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

These days I see myself taking more deep breaths, sitting in our armchair with less rushing to the next thing. I see myself sitting in the dim light with my family and I know things are better than before. I am here in a better place than 21 months ago -- if I could acknowledge it.

It’s been nearly two years since the COVID-19 pandemic began. We’ve weathered through a lot of unknowns and there are still more unknowns on the horizon. It’s been a season of giving up, but not everything we’ve given up has been bad. 

You may have given up rushing through life, going from one task or experience to the next without pausing to reflect. 

You may have given up the mindless scrolling through social media.

You may have given up old coping mechanisms that you had pretended were healing. 

This New Year I would love you to experience an openness to the new year rather than dis-ease about the unknown.

It’s time to open up to a spiritual new year.

How do we pry ourselves open to a New Year, in a time when so many of our hopes and dreams have let us down? I think, not with high-minded resolutions but with enough presence of mind to see we are better than we’ve been.

Personally, I’m over “resolutions.” It’s easy to get excited about making some big life changes to begin on January 1 and find yourself returning to old ways by January 15. Perhaps we weren’t as open to a new year as we thought. 

But, is our spiritual journey about setting grand resolutions, failing to meet them, and then feeling guilty about how we missed the mark yet again? This isn’t productive. This doesn’t feed our souls. This doesn’t help us grow. This doesn’t help us open to hope. 

Setting spiritual New Year’s wishes is not the way I will start my spiritual journey in 2022. I encourage you to join me in a spiritual journey that will open us up to hope, to deeper connections, to love, and to greater imagination.

We will open ourselves up when we imagine. What does it look like to bring something you imagine to life in the new year? 

It could be a small thing. Imagine one perfect morning. Imagine how you want to fall asleep. Imagine the perfect cup of tea. Imagine these small new realities and make them happen.

It could be a big thing. Imagine finding healing in a relationship. Imagine finding hope where you previously thought there was none. Imagine your spirit being more deeply connected to that which is beyond us. 

Simply imagining these things won’t make them happen. Spirituality isn’t wishful thinking. But our imagination puts us in a posture of possibility. Our imaginations show us what can be and encourage us to open up to new realities. With an open posture, we begin to step in the direction of possibility.

As we end 2021 and begin 2022, let’s find a space to create a posture of openness. Spend a few moments in silence to breathe deeply and scan your body.

Notice how your body feels. Does it feel open? Or tight and clenched? Do you feel protective instead of at peace? Even though some things are getting better, are you even in a posture to feel that? 

Take note of any place that feels tight or closed off. Focus on these places one at a time. Is there something your body is telling you to let go of?

Take a few minutes to breathe deeply. 
In | Let go
Out | Open up

On the eve of New Year
I try to release.
I try to unbind the past from the future.
 
I try to uncross my protective arms, taut from holding it together.
How do we pry ourselves open to a New Year?
I can only imagine a place of healing.
 
We  will open ourselves up when we imagine.
Imagine small new realities.   Small new realities.
A place of peace that’s just for me.
 
You may not realize it but we’ve loosened
from the Doom scrolling,
from the belief that numbing is healing.
So what do you want your life to look like?
Is it the shows we binge, the hours we scroll, the swipes
or what we experience
how we feel?
 
I want to keep feeling because I believe in Awe.
 
Today I pray
that the eyes of your heart will have enough light                                                        
to see what is the hope of God’s call.
Scripture: Ephesians 1:18

Within Everyday Sanctuary I always try to acknowledge where we are: how I and others might be feeling because this gives word to (little t) truth. But no matter how I might be feeling right now, remember, there’s something beyond what we’re feeling. In believing in something beyond ourselves, it means there is something beyond what we feel. How does God see my New Year – even when I can’t?

This year I encourage you to seek a spirit of openness each day. This doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming. 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.

Enjoy our Christmas Day
Prayer of Presence, Scripture and Deep Breath Prayer.
Pause to experience the awe of Christmas.

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

Enjoy our Christmas Eve
Prayer of Presence, Scripture and Deep Breath Prayer.
"With Light burden is broken by joy and weariness finds relief in the glow of Hope."

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

Fulfilling, deep sleep doesn’t come easy for some of us. There are dark, restless nights. Chances are, if you're reading this, you’ve experienced those sleepless nights.

Our body evades sleep, our mind races, our thoughts bubble between the episode we just watched and existential dread.

