I am so thankful for Romans 8:1.

“There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

You know, there are some stories that sometimes are just so embarrassing you don’t even want to share them. But if you do, you learn you not only minister to others, but you allow yourself to experience truth.

It was the mid eighties. Our church asked me to write a Bible memory program for their elementary grades that built from the first to the sixth grade. Our sons were in elementary school at the time. After initially hesitating,  I agreed and Well-Versed Kids was born. My good friends Barb, Kathy, and Millie all jumped in to help. Once again, thank you ladies. (For more information on Well-Versed Kids, click on the link above.)

Well-Versed Kids was a success. Not only was our church using the program, but it was published by Navpress in 1988, was adopted by Christian schools, and many home-schoolers as well.

So when I was invited to speak at a large Sunday school convention on Bible memory for children, I accepted. After all, I had a book published with my name on the cover on that very topic. Can you hear the pride? Ugh, like I said, some stories I don’t even like to remember.

My biggest memory of that day is not how God used me to encourage scripture memory in children, but my arrogance. Oh how I hate writing that. In my mind, it oozed out as I responded to questions.

Years later as I reflect on that day, God encourages me with these truths.

1. Romans 8:1. God is not condemning me for my attitude that day. He has his arms wrapped around me and is whispering, Sue, I’m glad you see it. Let’s move forward from here.
2. Matthew 18:4, NLT, “So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” According to my ESV commentary on this passage, “The humility of a child consists of childlike trust, vulnerability, and the inability to advance his or her own cause apart from the help … of a parent.” Those were absent qualities that day. I’m learning from the negative.

I’ve begun a list of the qualities of humility. This is what I’m thinking about. I’d love your thoughts. What might you add?

*Humility leads me to ask questions.
*Humility accepts that I don’t know all the answers.
*Humility is more concerned about learning answers than knowing answers.
*Humility is stewardship.
*Humility is more than transparency; it is vulnerability.
*Humility teaches me to wait.
*Humility is tied to trust.
*Humility is trusting God and others with me.
*Humility sees others as a reflection of God’s glory.
*Humility creates space for God.
*Humility predisposes me to believe I always have something to learn.
*Humility leads me to believe that I might be wrong.
*Humility redeems my desires.
*Humility is owning my influence.
*Humility is not needing to be more than you are. Thank you Kirstin.
*Humility is living consistently with my new identity.
*Humility illuminates my theology.
*Humility creates an affirmation lifestyle.
*Humility is living with nothing hidden.

I want to keep learning. What are you learning about humility?

“He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.”
Psalm 25:9

Grammie and Grandpa’s Home, Maine

It was a special treat each August to drive 7 hours to the north for our 2 week family summer vacation. I loved those 2 weeks. There were lots of predictables: exploring the BIG house and the attic over the garage, helping Grammie shell peas from her extensive garden, sleeping in the canopy bed, finding Grandpa’s special treats hidden in the chest freezer, playing in the sand and catching waves at Old Orchard Beach, a day at Lake Sebago with cousins, a family reunion at Aunt Madeline’s home where we always feasted on chop suey. And so much more. I think of the word repetition and the security that provided for me as a child. (I never saw this home in winter. And I’m not old enough to have seen cars like the ones pictured.)

My Childhood home, NJ

My own bedroom in this tri-level was up the stairs and immediately to the right. My sisters shared the room over the garage. This is where I knew every family in the neighborhood. We rode bikes together, caught lightning bugs on summer evenings, played tag, walked through the woods together, and whatever else young children did.

My best friend lived two doors down. Her family was Catholic (ours was Protestant) and she attended the Catholic school. One memory is that she wore a uniform to school. Somehow that was attractive to me. I was a bit jealous.

Mom’s home, NJ

This is where Mom and Dad moved to the summer I graduated from high school. I never lived there longer than summer breaks from college. But a lot of life events happened in this lovely home. I introduced Bill to my parents here; our wedding pictures were taken in the living room; we brought Mom and Dad’s first grandchild to visit one Thanksgiving. All positive memories.

Our current home, CO

Bill and I have lived in 10 different places, in 4 cities, in 3 states – Illinois, California, and Colorado. But this has been our home for 24 years. Our youngest son was a senior in high school when we moved here so this is our empty nest home. It has been a quiet place and a place to welcome guests. It is a place filled with stories and laughter especially when the boys come back with their families to visit. It is the only home our grandchildren have known. It is also the place where we were living when our biggest challenge happened.

Our Sanctuary, CO

This simple 700 square foot cabin in the Wet Mountains is our place to rest, reflect, refuel, to listen to God and the birds, to be. There is no internet, or oven, but all the other pieces of home are there. I’ve learned to “bake” biscuits on our outdoor grill. Our Sanctuary is a wonderful gift to Bill and me. Our habit is to spend the month of August there and as many weekends as possible before the snow flies.

