I want my life to be fruitful.
I want my life to make a difference in the kingdom.

I’m guessing you have the same desires.

Fruitfulness is intimately connected with a life that abides in Christ.

Fruit is born in a hidden place starting with a tiny seed. For us, that seed is called abiding.

 

“I am the vine; you are the branches.
Whoever abides in me and I in him,
he it is that bears much fruit,
for apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5 (bolding mine)

Fruit-bearing depends on abiding.

As Doug Nuenke says in his forward to Abide in Christ (NavPress’s 2019 lightly modernized edition of the Andrew Murray classic), “… abiding in Christ is our God-given destiny. Abiding in Christ is our birthright as children of God.” (page vii)

Abiding is our path to abundant fruitfulness. “When you’re joined with me and I with you … the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing.” Eugene Peterson’s translation of John 15:5, The Message.

As I think about abiding and fruitfulness, five observations come to mind.

1. My privilege — Abide.  Jesus’ words from John 15 echo David’s words in Psalm 1:1, 2 and 3, “Blessed is the man … but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”

Enjoying my intimacy with the Lord, meditating on his law looks different for different people. For me it means reviewing and praying over the scriptures that God has spoken to me of his love and his purpose for my life. I often start my quiet time that way and ask the Lord what it would look like to trust his love for me on that day.

Song of Solomon 7:10 is a favorite word God whispers to me, “I am my beloved’s, and his desire is for me.” And the rhetorical question in Romans 8:31 encourages me, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

2. God’s responsibility — Fruit.  Many scriptures come to mind. Will I abide and entrust the results to God?

“I planted, Apollos watered,
but God gave the growth.”
I Corinthians 3:6

God gives us purpose, and he’s keeping the responsibility for the outcomes in his court. I can breathe easy. Not only is he the one in charge of fulfilling my purpose, my purpose is wrapped in his love.

“The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.”
Psalm 138:8

 As I abide in that truth, I’m experiencing his love. I can rest.

3. God’s guarantee — His Promises. As I abide in who God created me to be, he promises fruitfulness.

In the first chapter of Philippians Paul prays for that young church, “that they would be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through [abiding in] Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (verse 11). Because they know Jesus, because we know Jesus, the fruit of abiding in that relationship brings glory to God.

Proverbs 12:12 promises, “The root of the righteous bears fruit.”

In our abiding resulting in fruit-bearing, God is at work in another very special way, maturing us into who he created us to be. “But now that you have been set free from sin … the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.” Romans 6:22

4. Paul’s life – an example. I appreciate Paul’s candor in his first letter to Timothy. Paul one of the most fruitful men in the Bible, says of himself and of Jesus …

“I [Paul] thank him [Jesus] who has given me strength, …
he judged me faithful, …
appointing me to his service, …
though formerly … (I fill in the blank here. My life was not like Paul’s, but I have a formerly.)
I received mercy …
the grace of our Lord overflowed for me …
To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God be honor and glory forever and ever.”
(verses 12-17)

Paul came to know the Lord. He learned to abide in his love. And his life still is bearing fruit today.

5. The blessing of God upon those who abide and bear fruit.

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you,
ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit
and so prove to be my disciples.”
John 15:7 and 8

The abiding relationship is natural to the branch and the vine. For us as believers we cultivate that relationship and experience God working in and through our lives producing fruit.

“By this my Father is glorified,”
John 15:8

 

Copyright, Sue Tell, May 2020

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May I suggest if you haven’t read last week’s post, Soul Rest in Restless Days that you scroll down and read it first. It will provide a context for these words.

The Corona virus is changing me. I’ve been home and good things are resulting. Psalm 23 and Psalm 139 are influencing me. Many of the ah-ha’s I’m observing rest in the truths David speaks in these Psalms. I hope I don’t return to my former ways!

These are re-setting weeks. I’m recording what I’m hearing. I wonder if you identify with any of these coronial confessions.

“Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? to be out of your sight?”
Psalm 139:7, The Message

No! God’s Spirit is with me, making itself known in the quietness of these at-home days. And I’m learning …

1. I’m easily tempted. I want to do it all! I receive many invitations for classes or seminars online in these weeks, every one in my area of interests. They all sound  good. “I’m an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.” Psalm 139:2, The Message. Or in ESV, “you discern my thoughts from afar.” God is a discerning God (He knows what I’m thinking … I want to say yes). Like God, I need to be discerning. In his book, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, Greg McKeown says, “If the answer isn’t a definite yes, then it should be a no.” One reason something is a no in these days is because saying yes required more screen time — something I don’t need.

