Well, the weather changed and it is no longer raining. This last week we had a few more days in the high 70s and low 80s and are expecting several more over the next week. Now I don’t really believe that God changed the weather because of my prayer last week but I do appreciate the good weather and the luscious tomatoes it resulted in. We are enjoying BLTs and tomato salads almost every day and I now have our dehydrator set up to help me preserve the bounty. As well as that, at our community meeting on Monday we harvested our Asian pears and some of our apples adding them to the bounty of plums I harvested last week.
I am really enjoying my awe and wonder walks at the moment and the picking of tomatoes adds another glorious dimension to these. I love to grow a number of varieties and the colours, patterns and sizes this year are mesmerizing. I have spent quite a bit of time just admiring my harvest.
Wow. This is a season of great abundance and the generosity of our amazing God a very fitting way to enter September which is increasingly being celebrated as the Season of Creation. I talked about this in my Meditation Monday – Celebrating With All Creation and grieved the destruction of places like the Great barrier Reef in Australia. This post also provides links to books I recommend reading for the season and to resources made available by the organization Season of Creation. Well worth checking out.
Last week we launched the first of our Celtic series of podcast episodes. Tom and I really enjoyed the chance to kick off this series together and I hope you enjoy it too. This week I interviewed John Philip Newell and Christine Valters Paintner and feel that I am extremely privileged to be able to interact with these fascinating people. My interviews could have gone on for ages. Both of them were very engaging and filled with wisdom. However you will need to wait a few weeks to hear these interviews. Next in the Celtic lineup is Jeff Johnson, a Celtic musician from Camano Island. If you want a sneak preview of his music check it out at arkmusic.com
I am also getting ready for the Introduction to Celtic Spirituality online retreat on September 14th. 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 subscribers which can be accessed through Saturday’s substack post: Introduction to Celtic Spirituality.
Obviously I am really immersed in Celtic Christian Spirituality at the moment. My desk is crowded with Celtic books that I am thoroughly enjoying revisiting. It is such a fascinating and inspirational stream of Christian faith and a perfect lead up to Christmas. MY book Celtic Advent: Following An Unfamiliar Path, is taking shape rapidly with the help of good friend Tom Balke in Canada who is reading and commenting on each section. His encouraging feedback is very motivational for me. In Saturday’s post I also published another couple of reflections from week 2. I look forward to hearing your feedback as it helps me craft this into a useful resource. Those who give me helpful feedback will receive a free copy of the finished product.
On Godspacelight Lilly Lewin’s Freerange Friday: God Loves Us In The Mess really spoke to me as I am really living in a mess at the moment. Like Lilly I often pause to do the things that help me slow down and ground myself. She painted the view outside, then I took a walk around the neighborhood to try to figure out what was bothering her beyond my mouth! I took time to notice things along the way. Lilly is starting to prepare for another Finding Your Thinplace Pilgrimage to Iona and another to California Wine Country next year. You might like to check it out.
I appreciate your prayers this week for the book I am working on, for the podcast and for my ongoing journey here on Substack. As I immerse myself in the Season of Creation, in Celtic Spirituality and in my awe and wonder walks around the garden a poem that I wrote a couple of years ago came to mind. They have been good words for me to reflect on this week. I hope you find them helpful too.
Have we lost the words of wonder
to speak of God’s enduring love
To convey the warm embrace
that holds us through the nights
of joy and sorrow.
To share the touch that reaches out across the universe
To says I care.
Have we lost the images
That shimmer with God’s glory
And dance across our minds
With bright and shining clarity
To fill our souls with beauty?
Have we lost the silence
That holds the peace
Of resting in this moment
Of God’s created wonder.
Unique in its beauty
Alone in its glory
Yet bound to the whole world.
Many blessings
Christine Sine