Do Not Fear, For I Am With You & Podcast

Christ-church Meadow, Oxford, my place of peace, as I off load anxious thoughts for Him to carry.

Do not fear, for I am with you! Do not anxiously look about you,  For I am your God! I will strengthen you, I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  

Isaiah 41: 10

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Fear, weariness, concern, cynicism, frustration seems to define the mood and emotions of many today. We hear of war and violence, corona virus, financial crisis, devastating storms and tornadoes, moral collapse amongst youth, a loss of faith for many young adults, and we are tempted to tremble in our boots, or to be filled with despair.

Yet, scripture speaks to us over and over again about God’s desire to protect us, to be present with us, to respond to our prayers, to crush the wicked. Over 80 times in scripture we read, “Fear Not!” and the verse above is one of my favorite “fear not” verses that I learned when I was a very young believer.

Ponder it:

Fear not because He is with us—companioning us, walking beside us, with His eye on us

Do not anxiously look about you—don’t put your eyes on the circumstances of life that threaten us, remember, He is our God.

I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

God wants us to live in peace because He cares for us, is with us, will guide us, will hold us in His hands.

Many years ago, we had lunch with some of our very dearest friends and they related to us a story. A sweet young couple had decided to kayak from Maine down to Florida. They planned their trip, got sponsors to support them, and blogged and wrote about their trip. With all of the seasons and storms, it took them a year to finish their trip. 

Storms of great magnitude arose amidst their journey, and would send the waves crashing all around them. Often the rain would pelt continuously on their weary bodies and soak them to the bone. Discouragement would overwhelm them and they would think, "Why did we undertake this? We will never finish. It is too difficult. No one can do it!"

One time, however, in the midst of one such storm, they made a pact with each other.

"We will never make a decision to quit when we are in the midst of a rain storm." 

A simple, but profound commitment. I decided that this was a statement worth following. 

So many dear friends are surrounded by storms in their lives right now--economic, illness, weariness, loneliness, no support systems or anyone to help; difficult marriages, prodigal children, fear of the future, despair because of the times we are in, ......... The list goes on and on. 

I have been through so many storms in my own life when I felt I could not go on---trials and tribulations living as a young single woman in Communist Countries with oppression and atrocities abounding. Three out of 4 children asthmatics with constant illness and emergency room situations; 17 moves and loneliness; 4 children to homeschool and very few or no support systems over the years and years of exhaustion; stress in finances, ministry, marriage, "giants" within our family that caused great difficulty and despair, about which I may never write, because I believe in honor and loyalty in family relationships.

Often, I would think, "I cannot go on. My circumstances will turn out for the worst. There is no hope. Where has God gone."

And yet, somehow, God would always lead me to take one more step, to seek to be faithful one day at a time. And the days mounted and mattered.

And yet, it is in the midst of the storms of life, that our faith is most precious. It is in these times when we can say to Satan, "You would have me fear, but I choose to believe in the goodness of God and in His provision."

I love the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Nebuchadnezzar had commanded them to bow down to the serve his idols and to worship them. The three godly men refused to bow down to his gods. The king then said that he would throw them into the fiery furnace and there would be no one to deliver them. 

This is the threat of Satan, "There will be no one to deliver you." 

Yet, their response is what I desire to be the response of my own heart,

"Our God whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire, ..., but even if He does not, let it be known to you, Oh king, that we are not going to serve your gods." Daniel 3 gives the story.

Of course the result is that the great king found out who was really God and made a proclamation to the whole land of God's greatness and never ending kingdom.

We are told very clearly in scripture that difficult times will come. We know from the warnings of scripture that at the end of the times, earthquakes will increase--and so they have. We know that many Christians will be persecuted all over the world. Great economic troubles, shaking our foundations as we know them, have been predicted  and are coming true before our eyes. That as Paul has told us, immorality and wickedness and godlessness will be rampant. We know from Revelation that, Satan, knowing his time is short, is pouring out great wrath. (Revelation 12:13)

This, then, could from God's eyes of history, be one of the finest hours for Christians to stay true, to be faithful until the end, to endure hardship, to rejoice in His reality, to live by faith, "assurance of things hoped for, convictions of things not seen."

When I was working in Communist countries many years ago, where there were constant persecutions and imprisonments, I was so surprised to see the fervor of so many Christians in their worship of God and their delight in His reality, their praise of Him in music was heavenly. I asked an old woman about it and she said to me, "You Americans have had so much heaven on earth, that you have not known what it is to long for and hope for the heavenly Kingdom of God, where righteousness will rule, where our real longings will be satisfied, and we will see our precious Lord face to face." 

And so, when our hearts are surrounded with fear and discouragement in the storms of life, let us look to the face of Jesus, our king, our savior and our Lord. He is with us. He will not abandon us. He will carry us through. Today is the best time, to believe, to hold fast, to worship by faith and to rest in His strength.

He is coming. We don not know when, but  if He has seen fit to "born" us into these times, then these times are the best place where we have the opportunity to live our story of faith, which will be a testimony for eternity, that He is our trustworthy God.

