The Forgiveness Song, and Also...

Doing a bit of an online search for a children's story time in a service I'll be leading this summer, at Cognashene Community Church.  The service theme is "A Summer of Reconciliation," based on 2 Corinthians 5:11-21.  Paul talks there about "the ministry of reconciliation," as if it were something of an assignment, and that's got me intrigued given our rather conflict-inflected world right now.

Found this song/video called simply The Forgiveness Song.  I must admit, the gentle ukulele intro, winsome tune and the adorable, wide-eyed children in the accompanying images hooked me.  Not sure we can pull it off in our outdoor situation at the 'Church on the Rock.'  But I've tucked it away in the file just in case it inspires something else.  The tune is playing in my head, and that's quite okay.

And also...

The simplicity of children asking for and receiving and offering forgiveness for unkind words, thoughtless play, and moments of selfishness that are so relatable in the video, is admittedly just the thinnest of a sliver of the bigger picture the word 'reconciliation' paints.  Even at that, forgiveness isn't easy if it's going to be real, depending on the wrong that's been done.  

Forgiveness is free.  Trust has to be earned.  And that's the bigger work of reconciliation.  

I have a motto.  "Every sermon I preach, I preach first to myself."  And this one might be shaping up as at tad uncomfortable for me to hear.  As much as I seek to live peaceably, as much as I seek to offer grace and the benefit of the doubt, there are times when communication breaks down, harm is done, wounds inflicted.  I blunder, and others blunder against me.

Humanity does that.  Being in an imperfect process towards being formed into Christ's likeness does that.  And I have to ask, at one point is the damage so great that reconciliation isn't possible this side of glory?  When do I need to stop pursuing it?  Or when do I need to remove myself from a harmful situation?  Hard questions, but they are part of the deal.

A well-known verse in the section I'll be preaching from is verse 17.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"

I find hope for myself in that.  I find hope for us all struggling through our conflict-inflicted world.

If you listen to the song, hope you like it.

If you're struggling to forgive someone right now, I get it.

If the bigger, heavier work of reconciliation is feeling hopeless right now, I get that too.

I hope you can press into the new creation God is imagining for you.

And, without wanting to be trite at all, let's keep praying for peace.

The Birdbath Experiment

 

There's a few things you need to know before we get started here.

One is that our outside life here in the city is limited to spring and fall.  Many features others might want on their porch or in their yard that are directly connected to hot summer weather, don't really find their way into our plans.  

Flowering plants that have their heyday in July and August, for instance, just not going to get much attention from me.  Unless of course they are very self-sufficient.  (I'm considering hostas for a planned for garden in the shady back.)

All things spring, however, I'm all over that.  And later, much later, I will be happy to decorate the porch for fall...then Christmas.  Like that.

A reminder in this.  Our place is new.  There's still LOTS to be worked on in terms of setting up landscaping and gardening.  This spring, in addition to a few upgrades to my meager attempts at early season gardening, I have been able to add a bit of love for the birds.  Started with a bird feeder and some birdseed which has attracted a pair of cardinals, two blue jays, numerous grackles and sparrows, and a few others I haven't actually identified yet.  

I'll have to sit outside longer to get better pictures of the customers.  For now, here's not such a bad shot of the cardinal, given the zoom and screen detractors.

All this has led to me wondering if a birdbath would help welcome our feathered friends.  And that leads me to the other thing you need to know.

A value we've adopted and are trying to apply here on the common property we share with our son, is one where frugality and creativity combine to compel us to seek out items that could be repurposed instead of purchased new.  There's enough 'stuff' on the planet already.  Let's see how we might give something a new life before we just dump it in a landfill somewhere.  This value is something our son is teaching us, and I'm really enjoying the divergent thinking of it, and the satisfaction when something comes together.

And so, back to the birdbath.

What might happen if you took an old metal chair frame, found a bowl for five bucks at the thrift store, and realized it fit perfectly into the rim of the chair seat?  Then, what if the bowl was a little too deep for birds to have that shallow place to splash about, so you took an unused Corel dinner plate from a retired set of 20 that's not being used by anyone anymore because you already have so many other plates you like better now.  

And what if that dinner plate fit perfectly into the inner circle of the too-deep bowl?  And then, what if you just put that all together, filled up the bowl until the water was covering the dinner plate, and added a few decorative stones scoffed from another pile you already had arranged on the porch?

And what if then you filled out the 'setting' of the birdbath with a weird-cool, fits-in-so-many-differently-styled-corners, metal spinny thing your sister in law got you eons ago, and put it right beside it, so that the birds would have another place to perch?  And added a spring flower from the grocery store and put it in a very old tin pitcher that came from underneath the cottage at one point, and put that beside the weird-cool metal spinny thing?

