Spring has arrived in California, bringing warm air, sunshine, and vibrant splashes of wildflowers up and down the coast so massive that they can be seen from space. I find myself longing to be outside, longing to chatter like the birds outside my window with my family, friends, and the person behind me in the checkout line who complimented my reusable bag. Yesterday my brother and I decided to set up in the sunshine spreading across our front steps for a couple of hours in the late afternoon. This isn’t something I’ve done very much, most people don’t sit in front of their houses in our neighborhood, and it can feel a bit awkward to know that everyone can observe you as they walk by, but the sun was warm, so I wanted to give it a try. We read for a while and then put our books aside, grabbed a couple of drinks and talked and laughed for over an hour, catching up with each other about our weeks and the books we’ve been reading. As we sat and conversed and enjoyed the fresh air, neighbors walked past on their way home from work or school, getting in their daily jog, or taking their dogs for a walk. People seemed pleased to see us out there, eager to exchange smiles or say hi, one neighbor paused, lifted their glass and called out to us as they passed, “cheers to your stoop sitting!” It struck me how human and precious it is that we long for these little moments when our lives bump up against each other and remind us that we’re not alone, no matter how brief they are. Maybe one reason Spring feels so sweet is because it brings more opportunities for us to connect to the world around us.
Connection has been a big word for me for most of my adult life. Connection to other people, connection to nature, and connection to something larger than myself are all integral to my well-being and understanding of who I’ve been and who I am becoming. My experience of the pandemic and the division caused by the politicization of the questions and challenges it raised about how we care for the most vulnerable in society have further solidified my belief in the crucial roles that both value for and experience of connection play in our capacity for mental health, compassion, and hope. The highs and lows of my own mental health journey are inescapably tied to moments of connection and disconnection in my life. I am most able to move through the world with hope, vulnerability, and awareness of those around me, and when I have a keen sense of the reality of our interdependence and experience regular moments of meaningful connection with other humans and the planet we live on. This interplay and its simultaneous simplicity and complexity fascinate me.
A few years ago I began building a collection of fiction stories exploring connection and disconnection and their impact on one’s mental health, understanding of self, and beliefs about the world. I drew from my own experience throughout the first half of my 20s, times when I felt isolated and depressed and believed that the problem was in my worth and not in my brain chemistry, times when I’ve relied on adhering to the safe, self-protective roles in my relationships instead of meeting people with curiosity and vulnerability, times when I didn’t trust my feelings enough to share them, causing distance between myself and others when I most needed support and understanding. However, the barriers to reaching out are very real. It is difficult to prioritize creating space for meaningful connection and practicing vulnerability when there is work to do and bills to pay. And when we’ve been feeling stressed, unsafe and lonely for a while (whether due to trauma, mental illness, or a global pandemic) our brains actually learn to perceive connection as a threat. It is really difficult to push through those barriers and ask for the connection you need… and it is so worth it. I truly believe that pursuing connection is a radical practice that grounds us in our own humanity in ways that can shift how we see ourselves and how we show up to the world around us. My hope for my collection is to celebrate the impact that relatively small, everyday moments of vulnerability and connection can have on our sense of well-being and to encourage readers to keep seeking connection, especially when it feels most challenging.
Ironically, the process of writing is a largely solitary one, until my book is released into the world, I have a relatively isolated relationship with it. As its release draws near, I find myself struggling with anxieties about practicing the vulnerability I aim to represent in its pages. The publication process has been bumpier and more difficult than I’d imagined, I’ve had to delay several times and even un-release the book once. I’ve worried people will judge me for not knowing exactly what I’m doing as I navigate the self-publishing world for the first time. I worry that the long build up will lead to disappointment in the book once people have read it. I worry that I am not cut out to do this story-telling thing I’ve felt compelled towards since I was two years old. But I am trying to practice what I preach in hopes that ultimately there may be wonderful opportunities for connection as I share the highs and lows of this publication process, and when people finally read the book itself. The greatest reward I experience as a writer is when readers tell me that my words made them feel seen or helped them articulate something about their own experience. That reward doesn’t come without risk. Like sitting in the sun on my front steps, it might be uncomfortable to know I can be seen, but it brings more opportunities for the kind of connection that reminds myself and others that we are not alone.
