Lenten Writing Project Reboot 2020! Writers' Reflections in the Wilderness of Lent
Words of Faith
Spirit to Spirit Writing Project
The word Lentcomes from an old English word meaning lengthening of days. In Christianity, it refers to the time before Easter, traditionally observed through repentance and learning. It's a season to be intentional about changing and growing. Some people give up items to create space and time for new life and habits to grow. Instead of giving something up, I invite you to try to commit to answering these writing prompts each of the 40 days of Lent. The discipline it takes to set aside time each day to reflect and write about God and your relationship with spirituality is a journey that you will emerge from with a renewed spirit. Every writer has their own special voice to add to this project, whether poetry, prose, essay, thoughts, lists, or through comments, prayer, and encouragement.
How do I participate? Each day, a writing prompt will be posted. A prompt is a question or statement that is meant to inspire your thoughts in whatever genre you feel moved to write. Post your reflections as a comment under each day's prompt (for further instructions, see 'How To Post' on the right side of the page). It is up to you if you write, read, or pray along with us each of the 40 days of Lent or just drop in from time to time when the spirit moves you to participate. Writing regularly is a discipline that many writers struggle with and this is a way to involve that discipline as a Lenten practice. Through writing and leaving encouraging words for others in this project, we become a supportive spiritual writing community
Strangers bearing messages and/or instructions from God, seen in dreams, visions and real human form, often not recognized as angels until they’re gone.
Unexplainable ministering presence felt during times of great angst and lostness.
Emissaries of God who nourish and support in the barren wilderness and shield during the intense fires of our lives. Not always leading us out, but revealing possible routes and survival skills.
Our family, friends, us, and the wider circle, all with a bit of angel breathed into at birth, prompting our responses to God’s purposes in ways we have doubted we could. Rescuers in hosts of situations to offerers of simple physical comforts—a glass of water, a word of appreciation and encouragement, an extra minute to listen and assist.
Challengers and cheerleaders urging us to get up and go and believe
We live in the company of angels, filling the earth and sky with God’s love. Have you not felt the soft healing touch of their downy wings, heard their sweet songs of hope through the dark and the light and been challenged by their cheers to get up and go?
When I saw this prompt I was overjoyed! I love angels! I feel we are surrounded by them, the air is lightly and sweetly full of them. They are there and will shield us and prompt us at times. Why? Because I have had an angel experience! Yes, I have!
When I was a teen-ager and at a very critical time in my life, I was babysitting a little tiny boy for a neighbor. She had told me I could use her sewing machine when he was asleep. This was important because I had a sewing project that needed to be completed. What I didn't know was that her machine threaded very differently from the one at home and those at Home Ec class in school…
When the baby was asleep I sat down to do my sewing, running the thread through all the hoops and eyes until it looked perfect and I began to sew. To my surprise the thread knotted and bunched and piled up and jammed the machine. I started over and the same thing happened. I began to fret and then panic as the mess became worse!
By the time I was trying hopelessly to undo the damage there was a knock at the door. There stood a young man in a brown uniform with a Singer Sewing Machine patch on his shirt pocket and a Singer Sewing Machine van parked at the curb behind him. He asked me if I knew where such and such an address was. I pointed across a creek to another neighborhood and thought it might be there, but I asked him before he left if he could help me clear up the mess I had made. He fixed it easily and showed me how to thread it properly, then he left.
I tried once more, following his instructions, I thought, only to have the tangles and mess begin again. This time I became frantic, knowing I had ruined my neighbor’s brand new machine. There was another knock at the door and when I answered the same young man was standing there. He took one look at my face and went straight to the sewing machine and fixed the problem again. He mentioned that he had not found the address he was looking for and left. In a state of profound relief I put the machine away and put the sewing job on hold until I could get to the one at home.
Later I thought it strange that he should stop at just the place where I was. It was out of the way and the road was very muddy. But then he came back and rescued me again. How likely was that? I have often wondered if he was an angel sent to help me at a critical time. I think he might have been. Clarene Aitken 25.3.14
ANGEL THOUGHTS
ReplyDeleteBy Marlene Obie
Strangers bearing messages and/or instructions from God,
seen in dreams, visions and real human form,
often not recognized as angels until they’re gone.
Unexplainable ministering presence felt
during times of great angst and lostness.
Emissaries of God who nourish and support
in the barren wilderness and shield
during the intense fires of our lives.
Not always leading us out, but revealing
possible routes and survival skills.
Our family, friends, us, and the wider circle,
all with a bit of angel breathed into at birth,
prompting our responses to God’s purposes
in ways we have doubted we could.
Rescuers in hosts of situations to offerers
of simple physical comforts—a glass of water,
a word of appreciation and encouragement,
an extra minute to listen and assist.
Challengers and cheerleaders urging us
to get up and go and believe
We live in the company of angels,
filling the earth and sky with God’s love.
Have you not felt the soft healing touch of their downy wings,
heard their sweet songs of hope through the dark and the light
and been challenged by their cheers to get up and go?
“Fear not,” they say, “for the Lord is with you.”
Angels!
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw this prompt I was overjoyed! I love angels! I feel we are surrounded by them, the air is lightly and sweetly full of them. They are there and will shield us and prompt us at times. Why? Because I have had an angel experience! Yes, I have!
When I was a teen-ager and at a very critical time in my life, I was babysitting a little tiny boy for a neighbor. She had told me I could use her sewing machine when he was asleep. This was important because I had a sewing project that needed to be completed. What I didn't know was that her machine threaded very differently from the one at home and those at Home Ec class in school…
When the baby was asleep I sat down to do my sewing, running the thread through all the hoops and eyes until it looked perfect and I began to sew. To my surprise the thread knotted and bunched and piled up and jammed the machine. I started over and the same thing happened. I began to fret and then panic as the mess became worse!
By the time I was trying hopelessly to undo the damage there was a knock at the door. There stood a young man in a brown uniform with a Singer Sewing Machine patch on his shirt pocket and a Singer Sewing Machine van parked at the curb behind him. He asked me if I knew where such and such an address was. I pointed across a creek to another neighborhood and thought it might be there, but I asked him before he left if he could help me clear up the mess I had made. He fixed it easily and showed me how to thread it properly, then he left.
I tried once more, following his instructions, I thought, only to have the tangles and mess begin again. This time I became frantic, knowing I had ruined my neighbor’s brand new machine. There was another knock at the door and when I answered the same young man was standing there. He took one look at my face and went straight to the sewing machine and fixed the problem again. He mentioned that he had not found the address he was looking for and left. In a state of profound relief I put the machine away and put the sewing job on hold until I could get to the one at home.
Later I thought it strange that he should stop at just the place where I was. It was out of the way and the road was very muddy. But then he came back and rescued me again. How likely was that? I have often wondered if he was an angel sent to help me at a critical time. I think he might have been.
Clarene Aitken
25.3.14
Sounds like one to me!
DeleteMarlene