January Wishes For You & An Invitation!

I took a hot bath at 4:30 in the afternoon, and put on my flannel gown and pulled in from the coming snow. Just before this, three of my sweet ones were on their way to the airport to fly to the UK and to New York with the other two driving them. I think it was my first moment alone in 18 days and I was beat.

But, my sweet children are my best friends, truly. So there is a happiness for them that all have roads ahead with purpose and life, but I do so miss the precious but short time we have together with them all over the world. As I pondered the sweetness, Sarah texted me a warm goodbye. She also said to read her New Year's blog. I loved it so much, I wanted to share it with you. So it is my (and Sarah's) wish for you this year. Enjoy!

On New Year’s eve, my friends, under a freshened, star-swept sky with a sliver of a golden moon, midst the echoes of my siblings crooning ‘the parting glass’, and a whole new turn of time’s wheel at our doorstep, this is my new year’s wish for you:

I wish you joy. Simple, river-deep and just as swift.

I wish you an attentive eye. I wish you wonder. I wish you the clear, wakened sight that sits down to the rainbow dance of the ordinary as to a feast. I wish you a child’s swift engagement, the revel of discovery that comes when the whole world arrives afresh as gift; raindrop and bread and star and stone all treasures discovered anew each morning.

I wish you strength. I wish you the grit to attempt the hard things you dream, the difficult things you know are right but demand the whole of your body and self and hope. I wish you defiance when despair and doubt would steal your joy. I wish you endurance, even the flint-faced will to take the next step when joy is gone and only what is right remains.

I wish you ferocity in love. I wish you faithfulness in every vow you have taken and love you have chosen. I wish you the grace beyond human comprehension to hold those whose brokenness makes them unable to hold. I wish you the gift of those to hold you in return when your hands grow too frail to grip love or faith alone.

I wish you the aching joy that is a sadness better than any merriment in the world. I wish you moments of clear, clean hunger for things beyond your touch or sight. I wish you homesickness for a face you’ve never yet seen, and a native land you’ve never yet known. I wish you pellucid moments of beauty, or happiness, or forgiveness, in which eternity wells up and grips you for an instant with a joy whose taste is wild like love. And I wish you the restless heart that follows, and the waiting you will learn through a lifetime of sweet, hungering hope.

I wish you roots. I wish you the capacity to recognise that while the great good ending broods and builds on the horizon, it also springs up now in your very being. Eternity is a taut, threaded energy that can join hands with your creativity, enfleshing itself in time by what you make and touch and grow. I wish you the patient, humble grace to not grow weary of waiting but to plant – life, heart, love, work – in the soil of the broken world so that your own life begins to turn the brokenness backwards.

I wish you hush. I wish you the grace to attend to the moments of quiet that bubble up in your busyness, when silence comes as the companion of prayer, and with it, the deepened breath of peace. I wish you a quiet of mind in which you may notice the starlight, the sunlight veining a leaf, the contours of a face so familiar you’ve forgotten to marvel at its beauty. I wish you an inner world. A room of heart in which you can withdraw from the noise and furor of this war-torn earth. I wish you an inner self that is held by the Lover who dwells in the core room of your being. I wish you the strength to seek that refuge even when fear sets your heart afire.

I wish you clarity. Not the easy certainty by which doubt can be dismissed, but the calm, sweet surety that comes from clinging to Christ, moment by moment, day by day. I wish you a road lighted by wisdom. I wish you a journey led by truth.

I wish you laughter. Saints, I am convinced, are the jolliest folk in the world. They may be the gravest at prayer or compassion, but they glimpse the life beyond our sorrow and when it comes to wonder, they are children. For they take the beauty of the world as a gift and sign and they meet it with a child’s shouted delight. May you find joy in the world as the saints do, may its humour strike you as well as its grief, for as Chesterton said, he is a sane man who can hold both in his heart.

And last, I wish you courage. I wish you the strong-heartedness of ‘Lucy the brave of Narnia’, who danced with Aslan, and listened to his whisper of ‘courage, dear heart’. We need it in this wild and grieved old world. But with all my heart, I believe the great Lion walks with us, into the winterlands of the fallen earth, with springtime in his breath.

The new year begins. And the story of the coming kingdom runs ever on. May your new year be radiant with its beauty.

Happy new year, my friends!

**************

Are you in need of a shot in the arm? Fun? Inspiration? A break designed just for you? Some time away from the mundane everyday?

I invite you to join me at one of my conferences this year.  Register soon and save your place and come with your friends to make a memory and companion-building weekend!

Register HERE

Finding the Hero in the Heart of Your Child

Frustration, a sense of helplessness, and weariness were my companions almost every day when my little boy, Nathan, was 5 years old. "No!"was his favorite answer to my requests. There seemed to be no natural grid for social situations.

Arguing was often a daily practice at the dinner table. When the other kids walked on the sidewalks, he ran on the borders of the gardens, he was loud, active, wiggly and somehow always caused trouble. 

Yet, God whispered to me in my times alone, as I would seek Him for answers. "Trust me. Be patient. Love him. Look inside to see his heart, to understand who I made him to be."

And so little by little, I sought to give life, to pursue him, to sit with him and listen to him talk and talk and talk.

Eventually, I would find out that there were letters that helped to define some of his issues: Clinical OCD and Anxiety; Learning issues; ODD, ADHD and a couple more. But I did not understand all of that back then.

One day, as we sat on the front porch of our country house in Texas, I squished close to him on a porch swing. 

"What have you been thinking about in that smart little head of yours, Nathan?"

"Mama, I think I am going to be like superman when I grow up. He came from a far off place to help people. That's what Jesus did--he came from a far off place to help people who needed him. I am going to be a superman when I grow up."

Through the years, Nathan continued to nurture his imagination of becoming one who would become a redeemer when he was an adult. We read countless hero tales, I read him biographies, slowly trained his character, and lived through ups and downs of his out of the box life. 

Always, it was a journey of faith, one day at a time, accepting his limitations daily. Forgiving myself for imperfectly responding to him when my own limitations spilled into my relationship with him.

