Strength for the Day, Hope for Tomorrow

Play Episode on iTunes & Stitcher

Strength: The capacity or ability of something or someone to withstand great force or pressure

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phil. 4:13

I receive hundreds of letters each month from precious ones who are bearing so much in life—the heart break of beloved prodigals; illness, relationship conflict; exhaustion, isolation in marriage, financial problems, stress and pressure of every kind.

I pray for all of you who write me and know how hard life can be. Yet, as I was praying, I was asking myself, how in the world did I make it through? So many challenges, seasons of stress and discouragement, and all the things mentioned in my online mail.

There was a principle that I began to learn and slowly grew in that helped me make it through one day at a time. It was learning to tap into God’s strength. Learning that I was not alone. Understanding how to let Him carry my burdens so that I could strain into my capacity to bear life’s demands.

Not long ago, my sweet granddaughter, Lily, was at my house. I was trying to move the groceries off the dining table so that I could set it for dinner. She loves to help, so she chimed in, “I’ll do it!” But, alas, the grocery bag was way too heavy for her little hands. “You help me, Queenie.”

And so I placed my hands next to hers and together, we lifted the heavy bag and placed it on the chair near my cabinet where I could unload them.

She looked up at me with big blue eyes, full of pride, and said, “You and I can lift really heavy things. We are so strong!”

It was a picture of God’s gentle and capable help of me in my own life-His capable hands on mine help me carry the loads.

Today on my podcast, I speak of what it looks like to find God’s strength, with Him lifting the load with me, no matter what I am carrying, no matter how heavy the burden. I share some of my favorite verses about His strength. I pray that it will encourage you along your own path. And I pray you will know God’s love in your journey.

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!

It's Not Easy Being a Child (or Teen, or Adult, for that Matter!) These Days

It's not easy being a child these days.

No matter how adult my children are, no matter where they are, they will always and always be in my thoughts and prayers, every day, all the time. Why? Because they are connected to my heart. And I know that life in the big wide world is not easy to manage. I know this because it is not easy for me to always navigate.

I listen to my children, others, talking around tables, gathered in groups at restaurants; watch their characterization on television shows and movies. I wonder if we understand as well as we think we do what it's really like to grow up during this season. Sometimes it seems that so much has changed, today's children live in a different world than the one I grew up in. The hurried, harried pace of it all wearies me as a mother, and I can only imagine its effect on this generation which has known nothing else.

As the world's raging current rushes past our homes, what happens inside?

Are we creating spaces of peace for our children? When they come to us with the hard questions about the difficult things in life, do we have real answers for them? Are we well-equipped to buffer the young ones from the onslaught of the world even as we prepare them to make their way--and even overcome-- in it? Do we give support when their lives are dark and difficult and love them through each passage?

They say the more things change, the more they stay the same. And I do believe this is true when we think about what our children really need from us as mothers.

They don't need sweet platitudes of faith that will momentarily placate their emotions. They need the authentic strength that comes from the true foundation of a biblical worlveiw and a proper understanding of the real Christ who is worthy of their worship. They need an unwavering, internal moral and spiritual compass that will help them weather today's storms and tomorrow's and will guide them for the rest of their lives. They also need to see what real faith looks like when lived day in, day out; so they will have a pattern to follow.

The process of providing such gifts to my children is what I've come to think of as the ministry of motherhood. I believe it's central to the calling of anyone God has privileged to bring children into this world.

If you are a mother, it's your ministry too." ~from The Ministry of Motherhood

How do you feel about the ministry of motherhood?

We Read the Bible Daily and Pray: Our 24 Family Ways #2

Click here to play today’s new podcast episode.

Way #2 We read the Bible every day and pray to God with an open heart. 

Memory Verse

"All scripture is inspired by God, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction  in righteousness, so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work."

II Tim 3: 16-17

When Sarah was giving a talk several years ago, she said something that heartened me. She remembered waking up early in the mornings to find me sitting in my favorite chair in the living room or another in my bedroom, reading my Bible.

