Anchored Living | Issue 03 Summer 23

HISTORY

"We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose."

ROMANS 8:28

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE ANCHOR

One of our most important goals for the Anchor Gathering is to have a strategic plan in place to help achieve our mission and vision. Our mission is to gather women of all ages and backgrounds to encourage and anchor them in faith and friendship and to see women know Jesus Christ in a personal relationship and as the anchor for their lives. We formed a task force and hired the Focus Group, a consulting firm that provides strategic planning counsel to non-profits to help us formulate a three-year strategic plan tailored to our organization. After several meetings, plenty of discussion and sharing (including gathering stakeholders’ experiences and feedback), and lots of prayer, we have come up with three goals and a promise to our Anchor community.

GOALS

The Anchor will have in place the training and practices to ensure that all programs, events, and every Anchor at Home offer an inspirational, motivating, encouraging, welcoming, and life-changing experience.

The Anchor will have increased the regional impact in preparation for pursuing the vision for national expansion.

The Anchor will have increased staffing and funding to provide the leadership, support, and organizational health needed for the expansion of the ministry.

OUR PROMISE

To our Anchorwomen: We promise that you will be welcomed into a caring community of faith and prayer where you can discover a sense of purpose, be encouraged, find friendships, and enjoy camaraderie. You will have access to outstanding training that will prepare you in hospitality, evangelism, and leadership. In addition, you will find opportunities for personal, professional, and spiritual growth.

In three years, thousands of women across the Pacific Northwest are talking about how their lives were transformed through their engagement with an Anchor event. They quote speakers they heard who challenged and encouraged them in their faith and they cherish the new friendships they have made with other women who support them on the journey.

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BELOW: Members of The Anchor Board at our latest meeting in June 2023

When Anchor at Home hosts/leaders gather, they rejoice in what God is doing in their Anchor at Home events. They often share their appreciation for how well-trained and prepared they feel to make every gathering an inspirational and potentially life-changing experience with many women coming to faith for the first time.

Katie will be spending her time focusing on speaking, training, and creating new content, while a called and committed leadership team works hard to keep up with the demands of expanding the ministry.

A growing number of financial supporters have caught the vision and are generously funding the expansion work and the goals of the strategic plan. From the quality of its programs and events to its training programs, support systems, staffing and funding base, the ministry is well positioned to expand as far and as fast as God leads.

We are looking forward to our Anchor at Home season beginning October 5th and recruiting and training more watch party hosts in order to reach more women with the Good News of Jesus. We will be hosting four in-person events in the Pacific Northwest and will be bringing the Anchor at Home into churches to help strengthen women’s ministry. One of our exciting next steps is to hire a Director of Operations to assist our team to implement our strategic plan. We are excited for our future and what the Lord has in store!

HISTORY

THE FIRST BELLEVUE ANCHOR

WRITTEN BY KATIE ROBERTSON

It is amazing to look back on The Anchor and our beginning and to see how far we have come. It is truly the evidence of God at work. The Anchor began in my hometown of Gig Harbor and spread up to Bellevue, Washington before expanding throughout the Pacific Northwest. It is a remarkable story on how it started there. It came out of the journey I took with my daughter Karina when she was diagnosed with leukemia the second time.

After discovering that the cancer had returned upon her start of sophomore year in high school, we learned that she would need to have a stem cell transplant. This involved our family moving somewhere near the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Children’s Hospital located in Seattle where we would live for one hundred days while undergoing a transplant. As I look back, I realize nothing would have ever taken me out of Gig Harbor and it was a daunting trip. I will never forget pulling out of the driveway of our home of twenty years unsure of the future and our daughter’s life.

We needed to find a place to live close to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Children’s Hospital. We happened to have a Bellevue connection

who had property with a dock where we could moor our boat on Hunts Point. It was too good to be true; this location met the criteria perfectly down to the last detail. Our family relocated for one hundred days and lived aboard our boat (I called it our ark in the storm) right in the heart of Bellevue. Many times there, I saw the Lord at work loving on us in the details. I never would have imagined what the Bellevue connection would ultimately lead me to: God’s purpose prevails.

Living in Bellevue through the transplant journey, our family made some wonderful connections with neighbors nearby. I couldn’t believe how smoothly the transplant went and how well Karina did through it all. Karina had a new start on life with her younger sister Annika’s stem cells — the perfect match.

We returned to Gig Harbor and were so grateful for Karina’s new life and our newfound friends. I would meet for lunch monthly with these new friends and had the opportunity to share about The Anchor. They were intrigued and questioned me about how they could start one in Bellevue. My two closest Bellevue friends at the time, Linda and Tricia, began to dream and pray with me how we could launch the first Anchor. Linda had a great idea and suggested Susan Hutchison for our first speaker. Susan had been a KIRO News Anchorwoman for 25 years and was, and still is, an incredible speaker. Linda said it might be a long shot, but she would ask her. We all agreed that if Susan said yes to speaking the Bellevue Anchor would be a GO!

