Now Is A Good Time to Own Your Life & New Podcast Series

This is the road I walk almost every day, one of my favorite pathways, just around the bend from my house and looks toward the mountains. You will see this from different perspectives many times in my blog. 

I love pathway scenes. I have taken hundreds of pathway photos in the last years. It seems there is such promise in them. A new adventure might be just around the corner. There is promise ahead and possibility. There are opportunities for more love, friendships, things to learn, places to visit, books to read, ideas to stimulate, events to celebrate, family times to enjoy. I look at God as a possibility maker and often get a little bit giddy just thinking about it. 

Probably since I became a believer, I embraced verses that spoke to my heart of God's plans for me. From studying scripture, I began to develop a conviction that my life was not just random, but that God had created me purpose in mind. That meant my days and my years had meaning, significance. Verses like these became my favorite:

"For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

Even as God spoke to Israel, the principles of HIs commitment to His children was the same for me--God has plans for my welfare. I can have a future with a hope because He is good and He is my Father.

"But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day." Proverbs 4: 18

If I walk with God, my pathway will shine more brightly each year, I will follow Him and He will lead me, show me his will, increase my understanding. My path of life will get brighter and brighter. And so it has--each year has brought more understanding, more wisdom, more humility, more grace to love others, more space in my heart to be patient and to cultivate faith.

" I pray that the eyes of your heart [x]may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,  and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe." Ephesians 1:18

Inside, where my hearts sees the reality of life, I can find hope in His calling, the eternal riches he has stored up for me, his saint, and the personal and real greatness He will show me as I walk with Him in faith, and choose to believe. 

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." Ephesians 2: 10

Amazing to see that my personality, my strengths and weaknesses, my story were crafted by God and in Christ, with works that He wanted me to accomplish in my lifetime. I actually have a part in His story and He prepared these works for me to journey in, to discover on my path, to walk in. 

And so, by God's grace, I have walked into each year with an expectancy of the plans he had for me and ways of faith that He wanted me to discover. This deeply seated belief has led me to see HIs fingerprints all over my life. It has helped me to believe that finding His will was not all up to me alone as some kind of mysterious plan to follow, but that He would guide and grant ideas within the strengths and gifts of my own unique personality. 

And when hard times came, many times, I could trust that somehow, because He was on the path with me, that there would be significance and meaning, even in the dark, and lessons for me to learn. 

And so I see pathways with all sorts of possibilities.  

The next 10 weeks, I will be leading all of us through a podcast series based on my book, Own Your Life and the Bible study guide and planner. It is my hope that this series will remind all of us about the ways God desires each of us to find our place in His story, meaning through our every day and the way to live life in such a way that we can follow along His path of love, purpose and fruitfulness that will last for eternity. 

I will be discussing the vision of life as well as the details of life that happen every day. Join me and I hope it will be of great encouragement.

Own Your Life Bible Study Guide and Planner: Faith-building companion book to Own Your LIfe

By Sally Clarkson

Buy on Amazon

Own Your Life: Living with Deep Intention, Bold Faith, and Generous Love

By Sally Clarkson

Buy on Amazon

A Warming Recipe for Cold Winter Nights--Potpie Chicken Soup

This week, I have had the privilege of having Joel home while others are flitting around to other places. He will be leaving soon, so I have made time each day to have one on one time to pray with him and to hear what is on his mind. Joel is, oddly, one of those men who learned to cook over the years in our home. He likes to talk while we are cooking together.

What great conversations we have had, inspirations shared, dreams meted out. Again, I am reminded how important the family table is to building depth of relationships, a foundation of true thoughts and ideas. Even now, with all adult children, food is a catalyst for so many relationship builders.

Cooking is for sharing friendship. Eating together is for shaping souls and affirming love and belonging. 

Our family has lived either in Europe or the mountains of Colorado for most of our lives together, which means we have shared many a cold, dark winter evening. I actually think the cold nights when we all had to stay in because we could dread going outside was one of the ways we became glued to each other's hearts.

Consequently, when I ask what someone wants for dinner, often the answer will be soup and bread--because they associate it with communion of life, sweetness of belonging to one another. A warm, bubbly, herb laden soup fills my home with inviting fragrance and warmed bread with butter pleases most all appetites.

This chicken soup is the favorite (with White Christmas Soup running a close race), so I had to share it with you! Oh, and Sarahstrone is up there. (Thanks for all the letters about how much you love these soups--they gave me ideas of what to make this month as sometimes I go blank when I need to make one more meal! Sweet to read your letters about how much you love Lifegiving Table--warms my heart. Thanks for writing. Wish I could answer everyone.)

