2026 Garden report for August

It's been a funny sort of garden year. Very wet and quite chilly to start, and now it's finally warming up. Thinking I'd be home for most of the summer, I had dreams of staying on top of weeding, but the rain and mosquitoes nixed that. Still, we've put away enough beans till next summer, the carrots are outdoing themselves (as long as the mice/voles don't eat them all top down) and Lee has been a huge help with keeping the weeds to a dull roar, mostly. Turns out there are five pumpkins in the pumpkin patch (thankfully all fairly small) and though I won't have enough tomatoes to put away much sauce this year, we're enjoying them on our sandwiches and I should have some to take to my homeless folks.

The front yard is a jungle, like always, and it's been an incredible year for roses. Other than that, it was nice to not have to water every other day, and I'm grateful to Creator for what produce there is. The video below gives you an idea of what things are like. Email subscribers can click here.

Hope you've enjoyed your summer and the things that grow where you are!

Sunday Reflection: Lost keys?

Today's reflection is brought to you by 
Matthew 16:13-20.

Our Sanctuary of Peace service today was our monthly Standing Stones service led by Verna, our knowledge keeper. But as Pastor Quinn is away, I came up with this reflection for our fourth Sunday service. We were a crowd of three at Pioneer Place, but where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there, too, Jesus said. 

Since it was a small crowd, we took the time to share our experiences of losing our keys. Three out of four of us found our keys again, and spoke about what a relief it was to get them back. But I spoke about the anxiety of responsibility for them and the pain of having to replace them (my coat walked away... and the keys went with it). Fortunately, the ones I lost were my own keys, not work keys, or that would have been a whole other ball of wax!

Keys are important and valuable things, and we tend to keep a very close eye on them. We don't want to be responsible for their loss causing big problems. Keep that in mind and I’ll circle back to it in a few minutes. 

In this morning’s reading, Jesus asks his followers who people say he is. At this point in his ministry, he’s become well-known in his homeland and there are many opinions about him. 

The disciples say people compare Jesus to prophets who weren’t afraid to speak the truth. John the Baptist was Jesus’ cousin who lost his head for telling King Herod Antipas that he shouldn’t have married his half-brother’s wife. Elijah spoke against Queen Jezebel for pushing God’s people to worship idols, and she vowed to kill him but didn't succeed. Jeremiah called people on their idol worship and told them to change their ways, and got thrown into a mostly empty well. So you can see that prophets didn't have it easy. 

It’s interesting that people are seeing similarities between Jesus and the prophets, but that’s not what Jesus wants to hear from his followers. Yes, he’s also calling people to deepen their relationship with God, he’s calling out corrupt scribes and pharisees for pushing God’s laws without being loving toward the poor, and he’s said many prophet-like things that have gotten him in trouble. Maybe the people are seeing the side of him that speaks truth to power. 

But what Jesus really wants to know is who his disciples think he is. Simon the fisherman, an impulsive guy throughout the gospels, jumps right in, saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!”

And Bingo! That’s what Jesus wants to hear. He praises Simon, gives him his new name, Peter, and says he will be in charge of the keys to the kin-dom of heaven. Which is a pretty big honour, and probably an equally big responsibility. Whatever you decide is what will happen, Jesus tells him. Don’t lose those keys, Peter! 

But maybe Peter isn’t the only one who is given keys. After all, Jesus spends a lot of time healing people and talking about love and forgiveness, which are the real keys to a happy life. When he mentions binding and loosing things on earth and in heaven, could he be giving us those keys too? What do we bind? What can we loose? 

Today let’s spend a few minutes sitting with Jesus and thinking about those questions. 

I invite you to sit up straight in your chairs, or sit as comfortably as you can, and take in a deep breath.

Let it out quietly and slowly and relax your body as much as you can… lower your shoulders, let your hands rest lightly on your lap, close your eyes if you like. 

Imagine that you and Jesus are sitting together in a beautiful place at the top of a hill. 

The sun is warm, and you can smell good earthy, grassy smells. 

There are patches of wildflowers that catch your eye, and your can hear bees buzzing at their work, and see butterflies floating from flower to flower. 

Jesus is beside you and smiling at you. He invites you to tell him about your summer. 

He asks you about good things that happened, things that made you feel light and free. 

He asks you about the things that challenged you, things that weighed you down. 

He asks how you feel about both the light and the heavy things, and encourages you to think about how love, healing or forgiveness might be the keys in both kinds of situations. 

Are they keys that sometimes get lost? 

Is there any anger that is holding you down? What is binding you?

Is there unexpressed gratitude/love that would lift someone else up and help them heal? Can you set someone free?

Do you have some forgiveness that is waiting to be shared at the right moment? Can you set it loose?

Tell Jesus about these things in the next few moments of silence... 

Jesus says that you are God’s beloved, and that Creator’s love will help you with your joys and your challenges in the days ahead. 

He reminds you to turn to God whenever things feel heavy and difficult, and also when things are light and joyful. 

He gives you a hug, and whispers in your ear that love is your own set of keys to the kin-dom of heaven. 

