We Forgive One Another: Our 24 Family Ways #8

Way  # 8

We forgive one another, covering an offense with love when wronged or hurt.

Memory Verse: So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Colossians 3:12-13

All of us make mistakes. We lose our temper. We are selfish and want the best or biggest piece of cake. We become angry over petty issues. We judge more harshly than we want others to judge us. We break someone else's toy. No matter how hard any of us try, we will always, always make mistakes and eventually fall short of someone's expectations and disappoint those who love us.

That is why forgiveness is so very essential to the message of Christ—and to the messages we send within our families! As the ones who follow Jesus, we are those who love the best because we are those who give the most grace, because we have been given the most grace. As we love Christ, He leads us to give grace and forgive others.

In a world where culture gives us every kind of excuse to quit relationships, to hold a grudge, to become a victim of a difficult life, to gossip, to criticize, the practice of forgiveness stands out like a beacon of light for a defense of Christianity. 

It is not logical to forgive someone who has offended us, but it is supernatural--it can only come from walking in the power of the Holy Spirit. Yet, forgiveness and humility was constantly on the heart of Jesus.

Peter wanted to quantify forgiveness, like we all desire to do! He was willing to be noble and forgive someone, but after all, he thought there surely must be a limit! Perhaps seven is the number of times we should forgive, Lord? He asked with a self-justifying heart.

No, Jesus said. 70 times 7--in other words, you must forgive, forgive, forgive, forgive, .........

Forgiving another person who has hurt us, damaged our reputation, who has continually been mean-spirited or abused us in some way is one of the most difficult practices to exercise. Each of us has been deeply hurt at one time or another—or will be in the future. It is natural to want to take revenge, or even to justify our own position and way of looking at an offense to justify lack of forgiveness.

Yet, it is the way of Jesus--the supernatural way of the Spirit in our lives to extend forgiveness and unconditional love.

"While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us," we read in Romans 8.

“He who knew no sin became sin on our behalf.” II Cor. 5:21

To truly understand Jesus, to worship Him from a grateful heart, requires that we learn to forgive and avoid taking offense when wronged. Bowing our knee and our will to actually forgive someone and expect nothing in return is not natural, but supernatural. 

Forgiveness is the essence of God's heart. It compelled Him to die for us.

So, if we want to give our children a secret to living a life of love, we must teach them this Family Way. If we want our children to be godly leaders in this world, they must see self-sacrificing, humble forgiveness in and through our words, our lives and our actions.

One of the most important values I have come to understand from being a mama, is that when I take responsibility for the shaping of my children's hearts, to teach them truth, I have had to become more godly in order to teach them these life-changing truths.

And so, as we approach this week's way, let us understand that helping our children practice forgiveness over and over again will establish a pattern in their hearts to be remembered when they must make this choice as adults. Train up a child in the way he should go, forgiving 70 X 70 X70 and so on, and forgiveness will become part of his paradigm for life. If we all loved and forgave this way, the world would indeed become a place open to the heart and message of Christ.

May God give each of us grace to become stronger and stronger at forgiving and extending love more every day. I think I will perfect this when I am 75! But at least I am working on it!

Our 24 Family Ways: A Family Devotional Guide

By Clarkson, Clay

Overcoming Darkness With Rituals of Hope

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Hope: an expectation and anticipation of a desired positive outcome that carries one forward.

Clay and I were putting the day to rest as we conversed outside in my “driveway” garden. He suddenly said, “Don’t move! A little bird has joined us.”

For almost a full 5 minutes, the wee one sat and listened and stayed with us. Many of you know that birds speak to me of God’s immediate presence: comfort, friendship, personal attention, love.

Since 37 years ago, I have made birds a symbol of hope for myself. At that time, I had one miscarriage behind me. Pregnant with little Sarah, I hit 5 months and began to bleed. I was on a trip with Clay and his mama in the Austrian Alps and was by myself in a small hotel room. As I poured out my prayers and pleadings to the Lord, he sent a little bird, just like this one literally to my window sill not 6 inches away. The tiny one sang its heart out and stayed there.