Linda, Tricia and I were at dinner to talk more about our Anchor plans and as we were sitting, sipping on a glass of wine, Linda exclaimed, “I just got a text from

Susan; she said YES!” The three of us were so surprised at the timing. We had just commented on how we wished we would hear from Susan. We were so excited and raised our glasses in a toast to the Bellevue Anchor and to the Lord at work!

Our first Bellevue Anchor was held on October 7th, 2014. We had the most amazing venue for no expense: the top floor of the Expedia building! The view was over the top! We lined the windowsills with colorful glassbaby and brought in appetizers and wine. The room was packed, and women were encouraged in their faith and friendships and wanted more. We were confident that the Lord was at work and women were being filled with the hope Jesus brings.

That first evening, Susan pointed out the lapel pin she wore — a woman symbol with the anchor swoosh — and explained the symbolism of it representing an anchorwoman. I was in awe of the details; it was our logo! The rest is history. We are excited to continue to share the Good News of Jesus with women everywhere!

ABOVE: Susan Hutchison, Heather Baker, Katie Robertson and Linda Ranz at the first Bellevue Anchor Gathering

HOPE

"But those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint."

ISAIAH 40:31

PEARLS OF WISDOM

Wise sayings and pieces of advice coming from others who have forged the way ahead in life, inspiring us on how to adorn our lives with that which brings beauty and confidence.

WRITTEN BY GIGI WALLACE

One of my favorite Broadway musicals is Beautiful. It’s about the life and career of Carol King. At one point in the story, Carol is asked to sing in a small nightclub. “Who would want to hear me sing? I’m just a normal person,” she says. Her contemporaries are ready with an answer: “Normal people,” they say.

While I have never been famous, I know that I’m God’s beloved. My resume is quite “normal”. But it’s an honor to share a part of my story.

I have been married to my husband, Chuck for thirty-nine years. I have three married daughters and seven grandchildren who affectionately call me, “Mor Mor”. The ones that can talk at least; the others get a lot of practice!

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My lifelong prayer is that I know I’m unconditionally loved by God and that I have the courage to grow from there.

I want you to know that while I’ll share some of the pain I’ve experienced in my life, I also want to acknowledge that my own emotional baggage has caused others pain that I have needed to ask forgiveness for, including from my own daughters. I believe it is important to be a good steward of my own pain and take responsibility for its impact on others.

The primary example that I’ve asked my daughters forgiveness for was that I often expected them to be perfect for other people. I projected my own childhood story of rejection onto them and failed to own that they had a different story. I feared that they would be rejected from their community if they didn’t perform for others as that was my survival story growing up. They have endured some painful consequences as a result but the redeeming thing is that they know God as their first Parent, Redeemer, and Healer.

In his book, The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch writes that one of his major disappointments was realizing that a lot of middle age people never grow up or change. In other words, sometimes we try to feel loved and safe by trying to find our significance in everything but Jesus. Hopefully, I wasn’t the same person at forty years old that I was at twenty. And at sixty-three years old, I’m not who I was at forty. I’ve been transformed through my personal relationship with God and relationships with friends and family.

In order to understand my faith journey, I need to tell you about my family history.

MY FAMILY HISTORY

First, let me start with the positive: I’m okay! I’m not bitter. I have chosen to forgive. But forgiveness and trust are two different things. Forgiveness has helped me name how I was wronged, understand the message I received through that offense, asking God to give you the message of truth instead.

While forgiveness is healing to our own bitterness and keeps us from perpetuating pain to other relationships, not every person can be trusted in a relationship moving forward. I believe I’ve grown from my past and my ability to discern the difference as I’ve had my share of prayer, therapy, and Anchor moments!

My childhood is reminiscent of OJ Simpson’s 911 phone call. In fact, when I hear that recording played back, it’s a little traumatizing for me. The events of my childhood felt so unsafe and frightening that I stopped breathing when I was ten years old. I had the tendency to hold my breath a lot out of anxiety. While everyone in my dad’s path survived physically, the effects of my dad’s unpredictable violent rages left a mark.

My mother was a renaissance woman and excelled at many things but was chronically depressed, never loved herself, and would often sleep until 3 PM. Both my parents were married three times. When I was about eighteen years old, I learned that the father I had known my whole life was not my biological father and that I was the product of an affair.

I’ll spare you the specifics, but my childhood was characterized by neglect, physical and emotional abuse, abandonment, and rejection.

MY FAITH JOURNEY

Because of my childhood experience, I believed God existed but I didn’t believe God was with us on Earth, or that he cared about circumstances. I felt unprotected. If I had believed that Jesus really cared about my circumstances, I would have assumed that God was out for a smoke.

While I excelled as a student at University of Washington, one would have thought I was failing based on my anxiety and fear. I wandered into a Bible Study in my sorority and I was introduced to Philippians 4:6-8 — the familiar passage that instructs us to not worry about anything, but instead to pray about everything. In that moment, I gave all of my circumstances in my life to God and have been diligent about placing my circumstances, thoughts, and feelings with him ever since.