“Surely the LORD is in this place (these places) and I did not know it.”
Genesis 28:16 (my paraphrase)

Unlike Jacob who voiced the above words, as I look back I do know the Lord was in and active in each of these places. I was experiencing Revelation 21:3, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.” This quote refers to our dwelling place in heaven. But truly I have experienced God with me in each of these places on earth.

Grammie and Grandpa’s home highlighted for me the importance of repetition. It was a big piece of defining us as a family.

The lesson of repetition also defines my relationship with God. I review almost every day scriptures that anchor me in God’s love and purposes for me; they bring truth to mind instead of those familiar lies. They often guide my prayer life as I consider current circumstances.

My childhood home was the first place I became aware that religion (not yet relationship) was part of who I was. I was not Catholic like my friend who wore a uniform to school. I was not Jewish like several other families in the neighborhood. And although my memory of church is cloudy from those years, I knew our family was Presbyterian and that’s where you would find us most Sunday mornings. The seeds of the spiritual were planted and watered in this home.

Those were the years I also learned the benefit of community. There was my playmate community, but there are also many good memories of our extended family community. Family gatherings for holidays and special events or at the beach in the summer were a normal part of every year.

Mom and Dad’s (until his death 20 years ago) home is the place I think of when I think of going home. This is where we related as adults.

Mom and Dad never wavered in their support. There were times that they didn’t understand my decisions and probably would have made a different one. But as adults they walked by my side, they listened, and accepted my decisions.

I want to be like that with our adult kids who also live long distances away. My desire is to be their biggest cheerleader.

Our Colorado home is tucked in the midst a tall Ponderosa Pines; their needles sparkle in summer sunlight, and bravely bare the weight of heavy snows, beautiful in every season.

We love inviting our friends in for dinner or overnight. They too enjoy the quiet beauty of this place. We love having our GRANDS visit and filling the house with laughter.

The quietness was the need of the hour 18 years ago, when we walked through the biggest challenge of our marriage. You can read about it here.

This protected place ministered deeply in those days.

Our Sanctuary is a dream come true. We started camping on the property about 8 years ago and fell in love with its off-the-grid lifestyle. We realized we needed a place away from our everyday normals. It’s simplicity, views of the mountains, and remoteness feed our souls and energize us to return home.

Each of these places hold special memories and life lessons that continue to guide us today. When Paul addressed the Men of Athens in Acts 17:22-28, he said, God determined the allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God…

And, yes, the significance of each of these places has been a step on my God journey.

“In my Father’s house are many rooms.
If it were not so,
would I have told you that
I go to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again and will take you to myself,
that where I am you may be also.”
John 14:2,3

I am looking forward to this place.

CO to KS to MO to IL

It was a full two weeks. Full of miles; full of old and new friends; full of catching up over good food; full of ministry; full of thankfulness; full of joy.

And full of opportunities to trust and live the truths God has been speaking to me through the years ~ same truths, new circumstances.

Last week, toward the end of our trip, sitting in a new-to-me coffee shop (I’ll be back), I was overwhelmed with all the fulls. My pen was having a hard time keeping up with my memories.

When I turned to my leather journal, God offered perspective. These two reminders were timely.

1. Ministry is abiding, not activity. John 15:5, “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.” Psalm 138:8, “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.”

As I thought about the different friends I would be with, or what words I would share in my presentations, I heard God whisper, Sue, you need to abide. You, Sue, need to remember it is me (God) who fulfills my purposes for you and my purposes are wrapped in my love for you.

Sometimes in a few (very few) quiet moments at the beginning of the day or in our car as we traveled to our next appointment, I reminded myself of these truths. And I silently reviewed some of my favorite scriptures on God’s love for me.

Mark & Jenny

2. Ministry is who God created me to be. More than the presentations I was giving or the words I said, ministry happened. It showed up in living rooms, at dining room tables, over cups of coffee, in shared hugs after church, in enjoying the pictures that caught us up on each other’s lives, in all that friendship means. “God not only loves you very much … he has his hand on you for something special … something happened in you … your life if echoing the master’s words” from I Thes 1:4-9, The Message.

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay …” II Corinthians 4:7.

Ministry for me is being a friend.

The joy of being with our friends flowed from the quiet moments with God.

“All you people will be righteous. They will possess
their land forever, for I will plant them there with my own hands
in order to bring myself glory.”
Isaiah 60:21 (bolding mine)

Daffodils, some of the first flowers of spring in my neck of the woods. I watch eagerly for the bright yellow to push through the still cold sod, and they are one way I savor springtime.

I met Tsh (yup, no vowels) a few years ago at a retreat on the Oregon coast. It was springtime, but to my memory, it was hard to recognize that year in Oregon.

