A special treat this week,
a guest post by Marian Vischer.

The Incline, March 2017

Next Thursday, Echoes of Grace returns with my Me Too story! See ya’ then.

I have favorite verses and Zephaniah 3:17 is one of them.

My friend sat in my living room one Friday morning tears streaming down her face. We were discussing God’s love from Zephaniah 3:17. The phrase that states, “He (God) will take great delight in you,” caused her tears. She began questioning, how can God delight in me? I _______________. What delight do you see in me, God?  Why am I responding with such deep emotion? Her questions highlighted her insecurities and her deep desire–for her life to be delighting to God. But it was so hard for her to believe. My friend grew up in the church, she loves God, devotions are a regular habit, serving others is part of her reality. It seems like God should be delighted in her. That morning I had no answers other than, will you trust this is true?

A few weeks ago I sat in an overstuffed chair in a popular Starbucks. Although swirling with morning business, I zoned out the conversations and enjoyed the blue sky beyond the floor to ceiling windows. In the midst of all the noise, quietness enveloped me and God whispered Jeremiah 31:3. “I have loved you with an everlasting love …” I needed to hear it. I wasn’t feeling very worthy of love that morning.

Then the epiphany, “… man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” I Samuel 16:7. God looks at the real us. God looks on the heart he planted in us. He is not looking on the outside, on those days when we missed morning devotions, on those days when anger is more prevalent than loving my neighbor, or impatience is characterizing my relationship with my precious GRANDS. “For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.” Psalm 103:14. He is always looking at my heart. God quieted me with his love.

A different phrase from the same scripture met another friend where she was living. “he will exult over you with loud singing.” This friend leads music in her church always pointing the congregation to God and glorifying him. But this clearly says that God exults over her with loud singing! This led her to questions as well, how can this be? How should I respond? How will this be manifested as I lead others?  How can I communicate to those I am leading that God is singing over them? These words awed her and led her to worship, God is singing over her! Amazing.

Three different situations and three different phrases from one verse, God meeting each of us uniquely. And my epiphany spoke to each different situation–God looks on our hearts; he quiets us with his love. Along with my friends, I can rest in that truth. God loves me.

“See how very much our Father loves us,
for he calls us his children,
and that is what we are!
I John 3:1, NLT

Copyright@2018,Suetell

Every funeral I attend, I learn things about the one being remembered that I never knew. Even at Mom’s memorial service last September that was true.

I knew Billy Graham as a world-renowned evangelist, a powerful speaker, a man of God. I knew Billy Graham as a public person, a spiritual confidant to  every president from Eisenhower in the 1950’s to President Obama, a man who enjoyed the friendship of Pope John Paul II.

But I didn’t know the Billy Graham I learned about this week.

Although I didn’t attend his service, like many of you I watched snippets of his story throughout the week. I heard Franklin Graham, Ann Graham Lotz, and Ruth Graham all speak of their father at his memorial service.

Two stories especially caught my attention and introduced me to the Billy Graham I never knew. Both speak of Billy Graham as a man of great humility, a man who loved in the way he lived among his family and among those he ministered to.

“I was in prison and you came to me.”
Matthew 25:36

“Let brotherly love continue …
Remember those in prison, as though in prison with them,”
Hebrews 13:1, 3

Billy Graham was invited to speak at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, the largest maximum security prison in the world, nick-named Angola after the plantation that originally occupied the land it is built on and the African country where the ancestors of many of the inmates  were born.

Mr. Graham learned that some of the hardened criminals, convicted murderers practiced the trade of crafting pine wood coffins and then lining them with Walmart mattress pads for fellow prisoners in need.

In 2006 Franklin Graham was visiting Angola, saw the coffins and decided to buy two of them for his parents. The cost was a little over $200.00 each. Billy and Ruth Graham were thrilled.

Both Billy and Franklin came to Angola not only with words of God’s love and the message of salvation, they also passed on the dignity God gives to each of his children by honoring their labor, their craftsmanship, and purchasing the coffins that the bodies of Billy and his wife Ruth would rest in.

