christianity

Discouraged By Life’s Race? You’ll Easily Find The Gift Of Refreshment In These 3 Ways

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

Got time for a drink, friend? (No! NOT THAT kind of a drink!)

caution runners printed signage on road

She was running, wiping her brow, sweat dripping as she ran.

(I didn’t say life was always pretty.)

She grabbed another drink of water from the paper cup held out to her and dropped half of it on her shirt as she gulped the rest, crumpling and then tossing the paper cup.

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

A large group of people running down a street

“They’ll have to clean that up later,” she thought.

She could see another racer just ahead of her, and if she could ONLY go a little faster. She wondered if the other racer might sprain an ankle or fall, or . . . “Then I would be in luck!” she thought.

Wait. Whaat?

She stopped mid-stride to examine her thoughts.

A crowd of racers surged past her in a blur, the rhythmic pounding of their shoes on the pavement the background noise to her thoughts.

When the crowd had passed, she stooped to pick up one of the paper cups, two. When had she become too busy to help clean up the mess she had trampled and even contributed to? Where was this race taking her?

Can’t you be satisfied to drink from the clear stream without muddying the water with your feet? Why do the rest of my sheep have to make do with grass that’s trampled down and water that’s been muddied?

The Message

She put her arm around the volunteer who had come to help those racers in need, the one who had noticed that she needed a more extended rest. She limped, her arm draped over the volunteer’s shoulders, to the aid station. They poked her with monitors and gave her a blanket to warm her and then left her alone.

She was fine. She only needed to rest.

And that’s how I woke up this morning.

How about you?

Ever wake up and remember that you forgot to rest, that you don’t know where your race is taking you, that no matter how hard you try, you can’t quite seem to keep up with your inner coach – you – shouting directions – “Turn left! Turn right! No! Go straight!” – in a way that bypasses the control center, the thoughts and dreams that lay dormant in your head?

It was time for me to rest, but how could I do that?

I needed to exit the race for a bit, to limp to the side and to check out my map. Just because everyone else was running in this direction, did that mean that I should too? What was the map of my heart saying?

I’ll give you the best of care
if you’ll only get to know and trust me . . .
I’ll . . . give you a long drink . . .

The Message

And then she sat.

And then she drank and drank and drank. And roots grew from her feet, deep, deep roots so that she could take a drink more often as she ran the race of life. Water was always at her feet, if only she could remember to drink.

How about you?

And so, what can we do to endure life’s race and not only survive but thrive?

In the middle of your tasks you can comfort yourself with Love as often as you can

Brother Lawrence in The Practice Of The Prescence Of God

Got time to put aside the race and the running and the keeping up and discover what your heart may be whispering?

As the song below sings, “there is a peace to settle your soul.” Consider asking Jesus which path to follow to take one step toward this peace. What hint do you sense in your soul? God, help us to hear your call (that our emotions sometimes chime) to stop, to reassess, and to drink, we pray.

Photo Credit – “Caution Runners!” As You Run The Race Of Life! by Nik on Unsplash, Messy Race (And Life) by Richard Scordato on Unsplash

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

The Truth About Being Annoyed With God (It’s Helpful for Eye-Opening Transformation)

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

You can learn that from me! You’re welcome! Good luck!

man holding telephone screaming

The worst, most terrible, awful part about parenting and homeschooling, is that God will want to transform your attitude, heart and motives and that STINKS!

I mean, think about it – you have always wanted to boss someone around, and now you have your little people to line up army style and pull rank on. YOU know what’s going on and YOU call the shots. You’ve been alive longer than they have, and so the world is in perfect order, thank you very much!

Then God steps in and messes everything up for you.

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

At least that’s what happened to me every SINGLE DAY. Yeah, it stinks. For example, consider entitlement.

One day, I was looking down my nose in condemnation at my five-year-old because – WOW!- she wasn’t thankful!1

“How did she end up as such an unthankful little human?” I wondered with fear and trepidation. Would she be an unthankful little brat her entire life? THIS has got to be fixed!

I lectured her for half an hour on the benefits and joy of noticing the little things.

She looked at me blankly and continued to blame me for not buying her a third ice cream cone, stamping her little feet and yelling insults at me.

Yikes!