You Are A Picture of Holiness To Your Children & Podcast

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One windy day, I was on a walk with Lilian, my sweet almost two year old toddling companion. As we were crossing a church yard near her home, on the way to buy a few groceries, I said, “Why don’t we go into this church for a few minutes and see what it is like inside.

I had read that the church was established in the late 1085 and I knew it would be a sight to behold.

As we held hands and walked into the sanctuary, little Lily, very confidently and purposefully toddler-marched up to the altar, knelt and held her little hands toward the cross hanging by the vibrant, glowing stain glass that had captured the imagination of believers for hundreds of years.

In a flash, I realized that her mama and daddy had held her many times in their arms, had gone up to the altar for communion and prayer and blessing, and had whispered of God’s deep love for her. They pointed to the cross and the window and said, “Because we love Him, we worship and bow our knee before him each week.”

From the many times this sacred act had been performed in her young life, Lilian knew that she had a place at the altar of her beloved Christ. She knew, already, even though she could not fully understand, that it was right to lift our hands to Him. And so she led me to the front, without. thought, and did what was her habit.

Young children are watching, imitating, learning from us every moment of their early life. The attitude we have when we change diapers, the way we talk to our friends, neighbors, husbands, becomes their models for how to speak to others, whether or not we value other human beings.

You are the picture of holiness where your child will learn to be Holy—set apart for God’s purposes.

What you practice every day is the message your little ones are inhaling into the recesses of their hearts and minds. The ways you pray, worship God become for them a pattern of stability, security, grace and peace.

“This is what our family does. We worship together. We pray together. We love to be quiet and still in the peaceful beauty of church. I am a part of the life we practice together here.”

It is in the secret places of your life, the way you live when you may think no one is noticing where the shaping of values, worship, reverence are being learned.

It is the times when you are alone in your bedroom, that holiness is determined. You have to be the one who decides priorities, commitments, faith, your choices, your actions.

And in the quiet moments of your life, God is with you in that place and God is writing faith on the heart of those watching you have faith. When we choose to seek Him every day and arrange our lives so that we can hear from Him and read His word, He sees and blesses—and our children also see and store it up in their hearts.. No one else really knows our personal integrity, but God who sees in secret, and our children who are with us all the time, will see. When we seek to turn the moments of our lives towards Him, we are not by ourselves, the Holy Spirit is present, taking the sacrifice of our fragile lives and making it into a beautiful story of faith in the hearts, minds and lives of those who are watching us every day..

It is a lifetime of taking one holy step at a time, day by day, moment by moment, choice by choice, that gives one a "set apart" life. It is the secret life, not the public life, that creates this eternal service of worship. Yet, after years of such holy choosing, the spirit of Christ reflects more and more so that all who come to the soul of one so committed will be fed  and such a soul will naturally produce what it has been sowing and it will ultimately give and pour out Him.

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Why Embrace Biblical Motherhood? & Podcast

Mothering generations together, for His glory and to bring HIs light, His truth into the faith legacy of the next generation.

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As I look into the soft blue eyes of my precious Sarah, as she is softly singing to baby Samuel and kissing his cheek, I am deeply touched by the beauty I never knew I would see or the deep joy I would experience. I couldn’t have known when I was a young mama the miracle of watching each of my children as adults fulfilling their destinies and callings in such deep and meaningful ways. When they were tiny babies, my eyes could not see that far or understand the mystery and grace ahead for me.

I never knew how much I would love being a mother. Now that my children are adults, I realize that they are truly, (next to Clay) the best companions, loving friends, inspiring mentors I have. It is a privilege to serve them, be their confidante, pray for them, spend time together, because they have given so generously to me.

Sarah and I have just spent 3 weeks together as she mothered her own precious newborn, Samuel, and delightful and very engaged, Lilian! And I got to come along to love and support her. We were talking about how people always say that some women have “Daddy” issues because of not having a good father. But what about “mother” issues.

A mother is created to be a support, a thoughtful friend, a best companion, a spiritual mentor, one who celebrates, encourages, and loves unconditionally through all the seasons. We all need a very present mama and it is a loss when we lose such a mother or have never had one. Motherhood is part of the glue that holds civility, grace and the world together.

Motherhood was designed by God to be a role of honor, sacred, to help keep His purposes alive in the world. We must remember that to be a mother who serves God is not simply a choice but a mandate.

Why do I embrace the call of motherhood? Why do I think it is a worthy call to love, serve and embrace our children?

When we become Christians, we commit our lives to the Lord and say, "I will serve you. I will love you. I will do anything for you!"

And so, God says, "Children are a blessing, the fruit of the womb is a reward."

And so we treat this bundle of children as a blessing and receive them as a reward from his hand, by faith and worship of HIm.

His best and perfect will is for us to cherish, protect and nurture what He has called a gift.

In Genesis 1, when He blessed Adam and Eve, He called out to that blessing, "Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth."

