ALSSI News
May 2023
Happy spring!
One of the things I’m working on in my faith life is building spiritual practices that originate with me. Things I do, imbued with personal meaning, purely for my own growth and enrichment. It’s like creating spring: giving myself warmth, water, and light to see what develops. As you’ve probably heard us say, Cynthia and I have been astonished at the lack of spiritual empowerment we hear about from many listeners. But it shouldn’t be a surprise—supervised by men in our church lives, where would women learn we have permission to craft wholly individual spiritual practices?
For me, the rebirth started with breaking down prayer and rebuilding it into something that fit me better (I talked about that exercise in Episode 59, here.) Then I began wearing crosses, and found I really loved how I felt every time I caught a glimpse in the mirror. Now I find unexpected comfort in Vespers—evening readings from The Book of Common Prayer—at bedtime. It’s just one more component of what has become a robust prayer life, even though it’s quite different from how it was for so many decades.
Recently I decided I wanted to add a morning practice: a small, specific place to park for a moment upon waking. I came up with this:
I packed as much as I could into my tiny morning prayer, opening with gratitude. I remind myself of my desire to cede control. Next, I ask for open eyes (to see what I might overlook), an open mind (the crack of light where growth can begin), an open heart (because let’s face it—it could be softer), and open hands (for giving, receiving, and generally easing up on everyone and everything I white-knuckle to death).
I ask for some additional love lessons, aware I still have much to learn. I remind myself to appreciate all-things-beautiful, and ask for help to exercise my own godliness in the form of creativity. No matter what I’m busy with during the day, at the end of it I want to be able to look at something and say, “It is good.”
I share this with you in hopes it might get you thinking about ways to re-give to yourself any parts of your own faith life that were given to you, but never quite fit. Take it if it helps you, leave it if it doesn’t.
The main point is, it ALL belongs to you…and only to you! So use (or not) what you have, add new things as you find them, and create for yourself a unique spiritual life: a place of light, warmth, and safety. A place of growth and becoming.
— Susan
“I would give up on spiritual practices all together were I not desperate for their benefits, so I persist.”
— Nadia Bolz-Weber
(find the whole sermon here)
A few calendar notes:
Ladies’ Night In is scheduled!
Wednesday, May 31
7:00 pm Mountain
Afton Southam Parker (Ep. 138, Finding Your Voice…and Using It) will kick off our meeting with a few thoughts about Speaking Up.
Register here or through our website to receive a Zoom link via email
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Earlier this spring, we recorded a fireside, along with our friend Richard Ostler, for Our Turtle House. It is scheduled for broadcast Sunday, May 21 at 6:00 pm Mountain.
We were asked to address the subject, Is There a Place for Me?
We each worked hard crafting what we hope are space-making messages for anyone who finds themselves feeling squeezed out at church.
We hope you’ll tune in. Keep an eye on social media for more info!
As we approach the end of Season 6,
We could use a little help putting together a special episode. Maybe you saw the call go out on social media, but in case you missed it, here it is:
You can click here to leave us a voicemail. Recordings are 90 sec in length and can be left anonymously if you prefer. Share what’s on your heart and mind as you consider your past in the Church, and/or our young girls’ future in it. Deadline is May 18.
“There’s a wildness to resurrection. You can’t predict it. Life after death doesn’t behave in any sort of normal way. Like Jesus who shows up to tearful Mary and says ‘don’t touch me’ and a week later invites skeptical Thomas to stick a finger in his open wounds. Like a God who sends women out to the world to preach to men who won’t listen. […]
“Resurrection is the work of a feral spirit, as untamed and undomesticated a possibility as we humans can barely imagine. It breaks the rules, bursts through expectations, and follows only freedom and love.”
— Diana Butler Bass
(find the whole sermon here)
Thanks for being here at ALSSI with us! Wherever you live, we hope your personal spring is exactly as beautiful as you dreamed it would be all winter.
Our best,
Cynthia and Susan
& the ALSSI Team
My work as a Chaplain leads me to holding hands and praying with those in pain or trauma, life is hard on the body and spirit. As part of my self care, when I get a massage of some kind of treatment to help heal my own weary bones I imaging the hands healing me belong to Jesus or Heavenly Mother. Sometimes it feels like an expression of gratitude towards me for staying in the game (and Church)and also a vote of confidence that I can get back in there and do their work. I’m Team Co-creation.