Hmmmm--guess we just love all of these delicious soups. Be sure you take the time to linger over the luscious warmth.

The Clarkson Kids’ Favorite Potpie Chicken Soup
 

2 cups diced red or russet potatoes
3 cups (12-ounce bag) frozen peas and carrots (If you can’t find this frozen mix, you can substitute 11⁄2 cups each frozen peas and fresh carrots. Or you can use a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, but check the ingredients—my family won’t eat the kind with lima beans!)

4 cups water (You can add more later if needed.)
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
1–2 teaspoons minced garlic or garlic paste
1 medium to large onion, chopped (We love lots of onion in almost everything.)
1 tablespoon dried thyme, parsley, and rosemary combined or to taste. (I like a lot, especially thyme. If you want to use fresh herbs, triple this amount.)
2–4 cups diced cooked chicken breast
2 tablespoons butter
11⁄2 teaspoons condensed chicken bouillon or base (This is a kind of concentrated paste that comes in jars or plastic containers. I buy mine at health food markets or Sam’s Club, but you can also find it in many grocery stores. If you use the dry powder, you’ll need to adjust the amount to taste. Try to avoid the kind with MSG.)

1⁄3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1⁄2 cup wine, optional (For this soup I usually use a white wine such as Riesling.)
1 teaspoon or more salt (I use sea salt of different varieties.) 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper
Sour cream and chives or fresh herbs to garnish, optional

Boil the potatoes and frozen veggies in the water until cooked through, about 20–30 minutes. (I use a pressure cooker for
4–5 minutes and veggies and potatoes are done.) While veggies are cooking, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter in another pan; sauté garlic, onion, and herbs until onion is translucent. Add onion mixture and chicken to pot with the veggies and let soup simmer on low while you make the sauce.

For the sauce, melt 2 tablespoons butter in another pan. Stir
in chicken bouillon. Whisk in flour and stir mixture constantly over medium heat until all the lumps have disappeared. Add milk and cook until mixture is thickened, then add the wine (if using). Slowly add milk mixture to soup, stirring as it thickens. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. If desired, add a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of chives or herbs. We like to serve this soup with croutons sprinkled on top and with toast and applesauce on the side.

This is a really simple recipe that can be adjusted many ways. For instance, you could use brown rice or noodles instead of potatoes, fresh veggies or a different mix of frozen ones, or even omit the milk mixture and just put the bouillon directly into the soup. I use whatever I have on hand and whatever sounds good at the time.

The Lifegiving Table: Nurturing Faith through Feasting, One Meal at a Time

By Sally Clarkson

Serves 6–8, depending on size of serving.

Find all of these soup recipes and more in The Lifegiving Table. I hope you are enjoying comfortable evenings around the table this January! If you're looking for practical thoughts on table-time discipleship, plus more wonderful recipes, I think you'll enjoy my book, The Lifegiving Table.

My First Five Reads of 2018

I received this one as a Christmas gift from my husband. It became a joke amongst the family that he must believe I really needed help learning to 'think'! We all had a grand laugh about this, but I would actually agree! In fact, I actually asked for the book. I do want to think more and to think more deeply. I hope, as Christians, we all desire this. I started 'How to Think' this month and just finished last night. The author, Alan Jacobs says, 'How to Think' is a "contrarian treatise on why we're not as good at thinking as we assume, and how recovering this lost art can rescue our inner lives from the chaos of modern life."

It challenges us to contemplate whether surrounding ourselves in homogeneous communities only reinforces what we already believe.  I know its very easy for me to do this. Who doesn't like a friend or acquaintance to agree with your view especially if its stated in a compelling way? Since social belonging-- or the desire to belong in a particular group-- only makes us more reluctant to engage in critical thinking. After finishing, I am encouraged to consider how I might be willing to gently challenge another's view on an issue and how I might engage in conversations with others who aren't just like me. Jacobs does spend a fair bit of time drawing applications for public discourse-- like conversations about politics on Facebook and Twitter. Even if that is less interesting to you (it was for me!), it's worth reflecting on how those lessons may apply in our own contexts-- specifically in our homes with our children. 

This is another book I received as a gift this Christmas. One of our Christmas Eve traditions is that everyone in the family opens one present that night and the gift is always a book. I purchased books for the family this year and decided to go ahead and order one for myself too! This was my pick. I'm excited to delve into this trilogy of novels by Flora Thompson, published between 1939 and 1943. Lark Rise to Candleford has also become a British drama series, adapted by the BBC based on the semi-autobiographical novels about English country life. I've recently discovered that Thompson, like the protagonist, worked as a post-office clerk from the age of fourteen in Oxfordshire and then in post offices all over England. She writes about how the 'old ways' of living off the land are from a bygone era and many families are looking to more modern ways of existing. Does this sound familiar? I'm hoping this pick will fit int the category of a lighthearted fiction read.

