What does November look like? I know I know… it’s already the 11th! But if you are like me, you may be in complete denial that it’s already the 11th and that here in the States, Thanksgiving is two weeks away!
I think the pandemic messed with my internal time clock. The years of pandemic ( that is still with us) slowed many things down and forced us out of rhythms that were “normal” to us. Then this year, as we moved out from lock downs and quarantines, we jumped back into life again! Sometimes before we were ready, sometimes with lots of joy and exciting adventures. Often though we discovered that we really don’t want to go back to the crazy busyness of the before times.
Some of us realize that we just don’t have the margin we used to have to bounce back or be with lots of people and activities.
The global pandemic, politics, natural disasters, racism, inflation and personal losses have added up and these layers of trauma are exhausting and have exhausted our inner resources.
This year seems to have to flown by! And this month already too!
But i believe in fresh starts, new beginnings and that it’s never too late to have a great day, or a great month.
So what does November look like?
What do you want it to look like?
Take some time to consider this.
Write it out, or make a list.
I made a list on the first of November and I’m baby stepping my way to making these self care things happen, but they definitely aren’t habits, they don’t happen every day! Yet!
What do you want November to look like, feel like? You could actually draw it, or collage it.
One of my daily practices (that i started on Pilgrimage ) is making a list each morning of the Gifts from the day before.
What were the Gifts that I experienced?
The things that brought Joy?
The things I am grateful for?
The God Surprises along the way?
Making a list helps me remember and see that there are Gifts even in the crazy bad days!
Next week Celtic Advent begins on November 15th. The Celtic Christians and Orthodox Christians start the journey of Advent 40 days before Christmas.
This might be a great year to start Advent early. Or even consider Advent as a practice rather than just a season on the church calendar. Advent begins the NEW YEAR for the church calendar. So we can begin new too!
What do you want the rest of November to look like?
What could your Advent Season be like this year?
What might you consider that could help you experience the real joy of Christmas this year?
What would bring peace to you rather than stress?
Ask God to show you.
Spend time with Jesus on this… after all it’s his birthday coming up…Why not discover the wonder of
the Incarnation this Advent rather than just all the stuff? The Wonder of God with us! Come o Come Emmanuel!
We Franciscans have always believed that the Incarnation was already the redemption, because in Jesus’s birth God was already saying that it was good to be human, and God was on our side. Fr. Richard Rohren
Ideas for November/December
Make an Advent Play List …listen to it daily. Check out Jeff Johnson’s New Album Winter Songs
Create an Advent Wreath …add extra candles for the two weeks of Celtic Advent.
Make a daily list of GIFTS recalling the gifts and God surprises of the day before.
Find a new devotion for Advent. See our list and watch our Facebook Live.
Create an Advent/Christmas Sacred Space at your Church or for your community…ADVENT WAITING OR INCARNATION.
Lord God,
Calm us as we wait for the Gift of Jesus.
Cleanse us to prepare the way for his arrival. Help us to slow down and prepare our hearts. Help us to wait and take time to be with you. Teach us to contemplate the wonder of God with us.
Teach us to know the presence of your Spirit. Teach us to bear the life of Jesus and live out his Kingdom.
Today and Always. AMEN(adapted from Ray Simpson of Lindesfarne)
©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com
PREORDER: Cookbook Bundle 2: Cookbook + Graham Kerr’s Gathering Place
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In January we celebrate Epiphany and the coming of the Magi to visit Jesus. Like them, many of us feel we are on a long journey following a star that is sometimes bright and shining, sometimes completely hidden yet still guiding us towards Christ. 2022 taught us important lessons that will shape the coming year. We sense God wants to do something new in our lives and we want to follow in the right direction.
Join Lilly Lewin and Christine Sine online Saturday, January 7th 2023 from 9:30 am PT to 12:30pm PT as they help us reflect on the past year and take time to hope, dream and pray for the year ahead. We will engage in some fun practices like chalking the door and interact with each other in ways that strengthen our faith and draw us closer to God.
Click here to register! We are once again offering several price points to aid those who are students or in economic hardship.
Stressed, working hard to prepare books for publication amid several life adjustments, one morning I knew I had to attend to my soul. For me, soul care and renewal involve reading, meditating, praying / releasing, and experiencing nature / creation.
First, I drank my coffee and read a devotional article that said:
Am I willing to continue yielding my life wholly to God? If so, there is power for me…God promises help to accomplish the task toward which His Spirit points me.
I wrote a list of the things on my heart that had become burdens, prayed over them, and gave them to God, again.