Reaching by Hailey Scandrette
My debut book, Reaching, will be available soon online and through your local independent bookstore. Follow me on instagram at @haileyjoywrites or visit my blog, https://haileyjs.wordpress.com for updates and links to order my book.
©haileyscandrette
Mother’s Day is May 14, 2023 this year, and we wanted to highlight some previous posts about the the mothering heart of God. This post was originally posted here on May 7, 2015.
Biblical Maternal Images of God
compiled by Christine Sine
The response from so many to the article and reflection I posted earlier in the week about the feminine images of God in the Bible has inspired me to produce this video with Biblical verses and prayers interposed. Enjoy and please let me know what you think.
The music is Vesper: La Dimora Dell’Eternal by Lisa Peretti. (Used with permission.) not by Jeff Johnson as it says on the title page.
Today we thank God for the gift of mothers and mothering around the world.
As one whom a mother comforts, so I will comfort you – Isaiah 66:13. (RSV)
Gentle, patient God, thank you for your tender care.
Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you! Isaiah 49:15 (NIV)
Loving, caring God thank you for your compassionate care.
But I have calmed and quieted myself,
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content. Psalm 131:2
Protecting, embracing God thank you for your nurturing care.
How often have I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings… Matthew 23:37
Comforting, warmhearted God thank you for your gentle care.
God was like an eagle hovering over its nest,
overshadowing its young,
Then spreading its wings, lifting them into the air,
teaching them to fly. (Deuteronomy 32:11 The Message)
Ever present, sustaining God thank you for your enduring care
I have cared for you since you were born. Yes, I carried you before you were born. (Isaiah 46:3 NLT)
Sustaining, all sufficient God thank you for your satisfying care
I will be your God throughout your lifetime—
until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you. (Isaiah 46:4 NLT)
Faithful, providing God thank you for mothers and their love
Everlasting and eternal One, thank you for your mothering love.
Amen, Amen and Amen
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 Laurie Klein
We will shout for joy when you are victorious
and will lift up our banners in the name of our God.
Psalm 20:5
Wallpaper the basement ceiling—why not?
One rainy weekend my husband, Bill, helped me tackle what would prove to be a prolonged, mostly upper body undertaking. Good thing we were young.
Each pre-pasted strip, duly soaked and folded to mingle adhesive, would extend thirteen feet. Soon, leaves of ivy like green stars would run the length of our hall.
Taller than I, Bill hoisted the soggy weight as I mounted a ladder to anchor the first portion overhead. I would ensure the bond while he squeegeed the next section. I envisioned teamwork deft as a working inchworm.
Until my section curled. Then buckled. Gamely, I pressed back, battling gravity. My balance teetered. And what was that sucking sound?
I craned my neck just as the bond . . . in slow motion . . . gave way, then shlooped, molding itself to my face.
“Start over,” Bill called. “But hurry—before it tears!”
Yanking my hair free, I mashed that clammy banner flush to the corner. Does paste double as conditioner?
By now our arms and necks ached from being thrust upward. Think human flying buttress.
Oh no. Bill’s section belly flopped.
Stretch, pant, reposition and smooth those air bubbles flat—it was a losing battle-in-progress. We needed more arms.
Solomon once said, “A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken” (Ec. 4:12, NLT).
Hindsight, of course, can’t resist comparisons. Consider with me for a moment that ancient Mideast battle, at Rephidim, when the Amalekites attack the army of Israel.
Moses straddles the hill, hoisting his staff like a banner of wood.
Now watch the sun as it arcs overhead. See those raised, 80-year-old arms quaver. Nephew Hur and brother Aaron hasten alongside to help, heaving a rock into place for their kinsman. To keep Moses upright, do they brace their elbows on knees? As long as Moses keeps the staff raised, Israel prevails; every time his grip flags, the staff sags, and the enemy gains ground.
How did that three-man tableau endure?
Today, we can better understand and explain the body mechanics involved in raising the arms. A massage therapist I know describes the historic, geriatric effort of Moses this way: “a prolonged isometric exercise—akin to torture, even with help.”