2. I love ministry. Okay, this isn’t a new thought, it’s a warning though. God determines my capacity. Whatever group I join, I naturally begin thinking, who in this group can I reach out to? Another question I must consider, do I have capacity for additional relationships? “You … are acquainted with all my ways.” Psalm 139:3. I too need to be in tune with all my ways.

3. I’m a leader by design. But, I don’t need to lead everything. All my thoughts are not needed. I can and need to allow others to initiate. Will I allow God to lead? Asking this question has sometimes stopped me. “Even there you hand shall lead me…” Psalm 139:10. According to my good friend at TrueFace, “My influence is about stewardship.”(not leadership)

4. My excuses are evaporating on writing a manuscript on rest. (This is scary to put in writing!) In the stillness of these days, God has gently reminded me of this leading. The words I wrote on the Exodus 3 and 4 narrative have spoken clearly, as have several other instances. “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent … ‘Who has made [wo]man’s mouth?'” Exodus 4:10 and 11

5. I’ve not thought of myself as a controlling person. It’s easy to see that in others. God is fine-tuning me. I don’t like that calendar control has slipped from my hands.  I want to know the next time I will visit our GRANDS. I want to plan having friends in for dinner. “Every day of my life was recorded in you book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Psalm 139:16, NLT. This truth begs, will I trust God?

6. I sleep better when I’m tired. I can hear you saying, duh! This thought is prioritizing how I spend my day, and how I prepare for sleep. For someone who loves writing, it’s too easy to put exercise at the bottom of my want-to-do list. And if I sleep better, even my writing flows more easily. “… for he gives to his beloved sleep.” Psalm 127:2. This is another trust issue.

7. It’s easy to hi-jack a good opportunity with my do-list. It’s a beautiful day (tomorrow it could snow). I wonder, should I alter my plans to enjoy this gift of spring-like weather? God has given a gift, will I receive it?

8. My love language is words. In 1992 Gary Chapman authored The Five Love Languages. As Bill and I have talked about this over the years, we agree that we both want to experience all five: words, time, gifts, service, touch. This is still true, but words have crept to the top for me. And I’m married to an introvert!

Love languages are a way to experience the need for love God has created in me. I can’t expect Bill to meet a need that God has reserved for himself. One love need we have is attention. Again, I find myself reviewing those God-given needs and asking God to meet them. Sometimes the answer comes from Bill, sometimes from others, sometimes in a book I’m reading, sometimes from God himself. “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous — how well I know it.” Psalm 139:14, NLT.

9. We can still eat if we visit the grocery store once every two weeks.

I’m leaving a blank page in my journal; I’m guessing this list is going to grow.

Perhaps the most important thing I’m realizing is summed up in Psalm 139:17. In The Message they read, “Your thoughts — how rare, how beautiful! God, I’ll never comprehend them!”

God reminds me to allow him to take the lead.
God is at work continually conforming my character.
God cares about my experiencing soul rest.

“He leads me in the paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.”
Psalm 23:3, ESV

“True to your word, you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction.”
Psalm 23:3, The Message

 

Copyright, May 2020, Sue Tell

 

As Covid-19 continues its march across our globe, through our land, into our homes, conforming our lives to its harsh realities, I’m learning to allow my mind to rest on the ancient paths and walk on them. In the process I’m discovering soul rest.

Like the Israelites, we’re standing at a crossroad. We have choices. What is the good way?

God is offering an opportunity for transformative resetting. The prophet Jeremiah is offering wise counsel.

Be still; quiet my heart; what might God want me to hear today? All this before I open my Bible or journal. It’s been my key to listening to God, my standing and looking.

“The secret of living in a busy world is not at the circumference (merely reducing our activities), but at the center (refocusing our hearts).” Leighton Ford.

God took care of reducing our activities; for me it is refocusing my heart.

In March when stay-@-home became the new reality, we received a letter referencing that popular phrase from a few years ago, What would Jesus do? The writer suggested changing it to, What is Jesus doing – in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Click here for part one.

Caring and kindnesses that were happening in March — and still are.

And my question, though still the same – What should I be doing? — has a different tone.

In March, God led me to five answers. As the restrictions of stay-@-home were relaxed (in Colorado, our governor is now saying safer-@-home), God continues to define how I think about my question. My answers this month, although similar, are not the same. I’m finding these answers not only tell me what to do, but how to live leading to soul rest as well. Ahhhh, a good thing.

