Issuu

Rest

Your Soul

by Ginger Harrington

YOU CAN HAVE A CONFLICT-FREE HOLIDAY

Y es

Finding Your

by Christine Wagoner

winter 2021 | F I N D

BE LED BY GOD’S WORD— NOT YOUR EMOTIONS A SEASON FOR GRATITUDE KAY WARREN OFFERS HELP TO PARENTS OF KIDS STRUGGLING WITH SUICIDE

MORE AT JUSTBETWEENUS.ORG

welcome from the editor SHELLY ESSER

Hello Friends! It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! Or so we’re told once the Christmas classics roll out. It is certainly wonderful to look forward to the family traditions and special foods that delight and indulge our senses, the lights and tinsel that make everything look so magical, and the joy of being with loved ones both near and far. I know I look forward to this time of year! But the most wonderful thing doesn’t come from the perfect gift or perfectly decorated home and tree. No, it’s so much grander than that! The most wonderful thing comes with the incredible reality that the God of the universe left the comforts of His heavenly home to take on human form for you and me. What greater love and sacrifice could anyone demonstrate? To think about how much God loves us should cause our hearts to soar with gratitude (another season we celebrate in this issue!). Let this truth sink in…the shadow of the cross was always hanging over the cradle of the King! We hope all of you—those of you who have been with us for a while and those of you who are new to the JBU family—will see your Lord and Savior as you open up this issue! He is waiting for you and wants to love and encourage you through the words, Scripture, quotes, beautiful design, and every hand-picked and prayedover article with you in mind. May you see reflections of His great love for you sprinkled throughout the issue as you realize just how personal He is. However, we recognize that for some of you this time of year is anything but wonderful. You may have lost a loved one and you’re processing fresh grief, or there has been a season of a crushing medical diagnosis,

unemployment, a wayward child, or disappointments. It’s right into these griefs that God sent His Son—the suffering Savior so you wouldn’t have to walk through your pain alone. He is the God who comes low and finds us in our pain. It’s our prayer that God will pour just what you need into your heart. No matter what season you’re in, He’s waiting to give your soul a big hug! If there’s anyone who can relate to less than wonderful circumstances it’s Joni Eareckson Tada, one of the great Christian women of our time. You won’t want to miss her interview “Courageous Joy” found on page 18. To give you a taste: “I would rather be in this wheelchair knowing God as I do, than to be on my feet without Him.” Here are other highlights in this issue. To get you ready for the “most wonderful time of the year,” see Susan Vernick’s article on page 22 “Etiquette for Conflict-Free Holiday Visits.” Her tips will go a long way in helping you enjoy your guests throughout the season. And finally, we end the issue on page 38 with how we began with our word for the year: flourishing. We hope you will take some time out before the new year and reflect on all God has done to help you become a flourisher. I know it has been quite a journey for me. We are created to flourish! So, pull up a comfy chair with your favorite hot drink under the twinkling lights and reflect on the most wonderful gift of all—Jesus your Lord and King! Holiday Blessings from the JBU Team!

contents

VOLUME 32

NO. 1

on the cover 12 Growing Through Your Yes Don’t miss the adventures that will change your life. by Christine E. Wagoner

14 Rest Your Soul

Discover what real spiritual rest looks like and how to get it. by Ginger Harrington

od’s Word Versus Emotions 16 GKeep your emotions in check by letting the truth of God’s Word anchor your heart. by Laura Sandretti

22 Etiquette for Conflict-Free Holiday Visits

With a few simple ideas you can ensure that

your visits with family this season are blessings instead of burdens. by Susan A. Vernick

Season of Gratitude 28 ACreative and inspiring ideas to practice through the holidays by a variety of women in all stages of life. compiled by Ann Cook

is Always Hope 34 TKayhere Warren knows what it’s like to lose a child

features 24 Who Calls You Friend?