“What if I never get to sleep?”

You’ve tried it all: cold rooms, warm socks, no socks, going to sleep early, going to sleep late. You’ve done all of the sleep clichés: counted sheep, drank warm milk, and read some really dry reading.

Now a Christmas song repeats in your head: “Silent night, holy night / All is calm and all is bright.” But your mind isn’t silent or calm and sleeping in heavenly peace seems ridiculously, out of the question.

A deep breath prayer for sleep and healing may be just the thing to ease your mind and comfort your weary soul.

Stress is a big reason adults lose sleep. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America found that about 50% of adults experience daily stress that affects their sleep.

However, people with regular spiritual practices tend to have better sleep than their nonreligious counterparts.  

When your mind focuses on breathing and simplicity amazing things happen (like falling asleep without trying or not feeling tired and unexpectedly drifting off to sleep).

In the middle of the night when I wake up; what do I do to get back to real, restful sleep? It seems a little counterintuitive but I take out my phone and open the Everyday Sanctuary app because I know I will drift back to glorious sleep if I focus on just two words: The IN and OUT of that day’s Deep Breath Prayer.

As I write this, today’s Everyday Sanctuary Practice is “You are Safe to Rest.”

You can join us in this exercise by breathing deeply for 2 minutes using the IN phrase for your inhale and the OUT phrase for your exhale.

IN | Safe
OUT | To Rest

Breathing and spirituality are connected. Everyday simple words like this, words with intention, lead you to a silent night’s sleep and a deeper connection with God.

We include deep breathing as part of the Everyday Sanctuary daily practice because it allows us to actively participate in healing our physical, emotional, and spiritual wounds. I find this routine to be a powerful spiritual practice.  

“Silent night, holy night! All is calm, all is bright.”

As your mind relaxes and releases the cares of the day, the words of this Christmas hymn become less of an aspiration and more a prayer before sleep. Sleeping in heavenly peace becomes a reality.

Building a nightly routine helps your mind relax from the day and prepare for sleep. Practicing sleep meditation and prayer are crucial to developing consistent restful sleep.

New habits are hard to stick to at first. Don’t be discouraged. Ask God for focus and determination. You’re not on your own!

Adults need at least 7 hours of nightly sleep in order to function properly. A lack of sleep doesn’t just leave you groggy or cranky; it also brings about attention lapses, reduced cognition, delayed reactions, and mood shifts.

For me, a lack of sleep leaves me feeling unfocused and unprepared for the day ahead. Good sleep provides that daily sanctuary that restores my mind and body and sets me up for success.

Sometimes we have to remember, as I share in one of our daily practices: 

the harping of the machine
does not control your life
no longer.

Your longing has led you here.
To rest and sustenance.

For me, this is like a prayer for peaceful sleep. It speaks to my longing for rest. It reminds me that it’s okay to clear busy schedules and build in time for rest. I am welcome to set aside the busyness of life and find rest in a good night’s sleep. I am invited to see my spirituality as not another task to do but an opportunity to rest and heal. 

My mind shuts down more easily and heavenly peace becomes reality.

Mother Teresa once said, “If you are too busy to pray, you are too busy!”

Our lives can be hectic and prayer may be set on the back burner, leading you to wonder how to deepen your spiritual practice with what little time you have. Everyday Sanctuary helps busy people have a satisfying faith practice in just 5 minutes a day. 

Download our free app to breathe deep and seek.

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

Around Christmas some people relive deep grief; of losing a loved one, of feeling a sense of loneliness more acutely. Literally the sky is darkening and amidst all the holiday cheer, our sadness remains.

The winter solstice, this year on December 21, is the darkest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. Sunlight shows its face for a mere 8 hours and 46 minutes. That’s almost 16 hours of darkness. 

All of us have experienced grief and loss over the past 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic. And even if you don’t want to dwell on it -- every once in a while a dark day comes.

How do we live, shadowed by loss?
We want to help you pause to remember this year with a practice crafted specifically for times you experience holiday grief.

2020 was a hard year. We were hoping for a much better 2021. We found many of the same disappointments:

• COVID-19 restrictions
• Political divisions
• Distance from loved ones
• Smaller or postponed celebratory gatherings
• Global unrest
• Zoom fatigue
• Financial insecurity
• Loss of loved ones
• Loss of jobs
• Fill in the blank _____________

We long for normalcy, but as we head into 2022, we may wonder how long we’ll have to wait for it.

