A miracle – INDEED!
A message from God – YES!

Elizabeth was “advanced in years”,  Luke 1:7; “in her old age”, Luke 1:36.  Elizabeth was well beyond the time of child bearing; she was an old lady when she conceived John.

She was also a godly woman. The scriptures call her righteous, of the daughters of Aaron, and she walked blamelessly with God. Luke 1:5, 6.

And Elizabeth was barren, she and Zechariah had no child. In those days barrenness was considered a disgrace. Other’s whispered, she’s barren. It felt like being reproached. The Message rendition calls it her “unfortunate condition”.

On some level do you identify with Elizabeth? I do.

Even though I was walking with God, at least as best as I knew, there was something missing, a barrenness in my life, an unfulfilled desire, an Elizabeth-like piece. It was my unfortunate condition and I felt it deeply.

And like for Elizabeth, God intervened. Elizabeth responded in two ways. She acknowledged her pregnancy was from God. Then she “for five months kept herself hidden” Luke 1:24. The Bible doesn’t tell us what Elizabeth did during that time. My guess is she spent a lot of time in worship and prayer.

For you to consider:

1. What are the unfortunate conditions in your life that have led to unfulfilled longings?

2. How have you experienced God intervening for you?

3. During this second week of Advent, how might you follow in Elizabeth’s footsteps?

 

Copyright: Sue Tell, December 2025

 

 

 

Advent, looking forward to the arrival of Jesus; and Christmas – the most wonderful time of the year, and perhaps one of the busiest!

My heart tells me, Sue, slow down. Savor this sacred season. But sometimes reality fights with desire.

Can my heart and my reality come together?

I have an idea. Echoes of Grace is trying something new this Advent.

I’m going to post each MONDAY (just for December). Each post will highlight a familiar scripture from the gospel of Luke and a few questions to focus our meditating, our hearts on the truth this wonderful story offers.

I’ll be praying for you … and for me … that these familiar scriptures will come alive in all new ways for us.

“But familiarity often does bad things to us.
Often when we become familiar with things, we begin to take them for granted.
… we tend to quit examining them.
…we quit noticing them.
… we tend not to celebrate them as we once did.
Familiarity tends to rob us of our wonder.
And here’s what’s important about this:
what has captured the wonder of our hearts will control the way we live.”
Come Let Us Adore Him, Paul David Tripp (Italics, mine)

For this first week of Advent, let’s ponder together the words of Gabriel to Mary recorded in Luke 1:28.

What posture do you need to assume to hear God’s voice greeting you this week?

Gabriel’s message to Mary began by acknowledging her identity. How do you describe your identity?

What message are you hearing from God this week?

In your current reality, what will bring you great comfort and perhaps great courage in knowing God is with you?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two other opportunities for you:

1. Boundless, a ministry of Focus on the Family, also offers a weekly Advent experience. This year my good friend Lisa Anderson, director of Boundless, partnered with Mark Bates, our former pastor to walk us through John 1 this month. There is a brief video and also thoughts to ponder. You can find it at

Advent

Or text, “advent” to 32728.

2. The gospel of Luke has 24 chapters. Why not read one a day from now until Christmas Eve? By December 24 you will have read an entire account of Jesus’s life, and wake up Christmas morning knowing WHO and WHY we celebrate. 

 

copyright: Sue Tell, November 2025

 

 

 

 

In our Presbyterian church, I grew up singing the hymn, We Gather Together every Thanksgiving. It was as much a part of our Thanksgiving celebration as the huge feast we enjoyed with all our cousins and second cousins every year.

But I never knew the story behind the words of this hymn. And probably it wouldn’t have meant a lot to me until I studied the book of Judges in our church Bible study this fall.

Yikes, there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in their own eyes! That sad theme travels throughout the entire book. And the third lines of the each stanza could have been written in the time of the Judges,

“The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing:”
“So from the beginning the fight we were winning:”
“Let Thy congregation escape tribulation:”
(These are the original third lines of each stanza.)

The lyrics were originally written in 1597 as a secular Dutch folk song celebrating their victory over the oppression of the Spanish Catholic church. It became a Christian hymn by Dutch Protestants fighting for religious freedom. The theme of God’s providence runs through its words.

Theodore Baker (1851-1934), a 19th-century musicologist brought this hymn to the United States.

As I was growing up and singing it, I was always reminded of thankfulness for the harvest of blessings we know, not freedom from religious oppression.

In studying Judges, over and over, we saw the wicked oppressing; the fights, the tribulation. And the truths of the third verse was more encouraging than ever.