Before the fall, when the world was perfect, God’s blessings and holy mandate was to “Be fruitful and multiply.”—to have children was an organic, loving, natural design imagined by God at the beginning of creation.

To worship Him well means we are to embrace as good and as a blessing what he called good and blessed.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 reminds us,  “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

If we are mothers yet we resist the call of motherhood, the call to spiritually shape the foundations, heart and faith of our children, then we resist God, as He designed it to be eternally significant and meaningful. We cannot say we will love and serve God and then refuse to see our children as a ministry from Him.

All babies come into the world fragile, in need of comfort, love, food, protection, and learning life from the hands of the mom and dad who gave them life. Since God created them so, we have the opportunity to imprint their brains with impressions of what love is like when we caress them and embrace them and sing to them, so their little brains will believe, when they understand words, that God truly is a loving Creator. When we provide rest and comfort and verbal stimulation by talking to them, we are preparing their little brains with pathways of intelligence so that they can understand words and eventually truth and so on.

If God made babies this way, then it is God's will for us to embrace our opportunity to effect eternity by loving, cherishing, serving the ones God gave to us as gifts, whose lives will have implications for all of eternity. Our children, then, are not an interruption, but God's best plan for us to come to understand His own servant leadership, to see that He has placed in our hands the opportunity to be a part of shaping a mind, soul and body.

And so we embrace motherhood with our whole heart because it is an abundantly beautiful way we get to worship and serve Him, but accepting these little, fragile, innocent, waiting for our open arms, babes.. We cannot say we love and serve Him and then reject that gift that He has placed into our hands.

When mothers love well and hold up spiritual ideals as a foundation for life, it is a defense against the draw and appeal of a secular godless culture. Every act of generosity and kindness is laying one more brick to build a house of faith for each child, each person living in the context of your lifegiving acts of kindness. It is not the big or monetarily expensive investments of our lives that build godly children, but the daily, small acts of giving and serving that sinks into their hearts.

“As it is, after eighteen years, (now 36 years) of learning the truth of living sacrificially, I have found that embracing God’s call to motherhood once and for all has brought me great peace. Instead of seeing fusses and messes as irritations in my day, for instance, I am more likely to see them as opportunities to train my children to be peacemakers and to learn to be responsible for their own messes. Instead of resenting the interruptions in my schedule, I am more likely to accept them as divine appointments. More and more, I have learned to see my children through the eyes of God and to accept the stages of growth through which he has designed them to grow.” Sally Clarkson, from Mission of Motherhood

So, I am praying for God to give sweet mothers a love for their children and a heart for their calling. Grace and peace in the midst of your sweet ones today.

Printable:

Print the notecard below, and write a note of encouragement or gratitude to your child.

Books Referenced in this Podcast:

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• 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!

Feeling Hidden or Lost Today?

"Where can I go from thy spirit or where can I flee from thy presence? Even the darkness is not dark to thee and the night is as bright as the day."

~Psalm 139

Precious is the moment when a child confidently proclaims, "I'll bet you can't find me!" from behind a curtain, under a bed, or beyond a half-closed door, while his feet or body are conspicuously sticking out. We pretend, for the sake of the child's innocent heart, that we cannot see him and say, "Where could Johnny be? I can't find him anywhere!?"

Snickers and giggles abound as we look high and low while we are perfectly aware we are so very near to the beloved child.

God, too, allows us to play at life, to seek to grow and explore and exercise our limited human authority to bring about our goals and purposes in life and expound on our own prowess.

As I look back on the heartbreaks, the times of real panic attacks, fear, discouragement, I had only one way forward—to trust Him, to give my burdens into His hands, to seek to take one more step in the direction of what I found to be true in scripture. So many times, I felt hidden, I felt unseen and wondered if my daily investment in my children and home even mattered.

Yet, I was taught early in my walk with Christ, to choose to believe in His faithfulness and to walk by faith and to pray to Him. I look back now and see that He was indeed taking me on the path that led to truth, fruitfulness, blessing. His word guided me. His faithfulness came through in ways I couldn’t see at the time.

You see, even though my way felt dark, the Psalm tells us that even darkness is not dark to him. Psalm 139 tells us that there is no place where we can go that He is not still present with us.

As our divine parent, He must at times allow us to cry and be sad when we do not understand His greater ways, even as we must say no to our own children and allow them childhood momentary sadness when it would be harmful, dangerous or unwise to give in to their own desires. It hurts to feel lost and feel sad in this, As we mature and season, we understand more and more that this is the broken place, where He knows we will never be fulfilled or complete. Yet, He patiently leads, guides, and attends to us as we slowly mature and gain perspective. But God is never lost, and we are never lost to him. He always sees us wherever we think we are hiding or in the dark.

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

Eyes wide, giving me a weakly-attempted smile, my dear friend attempted to greet me with a cheerful heart. We hadn’t seen one another for a long time, and we knew our time together was a treasure.

Embracing her, I whispered, "You are so very dear to me and to our precious Lord. He loves you more than you will ever know. He sees you, He is with you, and He will hold and guide you."