Then I read:
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all that we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!” (Eph.3:20-21, NIV)
I prayed this scripture, inserting my name and then the names of our family members. Assurance came.
Then, for the solace and renewal of nature, I drove down to the nearby river trail. There my senses were immediately overwhelmed and filled with the sights and sounds and smells and textures of that lush spot where grassy farmland meets the river that has flowed down from the Rocky Mountains. There, nature burgeons with life.
One thing my husband and I are learning as we live in this high place of Colorado where every season happens in every season—is to appreciate and “seize” the moment. If we don’t come down to the river trail for a couple of weeks, we hardly recognize the place next time. All summer, layer upon layer of grasses and flowering plants keep coming up, replacing the previous layer, each a little higher than the last, reaching for the intense sunshine which often gives way to evening thunder clouds. In the early summer, wild roses were blooming under the giant cottonwoods. Later they had dried up and purple thistle had risen 5 to 6 feet tall, bright and stately. You might think them renegade weeds in your garden, but out here, they’re royalty. Clouds of foamy yellow flowers grow here and there, and every shade of foliage.
Bird songs abound! I recognize the sounds of killdeer, red-winged blackbirds, and others. I see the orchard oriole, eastern kingbird, and many others. A rabbit hops near the river’s edge. Farmers are irrigating today, obviously, because the wet riverbanks and shallow water indicate most of the river’s flow here has been diverted to the canals. I watch several huge river-bottom fish, their backs often rising above the water’s surface, and I can see a golden eye high on their foreheads. They glisten in the sunshine and are too big for the six snowy egrets nearby to tackle. But if a bald eagle happened by they’d be easy prey, so visible in the shallow waters. In a clearing on the opposite side, I see prairie dogs with their young. They stand up straight above their holes and suckle their little ones who then lick their mothers’ faces. They’re cute. And they supply food for the many hawks and owls around here.
In the shady places under the heavy cottonwoods, myriads of butterflies float and flutter. I see one group that fly this way and that and round and round in sync as if propelled by a little twister wind. How do they synchronize their flight in milliseconds like that? The hot sun intensifies the scents of grasses mingled with damp river smells. Several cyclists ride by me, calling out “on your left.” Two lark sparrows perch on a fence and watch me, showing off their harlequin faces, feathers glowing like polished bronze in the sun.
I’m thankful for this day, and this place, and God’s glory all around.
Back at my car, I give thanks to God. As I walk into the house, a CD is playing and I hear the words of a gospel song, “Morning by morning new mercies I see….Great is thy faithfulness.” Tears smart my eyes. I “seize the moment” and find joy in it, and I have a renewed realization that God is in this moment with me!
Looking for hospitality inspiration? We have an entire resource page dedicated to hospitality. Find recipes and reflections on numerous hospitality topics, including Celtic hospitality, prayers, and liturgies. Click on Hospitality for more!
Last week, Christine wrote in her Meditation Monday post about the wonder of rain and how the act of walking in the rain can become a moment to come closer to God and reflect. Two writers from the community wrote responses, which we wanted to share.
by Carol Dixon
I loved Christine’s positive post about rain. My thoughts were running in a similar vein though I didn’t relish the cold and damp (which plays havoc with my osteoarthritis) and being housebound for another week or so my observations in my poem were more from inside looking out.
Autumn day
Spiders web sparkling,
Dewdrops on the rubbish bin.
Soggy birds singing sad songs
In the drooping bushes, heavy
With overnight rain.
Clouds, like ruched curtains
Hang limply from a glowering
Grey sky obscuring the watery sunlight.
Heaviness broods over the neighbourhood
And damp passers by hurry
Hoods up, for the welcoming
Warmth of home and hot toast
And a cuppa by the fire.
by Carol Dixon
From Elaine Breckenridge
I am grateful for Christine Sine‘s Meditation Monday today about rain. I struggled with rain because I refused to go out and experience it. When I did, my attitude changed and life changed! Sharing this poem I wrote,
Rain
Oh yes, I love that seas
surround my island home
providing for whales and seals
ghost shrimp and starfish–
clams and oysters
and those who harvest them.
I love the sunsets in the west
picture perfect beauty.
I love our tidal river that swells over its bank
then drains away to nothing
and always at appointed times.
I love the nearby inland stream
incubating our sacred baby salmon.
I love the singing brook around the corner
Heck, I love our drainage ditch!
It stays moist and green year-round
reminding me of Ireland.
As for rain?
Do I love the rain?
Nope. Not really.
Too much, too often, too soon.
And then a gentle rainfall coaxed me out of the house.
As I walked, I woke up to the wonder
and gave thanks for it and for simply the gift
Of water.