But while I trusted God with my circumstances, I still struggled to trust the truth that I was beloved and deeply valued by God. Even though I have a wonderful husband and beautiful daughters, I still looked to the rest of the world for my value because that is how I learned to survive growing up.

One day, my friend Leslie said, “Gig… every person in this world is a broken person. People can only love to the extent they know they’re loved by God. So why are you evaluating your value on someone else’s behavior toward you?”

I understand in this Anchor Moment that God gives us a choice in where we find our value. But He knows we will feel the most whole and significant if God is our first relationship, our first parent, first spouse, first friend etc…

I was recently at a luncheon where I asked the host where she would like me to sit by saying, “Where do you want me?” She held out her arms wide, inviting me to a hug and said, “Actually, I want you right here!”

This moment served as a picture of how God welcomes each of us. When we ask Jesus this question, “Where do you want me?” He stretches out his arms in an invitation for a hug and says, “Actually, I want you right here!”

ANCHOR MOMENT

An Anchor Moment is a time in a woman's life when her faith has truly anchored her, inspired her or directed her decision making.

BERTA BRYNESTAD

has lived in Gig Harbor for the past 27 years with her husband Bart while raising their four children. She is now proud to be called Nana by her 10 grandkids! While raising her children Berta also has been a teacher, a tennis coach and a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines. She has served on the area Young Life Committee with Bart for many years and also has been on the board of the Emergency Food Network and just recently joined a committee with the FISH Foodbank.

Berta loves competitive tennis, boating with her family, being with old and new friends, traveling with Bart and playing with her grandkids. Her latest endeavors include raising chickens and learning to watercolor and keep bees.

Although she is recently retired she is busier than ever keeping up with her adventurous husband and spending lots of time with her kids and grandkids.

TELL US ABOUT AN ANCHOR MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE:

I was raised in a big catholic family and my dad was in the Army, so we traveled all over when I was young. Eventually, when I was in late elementary school we landed in Tacoma. When I was a sophomore in high school, my dad died suddenly. Home became chaotic and I clung to my friends for support. Thankfully, I had friends who were going to Young Life and following Jesus. I became curious about their faith. I knew how to be a fan of God and I knew who God was, but He wasn't really my friend. I started going to Young Life but my mom did not want me to go, so I had to sneak out of the house. That was probably the worst thing I did in high school! One time I told my mom I was going to a friend's cabin for the weekend and I went to Young Life camp where I heard more about having a relationship with Jesus. He was calling to me! This was the beginning of my relationship with him and I am so thankful.

After high school I headed off to the University of Washington and found a great bible study to be a part of. In my sophomore year I started leading Young Life at Nathan Hale High School where I met Katie Robertson, the founder of the Anchor! During college I began dating my husband Bart. We had known each other in high-school and he was from a wonderful christian family and his mom was an incredible christian woman who loved and mentored me.

Shortly after graduation Bart and I were married and we recently celebrated our 39th anniversary. Bart is truly a "boat nut" and over the years we have had little boats and big boats and even a log boat that Bart attached a motor to so he could pull the kids around. It was truly his favorite. I have had

to learn all the boating terminology and what to do when you are a boaters first mate. The Lord has given me a lesson about anchoring versus tying to a dock that hopefully will encourage you as well.

When Bart and I are boating I really like to tie up to docks; I like security and being able to see what we are tied to. Anchoring seems scary to me: you throw this big weight down and it's where you cannot see it. Over the years I’ve docked myself to a few things — Bart, my friends, money, health, possessions, my home. Those are the things that make me feel safe. If I'm having a hard time I'll pick up the phone and call Bart or a friend. But I sensed the Lord was calling me to anchor to Him; when life's storms come, the people and things I have "docked" to are not as useful as Jesus, my anchor.

And the storms did come for me. When my son Jens was seventeen, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Off we zipped up to Children's Hospital and spent eight days there with him as he had major surgery. While we were there waiting to find out if he had cancer and needed more treatments I received from my doctor saying, “Berta, that mammogram you had last week showed that you have breast cancer and will need surgery as soon as possible.” I needed surgery right away and I think at the time I said, “No, I can't.” But I eventually did, and Jens and I recovered from our surgeries at home together. During that recovery period, my brother Ken lost his battle with melanoma and went home to Jesus. The storms just kept coming.

Within a month of my brother’s passing, my dear my mother-in-law, Rosemary, was

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BUT JESUS, MY ANCHOR, HELD. THOSE YEARS OF READING MY BIBLE, PRAYING WITH OTHERS, GOING TO CHURCH, AND LISTENING TO WORSHIP MUSIC HAD ANCHORED ME SO THAT I COULD BE READY FOR THE STORMS THAT CAME.

diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer. I thought, “How could the storm get any worse?” But Jesus, my anchor, held. Those years of reading my bible, praying with others, going to church, and listening to worship music had anchored me so that I could be ready for the storms that came. There are all kinds of storms that people have in their life. Some are small, and some seem endless. Often, we are not sure how we will get through it. However, I have a verse that the Lord gave me:

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. All who rage against you [cancer] will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies [cancer], you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” Isaiah 41:10-13

When my son was in the hospital I kept this verse tucked in to my name badge and when I would become fearful I would read it over and over and over until it was deep in my soul. I was anchored to it because the Lord was telling me I didn't have to be afraid.