1. Stay engaged with God. I’m yielding to God to lead the discussion as I spend time with him in the mornings. Each day, I quote from memory Psalm 23, and then ask, What would it look like to trust him with these truths today? God, how are you showing yourself as my shepherd today? God, in the midst of this pandemic, how are you restoring my soul? God, how can I trust you with my anxieties (my fears)? Proverbs 12:25 says, “Anxiety in a man’s heart weights him down, but a good word makes him glad.” Last week God’s good word came to me from Philippians 4. In the first nine verses there is only one do not (have no anxiety). There are seven dos. And two wonderful promises: God is near; he is with us (verses five and nine). And God’s promise of peace is repeated in verses seven and nine. Trusting God’s nearness and his offer of peace lead me to soul rest.
2. Stay informed, but not over-informed. The abundance of news available can lead down a path of depression and fear. Trying to understand all the confusing statistics leaves my mind spinning. Yes, I scan the news, both local and national, almost every day; it is a scan not an in-depth reading. My husband, Bill, stays more on top of the news and I ask him about once a day, “Is there anything new I need to know?” Trying to understand all the news does not lead me to soul rest.
3. Both limit and use technology. Communicating is greatly dependent on my cell phone and my computer these days. I am thankful for this technology. I also realize that if I take advantage of every invitation coming my way, screen time will dominate my life and I will squander the opportunities and purposes of God for that day. Soul rest will suffer. More than ever, I need to discern the good from the best. Or as C.H. Spurgeon said, “Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong, it is the difference between right and almost right.”
4. My ministry in the “cracks”. We live on a dead-end street with 11 residences, each surrounded by five acres of Ponderosa pines. We don’t naturally run into our neighbors. I have a different relationship with each. My extroverted personality makes it easy to reach out.  But what is the best way to reach out to each individual neighbor? So I ask, This week, where are the cracks in their front doors? I’m praying to be sensitive.

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap,
but by the seeds you plant.”
Robert Louis Stevenson

5. Masks, blueberries, and wine. Several weeks ago I resurrected my sewing machine to sew masks for our family. I emailed the neighbors and asked if I could make them masks as well. I was surprised and thrilled when I received five orders for masks.

I’m learning that my neighbors want to help me too. One called to say she was on her way to buy groceries and asked if she could pick up anything for me. “Yes, blueberries”, I responded. Blueberries are certainly not essential, but we enjoy them. When my mask-wearing neighbor dropped the blueberries on our front porch, she also left a bottle of wine. Community is a two-way street. I too need to practice the humility of receiving. We have each other to lean on.

Allowing community to do its good work, invites me to exhale. It offers soul rest.

What offers you soul rest in these restless days?

As I’m practice these habits, I experience the reality of Jesus’s words …

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me,
for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30

Copyright, Sue Tell, May 2020

When I visited Barbara last fall, she reminded me of the parable of the mustard seed. It became one of the scriptures we prayed over together reminding each other that it’s not the size of our faith but the presence of our faith that matters.

Resting in the hands of God amazing things happen. Barbara and I learned to rest in the hands of God as we encouraged each other with our mustard seed faith during those hard days of last fall and winter.

A tiny, tiny mustard seed breaks open and grows into a magnificent tree.
A tree providing a home, providing rest, providing protection,
providing nourishment, providing beauty, and so much more.

A mustard seed, one of the tiniest and most insignificant seeds has the ability to grow into a tree that could be 20 – 30 feet tall and have a 20′ span. It can grow in hot and dry climates or in cool and wet climates. It will push through rocks. It will grow back even if pruned to only its trunk remaining. Unlike a grain of sand, a seed is a life-giving force that leads to bearing fruit.

My friend Carol reminded me, God is the one who gives life to the seeds.

These truths continue to offer life to me as I walk this journey called grief practicing mustard seed faith.

Barbara was a rock artist often sharing her craft with RVA Rocks. Her work amazed me.

I knew when I received a gift to use in her memory, I wanted a painted rock. My friend created this for me. Do you see the tiny mustard seed at the base of the trunk? There is so much meaning tucked into his work. I’m wondering, what do you see?

I asked him to include the words everlasting love.

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

Jeremiah 31:3 was another important scripture that Barbara and I repeated to each other and prayed over many, many times.

This love for Barbara is now her reality.
This is love that God asks me to trust every day.

At Barbara’s memorial service, her son James told the story of Barbara reading Shel Silverstein’s book, The Giving Tree to him as a child. He shared how Barbara was a giving mom to him at every stage of his life.