A few years ago, I re-wrote the lyrics of the third line in each stanza (the hymn is now public domain), to speak the truth of the Gospel. Italicized lines are my words.

We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing —
He chastens and hastens His will to make known;
He loves us completely, He calls us sons and daughters;
Sing Praises to His name — He forgets not His own.

Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
Ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine;
His purpose transcending, our lives without ending;
Thou Lord, was as our side — all glory be thine.

We all do extol Thee, Thou leader triumphant,
And pray that Thou still our defender wilt be;
Let Thy congregation live in great anticipation:
Thy name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!

This year our Thanksgiving table will be quite simple as Bill and I celebrate together. Whatever your Thanksgiving table looks like, may thanksgiving be your reality. 

 

Copyright: Sue Tell, November 2025

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The scriptures were not written TO me; but, they were written FOR me.
And FOR YOU!

The first line above is an important principle of Bible study. The second line, “and for you” is a truth that God has been whispering to me over the last many years.

What I’ve heard from God, isn’t just for me. It’s for me to encourage you.

“For this reason, I Paul,
a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles —
assuming that you have heard of the
stewardship of God’s grace
that was given
TO me, FOR you,”
Ephesians 3:1,2 (capitalization mine)

And this is the scripture I’ve prayed over for my words on Echoes of Grace for many years:

“the church,
of which I became a minister
according to the stewardship from God
that was given
TO me, FOR you,
to make the word of God fully known,”
Colossians 1:25 (capitalization mine)

My husband, Bill, and I often listen to and are deeply ministered to by Sinclair Ferguson’s podcasts. Sinclair Ferguson is a Scottish theologian, scholar, author, and pastor. His accent makes his words shine even brighter! His devotional podcast is Things Unseen.

Recently he was talking about God’s providence. “God’s providence is an investment in His ways.” He went on to say, “God’s purposes IN you are not only FOR you, but for the blessing of others.” TO me, FOR you. 

God’s providence works in and through me
for His Glory, Our Good, and Other’s Blessings.

He sited the story of Joseph in Genesis for example. We can read that entire narrative in an hour. But it lasted about 15 years for family reconciliation to become reality.

I can identify. Can you? God allowed me to know the story of Joseph, because I too have hard family situations. The narrative was not written to me, but it is recorded for me.

My sister struggled with lung disease for years. We often connected across the miles by phone. My tears flowed freely the evening that she responded to Jesus’s invitation to join his family. God in his wisdom and providence wrote this story. My salvation story was not only for me, it was also for my sister, a gift to me for others.

I’m reminded of Psalm 23:6, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me (pursue me*, chase after me**) all the days of my life.” I can only see what is behind me if I turn around and look. When I look and see what God has entrusted to me, I can pass it on; it is also for you.

My prayer as I pen these posts is that my words will deeply minister to you!

“Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ
for the sake of the faith of God’s elect
and their knowledge of the truth, 
which accords with godliness,”
Titus 1:1 (underlines mine)

 

* pursue from the New Living Translation.
** chase from the Message.

 

Copyright: Sue Tell, October 2025

 

 

Mom and I were sitting in her kitchen one morning a few years back enjoying a simple breakfast together. I asked her, Mom, what is your favorite Bible passage? She didn’t hesitate, “Psalm 23”.

There is so much that I too love about the very familiar Twenty-third Psalm. The more I read and meditate on its truths, the more encouragements I hear from God.

The engraved stone that rests on our fireplace hearth above was a gift to me from two friends after Mom moved to heaven. On the stone, Psalm 23:1 is in the New Living Translation. My shepherd supplies ALL that I need!  Often in the mornings I sit in our overstuffed chair that faces this stone and pray, God, what are my needs that You want to supply today? It isn’t too long before I hear His whisper.

Sue, will you trust me for that hard conversation you’re anticipating?
Sue, will you allow me to lead as you lead Bible study today?
Sue, will you listen for my wisdom as you make that decision?

Several weeks ago I was pondering verse 6, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,” The thought came, I only know what is following me, when I turn around and look back. Looking over my shoulder I see God’s goodness in many ways. He led in that crazy decision to go to Michigan for college; His Word was clear to both Bill and me as we sought His counsel on our friendship turned marriage; His presence was a gift as the tears flowed in many situations. God’s goodness and mercy have been abundant. Because they have followed me, it’s easy to expect they will continue to follow me.

Recently I was connecting with my friend Melody. She and I did a TrueFace study together.

I asked her what scriptures speak to her about being beloved. I was surprised when she responded “Psalm 23, especially in The Message or The Passion Translation.”

