The Shepherd's Meal: Written On Our Hearts

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Tonight finds me in front of the Christmas tree, with a couple of children and their spouses. We planned our Christmas Eve meal together. Some traditions hold you, put a stamp of remembrance on your heart, tie family and friends together. All of my children, when asked what their favorite tradition is for us Clarksons say, “Shepherd’s meal on Christmas Eve.” We have celebrated it together for 40 years.

When Clay and I were early married, I told him that I thought instead of making Christmas Eve one more, over the top, heavy work on “mama” meal, we should come up with something simple, easy, just like the first Christmas. I thought that instead of focusing all of our time, energy, and excitement on “presents” and stockings, on Christmas Eve, we could really ponder the heart of Christ.

His first coming to the shepherd’s with a heavenly chorus, finding a humble mama nursing, tenderly cuddling her baby was the story we needed to celebrate and remember, that he came to high, lowly, educated, pious and ungodly alike. We both agreed that the glory of Christ appearing to common men and women, shepherding their flocks was something we wanted to remember together — the glory of angels singing amidst the ordinary work of shepherds watching over their flocks. And so, Shepherd’s meal became a sacred, beloved tradition for us.

All lights are extinguished, candles lit everywhere, simple soup, a fruit plate with nuts, cheese, homemade, hand-formed herb bread. That was it. This feast became our favorite meal.

The first shepherd's meal found 5 of us in Vienna as missionaries — Clay and I, toddler Sarah and newborn Joel, and a young friend living with us. We squished together in a tiny creaky, old Austrian cottage. The foundation had settled, leaving the basement steps slanted and uneven, with a bit of effect on the rest of the house. Most of the rooms were about as big as a large walk-in closet. Rain would pour down our walls—inside! Pigeons often found their way into the attic and then got stuck there. The energy of young love, youthful ideals, toddler glee, discoveries every day with a newborn son sang happiness and vibrancy into our lives.

A very blessed Christmas, friends.

Chocolate Chip Cookes Can Make All The Difference

The Christmas season, every mama knows, can bring about stress. In moments of busyness or chaos, I’ve found that chocolate chip cookies can make a critical difference. There have been many times my sense of peace has been renewed by a sweet treat and a warm cup of tea or hot cocoa.

A few of our family's favorite sweet treats that we have gathered around and feasted on for countless teatimes over the years are, of course, classic chocolate chip cookies; snowball cookies covered in powdered sugar; decadent Hello Dolly bars; rich butterscotch cookies; gooey cinnamon rolls.

What treats do you and your family love making for Christmas? What sweet immediately makes everything better and restores your peace? What brings the most joy? Tell me in the comments!

Honoring God Through Celebration

There is a foundational influence that rituals of celebration bring as anchors to our lives. These practiced rhythms and traditional feasts remind us what we believe, why we nurture our faith, how God has been faithful over history and through our own lifetimes.

Our heavenly Father was the first to celebrate. He was the first one to document the birthday of Jesus — supernaturally, with music performed before humble shepherds and faraway kings. And long before that, He was encouraging His people to feast together as a way of remembering His goodness and His willingness to walk with us every day in blessing.

Christmas is a time when we bring friends and family into our home to be refreshed. It is a time of personal worship and a time of joy. It’s a time of work and preparation, but all to say “I love you” and “God loves us and is worthy of our celebration of Him.” In these traditions we understand that God wanted us to put aside special times for the passing down of His story and His love.

I think that sometimes people are afraid to have too much fun or to celebrate life. Yet it is only when we do this fully, from the heart, that we understand the joy of the Lord, the God who gave us the ability to be satisfied, to laugh merrily and play games and eat to our hearts’ content.

Read more about this in The Lifegiving Table.

Tea Time Tuesday: Living Into Advent Love

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Tea Time Tuesday

"I have loved you with an everlasting love," says God. The Christmas story is all about love. By faith, we must accept this love as a gift.