He needed a lifegiving home more than anyone--a place where he could be himself without constant condemnation and correction; a place where rhythms of life gave some stability--meal times, devotions, training all of my children to love over and over again, helping him grow strong little by little into his abilities, his strengths, while seeking to shore up his vulnerabilities. And so the years passed, we lived through years of challenges, love, made memories and became a family who learned to grow daily by ending each day living in love, commitment, and forgiveness amidst the moments of life.

As a young adult, he moved into pursued acting. Eventually, after writing, producing and acting in a movie, it was picked up and Walmart, Netflix and was played in many other places. 

"Mom, I keep getting letters from kids who are out of the box, wondering how I ever made it this far. I think we can write a book about our journey that will give "different, out of the box people hope. And you can encourage moms who have out of the box kids hope for how we made it through."

And so, now I see him, finally, beginning to become a superhero--by becoming a super hero, coming to help to redeem others who need help.

Nathan joins Kristen Kill and me today to tell you a little about our journey. I hope you will all be encouraged and inspired by God's faithfulness through our years. No matter what circumstance you find yourself in, there is hope. I know because there were so many times in all the years of my life where I struggled, doubted, wondered, but kept learning to trust God one day, one struggle at a time. 

To find out more about Nathan, go to Nathanclarkson.me

I hope our book will be of great help and encouragement to moms who felt like me.

Buy on Amazon

The Different Ones!

A Tradition for the New Year--Decluttering my Soul

Lately I have been falling in bed, exhausted, at around 11:00 and then I awaken several times a week between 3 and 5. My mind is filled with the impossible tasks of my life the next few weeks, big issues on the hearts of my children, health issues with one close and dear and the piles of tasks that call my name.

Even as Pilgrim carried a great weight on his shoulders in Pilgrim's Progress, sometimes, I pile things on my own soul that God never intended me to carry. Yet, if I don't take stock, I pile more onto my burden and begin dragging through my days, unaware what I am carrying that God wants to carry for me.

It's become a tradition for me to share about a habit I have at the end of each year, taking time to declutter my soul.  I take some quiet time to focus on planning my priorities, commitments and goals. I hope it will encourage you to do the same!

As Anne of Green Gables says, (paraphrase) "This is a new year with no mistakes in it yet!"

There is something uniquely good about January 1. It marks a new year, a new beginning, a new possibility. It also marks, for me, the reentry into simplicity.

I don’t know if there is a more satisfying feeling for me during the year than when we put all of our Christmas things away, the decorations, the remnant of cookies, the clutter.

Every year for the past few years, I have pondered and written about de-cluttering my soul. I hope you will be blessed by these thoughts. I am pulling away for a few days, once again, to see what needs to stay and what needs to be cut.

Soon, Thomas and Sarah will be in Oxford, Joy in Scotland, the tasks of conferences, a book deadline and a book launch will be upon me- let alone, keeping on top of my family and marriage. And so I am deliciously excited to take time alone to get back to my soul.

I love the celebration of life and the traditions and the fun and the beauty of special times spent with my children, husband and friends. But, there is something deeply satisfying to me about getting it all put away and getting back to normal.

All of us carry so much responsibility, the normal days are burdensome enough, but holidays put on that extra load. And I know that many of you have the added burden of caring for the needs of little ones, some of you homeschool, some of you work like I do, and we have to tame our busyness to make life sustainable. Routines go by the wayside and so the clutter and demolishing of the house, slowly takes over.

I am not a person gifted in handling details—too much mail, too many catalogues, too many emails, too many options, too many things. The more there is, the more I become responsible for, the more work there is to be done, and so, the more anxious I become.

Same with activities. The more I commit to, the more I say yes, the more I have to drive, the more my house gets into a mess, and the more anxious I become, the more hurried we feel, and the more weary I become.

When I am not at peace, nothing in our home is at peace.

We can all see how too much clutter and too many piles causes us to feel overwhelmed with life. Consequently, slowly, I have learned to declutter as often as I can—throw away unnecessary stuff--especially the stuff that lingers inside.

Even as we declutter our closets and drawers, so we must lighten the load we carry in our hearts or we will become overwhelmed.

Today, I was out and about and came home to a decluttered home. Sarah worked her magic and straightened some of the lingering messes. I felt different about life all evening because it was all so orderly. 

But, I have also come to realize that my brain and heart can be the same way---cluttered with worries, responsibilities, duties, children’s future, finances, time constraints, expectations, disappointments, critical attitudes, resentment. All of these added together, can tend to create soul piles and mind clutter. If I don’t take the time to sort the piles of mind clutter, my spirit becomes a mess and my heart becomes overwhelmed and weary.

It is what awakened me at 4:00 a.m. this morning-soul clutter and worry.

It is another reason I like January. It gives me an opportunity to make a new plan, to simplify the mind messes and to start off a whole new year well. In the same way that throwing away stuff and clearing out closets brings me relief, even more, soul and mind cleaning and decluttering brings me rest.

Every January, I resolve to deal with my soul-clutter, so that I may have strength to face each day in peace. I come to the place where I know I will find the help that I need.

I come to my Father and ask Him to help me, His child, to show me how to make get rid of the junk that is unnecessary, and to help me clean out and organize my soul.

He speaks to me gently.

It was in writing my book, Dancing with My Father, that I have learned so much about finding joy--and peace. In Him, with Him, by Him all the moments of my busy day. His voice leads me to what I long for--but I must get rid of all that causes me to fret, worry, criticize, control. There is a way....

A verse that has ministered to me greatly this year, as I mentioned last week, is "He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul. " Psalm 23

God does not want me to carry and live in stress and pressure. He wants to lead me to places of stillness and peace, to restore what has been taken away. 

I look at several specific areas:

1. Unnecessary Guilt We all fail in many ways, and will do so until we are with Jesus. Confess your failures, your sin attitudes, your bitterness, jealousy, anger to God and ask Him to take it away from you, to restore you to freedom and peace.

2. Fear Are there areas where I am trying to carry the burdens in my life that I can't solve by fretting about them or worrying about the outcome? Financial, immoral issues of a loved one, fear of the future for my children, worry about what I cannot change? God reminds us, "Fear not, for I am with you, do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God." Identifying the things that I am fearful about and giving them into His hands lifts so much weight.

