Monthly Musings: February favourites

February has come and gone and summer has left us in its wake. It’s been a full month, so I thought I’d just share a few of my favourite things from February.

• Book – Burial Rites by Hannah Kent. I’ve been a little late to the party on this one since it’s taken me two years to finally get to it. At Adelaide Writers Week in 2014 I had the pleasure of hearing Hannah share a little of the background to writing the book. This is a beautifully written novel based on real events in northern Iceland in 1829. Agnes Magnúsdóttir was the last person to be executed in Iceland, convicted for her part in the murders of two men. As she waits for her execution date Agnes is sent to live with District Officer Jón Jónsson, his wife and two daughters on their farm. I actually listened to the audiobook which was wonderfully read and made it much easier to cope with the unfamiliar Icelandic names. I was transported into the story, the characters drawn with empathy and insight. This is a book that will stay with me for a long time.

• Music – Audrey Assad’s new album Inheritance was released this month. A combination of wonderful hymns and original songs, I’m having trouble picking a favourite song. Some lovely versions of beloved hymns such as “Be Thou My Vision” and “It Is Well with My Soul” notwithstanding, there are two beautiful original songs (“New Every Morning” and “Even Unto Death”) which have been an accompanying me as a daily soundtrack in the last week or two. I’ll let you choose a favourite for yourself:

• Prayer Sunday – this year at church we are beginning a new practice of devoting one worship gathering per month specifically for prayer. This month we focussed on the presence of the Lord, and I was delighted to see how we embraced the invitation to be in prayer and silence with each other. One thing I asked people to consider were the ways in which they feel closest to God, and I shared the images below, inviting them to notice which ones they felt most drawn toward. It was wonderful to hear people sharing the different ways that they feel God’s presence with them. It may not surprise you to know that one of my favourite ways of connecting with God is to spend time out in nature – I love the invitation of a bench in a park or garden. Which images resonate with you?

• The Fringe Festival – Think circus and jazz in a 19th century barroom and you might have a small idea of what to expect from “Scotch and Soda.” Mind-boggling feats of balance, acrobatics, trapeze artistry, and hi-jinks, accompanied by a lively group of jazz musicians. A fun time was had by all.
  

Monthly Musings: Appreciating April

Before we move into May, here are a few things I’ve appreciated in April:

• Chris Tiegreen – I think Chris will be featuring here pretty much all year. Here’s my favourite (and challenging) quote from April (13):

If we want to hear God’s voice, we need to understand that He will not speak so definitely that no faith is required to follow; yet He will speak definitely enough for faith to have some direction. The key for us is to move forward when we think we’ve heard him. Some of us don’t do that. We wait until our hearts are absolutely certain – a waiting that never comes to an end because, underneath it, there is a fear of acting on faith. But God is looking not simply for our ability to hear. He wants a believing response.

• For a limited time only, the Hungry Hippo Board Game Cafe has set up shop in Hindley Street, Adelaide (next to Uni SA). The cafe has shelves and shelves of games to choose from, and plenty of options on the food menu too. If you like board games and a fun night out with friends this cafe is worth a visit.

• Apparently Google didn’t like my old blog theme – which it deemed as “not mobile friendly.” So Flourish! got a makeover with a theme called Penscratch. I rather like it and I hope you do too – especially if you’re reading from a mobile device.

• I was reminded how photography helps me to look at my surroundings differently, to pay attention and look for things I might not otherwise see in the busyness of life. And it’s a great way to slow down and just breathe.

• Last, but by no means least, I’ve been captivated by Jenn Johnson’s song In Over My Head. It’s on the Bethel Music worship album We Will Not Be Shaken which I mentioned in Monthly Musings for January. It’s a song that speaks to my heart and challenges me at the same time. Check out this video of Jenn talking about writing the song:

And here’s the whole song:

What did you appreciate in April?

31 Days: Listening to God speak through Others

Have you ever experienced God speaking to you specifically through another person? I have.

About tens years ago I was going through a period of real struggle over the fact that I was still single in my thirties. A good friend had been walking that journey with me, and as she was praying for me God gave her some verses of scripture and a word that he wanted me to ‘rejoice’ and ‘be joyful’, despite that the fact that we had seen no answers to prayer.

She sent me a note to share the words and the scripture reference. It was Habakkuk 3:17-19. You may be familiar with it.

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.
Habakkuk 3:17-10

I’d like to say I was greatly encouraged, and immediately received this word with joy. In reality, I sobbed my heart out. I felt like the fig that does not bud and the vines without grapes. All I felt was lack. I didn’t see all the other ways God had blessed me, not least the incomparable gift of Himself.

He loved me enough to speak specifically to me though my friend, and he’d been trying to get my attention for a while. The same verses were in a birthday card my friend had sent me the year before. I’d just never gotten around to looking up the reference. God was speaking to me even then, but I wasn’t listening.

Learning to ‘rejoice’ and ‘be joyful’ was a milestone in my journey with God, because it taught me to see beyond my circumstances, beyond my own desire for a husband, to the One who desires to be first and foremost in my heart.

Do you have a story to share in the Comments?

Photo Credit: krwlms via Compfight cc

This is Day 28 of the series 31 Days to Listen.

31 Days: What if you listened?

What if everything you did in life was for the express purpose of showing your love to God?

What if it was all an expression of adoration and worship?

What would life look like?

What would it feel like?

What if you stopped thinking you already know what God wants and what he’s doing, and started asking, started listening?

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
Romans 12:1-2 (MSG)

Image sourced here.

This is Day 27 of the series 31 Days to Listen.

31 Days: Listen and stay a little longer

One of my favourite songs recently has been “A Little Longer” by Jenn Johnson. The story behind the song is worth hearing. When she was running around in frantic busyness to get ready to go and lead worship in a conference at her church, Jenn walked past the piano in their living room and felt the Holy Spirit saying, “Sit down and worship.”

Frustrated and annoyed, but knowing it was God speaking to her, she eventually sat down at the piano and sang “What can I do for you? What can I bring to you? What kind of song would you like me to sing?”

What he said surprised her. “I didn’t want anything, I just wanted to be with you.”

What followed were a lot of tears and this song. Have a listen.

 

When the last thing you think you need is to stop and listen, what will you do if He breaks into your busyness and asks you to stay a little longer with him?

This is Day 20 of the series 31 Days to Listen.