April Fiet

The way I cackled just now... 🤣🤣🤣🤣

A handy outline of Paul’s letters for your personal devotional study.

I’m so excited to do this again!

Would anyone like a Star Word? Star Words are words you are invited to reflect on for the year ahead.

If you’d like one, let me know!

Pictured: Atticus the attic cat helps April and Jeff select Star Words from a basket.

Did you know I have a free, downloadable 7-day devotional? I wrote Whispers in the Wilderness in the early days of the COVID pandemic as a way to handle the uncertainty of the world. My hope is that this devotion will be an invitation to hope in the midst of uncertain times.

You can get the free devotional here: https://aprilfiet.com/whispers-in-the-wilderness-e-book

As we get ready to enter 2024, some of you may be considering ways you can be more attentive to the movement of the Spirit in your daily life. If that's you, I'd love for you to consider The Sacred Pulse as a guide:

https://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Pulse-Rhythms-Overwhelmed-Souls/dp/1506469086/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=mIUsH&content-id=amzn1.sym.35cab78c-35e3-4fc1-aab0-27eaa6c86063%3Aamzn1.symc.e5c80209-769f-4ade-a325-2eaec14b8e0e&pf_rd_p=35cab78c-35e3-4fc1-aab0-27eaa6c86063&pf_rd_r=0YQPDQ4YGFW3GSWGXH2E&pd_rd_wg=bnL6d&pd_rd_r=6ccf9b53-13ff-4950-ba25-19d225c21eaf&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_atf_m

As we get ready to enter 2024, some of you may be considering ways you can be more attentive to the movement of the Spirit in your daily life. If that's you, I'd love for you to consider The Sacred Pulse as a guide:

The Sacred Pulse: Holy Rhythms for Overwhelmed Souls The Sacred Pulse: Holy Rhythms for Overwhelmed Souls

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I learned today that the Merriam-Webster's dictionary word of the year for 2023 is "Authentic." In search after search on the online dictionary's site, people looked up the word "authentic" to make sure they knew what it meant. They looked up the word authentic because authenticity is important--something to strive for.

I've been wondering what it means to have an authentic Christmas Eve. Is an authentic Christmas Eve one that strips away all the trappings of commercial Christmas? Is an authentic Christmas Eve one that evokes emotions and images of God made flesh? How do we find an authentic experience of Christmas Eve?

I know there are strong feelings about candles on Christmas Eve. For those of us who have core, childhood memories of singing Silent Night with our flickering candles held high, the idea of using an artificial flame might seem strange. It might even seem wrong. It might seem inauthentic. If that's your first impulse (as it used to be mine), I'd like to invite you to consider another perspective.

What if offering flameless candles is an act of hospitality and inclusion?

What if offering a battery-operated candle allows someone to participate on Christmas Eve who has been sidelined for years?

Not long ago, we made the decision at my church to offer flameless, battery-operated candles in addition to traditional candles for our Christmas Eve service. We did this because we learned there were folks who couldn't participate with traditional candles.

There were folks whose hands were so unsteady they did not trust themselves to hold a flame.

There were small children who didn't quite have the fine motor skills to participate with a regular candle, but who were desperate to join in with their families in the candlelight traditions.

There were parents holding small children on their hips who couldn't juggle the candle, the child, and the diaper bag safely, so they chose not to participate even though they wished they could.

I hope an authentic Christmas Eve can include these beloved people, and others from a variety of situations who have been unable to hold a candle and sing.

The type of candles we use will not make our worship authentic, but the inclusion of as many people as possible will get us a little closer to offering worship that looks like the whole body of Christ.

What a treat to be quoted in Malinda Just's Advent reflection! She also created this beautiful image. Give her a read.

https://malindajust.substack.com/p/were-still-advent-people

Loneliness is a public health crisis, and it's one that weighs on me on a regular basis. I was delighted to come across this "Loneliness Advent Calendar" with helpful ideas to help reduce loneliness in your community.

Not all of the items on this calendar might be helpful or possible for you, but hopefully something on here will inspire you.

Helpspring | Free Advent Calendar that Reduces Loneliness 52 free prompts for social posts, custom Advent calendars & more to address the epidemic of loneliness & isolation where you live.

This week as I prepared to preach on the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), I kept coming back to the third servant, the one who buried his talent.

I have always heard this passage used as a kind of altar call for our gifts and talents, as an imperative to stop being afraid to use our gifts for God. I know I've preached this passage this way before too. And perhaps there is a kernel of truth in this approach. God has entrusted us with gifts, and we are called to use them faithfully.

I've started to wonder, though, if this reading is all there is. The more I studied the parable over the last few weeks, the more sympathy I began to feel for the third servant. I couldn't help but feel sorry for this person who was so trapped by his fear that he froze up. All he could do was hide what he had so that he wouldn't lose any of it.

In his fear, he decided he was incapable and he decided the master was untrustworthy.

Fear itself is not a sin. It is a warning signal. Fear is a call to slow down and take a closer look. But when fear becomes our motivator, what drives us, we forget what we're capable of, and we forget that God is good.