"I knew her diligence and devotion was what shaped her life, and it always made me expect that I could learn and hear from God in my own life," Sarah shared as she talked of what personal integrity looked like in reality.

The habit of coming to God every day, taking time specifically to seek Him, to listen to Him, to ponder His ways and engage in His truth is the most profound action that will shape your life.

I hardly need to say I was not perfect, and some stressful, crisis seasons found this habit not happening every single day. Yet I found that reading God's word and praying was essential to my ability to continue taking one more step in the direction of my own ideals--the fuel for my strength when life was exhausting. It is a habit I want to help others learn how to develop.

If I am serious about God, I must be serious about investing in Him. Others need the truth He teaches me. More voices and messages invade the sound waves of our brains today than ever before. Living in a melting pot of cultures, where all religions and values and morals drift together and are said to be equal; where all varieties of moral behavior are validated and find acceptance; where television and film and the internet smudge the clear borders of truth every day, promoting violent behavior and dark themes; means the call to teach children has never been more important or profoundly necessary.

Praying this podcast is helpful to you as you walk alongside your children in this important practice!

Books Referenced in this Podcast:

Our 24 Family Ways: A Family Devotional Guide

By Clarkson, Clay

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!

Joy and Sally: Cuteness and Fun

Click here to listen to today’s new podcast episode.

For a long time, I have wanted to do a weekly podcast that was just fun, informative, about what we are doing in the UK and tidbits of this and that.

Today, Joy and I took a bit of time and talked about:

*Floral dresses down to your calf—a new fashion statement.

*Should I cut my hair very very short—and wear earrings, lipstick and lovely, cute dresses so I look feminine? My fringe, (bangs) are driving me crazy!)

*Virtue—what is it and how do we develop it? It is something to know or more than that?

*A conference about Burnout you won’t want to miss on Life With Sally.

*Ponder joining me on the launch team for Help, I’m Drowning: Weathering the Storms of Life with Grace and Hope

*A Heartfelt Movie you won’t want to miss: Tears and happy heart smiles all around

*A Book Club with Speaking With Joy—Do you want to grow, have friends and have fun? Joy is hosting an online book club on Susanna Clarke’s book Piranesi. Join in!

And sooooo much more. Let me know if you like this kind of podcast and of course, share with your friends.

Off to my Bible study. Happy Day to all.

Sally and Joy

Kindness: The Act of Choosing to Be Benevolent to Another, For Christ's Sake

Have kindly affection one for another with brotherly love, in honor preferring one another;

Romans 12:10

Click here to listen to today’s new podast.

Every once in a while, God shows His very personal kindness , personal provision, in ways in my life that I would not even known to ask for, but that are considerate of me in very generous ways. Sometimes you just need something you didn’t know to ask for. My friend, Jacqui, is such a gift of kindness to me. We originally met a few years ago when I was visiting in town and offered to meet women at C. S. Lewis’s house to speak for an hour and to host a time of encouragement. About 50 women showed up, including Jacqui. We have been friends now for several years.

I am naturally independent by nature. I am used to taking care of many details and working hard. Recently, I have found myself experiencing great pain through an incidence with my lower back, a ruptured disc and a sciatic nerve issue. It hurts when I walk, even when I sit or move. I hate to be vulnerable and a burden on others. Yet, here I am. I must wait until someone brings me a cup of tea instead of going down my steep steps one more time. I have to order taxis instead of walking places with my family. And I need help shopping for groceries, as usually I do it on foot, as we are without a car.

In comes my friend, Jacqui. She has shown up at my house bringing me treats, groceries, taking me to places in her car, carrying bags for me. She comes early to my Bible studies to help set up chairs, treats, and to make tea and coffee. She even scours charity shops to find extra mugs so I can have real china to serve everyone present with a beautiful cuppa.