 

Ta da!!

I am pleased, if I do say so myself.

Now.  All we need is for the birds to think it's a good idea.  Hence, the experiment is still an experiment.

The birdbath and the bird feeders, two of them, are positioned so that if I'm sitting on our couch, I have a direct line of vision.  I may ask Ken to take out the screens on just those two windows to see if I can get some pictures, should we have visitors.  I do hope so.  As of this writing, no one has needed a bath yet.  We'll see.

If anyone can see any problems with the design, or can give me more hints as to how to attract feathered friends, I'm all ears.

So that's what I did with the later part of the afternoon yesterday.  Not bad for Monday, since I was also able to get a decent amount of desk work done as well.  Off to a good start for the week.

Tuesday, here we come.

Monday's Gratitude

"And the God of all grace,

who has called to His eternal glory in Christ,

after you have suffered a little while,

will Himself restore you

and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

To Him be the power for ever and ever.

Amen."

1 Peter 5:10-11

 

Ken and I have often commented on how different Mondays feel in this current stage of life.

We're not retired, yet we can enjoy some of the flexibility and freedoms of working from home at our own pace.  Children are an essential and exceedingly hilarious part of our lives, but the days of raising them under our roof are long past us.  

What happens then is that the weekends often are full and busy.  By Monday morning, just getting up with the sun, quietly starting the week with a stretch and some breakfast, and a happy anticipation for what we might get done by Friday, feels more relaxed....kind of how weekends used to feel.  It's a bit of a switch.

This morning I am feeling that way particularly because of all that filled up and filled out this weekend past. 

 And I am grateful for....

...finding at the thrift story on Friday, what I hope will be the right bowl to create a unique birdbath for our porch.  Five dollar investment for a creative experiment.  More on that later.

...the fun and camaraderie and decent amount of work that got done at our Church Clean Up Day at Highview on Saturday.  Inside and out are all spiffed up, and it was great to work together with people I love doing life with.  I am particularly pleased with the opportunity to clear out a corner of our lower level that had collected a whole lot of crazy.  Looks so much better now!!!  

...upstairs worship and downstairs fun at Church on Sunday morning.  Who knew that I'd be bouncing around to "Your Everlasting Love" in my late 60's?  So much fun teaching some of this to the next generation.

...the time spent with a courageous friend making hard decisions with clarity and grit.  

...sad but meaningful time with family to mark what would have been Evelyn's sixth birthday.  Grateful for those who remember with us in different ways.  

Today's reading landed me again on 1 Peter 5:10-11, one of my favourites for sure.

As promised, I am feeling restored, strong, firm and steadfast 

on this particular Monday morning 

in this particular era of life.

Whatever is ahead of you this week, 

I pray bountiful reasons for thank yous, 

and the strength you need to accomplish 

whatever it is that calls you forward into it.

Evelyn Hope - May 3, 2019

 

Our baby girl.  

A mystic moment in our arms.

Forever and always in our hearts.

Written with wild love into the story of our family.

We are not the same.

"And we will dance on the streets that are golden."

David Ruis

Practice Makes Possible Upcoming Workshops

 

 

PRACTICE MAKES POSSIBLE

Deeping our Connection with God Through Spiritual Practices

Upcoming Dates:

(depending on minimum 3 participants each)

Thursday, May 14 - 1:00 to 3:30 - In Person

Wednesday, May 20 - 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. In Person

(Location: 72 Sandra Avenue, Kitchener N2M 1Z6)

Wednesday, May 27 - 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. - Zoom

Wednesday, June 10 - 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. - Zoom

Tuesday, June 16 - 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. -  Zoom

Saturday, June 20 - 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. - Zoom

An interactive experience designed to help us 

nurture the environments that help us grow deeper in our connection with God.

Maximum of 6 participants for each workshop provides an intimate environment where interactive dialogue can be an important part of the learning experience.

By the end of the workshop you will:

- Have a better understanding of yourself to craft a personalized spiritual formation plan.

- Have practiced an ancient form of Bible engagement known as "Lectio Divina."

- Have practiced a simple method of personal Bible meditation built around the acronym S.O.A.P.

Cost:
$35 per person
$25 if you gather a group of 5 or more

To Register:

Contact me at rabreithaupt@hcckw.ca.

Includes:

• Three Sessions:  
• "Confectionary Quiet Times: Drafting a Spiritual Formation Plan",
•  "Bible Listening: Lectio Divina," and 
• "Letting the Bible Read Me: S.O.A.P."
• Power Point Presentation
• Participants Workbooks (provided electronically, or printed for KW area participants)
• Interactive instruction and guided discussion
• Zoom-intimate environment
• Bibliography for further exploration

Cost:

• $35.00 per person
• Due five days before workshop date
• Various payment options
• 100% of proceeds go directly to New Family Foundation
• Zoom link and Worksheets will be provided after payment.

