I wonder, do you love this Christmas hymn as much as I do? Interesting, right on the heals of these words are, “Let earth receive her king;”

Joy is connected to receiving!

Did you miss Echoes first Advent post, Receive is a Christmas Word? You might want to go back and read it.
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Luke starts the familiar Christmas narrative with the angel Gabriel visiting Zechariah followed quickly by Gabriel visiting Mary. Their stories are similar and also different.

Luke 1:12 – Zechariah was troubled; Luke 1:29 – Mary was greatly troubled.
Luke 1:13 – to Zechariah, “do not be afraid”; Luke 1:30 – to Mary, “do not be afraid”.
Luke 1:13 – to Zechariah, “your prayer has been heard”; Luke 1:30 – to Mary, “you have found favor with God.”
Luke 1:18 – Zechariah had a question; Luke 1:34 – Mary had a similar question.

As Gabriel responds to both, their stories go down different roads highlighting the good news in different ways. Focusing just on Mary …

She is affirmed by Gabriel.
She has a question that shows she believes Gabriel, How …?
She responds with submission, “let it be to me” (verse 38).

The next thing Luke records is Mary’s visit to Elizabeth. Mary, a teenager runs to Elizabeth, Zechariah’s pregnant wife who is advanced in years. And again Mary is affirmed: “Blessed are you among women”; “Blessed is the fruit of your womb” (verse 42). “When the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.” (verse 44). “Blessed is she who believed” (verse 45). Mary’s belief resulted from receiving the truth that Gabriel shared.

Joy – Elizabeth’s baby John, experienced it before his birth. Elizabeth recognized the joy. And Mary now also responds with joy. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices (the verb form of joy) in God my Savior, (verse 47).

Joy is at the very inception of the Christmas story. Later on when the angel is communicating with the shepherds, he calls it “good news of great joy” (Luke 2:10).

What is joy? Definitions are descriptions of the way we use words. The definition of joy in many dictionaries includes something like the emotion of delight.

The word joy is used 155 times in the New Testament alone. And yet as I think about the New Testament narrative often the realities shared and the word joy don’t line up; they don’t evoke the emotion of delight.

Despite the great joy of Jesus’ birth, it is followed by the fear of Herod causing the slaughter of all the baby boys under two years old. (Matthew 2:16)

John, the baby who knew joy before his birth, was later executed.

Jesus, whose birth ushers in “good news of great joy” was headed for a cross.

Although not joy-filled instances, they also do not negate joy!

Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22) God produces joy. Joy is a relationship word.

Joy results from knowing Jesus and knowing our identity as children of God.

John’s testimony (the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth) in John 3:28 and 29 is an illustration. “I am not the Christ,” John knows who he is not. “The friend (John knows who he is) of the bridegroom (Jesus)” “rejoices greatly”. “Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.”

The author of Hebrews speaks of Jesus and says, “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2.

Because of the joy … Could that be spending eternity with us (relationship)? … Jesus endured and put up with the shame. His joy was not related to his circumstances as he hung on the cross.

Joy is like an undercurrent produced by the Holy Spirit
flowing beneath the surface of our lives  bringing its truth to reality.
As my friend Janet says, there is great hope.

 

The amazing story behind the O Holy Night, the wonderful Christmas hymn understands this truth as well. “The thrill of hope the weary world rejoices …”.

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A scripture to meditate on: Nehemiah 8:10 – “… for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

A question to ask: In the midst of your right now, how can you experience joy?

A prayer to pray: Father thank you that the joy is a fruit of the Spirit. Please help me to trust that today. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas is the season of giving. So Christmas must also be the season of receiving.

As I think about receiving in my life, three instances rise to the surface.

1. The Christmas gift from my parents when I was in junior high, a princess phone. It was the first time our family had a second phone in our home and it was going in my bedroom. With this gift, my parents acknowledged who I am, someone who loves being in connection with her friends. Bill (my husband) has often said that my spiritual gift is telephone. Receiving this gift was easy.
2. It was my sophomore year of college when I received the gift of eternal life. It was explained to me from John 1:12, “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-” (RSV). I had always believed in God, but for the first time I understood the connection of believing and receiving. That night I prayed to receive Jesus into my heart. Christianity was more than my religion, by receiving it became a relationship with the living God.
3. Oh, you shouldn’t have contrasted with grateful receiving. I often heard those italicized words growing up. Receiving is hard. Last Christmas a friend was sharing Christmas with us. Of course we had gifts for him. His humble receiving was manna for our souls.

