Daily Nourishment for July 4, 2024: Power, Busyness, and Stillness with Guidance from Words by Lauren F. Winner
Daily Nourishment Read Time: 45 seconds
Pause/Prompt/Practice Time: 15 minutes
“The Bible doesn’t have anything to say about America per se, but it’s of course a deeply political text. It’s interested in how power is and might be arranged.” - Lauren F. Winner
Pause.
Take six deep breaths with a six-count inhale and a six-count exhale while looking at this art by Jacob Lawrence.
If you like, read Psalm 1.
Prompt.
Read this excerpt from an interview with Lauren Winner that was published on Image’s website when Wearing God: Clothing, Laughter, Fire, and Other Overlooked Ways of Meeting God was published:
“In the instance of arboreal imagery, the Bible speaks of God as tree and also of us as tree.
When we pray the very first psalm, we pray that we will not rush about madly, chatting with cynics and running errands with fools. We pray that, instead, we will be still, devoting our calm energy to the study of God’s word. We will be rooted in God’s word as ‘a tree planted by the water.’
At countless protests in American history—civil rights sit-ins, anti-war marches, labor demonstrations—eventually someone takes up the lines of the old freedom song:
We shall not, we shall not be moved.
We shall not, we shall not be moved.
Just like a tree that’s planted by the water,
We shall not be moved.
It means, broadly, that protesters will not be dislodged from their larger goals of a more just society, but also that protesters whom police or hecklers are trying to persuade to leave their immediate site of protest will not be moved.
Preachers through the ages have also used the psalmist’s image, likening Christians to trees who are sustained by—indeed, wholly dependent on—the living water that is God.”
Practice.
Set a timer for 10 minutes and journal or take notes in response to the prompt above and the items below.
Think about the past couple of weeks. How busy have you been? Has there been more rushing about madly than you prefer? How much stillness has there been?
How can you have more stillness and calm energy in the coming days and weeks?
How do your ideas about power intersect with your decisions about how busy you tend to be and how you make time for stillness?
How do external pressures and frameworks of power intersect with your decisions about how busy you tend to be and how you make time for stillness?
Which larger goals of society do you hold on to and remain in?
Which personal creative goals do you hold onto and remain in?
Want More?
Read A Conversation with Lauren Winner, Part 1
Read A Conversation with Lauren Winner, Part 2
Read Wearing God: Clothing, Laughter, Fire, and Other Overlooked Ways of Meeting God
Lauren Winner will be the chaplain at this year’s Glen Workshop. During the month of July, Spiritual Direction for Writers® Daily Nourishment will feature Glen Workshop facilitators and other Glen-ish people, places, and things. Enjoy!
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More about Lauren Winner:
Lauren F. Winner writes and lectures widely on Christian practice, the history of Christianity in America, and Jewish-Christian relations. Her books include Girl Meets God, Mudhouse Sabbath, A Cheerful and Comfortable Faith, Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis, Wearing God: Clothing, Laughter, Fire, and Other Overlooked Ways of Meeting God, and most recently, The Dangers of Christian Practice: On Wayward Gifts, Characteristic Damage, and Sin.
Dr. Winner, an Episcopal priest, is vicar of St. Joseph's Episcopal Church in Durham, N.C. She is also a spiritual director and partners with Spiritual Direction for Writers providing one-on-one spiritual direction, designing our monthly Revision Stations, and leading occasional retreats.
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Upcoming Workshops & Gatherings
—The July Co-Writing Schedule is live.
—July 8: Thoughtful Readers Gathering with Anna Gazmarian 7-8 p.m. CT
—July 21-27: Charlotte Donlon will provide a few spiritual direction offerings at the Glen Workshop in Seattle
—July 27: Online Revision Stations Designed by Lauren F. Winner
Today’s Daily Nourishment was provided by Charlotte Donlon.
*Please help us protect our intellectual property, our creative process, and the integrity of our work. Spiritual Direction for Writers® Daily Nourishment is covered under the Spiritual Direction for Writers® trademark. You are welcome to share this link with others, but any other use (written or spoken) is prohibited without written permission from Charlotte Donlon.