God is SO kind.

I was struck by this afresh as I listened to a sermon series on the story of Ruth last week. When Ruth sacrificially chose to leave the only home she’d ever known, and follow her mother-in-law to Bethlehem, she could never have imagined the kindness the God of Israel would lavish on her.

Over and over, God positioned people along her path who would show her little acts of kindness. Boaz included her among his people giving her a place among his servants. He invited her to his table, and provided nourishment for her body and soul. He instructed his servants to be generous, all while protecting and guarding her.

He saw her. He saw the sacrifices she had made, even if no one else did. And he honored her and gave her dignity.

My Savior God has done the same for me.

He saw me in my obscurity and He singled me out. He gave me a place in His family. He included me even when I didn’t belong.

He invited me to His table and has nourished me ever since. He gave me the privilege of working in His harvest fields. He even sets up a guard around me, to protect my heart and my mind.

And countless times, I have experienced His kindness and care through His servants. God positioned many different people along my journey whose seemingly insignificant acts of kindness shaped my identity, brought the Kingdom of Heaven to earth and let me experience the love of my Father firsthand.

It makes it so simple, really. So often, I get caught in the trap of seeing the big things people do for God as the things that matter. I was thinking about this on my run, when I saw my widow friend, Nad’a walking toward me.

I haven’t  seen her in a couple of months because of all our travel and work, and I immediately felt guilt wash over me because I am not an everyday friend to her. How could any of my little drops in her big bucket of loneliness make a difference? But as the truth of Ruth’s story penetrated my heart, I realized that I wasn’t trusting God. I was acting as it if all depended on me.

And in that moment, I knew He wanted me to show kindness to Nad’a – even if it felt small. Even if I didn’t think it was enough.

I had just baked some zucchini bread at home, so as I drew close to Nad’a, I called out to her and asked if I could bring some over and have tea with her. We had a really sweet afternoon filled with talking and tears … and it counted. That little drop made a ripple.

We get to bring the Kingdom to someone when we put what is “not nearly enough” in Jesus’ hands and trust Him to meet the need. Somehow, when my little loaf of zucchini bread passes from my hands to His, it miraculously becomes satisfying and filling to someone He has called me to love. And it marks someone’s journey … and reminds them of the kindness of our Savior God.

It was true for Ruth. I know it was true for me. And I am trusting that it was enough for Nad’a this week.

Jesus is a multiplier. He takes the little we give Him and makes it so much MORE – even a little time … or a little loaf of zucchini bread. If, when He invades and interrupts my everyday routine, I offer whatever I have to Him, I get to partner with Him in renewing the whole world.

“I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting system
through which God speaks to us every hour,
if we only tune in.”
Xavier U.

“O LORD, our LORD, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
Psalm 8:1

This past week, Bill and I were in Estes Park, CO, the front door of Rocky Mountain National Park with our Splendid Friends, our couple’s group of over 20 years. The highlights were many — good friends, good food, and enjoying God’s creation.

It’s said that a picture is worth 1000 words, so I’m going to share some of the beauty … and some of the fun … we experienced this week and allow God to speak through his creation.

Kay’s friend who now lives in heaven, shared this question with Kay one day as they were enjoying a walk together. What makes the music of the brook? The answer, the water flowing over the hard things. Isn’t that true of so much of our lives? Our music is communicated through our hards. The last morning I sat by the river running next to our condos and contemplated how my hards have been the notes of my story.

Elk can even be seen in town. Had I been on the correct side of the car, I could have almost reached out and touched them!

One afternoon Kay, Beth and I wandered into town to walk through the shops. Estes Park is definitely a tourist town. But we enjoyed the warm autumn weather and our friendship. Another thought from Kay’s friend Eva: “A friend (an affable person) loves (an attitude of the heart) at all times,” (an abiding experience). Proverbs 17:17.

At home, my annuals on our deck continue to bring joy during this surprisingly warm Colorado autumn.

And it is always a special joy to share these times with my husband.

“In the beginning,
God created the heavens and the earth.”
Genesis 1:1

 

Copyright: Sue Tell, October 2024

 

Affirmation – I’ve been talking about this a lot this year. It’s my word for 2024.

