What a blessing it is each year to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ at Easter! But each year, the journey to Easter also reminds us that resurrection does not happen without the darkness, pain, sadness, betrayal, grief and tragedy of the crucifixion. Yes, into every life a little rain must fall…but for Jesus at the crucifixion, when it rained, it poured.

But after the crucifixion-the resurrection.

After the dark-the light.

After the April rain-the May flowers…

In all these ways, God gives us strength for today and hope for tomorrow.

So, whether the “rain” that inevitably falls in your life is from your own sin or failure, or attacks from others or the evil one, there is always hope for tomorrow in Jesus Christ our Lord. He has not only shown us the way, but He has made a Way for us.

Like it says above, our challenge is to let God fight the battle while we stand firm in His Promises. But what exactly does that look like in our lives?

It means going to worship even when you don’t feel like getting up.

It means sitting quietly in God’s presence even when you can’t feel His presence.

It means praying even when you have no words.

It means reading the Word, even when you aren’t connecting with it.

Because God will meet with you, sit with you, listen to you and connect with you whether you know it or not. And that is a promise that you can stand on no matter how much rain falls and no matter how you feel.

I once had a mentor who was walking with me through a very tough time in my life…a time when everything I had come to count on in my relationship with Jesus seemed to have disappeared. He told me to pray these words, which I have never forgotten:

”Give me to be in your presence, Lord, even though I know it only as absence.”

That prayer has continued to sustain me when the rains come hard in my life. And then, eventually, the rain subsides and the sun comes out again, and the flowers appear and begin to bloom.

In the spiritual life, we call this the cycle of spiritual desolation and spiritual consolation (this was our monthly topic in the Spiritual Wellness Community Membership in April). During times of consolation we build our relationship with Jesus so that we can better withstand the times of spiritual desolation that will inevitably come…and when they do, we double down on our spiritual practices in order to stand firm. Timothy Gallagher’s book: The Discernment of Spirits, is a short but helpful explanation of this notion which was originally described by a layperson, Ignatius of Loyola, so many years ago.

In the spirit of May flowers, or spiritual consolation, we will be focusing on Sabbath-keeping in May. Sabbath-keeping is so much more than Sunday worship on the 7th day. It is about designating intentional time to be spent with God, in the Word, in Creation, in prayer and so many other ways we can seek to be in the presence of Jesus. Our book this month is: Sabbath Keeping: Finding Freedom in the Rhythms of Rest by Lynne M. Baab. It’s short and sweet and poignant for every person of faith. I suggest you read it even if you aren’t a member of the Spiritual Wellness Community; but, of course, you are always welcome to join us.

Sabbath-keeping nurtures our soul and our relationship with Jesus, both of which will help us to weather the rain when it comes to our life. Sabbath-keeping also invites creativity in our relationship with Jesus, as it is a gift from God rather than a rule to follow…a “get to” rather than a “got to.” I hope you will join me in exploring Sabbath-keeping during May, and I hope that your relationship with Jesus will bloom as a result.

Grace and peace,

Julie

pastor-spiritual director-harp therapist-Holy Yoga instructor

FOR YOUR INFORMATION:

Holy Yoga

I am now beginning to add Holy Yoga classes to the angelstringsministry.com site. The goal is to eventually add a new class each week. Holy Yoga is a chance to practice incarnational spirituality and it is completely focused on Jesus.

Members: Holy Yoga is included if you are a member, so you can go to On Demand at the top of the page and choose any class you like and there is no cost at checkout.

Nonmembers: Holy Yoga is by donation, so you can go to the On Demand section at the top of the page and at checkout you choose what to pay.

There is also an option under Offerings if you are interested in a private session to learn yoga or just to have a class designed for you based on your physical needs. Private sessions will be live via Zoom.

Spriitual Wellness Info

AFTER SEEKING SOME INPUT ON OUR MEMBERSHIP ZOOM TIMES, WE ARE GOING TO TRY TUESDAY AT NOON (ET) FOR OUR MONTHLY TOPIC AND GROUP SPIRITUAL DIRECTION IN MAY…THEN DECIDE IF WE WANT TO CONTINUE WITH THE NEW TIME OR SOME OTHER VARIATION.

Members get a free month when signing up for the Spiritual Wellness Community Membership and then, in the second month when you pay your first $15 monthly fee, you receive a discount code for a FREE Private Spiritual Direction session. Don’t forget to use it, friends!

Please share angelstringsministry.com with your friends.

One idea is to get some friends to sign up for the Spiritual Wellness Community Membership with you and try it out for the FREE month. The goal of the membership is to create a community of spiritual friends so we can encourage each other on our faith journey all while we learn from each other and grow closer to Jesus as we share our experiences.