Lent. It’s the season dedicated to fasting, alms, and prayer. A season to, once again, awaken the spirit to remember and revere the sacrifice that Christ has made.
It’s the season when the new year starts ushering in spring—the renewal and rejuvenation of the earth. And, it’s the season when days, slowly but surely, become warmer and longer. Where plants and animals sigh and stretch back to life.
This season begs the questions.
What is awakening in you? What is stirring in your spirit? What has been laying dormant the last few months? And, more importantly, how will you respond to the awakening?
Linger a while in longing.
In chapter 8 of Let There Be Art, Rachel Marie Kang delves into the concept of lament—the feeling of longing and sadness. In that, she offers the truth about our tears. Tears, she writes, sign to what the heart has felt and what the body has experienced—that which we have lived.
She welcomes us this theme through the topic of music, specifically through her explanation of jazz:
The juxtaposition of jazz is that it is a lovely sound but also a longing sound. In jazz the tension heard is also a tension lived and felt. Those songs you hear, so soulfully beautiful, are also filled with a deep dark sorrow.
—Rachel Marie Kang
Most recently, at the 65th GRAMMY Awards, the world was graced to hear jazz vocalist Samara Joy. Her most recent album, Linger Awhile, won her two GRAMMY awards for “Best New Artist” and “Best Jazz Vocal Album.”
Take a listen to Samara Joy’s rendition of “Guess Who I Saw Today.” Listen to the maturity of her voice, the soothing piano juxtaposed with the shattering story that the song tells as she croons, peeling back the layers of her heartbreaking discovery.
Reads to ruminate on.
Writers on our blog are bringing forth beautiful words and powerful poems. Here, we’re sharing our features from the month of February. Share a comment wherever words move you.
Here by Rebekah Taylor
A poem on trusting in the space of waiting.Awakening to Possibility by Karen Milioto
A piece on standing defiantly in the darkness.Grace by Tina Ferguson
A poem on the God who hears us.Rise and Shine by Rachael Wade
A poem on awakening to belonging.
Stay grounded and touch the earth.
Looking for a book to carry you through the season of Lent? Poet and pastor Drew Jackson reminds us to stay grounded, as Christ did, in his new collection of poetry, Touch the Earth: Poems on the Way. In his book, Jackson guides readers through the book of Luke, which follows the life of Christ from his conception to his ascension.
Touch the Earth is broken into seventeen parts of featured scripture and mirrors the lessons and sentiments within the gospel, tackling topics of faith, family, the Black experience, and liberation.
For more poetry by Jackson, follow him on Instagram at @d.jacksonpoetics.
Gather it from memory. Let it touch the earth.
—Drew Jackson
Unplug to recharge.
This Friday, March 3, is National Day of Unplugging.
Unplug Collaborative started the National Day of Unplugging in 2009 as a way to inviting people into refreshing and restarting their bodies and brains from the toll that technology takes.
In a digital world, where we are tapped and plugged in for so many facets of our lives, taking time to unplug is something that we have to remind ourselves to do.
When we become overwhelmed, overstimulated, and overworked, unplugging is a great way to reconnect to the why in our lives. Lent allows us a chance to do that—and so does this National Day of Unplugging.
In her article, "How to Unplug so that you can recharge,” Integrative Mental Health Specialist Louise B. Miller explains the reasoning behind unplugging.
It’s essential to your overall health and well-being. Our electrical devices need to be recharged frequently; however, we seldom take time to recharge ourselves, which often results in burnout, a compromised immune system, and illness.”
Take a day to put your phone on Do Not Disturb mode, or turn it off completely. Go outside for natural sunlight. Instead of picking up that Kindle, hold a book in your hands to read. May your time of unplugging retune your creativity.
Awaken your taste buds.
Snejana, more commonly known as “The Modern Nonna,” has come up with a recipe for enjoying sushi in its many forms. We’re not sure if you’re really ready for these tantalizing Sushi Bake Cups.
The Modern Nonna learned from the best—her grandmother. She began to experiment with cooking at the age of 21. She says, "Everything I currently know is a reflection of some part of my life. The cultures I was surrounded by growing up have made a huge impact on my style of cooking.”
Give this recipe a try . . . and tag us if you do: @thefallowhouse and #thefallowhouse.