According to Dictionary.com, affirmation is the assertion that something exists or is true.

I’ve been practicing affirmation with words. My friend posted several pictures of her grandma on Facebook. There were no words. But her grandma was very much affirmed.  Affirmation comes in many ways.

Paul defined affirmation in his letter to the Corinthians …

“… It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ,
and all for your upbuilding, beloved.”
II Corinthians 12:9

Receiving the upbuildings of another is affirmation.

Last month my husband received a huge affirmation. A friend from our California days (about 30 years ago) was in town for AFA Parent’s Weekend. He reached out and invited Bill to breakfast. Remember that sermon you preached on I John 4:18, “There is no fear in love…”? God met me that morning, and my life was changed. God used your words powerfully.

Since then our friend has gone on to create men’s retreats to pass on the good news of I John 4:18. He has shared the gospel with over 80 who have responded and become Christians. WOW! What a gift his words were to my husband.

The same week I received an email from the husband of a close friend. He shared that his wife, my friend, is celebrating 50 years of leading Bible studies. He is surprising her with notes from many who have been blessed by her teaching. Would I contribute? 50 YEARS!!! During that time, Pam has gifted many as she’s led them in trusting God and His Word. I’m honored to call her my friend.

I first met Pam when she was a student at the U of Illinois. I was her first Bible study leader. I wish I had a picture of our small group huddled in that dorm room opening the Word of God together. (Those days were long before cell phones!) His request was an affirmation for me.

Back then I was clueless to the potential of one college student. The thought that one of these students would go on to lead other women for 50 years was not even in my thinking.

This fall I’m co-leading a Bible study on the book of Acts at our church. I’m especially affirmed to be trusted with this opportunity as I’ve never personally studied Acts. My heart is to pass on the affirmation to the ladies in our not-so-small group.

I’m no longer clueless.

My desire is to look at each of the ladies in the group and see the image of God. I want to see potential for the Kingdom. I’m trusting that being together with these ladies will have a much bigger outcome than I can even imagine. I want to look back on this group that God has entrusted Shelly and me with, and say WOW!

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
not the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”
I Corinthians 2:9

Affirmation is important; affirmation is encouraging; affirmation opens the doors of potential.

Most importantly, affirmation points to the work of God in another’s life. I’m praying to be aware.

“Not to us, O LORD, not to us,
but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love
and your faithfulness!”
Psalm 115:1

 

Copyright: Sue Tell, September 2024

 

 

 

 

As I’ve penned Echoes of Grace for the last 14 years, over and over I’ve been surprised by the stores I’ve remembered, the stories God has brought to mind, like memorizing Jonah 2:8 many years ago.

“Those who cling to worthless idols
…”
Jonah 2:8 NIV

I don’t remember why I originally memorized that verse.

Last June as I listened to Vanessa Hawkins message on I Am The Door from John 10 at the Gospel Coalition* conference, and a few weeks later listening to a message by Nancy Wolgemuth on a Revive Our Hearts Video, God began weaving together threads that have been dangling for years. Nancy quoted Jonah 2:8 in her talk.

Vanessa spoke of the thieves and robbers who try to get into the sheep fold by another way. The sheep knew … and anyone else at that time … that there is only one door, one way for the sheep to go in and out and find pasture. John 10:1-10.

She also spoke of the deep longings, the desires that God has given us. They are good desires; they come from God. But when they become all consuming to me so much so that I become like a thief or robber in going after them, they become idols.

Idols! That’s a strong word.

Perhaps a modern day way of saying that would be when climbing the proverbial ladder to reach my goals becomes all consuming, then that goal has become an idol!

It was a light bulb moment.

God created in me a heart for him and a desire to minister to women. But my reality didn’t look like my expectations. So I became like a thief or robber trying to climb that ladder to create what I thought would bring my reality into line with my expectations. My desire had morphed into being an idol.

And in the process,

“… forfeit the grace that could be theirs.”
Jonah 2:8 NIV

“Those who pay regard to vain idols
forsake their hope of steadfast love.”
Jonah 2:8 ESV

I knew I didn’t want to forfeit grace or forsake the hope of what God, the good shepherd, has promised. I didn’t want an idle faith.

