When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.” The house of Israel called it manna…
Pumpkins. Harvested from a vine or a can?
“On the drive home from our morning’s errands we even passed a pumpkin field where an old man and a younger one worked together to harvest their crop, passing up the orange globes and stacking them on the truck bed to haul to market. We’d driven right into a Norman Rockwell painting. Every dog has its day, and even the lowly squash finally gets its month. We may revile zucchini in July, but in October we crown its portly orange…
Born to Farming
The Man Born to Farming by Wendell Berry The grower of trees, the gardener, the man born to farming, whose hands reach into the ground and sprout, to him the soil is a divine drug. He enters into death yearly, and comes back rejoicing. He has seen the light lie down in the dung heap, and rise again in the corn. His thought passes along the row ends like a mole. What miraculous seed has he swallowed that the unending…
Gardening and Godliness
“I think gardening is nearer to godliness than theology. True gardeners are both iconographers and theologians insofar as these activities are the fruit of prayer ‘without ceasing.’ Likewise, true gardeners never cease to garden, not even in their sleep, because gardening is not just something they do. It is how they live.” -Vigen Gerona, from The Fragrance of God Is there a way in which your practice of faith is “never ceasing?” How is it that you “live”. What would…
Weeding or planting?
” In my world, gardening consists of a desperate scramble to remove marauding foliage before it engulfs the house. PLANT something? When? I suppose It might help if I were diligent. But I’m more of a diva gardener, awaiting the muse’s call. Conditions must be perfect — not too hot or cold or wet or buggy — or I simply cannot set foot on the leafy stage. But occasionally, the stars do align and I head bravely into the yard,…
Toward Sunday
We continue our summer worship series, Notice Grace All Summer, with reflection on gardening. Worship this coming Sunday will invite us to consider what the church might learn from gardening and be rooted in Psalm 85. The psalm begins with remembrance of God restoring the community in the past. The psalmist pleads for God to renew their struggling community. The psalm closes with celebration of God’s blessing and deliverance. Think of a time when your garden seemed hopeless in the…
Rest Day and Sabbath
Rest days are important in Crossfit. Your body needs time to recover from intense workouts. Here are a few folks from our community of faith reflecting on the importance of Rest Days: [wpvideo TcR6TFMQ] While the church could learn a great deal from Crossfit, our Christian tradition has a unique take on rest days or Sabbath. Dorothy Bass writes, “Sabbath keeping is not about taking a day off but about being recalled to our knowledge of and gratitude for God’s…
Functional Fitness and Functional Faith
We shared this video last summer and we think it’s worth revisiting. This grandfather was in the worst shape of his life just a few years ago. Crossfit has been transformational. Watch his story here: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=folIky4brRo&feature=player_embedded] How is your experience of rooting your life in Grace through worship shaping the way you live and move and have your being in your every day life? How is your experience of gathering weekly to watch over in love the folks in your…
Setting Goals in Crossfit and Faith
Denise’s first goal in Crossfit was a handstand pushup. She met that goal some time ago, but tries them over and over again on a regular basis to keep her skills and strength up. Last fall many of us submitted Deep Commitment cards. We were asked to consider how we would like to deepen our commitment to our community of faith for the coming year. We set goals in the following areas: rooted in Grace How do you hope to…
Breath prayer
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/23569694] Did you know there is a way of praying known as “The Breath Prayer”? When you breathe in you say “Lord Jesus” and when you breathe out you say “have mercy”. You may choose your own words, but the point is that prayer can be as natural and necessary as breathing in and out. With few syllables you may express your hope, your desire, your need, your love…to grow in faith. Here are a few examples: “Holy one”…
Crossfit and Church
This short video featuring folks from our community of faith reflecting on Crossfit will give you a preview of worship this Sunday. Watch here: [wpvideo dQ8eaTB1]
Toward Sunday
We continue our summer worship series, Notice Grace All Summer, with reflection on Crossfit & church this Sunday. How was fitness a part of your childhood? How do you relate to fitness today? Crossfit is a rapidly growing fitness program started by Greg & Lauren Glassman in 2000. Over 3,400 Crossfit gyms have opened in the last twelve years across the county. In an article titled “Understanding CrossFit” (April 2007) Coach Greg Glassman writes, We sought to build a program that would best prepare trainees…
Grace all season
“You see, you spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball, and in the end it turns out it was the other way around all the time” ~ Jim Bouton, pitcher “What you have to remember is that baseball isn’t a week or a month but a season – and a season is a long time.” ~ Chuck Tanner Learning how to recognize God’s Grace in our daily life takes time and practice. “Looking back” is one way…