Finding solace in spirituality helps us to cope with things we can’t control. We see the light in the darkness and know we aren’t alone. 

This is not to say that spirituality makes the darkness disappear. That hasn’t been my experience. Spirituality isn’t an escape from life’s difficulties. Instead, it helps us find the strength to work through them. 

Those who have practiced spirituality throughout time have found their ways through life’s darkest days with the help of their spiritual practices. Even the writers of sacred scriptures acknowledge that life is hard.

The writer of a well-known prayer for grief in the Bible affirms this when they write, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me (Psalm 23:4).”

You are not alone.  

Wondering how to deepen your spiritual practices? Here are three practices we include in each daily practice of the Everyday Sanctuary app: 

1. Deep Breathing 
2. Gratitude 
3. Prayer

Deep Breathing
Breathing is a powerful spiritual practice. Breathing in, I’m reminded of the help that surrounds me and is within me. Breathing out, I begin to let go of the things that weigh down my soul. 

The rhythm of inhale/exhale quiets my weary mind. Spiritually centering myself, I face hardship head on. I see it in a new way. I see solutions I didn’t see before. 

Spiritual breathing isn’t complicated. It can be as simple as breathing in a word like “redemption” and breathing out “is near.” These words can be said aloud or internally.

Gratitude
Author Tosha Silver once wrote, "Gratitude is a healing balm, like the warmth of the sun.” Focusing on things I am thankful for reminds me, even on the darkest days, that light is all around me. 

As a bonus, science has shown that gratitude is associated with wellbeing and having a positive outlook on life.

I find it helpful to write down five gratitudes each day. Doing this daily develops a habit that sustains me in days filled with light or darkness.

Prayer
Prayer allows you to lift up your desires, wounds, doubts, joys, and gratitudes. Prayer can take on several forms. It can be:

• Meditation
• Breathing
• Journaling
• Conversation
• Gratitude
• Asking for help
• Going for a walk
• Kneeling at an altar
• With others or alone

In the Everyday Sanctuary app, we encourage you to respond to the question, “Where do you need God to be at work in the day or week to come?” Do you need God to be your guide through the darkest day, a sustainer through trying times, a comforter when you feel alone?

Finding solace spiritually during the darkest days doesn’t have to be difficult or time consuming. Everyday Sanctuary helps busy people have a satisfying faith practice. Take 5 minutes to feel grounded, refreshed, and spiritually connected to God.

Download our free app to breathe deep and seek.

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

Make Advent easy and engaging this year.
Do you want to share the message of Advent with your church and community daily – and build anticipation towards Christmas Eve?

This year at Everyday Sanctuary we have a simple, meaningful way to share Advent through your social media. Using the traditional themes of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love – our 20 piece Advent Arc uses engaging questions, centering prayer and relevant scripture to engage your people throughout the Advent season.

Get the Full 20 Post Arc for $5 of support at the Everyday Sanctuary Store
or
Sign Up to receive 5 use-anytime Advent posts free here.

During Advent we are
Sheltering Hope
Calling our for Peace
Catching Joy
and Abiding in Love

Help others be immersed in Advent this season through our social media.
Thank you for Supporting Everyday Sanctuary!

Many Blessings,
Pastor Abigail
Creator | Curator of Everyday Sanctuary
Your Spiritual Life Matters

Spirituality is not dead. On Amazon and Instagram it’s easy to dip your toe into Buddhism, gurus, experts, meditation, crystal healing, embodiment, inner work; But how easy is it to dip your toe in the Christian faith?

For some reason the image of stepping stones is vivid; on one side a bank where we begin life and on the other a point at which this life ends. In between there is flowing water and stepping stones that stand as particular moments in our life that lead us one way or another. There are so many stones available and thousands of directions possible. Each step is taken one at a time, sometimes forwards, back, sideways.

I was raised in the church and I am thankful for that. But I have also moved forward, back and sideways visiting temples, rituals, incense heavy prayer services, reading the metaphysical, wandered through spiritual texts, and using the unchristian to deepen my experience. I moved within these places still sensing faith.

Spirituality is not dead. On Amazon and Instagram it’s easy to dip your toe into Buddhism, gurus, experts, meditation, crystal healing, embodiment, inner work (and “Real Christians” tend to avoid these places); But how easy is it to dip your toe in the Christian faith?
 