Life has been good but I have been in the midst of a storm the last two years — my older sister Sue, who is a big part of our family, had been fighting breast cancer. Sue never married or had children but my kids were her kids and she poured her life into them and me. I took her to appointments and we were her support system. During the pandemic she had to be hospitalized and was not allowed visitors. Her cancer advanced and she passed away in 2020. But, thankfully she knew the love of Jesus and our anchor still holds.

The Lord is faithful and is still holding tight to me. He is still faithful; He still promises to hold my hand. I am a practical person and like to know what action steps to take, so in closing, I will share a few practical ways to anchor yourself to the Lord on the following page.

Cut this 4x6 print out, hang it where you'll see it, and be inspired to stay anchored to the Lord!

PRACTICAL WAYS TO ANCHOR YOURSELF TO THE LORD

Read your bible. There are going to be things that jump out to only you, they may never jump out to me! They are things the Lord has just for you.

Stay in fellowship. Staying connected to other women of faith, like at an Anchor Gathering, is a great way to stay anchored.

Reach out to people of faith and people you admire. Listen to worship music!

Go out into nature and listen to what the Lord has to say.

WRITTEN BY BERTA BRYNESTAD FOR

HOME

HEBREWS 3:4

"Now every house is built by someone, but the one who built everything is God."

MAKING OUR HEARTS THE HOME WHERE JESUS DWELLS

STAYING DEVOTED HOME

WRITTEN BY KATIE ROBERTSON

Our first Anchored Devotional came out in January of 2021. Launching the devotionals at the beginning of a new year felt like a great way to start a new habit of immersing myself in God’s word. I wanted to encourage our readers to take some time to read their Bible and meditate on the promises and truths of Jesus as part of their daily routine.

Over the years of my faith journey, I have found it to be so helpful and important to take time to read the Bible. It brings me daily strength, joy, peace, wisdom and so much more. I have often correlated it with physical training and working out: if you put forth some discipline and training time, you get

stronger. The same is true for our spiritual training — as you read God’s word and pray and meditate on His promises and train in His truths it will enable you to live stronger. More importantly, it helps us to live anchored in a world of varying storms and uncertainty.

I created our Spiritual Workout Calendar, which we publish monthly, where you can find a couple of verses each day to read and some thoughtful prompts to consider as you move through your day. As an avid runner, I liken it to a physical workout training calendar. On some days you have

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shorter runs/workouts; on others, you run (or read) longer and there is always a rest day. By keeping to your training schedule, you will experience the benefits of getting in better shape and will be stronger and full of stamina. Your rest day on Sunday encourages time for church and being in the company of others as God intended. Training in the truths of Jesus promises to help build strength and endurance for the journey of life.

The second year of our Anchored Devotional, we chose to offer a different theme for each month with a word such as grace, peace, strength, and joy and gave verses that tied to these themes. This year, we were very excited to share our new creation of a "home" theme, Jesus at Home in Your Heart. I was inspired by a favorite little book I read in college, My Heart — Christ’s Home. I loved the analogy that when you ask Jesus to come into your heart, He comes to make His home in you and give you the ultimate home of Heaven. The book describes Jesus coming into each room of the house and likens it to a part of your life. As you ask Jesus into

Scan the QR code above with your mobile device or tablet, or visit our website online at theanchorgathering.com/anchored-devotional to get all past devotionals. Stay tuned for the remaining months of inviting Jesus into our homes!

your life and get to know Him, He will begin to work with you to bring restoration and renewal to those areas.

Our current Anchored Living Devotional features a room of a house each month and shares verses to look up that correlate with that room or living area. We started with the porch by inviting Jesus in and moved to the kitchen where we shared verses on the nourishment of feasting on His word, the bedroom featuring verses on resting in the Lord and the workout room with verses about strength and endurance. The devotional shares more rooms of the house and Bible verses through the rest of the year including the laundry, family and dining rooms, the study/office and the garden.

Our hope and prayer is for you to be encouraged and experience the grace and peace of Jesus as you dwell at home with Him. You can find the current devotional on our website as well as the previous offerings if you want to catch up on any you might have missed. Join me in building your spiritual stamina as you grow in your relationship with Him!

HOME

RESTORED TO FORMER GLORY

WRITTEN BY RACHAEL MITCHELL

Rachael Mitchell, writer and speaker, wife and mom, relies on faith, humor and an up-todate Google calendar to make it through. There’s a high chance you’ll catch Rachael dressed in sweatpants with a book in one hand, a cup of tea in the other, totally forgetting that she’s supposed to be in the car picking up a kid from soccer practice. Connect with her on Instagram at https://instagram.com/mitchellfreelancewriting

A floor plan is a strange thing to thrill a child, but since the age of about seven, home design, architecture, and house layouts excited me. Whether I was creating creative floor plans with Legos or drawing elaborate plans on graph paper, house design intrigued me.