And now I invite you to open your eyes and pray with me: 

Thank you, Creator, 
for sending Jesus to show us how to be free 
through healing and forgiveness, 
and through simple prayers of praise. 
Help us to let go of anger 
and hold on to love wherever we find ourselves, 
and to help others to do the same. 
Bless us, and help us to use the keys you have given to us. 

+Amen

Sunday Reflection: Asking for help

Today's reflection is brought to you by   

Michael Angelo Immenraet's 
Jesus and the Woman of Canaan
(17th century)

Matthew 15:21-28.

This is the reflection I shared with my friends at Sanctuary of Peace this morning.

If you’ve ever seen someone having a seizure, you know it can be a very scary thing. In Jesus’ time, people thought that seizures were a sign of demon possession, but now we know they signify uncontrollable electrical impulses in someone’s brain, sometimes requiring medication. Someone I love experiences seizures. 

So I can really relate to the woman in today’s story. She feels panicky and scared because she can't explain her daughter's health situation, and is afraid she might die. (I know what that’s like.) The only difference between me and that woman is that medical interventions didn’t exist in those days and only a local healer named Jesus could help her. So she’s crying and begging for help, loudly! (I’ve been there, too in my worries for my loved one, praying, "Please. Please. Please!") 

And Jesus? He’s just had a big argument with the religious leaders of his own faith and he probably wants a break from people, period. Have you ever felt like that? So in his fully human nature, he doesn’t answer right away, and his followers take his silence for a “No.” They ask him to send the noisy woman away. They know that since she’s from the area around Tyre and Sidon, she’s probably not Jewish, and so they decide that she’s not someone he should be concerned about. 

For a moment, Jesus seems to agree, saying he’s only come for the sake of the lost sheep among his own Jewish people, but in his fully divine nature, he doesn’t send her away. And the woman changes her approach and comes and quietly kneels at Jesus’ feet. Though she knows she’s not one of the people he's been concerning himself with, that she's not one who would sit at his table, she knows that she deserves Jesus’ attention just as much as anybody else. And somehow, she also knows he can heal her daughter, so she’s looking to be included in his care, and she’s not going to take no for an answer. I like that about her!

And Jesus does, too. It's clear that she’s smart, and desperate enough to be a little bit sassy. She speaks her truth, catching Jesus’ attention by using the same supper image that he uses, asking him for the crumbs from the table he's setting for his people, reminding him that though she's not one of them, she deserves his mercy, his care. And though the human Jesus might be tired of arguments, his divine self knows that she’s right and she does deserve his care just as much as the lost sheep religious leaders he was arguing with – because she has absolute faith in him. He praises her faith and heals her daughter immediately. 

So where does this story leave you and me? 

We all have times and places in our lives when we feel panicky and scared, or just plain worn down and frustrated, and we need help. Today’s gospel shows us that whenever someone speaks truth clearly and from their heart, they are heard, no matter who they are. For us, that can be tough to do when we’re anxious or fearful, but if we take a few deep breaths and soften our speech instead of shouting, we’re going in the right direction. 

But even if we’re so desperate that we're loud about what we need, Creator can handle it. We come just as we are, we tell God what’s going on, and God listens – and loves and includes and cares for us all without judgment. I’m quite sure that we judge ourselves -- I know I judge myself -- more than Creator ever will. 

So, just as we are, let’s go meet Jesus as he walks through the countryside near Tyre and Sidon. 

Sit straight in your chair and take a deep breath in… and let it out slowly and quietly. 

Set your feet on the floor and lower your shoulders. Relax and breathe normally, in and out. 

Imagine that you are high on a grassy hill, walking with Jesus on a path wide enough for two. 

The sun is warm, and you can smell good earthy, grassy smells. 

There are patches of wildflowers that catch your eye, and your can hear bees going about their work, and see butterflies floating from flower to flower. 

Jesus picks a piece of grass and chews on the sweet white root end of the stem, and you do the same. 

As you walk, Jesus asks you how your summer has been. How has it been? 

Jesus really wants to know what’s going on with you. He rests his hand on your shoulder as you walk, and the love in his eyes says that you can be who you are and can say anything, and he will listen and love you no matter what. 

Is there something that is worrying you right now? Tell him about your concerns and give them into his care. Take a few moments of silence with him...

He smiles and says that anytime you talk with him you are offering a prayer, and that when the time is right, your prayers will be answered one way or another. He invites you to come and talk with him anytime, day or night. 

Before you come back to this space, let Jesus know you appreciate him with a smile, a hug, a fist bump – whatever works best for you. 

And let’s pray together: 

We thank you, God, for the way you always listen to us, day or night. 

We offer you all our cares and concerns, knowing that you don’t want us to suffer or feel anxious, but to trust in you and the help you send through the people around us. 

Help us to place our lives in your care, and to speak our truth – to ask for help when we need it, and to help others when we can. 

Let us be like the Canaanite woman, knowing that you will include us, and unafraid to ask until we receive your help.

Let us be like you, welcoming and including everyone in our love.

Bless us and keep us close to your heart always. 

+Amen