There Is Beauty, Even Where There is Mess: Seeing With New Eyes!

Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox." Prov. 14:4

In every home we live in, I choose for my quiet-time area one with windows that look out on the most beautiful natural scene, so that I can have some of His life-stuff to bring peace and quiet to my soul each morning as I meet with Him.

In front of me is a pile of books scattered over a coffee table. There is also a couch pillow thrown onto the floor, a couple of pairs of shoes left where they were taken off, a wilting potted plant in desperate need of water, someone’s abandoned sweatshirt, and a half-eaten candy bar. And this is just the eight feet in front of my chair!

The rest of the house is much the same-- life messes in the midst of order and beauty. As the proverb says, “Where there are no oxen, the stalls are clean.” I comfort myself daily with the fact that I have as many as six or seven oxen living in my home sometimes, and thus my stalls are not always clean, but my house is full. My world is always a mixture of beauty and mess, order and piles of things not-yet-subdued-into-order.

Sometimes the circumstances of life are like our home--messes and joys, fears and blessings all in the same breath. But it is what we see and how we perceive what is happening that will determine our comfort or our despair.

I have purposed daily to choose to enjoy the beauty of the treasures He has placed in my path, because when I look for His fingerprints and whispers amidst the messes, my heart changes and begins often to sing with the rhythms and chords He has placed there.

Many years ago in the midst of another possible miscarriage, I was sitting by a window in our little mountain town in Austria. I was all alone, because Clay and his mom, who was visiting from America, had gone to look at some little shops. We were staying at a tiny lake-side inn in an obscure alpine village. Unexpectedly, just after they had left me to rest by myself in the room, I had begun to bleed, again, and was about 5 months along in my pregnancy. There was no one to talk to, no one to ask for help.

Fear gripped my heart, as I knew we were hours away from a hospital and my German was not good enough to explain what was happening to me! Tears flowed from an invisible inner spring, and I begged God, from the anguish of my heart to please, please let me carry this child to full term. All of the struggles of the last few months seemed to flood through my anguished soul.

Just then, a little sparrow hopped up on my window sill where I was looking out as I prayed, and began to chirp, as though it was singing directly to me. I was not more than a foot away from the tiny creature. It stayed there for several minutes, and hopped closer and closer to the edge where I was looking out, an it appeared the fledgling birdie was staring at my heart through the shiny brown glass eyes and literally chirping and singing wildly to encourage me.

What a sweet, delicate fuzzy ball of delight—singing its heart out with no one to applaud or respond, except for me. It was as though God was saying to me, “I am listening. I see the birds on a thousand hills, not one falls to the ground without my full attention. This little one is here to remind you that I see you and hear your heart's cry. I love you, and am with you! Do not fear. Leave your broken heart with me.”

I didn’t know what would happen, but suddenly, a peace blanketed my sore heart. I knew that God, who is love, was with me and would be with me in whatever happened. It was as though an angel, in the form of a tiny bird,  had visited and given me His deep, soothing comfort.

It was the last time, in that pregnancy, that I bled. The pregnancy delightfully turned out to be Sarah, my first born, now best of friends and a bigger blessing to my whole life than I ever could have imagined then.

From that moment, I decided to take notice of birds who sing—to believe that they are especially praising God, agents of His hope for me. I see them also as a personal reminder from God that He is present, every day, all the time--here with me. Often on my walks when I am pouring out my dark heart to God, a bird hops or sings along my trail and I am reminded that God is there— with me!

Now, I have birds sprinkled throughout my home--amidst the messes and art of my life--to remind me of the song so many years ago from God's feathered messenger.

We all have our own particular life and real messes, but even in the mess, God is there to redeem, to send His love, to show beauty around every corner. But, our eyes must be attuned to the beauty instead of focusing on the life-clutter--looking with faith and not with doubt, fear or despair.

Today, my prayer for you--and for me-- is that He bring the reality of His joy to you today in the midst of your order … and your messes, because He is with us to give us hope and comfort, always.

The Power of Words (A Life with Sally Sneak Peek!)