“Your beauty and love chase after me
every day of my life.”
Psalm 23:6, The Message (underline mine)

“Only goodness and tender love pursue me
all the days of my life.”
Psalm 23:6, The Passion Translation (underline mine)

The New Living Translation, also uses the word pursue. “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life.”

Not only does God’s great love follow me, God chases after me and pursues me with His love! YES, Psalm 23:6 speaks loudly, it shouts God’s love for me, for you.

I John 3:1 is one of my favorites about God’s love for me.  I’m wondering, what are some of your favorites? What does it look like for you to listen to their truths?

“She must abide with this epiphany, let it distill. She could not go rushing about, stuffing it into her spacious compartment of Reason.” from My Beloved, by Jan Karon. What does abiding in God’s love, letting it distill look like for you?

You might want to check out the music video, Still Waters by Leanna Crawford.

 

Copyright: Sue Tell, November 2025

 

 

 

Tip: If you haven’t read the two previous posts, I encourage you to read them first. Scroll down.

“I was (we were) created for relationship.”
Amy Ellenwood

And some of my most special relationships are the friendships of the women who walk this journey with me.

This picture was snapped a few years ago when Jean and I led a retreat for a small group of others in Estes Park, CO.

One of the biggest things I appreciate about Jean are her questions. She is forever interested in me, in what I’m studying, in what I’m learning. Every phone conversation starts with, Sue, what are you thinking about these days?

And I’m learning a ton from Jean about ministry where God currently has you. Jean is a widow and lives in an  Over-55 community. Almost every week she has a prayer request about another of the ladies she is developing a friendship with.

Last week she was telling me about her current project to minister to her grand-children, her youngest cross-generational friends. She is personalizing a wide-margin Bible for each of them adding some of how God has met her next to the appropriate scriptures. I plan to copy that idea. THANK YOU, JEAN!

Although I knew Jean as a fellow Nav-staff and author, I did not know her personally until she initiated toward me. I still remember sitting in the coffee shop and asking those getting-to-know-you questions. I had no idea of the blessing Jean’s continued friendship would be to me that day.

If our friendship had rested on my seeking her out, it would not have happened. I would have been too intimidated to go first. After all, Jean is a published author!***

Fearing disappointment can keep us from a great cross-gen friend.

Peer friendships are just as valuable as cross-generational friends. I first met Paula in a Bible study at a mutual friend’s home. Because of her heart for growing in her spiritual life, there was an instant bond. Over the years we have done several studies together, memorized scripture together, and more. Paula might be one of the best affirmers  I know.

Cross-generational friendships don’t need to last forever. Agreeing to read a book together and talk about what you’re learning is a method of mentoring. Establishing the parameters with the end in mind offers freedom to say yes.

I’m learning the importance of avoiding the why question. Who, what, when, where, how are easier to respond to.

Curiosity and listening are key components for cross-gen friends. “When we posture ourselves to listen, we’re automatically paying attention to the other person which in turn paves the way to understanding them.” from Desperate Woman Seeks Friends by Kristen Strong.

Avoiding assumptions and advice will help cement friendships. Allow your questions to lead your friend to God for answers. 

Mentoring or cross-gen friendships may not last forever. I’m learning to see them as the gift they are for the moment.

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:”
Ecclesiastes 3:1

*** Books by Jean Fleming: A Mother’s Heart, Feeding Your Soul, Pursue the Intentional Life (my favorite)

Copyright: Sue Tell, October 2025. Some ideas from the Amy Ellenwood presentation referenced last week.

 

What a joy to call Amy Ellenwood my friend. Last month we had both returned to our sending church for their annual mission’s conference and Amy was speaking at a women’s event on mentoring. What a great evening!

Amy started the evening sharing from her personal journal. She graciously offered to let me share her words here.

“The long walk from my lonely little cabin on Long Lake to the other side…where a godly woman opened her kitchen and her heart to me.…became a well worn path in my first years of marriage and ministry.

A path toward sacred space and sacred conversations …This woman was intentional about having thoughtful conversations about spiritual things on that holy ground.

I learned there. I grew there. I wept there. I was honest there. I was heard there. But most of all, I met Jesus there…over and over again.

One of the greatest losses for me when we moved to Czech was leaving that sacred space of her warm inviting kitchen… her warm inviting heart. This had been my first taste of what having a mentor could be like.

Now I was in a new place, far from this woman whose presence had become a sanctuary of love and truth for me, I could find no one. No one that looked like her, or fit my image of what a mentor should look like.

