Gratitude, fear and tambourines
“Gratitude lessens our fears.” Diana Butler Bass
“Gratitude becomes a quality of our hearts that allows us to live joyfully and peacefully even though our struggles continue.” Henri Nouwen
I’m back in action after a week with Covid. I’m grateful to be feeling better.
Entry-level gratitude
Gratitude is an entry-level spiritual discipline. Anyone can start. We can be uncertain and still grateful. We don’t have to wait for a shiny, perfect life to practice gratitude. Think of the children of Israel singing and dancing after crossing the Red Sea: they were headed off into the wilderness for decades and didn’t know would happen next. Miriam, sister of Moses, gets her tambourine out. They dance and celebrate the triumphal crossing, even though years of wandering in the desert will follow.
A different sort of prophet - Bruce Springsteen - also encourages the faithful to dance, even when tired and bored (Dancing in the Dark, 1984 - yikes, that song is almost 40 years old! I digress…) While I can’t recall if this song features tambourines, you understand my point: gratitude doesn’t require us to pretend life is perfect. Gratitude celebrates how we got to this moment.
Gratitude reminds us that bad news isn’t all there is. Gratitude reminds us of beauty, truth and kindness. Gratitude reminds us of how other people have helped us get this far. Gratitude reminds us of answered prayer and the ridiculous power of hope. Gratitude helps us trust. Tambourines are optional, gratitude is foundational.
October Free Shipping
In October, I’ll be able to mail 4 packages for free anywhere in Canada. Please reply to this email if you’d like to take advantage of free shipping in October for copies of Growing a Generous Church: A Year in the Life of Peach Blossom Church. It’s perfect for a church book club and includes discussion questions.
2-9 books cost $25.20 each, 10+ books cost $22 each. (Sorry, 1 book isn’t a package - why not get a copy for your pastor too?)
Horses and Cars
I recently published an article in Anabaptist World called A tale of two horses and two cars. It’s about Mennonite simplicity, and it might help answer the question, If Lori is Mennonite, why doesn’t she drive a horse and buggy?