“What do I do now?” I wondered, finally looking up at God. “Can2 you please help me?”

And He did whisper to my heart that day as a gentle wind passed us.

And what He said was THE most annoying, infuriating and upsetting thing He could have mentioned to me right at that exact moment.

He seemed to whisper to my heart:

And how is your level of thankfulness, child?

His words were not harsh or condemning, but gentle, patient and full of the same kind of love I had for my daughter – I WANT her to find joy, and this is the path to it!

So it is for you, he seemed to remind me, turning the parent-child relationship on its head again.

How had I become the child again?

I wanted to be the parent, carefully explaining truths to my little mirrors of me.

And THAT was precisely the problem.

She WAS a mini-mirror of me on this issue.

Time for me to change.

Jesus held out his hand to me, and asked me to walk with him on this path towards a having a bit less gunk in my heart.

Would I follow?

Will you? He holds out his hand to you, too. Will you follow?

Yeah. I know. It STINKS to follow God sometimes because instead of changing THEM, He ends up changing US! I HATE THAT!

But Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.

Ancient Text

The song below is too humble for my taste. However, it contains some excellent thoughts about gratitude that are worth considering. As the song below plays, consider asking God how He may be a Shepherd to you, increasing joy through gratitude.

God, help us to figure out the (one or two places) where your plans for us are better than our ideas for how to run our lives, we pray.

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

Photo Credit – Someone ELSE (NOT me!) Being Annoyed At God by Icons8 Team on Unsplash

1 It is worth noting that whenever my children demonstrate excellence in virtue, they naturally reflect the excellent teaching, values, and confidence that I instill as a homeschooling parent. But whenever they do something naughty (WHAT?!), of course, that is because they didn’t sleep well or their stomachs were upset, as explained perfectly clearly HERE. (Yes. That article is about my dog, but the SAME THING is true about my kids, OF COURSE!)

2 Notice the verb “Can” which of course makes Jesus laugh and slap his knee, wiping the tears a tear from his eye because he is laughing so hard. The answer “Yes. He CAN help!” A valuable truth to remember, one I often seem to forget. Jesus IS helpful!

Loving Restored Cars Has 3 Hidden Secrets To Aging Better?

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

Would you like a little psychotherapy with that fresh coat of paint?

white and purple vintage car on green grass field during daytime

I had never TRULY appreciated those old vintage cars, all fixed up, that are driven and maintained by older men on the edge of mid-life crises (and sometimes insanity).

Their world revolves disturbingly around these cars, and they attend old, restored car conferences every year to show off their efforts.

They distract themselves by talking about old cars to try to forget they are headed for the scrap heap soon, too, and they pretend that by restoring an old car, they COULD also restore themselves.

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

At least that is what is happening beneath the surface for them. However, we may not see a ripple of these neuroses on the surface as they talk incessantly about missing parts and how to help give the exterior another fresh coat of paint to cover over some of the rust and warped frames. In other words, they are actually talking about themselves.

They don’t know it deep down, though there is sort of a hint, an inkling way down deep in their souls, which suggests this may be true.

They would never admit it. (That’s okay, actually. The truly wise know that sometimes, burying neuroses is not SUCH a bad strategy!)

As for me, I had never appreciated old, restored cars when I was young.

Now, I do for some reason that I can’t quite pinpoint.

I mean, the work!

And don’t you think those old cars are MUCH NICER LOOKING and therefore have MUCH MORE VALUE than those cheap imports? And SURE – the newer cars take a bit less work – but have MUCH LESS PERSONALITY?

I mean, I think so.

And so, what are the three hidden reasons why appreciating old cars helps us regain our sanity?

That’s easy:

  1. Appreciating old cars (and dragonflies) awakens us to remember that God is outside of our time line for our lives.
  2. Appreciating old cars reminds us that God loves to fix stuff, too.
  3. Appreciating old cars helps us expand our vision of WHAT God can do in the next season of our lives.

“In the Last Days,” God says, “I will pour out my Spirit on every kind of people: . . . your old men [will] dream dreams.

The Message

And that’s all I have to say for today.

Oh, and did I mention that God loves to restore old cars, too?

Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine on us [in favor and approval] . . .

Ancient Text

This is good news, friend!

