Mediterranean diet food pyramid
One of the things that I always like to do to relax after a long trip is to get into the kitchen and cook. Replenishing supplies like my breakfast granola and eggplant dip (baba Ghannouj) which have become staples for our Mediterranean style diet are always fun. I have posted the granola recipe before, but thought that some of you may would appreciate this very healthy version of Baba Ghannouj too. I took my original recipe and added the pepper which I think gives it a richer flavour and the yoghurt adds a nice tang. If you like it hot at a 1/4 tsp chipotle pepper powder too. It makes a great lunch spread or addition to a Middle Eastern meal.
1 medium sized eggplant
1 red pepper (capsicum)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup taheen, (sesame paste)
1/2 cup yoghurt (Greek style preferable)
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp olive oil (optional)
2 spring onions finely chopped
2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
Wash and dry eggplant and pepper. Prick eggplant with fork in 3 -4 place. Place eggplant and pepper on a baking sheet and broil (grill) 4 inches away from heat, turning them on all sides until the skin is charred. 20- 30 minutes. Allow to cool. Peel off skin, cut off stem and deseed pepper. Chop eggplant and pepper finely by hand and mash eggplant pulp or blend garlic, pepper and eggplant in a blender until smooth. Combine lemon juice, yoghurt, and salt. Add to eggplant mix. Blend in taheen, mix well. Add spring onions and parsley. Place on a serving plate and drizzle oil over it.
This morning we have an MSA Board meeting which made me realize that I have not posted our monthly MSA update for June.
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“God instructs the heart, not by ideas but by pains and contradictions.”
This wise quote by 18th century French mystic Jean Pierre de Caussade was sent to me a few weeks ago shortly after we heard that a grant application we hoped would support the start up of our Cascadia program, had been rejected. In the midst of our disappointment we found ourselves turning back to the heart of God in prayer, seeking wisdom and discernment.
One of our Board remarked,
“Mustard Seed Associates is about planting mustard seeds and this was certainly no mustard seed.”
Its true, we have always excelled at networking, collaboration and the planting and nourishing of small kingdom seeds that grow and produce fruit. Many of you are examples of that kingdom fruit.
This does seem to be a time of contradictions for us at Mustard Seed Associates. On one hand God is blessing us in amazing ways and we have much to celebrate. Plans are completed and we are moving forward with the first building of the Mustard Seed Village. Construction should begin shortly.
Cindy Todd is making amazing connections in the Stanwood/ Camano area and has been asked to co-chair the education for Port Susan food and farming center. Our annual Celtic retreat on Camano Island August 17-19 is shaping up to be the best ever. Our theme is gratitude and thanksgiving. Internationally known musician Jeff Johnson will provide music with a special Selah service in the evening.
CCSP/Cascadia is definitely sparking the interest of Christian Colleges and Universities across North America and we have a growing list of those who plan to add it to their semester away options. George Fox University recently added it to their options of semester away programs. We see the coming year as an opportunity to build our team and prepare for a better launch. Over the summer, Tom and I will participate inWild Goose Festival in Shakora Hills NC, Wild Goose West in Corvalis OR and the Creative World Festival in British Columbia. We would love to spend time with those of you who are also at these events.
MSA seeks to stir imagine and encourage creativity. We add daily to resources at Godspace and MSAimagine that inspire and encourage many to reimagine their lifestyles and faith observances. Andy Wade’s latest article Creepy Community is both thought provoking and instructive. We want to expand these resources and need your collaboration to connect us to other creative possibilities and inspiring stories. Where do 
you see the kingdom emerging in creative and imaginative ways? Where do you see God’s mustard seeds emerging like The Overflow Project– small and seemingly insignificant but making a kingdom difference. How could we reimagine our lives to more authentically live into God’s kingdom ways? Post on our facebook page or email us with suggestions for articles or communities and ministries to highlight.
We have a remarkable team at MSA. Most are volunteers. Our architect David Vandervort has generously given time and resource over many years to the Mustard Seed Village project. Douglas Woods moved his family up to Seattle from California ten years ago because of his vision for this project. Dr. Forrest Inslee contributed numerous hours to the development of the Cascadia/CCSP curriculum. Tom and I receive no salary and Andy Wade and Cindy Todd contribute far beyond their part time salaries. Ryan and Jessica Weemhoff who will be our program directors for the Cascadia/CCSP program will volunteer over this next year to help provide new and exciting opportunities for future students.