His daughter Ruth shared one of her “Billy Graham” stories at her father’s  funeral.

Returning home in humiliation and shame knowing that her second marriage was a mistake and doomed to fail, Billy met her in the driveway. His first words to his very embarrassed daughter communicated the love and grace of God and his own love for his daughter. Click here to listen in Ruth’s own words. (4 minutes)

Welcome Home will forever have a deeper meaning for me.

“And he arose and came to his father.
But while he was still a long way off,
his father saw him and felt compassion,
and ran and embraced him and kissed him.”
Luke 15:20

I am thankful for my more complete knowing of Billy Graham.

Do you ever feel like your in a wrestling match with life? Or perhaps I should ask, how often do you find yourself in a wrestling match with life or perhaps dancing around each other? It doesn’t feel like child’s play!

Several years ago I memorized Exodus 14:14, “The Lord will fight for you; you have only to be still”.   I don’t remember the circumstances that led me to memorize it; I wish I did.  However, I went back to Exodus 14 to remind myself of the story.

Pharaoh released the Israelites from slavery and Moses led them through wilderness to the edge of the Red Sea.  But then Pharaoh changed his mind and came after the Israelites with the entire Egyptian army.  The Scriptures record three responses from the Israelites:

• They were totally afraid ~ understandable.
• They cried out in terror to God ~ they prayed in desperation.
• They complained to Moses ~ so human.

Moses had three responses for the Israelites:

• Don’t be afraid.
• Stand firm.
• Watch what God will do.

“The Lord will fight for you; you have only to be still”. 

This led me to pondering what it looks like to be still.  After all I Peter 3 tells me that a gentle and quiet (that seems to be a synonym for being still) in God’s sight is precious. I came up with these thoughts …

For me, being still means …

Remembering the faithfulness of God toward me in the past.  “… In returning and rest you will be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength”.  Isaiah 30:15

Recalling God’s love for me.  “…He will quiet you by His love…”.  Zephaniah 3:17

Being actively engaged in prayer and trusting.  “… and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever”.  Isaiah 32:17

Waiting on God.  “Be still and know that I am God …”.  Psalm 46:10

Not complaining.  “A fool gives full vent to his anger, a wise (wo)man quietly holds it back.  Proverbs 29:11

Sometimes I walk myself backwards through Psalm 46:10 pausing each time to consider what I’m hearing.

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and Know.
Be still.
Be.

“And I’ll use Pharaoh and his army to put my Glory on display…”  Exodus 14:4 and 17, The Message.   I love that God uses the same words before and after verse 14.  Being still and allowing God to fight puts His Glory on display!

“But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.”
Habakkuk 2:20

My friend Linda shared with me a prayer she prayed a year ago, God, I want a closer relationship with you. Help! Amen.

God’s answer was almost immediate, Stop achieving, start receiving.

“But to all who received him,
who believed in his name,
he gave power to become children of God;”
John 1:12, RSV

John 1:12 was the first scripture that was personal for me. As long as I could remember I believed in God, but it was not until that Sunday evening at church that I received Jesus as my personal savior. I prayed and invited Jesus to take over the controls of my life. I received his life into mine.

God’s love–the most important thing to receive

Receiving is a BIG deal! Jesus speaks of his followers to God in his prayer recorded in John 17, “For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.” John 17:8. As they (his followers) received the words Jesus shared, their belief followed.

In the same prayer, Jesus prays twice about God’s love for his followers. “… that the love with which you have loved me may be in them …” John 17:26.  Amazing love, that God would love us (his followers) in the same way he loves Jesus. “… so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” John 17:23.

Receive, accept, trust–spiritual synonyms. I pray over these truths regularly. I want to receive and trust God’s love for me–the very same love he has for Jesus.

Why is receiving so important?

If Jesus could only love with the love he received from the Father, how much more important is it for me to receive the Father’s love, if I want to love well. John 15:9, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.”

How do I receive?

