by Christine Sine
Over the weekend I set a circle of light around my sacred space. I replaced the batteries in the many candles that fill my corner and provide a welcoming circle of light in the early morning darkness. This is something I do every year as the days shorten and the darkness fills my early morning rituals.
Like the Celts of old, I love circles and am particularly drawn not just to the circle on the Celtic cross and its symbolism of the wholeness of creation, but also to the idea that the monasteries were often surrounded by a circle of crosses for protection and support . In the last few years I have added a circle of crosses as well as lights to my special place. There is something very comforting and nourishing about being surrounded by both the lights and the crosses.
At this time of year, as I sit in my special corner enjoying my circle of lights, I often greet the day with the soft glow of the sunrise reflected on the Olympic mountains outside my window, and say goodbye to the day with the even more breathtaking colors of the sunset over the mountains. It makes me feel as though I am indeed surrounded by God’s light. God’s embracing presence gives me strength, comfort and security in the midst of the ongoing trauma of our world.
Over the weekend I also performed another ritual that marks the changing of the seasons. I planted spring bulbs. I sat in the sun, soaking up the last few days of summer goodness, and planted seven pots full of tulips, others with alliums, and camassias. I didn’t need to plant more daffodils. They multiply prolifically in my garden. In the next week I will plant other shrubs and bulbs in preparation for the coming year. It is a wonderful reminder that hidden in the dying of autumn is the promise of new life.
I love rituals like this. The first bring comfort for the season ahead. The second gives hope and promise for the days after the darkness. And as we struggle here in the U.S. with the chaos of political turmoil, and the ongoing violence of war in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan, we need rituals that give us hope and help ground us in the promises of God.
What are the rituals that ground you at this season? For those getting ready for the season of darkness, how do you prepare? For those welcoming the beauty of spring how do you enter into the nourishing life that is bursting out around you?
Let me end with one of my favourite circling prayers. You might like to sit quietly, take some deep breaths in and out and enter into the comforting presence of God as you read it.
Today, we stand in God’s circle of light,
Breathing in, breathing out.
Today we stand in God’s circle of light,
Light before, light behind,
Light on left, light on right,
Light buried deep within.
Today, we stand in God’s circle of light,
With friends and family, neighbours and strangers,
With all the people of the world.
Together we stand in God’s everlasting light.
Encircled, embraced,
United into one family,
From every nation and culture and creed.
Let this circle hold us,
Let this circle sustain us,
Let this circle surround us,
With the bright and shiny presence
Of the Eternal One,
Who leads us into light.
© Christine Sine September 2020
Happy Weekend! I finished an amazing book this week. The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness by Father Greg Boyle. Father Greg is one of my heroes. I got to hear him speak live at the end of August at Vanderbilt Divinity School. Father G lives out his faith daily and truly invites me to be more like Jesus. Father Greg founded Homeboy Industries over thirty years ago and it is now the largest gang rehabilitation program in the world. Not only do gang members learn to love themselves, they learn to love and work along side their rivals, their enemies. Homeboy industries is now a global community of healing with partner organizations around the world. And Homeboy Industries provides job opportunities that run the gamut from catering to tattoo removal, electronic recycling to a wonderful bakery. Now you can go on line and order products to give or enjoy from their bakery or if you are in LAX you can go to get a snack or a meal from Homeboy Cafe in terminal 3. Not to mention their catering business. All of this is done in a community of kindness and compassion where everyone belongs.
I don’t know about you, but in our current world, where people are so divided and filled with bitterness and hatred, I need the words of Father Greg!
Here are just a few his words to ponder. Pick one that resonates for you today.
“Choose to live in the generous light of God’s outsized love! “
“It will always be less exhausting to love than to find fault”
“God knows your true royal nature, yet one doesn’t become NOBLE we locate our nobility. The hard part is embracing our inner nobility, beauty and goodness. “
“Define one’s self by donation rather than deficit”
“If you talk about health instead of hate, there is no severed belonging. If you say , “Terrible, instead of “ Evil, “ there is no severed belonging. Not “ Erase the Hate, “but increase the Health.”
“I think we settle for just forgiveness when we’re being offered very. I think mercy’s more spacious. Let’s embrace mercy. In this way, s my friend Jack Kornfield say, we “se the compass of our heart. “
“We need to welcome our woundedness so we don’t despise the wounded.”