3. Hurt or Bitterness from someone who has hurt me or will continue to hurt me. There are things I cannot change, people I cannot make be strong and healthy. But I can decide not to be a victim. I can change me. I can walk in peace and set boundaries, but refuse to take in their hurt.

4. Exhaustion and stress from too much in life. I will speak of many things in my new book, Different, and about the mysterious broken places that surround each of us. Breathing in God's peace and love every day, not trying to change or solve what cannot be changed, but trusting God that He is at work help me to walk in peace amidst the constant pressures of my day. But I have to name what drains me, ask if I have accepted the limitations of my life, been sure to extend forgiveness, to breathe in His peace.

These are just a few. But then begin my prayers over what He tells me in His word:

“In quietness and rest shall be your strength.” Isaiah 30:15 You need to come to me and give me all those things that are weighing on your heart. Resolve to seek rest and peace.

“Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29

I listed all of my issues this morning in my journal (and there seem to be multitudes of clutter piles in my soul--worries, attitudes, bitterness, weariness, fear, sin and a few more!) These are issues that will suck me dry and my energy dry if I do not notice them in order to clean out my soul!

The Lord prompted, "List all of your issues, give them over to me, don’t hold on to them. I am capable of taking them from you and being responsible so that you will not be weary or carry what you are not capable of carrying.

"Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him. “ Psalm 37:7

Focus on resting in Me—sit in My lap, so to speak, rest in My arms. Let Me carry you. I love you.. Wait for My timing. Don’t force things or beg Me to hurry up. I am in control.

“Be still (cease striving) and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 “Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother; Like a weaned child is my soul within me.” Psalm 131:2

Give Me your attention and get control of your spirit. Be quiet. Be still. Recognize My sovereignty and transcendence. Remember what Jesus said, “Our Father who art in heaven, holy is your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Jesus modeled his understanding that My will is what you need to rest in. I am in heaven and I see all things—the future, the past, your children, your relationships, --all your clutter. Give them to Me. Quiet your soul and rest in My strength and power.

“Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one little child like this receives me.” Matthew 18:3-5

Come to Me as a child—even as your children, in their innocence and sweetness of heart, know that you will care for them and meet their needs because you are a loving parent who cares for them, so I am your Father who will take care of you. Leave the burdens to your Father and take your rightful place as a child. Humble yourself and trust Me. Enjoy me. Delight in the beautiful moments of this day. Notice the little miracles. Live as an unfettered child. Accept your little and big children and receive them as a gift from Me, and your will indeed receive Me into your midst.

“ ... a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.” I Peter 3:4

“Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about so many things. But really one is needed and Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10 41-42

Don’t worry and fret and stew and stir up unnecessary dust. Choose simplicity—just one thing I require—that you give it all to me and love Me. I will take over. Even as I gave and provided a Sabbath in which all of My children should have rest from their work, so I want you to live in My Sabbath rest for your soul. Rest from your striving and labor. Take time for naps, for pleasure, for joy. This day you have to receive as a gift--I can't promise what tomorrow will hold. But today you can love, give peace, speak kind and wise words, dance in your soul with my secret pleasure that comes from knowing that I love you. Simplify your life, don’t make choices that will complicate or add unnecessary pressure or cause you to sin or grumble. “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life,” as Paul said.

So, as I yielded my lists into God’s hands and de-cluttered my troubled soul, I left feeling that even as my house has been coming to order, after we cleaned and straightened it yesterday, now my soul is moving in the direction of order.

Rest, rest, rest—in quietness and rest will be your strength every day, every year, until you see Me face to face. I love you, my sweet girl. Don’t forget that I am with you each moment of today.

~Your doting and loving Father.

I will be hosting a book club through my podcasts for 6 Mondays about Parenting in a Different sort of way to reach the hearts of all of your children. Order Different so you can join us in this book study. It will be a an inspiration for your new year.

It's time to Renew Your Heart & Start the Year Strong

I hope you will join me and hundreds of other women from all over the US to renew your heart, to find encouragement, to feel understood and to be affirmed in your life as a woman, a mom, a wife, a friend., 

Nine o'clock at night found me slumping into my squishy old recliner, sighing so that Clay heard me from the other room. One more bedtime routine had found me at the limit of my patience. As I looked at the landscape of the months ahead, I just felt an overwhelming feeling of, "I don't think I can make it. I am so tired, so drained, so weary. I just wish I could have a break, a rest, a time to regather my ideals."

Clay walked into the room and said, "What happened? Why the tears?"

"Motherhood is just so hard. I feel so alone and so responsible without help, affirmation or companionship in all of my ideals as a mom. Mainly, I feel so alone and unseen."

This was the context in which we decided to start our mom's conferences so many years ago. I thought if I needed encouragement as a woman, that others might, too.

Now, during this very challenging time of history, when Christian values and commitments seem to be falling apart, gathering with like-minded women is more important than ever before. I have been preparing my talks for this year's conferences and am really excited to share my heart of encouragement with as many of you as are able to attend a Renew My Heart conference.

The last 20 years, we have hosted more than 40,000 women at our conferences. But this year, I wanted to do something even more focussed, more personal, to seek to provide a mentoring weekend. I As I enter a new season of ministry to moms, perhaps the final lap in my race with God, I have an even deeper desire to mentor, teach, and encourage women in their profoundly important roles as moms and life-givers. I want to help women from every role in life understand more deeply what it means to have faith in Christ and grow in that faith as His follower.

I find my heart focused on what so many precious women I have ministered to through the years have shared with me about the challenges of motherhood and life, and their need to be constantly renewed by God. And that is what I hope to do this year, and for as many years as God allows me to continue speaking, through the new Renew My Heart Getaway. It is on my heart to renew your heart. I hope you will join me as we start a new journey with God in 2017.

Some of my launch team gathered in Colorado for our conference last year. 

