Reclaiming Quiet, A Book Recommendation by Brenda Leyland

 

Title: Reclaiming Quiet, Cultivating a Life of Holy Attention

Author: Sarah Clarkson

Publisher: BakerBooks, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Nov 2024

Genre: Christian Living/Spiritual Growth

Available In: Paperback, Audiobook, Kindle (Amazon.ca)

"I wanted God to give me quiet and bring me rest, but all the habits of my daily existence were shaping a life of exhaustion, of inward disquiet and outward unease. I don't think I'm alone in this." Sarah Clarkson

Have you ever thought longingly of those words in Psalm 23 where the Good Shepherd says he will make our souls to lie down in green pastures and lead us beside still waters? And, have you ever longingly wondered if this is still possible in our news-harried, social-media'd culture where it can feel nigh to impossible to cultivate the quiet that our souls - and bodies - long for?

In response to my own questions, yes, I do sometimes wonder, even now in my own more relaxed retirement pace. The whole world feels wound up like a top; so much feels chaotic, frantic, and out of order. Which is why I was jubilant to read Sarah Clarkson's long awaited book Reclaiming Quiet, Cultivating a Life of Holy Attention. And I wasn't disappointed. She thoughtfully invites her readers to join her in searching for a way that, indeed, makes room for quietness in the midst of the fray. And she has learned not to scorn the tiniest of moments in which the quietness will show up even in a busy, noisy life. Sarah presents her discoveries and wild musings with honesty, and I admire her courage to grapple them into words the world can read. Her gentle writing draws me in so I, along with her, can feel the Divine presence, his benediction, and his tender love in that quiet space. Sarah's use of language is beautiful. Her thoughts are wise. A heart longing for quiet can safely sink into these pages that are filled with hope and peace.

"What is small?

Children are small.

Seeds are small.

Moments are small.

Yet of these the whole world is composed."

Sarah Clarkson 

I admit reading Reclaiming Quiet at a fair pace the first time through - I like to know the lay of the land, as it were. But I'm currently rereading it at a snail's pace, giving myself the gift to deep-breathe those lines that fall as liquid gold from the author's pen. In many ways Sarah reminds me of myself in my younger years, not that our lives are similar - she studied in Oxford which would have been a far off dream for me. But her inner life search for truth, beauty, and Jesus resonates deeply with me.

Sarah assures us that in our search for quietness, "Our hobbit life (is) not a denial of disorder and pain or a refusal to engage those things where we could. Rather it (is) a refusal to allow those forces to define our story or that of the world." Oh yes, to that last sentence.

With the Christmas season nearly upon us, Reclaiming Quiet would make a lovely gift for anyone, including yourself, who finds themselves in that restless, distracted place. Find a quiet spot during Advent or after the holidays, sit with your favourite beverage, and anticipate a soul nourishing read.

Sarah Clarkson is undoubtedly my favourite inspirational author. I follow her on social media and also have been inspired by her other books, including Book Girl (on the reading life) and This Beautiful Truth (about her dark struggles with mental illness and depression). Sarah is an accomplished author, wife to her vicar husband, and busy mom of four young children. She and her family live in a large Victorian vicarage in Oxford, UK. Sarah can be found on Facebook, Instagram, X, Patreon, and Substack.

Inspired by the beauty of God's world around her, Brenda loves working with words and shaping them into beautiful thoughts for good. Her sweet spot place for writing is on her blog It's A Beautiful Life, and she also enjoys being a Guest Blogger here. A longtime member of InScribe, she has been a contributor and columnist in FellowScript magazine and has contributed to two InScribe anthologies.

Watch and Wait by Mary Folkerts

 

Is it just me, or has waiting gotten harder as the expectations of instant gratification have become the norm? 

We get annoyed when our Amazon Prime packages don’t arrive within 1-2 business days, when not long ago, we were thankful when things arrived within weeks. We love all our instant messaging, instant puddings, and instant answers, thanks to Google.

How can we practice waiting on God in this fast-paced world? I expect the only way is to slow down to a pace where we can hear his promises, trust his heart of love, and realize that his timelines are not arbitrary, even when we don’t understand them.

We are a generation 

in a “hurry epidemic.”

We rush and scurry

from the moment we reluctantly 

leave our dreams 

on our pillows.

It’s us against the hands 

of time, ticking

with the quickened

rhythm in our chest.

We’re late,

don’t be late,

it’s so late—

where did time go?

                 Running to catch up

       driving too fast,

Scrambling after time lost. 

Productivity

deadlines

target dates

                exhaustion building

      failure looming

we need a cure. 

When did we lose

the art of slow? 

Of sitting long,

breathing deep?

Of making moments

stretch, and laughter

linger?

Of watching for miracles

in expectation,

not bound by time

but fully present

to the now?

We must not be 

too busy 

to slow,

to still 

and wait

for the holy.

