October 3 for 3: Wedding, All Saints, and an Election edition
A curated list of what I've been up to lately plus work from other creators and cultivators who are helping us worship God, love people, and enjoy beauty.
Happy November, friends! Can you even believe it?
2020 is a thief. Not just grand larceny level but a pickpocket and a kleptomaniac. The forces that have converged this year will rob everything in sight. For our family that included my daughter's wedding originally scheduled for April 25, 2020.
On October 10, together, with God's help, we held the four corners of celebration so that Kendra and Jordan could find shelter for their covenant to God and each other.
This must always happen, of course. No marriage stands on its own. But if I could, I would hand out actual superhero capes for each person who contended with the chaos in order to hold onto the joy with us.
It takes a family to raise a child. Thank you, Harold and Jane, for welcoming us into yours. Thank you for the priceless gift of your son (as well as that dynamite rehearsal dinner), Jon Jackson for standing up for all of us in so many ways, Jessica Bria for her grace and generosity (thank you guys for literally giving us the gift of cheer), Andrew, Alex, Rebekah, and Natalie for laying down all that you are carrying right now so that your hands were open to pick up the pieces of joy 2020 kept trying to steal from this celebration, and to Brian for the fierce love you pursue us with to keep our hearts safe.
It takes a Church to raise a family. Thank you to all of you who've loved and prayed and given to help Kendra & Jordan begin their life as the Jackson family. Thank you especially for the sacrifice many of you made to enter into the scary unknown of a pandemic-era wedding celebration (which, as it turns out, is not altogether unlike entering the scary unknown of marriage!). May God bless and keep you all - the ones we got to see and the ones we carried with us in our hearts.
It takes Father, Son, and Spirit to raise a Church. Thank you to our silly-good God for lavishing beauty on this day (especially the October brilliance), to the Holy Spirit for binding our hearts together when together has never felt harder, and to the Most Wonderful Jesus for being the Founder of the Feast - giving us His very self as the gifts of God for the people of God.
The song that Jordan chose for the ceremony reminded us, Jesus, that we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. And this mother of the bride wants to testify that all shall be well, all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well. Until the wedding feast our hearts are most longing for, thank you, Jesus, for this little taste. We love You.
As we all head from one doozy of a month into another, friends may you all know the comfort and care of family, church, and friends as well as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit this month,
Tamara
p.s. Most of the stunning wedding photos I’ve shared come from the super skilled and very kind Zai at Zai Photography. Here’s her quick recap of Kendra & Jordan’s wedding: Mr. & Mrs. Jackson, Bridgeport, CT
p.p.s. One of many, many people we wish we could give a superhero cape to, our friend Adiel Dominguez, who at the last minute was willing to video record the ceremony and then surprised us with this gorgeous montage of the morning. Thank you, Adiel!
Some of what I’ve been working on the past few weeks.
Join us by clicking on the link below!
1.Daybook Patrons: Advent is coming!
Watch for some exciting news about how we’ll be celebrating Advent together this year, friends. For now, here’s a peek back at Advent Daybook 2019.
2. Daybook Patrons: Ordinary Time Daybook posts
A Daybook devotional post each Sunday for the 25 weeks between Pentecost and Advent. Ordinary Time is the longest season of the church calendar - a season of working and resting with Christ as he brings God's kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Don’t miss this week’s Daybook post for All Saints Day, featuring Malcolm Guite’s gorgeous sonnet, one of my all-time favorite hymns, and delightful work from artist Sam Wedelich.
3. Stories & Daybook Patrons: Five-Minute Fridays
For the remaining weeks of Ordinary Time, I'll be sharing a five-minute written reflection on one word I've been pondering. (I'm literally setting a stopwatch for five minutes so that I can just write already!)
Here’s my October Five-Minute stories:
October’s been all about Calling Stories, a refreshed and reimagined series of guest posts for Ordinary Time. In the past two autumns, I’ve hosted a series of guest posts called Work Stories. This year I've reimagined the series to embrace a wider vision of calling.
I’m grateful for the contributors in October and look forward to sharing 1 or 2 more posts to wrap up the series in November.
I don’t have any new links to share right now but do have several projects in the works that I’m excited to share with you soon!
Here are three spaces you’ll find me in the coming months:
Christie Purifoy’s community at Black Barn Online
Some of the online truth, goodness, and beauty, I’ve enjoyed the past few weeks.
All Hallows’ Eve: A Sonnet of Reclamation by Malcolm Guite
Tomorrow is All Saints Day and over on Patreon I’m sharing again one of my all-time favorite Malcolm Guite sonnets: “As we come towards Hallowe’en, it’s worth remembering that the word Hallowe’en itself simply means ‘the eve of all Hallows’, and All Hallows is the Christian feast of All Saints, or All Saints Day’, a day when we think particularly of those souls in bliss who, even in this life, kindled a light for us, or to speak more exactly, reflected for us and to us, the already-kindled light of Christ!”
O God of Earth and Altar (G.K. Chesterton hymn, old & new versions) via Global Christian Worship
A fantastic hymn, if not to sing, then maybe to quote this week: “Few hymns offer so stark a portrait of the human condition—lies, terror, cruelty disguised as niceness, tombs of gold, lazy indifference, pride. It’s stark, and very contemporary. “Swords of scorn divide”: Chesterton could have been watching CNN or Fox News, or following Twitter. Chesterton doesn’t permit a jot of sentimentality. No “Sweet Hour of Prayer” for him; his prayer is an anguished cry. He’s not looking for a gently wafting Spirit; Chesterton invokes divine thunder. He doesn’t want God to hold back, because he knows salvation lies on the far side of judgment: “Smite us and save us all.”