We’re getting a little excited around here about … SUMMER! Hurrah for afternoons by the water and blowing bubbles and baby pools and fireworks and grilling and all that goes with it. One of the things I’m most excited about is that summer means its time for our national leadership group to gather at my home here in Colorado, just for one long weekend, to plan out the next year’s events and outreaches and just have a lot of fun girlfriend time together.

It was at one such weekend three years ago where two of the girls pitched their great idea: a Life with Sally membership site! And so here we are, with a thousand precious ladies taking part of our wonderful treasure of a site where you can receive encouragement, teaching, lessons, and even access one of the greatest gifts—one another, through our forum! Find all the information and join us here: Life with Sally Membership We especially adore our members because they help us reach even more moms around the world with Biblical encouragement, and we pray it will feel like a mini-conference you can access from your computer anytime!

Today we have a treat for you; a sneak peek of some of our exclusive Life with Sally membership content! Summer is upon us, and so we’re shaking up our usual schedule a bit to let you into our various Girls’ Clubs—the membership, our leadership team, etc. Misty and I are talking about our summer plans today, and I hope you’ll listen to the podcast to learn more about what we have up our sleeves, and of course to contemplate this message about the power of words.

The cosmos was formed by the words of God.

It’s an amazing thought, isn’t it? And we mamas, we form our own atmosphere, the air our families breathe day in and day out, one word at a time. It’s a fantastic, frightening proposition! We hope you’ll enjoy listening to our chat today, and look into joining our membership at Life with Sally!

We’re also passing along this study guide which goes along with the study in Proverbs. See you in membership! Just click below to download the guide. Enjoy!

Proverbs Bible Study - Words, part one!

Longing to Find a Way Forward in the Dark Places: Dancing With Him (DWF 1) & Podcast

With so much sadness and so many daily burdens to shoulder, how do Christian women maneuver steadily through this journey of life with joy and peace of heart intact? What does it look like to be a woman filled with joy, every day, all the time, no matter what? In the deluge of all the stresses and disappointments in a fallen world, how does a mature Christian woman really walk in the power of the Holy Spirit? How does she face each situation with gladness, despite the relentless and demanding day-after-day, month-after-month, year-after-year things that would rob her of emotional and creative energy such as chores, bills, arguments, messes? Or how does she maintain joy in the center of more devastating troubles: a divorce, the tragic death of a loved one, a child who has a chronic illness or disability, rejection by family members, alcoholism and drug-related scars, a job layoff?

He gave me a personal, visual image of what He wanted me to understand about His joy: that it is wrapped up in Him as my heavenly Father; that He is the Initiator, the Provider, the Lover, the Strong One. In short, He is to be my leading Man in the dance of life.

But even more, dancing seemed to be a visual picture of what God wants me to do in my soul: He wants me to dance inside my heart, no matter what is going on outside in my circumstances. To dance is to celebrate life, to make merry, to physically live out the reality of internal joy. Those who walk closely with the Lord have a secret inner joy, a dancing energy just from knowing Him. It is in having Him as my partner, in letting Him take the lead, that I will be directed around the “dance floor” of my life. He is the One who will show me the steps, how to listen to the music, how to engage my heart with Him and to stay in sync with Him, the real Source of the music, the dance, and the everlasting joy." ~ from Dancing With My Father

The pathway of turning our mourning into dancing is a secret pathway, one away from the world of voices, where God waits for us to be with Him, learn of His ways. His ways are not our ways, Isaiah tells us. They are higher than the heavens are above the earth.

We are merely toddlers, beginning to understand the ways our lives take, the ways of wisdom and love.  Even as a toddler must quit having his little fit and be still in order to receive the comfort and message of their parent's heart, so we must leave our burdens and stresses into His hands, climb up in His lap and allow Him to be God--allow Him to direct our lives and show us how to let go of all that is not essential.

God does not intend us to be filled with anger and frustration and disappointment. Sometimes when we want to blame God, we refuse to see that we have not walked His ways, or followed His paths, and so our lives and our souls are filled up with the world of man, which will always carry with it confusion and grief. How can we learn to instead dance with our Heavenly Father?

