Deep Breathing for the Soul

UPDATE: Here’s a link to on-line registration for the Simple Compassion seminar, which will be held Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010, at Breakthrough Urban Ministries in Chicago. click here to go right to the registration page.

I watch the devastation in Haiti, played out for me in living color on CNN, and find myself asking–God, what do you want me to do? How should I respond to this crisis, this suffering? Send money? Take in refugees? Go on a rebuilding mission? These are the kind of questions we’ll be wrestling with in an upcoming one-day seminar on Simple Compassion.

This seminar for women will be held Saturday, Feb. 20. Just attending will be an exercise in building a heart of compassion, as it will be held at the inner-city ministry headquarters of Breakthrough Urban Ministries. We’ll look at how we can show compassion not just in response to large scale disasters, but also right in our neighborhood, our church, our city. I’ll be teaching four sessions, but we will a lot of time for discussion and processing.

The seminar will be held from 9 to 3 p.m. Feb. 20. cost is just $35 and includes lunch and a free copy of my book Simple Compassion.

To register, email your name and contact info Mike Murphy at mmurphy@breakthrough.org, and put “Simple Compassion seminar” in the subject line.  He’ll get in touch with you to give you details.

Here’s a more detailed description of the four sessions:

1.       Compassion Begins with You. every woman matters to God, whether she’s in Sierra Leone or San Diego, in a slum or a suburb. We’ll look at some biblical women who stepped up to be difference makers, and how we can follow their lead. God has a unique calling for each of us—how do we discern that? It starts by letting go of our “little old me” syndrome and believing that God actually is calling us to be his hands and feet in the world. Even small acts of justice and compassion matter, because even if you only help one person, that person matters!

2.       Compassion Grows in Community. The Christian life was never meant to be lived on our own. We were made for community—and sometimes, the people in our closest circles are the ones who are challenging to love.  How can we extend compassion to the people closest to us—whether they are family, church members or next-door neighbors? This session focuses on making a difference right where you are, and why you need others to come on the journey with you.

3.       Compassion Extends Beyond Our Comfort Zones.  Although we can make a difference no matter where we are, God calls us to truly see injustice around us, and not insulate ourselves from it. There are people who need God’s love and tangible help—things like food, clothing and shelter—within an hour of your door. This session will look at women who are making a difference in the Chicago area, and offer some next steps for getting involved with ministries here in the area.

4.       Compassion Offers God’s Love to the World. It is impossible to talk about God’s heart for the poor without looking at the situation in the developing world. We will look at some big issues like human trafficking, poverty, lack of clean water and others. The goal is to see these issues and see how we can take very small steps to make a difference by both what we do, and what we decide to stop doing. We’ll look at some women who have focused their energy on one global issue and are making a difference in that area.

Tags: retreat, seminar, Simple Compassion

We women often feel like we spend a lot of time pouring ourselves out, juggling a variety of responsibilities. Yesterday I wrote for a couple of hours, then worked at my part-time job for seven hours, came home and created something out the the nothing that was in the pantry for dinner, then quizzed my daughter on her history “key terms” for an hour and a half to prep for a test. By the time I fell into bed at about 10 p.m. my neck hurt.

Today was much the same–an early morning dentist appointment, couple of hours at my part-time job, then a block of writing time (which is my full-time job), and a quick trip to the grocery store. After checking in with my kids when they got home from school, I’m back on the computer, a working from home mom trying to get it all done.

It’s important, in the midst of days like these, to find a way to replenish our reserves. Use whatever analogy works for you: put on your own oxygen mask first, prime the pump, fill your cup, whatever. All of us, men and women, must be filled if we are to pour out. We must stop and let God fill us with his love and power, so that we can pour it into our families, our work, our ministry. There are small, daily practices, like taking some time for quiet reflection and prayer before starting a busy day, or spending a bit of time with a friend for coffee and conversation, that can refuel us. But once in a while, we need a little more extended time of replenishment and inspiration. But it’s not always easy to find.

So in the interest of empowering and equipping, I want to mention two very cool events for women that are coming up. If you haven’t taken time for yourself (I’m talking spiritual and intellectual stimulation, not getting a manicure!) then these may be just what you need to re-energize and strengthen you for the tasks God has called you to in your job, family, church or community (or all of the above). If you are anywhere near the Chicago area, I hope I’ll see you at one or both of these events.

