In the Midst of the Storm, You Can Be Anchored

"for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,  being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." James 1: 6b-9

Storms Happen.

Storms of culture and of life seem to play havoc with us sometimes, as we are tossed about and blown asunder from without and within. As we look at the wild waves threatening to overcome us, panic is a natural response. Fear paralyzes.

I know so many dear freinds who are facing their own fierce storms, and I wish and hope for them to be comforted as the storms are raging.

Jesus tried to help us understand and know that this place on earth, was a place where sadness would abound. But He is with us and so compassionately cares. He cries with us, He sympathizes with us, It is why He came.

Jesus said, "In this world you will have tribulation." He never promised that this world is the place of fulfillment and bliss.

Yet, we can so easily imagine it--what would fulfill and make us happy. Why? Because we were originally designed for pleasure, love, goodness, joy. Satan would love us to think that our precious Lord has forgotten us.

But He came so that we would not feel alone.

He is in our midst. Psalm 139 tells us, "Where can I go from thy spirit? Where can I leave from thy presence? Even the darkness is not dark to thee and the night is as bright as the day."

Three things I am learning to do in the midst of my own storms.

1.  Remember and list all of the ways you have seen God's faithfulness and answers to prayer, over your lifetime. This is why our family celebrates family day. Even in the most difficult years, we could look back and see His handprints in our lives--He was always there, He was always providing. He looks upon us with compassion.

Once, as a little girl, I had double pneumonia, was gasping for breath in an oxygen tent, and feeling scared. But then, I heard a familiar sound. My father, a business man, wore wing-tip shoes, and above the noise and spew of the oxygen, I heard the stout sound of His shoes, chipping down the hall way toward my room, and my heart was immediately at ease. I thought, "Now Daddy is here. He will be sure they take good care of me. I will be okay."

And so, we need to listen for the wing-tip shoes of our heavenly Father who is coming to our rescue. He will take care of us and we will be okay, too.

2. Find a promise; hold fast to His word.

Have you ever been in the car with your children and all of them start speaking to you at once and continue speaking as though you can hear their voice above the roar? Too many voices keep us from hearing. And so the voices of the world, of fear, of what ifs, all speaking at once drown out His voice, the only one who is truth and who will bring wisdom. So, we must still our lives and sit quietly that He may speak to us.

"I will never leave you or forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you." Isaiah 43:2

Allow the Holy Spirit to comfort you and fill your heart with the peace and calm of His strength and presence. If we look to outer circumstances for our happiness and peace, we will always be defined by the limitations and battles raging in a fallen, sinful world.

3. Determine to hold fast and to be a courageous warrior in your battles.

Do not give up your legacy of a story of faith. Your children are looking to your story to give them courage in the story they yet will yet live. Hold fast, find a friend to pray with, and stand strong. Today is the day you have to proclaim His faithfulness in your own life for all generations to see. What a shame if we all gave up--there would be no stories of His strength, grace and truth.

So, find a way to stay strong. Pray every day with a friend. Fill your mind with beauty, songs, and stories of those who have gone before. Rest deep inside your heart and see His love for you.

Right in the middle of the boat, deep in the midst of the storm, Jesus was resting, sleeping, in the arms of His Father, knowing He was not alone, and understanding that His Father's strength would calm the storms.

For daily encouragement in your walk with God, please check out my newest book!

 

Give Your Children the Gift of Loving Who They Are & Podcast

IMG_3264.JPG


And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2

Play Episode on iTunes & Stitcher

Comparison is rampant in our culture. Social media has made it worse. When there were no messages flooding hearts and minds every day online, when people lived in their homes without commercials, (before television) and without the internet, they were much more likely to be content with the limitations of their lives. They did not expect to have the body of a 20 year old model or actress, or the home of the rich and famous, or the education of a Harvard graduate. They just lived within the limitations of their own culture and home.

And now, children are pushed and pulled, tested way too early, expected to perform well for the sake of the mama’s self image and developing anxiety at far too early of an age.

There was a period of 4 1/2 years when Clay and I did not make a regular salary as we were getting Whole Heart Ministries off the ground. My kids mainly played on the land where I was living with my mother-in-law!!!! But we had devotions, then read a while and they would play out on our land, build forts, run wild, dress up, imagine and pretend the stories we had just read. They were free to be who they were, to live in the grace of a childhood without the confines of cultural expectations.