Dipping your toe implies an infinitesimal submersion – testing out a tiny portion of your toe in something different. It’s not surrender – it’s easy to slip out and that’s the point. Few people submerge themselves into anything before dipping their toe. My Toddler takes a teeny bite of something new before it can ever become his favorite.

If I had to dip my toe into the Christian faith now, I’m not sure I would know how. Read a book, a gospel, go to church, listen to a podcast, pray they would say – all of which are more than infinitesimal commitments and all of whose content is typically created and curated for ‘already Christians;’ the person who already checked the Gallup poll as ‘church goer.’ But in 2020, only 47% of Americans said they belonged to a church, synagogue or mosque.¹

There is a new majority who does not belong to a place of worship but may have a soul string deeply tied to Seeking; who is equally in the river stepping between stones and testing the waters. What have you created for them?

I don’t always turn the comments on when I post something. But I think comments from Christians and Seekers would be eye opening. I know Christians who will find this blog to be too Unorthodox and Seekers for which Christianity is the pain inducing floor lava they will avoid at all costs. I see you – I get both. I’m gonna keep on stepping.

Everyday Sanctuary’s free mobile app intentionally meets people where they are and puts seekers first to help make Sanctuary for all.
 
¹ https://news.gallup.com/poll/341963/church-membership-falls-below-majority-first-time.aspx

You’ve tried it right? ⨁ 5 minutes of Sanctuary
It’s people like you who make it possible for us to continue creating set-aside space to breathe, center and find Spirit. Everyday Sanctuary is a satisfying spiritual practice in 5 minutes or less, everywhere you are. We created the Everyday Sanctuary app so there's no distractions...(or at least no ads.) No feeds, follows, scrolling just Presence.

Join the Journey | Our patrons make Everyday Sanctuary possible. Everyday Sanctuary exists to be a free daily 5 minute mobile app-based spiritual practice focused on the spiritually curious. As of today over 1,500 people have connected to Everyday Sanctuary and our goal is for 5,000 people to breath deep and connect anew with God in 2021.

Top 3 Reasons to become a Patron:
1.  You felt something through a simple daily reminder or deep breath prayer through Everyday Sanctuary.
2.  There’s no alternative seeker-celebrating 5 mins a day spirituality for busy people.
3.  Your gift of $3.65 to $365 supports 365 days of personal practices available worldwide through the Everyday Sanctuary App.

Our goal is to fund 2022 and continue. Patreon is a specific way for App-enjoyers to Give Back. Your support is what makes it possible for Everyday Sanctuary to continue in ministry and reach new people. Go to Patreon to learn more about supporting Everyday Sanctuary https://www.patreon.com/everydaysanctuary

Many Thanks!
Pastor Abigail, creator of Everyday Sanctuary

by Rev. Lydia Sohn

What are the spiritual practices that nourish you and help you stay connected with God? There are so many that if you’re like me, you’ve probably practiced a variety of them over the years, with some of them waxing and waning. Common practices include praying, meditating, studying the Bible individually or in community, journaling, reading, going to church, reciting scriptural passages or rote prayers, etc.

And they are just that—practices—that are meant to be consistently and steadily done to yield spiritual growth and transformation, in the same way consistent physical exercise yields bodily health and strength. The benefits would be meager or even zilch if they were only done sporadically.

I myself place a high value on regular spiritual practices, many of which I’ve blogged about here and here.

Not only have I been an avid seeker and practitioner of daily spiritual practices, I’ve also, for much of my adult life, been in the habit of attending week-long retreats in monasteries or convents. These sojourns rarely sounded fun to my friends and family members, but I can think of nothing more restful and rejuvenating. To leave behind the business of my day-to-day responsibilities and revel in God’s sweet and loving presence is more indulgent to me than a tropical vacation in a five-star hotel.

Not surprisingly, becoming a mother not only interfered with my ability to take several day-long retreats (let alone week-long ones) in solitude, it has also interfered my regular spiritual practices that were as routine as my morning cup of coffee—which, by the way, has also been interfered with.

Those who have parented young children are all too familiar with why this is the case. For those who aren’t as familiar, let me lay it out as simply as possible: Children are the biggest time-sucks God has ever created. They’re blessings, no doubt, but big time-suck blessings.