January 23: Synergy Chicago. this one day conference, led by author Carolyn Custis James, is entitled “Finding Your Place in the Story.”  It will be held at Christ Church Oak Brook (directions on on the registration page). Synergy’s vision is “To see women wholeheartedly following Christ and partnering with their Christian brothers and each other to build His Kingdom.” Their mission is “to connect, equip, and encourage women in vocational ministry to be effective leaders and laborers for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” This is a great seminar to help anyone in ministry to be more effective. it’s also a great opportunity to network with other leaders.

I’ll be there as an attendee, and I’ll also have a book table, so if you come, please stop by and introduce yourself!

Learn more and register by clicking here.

February 20: Simple Compassion Chicago: This is another one day conference, based on my new book Simple Compassion. If you’ve been trying to figure out how to link your faith with action, how to take beginning steps of social justice, this seminar is for you. It will be held at Breakthrough Urban Ministries, 402 N. St. Louis, Chicago.

This one-day seminar will jump start your justice journey. We will look very practically at how we can become women who make a difference: women who act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God. It will provide a safe, guilt-free environment for discussing, asking questions, reflecting and strategizing.

I’m teaching four sessions on how to become a difference maker, but the day will also include plenty of group discussion and time for individual reflection and processing. This is not just a day of information but a day of spiritual formation, as we listen to each other and to God. You can register by emailing Mike Murphy at Breakthrough Urban Ministries mmurphy@breakthrough.org and just telling him you want to attend. Cost is only $35 and includes lunch and free copy of Simple Compassion.

Here’s a more detailed description of the four sessions:

1.       Compassion Begins with You. every woman matters to God, whether she’s in Sierra Leone or San Diego, in a slum or a suburb. We’ll look at some biblical women who stepped up to be difference makers, and how we can follow their lead. God has a unique calling for each of us—how do we discern that? It starts by letting go of our “little old me” syndrome and believing that God actually is calling us to be his hands and feet in the world. Even small acts of justice and compassion matter, because even if you only help one person, that person matters!

2.       Compassion Grows in Community. The Christian life was never meant to be lived on our own. We were made for community—and sometimes, the people in our closest circles are the ones who are challenging to love.  How can we extend compassion to the people closest to us—whether they are family, church members or next-door neighbors? This session focuses on making a difference right where you are, and why you need others to come on the journey with you.

3.       Compassion Extends Beyond Our Comfort Zones.  Although we can make a difference no matter where we are, God calls us to truly see injustice around us, and not insulate ourselves from it. There are people who need God’s love and tangible help—things like food, clothing and shelter—within an hour of your door. This session will look at women who are making a difference in the Chicago area, and offer some next steps for getting involved with ministries here in the area.

4.       Compassion Offers God’s Love to the World. It is impossible to talk about God’s heart for the poor without looking at the situation in the developing world. We will look at some big issues like human trafficking, poverty, lack of clean water and others. The goal is to see these issues and see how we can take very small steps to make a difference by both what we do, and what we decide to stop doing. We’ll look at some women who have focused their energy on one global issue and are making a difference in that area.

She was just a scared teenager, conscripted as a concubine for the king. But she changed history. What happened?

A challenge from a spiritual mentor led her to fast and pray.

This week, our on-line book club is looking at the first chapter of Simple Compassion, entitled “Position.”

Just to fill you in: Each member should read the chapter before joining in the discussion each week, as well as the Scriptures listed in the leader’s guide at the back of the book.

Each week, as you read the chapter, pay attention to your soul’s response as you read. Often, God speaks to us not just through things we read, but our response to what we read. Where do you notice in yourself what one mentor of mine called “resonance, or resistance”? In other words, where do you find yourself strongly agreeing, or strongly disagreeing? Share one of these with the group.

Then, take a look at the compassion step at the end of the chapter. Share your response to the questions there: Is there a situation you’re facing that you don’t know how to handle? Are others looking to you to step up in a situation where you feel inadequate? How is your situation similar to Esther’s? Have you prayed about it?

This chapter focused on the story of Esther in the Bible. What can you learn from Esther? What do you have in common with her? What situation do you need to fast and pray about, and then speak truth in?

One of the suggested group activities is to watch the Veggie Tales movie “Esther.” It’s a very well-done, but kid-friendly, re-telling of the story. (Click here to watch a YouTube of the trailer for the movie) If you are part of a virtual group, this is something you can do with your family, rather than your group.