The material shared in this workshop was first developed for an in-person Ladies' Retreat and presented to 52 women in March 2026 with encouragingly positive feedback.  

Two Workshops have already been held on line.  Enthusiastic feedback has further encouraged me to make this more widely available. 

As New Family Foundation enters into a more intensive fundraising season, I am seeking to use my experience and skills in creative ways to benefit our cause.

To Register:

Contact me at rabreithaupt@hcckw.ca.

Rev. Ruth Anne Breithaupt, MDiv.

Canadian Representative/Missionary in Residence

New Family Foundation/Highview Community Church

The mission of New Family Foundation is to

provide a loving home for at-risk and 

orphaned children in Northern Thailand to

help them achieve their best potential in 

education, vocation and service to society.

New Family Foundation

                                            

     https://www.hcckw.ca                                                                    https://www.adventive.ca

A Longer Spring

 

Legit question.

How did it get to be May already?

April wasn't supposed to have been that busy, yet it ended up speeding by, just the same.  Which is strange also because... hasn't this just been a slower start to Spring?

It's often not so.  We wait forever for the snow to leave, and then it does, and then we have a few brief days of sun and rain and still needing a jacket.  Then the temperature cranks up and we're full on into summer weather, almost stepping right over all the pleasantries of Spring.

This year, the season has hung out with us a bit longer.  Even perhaps clinging on to those lower overnight temperatures with a bit more of a grip that any gardener might appreciate.  We're down in the minus digits again over the weekend.  

But even so.  It's okay by me that we're really and truly having Spring this year.  Kind of fits with an overall theme that's taking shape in my own life right now, starting with Lent and continuing.  

Take your time.  

There's no rush.  

Pace it out.  

Think it through.  

Trust the process.  

Watch what grows.

"There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens."

Ecclesiastes 3:1

So here's to the beginning of another month of letting things take as long as they need.

Hope your day is splendid.

Pushing Back

 

1 Peter 4:19

So then, those who suffer for obeying God

should commit themselves to their faithful Creator

and continue to do good.

A caveat to begin.  

The kind of suffering experienced by Peter's original audience was extreme and traumatic.  It's easy to forget that, when the Christian movement was first beginning, to claim that you were a follower of Jesus could very easily result in overt, empire-initiated persecution, torture, or loss of life.  That's just history.

For me, and most of my believing friends in this era and this part of the world, we have no sweet clue about suffering 'for obeying God.'

That being said.

It's probably true that most of us, at one time or another, have had the "aggravation of spirit" that rises up when, despite clearly having done 'the right thing,' somehow the consequences have come down hard in a punishing kind of way.  Instead of being rewarded, we are criticized, demoted, demeaned, overlooked, suspected, taken advantage of, mocked and/or out right attacked.

• Standing up to a bully on behalf of the bullied, and having the snot kicked out of you.
• Refusing to bend the law or cross ethical lines for an employer, and getting fired for it.
• Refusing to keep a secret that needed to come to the light, and becoming a target for vitriol.  
• Turning down the drink because you have your reasons, and being painted as the party's buzz kill.
• Refusing to lie for a "friend," and then losing that friend.
• Struggling to breastfeed your baby while fielding degrading comments about your ability as a mother.
• Protecting the reputation of someone who turns around and slanders yours.
• Declining to take reimbursements you're entitled to, and being accused of financial abuse anyways.
• Being laughed at by the one who broke your trust for trusting them in the first place.
• Offering a gift with genuine intentions and being accused of manipulation.
• Offering assistance with grace to someone who caused their own difficult situation, and being pulled into a black hole of ingratitude.

I could go on.

Maybe you could too.

I feel you.

And here I need to add that Jesus wanted us to be "as wise as snakes and as innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16).  And Paul was clear that we should "watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way" and to be "wise about what is good" (Romans 16:17,19).  Way back in Proverbs, there are so many cautions about how we engage with certain folks (eg. Proverbs 14:16).  

So to "continue to do good" can't mean to continue to allow ourselves to be abused, or used, or bullied, or manipulated, or otherwise harmed.  Indeed, when Peter was writing this, there was no such thing as an understood Universal Declaration of Human Rights, or any legitimate, legal means by which those human rights could be protected.  

What Peter is getting at here, though, might be much harder.  Because it's about the deeper, kind of gritty conviction that good is still the right thing to do.  That, even if we have to remove ourselves from harmful situations, we don't give up on goodness.

We don't give up by succumbing to revenge.

