R&R May 2019: your *exclusive* reflection + reading recommendations from Abby King

Welcome to the very first edition of R&R!
Your *exclusive* monthly reflection and reading recommendations to nourish your soul.

The Work of Redemption
 

There’s a TV programme I’m slightly obsessed with, called Escape to the Chateau.It’s a charming show that follows a British couple and their two children as they renovate and restore an 18th century French chateau they have bought. Its 45 rooms, 12 acres of land and numerous outbuildings have suffered from decades of neglect and require a lot of loving back to life.
 
Part of the show’s appeal lies in watching engineer, Dick and designer, Angel, using their considerable vision, skill and talent to create something beautiful and striking from such a state of dilapidation and disrepair. They attend to their work with commitment, delight and a great deal of respect for the history of the chateau. From the big renovation projects, to the fine details, everything is carried out with care and consideration.
 
Most of what Dick and Angel use in their refurbishment is repurposed in some way or other. Old oak beams become part of a new mezzanine floor; an ancient, rusty oil barrel is turned into a hog-roaster; and almost every episode follows Angel into a charity shop as she chooses exactly the right objects and curios to make the chateau sing with personality.
 
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The work of restoration comes in many forms. The bible calls this redemption, or freedom. In the words of Richard Rohr, ‘God unfolds our personhood from within through a constant increase in freedom – even the freedom to fail.’ Redemption takes back our mistakes and transforms them into grace. It takes our wounds and heals them into scars. It takes our side over and against the voices that speak shame and disgrace and calls us instead, beloved.
 
Redemption sneaks in quietly with the trees that blossom finally, after a long winter. It unfurls with the new buds that show up faithfully in the spring, year after year after year. Redemption happens every time a seed dies in the ground and flourishes into new life. It is ducklings paddling on the lake and the smell of fresh cut roses. It is new-born mercy flooding in with the first rays of sunlight announcing the dawn. It rolls in on the tide with each wave, washing us clean again.
 
Sometimes redemption comes from learning to care for ourselves, take our medication, drink our water, move our bodies. It is learning to ask for help when we need it and beginning to believe that it’s ok not to be ok. Sometimes it looks like a good, long cry, or regular appointments with a counsellor. Sometimes redemption comes from acknowledging your anxiety and going to your friend’s birthday party anyway. Sometimes it comes in a desperate text to your Mum for prayer when you’ve been sunk by depression yet again.
 
Redemption is found in the relationships we choose to stay in when it would be easier and less painful to walk away. It is found in I’m sorry and I forgive you. It is the grace you didn’t deserve and the choice to forgive when you’ve been hurt. Redemption is learning to have healthy boundaries, to let your yes be yes and your no be no. It is in wisdom, gratitude and joy. Redemption is found in the reach of the small child who wants to sit on your lap and the conversation of an old friend who knows you well. It is there at the communion table in the small chunk of bread you always manage to mush up and the tiny cup of grape juice you worry about spilling. Redemption, right there, being swallowed down to nourish you from the inside. It is the right song at the right time. The text message from a friend who thought about you today. It is the hug you didn’t realise you needed so badly and the laughter that comes after tears.
 
The Spirit's work of redemption is carried out with patience, deep commitment and great care. It is the womb and the wilderness. The dark and the starlight. The now and the not yet. The beauty that only comes from ashes.
 
Redemption always looks like wholeness and acceptance. It is the open invitation to come back home to yourself, to others and to the Father, who never stopped calling you to the place where you are fully known, always held secure and unconditionally loved.

Reading Recommendations

Glorious Weakness, by Alia Joy
This book is an exploration of what it means to be poor in spirit. Using stories from her own life, Alia Joy writes in a way that is gritty, raw and painfully honest, while never losing sight of the grace of God. As a bonus, it's also beautifully written. 

God in Pain, by Barbara Brown Taylor
Hands down the best book on suffering I've ever read. Well worth your time if you're suffering, or know someone who is - so that's all of us covered, really! It's a must-read in my opinion.

Placemaker, by Christie Purifoy
A beautiful account of the different places the author has lived, while musing on what it means to be home. Also, there's lots about trees in this book, so it's a win for me. 

Mystics and Misfits, by Christiana Peterson
This is an unusual and intriguing book which interweaves the story of a family living in an intentional community with reflections on different mystics from church history. I've been gripped by the author's own experience and inspired to read some mystics for myself. It's a thoughtful, honest account that I very much enjoyed. (And is also on sale at the time of writing.)

Searching for Sunday, by Rachel Held Evans
If you haven't heard of her, Rachel Held Evans is a well-known Christian author and holy mischief-maker who sadly died a few weeks ago, leaving behind her husband and two young children. She also leaves behind a beautiful legacy of truth-telling and finding God in new ways, which you can read about in Searching for Sunday. It is a wise commentary on the cultural climate of the church. You'll be glad you read it. 

And finally...

Thank you so much for being here! As always, I love to hear your thoughts and comments, so feel free to hit reply if you have something to say.

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With love and gratitude,
Abby