Did each of these receivings lead to transformation or was it merely a transaction?

Although I didn’t know the concept of transformation as a young teen, I look back and see that gift of a princess phone as a transformational experience. My parents knew me and by their gift, they acknowledged who I am.

The second scenario was definitely transforming. Again, I would not have used that word, but that evening was a proverbial transformational stake in the ground. And the beginning of many transformations on my spiritual journey.

Receiving is humbling. Our friend’s humble receiving of our gifts brought greater joy to our Christmas celebration. A bit of transformation happened that Christmas morning.

Mary, the mother of Jesus demonstrates humble receiving.

“And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the servant of the Lord;
let it be to me according to your word.”
Luke 1:38

After a lengthy discussion with the angel Gabriel, Mary humbly surrendered to his words. She received God’s plan for her life. Transformation happened.

Andrew, my cousin’s son, created this wonderful picture of Mary that is the cover for the 2018 Advent Devotional for Presbyterians Today, a publication of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The way Mary’s head is bowed in submission speaks to me of her receiving the will of God. Mary was destined to be the mother of Jesus. And in the process, Mary didn’t just agree to a transaction, she was transformed by God. (To see more of Andrew’s work, click here.)

I want that to be my response; I want to be a receiver as I hear God’s whispers to me. I want transformation to be reality for me.

Jesus is a receiver.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.”
John 15:9

Jesus received God’s love for him and is able to pass it on this transformational reality to us.

I cannot give what I have not received.
I want to receive God’s love daily
so I experience transformation and can pass it on.

Often life is hard. Receiving is painful. Ann Voskamp challenges me with her words, “But it’s not about growing tough enough to take what life throws at you: it’s about staying open enough to all of life to simply receive it.” The Way of Abundance, p. 32. She is referring to receiving what life throws at us knowing that it has first passed through the hand of God and allowing this hard to be transformational.

“If we do not transform our pain,
we will most assuredly transmit it.”
Richard Rohr

Whether receiving a gift, receiving eternal life, or receiving the hards that come our way, receiving is a gift back to the giver. Receiving is transformation.

Each week during Advent I plan to continue the thought of the blog in the personal note I write to the ones who sign up to follow Echoes of Grace. You can do so on this site, or email me sue@suetell.com and I will sign you up.

Also, I’ll share a scripture, a question, and a prayer for you to continue to ponder … like Mary … on your own. See below.

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A scripture to meditate on this Advent, John 1:16, NLT: “From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.”

A question to ask: How can I be a receiver of the blessings God has for me this Advent season?

A prayer to pray: Father during these weeks of Advent, please help me be aware of all you have provided for me. And help me to receive each of your gifts to me with thanksgiving. Father, please transform me in these days. Amen.

Thank you to my friend Janet Newberry who shared the concept with me of transformation versus transaction in the receiving process.

And thank you to Theresa, Joann, Sandy, and Denise who also contributed their thoughts on receiving.

 

 

 

 

 

Here we are gathered together. Yup, I’m in that picture. Can you find me? I can’t. It was the Nykerk competition for the women at Hope College between the freshman and sophomore classes coached by the juniors and seniors. (The men’s competition is a tug-of-war.)

This three part annual competition includes a speech, a play, and for everyone not in those events, a choir.

My freshman year, I was too intimidated to participate. But my sophomore year I was determined to! There was one SIGNIFICANT issue: I knew I wouldn’t make the cut to give the speech or participate in the play AND I am tone deaf. But the choir was my only hope to be involved.

My friend Jan took it on to mentor me, to try to help me learn the notes. Bless you Jan and thank you. But in the end, the choir director looked at me and suggested, why don’t you mouth the words. And that’s what I did. (BTW, the our class lost that year, but remember I was mouthing the words.)

Why would I share this story on Thanksgiving Day?

Because God used it to plant spiritual seeds that have germinated and grown through the years.
And, I am thankful.