We don't give up by hanging old stuff on new people.

We don't give up by becoming suspicious of every new situation.

We don't give up by caving in to joining in doing harm.

We don't give up by despairing of doing good since life doesn't always seem fair, so what's the point?

Instead.  We commit ourselves - we trust ourselves into the hands of our faithful Creator -Whose faithfulness is legendary by the way - and just keep doing the right thing, no matter what.

It's a resolve.  Doing good because it's the right thing to do.

Friends, let's not give up.  Because the world badly needs gritty doers of good.  People who truly believe that there is something right about doing the right thing.  It will, if we let it, push the the bad stuff back.  If we just keep moving forward, one good thing at a time.

And now, what can happen this week?  

Can't wait to see.

And oh.  The flowers picture.

As much as I would like to have a clever illustration or connection to the blog content...I got nothin.'  

This is just one of several hyacinths from our 'bonus' front garden, where spring flowers show up every year courtesy of the former owner.  

We just enjoy.  

Friday "Feels" (or maybe Friday "Thinks")

 

You will keep in perfect peace

those whose minds are steadfast

because they trust in You.

Trust in the LORD forever,

for the LORD, the LORD himself 

is the Rock eternal.

Isaiah 26:3-4

And here we are.  The wrapping up of another work week.  At least for those of us who do the Monday to Friday thing.  

I think Friday has a special feel for everyone though.  It's a echo of all those years in school perhaps.  Or Friday night family times.  Or getting away for the weekend times.  Or whatever makes the rhythms of life work for us.

It's been a decent week for me.  Enough checked off the list to feel good about.  An even balance of the work I relish and the work I have to do.  A positive start on something new.  Traction on all four of the upcoming sermons I'm working on.  Life giving conversations outside in the sunshine.  A little bit of yard clean up in the warmer at-last weather.

There was also 'hard news' from two distant, unrelated friends, frustrations about sensitive matters that mean a lot to me but over which I have zero control, and the need again to self-advocate on an important value that I thought was fully embraced by everyone but apparently not.  These things don't show up on the list, but bang around in my head, and require significant energy to "keep every thought captive" (2 Corinthians 10:5), and my mind "steadfast because [I] trust in You" (Isaiah 26:3).

Shalom, shalom.  Perfect peace.

So I get to this particular Friday morning grateful for

a good night's sleep

a willowy sunrise

a new list to create, fresh for next week

the anticipation of lunch with a friend

the anticipation of running some happy errands with Ken

the many, many abundant gifts of my life

and reminders of God's long faithfulness.

Hope your Friday is good to you.

And if you need it, sending some peace your way.

Morning Moments

 

Getting me a little blast of free Vitamin D before heading inside for the morning.

Like how the sun is reflected in the corner of my glasses?  Wish I could say I did it on purpose, all creative and artsy.  But, no.  Only noticed it after the picture was taken.

Love how our main door opens up into the morning sky like it does, so it's not unusual for me to come out on sunny days and just enjoy being fully present in the moment.

Today I am excited to share in the company of some women who will join in on the very first Practice Makes Possible online workshop, exploring together practices that can help deepen our connection with God.  Let's see how this goes.  Curious to see what we will learn together.  

Have a fabulous Thursday, everyone!

Gramma Brag - Zachary

 

Grandchildren are the crown of the aged.

Proverbs 17:6

At our Easter dinner this past Sunday (delayed due to sickness on the actual weekend), I asked Abby to take a picture of Zachary and me, since I knew I didn't have a recent one of just us.  I seem to get into the frame more with the others, and I needed to round out my family picture files.  

Plus, I on purpose wanted to be able to show off how tall he is.

And just now I feel a strong compunction to include a picture of him and me when he was a baby, but that will take me down a small rabbit hole with copious fond sighs of 'aw cute!" and I won't spend the time on that this morning.  Maybe later.  Just to compare.  Because...such a cute baby!

By now, I barely come up to his shoulder.  And, to be honest, that's just fun.  I'm not yet the shortest in my family, but it's coming.  The only ones shorter than me now are Jayden and Timothy and they are 9 and 5 respectfully, so it's just a matter of time.

Zachary's height is not his only defining feature.  Going on 17, he's got quite an impressive work ethic on him.  Give him a task and he'll do it to 120%.  And with a good attitude.  He's aiming for an engineering degree at this point, and we have no doubt he'd succeed.  And also, there's still good time to figure out this whole vocation thing.  He's in swimming right now, aiming for a bronze medallion, and then on to lifeguarding perhaps.  I could go on.

Best part for me is that he's great to talk to.  Has solid ideas.  Asks insightful questions.  Exploring the next levels of his faith with clarity and mindfulness.  And what a bonus that he still wants to chat up his Gramma!