And we’re not even talking about what happened to parents’ already limited time after the pandemic started, when every single support system that enabled parents to juggle children, careers, and personal lives was stripped away: schools, grandparents, playgrounds, amusement parks, libraries, and most importantly, community. Never mind finding a couple minutes to pray by myself; I had to use that precious slot of time to shower!

During this most chaotic period of my life, I felt further away from God than I had ever felt before, and that compelled me to think of the most meaningful spiritual encounters I have had in previous years. I wanted to see if I could reconstruct them, somehow, in the midst of my spiritual wasteland.

After cataloguing these experiences on a notepad, I was disconcerted to notice that everything listed was when I was by myself, for an extended period of time—a challenging treasure for any parent of young children to find.

Despondent, I accepted this new reality and carried on for a while. Then, one day, I made a surprising discovery. I was leading a small group at my church through an exercise akin to St. Ignatius’ daily examen and invited the individuals to bring to mind moments of their lives when they sensed that the sacred was present. I participated as well, and all the memories that bubbled forth were ones with my children, doing an activity I found mind-numbingly dull at the time, like putting one block on top of another or saying “vroom!” as I rolled a Hot Wheel over the carpet. During the reflection time, though, I realized those were my new moments of connection with God.

God was still with me! God was still meeting me and nourishing me and telling me that God loved me—it was just taking a different form than the one I was used to, by myself in the mountains somewhere. This profound realization dispelled my belief that I was less spiritual than I was before I had children, when I had the liberty to spend hours with God in solitude.

This, I now see, is what is meant when theologians and ministers refer to the sacramentality of everyday life—that one no longer needs to retreat to find God (although, it is lovely when individuals can find the time to do that). God reveals God’s very presence through the most trivial and humdrum moments of our day: while peeling potatoes, responding to emails, and yes, even putting one block on top of another with a toddler. I suspect Jesus had this in mind when he said, “Let the children come to me.” For him, children were no less significant or holy than the venerable religious leaders of his day.

Over one year has passed since the pandemic officially started and society (as well as my family) seems to be returning somewhat to pre-pandemic normalcy. I’ve begun carving out a little time for my daily centering prayer practices in the morning once again, but I go easy on myself when I’m too tired or frantic. Occasionally, my son will rise a bit sooner than expected and interrupt me mid-prayer. Instead of getting frustrated, I envelop him into my lap and keep praying, ever more grateful for him in my life.

Dear reader, no matter where you are in your life, parenting young children and struggling to find the time to nourish your spiritual lives, unaffiliated with any religious or faith traditions but wanting to connect with God, or maintaining a robust spiritual life and wanting to learn more about other spiritual practices to add on, let me say this, as one who deeply believes in the power of regular spiritual practices but has gone through different seasons with more and less time to actually do those practices:  

God is with you no matter how much time or little time you’re able to carve out for God.

If you can spare the time, however, I most recommend two practices. First, find some sort of spiritual community to meet with regularly. Our communities can support and nurture us when we don’t have the energy or motivation to feed our souls. Second, choose one practice to do by yourself regularly. You can start small, just be as consistent as you can. My favorites are centering prayer, the daily examen, and the lectio divina bible study. And, hey, there may be times when your little one interrupts. When that happens, you can swoop him into your arms and thank God for this other most buoyant spiritual practice in your life.

The Rev. Lydia Sohn is an United Methodist ordained elder within the California Pacific Conference. She left her full-time church appointment at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to blog, write a book, and be a stay-at-home mom for her two young kids. Follow along at www.revlydia.com.

I once preached a sermon that involved a shirt with what looked to be a very bloody wound on the side and the words “I’m fine …” printed across the chest. I paired it with Psalm 88, the only psalm that doesn’t end with a nice bow around it. My goal? I wanted to let people know that you can have Jesus and a therapist, too. I admitted my own struggles with mental health and that I also have Jesus and a therapist, too. This broke down a wall that is often between pastors and those we lead.

Pastors are humans. We laugh. We cry. We love. We make mistakes. We feel.
This is obvious but I get the feeling that people in the pews sometimes forget this. The pastor should be strong, smart, and godly in a way they couldn’t possibly reach. And pastors may respond by putting up a facade that matches these expectations. I’ve done it. I have found, however, that breaking down the facade helps me and the people I lead to grow deeper in their spirituality.
 