Be ready for the encounters God has for you with people from cultures and experiences that are different from yours. by Shelly McClanahan

It Is What It Is 26

How God is using one woman’s unfathomable trial with purpose. by Lori Ann Wood

You Musn’t Mind 30

The cost of sacrifice isn’t always easy, but knowing Jesus understands makes it easier. by Jill Briscoe

Post-Pandemic Re-entry 32

How’s re-entry gone for you so far? This is an opportunity for a fresh start. Take some time to look back so you can move forward. by Lisa Elliott

Free to Flourish 38

You are meant to live a vibrant and thriving life. by Shelly Esser

faith chats 18 Courageous Joy

J oni Eareckson Tada would rather be in a wheelchair knowing God as she does, than to be on her feet without Him. by Suzan Braun

ȷustbetweenus

winter 2021

to suicide. She offers hope to parents of kids struggling with mental illness. by Kay Warren

WINTER 2021

38 CREDITS Founder/Executive Editor Jill Briscoe

Circulation Manager Suzan Braun

Editor Shelly Esser

Administrative Specialist Sharon Vaught

General Manager Mary Perso

Renewals & Software Support Specialist Rebecca Loesche

Assistant Editor Suzan Braun

Marketing Julie Santiago

Web Director Mary Ann Prasser

Director of Mission Advancement/ Social Media Ashley Schmidt

Editorial Assistants Ann Cook Constance B. Fink Gayle Gengler Betty Hinds Cherry Hoffner Melinda Papador Marilyn Pritchard Jen Symmonds Danae Templeton Susan Vanselow

Subscriptions Phil Perso Mary Richards Jan Schuldt Lin Sebena Photography Wayde Peronto Babboni Photography babbonis.com

Creative Director Julie Krinke

Outside Your 44 Front Door

Intentional Faith

ESS

ASSO

g nin n i d-gwazine r a aw ma O

TIO

N •

EVANGE

40 Living Well 41 Your Story 42 Discovering the Word Strengthening 43 Your Soul

columns Minutes 37 15in the Word

Emily Otwell eckrohn.myportfolio.com

•

in every issue 3 Welcome from the Editor 6 Meet Our Team 7 Between Us 8 Happy Home 9 EncouragingWORDS 10 Heart to Heart Transparent 11 Moments

Advisory Board Anita Carman Pam Farrel Judy Briscoe Golz Nancy Grisham Pam MacRae Elizabeth Murphy Jackie Oesch Stephanie Seefeldt

LICAL PRES

ADVERTISING Ellie Dunn For more information call (856) 582-0690 ext. 2# or email ellie@carldunn.com. SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscription Price: $19.95 per year for four issues. Outside US, add $6 per year prepaid US currency; $5 in Canada. Gift Your Ministries: Group subscriptions are now available at reduced rates. Encourage and inspire the women who make ministry happen at your church or other places of outreach or service to others. Energize their relationships, refresh their faith, and become equipped as a team for facing ministry challenges through JBU. For more information, call 800-260-3342 today! Just Between Us (ISSN 1069-3459) is published quarterly by Just Between Us, 777 South Barker Road, Brookfield, WI 53045-3701. Make all checks and money orders payable to: Just Between Us, Subscription Orders 777 S. Barker Road, Brookfield, WI 53045 To order by phone, or for more information: call 800-260-3342. From Canada call (262) 786-6478. Email: jbu@justbetweenus.org Website: www.justbetweenus.org Periodical Postage Paid at Brookfield, WI and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Just Between Us, 777 S. Barker Road, Brookfield, WI 53045.

We occasionally share subscriber mailing addresses with select organizations. If you would like your name removed from direct mail promotional lists, please call 800-260-3342 or email jbu@justbetweenus.org.

winter 2021

call toll-free 800-260-3342 or visit our website justbetweenus.org From Canada call 262-786-6478

ȷustbetweenus

for subscriptions

Just Between Us is a member publication of the Evangelical Press Association.

meet our

team JILL BRISCOE Founder

MARY ANN PRASSER Web Director

winter 2021

ȷustbetweenus

SHELLY ESSER Editor

ASHLEY SCHMIDT

Director of Mission Advancement/Social Media

MARY PERSO General Manager

REBECCA LOESCHE Renewals & Software Support Specialist

SUZAN BRAUN

Circulation Manager & Assistant Editor

SHARON VAUGHT Administrative Specialist

JULIE KRINKE Creative Director

About

Creative Ways

Double Your Gift

Just Between Us is a vibrant and expanding not-for-profit ministry that continues to transform the lives of women around the world. Our heart-focused and biblically-based content in the print magazine, on the website, in the weekly digital mini-magazine, on social media, and other products—all help women find hope and encouragement while growing their faith and deepening their love for Jesus.