I needed to learn the gift of trust. God, please show me what it would look like to trust you with the heart you have created in me. What would it look like today?

I still do not remember why I originally memorized Jonah 2:8 in NIV all those years ago. But I do know that God was beginning to weave a truth into my heart that I needed to live by.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
John 10:10

* You can listen to Vanessa Hawkins message on the Gospel Coalition website, TGCW24.

 

Copyright: Sue Tell, September 2024

 

“I am nothing more than my worst moment.”
Henri J.M. Nouwen, Five Lies of Identity

It was August 16 … a few weeks ago. I experienced a worst moment that morning!

I am not tech savvy and on August 16th, it was obvious. Computer frustration reared its ugly head a-GAIN!

Computer frustration is not good for Echoes of Grace.
Computer frustration is not good for my patience.
Computer frustration is not good for my relationship with my husband.

I have Henri Nouwen’s Five Lies recorded in my journal. When I turned that page that morning, I realized … and I smiled (really) … I knew I was buying into lie #4 (above) and it was threatening my identity.

“And we know that for those who love God
all things work together for good,
for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28 (italics mine)

This very familiar truth stopped me in my tracks. It forced me to ask, what is the good in this situation.

“… I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”
Jeremiah 31:3

You know now, I don’t remember the root of my frustration that morning.
I do remember God’s faithfulness to me.
I do remember God gave me a glimpse of the good.

My computer frustration wasn’t the bottom line. It was a symptom that needed to be dealt with.

I really wanted to prove my worth with my words, a-GAIN. I needed the computer to cooperate.

Once a-GAIN I prayed, God, what would it look like to trust your goodness right now? What does your faithfulness look like?

God’s whisper, his answer came immediately. Even if your computed doesn’t do what you expect, what you desire, your identity is not in jeopardy! You, Sue, are my beloved child. It’s my purpose that needs to be communicated, not yours.

” (God,) who saved us and called us to a holy calling,
not because of our works
but because of his own purpose and grace,
which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,”
II Timothy 1:9 (italics & underline mine)

Deep breath.
Thankful that God knows me, and claims me as his child.
Thankful for God’s purpose and plan that I can rest in.

Is there something that is threatening your child of God identity today? I’d love to pray for you.

 

Copyright: Sue Tell, September 2024

 

 

WELCOME BACK …
and
HAPPY 14TH BIRTHDAY, ECHOES OF GRACE!!

Who is this crazy lady who pens Echoes almost every week?

As Echoes starts its 15th year, I thought I’d share with you a significant part of my story. I recorded this video earlier this summer. It’s about a 21 minute listen and I hope you’ll find time to tune in. And as always, feel free to share it with your friends.

If you haven’t already signed up to “follow” Echoes of Grace,  please do. That puts you with a group of friends who I also send a more personal brief devotional email to once or twice a month. I’d love to have you join us; it’s my birthday gift to you.

Here’s the link for my video …

https://collegiatenavigators.org/heart-of-discipling-women-collection-4/

Under the heart, click “Explore” and scroll down to find my interview.

Now it’s your turn. I’d love to hear more of your story.

 

Copyright: Sue Tell, summer 2024

 

 

 

I love summer. Time to rest; time to read and journal; time with friends. And it’s not over yet!

I love fall. The cooler days; the colors; the celebrations; and more opportunities to be with friends. And it’s just beginning.

This fall I’m returning to facilitating a small group Bible study at our church. It’s been a while and I’m excited to be back.

For me, September has always marked new beginnings.

It started with school days, then teaching days coinciding with collegiate ministry, and church ministry. That’s a lot of years of September beginnings. My calendar, a 9-month, 3-month schedule kicks off (pun intended) every September. Old habits die hard.

I bet many of you are also blessed to lead small groups.

As this September new year rolls around again, it’s good for me to remember … and I’ll share with you … my top 10 lessons of small group leading. Perhaps these will help you too.

1) Don’t go to my closet and pull out my leader hat. Be who I am. Share vulnerably. Everyone is growing.

2) Keep peeling the layers of the onion in my life. No matter how many times I’ve been through the material, approach it as if it’s the first time.

