Dear  ,
 
I had the unfortunate experience of having to type, “French rape victim” into the internet search bar to learn your name when You are so much more Gisèle.
 
You deserve 1 Million letters. I hope you receive them. From women. From Men. From any radiant species this universe holds. 
 
Today is September 5, but you knew what you had not known 4 years ago, in 2020. I cry that September 5, 2024, is the first day I knew to write to you. I am sure my words are insignificant and these tears, what will they do; but

Dear any Humans remaining on earth,
Let our bodies, and words, and news reports out of Palestine move us to shield, move us to guard and preserve a humanity we can be proud of, that we will be proud to be. I want humanity over this horror.
I mean really, wtf.

It was September 5, 2024. Also, my child’s first day of school. Also, the day after of school in Winder, Georgia USA, when 4 people were shot dead. A day when this news is a tidal wave, as such violence existing should really erase any belief that the world is not, as it is, in a state of existential emergency.

“It is barbarism.” – Gisèle

I may be wrong, Gisèle—I would never presume to speak for you—but it seems that in testifying, you choose not to be alone. You choose to claim for yourself the space, dignity, and humanity that every person, worthy of the name Human, deserves.

The Accused wrote “abuse” as the label of this violence. He knew. He knew.

Your courage reminds us all not to be cowled or coerced. Through known or unknown action. Through any action or inaction.
 
I pray you have the final word, and 1 Million words starting with Dear Gisèle, are sent praising your strength. Here are 300 of them.

- A human seeking to remain human, named Abigail

This week I’ve thought about evil. If you’re like me when bad things happen you try to make them make sense; Which isn’t possible this week after 10 people were killed in Buffalo’s mass shooting on May 14 and 19 elementary children and 2 adults were murdered in Uvalde, TX on May 24. Why?

Guns? Mental Health? Isolation? The moral failure of our nation? Probably all of these things – and more. Do we even know the definition of evil anymore?

If you watch TikTok or Netflix I think we attribute evil to characters in movies and books more than we do actions nowadays. We know our villains: Thanos, Darth, the Dark Side. We even like the redemption of bad guys. Think Kylo Ren or Billy in Stranger Things 3. Characters who are categorically dark and bad who in the end have a change of heart. TV and Movies have proved to us characters are complex and multi-faceted; what you see is not always what you get.

I have a tendency to think about people this way too. It’s hard to imagine a person as being wholly evil. But in holding out hope for that change of heart, have we become less likely to detect actions that are in fact evil.

Do you know what the Bible defines as evil? Like off the top of your head. That list is not chiseled into my mind as it might be if I were Catholic, I had to look it up. This is not a comprehensive list but throughout the Bible evil includes greed, murder, pride, causing conflict, deceit, theft and abuse.

In the Bible we are supposed to hate these things. “Those of you who love the Lord, hate evil!” (Psalm 97:10a)  We are supposed to hate the act of greed. Of murder. We are meant to be hostile in the face of deceit, theft or abuse. Once an act of evil is committed we are supposed to feel enmity towards the perpetrator of the act. “I’m f—ing angry,” said Phillip Dabney, 53, who grew up in the neighborhood around the Buffalo Tops grocery store. “There’s a normalization of violence against us, African Americans. It prevents us from valuing our own individual lives.”

Evil violence needs to not be normalized. What makes a bad guy a bad guy? Their actions. We have to know the actions of evil when we see them. When we see greed, deceit, abuse we have to see the evil in the actions not just on TV screens and in novels but in our politicians, CEOs, world leaders and religion. We have to overwhelm evil with good.

This week we are not just praying, we are working for change. We are working to overcome evil acts like these.

by Pastor Abigail
Creator | Curator of Everyday Sanctuary
www.everydaysanctuary.com
Your Spiritual Life Matters
Support Sanctuary at Patreon

There’s that moment when winter transitions to spring where hope blooms.
All that was covered by snow is suddenly revealed: bare trees, muddy lawns, and leaves from last fall. It isn’t pretty. However, it is brief.

If you look closely you’ll see the hope of spring in the crocuses that pop up from the ground next to a still-melting chunk of snow. If you listen you’ll hear birds coming home after wintering where it is warm. If you smell discerningly you’ll notice the faint hint of earth that is ready for new growth. 

The hope of spring is here. Refreshment is on its way.

And so it can be in our spiritual lives at times. I have spent periods where my faith feels like it has wintered. I don’t know about you, but I could use some spiritual refreshing right now. Weary from the prolonged pandemic, global social unrest, and war, I’m ready for a refresh for my soul.

Spring in Old English means to burst forth, to grow, to open. I find this to be a helpful metaphor for my spiritual life at the moment.  Using spring as a metaphor for my faith allows me to remember that the cold and death that winter brings isn’t the end. There are rhythms to faith that allow me to be hopeful that new life is on its way.

My faith is a journey of growth. I don’t simply arrive at the end of my growth and stay there. My faith continues to grow, from seed to plantling to blossom to death and to new life. Growth is always a part of the plan. Even now, as winter thaws into spring, I am reminded that new growth awaits!  

There is preparation before rebirth and new growth. The flowerbeds in front of my house need some work. They need to be cleaned of old leaves and weeds. Old annuals need their dead stems removed. The soil could use some turning over. New seeds need to be planted.