1. Review, review, review. Romans 15:15, “But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder …” My forget-er is in good condition, my remember-er not so much. Almost daily I remind myself of God’s love for me. I John 3:1 is one of my favorites.

2. For me, learning to receive is connected to asking questions, what is God really saying ___?

This morning I was pondering some scriptures on God healing the brokenhearted and how he is carrying our sorrows. I thought about my own reality in the midst of grieving Mom’s death. Those verses led to a lot of questions like how is Jesus carrying my sorrows? How do his stripes on the cross relate to my grief (not my sin, my grief)? I have no answers, but God’s promise of carrying my sorrows is burned in my heart.

3. And prayer. I often ask God to help me trust his words. Or, back to questions, what would it look like to trust, accept, receive his word today?

Every Sunday in church our pastor ends the service with a benediction. One pastor always asks us to hold out our hands as if we’re catching a baby he is tossing to us, this posture symbolizing receiving the benediction. It has caught on. No matter which pastor is offering the benediction, my hands are out to receive.

Last summer I sat at Dunkin’ Donuts, enjoying my mint iced tea and the company of seven collegiate women leaders.

Our conversation moved from our stories, to questions about developing our friendship with Jesus, and onto deeper more personal issues like pride and humility.

Lucy led the way. She looked at me and asked, what have you learned about humility?

Her question touched my shame.
I know about pride; I’m learning about humility.

Like just this week. Currently I’m leading a group of full-time female Christian workers, pastor’s wives, counselors, and others in a variety of ministries through a course on leadership and grace. Many I’m meeting for the first time. What a privilege; what a challenge; what a great opportunity to learn humility!

“Pride makes up artificial;
humility makes us real.”
Thomas Merton

I’m learning to be real.

One of the un-truths (I hate the word ‘lies’) I always have to counter-act is, I’m not good enough. This course offers many opportunities to believe that all over again. Twice this week (already) I’ve needed to eat humble pie and change how I was asking them to work on a specific assignment. Sue, will you never get this right? I guess I’m just not good (read, godly) enough to be leading this course. Pride wants me to always look good in the eyes of others. Humility teaches me there is a better way.

Pride triggers my shame–I’m not good enough.
My shame is always expressed in the lies I believe about myself.
That lie leaves me alone, masked, abandoned.

The gospel frees me from my opinion of myself!
The gospel is the only thing keeping me from being alone!

That’s the good news! But how do I get there? How do I experience the fruits of humility? Here’s what I’m learning.

Humility trusts God. My leadership does not depend on my expertise. It rests in believing God has called me to this place. And that his purposes are nested in his love. “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.” Psalm 138:8.

Humility is stewardship. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you;” Jeremiah 1:5. I believe these words spoken to Jeremiah are also true for me. My leadership is a response to God’s plans for me.

Humility is a place of safety. It is acknowledging that I am yoked to Jesus. And Jesus is the lead teacher, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,” Not learn what I do, not learn about me, but learn from me–experience my wisdom. I’m hearing, Sue, allow me to lead you as you lead these women.

“When Jesus calls us to take his yoke,
when he invites us to find rest through submission …
He is calling us to safety.”
Humble Roots, Hannah Anderson

Humility sees others as reflections of God’s glory. “everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory,” Isaiah 43:7.

“God has no desire for us to belittle ourselves in a false humility. Instead, our acknowledging God’s nature creates genuine humility. When we come face-to-face with the strength of God—not as worthless people but as people who are willing to present all our strengths, talents, and influence to the strong hands of a loving Creator—we demonstrate our trust in God’s nature and authority. Sure, we bring our needs and weaknesses too, but trusting God with who we are has nothing to do with demeaning our personal value. Trusting God has to do with accepting who God is and accepting who we are in the context of God’s plan. It has to do with receiving the protection we need to trust others. Entrusting ourselves to God is the essence of the biblical understanding of humility.”
-The Ascent of a Leader

“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others.
Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.”
Philippians 2:3, NLB

We met while we were both pregnant with our first child. Candy was due in October; I was due in February.