3) Partner in leading. Invite your friend to lead with you; take advantage of her strengths. Affirm her often.

4) Communicate regularly. Invite the people in your group to meet for coffee or come for lunch. Call, text, email – let them know you want to be a friend.

5) Share other resources you happen upon freely. Learning doesn’t always initiate with me. Blogs, magazine articles, you-tube videos. The resources never end.

6) The value is in the group! Listen and learn from the others. If I don’t, I miss out big time. Give them the pedestal.

7) A leader, no. God gave me this group to help facilitate what we are all learning. We’re in this together.

8) Pray, pray, and pray again. For yourself, for your friends in the group. For wisdom, for ears to hear, for the Word to truly be living and active for each group member.

9) Set up anticipation. I’ll share how I heard from God next week. Or something similar.

10) Know when to take a semester off to re-charge your spiritual batteries.

 

Copyright: Sue Tell, August 2024

 

Echoes of Grace plans to return September 5, 2024

“Behind the gas stove top in the kitchen is a glass splashback which, over the years, has had bits and bobs stuffed behind it. There’s a couple of the girls’ drawings from yesteryear, and most recently, a poster we made to publicise our Hogmanay ‘Survivor’ themed party.

In the top left hand corner is a little painting I did years ago, to represent the story of Mary pouring nard (perfume) over Jesus’ feet in John 12. The whole story is compelling, but I had found myself captivated by the end of verse 3 –

And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

John 12:3b

I remember pondering how this woman, sacrificing probably her most prized possession for Jesus’ sake, had altered the aroma of the whole setting. It occurred to me at the time that our love does that – it changes the atmosphere of the physical spaces we find ourselves in. It might not be actual perfume, but the scent of our love, our sacrifice, our adoration, our joy, is redolent for all to breathe in.

The little painting in the kitchen has been there for over a decade and I have long since stopped looking at it. I enjoy the colours, and don’t really know how to remove anything from behind this glass screen anyway, so it’s remained. But I’d forgotten the heart of it. I’d forgotten how I’d felt drawn into the story, inspired to view my life, in a sense, as a living sacrifice, setting the atmosphere with grace.

I wonder also if over time the sweeping pinks and golds have served to paint the picture of Mary worshipping her Lord with a kind of elegance that most of the time seems difficult to relate to. This is Mary, we know, Mary who sat at Jesus’ feet while Martha tidied the kitchen. Mary who seems to know, at any given time, that her devotion and focus is Jesus. It’s easy to imagine her, with her long hair and steady devotion, as graceful, steadfast. It’s more difficult to imagine her running around like a banshee, which is something I have plenty of experience of.

.

This week past, though, I’ve had reason to look again at the painting over the stove. I spent a bit of time with another woman who anoints Jesus’ feet with perfume, this time not Mary with Lazarus in John 12, but the sinful lady who washes Jesus’ feet with her tears in Luke 7, in the house of Simon the Pharisee.
Both women washed Jesus’ feet with perfume, and dried them with their hair. Both women made huge sacrifices; these alabaster jars would have cost the equivalent of thousands and thousands of pounds.
The stories differ, though, in the emotion expressed. The sinful woman, who wasn’t named, was likely a prostitute, unwelcome in the Pharisee’s house; an outcast. It says she ‘stood behind Jesus at his feet, crying‘ (v38) and then proceeded to wash his feet with her tears.

Here was a woman, bereft, who knew that the only place she could go was the feet of Jesus. And once she was there, she instinctively knew that she had to give him everything, so spilt her precious perfume for him. (Mary from the first story knew this too, to her credit; it’s my interpretation of her story that became somewhat two-dimensional, rather than the woman herself).

Jesus says later on in the sinful woman’s passage (v 47) ‘I tell you that her many sins are forgiven, so she showed great love. But the person who is forgiven only a little will love only a little.‘

We know from Jesus’ other teaching that this woman was no more or less sinful than anyone else, but what was different was her awareness of her own sin. There was no doubt in her mind that Christ was everything, everything she needed. She was so aware of her own lack that it allowed for her love to flow freely. And the whole house smelt beautiful because of it..