I remember holding my first newborn, my daughter Kristyn, Zachary's mother, and asking, "Will you still like me when you're thirteen?"  It was a wistful wondering into a future relationship that I was hopeful for but I knew back then, is never really guaranteed.

Same with my grandchildren.  It's an uncertain thing.  How will we grow together?  Who will you be?  Who will I be by then?  

So when it happens well; when we morph and grow together; when all the spoiling didn't actually ruin them (not that I thought it would); when you have a solid connection with the humans who share your DNA...it's golden.  For all my foibles as a Mom and as a Gramma, this feels like so much grace!

If nothing else is sacred for a Gramma, it's the very real expectation of being 'fair' to them all.  So, while I have started with a how-much-taller-is-Zachary-than-Gramma photo here, and then gone all braggy on Zachary....I do intend, of course I do, to include the others.  One at a time.  In no particular order. 

Okay, now on to other blessings.

 

Sunday's Aniticpation

"Come let us sing for joy to the LORD;

let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before him with thanksgiving

and extol him with music and song."

Psalm 95:1

"Why do Christians sing when they are together?

The reason is, quite simply,

because in singing together it is possible

for them to speak and pray 

the same Word at the same time;

in other words, because here they can  unite in the Word.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I think in music there is just something inherently spiritual 

in singing together and harmonizing, 

and gospel is the trust form of that.

Luke Pritchard

I believe in kindness.

Also mischief.

Also in singing,

especially when it is not necessarily prescribed.

Mary Oliver

An interesting article to consider in any discussion about Sunday morning worship.  The Psychological Benefits of Singing Together

I am always and especially grateful for our 'music guy' Derek, who faithfully leads us into a corporate awareness of God's presence Sunday after Sunday.  Oh how we need this orientation, increasingly so as the world gets wilder.  

Looking forward to being together soon. 

Happy singing Sunday to everyone, no matter where you'll find yourself.

The Strange Hello

Here's a quirky little observation.

When I'm out for my walk, I am inclined to simply say hello to anyone I come across.  Call me weird, but it just doesn't feel right to walk right by someone and not even acknowledge them.  A quick little hi costs me nothing, and it just helps make the human connection more, well, connective.

At least, that's what I'm thinking.

The thing is, not everyone is as into this as I seem to be.  In fact, I would say that it has become my expectation NOT to receive a hello in return.

This has been true in two different neighbourhoods now.  When I did my walk up in Waterloo, and now, here close to the Belmont Village area of Kitchener.  Both good communities with good people.  

And yet.

I honestly don't think I look dangerous.  I mean?  A 5 foot 3, 68 year old woman with a very understated fashion sense out for a walk in the early afternoon could hardly be perceived as a neighbourhood meanace.  Right?  So I doubt the lack of a response is that I'm scary.

Awkward maybe?  Is it simply weird to say hello to strangers?  Maybe.  Maybe I'm even embarrassing myself without knowing it by letting you know this is something I do.  We live in strange times and strangers can be strange sometimes, so maybe I should be more mindful of that?  Or maybe everyone else knows about the walkers' code of conduct to never ever say hello, which no one told me about.  

Sometimes I think I should leave it alone and do what so many do, just stroll on by as if another human being wasn't even there. 

But.  No.

There is another human being with me right within this quickly-shared space we occupy as we pass each other on the way to wherever we're going.  And you never know what someone's going through.  You never know if a simple hello from a stranger might be the best thing to happen to their day.  

Which is why I don't really care that much if I get a response.  Because sometimes I do.  Sometimes it's a smile in return, and maybe even a little still-walking conversation about how great a day it is, or how well behaved their dog is.  And there we are, human beings connecting in a neighbourhood, and being all cheerful and positive in a news-weary world that seems desperately devoid of joy some days.

So if you see me out walking, I'll say hi.  And if you say hi in return, well then, we did something good for each other in that moment.  And if you don't, I won't judge.  I don't know what's going on for you and won't presume.  But I'll still say hello to the next person who passes by.  Because I didn't get the memo that we shouldn't.  

And hey.  I'm looking forward to getting back up to the cottage where everyone waves at any boat going by whether you know them or not.  Just sayin'.  

Little Flowers, Weird Hymn Lyrics, and Prayers Where I Brace Myself

 

1. 

   Scilla Luciliae

   Glory of the Snow

   
   

   Before we get to things, there's something you need to know about these small purple flowers that are popping up behind our house.  The gizmo ap thingy I have on my phone tells me they are called Scilla Luciliae, or "Glory of the Snow."

   
   

   Whatever they're called, they shouldn't be there.  Or at least, as far as it would have depended on me.  These are plants that have a more or less wild and unintentional beginning in the yard far before anyone in our family has lived there.  