Dancing with My Heavenly Father: Choosing Joy in a Less-Than-Perfect World

By Sally Clarkson

If You Can Keep Your Head ... A Poem for Strength When People Disappoint

Words have profound power in our lives. They heal, inspire, teach, convict, encourage or destroy, wound, discourage. deflate. But because I knew that words would speak to my children’s hearts even after I was not with them any more, I made it a habit to see that they memorized significant portions of scripture, poetry, quotations, so that their hearts would hear the words of truth their whole lives. And this is one of my favorite passages we all memorized together.

If you can keep your head when all about you   

    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,   

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

    But make allowance for their doubting too;   

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

    Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

    And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;   

    If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;   

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

    And treat those two impostors just the same;   

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

    And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
    And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

    And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

    To serve your turn long after they are gone,   

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

    Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,   

    Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

    If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

    With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,   
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,   

    And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

~ Rudyard Kipling

This poem, IF, by Rudyard Kipling, is one that I made all of my children memorize--and we reviewed it over and over and over again.

I think this poem is an elongated version of a saying I repeated often: Right is always right even if no one is doing it, wrong is always wrong even if everyone is doing it.

We are called to have a different character, a constant one, one that reflects the very image of Jesus, and yet,

In this crazy world, and especially in this crazy Christian world,

there are many irrational, unloving, critical,

exhausted, weary, discouraged,

immature, mean-spirited, untrained people wandering around. How I have been embarrassed by supposed Christians, even in the past couple of weeks.

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

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

Sometimes we are surprised when the conflict and criticism is most fierce from those who say they believe in Christ. I always thought Christians would have a heart for my imperfect but passionate commitment to Christ and His kingdom. Yet, Christians have been some of my biggest critics. Surprise—even Christians are sinful. And even I am sinful.

And so, if we can keep our heads, know that love covers a multitude of sin, live in grace and know that we and everyone else we will ever know make mistakes on a regular basis,

and live in the liberating grace of the freedom and blessing we find in the abiding love of Jesus,

then we will always, always have peace and always have the ability to keep giving life as He did.

Overcoming evil with good, loving beyond measure, forgiving and being a peacemaker, living with practiced faith, again and again and again,

this is where we become more like Him, our very dear Savior,

and it is where we become true warriors who redeem.

I highly commend this poem, the entire poem be put into the minds and hearts of you and also your children, so that you may have grace in your soul to go to, for facing this world and conquering the challenges that come your way.

When Life Doesn't Turn Out as You Thought & Podcast Sheridan Voysey

When Life Doesn’t Go According to Plan, Who Can You Become?

I think as a “Pollyanna” by personality, extremely idealistic and probably naive, as a young woman, I became so depressed and disheartened over the years when my little plan for life was interrupted in 1000 ways. And disappointment can lead to disillusionment and depression and sometimes doubt about what we thought we should expect from the Christian life.

As many of you know, I am doing a podcast series on my book:

Dancing With My Heavenly Father: Finding Joy in a Disappointing World.

I have invited a friend, Sheridan Voysey, to join me in my podcast today whose story goes along with all that we are discussing in my book. What to do, feel, where to go when life is turned upside down from what you expected. We met several years ago here in Oxford and his heart and story encouraged me very much.

This is what Sheridan says:

Life doesn’t always go to plan. Hopes and dreams shatter, wemake decisions that are less than perfect, and we begin to lose our sense of identity. Life can also take one too many unexpected turns that have you feeling lost and unsure of your future.

Having struggled with infertility that derailed his dreams of becoming a parent, an international move, and a career change, Sheridan Voysey lost his identity and came to the difficult realization: I don’t know who I am.

The Making of Us: Who We Can Become When Life Doesn’t

by Sheridan Voysey

“When identity is lost, we can discover who we really are. The adversity we despise can releaseour greatest gifts into the world. And all the details of our lives— from the first wiggle of our hands to the difficult events that brought us to this point— can prove to be more significant than we’ve realized,” Voysey says. “Beautiful things can emerge from life not going as planned. It can even be the making of us.”

The Making of Us is a wonderfully written memoir that reminds readers of the beauty of uncertainty, the freedom of letting go, and the value of following God into the unknown.

You can find all things Sheridan @SheridanVoysey.com, including his other inspiring books.