Like Jesus, Father Greg flips the script of what is expected and invites us to see those on the margins as our teachers and as honored ones. In our gospel lesson for this Sunday, Jesus invites us to consider which road we want to travel. The way of power, or the way of the least of these. The way of dominance and control, or the way of suffering. Are we going to keep arguing along the way with our brothers and sisters, or are we going to embrace the wonder of a little child?
Mark 9: 30-37 NIV
30 They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.
33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” 34 But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.
35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
36 He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them,
37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”
Mark 9: 30-37 FIRST NATIONS
30From there, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) took his followers on through Circle of Nations (Galilee) but stayed away from the crowds 31so he could further instruct the ones who walked the road with him. “The True Human Being will soon be taken and handed over to men who will kill him, but on the third day he will come back to life from the dead.”
32But his followers did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask.
33They returned again to Village of Comfort (Capernaum) and settled down into the house there.
“What were you talking about as we walked the road just now?” he asked them.34None of them would answer him, because they had been arguing about who among themselves was the greatest. 35So Creator Sets Free (Jesus) sat down and gathered his twelve followers around him.“The one who would be first must be the one who will serve all the others—and become last,” he told them.
36He then stood a small child in front of them.
“When you represent me and welcome a child like this one, you welcome me.”
37He then took the child into his arms and said, “When you welcome me, you do not welcome me alone, but also the one who sent me.”
What do you tend to argue about along the way? What stuff tends to bug you that distracts you from the real plot of living like Jesus?
What do you argue about with friends, family, strangers or even with in yourself? Does it ever get you what you really want/desire?
LISTEN to Richard Rohr’s homily on this gospel (first bit is rough sound wise, homily is more clear) this is from 2015
Richard Rohr says this gospel passage reveals
a comparison of the two roads we can travel,
the Road that seeks power and upper ward
mobility and the road that is about the weak, powerless And suffering.
What is it in us that seeks power over Being with those who are on the margins?
Why does the Church choose power over service to all ? What would it take to change this ? How do we choose and help others choose to be servants rather than to seek power ?
Children were not valued or considered to be equal to adults during the time of Jesus. Especially girl children.
When you think of the child in the midst of the disciples, do you picture a girl or a boy? Does this change anything for you?
Looking back at this gospel and in relation to Father Greg’s book, I know that I didn’t grow up with a tender Jesus or a tender God, or a very tender faith. God was always mad, or judgng my behavior and if this was true, then I was never going to be good enough for God. One is never Good enough especially if one is a performer rather you just feel bad a lot!
I am ready to embrace a tender God, a tender Jesus who sees us just as we are and loves us before we do anything. Before we are repentant or healed! Before we do any more work for the Kingdom. We are greatly loved and seen as Beloved.
Let’s become these children of King Jesus…living out love and hope and not being judgemental, but being curious and loving and totally accepting of one another.
“When you welcome me, you do not welcome me alone, but also the one who sent me.” Today, let’s welcome ourselves as this child!
PRACTICE: Imagine that you are the little child that Jesus holds and points to as the example in this story. How do you feel? What do you notice? What does it take for you to sit in the lap of Jesus and be held in his love? Be still. Sit in the lap of Jesus today.
HOMEWORK:
Consider children…childlike wonder, joy, acceptance, etc. How can you practice more of this joy childlikeness this week? Swing, pick flowers, shoot hoops, dance with abandon?
Some of Father Greg Boyle’s talks…just know he uses profanity in case this is triggering for you.
©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com
ART:
It’s done. Today I finished the last reflection for my Advent devotional Celtic Advent – Following An Unfamiliar Path. I also received some images from my graphic artist for the cover and appreciate those of you who responded with your opinions on the different options. One thing is obvious, All of us are different with different likes and dislikes. Whichever cover I choose we will not satisfy everyone. However I did receive some helpful feedback that we will take into account. There is still a lot of work to do to upload it to Amazon and have it available by the middle of October but I am confident that we can stick to that timeline…. Maybe be ready a couple of days early. It will be available on Kindle, and we will also be able to take bulk orders at a reduced price. Thank you for your prayers as I complete this project.
The Celtic webinar on Saturday went very well, in spite of the fact that most of those who signed up decided to watch the recording later. It was wonderful to have my good friend Lisa Scandrette and our once upon a time neighbour who now lives in Oregon. We had a great time of teaching, discussion, creativity and writing of poems/prayers. I am delighted to have Lisa’s prayer to add to this newsletter.