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Rivers ran through some of my house plans, fountains decorated the entryways, hidden passageways, elaborate music rooms, and giant bathrooms were “musts” in my “signature” home designs.

I struck gold when I married my husband, who happened to be a contractor. My vision paired well with his brawn and knowhow. We loved Chip and Jo, teared up during Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, celebrated Nicole Curtis’ finished homes, and we’re still fascinated with the meticulous work on This Old House. I follow people on Instagram who are restoring old mansions and was giddy when, eight years ago, we purchased an older home in need of major remodeling. I still dream of buying an old mansion in England that needs restoration. My husband began to be less and less excited when I’d start a conversation, “So, I have an idea…” while eating dinner and I’d point to a wall in our house, “see that

ABOVE: I love being married to a contractor... "Let’s replace that sliding glass door with a window! Ready go!"

LEFT: Working away on front steps with my “helpers”

wall? Um, can it come down? I’d really like this space to be opened up.” Even though it was load bearing, and required a 400-pound beam in its place, my next question was, “OK, so when can you start?”

I began to think about why I loved seeing something broken get fixed. Why does the “unveiling” make me emotional? Why do the before and after photos make me scroll back and forth 15 times? Why is it so satisfying to see something “restored to its former glory”? I’m obviously not alone in this interest—everyone loves a good before and after, and there are shows, books, magazines, and an entire channel of TV dedicated to home transformations.

From the inside out, He observes what’s broken and tenderly begins to set it right. Just like in the remodeling shows, what we don’t see are the hundreds of carpenters, painters, and builders working around the clock. We don’t experience the hours and hours it can take to strip paint off old window casing or a handrail. We want our homes and our hearts transformed in 30 minutes when, in reality, transformation takes a lifetime. There’s no glory without the blood, sweat, and tears of setting right what is broken. We might see what is broken in our own lives, but we hide or cover our eyes in hopes it will disappear, knowing that the transformation process will be hard and painful.

We easily see what is broken not only with a dilapidated mansion, but with the world, and inside us as well. Whether conscious or not, we know something is off. Even though we love the restored final results, it’s frustrating when we continue to be bent on what is broken. We hurt the people we love with our words, actions and selfishness. We hurt people we don’t know by our criticism, materialism, and lack of care for the earth. We complain, compare, and consume. We watch people killing other people, governments warring against other countries, famine or disease ravaging the lives of those already stuck in poverty. We know in our spirits it’s not supposed to be like this. We long for transformation in our own lives and in the world. We’re cheering “move that bus,” and hoping to see something new and beautiful revealed.

It takes courage to face what is broken, just as it takes determination to sand old paint off of window casings. The work of transformation requires surrender. Surrendering to Jesus takes great faith and a willingness to be undone and put back together from the inside out.

Jesus’ death and resurrection was a courageous act that allows for our restoration. Our sin and the world’s brokenness can be put back right because of Jesus’ willingness to go to the cross, die a horrific death, and then rise again, restored to his full glory, three days later. We can be restored because He is the Great Restorer. He did it first and set it right. Not all things will be restored on this side of heaven. We’ve still lost people we love, relationships are still torn apart, people are still suffering. But because Jesus offers us the forgiveness of sins, we have the power and ability to live differently— transformed—in this life.

Though a quick transformation seems like it would be easiest and with the least amount of pain, Jesus transforms our hearts over time. We grow and change as we face our brokenness and allow it to be restored to its former glory in the hands of Jesus.

I think we love watching transformation because we are longing to be transformed.

WE ARE LONGING FOR THINGS TO BE SET RIGHT AND RESTORED TO THEIR FORMER GLORY. THANKFULLY, JESUS TRANSFORMS.

HEART

COLOSSIANS 3:14

"Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity."

THE SUN, THE RAIN, AND THE APPLE SEED

WRITTEN BY DEB CUSTER

“Oh the Lord’s been good to me, and so I thank the Lord for giving me, the things I need the sun, and the rain, and the apple seed. Oh, the Lord’s been good to me.”

Reaching for the ripe apples, my siblings and I could hear our mother Joy singing the words from Rosemary Benet’s beloved “Johnny Appleseed.” Indeed, our little hearts felt the Lord had been good to us. We had been walking through the apple orchard all summer long watching for signs that the apples were finally ready for picking.

Our father Walt and our mother purchased the 88-acre farm in Greenacres, Washington in 1953. There were acres of land on which to run and play. We had horses to care for, cows in the fields, ornamental pheasants, and beautiful peacocks, and chickens for eggs. Our father would come home from a long day at the law office and instantly be refreshed by the open fields, gardens, and orchards. The orchard was extra special, for it drew us to itself.

We would walk, talk, and examine the fruit to see if it was beginning to soften, and we’d pull hard to get unripe apples off the tree. When we bit into the apples, they were hard, tart, and bitter. Finding that the apples were so bitter, we would resolve to wait until they were ripe.