You know, just a thought, but I wonder, was that giving tree was a Mustard Tree?

Resting in the hands of God amazing things happen.

“Peace I leave with you.
My peace I give to you.”
John 14:27

Copyright, Sue Tell, May 2020

 

Can it be that God reminds us of his abundant power with just one word — one seemingly inconsequential word in the story of Moses, a common everyday shepherd?

That is my experience.

In the narrative of Exodus 3 and 4, Moses is on Mount Horeb tending to the sheep of his father-in-law, Jethro. Suddenly this ordinary day turns into something extraordinary. An angel with a message from God appears; there is a burning bush; Moses hears the words holy ground; and when God knows he has Moses’s attention, God affirms his identity to Moses, “I am the God of your father,” (3:6).  Something big is about to happen.

Then the reason for the visit, God speaks to Moses: “Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” (3:10) Quite the daunting task for a shepherd!

And Moses was daunted … and scared … and feeling mighty insecure. Excuses, questions, and pleas came fast.

Who am I that I should go? (3:11)
If I come to the people of Israel and they challenge me, who do I say you (God) are? (3:13)
They will not believe me or listen to my voice. (4:1)
I am not eloquent. (4:10)
Oh, my Lord, please send someone else. (4:13)

How might you feel if God tasked you with a seemingly impossible job?

I’m identifying with Moses.

I also love God’s meeting Moses where he is and responding to each excuse.

He (God) said, but I will be with you. (3:12)
God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM… This is my name forever. (3:14, 15)
I AM, or Yahweh is also a clear reminder of God’s promises to his people and of his help for them to fulfill their calling. (ESV Study Bible notes)

Then the staff, that essential and common piece of equipment for a shepherd, becomes one of the pictures God uses to communicate to Moses about his they will not believe me excuse.

“Staff,” the word God used to get my attention.

God instructs Moses to throw his staff on the ground. It turns into a snake and Moses runs. I would too. God’s next instruction is even scarier, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail” (4:4) Moses obeys and the snake becomes a staff once again.

The common tool of a common shepherd communicates God’s power.

After two additional convincing pictures of God’s ability, God challenges Moses’s other excuses.

The I am not eloquent with “Who has made man’s mouth? I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” (4:11, 12)
To Please send someone else, God replies, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do.” (4:14, 15)

Then God reminds Moses again to take the staff.

A common staff is the very thing God is using to demonstrate his power. A few verses later Moses calls the staff, — the staff of God. (4:20) Moses is beginning to understand what God is communicating about his power to trust an ordinary shepherd for a God-sized role.

It causes me to ponder, can God use ordinary me with a God-sized task? Other questions come to mind too.

What has God used to communicate his power to me?
Am I listening or am I making excuses?
Who are my Aarons?
God has not provided a staff for me; but like for Moses he has provided his power and enablement.

What about you? How might you answer the questions God has brought to my attention?

 “But we have this treasure in jars of clay,
to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
II Corinthians 4:7

“May you be strengthened with all power,
according to his glorious might,”
Colossians 1:11

 

Illustrating how I experienced God’s power is this story, part of my testimony, from last fall.

The Power and The Balm

Copyright, Sue Tell, April 2020

 

 

Normally (But nothing is normal these days, right?) Echoes of Grace comes to you through words. Sometimes, however, echoes of the grace of God come through children’s stories or animated films. This week, I want to share with you two different places I heard echoes of  God’s grace this month. I hope you will too. Enjoy!

Last Sunday as we ‘attended’ Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria, Illinois, God whispered his grace and love to me through Pastor Kerry.

Click here and you can enjoy his 6 minute children’s sermon. Make sure to invite any young children in your lives to watch with you.

Sometimes the grace of God is spoken through animated movies.

Revelation Media has made their animated film of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress available online for free the rest of April. This story has often been called the next most important book to the Bible. John Bunyan penned these words while imprisoned for this faith in the 1600’s. His message still communicates the grace of God today. Click here to watch the trailer. I bet it will invite you to set aside 2 hours to watch the entire film.

And one more wonderful treat for you, A Psalm of Thanksgiving from Grace Worship. You won’t be able to stop smiling. Click here.

The scripture below is one I pray as I pen Echoes … or as I share children’s sermons or animated films. Will you pray along with me that this indeed will be true? Thank you.