Under extreme duress, muscular as well as nervous systems would have neared collapse amid blood pressure spikes, exposure, perhaps gradual dehydration. Joints, collar bones, shoulder blades, ribcage, arm bones and numerous muscle groups had to coordinate in complex ways. That effort, sustained until sunset, would have proved ruinous.
As many a cinematic hero quips, “That’s gonna leave a mark.”
Post-victory, what of the aftermath? “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered . . .’” (Ex.17:14).
As if they’d forget. Would the poor man’s fingers even unclasp?
In addition, “Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my banner. He said, ‘Because hands were lifted up to the Lord’” (Ex. 17:15-16a).
I don’t recall praying over that ivy wallpaper thrust-and-tussled onto our ceiling; I do recall solidarity during a daunting task.
I can almost hear Moses speaking through St. Paul’s prayer: “Help these . . . who have contended at my side in the cause . . .” and later, “Stand firm in the Lord, dear friends” (Phil. 4:3).
God’s power works for us even as it circulates in and through us, the body of Christ, “joined and held together by every supporting ligament that grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
Scale doesn’t matter. Solidarity does. In circumstances dire as war or fatiguing as home improvements, exerting mutual effort bonds us.
There will be schloops. Gravity. Gluey hair days. Moments of tearing, spasms of laughter.
Upheld in our weakness by God’s might, we hold up over time. Together, we can endure unexpected demands on our strength. Perhaps every outreach (and up-reach) throbs with a pulse vital as blood, sluicing through veins toward—and within—each extremity . . .
. . . then homing back, once again, to the heart.
Ceiling photo by Laurie Klein
Read more about the body’s ingenious means of raising limbs and the intricate choreography involved.
Featured photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash.
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!
Last week I read an article entitled “Now that Easter is Over” and I wanted to shout out NO! Easter is actually a season that goes from Easter Sunday until Pentecost which occurs this year on May 28th. There are seven weeks to the Easter season, a time that is meant to be a joyous celebration of all that Easter means to us. Here in Seattle where we enjoy a slow emerging spring display of beautiful blooms from February through June, it is not hard to recognize that Easter is indeed a season and not just a day. Lilly Lewin in Freerange Friday: Tea and Toast with Jesus talks about the many ways Jesus meets each of his disciples where they are and as they need to be met and how much we need the same experience in this season.
I love that Earth Day falls in the middle of this season too, reminding us that our love of God and joyful celebration of the resurrected Jesus is closely connected to the earth. I celebrated this week with a binge of spring planting. Squash, basil, beans, and nasturtiums have joined the tomato seedlings in our garden room and I excitedly look forward to being able to plant most of them in another couple of weeks. On Friday we enjoyed our first spring salad with salad greens and green onions from the garden. That first salad is always such a satisfying, dare I say sacred, experience.
Last week was both an exciting and a challenging week for me. On Thursday, we enthusiastically welcomed new tenants to our upstairs apartment. The Mustard Seed House is once more a full community of committed Christians who are also enthusiastic gardeners and committed to sustainable living. We also have three dogs to keep us all entertained. Tragically, Sunday, our good friend and construction contractor David who was resurfacing the garage roof in preparation for solar panels to be installed in a few weeks fell from the scaffolding and broke both legs. He was operated on yesterday and hopefully will make a good recovery, but he will be incapacitated for a long time. Prayers are appreciated. It made me realize how vulnerable and fragile we all are and how easily our lives can in change in a minute.
During the week I started reading a beautiful book of poetry I was gifted at the Inhabit conference. Drew Jackson’s delightful poems in a Touch the Earth, which I reflect on in yesterday’s Meditation Monday are a must read for all of us. Poetry is well suited to the expression of our emotions and to the telling of hard truths about injustice. We see it in the Bible as well as in the enriching proliferation of poetry in our society. We were also privileged to have Lindsay Garcia from Young Evangelicals for Climate Action contribute an article about the inspiring work she is involved in. James Amadon, Executive Director of Circlewood also contributed an uplifting article about the hope we can hold onto and spread in the midst of the challenges of climate change.
