Whale Spouts - October 2020
Nurturing Spiritual Vitality in Everyday Living
Greetings dear friends,

Welcome to October! For those of us in the Northern hemisphere there is now a distinct chill in the air, leaves are popping with color and it is time to put my garden beds to bed for a long winter's nap.

As I pray back over the events of this past spring and summer, I am often struck by how challenges and blessings have existed side by side. Because the stress and struggles are so pervasive, it is sometimes easy to miss the blessings. One such hidden blessing for me over the last few months has been my garden.

All of my past attempts at growing anything - truly any thing - had been thwarted by my busy schedule, powdery mildew and neighborhood deer that mistook my tomato patch for their personal buffet! After several years of only minimal success, I gave in to my frustrations and let the garden fall into disrepair - overgrown by weeds and ignored for almost 10 years.

Maybe the land needed to lie fallow. Maybe I needed to lie fallow. This year I came to the earth rested and ready to dig in the dirt, plant seeds, pull weeds and watch my garden grow. And grow it did - in unexpected abundance! I'd venture a guess that I've harvested more veggies this year than in all my years of failed gardening combined. Fresh cucumber, tomato, onion and basil salad became a new family favorite.

Perhaps we all need fallow seasons every now and then. Our body, mind and spirit need seasons that are not productive in order to prepare for productive seasons yet to come.

What type of season is it for you? A season of lying fallow? A season of weeds and pests? A season of abundant grace? Be assured that throughout all the seasons of life - the productive and the unproductive - God is present. God, the Eternal Gardener, walks with you through it all; sowing seeds that will thrive in the messy dirt, stinky fertilizer, drops of rain and gift of sunlight that warms the earth and brings forth new life.

It is my deepest prayer that amidst the mess, the stink and the teardrops, God's light will warm your spirit so that something nourishing might take root and grow in unexpected abundance..

With strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Sharon

Sharon Seyfarth Garner
Director, Belly of the Whale Ministries
COLOR YOUR ADVENT
Nov. 29, Dec. 6, 13 & 20, 2020

Join us LIVE on Sunday evenings at 7:00 EST
or host a watch party later with friends.

Advent and Christmas may be months away, but they will be here before we know it. And, I dare say that the holidays this year will be unlike any other we have experienced in our lifetimes. Amidst all of the changes, uncertainties and adaptations, how will you keep the birth of Christ at the center of it all?

Color Your Advent 2020 is a 4-week retreat designed to help you stay soul-centered as you color and pray your way through the Advent season to Christmas morning. We will be using my book Mandalas, Candles & Prayer: A Simply Centered Advent as our guide.

Why should I participate? There is a collective sense of weariness in everyone I talk to these days. I invite you to allow yourself to slow down, breathe deeply and come as you are. Wear your comfy pjs, grab a cup of hot chocolate and pull out your favorite colored pencils. We will rest our weary souls together as we color, pray and let the Advent candles light our way.

What will the Live sessions include? We will gather Live (via Zoom) on each of the four Sundays of Advent (Nov. 29, Dec. 6, 13 & 20, 2020) from 7-8:30 pm Eastern time.
7:00 - 7:15 - Informal gathering (come as you are)
7:15 - 8:00 - Program (lesson, candle-lighting and contemplative coloring)
8:00 - 8:30 - Small group sharing (for those who are interested)

What if I can't join Live? You can participate live or at your own convenience. The "Program" segment of the retreat (7-7:45) will be recorded, uploaded and made available on my website and Facebook page. You might consider gathering with a few friends and hosting a weekly watch party so that you can color your way through Advent together. :-)

Do I need my own copy of the book? Yes, I do recommend that all participants have their own copy of Mandalas, Candles & Prayer. (I will not be making PDF's of the mandalas available online.) However, if you want to join us but don't have a book, you can simply use a blank sheet of paper and color free-form as we pray together.

What is the cost? I have been prayerfully considering what fee to ask for this 4-week retreat and am feeling strongly led to offer it at no cost so that all who want to participate can do so. If you feel led to make a contribution, however, that would be a blessing. Belly of the Whale is solely funded by fees and your generous contributions, so any amount you could share (large or small) would help to keep this ministry going. I will be donating 10% of all contributions to a local prison ministry at the North East Reintegration Center where I used to volunteer pre-Covid.

How do I register? If you want to participate LIVE on Sunday evenings, you will need to register so that I can provide you with the Zoom link in advance. (For security reasons, I will not be posting the zoom link publicly.) If you plan on viewing the recording later in the week (on your own or with others), it would still be helpful if you would register so that I can hold you in prayer as we share this virtual journey together.
ANTI-RACISM RESOURCE

Debbie L. Plummer, PhD has developed the Antiracism Style Indicator (ASI) to help folks take an honest look at how they are functioning as an anti-racist. There is no cost to take the self assessment and explore how effectively you are working to dismantle racism in systems and within yourself. It takes less than 2 minutes to watch this video and hear Dr. Plummer explain this tool in her own words.
POSTPONED - Flourish 2021
an experiential contemplative retreat
February 19-21, 2021

I am so very sad to announce that we have made the difficult decision to postpone our offering of Flourish 2021. With careful consideration of the the current pandemic uncertainties, we decided to err on the side of "abundant caution" and hold off on this exciting event until we can safely gather in person. We will be in contact with all those who have registered to issue a full refund.
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