Giving your child the gift of acceptance for who they were designed to be is one of the most valuable foundations you can provide. If we want our children to be able to embrace their own spiritual convictions and to be able to go against a secular culture, they must first learn to feel comfortable and confident in who they are, as they are.

I came across this blog post I had written a few years ago when several of my children were still living in and sometimes out of our home.

*******

After being away from home for 10 days for Joel’s graduation in Boston, I jumped back into real life because Nathan had joined Clay and Joel for a boys week the last few days Joy and I played. I requested that Nathan stay an extra day so that I could spend the whole day with him before he went back home.

Going out with him for a 3 hour meal was the place where dreams were shared, struggles defined, antics and stories of life were told. I learned many years ago about the importance of really focussing deeply on my children so that we could become best, heart-close friends. Nathan likes to talk, alone, focussed and about everything. He likes to be heard and understood.

And so today, we honored our friendship that had been built from hundreds of hours of doing this together in his young life.

As a mother, mentor I have had to learn to study each child--figure out what they were created to do with their lives, how God made them, what inspired them, what irritated them, what caused them to listen to my teachings about God. In figuring out their hearts, I could fill in their felt needs and be a source of influence in their lives.

Most mamas are taught formulas: treat all children the same, give them the rules, expect them to fit. But God did not make them to fit in conveniently to our expectations of what a person should be. Yet, as a very “out of the box” woman, I knew that my children didn’t need the poison of comparison, but the grace to fully develop into mature individuals within the context of their personalities.

Sarah is a dreamer, introvert, deeply idealistic and artistic about life and a woman of profound and beautiful words.

Joel is also introverted, also idealistic, but a crafter of designs—as a little boy lego cities, now a photographer, writer, composer, a creative.

Nathan is my passionate extravert, lover of life, pretender with costumes, actor, filled to the brim with ideas, thoughts, and needs to express them, very intuitive about life, stories, messages.

Joy is is charming, hysterically funny, spiritual, academic, extravert, driven to action, teacher and confident from the get go.

Two quiet, two verbal processors, but all wonderful. And giving them the gift of affirmation for who God gave them to be helped them to move into their worlds more confident of what story they would play in their world.

Nathan and I wrote this book with the hope that we could help mamas share pictures that would stick in their children’s minds of how very wonderful it is to be unique, a one of a kind design from the hands of God. I hope you will read this to your children, engage them in who they feel they are in the pictures and tell them how much you love them just as they are.

Get your copy today.

GJDtriJHQSu3jKJgXr7kUA.jpg

Books Referenced in this Podcast:

FOR MORE

  • Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

  • Leave an iTunes Review These are so important as they help our podcast reach more women with messages of encouragement.

  • Follow on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and updates.

  • Share with others. My prayer is that this podcast brings encouragement to women and families, and I would be honored for you to tell others about it.

  • Join my friends and me in membership at Life with Sally, a place for me to share more teaching from the Bible and messages on education, motherhood, discipleship, and more!

Cultivating Beauty to Nurture Hope MHM3 & Podcast

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.

John Muir

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. Ecclesiastes 3:11, ESV

Play Episode on iTunes & Stitcher

Women long for ideals, beauty, and goodness in the depths of their souls as a consequence of God’s elegant design. Intuitively, we all sense there is a better way, a better place. A sense of justice tells us in our hearts that life should be fair, because we were created for a perfect world filled with the virtues of God’s character. These shadows of a long-lost reality lead us to hope for heaven, that place where we will not be disappointed.

Our deep longings become a platform for our hope in God. We sense there is something more that we were made for. If we can imagine fulfillment, deep, unconditional love, and long for the ‘more” that wrestles inside of us, we can assume it was because God made us for more.

Jesus’ disciples depended on this hope, authentic to them because they had experienced Jesus face to face, the one who healed, served thousands, walked on water, washed their feet. They knew their hope was founded on reality. Their sure hope of heaven gave them joy in this world.

Many years ago during a time of testing, I renewed a promise to God that I would trust Him. In light of my commitment, I would act in faith, believing that what I had learned from Scripture was true. Redoubling my efforts to give God the chance to speak to me as often as possible, I disciplined my life to have quiet times almost every day. Sometimes the quiet times would be full and fruitful; sometimes they were extremely short and empty; sometimes I was dull and dead inside. But over many years I learned to turn over my worries and fears, one by one, to God and leave them there with Him.