“the church, of which I became a minister
according to the stewardship from God
given to me for you,
to make the word of God fully known.”
Colossians 1:25

 

 

“Abundance and plenty stir the heart, provoke praise, and fuel deep gratitude.”
Ruth Chou Simons.

Abundant gentleness often cascades, like a beautiful waterfall,
through questions, story, and being known.

We were in Florida attending a large conference. As I walked to dinner with Kathy she was sharing a piece of her story. She said, when I was talking to my counselor. I froze. Those words. I don’t even remember what came next! This was a time when I would have been embarrassed to admit I was talking with a counselor. God met me through those seven words, through Kathy’s story.

I imagine Kathy did not know the very significant role her story played in my story. Her ministry came through her personal story.

As I remembered, God gently nudged me with another story, the story of Mary Magdalene, the part where she stood helplessly at Jesus’s empty tomb that first Easter morning. After resting on the Sabbath, she came to the tomb with the spices needed to prepare Jesus’s body for burial, her last ministry of love to the one whom she had come to love.

But her intentions, and her ministry were interrupted, not needed. The tomb was empty! She wept. Her tears  not because her plan was lost, but because the body of Jesus was lost.

“Woman, why are you weeping?” — asked the two angels sitting where the body of Jesus had lain.  “Woman, why are you weeping?” Again the same question, this time from Jesus who was standing behind her.

The gentle questions allowed her to share.

Then Jesus calls her by name, “Mary” (John 20:11-16). And Mary Magdalene recognizes him.

“… he calls his own sheep by name … and the sheep follow him,
for they know his voice.”
John 10:3 and 4

Not only did Mary recognize Jesus when he voiced her name, Mary knew she was known.

In the midst of the extreme hards of our lives, Mary Magdalene’s testimony teaches me about abundant gentleness.

Abundant gentleness communicates with questions, with story,
and with knowing we are known.

The questions of the angels and of Jesus allowed Mary to voice her grief.

Questions gently invite others to voice their fears and allow God to speak.

And as my friend Kathy shared her story, God met me. I’m quite sure I did not respond out-loud, but it was an ah-ha moment. I do not need to be ashamed of needing help. I do need to be humble enough to receive.

A few years later, Bill and I attended a counseling intensive. (God had worked in my life.) As we think back on that time, we remember only a few suggestions from the counselor in those entire two weeks. In place of those expected suggestions were a lot of questions. He drew out our stories and God met us.

Stories gently speak truth to the listeners.

The highlight of our counseling intensive for me was learning my true identity. I came away knowing my name, beloved child of God. For years I had confused my identity with my role. And that led to much comparison and much sadness.

When Jesus called Mary by name, it was not only recognition, it recovered her joy and re-defined her ministry, “go to my brothers and say to them …” John 20:17. Mary was known.

And, oh the gentleness of being known.

God communicates abundant gentleness in many ways. I’m learning to be gentle — with myself and with others as I ask questions, share my story, and affirm who God created my friends to be.

“Take my yoke … learn from me …
I am gentle … you will find rest …”
Matthew 11:29, the words of Jesus

“But the fruit of the Spirit … gentleness …”
Galatians 5:22 and 23

 

Copyright, Sue Tell, April 2020

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Easter, there is not a more abundant gift. Jesus knowingly, willingly bore the excruciating pain of the cross on my behalf, opening the way for me to experience the love of God, for me to experience the abundant life.

For the past few months, Ephesians 3:20 has been capturing my thoughts and my heart.

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly,
than all that we ask or think,” (bolding mine)

FMA (far more abundantly) has become my signature line reminding me every time I sign my name.

I’ve started a new collection of scriptures that speak of God’s abundance. Many familiar ones are coming alive all over again.

Easter, Resurrection Sunday, is the pinnacle of God’s abundant goodness.

But often I struggle to grasp the gift of God’s abundance.

What have I experienced that has been more abundant than anticipated?
When have I been overwhelmed by his abundance?
How has God revealed his abundance to me?

Questions like these are often the stepping stones helping me grasp God’s far more abundant resurrection love.

It was a winter morning and I was comfortably ensconced in an overstuffed chair facing the fireplace, its yellow and orange flames dancing before my eyes. I was alone, the quiet a gift that morning.

I opened the Brennan Manning book I was reading. The first words my eyes rested on jumped off the page and into my heart.

“I am my beloved’s, and his desire is for me.”
Song of Solomon 7:10

My next thought followed closely, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31.

“Abundance and plenty stir the heart, provoke praise, and fuel deep gratitude.” Ruth Chou Simons.