Remembering these verses in Luke 12: 6-7,

“What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins[b]? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. 7 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”

it was as though God was whispering to me, “Don’t worry. I see you. I am with you. I will take care of you.”

And so Sarah was born months later and I had the little singing bird forever more to remind me of God’s ultimate faithfulness! (pretty convinced it was an angel bird. :))

Since then, I have collected birds, spread them around my house, pointed then out to my children as a sign that God is visiting us especially today when one shows up.

I have read about so many tragic situations where woman seem to have this innate ability to mount up over dire circumstances to bring hope, redemption and life in the midst of sadness.. They are, it seems, the keepers of hope. They practice rhythms of hope in the traditions they keep and the light they show in their homes.

Hope is the glory of a woman when she could choose to fear, or quitting or despair, but instead chooses to believe forward.

We take it in our hearts to choose hope--hope that our faith will be justified, because we believe that God is real, He is loving, He is powerful and He will have the last word.

“Only a Christian has a right to hope, for only he has the power of God to give substance to his hope…Earth is bearable because there is hope." 

A.W. Tozer

Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for and hope for and expect the Lord! Psalm 31: 24

It is easy as parents to fear the world our children have been born into. But what if, instead, we prepared our children to be warriors for His kingdom? What if we whispered over and over into their sweet little hearts, that though we love them so much, we cannot keep them from evil because God has chosen them to fight a valiant battle, to be a hero of light, hope and goodness in their time and that some day, Jesus Himself will say, "Well done thou good and faithful servant!" --because they fought the good fight and were waiting, like Paul, for the crown that is stored up for him and all who believe and wait for his coming.

Little by little, we must strengthen their muscles of brining hope to their world by giving them the opportunity to be sources of hope and comfort and love to those in need. We are their trainers, those coaches, who are to prepare them to stand strong in their world when God calls them away for His great work.

Satan will not have the last word. Though the battle rages, we shall prevail because we are His and He is the king and Lord over all.

He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. Rev. 21: 7

 It is my prayer all of us will hear the very voice of the Holy Spirit calling  to have hope, because He is the ultimate redeemer and we know that we will reign with Him through all eternity, after we have been faithful here, to fight the good fight, as Paul did. May we also run the race with godly endurance, keep our faith, and wait for the crown of righteousness that will surely be ours. And may our children who follow behind us find us faithful to leave them a story of hope, a pathway of courage and an end that rejoices in the reality of His presence.

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It Always Feels Like Somebody's Watching Me ... And They Are!

Weariness did not even begin to define the bone-deep exhaustion I was feeling. Lifting the weight of my body off of my bed in the mornings felt like an impossible task. Three hormonal teenagers, a budding seven-year-old, Clay with a ruptured disc that caused him excruciating pain with each step; a book deadline; a daughter in and out of the hospital being tested for a brain tumor, and my mom falling and breaking her hip were just a few of the issues that occupied my thoughts each day.

Resentment was exploding inside my brain. "No one appreciates all that I am doing to keep this family together. Cooking, washing, teaching, caring for everyone, running them to appointments, lessons, doctors and listening beyond midnight to teens pouring out their angst," and the lists of my exhausting responsibilities grew longer and longer in my mind. This fueled my frustration with Clay, who was lying next to me in bed, seemingly unaware of all my burdens.

The sun was just beginning to peek through the crack in the curtains, reminding me that there was little time left to sleep. I was entertaining evil, selfish thoughts toward Clay when the Holy Spirit gently nudged my conscience. "He needs you to encourage him. He is so discouraged because of bills, pain, and the insecurities of life all around him."

"Really, Lord? I am the one needing encouragement!"

Slowly, I willed my arm to reach over and gently scratched his back, confiding, "I just want you to know that I really love you and respect how bravely you have borne your ruptured disc. I know you are in such pain every day, but I am praying for you," I softly whispered, in sheer obedience to God.

Quietly, almost imperceptible, he responded,"I am so relieved. You have every right to be mad at me. I thought you were disappointed in me for not paying attention to you or taking care of you. But I have been so down about the overwhelming issues in our lives and constantly in pain, and I have not meant to neglect you--there is just so much. Thank you for being patient with me. I really appreciate you and love you."