Sermons have the power to break stigmas.
Some Christians think mental health issues can be evidence of a lack of faith. They may hide their struggles for fear of what others might think. Christians are supposed to be happy and have their life together all the time, right? We all may know this is untrue but we walk around with this bleeding wound in our side and say to one another, “I’m fine.” Sermons can give permission to the congregation to speak about what may be considered taboo. And pastors know something about mental health.
 
Pastors diagnosed with clinical depression doubled the national average, according to Duke University. Nearly one in four pastors struggle with mental illness, LifeWay Research found. We can’t pretend we are fine all the time. To do so would keep us feeling alone in our struggle. To not speak about our mental health may also keep others in their own isolation.

I have found preaching on mental health and relating my own struggles to the congregation has enabled vulnerability from others. My sermons aren’t therapy sessions or opportunities to pour out my guts for all to see but I tell people I see a therapist and that I am on medication. I tell them I have bad days without getting into all the gory details. Here’s a part of the sermon I preached with the “I’m fine …” t-shirt:

“I have no problem admitting I am working through depression. I say, ‘I’m fine’ to people all the time when I am not. I feel disingenuous about it, but it’s part of the social contract. Most people who ask me how I am doing really don’t want to hear the whole answer. They are just being polite. But those close to me help me carry my burdens. They help me to think through problems, listen when I need to vent, comfort when I need comfort, correct when I need correcting, and love above all else. 
I talk to a therapist a couple of times a month. I sometimes need help processing my emotions. I sometimes need help seeing through the fog of thoughts in my head. I have found it helpful to drop the, ‘I’m fine,’ act around therapists and just get real. They are trained in walking people through all kinds of things. They can see through, ‘I’m fine.’ I also take an antidepressant to help me feel better. I know that simply saying, ‘I’m fine,’ isn’t going to make it so.
I also turn to God in prayer. And sometimes my prayer sounds like Psalm 88.”

I point back to people in scriptures who struggled with depression. I say it’s okay to come to God in prayer without having to make it nice and polished. God knows us. God made us. God loves us completely - even if we feel we have some unlovable things about us. This is a reality that draws us closer to God. And then I get that conversation after worship, that phone call, or that email. Sometimes it’s as simple as, “Thanks for saying that today,” or “I needed to hear that.” Other times it may be someone scheduling a time to talk more deeply with me. Some have asked me for referrals for mental health professionals. These conversations didn’t happen before I started preaching on mental health. The sermons allowed people to break out of isolation and be vulnerable with someone about their mental health. This is where healing can begin.

I ended my t-shirt sermon this way: 
“If you are struggling with depression right now, I’m telling you it is okay for you to not be okay. You can say, ‘I’m fine.’ But find someone to help you address the wound. Confide in God. Shout, scream, wrestle. God is there walking with you. Find a loved one you trust to carry your burden. Have at least one person with whom you can be real. And find a therapist if you don’t have one. If your back was hurting you’d see a chiropractor. If your tooth was hurting you’d see a dentist. If you had heart trouble you’d see a cardiologist. If you have trouble with your mind see a therapist. It doesn’t mean you have less faith. It means you are availing yourself to the help you need.
You can have Jesus and a therapist, too. I do and so do many others I know.” 

I put emergency contact numbers on the screen for local, state, and national mental health resources as well as my number. I’m a pastor who struggles with mental health. Sharing my story has helped others to seek help with their own struggles. They see that God loves them completely and is walking with them in their struggles.

Pastors, I encourage you to be vulnerable. Be bold. Be brave. Be you. You will set an example for the congregation that it is okay to have Jesus and a therapist, too.

Rev. Brian Lothridge is a United Methodist deacon, writer, advocate, and musician. He blogs as brianlothridge.wordpress.com

Earth Day in the US was founded in 1970 as a way to bring the issue of environmentalism to the national stage. The campaign has successfully brought greater attention to all our various environmental struggles but as we’ve seen, celebrating Earth Day each year on April 22 has not solved very many of them. Climate change continues to harm millions of humans and wildlife each year. As inhabitants of this plan and as followers of the One who created it and every living thing on it, we would do well to consider every day Earth day.

