Here's the beautiful new UK cover for my upcoming book, Do I Stay Christian? I'm impressed with both the US and UK versions! The book won't be out until May - but it could be a good Christmas present that comes with a free gift of five months of anticipation. Of course, my January 2021 release Faith After Doubt is available now - in print, ebook, and audiobook formats.
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Joy Anyway!
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To enrich your practice of Advent …
This beautiful piece by Steve Bell beautifully captures the spirit of Advent waiting -- not as passive biding time, but as "keening for the dawn."
Part of my annual advent ritual over the last decade or so is to listen to this amazing choral work by Morten Lauridsen:
If you haven't discovered Matthew Myer Boulton's SALT Project podcast, don't miss his current series: Strange New World: Understanding Christmas. It is stellar. Here's a link: https://www.saltproject.org/podcast-strange-new-world /. DON'T MISS THIS!
Finally, my favorite verse of my favorite Christmas carol is this:
Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name
Here's a sweet rendition:
Sending Advent joy to all ...
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Faith After Doubt: Four Stages Charts
Folks who listen to Faith After Doubt as an audiobook have been asking for the charts in the Appendix. Here are two:
Overview of the Four Stages
ap 1a
Integration of Stage Theories
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Thanksgiving Resources
Sarah B. Anderson wrote a simple and beautiful Thanksgiving liturgy you can use around your table this week. You'll find it here:
Thanksgiving Liturgy
Here's another simple Thanksgiving prayer that I often use as a table grace. I call it "Web of Life (Table Grace)". You can invite everyone to respond to the prompt "For the web of life of which we're part" with the words "We give thanks with all our heart."
For this breath, for this heartbeat
For this meal with these companions
For the web of life of which we’re part
We give thanks with all our heart.
For sun and rain, for soil and season,
For ocean, mountain, forest, meadow,
For the web of life of which we’re part
We give thanks with all our heart.
For all to whom this food connects us
From field and farm to store and table
For the web of life of which we’re part
We give thanks with all our heart.
And if someone says something offensive, false, or harmful during the meal, here's a simple script to invite them into something more constructive:
They: [something offensive, false, harmful)
You: Wow. I see that differently.
They: What do you mean?
You: I don't want to interrupt this beautiful thanksgiving meal with an argument, but if you're interested in how your comment makes me feel and why I see things differently, feel free to ask me in private later on.
Then, later, if the person approaches you in private, you can say:
A lot of discussions turn into arguments where egos clash, relationships are damaged, and everyone leaves with their heels more dug in. I'm really not interested in that. One option would be for us to set up some ground rules or guidelines to help our discussion. Would you be open to that?
Then, you can suggest some guidelines like these:
The Six Commitments of Common Good Communication
I'd also suggest you put a time limit on your first conversation - say 20, 30, or 40 minutes. Better to end on a good note than get tired and slip into unhealthy ruts.
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