Tears filled her eyes, bursting over her dark, black lashes as she whispered, "I feel so lost. I can't find my old self anymore. I don't know how to come back to the light."

"You feel lost,” I said, “but God is not lost, and He has not lost you. Just wait and be still, and in time the light will come gently pouring back into your heart," I whispered with as much love as I gather to pour into her darkness.

God's ways are always best and bringhealth, joy, beauty, and real life. He shares our grief and frustrations, and grieves along with us.  However, as a loving Father, He must interfere with our expectations of being able to find true joy and happiness in this world if we could only control it enough.  But I have had to learn that I am a toddler with so little perspective I sometimes think I am hidden, or perhaps sometimes in fear of being lost. I can pretend and play and at times, pour out tears of sorrow at the difficulties and barriers He allows in my life.

We are all immature, short-sighted and limited, being held fast by this earth, and so God has to pry our hands free from their strong grips on this world, to force us to look more astutely towards eternity, where we will live forever and ever in His true light.

We may feel lost. He is never lost or has lost control over us.

"I am with you always, even unto the end of the earth,” Matthew 28:20.

Until we close our eyes here and awaken into His lovely presence.

Bored, Restless and In Need of An Escape & Podcast

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Today, Darcy and I were so bored, we almost burst a gasket. She ran wildly round the yard and I pondered a way of escape—I need a trip, stimulation, fun, a girlfriend to go to a movie with, an adventure.

It wasn’t that I didn’t have a million things to do, plenty of deadlines and duties on my plate. But I had been pushing too hard and not attending to my human needs in other areas of my life.

I am a pretty driven person and have practiced working hard and being responsible for many years. But, sometimes, a girl gets bored with normal life, can’t wash one more dish or fill one more deadline or do one more responsible thing.

I think I will be more spiritual and more loving if I pay attention to myself and let some of the pressure out by shaking it up a bit. Planning for breaks is a very wise mature thing to do, as we are all on a long distance run. We are not just duty bound to work hard, God said he gave us “all good things to enjoy.” He created us with the ability to laugh, to experience pleasure (a massage, perhaps? dark chocolate salted almond bar? A Romantic movie? a new bright lipstick?).

Sarah and I recently sat at about 3 in the afternoon, we had both been caring for babies, up and down the stairs, rocking, singing, doing sticker books, playing with play dough—and both of us thought, “How are we going to make it until dinner time?” and then we giggled.

All of us become bored and weary of duty and work at times. But learning that it is not bad to feel like escaping—just a normal part of a demanding life—can give us permission to take a little break.

A few years ago, Joy had Sarah and me in stitches one afternoon when we picked her up after a morning spent working at our local MOPS group. She had just been assigned to the two-year-olds, a more challenging group than those she'd worked with previously.There were stories about all sorts of body fluids--specifically one little boy whose mom said he was being potty trained and who had been sent with no diapers--only underwear--and eventually cried, sobbed, screamed twice when he had accidents, and soused his clothes again and again, with Joy to clean it up. Joy was wondering if this was what most moms called "potty training." There were other stories about nose junk, bottom junk. sucking junk; kids sneezing on her, hitting each other, hitting her, screaming--and by the time we picked her up, she was exhausted!

"Did you go through all of this with us?" she asked, incredulous. "How did you make it???"

Told her I'm not really sure how I made it, but somehow muddled through. Also advised her just to be sure not to have ten two-year olds at once!

But there are just times in life or parenting or mothering or marriage that seem overwhelming and too depleting to handle. A few years ago, I came up with an idea that seemed to express our need! We decided that some days would call for us to have a Sobr Club and throw caution to the wind and leave all of our duties and responsibilities behind and play. SOBR is pronounced Sober but stands for:

Sick

Of

Being

Responsible

SOBeR-Sick Of Being Responsible

There are times that we all just have to take a break! On our sober club nights, we always do something that we want to do that is just for us--sometimes we even ask friends to join us--go to dinner, a movie, a walk in the mountains, take a drive to see the city lights--music blaring, windows down--just cruising and trying to relax. We do something different--go away from the stress, from the kids. We do not talk about any of the problems or money or stress or ministry. We just relax, have fun, get away and lighten up.

With friends or my girls, SOBeR Club nights can include going to some fun cafe, shopping for just one cute pair of earrings or a lipstick, something little or fun that we would all like. Joy prepared a small package with a Warm Vanilla Sugar candle, lotion and perfume for me as a surprise the last time I needed a sobr club time! Sarah bought me a piece of dark chocolate with almonds and suggested going somewhere for a massage, by stealing a few dollars from our little drawer where we put away dollar bills each month to have on "rainy"  days.

The principle is similar to that of the Sabbath. Get away from the responsibilities. Go to a park when your kids are driving you nuts. Stop having school and go do something fun. Take a nap. Watch a movie instead of doing one more chore, buy some flowers when it is snowing for ten days straight--just shake things up a little. Life is still there tomorrow after the SOBeR club meeting, and after we've all blown off a little steam, we can then can face the responsibilities with a little bit fresher outlook.