This water I feel on my face and hands.
It’s the water that makes all manner of life and death real.
It’s the water that soothes my soul.
It’s the water making me whole.
Gosh how I love the rain!
– Elaine Breckenridge, May 2021
We love seeing responses from the Godspacelight community and encourage anyone to share their responses or reflections either in the Godspacelight Community group on Facebook or through commenting on the blog!
Next Facebook Live!
Join Christine Sine and Lilly Lewin for a discussion on Celtic Advent on Wednesday, November 9th at 9 am PT. Happening live in the Godspace Light Community Group on Facebook – but if you can’t catch the live discussion, you can catch up later on YouTube!
by Christine Sine
Tom and I just booked a retreat time at Anacortes for just after Christmas. As many of you know we do this three or four times a year in order to refresh ourselves and plan for the upcoming months. I love to plan this end of year retreat now, because otherwise the busyness of the season soon overwhelms my best intentions for this kind of an important break.
The spiritual practice of retreat is I believe one of the most powerful tools we can implement to help us rest, increase our faith and draw us closer to God, to each other and to our responsibility for God’s world. The Bible is full of examples of those who periodically removed themselves from the world to draw closer to God. Jesus himself went into the desert for 40 days immediately after being baptized.
Most of us are daunted by the thought of 40 days on retreat but my husband and I make it into a more manageable occasion. We take a two or three day retreat three times a year. We usually go to a dog friendly B&B in Anacortes. It’s a beautiful place perched on the bluff looking out over Rosario Strait. The perfect place to relax and refocus and in the sunsets over the water are spectacular. Occasionally, we have the opportunity for more extended retreats, often combined with pilgrimages to holy sites. In 2005 we delighted in a very special retreat on the island of Iona during Holy Week.
I love these retreats. They refresh, transform and renew us. Anything is possible, from solidifying an already strong faith to experiencing a major spiritual breakthrough. Sometimes they are the birthing place for a new book project. Often the success of one personal retreat spills into the next, profoundly expanding my faith in all directions. These retreat are not highly structured or expensive. We don’t follow a set plan. They can be done anywhere you can find a quiet place to draw aside for a day or two, let go of the distractions of your busy life and focus on God.
So what should a retreat look like? To be honest, this is a hard question for me to answer. What looks good to me may not appeal to you. However there are some guidelines that you may find helpful
- Choose a quiet place that offers comfort and minimal distractions but with opportunities to enjoy yourself between spiritual sessions. Tom and I love to browse antique shops and hike. Our Anacortes get away offers both possibilities that enhance our enjoyment and relax us for the next session.
- Schedule yourself loosely. Retreats are for renewal and refreshment. If we bring the same busy schedule we are addicted to at home into our experience we will get very little out of it. Retreats are like Sabbath meant to renew our connection to God, revitalize our relationships to each other and restore our passion for God’s work.
- Spend time in prayer and scripture reading. This can take many forms. You may like to start with a familiar psalm or gospel portion, or read through an unfamiliar book of the bible. Do this in a reflective mode. Lectio Divina is a perfect tool for this.
- Keep a journal. I am very keen on journal keeping. It is part of my weekly rhythm. After breakfast each Sunday Tom and I journal about the week asking: What am I grateful for? What was your biggest struggle? What bears the fingerprints of God? I use this material as foundations for my retreats. In fact my first session is usually looking back over my weekly journal and highlighting significant events and revelations from the last few months. I keep a separate journal just for these retreats. It enables me to summarize my experiences in such a way that I can quickly look back and see the leading of God over the years.
- Break up your retreat time into sessions. Pray, journal or contemplate for no more than an hour at a time. Then share with your companion, go for a walk and relax. Plan the day so that each session flows from the work of the previous one. We usually do two or three sessions a day depending on where we are at. On the first day we focus on looking in back and discerning what God would say to us from the last few months. The second day focuses on looking forward. We don’t just plan our schedules but also talk about our spiritual disciplines, time together, hospitality with friends and travel plans.
- Between sessions, enjoy doing activities like walking or hiking, that doesn’t require concentration. Doing something that uses the right side of the brain is good – woodworking or stitchery; painting pictures or doodling; listen to orchestral music or Taize worship. I always bring my knitting and my paint pens with me. I love to collect stones from the beach that I then use to write on as I receive revelation. The worst thing I can do is get distracted by my phone. Email, texting and Facebook can totally destroy the retreat atmosphere. I try to set aside a small window of time to attend to these. Even reading or watching TV will change the train of thought God is leading you through. .