Many women over years have told me their deep, dark secrets.

"You would not want to be my friend if you knew what I was really like.”

“I had an abortion.”

“I am divorced.”

“I yell at my children.”

“I was a prodigal.” “

I am failing my children!”

“My marriage is failing.”

These are many of the secrets women confessed in private over years.

Most of us carry baggage of some kind. But, if we understood the amazing, redeeming, generous meaning of salvation, God's commitment to love us, we would be different women.

If you are surrounded by Christians who point their fingers at you in condemnation, then they need to deal with Jesus. Jesus said to the Pharisees, "He who is without sin, cast the first stone," when the Pharisees condemned the woman caught in adultery.

Jesus says, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature."

Any one. No matter how difficult, broken your family, or what your failures or sin. No matter your past, you are beloved, washed completely new, as if you had never sinned, fallen, been hurt before.

We all have a new story, a new beginning. Psalm 103 tells us, God is Father of compassion. He sympathizes with your pain, sorrow. Baby Jesus came to sacrifice His life. You are forgiven.

Yet, until we get rid of baggage of phantom voices that haunt us with our past or feelings of failure, we cannot move forward into the story God wants us to live, the ways He wants to bless our lives.

Without identifying the negative voices bombarding us, we’re simply unable to own our lives. It’s essential to our growth that we pinpoint where these voices come from. Maybe the negativity has come from friends, family, or people we’ve met along the way or from past mistakes, failures, or abuse. Sometimes it’s the voice of culture, media, even our Christian communities.

But God says nothing can separate us from His love.

Nothing we have done, will do, think will diminish His love for us. If we truly believed this, we would behave differently every day.  Let us worship Him this advent with the gift of grateful hearts. You are loved!

More on my new podcast.

Being A Source Of God's Light

There is nothing in this world you can turn to that will "strengthen" you if it turns you away from God — not your husband, not a better life, not more money or resources, not more mature children, not anything. Only God can strengthen you to do all things that he has asked you to do.

Every woman goes through emotional seasons in her life. I myself have had many times of great joy and peace and many days of darkness too. But the more I learn to faithfully depend upon God, obey him, and wait on him, the more light there is when the dark feelings come.

As long as I can see his light in the darkness, I know I'll be able to follow as he leads me through it one day at a time. He may not change the circumstances that I believe are causing my feelings of darkness, but he will strengthen me to live by faith in the midst of those inevitable challenging circumstances and difficult times. And he will also strengthen me to live by faith in the midst of the mundane tasks that loom large before me every day as a woman, wife, mother, and grandmother.

Read more about this in Seasons Of A Mother’s Heart.

Enjoying Glad and Golden Hours

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Wise women copy wise women. I have looked for wise women my whole life — through books, in real life, wherever I could find them. Then I would make note of something in their life that appealed to me — that held an authentic truth or treasure of knowledge, wisdom.

Years ago, I came upon two such women. We met at Hutch Moot, a gathering of kindred spirits at a conference our friend, Andrew Peterson, started many years ago. My friends, Jennifer and Lanier, were fellow idealists, gatherers of beauty, writers and encouraging friends.

And they also drink tea and cherish long talks as companions. They dreamed for a while of putting all of this into a book that could encourage others to cultivate beautiful traditions and rhythms of life that feed the soul. You know that is what I love.

Lanier is the wordsmith for all the stories and ideas of this beautiful and Jennifer is the artist who filled the book with beautiful illustrations. I know you would treasure this in your library and refer to it and read it again and again through years.

We had so much fun chatting about it on my podcast. I know you will enjoy this spirited conversation I had with two kindred spirits. Happy Friday and lots of inspiration, friends.

What Defines You And Your Family?

The outdoors is my own heart’s delight. And walking miles every day is my beloved habit. My children have literally walked thousands of miles with me through mountain trails, city streets on trips, neighborhood areas. It is just a part of who I am, and so they learned to love it as well.