We sophomore women gathered together and created a special memory, even though we lost.
My faith was clarified during my college years at Hope. The Nykerk seed has blossomed.
I am thankful for life long friends who formed from my Hope years, including my husband.
I am thankful to have learned about the fun and the necessity of community.

And speaking of gathering together, one of my favorite Thanksgiving hymns is “We Gather Together”. As I was reading (not singing) through the words recently, I took the liberty to re-write the third line of each stanza to reflect my personal thanksgiving. This is my thanksgiving prayer for you as well.

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, wast at 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!

With a special thank you to Theodore Baker who translated the words of this 1625 hymn from the original author who remains anonymous.

May the rich blessings of God inform your heart this season of Thanksgiving.
Love to you, sue

 

 

 

hymn

John Lynch gave me permission to copy his words from Facebook (below). My friend John is a husband, a father, a GRAND-father, a dog lover, a pastor, an actor, and a phenomenal creative communicator. But most of all he is a child of God. He understands and communicates the gospel of grace as good as any God has gifted me to be exposed to.

“If Jesus indwells you-and He does
If Jesus is able to draw you to Him-and He can
If Jesus promises He will always love you to the
exact extent His Father loves Him-and He does
If Jesus loves it when you show up-in touch with authentic expressions of worship, gratefulness, delight, or hurt, anger, confusion, even doubt about His existence-and He does
If Jesus would adore you endlessly if you never spoke to Him again-and He would…
Then…”ought” would have no place-and each of us could experience a magnificent motivation to be with the One who formed all elation, outrageous laughter, purpose, destiny, redemption, healing, compassion…and endless interest in you.”

John and the rest of the Trueface team created a devotional, Trust For Today. Click here to check it out. And while you’re on their site, scroll down and invest 6 minutes and 35 seconds to the video John shares. It just may start you on a new and exciting journey.

Trust For Today is a devotional. Yes. But I also may describe it as …

365 stories of encouragement.
365 gifts of inspiration.
365 ways to communicate the gospel of grace.
365 prompts to examine your own spiritual life.
365 offerings that will take you 2 minutes to read and the rest of the day to think on.

Here is an illustration …

It is available for pre-order and and is coming out December 4.

Oh my gosh … GOOD NEWS!!! I just learned this yesterday, Trust For Today arrived early at the Trueface office!

“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself,
if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus,
to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”
Acts 20:24

 

 

Recently Shawna asked if I would come to their women’s weekend retreat for the University of North Florida that was held in North Carolina. About 50 women came to be together and to grow in their walk with God.

This was a first for me. Bill, my husband, set up a studio in our living room in Colorado and recorded my words. We zipped it off to Shawna and I joined them on Saturday night.  Not professional, but from my heart. I hope you have 11 minutes and 47 seconds to listen.

BTW, Dennis helps me with the technical aspects of Echoes of Grace. Thank you Dennis.

“May my teaching drop as the rain,
my speech distill as the dew,
like gentle rain upon the tender grass,
and like showers upon the herb.”
Deuteronomy 32:2

 “To be loved you have to be known; to be known, you have to be vulnerable.”
Shelly Miller

Being known … might that be one of the desires of your heart too?

I hadn’t thought of it in those terms until last summer. We were out to coffee with new friends (note the gal, second from right, standing in bottom row) and when the wife spoke those words, it clicked. That’s me. I too want to be known.

Acknowledging my desire to be known brought understanding to me and took me another step deeper into combating the lie that I knew often controlled me.

It reminded me of two meetings I attended about five years apart, two different but similar meetings. For both, I was traveling with Bill, he was training, I had no assigned role.

The first in Maine ~ about 5 years ago.
The second in Singapore ~ just last month.

My experience at the two meetings was vastly different.

In Maine I was chomping at the bit. I wanted to add my two cents.
I wanted the group to know I had something to offer.
I was feeling unknown and insignificant.
Just being there and supporting Bill wasn’t enough for me.
I was frustrated.

In Singapore. I was relaxed.
Being there and supporting Bill was enough.
I was at peace. (Funny story, Asian lady in tears thanked me for bringing Bill. I hugged her back. Really Bill brought me!)