Something of the messiness of this lady’s situation has allowed me to engage with this principle again. The principle being that we’re invited to give all that we have, all that we are, at the feet of Jesus. And the aroma of that sacrifice infuses all the physical places, and earthly relationships that we are part of. What, in particular, we asked to give to Jesus doesn’t matter so much – we don’t have jars of perfume to pour out of – but we are asked to come as we are, and worship him. To sit at his feet in our lack, and to receive his love.

This week has been a messy week. I’ve stared at the picture behind the stove as I’ve cooked, and I wondered to myself What do I smell of? What scent is infiltrating into my surroundings? Because it sure doesn’t smell like perfume. It smells like fear. Disappointment. It smells like agitation and pressure. I haven’t had time to sit around pouring anything over Jesus’ feet. I don’t think I’ve got anything beautiful to give you Lord.

And what I have realise is that the perfume isn’t the most important part of these stories. The most important part isn’t what I sense I have, or have not, to bring to Jesus.

The most important part is Jesus.

Jesus.

These women whose lives are an example to us are only there to point to Jesus.
Jesus, full of grace, who is not only worthy of our total adoration and the sacrifice of our most expensive possessions, he is there to receive us in our place of lack. He receives us in our lack and meets it with his love.

The wisdom of both of the ladies is that they knew this. The beautiful aroma wasn’t from the perfume, it was from their dependence. It was from their desperate and determined decision to sit as close to their saviour Jesus as they humanly could.

And so in a week where upset has heaped upon upset, without any of the elegance or long hair of these ladies, I’m invited to plonk myself before he who is my home. I’m invited to come as I am, with the worship of my sorrow, and receive his grace.

And that – or rather he – is the sweetest smelling fragrance of them all.”

Thank you again Ros for how you bring the word of God to life.

 

Today I am going to share a pretty major secret. I would claim it is the most important secret, and the true bedrock to our faith. This secret is trust. Trusting God is a broad overarching principle that is the foundation to our journey of following Jesus. But here is the key: God has designed us with an innate fundamental longing to be loved—and trust is the secret to experiencing this love that only he can give us.

Said another way, trust unlocks love.

This idea is a bit complex as “love” is a multifaceted concept. In order to understand how trust unlocks love, I think it’s important to define the word. I’ll be using a very practical definition of love that I got from the founders of Trueface which describes love as the process of meeting needs.

Love is the process of meeting needs.

Think of this more as a working definition than a one size fits all definition of love. Love is our most fundamental desire. If we boil down all of our wants and desires, the primary desire inside all of us is to be loved.

And scripture points us to this. If you have any experience with faith, you know the broad concept: “God is love.”

1 John 4:7-8 tells us:

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Genesis 1:26 “. . . then God said,  ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness.’”

God is love, he has made us in his image, and my life affirms these truths deeply. Even if you aren’t a Jesus follower, you can get your head around this, right? I long to be loved. We long to be loved. When you boil everything down, it is our heart’s truest longing.

Now, what does that really mean? What does this love actually look like? To understand this idea, let’s think of love as a bicycle with two wheels: the first is being needed and the second is being known. If love is the bicycle, these wheels, being needed and known, represent the two most critical yearnings or components within us to realize what we desire and what we are designed for. The two fundamental yearnings within us. If you are human, you share these core needs.

Now let me unpack what I mean when I say need:

• We have a need to feel valued. Do we matter? Are we important?
• We have a need to feel chosen. Would we be missed or are we worth fighting for?
• We have a need to feel significant. Are we contributing in a meaningful way? Does my work have meaning?

The other component is being known. If you have ever been lonely, you are already aware of this fundamental desire because the truth is:

• We have a need for attention. I see this need in my kids who ask if I am watching them or when I will play with them.
• We have a need to be affirmed. I feel this in my craving to be told I’m doing a good job or that I have what it takes. For example, I have been back working out at the gym and lost ten pounds over the past couple months and waiting for Emily to mention that she notices a difference.
• We also have a need to be understood. That’s why asking questions is a great way to love. The people you feel most connected to are often people who are interested in understanding who you are and how you feel. That’s why one of the best ways you can love others is by asking questions, kind of like Jesus did.