How To Vote as a Christian in a Polarized Election via Diocese of Christ Our Hope
Grateful for our diocese and for Jeff Bailey’s voice: “As followers of Jesus Christ, our allegiance is ultimately to him and his reign. But as followers Christ, how do we make the practical decision on who to vote for in an election, particularly one in a highly polarized environment? Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Bailey addresses this question in this video.”
The Seeds of War Have Already Been Planted. Now What? via Preemptive Love
Sobering but important perspective for our nation: “The reality of war is everyday life, punctuated by violence. A handful of people, fighting with bullets and bombs, while the rest of us try to maintain some pretense of normalcy.”
Fannie Lou Hamer’s testimony to Congress of registering to vote in 1962 via American Rhetoric
I’m hoping my vote this week will honor Fannie Lou Hamer and so many other of our nation’s remarkable citizens: “All of this is on account of we want to register, to become first-class citizens. And if the [Mississippi] Freedom Democratic Party is not seated now, I question America. Is this America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, where we have to sleep with our telephones off of the hooks because our lives be threatened daily, because we want to live as decent human beings, in America?” (See also this version on YouTube)
Election 2020: Three Consistent-Life Approaches via Consistent Life Blog
Let's rescue and restore the meaning of "pro-life" from the grotesque caricature it's become. - “But he’s doing far more to keep pro-abortion resistance going than a president who was actually sincere and understood the issue would. The work of reaching hearts and minds has been made so very much harder because people who are rebelling against the cruelty he’s practiced put pro-life advocacy into that same category. We’re going to have a lot of trouble correcting the stereotypes he’s doing so much to bolster. Mere policy can only do so much, and we need to understand how much of an obstacle he’s setting up for us in years to come.”
2020 Photomicrography Competition via Nikon Small World
If the world feels too large in your window right now, I recommend spending some time having your mind blown here - “The Nikon Small World Competition first began in 1975 as a means to recognize and applaud the efforts of those involved with photography through the light microscope. Since then, Small World has become a leading showcase for photomicrographers from the widest array of scientific disciplines.”
The Reasonably Clean, Fairly Neat, and Comfortably Tidy House via Like Mother, Like Daughter
Recently, a friend asked me what kind of system I recommend for house cleaning. I’ve got several suggestions, but no one says it better than Auntie Leila - “Now, here at Like Mother, Like Daughter we write for people like ourselves. People who would rather be reading than cleaning. People with lots of other people around. People who will stop whatever they are doing to hear a good story. People who like children and dogs, at least in theory. People with big ideas who are continually surprised at the intractability of the material world — its propensity towards disorder, for instance…”
DEVOTED: The Exhibition via Faith & Arts at Christ Church of Austin
I’m sending a virtual round of applause to our friends in Austin for making beauty in this season with this innovative, outdoor exhibit. - “The Faith & Arts ministry is excited to announce the first outdoor art exhibition at Christ Church: DEVOTED. The visual artists of Christ Church have created artwork inspired by some of the themes of our fall sermon series, such as Word, Community, and Eucharist.” Head to the link to see more!
Billy Hollis
Communal Life, 24″ x 24″ oil on wood, 2020
Aritst Statement: “Community is something that’s not easy. We cannot fully love someone if we do not know what causes their pain. We cannot enter that pain unless we do so as a servant. Seeking to hear before we speak. Seeking to help clean rather than point out where the dirt is. Oh Jesus, how I miss touching people! Community is in the flesh. It’s as much physical as it is spiritual. The two can not be separated. As I pondered these things, I began to long for them. Longing to get into the dirtiness of life again. To touch. To feel someone. A picture emerged out of the chaos of my failed attempts and this longing for community. A clear, unwavering picture. Simple. Humble. Kind. Unwanting. It would serve. The work would serve the community.
- Bonus -
Some random TV benefit novelty stuff that we’ve watched recently and think you might enjoy, too.
A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote via HBO Max
'West Wing' reunion special is nostalgic and more poignant than ever via Today
We’ll never get tired of these characters or this writer and thought they handled this reunion with a lot of class. When, oh when, will Sorkin create a spin-off?!?
Father of the Bride Part 3 (ish) to Benefit World Central Kitchen via Netflix
‘Father of the Bride’, the Pandemic, and Me via NYT
The director Nancy Meyers explains how a sort-of sequel was born amid worry and a desire to help. George Banks would approve. Not our favorite Father of the Bride by a long shot, but timely considering we, too, were parents of a bride during a global pandemic!
John Oliver vs Danbury Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 (or The John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant is here!) (with money going to several charities in CT)
Ridiculous, hilarious, and one of the best examples we’ve seen lately of a politician not taking himself too seriously (despite several self-righteous members of Danbury’s Town Council). Thanks to Drake and Kirstin for educating us on the pressing current event (at least for anyone living somewhere near Danbury, CT).
Three books I’m currently reading:
Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery by Mark Charles and Soong-Chan Rah
Hiawatha and the Peacemaker by Robbie Robertson
Life Together:The Classic Exploration of Christian Community by Dietrich Bonhoeffer (re-reading)
May you know the surprising, abundant mercy of God as you enjoy, love, and worship in the coming days and weeks.
Peace, friends.
Read more here - VOTE :: Five-Minute Friday