And he reached over and gently embraced me before crawling out of bed, grimacing at the pain triggered by even that simple movement.

I turned over and slowly slipped out of bed, donned my soft, well-worn robe and padded quietly toward the kitchen for my first cup of caffeine.

As I approached the door of my bedroom, I was suddenly startled by the sight of my son lying quietly on our bedroom floor, cuddled in a comforter and staring up thoughtfully from his soft pillow.

"Mama, I was sleeping here because I had a real bad dream, but I knew you were tired so I didn't want to wake you up. But I heard you and Daddy talking. It made me feel happy to hear you all comforting each other and saying, 'I love you.' I want a marriage just like you when I grow up -- where my wife and I love each together and are partners in life. That would be so much fun to live with your best friend."

I hadn’t even known he was there! I was so glad in that moment that I hadn't given into my frustration and lashed out at Clay earlier. You just never know when your children are listening or watching, and you will always be glad you responded to a hard situation in gentleness and love.

We Encourage One Another: Our 24 Family Ways #7

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Our Family Way #7

We encourage one another, using only words that build up and bless others.

Memory Verse Ephesians 4:29

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in the right circumstances.

Proverbs 25:11

No matter how you picture a gold apple as mentioned in this scripture, you would probably think to find an apple gilded in gold and wrapped in silver something almost shocking—extravagant in worth, delightful, an over-the-top elegant display of a fruit so commonly loved.

That is the magnitude of words spoken at just the right time—of great worth, something that stands out and sparkles, reflects light, gives a sense of beauty and design. So, if we really think about our words and how to aim them at the heart of others, we can have that valuable an impact. Solomon is saying that such words aimed at the heart at the right time with grace will have immense effect. Don’t underestimate the value of learning to speak in a loving, encouraging, gracious way. I have been thinking about the importance of words lately: they bring life or death.

Jesus was called the Word or “the Message,” and His life brought hope and redemption and truth and guidance, blessing all who understood his message with grace and eternal worth.. 

I have met so many young 20-somethings in the past few years who have scars from their parents. Mainly, I have heard stories of parents who never encouraged or had time to listen or believe in dreams or sympathize. "My parents never listened to me. They never understood me. They were always angry at me," is often what I hear. Sometimes their memories are of sentences like these …

“I wish you had never been born,”

“You are such a disappointment to me.”

“I hate you.”

“You are so dumb.”

“You embarrass me.”

These words are like knives that cut deeply to the inside of a heart and leave ugly scars on those who have heard them over and over again.

But if we were to look at the Word, Jesus himself, we would see intentional encouragement. "Peter, you are the rock. Thomas, a man in whom there is no guile. The centurion--no one has had faith like you. Mary, your story will be told about you for all times." Jesus always took time to show love, to initiate words of life--even to believe in Peter and encourage him as he was about to rebel against him. “Peter, Satan has desired to sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you..."

It is almost as detrimental to withhold words as to say angry words.

“I never remember my father saying anything kind about me in my whole life.”

“I don’t remember my mother ever saying she loved me. When I told her I loved her when I was 27, she said, ‘I do, too.’” That was the extend of her love verbalized. I always wanted to know if I was worth being loved.”

A word held back could keep a person from hope, faith, affirmation, a sense of worth. We also know that negative words build a wall that can separate friends.

And so words have power and influence over who and what a human being becomes. That is why we must deeply consider how to invest words of love, hope, truth, encouragement, and practice saying them regularly. It is also why we must teach our children to ponder what words of life are and how to give them to others, as though we were giving them apples of gold.

May the Lord bless you with creative ideas on ways you can speak life to your loved ones this week!

Books Referenced in this Podcast:

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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!

Resources for Your Life: Help, I'm Drowning & Giveaway!

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“I didn’t think life would be this hard, this often.”

Sally Clarkson, Help, I’m Drowning

In these storms of life, it's easy to feel helpless, exhausted, afraid… and alone. We can feel victims to circumstances out of our control, as though we don’t know how we can go forward one more step.