. Tomorrow I will get back to responsibility--but tonight I am just going To probably eat 2 chocolate chip cookies—not one, have someone else make dinner (fast food? Cafe? Call for servants?meal Have Clay make us some oatmeal :)) go to sleep and snuggle up in my covers.

Maybe you need a SOBeR club meeting of your own. Take care of yourself, you need some color, fun, grace, stimulation, a maid and a whole night of sleep. Wishing you well.

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

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• 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!

Living Godly in A Messy World: A Time to Reflect & Podcast

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Snow swirling outside, I had lit candles, turned on our gas fire, and snuggled up for a few much needed sequestered hours alone. Yet, as I peered out the window while sipping my first cup of tea, I saw a car pull into our driveway. I could see out the window that a young woman I knew walked to my doorway with a small bouquet of red carnations. As I opened the door, she offered me the bouquet and said with tear-filled eyes, “Please, can I talk with you for just a few minutes?”

She spilled out her story in a very few minutes, speaking of disappointment with Christian leaders who had morally compromised their vows of marriage, she spoke of political news online with partisan hatred spewing, had worries about a relative who was addicted to pornography, and ended her flow of words with,

“I just need you to pray with me. Everywhere I look, I see compromise, immorality, violence on the news, lack of integrity amongst those I hoped would be reliable and I find myself fearful of what is ahead. What kind of world am I bringing my children into? How will they be able to make it? How am I going to be able to pass on faith when I don’t know anyone who is faithful?”

It is true that we are surrounded by darkness in many fronts today. I understand her feelings and have shared them many times. Yet, when I look through my decades, at almost 67, I can see more clearly that life has often been hard and God has always been faithful. I see that living with faith, godliness, virtue, in the end brings light and beauty and goodness. Our following hard after God matters as much now as it ever has.

Life has been dark through much of history. Leaders have been wicked and self-concerned and evil, moral standards and righteous virtue has been compromised and the world seems to be swirling in a downward spiral for hundreds of years.

Yet, this time and place is the opportunity we have to be bold in our behavior, strong in our faith, courageous in our convictions, and generous in our love. Now is the time for those who truly love Christ to determine to be godly, to live holy that His light might shine through us into the dark world around us. Could it be that God allowed us to be born into this time so that we could glorify Him in this time of history in the world. Perhaps,, then, this is the time and place where we are called to be faithful, to see it as an opportunity to show HIs reality through our own lives..

I have been pondering just what it means to be godly and found myself caught up in hundreds of verses that encourage us to be godly, to live holy lives. I compiled this definition of godly from looking at multiple definitions:

Godly means pious; reverencing and respecting God, and his character, honoring His worth by worship and obedience to His admonitions and laws; obedient to the commands of God from love for, and reverence of, his character; conformed to God's law; devout; righteous; as, a godly life. Godly(adverb)

We have this chance, this opportunity to serve God faithfully. When we see darkness, we seek to show light. When we see spiritual battle, we call on God to fight for righteousness through us. When we see needs, we seek to generously show compassion and love and to bring restoration and redemption to those who long for comfort, purpose, direction.

Now is our time to be faithful, to live out a story of our faith in our king and His coming kingdom. What if instead of fear, we cultivated courage? Instead of depression, we cultivated a way of sharing in the joy of His reality and His coming return. Our story at this time will be recorded with all the great stories we read about in scripture—those who lived by faith, as recorded in Hebrews.

And what more shall I say? Time will not allow me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, 33 who through faith, conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and obtained what was promised, who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the raging fire, and escaped the edge of the sword; who gained strength from weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.…Hebrews 11:33

We can be a part of His story but He looks for absolute commitment, from our hearts, a movement toward righteousness, towards light, towards the ways of Jesus. No compromise.

It is true that it seems we are living in godless times—where people don’t seem to have a conscience, don’t live by unshakeable moral standards—don’t even know what it means to be righteous—living rightly in relationship with God and in life. A twisting of truth is taking place in almost all public arenas.

But, now is the time for us to live godly in Christ Jesus, for us to pursue Jesus as never before. Now is the time to live in front of our children in such a way that they will have hope and long to have their own opportunity to live a faithful story.  

What is our hope? If God is for us, then who can be against us? We know that ultimately God will be the victor and now is our opportunity to choose to live by this truth.

Psalm 4:3 But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself; The Lord hears when I call to Him.

Join me today for Part 1 of my podcast about what it means to be godly. (Part 2 is recorded for our membership at LIfewithSally.com) We would love for you to join us there. May God give you eyes to see this day, this time as one in which He wants to work through you to bring about a picture of His reality.

Printable:

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!

The Fallen Kingdom of Home: When Storms Overwhelm

"In this world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world." Jesus, John 16:33

Recently, when I arrived home after 5 weeks of being gone, I was looking forward to peace, calm, sunny skies. But instead we had devastating winds, and 6 more inches of snow, added to the other two feet that had fallen in the last month.