Sunday 14th, at least here in the U.S. as well as Australia and New Zealand, we celebrate Mother’s Day. I know those of you in the UK celebrated in March but I always think that honouring our mothers, living and dead, cannot be done too frequently so I hope you will join us once more in this joyous remembrance. On Godspace we have several posts from previous years that you might like to check out. The Lap of Jesus is a beautiful liturgy crafted by Emma Morgan, or you might like to check out this very interesting Biblical Maternal Images of God by Shia Chong. Reflecting on the mother heart of God is something I love to do each year. Several years ago I created this video of mothering images and scripture verses, and another on easy DIY projects to honor our mothers. I would love to hear from you about how you honour your mother.
There is nothing quite like spring,
To make me believe in the resurrection.
There is nothing like the love of a friend,
To make me believe God cares.
There is nothing like the beauty of our world,
To make me believe all is worth caring for.
God’s presence shimmers all around.
Many blessings
Christine Sine
Photos by Elaine Breckenridge
An Affirmation of Faith
God creates all things,
renews all things, and celebrates all
things.
This we believe.
Earth is a sanctuary,
a sacred planet filled with God’s
presence, a home for us to share
with all creatures.
This we believe.
God became incarnate,
a part of Earth, like Adam,
a human being called Jesus Christ,
who lived and breathed and spoke
among us, suffered and died on a
cross for all human beings and for
all creation.
This we believe.
The Risen Jesus
is the Christ at the center of
creation, reconciling all things to
God, renewing all creation, and
filling the cosmos.
This we believe.
The Spirit renews life in creation,
groans in empathy with a suffering
creation, and waits with us for the
rebirth of all creation.
This we believe.
We believe that with Christ we
will rise and with Christ we will
celebrate a new creation.
- by Norman Habel for Seasons of Creation
At Godspace, environmental issues and creation care are two things we are passionate about.
This document is designed to help you celebrate Earth Day by making a positive impact on the environment. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale of environmental issues facing our planet, but by taking small, simple steps, we can all make a difference! Click here to download today.
Last week I attended the Inhabit Conference. It was a delight to reconnect to old friends and make new ones. One of the highlights for me was listening to Drew Jackson recite poems from his new book Touch the Earth . This delightful collection of poems is the second in a series reflecting on the Gospel of Luke. The first, God Speaks Through Wombs covered Luke 1-8, Touch the Earth picks up where God Speaks Through Wombs left off in Chapter Nine. This is not a poetic Biblical commentary, though it should be read with your Bible in hand. It would be better described as protest poetry or maybe even revelatory poetry as Drew’s poems inspire an often profound and refreshingly new reading of scripture.
At the conference Drew’s read The Kingdom of Trees. I reread it later with my Bible open at Luke 17:20,21 which tells us “the kingdom of God is in your midst” Wow! I love this – Trees and the kingdom of God. It is profound, as are many of the other poems in this book. I am using it now as a devotional.
The trees soon revealed startling secrets. I discovered that they are in a web of interdependence, linked by a system of underground channels, where they perceive and connect and relate with an ancient intricacy and wisdom.
To say that I am within the trees
is to say that I am among them.
The trees consider themselves
a collective, connected at the root.
Communicating through mycelium,
sharing generational wisdom.
They do not withhold,
there is not competition-
always and ever giving.
And we marvel at how the trees seem
to live forever-
the never-ending kingdom.
Like Drew I discovered the beauty and the joy of translating my thoughts and emotions into written prayers and poems, though mine are certainly not as inspiring and profound as his are. Like him I found that writing such prayers andpoems helps me to slow down, breathe deeply and take notice of the voice of God bubbling up from deep within me and from the world around me. Much to my surprise I find that poetry like this is a powerful force that can transform not only my own life but also the lives of others who read them and allow them to resonate in their hearts.
Drew’s poetry has that kind of transforming impact if we take the time to read each poem and the scripture it is aligned with together, and then reflect on them and what God would say to us through them.
Poetry like Drew’s often inspires us to respond, first with our own words and then often with action.