Sometimes I think we forget, we aren’t separate from nature, we are a part of God’s Creation. In fact, humanity is  what the psalmist referred to as the ‘crowning jewel’ of Creation, the final thing God made before resting. So if you’re planning to get out and enjoy nature today for Earth Day, and I hope you do, why not make it a regular part of your spiritual practice. No matter the weather or what’s going on in your schedule, take 1 minute to look around you and take 4 or 5 deep breaths outdoors each day. We need to connect with nature, to be reminded who we are and whose we are, our place in the universe, and why we’re here: to be caretakers of this gift.

As God’s beloved creatures, we are called to live and lead as good stewards of the Earth and all the resources God has provided for us here. I know how overwhelming it can feel to work on global concerns and I also know how empowering it is to have a community of people working on these issues together. Today you will likely see various suggestions on how to “be more green”. Doing these things as individuals is great but you can increase your impact by helping the communities you’re a part of be a little more green all year long. A few years ago, my church decided to give up Styrofoam. We’re not perfect at it but any effort is better than none at all! So decide today what you can help your church, workplace, school, or other community do to better care for God’s Creation. And remember, every day you wake up on Earth is Earth day!

Rev. Corey Turnpenny, pastor of Church in the Wild
churchinthewild.org

Maundy Thursday is a beautiful and heavy day. It is a day that we recognize the heaviness of the betrayal in the midst of the promise. 

On this particular Maundy Thursday, I feel its weight a little more. I feel a touch more connected to those that sat around a table; only them, quiet, unsure, glad to be together but curious as to what their futures held. 

And in a way, I feel the betrayal. 
Not the betrayal Jesus felt. But the betrayal that those eleven other men felt around the table. They had their flesh and blood Savior sitting at the head of their table, pulling fishing nets up with them, walking dirt roads with them, speaking to crowds with them. He was their life...and He left them. One of their own snatched Him away from them right out from under their noses. They were betrayed by their normal. 
We were betrayed by our normal. 

We could not comprehend the things like sharing a meal with a friend, going fishing with a friend, taking a drive with a friend, going to church with a friend that we were taking for granted. We may have appreciated them but we had come to trust their consistency so much and the normality of community so much that when it was snatched from us right from under our noses, we reared back in tears of betrayal because these are our constants! These are the little things we don’t think of, we expect to be there every day, we wash rinse and repeat daily and they are just gone. 
Our normal betrayed us and it is dark in this betrayal. 

On this particular Maundy Thursday, I feel a touch more connected to those that sat around that table because they felt the darkness and the scary and the betrayal in the shortest amount of time that felt like a lifetime. This pandemic time we are in now is a betrayal of our normal. It is the darkness and the scary and it feels like a lifetime. 

But it is a season. It is a moment of time between the betrayal and what came next. Easter. 

Easter will come. 
Easter is coming, my friends. 
And it could not come as beautifully without Maundy Thursday.

Ruth Amensen works with youth and young adults at Second Presbyterian Church in Little Rock, AR. Growing up, her mom used to tell her that she would know she'd found their calling in life when she figured out where her deep joy meets the world's deep need. Ruth has found that her deep joy doesn't necessarily have one deep root but wide spread roots in all kinds of different artistic areas (photography, videography, writing, podcasting). Creating is when she feels closest to her Creator, so she spends a lot of her time observing and reflecting on our world and its beautiful inhabitants. And then she celebrates those God-filled people and moments on paper, film, and mic. You can find out more at ruthamensen.com or @ruth.amensen on Instagram.

by The Rev. Callie Swanlund 

How do you measure a year?
When the first anniversary of my beloved parent’s death rolled in, my already-raw grief was broken wide open. No longer could I name the places we were and the laughs we shared six or nine months ago. No longer could I mark time with a series of lasts from the past 365 days. A whole year completed a circuit and cut me off completely from what was before.

We each have our own anniversary of when life changed for us around this time last year. Mine was Friday the 13th when I woke up terrified because of my fever and aches, and sought out one of only four tests available in the city.

Whatever your day was, your year-long circuit of a life lived in pandemic is recently or soon to be complete. On this one-year mark, it’s important to take time to mourn what we’ve lost and how our lives have been forever altered.

For some of us, it’s been a full year without a hug, or a full year without in-person school. A priest friend told me she hadn’t celebrated eucharist in a full year, and another friend is preparing to celebrate their second pandemic birthday. We remember watching the death toll and case count climb daily, some of our own beloveds included in that number.

This anniversary is important. Our bodies bear the tension. Our hearts ache. Our minds carry the burden.