What was going on in me? What was the difference?

It all had to do with being known.

In Maine, I believed my “known-ness” came through my words. I’m an extrovert, words are important.
And I was believing my significance came from my “known-ness”. So with no words, I was insignificant.

Significance is a legitimate need. A need that God desires to meet in me. But I was not looking to God. I thought I was responsible for creating my own significance, my own known-ness. For the others at the meeting to think well of me, I needed to add my words.

Now (5 years later) I understand that my “known-ness” rests with God.

God has graciously pointed me to Psalm 138:8, “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for you …”

God is far more concerned about my living out His purposes for me, the desires He placed in my heart, living in the significance He offers, believing my known-ness rests in my identity as His beloved child, than in my speaking words.

“When God calls you to offer the treasures of your inheritance,
you are on holy ground.”
Sharon Betters

In Maine God had not called me to offer the treasures of my inheritance through words, yet that was what I wanted, felt I needed.

So in Maine, I was feeling in-significant and unknown.

Satan was having a hay day with me, re-enforcing a lie I knew I struggled with, I am not good enough. More specifically, I am not spiritually mature enough to be more than the sitting, smiling wife.

I am not good enough. I know that is Satan’s biggest card he plays with me. I also know when I’m most vulnerable.

I am not good enough is a lie of the devil.
but
I want to be known is a God-given desire. And it is truth.

 “The better we know ourselves, the better we know God.
The better we know God, the better we know ourselves.”
John Calvin

I’m beginning to notice that many of my lies are related to my desires. And doesn’t that make sense? Satan knows our places of vulnerability.

Desires are good things. God planted them in my DNA when he created me. They are part of my identity as a child of God.

“What the wicked dreads will come upon him,
but the desire of the righteous will be granted.”
Proverbs 10:24

“For God is working in you, giving you the desire
and
the power to do what pleases him.”
Philippians 2:13, NLT

Back to Singapore. What was the difference?

After meditating on the truth in the scriptures for many years, I’m learning to trust that truth. God continues to reveal his desires for me. And I often pray, God, what would it look like to trust you with this truth today?

I’m learning my significance rests with God.
I’m learning that my known-ness is God’s responsibility.
I’m learning to trust God with those truths.
And, it is good.

When my motivations are defined by trust,
my desires are refined by God.
a thought from my journal, 2015

“Before I formed you in the womb,
I knew you.
And before you were born,
I consecrated you;”
Jeremiah 1:5

 

 

 

Three Ministries:

Three Seasons:

Two Weeks: 

October 15 -18, Colorado, winter

October 18 – 22, Arizona, summer

October 22 – 27, North Carolina, fall

 

 

One Carry-on.

It all started a week ago last Monday (October 15). The first leg of our trip was a retreat for a small group of Navigator staff wives, women I’ve come to know and appreciate. We called it a Gathering as there was no official speaker. Jean Fleming was our guest of honor and for two days she led us in a discussion of important stuff. What a phenomenal privilege. All 18 of us plus two babies lived in one of the lovely reunion cabins at the YMCA of the Rockies.

Jean fed us a banquet of wisdom gained from her years of walking with Jesus, her knowledge of the Bible, and her experience as a wife, a mother of three children, and a missionary.  We all left with  much to think about.

Jean’s Gems

Let me highlight just three that I’ve been pondering this past week.

Jean’s husband Roger died November 30, 2017, just under a year ago. Jean, however, did not want the word widow to define her in this season. Widow speaks to what is lost, what is missing. So she asked God for a new name, one that would speak truth to this chapter of her journey. Jean’s desire is that these years will be the most fruitful years of her life. Her new name speaks of anticipation and expectation. She says, this name I call myself is shaping me. It is her ‘inside name’, the name God has given her.

I’ve been asking God what his inside name is for me. I’m not sure yet. But I’m going to keep asking. I want God’s name for me to shape me too.

Another thought Jean shared is, Life cannot always be simple, organized, or balanced. But it can be focused. She said that if we’re living on a starvation diet spiritually at this stage of our lives, we’ll live on a starvation diet in our next stage. Changing circumstances don’t automatically create a healthy spiritual diet. In this stage … where I am right now … where is my focus? And how can I live that focus in the midst of my current circumstances?