Dancing with My Heavenly Father: Choosing Joy in a Less-Than-Perfect World

By Sally Clarkson

Buy on Amazon

The Making of Us: Who We Can Become When Life Doesn’t Go As Planned

By Sheridan Voysey

Buy on Amazon

Making Choices That Shape Your Life for the Good & Podcast Joy Clarkson

You only have this day, this moment to choose to live for what matters.

"Teach us to number our days that we might present to thee a heart of wisdom."

Psalm 91:12

I can never remember a time when there were not piles of responsibilities stacking up, vying for my attention. As long as I can remember, there is always more to do, not less. Today was no different.

And I can never remember a time when my plans weren’t interrupted. Because I have given my life to the Lord, and then to my family, I have had a grid that says, “God may interrupt me at any time if there is some way I can give or love for His purposes.”

Knowing that I will never ever get everything done in one day, but that I can trust Him for the load he has given me to carry, means that I can let go of expectations and live peacefully, not anxiously in the moments of my day. This has been a lesson learned little by little over a lifetime.

Sometimes this kind of living means that people in my professional world have to wait to hear from me. It means I may not get a partial chapter written in a book that is due. It means I may not have a perfectly cleaned and orderly home when guests come to have a meal with us—or they might have to wait while I finish dinner. It means I will have to wait until tomorrow to get the task that was on the top of my list done.

This month, as usual, has been very demanding. In my professional/ministry life,not only do I have 2 new books coming out in October with marketing calls to 2 different publishers, I have 10 women flying in to Colorado for planning and training for 3 days at my house a few days after I move back to America. I have 14 podcasts and blog posts to arrange, and 10 more to record as well as scheduling marketing calls, social media.

This and more was looming over my mind, as I wanted to write about what mattered most in life,  to encourage you, my sweet friends.

All of these were piling and increasing my stress level.

When I searched the landscape of my mind, I pondered--God has painted the leaves in such an amazing way today, and I have hardly had time to notice. I have Joy living with me and may never have her again. I live in Oxford. I have my first granddaughter living around the corner from me and she adores me, I must say. I have access to Sarah and may never live near her again is she lives in Europe the rest of her life.

But, Joy and I had planned to do something special, away from the demands of both of our lives, before I moved home and she moved on. She, then, suggested that we make a trip to Vienna the next weekend, to really make time away for our friendship-to have some of our own Girl’s Club time and memories.

 If I go, I will not get my work finished and will have more on my plate Monday.

But, I have made a goal this year, again, every day. to own my life more completely by choosing to invest personally with real live people right in front of me. And so, now, this moment, is when the test comes to challenge my commitment. Will I choose work, tasks, deadlines again, to keep faithfully at my piles,

or will I take this moment that I may not have again, to invest, to make a memory.

It is not an issue of a rule or formula, but a commitment I have made in my heart to not make my duties more important than my people. This moment challenges the personal commitment I have made.

Join us today to hear about decisions we are making for our hearts, souls, minds and strength to be sure we are living intentionally, well, to invest time in the things that will provide us the most meaningful and flourishing best life forward. Love love being with my Joy. And I will never forget the wonderful time we shared in Vienna. Such a great decision.

Now, what decisions will you make this summer?

Your little ones are storing up love every time you cuddle them, sing them a song, hold them, love them.

Your husband longs for your companionship—to know there is someone to cheer him on in the mundane issues of lfie.

Your teen may be out of sorts, but your being the mature one who chooses to invest in time—a surprise meal out, a coffee date, a long fun, (not agenda-filled) sitting out under the summer stars and being friends might be remembered forever.

Sleep more. Read more. Make time for friends. Spend time listening to God’s voice through early morning reverie in His presence.

We wish you a happy and fulfilling summer.

Be intentional and you will look back and see a well-formed time that satisfied your soul.

Marriage After God & Podcast with Aaron and Jennifer Smith

In the past few months, I have polled you as to what you would like to hear more about and what subjects you would like me to cover. Marriage came up as one of the most popular requests. Marriage can be such a place of blessing and satisfaction and it can also be such a place of disappointment, frustration and hurt. We are all married to sinful, self-absorbed people! I will be writing and speaking more on this subject in the coming months, but I thought it would be a perfect time to talk about this subject with two of my friends who have just released a book about this subject. I pray you will be inspired by this message—to leave a legacy of love and faith through your marriage.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

I have shared with you before that I met Jennifer Smith many years ago, and since then we have cultivated a sweet friendship. She was on the Podcast not too long ago for the Girl’s Club Series and I had the privilege to have her and her husband, Aaron, on the Podcast again, talking about their latest pursuit, their new book, Marriage After God. Enjoy!

