Spring 2015 Sunday
CIRCLE
Group
BEsTOW: “Based on the gift each one has received, use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God.” 1 Peter 4:10 HCSB
Birthed from the Sunday Circle Group Newsletter, a labor of love is delivered through an eclectic, multi-media e-zine, with a team of artisans: wordsmiths, musicians, poets, visual artists, photographers, and etc. Each person brings their gifts and talents as an offering. We encourage you to pass on the ezine. Become part of the circle: Bestow.
Photo Credits of sapphire glass: Cindee Re
Sunday Circle Group Coordinators Tammy Hendricksmeyer, Sunday Circle Group Founder & Content Editor imagines cutting through the competition & jockeying of social media. She’s a renaissance woman who’s scattered pigeons at Notre Dame, swam the coral reefs of Okinawa, scaled fortresses in Nuremburg, and viewed the Eiffel Tower safely from the ground. She now lives on a farm and occasionally drives an old John Deere tractor. She’s the Founder and Curator for Outside The City Gates , but her personal blog is The Art of Fear Not where she writes about finding courage to embrace our gifts, talents, and life.
Beth Stiff is the scheduling coordinator, who is known as Simply Beth or in the least that’s her blog name: Simply Beth. A wife to her Army Reserve husband and a mom of two boys, with her oldest son serving in the Navy. She a Jesus lover, a family gal who loves her friends, and reading with a hot cup of coffee. Her life is changed, even after 20 years of marriage with a love that grows stronger. But the bottom line is in the heart. Beth loves the heart things and to speak about the Love that changed her and keeps changing her. She’s the backbone at Outside the City Gate with her superpowers as the Admin Guru. But you can also find her here, blogging, Twittering, Facebooking, and posting pictures to the Pinterest world.
Beth Hess, our newsletter coordinator, is on a mission to know God and live in the fullness of His best. And through an authentic, courageous life, she longs to spur others to embrace their own awesomeness. Even though she is in her 40 years, she’s found the definition of who she is, has changed. Having to discover who is Beth, she found things like: Student. Friend. Daughter. Sister. Writer. Roommate. Journalist. Wife. Mom. Real Estate Agent. Life Coach. Then not a Life Coach. Beauty Hunter. God Spotter. Grace Giver. Story Teller. Key Dropper. Authentic is a word she’s chewed on for several years now. Being Real. Being Me. No faking it. No pretending. Just Being Beth. Whatever that might means. She is just Beth through an Authentic, Wholehearted life. And she wants you to believe YOU were created to be JUST YOU. She invites you to join her on her Blog-Trading Good for Grace, Twitter, or Facebook.
Musician Dana Butler is a writer, songwriter, and worship leader, who relishes being married to her husband of 7 years, Stan. Both musicians and people-loving introverts, Stan and Dana live in Littleton, CO. Dana frolics full time with their 2 littles (one biological, one adopted), and carves out moments in the margins of her days to craft authentic sentences and songs. On her blog, you can find her pressing in to respond to God’s tenderness in the midst of the mundane, the messy, and the questions without answers. She also invites you to connect with her on Facebook. Website, Instagram, and Twitter.
Photographers & Graphic Artists Jennifer Upton is an excavator of the sacred, exploring the world with an open and listening heart, diving deep into the jungled areas of life to uncover the stories hidden there. She photographs as an act of faith and carries within her the spirit of a gypsy taking herself on local adventures as a training ground for her dream of traveling the world. She has learned if she can’t see and engage the world surrounded by her own zip code, she will never know how to see and engage outside of it. Her heart is to guide others into seeing beauty in the commonplaces of their lives. One of her life quotes is, “There are whispers asking us to pay attention, to hear, to receive, to see in a way that demands response. Whispers calling out from the common spaces in our lives.” To find more of her sacred beauty, catch a glimpse of it on her Website, Instagram, or Etsy site.
Cindee Snider Re is a freelance photographer whose work has been a go-to for bloggers, writers, and online communities like The High Calling. She contributed storytelling photos for Outside the City Gate’s ebook, Pieces of Faith. She is also wife to an amazing husband, mom of five great kids (22-14), caretaker of two rescued cats and two Shichon pups, a reader who delights in deep, inspiring words, and a photographer whose heart seeks the wonder sewn into each moment, every heartbeat, and every breath of creation. Connect with Cindee at Blog-Breathe Deeply, Flickr, Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook.