I understand and sympathize with you. As I look back on my journey, I didn’t know that my personal story would be so fraught with challenges, so much work, loneliness, difficulty and stress. Through almost seven decades of life, I found myself tossed about in overwhelming life storms through many different seasons.

In Help, I'm Drowning, I identified the challenges that took me by surprise. My hope and desire is that my words will lead you to the wisdom I gathered through my experiences. Finding grace to walk through the darkness and hope to make it through will give you the comfort and encouragement you need in knowing you are not alone. Though there are no easy, formulaic answers that apply to every situation, I would like to help lead you to the One who is with us and will see us through.

I found the anchors that held me steady in the midst of every storm, and I want to help you find your anchor, too. I invite you into my own personal story of anchoring well, and then—with honesty, grit, and wisdom I found as I learned, grew stronger, and got my sea legs—I hope will help you heal and move forward with courage and strength.

I am providing you with all sorts of resources for ordering the book, or books for you and your friends. All of these resources are available for download for you when you order Help, I’m Drowning:

*10 Foundational Truths to Anchor Your Soul in the Midst of the Storm Journal

*You Are Not Alone: A 5 Day Devotional of Faith Heroes Who Held Onto Hope in Seasons of Suffering Devotional

*Where Self-Care Meets Soul Care Illustration

*Enter to Win a Special Tea Time with Sally

For those who pre-order Help, I’m Drowning, I will randomly select two readers to have a special tea time with me via Zoom.

And, my personal favorite: a prepared retreat for you personally or with friends, 6 videos, and a 30+ page workbook and leader’s guide to print out when you purchase 3 or more books.

I hope you will join me in the next weeks as we encourage, strengthen, help one another find hope and grace through the storms of our lives.

To get instant access to these downloads, pre-order your copy of Help, I’m Drowning and then click the button below to redeem your freebies!

And lastly, as a fun way to start this journey of launching Help, I’m Drowning into the world, today I will be giving away a box my favorite tea, Yorkshire Gold, and some of my favorite chocolates in case someone needs a little TLC :)

Walking Through Soul Darkness with Hope: Help! I'm Drowning

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There are times for each of us when it appears that all light, all hope, all answers, all strength, all is quickly fading, all hope is eeking out of our lives and we can do nothing to stop the darkness from coming.  It is a wilderness of soul when we feel that we are at an impass and do not know what to do or where to go. We are tempted to think that we cannot go one step more. We are tempted to think that the Lord has abandoned us.

As I look back on the dark seasons of life, I felt so alone and wondered if I was failing at my ideals—So many of us in this present journey of life feel or have felt at a loss in:

a lonely, empty marriage

life with a difficult child

a prodigal who has shunned all of our values

the heaviness of isolation and loneliness and the feeling that we matter to no one

rejection and criticism from loved ones

exhaustion and the feeling that we just can’t keep going

fear of what the world holds ahead of us

doubts about God

A sense of failure

Shameful abuse that we avoid talking about

Anger that seems to take over our lives, guilt that ensues

Often in these places, we stuff our real feelings, afraid of what others might think of us if we shared them. Sometimes they cause us to feel so far from God, but we don’t want to admit that outloud either.

I have felt many of these things through the years. I was so depressed at points, I didn’t know how to go forward. I didn’t feel like I knew anyone who cared or could understand.

And yet, now, at 68, I can see that somehow, as I literally cried through these life storms, as I begged God for help and wisdom, He was there, even when I could not feel or see him. I had no other choice but to push forward one tiny step at a time, yet I can verify that as I held fast to God, He companioned me. And so, a few months after Covid started, though there were many difficulties in my life—and I didn’t know Covid would last so long, I decided I wanted to write a book about these passages to come along side women, to sympathize with their sadnesses, hurts, loneliness and to give comfort and wisdom that I longed for when I felt so alone.

This week, I am gently sending this book out into the world. I would so appreciate your help in getting it into the hands of any who might need encouragement right now. You will be hearing more about this and some amazing and wonderful resources we have put together for you so that it won’t just be a book, but a way heal, to write out your feelings, to find and cultivate community, to wash your weary heart in the truth and hope of the Word of God.