As the song below sings, “Now is the time for restoration with repentance with transformation,” what do you sense God nudging in your heart? What old dream do you sense rising to the surface again? May you ponder your dreams in times of prayer with God, friend, and may He boldly guide your steps into your next season.

May you have exceeding joy as you drive your restored Corvette with the top down into this next season, friend.

I’ll wave to you as we pass each other!

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

What I’ve Learned About Being Amazing And This Is The way You Can Be Amazing Too!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

Ready to swap “BLAH” for “WOW” for your life, friend?

A cat sitting on a bed next to a window

I made this1 quilt.

Yup.

“Who made this quilt?” our friend asked, on visiting our lake cabin and seeing such stunning beauty in this fish quilt that her eyes could no longer focus on anything else, including the picturesque beauty trying to capture her attention outside the window, the sun2 glimmering on the water of the lake.

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

“Oh, I did,” I mentioned casually, humbly.

“YOU?”

I tried not to be offended at her incredulous astonishment, as if it was IMPOSSIBLE that I could produce something like this.

“Of course!” I tried to divert her embarrassing incredulity with more of my humbly low self-assessment.

She stuttered and spat in an effort to talk, unsure how to respond.

Which brings us to THE POINT of today’s newsletter.

I’m amazing.

I am ALSO self-assured enough to admit, however much this admission is a drop in the ocean of my grandiosity, a BIT to my perceived or actual faults. (What my therapist called, “Neuroses.” Whatever!)

So that day, a few months later3, I let the judgments of other people affect my actual or perceived self-esteem.

You see, some people think that I waste every day of my life. For example, homeschooling our kids has much less value in our society than it could, as mentioned HERE, where every person I met at the party after I began homeschooling my children desperately needed to speak to someone ELSE at the party. When I had a culturally successful career, people gathered around ME (!) at the party to hear my stories. I will vulnerably admit to not being perfect soon (I’M GETTING THERE, OKAY?), but I’m still building myself up first.

It’s a well-worn strategy that works for me.

That day, about a year ago, I had been visiting a new friend’s house, and it was repleef4 with beauty created by inhabitants of the house who love to make things. There were improvements everywhere we looked, which spoke to the talent and eye for beauty of both of these remarkable people. You know the type – They’re sooo annoying that they make us feel immature! I’m sure you can relate!

My editor says I have to be specific here, so imagine this:

  • handmade railings with wooden details that a machine could never create
  • bits of driftwood carefully crafted into various animals as décor on the table (Made by THEM – the jerks!)
  • beautifully handmade curtains (I made curtains once! Just saying)
  • gorgeous quilts reminiscent of nature scenes and other indescribable beauty adorning every wall

And THE POINT of today’s Substack “Newsletter5.”

I found that my self-esteem had drastically plummeted after encountering this house.

“Why don’t I have quilts on every wall?” I wondered to myself.

My husband and I “do other stuff,” which is another way of saying we waste our time playing video games, and so our house doesn’t look quite as decorated with handmade beauty!

To add insult to injury, throughout the previous year and after this visit to the home, I continued to feel a nagging urge to write.

But at the end of every day of writing, I don’t have a beautiful new sculpture for my coffee table.

So, after I finished comparing myself to them and firmly grounded myself in a culture of competitively creating art (This is the culture that I personally value and gravitate towards), I was a lowly worm in the food pyramid of that worldview.

Until the next day.

Until I felt God nudging me to set my sights in the direction He was looking.

But that conversation is for next time.

THE POINT is that sometimes we don’t set our sights for ourselves in quite the right place.

And so, how do we become amazing? We trust God and follow Him on the adventure He has for our lives. True, we may not be amazing according to how others (I.e., quilt culture) see us, but if God and our Mom like us, isn’t that what matters, friend?

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

As the song below sings “show me who I am and who I’m made to be”, consider asking God how you may have inadvertently aligned your perceived value with what our culture values. How does God see you, friend? And in what direction, even if it’s a bit off-center, is He asking you to travel?

God, help us all to have eyes for you alone, we pray.