Colleen Mitchell is wife to Greg and mother to five sons here on earth. She also has five precious children awaiting her in heaven: her sixth son, Bryce, who flew home to heaven in his sleep on September 1, 2009, and four little ones lost to miscarriage. In 2011, she and her husband founded St .Bryce Missions in honor of their son Bryce and now run the St. Francis Emmaus Center providing access to medical care, support and education to indigenous mothers in Turrialba, Costa Rica. Colleen works out what it means to dare to live a spacious intimacy with the Father and the love mercy, act justly and walk humbly with God at Blessed Are the Feet . Colleen invites you to adventure deep into Love with her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
Speakers or Audiographers Jen Sanbulte is described as genuine who’s approach reflects snippets of a working mama sharing Jesus in the real world. She’s passionate about teaching Jesus lovers how to be real; at work, and home, and at church and infusing real prayer techniques for our everyday life. Jen and her husband Tom have the joy of parenting 3 young kids and 2 adult children, and chasing Jesus in the process. Come along and join the real journey at her Blog , Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
Dena Dyer loves speaking to women’s groups—it’s about the only “girl time” she gets! She’s been professionally trained by CLASS (Christian Leaders, Authors and Speakers Services) and has spoken to audiences of all sizes for over fifteen years. Her favorite job as mom is writing and teaching English and creative writing classes to K-12 homeschool students. Dena’s publishing credits (and favorite speaking topics) include the books Wounded Women of the Bible: Finding Help When Life Hurts, Let the Crows’ Feet and Laugh Lines Come, Mothers of the Bible, and Grace for the Race: Meditations for Busy Moms. Her articles have appeared in Writer’s Digest, Woman’s World, Home Life and many other magazines, and her tips have been published in Working Mother, Thriving Family, Redbook, Family Circle, Parenting, Nick Jr. and Scholastic Parent. She currently serves as contributing editor with The High Calling.
Diane Bailey is a Life Coach and co-founder of The Consilium, a group for women finding purpose in their second phase of life. She is the author of String of Pearls and 30 Days To A Better Stepfamily . She lives in the Deep South with her husband and enjoys overindulging their three grandchildren. As a stepfamily they have successfully raised four children to adulthood, though she admits there were times the definition of “success” needed to be redefined. Her favorite things are fried okra, gumbo, and any day at the beach with family. Join her at The Consilium, her Blog, Facebook, or Twitter.
Jolene Underwood is a window washer worshipper seeking to live for Him with faith eyes. Though a number of trials she has been challenged to step forward with confidence in the faith she professed to have. God’s grace & mercies continually draw her into a life freed from fear & failure. She invites you to journey with her in this place where struggles are real and faith meets the Father
at her blog under name, Jolene Underwood. Connect on, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. (Also a contributing Wordsmith) Meredith Bernard is a perfectly imperfect Daughter of the King, wife to her Cattle Man and “Mama” to two cowpokes ages 3 and 6. After running from God and past sins for two decades too long, she was rescued, redeemed and baptized while 9 months pregnant with her son. (That was interesting.) After giving up her “stay-on-the-road” job for her “stay-on-the-farm” dream, she now uses the passion God has given her to encourage others through her Lens and her Pen. She tries not to take herself or anyone else too seriously and enjoys time on the farm playing with her kids and in her kitchen cooking (but mostly she enjoys eating. a lot.) Meredith would love for you to follow along with her kitchen mishaps and days raking hay and chasing God-sized dreams on her Photography and Writing blog , Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. (Also a contributing Wordsmith)
Poets Elizabeth Marshall is an introverted extrovert, a curious noticer who lives by the sea in a small Southern shrimping village. She and her husband recently bought and are lovingly renovating a historic house built in 1904. Because of Elizabeth’s love for all things french and as a hat tip to her gratitude for her new old home, she calls her home Mersea. Visit her at her writing home, Elizabeth W. Marshall, wynnegraceappears dot com where she sees the world through a lens of grace. She is honored to have had her work appear at Tweetspeak Poetry where she is a Guest Writer and Social Media Associate. Her poetry has appeared at Burnside Writers’ Collective and elsewhere. Married for 26 years, she is the momma of three growing up children. Find her on Twitter and Instagram.