To read more on Storyformed.com, click HERE.

Never, Never, Never give up your Ideals! Your Sacrifice Matters!

“The home is the fountain of civilization. The value and character and appetites of a people are greatly determined by the reading, training and cultivating of moral and spiritual appetites in the home.

Mothers, you are the divinely-appointed teachers and guides of your children; and any attempt to free yourselves of this duty is in direct opposition to the will of God. If you neglect them, the consequences are swift and sure. …, Spend most of your time with your children. Sleep near them, attend and dress and wash them; let them eat with their mother and father; be their companion and friend in all things and at all times.”

From Mother, Home and Heaven from Poetic, prose and literature Of all ages and all lands. Copyright 1878-1880

Every single person in our family is in transition of life for future plans. Clay and I are considering a move into missions, our kids are all up in the air about where they will live and have jobs in the years ahead. Yet, these times of not knowing where we will be living or what, exactly we will be doing, has caused me to really focus on our decisions, our intentionality about living well for His glory and about how best to leave a legacy.

More than ever, I believe with all my heart, that the role of a mother will indeed influence the history of the next generation. If mothers do not care to sacrifice time, energy, and effort to win their children's hearts for God, to give them a moral foundation, to help them cultivate a missional life for serving kingdom purposes, then these objectives will not be accomplished. 

Secular cultural values are aggressive in capturing both our imagination and that of our children with false priorities of what is important, what is of value. Unless we are intentional about passing on eternal values, honor for G0d, love for others, a servant heart, then our children will naturally fall into a self-centered, self-gratifying value system.

Your role as a mother who engages her children in truth and the foundations of righteousness is more important than ever before. Your life matters. Your work matters. Your sacrifice matters. And all of these commitments are a sacrifice of your own worship to serve Him.

Being with my wildly idealistic children, living through the noise of our exuberant home (drum set in the basement, electric piano and real piano upstairs,  almost always with someone blaring away, singing, listening to music on their newly created stations; rousing, lengthy, loud discussions at the dinner table; wrestling with the dog and watching movies and playing games and feasting with our whole family at home) has reminded me again, that all the trouble was well worth the effort. It all mattered. Really. 

Even through all the exhaustion, meals, dishes, late nights, attitudes, weariness--it is of utmost importance.

Januarys are usually a bit challenging, a time we can be tempted to give up our ideals. It is easy to think that we are not doing a great job being a mom, that someone else could influence our children better than we could, that they are not listening or growing. Often mamas are tempted to think their ideals do not matter.

The way I sustained my own vision which has brought me through all the years, and still in tact, was through years and years of defining and redefining ideals and seeking the Lord and then living through one day at a time, for a million days. Yet, I see life and beauty in the souls of my very individualistic children--the palpable life of the Lord--who is building them and growing them into healthy, vibrant adults. They are now the ones who tell me our training, love, time spent all mattered greatly in the shaping of their personhood and who they became. 

As I have been praying about all of this and pondering the work God wants me to do,   I can't wait to encourage all the precious moms who will read my blog, listen to my podcast, attend some of our leadership and international conferences,  because their lives matter--their love, correction, work, is all building a legacy from their lives that will live to glorify God throughout eternity! And that is what Whole Heart Ministries is all about--keeping the ideals alive!

The words in the quotation above were written over a hundred years ago are still very powerful today. This, in a culture where the imagination of the importance of mothers to the overall well-being of soul of the next generation has been lost. How affirming it is to see that truth of past generations still applies to us today.

Often, I find that in the absence of a clear enough vision for their children and homes, mothers replace conviction and vision with lots of activities and distractions for their children. This hyper-activity and rushing around to an endless list of expensive lessons and experiences and toys,  and the buying of the newest expensive curriculum and technological options make moms feel like they are accomplishing something. 

However, when the home-life of children is rich with excellent, classic literature and great stories, passionate Biblical devotions, rousing dinner-table discussions around sumptuous, tasty meals, lots of love and affection given and household chores attended to— a child will become committed to all that is good and excellent and develop a moral and compassionate soul for all the divinely important values.

Is it a messy process? Of course. No home is perfect or parent perfect and it is a journey of constant flux. 