After what seemed like an eternity, the leaves began to change color, signaling the beginning of autumn. The autumn delivered on all our expectations after waiting through the long, hot eastern Washington summer.

ABOVE:

Me and my siblings. Top row: Janna, myself, Susan. Bottom row: Kim, Jim

Even as little children we saw the spiritual lessons. The summer heat and rain brought forth the loveliness that captivated our hearts.

Finally, the apples were ready. Now ripe, the round apples were easy to bite into and sweet to the taste. God had done His beautiful work. We were full of gratitude for this long-awaited blessing.

As with the orchard, our lives were similar. Our parents and grandparents poured love

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and prayers over us. Thus, we experienced growth through rain and sunshine. We desired to know more about our Caregiver, who made the apples so lovely through the tenderness of His care. This maturing brought the hues, subtle tints, and gave the apples a loveliness all their own. Just like the maturing of the apples, God, through His grace, mercy, and love drew us to Himself.

We wanted to know more about God, who used the tempering seasons, rain, glorious sunshine, and the kisses of the evening dew to mature His fruit. As we grew closer to Him, we would experience tempering seasons too, trials, testing, and windy blasts. These seasons would cause us to desire the quiet mornings the orchard brought, the quiet communing with our Creator.

Today looking out at another fall—I am experiencing another beautiful autumn all these years later. The beauty of the autumn leaves brings me back to praising and thanking Him for His continued grace, faithfulness, and love.

Now grown, we pray for our children and grandchildren, just as our parents and grandparents prayed for us. We pray that God will continue His tender care as He cultivates in them an appetite for His Word, for prayer, to be with His people, and to delight in praising and serving Him. And as I pray for my children and grandchildren, I am often taken back to the memory of the orchard. There, I can hear my mom singing, “I wake up every day, as joyful as can be. Because I know that with His care, my apple trees, they will still be there. The Lord’s been good to me.”

In this autumn season, may you also experience the Lord’s goodness.

AS WE GREW, THIS COMMUNING MEANT CULTIVATING HABITS OF PRAYER AND TIME IN HIS WORD, NOT TO WIN HIS FAVOR BUT TO KNOW AND LOVE HIM MORE.

CUP OF JOY HEART

WRITTEN BY ASHLEY KIM

For the first half of her life, Ashley lived in South Korea with her family before moving to the U.S. at the age of eleven. After a long season of navigating change and tackling language and cultural barriers, she attended the University of Washington where she joined a sorority and got involved with a collegiate ministry called The Navigators. The Navigators was a huge part of Ashley’s college experience and where she first experienced God’s presence and peace.

Since graduating, Ashley has been living in Seattle with her friends. She volunteers for The Navigators, works at Madewell and The Anchor, and is preparing to apply to law school next fall!

I love hearing people’s testimonies, their life stories. I love the way God spends time writing our stories yet encourages us to turn the pages and be in it with Him. I had firmly believed that I was the sole author of my own story prior to experiencing Jesus. So for the first three years of college, I was careless, doing absolutely whatever I felt like doing. I sought joy in whatever would satisfy me in the moment.

My particular “joys” were found in three things — my boyfriend at the time, my sorority, and constantly going out. If you were in the Greek system in college, you know how that goes. For a while, I genuinely believed that it was working. I would have a few nights of going to parties and drinking, and I thought that I was happy. I constantly tied my identity and value to my boyfriend and my sorority yet at the same time, I was

so painfully aware that I never actually felt happy. You know the phrase “the glass is half-empty or half-full”? I related to that more than anything else. I knew I wasn’t content, but I had to settle. I felt incomplete, but I felt I had to accept my life for what it was. Everyone else seemed happy. However, the way I saw it, my cup was half-empty.

When your sense of self and level of happiness are built upon a fragile foundation, they quickly fall apart.

If I had a fight with my boyfriend, I reacted more harshly than I ever had before. Our relationship became very unhealthy. I also started to struggle in my sorority due to surface-level friendships and the constant going out. Neither my house nor the parties could fill my cup.

(CONTINUED ON FOLLOWING PAGE)

As a result, I became angry with God although I didn’t even have a relationship with Him. I had no idea what that meant. I was so frustrated. What else could I possibly do? Everyone else seemed happy, why not me? And I was upset at God for letting this happen to me. How could He just stand by and watch me struggle?

Then, during my senior year, something miraculous happened. God met me exactly where I was and slowly started taking all those things away from me. I broke up with my boyfriend of three years. I completely moved out of my sorority house. When those things first happened, it wasn’t easy. I was completely lost, alone, and without the very things I had used to fill my cup. I had no choice but to start pouring into my cup with the only thing left — my relationship with Jesus.

My senior year was transformative and so very different than the previous three years. Instead of hanging out with my boyfriend, I spent time with God every day in His Word. Instead of going to frat parties, I showed up to weekly Navigators meetings. And slowly, God began to fill my cup. The void that I had felt began to be filled with an inexplicable sense of peace, and I found companionship and friends through the Navigators.