The distance between my ideals, the dreams I had of shaping a wonderful home, and the reality of messes, sick children, fusses and messes often took me by surprise. Just when I thought I had sort of subdued home , a storm of life hits and sometimes it can overwhelm.

Part of the problem is that we expect to control life, to tame the surprise winds and blasts of snow or rain, we will always be disappointed because the storms just keep coming.

Right in the smack dab middle of Jesus loving, teaching, encouraging, and training his disciples, they embark on crossing the familiar lake where they have lived all their lives, and suddenly a life-threatening storm overtakes them.

What could Jesus possibly be thinking? Does He want to lose all of His disciples at once? Is He trying to discourage them? After all, they had given up their whole lives to follow Him. Their hearts were dedicated to worshiping Him. They were busy serving other people. And really, now this? Is this any way to treat those who are following you?

Sometimes the "whaps" on our lives feel like this. Personal … invasive … too much.

Have you ever felt that way? I have cooked. I have washed dishes. I have lost years of sleep. I have loved and served and given--does anyone notice? Does it matter? --and now this? Another storm? Another problem? The relentlessness of life is about to drown me, Lord. "Do you not care that we are perishing, Lord?" the disciples asked that day on the lake. This is the same question that we, too, sometimes have on our hearts.

Just when we have the ideals of our lives in place, and have defined what the kingdom of home is, when we have determined to build our homes as places where the life of Christ will flourish, storms and battles begin to overtake us, and we feel that we will soon be overcome.

If you are experiencing weariness or discouragement, it just means you are engaged in the battle. The battle and its raging are not a measure of your success or failure, but how you respond to the battle will determine its outcome.

When we determine to make our homes a place of life, Satan is determined to thwart us. He knows the most precious treasure in God's economy are His children, His handmade creations--those who have souls that will last for eternity. And so the battleground for our future is at the soul level of life.

We are living in homes where the laws of thermodynamics can be seen every day-- energy is depleting at a constant rate and everything is moving toward disorder! Know this, understanding that it will never change, and give yourself grace. Do not expect perfection. Do not condemn yourself or become angry at your children because they are not perfect.

Walk in grace. Celebrate life. Look for joy in the corners. Find a friend to pray with, to share life with, who holds your ideals and values. Know that all moms have the same issues--just different puzzles to put together.

Our children are selfish and sinful, our husbands (and even we) are fallible and imperfect; things fall apart, get broken, cost money, people are unloving, we are challenged by the culture around us, and we lack support systems to support our ideals.

In order to know how to raise godly children, we must have a refined picture of the goals we are aiming for, but the second part of being productive in this venture of motherhood is understanding the battle. All our homes are broken, our children are broken, and without the grace of God, we will not be able to make it. But I believe and have seen that with God on our side, our labor is not in vain but is part of a story of His power and goodness throughout eternity.

Feeling weary or discouraged or inadequate or guilty from failing is a normal part of the process. Remember, You are in training, just as I am. Engaging in home life, marriage, ministry and the discipleship of my children was truly the main training ground where little by little I learned what it meant to become a more mature Christian.

Give yourself grace today, friend. I know God does.

Cultivating A Rich Inner Life Through Reading with Sarah & Podcast

Working on our thoughts, dreams, inspirations together over coffee inspires me so much. Oh the treasure of having a writing daughter and friend. A treasure indeed. (Surely little Samuel is taking it all in and will follow in all of the Clarkson’s steps. :)

“A woman who reads is a woman who knows she must act: in courage, in creativity, in kindness, and often in defiance of the darkness around her. She understands that life itself is a story and that she has the power to shape her corner of the drama.” 

Sarah Clarkson

Play Episode on iTunes & Stitcher

Our family is a family of words. Words inspire, teach, guide, comfort, lead us forward. Maybe you could say it is our vocation as a family since all of us write and speak. But the words you cherish, listen to, speak will deterring the course of your life.

Life is draining, every day, all the time. So, it is logical that we have to be diligent at filling our hearts, minds and souls on a regular basis so that we can continually be refueling.. But what to fill it with?

There is so much junk on the internet and so many voices that speak to us of compromise of morality, lowering of biblical convictions, and plain old vanity.

My goal as a woman is to sift through the books and blogs to find the messages that call me to my better self, that inspire me to love more, have more faith, live more steadfastly. But I have to invest in my thought life regularly to keep strong and to keep growing.

Truth, goodness, beauty, and excellence will beget in us a soul that is rich with truth, goodness, beauty and excellence. What you invest in your will become. These are some of the parameters of those things I read. I cannot give out in my ministry and messages unless I am filling up on what is good and godly.

How encouraging it is to converse with all of my children because they are all growing, deepening their convictions, seeking to love God. Talking to them and finding out what they are reading keeps me challenged to grow in my own life.

Sarah and I had many opportunities to talk about ideas, convictions, books, and we challenged one another to a stronger, better walk with God. And of course, we both write and pour out our thoughts and convictions through our various places of teaching and ministry.