From the beginning of time, God created the home to be a place sufficient to nurture genius, excellence, graciousness and grand civility. But the key factor is nothing that can be purchased or owned. The accomplishment of this grand life is found only in the soul of a mother, through the power of the Holy Spirit, personally mentoring her children.

It is a personal relationship with a real person whose soul is alive in which the deepest imprints of life are given. The secrets and deep emotions shared during the goodnight hours in which a the soul of a child is tender and open; the comfort of warm, home-made food shared in the early evening as ideas are shared and discussed and prayers and devotions given; the laughter, stories, advice given in the midst of washing dishes together or sharing of a meal; the heroic and riveting stories read aloud and shared together that establish common patterns of morality, values and dreams in the comfort of the blazing hearth, mugs of steaming hot chocolate and squishing against each other on a den couch are those heavenly things which are food to the soul and nourishment to the mind and conscience of a child fully awake to all that is important in life.

There is no computer, television, software or text book that can pass on such passion, love and motivation.

It is indeed the personal touch of a mother’s heart that creates grand civility, deep affection, care and commitment to the foundations of a family. When the invisible strings of a mother’s heart are tied to the heart of her children through loving sacrifice and nurture, the stability and foundations of a nation become secure and stable. 

A mother, living well in her God-ordained role, is of great beauty and inestimable value to the future history of any generation. Her impact is irreplaceable and necessary to the spiritual formation of children who will be the future adults of the next generation. Fun, comfort, humor, graciousness, spiritual passion, compassion for the lost, hospitality, chores, meals, training, life-giving words, hours and hours of listening and playing and praying and reading—all are parts of the mosaic which go into the process of soul development.

So, though the weariness of the busyness and celebration of Christmas is still upon our hearts and felt in our bodies, the Spirit and vision of His life in ours will keep us going--the refocusing on His great call, will fuel our commitments to keep going, to keep loving and to keep believing. Taking time with Him this morning has fueled my own soul with new excitement. May He grace you all with His encouragement--right where you are, in whatever season--to know that it really matters. Grace and peace and rest be yours in the days ahead!

Join me in the weeks ahead as I do a podcast about Owning Your Life that will hopefully encourage, inspire and undergird your commitment in your ideals. 

Starting the new podcast series on Monday, January 15. Pick up a copy and follow with me for the next 10 week series. Can't wait.

Own Your Life: Living with Deep Intention, Bold Faith, and Generous Love

By Sally Clarkson

Buy on Amazon

Discovering That Beauty Changes our Lives and the Whole World - and a New Podcast!

Episode #125 Discovering That Beauty Changes our Lives and the Whole World

PODCAST: DOWNLOAD

ITUNES:Subscribe

We're all chasing rest and beauty and delightful interludes, aren't we? But why? What do we crave at the root of that desire? Today, Sally and Kristen dive into the third and final podcast in the series that accompanies Kristen's new book, Finding Selah: the Simple Practice of Peace When you Need it Most. They share about the longing for beauty that we all have deep in our souls and discuss the only way it can ever be satisfied. They talk about real ways that we can practically grow in peace in our real lives, and the reason they are so passionate about sharing delight and visible joy with their children. Do you want to change the world? It begins with discovering beauty that changes your whole heart!

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT:

-How to take action and allow a practice of peace to sink deep into our lives.

-God's heart for us to receive the gifts He gives us with joy.

-The fact that rest is often active and often requires that we yield or surrender. 

-Activities that are restful to each one of us and how you might implement them in your own life.

-The transformative effect of rest in our lives- and the way it equips us to pour out our hearts to others. 

-How we cultivate spaces that knit beauty and peace into the lives of our children, and all those we influence.

-Finding the root of all beauty in Jesus, and learning to trust Him and be satisfied in our relationship with Him as a pattern that shapes the rest of our lives.

-Why its so important to talk to give our children a home, a table, and an education that all speak life- that all give them a vision and a picture of heaven- that guide them to the heart of God.

-God's provision of his people when they had great fear and anxiety.

-The gifts of our "miracle babies" and the way God softened each of our hearts through the joy of motherhood.

LINKS:

Buy on Amazon

WANT TO TAKE HOME SOME BEAUTY FROM MAGNOLIA?

We'd love to give you an opportunity to win some of these amazing prizes from Magnolia to celebrate the launch of Kristen's book this Tuesday!  Share some of the ways you capture beauty and Selah Moments throughout your day by taking a picture and using the hashtag #findingselah so that we can see what you post! We will share our favorite photos and ideas and select the winners during the launch team Facebook live at 9Eastern/6Pacific on Tuesday, January 8th at fb.com/kristenkill

Commitments for This Year to Build a Sustainable Life!