You will show me the way of life,
granting me the joy of your presence
and the pleasures of living with you forever

The Message

Photo Credit – A Quilt! (Not My Quilt – See Footnote 1) by Linus Belanger on Unsplash

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

1 Actually I can’t find the picture I took of the quilt I made but who says I’m NOT organized?

2 Or Son – This type of beauty reminds me of its Creator

3 Unlike every other day when I am full of wisdom

4 Fancy word! – Wait, my editor says that’s NOT a word? What does she know! I like that word so it stays!

5 Ha! This is news? Haha!

Know You Need To Soar Instead Of Simply Watching Others Fly? 5 Tips When You Transition

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
a close up of a chicken with a blurry background

Recently, my husband and I took a course on transitioning with intentionality as we shift our priorities in a different life season.

The professor was Dr. Gordon Smith, who also writes on Substack HERE. However, please don’t mention that I sent you over there to him, as he may not agree with EVERY one of my life applications in this Newsletter, as I reflected on some of his comments. Plus, I wouldn’t want him to feel like I was showing him up! (I should humbly hint at.)

So if we want to live with intentionality, one thing we can do is read a book like this, which was required reading for our course. This book is entirely different from what I usually read. I typically read books on how to do things fast and faster!1

This book is different!

In one of the chapters (I forget which), Awakening Vocation hints that the book is intended for individuals seeking to discover meaning, purpose, and other similar goals. “Hey, sounds like me!” I thought. I’ve been trying to find meaning in life since the day I was born, but every time I pick up some old fluff on he ground that might be “meaningful,” it flies away on the wind again!2

And so, what did you learn, you ask us?

Oh, that part is easy!

Here are some of my scribbled sentences as I reflected on the content of that course:

  1. Our work is a participation in God’s work. Look around and ask, “What in the world are you up to, God?” (Application: I ask God that question a lot, so I am obviously very good at this! Just saying!)
  2. The more we do, the greater the impact we can make! (Application: The Professor may have meant this sentence as irony, but I forgot, and if so, I don’t fully understand what he’s getting at.)
  3. YOU are invited onto the stage into the drama of God’s redemptive work in this world. (Application: This part made me cry, but maybe that’s because I have always wanted people to clap for me on a stage and appreciate me and so forth. Wait. This tip is about God, I think, but it’s easy to mix up our ego with some of “God’s priorities” if we’re honest, don’t you find?)
  4. Let go of the need to control the outcomes of our work or endeavors. (Application: I’ve tried to let go of the need to control, but this is a LOT harder than it seems. So, if you skip this point, I don’t blame you.)
  5. We are always endeavoring to be in sync as much as we can with what God is calling us to do. (Application: YES! I GET this point! And God is calling me to write for some reason, and I am so excited to have coffee with you and get to know you better are we explore these ideas together – We will announce a regular Zoom connection time as soon as I am not so disorganized that I remember to look at my calendar and the commitments I’ve made, or at least when I stop watching so many movies at night!)

So friends, join us as we link our heads, hearts and spirits to the new priorities God is calling us to.

As the song below sings, “And I’ll search, I’ll search here for answers,” consider asking God, “Is the horizon of where you are asking me to walk towards further than I can see? Can you show me the next step?”

God, I pray that you help each one of us slow down and listen and then have the courage to fly into everything you are calling us to become as we press onwards, warmed by the light of the Son, we pray.

worms eye view photography of eagle flying across the sky

But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles

The Message

Photo Credits – How Does One Soar? by César Ardila on Unsplash, Eagle Shows Us How by Rachel McDermott on Unsplash

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

1 In fact, the best advice I ever received is that rather than trying to read a book fast, decide whether you should read it at all! Now, I don’t bother reading so many books, and that’s how I know I’m efficient!

2 Anyone else feel this way? No? SHOW OFF!

Sitting Ducks Or Soaring Eagles? 4 Tips You Need To Free Your Church

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
silhouette of birds flying during sunset

She rises from her knees in her prayer closet, opening the curtains to the brightness of the risen Sun shining on her face.

She leaps and skips to the bedrooms, waking her family.

open blinds of window against sun rays

“Get up”, she calls out joyfully! “God is good! He is leading me into an adventure and . . . “

STOP

red and white stop signage

There is a large STOP sign directly in front of her face. She tries to look around the sign and peek behind the large octagon shape at the people standing in a line behind this sign. “Can we speak…?” she asks. The words are not heard. She is met with authority. The sign doesn’t listen. It only speaks.