I was thinking the other day how much her unexpected and unasked for kindness has meant to me. Not only do we have fun together each week as she drives an hour from London to be with me, but her kindness to me in a very challenging time has touched a deep place in my heart. Giving to me out of the benevolence of he own life without me having to ask is a picture of Christ to me.

So, we went out to celebrate by splitting breakfast goodies and coffee at a favorite restaurant together. We even found a bush filled with these beautiful flowers as we were walking toward the cafe.

The word of the week is Kindness which is the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate, thoughtful to meet needs without being asked. Kindness exhibits a good or benevolent nature or disposition, as a person: a kind and loving person. having, showing, or proceeding from benevolence: kind words. indulgent, considerate, or helpful; humane (often followed by to): mild; gentle. Most of all, though, it is an actual representation of what Christ is like lived out in the real moments of life. He expressed His overwhelming kindness to us out of his “kin-ship”, special love for us, his beloved children.

One of my favorite verses speaks of kindness as one of the ways God draws people, (our children and friends) to Himself: Romans 2:4

 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and [a]restraint and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

There it is—kindness leads us to repentance, bowing our knee, believing in God’s mercy because of HIs kindness towards us.

Kind from “kin”—related to, relatives—benevolence to those close to you—God is Kind toward us because He sees us as His own—And so, when we ingest His kindness, we pour out God’s kindness to others because of His loving kindness to us. 

Here are some of my favorite “kind” verses. Memorize one or two and write down ways you will show the kindness of God this week.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.

Ephesians 4:32

Luke 6:35 But love your enemies and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil people.

Ephesians 4:32

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Colossians 3:12

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,

Proverbs 31: 26

She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

As I end this week, Joy & Clay have also shown exceeding kindness. She has served me tirelessly, made meals, endless cups of tea, Clay has washed dishes, shopped for groceries, organized our lives. I am seeing how much kindness means to me—to be served so sweetly, without any malice or resentment. it is the kindness of God I have experienced, and now I am more than ever moved to learn to become more kind, considerate in active ways to others who need my attention.

Who needs your thoughtfulness, kindness this week? How can you display it to your children? Your friend? Your husband? God bless you, my friends.

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!

0 Likes

5 Tips for Building Friendships With Your Children!

“Mama, do you still love me?” is the question my children have asked me if they have failed or had doubts or stumbled on life’s path—and all of mine have at times and all of our children will.

Love, unconditional, present, active, steadfast is what will keep them coming back. If my heart and life is a safe haven, they will come back because they have learned that I am their forever friend through it all, no matter what. But there are practical ways in which we practice giving love. Here is some of what I have learned.

1. Time and Availability Whatever the age, children develop better when they know I will make our time together a priority. People grow close not through monitoring one another’s behavior but by working together, playing together, talking together, celebrating together, weeping together. Relationships develop when people are there for each other—and that’s as true for parents and children as it is for anyone else.

2. Acceptance and Unconditional Love In building meaningful relationships with my children, I must learn to accept unconditionally the person God made each of them to be—even with personality traits that differ from mine or that make me uncomfortable. I need to accept the “warts” and irritating characteristics that may never change. I have to love my children with a mature commitment that reaches past my feelings for them, which can change from circumstance to circumstance.

3. Affirmation and Encouragement I believe most children are acutely aware of their limitations and their failures. While they often need correction for their mistakes and even confrontation for their sinful selfishness, they also need recognition for their real efforts and accomplishments and positive reminders of who they can be with God’s help.

4. Grace Our children need us to give them the grace to grow. If we make them think that we expect perfection, then eventually they may give up trying to please us, because they know they will always fail, or they may spend their whole lives feeling guilty for their failures.

5. Relationship Training We need to consciously train our children in the skills and attitudes that will enable them to sustain positive relationships. A person can only experience true intimacy when his heart has been deepened and exercised in real love and commitment.

The Chosen With Dallas Jenkins

Click here to listen to today’s new podcast episode with Dallas Jenkins, creator of The Chosen.