I pressed in even more. I read through Mark together with Caitlin, a staff member on the Navigators team who discipled me. I joined a discipleship group that met up weekly to memorize scripture and share life. I asked questions because I desired to know God and His character. I even took a leap of faith and started a Bible study in my sorority, leading girls to a hope beyond what the house could offer. Suddenly, my cup that had been half-empty started to overflow

Psalm 23:5 puts it perfectly: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” Spring quarter of that year, I decided to get baptized through the Navs and publicly give my life to Jesus!

It can be so easy to feel that God isn’t writing our stories. During some of the toughest moments of my life, I blamed God for the things that were happening to me. I convinced myself that He had left my side. But I look back on my experiences and realize that God had been writing my story all along. If it had not been for freshman year, sophomore year, and junior year, would my senior year have turned out the way it did? He was with me all along, writing my story with care, intention, and patience.

I love the story of Jesus calming the storm in Luke 8. It reminds me so much of His presence during life’s many storms. Any time I am wrestling with something, I always try to remember that our hardships are not when Jesus leaves our side but rather is closer to us than ever. Another story that comes to mind is the one about Balaam and his donkey in the Old Testament book of Numbers. It’s a funny story, one that makes me laugh but also one that reminds me of His nearness to us. It makes you think: Is God ever gone or are we just blind to it?

I still go through seasons with God. There are seasons where I’m on the top of the mountain with Him. There are seasons where I’m in the deepest valleys. But regardless of what season I am in, I try to remember that this is all a part of His book.

I may not know how the story ends. I may not have absolute ownership over the plot, the timing, or the characters, but He truly is the best author, and I will always trust Him to write my story.

TOP LEFT: Getting baptized in the Spring!

TOP RIGHT: My little set-up in my room where I always read my Bible and had quiet time

BOTTOM: My first ever Navigators retreat in Snoqualmie

HOSPITALITY

I TIMOTHY 5:10

"And is well known for good works—that is, if she has brought up children, shown hospitality, washed the saints’ feet, helped the afflicted, and devoted herself to every good work."

HOSPITALITY

PEAR+PARSLEY PESTO BAGUETTE

BY CAROL BUCHAN, NORTHWEST COOKING AFLOAT

When I’ve served this simple appetizer, there is seldom a remaining slice. Toasted until crispy, sweet pears, tangy onions and salty parmesan hit all the right notes. The parsley pesto has a lighter taste than basil pesto and provides a refreshing change. This is a great way to use up a day-old baguette.

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.

PARSLEY PESTO:

1½ cups parsley

1½ cup shredded parmesan, divided

½ cup olive oil

1½ tablespoons lemon juice

BAGUETTE PREP:

1 long baguette, sliced length-wise

2 ripe pears, sliced and tossed in lemon juice

½ red onion thinly sliced

freshly ground pepper

2. To make parsley pesto, combine the parsley, 1 cup parmesan, olive oil and lemon in a blender or mini-chopper.

3. Spread the parsley mixture onto the split baguette. Layer with sliced pears, red onions then the remaining ½ cup parmesan. Sprinkle with pepper. Drizzle with olive oil if desired.

4. Bake until the baguette is heated and the crust is toasty, 15-20 minutes. Cool slightly and slice into individual servings.

5. Arrange on a serving tray.

Note: the parsley pesto makes a little more than you will need, but it is good on anything. Or, be very generous.

THE LITTLE THINGS THAT MEAN

WRITTEN BY MADDIE GRAHAM

I carry a fear that people get tired of me, that as people get to know me they lose interest and are less inclined to spend time with me. That they’re not interested in trying to understand me and my quirks. I’ve had conversations with close friends about this fear and they assure me that this is not true. As much as I want to believe them, I think I just harbor a fear of rejection and find it’s better to always mentally defend myself for the day a friend walks away. Why share all of myself when they may leave or lose interest?

I’m not sure where this fear stems from. I had some close friends growing up, but my best friend moved away after 2nd grade and then I switched schools for the start of 4th grade so maybe that contributed to it. Maybe it was that people often seemed afraid of me. My mom would tell me I was intimidating. I never tried to be, but I think I always felt I was a bit of an outsider. To this day, honestly, I often still feel this way. It didn’t help that a few years ago I was engaged and my ex-fiancé walked away, saying he wasn’t sure he’d ever loved me.

the trip was so different from the others. It was such a special time with each friend or family member and I truly feel God used this trip to remind me that I am wanted. I am loved. I’m not forgotten, even when loved ones are far away. That even newer relationships can be strong despite the lack of time and seasoning other relationships may have by comparison. That distance doesn’t have to be the end of a friendship. That people genuinely love to host you and are happy to see you. That I’m not a burden on others, but they’re so glad to have me. These little and big affirmations have been such a blessing. I think God was reminding me through each encounter how much He loves me and I would like to believe He used this time for me to bless others as well.

One friend has been feeling lonely and isn’t thrilled about her temporary home, so I’m so glad I could keep her company for even just a couple of days!