Jean also challenged us to think deeply about truth. To process, to ponder, to ask questions, to do away with pat answers. She shared this illustration. A pastor called all the children in church one Sunday up to the front of the sanctuary for the children’s sermon. He asked, “What is small and gray, eats nuts, has a big bushy tail, and climbs trees?” Little Johnny excitedly raises his hand. The pastor calls on him and Johnny says loudly and clearly, “Jesus”. The pastor says, “Now listen well. What is small and gray, eats nuts, has a big bushy tail, and climbs trees?” A bit more tentatively Johnny raises his hand. The pastor calls on him and Johnny replies, “Well it sounds like a squirrel. But ‘Jesus’ is always the right answer.”

Is Jesus always our right answer? Or are we pondering deeply about what the scriptures are saying, are we asking questions? Or are we defaulting to what we think the scriptures are saying without taking the time to study, to meditate, and to ask God how a specific passage speaks to this situation. We grow more from asking questions than having the answer. A good challenge.

“This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth,
but you shall meditate on it day and night,
so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.
For then you will make your way prosperous,
and then you will have good success.”
Joshua 1:8

 

 

 

 

 

I sometimes enjoy doing a jig saw puzzle. The one above is one Bill and I are working on together when we’re at our Sanctuary (cabin in the mountains). It actually has been more of a challenge than we were anticipating.

I’ve heard my friend Paula say that sometimes spiritual growth feels like a jig saw puzzle you are trying to do without the picture on the box top. I get that. The pieces are all there, but how do they fit together?

Recently I’ve begun realizing that my life is kind of like a jig saw puzzle. I have the DNA of godliness, but often I don’t see the picture that God sees. The pieces are there, but how do they fit together?

It was the winter of 2013. I didn’t want the status quo to describe me spiritually; I wanted to keep growing. But what was the next puzzle piece? Seminary? Spiritual Director Certificate? Classes on spiritual formation? Other?

It wasn’t that I didn’t have good input in my life. I’ve been blessed with great teaching in the churches we’ve been members of. Most of my career has been Navigator staff which has opened many doors to be exposed to excellent Bible teachers. But that niggling desire, how do I keep spiritual growth alive wouldn’t leave. What was the next piece of that jig saw puzzle that needed to fit to keep revealing the beautiful picture that was so obvious to God?

Psalm 92:14 “They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green,” spoke (and continues to speak) to a parallel desire, another piece of the puzzle I wanted to fit in. But how?

One by one the pieces I thought might be the answer fell to the floor until I was left with the “other” piece. It’s shape was unfamiliar to me. And even now, almost six years later, I’m recognizing the importance of that piece.

The ‘righteousness’ piece. You might think that someone who has walked with God for over 40 years, would have realized that righteousness described her. But truly I’d never considered it. And that piece was key to begin allowing my desires to come to fruition, making way for other pieces to fit in place.

I began meditating on scriptures like Romans 4:22, 23 & 24, “That is why his (Abraham’s) faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also…” (parentheses and italics mine)

Romans 5:21, “… grace also might reign through righteousness …”

Proverbs 12:12, “… but the root of the righteous bears fruit.” Ah-ha!

And others.

The root (the source of growth) of righteousness piece had to be in place for the other pieces to fit.

And grace that was reigning in me through righteousness allowed me to love well. Love, a fruit of the spirit in my life, was showing itself through me.

I’m learning that affirmation is one of the best ways I can love others. I’m wondering if affirming others even trumps our giftings. Our gifts are not mentioned in the list of the Galatians 5:22 & 23, the list of the fruit of the Spirit. Our gifts work themselves out in our doings; the fruit of the Spirit is God’s doings through us (grace).

Another puzzle piece, and an important key ranking right up there with righteousness, was named trust. Recognizing the pieces was not enough. I needed to trust them. I needed to trust what God was saying, not just know what he was saying.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose trust is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
Jeremiah 17: 7 & 8 (bolding mine)

I must trust the righteousness God has worked in me; then His love can flow through me and godly fruit will come from me.