Karin Fendick is a handmaiden of the Lord, saved by His grace, a worshipper, a poet, a broken heart, a lover of words, hungry for truth, amazed by love, on the Potter’s wheel, His work in progress. She is a sold out disciple of Jesus Christ learning more each day what it means to abide in Him desiring to walk in radical obedience to His voice praying that her life brings glory to The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. Karin and her husband Rick are learning and serving in Malawi living and loving for His glory. You can watch their adventures unfold on her Blog- His Firefly, Facebook, or Twitter.
Joy is a grateful grace dweller who weaves words out of the fabric of her days, penning poetry and prose in her PJs as she seeks the poetic in the prosaic and the eternal in the temporal. As an M.E and chronic illness sufferer (who is also recovering from a painful past), she writes with a heart for the hurting and to support and encourage others who are struggling with life and faith issues. She has had poetry published in various anthologies over the years and is a monthly contributor to the ACW 'More than Writers' blog. While currently working on an anthology of her own, she is sustained by dark chocolate, gallons of coffee, a very supportive husband and contemplative prayer. You can connect with her on Twitter, Google Plus or Pinterest, and find her writing her heart out at 'Poetry Joy' and 'Words of Joy'.
Visual ~ Canvas Artists Anna K. Pasquale is a self-taught artist who delights in connecting with God and others through creativity. She writes about faith, family, and art at Anna K. Originals and is the coordinator of the Made 2014 eCourse where Creatives around the world are exploring their faith through Godcentered creativity. When she isn’t immersed in artsy pursuits, she is laughing with her Hubby, chasing after their two boys, and blatantly ignoring the laundry pile. You don’t to miss her creative impulses as you find her at Anna K Originals, or Shop her designs, or talk with her on Instagram or Facebook.
Christine Hiester wears the hats of classical musician, writer, and artist in the midst of a fulfilling and busy life with her family. Her main pastimes are loving on her husband and four children, homeschooling, creating, and engaging with women about the depth and height and breadth of God’s love. On her journey of faith she has experienced both the profound joy and deep pain of living in community, and after a crisis of faith and five years struggling with depression and anxiety, she found again the truth, companionship, and power of the Holy Spirit through artistic exploration. Christine leads Spiritual Art Journaling classes and retreats locally, and recently taught in the Made 2014 ecourse. Most importantly, the question Christine wants to guide her life, her words, and her art is this: How can I further open myself up to the grace of Jesus so that I live and love through Him alone? You can find her wrestling out the ever-changing answer to this question, through words and art, on her blog and her favorite social media space, Instagram, Bare Branch Blooming, Twitter, or Facebook.
Anna Meade is an idealist turned cynic turned hopeful. She is learning to thrive amid the perpetual in-betweens. A seasoned listener and observer, she found her voice through art journaling and painting. Anna is the founder of Healing He[art]s, a social entrepreneurship with the goal of bringing creative practice to the hurting and struggling. She firmly believes that Jesus set the example for us to speak in stories, and encourages others to share their own narratives in whatever manner fits their design. Anna was born into organic fellowship, and continues to embrace that [non] tradition in her present days. She prefers the company of the messes and the questions to the fellowship of the neat and tidy. She lives in Greensboro, North Carolina with her husband and son. Her life dreams are to break boundaries, build bridges and roam free. Website, or Shop her designs, or socialize on Facebook or Instagram.
Wordsmiths Krista Burdine works as a freelance writer, including as a regular contributor for World Religion News. After a decade of church ministry across three states and three years of homeschooling children, she has more recently been revisiting the foundations of a conventional faith and rebuilding it a brick at a time through intention, exploration, and trembling. Along the way she has discovered a passion for examining social justice issues through the eyes of Jesus. Krista and her family enjoy horses, chickens and a handful of cats on a wooded Texas acreage they call Hopewell Ranch. Krista blogs casually about life on the ranch at Free Range Chronicles and Facebook. Even though she avoids Twitter, you can call her out on it. She also maintains a few other corners around the web, but they are not quite ready for visitors.