We are privileged stewards of what God has given us but we need your help to establish what we believe God is giving birth to. Together we can make a huge difference in God’s world.
Please plant a mustard seed today and help us bring this dream into being. Your gift of $10; $15; $25 or more will enable us to support the growing work of Mustard Seed Associates. Your monthly pledge of $10; $15; $25 or more would enable us to see the Mustard Seed Village move from dream to reality. Various options to support MSA can be found HERE
Earth touches heaver – photo by Coe Hutchison
Most of my facebook prayers for the last week have been inspired by my reading of the book Morning and Evening Prayers For All Days of the Week by Johann Habermann.
The grace of the eternal God govern you today,
The wisdom of the redeeming Son refresh you,
The power of the Holy Spirit enlighten you,
The Lord bless and keep you and grant you peace.
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God I commend my body and soul and spirit into your hands,
May your divine majesty bless me,
Your holy Trinity shelter me,
May your eternal unity preserve me,
This day and evermore.
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Most Holy Trinity, One in essence, Three in person,
Eternal One you are my life,
Redeeming One you are my salvation,
Indwelling One you are my joy,
I thank and praise you with heart and soul and mind.
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God may I never turn away from you who are the eternal rest,
May I cease from my striving and rest in your forgiving grace.
May I cease from my busyness and rest in your embracing love.
May I cease from my fears and rest in your enduring peace.
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Jesus you light each day with your presence,
Your love fills our world with joy and beauty,
May we look and see,
May we pause and give thanks,
May we never forget your mercies new every morning.
Lord teach us to pray
Last year I posted a series on Tools for Prayer. This year I am working on a book on prayer entitled Return to Our Senses: Reimagining How We Pray. The focus of the book is Madame Guyon’s idea that prayer is an exercise in love as I discussed in my post Let God’s love Soak into Your Soul. The responses to these projects convince me that all of us hunger for a better prayer life and a deeper knowledge of the God who is love but don’t know how to achieve it.
The time honored ways we teach people to pray and draw close to God are not as effective as they should be. We need to rethink prayer’s purpose and reimagine its practice digging deeper into our Christian traditions and ancient practices in fresh ways for our contemporary lives. In a culture with short attention spans that applauds multitasking and encourages distraction, we need tools that sharpen our ability to hear God’s voice. And in a society that spends less and less time in church we also need to explore ordinary everyday activities that stir our imaginations and stimulate our senses to develop new ways to express prayer.
So can you help? Over the next few months I would like to explore a new range of tools for prayer. What is your view of prayer? Where do you feel most connected to God? What do you find is the most effective way to pray? Will you share with us so that others can learn from your experiences?
If you would like to contribute a post to this blog series, please leave a comment below or send an email to godspacelight@gmail.com.
Saturday morning here in Sydney and our time in Australia is almost at an end. Tomorrow we celebrate my mother’s 89th birthday then get ready to head home to Seattle on Tuesday. This is that bitter sweet time of any visit like this – longing to be home yet hating to leave.
During our visit I have reread Soul Feast by Marjorie Thompson, a great book for a break like this because it is one that invites much reflection and contemplation. Part of what really impacted me this time is her understanding of contemplative prayer as absorption in loving God with our whole being …resting in God and allowing the Spirit to fill and move us as God wills… God calls us to the radical trust of rest. (Kindle 718)
It is that phrase the radical trust of rest that has really caught my attention. In a world of noise and busyness where performance and consumption are the measurement of our success, rest has little significance. Some of us recognize our need for Sabbath rest but don’t quite know how to accomplish it – a whole day set aside to enjoy God, friends and God’s creation seems like an extravagant waste of time. And indeed it is. The rest of God is so counter to our culture. It is so resisted by our society and often laughed at by our colleagues…even within the church.
Yet I am more convinced than ever that we cannot enter fully into the presence of God unless we do so in a place of rest. It is only in the place of rest that we can give God our full attention.