And we had such fun — conversations, racing, chasing, enjoying being outside, which tends to neutralize bad moods. Hikes, walks, vigorous games of capture the flag or king of the mountain were energetically enjoyed.

What defines you and your family? Your answer will be different than ours. But you have the freedom to create a home life that suits your family and that cooperates with your personality and skills. Tell me in the comments — I want to know about you and your family's unique rhythms!

You Are The Right One To Handle Your Life

Life can often feel like it's just too much to handle. Too many messes, too many fights, too many challenges, too many strong personalities; especially when we're not just looking after ourselves, but a family, too.

But you are capable of so much — much more than you think or feel. You are the right woman to handle your life circumstances. You are the right woman to live your story well. And better than that, you are not alone in it.

You have your friends, inner circle, and precious ones to surround you with love and encouragement, but even more incredible than that, you have God.

No matter what this day or season holds, I think you have it in you to go just a little bit further. As I look back, there were times when I didn't know if I could be strong one more day. But, trusting that God was present in my life, I would be faithful one more day. Eventually I found a lifetime of God's faithful provision, one day at a time, that built the legacy of my life.

Read more about this in Girls’ Club.

Tea Time Tuesday: Mary: God's Chosen Mother

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“And coming in, he said to her, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’”

Luke 1:28

Mary inspired me throughout my adult life. A woman, living faithfully in a tiny, obscure village, inside the walls of her own home, unnoticed by others found favor with God. Before the angel came to her, she had already practiced faith in her mundane moments of life. She engaged her thoughts in the words of God as shown through the magnificat, her pronouncement when she saw Elizabeth. She had already devoted herself to God as a servant. (“Behold, the Lord’s bond-servant; may it be done to me according to your word.”)

It is not from a place of worldly influence, or accomplishment that a godly woman caught the attention of God, but from an authentic place of humble worship of her creator, a place of serving faithfully in the normal moments of life. God saw a heart willing to love, follow, respond to Him.

It is not our works that will impress our Heavenly Father, but a heart that seeks Him. We will never be perfect in our works, but we can be devoted to grow, to love, to respond, to learn from His heart and ways. I had seen the Holy Spirit working in our home and lives because of His ways, love, response to our love for Him, desire to follow Him day after day, over years.

“Learning, understanding that every woman has potential to embrace her own story, to become queen over her own domain, to work hard to leave a legacy of wisdom, love, gratitude, grace emerged in my heart as I walked through parks and meadows of Oxford and wrote in my journal. Women, I believe, through God’s design and strength, are amazing creatures. They have the ability to civilize the world. They can influence the development and character of the next generation of adults by pouring out love, consistently training, teaching, modeling faith, virtue to the next generation. At they persevere through life’s trials and challenges, they model the way to live life wisely, resiliently. The book of Proverbs hails the value of such women, “her worth is far above jewels.” (From my latest book, Well Lived)

Join me on my podcast for more encouragement. Get your copy of Well Lived for heartfelt inspiration.

Being Obedient To Jesus In The Hidden Years

When I look back on my life, birthing four children, having three miscarriages, moving twenty times, and living through the seasons of their growing up years, I realize that most of my life was spent loving my family well in the midst of chores, character training, thousands of meals, and lots of cleaning up our messes over and over again while seeking to growing spiritually and intellectually along the way. I was hidden in the rich soil of shaping a great life.

What we do when no one is looking shows the integrity of our lives. To live by our convictions even when no one else notices becomes the most important work of all because that choice honors God and not ourselves. What we practice, we become.

Living in the humble existence of a praying, teaching, guiding, and loving parent might not result in awards, but believe me, there are many rewards. You will bear rich fruit in your life as your embody the story and purpose God has spoken into being for you. And you will witness the fruit in your child's life again and again as they grow into their story.

Read more about this in Teatime Discipleship.