Jessica Boylard is a writer and speaker with a passion for connecting the hearts of women with the heart of the God who adores them. Through her own relationship with the Lord, she has come to appreciate the subtle ways He lovingly draws us into intimacy with Himself in the most otherwise ordinary moments of life. Jessica lives with her husband and daughter in Georgia, and on the ideal Saturday afternoon, she can be found curled up with a blanket, an iced coffee, a good book, and her ferociously purring cat website. She’s also on Facebook and Twitter.
Osheta Moore is an Anabaptist, stay-at-home mom right in the thick of moving her family from Boston to Los Angeles . She’s passionate about racial reconciliation, peacemaking, and community development in the urban core. At the top of her bucket list is to dance in a flash mob—all the better if it’s to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” or Pharrell’s “Happy.” Catch up with Osheta on her blog, Shalom in the City.
Ashley Tolins Larkin is a story collector, easy laugher and deep relater, wife to Michael and mother to three daughters (ages 13, 9 and 6). She longs to be a place of welcome and seeks hard after the hope and beauty found in broken things. For the past several years, Ashley has written at ashleymlarkin.com about drawing near to God and the messy glory of everyday moments, including her walk through motherhood, anxiety, depression and learning to trust in Jesus’ love. Her words have been featured nationally in MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) magazine and can be found sprinkled across the internet. Ashley recently has embraced God’s call to speak to groups of women, as well, and delights in sharing face to face about our beloved-ness and completeness in Christ. She mentors, leads others through healing ministry and serves at her daughters’ school and in their Portland, Oregon community. She is passionate about justice, nature, living wonder-struck, the wisdom and creativity of children and sisterhood. Connect with her on her blog here or on Twitter here.
Dawn Boyer gets a chance to speak, every now and then, in to the hearts of others, either through the written word or in person, and share this love of grace He has put in her heart. She is a homeschooling Mama and bee-haver, as opposed to a bee-keeper, because she believes that God made them to do exactly what they are meant to do all w/o her help as she watches them work a few hives. She wrestles with the hard questions, reasons and rejoices in God’s grace and mercy, and prays in heart and in tandem with her community as they move forward on a journey to grace. Her desire is to be transparent enough that you can see straight through her words right to the One whose Word has altered her life for eternity. You can find her on Journey’s in Grace.
Maria Davidson lives, writes, and loves in the northern heart of Texas. She is all about writing, pondering, creating, dreaming, walking, and lie-smashing through the rockity-bumpity journey of life. She is drawn to encouraging, supporting, and equipping others. Marvia’s mission is to live an authentic life through Christ. She enjoys sharing words that inspire and draw others to deeper relationship and connection with God. You can find her sipping tea, drinking coffee, splattered with sugary flour dust while baking with family, laughing, snorting loudly, or dancing ridiculously just because. Join her on at marviadavidson.com. You can also follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Serena Woods @ Grace is For Sinners.
“Let
your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair.� ~ Gilbert K. Chesterton
Art & Devotion by Christine Hiester Sometimes we are fooled into thinking that being Found means we will never again feel lost. While we may never again be Lost, the simple fact of our humanity allows for a wide emotional expanse of experiences. And in my life I have known that feeling of lostness, the one that follows being Found, and I credit it for the softening of my rough spots and the perpetual smoothening of my soul. Jesus works in us, when we still feel lost, gracing us with the potential to be found by Him again and again. Blessings abound in this cycle if we gently open ourselves to this opportunity for growth.