No matter how hard we try, none of us is able to control all of the circumstances and moments of our lives. From time to time, when my four were much younger, and I had pushed them to their limits during the day without a nap, too much activity, beyond their bedtime, too much sugar, and sometimes with lots of over-stimulation, bedtime would be impossible. Out of utter fatigue, they would wail and cry, throw little fits and not give into sleep until their bodies finally capitulated to utter exhaustion. Their reaction was equal to the level of exhaustion and abuse their bodies had taken.

I realized that there was nothing to do except let them cry and fuss until they finally fell deep into sleep. They didn't need to be disciplined--they needed to be loved and rested. Only when they caught up on their rest and their metabolism went back to a normal blood sugar level over a couple of days, were they less agitated.

Mamas do the same thing, at times.

When living without enough sleep, and eating too much junk food, with work and taking care of others--who are often immature, irritating and draining, wrapping presents, cooking, life takes them to utter exhaustion, they are prone to fits expressed in different ways.

We cry, too--but in a more adult way.

By being grumpy, irrationally angry, irritated or tearful at the smallest circumstances, our bodies rebel at exhaustion and show us that we have abused them.

Our hearts will not have peace until our bodies have had rest.

Even though we had a wonderful family time through the holidays this year, I am still finding myself drained and tired from all the constant demands, and the continued load of work I had for ministry through all the weeks of celebrating. The many meals, messes, dishes, shopping always takes a toll on me.

From many years of Christmas, I realized that in order to go into the new year with peace and a good attitude, I needed to catch up on life and take time to stop to ponder my priorities, and give my body, heart and mind rest,  before I jump forward into a new year of more activity.

Today, I got up before everyone else because I always feel a desperate need for time by myself. (When everyone is home, there is no end to talking, discussing, opinions, energy and adrenaline spent.)

Lighting several spiced candles, turning on some favorite music and toting a big cup of tea latte, I settled into a comfy chair and just sat and allowed the stress to flow out of me. Sitting quietly for a half hour, I began to plan my next days so that I would have time to steal away a few minutes for myself regularly. It is different for me every season, so I always have to come up with a new sustainable plan of how to secure that important alone time for me. Getting some control of my life and planning for productivity means that others who draw from me will have more to draw from.

These are goals I wrote down for myself today. Each of us have differing priorities, so make your own list apply to you.

1. Emotional health is something I have to stay on top of as I live a very giving-out life and can become down or a little depressed if I don't figure out how to refuel. How am I going to refuel emotionally? What plans for friends, time with Clay, getting away by myself, will affirm the empty me and give me a sense of refreshment? I put some specific simple plans into place.
2. Spiritual Health  What do I need to do to gain control of my spiritual life? I need time to read scripture to give myself guidance for attitudes and for ways to trust God in the myriad details of my life. Is there anything I am fearful about? Am I harboring bad attitudes? Do I need to put anything to rest in my heart in order to move on without stress? What do I need to give to God in prayer? What devotion or spiritual book might I read in the next months that I most need right now to fill my soul? I know that I would never have made it through all the stresses and strains of my life is my spiritual time had not been a priority over all my years. God is my stability and gives me strength and wisdom to have the right attitudes. Without my spiritual perspective being guided by truth, my attitudes go awry.
3. Physical Health  Planning my physical health is a big issue for me. What can I do to control my diet this month? (For me, no sugar or breads, limiting carbs, eating mostly fruit and veggies and lots of water--only two cups of coffee or tea a day--that's cutting back for me!) When will I exercise? I carry so much adrenaline, so I have to exercise in order to relax. It is so snowy and cold here in the winter that I have to find alternatives to my normal long walks to get exercise. I have a few videos I use to get in at least a half hour of exercise a day, and several dance playlists from Joy that I sometimes use, too!
4. Educational goals. Reading restores my mental attitude. I plan what books I will be reading. I keep a journal to jot down what I am learning. I pick a book to read aloud to whoever is here. Readalouds are still a part of my family life, and stories give me happiness and soul-filling moments each day.
5. Putting together rhythms for my family after losing all control during the holidays is essential. Morning, breakfast routines, devotions, meals, chores, work, ministry, evening meals, and relaxing activities are a must for me to control and plan, as I always have lots of people in my home. If I don't plan it, I will lose control of my time and find myself irritated at the very people I want to serve.
6. Figuring out what is realistic in my ministry schedule, (podcasts, blogs, speaking engagements, expectations from publishers) and what I might just have to say "no" to. I cannot compromise my overall life and my own well-being just because others may want me to give more of myself.  But if I do not have my priorities in place, I will burn out from being available to every who wants something from me. I am finite and can only do so much if I am to keep going for many years to come. Boundaries is my word of the year for this area.