Now that we understand our greatest needs and desires, let’s review:

Love is the process of meeting needs—the giving and receiving of needs being met.

We feel loved when others meet these needs we have and we love others by meeting their needs. It’s important to know that these longings are valid and central to our lives. It’s also important to be aware of how we are meeting them, and who we are looking to to meet these needs in our lives.

What do we depend on to meet our needs?

This is where we circle back to our key ingredient of trust. We must rely on God to find what we are looking for. We have to trust God—not ourselves or the answers of the world.

This longing for love is central to our design, and it is a centerpiece to this war of the world vs the kingdom of God. Our world, with its subtle lies, tells us that we can find or meet our own needs. If we think hard enough about it, we can manifest it. If we hustle hard enough, we can make it happen. There is definitely merit and truth to working hard and pushing towards your dreams, but the evil one is clever. He manipulates these needs and desires and spreads lies that feel like truth. The world says they have answers for what we are looking for. That we can fill the longings of our own hearts. That we can find value in our own abilities, affirmation in our money, validation from the opposite sex, and the significance we crave from our jobs. All without God. Why would we need him? We can do it all ourselves.

But here’s the truth: these are all lies.

How and what we look to to answer these longings matters and is central to the war of our hearts.

Our longings are the central battleground for both sides: our Heavenly father, and the evil one.  Each is fighting to provide us with the needs we are longing for. But only God wants these needs to actually be filled, the evil one is just trying to deceive us so our true needs are never met.

God made us with a healthy desire for attention.

The lies say, “I can do enough, be enough to get the attention I deserve.” Conversely, we see Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, which was an intimate expression of attention. To us living today, we are given the Holy Spirit who will never leave us.

God made us with a need to be affirmed.  

We can receive affirmation from the next cute guy or girl who gives us attention–on screens or in person. Or we can seek that affirmation in relationship with our Father in heaven and others in healthy ways. Who we gain our affirmation from is one of the biggest battles we will face.

God made us with a desire to be known.

The world says if people really knew you, there is no way anyone could love you. So the world’s game becomes only letting others see the “best version” of you. The world tells us to conform in fear, but the Father says he knows me intimately and knit me together in my mothers womb. And in healthy relationships, like with the guys in my small group, I can choose to put my mask away and be vulnerable. They know what I am struggling with, and they love me more, not less.

God made me to live a life of purpose.

My pride says I need to do something significant to deserve or earn love. Jesus said, nah, there is nothing you could do to get any more or less of my love for you. Trust me and I will invite you to partner with me in my kingdom work which will be of great purpose.

God made me with a desire to have significance and value.

My pride says that my money, my roles or position, prove my value. Jesus says, you are a son of God, a saint, a new creation imparted with my righteousness, someone worth dying for.

The evil one offers effective and compelling lies because they give us the momentary illusion of meeting our needs of value, significance, and being known—but they don’t last. They are temporary and come up wanting. All of us have tasted a piece of what the world offers and we know this is true. These “answers” are momentary, they feel good or satisfy for an instant and then we’re left empty again. The simple truth is the lies will never deliver what they promise.

Jesus made us right in relationships in order to experience radical love. We were created with these needs so that only God could meet them. He knew we couldn’t achieve these longings, and that the world’s answers wouldn’t satisfy the true desires of our heart.

The secret to experiencing life with God is trust. Trust is how we unlock and experience love. Trust is how we move towards what Jesus made possible.

Trusting God is letting God love us.

It is a posture of humility, of receiving. Trusting God is letting him meet our needs.

Here are some questions for you to reflect on:

1. Where am I putting my trust the most? Is it in me, others, institutions, God, my career, somewhere else?
2. Which of the God-given needs of attention, affirmation, being known, purpose, and significance is the most difficult for you to acknowledge? Which is the easiest?
3. Who have you allowed to meet your needs in love?

 

TrueFace posts a brief blog every day. You can sign up on this sight and a reminder will come to your email each time a new one posts. I think it’s well-worth the space on your devise. Their words always get me thinking and lead me to grace.

https://www.trueface.org/blog/trust-the-secret-to-experiencing-life-with-god