It is most certain

that God’s time frames

and agendas, 

appointments and 

itineraries 

are structured with a 

framework that far 

exceeds our

                imagination 

         for He is never 

slow 

His timing is perfect

(how could it not be?)

even when we think

we have waited 

too long. 

The wait must have

a Godly purpose

to refine us and

grow us. 

And so let us learn to 

                 wait—

         wait on Him 

and watch. 

And just maybe 

to be still

as He asks of us.

Because miracles 

of becoming

happen in the 

waiting. 

Mary Folkerts is mom to four kids and wife to a farmer, living on the southern prairies of Alberta, where the skies are large and the sunsets stunning. She is a Proverbs 31 ministries COMPEL Writers Training member involved in church ministries and music. Mary’s blog aims to encourage and inspire women and advocate for those with Down Syndrome, as their youngest child introduced them to this extraordinary new world. For more inspiration, check out Joy in the Small Things https://maryfolkerts.com/  or connect on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/maryfolkerts/ 

 

 

Watching Through the Lens of Faith ~ Valerie Ronald

 

                                                                                     photo credit - Pixabay

I was assured having a cataract removed from my eye was a quick, painless surgery. The process was explained, but I still found it a stressful experience to have my eye numbed, then operated on while I was awake and still able to see. With my head immobilized in a headrest and my eyelid propped open, all I could see were bright, blurry lights bouncing in my vision. I saw a tiny surgical instrument coming toward my eye and felt the pressure while the eye surgeon worked, though no pain. I was thankful for the mild sedation that helped me not to panic. For the next few days the vision of the affected eye was blurry and distorted, then gradually it began to clear. The surgeon not only removed the cataract, he also inserted a lens implant that helped me see better. Soon he will do the same in my other eye. Although I will still need to wear glasses for far vision, I am looking forward to clearer near vision for reading and computer work. 

As a believer, I write through the lens of my faith in Jesus Christ. When I believed Jesus to be the Son of God and accepted Him by faith, I began to see things differently. Like the clearer vision I enjoy since cataract surgery, my spiritual eyes were opened to things that I previously didn't have the capacity to gain a full understanding of through natural means. 

Now, through the lens of faith, I see the perfection of God’s plans and purposes and my spiritual vision gains clarity. As Jesus proclaimed in the synagogue when He first began His ministry, “He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18 NIV) He wasn’t referring only to the physically blind, imprisoned or oppressed but to the greater urgency of those who need their souls set free and their spiritual sight recovered. Jesus came to do exactly that. 

When I write with the eyes of faith, God helps me see more than what appears on the surface. I see hurting hearts in need of words of comfort and hope. I see those lost on the wrong path looking for direction out of their darkness. My eyes of faith have caught sight of the glory of the Lord, so I search for words to describe how beautiful He is, words revealing a glimpse of His perfection, majesty and love so others will want to see Him too. 

The common idiom, “seeing through rose-colored glasses” means seeing only the positive view of something and not the negative. Jesus looks at people through love-colored glasses, although He knows everything about them, good and bad. He sees them through the eyes of love because each person is His unique creation, flawed and sinful, yet precious to Him. If I can view others from His perspective with eyes of love rather than judgment, seeking their well-being, loving them in spite of their flaws, then I will have a small sense of how He sees me. I don’t deserve a brief glance from Him yet He gazes on me with such love, I am brought to my knees by it.  

What it comes down to is that watching the world through the lens of faith isn’t just about watching, it’s about doing. When we see more clearly those Jesus came to die for then we feel compelled to reach out to them, care for them, love them, by the power of His Spirit within us. Writing about Him is a way of loving them. Our words have the potential to paint a picture of the One who loves them most and knows them best. When we write about our own encounters with Jesus and how He has given us a new way to see, we are offering hope to those who are spiritually blind.  

The lens of faith not only sharpens our focus on Jesus, it also helps us to see others as He does, through eyes of compassionate love.  

We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us! (1 Cor. 13:13 The Message)

 Valerie Ronald writes from an old roll top desk in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, with her tortoiseshell cat for a muse. A graduate of Langara College School of Journalism, she writes devotionals, fiction and inspirational prose. Her purpose in writing is to encourage others to grow in their spiritual walk.

Wishing for a Word ~ by Lorrie Orr

 

This woebegone writer wonders how to choose

a word that starts with W.

Will I go for whimsy or wisdom,

wild or winsome?

Perhaps wolfish or warthog, wurzel or wibble.

Who, what, when, where, and why are

wonderful for winning readers.

But what about winks, wisecracks, and witticisms –

A wee bit of humour goes a long way to wrangle a smile

when writing about the wilderness of life we wander through.

I don’t want to be wishy-washy, but surely there is room for

wonder and wistfulness, whiffle, and widdershins.

Which words add wit to writing as 

Worcestershire does to Welsh Rarebit?

A wordsmith can always find a workaround to any problem,

But waffling between warbling and whining

I find myself unable to choose and

since I will not wander away without posting today,

I proffer this word salad of W’s.

Lorrie Orr writes from Vancouver Island and can easily dither over which words she wants to use.