Its been quite a week. The attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump shook all of us here in the U.S. no matter what our political affiliation. My heart goes out particularly to the family of Corey Comperatore who was killed while protecting them from the bullets. Violence is not meant to be the pathway that any of us follow as we seek to live out the lives of love for one another Jesus calls us to.
I think I learned a little more about the kind of unconditional love Jesus asks of us as I watched our dog Goldie recuperate after surgery on her leg this week. I shared some of my thoughts and some of the lessons I feel we can learn from our pets in my Meditation Monday: Pets, Pats and Mary Oliver. They are good for our physical, emotional and spiritual lives and in the current chaotic world environment we need them more than ever.
My spiritual practice this week was Walking Barefoot through Life. I love walking barefoot not just in the house but around the garden too and am fascinated to hear that it is now being prescribed by some health practitioners for their patients. When Jesus sent out the 72 disciples to spread the good news according to The Voice translation, he sent them out “barefoot and armed with vulnerability. “ Wow – walking more in the way that children walk – dependent on others, willing to vulnerable, not relying on their own resources just as barefoot walking can teach us.
Today we launched the 12th episode of Liturgical Rebels, a fun interview with my good friend Kathy Escobar – author, spiritual director, community leader at The Refuge in Denver Colorado and recent pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago. Kathy has been an important voice in the journey many have taken into deconstruction and reconstruction of faith and continues to lead us through her wisdom and insights. We have some great guests lined up for the next few months. Kathy Escobar will be followed by creative worship leader Martin Poole and then Celtic musician Jeff Johnson who will lead the way in a focus on Celtic spirituality. I also have Christine Valters Paintner and John Phillip Newell lined up.
On Godspacelight Lilly Lewin in Freerange Friday: Taking Time to Notice shares value insights on Noticing. She comments: “NOTICING involves stopping and paying attention. NOTICING involves being curious. The Practice of NOTICING allows God to surprise us along the way in our regular lives.” Two other authors took my suggestion to “write from your passion”, advice I was given by Phillip Yancey many years ago, very seriously. Karen Dibbens-Wyatt shares her passion for God in “First Passion” and Diane Woodrow in “Walking Away From Oughts” shares some of the journey she has taken to move from doing what ought to be done to what she is passionate about.
This week I began planning for an exciting Fall season. I started work on a new devotional for Celtic Advent. The popularity of the litanies I linked to in last week’s newsletter made me realize how easily they could be combined with some short reflections, stories of saints and exercises to provide a new and unfamiliar pathway through Advent. I became an advocate for Celtic Advent about 10 years ago and each year find something new, refreshing and compelling to contemplate in this extended period. I am thinking of calling the book Celtic Advent – Following an Unfamiliar Path and plan to dedicate each week to a different Celtic saint. There is a freedom in approaching Advent and Christmas in unconventional and maybe even subversive ways. As I mentioned in Monday’s post: One of the major themes that appears in the stories of the saints of the early Celtic Church is how intimate they were with animals, and how much they valued the contributions animals made to their lives. Our connection and communion with nature, which is also very strong in the Advent story will be a major focus of this book. I am excited to see where the journey of creativity takes me in the next few weeks and appreciate your prayers as I put the book together .
As well as that I am planning a couple of online retreats for the season from September to Christmas. The tentative dates are: Introduction to Celtic Christianity, September 7th; Preparing for Advent, November 16th. It will be a very busy season, but one that I am really looking forward to.
As you can imagine none of what I am talking about here comes easily or cheaply and I encourage you to become a paid subscriber to enable these projects to come to fruition. Paid subscribers will receive a 20% discount on the upcoming webinars as well as a discount on the devotional books, the quality of which will depend on your support and encouragement.
In view of this week’s events I will end with a poem that I wrote and shared earlier this year.
Is our world broken
Beyond repair?
Will we always meet violence
With more violence?
Death with death
Hate with hate?
What has happened to love
And the call to care for others
As we do ourselves?
What have we done with Jesus,
The One who holds it all together,
And promises to fix
All the broken and dislocated pieces
Of the universe.
The One who told us
Love your enemies,
Let them bring out the best in you,
Not the worst.
Live out your God created identity
Live generously and graciously towards others.
Be loving in all circumstances.
Shout out for justice where wrong is done.
Tread lightly on the earth
Care for creation.
Join God in kingdom work.
Enable all life to flourish.