Books have been the secret friends and guides to our own lives. Books have kept us going forward in our faith, courage and actions. Today, on my podcast, we talk about growing stronger and living a vibrant, sustainable life by investing in books that inspire and give life. . I hope it will help and encourage you to keep seeking to fill your own life with the good the beautiful and true.

Sarah is writing a newsletter online that is filled with these sorts of ideas. Maybe you would enjoy receiving her newsletter. You can find all about Sarah and sign up for her free newsletter at Sarahclarkson.com

How fun it is to know that all of those years I was reading out loud to my wiggly children, they were all developing souls that loved and lived to share words.

“My parents read to us morning and night, we read novels before bedtime, we read devotions in the morning, and we read picture books or adventure tales in the afternoon.”  Sarah Clarkson

Happy Reading.

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.

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• 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!

Planning for & Creating a Beautiful Life & Podcast Shelly Miller

“I am the light of the world.”

“The people who were walking in darkness have seen a great light.”

What have you trained your heart to notice and your mind to dwell upon? To observe? What are you looking for in the moments of your life every day?

Each of us has eyes in our heart that see life as we choose to see it. If we have determined to look for beauty, to be aware of light and goodness, then we will notice it wherever we go. Each year, I determine several themes that I will choose for the actions of my heart eyes. This year, I determined to look for light, to observe it, to note its beauty. Light reflects the essence of Christ to me, so I notice light to remind me He is everywhere.

Because of my determination to look for light, I have noticed light casting shadows and grace upon trees. I pay attention to sunrises and sunsets. I look for light because He is light and it causes me to think of Him and worship Him for bringing out of darkness into light. If we have made a decision to be critical and complaining as a way of life, we will see fault and have disappointment wherever we go.

Imagine my delight, when I went to visit a dear friend in London, and she whisked me off to an amazingly exquisite chandelier shop, with a captivating story of a woman’s legacy to gather gorgeous lights and chandeliers from castles, estates, even from Victorias’ events as well as from Lady Diana’s family home. I can’t wait for you to hear my story on my podcast today. (and my sweet friend, Shelly Miller, who took me to see the shop and meet the owners, didn’t even know I had made light a theme of my year.

But even more, my sweet friend brought me beauty, rest, comfort, pleasure and delight that I didn’t even know I needed. She prepared for me in such wonderful ways and I felt refreshed and inspirer from head to toe. It caught me pondering how to create beauty and prepare pleasure for those in my life who need to be cared for.

Hats for a rainy day! Love Shelly Miller!

Play Episode on iTunes & Stitcher

I am on my fifth week of living out of a suitcase. I have been in 4 cities, spent 3 weeks helping to care for sweet grandchildren who have not quite learned the skill of sleeping long and reaching out and seeking to help and meet needs of many on my path. I have been writing, editing, doing podcasts and blog posts and have tucked them in amidst this very demanding few weeks.

It is a privilege to me. I love pondering how to bring the love, gentleness, grace of God to my precious family, my friends and those He brings my way because He has been so very gracious and kind to me. But, as I am human, my body can become weary and exhausted or depleted, sometimes when I do not even know it.

I hurriedly packed a small computer bag, threw everything together, and then caught an early morning train to London to stay with a friend while ultimately on my way to Scotland to see Joel and Joy. My friend said she would meet me in the train station so that I would not have to figure out the subways by myself to get to her house.

Much to my surprise, she had planned such a fun day, but it unfolded a little at a time. . A visit to a chandelier shop with an amazing story behind it began our time. The delightful owners guided us through gorgeous rooms filled with treasures from castles, estates, famous and renown. The shop had a story, the people had a story and each piece was a treasure with a history of the places they had hung and the people they had served. It was fascinating as I had no idea such a shop existed. People from all over the world come to be served at this splendid place, even royalty!

Next, we lunched at a charming English cafe, (Churchill pub) where every view held charm and intriguing objects of historical interest.. We sat near a crackling fire and ate Thai food and chatted. (Who thought a pub would specialize in Pad Thai—nary a fish and chip in sight!

Next, across the street was a visit to Sally Clarke bakery. (Almost Sally Clarkson!) which was grand—a tour with the staff there, photos, and giggles. Next, after tromping through lovely roads with twists and turns, we arrived at her lovely flat. A hot pot of tea warmed us after being blown over the boulevard. Next, I ran up to my third floor room to get settled and came down to an elaborately prepared home cooked meal with candles.

The over all effect on me was an overwhelming gratefulness that someone had taken the time to serve me, to show me consideration, thoughtfulness and kindness. I had not known I needed someone to show me personal attention, but I drank it in from a parched soul that had gone too long without nourishment.

I remembered another such time that I had recorded in my journal when I was weary, depleted and felt I could not even get out of bed. I hope my story helps you to know that you are not alone and that you are seen right where you are.