The new Renew My Heart Getaway will be a different kind of event. Many women through the years have told me they would like more of me, more time for interaction with other moms, and more time for reflection. After the final Mom Heart Conference in February 2016, I thought and prayed about “what’s next?” and discussed it with Clay and my Mom Heart leaders. It became clear to all of us that the next season of events needs to be slower, more personal, and more interactive, focusing less on topics such as how to be a “good mother” and more on how to be “God’s mother.” We want to strengthen and renew the spiritual life of all women. After 32 years of parenting, I’m convinced that being God’s mom is the most important factor in being a good mom, spouse, and friend. And to be God’s woman means you need to continually renew your heart by His Spirit. That’s the vision and purpose of the Renew My Heart Getaway.

It has been amazing to start our podcasts and to find that thousands of women join me and Kristen Kill each week to share a space of encouragement, the same kind we will be sharing at our conference this year.

Every year, friends gather to give each other the best gift--time for developing friendship. Here Kristen Kill and I are in California last year. She will be with me at 2 or 3 conferences this year. (and bringing her sweet baby boy.)

The theme this first year is Hope Changes Everything: Think Different. Live Different. Make a Difference. In all my years of ministering to and mentoring Christian mothers and women, a common thread of comments has been, “This is so hard. I don’t know if I can keep going. I am so discouraged.” I understand those feelings. There were many difficult years when I, too, was tempted to give up, not just on motherhood but on getting through life itself with all its challenges, changes, and choices. My faith in God was always my strong foundation, but the thing that energized my faith was hope–biblical hope, our “anchor of the soul.” Hope renewed my heart so I could move forward in faith. And that’s what I want to share with you in this first year of the Renew My Heart Getaway–that no matter where you are in life, if you have hope it will make all the difference.

My newest book Different (2017), co-authored with my 27 year-old Nathan, is the catalyst for my thinking about heart renewal for the 2017 messages. On the surface our book is about what it was like to be an “outside-the-box” kid, and the mother of one. Underneath, though, it is the message that no matter what curves, potholes, and speed bumps you encounter on the road of life with God, there is always redemption and hope. I will also be drawing on my other recent books, Own Your Life and The Lifegiving Home, to explore the hope that we all need as moms and women after God’s heart.

After well over two decades of ministering to Christian moms, my heart still beats with a passion to give them hope and help for their strategic role in God’s plan. My mind is alive with vision for how to reach and help more women—the Internet; Mom Heart groups; Spanish language materials; “Mum Heart” in the UK, Canada, and AUS/NZ; ministry in China; and more. Every time I’m with special friends like you it is what fuels and helps to fund that vision, but even more it is what fuels me to continue in ministry.

What can you expect from the new Renew My Heart Getaway? It will be both familiar and also new. As always, I will share my heart with you in several key messages (just me this year; the kids are all out in their worlds). Clay and I have partnered for all these years, and he will still lead us in worship. Our book table will be smaller, but we’ll still offer the best of our best personal recommendations. We’ll share a lovely meal on Saturday, and have plenty of time for warm fellowship and friendship. It will be a getaway and get-together to get renewed. I hope you can be a part of this new event as we take hold of the hope that changes everything so we can make a difference. That’s what I’m here for. That’s what we’re all here for. Join me.

In His heart,

Sally Clarkson

Register HERE!

Taking Time for a One Woman Retreat to Start the New Year Well

“One of the marks of a godly woman is that she takes responsibility for her soul's need for joy and delight. A woman is a conductor, who leads the orchestra of her surroundings in the songs and music of her life. God is a God of creativity and dimension, and so He is pleased when we we co-create beauty in our own realm, through the power of His Spirit.

It was a profound realization when I understood that I could become an artist with my very life.” 
― Sally Clarkson, Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe

The month ahead might just have more demands, deadlines, drains, challenges in my schedule than any other period in my life. My temptation would be expend a lot of energy worrying that I am not possibly going to get everything finished, that I will become sick, that somehow I will not complete something and that my life will consequently fall through the cracks.

Yet, over many years, God has shown His faithfulness to me in such times. Learning that I have more capacity than I ever knew, seeing HIs faithfulness through all of my demanding seasons have taught me that even as He has been faithful to me in all the past seasons, so He will be faithful in this season. I am careful to plan my priorities, to work as hard as I can, to take the time I need to meet the needs and unexpected demands of my family and then to leave the results in HIs hands.

Psalm 37 tells us:

Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him and He will do it."

Building the foundations of my life on the truth, wisdom and promises of God's word has taught me to live freely, without burden one day at a time. 

Yet, to experience such grace, I have to take time for myself, to immerse myself in the wisdom and grace of God, to make sure I am sleeping enough, to simplify my expectations of what is reasonable to accomplish, and then to plan for my own well-being amidst such pressure.

 I have had to learn that no one else in the world will be responsible for my over-all well being. I have a husband and children who love me, but I am responsible for my rest, my quiet time, my eating and exercise and my chill time.

I do have countless emails in my inbox that I would love to answer, and there are tasks calling my name around the house, but I have become the queen of turning my head away and sticking to my priorities. In order to live a sustainable life, I have to stick to these principles of living life intentionally.

I have found that there will be just as many things screaming for my attention tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. But today, I know that my body and mind need a little rest and that when I am a steward of my body, I am protecting my walk with the Lord. I am always simplifying and evaluating if something is worth the effort--(I do think that making things beautiful and special during the holidays are worth the effort as it builds the taste and values and work ethic and ministry skills of my children--but all in its season--and now is a season to restore. But it may not be worth it to answer one more phone call or one more email--as this will certainly steal from my children and husband who need me today.

This is one of the times of year, I take a one woman retreat to set the months ahead of me in order. 

Remember, He wants you to restore and have rest and refreshment.

"He leads me beside the still waters, He restores my soul." Psalm 23

Kristen and I are sharing about how to set aside some time to imagine and pray and plan with the Lord in our podcast today and we've included some questions below the link for you to sit and answer as you head into the new year. I hope it is an encouragement to your heart today.

Questions for your One Woman Retreat

On Priorities

What are the things God has clearly called you to cultivate and steward? Honestly assess how you are doing well, and where God would like to help you grow. Are there things you are expending energy doing that God has not called you to labor in? Are there things you need to let go of? What needs to change for your calling and stewardship to be sustainable? 