To learn to love God with our whole being and allow that love to absorb our attention to the exclusion of all else requires the radical trust of rest. Unless we can let go of our busyness, not just in our activities but in the inner turmoil of our minds, we will never find true intimacy with God. And that letting go requires a lot of trust. We must trust that God’s purposes will be accomplished even if we are not frenetically busy. We must trust that God still loves us even when we sit doing nothing more than appreciating him and praising him. And it means trusting that the God who loves us far more deeply and passionately than we can ever imagine longs to hold us close in the quietness and peace of rest.
Earth touches heaver – photo by Coe Hutchison
Better late then never. Sorry for the slowness of posts over the last week. I have not had very good internet connection here in Australia so please have patience – should have lots to report when I am back in the US.
Let us praise the Lord for his commands are just and good,
Let us thank him for paths that are trustworthy and true,
Let us obey faithfully and with integrity,
Remembering always the love and compassion of our Lord
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Tomorrow is Pentecost – this prayer was written as I contemplated the Holy Spirit breathed into us by Jesus (Jn 20:22)
Spirit of God may we breathe in and hold your love within us
May we breathe out and share it with the world
Spirit of God may we breathe in and hold your peace within us
May we breathe out and share it with the world
Spirit of God may we breathe in and hold your life within us
May we breathe out and share it with the world.
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walk this path of life through all its twists and turns,
God before and behind m,e
Christ beside on left and right,
Spirit deep within.
Let me not hurry and move ahead of you,
Let me not worry and move without you,
Let me not give up and move away from you,
May I hold firm to the hope to which you call me.
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Lead us forward Lord into the ways of your kingdom,
Lead us forward Lord into the purposes of your heart,
Lead us forward Lord into the wonder of your love.
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Walk with us Lord through all the twists and turns of life,
Walk with us when the clouds obscure the way,
when what seemed close is now so far away.
Walk with us Lord until we trust in you,
Lead us to the centre of your love.
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Lord Jesus Christ
In your faithfulness hold us close to your heart of love,
In your righteousness show us mercy when we stray from your truth,
In your holiness shine upon us when we proclaim your salvation.
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Lord may the eyes of our hearts be enlightened,
Let us not wander, or worry or stray.
May we know the hope to which you have called us,
And make room for the Spirit to move.
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Beans climbing on sunflowers
Like most of my garden friends I love sunflowers, but I must confess I usually only plant them so that the beans have something to climb on when they grow beyond their bamboo teepees and the squirrels have something to eat at the end of summer. We love to watch them scampering up the tall stalks to hang upside down on the huge flower heads.
I found this article in the Hard Working Beauty of Sunflowers recently that I thought was well worth a read.
The statement: “They’re a really iconic way to make people notice that you’re trying to make a change in the community,” really caught my imagination. I also found it very interesting that sunflowers are probably the second-oldest domesticated seed crop in eastern North America. (squash is the oldest). Evidently they originated in Mexico at least as far back as 2600 BC.
Another interesting fact I came across is that sunflower oil became popular in Europe in the 18th century, particularly with members of the Russian Orthodox Church, because sunflower oil was one of the few oils that was not prohibited during Lent.
I was also impressed to hear that recent research suggests sunflowers can pull heavy metal contaminants from polluted soil. They were used after the Chernobyl disaster, and more recently in response to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Koyu Abe, chief monk at the Buddhist Joenji temple has planted 200,000 flowers at the temple and distributed many more seeds. Read the story here
Then I came across this beautiful poem
Aztec Flower Song (anonymous, pre-Columbian)
Be indomitable, Oh my heart!
Love only the sunflower;
It is the flower of the Giver-of-Life!
What can my heart do?
Have we come, have we sojourned here on earth in vain?
As the flowers wither, I shall go.
Will there be nothing of my glory ever?
Will there be nothing of my fame on earth?
At most songs, at most flowers,
What can my heart do?
Have we come, have we sojourned on earth in vain?
So next time you see a sunflower in a bouquet of flowers or smiling over your neighbour’s fence remember that this is one of God’s long beloved flower and offer a prayer of thanks.
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