That morning once again, I experienced God’s far more abundant love. I was overwhelmed. It was a stepping stone for me to grasp the depth of God’s heart, of grasping the abundant gift of the resurrection.

“Oh how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!”

May the far more abundant gift of the resurrection grasp your heart this Easter.

 

 

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life … Do you believe this?'”
John 11:25, 26
“but these are written so that you my believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God,
and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
John 20:31

In the absence of being able to have the traditional Palm Sunday kid’s processional, the kids of our church had mom or dad take a short video of them waving “palm” branches, or evergreens, or green painted hands (palms). I bet this will make you smile.

 

copyright, Sue Tell, April 2020

 

 

 

 

Dear ______________,

Please fill in your name. I’m thinking of this more as a friend to friend letter than a blog post.

Sometimes humor is a good way to relieve the stress of our COVID reality. Two friends sent this to me. How can you not laugh and let a bit of the stress evaporate?

But, if you’re like me, you need more than humor. What is it that meets you where you are in these anxiety filled days?

We’re using new terms: stay-at-home, sheltering-in-place, social distancing.
We’re obeying suggestions: wash your hands, don’t touch your face (or at least trying).
We’re following the news. Maybe too much.
We’re learning new technology. Zoom is an everyday occurrence for many.
We have multitudes of options to hear the Bible being taught.

But I’m wondering — How are you? Really? How has the pandemic affected you? What are your anxieties? How can I be praying for you?

I emailed those who officially follow Echoes of Grace and asked them, What are you discovering in these days? What are you appreciating? What are you thinking about? Their answers were amazingly similiar. Their words encouraged me and I want to pass them on to you.

The word connection (or a form of it) and the word fellowship came up often. What was so interesting was that some (and I get this) were actually feeling more connected to their friends and experiencing deeper fellowship. Are we being more intentional with picking up the phone or zooming with friends and praying for each other? We’re in this together. I was even invited to have tea with a group of church friends every afternoon at 2. So I pour my tea, zoom in, and enjoy chit-chat some afternoons. It’s fun and I’m meeting new friends.

Some mentioned the special connections with family. Reading to GRANDS via FaceTime, eating together across the country and catching up daily were some of the appreciated new practices. We celebrated our 10 year old GRANDson’s birthday with his Nana and several other family members via Zoom. Other than trying to sing Happy Birthday across computer lines, we all had fun.

I connected with my doctor on the phone (unrelated to Corona). Would you believe a doctor can look at your throat over a computer screen? Amazing.

Time came up frequently too. Some said they were thankful for more time to read, or organize their cabinets (I did a little of that). One friend said she was surprised at how full her days were because of connecting with others for friendship or work. So the free time she anticipated having was not her reality.

Noticing the beauty of God’s creation was mentioned by many. I’ve begun collecting pictures of beauty. Here are a few of my favorites. I wish I had the sunset picture one friend mentioned.

 

Thank you Kay Friedenstein, Clyde Laier, Shelly Miller, and Nadine Houston.

Let me close with one other piece of humor that came my way.

“Though we are in uncharted waters — the One we follow walks on water.” Ann Voskamp

“The Lord is near; do not be anxious.”
Philippians 4:5,6

So I close with my questions again, How are you? Really? How has the pandemic affected you? What are your anxieties? How can I be praying for you?

I look forward to hearing from you. Comment on this post or use my email below. Either way I will respond.
Sue

PS. When you sign up to “follow” Echoes of Grace, I jot you a quick email with the link to the current post. Or just email me, and I’ll sign you up, sue@suetell.com.

copyright Susan Tell, April 2020

“Fear and anxiety are protective emotions …

Anger and frustration are informative emotions …

Grief and disappointment are adaptive emotions …

Joy and happiness are sustaining emotions …

All of our emotions are allowed. None of them are bad. They’re just not the boss.”
Holley Gerth

Whatever You’re Feeling Today Is Okay

I found Holley’s article so very helpful. Fear, frustration, grief, and joy have all been my companion at different times this past week. Do you identify? Click on Holley’s article above to read all her words.

“Steward your emotions and tell yourself truth.” Mark Bates from his Psalm 23 sermon, 2017.

In the midst of COVID-19, one of the truths I’m trusting to steward my emotions in the midst of my frustration of losing control  (I didn’t realize how important control was to me) of my calendar is Psalm 138:8, “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”

What emotion has you the most tangled up?
What truth are you claiming to steward your emotions and speak calm to your heart?
How can I pray for you?