We are gathering Holiday Stories.  They can be inspirational, humorous or both.  It may be a difficult holiday or a grand one.  We invite them all!

Saint Someone

Write a story about a person in your life that you would like to elevate to sainthood. Pretend it's part of a saint bio book or list all the saints that have impacted your life.

I AM

Today, one of our hymns at church was "Here I Am, Lord"  What are some ways that you feel the spirit stirring in you...can you describe the feeling?  How do you live out your calling and what is your work for the great I AM? 

Rain

The rain has come to stay for awhile! As part of the Seattle culture or as part of a memory or comparison of/to another rainy place that you know, or just because, write about rain! 

The sermon in the leaves

It seems that leaves are all around us these days.  What can the lifecycle of a leaf - how it looks, the process it goes through, how they smell, what you can do with them, etc. teach you about spirituality.  Take a small or broad element of leaves - changing colors, their greenness in the spring, their absence in the winter - and write about it!

Can you hymn a few bars...

What are some titles of hymns (that you make up) that would be relevent to church nowadays or to your faith?  You can make a list or you can write a whole hymn! 

Creative Process

Genisis has a great account of God's creative process.  Re-read Genisis 1 and write a poem, or re-interpretation (from the point of view of God, the animals, etc.) of this creation process.  How is your creative process similar?  Write about creation.

Where Do You See an Altar in the World?

I've been reading Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith by Barbara Brown Taylor.   She talks about finding the sacred in the everyday.  Where have you noticed the sacred in the ordinary lately?  Notice this week the pieces of God that are in everyone and everything and write about it.  Also, if you have some extra time, read Barbara's book! : ) 

Fall

Go crazy and write about Fall!  You know you've been thinking about it!

Renewal

What do you renew in your life?  What is your process or ritual around the things that you renew?  Your energy, your faith, or perhaps something more everyday.  Your coffee supply.  Your pet's licence.  Your commitment to something or someone.  How does this ritual and renewal renew your faith?

Answering Evil with Prayer

What is a profound experience that you've had answering evil with prayer?  How do you face it with courage and light?  I was struck by the following Mark Twain quote today: "But who prays for Satan? Who in eighteen centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most, our one fellow and brother who most needed a friend yet had not a single one, the one sinner among us all who had the highest and clearest right to every Christian's daily and nightly prayers, for the plain and unassailable reason that his was the first and greatest need, he being among sinners the supremest?"

Travel

What is something surprising you learned about yourself or your faith while away from what you normally consider "home"?  Where did you go?  How did the location play a part in this? 

Mary

There are many people named Mary that play an important role in the Bible.  Which most resonates with you in your life?  Do you identify with one? Is there a non-Biblical Mary in your life who is special to you?  Write about Mary today.

What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

Eleanor Roosevelt has a few quotes about doing the thing that scares you and that it gains you courage and confidence (to greatly paraphrase two very amazing quotes of hers).  Today, write about risks you can take to make the world a better place.  They can be large or small.  Or perhaps they can seem small to an observer, but be large to you.  This is a great prompt to do a freewrite on: write for 10 minutes without stopping or editing yourself and see what comes out.  Then take the good stuff out of that and make something out of it : )

All God's Creatures...

Write about the glimpses of God you've seen in or through animals.

This Little Light of Mine

What does your "light" look like, feel like - how can you identify that it is 'your' light - or is it yours?  Can you personify it as a separate entity - a muse that acompanies you or the Holy Spirit? What is the essence of 'you-ness' that you think might stay with your soul?

Summer Weekly Writing Challenge!

Describe what kind of [either] superpower or spiritual gift you have or would like to have.  Can you be a superhero with a spiritual gift instead of a superpower?  What would that be like?

Easter!

For those of you that still have some writing in you, write about Easter - what are your traditions, how do you celebrate the whole season, perhaps write a poem about the sensory elements of it, write what you want to in order to celebrate the season.

Lenten Writing Prompt #46

Write about what your experience has been throughout these 40+ days of writing or reading this blog.  All are welcome to post their thoughts - whether you've read or written once, a few times, or every day.