But mostly today, I just wanted to start the journey with you on my podcast. I pray for you and hope you will be encouraged. Won’t you join me in reading my new book? You can download the first chapter for free by clicking the button below!

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!

Beauty is Necessary, Even on the Ordinary Days!

Do you ever need a reminder of a beautiful time, to help inspire you to seek out another? Me, too. I’m sharing a story of one such beautiful moment from many years ago, today!

Mondays in the Clarkson home usually found all of us trying to recover and adjust from the weekend—those glorious hours of sleeping late, enjoying endless cups of tea and hot chocolate, talking together over casual, long-drawn-out meals, reading magazines or books, watching favorite movies, playing rowdily in the yard with friends, and riding bikes or exploring. We return reluctantly to the realm of responsibility in which all the messes of Saturdays and Sundays must be dealt with and the duties of Monday through Friday attended to with full force.

This particular Monday was no exception. Orphaned cups and mugs, discarded baskets of popcorn, and untold numbers of socks had to be picked up from the various places they had been dropped. Individual breakfasts were hurriedly prepared and wolfed down. Laundry baskets were ransacked for presentable shirts. Backpacks were loaded with assignments and pencils, and each person hurried off to his or her own place of work. Sarah, the most experienced of our teen drivers, was recruited to take the two youngest to some Monday morning classes. When she came home, she hurried to her desk and tried to get started on her own work. But even with the younger children gone, the interruptions didn't stop. Sarah was really getting frustrated.

After graduating from high school, she had decided to delay college for a year or two. She had already published one book, and she wanted to see if she could get another one under her belt before plunging into the rigors of higher education. But this meant she was home, and being the eldest child in a large family almost inevitably means getting caught up in family responsibilities and duties. Our move added to the amount of work to be done, because our regular support systems were not yet in place. So Sarah had done more than her share of helping with laundry, dishes, cooking, reading to the younger kids, and answering the phone. Usually, she did it with good cheer, but I was aware of her frustration. And Mondays, especially, seemed to do her in.

"Mom, what I really need is a patron," Sarah sighed in frustration when she came to the kitchen for a drink of water. "I need someone who will pay me to live somewhere very private and beautiful so that I won't have to spend so much time on daily, routine tasks! Then I could just sit around thinking great thoughts that would turn into great books!"

"Oh, honey, if you just knew how many times I've had those thoughts!" was my sympathetic reply. "But what I really want is a full-time maid!"

And so went the day, with more chores, more interruptions, more responsibilities, more frustrations. Then about five o'clock on that crisp autumn afternoon, just as I was finishing an e-mail on my computer and getting ready to start dinner, I looked out my window and caught my breath.

Sarah, quick!" I called out as I ran to the front door to grab my jacket. "Come look!"

She dropped what she was doing and got her jacket too. Together we hurried down the street toward the cow field that backed up to our property. We quickly scaled the fence and ran out into the field.

Before us was one of the most beautiful sights I ever remember seeing. The entire skyline was lit as though on fire. Crimsons and corals and pinks painted the sky in brilliant, spectacular hues. The range of tall trees in the line of the setting sun seemed to flame and sparkle in the shifting light. A cold, soft breeze blew gently on our faces and in our hair to remind us it wasn't a real fire we were watching but the result of God's masterful artistry.

We stood in silence for a few minutes, taking in the splendid sight that surrounded us. Everything in sight seemed to dance with fiery colors—the skies and trees, the horizon and clouds above. Then slowly, slowly the colors began to fade. We stood there and marveled until we were standing together in darkness.

"Oh, Mama!" Sarah exclaimed, using her affectionate name for me. "That was spectacular! How could anyone see something like that and not believe in God?"

We walked home quietly, our souls filled with the warmth and grandeur one feels when she has seen the fingertips of God. More importantly, we were at peace—no longer caught up in the irritating, mundane world but soothed by that God-given reminder of the Lord's power and presence.

"The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge.There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard.Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun,Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It rejoices as a strong man to run his course.Its rising is from one end of the heavens, And its circuit to the other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from its heat."  

~ Psalms 19:1-6

Have you taken time to enjoy the beauty God has painted all around you, lately? 