This year, I actually took the outline of the chapters from Own Your Life, again,  to give me some guidance and reminders about how to better own my time, my emotions, my commitments, etc. in the days ahead. This concept of taking charge of my life and purposes has taken hold in the past few years and so it still helps me each January to use these concepts to give me a plan for moving forward.

Take time to plan and refuel so that you can move forward with peace, a quiet heart and a restored soul. And now, off to sleep a very long sleep so I can begin to catch up! :)

Own Your Life: Living with Deep Intention, Bold Faith, and Generous Love

By Sally Clarkson

If you want something to give you ideas of how to move forward in the new year, you might enjoy reading Own Your Life again and jotting down ideas about how to move to purpose and peace. Or find another book that will help stimulate you to the kinds of priorities you need to refresh your own life.

I will be starting a new podcast series on Own Your Life in a week and a half, so find your copy or order your copy and plan on joining me by reading 2 chapters a week for a 9  week series about getting your life back in focus and making plans to leave a legacy through your life. I will have new material and ideas of how to continue building on the foundations you have laid. Hope you will be encouraged. Join me and tell your friends. :)

Happy Friday and weekend to you. 

Developing a 'Rule of Life' in the New Year

'What story has God called me to live out and what life rhythms will help me to enter and embody this story?'

As each year comes to a close, my husband and I set aside two or three days to get away to pray and plan for the upcoming year. Our time way was a bit shorter this year than in previous year, but nonetheless, we got some praying and planning accomplished! One of my favorite parts of the retreat is the opportunity to revisit my 'Rule of Life'.

A simple description of a 'Rule of Life' is a pattern of practices which center us on Christ and help us love others well. Sometimes the word 'rule' has a negative connotation and for those of you who don't identify as 'rule followers' may want to stop reading now. But the word 'rule' is from the Latin 'regula', which is about a pattern not a law. The Rule of Life is not a new idea, but one developed by Christian monastic communities dating back to the 6th century. The most well-known rule was created by St. Benedict. The intent was to give the community a model for freedom, a path towards connection to the love of God.

I've realized as I get to know myself better, that I highly value freedom. I am drawn to being involved in projects and jobs where I am given a large amount of freedom to develop a vision and mission and to see it come to fruition in the way I most see fit. On the flip side, I've also realized that I actually need daily rhythms and structure to get the things accomplished in life I desire to. So, I actually try to create an intentional daily rhythm within the structure of each day so I can work for the Lord with all He has given me. I am prone to wander and daydream, so the Rule of Life has been a grace-empowered way for me to follow the Lord in the repetitive demands that life throws my way. 

You may be wondering how this works. My husband and I have a friend, Rich Villodas,  pastor of New Life Fellowship in Queens, New York who writes and teaches about the Rule of Life on a regular basis. We have been encouraged by his articulation of it. 

A Rule of life can encompass four broad areas of your life: Work, Rest, Prayer, & Relationships.

Click HERE to find some suggestions on how to start your own Rule of Life on www.storyformed.com. 

A New Year's Tradition: De-Cluttering My Soul

This morning we put Nathan on a plane to go back to California. The Christmas decorations were put away over the weekend and now those left are moving in the direction of trying to get back to rhythms of life. 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. And every year, I review this habit of mine and rework this blog post because it is one of my favorite things to do to recenter my life. I hope you enjoy my thoughts. 

Perhaps it is because my normal responsibilities of caring for my family’s needs demand so much of me—cooking nutritious meals, organizing our schedules, cleaning and organizing on a daily basis, used to be homeschooling and add to that ministry--writing books, doing podcasts, keeping blogs going—these are enough, but holidays put on that extra load. 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—to throw away unnecessary stuff. Clay is really the master at this. He helps me get rid of, organize, and put away things. Yesterday, he decluttered our pantry—threw away chip bags that held little but took up space, cleared out empty water bottles, tossed the last of the junky Christmas candy that would never eaten; fixed baskets that had fallen off their nails, arranged groceries that had never been put in their place. Now if someone came into my pantry, they would mistakenly think that I am an organized person! Thank goodness for Clay! It made me feel good just to open the door and to see that all was manageable again.

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.

This is what awakened me at 4:00 a.m. this morning--soul clutter and worry. Another reason I like January is the way it gives me an opportunity to make a new plan, to simplify the mind messes and start off a whole new year well. In the same way that throwing stuff away and clearing out closets brings me relief--even more so--soul and mind decluttering brings me rest.