The Hope of Humility by Dawn Boyer The feel of the smooth wood underneath my hands has always intrigued me. So many treasures are crafted from timber changed by flesh fueled by faith. I think of the church pew which held many a soul through the years. Memories of my grandparents as they sat, stoic at times, listening to the lesson the preacher prepared for the sheep he was given. I would mimic their stature,eager to please, banking on the hope of being seen. Often the stillness was too much, I felt the need to move, to explore, to absorb all that was around me. So, I traced the edge of the tree underneath me and I began to see the marks left behind in the wood. Some of them intentional at the hands of children who traced letters on the back of their sunday school lesson. Others were wounds from constant use and wear of holding those who came to rest and to receive a gift. Yet, the marks that always fascinated me were were deeper than the surface scratches. Tatooetchings embellished in grain of the tree, the seasons which weathered the covering of rough bark over the tender pulp, irregular knots that protruded from the straight trunk all provided charater and strength to be counted worthy for the hand of the artisan. It takes a practiced eye to find the see the required purpose in the stretching limbs. It takes faith to believe something beautiful could be fashioned from its quiet strength. There had to be a cutting to reveal the character, the defects of living that make it unique; a series of consistent planing, sanding, and refining at the hands of a master craftsman to coax out the sparkle encoded in the tiny shell of a seed. As I look out the window at the tree in my back yard, a tree that is destined to be destroyed, my
heart pounds in the knowing that our lives are much like this tree. We each have a destiny encoded within the seed of our soul. We each bear a unique image that sets us apart, branded by the living we experience. We each have the potential to reflect perfection when refined by God's gifted hand. So many times in our journeys we find ourselves casting glances of hope away from the very path we walk. We may see the light shining in someone else,coveting the gift in their midst while ignoring the creative power He has placed within us. We were meant to walk together, encouraging and uplifting one another as we recognize the seed of hope shaped within. We were meant to stand with hands uplifted, as the trees of the forest replicate praise to the Creator, becoming a shield for those on a pilgrimage home. The humility of hope recognizes that the storms that sway our branches create roots that go deep. With that depth we find purified living water that feeds the very core of our being. As the tree that is rooted deep can withstand the extreme forces of nature, so can we, rooted deep in Christ, withstand the storms we endure. Though we may be troubled on every side, even to the point of being cut, planed and sanded, we are not utterly destroyed. Instead, perhaps we are being prepared to see the unseen through the lens of faith tinted by grace. Somewhere along that journey, the tree that grew tall and strong may just be the bench that provides rest for the weary heart who needs to be directed to hope. You, as well, are like a tree swaying in the blowing of His mercy and allowing Him to fashion beauty in your soul. Be willing to let Him mold you, to let Him plane your rough edges smooth, to let Him sand the splinters into a soft smooth shine. In this very
place of humility we can see hope beautifully displayed in our purpose, we can see a glimpse of the eternal in the path of the temporal. Look to that which is not seen, which is the eternal weight of glory, and let hope shine in humility.
Whisper of His Presence By Joy Lenton
Softness of dawn light Like the shoot of a tree sprouts and grows toward the light that bathes it with life, may you be filled by the God of joy and peace as you humble your selves to the life changing power of the Holy Spirit. Be the bench that gives rest to another soul and shine through the etchings of His hand traced upon your soul as you abound in hope.(Rom 15:12-13)
is breaking through with faded grey-shaded hue All is muted, nothing bright No discernible sign of blue or warmth from sun's rays Just a washed-out stroke like faint whisped smoke heralding the day Suggestion of God's Light brushing away darkness signals departure of night Whisper of His Presence in a liquid-silver touch Barely a hint, an essence, nothing harsh or rough A breath in the mist of time, and a sigh of Love, a gentle kiss
Photo by Cindee Re
to say I'm here, you're Mine ŠJoyLenton2015
Art & Devotional by Anna K. Originals
worship with God. The many times I watched the way she saw all of a person and still offered grace. Her legacy of love has become the song in my heart that sings louder than the darkness. Where did she learn that kind of love? From her Abba Father whose love song dispels even the most oppressive darkness.
Photography By Cindee Re Snider
This line from the JJ Heller song, I Know You Will, caught my attention in a way that made my heart take notice. So I doodled it repeatedly, as I’m known to do, on a random piece of paper and sat with the words for a few moments. Soon those moments became flooded with memory after memory of the days after my Mom passed away. The many times I would pick up my phone to call her only to realize that she was no longer there to answer. The way I would sob in the car when no one was with me. The nightmares I had of her last few hours on earth… …yes, that time was heavy with darkness so thick it permeated every aspect of my life. I thought I would never learn to live in a world that didn’t have her in it. Then, I remember her laughter and the way she’d sing, head thrown back, lost in
“Bestow” Photography by Jennifer Upton
men and women who’ve struggled with wounds inflicted against them and relationships cut through with pain. We hear stories of those beginning to think about God and themselves differently. Even some bodies speak to the transformation – as eyes meet others’ eyes, shoulders unclench, no longer closing in on the self. Walking new, being released of chains. I’ve told many vulnerable stories of my own in this room, and I’ve heard many more, and I need to keep remembering that it is the hollow false self which cares more about looking right than being right. I must keep remembering how those willing to share their cracks have revealed the bright light of Christ searing through more than any shined-up victory story could ever do.