Tsh is a lover of Jesus, a wife, a mom, a creative writer, and one of the bravest ladies I know. Perhaps her suggestions on this post will help you enjoy spring time a bit more this year.

https://theartofsimple.net/20-ways-to-enjoy-springtime/

I’m looking forward to being back with you next week.   sue

Recently I was introduced to the writing of Addie Zierman. Her post on the days after the resurrection is so encouraging. She notes, “Jesus gives us time and space to recognize resurrection.” Often I need that. How about you?

http://addiezierman.com/2018/04/03/recognizing-resurrection/

Choose, 2018

This sign, a gift from our kids, hangs outside the door of our cabin.

Hey Friends,

On January 18th, I published the above article. I’ve found that when I pick a word for the year, it’s in my mind a lot. And God often takes me deeper into its meaning as the year progresses. That is true with my 2018 word, choose. Let me suggest if you missed the above post in January, that you read it first and then come back here.

Emily Freeman writes a monthly letter around the topic of creating space for your soul to breathe. Her words often do that for me. Recently she suggested four practical ideas that are helping me choose this year, and creating space for my soul to breathe.

1. Choose your absence. For an extrovert who loves being with people, this one is hard. Bill and I have a small cabin in the Wet Mountains that we built for the purpose of going away and having a place to restore. We LOVE The Sanctuary! It definitely fills that purpose for us. But sometimes I drag my feet about getting there. It’s not the preparation that slows me down, it’s the missing what is happening at home that creates hesitation. Like last weekend, I needed to chose between a social event with our Sunday school class that I would totally enjoy but would leave me tired or going to The Sanctuary with Bill that I would also love and would leave me rested. In light of a two week ministry trip coming up, the absence I choose was the social event. It was a hard choice.
2. Ignore with intention. The application of this practical step refers to my computer and cell phone. I’ve made two decisions that are helping. I’m working at closing down my computer for the night before dinner. Yup, no computer work in the evenings and extending my wind-down time for the day. Its been good, although sometimes after dinner I look around and wonder what to do. Bubble baths and light reading are good choices. And my cell phone has found a new resting place for the night not on my bedside table. As I roll over in the morning, the first thing to grab my attention is not the emails or texts or the weather or the news, it is thinking about my identity and reviewing the scriptures I’ve memorized about who God says I am, greatly loved.
3. Find a ‘No’ mentor. That was an easy one. I needed to look no farther than my husband. Like you, there are many really good things that capture my attention. But really good things are not necessarily the best things. Earlier this spring we had three weeks at home between two ministry trips and had over-night guests nine of those days. The guests were gone, preparation for our next trip was happening, and I had an idea. I knew of a need. It sounded fairly easy to fill. I asked Bill what he thought. I didn’t need his words, his eyes communicated his wisdom. I remembered my own words, the need is not the call.
4. Embrace my limits. Or know my capacity. Again opportunity often smacks up against reality. This summer Bill and I are spending three weeks in Florida with a Navigator collegiate  program. We’ll live in a dorm (yes, you read correctly) with about 100 students. We’re there to be shepherds for the staff leading those students. We’ll love this time serving in our campus ministries. Three days after coming home, Bill will leave for Africa and a ministry assignment there. I have never been to Africa and it would be special to join him. But I know my capacity. I know it would not be a wise choice to join him on that trip. I’m embracing my limits.

One other practice I’m embracing is eliminating multi-tasking. Often touted as a way to expand time, for me multi-tasking compromises my best. Not good!

Because Bill and I are traveling the next two weeks, I decided to once again introduce you to  other bloggers on Echoes of Grace and not try to multi-task. Their words have ministered peace to my heart and I trust they will to yours as well. I’ll return to Echoes on May 3 and look forward to connecting with you then.

“Plans are established by counsel;
by wise guidance wage war.”
Proverbs 20:18

“… ‘We are unworthy servants;
we have only done what was our duty.'”
Luke 17:10

A dark green 1970 Chevy Nova was my college graduation gift from my parents. It had a 350 horse power engine; it could roar.

I named him Luke from the scripture above. The car was a gift to me to serve me, to get me back and forth to the school where I taught 3rd grade, to get me to the grocery store, to get me to church, and to all those other places a young 20 something needed to go. It was Luke’s duty to faithfully serve me. And he did. Even Bill confesses, he married me for my car.

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

“The master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.
You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much.
Enter into the joy of your master.'”
Matthew 25:21 and 23

Well done, good and faithful servant, a phrase from Jesus’ parable of the talents (another servant passage) is often spoken of a believer who has died. But in Jesus’ story, the faithful servant is quite alive. Recently I’ve been pondering this passage and asking, is its only purpose to give us words to say about the deceased? I don’t think so.