Good Friday.

What are your experiences with mourning or describe what it's like for you to mourn.

Lenten Writing Pompt #44

Choose one or both of the following to write about:
1.) Write about a 'footwashing experience' you have had - either literally or figuratively.
2.) Write about what you would have done if you were at that last supper.  Who would you have talked to, what would you have overheard and what would you have said to Jesus?

Lenten Writing Prompt #43

What traditions do you have that help you focus your heart and mind for Holy Week?  Do you have anything different you plan to do this year?  Anything that you used to do that you miss?

Lenten Prompt #42

Which of Jesus' disciples do you most identify with and why OR which are you most fascinated by and why?

Lenten Writing Prompt #41

Write about something unexpected or confusing that you found in the Bible and how you processed, resolved or rejected that information.

Lenten Writing Prompt #40

How do you participate in fellowship and what does it mean for you?  How do you connect that to God?

Lenten Writing Prompt #39

What traditions do you have or can you start, to celebrate your OWN baptism on your baptismal anniversary?

Lenten Writing Prompt #38

On Wednesday night services during Lent, we have been reading Dan Erlander's "The Tales of The Pointless People" - a book about how we don't need to accumulate points (for wealth, knowledge, etc.) and we have gotten away from God's original vision of an Eden where people had fun and frolicked in God's name.  How do you frolic and have fun in an Eden-ish way?  What would you like to do?

Lenten Writing Prompt #37

Has God ever spoken to you or moved you through an unexpected person or source?  Write about this experience.

Lenten Writing Prompt #36

What is a meaningful set-prayer or poem that you pray (Now I lay me down to sleep, etc.)?  What is the story around why you pray that prayer?  How do you make it meaningful?

Lenten Writing Prompt #35

Pick one of the 10 commandments and write about it - how does it resonate with your life, have you ever broken it, is it hard or easy to keep, does it seem fair, do you have experience working with people that do or do not keep it?

Lenten Writing Prompt #34

Write about something that is broken and write about the beauty in that brokenness.

Lenten Writing Prompt #33

What are you thankful for today?  Feel free to count your blessings...

Lenten Writing Prompt #32

Do you practice fasting or 'giving up' something during Lent?  Why or why not?  What do you do with with the time or money you would have spent doing that thing?

Lenten Writing Prompt #31

What do you feel that God is calling you to do?

Lenten Writing Prompt #30

What is an experience you had in giving something away?  What is a 'giving experience' that you would you like to participate in one day?

Lenten Writing Post #29

What place do you go to find beauty and appreciate God's creation?

Lenten Writing Prompt #28

If you could have a conversation with one person in the Bible, (besides the Trinity), who would it be and what would you say?

Lenten Writing Prompt #27

Write about a time when you felt far away from God.  How did you find peace?

Lenten Writing Prompt #26

Write a letter to God from where you are at right now in your life.

Lenten Writing Prompt #25

How have you witnessed God's sense of humor?

Lenten Writing Prompt #24

Write about a baptism that you participated in.  What does it mean to you to be part of the faith community for that person?

Lenten Writing Prompt #23

How do you get beyond gender with God?  Or does it help you to picture God as a male or a female?  What does God look like to you when you pray?

Lenten Writing Prompt #22

Describe the communion experience for you.  What does it taste like?  What is your ritual?  Do you have any special traditions within that experience?  What was your first-communion experience like?

Lenten Writing Prompt #21

What is that special church hymn or song that moves you and resonates with you.  Why does it affect you the way that it does and what message does it have for you or for others?

Lenten Writing Prompt #20

What are some traditions that you want to or have passed down – church or otherwise?  What are some that were passed down to you that you do or do not want to pass on?

Lenten Writing Prompt #19

How does technology figure into your spiritual life in a helpful way?

Lenten Writing Prompt #18

Notice God in nature today and tell about it.

Lenten Writing Prompt #17

Who are the people who have influenced your faith the most and why?

Lenten Writing Prompt #16

Lent is the time of renewal: describe something renewing that you do or plan to do in your life

Lenten Writing Prompt #15

What is your favorite thing to look at or notice in the sanctuary during church?  (you can choose a memory from another church as well, of course)  What does it mean to you or inspire in you?