My next memory (this is before cell phones and selfies) is of Candy and me pushing Peter and David side by side in their strollers. Both Peter and David are now 42. Our friendship is long and deep. Sharing those early years of pregnancy and motherhood cemented a bond that did not break.

Two weeks ago Candy accepted the loving and waiting invitation of Jesus, well done my daughter; come be with me. Her 11 year journey with Aphasia, a form of dementia that robbed her of her words was over. Once again she is speaking the praises of her Savior.

Accepting – As I think of Candy, this is the word that stands out.

One February in the early stages of her disease we were sitting in our living room with our husbands. I remember Candy explaining Aphasia to us. She shared how Rich (her husband) often had to fill in the blanks in her conversations when she could not come up with the appropriate word.

Psalm 112 was a favorite of Candy’s. In her Bible it was marked to memorize and meditate upon.

“Blessed is the (wo)man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commandments!
Psalm 112:1

Or, blessed is the woman who lives appropriately in the presence of God. That was Candy. She was not angry; she did not question; she trusted God and accepted, living appropriately.

The last time we actually spoke to each other was about four years ago. Her disease had progressed significantly and I remember my fear during that visit. But it was unfounded. We chatted as friends do as we walked around one of the many lakes in the Minneapolis area. Her kindness and acceptance had not waned even as her body and her mind were submitting to Aphasia. I was fearful of her disease; she was not.

Two years ago we were visiting Rich and Candy in their home. It was our last visit this side of heaven. I didn’t know when we walked into their living room that she had lost all her words and needed significant help with life skills.

Candy was laying on the sofa with her feet on the carpet. I knelt on the floor with my face close to hers so we could make eye contact. Her spirit was calm~still accepting, her eyes smiled; I think she knew me. I helped her to a sitting position. We sat on the sofa and I talked, probably about grand-children. I don’t know what or if Candy understood. It was good to be together. We were friends.

“(S)he is not afraid of bad news;
his (her) heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.”
Psalm 112:7

Trusting in the Lord … or accepting God’s will.

The way Candy traveled through her life with Aphasia ministers deeply to me. More than once I remember her quipping, I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. Perhaps she couldn’t put the answer to her own question in words, but her life communicated. She was living God’s design, a child of the King accepting of and content with the script God had written for her.

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

“Then the King will say to those on his right,
‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world.”
Matthew 25:34

Accepting – a wonderful quality.

The stark sentinel standing tall
The winter Aspen gracing our yard.

Beautiful in its quiet grandeur
Anticipating
Resting
Rejuvenating
Readying
Embracing God’s ways
Content.

I take a deep breath
And enjoy
God’s picture of growth,
God’s picture of life.

My creation craves quiet places
Anticipating
Resting
Rejuvenating
Readying
Embracing God’s ways
Content.

I look forward to
Tiny buds
Delicate green
Fluttering leaves in summer breezes.

A story of God’s wisdom
Seasons are good
Seasons are necessary
Seasons of quiet
Anticipating
Resting
Rejuvenating
Readying
Embracing God’s ways
Content.

I often remind myself of these words I penned three years ago. Even in God’s times of resting, rejuvenation is happening. My desire is to embrace his ways, to be content as I dream about and anticipate and get ready for what he has in store.

COPYRIGHT 2018

On this ordinary Tuesday as I glanced through Facebook, this phrase stopped me, saturated with the sacred.

My thoughts went back to last September as my sisters and I gathered around Mom’s bed. Her eyes were closed, her breathing shallow, our hands holding hers. We prayed, we sang, we told stories, we whispered scriptures into her still-hearing ears. It was a holy moment. We were saturated with the sacred.

Then my mind traveled back farther to the summer of 2015. Our precious grandson spent 12 weeks in four different hospitals. As I spent time walking the halls with him cuddled in the front pack, or many nights feeding him a bottle and rocking him to sleep before falling asleep myself on the hospital cot, God’s presence was very real.

Those were holy moments, saturated with the sacred.