Have you ever wished you could bring the personal love of Christ before your children in such a way that their hearts will be shaped by Him? Longed to make His stories real, His words memorable in a way they will remember their whole lives? I’m so excited to tell you about a wonderful resource that has accomplished just that for our family.

As I look back on the lives of my children, it was a visual, real life experience that has lived in their memories since they were little. Stage lights shined brightly and focussed on Sarah, 9, and Joel, 7, as they entered into their roles of Lisa and Billy each Friday and Saturday night for three years. They played grandchildren as their grandfather told them the stories of Christ in The Promis for 2 1/2 hours on a large professional stage each evening to thousands of people in the audience. Nathan entered the stage numerous times on cue when children were called upon to be in a scene in the live and narrative of Jesus. Clay and I and even baby Joy participated and all of us were deeply impacted by participating hundreds of times, entering into the reality of the words and life of Christ as seen through the gospels. These words of Christ, enacted night after night, became a reality in their hearts.

There is something very special about engaging in visual reality of the New Testament stories. No longer just words on a page, but the characters in the story become more real, live in a context of life and have an affect on our lives.

That is why I am so very excited to talk about the new series, The Chosen, today on my podcast with the Dallas Jenkins. Dallas Jenkins is an American film and television director, writer and film producer. He is best known as the creator, director and co-writer of The Chosen, the first multi-season series about the life of Christ, and the most successful media crowd-fund of all time. His career is focused on faith-based media.

Last spring, in the fullness of Covid restrictions keeping us at home, our family began to watch this amazing series. All of us were deeply touched by the heart-felt stories of the people living out the gospels and we became engaged in the beauty and excellence of the quality of the productions.

Millions of people all over the world have been brought closer to Christ through this transforming story so beautifully presented in full color through episodes that draw us into the intimacy of the stories Jesus lived. I hope you will watch it with your family.

You can find out all about it HERE @ https://watch.angelstudios.com/thechosen. Watch it, support it, tell others about it. And be sure to listen to the podcast with him.

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!

0 Likes

This Beautiful Truth With Sarah Clarkson

Click here to play today’s new podcast episode.

Every parent dreads the day when their children will say, “Mom, I have been having some doubts about God.” Yet, all of my adult children said this to me at one time or another. As I look back, I think it is a sort of right of passage. How can our children own their faith unless they tackle the hard problems we see in culture.

Sarah, my first child, deeply pondered the question, “How can there be so much evil, pain and suffering in the world even though God says He is light, beauty, goodness? How do the two co-exist? How can one have hope amidst dark and devastating times?”

Of course, these are questions many have asked throughout history. And yet, as I look back, all of my children’s doubts and wrestling with God led them to a stronger, surer faith.

When Sarah first came to me, I said, “God loves you so much. He is not threatened by your doubts. He wants you to know and. understand Him deeply. He has answers to your doubts. But I will believe for you and be your friend.

But then, Sarah’s doubt turned into a deep understanding about God’s love and goodness that it became a book. It is wonderful, inspiring, and filled with personal stories as well as deep theology.

Beauty has been an theme that Sarah found through her journey towards a stronger, more vibrant faith in God. Her story includes personal stories about some of her most difficult questions in life as well as a foundational faith she found in God as she searched for answers to her souls deepest struggles.

Here is a summary.

We live in a broken world. Amid the daily realities of sickness and isolation, disappointment and pain, it can be profoundly difficult to grasp the real goodness of God. But this is where God breaks into our darkness with beauty. In the wonder of creation, in art or film, story or song, in the kindness of his people and the good they create, God breaks into our pain in a tangible way, teaching us to trust his kindness and hope for his healing. Beauty is a voice singing into our suffering, beckoning us toward restoration.

In This Beautiful Truth, Sarah Clarkson shares her own encounters with beauty in the midst of her decade-long struggle with mental illness, depression, and doubt. In a voice both vulnerable and reflective, she paints a compelling picture of the God who reaches out to us in a real and powerful way through the 'taste and see' goodness of what he has made and what he continues to create amid our darkness. 'To recognize and trust God's gift in pain,' she writes, 'empowers us to create and love as powerful witnesses to God's healing love in a hopeless world.'

