I haven’t read a book other than Babe: The Gallant Pig in ten days, and if you know me, that tells you what it has been like. I am hopeful things will simmer down soon, but for now, its figuring out three school drop offs (yes, I only have two children), new technology, and why a whole chicken is $20 here?!
In the midst of all that, I attended a brunch this week at our new parish with thirty other women and had the loveliest time. The speaker gave a talk on motherhood and love and used our church as an example. The beautiful, painted arches, which point our minds and hearts towards heaven, are held together by tension. They can only point upwards because of pressure coming together from different angles. I found that so reassuring during this time- all the stress of this current moment in our lives, if allowed to move us, can point us upwards and onwards, forming us eventually into something as beautiful as those soaring ceilings.
Picture of St. Andrew’s from the narthex where I was wrangling a child.
We are less than a month out from our next Bar-Side Chat with a Oneness Pentecostal pastor. This chat will mark one year of our ecumenical, Appalachian program, and I am so grateful. These conversations are bearing fruit and I hope you will come experience it for yourself.
There are only a handful of spots left on
’s family-focused pilgrimage to Italy next summer. If you are interested, I recommend signing up this week, because it will sell out very soon. And, if you don’t already subscribe to Emily’s lovely Substack, you must!If you are interested in taking your church or organization on a trip to Europe, Israel, or Mexico, feel free to send me a message. I would be happy to share more about Select International Tours and Cruises and what we offer. We are honored to work with Christian leaders from all traditions/denominations. I will share information about an Anglican trip next week.
I have decided I want to end these newsletters (I am not even sure that is what this is yet) with goodness in some form. Bookending our days, newsletters, or conversations with some beautiful thoughts, words, or art just makes sense in this world. So, I will leave you with two things:
I will read anything Seth and Amber Haines write. I loved what
wrote on his Substack this week on “sacramental intelligence.” It is a beautiful and important take on AI and what it means in relation to the distinctly human gift of creativity given to us by the Creator.I have enjoyed my boy’s foray into the world of Narnia SO MUCH. And it has caused me to dwell on the goodness of our innate desire to defend something. We want something worth fighting for and it’s so important that we learn that is the true, good, and beautiful from the very beginning.
I have to push my pacifist tendencies aside as they batter each other with plastic swords all day long. I don’t know how many times our neighbors heard “FOR NARNIA!!!!!” screamed yesterday.
I found out last week that I am the sort of person who enjoys a hot, pumpkin-flavored beverage. So, if that is you, too, I hope you enjoy your first PSL and these last hot summer days.
Cheers,
Bond
I think you are doing lovely things already. I never doubted it. God is in your corner girl! The tension description is good writing. I adore Narnia!, but then we have that kind of thing in common! Memaw