On Your Unique Puzzle of Life

Yourself: What are some of your unique gifts? What circumstances, experiences, convictions or personality has God given to you in order to serve others? What are some of your personal limitations and drainers? (These could include relational or financial stress, a sick child or aging parent, big life changes, etc) 

Your Marriage: Where is your marriage strong? Where is it weak? What is one thing you can work on in your marriage this year? 

Your Parenting: Where are the hearts of each of your children? What do you want to give them this year? Where are the areas you see them flourishing and what are some character qualities you would like to help them to strengthen? 

Your Commitments: What activities do you want to continue and which do you need to cut out for yourself or your children? What do you want to have established as the anchors of your family and the way your spend your time? Do you have other interests you'd like to pursue if you could make the time? Make a plan that brings joy!

On Cultivating Your Heart, Mind, Soul and Strength

How will grow in your relationship with God this year? When will you spend time in the word? What books will you read? What great thinkers and writers and artists will you expose yourself to? How will you rest? When and how will you help your body to be strong? 

We will be hosting a book club on Different in our podcasts. Be sure to order it so you can join us in reading the chapters as we discuss it together.

Come, Let Us Adore Him!

“Oh, come let us adore Him.”

One evening several years ago, I was enjoying the sweet fellowship of friends at a Christmas gathering. I was captivated by a tiny, three week old baby girl, wrapped in red velvet and sleeping soundly in her mother’s arms.

Musing on her delicate little hands, and the tiny lips that opened slightly with each deep, sleepy breath, I was struck by her vulnerability. She was totally dependent on her mother for her very life. Cries of hunger would be satisfied by this mother’s milk. Unaware of her need for protection, clothing, and the necessities of life, this little baby’s well being would depend on the benevolence of loving parents. Her very intelligence, moral fiber and vision for life would be shaped by the love bestowed, the integrity lived out and the words treasured and spoken in the moments and experience of life. Everything she would become was at the hands of two young adults.

These thoughts led me to the birth of Jesus. The one who commanded the myriads of stars, galaxies, earthquakes and storms and who could number the hairs of each person born, subjected Himself to a fallen world by placing Himself in the hands of frail, fallible human beings. That God would condescend to become a baby, dependent, vulnerable, and powerless brought amazement to my heart. Total humility was expressed in this miraculous birth in which the God of the universe was willing to bow His being into the most delicate of forms in order to eventually redeem this world back to Himself—to become the conqueror of all evil and powers of destruction the world would hold.

What humility He modeled for us, coming as a normal baby to live amongst the earthy animals, in the presence of the stars and world He had made and entering into the youthful passion of newly-weds, ready to parent the One who would become the redeemer of mankind.  Mixing deity and humanity in the midst and subjecting Him to the form of a family, spoke to me of the holy design. Even the Son of God would be cared for and prepared to become the Savior in the context of family life.

How exalted a position we have, that like Mary and Joseph, we receive into our homes those dependent children whose souls and lives will be lived with eternal consequences. Home is a place where holy destiny can be embraced. The birthplace of Jesus was humble, but the consequences of His family life were noble and the outcome redeeming. I realized that the power of Christ was not in material possessions, fame or prowess, but within the integrity of His very being—lived out in a very normal neighborhood but in the supernatural power that is expressed through the Holy Spirit living in integrity amongst the community of men.

I pray that His humility will give us confidence to live humbly. That the integrity of His heart will shape our words and actions. And that our family will be that place of redemption from which others may always find His peace, power and love.

Our family wishes all of you and your own precious families the best of all that our Savior brings to us through the wonderful celebration of His miraculous birth.

May all of you experience His peace that passes understanding, His love from which we can never be separated and His hope that fuels each of our days with strength until we see Him face to face. Merry, and blessed Christmas to you and yours!

Christmas Biscotti Recipe!

Here's another Clarkson Christmas tradition--sharing my recipe for a wonderful Christmas Biscotti!

Over thirty years ago, I found myself walking on frigid streets in Vienna with snow dancing all around as I found my way to a small Christmas gathering at an apartment of a close friend. Steaming cups of coffee with froth foaming brought warmth back to my body. Fresh out-o- the-oven were almond cookies that I was to taste for the first time. Being welcomed to the home of a friend when my family was thousands of miles and an ocean away warmed my lonely heart.

Since then, gathering friends together with something warm and sweet and mugs of warm coffee or tea has always brought me heart-opening times with women all over the world. I believe God created something uniquely special to transform hearts amidst feasting and drawing close over food and drink. Now, this recipe of biscotti is one of my favorites. And I still love having friends over for that heart to heart sharing in such a way. Make time for your friends and heart-filling moments this season. Make a memory that you can visit for many years to come. And enjoy my tradition and recipe.

If there is one thing I am apprehensive to do in the kitchen, living in Colorado at an altitude of 7,500 elevation, is baking! So I try to pick things that won't fail me and leave me in tears after attempting to pour my heart and soul into butter, eggs, and sugar...

The answer: Christmas Biscotti! It works every time and also gets us in the Christmas spirit. Who doesn't like a warm cup of cocoa, tea, or coffee to dip their cookie into? Although these cookies are not your chewy, soft variety, they ARE the dipping kind!

Biscotti is a very popular Italian cookie that is baked twice to give it an extra crispy crunch! I will share our favorite Christmas Biscotti recipe with you, so that if you can relate to my baking fears, you will be able to overcome any baking hazards with this recipe!

One batch makes 2 dozen or more cookies. This is a perfect addition to your Christmas cookie tray or gift tins. We love to plop down on the couch with a warm cozy blanket, tea or cocoa in hand, and a few of these delightful cookies, while listening to a Christmas Advent or watching a favorite Christmas movie!

Christmas Biscotti

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pecans (or almonds!), chopped and toasted

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

8 tablespoons of butter, softened

2 eggs, room temp.

1 teaspoon vanilla (In Austria, I learned to love Almond flavoring--you can use that instead.)

2 teaspoons of sugar for topping / chocolate for drizzling on top / anything you can think of to make it your own!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop nuts and place on baking sheet and bake for 6-7 minutes until lightly toasted. Remove pecans from pan and cool. In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and cinnamon; set aside. In mixing bowl, beat butter and 3/4 cup sugar until creamy.