But what about today on this very ordinary Tuesday? I’ll go to the dentist; buy yarn for a new project; walk the dog; and squeeze in some laundry and computer time. Is today saturated with the sacred?

YES it is! The question becomes, am I aware? Am I experiencing the sacredness of today?

Oswald Chambers puts it this way in My Utmost for His Highest,
“It is ingrained in us that we have to do exceptional things for God–but we do not.
We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things of life,
and holy on the ordinary streets, among ordinary people–
and this is not learned in five minutes.”

In Exodus 3, Moses is having a conversation with the Lord. Part of God’s words to him are, “… the place of which you are standing is holy ground.” Exodus 3:5. The notes in my ESV Bible help me understand. “The instructions to Moses are followed by a reason that emphasizes the place where he is standing. The very ordinariness of the location helps make the point that it is holy ground, not because of any special properties of the place but only because of God’s presence.”

Today is an ordinary day for me. And the place where I am standing is holy too. God has promised his presence to me as well. It is saturated with the sacred.

“… I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Hebrews 13:5

“… I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:20

And so I prayed: Father, today, I thank you for your presence with me. I thank you for your love and trusting me with your purposes. I thank you that all of today is saturated with the sacred, that I am standing on holy ground. God, I so want to live that reality on this ordinary Tuesday. Amen.

“Nowhere” is not the conjunction of no and where but,
rather, the conjunction of Now and Here, which is actually
Everywhere and is the only spot that we can truly experience God.”
Ruthless Trust, Brennan Manning

My key word for 2017 was rest. In December I prayed asking God, what he would select for my 2018 word. The answer came before I said ‘amen’. After pondering for a few weeks, did I hear correctly, I concur. My word is choose.

“… choose this day whom you will serve,
… But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
Joshua 24:15

This scripture came to mind immediately. Followed closely by this one.

“You did not choose me, but I chose you
and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit …”
John 15:16

I know I want to serve the Lord. John 15:16 reminds me of his initiative and his desire. I’ve been chosen with a specific purpose. These truths are guiding my choosing this year.

Big and small choices surround me every day. It takes discernment and wisdom to move forward. Yes? No? Good? Better? Best?

“Fear of the LORD is the foundation of wisdom.” Proverbs 9:10. I’ve learned that the fear of the Lord is a bound phrase that means living appropriately in the presence of God.

So if I am going to choose well, my question becomes, What does it look like today (or this week, or month, or year) to live appropriately in God’s presence?

I’ve identified 6 keys.

1. Choosing well builds on rest. (2018 is building on 2017.) Jeremiah 31:2,3, “… when Israel sought for rest, the LORD appeared … I have love you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.” I need to continue to focus on God’s love for me; he will faithfully provide guidance.
2. My heart. God created me with a certain bent. Will this opportunity be in line with my creation? As 2018 dawned, I had two significant opportunities offered. Choose! For a while I thought I could do both. Not. As I thought about how I best operate, the one percolated to the surface; the other fell away.
3. My capacity. A couple of weeks ago I was talking with my friend Karma. Her capacity for relationships awes me. I too have a large capacity for relationships. But Karma is 25 years younger than me. I cannot compare my capacity to hers.
4. “His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.” Psalm 147:10,11. Just because I can, doesn’t mean I should. Paul followed this caution. “When I came to Troas … a door was opened … my spirit was not at rest … So I took leave …” The rest of the story is in II Corinthians 2:12,13. And I love his next words, “But thanks be to God, who … always leads us in triumphal procession,” (italics mine)
5. Waiting. My prayers are not always answered the same day, or the same week. Choosing sometimes means wait and live with the ambiguous; live with the I don’t know. “but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength …” Isaiah 40:31. I want my choices to flow from strength, not weakness.
6. God’s glory. This is the bottom line. My choices are not about me. They are about God’s glory, about reflecting him to my world. “Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I might be glorified.”
   Isaiah 60:21 (italics mine).

Will you pray for me?

Do you have a word for 2018? I’d be honored to pray for you as well.