*********

Sunday morning found me hiding under my covers. For years and years, as long as I can remember, I have been an early riser, mostly because it is the only way I could write and carry on a full fledged ministry and still keep my family as a priority. With books to be written and deadlines to be met and emails to be answered and radio shows for interviews and conferences to arrange, arising early gave me two to three more hours to my day. But this day, I didn't want to get up, feeling weary from the fray. I had thoughts wandering through my head like, "I don't think I can do this anymore. Why have I been driving myself for ministry? You know I love you, Lord. But for the moment, I can't think about everything and I don't want to face this day. I may never get out of bed!" Funny how Satan attacks our thoughts and uses discouragement against us female beings who live and love so much with our emotions.

Now, to give perspective, I was churning inside from the news of a friend's 6 year old daughter who had been sexually molested by a 15 year old cousin; a close family member of mine is struggling against deathly illness, another friend heavy with the care of a precious child who will have mysterious medical challenges forever, the medical issues of two of my own sweet children looming always; and all the other burdens of life. I thought about the time when Jesus was walking along and a woman who had been bleeding for years and she touched his garment and "the strength went out of him." That's how I was feeling--in the midst of my labor with sweet ones, "the strength had gone out of Sally."

Finally, after hours of staying in bed, (from 6 a.m. to 9--that is very late for me!), my feet mechanically moved to the floor. Joy's sweet voice yelled up to me from downstairs, "Don't you dare get up, Mom!" I slipped back in bed, arranged my pillows and waited. She breezed in chattering joyfully about the great morning she was having bearing a tray with a lovely napkin, a steaming hot cup of tea, a glass bowl with freshly cut up cherries, raspberries and blueberries and whip cream on the top, and a small lit candle.

Now, I might have expected this from Sarah, but I wasn't expecting it from Joy, as she was much younger at the time. (12 at the time). In that moment, Joy became to me the arms of God as she said, "I think you need a nice hug." She squeezed me tight and planted a kiss on my cheek. Her love offering to me seemed to say, "I love you, Sally. I am aware of the ragings of your soul. Here is a sweet angel to soothe your spirit with kindness today," as though it were from God Himself. Joy's service to me became an act of an angel from God, an unexpected flash of light--a gift to strengthen me.

"I have been working for an hour, Mom. I cleaned up the whole downstairs and the kitchen. It looks so pretty. I figured if you were staying in bed that long, you must be in need of cheer. I love you! Now, enjoy yourself alone for a few minutes, I have a couple of more things to take care of!"

The battle lines are familiar to me. I am what one might call an old warrior--familiar with the darkness, the battles raging, the issues at stake. I have learned to put one foot in front of another year after year, because my eyes are on what lies ahead--the reward of being with Jesus in His place that He is preparing for all of us who love Him.

I have looked at Him and thought about Him and cherished His sacrificial life and His pattern has given me reason to keep going. But this day, this weary day, He broke into my moments, through two small acts of kindness to assure me of His presence. How thankful I am that two people responded to the promptings of my heavenly Father to pour out His gentle, quiet lovingkindess on my weary soul.

Never under-estimate the power of kindness to help someone make it through. A vase of flowers, an email, a cup of tea or coffee, a candle, a short visit, a cleaned house, all of these can shift the mood and place of emotional havoc to one of “I think I can make it.”

I hope you enjoy our chat today and prepare a place and a time of kindness for yourself or someone you love.

You can find my wonderful friend and her books at: https://www.instagram.com/shellymillerwriter/

also her web site: http://shellymillerwriter.com

Refresh yourself through her words:

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!

God Regards The Love Motivating Our Lives

We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed.

~Brother Lawrence

The World is brimming over with philosophies and values that proclaim the importance of  self-fulfillment, self-promotion, accomplishment, status. Yet, our Jesus came as a man who had no stately form or majesty, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. He purposely chose to humble Himself, to become the ultimate servant king. "I am humble and meek," He said. He came not proclaiming His rights, but bowing His knee. He washed feet, touched lepers, embraced and caressed the least of these—precious children, whom He deemed worthy of honor.

When we accept with open arms and heart a precious little baby and wash their little hands and feet with love in our hearts, we are worshipping. When we hold and rock and sing comfort into the heart of a screaming babe in the middle of the night during an ear infection, we become the voice of Jesus.

When we stay up late to listen to the forlorn heart of a teen who is growing and stretching toward adulthood and feeling the injustices of the world and the imperfection of our own families, and we spend some time extending grace, patience, and soothing, hopeful words, we become the patience, hope, and compassion of Jesus.

Our multitudinous little tasks within our homes—washing one more dish, correcting one more attitude, kissing one more forehead—when given from a heart full of love for Him,  please Him far more than if we made millions and had a title of strategic importance in a life all about ourselves.

He sees in secret, He cherishes our hidden worship more than anything else we could give Him-the worship of serving His own children out of a servant heart filled with love and gratitude for Him. In this work of service is our treasure we lay up in heaven for His glory.

Nathan gave me a precious little figurine on a Mother's day many years ago. He said, "Mom, you held my heart in your hands and shaped it with your love every day, every task, every minute of serving us kids. And for that reason, you will always be there in my heart, speaking to me of all the treasures you poured in one day at a time."

Love Him today, and love those He has given you to serve today.