August 3 for 3 [2021]: Good things coming true edition
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 - all arranged in lists of threes.
Tamara’s Note
Adios, August!
Oof. What a month. The world was on fire and our little family and community rode wave after wave of difficult circumstances. The month ended with us waiting for a phone call about a loved one’s medical prognosis while Ida flooded our basement. Added to the bigger stuff, I’m pretty sure seasonal affective disorder (SAD) actually hits me in summer rather than winter and my mood has not been quite as sunny as the hot and humid forecast.
We have many reasons to believe September is bringing joy and relief for some things we’ve been waiting for what seems like forever. I’m learning how to pray during long spells of waiting from my new young friends Elsie & Theodore. We’re celebrating a long-awaited answer to prayer with their family with Theodore’s words: “I’ve been praying for this for 100 days!" (actually it was many, many more days but after 100 who’s counting?!?). The other prayer he offered this week: “Thank you, God, for our [prayer request] coming true.”
Yes, God. Thank you for making all good things come true and for someday making all sad things untrue. Amen.
xo,
Tamara
p.s., Here are a few moments of long-awaited reunions we enjoyed in August.
1. Thirty years ago my lifelong best friend Lori married my cousin (and BFF) Joel. We always imagined that becoming family meant we’d never grow far apart. But life and children and jobs and moves disconnected for most of those 30 years. Thanks to the magic of technology and this sweet little lunch in our backyard when they were driving through Connecticut, we’re beginning to make up for lost time.
2. Five of my six siblings were able to get home for less than 24 hours to celebrate my Mom’s retirement. She’s served as a teacher in all kinds of contexts for about 50 years. For the last dozen years of her career she’s been pouring her heart and soul into her ESL students who’d arrived in Binghamton from all over the globe with so much skill and vibrancy but hardly any English. She taught them to read and love language much the same way she taught us- with creativity, passion, and love.
3. I don’t remember the last time (if ever?) we’ve hung out with my parents without our spouses and children. There’s a 14-year age span between me and my youngest sister so my children came along while my siblings were kids (I was basically still a kid myself, but that’s another story.) Anyway, this little celebration meant a pretty sweet slumber party in my parents’ basement. I loved every minute.
Favorite Links
Monthly picks to help us worship God, love people, and enjoy beauty!
Worship God
A must-view for anyone who loves someone who has left the Church. (Watch at least the first 30 minutes.)
“We’re losing a great bit of a generation, not because they are secularists, but because they think we are. And what that demands is not a re-branding, but repentance.”
(Related: some background on why Russell Moore has been chased out of the church he loves.)
Wondering what it would be like to meet with a spiritual director? Here’s a great way to ask questions and experience a taste of contemplative listening.
(Related: If you’d prefer a one-on-one conversation to ask questions you can set that up with me here.)
How do we as Christians who believe God cares about creation respond to this summer’s distressing report? Here’s a prayer practice for September 1 - October 4, also known in the global church as the Season of Creation, an annual Christian celebration of prayer and action for our common home.
Love People
Lord, have mercy & help us not look away. This podcast helped me and also this post.
I didn’t know him personally but he was loved by so many people (many of whom I know and love) and his life and work (and age) parallel ours in enough ways that I watched and listened and wept through every moment of this livestream.
God bless my friend David for continuing to give us words for our prayers. (And God bless my friend Amy for helping our congregation embody these prayers in such a meaningful way!)
Enjoy Beauty
Very excited about this news.
Grab a tissue and press play.
This family continues to astound me.
Member Areas
The welcome mat is out. Come on in!
$17/mo. level
One participant from our August retreat shared her experience this way, “I am learning that self-care is a good thing. Tamara's statement that "We love others out of the overflow of the love we receive from God" really resonated with me. I long to be filled with God's love until it just overflows my heart into others. I see that self-care is part of this equation.”
We’ll gather for our final retreat on October 14 to spend time listening to what the Holy Spirit, scripture, and our own lives on the topic of enjoying both work and rest. Join us!
$5/mo. level
Each Sunday morning I send a devotional post for the coming week that dovetails Sunday’s lectionary readings with art, music, prayer, and readings for the rest of the week from the excellent devotional guide, Living the Christain Year: Time to Inhabit the Story of God by Bobby Gross.
The weekly devotional posts pair well with retreat #3 for Ordinary Time: Enjoy Work & Rest.
$3/mo. level
I’m continuing to dive into the Stories deep end, sharing some of the most formative memories of my early life.In August, I shared the story behind one of my greatest treasures: a yearbook photo.
Become and member and read it here: LAUGH!
Currently Reading
From the Book Pile 2021 | See my giant reading list here.
Bonus Feature
A little Labor Day BBQ inspiration.
Here’s to good things becoming true and sad things becoming untrue this month, friends.
Thank you so much for your continuous support. Every time you mention my spiritual direction offerings, retreats, writing or devotional guides to a friend, or engage on my social media accounts, you're helping to support my work that reaches beyond the scope of this website. I am grateful for your help!