• When I first came to the mission field.  I walked into a group of women so gifted, seemingly so secure.
• I didn’t know where I fit, or if I could fit
• Fearing rejection, or disappointment, I told myself I didn’t need them…bur it was more like I didn’t want to need them.
• For  years I took care of myself…looked to Mel and the Lord to meet those needs for friendship..and  felt pretty godly doing it.

But it got lonely.  I was created for relationship.  

• With God, yes.  With Mel and my kids, yes.  But also with other women.
• I realized “I don’t have it all and I need the body of Christ.”

You could hear a pin drop in a room of over 100 ladies as Amy vulnerably shared her story.

The word mentoring communicates. I call mentoring cross-generational friendships. It eliminates any pressure I may feel in relating to another. My heart is to walk with my friends like Amy’s friend on Long Lake did with her.

“And let us consider how to stir up one another
to love and good works …
encouraging one another …”
Hebrews 10:24, 25

Amy encouraged us to think about our friends, those special people who have encouraged us, who have indeed mentored us. My list grew as she shared categories of friendships.

I’m thankful for Shirley who prayed with me as my faith became real and invited me to my first Bible study.
Then there is my friend and neighbor Beth, who is always available to help in many diverse ways.
Janine’s wisdom continues to minister deeply to me.
I remember telling Kathy that I’d never want to lead a TrueFace cohort if she wasn’t available to lead with me.
Paula’s affirmations over the years offer deep encouragement through texts, phone calls and that occasional lunch.
Ronni and Mary are current friends. We encourage each other as we share stories about the friends God has given each of us.
Trisha’s long-term ministry to the women in her church is an example I want to emulate.
Amy’s vulnerability is a gift to me and many others.
Kay, Mary, Melissa, & Louise are trusted peer prayer friends.
Diane, Sue, Karen, & Barb are my recent hospitality mentors.
Karen  is a hinge who has opened doors for me.
Leslie has been a wonderful writing mentor.
Jean, Linda, and Pat, a few years ahead of me in age, are cross-generational friends who ask timely questions and allow me to hear from God.
The writings in the books of Ruth Haley Barton and Ruth Chou Simons continually mentor me as friends I’ve not known personally.

Cross-generational friends sometimes drop in for a brief visit. Some span years of connecting. Some I’ve not even met! All have added to who God created me to be. As Amy said, each are a beautiful flower in our gardens that God is cultivating for our benefit.

Coming next Thursday some of the practical ways cross-generational friendships develop. Please come back.

 

Copyright: Sue Tell, October 2025

 

 

 

 

“The closer you are to God,
the closer you become to your friends.”
Sinclair Ferguson

That is my experience.

Bill and I have been part of a couple’s group for almost 25 years. The four other couples have become great friends!

I started writing these words in Moab where 8 of the 10 of us were enjoying the great views and amazing hikes in Arches National Park. Bill, Ed, and I hiked a circle that took us to and through Broken Arch. For me, it was harder than anticipated. Several times I sat and scooted down or up the rock faces. (I may be smiling in the picture, but it was a scary scoot for me.) Even the guys sat and scooted up this one! It was more challenging than the picture communicates! But, I’m writing about it.

Friendship magnifies when it includes creating memories with others. This trip to Moab is a great memory. But friendship includes other ingredients as well – in no particular order …

Trust. On that hike, God called on me to trust the words, the patience, and the hands of the guys to help me navigate the landscape. I’m glad to be sharing the experience with you.

Often I call on my friends trusting them with my responses and emotions to life experiences. I need their love, their wisdom, and their care.

Fun, Tears, and Coffee. Yes, they go together. Colorado Springs abounds with coffee shops. Marcy and I decided to try a different one each month. FUN! We’d order our coffee and find a quiet corner to catch up. Life is hard. Often catching up included tears.

Transparency and Vulnerability. They are not the same. I control how transparent I am. I decide how much I will trust others. Vulnerability invites. Vulnerability says, I want to be known. Vulnerability releases my fears. Please ask. I’ve experienced the questions of others often lead to my ah-has. In the telling, I breathe easier; I find perspective; next steps clarify. Friendships deepen when vulnerability defines them.

Lean in and Listen. Carla was younger than me. She noticed the tissue I pressed to my eyes that evening as the meeting ended. She risked. She didn’t shrink back. She walked with me back to our hotel room. She listened. I remember no words. I remember her presence. She was a gift to me that night. Her presence still tutors me.

Affirming the Image of God in my Friends. Letting my friend know I see them. I see their gifts. I see who God created them to be. Friends tell friends what they see. “Friendship at the soul level should be spoken.” Stephen Smith.