Ministry of Going First By Ashley Larkin
“We need you, wounded healers,” she says, passionate tenderness rising in her voice. “We need you to proclaim hope and share what you’ve seen God do. We, the body of Christ, we desperately need you.” She tells us that others will see the unashamed, clothed in Truth and Beauty, and begin to believe in this freedom, in this healing for them, too. For he’s come for the bride, for each one right in the midst of the mire. We sing, There is power in the name of Jesus…to break every chain, break every chain, and we sing about chains through years and around the globe. We sing about chains around us – all those we’ve fondled and examined and let have the final word. Every chain. Every chain. Our 20-week program closes with testimonies of
In our small group time this last night, women share resurrection stories, their own deaths into new life. Some tell how powerful truth telling has been for them in that journey, the scary beauty of being known by others. “I felt so much shame, and when I shared, and you all just sat and listened to me and didn’t judge me and didn’t react like I was dirty, I realized I could forgive myself,” one participant says. Women talk about how they need God’s ongoing, fierce and tender power to walk in health, and how they need to keep telling their stories to people who love them. And as I listen, I think, isn’t that just what grace is, on and on and on, all of us taking up daily how loved we truly are in order to walk loved? ____ We sit in the large living room, facing each other in a circle. It is my husband’s and my turn to share “our story.” My week has been too full to jot notes or think about all the questions that normally color this sort of situation for me: how much should I say? How much do they really want to know? So I simply pray, God, show me.
I open my mouth, and the words come in pieces of my own winding paths and the God who sets me free. Afterwards, I don’t feel the embarrassment of over-share (I’ve certainly felt that before), but perhaps more like the freefalling parts and lines of my story were made for someone else to pick up, and I don’t know which or why, but I hear in our lingering conversations that night echoes of me too, me too – vulnerability as glue. It’s not until we get in the car that doubts start barking all their questions, and when I wake up the next day, shame is my knee-jerk morningafter response. Within the hour, I remember brave women around the circle sharing their stories of sin and shame week after week, and I know I must steady my eyes on grace’s face to walk in the reality of my own healing and beloved-ness. The Word reminds us of our God who keeps on saving, and when we tell, we hold out an offering. One that proclaims that it is not the glossy ones who inherit life, but the broken and contrite.
Waiting on God, By Dena Dyer On how God helps us through difficult times <video message: click here>
Photo by Meredith Bernard
Scraps and ashes By Karin Fendick freedom and joy walk hand in hand with release the letting go of the familiar, becoming who you never imagined and looking back, finding only scraps and ashes what you fought so hard to hold was nothing at all what a surprise to see who you become when you choose to simply be yes, that is His light shining back in the mirror
Pathway Into Love Original Song by Dana Butler {Click to watch video here}
What about the invitations In all these differentiations What if we let go of our desperation To drag everyone onto our page {I wanna drag everyone onto my page} What if humility became our garment 'Cause curiosity expands us, keeps us from judgement And all of these unresolvable questions They could be our pathway into love Our pathway into love And we could be this story With all these beautiful pages And it could be the glory Of the One Who made us all (repeat) And Who invites us into love You invite us into love
Photo by Cindee Re
Because bigger in His heart Than us all living on one page Is the way He shapes our insides When we humble ourselves And courage and humility Give birth to curiosity And this will be our pathway into love Our pathway into love
The Hound of Brave By Tammy Hendricksmeyer Brave is a creature furrowed down, a speck in the ground, a wild thing kicked up from a mighty hunt. It is sporting on the hint of a trail-Sniffing, alert, seeking prey. Brave is an unruly hound, one we try to tame. “Heel!,” we shout as we pull its leash, in efforts to train it to sit, rollover, obey. But brave patiently waits, never flustered. It stands near that dogged, Courage, as if they’re companions & so we give in. With trembling hand, we wave & summon their presence to come.