My jig saw puzzle is a work in progress. There are still pieces that I’m not seeing where they fit. But my trust is in God who sees the picture on the top of the box.

I wonder what you’re learning about your godliness DNA. Let’s encourage each other.

 

 

 

 

The title summarizes my job description for next week.
And I’m wondering, will you join me?

I’m excited about a “Gathering” that I’m facilitating with Jean Fleming. I’ve invited 16 of our Navigator staff wives from across the United States to join me and Jean at Rocky Mountain National Park from Monday to Thursday to think together about important stuff!

Are you familiar with Jean Fleming? This dear friend has authored five books, all still available from Tyndale House and Navpress. Currently my favorite is, Pursue The Intentional Life. I love this prayer she prays for herself and records for me to borrow and pray for myself:

“Oh, Lord, is there sufficient evidence in my life of Your activity? Will others at least be tempted to speculate whether God ever inhabits humans? I long for the bursting forth of Your life in me that spills over to touch others in blessing, to Your glory. Bear Your fruit in me.” (p. 117)

And, do feel free to pray it for yourself as well.

Jean was widowed last November. She shared with me last month that her desire is that the remaining years God gives her on this earth will be the most fruitful of her journey.

Jean is not speaking at our Gathering, rather she is leading the discussion. Although ideas are floating in our minds, we are trusting the leading of the Holy Spirit as He best knows the needs of the women, all young wives, many leaving their husbands with the kids to be with us.

Would you join us in praying that this time would bear fruit for God’s glory? Would you pray that we both will be sensitive to the leading of your Spirit and love these friends well? Would you pray for me as I lead in a group devotional time on Tuesday morning? And mostly, would you join us in praying that each women would have a personal and transformational time with God. And of course the details; they are still being worked out. Thank you.

I can’t wait to share more with you about this time!

But next week on Echoes of Grace I’m sharing about how often spiritual growth looks like a jig saw puzzle. Be sure and come back.

“The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.”
Psalm 138:8

 

September left me with lots to ponder.

My thoughts are being stirred as I remember the words of the speakers I was privileged to be exposed to and the authors who seemed to know just what I needed to hear.

For me, the recordings in my journal, my Bible, and a cup of coffee are just the ingredients I need to let these thoughts percolate and sink into the fabric of my being.

I’ve penned over 25 one-liners from September in my journal that I want to remember; 25+ one-liners that relate to my now and are helping me untangle current realities.  I wonder if some of these will stir your thoughts and speak to your reality.

The top seven, in no specific order:

1. When we allow people to help us, they become more emotionally involved than when we try to help them. I’m thinking about our neighbors and wanting to reach out to them. When was the last time I allowed my needs to be known?
2. God doesn’t do old; God is a God of the new. Why do I sometimes want to hang on to the old, the familiar and are so fearful of trusting God with something new? How often have I quoted Lamentations 3:22 and 23, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (bolding mine) If God mercies are continually new, why do I want to find comfort in the old?
3. There is a difference between mimicking and knowing. And I’m thinking there is a difference between knowing truth and trusting truth. How do I move from knowledge to trust?
4. If you lose your story, you lose your identity. How many times have I wanted to forget part of my story? Stories keep truth alive. When I forget my story, I am taking away part of the miraculous God has worked in my life; the miraculous that others just might need to hear.
5. Older woman still need older woman. Who are the older woman who I need to be listening to at this point? How can I make that happen?
6. When I think of time, I naturally am also thinking of limits. When I think of eternity, I think of freedom, of space. When Jesus teaches me to pray, he says, “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. Matthew 6:10. There is enough time for God’s will. “… and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus …” Hebrews 12:1 and 2. Hmmm, not looking to my calendar or my watch, but looking to Jesus! What might his wisdom be?
7. As much as I love the ministry God has opened for us (for me) through travel, I also desire to minister in a local context. I’ve asked others what that might look like. But have I asked God, what would it look like to be involved locally at this stage of my life?

Thank you to Darrell Sanders, Randy Raysbrook, Jean Fleming, and the Holy Spirit for stimulating my thinking.

Do you identify with any of the above thoughts? What is stimulating your thinking these days?

“Brothers, do not be children in your thinking.
Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.”
I Corinthians 14:20