   
   
2. It could very well be that the previous owners of the property planted them on purpose.  But it's more likely, judging from the mature yard just behind us, that they have migrated towards us on their own.  
3. 
   
4. Also, and this is significant, they have survived the construction project that resulted in our new little house being all cozy and quaint back here.  But before it was that, it was a mess. Yet all the tromping and digging and upheaval; none of it has deterred this small but feisty little lovely.  
5. 
   
6. And I, the non-gardener, marvel because I know that I do not deserve it.  I have done nothing to create this little bit of springtime joy, but here it is just the same.  
7. 
   
8. This needs to be said, before we get to the hymn.
9. 
   

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

Streams of mercy, never ceasing,

Call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

Sung by flaming tongues above;

Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,

Mount of Thy redeeming love.

1. 
   
2. by Robert Roberston
3. In the category of "why didn't I ever notice this before?" a phrase in an old hymn we sang at worship service on Sunday caught my attention.
4. "Tune my heart to sing Thy grace."
5. I guess I'd always thought it was 'sing Thy praise,' which not only rhymes a little, adding to my mistake, but would also be a more expected way to end that thought, I think.  We sing praises, sure. More than we sing grace, right?
6. But noticing it on Sunday, it got me to wondering what it actually meant to 'sing grace.'  Not just sing about grace, but to sing grace itself.
7. Grace is a pretty big deal in the Bible.  And this hymn will keep circling back to it.  A thorough study would certainly yield much, not the least of which is the role of grace in God's big story of reconciling us to Himself.  And speaking of old hymns, how amazing grace is, in all its astonishing, soteriological layers!  For now, and at the risk of oversimplifying it, let's just define grace as being bestowed gifts or blessings or favour we most certainly didn't earn or deserve.  Like my little purple flowers out back.
8. And if that's the case, to sing grace, in a poetic sense, sort of sounds to me like we might spread that around a bit.  Share it into the spaces around us.  Just as we have received grace from God, we now pass that along to those in our orbits.  Like little splashes of springtime joy migrating from one yard to another.
9. Interestingly, the first examples of 'singing grace' that come to mind have to do with simple interactions with strangers.  Allowing space for that car that "didn't see" the lane closed sign way back there and is now trying to nose in.  Being extra friendly and patient with the cashier who's obviously tired and just a little bit grumpy.  Staying pleasant with the customer service associate on the phone, even when you're calling in a legitimate complaint.  Those are the easy songs though.  I can do, and write about, these and feel quite full of grace in my own little heart.  (Or full of something, anyways.)
10. The tune can get a little off key when things are closer to home, it seems.   Like when someone doesn't respond to an email and I am tempted to assign not so nice motives.  Or the repetition of a small but annoying habit begins to wear a groove in my patience. Or a well stated boundary is overstepped, yet again.  All of these things require relational attention for sure.  But with what song? 
11. [And here is interject a nod to the big and awful things that happen that require the kind of grace that can only happen because there is a God.  But this is not about that.]
12. Then there's the part about 'tuning.'   I'm not assuming to know the meaning Robertson gave this phrase, but I like this image a lot.  It speaks of spiritual formation, I think; that process of listening and adjusting and listening again.  
13. If my heart was an instrument to be used of God in His grand mission of making things 'on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10),' of moving us ever closer to a state in which His will is perpetually carried out and all the tears are wiped away (Revelation 21:4) and no one is afraid (Micah 4:6), and oh how glorious it will all be by then!!!....If that's what my heart is being tuned for, then it would sing of grace.
14. Out in the backyard yesterday, when I discovered my little glory of snow, I felt the Spirit make all the connections.  The little blue flower that I didn't deserve.  The grumblings of my spirit when wronged (perceived or real).  The way my heart is still off key and needs Divine tuning to help me sing His grace when it really counts.  
15. I hum the hymn.  I pray the prayer.
16. "Tune my heart, Lord, to sing Thy grace."
17. It's one of those dangerous prayers, of course, so I best brace myself.
18. 
    

What I Learned From Giving Up Productivity for Lent

Having previously posted my intention to give up "productivity" for Lent (So Far So Lent), I feel it's only fair to provide a few reflections on that experience now.  

Honestly?  These are just my own observations and learnings, and may or may not be of interest or relevance to anyone else.  

But since spiritual formation is a process, and open transparency is of some value in how we learn from one another, I offer these somewhat random points, just in case.

To recap, my observance of the 40 Days of Lent from Ash Wednesday (February 18) to Maundy Thursday (April 2) came in the form of refraining from the urgency and efficiency with which I normally strive to accomplish the work of my life.  There was a 'lesser' feel to my schedule during this time anyways, and I was curious to see if my sometimes flippant remark that 'productivity could easily become my god, if I let it,' had any teeth.