One of the most important parts of my day is the time I set aside for prayer, reading, and pondering God’s Word. Have you found a special time to set aside specifically to quiet your heart before the Lord? If not, may I encourage you to do so? It’s the best investment you will ever make.

Printables:

SC Ecc 3_11.png

Books Referenced in this Podcast:

 

More Resources:

FOR MORE

  • Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

  • Leave an iTunes Review These are so important as they help our podcast reach more women with messages of encouragement.

  • Follow on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and updates.

  • Share with others. My prayer is that this podcast brings encouragement to women and families, and I would be honored for you to tell others about it.

  • Join my friends and me in membership at Life with Sally, a place for me to share more teaching from the Bible and messages on education, motherhood, discipleship, and more!

AHWS Poster.jpg

What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

The Spirit of God living, working, breathing in and through the life of a women will always be producing new fruit.

I see so many women planning the school year for their children--what they will study, what they will read or what lessons they will take or activities they will engage in. But as women who walk with God, we are all teachers and leaders. What is deep within our soul is what others will draw out when they are around us.

A wise woman will always be growing, learning, stretching. Now there are seasons when just surviving seems to be the way of life. Yet, I have seen, that I must be responsible for my own life and that means planning and incorporating wisdom as a part of my every day--reading books and articles that stretch me in the direction of excellence. Feeding my soul on scripture, on writers who stimulate me to love God, to serve others, biographies that inspire me is what gives me ideas to discuss, thoughts to lead my heart and wisdom to share. It does not come from a vacuum--we must invest in what we hope to become. What we sow we will reap.

Joy and I were at one of my conferences, years ago, lying under the stars on some lounge chairs.

I had a lovely conversation with her about cultivating her soul, and me wanting always to be cultivating the garden of my own soul--what I would plant there, and what I needed to pluck out (sin, bad attitudes, etc.) in order to be sure my heart was always growing more into the person I wanted to be--when  I grow up into His likeness.

What Will Characterize Your Life?

So each of us came up with 5 attributes that we both wanted to be and grow into. The list was different for each of us. So I will pose this question to you, too. What five attributes do you want to characterize your life?

Mine are:

1. I want to be a person who is characterized by Biblical, generous love--to all people in all situations as much as possible.

2. I want to always lean in the direction of faith at every curve in my path--to believe in Him, always, and honor him with a heart of faith.

3. I want to leave a legacy of truth, wisdom, and righteousness through teaching and writing and speaking, that others may know and love Him more because I was intentional in their lives.

4. I want to be humble, gentle, and gracious--redeeming the lost, healing the broken-hearted, and bringing this spirit into my relationships.

5. Taking initiative to serve and reach out to others and being faithful to be a servant-leader is an aspiration of mine--to be as Jesus was.

So, what do you want to be when you grow up?

Whatever grid you establish in your mind is how you will live and how you will invest. I am praying that each of you will be inspired to live in the excellencies of His Spirit who is stirring inside of you.

The Legacy of Quiet Times From Mom Heart Moments & Podcast

coffeemorningchair.jpg

Play Episode on iTunes & Stitcher

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.

Psalm 1:1-2

The morning light peeked into my window and woke me earlier than usual. I gingerly tiptoed out of our bedroom and tried to close the door as noiselessly as possible, heading down the stairs and into the kitchen. I filled the electric kettle with fresh water and turned on the switch, then rummaged through drawers, where I finally found a box with one match left so I could light two small candles. Somehow when I establish a serene, adult atmosphere, my heart aligns with the surroundings.

I sat down in the chair I’d bought years before, where countless sacred hours of life-changing proportions had been celebrated. I always kept a basketful of books next to my chair, so that I could feed my mind with devotional thoughts of writers from various places and times. My beloved, worn, red-leather Bible was in the basket, too, along with a couple of favorite journals where I recorded what I was learning and feel- ing, what Scripture I was praying, and any thoughts that came to mind.

Just as I was preparing this blog, I received a text message from my daughter, Joy.

Mama, I wrote a blog post about you today. It is from me to you, from my heart to yours. Hope you like it.

There is an image in my mind which was planted in the earliest dawn of my memory, and which I hope will remain with me into the twilight of old age. It is of my mother reading her Bible. She sits enthroned on her overstuffed blue chair, ensconced in a soft red bath robe, bathed in the cool light of morning. A cup of coffee sends writhing wisps of steam into the air from its precarious perch on the arm of her chair. Her Bible lies open on her lap, the well-loved pages threatening to make a desperate bid for freedom from the sagging binding. She reads, she prays, she smiles at me as I patter into her quotidian sanctuary. 