We Serve One Another: Our 24 Family Ways #6

Way # 6 of Our 24 Family Ways

"We serve one another, humbly thinking of the needs of others first."

Memory verse

"And whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all, 'For even the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many."

Mark 10:44o-45

It is a habit of life for me to bake loaves of whole-wheat bread. It was just one of the ways I served my children over the years, and one I continue as often as possible today. Now, the smell of baking bread reminds my children of home even when they are thousands of miles away.

Serving doesn’t come naturally to anyone, and it was a surprise to me when I had children and realized how constant their needs to eat, sleep in clean sheets and wear clean clothes would be—and I was the one who had to make everything happen! So I decided to make sure my children were more prepared than I’d felt to serve their own families one day.

Mamas serve their children in a million big ways and tiny ways over and over again. The smell of coffee brewing and warm cinnamon bread coming out of the oven was one of the ways I would bribe my children to crawl out of bed on Sunday mornings. When they grew older and previously predictable schedules weren’t predictable anymore, Sunday morning feasts were my way of gathering us to catch up.

Some time ago, after a very tiring but fun week with Joy home from college, I planned to arise to make breakfast before we took her to the airport to fly back to school. Much to my surprise, when I came downstairs I found the table was set and a pot of fresh tea was steeping. She had planned to bring it up to me in bed, and French toast from my homemade bread was sizzling and browning on our skillet.

I was deeply grateful. Even more, though, it has been fun for me to see my children serve each other as a part of their own inner integrity -- a grid that they have owned that they are people who God has called to serve and meet the needs of others. What a treat to be served by my own sweet Joy!

If a child grows up serving, it will become natural to them. Making " I love you" cards, plates of cookies for neighbors, making a special sick tray when a child was in bed, and serving meals at the homeless shelter helped our children to learn to give time and effort to ease someone else's life.

Occasionally grumbling, or dragging their feet accompanied the training exercise of serving others. None of us are naturally unselfish.  But serving often created a positive sense of self-worth in our children, as adults would thank them or people would be pleased with their efforts.

Jesus called his disciples to serve along beside him and in this practice, they began to perceive themselves as leaders.

This week, engage your family and even young children in thinking how they might help or serve someone in need. You will probably be surprised at how much they will enjoy being a part of something that makes them feel rather important. The earlier you start, the better, as it will become a part of the fabric of their lives!

Our 24 Family Ways: A Family Devotional Guide

By Clarkson, Clay

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!

Clubhouse: Imagining Living An Inspiring Life with Nathan & Joy Clarkson

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Every morning at our home held began with pajama clad children gathering around me, a pile of books strewn around our living room, settling in for a long read. Our worlds of books took us on journeys all over the universe—a spaceship to the heavens, stars, galaxies; under the ocean in submarines in world wars; on the stage of William Shakespeare; Daniel facing lions; a young boy facing giants with a sling shot, Sitting in the Vienna concert hall with Beethoven; to castles, duels, knights fighting with valor with maidens close by, and so much more.

After about an hour or two, I would then send everyone outside to pretend and live out the stories they had just experienced. A box of odds and ends made up costumes, plastic and wood swords, cowboy boots, capes and an array of artifacts from the second hand store gave vent to great costumes put into imagination on the wild mountain side of Colorado.

At around 10 or 11, Nathan, our epic adventurer wrote about it in a poem, “What will our Clubhouse be today?”

Clay found the floppy disc on which the poem was stored. My two youngest and most extraverted kids, who played and pretended for hours and hours as children, got together to polish and finish the writing of their wonderful book, The Clubhouse: Open the Door to Limitless Adventure.

People are always asking us, “How did you do it? How did you inspire your children to be authors, movie makers, composers, college instructors, podcasters?” This was the way—imagination, nightly discussions over great meals, a close, delightful relationships every day. This is how their hearts, minds and lives were shaped into adults who could imagine influencing their worlds for good.