So, as I begin a new year, 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: the feet of my Father. I ask Him to help me, His child, know 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.

*I must get rid of all that causes me to fret, worry, criticize, and control. There is a way....

“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 list all of my issues 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 my heart and 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, 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 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 yield 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.

Own Your Life: Living with Deep Intention, Bold Faith, and Generous Love

By Sally Clarkson

In light of starting a new year, I plan to do a podcast series on how to get rid of the "junk" in your life, how to lighten your load, how to center in the most important priorities, and  create an intentional life. I will be going through the chapters of Own Your Life, the biblical principles along with new material. So dust off your copy or get one for yourself and join me for a new 12 week podcast series to inspire you from the heart out.

Interludes of Beauty Change Our Perspective

When life is extra busy and demands for your time stack up like firewood against an expected long winter ...

When pressures from without and within build greater than you think you can bear ...

When it seems there's just not enough you to meet every need ...

What's your response? Do you retreat? Lash out? Do less, in a wild effort to retain some sort of energy for yourself?

Perhaps that's not the best way. All of those are my natural reactions, too. But something Sarah said one day gave me pause. As I wrote in The Mom Walk ...

"One day, during some heavy, depleting financial issues in our family's life, I decided to get up before everyone else. I made homemade pecan-apple pancakes, lit candles, put on soothing instrumental music, and had a lovely table set when the kids and Clay arose. We all enjoyed the breakfast surprise together. After we finished, Sarah was sitting next to me on the couch. She kissed my cheek and said, 'You know, Mom, when you act happy and bring joy to our life, I feel secure and that all is well. But when you are upset and down, I feel guilty, like we have done something wrong and it makes me feel like brooding. Thanks for making the effort. I feel happy this morning.'

I realized that one of the roles God wants me to play in my children's lives is a conductor of joy, happiness, and celebration. After all, God designed our need for these things into our very hearts. We were made to enjoy life and our Creator, and we were meant to choose to live in His beauty and provision.

This doesn't mean I won't have difficulties or times of depression. But I do have choices I can make as a mom that will determine the environment in my home. When I choose to notice, every day, the beauty of my children instead of the duties my children bring my way, I am worshiping God. When I choose to notice the gorgeous sunsets and the spring flowers in the midst of busy days, I am teaching my children to dance, so to speak, through their days. When I choose to believe in the goodness of God and verbalize my love for Him, and make an effort to provide delightful food, thoughtful cards, and moments of fun, I am showing my children a God they will be willing to serve-- a God who delights in filling their deep desires for intimacy, happiness, purpose, and beauty."

 The Lord understands our weariness! And He is also able to give us the grace to deal with the stresses and personality conflicts and disappointments and burdens of life. He gives us puppies to laugh over and spicy foods to enjoy and beautiful music to delight our ears even in the midst of crazy days. Today, what loveliness can you find to share with your family, to show them the wooing grace of the Father?

On today's podcast, Kristen and I talk about the importance of beauty in our lives as a key to true rest.

Episode #124 Interludes of Beauty Change Our Perspective

Podcast: Download

Itunes:Subscribe

What we talk about:

-How embarking on new experiences requires new muscle to develop in us.

-What C.S. Lewis spoke of when he called earth "The Shadowlands"

-How to develop a vision and imagination for God that will sustain us throughout our lives.

-How do we develop a kingdom vision that will sustain us and our children in this place?

-What we believe about God and his story for our lives and his vision and story for the world and the part we play will be our foundation for the way we live each day.

-Stories of how each of us have shared the delight, enjoyment and mission of God with our children will shape their view of our family and of God. 

-Trials we have faced and how they have helped to define our character and how we have seen the way they have prepared us for even greater things.

-How we have learned to have interludes of beauty and delight with God in the midst of all our difficult circumstances.

-A story of art that captured Kristen's heart and shifted her understanding of what God saw and was doing in her life.

-The way God’s song and beauty and art awaken our hearts to Him.

- How we can encourage others through the sharing beauty and the truth of God's word. 

-The history of the Psalms and music in the church.

links

- Composer Studies at Cultivating Life With Sally

- Monet’s Regatta at Sainte Adresse

A free gift and a special offer just for Podcast Listeners!

DOWNLOAD THE CUSTOM ART PRINT BY CALLIGRAPHER RACHEL JACOBSON to accompany Kristen's new book,"Finding Selah"

Buy on Amazon

Facing A New Year with Hope and Intention... And a Request

Facing a New Year with Hope and Intention...And A Request

"Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life."Psalm 39:4

I have put one more Christmas to rest and now another year is upon me. I see more clearly, the older I get, that life is indeed a passing story where I have the opportunity to live in such a way that my story can be one of pointing to God's goodness, His faithfulness, His kingdom, His ways. But to live a story well, I must make choices every day, to live that as my integrity and love to be intentional in my commitments.

