Hello, My Beautiful Lovelies!

While I don't watch TV (aside from streamed Hockey games when my Winnipeg Jets are playing!), I have found myself lately watching short videos on the computer... usually, believe it or not, cooking shows. One of them is a woman who starts every segment with "Hello, my beautiful lovelies!" before she dives into a new recipe. 

There's some comfort in it, in that there's a distinct LACK of drama (life has enough of that these days!). 

The way she starts, however, is with a positivity that is genuine and inviting. The videos do not edit out when an egg shell falls in a bowl, or a cake fails to rise. She presents an authenticity as though the viewer were sitting in the same kitchen, chatting casually as friends, not worrying about the imperfections in cooking (or life!)

It's a bit of a break from the reality of masks and protocols, of Advent planning and press-conference-scanning. 

It's an invitation to be imperfect, to be okay with not always being okay, and to be embracing the beauty in others. 

For in a time of fear and stress, who wouldn't benefit from a kind greeting and genuine compliment? Who wouldn't enjoy a friends' relaxed laughter, and a fun try-something-new adventure?

I think the point of this is: we can make that happen. We can choose how to be present to each other. (I'm not suggesting that we go for an artificially happy-happy space; rather to be open to the movement of the Spirit as God puts the right people in our paths. 

We have the ability to interact with one another as we are: beloved of Christ, siblings in the Lord. Beautiful, lovely, chosen. 

Imagine how our days will be if we start out that way.

Hello, my beautiful lovelies!!

The Sense of God

I sat by a campfire this week. I felt my toes and fingers get cold while my face was hot, as my eyes stung in the smoke and I coughed a little, and I knew that my clothes and hair would have that distinctive aroma until washed.

And I smiled! Because for me, woodsmoke is a happy smell - a campfire is a full-sensory experience that also serves to transport me to a hundred other times and places... happy memories come flooding back - of great friends and terrific adventures, of silly songs and creatively cooked meals, of life-long connection and the chance to just BE.

Our senses do that for us; they carry us to one another in ways that we can hardly explain, linking our hearts and minds to one another. For some, an aroma of fresh cookies baking will bring a heart a grandmother's teachings... for others, the feeling of paddling a canoe will focus attention on the epic adventure with friends that still makes them laugh... for others, it's the taste of some comfort food from college days to recall the formative relationships.

For centuries, the church has been a place of sensory immersion: the scent of wood and incense... the feel of the pew where our derrieres are accustomed to being... the perfect acoustics reverberating the musical heartbeat of the building... the taste of the wafer and wine to connect us in the foretaste of the Kingdom...

It's no wonder that church seems less churchy in these COVID-times. Our whole bodies, which for years were nourished in ways we didn't even realise, are missing that. While those of us in the building are grateful for the opportunity to practice safety measures, our bodies aren't used to it yet: yet perhaps, having named it, we can start to see these precautions as the expression of faith that they are. We can re-learn that church has the aroma of protection through the viral-blocking mask... that the echoes from 2m-distanced-pews are angel's wings beating a new rhythm into our souls... that our empty mouths are inviting us to recognise spiritual hunger in new ways.

Perhaps we can use the new sensory revelations of church to explore new ways of worshiping with our bodies: and invite us into deeper relationship with the Divine who journeys with us through the memories we have, and the memories we have yet to make.

 

Just Keep Scrolling...

"Digital Age"
Some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
by Melinda Young Stuart Source: Flickr

It's been a busy time on social media lately... between some political things, and some health things, and general life, I've been seeing a lot more traffic across my feeds, and from all generations. I'm not the type to doomscroll (continually take in bad news) or to gleefresh (regularly refresh your feed looking for happy things) - so I'm not always on social media. But the past few weeks folks seem a little more prolific with their commentary!

Here's the challenge: it ain't all good. By a long shot, in fact. There seems to be a trend of taking our frustrations and anger and lack of control out on... our keyboards. Decreasing are the quantity and quality of conversational dialogue and discourse; increasing are the intensity of personal attacks, meanness, hurtful memes... even something as simple as a pet food advert has inspired hundreds of comments both on and off (and WAY off!) topic, from tips to rage. It's weird!

Alas. I'll Thump out a wise lesson from a big footed cutie in a deer movie... "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all." and pair that with Jorge Luis Borges: “Don't talk unless you can improve the silence.”

I am not suggesting that we avoid conversation and discourse - quite the opposite, actually! I would love to see a time when we are more intentional about our interactions with one another, in person and online. To appreciate that silence can be a response sometimes, and that speaking truth in love is better than blurting out an emotion-laden first thought. Imagine a time when we can disagree about ideas but still respect one another... when we can come together over topics and find ways to collaborate with our unique perspectives... when we see each other not as competition but as companions in the opportunity to share our God-given gifts. Imagine if we chose to BE community, open our hearts to others' experiences, to open our ears to others' ideas, to open our souls to others' presence. Imagine if we could create a safe space for true communication, based on mutual respect and understanding.

It's not that hard, really: if we spend some time reflecting on what we want to say and why, and then find the right place for it. It means we don't presume to have all the answers ourselves, we don't get sucked into the negativity vortex. It means we come together with the people that God has put in our path that day, and be the best version of ourselves that we can be, even if that means we don't comment on every post. Sometimes, it's good to just keep scrolling... for the love of God. 

Kindness Means Connection

I've been enjoying campfires here on vacation, and the other day a neighbour offered firewood if I needed. How kind, I thought! 

We've all seen the now-ubiquitous Jennifer Dukes Lee quote - "in a world where you can be anything, be kind!"

It's good advice beyond the coffee mug or social media meme, should we choose to go deeper. Because it reminds us that we, as a society and as individuals, don't always choose that route. 

But... We can. 

We can, when we see a divisive post, scroll past it without adding snarky comments. 

We can, when we feel wronged, seek reconciliation instead of revenge.

We can, even in the midst of our political and ideological differences, choose to discourse on issues rather than fire off personal spiteful attacks. 

We can, when we see a need in our community, try to find a way to meet it. 

Ah... But there's the catch! 'when we see a need' - this suggests that we look beyond ourselves, beyond our perceptions, beyond our understanding. It indicates a desire to connect, to engage, to be open. 

There's a vulnerability to extending kindness: it may not be wanted, or what we consider to be our offering may not be appropriate to the recipient. 

But for us to be kind is not just an outward act; it is an inward one as well. It invites us to move beyond our own thoughts, and desires, and individualism, into an intentional connection... Regardless of whether we know them or like them or agree with them. For if all we see are differences, that's all we will continue to experience; and as our hearts harden the opportunity for kindness decreases. But when we open our eyes to the world around us, and see it all as a manifestation of God's grace, our hearts can open, and a little bit more love will flow out. And we can remember that whoever is in our midst is a person loved by God (as much as we are).

Matthew 7.12 "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."

Let's be kind to one another, for the love of God.