The Advent Daybook edition: Weekend Favorites
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.
Dear friends,
I spent the week mostly watching the minutes on my Pomodoro timer reminding me to stay focused on writing. Unless this sounds like a grim summary, I assure you it’s been a joyful experience. I’m so excited to be able to share the Advent Daybook download with you even earlier than usual this year!
I’m also typing away at the book manuscript which is due in about a month. Strangely, it helps me to tend to two projects at once. When I get stuck on one, I open another file and work on the other. When I get stuck on both, I pop outside for a quick stroll around the block (which has given me stunning views this week!). When all else fails, I wash the windows. (This is a true story. I haven’t washed my windows in ages, but something about project deadlines makes that task compelling.)
Without further ado, here are three highlights from my week to help me worship God, love people, and enjoy beauty.
1. Welcome to the Church, little one!
One of the perks of being married to the minister is that I often get a front-row seat to the most precious moments in worship. On Sunday, our friend and Deacon Rev. Walter Wittwer had the privilege to hold his own granddaughter during her baptism. There’s so much going on in this sacramental moment, yet nothing more profound than the joy and surprise of water, oil, and a church family surrounding you with love.
2. Celebrating our anniversary with 32 meals.
Brian and I will celebrate our 32nd wedding anniversary in November. As part of the celebration, we have pulled out two cookbooks that were given to me as gifts for wedding shower and plan to cook 32 of leading up to the big day. These are classic recipes from friends and family that have been part of our lives for a long time. So far, Brian’s chosen and made the recipes which have included Grandma Jo’s Sloppy Joes, Pizza Rice Casserole (an absolute staple in the Hill household when I was young), Sweet & Sour Meatballs (top of the list of family favorites), and Skillet Corn (from our friends Barb & Jim Dunay).
This week, Brian made recipe #5 —a spinach salad with homemade dressing courtesy of our friend Shelly Haddock (who also gave us the best recipe for No-Bake cookies). This has become a delightful feast for our tastebuds and our memories of old family and friends. I’m looking forward to 27 more recipes (and maybe I’ll even make a few of them myself.)
3. A perfect autumn hike with our perfect grandson Julian
I still can’t believe I’m his grandmother. It’s magical. So were the autumn leaves and the ducks we were watching in the lake.
Peace to you, body and soul,
Tamara
p.s. How has your week been? Where have you noticed moments of worship, love, and beauty? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment or send me an email. I love to hear from you!
What I’ve Been Up to Lately
1. ADVENT DAYBOOK 2022 .pdf is here!
ADVENT BEGINS ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27!
The Advent Daybook 2022 includes 29 meditations centered around Scripture, art, music, prayer, and practices to prepare our hearts, minds, and bodies for Christ’s arrival.
Plus, you’ll receive bonus content to celebrate all 12 days of Christmas!
2. Book Updates!
The Spacious Path: Practicing the Restful Way of Jesus in a Fragmented World is now available for pre-order! While it won’t be released until June 2023, pre-ordering helps my publisher and online booksellers know that people are excited to read this book so please feel free to let them know by ordering your own copy.
You can pre-order the book from the following online booksellers:
Thank you!
3. Upcoming Speaking
How to Embed Spiritual-Direction Practices In Your Church Masterclass with Vibrant Faith
I’m grateful for the work Vibrant Faith does to encourage the big-C Church through training, coaching, and leadership development and delighted to be one of the instructors in their MasterClass series this fall.
Class description: “So much of our ministry life is formed in a “doing” model—gathering for worship and fellowship, giving service and resources, counseling, equipping, and teaching fill our calendars and our time together. In these normal activities of church life, we most often follow a pre-determined curriculum for continued life and growth in Jesus. Spiritual direction is a practice that flips the perspective from doing to being, from spoken communication to active listening, and from creating agendas to creating space for silence and honest questions. At its core, spiritual direction is growing in our capacity to be with God and to bear witness to God’s movement in our lives. The gifts that come from spiritual direction might be the simplest and most needed for parishioners of every age and season of life, particularly as we emerge from the collective suffering of global pandemic and upheaval. In this class, I’ll offer practical and pastoral guidance needed to not only embed spiritual direction in our church ministries but to also experience, firsthand, simple but meaningful practices of silence and listening to Jesus, each other, and our own hearts.”
Thursdays, November 10 & 17, 2022
12:00 - 1:30 PM EST
Purchase here (While you’re there, you can browse through all of the MasterClass options or purchase a season pass.)
Recent posts on Instagram
1. Introducing Advent Daybook 2022
2. Wishing a Happy Birthday to our dear Rebekah
3. On a few phrases I’ve learned to describe what I do as a Spiritual Director
Weekend Favorites
A weekly celebration of creators & cultivators helping us worship God, love people, and enjoy beauty!
1. Illustrated prayer cards for Advent from the wonderful @phaedrajeanartmachine & @davidtaylor_theologian
You can purchase the Advent cards at the Rabbit Room Store here.
2. Voting as an act of hospitality from @wechoosewelcome
Check out their Take Action page to see some of the policy items that they’re advocating for!
3. Mesmerizing artwork from @artist_yongil_kim
I’m always happy when a new post shows up in my feed. This is “Uki’s Neighborhood Midnight 2022”
Currently Reading
This post includes affiliate links in this post because I'm trying to be a good steward, and when you buy something through one of these links you don't pay more money, but in some magical twist of capitalism we get a little pocket change. Thanks!
Your Turn
One of my hopes for this weekly post is that you’ll feel invited to spend a few minutes reflecting with me about the previous week and how you’ve been drawn to three spiritual practices:
Worship God
Love People
Enjoy Beauty
So how has your week been? Where have you noticed moments of worship, love, and beauty? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment or send me an email. I love to hear from you!
You could also join the celebration on Instagram! Each Saturday on Instagram, I share three favorite creators/cultivators helping me worship God, love people, and enjoy beauty in the previous week.
If you’d like to share your own list, screenshot or save this image to your photos and fill in the blanks with your own selections, tag me @tamarahillmurphy, and then share it on your IG Stories!