Readers continually tell us how they use the magazine when they get it. Here are some ideas to bless the women in your life: a short Bible study is included in every issue that can be used personally or for small groups; start a “Magazine Club” and gather your girlfriends to discuss the issue; be a “ministry on wheels” by passing the issue onto someone who needs it after you’re done with it; and when you renew your subscription next time, gift a subscription to a friend. The ideas are endless. We’d love to hear yours!

For over 30 years, the Lord has been using Just Between Us to reach women when they need it most. You are part of this story. Now we have an opportunity to make an even bigger impact for these women!

OUR MINISTRY

Our Just Between Us team is made up of incredible women with hearts to see you flourish in every area of your life, especially in your life of faith. They bring their collective gifts to make sure you don’t feel alone and that you are continually encouraged, so you can grow closer to Jesus and make an impact in His world.

TO USE THE MAGAZINE

TO REACH MORE WOMEN!

Today through December 31, 2021, your donation will be matched and have double the impact! To learn more or to give and DOUBLE your impact, go to justbetweenus.org/friends.

BETWEEN US

How Do I Get Through the Next 86,400 Seconds?

Lysa TerKeurst

want healing to be as neat and predictable as a checklist. I don’t want to be inconvenienced by it, and I most certainly don’t want to be caught off guard by the emotions that can go along with it.

If you’ve ever had to heal from having your heart broken, you know you can’t schedule healing. You can’t hurry it up. And you can’t control how and when it will want to be tended to. Part of what makes healing so hard is the deep ache left behind after the trauma. Loss envelops us with an aching grief that comes in unpredictable waves. It’s hard to know if you’re getting better when a string of good days suddenly gives way to an unexpected emotional crash. You feel angrier than ever over the unfairness of it all. The wounds seem raw, confusing, and unhealed. You just wish someone would please tell you how you’re supposed to make it through all 86,400 seconds of this day in the midst of so much pain. I understand all these feelings. I know how incredibly difficult it can be to function amid daily life when you’re wondering if your heart will ever feel whole again. Like when I laid my head down on the banana display in the grocery store during one of the most devastating seasons of my life. I was just standing there with an empty cart, a heart full of pain, and my face pressed into the display. The worker saw me and couldn’t figure out what I was doing. I guess he assumed my concern was about the choices of fruit before me. He asked, “Can I help you?” I turned my face toward him. Tears flooded out. And all I could think to say was, “I need a tissue.” Lovely. Nothing makes a day complete quite like a breakdown in front of an underpaid fruit attendant at the grocery store.

When we love deeply, we hurt deeply. This is why we must learn how to trust the process of healing. We must let it ebb and flow around, in, and through us. We must grant it access to our heart. And when we start to see healing as unfolding layers of unexpected strength and richly revealed wisdom, it doesn’t feel so unfair. It starts to feel like a secret wisdom God is whispering into the depth of our soul. Then one day we suddenly realize the future feels stunningly appealing. Not because circumstances have changed but because we have embraced reality, released control, and found this healed version of ourselves is what we’d been looking for all along. Our God is a God of restoration. And all that aching within you is proof there’s a beautiful remaking in process. Don’t give up. God loves you. You are not alone. Healing is possible. “The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast” (1 Pet. 5:10). Gain healthier ways to process your pain and learn to see your situations through truth-based perspectives with Lysa’s new devotional, Seeing Beautiful Again: 50 Devotions to Find Redemption in Every Part of Your Story. Order your copy today at seeingbeautifulagain.com.

Lysa TerKeurst is a #1 New York Times bestselling

LysaTerKeurst.com LysaTerKeurst Lysa TerKeurst

winter 2021

author and president of Proverbs 31 Ministries. Her book, Forgiving What You Can’t Forget, will help you discover what the Bible really says about forgiveness and the peace that comes from living it out right now. Find out more at ForgivingWhatYouCantForget.com. Lysa lives with her family in North Carolina.

ȷustbetweenus

But I’ve discovered those days don’t have to be setbacks. They can be evidence we’re moving through the hardest parts of healing. The new tears over old wounds are proof we’re tending to our emotions. We’re processing the grief. We’re wrestling well with the ache in our soul.

Feeling the pain is the first step toward healing the pain. And all those emotions that keep bubbling up and unexpectedly spilling out? They’re evidence you aren’t dead inside. There’s life under the surface. And while feelings shouldn’t be dictators of how we live, they are great indicators of what still needs to be worked through.

Winter 2021