Lenten Writing Prompt #14

Yesterday, we posted about our favorite story or verse from the old testament - today, pick a Bible verse or story from the NEW Testament and write your thoughts, critiques, comments and/or praises about it.

Lenten Writing Prompt #13

Pick a Bible verse or story from the Old Testament and write your thoughts, critiques, comments and/or praises about it.

Lenten Writing Prompt #12

What faith "habit" would you like to have but don't? What's holding you back?

Lenten Writing Prompt #11

How has your understanding of God changed or evolved since you were a child?

Lenten Writing Prompt #10

How do you still your mind and listen to God?  What is one surprising or special experience you have had when you were able to listen to God?

Lenten Writing Prompt #9

 Is there media (books, movies, music) that have helped formed who you are spiritually?  What are some of the most impactful resources and what have they taught you?

Lenten Writing Prompt #8

What are some ways that you can find to declutter your life?

Lenten Writing Prompt #7

  You are a child of God, who loves you.  As a beloved child of God, how do you suppose God would describe you or talk about you?  If God loves you, how can you show love and care to yourself as well, honoring God’s creation?

Lenten Writing Prompt #6

Pick a Psalm from the Bible – either at random or pick one that is meaningful to you and analyze it or write your thoughts. 

Lenten Writing Prompt #5

Write about your relationship to a friend or family member who is no longer living – What was the relationship like when they were alive and how has that relationship evolved after their death?

Lenten Writing Prompt #4

Notice something in a child or young person today that is Godly and write about it.

Lenten Writing Prompt #3

"What are some rules you grew up with?  How do you keep them, hand them down to your family or reject/rebel against them?" 

Lenten Writing Prompt #2

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" Matthew 6:19-21
Where is your treasure and where is your heart?  What are ways that you are satisfied and/or what would you like to change?

Lenten Writing Prompt #1

For those of you that want to get a head start on our writing project, here is the first prompt:

What does the season of Lent mean to you?  What are some traditions you have around Lent?  What are your feelings about it?

The Tree

There is a tree in our backyard

That insists on showing us up.

stereotypical competitive neighbor

Our house is two stories high

But it stands a little bit taller than our house.

We have a big Christmas tree inside

That looks feeble and puny compared to our “neighbor’s” imposing conical structure.

Its ornaments nourish the neighborhood wildlife.

While ours simply hang.  Useless.

If we have friends over to admire our decorated Christmas symbol

Continuously crying out for water for its severed trunk

The tree outside has a huge fan club of thousands of birds and creatures

A peace offering: our homemade birdfeeders

 Hang rotten

Neglected

From a few of its lower branches

While the upper portion – the aviary VIP lounge –

Is alive with twittering and flapping.

Once we had a birdfeeder resting on our deck railing

But the wind blew it off.

Was it the wind? 

Or did a bigger birdfeeder bully it – knocking it out of consideration?

Best not to compete with Mother Nature.

She always wins.

~Ruth Hanley

Surprise!

He knew what he wanted
and he hoped to get it for Christmas!
He actually had a whole list of things he would enjoy
but his real desire was for the item on the top,
the first on the list!
That was the one his anticipation was set on
and he was eager!

He hadn’t written his list on paper,
it was all in his head.
He had made an annual list every year
but it had been at least 10 years
since he had written one out!
If you write out a list
someone might find it.
They might go digging around
and sleuth it out.
Or, they might just “accidently” find it,
opps!

He wasn’t’ trying
to make the whole “gift giving thing”
any harder than it needed to be.
He didn’t want to make life difficult for anyone.
He didn’t want to make life complicated at all.

It took his wife seven years to figure it out.
She fretted and fumed
fussed and fidgeted
until she figured out…
that the thing on the top of his gift list…
the thing that he wanted the most…
was the same thing every year!
What he really wanted….

was to be surprised!

So he quit writing the list down,
she didn’t need it
and he was always surprised!
And he got what he wanted!
~Pr. Larry Morris