Beat in eggs and vanilla or almond extract. Add flour mixture; mix well. Stir in pecans.  Divide dough in half and form each half into a 7x2 inch log. Lightly spray bar pan or cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Place each log crosswise on sheet or pan about 4 inches apart. Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake 30 minutes. Remove pan to cooling rack; let logs cool in pan for 15 or more minutes until completely cool. Carefully remove logs to cutting board and using a serrated knife, gently cut logs diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices.

Arrange slices upright in pan/cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake 20-25 minutes or until dry and crisp. Cool completely on cooling rack. *Add any special touches, like drizzled chocolate after cooled. Store in tightly covered container. Yield: About 2 dozen cookies.

Now, get out your favorite mug and make some delectable tea, coffee or cider and enjoy a few minutes of Christmas peace. Better yet, do it with a friend, your husband or even your children who are your best friends. Best moment of the day! Enjoy.

Grace & Peace to Your Christmas Week Moments!

"Mama, I can't wait to come home. I am looking so forward to all of our familiar traditions, decorations, food--just home. Can't wait."

And so, little by little, I have filled the corners of our house and stuffed cookie tins and the fridge to prepare for our little home to be brimming with Clarkson culture. Nothing perfect, but all our own.

Some traditions are so age-old that they are precious just because we have celebrated them so often. Perusing a second hand shop as a new mama 32 years ago, I came upon these little English cottages. They have graced our table ever since. And the Christmas tree cake, decorated for a zillion years by my children who loved making it their own, is alway served, amongst other goodies, at our Carol Sing Christmas open house each year.

Greetings from cold (-4 F. last night) Colorado this last week of advent. With 2 children home and 3 to go, I am preparing my heart and my home for lots of loved ones in the days ahead.

This week will be filled with traditional dinners, our Clarkson open house, a traditional lunch with my girls, a yearly brunch with a friend who is the best cook and serves us each year, a shepherd's meal, a Christmas morning brunch out and so much more. Our weeks are generally not this busy, but everyone is coming home a week late, so we are stuffing all of our traditional activities into one week. Slowly, little by little, over the years, we have placed anchors into our lives that have helped our family feel like we are part of a community of people we are committed to seeing every year. It will be a busy, swirling time for us.

A lot will be required of me as the anchor of joy, good attitudes, good natured moods, atmosphere, in this crew of 7 in my home the next few weeks. Knowing that I am sometimes taken by surprise by all the pressures that come my way during this season of homecoming, I am learning to prepare my heart and my home way before the frenzy begins. And so I am arming my heart to be prepared for all the celebrating, conflicts, secrets shared, spirits soothed, comfort needed, ears open and love given and "too much sugar" weeks. I am the main confidant, cook, and orchestrator for everything that happens, so my own personal preparation is essential to the way the memories come together.

I have shared some of these thoughts on my podcast this week. I hope my podcast will give you a refreshing moment in your week.

To end this Christmas week well, I wanted to provide you with a some small gifts and giveaways. 

First, I wanted to share a wonderful musical venture you might enjoy this week. Joel had so many respond to us about his new album Melodies for the Mended Wood, Vol. 1, he's made the first five tracks available for you to stream on your computer or phone this week to bring music to your world. Listen to it below, and If you want to purchase it to keep, it's currently 50% off!  Only $5 through this week! A Great Gift for those who love the book.

Buy HERE

Next,  our friend, Scott Turansky, has a wonderful giveaway for parents that I know you will love. I know you will love this free download. He shares a heartfelt philosophy of reaching the hearts of children with us. Enjoy!

HERE

Finally, Clay and I would like to give away one free Conference ticket to one of you. We so believe that these conferences change lives and we want one of you to have it as our gift. To fellowship together, to have time to breathe, to be with like-minded women gives life back to weary ones amidst the journey of motherhood. A free $119 ticket to the conference of your choice!

Register HERE

Just leave us a comment below to tell of sharing this blog post and you will be entered to win  one conference ticket.

Christmas Cheer to all of you. Be blessed with peace this week.

The Different Book: A True Story of Hope That Will Change Lives

The house was pitch black. I had to hold fast to the stair rail to be sure I didn't fall, in case I stumbled amidst the thick darkness. Three a.m. found me wide awake. I had gone to sleep exhausted at 10:00 p.m., but my heart was so burdened with worries, I had awakened. I needed time to pray. I did not turn on any lights because I needed privacy. I had so much to figure out.

On my knees, I sought to reach God, to find him amidst my questions. Through tears, I asked "God, why did you give me a little boy that is so hard to understand? I do not know what to do, how to reach him, how to have peace in my day. Please, God, help me."

 Always when I tell stories about my sweet Nathan, moms say to me, "I have a Nathan!" What they always mean is, "I have a child who  is challenging for me almost every day." Nathan is such an amazing blessing to me now, a best friend I talk to every day. Many of you know him through his books, as a writer/actor/producer of movies. But others of you who have followed us for years, know that he is my adhd, ocd, odd, dyslexic, other mysterious issues and my out of the box, bigger than life son.  

As a little boy, Nate was always out of the box. When others walked on the sidewalk, he was on the grass, running around the bush, playing air fights with imaginary dragons, and living in a super man world in his mind. He wiggled, questioned, was loud and vibrant, fun, but loved great stories, literature, heroes and talking about them.

Many people labeled Nathan with consonants, vowels. Some said to spank him more. After years of studying him, trying to reach him, train him, understand him, I knew in my heart he had the making of a fine man. He needed love, patience, faith, time.

I learned over years how to love, encourage, train, confront, to slowly believe in his dreams. I prayed that God would help me support the person that God had designed him to be. I believed maybe God did make Nathan to go into the world to be a "superman"--his favorite childhood character--one who would come to our world, to save, help & redeem those who needed it.

All you sweet ones who are worried about your adhd, odd, ocd kids, autistic, Aspergers, physically disabled, too loud, too quiet, difficult or "different in some way" child, know that you are not alone. This book was Nathan's idea. "Mom, we need to encourage others who feel out of the box or have an out of the box child so they can be encouraged by our story." And so Nathan's idea is now this book.