Religion, defined here as (1) “an institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices”, religion (2) without the breath of God blowing through the nuances, this religion1 arrests her enthusiasm.

And what do we do when the church expects us to be Martha? What do we do when we set aside everything of value in our lives and sit at the Teacher’s feet, and He is calling us to walk a new path, not to follow the footprints that tradition carved into the sand from thousands of past traveler’s feet?

What happens when God calls a woman in your church on an adventure outside the boundaries of how you expected her to serve in YOUR programs and initiatives?

What then, women and men in leadership, whom she longs to bow the knee before and to serve with love.

What then?

What will be their Master?

Will you open the door, church leaders, both men and women, who are both officially and unofficially recognized as such in the church? Will you listen to her enthusiasm with an openness to be convicted by Holy Spirit? What if your church programs aren’t ALL perfectly aligned with the heart of God for this season?

If what they say is outside the current scope of your existing programs and activities but you sense the breath of God, too, blowing your congregation in this new direction, then friend . . .

what (or who) will be your Master?

Are you WILLING to open another door, to encourage others to follow her, if your spirit also testifies within as she speaks what Holy Spirit has been whispering, as you (1) listen and (2) have an open mind to the new thing God may be doing in our midst?

Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination!

The Passion

(3) Will you encourage their flagging spirits?

That’s your job.

(4) Will you remove obstacles in their way?

Then sit back with a coffee and watch them soar. You did that, friend. You helped them fly.

Well done.

I am doing something brand new, something unheard of. Even now it sprouts and grows and matures. Don’t you perceive it?

The Passion

May she be set free, church.

And may you and your congregation follow.

A colorful macaw soars above blooming flowers.

Innocent, simple faith that believes what God says is real and that expects Him to do what He says He will do – that’s the mark of a mature believer, not complicated doctrine and fancy arguments.

John and Carol Arnott in Preparing for the Glory: Getting Ready for the Next Wave of Holy Spirit Outpouring

Photo Credits: Sunrise by Sefa Murat Özdemir on Unsplash, STOP! by Anwaar Ali on Unsplash, Many Doves Soaring In the Sunrise by ekrem osmanoglu on Unsplash, Another Bird Flying by Happysurd Photography on Unsplash

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

1 Every man and woman inside the church has a tendency toward legalism as defined here. Let’s rid our hearts and our churches of it, friends. What is God whispering to your heart? If you are not currently connected with a church, please rebuke us. We need you, too. Let’s soar together, brothers, sisters, and new friends!

Adventure Himself is calling.

Can you perceive it?

The world has never needed more hope than to be encouraged by the transformation of others they can see when they lift their eyes.

How To Make God Like YOU Better Than OTHERS!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
a man holding a laptop

The question that keeps me up at night is:

How can God like me BEST, BETTER than other people?

My “Therapist” (What does SHE know?) says that these thoughts of comparison and drivenness are rooted in some sort of neurosis deep down, but I doubt that! Anyway, practically speaking, don’t we ALL want the teacher to like US best? Or the boss? Or even our friends?

Of course!

So, those are the types of questions that keep me up at night. And then God seemed to help me understand how to be his favorite! (I DO know that sentence is “Officially” a “Heresy” or whatever, but stay with me, because what God showed me is -Surprise! – theologically accurate, once you understand my point!)

Anyway, this is what happened.

It seemed God was highlighting the word “Beautiful” to a few of us.

How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!

Ancient Text

There was something God wanted to reveal to us about this word.

As shown in this quote below, God isn’t quite as hung up about physical beauty as we are.

“Looks aren’t everything . . . God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.”

The Message

So He couldn’t be talking about that.

And in my prayer time, God seemed to show me a picture of two golden cups, one tarnished1, one polished.

Does one of these cups have less value? He seemed to ask my soul.

No! Of course not. Bought by a gold buyer, they would pay equally for both cups as they have EQUAL value.

So it is with my children, He seemed to whisper.

I think God was saying that ALL of his children have EQUAL VALUE in His eyes.

But some are a little more polished or beautiful.

I wondered how to polish oneself. I suddenly realized that a cup can’t polish itself! “How do we get polished a bit more?” I wondered

Let Me polish you, He seemed to whisper. As you draw near to me and seek me, I am polishing you.