From a young age, I knew that when I thirsted for wisdom, I could go to my mother because her well was deep, dug over many years of patiently pouring over Scripture. This early lesson has been an important one for me as I have sought to live wisely myself. Our world is famished for wisdom, hungry in the depths of our souls. While the price of information is very low these days, proffered through every search engine and flickering phone screen, the price of wisdom is high. Three women have taught me how to search for wisdom: my mother, and Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly from the book of Proverbs. These three have taught me that if I want the kind of wisdom that nourishes and satisfies the soul, I must first be willing to put in the necessary preparation. I must invest deeply in Scripture. When we do, we’ll be nourished by the feast of wisdom there—and be able to offer it to others.

As I began yet another time of study, I was vitally aware of the legacy of these morning times. I had invested literally thousands of hours at the feet of my greatest professor and teacher, Jesus. His words had made the difference between a wasted life and one focused strategically on the issues of eternity. This time was where I received His strength, wisdom, and direction for all the moments of my life—as a woman, wife, mom, daughter, and believer—here Christ had met me daily, shown me His path and His ways, and assured me of His constant companionship.

And Joy finished her article with this:

I return to the memory of my mother in her blue armchair. In my little girl heart, I knew something significant happened in those early mornings. As an adult I understand the power of my mother’s ritual. If we want to be worthy to call out to fools at the city gate, we must first be willing to sit every morning in a blue arm chair searching the pages of Scripture with an attentive heart. The silence of a chosen quiet time may feel strange in contrast to the raucous discord of the world, whose voices are always contending for who can seem most clever and relevant. But the richness of this silence will not disappoint. My mother quietly cultivated a heart of wisdom, rooted in Scripture, and purified through prayer. Like Lady Wisdom, she was preparing a feast, ready to welcome the foolish and those who wanted to be wise, calling them in to a well laid table and a satisfying feast of wisdom.

Here is the rest of the article: The Feast of Lady Wisdom

Are there any changes you need to make in your life to ensure that you have time to study God’s Word?

Printable:

SC Romans 12.png

Books Referenced in this Podcast:

More Resources:

FOR MORE

  • Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

  • Leave an iTunes Review These are so important as they help our podcast reach more women with messages of encouragement.

  • Follow on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and updates.

  • Share with others. My prayer is that this podcast brings encouragement to women and families, and I would be honored for you to tell others about it.

  • Join my friends and me in membership at Life with Sally, a place for me to share more teaching from the Bible and messages on education, motherhood, discipleship, and more!

AHWS Poster.jpg

(MH Moments #1) Have You Accepted Your Invitation? Mom Heart Moments

Play Episode on iTunes & Stitcher

When I set the table for Father's Day, birthdays, Thanksgiving, or any event of celebration in my home, I see myself as sort of a spirit of creativity. I choose the china I will use, bake the meals and breads favorite to the person being celebrated, and lay the table to be colorful, beautiful, and a proper celebration of the person being honored. I have put so much time, thought, work and attention into these celebrations over the years because of the deep love I hold in my heart for my beloved husband and children and friends. It is a physical expression of my love and delight in them.

I would be so disappointed if, after I planned such a meal or celebration and had done all of the work and put on the finishing touches, no one ever came to the meal and actually sat down to partake of it. I create the beauty to show my love, and also to show a part of my own soul in crafting a place of warm fellowship and feasting.

Yesterday, the Lord prepared a party for me.  I felt like He was impressing on my heart that I needed to stop the stress and busyness, to pay attention to Him for just a little bit to have my perspective on the right things. And so I changed my plans for the day. I quickly decided to make time to be conscious of His presence, to notice the moment, the day and to breathe in His peace. I almost didn't go, because I had planned busy-ness and duties for the hours of my day. But, something deep inside spoke to me of His invitation, and so I put everything else aside and drove to the party where He was graciously waiting for me. I am so glad I showed up, as He had prepared so very much for me to enjoy. I would have missed out on so much, had I ignored the invitation.  His decor was exquisite, His design, breath-taking. I sat at His table and looked out over what He had crafted for me to enjoy.