Dance to Life By Anna Meade “Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:19 (MSG)
It’s then, we give them permission, to give chase while we follow. And their tails wag at scent of the elusive scoundrels known as Fear & Silence. For it is our story, after all. Raw, tender, insecure, peculiar. Doubting stories hinting of how we came through, not how we arrived nor how fast we ran the race or how quickly the foxes were found. Rather, brave is a holy thing A Spirit-led, a God-driven a tale being told in which He takes Comfort creatures to task and calls us out, in hot pursuit to follow the hounds into a hunt called, life.
Photo by Jennifer Upton
By Ashley Larkin
prayer place that has become regular for me during the weekdays, now that I’m regularly alone at home for the first time in nearly 13 years (my three girls all at the K-8 school down the street).
“It’s like I’m being remade on the inside,” I told my friend this morning at the end of our walk, standing in front of my house in the crisp winter air, just past the reach of the crabapple and its naked, low-hanging branches.
“I need to take a shower and get ready, so I can have a fresh start on the day,” I said. “It just sounds so nice to get into a hot bath with a magazine,” I added, sort of longingly.
The Worship of Rest
“I know it’s really good work that God is doing, and I’m also so, so tired,” I told her, and she nodded, tenderness in her eyes. I referred to many things in that moment, and she understood that, too. This doing the next thing and then the rapid-fire next, this taking courage while literally shaking fear, this choice to believe what God says moment to moment when well-worn pathways of self-condemnation and worry feel like home. An hour later, I returned to a quiet house after taking my girls to school, ideas and responsibilities clambering, and I sat with a cup of coffee and some favorite words, recognized anxiety doing its thing in the fibers just below my skin. “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well,” I repeated Julian of Norwich’s words to myself – this recently reemerging as a favorite mantra, along with “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) When you’re being remade, you talk to yourself a lot, putting on truth like clothes, seeking to claim life that shines through lies. I looked through the window to the bright blue sky and thought of all I needed to do, about the push-back I’ve been getting on a big project and how much it all makes me want to rest. And I spoke from the thinking-out-loud-mixed-with-
And I clearly felt God say, Do it. Now, please. You are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Receive my rest. With all the big risks of my past year and the many ways I feel poured out, it took me by surprise how risky and lavish a filled bathtub seemed. One afternoon last week, I drew my six-year-old daughter a bath. She relished pouring water over her skin, lathering up, watching how her hair moved fluidly as a mermaid’s underwater. I massaged her little back, right along her spine the way she likes, and she asked me, “Mama, do you ever take a bath?” “No, pretty much just showers,” I answered. “Why? Don’t you like baths?” she asked. “I do, honey, but I don’t ever really make the time for them,” I answered. “How come?” Not wanting to answer that I am too busy and struggle to care for myself, I utilized the effective mothering tool, redirection: “I’ll try to have a bath soon, honey. That’s a really good idea.”
A week later, I’d forgotten all about our conversation, with no intention of stepping into steaming water with a home magazine on an ordinary morning, until my think-out-loud prayer surfaced.
Photo by Tammy Hendricksmeyer
In Exodus 33, God tells Moses, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.” As I entered the water this morning, I felt the wash of God’s rest, the momentary weightlessness of burdens, the simple joy of created element and Creator’s loving presence right there in my bathroom. Hot water cocooned my weary body, steam refreshed my cheeks, and I was held by the profound and simple gift of minutes without task or purpose. “Thank you, Lord,” I said out loud. “You are good, and I receive your gift.” This rest, this simple pleasure filled me, and I felt God’s joy as I relished what he offered. My Tuesday bath was some kind of worship because worship’s not only about what we do as unto the Lord, but also how we receive.
Soak in the Stillness By Jolene Underwood In moments of finding time to hear from God. For video <click here>
Photo by Colleen Mitchell When you look at this image what do you see? A ball of trash to be thrown out? Or something beautiful in its creative design, usefulness, and joyful purpose? When God look at you, which do you think He sees? Definitely the latter, friend. Rest today in knowing that whatever mess you bring with you, God intends to purpose it for His glory.