Your marriage is unique. God created you and your spouse with thoughtfulness and intentionality. Together, you and your spouse have an incredibly unique marriage that has a significant responsibility in the body of Christ. Every part of the body of Christ is invaluable, and your marriage is no exception. Aaron and Jen want you to know and be reminded daily that “your unique marriage is a gift – not just to the two of you – but to the world!” The way you interact with each other in your marriage, the love you share, reflects the power of the gospel. Your marriage and the purpose you fulfill together directs others’ hearts toward God. You matter and your marriage matters! You and your spouse were not brought together just to experience happily-ever-after, rather, you are a team brought together with a heavenly purpose. What wonderful and exciting news!  

You and your spouse were created by God for good works….the question is...what good works are you and your spouse doing together for God? What kind of legacy are you creating that will impact His kingdom? Will your children grow up to know God through the example you are sharing with them? Or will they see you as a hypocrite? 

In Marriage After God, Aaron and Jennifer hope to inspire, challenge, and equip husbands and wives to work together in marriage to do good works and to build up God’s kingdom so that He may be glorified. A marriage submitted to God is a mighty tool in the hands of the Almighty. Aaron and Jennifer share personal stories from their own marriage to show the importance of having a biblically based foundation, as well as the extraordinary things that happen when we trust God and say yes to Him. Marriage After God is not just a book, but its a movement of husbands and wives turning their hearts to God and chasing after His will together. 

In this Podcast episode, Aaron and Jen share about the uniqueness of the body of Christ and how we all have a purpose and a ministry to fulfill. They also share the importance of friendship in marriage, as well as how having a marriage after God impacts parenting. You are not going to want to miss this one! 

You can grab a copy of their new book Marriage After God here. 

Marriage After God: Chasing Boldly After God’s Purpose for Your Life Together

By Aaron Smith, Jennifer Smith

Buy on Amazon

Aaron & Jennifer Smith have been married for over 12 years, and currently have 4 young children. Ever since they married they have purposed to serve God and build His kingdom together. In 2011 they started blogging to encourage husbands and wives to center their marriage relationship on God. The newest addition to their ever-growing online ministry is their Marriage After God site, podcast, and book. The Marriage After God podcast is published every week. Aaron and Jennifer share candidly and honestly about personal stories of failure and victory in Christ in hopes of encouraging other couples to be used by God for His extraordinary purposes. You can find them on social media @MarriageAfterGod @HusbandRevolution and @Unveiledwife.

Lifegiving on the Go: Cultivating Influence (Lifegiving Table #14) and podcast!

Over ten years ago, I was sitting in a hotel room far from home. I spread a pashmina scarf across the small side table, pulled out and lit a small vanilla candle, placed two tea cups and a chocolate bar on the edges. Finally, I turned music on from my computer and connected it to a speaker I carry with me everywhere I go. A soft knock tapped on my door. “Just in time,” I thought.

I opened my door and smiled and touched my friend’s arm. “I am so excited to steal this time with you. You are always an encouragement to me.” We had met at a conference a few years before and both of us found solace in the fact that we mutually understood the demands of traveling and speaking as a way of life. Though we lived over a thousand miles away from one another, we met whenever we were even a little bit close to the same city.

As my friend peered around me and saw my little table and heard the music, she squealed with surprise and delight—truly a squeal! “A traveling tea table! How fun!”

“Oh, I have been longing for a cup of really strong tea. How fun.”

My ministry to women all over the world means that I travel many weeks of the year. Sometimes it is a weeks-long international trip, but often I travel to speak at weekend conferences. One night I was dreading a weekend engagement because I had been “away from home for several weeks in a row. A brilliant thought popped into my head: Take home and table with you wherever you go. Make a table for friendship and mentoring by taking everything you need with you. Create a table of friendship and influence that is portable.

So now, these many years later, whenever I go on the road I bring along everything I need to create a lifegiving table moment, either alone or with someone who needs my love and encouragement. This helps me create some peace wherever I am and sets up my times with the Lord and with my sweet ones.