Regular retreats revolutionized my life and our marriage. They bring rest and refreshment in the midst of a hectic world. I hope you will give it a go. If so you might like to use this simple prayer as a starting place.
Let us draw aside to a place of retreat,
Soak in the love of God,
And allow it to fill every fiber of our being.
Let us soak in the wonder of Christ,
And invite him to fill us with the joy of life.
Let us soak in the power of the Spirit,
And be equipped with hope to change the world.
(c) Christine Sine November 2022
For more resources on taking a personal retreat, check out this Godspacelight resource
guidelines for a personal retreat
Here is this week’s contemplative service with music in the spirit of Taize. Carrie Grace Littauer, prayer leader, with music by Kester Limner and Andy Myers. And don’t forget that St Andrews Episcopal Church in Seattle holds a live Taize style service every 1st and 3rd Sunday at 5pm
By Tom Sine author on 2020s Foresight: Three Vital Practices for Thriving in a Decade of Accelerating Change
Prepping for Covid Next & Flu Next
Many of us are grateful that the Pandemic has slowed down a bit as we head into the cooler months. However, a number of publications tell us winter may be waiting to hammer us with yet another new strain of Covid and two more virulent versions of the flu so it is essential we get our booster shots for Covid and booster shots for the flu. We dare not let down our guard as winter rapidly approaches.
Assessing the Impact of Covid Pandemic Past
It is also essential that people of faith join psychologists who are assessing the impact that Covid has already had on people all over the planet in the last two and a half years. “At Talkspace, a platform that offers therapy online, the number of individual active users rose 60 percent from March 2020 to a year later” (Living in a Pandemic May Have Changed People’s Personalities, Christine Chung, NYT, October 24, 2022).
Psychologists and Christian leaders are urging us to wake up to the personal and psychological impacts this long pandemic journey has already had on many of us. They point out that even if we may not have contracted Covid, we have still been hammered by the stress of this long pandemic as well as the impact on loved ones and those in our communities.
Join Those Recovering From Covid Pandemic Past
We encourage all people of faith, including those who have not contracted Covid yet, to assess how you and your family and friends have been changed by living during these very stressful Pandemic Times.
As we rapidly approach winter 2022, we urge small groups in communities of faith all over the planet to join those in Godspace in prepping for winter 2022 by getting your booster shots for the new strains of Covid and your flu shots too. Then join those who are determined to recover from the impact of the first wave of the Covid Pandemic Past!
Step 1. Analyze the negative impact of living in Pandemic Times has had on your lives.
Step 2. Create new innovative ways to take your life back in 2023 and beyond, enabling you to not only reduce the stress but also create a new rhythms of life. Take time to be present with God and create new ways to reach out to our struggling neighbors locally and globally.
Step 3. Reflect on creative ways, as followers of Jesus, to grow your spiritual lives and share how we have been impacted by living in these pandemic times in your personal life and your relationships.
I am a big fan of Generation Next. Pastors know that a growing number of this generation doesn’t affiliate with churches. However few pastors know that Gen Next is the “Good News Generation” because a higher percentage of this generation is concerned about environmental, racial and economic justice than older generations. A high percentage of them also want to invest their lives in serious change making.
Researchshows that Covid has already had a concerning psychological impact on the under 30. “The pandemic itself was a ‘hell of an experiment’, said Dr. Clore, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, theorizing that it may have been the restructuring of routines instead of overall stress that reshapes people’s personalities” (Living in a Pandemic, 2022).
Some people coped with the new stress, exhaustion, frustration of the period by finding a new outlet. “People want to connect and process together and we were not able to do that…People felt really lost because of that”. One of the major impacts on the long Covid season that no one anticipated is that many people under 30 experienced a “disrupted maturity”. Angelina Sutton at Florida State found that that individuals under 30 ”exhibited the sharpest drops conscientiousness and agreeableness”(Living in a Pandemic, 2022). The last thing any of us want to see is Covid undermining the concerns and change making aspirations of this generation.
This provides a unique opportunity not only for churches, but for Christian colleges and important ministries like Intervarsity Christian Fellowship as well to provide counseling to Gen Next to recover from the current Pandemic so they are able to pursue their strong desire to be serious change makers in the turbulent 2020s and beyond.
Are you ready to rekindle the WONDER of the season? Join Christine Sine and Lilly Lewin in this virtual retreat as they walk you through practical and fun activities focused on Advent Wonder. Sign up for 180 days of access to work through enriching discussions and engaging exercises at your own pace. Or give it as a gift! If you have purchased courses from us before or plan on purchasing in bulk, email us for a discount code.
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