If you want to renew your capacity to recognize and encounter God's beauty in your life, this hope-filled book will show you the way.

Because I think this book will be so helpful and relevant to many of you, I am going to give away 5 copies. Please leave a comment here or on Facebook or Instagram and tag a friend. I will draw winners by Friday.

Purchase your own copy and read it with a friend!

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!

Helping Our Children Learn to Keep Their Heads

"If you can keep your head, when all about you

are losing theirs and blaming it on you.

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

but make allowance for their doubting, too … "

This poem, IF, by Rudyard Kipling, of which I have just quoted a little tiny bit, is one that I made all of my children memorize--and we reviewed it over and over and over again.

Right is always right even if no one is doing it, wrong is always wrong even if everyone is doing it.

We are called to have a different character, a constant one, one that reflects the very image of Jesus, and yet, in this crazy world, there are many irrational, unloving, critical, exhausted, weary, discouraged, immature, mean-spirited, untrained people wandering around. How I have been embarrassed by supposed Christians, even in the past couple of weeks!

I have seen lately, in the lives of my children and friends, some being overcome by very difficult situations and people who unwillingly become a tool in the hand of Satan to discourage and destroy the faith, hearts, and well-being of others.

And yet, for those of us who have lived long enough, we know that this is part of the common "tribulation" and stress Jesus was referring to when He said, "In this world, you will have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world."

And so, if we can keep our heads, knowing that love covers a multitude of sins, continuing to live in grace, and knowing that we and everyone else we will ever know will make mistakes on a regular basis; if we keep living out the liberating grace of the freedom and blessing we find in the abiding love of Jesus, then we can always have peace and the ability to keep giving life to others, just as He did.

Overcoming evil with good, loving beyond measure, forgiving and being a peacemaker, living with practiced faith, again and again and again—this is where we become more like Him, our very dear Savior, and it is here we become true warriors who redeem.

And so, I highly commend this entire poem, to plant into your brain and those of your children, so that you may have grace in your soul for facing this world and conquering the challenges that come your way.

Words have such power to bring life and inspiration and power--I just love words!

(and thank you, Rudyard, for penning this poem for my own well-being and for that of my children!)

Loving God with Wholehearted Devotion-Our 24 Family Ways #1

Inside Notre Dame Cathedral before the fire

"We love and obey our Lord, Jesus Christ, with wholehearted devotion."

Memory verse: "And He said to them, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind.' This is the great and foremost commandment." Matt. 22:37-38

Rainbow light shone through a multi-colored stain glass window which looked like it was a passage to heaven. Our normally wiggly, chattery clan became silent as they walked into the lovely chapel and heard the quiet music wafting up to the very rafters where the light was shining through. Oddly enough, the beauty, formality, and music hushed them and they sat mostly reverently through the hour-long service.

"Mama, you felt like you had to be quiet 'cause everything was so special, pretty, and respectful," piped one of my little ones, when asked what they thought of the new church we visited. This was the first time our family had ever attended such a formal service together, and it was enlightening to see what effect the sacred place of exquisite design and beauty had on the attitudes of my children.

Almost every time I read a story about someone who saw the glory of God, the effect of His blinding splendor was that they bowed down in fear, in reverence, hiding their eyes from the glory of God. The starting point for any real training must be reverence, respect, and proper awe of God, Himself.

With just one glance at the state of our world today, it’s clear that we’ve forgotten how to love — instead, we offer each other judgement, blame, and harsh words. It might sound simple, but the vast majority of our issues today stem from a lack of understanding of the importance of love, grace, and honor—giving worth that is due to God and those made in His image.

Preparing to become mature at loving God or preparing my children to become adults who knew how to love started with teaching them God’s most important commandment: to love Him with all their hearts, souls, and minds.

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!