So, here's what I feel was revealed to me as I paused, took a breath, and stepped carefully out into the lesser-than journey this Lenten season.

1.  It's Okay to Be Me, But Mindfully

Throughout my intentional prayers and meditations, I realized and was affirmed again that my desire for productivity is not wrong it itself.  It's part of how God wired me up, and therefore the good stewardship of it is one important way of faithfully serving Him.  If I can get a lot done in any given day, and I'm feeling 'productive' and that makes me happy, that's not wrong.

But when productivity itself becomes separated from a servant's heart, becomes the driving force and primary goal, and/or gets tied up in my value and identity, that's when things get warped.  Stepping back from that, intentionally and mindfully, helped me see where I'm prone to step out of being Spirit-led into the realm of being fear-driven. 

2.  It's About How Things Get Done, Not How Much Gets Done

During this time, it wasn't so much about what I did or did not get accomplished in any given day or week.  Some weeks were a little lighter, sure.  But some weeks there were still many timely things to get done, reasonable expectations to fulfill, places to be, reports to be written and sent and filed, longer term plans to execute in the smaller weekly tasks.  All of that didn't stop just because it was Lent. 

The fasting from productivity, however, ended up feeling more about a general approach or attitude toward the tasks I consider 'work'.  It was more about lessening the intensity and leaving space for more thoughtful interaction with whatever was before me in the moment.  It was about giving myself permission to put something down and leave it for a while, when the time lines allowed, and picking it up later when I was able to give it fresh intention.  This replaced my admittedly-normal MO of pressing so hard to 'git 'er done' just so I could check it off the list and feel that sense of productivity.

3.  It's About What Gets "Accomplished" When I'm Not at My Desk

During Lent, I felt differently about time spent away from my desk, and this surprised me.  When I am focused on productivity, any other appointments or meetings or even getting out for my walk all seems like a competition for my time and energy.  As if I was somehow shirking my 'real' responsibilities.  But when productivity itself wasn't the goal, then that low-grade, white-noise anxiety wasn't there because it wasn't 'necessary.'

Generally speaking, I am quite protective about the time I spend at my desk, and for reason.  When my office situation was different, and the connective expectations higher, I had to modify my desire to be constantly 'available,' and set some difficult but essential boundaries.  Some of those boundaries, and the scheduling of uninterrupted time, are still helpful and necessary.  But beyond that, because of this fast from productivity, I think I am realizing that I tend to view the work done at my desk as the 'real' work, and everything else is a distraction from it.  Maybe it's because what I do at my desk gives me something more concrete to show for my efforts.  An agenda mapped out, a blog posted, an email sent, a sermon written, a lesson planned, a report written and sent and filed.  

And oh, how self-important all of this sounds!  I write these words as confession.  Made even more stinging because this seems a repeated lesson of the Spirit to my soul.  And I leave that here for me to sit still in it a little longer.  

4.  It's 40 Days, But More

Psychologists say that it normally takes 21 days to form a new habit.  Lent is longer, which is one reason, perhaps, the practice of it can be so formative.

For me, 40 days was long enough to feel it as a discipline, as a fasting-from.  All chill and determined to relax at the beginning, but ramping up a little by midway.  Forgetting I was doing this, even.  I had to write a little note to myself at the top of each week's list to remind me not to overload the expectations.  Oh yeah, I'm giving up productivity for Lent.  When I had a moment of anxiety because it felt like I was being lazy, or wasting the day, or - gasp - being unproductive!...Oh yeah, I'm giving up productivity for Lent.  Like that.

And also, 40 days was long enough to make for a more lasting change in some of my rushing-habits.  Rushing habit examples that I noticed this time out:  

Eating quickly just to get back to work, instead of taking a legitimate lunch break.  

Knowing I have 15 minutes before the next meeting begins and looking at the list for something I can check off and get done in that time, because, heavens, one wouldn't want to waste 15 minutes, right?

  

What about my walking pace?  For the purpose of exercise, you obviously want to keep it brisk.  But other times, like in the grocery store, or even just getting up from my desk to head to the kitchen, I found it interesting to notice what happened if I slowed that down a little, which I could do if I wasn't in any hurry to get anything in particular checked off the list.   I'm hoping some of this sticks.

"Spiritual Formation is the process of being formed 

into the likeness of Christ

for the sake of others."

M. Robert Mulholland

And so, patient friends, that's what I've come up with so far.  Feels like enough.  And ironically, I'll stop here before this update itself becomes something that feels more thoroughly productive rather than reflectively meditative.  And yes, I'm laughing at myself right now.  