Nathan, Joy and I recorded a podcast today to celebrate these ideas and this wonderful new book. To celebrate, I am giving away 5 copies of Awaking Wonder! I hope this will invigorate creative juices for children all over the world. To enter, follow us on Instagram (@sally.clarkson, @nathanjclarkson, @joynessthebrave,) and share a picture of The Clubhouse (pictured below) on Instagram or Facebook!

Hope you win. :)

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.

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God's Spirit is our Breath of Life!

Without the wind of God's Spirit blowing through our lives, we are like a boat that must use our own power to pull through life on our own power. But when submit our lives to God's spirit, he fills the sails of our lives with His strength and power and gives us grace to live the lives in front of us every day.

Trying to do the Lord's work in your own strength is the most confusing, exhausting, and tedious of all work. But when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, then the ministry of Jesus just flows out of you.

Corrie Ten Boom

Somehow I had managed to slip out of bed without waking Clay, slip on my shoes and a comfy sweater, and get out the door for a Saturday morning coffee.  As I sat in the cozy corner of the café, coffee in hand, I basked in the delight of a stolen moment alone. I read my morning verses, and jotted down some deep thoughts in my journal. I will be so kind, very loving, and patient today, I thought.

And then my phone rang. “Mom! Where are you? What are we going to do today?” I responded patiently with this child (how could I not be patient in such a lovely moment?) and explained that I’d be home in just a little while to do something fun with the whole clan. Even just thirty minutes alone was rejuvenating for me, but I sighed nonetheless.

But then the phone rang again. “Hey, honey! Who’s going to take Joy downtown for her appointment?” This time it was my husband's voice. I pondered on this. There were no less than four adults in our home who could drive; perhaps one of them could manage? This was my one morning alone. Even so, I continued to talk with Clay as we puzzle-pieced schedules. As I ended the phone call, I breathed deeply. The coffee and quiet started to enchant my soul back into a pleasant attitude.

And then the phone rang. Again. Everyone was hungry and wanted breakfast. With another sigh, I gathered myself, thanked God for the few moments of peace, and resolved to enjoy the day and cherish my beloved ones. This thought was barely a notion in my mind when I walked through the door to discover the dog had thrown up on the new carpet.

I think I need another cup of coffee.

So many times in my life I have encountered the tension between wanting to be Spirit-filled and gracious, and then being overwhelmed by my own attitudes, the unexpected situations of my life, or the many clashing personalities of my family members. Life tends to have a sandpaper effect on my attempts to be holy. These times have led me to explore what it means to live in the power of the Spirit.

Throughout Scripture, the Holy Spirit is often described using the analogy of wind, or breath. When explaining the mysteries of the Spirit to Nicodemus, Jesus said:

“The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).

The Greek word Jesus uses is pnuema, which can be translated as wind, breath, or spirit. Later, when Jesus is commissioning his disciples, Scripture manifests the metaphor into an actual happenstance: “And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (John 20:22).

Breath is a daily necessity. We cannot live without breathing, and it is a constant need. The same sort of dependence we have on breathing is how we ought to depend on the Holy Spirit. Living in the power of the Holy Spirit means letting the Spirit of God be the breath that allows me to make it through every day. Relying on the assistance of the Holy Spirit should become as natural to me as breathing in and out.

Christians cannot flourish apart from making God's Spirit the source of their spiritual lives. 

Even the phrase "spiritual life" refers to the Spirit-living-through-us life. I am not speaking of some kind of unique charismatic experience (though throughout history, people have experienced God's filling in different ways), but of a power that we can never muster up on our own. It might be described as:

*an inner strength"

"God is my strength, a very present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1

*a voice that calls us to become more excellent"

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." John 14:26

*energy that moves us to love and forgive supernaturally*

"The fruit of the Spirit is love," Galatians 5:22

*a fruitfulness that can only be explained by God*

"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." John 15:5

When the Holy Spirit directs our course, the natural consequence is a life outside of normal striving or fleshly effort. We are able to live beyond our own capacity.

Little by little, we speak with God about our stresses, burdens, fears, and give them up to Him and ask, "Fill me with your spirit today, now. Teach me to walk with you, to see my life from your perspective, and give me the strength to grow. Help me to worship you as I live this day. Make me understand how to "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16). 

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

By Clarkson, Sally