Wholehearted Beloveds:
What has been lost for you in the past year?
What heartache do you carry?

There is plenty of time to name the growth and goodness and meaning making of this past year, and we will create space for that together. When Jesus was in the tomb for three days before rising, his beloveds mourned deeply. So this week, let us create space for one another’s grief. Let us mark this time together.

Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes.
Five hundred twenty five thousand moments of fear.
five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes.
How do you measure,
Measure a year?
In lost sleep?
In death tolls?
In zoom calls?
In cups of coffee?
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife?
In five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes.
How do you measure a year of lost life?*

*Inspired by Rent

[This reflection was originally published as part of the Wholehearted Wednesday series, a movement Callie began to encourage deeper reflection and connection across social media platforms.]

The Rev. Callie Swanlund is an Episcopal priest serving in Philadelphia, helping others Find their Spark, and building a creative ministry. She leads individuals and groups in the work of Dr. Brené Brown as a Certified Daring Way Facilitator. Callie is a mama, creator, lover, and dreamer who has created a virtual and traveling space—The Epiphany Space—for others to discover and use their creative gifts, and learn the digital tools to tell their story. Find out more at CallieSwanlund.com, listen to her podcast Journey to Epiphany on all platforms, and follow her Wholehearted Wednesday movement through @callieswanlund on instagram.

So if you can believe it the published #1CrazyYear practice is NOT the whole thing.
I wrote more and I am only sharing it here.

It’s been 1 Year of sit and stay
of making unlighthearted decisions
of staying safe.
Of stop-gap comforts
a hot shower, comfort food, virtual friends,
thru a window family.

I’ve heard to be positive.
It’s all about mindset. Don’t be negative.

My mood is an unrelenting rain upon what?
This is not a parade.
This is not less work  -- this is More
But the kind of more you never wish for.
More uncertainty, more death,
More unemployment, more fear mongering,
More frustration, more bodies at home.
Less showers, space, sleep
Less friends, hobbies, hope.
 
I really don’t want to be too rosy about this.
I need a day to break.
I need a Daybreak - something that redefines life
That sheds real light on why we're doing what we're doing
instead of veiled optimism
filtered and photoshopped.

Where are those photojournalists?
That take photos of Real Life
on battlegrounds, and fallen towers
and stacked bodybags
Where are you?
Where is the true truth of
messy homes, and sleep deprived eyes
and bodies aging too fast
and spirits worn to the seams.

I wonder if anyone else feels this way
I wonder what kind of life is making due
and worry it can still get worse.

I'm not giving up - hell no
but you can’t hold it together forever you know.
I am alive but not full of life
Is anyone now?

Drops of joy must fill this cup now
It will take longer than we realize
one hug will not be enough.

So today hold those you can
Listen to the songs of your soul
scream or cry or both
Laugh at something ridiculous you bought.

I don’t know if we should throw axes,
or break plates
or scream and light ritual fires,
squeeze something tight or flail dance to
It’s the End of the World as We Know It
or solemnly cry alone.

I don’t know but We mark this day
We scribble in thick black Sharpie™
through its existence
Marking 1 Crazy Year

Early
while it was still dark
and grief clouded their thoughts
before the coffee
Even before they picked up their phone
I went to the tomb.
 
Early
while it was still dark
I went running
racing to know what I'll find, Looking for Life
afraid someday I'll find the tomb locked up.
 
So I rise Early
while it's still dark, Looking for Life.
Chasing an empty tomb which means
Life is still Alive.
He is Risen.

Invite people to download the Everyday Sanctuary mobile app, 1 Crazy Year will be available on the app March 13-16

Sign Up to receive free 1 CRAZY YEAR Toolkit at:
https://everydaysanctuary.com/1-crazy-year-for-org

I look outside and I see winter
This bluster of unknowns that makes me weary to go outside.
I am halfway deep
where Midlife means I am neither at the beginning or the end;
We are half past the awe of newly fallen snow but not yet nearing Spring.

At night sometimes the sky is light from moon glowed snow
a feather light fabric that blankets the world.
It is quiet yet heavy in how it envelopes the landscape
and summer seems far off.

I believe a day will come when the cold night ends
and we can embrace again    but
for now I settle in
marking Midwinter.

Resource for Churches and persons who anticipate practicing Ash Wednesday at home. This is a guide that can be use by itself or to compliment worship.