Tags: book club, online book club, read, Simple Compassion, social justice, veggie tales

What, exactly, is slack-tivism? I first heard this term last week when thousands of women on Facebook were posting single words as their status update: Blue. White. Black. Beige. The idea was that they would simply post the color of the bra they were wearing, ostensibly to raise awareness for breast cancer. I’m not sure how that raises awareness. An article criticizing this “campaign” pointed that out. Slack-tivism is doing something that really requires little or no effort, (like sharing info no one wants to know) and thinking you’re being an activist, but you’re actually not.

Slack-tivism is nothing new. Slapping a bumper sticker on your car (especially if its something like a “stop dependence on foreign oil” bumper sticker on the back of your SUV) could fall in that category. And I must admit I have often been a slack-tivist. I’d read an article about some injustice in the world, feel a sense of outrage. And then, just go on with my day, because I thought there was nothing I could do about the problems of the world. But that’s not true. We can’t do everything, but we can do something.

Actually doing something, being an activist rather than a slack-tivist, is more challenging, but more rewarding. 

So here’s your chance to be an activist. As you may know, this month we’re doing the Simple Compassion challenge. Each week, do one act of simple compassion (maybe in your family, your neighborhood, your city, etc.) It can be volunteering with an organization, it could be just checking in on an elderly neighbor. It might be writing a note of encouragement to someone, or bringing a meal. It might be doing some research and then writing a letter to your representative in Congress. It might be watching someone’s kids for an hour to give them a little break. Let’s get talking about this!

Then tell us about it. You can do that by hitting “reply” on our Say It Face to Face conversation (click here to see the page–if you look at the replies you can see a rather silly 30 second clip of me at the homeless shelter). Or, if you aren’t video savvy or you’re just camera shy, you can leave a response to this post. Tell us in writing about what you will do.  Do it by Thursday of this week. On Friday, we’ll pick three people who have told us about their act of compassion, and they’ll get a free copy of my book, Simple Compassion!

So, take a stand against slack-tivism, and you could win a book.

p.s. If you are totally stumped by this challenge, and you live near Chicago, you may want to attend my one-day seminar on Simple Compassion next month, to get inspired about living compassionately. Learn more by  clicking here.

This month, we’re asking readers to perform one act of Simple compassion each week, and to tell us about it. You can watch my YouTube video explaining the challenge here. Each week, you pray, asking God to lead. Then pick one act of simple compassion, and go do it. Then, tell us about it.

The publicity folks thought it would be great to do this via video. Yes. Well. Seems to me that “vlogging” is not nearly as popular as blogging. But if you want to do that, you can go to a video posting site called Say It Face to Face by clicking here.  I finally figured out how to post a video there, so go check it out. If you have a webcam or even a digital camera you can post your thoughts!

Or if you’d rather, you can look at the video (click here ) on YouTube). We took this 30 second clip this morning as my friend Sharon and I made breakfast at the homeless shelter. We leave at 6:30 a.m. to get down there. WE cook, serve the meal, visit with some of the ladies who live at the shelter. The women who live there have “chores” including cleanup, so once we put things away, we leave. It’s a great serving opp for busy moms who often have Saturday morning sports events to attend–we get home by about 9:15 or 9:30 a.m. We go on the second Saturday of each month, various neighbors go each time. We have a great time. Here’s some photos:

While I think it’s great to do “random” acts of kindness and compassion, I think we are called to make a habit of compassion. I did not want to get up out of my warm bed when it was 7 degrees outside and still dark out. But I have made a commitment to do just that, one Saturday a month. Random acts are great, but living intentionally is what will transform us.

Tags: commitment, doing good, helping, love, Simple Compassion, social justice, women

About 5:30 this morning, I heard the familiar rattle and scrape of the village plow roaring past on the road. Outside my window the world is painted white again. Each branch on the tree in our front yard is coated with fluffy white snow that has been falling for several hours.

It’s beautiful, from here at my desk. Driving my daughter to a 6:30 a.m.  meeting at school, sliding through intersections—that was not so pretty. But we made it.

Even though driving in the snow is not that fun, I happen to think it’s beautiful.

Here’s a few photos of the view out my window. Yeah, those vertical lines through the shot are icicles hanging from the eaves.

