ICYMI Mid-June Edition

by Melissa Taft

In Case You Missed It:

New Theme

Godspace is sporting a new theme! Living as Christ Live: Towards Justice, Love, and Peace for All Creation hopes to inspire you to love, to uphold justice, to act with peace for all creation. Christine Sine kicked off our new theme with a Meditation Monday on The Value of Naming. How can we live towards justice, love, and peace for all creation with our labels? From the article:

“This example inspired me not just to rename the animals, birds, and people around me, but also to learn the hope-filled names of places and plants given as the results of destructive actions, replacing violence with language and symbols of the peace that surrounds us. My mind always goes to the peace rose that has an incredible history of survival and naming as a result of WWII. Then there are the trees that survived the horrors of the Hiroshima nuclear explosion. There are 170, known as peace trees. Seeds from them are now being sent around the world. There is also a pear tree that survived the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It is known as the survivor tree. I find hope and inspiration in the resilience and survival of these trees. They encourage me to believe that by renaming important structures around us, we could one day see an end to war, gun violence, and the destruction of creation.”

Be on the lookout for different ways we hope to explore what it means to live as Christ lived with an emphasis on justice, love, and peace for all creation. Summer and winter are seasons of hospitality, for different reasons, and as it is about to be summer in the Northern Hemisphere and winter in the Southern Hemisphere, we will be posting some of our Hospitality resources. We also will explore our theme through creativity and art such as poetry, which are such important expressions of intent.

Upcoming Webinar

We are offering a FREE WEBINAR on Christine Sine’s new book! On Saturday June 25th at 9:30 AM PT, Christine will be discussing her new book and inviting participation and discussions for those who are interested in learning about the art of contemplative gardening. There will even be an opportunity for show-and-tell! Bring along one item you would like to incorporate in a contemplative garden or a photo of your already created contemplative garden and join the fun discussion.

For all the details and to sign up, visit tinyurl.com/DiggingDeeperWebinar or click here. If you sign up before 9 pm PT Friday June 24th, you will automatically be entered into the giveaway to WIN a copy of Digging Deeper: The Art of Contemplative Gardening. Which brings us to the next #ICYMI:

Digging Deeper Giveaway

Christine Sine is giving away two copies of her new book. There are multiple ways to enter, meaning more chances for your name to get picked – much like a raffle! The winners will be announced during the webinar. For more information or to enter visit tinyurl.com/DiggingDeeperGiveaway or click here.

Of course, you don’t need to wait for the giveaway – you can get a copy of Digging Deeper on our website or directly via Amazon. We have been encouraged by those of you who already own a copy and have entered the giveaway regardless – some of you intending to gift the copy if you win to a loved one. We are enjoying the feedback and reviews that have come for the book – such as this comment by Anya Almgren on the Godspace Light Community Group on Facebook:

I’ve been reading it to my mom as we’ve been sitting on our porch, enjoying the gorgeous day today. We were almost half-way through it and had to stop to jot down ideas for our own contemplative gardens. My mom hasn’t been able to garden and struggles with focusing, doing, and completing creative projects since her stroke last summer; and, yet, this seems doable to her and something she’s inspired to try. She appreciates that these gardens can change over time and that she can work on them in stages, at her own pace, while contemplating how the Holy Spirit is leading her. Thank you, Christine!

Isn’t that lovely? If you, too, would like to learn about the creative and flexible art of contemplative gardens, don’t miss your chance to enter!

#ICYMI Post Round-Up

Our FreeRange Friday favorite Lilly Lewin had some guest contributors write for her column while she was out of town – and came back with this powerful entreaty on pilgrimage. Be sure not to miss it – or the Facebook Live inspired by her pilgrimage to sacred places!

Keren Dibbens-Wyatt closed out our previous theme Restoring Rhythms and Seasons with this beautiful and personal contemplation on Seasons of Hope. From the post: “I want to speak hope into the lives of the desperate, tell what I know of hanging on to the truth that God is love, even in dark, dank corners. I want to give that six-year-old me the magical stories that kept her going, and the thirty-year-old me spiritual guidance. I want to reach out with my imagination and paint my roses and push on the backs of wardrobes, and let myself bloom in the garden.”

Our new resource page for holidays and observances has struck a chord with many of you. Godspace continues to proudly be a resource for seasons of the church and other celebrations – our most popular post of the past 30 days was unsurprisingly our Pentecost Resource post. We are so delighted to be a source of inspiration for your personal and liturgical walks.