I’m noticing …

A servant has a master.
A good master knows the capabilities of the servant.
A servant has an appropriate responsibility.
Faithfulness is the key measure.
Serving well is rewarded equally.

The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 illustrate all the above principles.

“It will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property … each according to his ability.” Matthew 25:14 & 15 (italics mine).

I also have a master who has called me. Child of God, my identity, is lived out as a servant.
My master knows me well. He has not only called me, he has gifted me (given me talents).
These talents, determined by God’s gifting, have purpose in his kingdom.

It has taken several years for me to identify my gifts. Hospitality is something I enjoy. But when someone noticed that, my response was oh, that is so easy communicating that hospitality wasn’t important;  that is what I believed. Now I realize that hospitality is one of the gifts God has given me, and I need to be faithful with it.

‘Well done, good and faithful … you have been faithful …” Matthew 25:21 & 23 (italics mine).

Faithfulness is my most important responsibility. This keeps me from comparison. This allows me to honor and enjoy you and what you are doing. Our responsibilities are different; the way we carry out the responsibilities is the same, faithfully.

My serving (and your serving) is noticed and rewarded.  There is so much peace in embracing this truth. It protects me from wanting more, from wanting different.

As a young believer, I interpreted serving God as a duty, like my car. I never considered serving as living out who God created me to be or as creating a picture of the image-bearer that I am. The duty of serving was the end game. Being a servant was my lot in life, not filled with God-given purpose. And it never occurred to me that my lot was equally important as yours.  Or that faithfulness was the most important factor. And that our contributions, as different as they are, would be rewarded equally. But they are!

“For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand,
that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:10 (italics mine)

Or, The Ministry of Vulnerability. 

Yes, the social media campaign ignited this message.

No, I was never sexually abused.

Yes, I’m raising my hands, but in a different way.

I have experienced the ministry of vulnerability.
And as Brene Brown says, “vulnerability is at the core of
meaningful human experiences”.

Vulnerability starts with transparency. The women raising their hands on social media are transparently sharing a piece of their story. But unless transparency moves beyond the telling of your story, vulnerability doesn’t happen and ministry is short-circuited.

Bill and I had a hard engagement story. That time that was supposed to be all joy and fun in the planning for our wedding and marriage wasn’t that way for us. Not everyone thought we should get married. There were other difficult relationships to deal with. There was the tension of long-distance planning. There were needed changes we didn’t anticipate or want. I was trying to protect God’s reputation. (I imagine God was laughing at that one, he doesn’t need my protection, I need his.)

We barrelled through. We were transparent about our hurts with a select few. We were vulnerable with one.

Time did not heal. But vulnerability took us on a journey that brought understanding and healing.

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

Being in campus ministry, we are privileged to be included on many budding love stories. We listen, we support, we encourage … but in the early years, we rarely shared our story, until … others began sharing transparently with us their difficult engagement stories. Really? Me too!!!

It was the me too, that opened the doors of ministry, that taught us about the wisdom and the power of transparency leading to vulnerability. Me too, is a powerful declaration in the hand of God.

Transparency lifts the weight of the hard. But if stops there, there is no value in the experience.

“And we know that for those who love God
all things work together for good,”
Romans 8:28

The working for good comes in the vulnerability.

Bill and I have discovered four statements that lead us from transparency to vulnerability, from the me too to experiencing the love and wisdom of God.

Four decisions of vulnerability:

1. I choose to reveal myself to you.

2. I choose to give permission to you to ask me anything.

3. I choose to allow you to teach me.

4. I choose to come under your influence.

It is the fourth decision that opens the door to vulnerability.

In the months leading up to our marriage, we chose to come under the influence of a godly older man. And that made all the difference. His counsel, love, wisdom, and support provided the needed courage to continue to follow God in the midst of the messiness. Thank you Alan.

Copyright@2018,Sue Tell

Guest Post by Ashlyn Tell, age 10

Jack in red; Ashlyn in green on beginner slope before graduating to the green and then the blue slopes all in one afternoon!

On March  twenty second , me and my brother Jack went with our grandparents to go skiing on Monarch Mountain.

Ashlyn at Snobahn

On Tuesday that week we had gone to Denver, CO to practice skiing  at a indoor place called Snobahn. There we learned how to turn and balance our selves on a moving carpet. There was a few big differences from real skiing and carpet skiing. One, carpet skiing was easier to turn on. Two, real skiing was easier to balance on. And three, real skiing was harder to stop.

When we were up on the mountain I was a little worried about going on the lifts. Luckily I had a nice  instructor named Jen who held my hand and encouraged me to not worry. But what I think really helped me was a verse I memorized:

Psalm 56: 3 “When I am afraid I put my trust in you”

It definitely helped me when I was afraid. So I encourage you to use Psalm 56: 3 when you’re afraid.

Ashlyn & Mana out to breakfast at R&R

;