In the realm of God’s creation, snow is more than just decoration for a bleak season. It actually provides nourishment and rest to the soil. Perhaps you are in a season, spiritually, that feels like winter. Remind yourself to notice the beauty, and to remember that even when it feels cold and dark, winter sometimes provides what your soul needs.

The blog tour for Simple Compassion is rolling on!  this tour has two components. First, bloggers are writing about Simple Compassion, and you can visit those blogs to talk about the book. Second, the site www.sayitfacetoface.com is hosting a video chat about Simple Compassion.

 Click here to take a look at what’s been posted so far on that site. This is an interesting way to interact on-line–if you have a webcam it’s fairly easy to do. I had my daughter shoot my very informal video with her digital camera, then uploaded my 2 minute video to the site. If this sounds tricky, get your kids to help you!

 Today, my good friend Linda Bryant posted a review on her new blog. Linda and I have served together at Willow, she’s been my small group leader, and she’s a good friend. And this year she came to me looking for advice on writing, and I told her to start blogging. Writing really improves when you practice, especially if you are open to learning in the way Linda is.

Many people want to be writers, but don’t actually write. Linda, on the other hand, has been blogging and honing her craft, reading up on how to improve her craft, and looking for guidance. She’s fanning into flame the gift within her, and it’s fun to watch that happen.

I know Linda would be thrilled if you stopped by her blog. She’s got some other great posts, observations about life and parenting and change.

If you have a small group that is looking for a new book to read together in 2010, I’d like to humbly suggest you read Simple Compassion together. But don’t take my word for it. all this week you can read what other bloggers are saying about this book, as the Simple Compassion blog tour starts today. I hope you’ll visit these blogs and read their reviews, get in on the discussion. Some bloggers are giving away a copy of the book. Feel free to stop back here at my blog and leave a comment or question as well!

Here are a couple of blogs that have already put up posts. Please stop by these blogs, leave a comment. This is a fun way to discover some great new blogs to read. I’ll post the entire list later today. If you are a blogger and want to join the tour, please contact me and let me know!

http://bookbargainsreadingroom.blogspot.com/2010/01/simple-compassion.html

http://the160acrewoods.com/?p=3579

Tags: blog tour, books, reading, Simple Compassion, small groups

A few readers have written to me, asking about tips for reading my new book Simple Compassion with a group or book club. I really designed this book to be experienced in community, so I’m glad to offer some help, especially if you are leading a group. I spent years at Willow Creek coaching small group leaders, so if you need a coach as you go through this book with a group, I’m glad to help.

Because Simple Compassion is a 52-week devotional, it is great for a weekly discussion group. So what I will do is to have a “virtual book club” right here on my blog. Each Friday, I’ll post a question about the chapter, and we can chat about it here at Deep Breathing for the Soul (and on Facebook, as these posts show up there as well.

We’ll start today with the introduction, and do “Week 1: Position” next week. You can read the introduction for free by clicking here. (there’s also a link to an audio book sample on that page if you want to listen to the book). The book also contains a leader’s guide, with verses and information to help you. That guide also has a suggested structure for group time.

Every Friday, I’ll post something about the chapter, and ask for your comments. If you are reading the book with a group in your neighborhood or church, you can share your insights, questions or comments here on the blog. I hope it will be very interactive.

So let’s dive in. Read the introduction, then let’s talk about a few simple questions:

When you were growing up, how did you view God? What did you think he wanted from you?

What do you think our lives should be about if we are following God?

Where have you noticed God at work in your life lately?

After we have some comments (on Facebook or the blog) I’ll jump in with comments of my own. And feel free to respond with questions.

Tags: book club, books, Keri Wyatt Kent, reading, Simple Compassion, small groups, social justice, spiritual formation

If you have a blog, I’d love to come “visit” it next week during our blog tour for Simple Compassion. To participate, just leave a comment here or get in touch via my website. Let me know that you’d like to review Simple Compassion, or post an “interview” with me. You can send your own questions or use ones I’ve written. You can post a review or open it up to reader questions, whatever you like. But you have to hurry as the tour starts next week. And we’re making this a highly participatory tour, asking readers to post videos or comments about how they are putting this book into action. I’m excited about the possibilites!

Blog tour participants get a free copy of the book to review! Just send me your name, e-mail, mailing address and blog URL and you can be a part of the tour.

Tags: blog tour, free books, Simple Compassion, social justice