As you can imagine my thoughts are very much into Celtic spirituality at the moment. I feel as though I am living and breathing the air that the Celtic saints breathed. My focus was reflected in my Monday Meditation – Finding Joy in the Book of Kells, which is an excerpt from the Celtic Advent: Following An Unfamiliar Path. I love the book of Kells and have found myself returning to the images from it on many occasions this week. I love the intricate and beautiful embellishments on many of the pages and could sit and look at them for hours.
On Friday, I posted Episode 16 on The Liturgical Rebels, the second in our series on Celtic Spirituality. I am very encouraged by the response to this episode and the whole emphasis on Celtic Spirituality. Next week we will publish an interview with John Philip Newell. I loved interviewing him and I think you will find this episode very inspiring.
On Godspacelight Lilly Lewin’s Freerange Friday: Live Out of Love Not Fear was an inspiring look at possible reactions to the very polarized political environment in the US at the moment. She quoted Parker Palmer who says “When all of our talk about politics is either technical or strategic, to say nothing of partisan and polarizing, we loosen or sever the human connections on which empathy, accountability, and democracy itself depend.” And commented on her own recognition that she must pray for all people to work together. It is a great post with much to think about.
Yesterday we posted Emily Huff’s beautiful reflection on a service at Taize in France. She wrote a lovely prayer in response to her involvement that I highly recommend to you too.
September 21st is International Day of World Peace. Here are a couple of posts you might like to check out. Walls that Create Barriers to Peace and Dance Your Way to Peace and Joy
Let me end with Lisa Scandrette’s beautiful prayer from Saturday.
Encircle me with your presence,
Creator, Christ, Companion.
Keep mystery aflame,
and dampen skepticism.
Keep softness alive,
and hardening far from my heart.
Enhance my wild, natural self
and let me not hide in conformity.
Connect me with your holy creation,
and prevent my putting you in boxes.
Keep hospitality within
and fear without.
Keep love overflowing in me
for you,
for myself,
and for others.
Stifle indifference.
Water in me wonder and playfulness,
let my imagination thrive.
Banish dullness and ingratitude.
Let me breathe deep
your refreshing breath
and leave aside the
suffocation of short-sightedness.
Tune my ears to your heartbeat,
bring me home to my truest self
and compassionately retire the
false selves.
With the dawning of each new day,
remind me of your encircling love.
by Emily Huff
After the service is over every Friday night in Taizé, the iconic cross that they usually have up in the front of the church is laid flat on the floor in the center of the church. First, the brothers gather around the cross to pray, and then they exit as usual. After that, anyone who wants to can go up and pray gathered around the cross. Most kneel and some lay their heads on the cross as they are praying. And it’s not unusual to see people leaving their time there with tears in their eyes as they have had a significant experience of laying their burdens down and experiencing God’s presence in a powerful way. When we were there, people were lined up well past midnight for prayers.
Here is the reflection that I wrote after my time of circling around this beautiful cross with people all around the world joining me with prayers of their own.
“Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”
Jesus, you hold the whole world in your hands. You hold all the hopes and dreams and disappointments and failures in our hearts with us and for us.
You breathe in all the pain and brokenness of the world…
And you breathe out love and shalom.
You came so that we would not be alone.
You came to bear the weight of the world.
You came to heal and restore all of creation.
Adoramus te Christe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wufCggvgLkw
The Godspacelight Community Cookbook is unquestionably a community cookbook with recipes created by readers, authors, and friends of Godspacelight. Our community spans the world, so we asked for recipes that reveal the different cultures and traditions we come from. Contributors from the U.S., Canada, Australia, the U.K., Norway, Malta and South Africa provided not only recipes but also lots of fun stories and anecdotes to go with their recipes. These stories are inspiring to read as they give us insights both into the contributors’ lives and their cultures. And the recipes themselves are delicious to make.
