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A DAILY RHYTHM REFLECTION
(November 25th)

 
 
When we join the Methodist church, we commit to participate in five ways: with our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness (other churches phrase it “time, talents, and treasures”). “Gifts” of course includes monetary tithes we give back to God, but I also like to think of them as passions and interests I have been given. These are opportunities to express devotion in ways that will feel particularly meaningful to each person.

Last week I wrote about how having a creative practice can be a God-send for mental and emotional health. This week I’ve thought about how creative pursuits can activate and expand our imaginations for ways to love and serve God (often through loving and serving others). When I think of what it means to live a creative, engaged existence attuned to how one’s unique talents can be used to God's glory, one person I think of right away is Laura Swayne, who was gracious enough to let me interview her for this post. Learning more about some of the following ways she has offered up her time, talents, and treasures has been galvanizing for me and perhaps will ignite ideas in you as well.

Flowers are a signature medium for Laura. After Lindsey Blankenhorn and Brigid O’Boyle took the initiative several years ago to start bringing flowers for Church on Morgan’s Communion table each week, Laura quickly joined in. She says, “I’ve always been inspired by flowers. There was something so special about playing with, creating with flowers to be used as part of our corporate worship. To be able to add even a small token of extra beauty to the experience of Communion I realized was [an] intersection of gladness transcending hunger.* Both for me, as the person able to arrange beauty from the beauty of creation, and for those who could gaze upon them and connect with being seen, known, and loved by the God behind it all.”

In another instance of responding to a nudge to use her heart for seeing and knowing others, Laura and her husband Steve started a dinner series that celebrates various groups of people in the Raleigh area in an extravagant way. I recently had the privilege of attending one specifically for women without biological children, for example. For these “Belongings” dinners, Laura and Steve, along with Seth Ashburn and a rotating crew of volunteers from our congregation and beyond, transform their home into a warmly-lit five-star restaurant experience with impeccable service, a thoughtful discussion suited to the group, and of course a lush abundance of blooms.

Once or twice a year, Laura also turns their home into a flower shop and bakery, Beautiful Edge Pop Up, where every morning for a week, she and Steve invite anybody and everybody to come share breakfast and coffee, and to even bring laptops and work or meet with friends. She cooks her butt off in preparation, and may have half a dozen types of treats coming in and out of the ovens, and to watch her working with a smile while lavishing loving words left and right is to see a human in the midst of doing something she was made for. It reminds me of Eric Liddell’s quote from Chariots of Fire: “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.”

We talked about the fleeting nature of the passions Laura has ended up developing. In her words, “After a week of baking and an extremely beautiful expression of community that I remain in awe of, it is easy to fall into the mindset of, ‘Well, what was that all about? Was it worth it?’ etc. The dinners are always amazing and beautiful and miraculous, but again you think, ‘Well, was that more than just a nice night?’

“But, here’s the deal. Life is fleeting. When I was 19 I was on an expedition in Kenya with young people from around the world for three months. At the beginning of the second month, a young woman from Italy who had become a very good friend as we hiked 100 miles across the desert died tragically by falling from the top of a waterfall during the dry season. Since then there has resided in me this deep desire to remember that life is fleeting…All those Truths that I know deep down inside, by the grace of God come back to the forefront of my heart and head and I am nudged to do what I know I can do. Renew my awareness that I am seen, known, and loved by our God, and by a heck of a lot of people whose care is sometimes too sweet to grasp or embrace. And, that it is my joy and privilege to be able to use my gifts to help others experience moments of hunger being replaced with moments of deep gladness, even if for only a time. Hopefully, the lingering memory of the wilted flower, or shared conversation, or knowing look, or thought-provoking question, or lovingly-prepared meal will contribute to longer-lasting gladness. I have to trust God to bring that about. He is so much more capable than me. Thank goodness!”
 
With hunger and gladness,
Megan (and Laura)
 
*"The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." - Frederick Buechner

 
 


If you would like to learn more about our “Shared Rhythm” you can read about it online or pick up a set of our “Daily Rhythm Cards” at Church on Morgan.

Copyright © 2019 Church on Morgan, All rights reserved.


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