Hope in the Darkness Krista R. Burdine
The enemy hides in the dark, too. He likes us to stop talking, to keep secrets; because then he can whisper all kinds of lies in our ear and we don’t know what to believe anymore.
Barbara Brown Taylor, in her book Learning to Walk in the Dark, discusses the idea that it’s okay to get comfortable with the dark parts of our spiritual journeys. That the dark places are as equally part of us as the light places. And the dark parts are even essential to growth.
You are all alone in the dark. You are so out of step with your friends you’ll never find them again. How can they still believe all the easy words they repeat about God? Maybe there really is a limit to God’s grace, and you have surpassed it. Your old friends don’t even miss you, you know.
I am trying to learn how to speak in the dark. It feels a little weird to try to offer wisdom or eloquence, because right now the most genuine words I have to share come from the uncertain place of my soul. I don’t know as much as I used to know. And I was taught not to speak from the dark places but to wait until I pass through them so I can frame them to offer the best hope to those who come behind. So words have come harder than they once did.
I reread the Creation account the other day. It turns out that in the very beginning, when all was dark and without life, the Spirit of God was already there, moving on the face of the waters. Whatever Creation means--this is part of what I may not know as well as I once did--this detail rings true: that God was there in the dark, before the beginning.
But Rev. Taylor gives me hope while I feel my way forward along this uncertain path. She tells me it’s okay to pass through dark places, even to stay for awhile. And maybe to speak of it, to send up a flare and say Hey! Anybody else here too? You’re not alone! Hope in the darkness is a powerful gift. Through the decades of my faith journey, I have developed tools for navigating dark days and getting back on the right track of following God. They are basic enough directions to point me where I need to go. Simplify. Go back to the beginning. Focus. More recently, however, I seem to have lost sight of the beginning, and am having trouble focusing on even the most simple aspects of my faith. While I trust that I know the truth of God in some measure, I am beginning to suspect I don’t really know him at all. What if he looks different than the way I have always understood? That’s a scary question, one that leaves me stuck and wondering if I’ll ever have a confident faith again.
Maybe this darkness surrounding me signifies another beginning. Because hope still exists here in the dark, brighter and more present than the lies of the enemy. The Psalmist reminds me, “If I say [to God], ‘Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and the light around me will be night,’ even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You” (139:11-12, NAS). Regardless how it feels, I am not, in fact, alone in the dark, because God is still there. It’s time to focus again, on what I know. Here is what I know. If the God of Creation does look different from the way I have always been taught, I sure want to know about it. I don’t want to get to the end of my journey and find out my suspicions were right but I never pursued the truth. So I hang out in this uncomfortable dark place, clinging to the belief that the God I am seeking-the one I think I already know--can handle my questions and my fumbling as I try to figure out him, and myself, and us. This is my hope in the dark.
This Holy Ground Original Song by Dana Butler {Click here to watch on video}
Canvas Art by Anna Meade All I know to do Is bleed this fiery love all over you To lie here on this floor Watch the angels trav’ling up and down And through that open door To and from the heavens Surely you are in this place And you are stirring me awake And if the greatest danger’s living Only half awake and half aware Of a dimming flame Then let there be a shaking Let awakening reach into my very core ‘Cause I’m alive for more We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise. Romans 5:2 (MSG)
God I burn for more And I don’t wanna miss this holy ground ©2014 Dana Butler. As a part of her 31 Days series, Dana has been sharing one new song per week during the month of October. If you’re intereste d in hearing her other songs from this month, you can find them here
Art by Christine Hiester
Harbor: "We seek out communities that will water our dry patches that will shield us from the storms of life. These communities will be our harbors, the safe places where we can bleed and dance and unfold. Yet the truth of humankind is more complex than this hope of perfect community. We hurt and are hurt, even as we aim to love and be loved, and little by little we learn that the beauty of a harbor isn't necessarily in the shelter provided by the other vessels around us, but by the One in whom we are nestled together. All of us broken and careworn ships are buoyed and lifted by the same Presence, forgiven by the same Father, and inevitably guided out into the sea of grace by the same Jesus."
Part of Outside the city gate
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.â&#x20AC;? ~ Jonathan Swift
Thanks to all contributors who graciously shared their work!