I am so excited to finally be able to write about Nathan's and my new book:

His story, my story--together, our perspective of what life was like and we made it.

To find out more about our book and what others are saying about it, go to

thedifferentbook.com

This would make an excellent Christmas gift for someone who wants encouragement for their own journey with an out of the box child. 

Buy   HERE

Or Buy HERE

Hope you enjoy our video that tells a bit of our story.

Help Our Family Reach Families All Over the World

The Clarkson Clan: Family day, 2016

For most of our lives, our whole family has been engaged somehow in our family ministry, Whole Heart Ministries. Our dream when we began, has never changed.  Our hope as we dreamed of starting such a ministry, was always,  that through books, conferences, blogs, podcasts and international training, we could inspire parents all over the world to build their children into a godly legacy to carry the messages of Christ into their generation.

We have witnessed the grace of God in so many ways. We could never have built our ministry without so many of you, faithful friends through all the years. I am sharing our 2016 ministry, end of the year letter, in hopes that some of you will help us continue to reach families. I would so honored if you would read our ministry story today.

I hope you enjoy reading about our ministry.  I do not talk about it much in this space, but it means so much to us when, you, our friends, join us in prayer and partnership to keep it all going. Many of you have asked me how to give to our projects and staff funding, so I have given you an easy place to do it right below. Now to the story.......

Donate HERE

  A good story rarely moves from point A to point B. You may think that it will, or even that it should, but then point B unexpectedly becomes point C, and suddenly the story takes on new life and new meaning. In literature, it’s called a “turning point.” In life, we talk about a “pivot.” In either case, things were headed one way, and now they’re headed another. Same story, but a new storyline.

This year, 2016, has been a turning point in the story of Whole Heart Ministries. After twenty-two years of ministry, we’re making a pivot into a new storyline. One that we’re praying will bring new life into our ministry for the years still ahead. We hope you will continue to be a part of our story.

We celebrated our twentieth anniversary and final Mom Heart Conference in February. It was an amazing storyline that had touched thousands of women’s lives since 1996. The conferences were still successful and growing, so it was counterintuitive for us to say, “That’s a wrap!” But we knew we had to; that it was time to make a change. We needed to pivot. We needed a new direction for a new season of our lives and ministry. Our core story is still the same, but we’re creating new storylines now.

The Evolving Story of Whole Heart

The heart of our ministry has always been simply to help Christian parents—to encourage and equip them to raise children who will serve God “with a whole heart and a willing mind” (1 Chronicles 28:9). We never want to stop helping families find their place in the grand story of God’s faithfulness to His people. That storyline will never change, but how we accomplish that vision can change.

Our ministry has pivoted several times since 1994, each time enabling us to serve more families more fruitfully. With the possibilities of a new decade ahead of us, we’re sensing again the need to pivot, to make sure we finish well with this ministry God has entrusted to us. We know we can’t do everything God has put in our hearts to do for His kingdom, but we can do whatever we do with our whole hearts. We want to invest our lives in ministry choices that will last, that will enable us to last, and that might even outlast us. We want to leave behind a story worth reading for generations to come.

Whole Heart Initiatives Tell the Whole Story

We started out purposely as Whole Heart Ministries because we knew our message would be multifaceted. We now call those six ministry facets “Initiatives.” Some are active, some are passive, but together they tell the whole story of the message of Whole Heart over two decades. It’s always been all about helping wholehearted Christian parents and strengthening Christian homes and families. Here’s how those six Initiatives define our vision for ministry as we look ahead to 2017 and beyond:

I love my friends who follow me through Sallyclarkson.com. It has been a wonderful 10 years.

I really love hosting podcasts. I feel like I am with all of you for a visit. When Kristin Kill and I can do it at the same time, we have such fun discussing all that is on our hearts.

·       SALLYCLARKSON.COM (Christian Living): Sally’s personal blog and weekly “At Home with Sally” podcast ministry reach tens of thousands of Christian women and mothers every day with biblical encouragement and inspiration. Soon we hope to launch a subscription site with over twenty years of Sally’s audio and video messages, and exclusive access to new webinars and other online events by Sally. As a bestselling author of over a dozen books, Sally is a trusted and respected voice with two new books releasing in 2017 (Different, with Nathan; and The Lifegiving Table). She is also working on a Spanish-language page for her blog, and Spanish translations of selected books.

We have seen almost 2000 people sign up for groups in the last couple of years and have ministries in the US, Mexico, Canada, Asia, the United Kingdom, Australia and all over the world.

·       MOM HEART INITIATIVE (Christian Motherhood): Mom Heart Ministry is a strategic small groups movement to “restore moms’ hearts to God’s heart for motherhood.” On MomHeart.com, moms can find training, resources, media, and encouragement. Our Mom Heart Groups Facebook group has grown to nearly 2,000 women, and city and regional Facebook groups are forming where group leaders and members can encourage and help one another. We are training a national Mom Heart Ministry Team to grow this ministry in the states, as Sally travels internationally to work with mothers in the UK, Canada, and Australia/New Zealand to develop new “Mum Heart” ministries.

·       THE LIFEGIVING HOME PROJECT (Christian Homes): Sally’s most recent book, The Lifegiving Home (co-written with Sarah), is a personal portrait of how she built and beautified her own home and influenced her children. As a ministry initiative, she will continue to provide resources and ideas to mothers on the Lifegiving Home page on SallyClarkson.com, and through her blogs and podcasts. The lifegiving home is a vision and concept for how to bring God’s life and beauty into a home.

·       STORYFORMED PROJECT (Christian Imagination): Sarah, now married and studying theology at Oxford, created the Storyformed.com website in 2014 from her books Read for the Heart and Caught Up in a Story. In 2017 we will be expanding and re-launching the site, with additional voices to help parents find the best soul-shaping books and literature to feed their families’ imaginations, minds, and spirits. We’re also in early planning for a Storyformed book imprint and an event.

