On Ice and Access

This summer, I’ve been going through a lot of ice cubes. I didn’t use to drink my water with ice; sure, the trays were always in the freezer with cubes should I want them… I just didn’t seem to want them.

The main difference this summer is that I now have a fridge with an automatic ice maker. So I don’t even need to open the freezer door to get the ice; there’s no search for the trays and struggling to release the cubes.

Getting ice has never been an onerous task for me, but this one little shift in access has made a difference.

I reflect on how accessible we make our faith.

Could our personal faith nurture be easier - does an app make it easier for daily office, is there a Christian library or bookstore within proximity, are we comfortable discussing faith with friends?

Could our shared worship be made more accessible – from physically getting to church (or online), to how we’re greeted, to understanding what all our Anglican Acronyms stand for?

Are our faith development opportunities accessible – is bible study on a video platform, do we know where to park for a study group, what time of day is best for attendees (and facilitators)?

In all of these, there is no doubt success to be encouraged, but also room for improvements. And while we can always ask people for feedback (yay constructive feedback!), we also need to be open to possibilities that we haven’t even thought of yet. (I never knew I wanted ice so often, until it was right in front of me).

As we consider our fall programming and our personal intentions and practices, may we be open to considering ways that we can offer access, and be open to trying new things. They may work, they may not; but we won’t know until we try. Imagine what’s possible when we strive to make spiritual development a priority for all!

One More Chapter

As an avid reader, I often have multiple books on the go. This summer, I’ve treated myself to a few novels that are outside my normal genres, and a few that are new releases. (My library card is my best friend!)

The challenge with these books, however, is that I want to read them. All. Simultaneously.

The reality of life is that I enjoy doing other things; and sometimes do not get as much reading time as I might prefer. Almost every night, I’m in bed with my novel, long after the dogs have started snoring.

This means I am usually quite keen in the storyline after it’s time for me to turn off the lights… and yet, I continue to tell myself “just one more chapter…” so much so, that there are times when I know my eyes are closed, but I keep holding the book open anyway.

Any reader can attest that the next chapter is of indeterminate length; the last book I finished had a chapter that reached 100 pages, my current novel tends to hover around 5 pages each. Regardless of length, readers always want to conclude that one… more… chapter.

My long-standing reading habits this week had me pondering on the enthusiasm and commitment we make to reading, to engage in the next section full of unknowns.

What in our faith journey has us that enticed? What aspect of service would make us want to stay up late to complete? What areas of prayer do we leap into without consideration of how long we may spend in them?

And if we aren’t excited about living our faith to the same extent that we are about our hobbies – why not? What do we need to do to re-engage (like finding a new genre of novel)?

The questions will endure, but I hope the continue the pondering… as reading is a daily aspect of my life, so too ought my faith be put into action on such a regular basis.

 

Ready to be Colourful

A few weeks ago, I noticed pens on sale… so I got some.

..Then a colleague’s desktop inspired me to renew my stash of sticky notes.
…Then markers and highlighters, price reduced in the back-to-school section, found themselves in my home office.
….And a good selection of binder clips never goes astray when I’m organising my desk.
It’s a colourful abundance of organisational delights!

Alas; I have fallen into the late(r) summer practice of refreshing my stationery supplies!
Normally, this happens when I have a particular task in mind, or find myself on the cusp of a new project.
But not this year; (I am not going back to school, despite having not been a student for over 3 years now. 3 years! A new record.).

What I am feeling is general inspiration, and appreciation.
These supplies are not stocking my desk in preparation for a known entity; instead they sit there waiting for the unknown. For when an unplanned, unexpected burst comes.

Because this happens, when we are feeling at home in ourselves; when our external surroundings and our internal souls align into that happy place.
We want to express that goodness, regardless of what the outcome may be.
For to embrace the creative is to acknowledge the creator, and the createdness that we ourselves are (and are a part of).

I don’t yet know how these supplies will be used; from colouring books to mapping an outline to coordinating old photos – who knows! They may be used tomorrow, or left in their packages until fall.
But they are there: waiting to be unpacked and used. Not unlike the spiritual gifts that we are given. To use, to share, to extend, to bless.
So let’s break out the colourful nature of our lives, and enjoy the time and potential that lies before.

Making Connections

Some weeks ago, my old FitBit broke. It wasn’t a huge surprise; I’ve had it for many years, and I am not always the most careful person. Over time, it had acquired several cracks on the screen, I’d gone through 4 or 5 straps, there was a mysterious chip out of the back metal part…

So when it finally one day just stopped: oh well.

Fortunately, I am in a position where I could get myself a newer model; still nothing fancy (I am hard on my devices!) but nice enough to accomplish what I want.

However, I was left with the proprietary charger, and the left-over strap from the old device. It would have really been easy to just toss away, but on a whim I offered it on the local free-recycling group. I didn’t expect it to go anywhere, but there was no harm holding on to it for a little bit longer.

As it turns out, there was someone else in the group that had been looking for that charger… they’re no longer available for purchase, and without it, their FitBit hadn’t worked in months. So we arranged a time for the exchange.

When we met, this person was absolutely delighted. We had a lovely conversation, they asked about the church and I was able to give them a walk-through. We spoke about faith and spiritual journeys and the power of prayer. The interaction was only maybe 15 minutes, but it was positive for us both.

We never know how we are going to find connections, and we are not able to predict the outcome of them. But if we don’t make any effort, we definitely won’t have them. It would have been easy for me to just bin that cord, but instead it served to connect – in more ways than one.

While we know the importance of connections, and we value our established ones, it can also be helpful to remember that not every connection needs to be a deep or long one to be of benefit. God puts a lot of people into our paths each day, and puts us into the paths of a lot of others. When we’re fortunate enough to make a connection, whether it’s long or short, we can choose to see the holiness of the moment, and delight in the unexpected ways we've been brought together.