by Christine Sine
On Saturday at the Spirituality 101 webinar, I encouraged participants to look at the Book of Kells online, choose an image, and use it as a focal point for reflection. I also included a couple of colouring templates from the Book of Kells for people to colour during their time of reflection. It was a very enjoyable exercise, but as one participant commented “The colours are nothing like the real thing.” The Book of Kells also features in my upcoming Celtic Advent devotional Celtic Advent: Following An Unfamiliar Path, which should be amiable for preorder at the beginning of October and ready to be shipped by the middle of October. I have been giving Substack paid subscribers a preview of many of the reflections but thought I would give all of you a glimpse with this reflection on the Book of Kells
I will never forget my visit to the library at Trinity College Dublin. In a room kept dim to preserve it a see-through case holds a masterpiece, one of the art wonders of the world.. This is the Book of Kells, the richest, most copiously illuminated manuscript of the four gospels in the Celtic style that still survives. It may have been created by St Columba on the island of Iona, was probably removed by the monks when they fled the Viking raids and taken to the Abbey of Kells which itself was raided repeatedly. The fact that most of it survived is almost miraculous. It was stolen and buried for three months, then passed from family to family and place to place until Charles II presented it to Trinity College in 1661.
These illuminated manuscripts were special even at the time of their creation. Every copy of every book produced for many centuries was made in a monastery scriptorium. Monks everywhere could write well enough to make copies of documents, but not every monastery could undertake the production of copies of books, an activity that required specialist skills. Even fewer monasteries had the expertise and artistry to undertake the production of highly decorated books like The Book of Kells and others that still exist including The Book of Durrow and the Lindisfarne Gospels. It is no wonder that so much effort was made to preserve them.
The beauty, symbolism and artistry of Celtic illuminated manuscripts like the Book of Kells is breathtaking, something to marvel at, priceless artifacts that are a joy to look at. I can imagine the monks hunched over the vellum, pin pricking guidelines for the text; lettering verses with iron-gall ink; illuminating pages with costly pigments and gold leaf—still vibrant centuries later. Each one was composed of beautiful text, written in the most careful and elegant hand, along with intricate borders, of Celtic knot work, spiraling vines, interweaving images of animals and birds, some realistic, some twisted and fantastical all of it embellished, or illuminated, with shining sections of precious gold leaf.
The words IN PRINCIPIO ERAT VERBUM ET VERBUM “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,” the opening words of the Gospel of John, is a particularly impressive opening to any piece of writing. The rich ornateness of the ornamentation captivates the eye and can hold one’s attention for hours. Not surprising as The Gospel of John was the favourite of the Celtic Christians.
Probably the greatest joy of the Book of Kells is the illuminated initial letters scattered with generous abandon through every page of the text. Their whimsical nature gives a sense of the delight the monks must have found in crafting them. Even small letters in the middle of a line are embellished with an extra twirl filled with contrasting colours, and open spaces at the end of a sentence are filled with stars, or fish or birds. Maybe these speak of the fun loving nature of the monks too.
Unfortunately the Advent story does not really feature in The Book of Kells, though Christmas does. There is only one depiction of a woman in the entire manuscript. It is the earliest surviving image of Mary and the Christ child in Western manuscript art. In contrast to the biblical description of Mary as a humble peasant, here she is depicted as an empress, enthroned and wearing royal clothing, an indication of how the impressions of her changed over the centuries. She is surrounded by four ‘courtiers’, in this case angels. Jesus is seated on her lap, with his hand placed on her clearly visible breast – an allusion to milk of Christian instruction, and also perhaps the fountain of life. The elaborate frame around the image is perhaps an allusion to its ultimate source.
I love to paint on rocks, and at times have tried to copy some of the less intricate patterns of the Book of Kells onto my stones. First I create a pattern with pencil, a consuming process requiring much erasing and repositioning. Then I outline the pattern with my paint pens and lastly fill in the resulting design with vibrant colours. It is a process of joy, and gives me a little glimpse into the delight the monks must have felt as they worked on their far more elaborate illuminations.
Reflection
The Book of Kells can now be viewed online for free. Scroll down the images until you find one that catches your attention. Spend a few minutes gazing at the image. Let your eyes rest on the characters and objects. Note your feelings as you examine the whole of the work. Write down what you are sensing. Now look at the image again, particularly at the details of the intricate embellishments. Does something new catch your attention. Keep your eyes focused on that for a couple of minutes and allow God to speak to you through the image. Write down your impressions. End with prayer.
God of every beautiful thing,
Give us eyes to see the wonder,
Of your world,
Let it disrupt our days with sacred pauses,
So that we marvel,
Not just at majestic mountains
And sweeping vistas,
But at the sparks of mystery
Carved in every ordinary thing,
That fills this earth
With your glory.
Let our hearts swell with delight,
At every wrinkled face made in God’s image,
Let us glory in the divine light
Enlivening every humdrum moment,
With the joy of your presence.