And meanwhile, quietly, as if not wanting any undue attention, all this time of unproductivity has produced my first orchid bloom here in our new little house.  That's coming on to two years.  A longer time of being dormant, of being unproductive, and yet, here it is, all beautiful.

If you've come with me all the way to the end of this post, thanks for the company.  The journey into becoming our better selves is always better when taken together.

I'd be curious, if you'd be inclined to share it with me, how you might have observed Lent, and what your own learnings were.  My email is rabreithaupt@hcckw.ca.  Love to hear from you.

AKA Buy All the Chocolate Day

My particular Christian tradition does not necessarily explain or even mark Easter Monday in any particular way.  For me, growing up, it was the extension of the long weekend where I didn't have to go to school, and we didn't get the mail, but almost everything else went on as normal.

By now I'm just excited that ALL the blooms of my lily showed up in perfect sync to wow us on Easter Sunday morning, and will grace our front room with beauty for the week ahead!  AND...Ken and I will go hunt for discounted chocolate a little later on.  Why not?

But also, I am still absorbing all the learnings and joys of this whole Lent-leading-up-to-Easter season.  It was a new thing for me to practice Lent by abstaining from the intensive productivity that usually, and I could argue rightfully-according-to-how-I'm-wired, marks my approach to life and ministry.  In the same way more relaxed and laid back personalities should embrace who they are, I embrace this about me.  

And...it was good and instructive to be mindful of my responses and insights for these past 40 days.  In the spirit of all I have learned, I am collecting some reflections, but not rushing to check off the list.  It needs a bit of soaking first.

All that being said, I've been out for my walk already while the sun was still shining.  And there are good and meaningful things before me this week that I'd best get at.

However your week is starting off, I hope you feel ready, and hopeful, and empowered.

And if you'd like to, check out the link for some History of Easter Monday 

Resurrection Sunrise

 

Praise be to the God and Father of

our Lord Jesus Christ!

In His great mercy

He has given us new birth

into a LIVING HOPE

through the resurrection

of Jesus Christ from the dead,

and into an inheritance

that can never perish, spoil, or fade.

1 Peter 1:3-4

And this changes everything.

Great mercy.

New birth.

Living hope.

Certain inheritance.

No wonder we're going to party loud at Church this morning!

Jesus, in all His explosive glory!

Just look at Him!!!

Wishing you and yours a hope-beyond-hope Easter morning.

Not So Silent Saturday

 Stop,

and acknowledge that 

I am God.

Psalm 46:10

Photo Credit:

Seal on Jesus' Tomb

"Be still," it is commonly rendered, "and know that I am God."  And we put it on posters with images of solitude and peace, as an invitation to come away from the noise of our lives to sit lovely with a cup of tea, and a journal on our lap.  And, all by itself, it works as a good reminder to do just that.

But this morning is Holy Saturday.  Silent Saturday.  When everything stood still, and everything raged at the same time.

And in step with the full context of Psalm 46, where God is described as a Divine Warrior that directs His attention to the termination of wars and destruction, I don't think it's a stretch to hear Him make this declaration over the crucified body of His Son.

Behind the seal of a human empire lies the One who will bring all empires to submit to ultimate shalom.  The Kingdom of God can be described as a state where the perfect will of God is being perpetually carried out.  And that Kingdom is going to win this.

"He breaks the bow and snaps the spear, and burns shields in fire," are the promises in verse 9, just before the more famous verse 10.  And just before that, in verse 8, wars are 'terminated.'  

I need this today, on this Saturday in between.

This reminder that, ultimately, no human leader reigns supreme; that wars are not okay with God (1) and He exercises His authority to end them; that what looks like defeat is often just the beginning of something spectacular. 

This morning, though, as I gradually became awake, and aware of what day this was, His words were more that of a Shepherd than a Warrior, although truth be told I need Him to be both on my behalf.  But today it was in the unrushing sound of rain, keeping me in bed just a little longer, hearing Him speak it to me, just me, in that way He does with us.  The thoughts form, and turn towards me, gently.

"Stop, be still, cease striving.  

All the things that are uncertain for you right now, the things you want to fix but can't, are certainly and silently working for the better story you are writing with Me about you right now.  

And while you are a cherished daughter, and the object of all I can offer, really, Dear Heart, this is about so much more than just you.  

What looks like the final word, a Roman seal on a tomb, is really Heaven holding its breath for what comes next.  

And I will be with you, always.  Always."

And I will wait for this.

(1) For a thorough discussion on God's attitude towards violence, see Bloody, Brutal, and Barbaric? Wrestling with Troubling War Texts, by William J. Webb and Gordon K. Oeste, Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2019.