Knowing my Lane. I’m not a counselor. I haven’t experienced her reality. I don’t have the answers she needs. I can’t fix it! But I can be a friend by allowing her to lead the conversation.

I have friends who are professional counselors. I’m so thankful for the gifted-ness they bring to the body. And I’m always amazed! It’s in their questions, their curiosity, their kindness that I hear the voice of God, the beginning of healing. Once in a while, I still feel the nudge, Sue, call Kimberley. 

Praying. A praying friend is a safe friend. Mary ALWAYS end our conversations with, let me pray for you. What a wonderful gift. Praying can happen silently or out loud. Praying can happen by text, over the phone, in an email or letter.

“The greatest gift my friendship can give you
is the gift of your belovedness.”
Henri Nouwen

“A friend loves at all times …”
Proverbs 17:17

More coming …

Copyright: Sue Tell, October 2025

 

 

 

 

My camping history hails back to my childhood. Girl Scout camp was one of the highlights of my summer. Fun-filled days were punctuated by meals in a dining hall prepared for the likes of young girls. After s’mores and singing around a campfire at night, our bunks in the small cabins welcomed our dreams. Good memories.

But our I do, challenged my picture of camping.

We were as poor as church mice in those early days of our marriage. The thought of vacation was a pipe-dream, until we were gifted $125.00 designated for vacation.

Bill researched — before the internet — how to make that gift s-t-r-e-t-c-h! His conclusion — camping! YIKES!

We purchased our first tent, a 2-burner propane stove, and a styrofoam cooler, packed our Chevy Nova, Luke (named for Luke 17:10), and headed for a small campground on Starrett Lake in southern Wisconsin. This did not line up with my camping memories; this was roughing it! We prepared our own meals. No dining hall. The bunks became sleeping bags. And those small cabins were replaced with a canvas tent.

What if we didn’t like camping? We wasted that $125.00!
This thought rumbled through my mind.

But the thought was in vain; we fell in love with camping!

Several years and two young teens later, we traded our tent for a pop-up camper. I felt like we moved into the Hilton. The pop-up camper was later traded for an off-road pop-up. We were campers!

Then last summer, the we waved good by to our off-road pop-up, and welcomed a small travel trailer with a bathroom! Camping officially morphed into glamping. Glamping — our vacation of choice.

Enjoying being together in the beauty of God’s creation attracts us each summer.

We do a lot of reading, fiction and non-fiction during our camping trips. “A Walk in the Park” by Kevin Fedarko was a favorite this summer. The park is the Grand Canyon. The book follows the journey of Kevin and a photographer friend as they backpacked the entire length of the canyon. Not my usual genre, I was captivated by their story. Truly a page-turner — that is except when the tension was too much and I closed the book for a day.

One of the many quotes that caught my attention was, “As much as we love our stuff, sometimes not having it opens you up to communicating with the landscape and truly being present, don’t you think?” page 171.

I would alter these words to communicating with God and truly being present to Him.

Some of the stuff we didn’t always have while glamping: cell service, internet, texting ability, our phones. No mail service, no USPS, no UPS, no FedEx, not even Prime! No calendars to be checked each day, no time constraints. No sounds of the city.

But we did have: great conversations; fun competitions (we’re Scrabble fanatics); simplicity; freedom; soul-filling times with God; the music of water tumbling over rocks; long walks; the majesty of God’s creation all around us; renewed perspectives; the company of birds; laughter; wine; and sometimes new friends, fellow glampers.

 

“It is in silence that we habitually release our own agendas
and our need to control
and become more willing and able
to give ourselves to God’s loving initiative.
In silence we create space for God’s activity
rather than filling every minute with our own.”
Invitation to Solitude and Silence, Ruth Haley Barton, p. 35

Each morning I sat outside our travel trailer enjoying the sounds of water and looking across the creek at the majesty of God’s creation. Early hikers dwarfed by the tall evergreens offered perspective to the greatness of God.

Silence happened. I was awed.

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
Isaiah 6:3

 

 

Copyright: Sue Tell, October 2025

 

 

 

 

Aleisha and I have not met in person. But we know each other by the similar hearts God has created in us. I am blessed by her friendship.

I love Aleisha’s communication creativity. In 10 brief story images, she shares radical truth in a way that I never could. Thank you Aleisha.

May Aleisha’s words encourage you to trust the truth of Ephesians 1:6, you are accepted in the beloved! 

“Only let Him–the One who loves you more than life itself–live His resurrection life through you.”

 

You can connect with Aleisha at …
https://www.facebook.com/aleisha.boersema/
https://www.instagram.com/graceunleished/
https://www.graceunleished.com/