How do we live and love in a political climate of fear and hate? My Bible says that PERFECT LOVE casts out fear and that we are commanded by Jesus to LOVE our neighbors and to LOVE OUR ENEMIES TOO! That’s been the hardest verse to live out in the last few years! I was talking to one of my neighbors this week and she and I both feel like we’ve become more angry and hate filled than we used to be. We truly feel the weight of the political climate here in America and we are realizing that it is hurting our souls! It’s honestly why I think about moving to Scotland on a regular basis!
And this week, on Tuesday night, we had a presidential debate. Tuesday night is also when our house church Thinplace meets via zoom. We have people from all over the country and from Canada who have been gathering together since the pandemic of 2020. We practice Lectio Divina and listen to scripture and allow the Holy Spirit to be our teacher. We allow Jesus to speak to us for this day and ask “What do I notice? What do I wonder about? What is the Spirit speaking to me about today? We usually follow the Lectionary and you may have noticed if you follow freerangefriday that we try to be a week or two ahead so people can hear it again on Sunday if they go to a liturgical church, or if they preach or teach through the lectionary they might see something new. On Tuesday night, we just prayed the psalm for this Sunday and it seemed to be a great introduction and a nice way to ground ourselves before watching the debate and as we go deeper into this election season.
I found these two quotes by Parker Palmer in Diana Butler Bass”s post on the Cottage so we began our time with them….What resonates with you in these quotes?
When all of our talk about politics is either technical or strategic, to say nothing of partisan and polarizing, we loosen or sever the human connections on which empathy, accountability, and democracy itself depend.
If we cannot talk about politics in the language of the heart — if we cannot be publicly heartbroken, for example, that the wealthiest nation on earth is unable to summon the political will to end childhood hunger at home — how can we create a politics worthy of the human spirit, one that has a chance to serve the common good― Parker J. Palmer, “Healing the Heart of Democracy”“Rightly understood, politics is no game at all. It is the ancient and honorable human endeavor of creating a community in which the weak as well as the strong can flourish, love and power can collaborate, and justice and mercy can have their day.” Parker Palmer
READ the Psalm three times or you can listen to it here.
What word or phrase stands out for you today?
Notice all the action verbs in this psalm. What are the actions that God is doing?
1 I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.
2 Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The cords of death entangled me,
the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: “Lord, save me!”
5 The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.
6 The Lord protects the unwary;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
7 Return to your rest, my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.
8 For you, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,
9 that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
10 I trusted in the Lord when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”;
11 in my alarm I said, “Everyone is a liar.”
12 What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.
14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his faithful servants.
16 Truly I am your servant, Lord;
I serve you just as my mother did; you have freed me from my chains.
17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the Lord— in your midst, Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord! AMEN
What are the cords of death that entangle you right now? What is keeping you bound and not free? Perhaps the cords of fatigue, exhaustion, anger, or despair over the state of our world, or perhaps it’s something more personal. Talk to Jesus about the things that are entangling you. Allow Jesus to remove these cords of death for you and set you free!
What vows have I made to the Lord? What do I need to go back to in following Jesus that maybe I committed to once upon a time?
What would a Thank Offering look like for you? If you were going to create something as a Thank Offering to God, what would you create, do, cook/bake, write?
How does this Psalm help you as you seek to live out love in the midst of an election year?
How does this Psalm help you have peace in the midst of all the uncertainty of our world right now?
An EVERY DAY WAY TO PRAY Prayer Practice:
I Pray for America each morning as I wash my berries for breakfast! I usually just have blueberries and I have often felt like a blueberry in a red state! So I pray for America as I wash my blueberries each morning. But this morning I had blueberries and raspberries, and I realized that I needed to be praying a different way! For all people to work together! Those with red and blue beliefs. I prayed for people in America to be people of compassion, mercy and love despite our differences… in belief, color, thinking, etc!
And this morning as I ran my facet and the water over the red and blue berries, I noticed that we really need the Living Water’s help to make this a place of love and grace and mercy! That love your neighbor, love your enemies command is so hard to live out these days BUT IT IS so needed and it is truly what being a FOLLOWER of Jesus is all about!
Join me in praying for America and for your own nation…as you wash your fruit in the morning or throughout the day, allow the Living Water to flow over you and pray for the Living Water of Jesus to flow over your country and fill each person with love and peace and hope today.
