Enjoy links to some of my favorite restful things this month • Find out more about my Let Go of Unlove series for Lent & Easter • Explore my collection of favorite Eastertide reads across various genres • Take out or gift an annual subscription this month to enter a drawing to win a copy of A New Beginning: A Guided Coloring Journal for Rest and Meditation by Amy Willers —see below for the winner of March’s drawing for a copy of Holiness Here •
Scroll down to learn who won this month’s book giveaway!
Hoo boy! March was a doozy! Between a Selah-Anglican residency in North Carolina, a seminary residency in Boston, a visit with our daughter in Charlottesville, two midterms, ongoing spiritual direction appointments, publishing Lent Daybook each day, and several Tuesday nights teaching and leading a relational healing group at church, I am tired.
This is slightly embarrassing for the writer of a Substack called Restful.
I told a friend this week that the exhaustion I feel is a “clean tired, " like a tiredness that comes at the end of exerting oneself in really good work. It’s different than the fatigue of angst or restlessness (both of which I am quite familiar with). And for that, I am grateful. The opportunity to work hard is a privilege.
Looking ahead to the last half of April, there will be many more opportunities for this kind of fruitful exertion. (And, Lord, may it be good work!) AND ALSO? The end of April brings a massive downshift in the work currently filling my days. I can see that relief coming, and it helps me catch a second wind for the coming weeks.
This is also how I feel about Lent right now. We are entering the closing week, the week we call Holy in the church calendar, and if I am honest, I need a good second wind of discipline to walk prayerfully through these final days. I am going to guess I am not alone in this feeling. I don’t want to coast to Resurrection Sunday absent-mindedly. I don’t want to white knuckle my Lenten intentions. I want to experience a fruitful exertion, one that paces itself with Jesus who, “for the joy set before him, endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2)
And the closer we get to resurrection, the slower and more intentional our pace. This is what I love about the liturgical calendar. During my nondenominational upbringing, we tried to fit all of the passion of Christ into one Easter Sunday service. Understandably, we hurried to the triumph as quickly as possible! In the Anglican communion I am part of, no matter which gospel account we follow (and all of them get attention across the three-year Sunday cycle), we pace ourselves with Jesus and his followers through Holy Week. We set aside an entire day between the crucifixion on Friday and the resurrection on Sunday to ponder and worship Jesus, who spent three very real days dead in a tomb. Even though we can't fully understand what was happening with Jesus during those three days, we can deeply imagine his friends' feelings. We can feel those same things as Jesus' friends now. We keep Silent Saturday to make space for this worship that somehow describes the reality of our lives between Jesus's ascension into heaven and his future return.
If you haven’t been able to participate in the Lent Daybook series, now is a meaningful time to join in. The scripture and reflections leading up to April 20 will create an opportunity for a spacious lament that makes room for a spacious celebration. Please feel free to reach out if you have questions about practicing Holy Week. I am not an expert, but am happy to be a companion!
No matter what, like Jesus on his way to the cross, may we not grow weary in our souls or lose heart.
Restfully,
Tamara
What I’ve been enjoying this month:
A spring visit with our kids and granddaughter in Austin!
Texas wildflowers at The Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center
Watching my husband and sons watch the NCAA final four and championship game together
Watching this stunner of a movie with my sons
Holy Week at Church of the Apostles (it’s a highlight of the year)
Ringing real church bells in our new building on Palm Sunday morning!
All the trees and flowers in our neighborhood are beginning to break open in blossoms.
Continued therapy sessions with a God-send of an EMDR therapist
What I am looking forward to this month:
My upcoming final seminary residency of the semester
My annual Easter pedicure, and perhaps even warm enough days to wear sandals
A visit with my sister and her family here at our house for Easter!
Links to things I shared in the recording:
My Currently Reading bookshelf
Holiness Here by Karen Stiller (Congratulations, Josiah Cox, for winning this month’s paid subscriber giveaway!)
A New Beginning: A Guided Coloring Journal for Rest and Meditation by Amy Willers (Take out, renew, or give away a paid subscription in April to enter the drawing for this beautifully illustrated journal!)
Paper Art Whimsies by Amy Barker Willers on Etsy
my colored pen set (which I appreciate b/c I have sensory issues with colored pencils and crayons)
Taize and the Holy Friendship icon
Mexi Modern Folk Art and Peace Dove Notecards inspired from original cyanotypes by Jessie Baca
Unfortunately, my essay about Lady Bird Johnson’s wildlower legacy isn’t currently available at Think Christian, but here’s an article you might enjoy: The Legacy of Lady Bird Johnson at Scenic America
Love & Unlove for Lent series
Prayer for Palm Sunday and breath prayer for Holy Week
Holy Week and Eastertide at Restful
During Holy Week, the Church moves in real time with Jesus as he prepares to die on the cross.
You might be aware that, during Holy Week for the past twelve years, I have invited seven friends to share a personal story of grief or lament on my blog. Year after year, our Holy Week storytellers have asked us to bring Christ's dying lament into our present experiences of grief and loss. This year, I am inviting you to be the storytellers. I’ll share daily prompts throughout Holy Week to help you respond to the Seven Last Words of Christ from the Cross with your honest lament.
As always, you are welcome to share your reflections and stories with me through comments, direct messages, email, or by appointment with me.
Look for daily meditations for the first week of Eastertide and then each Sunday following, 50 ideas for celebrating all 50 days of Eastertide, and some concluding reflections for the Love & Unlove series. Plus, as always a new playlist for the season!
Anything else you’d like to see at Restful for Eastertide?
If you think a friend or loved one would enjoy Restful by Tamara Hill Murphy, gift subscriptions are available here | Website | Follow me: Notes Instagram FB
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