Goodness Weekly 10.17.22
“There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.”
– Alan Cohen
Message from a Friend:
I’ve been thinking about doing less. The last year has been a whirlwind of work with only a handful of days off total. As I started the coffee trailer, I kept doing more and more to make it successful and viable. But now as I sit here, almost one year in, I can’t help thinking that instead of doing more to help Rose Hip grow, I need to do less.
I need to do less creating and more sitting. I need to do less planning and more listening. I need to create rhythms built on stillness instead of constant movement.
I went to a conference with Jess and Kelly a few weeks ago, and I came away with a profound desire to do less. My whole life I’ve been striving for more, and yet now I want to sit quietly and do less. And this is not just a desire to work less or have more time to spend in bed with my dog and cat. It feels like a message from God to be still.
Be still by the coffee trailer so you can meet neighbors. Be quiet in the church garden so you can listen to the hopes and dreams and worries of our neighbors. Simply be present. Don’t have a plan. Don’t have an agenda. Simply show up and be.
I think in the stillness is where we can hear the whispers of inspiration. It’s where our creativity is given the space to bloom. It’s where relationships can have the time to grow. So I am going to fight against the urge to do more, and I am going to do less. And in this season of less, I cannot wait to see what will grow from the seeds of stillness.
— Katie Best-Richmond, @rosehipcoffee
Charis Park Update:
We had a meeting this past week with our landscape architects, Coral Studios, and were thrilled when they surprised us with a virtual reality rendering of our future park! Our team got to put on virtual reality goggles and experience the actual scale and beauty of the space. The architects are planning to give us a video walk-through version that we will be able to share with you all on our website.
Next steps for the park are to move through the permitting process, which includes working with engineers to get a site plat of the existing parking lot. This will likely take about four months to complete because the documents have to go through many layers of approval at the city level. We’re hoping for an early spring groundbreaking!
What’s Good:
This past week, this special project was completed! The biggest thank you to our friend & neighbor who donated this gorgeous new landscaping, garden, and custom seating to our church home. We are so excited for this to be a place of peace and beauty for the whole neighborhood. All are welcome!
Upcoming Events
September Outdoor Worship
Friday, October 21st, 6:30pm Outdoor Worship
Sunday, October 30th, 4:30pm Chapel Worship & Liturgy
Wednesdays at 7:30pm Youth Group at The Stirmans
Morning:
Let me breathe in your Spirit of Stillness
So that I may wake up in peace
Let my mind and body connect
Desiring peace as we breathe in the cool air
Letting go of all that disrupts us as we exhale
May my body still
May my mind quiet
May I simply sit
Breathe
See
Hear
Listen
May I simply be
Amen.
Evening:
I saw you today
In the stillness around me
In the blooming plant
In the chirping bird
In the moment I took to just breathe
Grant me sleep tonight
Painted with your infinite imagination
So I can in dream the dreams only you can create
So I can hope in the plans
Only you can write
Amen.
