
Be not afraid of the chaos,
Peace be still.
Come walk on the water,
Follow me across the waves.
No noise is too loud,
No task too impossible,
No pain too unbearable,
When I hold your hand,
And enter the silence of your presence,
Then peace will be the pathway for my feet.
(c) Christine Sine 2018
Creating a Personal Retreat
No matter the time of year, it’s important to pause and take time to reset and restore. An excellent way to do that? Take a personal retreat. Building a retreat into the rhythm of your life is a spiritual practice often lost in our helter-skelter, busyness-is-next-to-godliness world. This booklet is based on the most popular posts about spiritual retreats published on Godspacelight.com over the last few years and provides resources for taking a spiritual retreat either on your own or with a friend or spouse. Check it out in our shop!
by Christine Sine
Last weekend I was down in Portland spending time with a good friend who happens to live right on one of the tributaries of the Columbia river. It is a beautiful restful place at which to relax and refresh, which is exactly what I did. In the process I took lots of photos and videos and wrote lots of poems. Here are a selection that I wrote paired with some of my videos.
The Stillness of the Morning
There is nothing quite like the stillness of the morning
to make me feel alive.
There is nothing like the beauty
of the sunrise over water
to make me sense the joy of God’s presence.
And walk in awe, and wonder
for the rest of the day,
There is nothing like birdsong
to make me feel.
I am entering into the wonder of creation.
There is nothing like the joy of life
to make me feel the delight of God.
My spirit soars, my heart rejoices.
The joy of God is everywhere.
In the Morning Sunlight
I sit in the morning sunlight,
allowing my face to feel
the warmth of the dawning sun.
I sit in the presence of God,
Basking in the warmth of the divine love,
so beautiful,
so life-giving,
so much at the centre of my being.
I sit and breathe in the fragrance
And the joy of it.
Quiet Reflections
The new day emerges from the darkness of the night,
sun shines brightly on the river,
Quiet reflections,
beauty in a moment of stillness,
birdsong caressing my senses
with a delight in God’s world.
All is made new, a fresh, beginning
to start the glory of a new day
Moving Slowly
Everything seems to move at half speed
in the summer.
The sun rises early but lazily,
Slowly moving across the sky.
Unworried, unhurried, knowing exactly
where it is going.
Its glorious light rests in the assurance
of its created beauty.
Divine love guides it into another day.
A day in which every moment is unique
All things are possible.
In its golden glow the hope, joy,
and life of God abound.
In A Quiet Place
If you sit long enough,
In a quiet place,
The peace of God will invade your being.
Breathe softly,
Don’t move,
Allow the presence of the Holy One
To fill you.
Open the doors of your heart.
Dissolve the barriers in your head.
Destroy the bars that imprison your soul.
Sit still,
Welcome God into the the sacred centre,
Of your soul.
This week’s gospel reading in the lectionary includes one of my favorite passages. One that I talk about all the time and am learning to practice! In Matthew 11:16-19 Jesus invites us to REST! Many of you know that my hashtag is #RestisHoly. I am a recovering workaholic and have learned the value of practicing rest in order to thrive as a follower of Jesus in our crazy busy world.
Why is it so hard for us to stop and rest? What are your excuses?
Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
We all need help when it comes to practicing rest! We all need to follow the example of Jesus who got tired and stopped along the way, who took time away from his ministry to be with God and be alone. We also need guides and practitioners to help us to learn the unforced rhythms of grace!
I want to introduce you to three amazing women of color who have new books that are helping me learn more about the practice of rest!
New books on REST
Sacred Rest by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith talks about the SEVEN different types of rest. I had not idea there were seven different kinds of rest and that we need refreshment in ALL seven areas!
Pause Rest Be is by one of my favorite instagram follows, the wonderful Octavia Raheem. The full title is
Pause, Rest, Be: Stillness Practices for Courage in Times of Change. We really need Octavia’s wisdom right now. She is a yoga instructor so she includes body practices to help us actually PRACTICE rest!
And the third book is by another of my favorite women to follow on Instagram, Tricia Hersey, the Nap Minister. Her book is powerful and gives us all permission to stand against the power of the grind culture. Rest is Resistance
REST is Resistance
How is your summer going so far? What are the unforced rhythms of grace you’d like to practice between now and the fall?
What helps you actually REST?
Take time to practice REST
LOOK at the quotes below and pick one or two to consider with Jesus….What is Jesus saying to you about rest?