The gentle music of wind whispering amongst the aspen trees, ruffling their glorious gold across the mountain side and the leaves shivering with the rhythm of life all around, the birds singing with all their hearts, nature crying out, filled my ears with delight and my soul with rest, comfort, assurance, and awe that comes from such beautiful music.

I played amongst the trees, and drank in the sun. Pleasure abounded in my day as I a picnic-ed with Him on the side of a cliff,  gloried in my my sugar crisp apples, roasted pecans and strong organic English Cheddar- tastes beyond compare, which He created for me to enjoy. What a feast, a deep therapy to my thirsty soul and an unforgettable memory made with my Father who had prepared so much.

My heart was joyful and I was hesitant to leave the party, but I realized I felt His love so much more deeply than when I had awakened to face the responsibilities of another day, that morning. Being at His party had changed everything.

As so few people attended the grand event, and my sweet friend and I celebrated almost by ourselves at His banquet table, I wondered … where are all the others He invited? I hope He was not disappointed, since He had gone to so much trouble to prepare the celebration for our pleasure.

I am so glad I said yes.

Have you RSVP-d to your invitation yet? You will not regret it!

Printable:

SC Psalm 46.png

Books Referenced in this Podcast:

More Resources:

FOR MORE

  • Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

  • Leave an iTunes Review These are so important as they help our podcast reach more women with messages of encouragement.

  • Follow on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and updates.

  • Share with others. My prayer is that this podcast brings encouragement to women and families, and I would be honored for you to tell others about it.

  • Join my friends and me in membership at Life with Sally, a place for me to share more teaching from the Bible and messages on education, motherhood, discipleship, and more!

What Cross Have You Been Asked to Bear?

isaac-mehegan-sVRSQNPJMq4-unsplash.jpg

And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.  For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?

Luke 9:23-25



Before I went to bed the night of my birthday, I opened my little devotional to read one last verse to end my day in worship of Him. I have commited to think of my birthday as a marking of what I have lived and what I will commit to live for Him in the next year. My heart was soft, and I told Him I wanted to hear His voice, His will, to please Him in every way. Then I read:

"Take up your cross and follow me,"

These words and the following seemed to burn into my heart.

I am somewhat of a Pollyanna at heart, and love for everyone to be happy and all living in harmony with each other. However, God has not allowed that to be my story. I have many conflicts that it seems will never resolve, challenges, issues, stresses that come from being in a fallen world. Most I will never write about or speak of, because I so believe in loyalty and discretion when it comes to people in my personal life.

Many of these anguishing difficulties, I have had to bear for many years, waiting for God's answer to my prayers.

But this moment , in the darkness of night, with only Him and me talking, I realized that these "crosses to bear" are the ones my heavenly Father wants me to bear. My cross of the pain of my heart is just the place that He wants me to trust, to worship, to accept the limitations, as a part of the story of my life that can glorify Him if I am willing to bear it joyfully, right where I am.

If I carry these, bear them up, accept them, I will be pleasing in my heart to my only Love--accepting His will for me with grace and resolve to live there. "Not my will, but yours be done." Total submission to what is.

My Christian life cannot be, "I am yours, but I know you will let me whine and complain about this particular issue or person because it is hard for me."

Yet, a new realization came across me that evening; that these crosses are what He wants me to pick up and carry--they are a part of my purpose in this world--that somehow when I carry them as a gift, as His will, I can better reflect His glory, His supernatural peace, His love and His grace to sustain me.

So, what cross is He asking you to bear by faith, and as a point of worship to Him? Is it a troubled child? A difficult marriage? Irrational or angry or passive family members? An illness? A death? A disappointment? It is only as we pick up our crosses and carry them to the place of dying to ourselves and living for Him, in every circumstance, that we will live in freedom, grace, love and worship.

What cross will you carry, for His glory, today?

I am committing to accept my cross, to take the load with a grateful heart, that He who sees me each day and has goodwill towards me, knows that this cross, my cross, is just what I need to suit my soul and heart for His kingdom.

Be sure to find my newest book, Mom Heart Moments, and preorder it now!


Stories, Music, and Shaping the Imagination of Your Child - With Joel Clarkson

fullsizeoutput_41ea.jpeg

Play Episode on iTunes & Stitcher

Snow swept the pines and peaks out the windows of our Colorado home, but we were warm round our fire inside, about to use the wintry storm as an excuse to take the afternoon for one of our favorite activities: reading aloud. That day, we were deep into a reread of Narnia, imaginations alight with fauns and lions and dancing trees. We sprawled on couch and floor, or curled in a blanket by the fireside, sketchbooks in hand, hot chocolate nearby, and together we formed both soul and mind by the power of the beautiful stories we read.