While visiting China on my book tour in seven cities a few years ago, I purchased several beautiful pashmina scarves for a song. Now I take them everywhere I go. A pashmina works as a shawl over my shoulders when the plane is too cold. But it also brings added loveliness to a coffee table in my hotel room—a perfect setting for an impromptu teatime.

Candles in tiny jars or cans (plus matches!) also accompany me wherever I go. Their flickering lights automatically create a soft atmo- sphere. My iPhone and computer are always stocked with a variety of background music, easily played on my tiny portable speaker.

I always travel with my very own tea—always a strong English Breakfast blend, with Yorkshire Gold being my favorite—and a china teacup or mug because china keeps tea and coffee warmer longer. This is a necessity to keep me centered on the road. Being able to continue my daily habits of creating islands of beauty and civilization makes me feel I have a little touch of home when away.

For snacks, I carry a zippered plastic bag of toasted, salted, sprouted walnuts and almonds, sometimes salted dark-chocolate almonds or tiny wrapped rounds of Gouda cheese. Fruit or veggies are available wherever I go, so I can have a tiny feast for whoever visits me.

And it goes without saying that I travel with my Bible, whatever book I am reading, and my most current study journal. I may even stuff in my newest Victoria magazines. (My Sarah and I love perusing them, as the old ones are collector items and have lots of articles about authors we love.) These are beautiful to look at and fun to page through—food for thought and ideas for recipes and decor and travel and more. Therapy for my eyes and soul without having to contemplate too many stressful subjects.

Looking for opportunities to deepen friendships, to counsel women, to have fun and invite someone in so that I do not feel alone has provided me with countless sweet and memorable moments from setting my table in my hotel rooms.

It can happen nearer to home as well, of course, and I don’t even have to pack my bag. I have been known to create a lifegiving table in restaurants and coffee shops, at picnic tables in the woods, in local hotel lobbies, and in the houses of friends. Sometimes I serve the food and drink; sometimes it’s served to me. But as long as I carry with me the vision of table ministry, I can almost always make something happen.

Once again, it’s not about the food. It’s about what happens at the table.

The Lifegiving Table: Nurturing Faith through Feasting, One Meal at a Time

By Sally Clarkson

The Lifegiving Table Experience: A Guided Journey of Feasting through Scripture

By Sally Clarkson

Telling The Truth, Always! 24 Way 24 & Podcast

I am the good Shepherd, Thomas Aquinas. Jesus will embody, show us, lead us to truth that will span the generations.

Way 24: We always tell the truth and do not practice deceitfulness of any kind.

Memory Verse:

Who is the man who loves life and loves length of days that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.

Psalm 34: 12-13

Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.

Psalm 51:6

Sanctify them in truth, Thy Word is Truth.

John 17:17

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else. 

C. S. Lewis

Gathering my closest local friends for a time to study the word and discuss different issues has been one of the pleasures over several summers. Meeting weekly over tea and coffee and snacks and sharing, and then 2 hours in the word, deeply studying what He has left for us to know and understand. Enjoying this in the past, I look forward to gathering women this summer to challenge one another to do the same thing. I want to grow in truth, knowledge, thinking clearly and well until I see Jesus face to face.

Jesus said to, "Love the Lord your God with your heart, (center of our emotions, dreams, all that we value), your mind, (thinking, developing convictions, understanding truth, walking in wisdom), and all your strength-- (with all of our power, energy, strength, devotion.)

Our Bible study this week was from a number of passages about God's word, wisdom, counsel of men, and Jesus as the word and as the word incarnate. Christianity is not just a work to be done--

but it is the truth through which we may come to see all of life as it really is--

it is the grid through which we will view all of life's issues--

When we walk as women who have been stewards of our brains--women who think well and clearly, we will then be teachers and leaders of truth and conviction.

Even more, Jesus was a real, in-the-flesh person who embodied truth, life, love compassion, righteousness. Coming to Him as God in human flesh who was tempted, tired, hungry, lonely and watching and pondering how He lived and responded to life will help us grow closer to Him.

