Spirit to Spirit Writing Project
The word Lent comes 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
Our Calling
ReplyDeleteFor one it came when she retired from years of teaching.
She was surely gifted at that
but when she retired she put down her books
and picked up a spade and rake
and the flower gardens around the church
and around the school turned vibrant
and she loved it.
She heard a new calling,
at least for now.
He owned a hardware store
that had belonged to his father
and now belonged to him.
He brought it into the electronic age
and gained lots of new customers because of it.
And on Wednesday nights
he was the cook for thirty five young adults
who came together for a new kind of church .
They sang and talked and then ate good food.
He knew his place in the world
and one of those places was behind the stove
where he cooked good food and served love.
At twelve he offered to cut his neighbor’s lawn for the summer.
She was eighty-seven and was as independent as she could be
which did not include pushing a lawn mower anymore.
And each week,
at the exact the moment he was done,
the back door would open
and she would have two cold sodas in her hands.
He figured out pretty quick
that as much as she needed her grass cut
she needed someone to talk with,
so they had a chat.
Often we find our calling
in the simplest of tasks that delight us
and serve someone else.
Holy moments, holy acts, shared with joy
our calling.
This is so true! I love your vignettes of life and lifes' calling
DeleteTOP CHEF’S SPECIAL
ReplyDeleteI’ve come to understand that God calls me not
to that perfect set of circumstances, career or mission,
but to learn, give and be his daughter wherever I am.
My “jobs,” business ventures,
church and organizational involvement,
relocations and relationships with people
all have flavored the evolving ragout;
individual components adding
particular attributes.
The callings are not crystal clear directions.
Rather they seem like permission to experiment,
with assurance that rerouting is possible
and possibilities of interesting discoveries likely.
Although I try to leave my fear of
permanently spoiling the dish,
I drag my anxieties along.
If it weren’t for the crowd of great people
who have entered my progression,
I might have turned off the burner
and given up.
I’m thankful every day for God continuing
to call me and for all of you
past and present seasonings.
Although it’s not completed, I’m confident
enough to say so far, “Bon Appetit!”
(and in pops this thought before I hit the publish button,
Are you sure, Lord, I am not going to cause food poisoning?)
When I was a kid, there was this show called “Romper Room”. It was on the air from 1956-1995, but its big heyday in the 70’s though (at least as far as my childhood is concerned). it was like a preschool class with kids on TV that you could participate in from home. At the end of the show, she would pick up a “magic mirror”, say some magic words and look through it at all the children at home and name them. This was the part that every kid at home waited for. She would say the names Christopher, Tina, Casey, and John, and so on. She would call out a bunch of different kids’ names on every show.
ReplyDeleteBut she never called “Ruth”.
Why would she? The odds that a “Ruth” is under the age of 70 is very slim. There are so few kids named Ruth that when I meet another Ruth my age, we joyfully regard each other like old friends and a mutual understanding about having this name.
However, the Romper Room lady never called out the name, “Ruth”, through her magic mirror. I waited and tuned into the show until an embarrassingly late age.
Waiting to realize your calling is like that.
I have felt there is something within the church that keeps strongly calling me. Some vocation in this fascinating, living thing, called church. And the church needs a lot of help these days. I have prayed about it, pondered it, and – yes – even listened for God’s voice.
I was lucky enough to get to opportunity to talk to a “spiritual direction counsellor”, which sounds like the Madame Cleo fortune teller from the 90’s commercials, but in fact she is not.
I was nervous to meet her, afraid that I would be disappointed, but she was a very gracious and kind older lady (not named Ruth). We sat in silence, praying and centering ourselves and I poured out my story: my beliefs, experiences that shaped my beliefs, and recent connections. She listened and asked a questions, calmly directing my rambling like a shepherd with a bunch of crazy squirrels.
At the end, she read me a poem about being called and how winding and confusing that road could be. She told me that my writing seemed key to what I love and how I communicate. She said that I like to stretch my thinking about God and that I like to stretch others’ thinking. That was about all she said.
It wasn’t much.
But is seemed like enough.
Kind of like how communion is this micro-meal that is completely filling in a strange way.
When I left the meeting, I realized more things about what I wanted to do. Strangely enough, it involved me doing what I have always been doing: writing and thinking, but now I had a different focus for it. A different context. And it seemed completely different.
I wish I could tell my kid-self that I never needed to wait for that Romper Room lady to call my name. I just needed to go and play, which is what I aim to do now with my writing, my wonderings, and my faith.
It’s all very Ruth-ish.
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DeleteWhat a nice experience. I think she is really right. By saying so little, she gives you the opportunity to make your future yourself.
DeleteYes, I do.
ReplyDeleteBecause it is in my bones. My blood. My genes. My DNA. It is literally life. How can I not hear it?
Because my people were called, sometimes dragged, across the waters, the mountains, the desert. Moving. Always moving. Both as conquered and conquerors. Oppressed and oppressors. Bought and sold, indentured and lorded over, master and slave. Escaped bombs, sheltered homeless, hid in the dark or huddled under a lone bulb, nursed wounds, buried children (babies, actually), lost brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, lost limbs, lost everything. Rebuilding.
And years later, moving again.
Leaving everything behind. Everything that matters to a child. That brightly colored wind-up toy with a real key. That Scrabble game. That red velvet dress with the white lace collar. And other things too precious, too fragile, too fresh, to talk about or even write about anonymously.
And gaining everything. A new house. New friends. A best friend. A kindred spirit. A car. Abundance of everything.
Right there is the intersection of my deep gladness and my hunger. And I know it's not just my own.
Yes, I hear the call.
Your discernment for your call is focused and clear. Blessings on your journey!
ReplyDelete