September 3 for 3: the (not very) September-ish 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.
First, a photo from this month
Goldenrod and Saltwater Marsh = 2 of my favorite things!
“‘I guess I’m just feeling Septemberish,’ sighed Chester. ‘It’s getting towards Autumn now. And it’s so pretty up in Connecticut. All the trees change color. The days get very clear - with a little smoke on the horizon from burning leaves. Pumpkins begin to come out.’ ”
Sometime during my elementary school years, a teacher read this delightful book to my class, and even though I had no idea I’d actually be living in Connecticut one day, I’ve loved it ever since. This year, the quote didn’t even come to mind until late last week.
It’s been the least September-ish September I’ve ever seen. And I don’t even have kids to send back to school. I have one college student taking online classes so I guess that’s not entirely true. And I have a son who teaches middle school in Austin and he’s still teaching virtually and working his heart out to advocate for school teachers in his district to be protected by the district in their plans to return to in-person in the near future. (Yes, that’s my son Alex quoted here, here, and here this week. I’m so glad teachers in Austin have an Alex Murphy advocating for them!)
Those of you trying to thread the needle of protecting your children and keeping them in healthy learning rhythms have my heartfelt prayers. Those of you who work your hearts out within an already-complicated education system have my heartfelt prayers. Those of you carrying both of those burdens at the same time, I send you a giant virtual hug and all of my respect. God bless you. For real.
So, normally September inspires several batches of our family’s all-time favorite back-to-school cookies and it just hasn’t felt right this year. Maybe that will change in October. [Note: The introductory sentence to my cookie recipe was written loooong before the potential for our current POTUS to ever be the POTUS was even within the remote reaches of my imagination. I leave the sentence there for posterity.]
What has September felt for you? What are you hoping to experience in October?
No matter what you’re navigating, may you sense the love, beauty, and peace of Christ around and within you as we head into October.
Tamara
p.s., On my Patreon page this week, I wrote a love note to all of you who’ve found your schedules and personal space trampled by the unexpected changes of this pandemic. You can see an excerpt here on Instagram.
Some of what I’ve been working on the past few weeks.
Announcing Calling Stories & Calling Conversations
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 and to add some sweet bonus features for my Patreon community. Click through the link for all the details!
What We Did This Summer: A Follow-up
I wrote a summary of the extraordinary series of retreats we completed this summer. Spiritual Practices for Living as an Antiracist Person. offered the invitation to this conversation out of a deep personal need for a place to listen prayerfully to the Holy Spirit, voices of Black brothers and sisters and people of color, and my own heart. I felt strongly I needed the security and accountability of a community to do this work and am forever grateful I wasn't the only one feeling that need. I'm not sure I would've known the way forward without the generous resources and insight of my friend and fellow Spiritual Director, Vernée Wilkinson.
This post includes an excerpt from a Q&A with Vernée that's a good word for all of us right now.
In case you missed it: 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 latest five-minute story:
If you’re not yet a patron, join us by clicking on the link below!
My next review for the Englewood Review of Books will publish soon. I’ll keep you posted!
In the meantime, here’s some of what I’ve written in the past that folks are still reading:
Plough Quarterly: The Hole In Wendell Berry’s Gospel
Art House America: Heading Home
Englewood Review of Books: A Feature Review of Placemaker:
Cultivating Places of Comfort, Beauty, and Peace by Christie Purifoy
Announcing Calling Stories: Reimagined for third annual guest post series
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 and to add some sweet bonus features for my Patreon community. Click through the link for all the details!
13 Things I Learned This Summer
From the hard to the happy to the silly good, here are 13 things I learned this summer! How about you? What have you been learning?
In case you missed it: August 3 for 3: the Prophetic Resistance of Flowers edition
Some of the online truth, goodness, and beauty, I’ve enjoyed the past few weeks.
Justice Songs & Lament Songs from The Porter’s Gate
Two gorgeous and timely albums released this month from the thoughtful, diverse collective of musicians known as The Porter’s Gate. Like apples in silver are these words fitly spoken. Two meaningful reflections to read as you listen: A Few Words About the Song “O Sacred Neck, Now Wounded” and this beautiful review from Victoria Emily Jones at Art & Theology blog, Songs of Lament and Justice by The Porter’s Gate.