Yet, I have talked to countless women, (even this week after my Bible study), where women say the same thing. "I don't meet many women who know how to think Biblically or who really walk in their personal convictions of God's truth and wisdom being the foundation of their lives. I haven't been able to find a mentor whose life is worth following, when I look around me. That is why I love this Bible study group--we push each other to think well and to live by our convictions developed in His light."

Not long ago, I have had 640 comments from women who talk about needing a mentor--someone to lead them in truth and wisdom. And yet, most cannot even find someone who is ahead of them and reaching out to them to teach them how to walk with Christ.

No matter what else you are doing, you cannot please God and become closer with Him and understand His ways--so that they will be a light to your path--if you are not studying His word, reading wise people, thinking Biblical true thoughts.

So many women and men I see in this generation want to rely on someone else to tell them what to do--and the thing is, you can almost find any book or authority to give you permission to do whatever you want to do--

But what does God require of you?

How does God want you to live your life? What lies of men does He want you to avoid because you have learned how to think Biblically because you are a seasoned student of His word.

Each of us must take responsibility for our minds because it is what Jesus said was the essence of the commandments--to love the Lord our God with all of our mind.

We cannot teach our children to tell the truth, to understand the nuance of God’s heart for truth, to be those who are honest about life if we are not deeply growing in front of them and embodying to them what truth lived out looks like.

And this is one of the best gifts I could give to our children--not to trust in the words of men, not to follow the crowd--whichever crowd they are surrounded by, --but to fill their minds with truth, to wrestle mentally with what is true, to measure life by His wisdom and insight and as C.S. Lewis says, "by it, (the truth, wisdom, insight, commandments, stories) I see everything else in its light.

So, today, make a plan for your mind--choose a course of Bible study, and plan a time every day to do it.

Find books and authors who have truly walked with God and can lead you to think clearly, (C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, and many others)

Ask at least one friend to meet with you and to study and discuss together God's word.

Learning to think clearly and Biblically, in order to be able to fight the formulas and ways of other men takes practice and investment of time---and it is the one way all children need to grow--to learn to think well, to learn to see the fallacies, false doctrine and rules that are man made and not in scripture--it requires thinking and being a steward of the word.

They need to see you doing it and be learning from you for them to learn how to be excellent in these skills, but oh how the world longs for purveyors of truth who know how to think.

Walking Wisely Might Mean Simplifying!

“He who walks with the wise will be wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm."

~Prov. 13:20

Clay and I sought to feed the minds, hearts and souls of our children on all that was wise, excellent, thoughtful, Biblical, and eternal. We tried to fill the treasure chests of their souls with the best, so when they needed to draw from that reservoir over the rest of their lives, they would find wisdom, depth, and knowledge there.

This was intentional--to establish our children’s foundations on wisdom. Consequently, our own minds were set to find wisdom and to share it. Owning the stewardship of our children's minds sharpened our own minds. It was a grid from which we lived life--to share, teach, instruct, read, think, cultivate, and nurture wisdom.

I see the principle here again of, what one sows, he reaps.

Our family is spread far and wide now, but as often as possible we spend time just talking, being friends, and discussing life and ideas as we always have. Now of course, it is mostly as peers and close friends, not just as parent and child.

So, when pondering aloud to my family, how to make life more simple, how to set boundaries, how to continually restore and refresh so that I can have something in my own soul from which others may draw, my son shared this quote that he has been pondering from his own reading:

"To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to the violence of our times." — Thomas Merton

Not only have I been taking this quotation to heart, trying to figure out just what it means in my own life, but I have also seen how much my children are a channel of wisdom for me. They gained the habit of thinking, reading, pondering, and gathering  wisdom in contrast to the voices of the world which surround them--and now they have become counselors to me. Their minds feed my mind now. Their deep thoughts guide me.

Sowing wisdom and seeking to fill the very air we breathed with wisdom for so many years not only fed my soul, but educated those who would become my own counselors.

What does this quotation Joel shared say to me personally, I wonder? How have I allowed myself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to want to help everyone in everything, to commit to too many projects? In other words, how have I succumbed to the violence of my times--the violence of overcommitment?

Daily still, I seek the wisdom of counselors who can help guide my life, and now, it ends up, they live in my very own home.

Anyone else seeking to simplify, these days?