A significant factor in how story shapes children is that it allows them to imagine who they might become. Stories give children the opportunity to enter into a world in which their unique capacities can grow and gain substance. Children play and imagine so that they can experiment with what it means to develop their sense of themselves, in all their singular beauty. In other words, story helps them break out of the mold by giving them a space in which to imagine what they themselves might become someday.

In Only You can be You, Nathan and I tried to put our own imaginations to the task of some of the vast landscape of how different children might see themselves. We wanted to give them both an imaginative world, and a dynamic vocabulary to describe their own special perspective of how they fit in with others around them, to recognize the way in which they are valuable for exactly what they bring in their own right. Children should not feel pressure to conforming to a particular mold of what they ought to be, but rather imagining what they might be in the power of their own sense of self.

Confidence comes from that sense of one’s own awareness of who they are and their value to the world at large. Stories give them validation to affirm the things that they feel, and that affirmation of their inner emotional sense gives them the ability to feel at peace with who they are amongst the many voices they will receive in their world.

Another reason we wrote this book is that

children need to imagine who they are and how they fit into the world—

We give them words that speak to their hearts and imagination of what they enjoy, love and who they will become in the many pictures of different children through the pages. This book want them to imagine themselves and their siblings and friends fit together in the whole beautiful world.

In our family, we talk about stories, books all the time from morning till night. Clarksons and books go together. You can’t really have one without the other, and our home is a place crammed with the books we loved. The shared stories of our home, the evenings of read aloud, the picture books we all first knew, have a power to create both camaraderie and identity that I delight in to this day. 

Camaraderie first: I have often pondered the special power, the heightened delight of stories when they are shared. In the same way that a week’s visit at a friend’s home brings you closer than any number of coffee dates or bump-ins at church, the sharing of a story accelerates the comradeship of souls. 

When people inhabit a realm of imagination together, it is inevitable that a bit of their own imagination and spirit are revealed to the others who sojourn with them in that marvelous place. 

I think I am especially aware of this because of the way that stories have helped our family be close to one another, shaping our history, our memories, even the language we use to talk about life to this day.

When I think back over my childhood of our children, I realize that many of my favorite memories come from the sharing of stories.

Join Joel and me as we talk about these things, about how music and story melded together to shape his imagination. Learn how you might be able to have Joel’s artistic music and photos and readings be a blessing to you and your family. And, of course, get your own copy of my new children’s book!

Books and Music Referenced in this Podcast:

Be sure to buy a copy of these books! I hope you will love them!!!

Support your local author! :)

You can find all things Joel on his music below at Storybook Soundscapes, and on Instagram@ Joel.i.clarkson,

Join Joel’s Patreon and receive photographs, music, readings and more: www.patreon.com/joelclarkson

Printables:

SC OYCBY Coloring Page.png

More Resources:

FOR MORE

  • Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

  • Leave an iTunes Review These are so important as they help our podcast reach more women with messages of encouragement.

  • Follow on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and updates.

  • Share with others. My prayer is that this podcast brings encouragement to women and families, and I would be honored for you to tell others about it.

  • Join my friends and me in membership at Life with Sally, a place for me to share more teaching from the Bible and messages on education, motherhood, discipleship, and more!

The Music of God: Dancing with my Heavenly Father 10 and Podcast

Play Episode on iTunes & Stitcher

I have always been a romanticist. Perhaps most women are. I love the stories of the prince coming on his white horse to rescue his fair princess. The two fall deeply in love, get married, rule over their kingdom together, and live happily ever after. As a young girl, my heart filled with anticipation and excitement as I dreamed about my own prince coming for me someday.

In all of these stories, the princess engages her heart to her prince, and she follows him in utter devotion. These longings and dreams are so universal throughout history and through every culture that it must be a pattern for what we were created to experience in the beginning, before the fall of man. In other words these stories are a remnant of what God originally created life to be. I think each woman was made to be loved deeply and to feel connected to another with whom she can partner in life and make a mark. We were made for love and to have meaning in our lives.