©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com
It’s been quite a week. We have had family in town from the East Coast and consequently have done more sightseeing around Seattle than we have done in years. I cannot believe the changes around the Pike Place Market and down to the waterfront. A few years ago the Alaskan Way Viaduct, an incredible eyesore of a road that cut right across the waterfront was removed and now there are beautiful walkways, and gardens that meander down to the water. Beauty out of ugliness. A transformation like this lifts my spirits and gives me hope for the future.
Another lovely thing that happened yesterday was the arrival of Kreg Yingst’s book Everything Could Be A Prayer. What a beautiful book it is. You may remember I interviewed Kreg for the Liturgical Rebels podcast a few months ago. He was inspirational to talk to and this book is an absolute delight. It is filled with colour prints created from his block printing on wood and linoleum of such people as Howard Thurman, Teresa of Ávila, Black Elk and Thomas Merton. Each print is accompanied by an inspirational reflection, encouraging us into the practice of Visio divina or sacred seeing. I highly recommend it to any who are looking for a new contemplative practice for the upcoming season.
Yesterday’s Meditation Monday – From Passion to Practice could just as easily been titled Everything Could Be A Prayer too. It encourages all of us to consider how we could transform the activities we enjoy doing into spiritual practices and so develop a spirituality that is intertwined with all aspects of our daily lives.
Friday’s Spiritual Practice – Praying In All Directions, took the Native American Practice of turning to each direction on the compass and offering a prayer focused on a different aspect of life. This is a way of praying that calls God’s Sacred Presence all around us, and literally asks for God’s Spirit to be present at the front, back, sides—even above and below—of an individual. This form of prayer is one that I increasingly find helps to anchor me in the world in which I live.
Today we launched the next episode in our Celtic series on The Liturgical Rebels podcast. This interview is with musician Jeff Johnson who lives on Camano Island just north of Seattle. He is well known internationally for his Celtic-influenced music. He shared his journey in the development of his music and how he was drawn to the Celtic Christian expression. He talked about his collaborations with other artists, including fantasy writer Stephen Lawhead and musician Phil Keaggy. Their latest album is ‘Spinning on a Cosmic Dime’. Jeff also reflects on the importance of wonder and the need to define oneself beyond creative achievements. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation.
As you can imagine I am deeply immersed in all things Celtic at the moment. I am looking forward to the Celtic Spirituality 101 webinar on Saturday. There is still time to sign up if you hurry, but it is only a few days away. This should be a fun and instructive session in which we look at the legacy of this often neglected stream of Christianity which kept faith alive during the dark ages of Europe. We will interact with some of the Celtic saints like Patrick and Columba and Brigid, write prayers, and learn from one another. I hope you can join us. There is a special discount for paid Substack subscribers which can be accessed through Saturday’s substack post Introduction to Celtic Spirituality
REMEMBER in order to REGISTER FOR THE CELTIC RETREAT, YOU MUST FIRST LOG INTO OUR STORE. THEN USE THIS LINK CELTIC SPIRITUALITY 101 TO REGISTER. Sorry for this inconvenience. For paying Substack subscribers only there is a discount available. Checkout this post for details. If you are unable to afford the fee but would like to attend the retreat please contact us for this 20% off code.
On Godspacelight Lilly Lewin’s Freerange Friday – Heal Our Ears has a wonderful Q-tip prayer that I think we all need to practice.
Yesterday Lynne Baab contributed a beautiful post Praying About Longing that is excerpted from her new book Friendship, Listening, and Empathy: A Prayer Guide which also contains 29 beautiful watercolors by her husband, Dave Baab. One of these is used in the post. I found myself reflecting especially on her comment “When we feel loneliness, part of that emptiness is our longing for the place of peace and joy that we were created for. “
I continue to work on my book Celtic Advent – Following An Unfamiliar Path and appreciate your prayers as I race to complete it in the next week. I hope that it will be available for preorder by the beginning of October.
This week I came across a poem I wrote ten years ago that I thought I would share with you as we close:
Hold tight to God,
Place your hands
In the hands of the One
who is light, and life and love.
Hold tight to the hand of faith,
Let it strengthen you through deep waters,
Let it hold you safe when you are afraid,
Let it give you rest when you are anxious.
Hold tight to God.
Learn to trust in the One,
Who is ever your companion and guide.
Many blessings
Christine Sine
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