“ We cannot wait for the perfect space or opportunity to rest. REST NOW. Rest is not an extra treat that we must run to but more of a life long, consistent, and meticulous love practice. We must snatch rest.” Rev. Tricia Hersey The Nap Minister
“We must believe we are worthy of rest. We don’t have to earn it. It is our birthright. It is one of our most ancient and primal needs.” Rev. Tricia Hersey The Nap Minister
“Deprogramming our minds and hearts from our toxic brainwashing around naps and rest will increase our ability to craft a rest practice. Our slumber and opportunities for community care will be deeper because of our work in this area. Go slow and realize you have been brainwashed by a system that attaches your inherent worth to how much you can labor.” Rev. Tricia Hersey The Nap Minister
“Productivity should not look like exhaustion” Rev. Tricia Hersey The Nap Minister
“Grind culture is violence. Resist participating in it. “ Rev. Tricia Hersey The Nap Minister
“Any system that degrades and ignores our divine right to have care, rest, leisure’s and space must be examined and illuminated. The time is up for any shallow wellness work that doesn’t dismantle systems that are making us unwell. We must blame and interrogate the systems. They are the problem.” Rev. Tricia Hersey The Nap Minister
ALL Quotes found in REST as Resistance a Manefesto
Matthew 11:16-30 THE MESSAGE
16-19 “How can I account for this generation? The people have been like spoiled children whining to their parents, ‘We wanted to skip rope, and you were always too tired; we wanted to talk, but you were always too busy.’ John came fasting and they called him crazy. I came feasting and they called me a boozer, a friend of the misfits. Opinion polls don’t count for much, do they? The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
20 Next Jesus unleashed on the cities where he had worked the hardest but whose people had responded the least, shrugging their shoulders and going their own way.
21-24 “Doom to you, Chorazin! Doom, Bethsaida! If Tyre and Sidon had seen half of the powerful miracles you have seen, they would have been on their knees in a minute. At Judgment Day they’ll get off easy compared to you. And Capernaum! With all your peacock strutting, you are going to end up in the abyss. If the people of Sodom had had your chances, the city would still be around. At Judgment Day they’ll get off easy compared to you.”
25-26 Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: “Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You’ve concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that’s the way you like to work.”
27 Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. “The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I’m not keeping it to myself; I’m ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen.
28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
What is Jesus saying to you? How is Jesus inviting you to practice rest?
LISTEN:
WATCH Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith’s TEDx TAlk on Rest
PRAY WITH ME:
Uncrowd my heart, O God,
Until silence speaks
In your still, small voice;
Turn me from the hearing of words, and the making of words,
And the confusion of much speaking,
To listening
To waiting
To stillness and
To Silence. In the name of Jesus AMEN
( based on a Prayer by Thomas Merton)
NOTE: As an Amazon Associate I receive a small amount for purchases made through links above. Thank you for supporting Godspacelight in this way.
Tuesday was Independence Day here in the U.S. No BBQs or parties for us this year, just a wonderful day to relax, take photos, watch fireworks and enjoy the beauty of God’s wonderful world. Part of what I enjoyed was writing the poem I posted yesterday as I sat and reflected on the beauty around me. It is very refreshing and renewing for me, which explains why this is a bit late. Several people last week shared the prayer I added to last week’s email. I have now added a video to it and you can check it out both on Facebook and Instagram.
I love that American Independence Day and Canada Day occur so close together. It helps to remind me that we are not independent but interdependent. Wherever in the world we live I feel it is a great time to reflect on this and on the meaning of freedom as I did in my Meditation Monday: What is Freedom; A Prayer for Independence Day. Lilly Lewin shared a similar theme in her Freerange Friday: Praying for Your Country in which she encouraged all of us to pray for our countries and for the injustices we see in them. Sandwiched between these was Steve Wickham’s important post The Heart of Tolerant Hospitality in Reconciliation. It seems to me that we cannot really celebrate our freedoms unless we can celebrate together when all the peoples of the world are free.
Celebration, freedom and hospitality all seem to revolve around each other, as is obvious in Brenda Warren Griffin’s post Celtic Hospitality and Welcome. https://godspacelight.com/
A big thank you Lori Shutrump who last week wrote: This edition and all of them are wonderful. I love your writing, insights, and support of other resources. You have created a community with which inspires, opens minds and encourages. You are truly gifted and a blessing to all.
I love reading comments that you send about your enjoyment of these newsletters and of the articles we post each day. Your interactions with what we write really help us to shape this ministry so please keep those comments coming.
Many blessings on you this week.
May the God who is One,
The God who is Three,
Bless and keep you
Wherever you may go.
Want to experience more of the awe and wonder that God offers us? Check out the Gift of Wonder Online Retreat by Christine Sine. This retreat allows for 180 days of access for only $39.99 so you can move through the sessions at your own pace.
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!