In a fallen world, where sin, death, and darkness have marred and hidden so many truths that God originally created us to know, we must look for the original patterns and follow diligently after them. I believe the reason so many are captivated by epic stories is because we were made to be a part of great adventure, divine beauty, and magnificent love. In contemporary life, fans are captivated by movies like The Lord of the Rings; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Star Wars; and many more in which good and evil battle for the soul and well-being of a kingdom or people. These stories satisfy a deep place in our hearts, as the protagonists or heroes fight with all their might against evil and great odds and ultimately conquer. The ends of these stories give hope and a pattern of heroism for those of us who long to be part of a grand adventure, who long to live courageously.

Yet these are merely shadows of the biggest and truest epic narrative. The story begins with a great king, our Creator, who made us for his pleasure, giving us a beautiful kingdom in which to live, love, and enjoy life. But a wicked enemy, Satan, comes along, jealously wanting to undermine the loyalty of the King's own children. He deceives them with lies about their King and captures their allegiance. He takes them to his kingdom of darkness to serve him. Yet the righteous King, being noble and perfect in his love, does everything in his power to win back and redeem his lost children—to retrieve them from a kingdom of darkness and bring them home to the kingdom of light, for which they were created. Doing so costs the King the life of his Son, but no sacrifice is too great to bring his children back into his realm.

And so the greatest Prince, Jesus, gave himself so that we might live again with the King. But this noble Prince had power even over death, from a brutal death to celebrate life and be with his beloved children for all eternity.

If we really believed and understood that this is the true story of our lives, then we would look with hope, courage, and deep devotion for the day when all of us will be rescued from this realm of darkness and be restored into his presence. We would also understand that our part in the battle is strategic. Each of as has the ability to bring light, love, beauty, and his presence into every place we go. The interesting thing is that this kingdom of light, though invisible and mysterious and somewhat hidden in this world, already exists today in the spiritual realm. And our King, who is ultimately going to redeem us, is alive and active in our lives and in this world today.

Printables:

SC Fill our Minds.png
SC Van Dyke Quote.png

Books Referenced in this Podcast:

 
 
 
 
 

More Resources:

FOR MORE

  • Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

  • Leave an iTunes Review These are so important as they help our podcast reach more women with messages of encouragement.

  • Follow on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and updates.

  • Share with others. My prayer is that this podcast brings encouragement to women and families, and I would be honored for you to tell others about it.

  • Join my friends and me in membership at Life with Sally, a place for me to share more teaching from the Bible and messages on education, motherhood, discipleship, and more!

Choose Your Friends Carefully, For You Will Be Like Them.

priscilla-du-preez-4BABC9tmbjc-unsplash.jpg

"Tell me what company thou keepst, and I'll tell thee what thou art."

- Miguel de Cervantes (1547 - 1616) Spanish novelist.

There is a smile on my face and a happiness shining in my soul. I will be celebrating life with a true jewel of a friend this morning on her flowered porch, and I already know that china tea cups, fruit, candles, and love will be waiting for me. Even last night I was already excited.

Finding a true friend is a treasure--whenever I am with her, my love for God grows, my personal heart is affirmed, hope shines its light on my dreams, and my emotional cup is filled.

Many years ago, I remember an author discussing how important it is to be around those who walk with God. And so, I made this commitment and wrote it in a life journal:  "Invest time with friends who build you up in all the areas of your ideals as often as possible. Cultivate them, affirm them, love them, invest in them. Spend as little time with critical people, those who gossip, those who doubt and are always negative and drain your soul. You can only have so many drainers in your life at once."

And so, I have sought out friends who are loyal and walk with God. I don't get to see them often enough, but I do make anchors in my schedule for them because I need them. I invite them to my home, they invite me to theirs. It is a lifeline that has kept me holding on to ideals.

I also know that I must own responsibility for the refreshment and restoration for my own soul, as it is constantly being depleted on a regular basis--I am only happy and able to cope when I put back what has been taken away. Fun, beauty, pleasure is a wise investment for those whose life demands a lot.

And so, I am dressed up, made up, feel like a little girl going to a tea party--and that is really exactly what I am doing. I am going for a visit to my treasured friend. I will think about all the responsibilities later, as I know they will still be there. But this strategic meeting will keep me for faithful in the long run.

If you would like to be encouraged and inspired and helped in remembering to seek out new friends who can really sustain you, I think you would really like reading my daughter’s and my book, Girl’s Club. Fill your heart today. :)