Poetry is not just about words. Drew’s poetry inspires our imaginations so that a thought or image resonates in our minds. It calls to us, perhaps out of the depths of our own pain, or through flashes of intense joy and awe inspiring wonder. The image it evokes grows and takes shape emerging into words that burst out of our mouths. We recite them aloud, sensing the vibrations not just in our ears but also in our hearts and minds. They pluck at our heartstrings and slowly we craft them into our own cascade of verses, sharing our own pain, recognizing our indifference to the suffering of others or bringing healing and refreshment in mind, soul and body.
The Bible is full of poetic images like this that pull at our heartstrings and beckon us to listen to the voice of God, healing and cleansing our spirits on the way. Yet sometimes we feel that these ancient books cannot fully express what is bubbling up within us. Spoken prayers and words of adoration and praise don’t seem to do it either. We need the language of modern poetry that enables us to interpret the pain and the joy of life in our own unique and expressive way.
There are a number of reasons why poetry is particularly suited to the expressing of our emotions and to the telling of hard truths about injustice. First, emotional undertones are hard to put into words. The metaphor and imagery that takes shape in a poem often helps us give voice to them. Drew is an expert at this. Second, the use of poetic rhythm taps into powerful nonverbal responses, in much the same way that music does. Even the abstract nature of poetry is a powerful tool that makes it easier to take a closer look at painful experiences which can be threatening to us if we try to approach them in a direct manner. This is part of the reason Drew’s poetry is so important. He expresses his protest at a world of abuse and injustice but in a way that draws us into community and trust.
We live in a world that is full of pain and heartache and all of us need tools that help us process this pain. You may not like to write poetry as Drew and I do but I am sure that God has given you some form of creative expression that carries the same power. Sit prayerful for a few minutes. What form of creative expression comes to mind as an avenue through which you express your emotions and process your pain? How could you use Drew’s poetry to process your pain or to help galvanize you into action?
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At Godspace, environmental issues and creation care are two things we are passionate about. God has given us an amazing planet to live on, and we invite Christians to care for it and treasure it by being good stewards to creation. We have created “Simple Ways to Care for Creation”, a list of suggestions, links, and books to help you celebrate Earth Day and make a positive impact on the environment. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale of environmental issues facing our planet, but by taking small, simple steps, we can all make a difference.
We offer here a selection of fun and accessible tips for caring for the environment. These ideas are designed to be manageable for everyone, regardless of age of background, and can be implemented a variety of ways to make the most sense for you. By incorporating a few of these tips into your daily routine, you can reduce your environmental impact and help protect the planet for future generations. We invite you to leave behind guilt when reading these suggestions, and come with a sense of hope and positivity. What looks intriguing or even fun? What step might not only reduce waste, but make your life easier or cheaper?
So whether you’re looking for ways to reduce your carbon footprint, conserve water, or limit your use of plastic, this document has something for everyone. By taking the time to care for creation, we can all play a part in building a more sustainable and resilient world!
A sneak peak of suggestions from Simple Ways to Care for Creation:
When going out to eat, bring a takeout container to use for leftovers. One easy way it to stash a set in your car so you don’t forget it when you go out.
Use dryer balls instead of dryer sheets. They can reduce drying time by 10-25%, decreasing energy usage for dryer loads. Here’s a link to making your own!
Make more things from scratch such as fermentable foods. Simple things like bread or yogurt are a good start. There are lots of resources on how to brew your own kombucha or beer. Yogurt is another one that is easy and requires little extra effort to set up and ferment on your own.
Make your own “bee hotel” to provide spaces for local bees i.e. carpenter and mason bees. Here’s a guide with plenty of design suggestions and explanations for why bee hotels are good for the environment.
Switch to a bidet – it can save both trees and water! A single person uses on average 384 trees of toilet paper in a lifetime, and a single roll of toilet paper uses 37 gallons of water in manufacturing. Using a bidet uses just 1/8 of a gallon per visit, and decreases the strain put on your plumbing system.
Check out the full list as well as links to other resources and books about faith, food, and creation. Download Simple Ways to Care for Creation here!
It is the Easter Season! Lasting from Easter into Pentecost, it is a time to celebrate and heal. Check out our Easter Season resources here under the header Easter Season Resources and Posts.
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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!