What if the problem for the third servant wasn't that he buried the talent, but that he didn't get to experience the joy of the master? What if, in his fear that the master was harsh, he missed out on the grace of a master who would have still embraced him had he lost some of the money? What if he was cast into outer darkness, not because he was condemned to hell, but because he had separated himself from the goodness, love, and joy of being in the presence of a compassionate and kind master?

What if in my fear, I forget who I am and I forget who God is? Perhaps this is the reason so many messengers of God begin their words to us with, "Do not be afraid."

Who cares for the pastor
whose heart is poured out
as she sits at the bedside
reciting the prayers?

On one hand, pastor
on the other, grieving human

Who cares for the pastor
who buries his friends
and has no space to grieve
as he speaks and he comforts?

On one hand, pastor
on the other, cloistered mourner

Who cares for the pastor
who piles one more loss
onto a tower so unwieldy
yet so workaday she doesn't realize it's there?

On one hand, pastor
on the other, burdened soul

Who cares for the pastors
in their valleys and shadows?
Or, do they sit alone
on a bench
overgrown and forgotten
not only to others
but also to themselves?

Photo by Miha Rekar on Unsplash

NEW POST: Blankets and Quilts for All Saints - an All Saints Sunday Service

I'm still resonating with love and hope after our All Saints Sunday service. I wanted to share with you what I put together for our congregation this year. Perhaps it will help you in future service planning, if you are a worship leader.

If not, perhaps this service will be meaningful for you to modify and do at home.

Blankets and Quilts for All Saints – an All Saints Sunday Service - April Fiet - At the Table Every week, the music and worship committee at my church meets to plan worship services. We select hymns, but we also brainstorm, dream, and plan. One of my favorite things is when someone makes a suggestion, which leads to a flurry of suggestions and ideas from around the table. A few weeks ago, as...

Orrrr…maybe not :)

O Lord of late nights and busy weeks, be to us far greater than the blank screen or the blinking cursor where the sermon is supposed to be.

NEW POST: For the Love of W**ds

I’m amazed by the resilience of weeds. They emerge in the most inhospitable of places, like the small spaces of sidewalk cracks and the treacherous terrain of cliff faces. They persist during times of drought, and they spread out their leaves during times of plentiful rain. W**ds can be any kind of plant, too. All that’s required is that they grow in a place where they aren’t wanted.

For the Love of W**ds - April Fiet - At the Table I'm amazed by the resilience of weeds. They emerge in the most inhospitable of places, like the small spaces of sidewalk cracks and the treacherous terrain of cliff faces. They persist during times of drought, and they spread out their leaves during times of plentiful rain. W**ds can be any kind of....

Right after I snapped this pic at the Blessing of the Pets today, I knew I needed to meme it. This doggy's facial expression! 🤣

Change is one of the toughest things we do in our lives, but it can also be one of the most beautiful.

It's ok to change 🌿

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NEW POST: Then Don't - A Lesson in Boundaries from Superstore

When I find myself in a situation like Amy’s, where someone I love seems to be in over their head, I tell myself that helping them will bring us closer together. Instead, I often end up feeling resentful for having to do one more thing. The other person may be completely unaware of the way I’ve put myself out to help them, or they may resent me for not allowing them to live life their own way.

Then Don’t – A Lesson in Boundaries from Superstore - April Fiet - At the Table I never expected an episode of the sitcom Superstore to come for my whole life, but that's exactly what happened. In this particular episode, floor supervisor Amy is frustrated as she watches her parents drag their feet to pack up their belongings for a move. Her parents failed to reserve a moving t...

Registration is now open for a class I'm leading on The Sacred Pulse! We will meet for 6 Thursday evenings beginning September 28th. Click on the Google form link below to register.

I've taught this class once before, and it is SO GOOD. We have such beautiful discussions, and even if you've taken the class once before, there will be something new for all of us. Hope to see you there! And, feel free to share and invite your friends.

Registration now open for The Sacred Pulse: Holy Rhythms for Overwhelmed Souls led by author Rev. April Fiet! Details and rsvp here: https://forms.gle/Rj5V5kAvwDvPWwHE7

This will never stop being hilarious

NEW POST: The Spirit Is Like Wind, but We Are Like Cement

Each time I watched a friend leave pastoral ministry, I observed the same reaction that I saw in seminary all those years ago when Barbara Brown Taylor released Leaving Church. People thought they understood the deeper reasons. They made grand pronouncements about either ministry itself, or the person leaving pastoring behind. People had so many opinions.

So. Many. Opinions.

The Spirit Is Like Wind, but We Are Like Cement - April Fiet - At the Table As pastors join the Great Resignation, we are quick to judge their reasons for leaving pastoral ministry. What if we took a moment to listen to them instead?

Yes! This!

And, I'll add... don't invite them over as a way to get the foot in the door to invite them to church. Invite them over because hospitality is beautiful, and life is better with friends.

Hospitality is central to Christian living—

This month's e-mail newsletter went out last night. You can read it at this link. If you'd like to receive these every month, there's a link at the bottom to sign up.

W**d out the What-Ifs 🧤🧤

“Bloom where you’re planted” doesn’t really apply to every situation.

Image description: A pumpkin growing with part of it trapped in a chain link fence

I wrote this blessing last year, but wanted to share it again. For some dealing with mental health struggles and anxiety, the first day of school isn't the hardest. It's all the days after that.