This holiday season was one of the best I remember for a while. Seems all the kids have snuck into adulthood while I was busy and they have become strong and established in their own personhood. It is sweet tasting to my heart and soul to see them love each other, prefer each other, want to be together and affirm each other in our presence. If I ever wondered that all the work of training, loving, correcting, serving my children was in vain, I now know that it made a difference--that God was indeed at work using a small vessel like me to fill and form their souls. (And yes, throughout the years of fussing and tension that existed in normal life, I didn't know they would end up such great friends--Simply amazing and wonderful--take hope!)

I just remember a moment when I said to Clay, "Are they even listening? How many times do I have to repeat something 'till they get it?"

His reply, "When did you become perfect and quit sinning? That is when they will become perfect and quit being selfish!" In other words, never!

But they are much more mature and do love each other even better than when they were little. 

Just this morning, a phone call from a grateful child and  filled my heart. "Mom, you cooked and cleaned and served a lot this Christmas--but we were all watching and it went deep into my heart. The messages you shared and the devotions we had while we were home penetrated deep places and I just wanted you to know your labor has not been in vain. I love you and appreciate you more than I ever have."

A sweet salve to my heart and an unexpected surprise after working and serving this season.

Some thoughts have bubbled up during their time at home......

Discipleship is never over.

In the midst of the busy days, I was sequestering each child by themselves to pour in vision and encouragement and words of life and exhorting, because I know more than ever how short my time is--and I know that they all have many voices in their pathways vying for attention. And so I remind them, "How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, but His delight is in the law of the Lord" and then over coffee and laughing and sharing hearts, I remind them again to seek the still small voice and the holy way above the other noises of life--and to seek to see His fingerprints and heartbeats.

Another thought is how my family fills my cup, and lives a reality that blesses me and renews my own courage and faith. I realized that I want to be strong because they believe that I am strong and continue to look at my faith as a model for their own through all the challenging times.

Sometimes when I am exhausted, like now, and have lived through a looonnnnggggg year of trials, I am tempted to compromise my ideals--just a little here and there without noticing.

But that is not His way, and I do not want to capitulate to the ways of weariness.

And so amidst serving them, I was called to a higher standard just by hearing them talk and dream and idealize--those I have served are now serving me and exhorting me to hold fast and stay the course!

And so, the next few days, I must follow the advice I gave to them, for myself. I will leave the internet, go away by myself  and be before the Lord.

What work do you have for me this year? How can I serve your purposes? What do I need to correct? How can I better serve you? Show the light of your life onto all the hidden places of my heart and let me give all of them to you.

 I want to hear Him, His voice, His priorities.

I have found over the years that many people seem to know "God's will" for me and are free with advice. But I want to hear Him, follow Him and please Him. I am feeling the rumblings in my heart to pull back further from culture and expectations of others to have more time intentionally to invest on those areas that are on His heart and to make sure I have time with real live people to be personal and focused in my love. But before I make any decisions, I must go to Him to hear His voice.

I would so appreciate the prayers of friends as I go into my vortex to seek Him, that I would be still and know that He is God, and please pray I will truly know how to follow His priorities and do what He wants, no matter what the other voices say.

And so, today, I wish you not only a happy new year, but a blessed year, a time when you can see His love and commitment to you and hear His voice of wisdom and compassion.

And along the way, may you have a lot of fun and enjoy this life He has placed into your hands.

Be blessed, my friends.

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

PS!!!!

My Dear Friends,

I am so thankful for you. So many have sent me notes of encouragement, some thoughtful Christmas cards and sweet gifts along the way. I am so grateful for the community that grows around my blog and podcast. I hope my messages have been of encouragement to you and that the podcasts help you to feel you have a real person coming along beside you in your weeks. Our team of staff prays for you and hopes to be a kindred spirit in all the ideals we cherish at Whole Heart. 

Whole Heart has been a faith ministry for over 2 decades. We exist because sweet friends like you share our messages, support our books, take part in our membership and conferences and donate to our ministry through the years. 

We would be so honored if you would consider supporting Whole Heart with the end of the year giving as it will help us reach more families with the biblical messages of shaping and building godly generations. 

Thanks for considering us as we begin a new year. 

Heartfelt blessings of His love and grace,

Sally

If you would like to see our annual letter of where we have been in 2017 as a ministry, go http://wholeheart.org/annual-report : HERE