When visiting family with little ones we found that one child had a double ear infection while I was there. The timing was perfect in that I could be an extra set of hands or just adult moral support during a few days with unusually fussy kids. I was so glad I got to see them in better spirits before I left! And to hear the family’s reassurance that I couldn’t overstay my welcome and they’d love to have me back meant so much.

I was recently blessed with the opportunity to travel to the east coast and visit friends and family for two weeks. Each stop along

Staying with my old climbing partner and her boyfriend I felt beyond blessed by their hospitality. She was literally my tour guide and took a day off of work to show me

I SAY ALL THIS TO ATTEST TO HOW GOOD OF A GOD WE HAVE BECAUSE OF HOW HE LOVES US THROUGH THOSE HE SURROUNDS US WITH.

MEAN THE MOST

around and they treated me to all the places they enjoy. We’ve been friends not even 2 years and I treasure that relationship as much as any other.

I had a day with my nephew and his nanny and it was beautiful to see someone who had only known my nephew for a week love on him so dearly. What an example for the rest of us to simply let ourselves love and care for those God puts into our lives.

And then getting to act as my crew team’s nanny just so a teammate could compete and place 2nd in her race! I didn’t feel I did much, but to my friend it was a huge blessing. One of my teammates even made me a dog tag just as she did for those competing for our club so I would feel included. Mine said ‘HOCR Nanny 2022’. I wore it the entire trip!

Finally, my boyfriend of one month was so kind to chat and ask me how my days were, or simply to text me an emoji to let me know he was thinking of me. For me, often times it’s the little things that mean the most.

I could go on and share so much more, but I need to keep it brief. I just hope this can be a reminder to enjoy the relationships God has blessed you with. He is using them to grow you, encourage you, and give you hope and joy through whatever may come. I hope that in turn you can also be a blessing to those He puts in your life. You never know what a kind word or act of service may do for someone else. And remember how much you are loved and people want to know you and share life with you. You are one of a kind! Life wouldn’t be the same without you.

Recently, I’ve been asked what my goals in life are. I never like that question, but the answer I choose to give is that at the end of the day I hope that I loved well and that others know how much I cared about them.

God made us because He wanted to have a relationship with each of us and I hope He can use me to share His love with others and build relationships with those He puts in my life.

ABOVE & LEFT: A couple pictures during my adventures!

HOPE

REFLECTION & NOTES

p. 10 Gigi Wallace notes that sometimes we try to feel loved and safe by trying to find our significance in everything but Jesus. How can you choose to feel safe in the Lord?

p. 15 What's your favorite practical way to anchor yourself to the Lord each day?

HOME

p. 18 Have you tried following one of our monthly devotional calendars yet? Flip back to page 18 to access them online!

p. 21 It takes courage to face what is broken, just as it takes determination to sand old paint off of window casings. The work of transformation requires surrendering to Jesus. What will you surrender to Jesus this week to be transformed?

HEART

p. 24 Just like the maturing of apples, God, through His grace, mercy, and love drew Debbie and her siblings to Himself. How and in what season have your experienced the Lord's goodness? How does God draw you near?

p. 26 Ashley Kim notes that, "when your sense of self and level of happiness are built upon a fragile foundation, such as the number of times you go out in a week or your significant other, they quickly fall apart." What are some ways you can build a strong foundation on Jesus?

HOSPITALITY

p. 31 Have you ever felt like an outsider? If so, how have you leaned on God during this time? Did you see his grace on the people surrounding you?

How will you work to build a deeper relationship with a specific person in your life?

MEET THE FOUNDER

KATIE ROBERTSON FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Katie Robertson, of Gig Harbor, Wash., faced one of life’s greatest storms after losing her daughter to a five year battle with cancer.

In the midst of this loss, Katie held firmly to the Anchor of her faith, Jesus. She knew she was not the only woman experiencing the trials of life; her heart broke for the women in her community facing storms without any anchor at all.

She felt the urgent need to share the hope we have in Jesus to encourage and anchor one another in faith and friendship.

WHAT'S A GATHERING?

Women of all ages are welcome to enjoy appetizers, drinks, music, community, and stories from women about their faith, and engaging in the deeper questions of life with a dynamic speaker.

The Anchor at Home is a virtual gathering on YouTube, premiering the first Thursday of the month, October through June. Watch on your own, host a watch party (virtual or in person), or attend a watch party in your area.

Anchor Gatherings are hosted in person on a quarterly basis with amazing speakers, hosted appetizers and wine, drawings, and best of all, each other! If you're not local to an in-person Gathering, don't worry — we live stream the whole evening! We're excited to include all Anchor at Home watch parties in the evening's festivities!

GATHERING TOGETHER TO BE ANCHORED IN HOPE, FAITH AND FRIENDSHIP.

CURRENT WATCH PARTY LOCATIONS

theanchorgathering.com

+1 253-732-9920

katie@theanchorgathering.com

@theanchorgathering

@theanchorgathering

The Anchor Gathering