Likewise, the flowerbed of my faith is not beyond saving. There is work to be done. There are new practices to try and old ones to dust off. The preparation for spiritual renewal is all part of the journey. Spiritual refreshing may be hard work, but it is rewarding.

This spring, we are beyond containment. We are cracking open windows and stirring soil that has long-lived laden. I need space to awaken my home and heart this spring, to let the spirit of season soak in and refresh me, to break loose and experience something fresh. (ya feel me?)

Spring’s refreshment helps us dust off the dust (listen to Everyday Sanctuary’s Dust Off the Dust podcast episode here). Our spirits long to shake the cold and snow of winter and burst forth with new life.

Song of Solomon 2:11-12 says, “For behold, the winter is past. The rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth. The time of the singing has come.”

As the ground thaws and the trees prepare for new growth, you may be yearning for new growth and wondering how to start a spiritual journey. 

Everyday Sanctuary's new book, Spring Refresh: A Refreshing Daily Faith Practice for Spring, is 6 weeks of simple spiritual practice you can do in as little as 5 minutes a day. Each week includes the wisdom of Breath, Presence, Prayer, Scripture, and Gratitude.

At home or In community, Spring Refresh guides you to have a satisfying spiritual practice, and each week’s small group guide encourages gathered time with others to share and reflect together. Click here to Order Spring Refresh at Amazon.com.

Each week’s daily focus brings inspiration and intent to your journey this spring. 

Let Spring Refresh be a part of your spiritual refreshing. Open up. Grow deep. Burst into bloom. Experience a refresh.

Brian Lothridge
Pastor | Writer | Peace and Justice Advocate

Most of you who know me know I have lived with chronic pain for a while. Like 10 years. It started in my 20s and I was consistent in my need to heal but I never really thought of it as forever. Well, yesterday I found out it is a forever thing and probably has been for a while.

On this day I got the news from my doctor I cried, but I realized behind those tears was also anger. The onset of my pain was not a car crash or fall, it started when I sat at a desk for 40 hours a week, hunched in a manic flail to be great at my job.

I have sought diagnosis and healing from medical professionals since the pain started. And I never got these answers; and now that I have them, injections, pain management and surgery are what's offered. It makes me sick to think about just numbing the pain or having invasive surgery because what I really need is clear direction on how to live my life: what I can do safely and what I can’t. How can I, at the very least, not make things worse? Maybe this reveals my lack of aspiration, my belief I can be healed, but I have lived with the pain for so long and at times I have thought of it as a Wiser-Than-Me Companion that keeps from hurting my body even more.

In my head, I was supposed to sit at a desk 8 hours a day. This felt necessary and expected. But the world that gave me this expectation is also telling me now, “Hi, we’re the world that has broken you. We can’t fix you. We can only numb you. Deal with it. We sent you hunting for doctors, chiropractors, massage therapists, trainers, spending your own money and made you hide your pain in the process, questioning, ‘Is it real? ‘ You’re so young.’”

This is the world that normalized our very real pain saying, “Pain is normal. It’s all how you healthily deal with it,” while never dealing with what caused the pain in the first place. “Your healing is on you. Heal yourself…from the wounds we’ve inflicted.”

I don’t have a spiritual nugget in this angry mess of fear I feel right now but I have a scripture, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” -Romans 12:2 (NLT). You may have heard it as, “Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed.” I don’t know how I feel about conforming to a world whose societal norms have hurt me, hurt my body, tempted me to binge and overwork and age too quickly.

I hope there is a time when I don’t feel conformed by my body’s pain. To be honest, that’s hard to imagine in this life but it’s a beautiful prayer that I sometimes resist praying for myself because it’s so hard to believe in that transformation. (I’m crying as I write this.)

I pray God transforms my relationship with my body and gifts me with more faith than I have right now. I pray I can consciously resist the behaviors and customs of this world that keep me from loving myself and all others well.

If you have a similar prayer or story, send me an email at everydaysanctuaryfaith@gmail.com.
Let’s keep the conversation going.

Sometimes spirituality can feel too transcendent - too removed from our everyday life. That’s why I like expressions of spirituality that ground us in the here and now.

My moleskin journal, Everyday Sanctuary’s app and music are often my daily reminder to connect my spirit to something bigger than me. I know other people who bask in the outdoors, ground themselves in silence, serve others in need, lead charitably and serve as caregivers. I need these IRL experiences to make my faith real and present.

How do you tangibly encounter your faith daily?
 
What physical acts or reminders support your spirit?

One the people who inspires me to stir up Holy Mischief is Shannon Karafanda, who challenges people weekly to make kindness the norm and love our default. I love her challenge to blanket a co-workers door with affirmation (reminds me of locker birthdays in high school). This is a super outward expression of encouragement and care.

Everyday Sanctuary helps busy people have a satisfying faith practice in just 5 minutes; 5 minutes to feel grounded, refreshed, and spiritually connected to God. 

Download our free app to breathe deep and seek or listen the weekly Everyday Sanctuary Podcast.

Many Blessings,
Pastor Abigail
Creator | Curator of Everyday Sanctuary
www.everydaysanctuary.com
Your Spiritual Life Matters
Support Sanctuary at Patreon