Last September I was invited to brainstorm with an ecumenical group of church leaders on a web project helping folks understand their calling throughout the various seasons of their lives. We hoped to create a spin-off from the Creating A Culture of Calling initiative as an inviting online space to consider that we’re all called. Sometimes we discover our calling through experiences of joy and celebration, other times through difficulty, challenge, or loss. This site helps people explore what their life experiences might help them discover their own callings. This conversation feels more important now than ever as all of our daily assumptions normal have been challenged.
Season of Creation: The annual Christian celebration of prayer and action for our common home
Following the lead of ecumenical Christian leaders (including Pope Francis in 2015), Christians worldwide have embraced the season as part of their annual calendar. The season starts 1 September, the Day of Prayer for Creation, and ends 4 October, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology beloved by many Christian denominations.
Throughout the month-long celebration, the world’s 2.2 billion Christians come together to care for our common home Check out the 2020 Celebration Guide: Jubilee For the Earth for suggestions on how to join in.
I’ve created a playlist for the Season of Creation here: Join With All Nature
The blessing of ‘I love - you’ by Aryeh Ben David via The Times of Israel
Perfect and lovely encouragement for all of us right now: “Saying the same words in the same way to different people robs them of their deeper truth. It’s not that ‘I love you’, but it’s ‘I love you’. I wish I could say ‘I love you’ in an infinite number of colors. In a limitless range of notes and melodies. Everyone would have the color and tune and even a special fragrance that was just for them. Then hearing their personal ‘I love you’ would raise their awareness of how special and requisite they are in this world. ‘I love you’ wouldn’t just be a closing at the end of a phone call, but an empowering summoning and reminder to each person of their indispensable significance. It would cease to be so much about the ‘I’. ”
Christian Discipleship & the 2020 Election via Coracle
Speaking of loving people…
I’m participating in these offerings as much as I’m able this fall. I listened to The Moral Burden of Voting with Michael Wear, the Chief Strategist for the & Campaign, and felt a sense of non-anxiety about the way forward. That’s a pretty big deal.
Robert Chao Romero on The Brown Church via Fuller Studio
I enjoyed this podcast interview with Robert Chao Romero, professor of Chicana/o studies and Asian American studies at UCLA. With warmth and straightforward insight, Romero shares about the long history of the Latina/o church and the necessity of a holistic gospel, which prioritizes both evangelism and social justice.
He is the author of Brown Church: Five Centuries of Latina/o Social Justice, Theology, and Identity (IVP Academic 2020), Here’s a review of the book from Scot McKnight via CT: The Brown Church is Multicultural.
Your Stargazing Guide To Fall: One ‘Halloween Blue Moon,’ Two Eclipses And A Once-In-397 Years Sight via Forbes
Don’t miss the Harvest Moon on October 1!
The Glory of the World’s Twilight: A Tribute to Autumn by Ian Olson via Mockingbird
A brief and lovely theological reflection on autumn.
Savoring the Season via Ignatian Spirituality
A simple, practical invitation to carve out some time to absorb the beauty of the Creator’s handiwork all around us this fall.
- Bonus -
Some random funny and/or sweet things I’ve enjoyed lately and think you might, too.
Baby panda shenanigans (This zookeeper is so over the cuteness.)
Baby sees her first waterfall (Just watch her face!)
The dog is so proud of his stick collection (Too Cute. Viewer discretion advised.)
Three books I’m currently reading:
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
Re-reading one of my favorite novels with Apostles Reads.
Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian Community by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Another favorite re-read with my church small group. It’s kind of stunning to read this in the context of 2020. Highly recommend!
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
Thanks to our friend Dennis for mailing me this gift out of the blue! I read Wilkerson’s Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration and am once again stunned by her ability to create page-turning stories from complicated, broad histories.
Read a helpful review by Justin Worland at Time here: ''Racism' Did Not Seem Sufficient.' Author Isabel Wilkerson on the American Caste System.
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