My Whole Life Partner in Ministry

·       FAMILY FAITH PROJECT (Christian Parenting): This initiative is about Family Faith Formation—how faith is grown at home. Clay will write The Lifegiving Parent for Tyndale (June 2018 release), and also create a “Parent for the Heart” faith formation online course. A new Family Faith Project website will bring together all of Whole Heart Ministries messages for 20+ years about biblical parenting. The site will also feature Clay’s books Heartfelt Discipline and Our 24 Family Ways.

·       WHOLEHEARTED LEARNING PROJECT (Christian Home Education): Whole Heart Ministries started beating into life with the publication in 1994 of the first edition of Clay’s now 384-page home education handbook, Educating the WholeHearted Child, which is still in print and influencing new families twenty-two years later. The web page for this initiative on WholeHeart.org will tell the story of WholeHearted Learning as a real books, real life, and discipleship-based approach to home education, and will suggest reading, resources, and new ideas for living and learning at home. At the heart of Whole Heart, since it first started beating, is our model for Christian home education.

Every year, we have hundreds of moms that come for their first time. Hope you can come to one nearest you. (Colorado, California, Texas, North Carolina, Oregon) for more information, go HERE

Mom Heart Conferences

One of my favorite ministries over all these years has been hosting Mom Heart conferences all over the United States. This year, we will have 5 in the states and one in England. they have also been celebrated yearly in Australia with our wonderful team there. My deep belief is that women who have other friends holding up Biblical ideals, will live more sustainable lives and have vision to finish well with their children. Over 40,000 moms have attended these conferences over the years. Hope you can come. It is a great Christmas present!

We’ll Keep Living to the Beat of God’s Heart for Family

Christian parents are our mission field. We are missionaries to the Christian home. Sally’s books have been translated into numerous foreign languages, and our books and ministry reach families all around the world. Mothers are hungry for biblical perspective from a seasoned Titus 2 older woman. Fathers want sound, biblical insight for building a Christian home and raising godly children. Parents want the life of Christ in their family. This is the story God has entrusted to us to write and to tell.

Yes, it’s a BIG story and message, as the initiatives above that drive us and define us would suggest. However, we don’t have a big ministry organization behind us to ensure that we have the financial resources to keep bringing that story to life. Quite the opposite, it’s really just the two of us keeping it going, with some special helpers—our new Admin-Tech Assistant Josh West, our amazing children (when we have them), a few trusted freelance helpers, and a whole bunch of beloved and highly appreciated volunteer moms and dads. If it weren’t for all of them, the ministries of Whole Heart Ministries would never happen. They are the Spirit’s wind beneath our visionary ministry wings.

Let’s Write a New Storyline Together for Whole Heart!

We are, and always have been, just a small, family-run, nonprofit, Christian, faith ministry. Events and books help fund a part of the ministry, but never all of it. Since ministry rarely pays for itself, being a nonprofit “faith ministry” means simply that we have chosen to trust God to provide financially as we step out in faith to minister. God provides the means for us to provide the ministry. Selah!

As we envision by faith what Whole Heart could become (see our Initiatives above), there are two BIG faith needs we’re trusting God to provide for right now, and in the months ahead. Would you consider if God might use you to help Whole Heart Ministries pivot into a new decade of ministry to parents and families?

FIRST, we need financial partners who will help us tell the story of God’s heart for the home and family. We need new partners to help offset the loss of conference income that has funded our ministry for twenty years. With large, multiple hotel conferences coming to an end as of this year, we will need to trust God more than ever before for a team of partners who will share our heart for this ministry and help to keep it beating and strong through their faithful financial assistance.

SECOND, we need partners who will help us reach beyond our current ministry limitations. We want to reach the Spanish-speaking world, expand our online ministry with better websites and digital resources, create and publish new books for families through Whole Heart Press, and train mothers in other countries for ministry to moms. If we could hire additional staff to help we would, but we cannot without additional funding. We cannot move beyond our limitations without Whole Heart Partners.

                  Your financial gift for 2016 before the end of December would be greatly appreciated to help us move into 2017 financially healthy and amply supplied to write new storylines for this ministry. We encourage you to use our online donation page on WholeHeart.org. It is safe and secure, and will give you full control over your giving. You can also send a check to the address below (Note: Your letter must be postmarked by December 31 to receive a donation receipt for the 2016 tax year). Your financial contribution to Whole Heart Ministries, a 501c3 tax-exempt organization, is tax-deductible.

Thank you for your partnership! Your generous gift will help us pivot into the new storyline God is writing for this ministry, and keep us pressing on in Christ to “keep faith in the family.” You are investing in all the families we hope to help find their place in God’s amazing story of grace and truth. Help us help them! Grace and peace to you and your family.

Wholehearted blessings in Christ,

Clay and Sally

Donate HERE

Enjoy surfing our new website HERE

Whole Heart Ministries

Keeping Faith in the Family

PO Box 3445 | Monument, CO 80132

719.488.4466 | 888.488.4466

wholeheart.org | momheart.com | sallyclarkson.com

whm@wholeheart.org | admin@wholeheart.org

— Since 1994 —

Clay and Sally Clarkson

 A few of the books we have written over the years.

Books & Resources by the Clarkson Family

·       Educating the WholeHearted Child (Clay)

·       Seasons of a Mother’s Heart (Sally)

·       Our 24 Family Ways (Clay)

·       Journeys of Faithfulness (Sarah)

·       Read for the Heart (Sarah)

·       Heartfelt Discipline (Clay)

·       The Mission of Motherhood (Sally)

·       The Ministry of Motherhood (Sally)

·       Dancing with My Father (Sally)

·       Your Mom Walk with God (Sally)

·       10 Gifts of Wisdom (Sally)

·       Caught Up in a Story (Sarah)

·       The Wisdom Chasers (Nathan)

·       The Hero’s Way (Nathan)

·       Desperate (Sally, Sarah Mae)

·       You Are Loved (Sally, Angela Perritt)

·       Own Your Life (Sally)

·       Own Your Life Study Guide (Sally)

·       The Lifegiving Home (Sally, Sarah)

·       The Lifegiving Home Experience (Joel)

·       Different (Sally, Nathan)

·       Taking Motherhood to Hearts (Clay)