And so I thought I would share what I learned here today with you so that maybe God will EVEN like you as much as He likes me!

Or maybe The Point is that:

If we knew how much God valued and loved us, we wouldn’t care how much He loved anyone else.

And I felt calmed, somehow, loved, and like I could finally take my unbearable list of “To-Do” items, the ones that I unconsciously think will help God to “like me” a bit more, and put it over there, far away, in the pile of stuff that God longs to burn. And I felt a bit more free. Maybe I don’t need to be better than others.

My therapist must be wrong!

(At least, I think that’s what she was getting at. See Paragraph One, above, but I am a bit confused whenever she speaks if I’m honest).

God LIKES me, as I already proved definitely HERE. And He LIKES you, too, and finds you more and more beautiful as you allow Him to purify your golden cup in the fire of His Presence. And there is our freedom.

If you still don’t know what I’m talking about, read this ancient story and let the metaphor sit inside your heart for a bit as you ponder, reflect and thank God for this truth.

(And God will be polishing your gold cup a bit more, even as you do this, friend.)

Photo Credit – Good News! by Jade Destiny on Unsplash

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

1 (*I DO know that only silver tarnishes in real life, not gold, but this is a metaphor, remember? And I believe God considers each of His children to be of the highest value, of gold, so that’s why gold is in the picture. Can we return to the point now?)

Come Homeschool! The Fruit Of Love In The Heart Is A Powerful Gift Of Fall

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

apple fruit on trees

I felt joy rise in my heart that day as I took another bite of an apple at the fall picnic.

I lay on the blanket, watching my children frolicking in the water nearby and delighted in another bite of the fall fruit someone had picked from the apple tree above us.

And I offer the fruit of my labor to them, to the world, as I watch my Homeschooled children help the younger ones pull themselves up on the log in the water.

These are kind people, our children.

And as their sibling bickers reach me even here, far away, I am reminded that though they are still annoying, as all of us humans are, still, the fruit from this fall season, of a season of Homeschooling has been good.

I delight in this.

We had to live with these humans, so we were forced to prune the trees and apply fertilizer even though it stung them sometimes.

We couldn’t turn aside and try to forget unbecoming behavior in our children because the school bus was coming soon. We saw them again at lunch, and then they were still there right after lunch, an hour later, and into the evening. This behavior has GOT to be dealt with. This rot in the heart has GOT to be addressed, we would finally admit.

Love drove us out of hiding.

“Show us how You see each child,” we would beg our God in prayer, longing for His picture of them, which was the sun and rain they needed to flourish.

One child was like a strong tree that would grow a thick branch in just a moment, but it grew directly into another sibling’s eye, or into my face – Ouch! Jesus would offer us a saw. Prune the tree, He would remind us.

And so, we did.

And then God pruned my tree, too.

A lot of sweat has gone into the farming of my fall crop. We had many seasons of scraping and tilling hard earth under the hot sun. We didn’t make a lot of progress. But sometimes we would delight to find a small patch of rich, dark soil, and we would quickly plant something there in their hearts before they noticed. And some of these offerings took root, though many plants languished or had to be replanted.

But the gardens of their hearts were tended as God tended my heart simultaneously, teaching me to love.

And God quickly planted something, a small plant in a tiny patch of rich soil that He found in my heart one day, soil among a seemingly endless expanse of hard, clay-baked earth. He planted it that day when I wasn’t looking. Homeschool, he bid my heart before this schooling adventure began.

And the tears came whenever Homeschooling was mentioned for reasons I couldn’t articulate, watering the soil around my heart a bit more with the sacrifice of this massive gardening project.

But it was worth it.

And as another graying hair testifies to a beginning fall season of my life, I remember the fruit in my heart that was not there before this gardening adventure, and I am thankful that God had been tilling my soul all along, too.

And so, I took another bite of that apple, feeling happy.

So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit.

The Message

Is God calling and beckoning you toward Homeschooling, friend?

Or to another adventure, perhaps?

Get going, friend! Start now! The fruit of following Jesus on an adventure is worth all the hard labor of past seasons.

And may you savor many fall apples, explosive in flavor, as God scrapes off the edges of each other, not unlike iron sharpening iron, as love pours from God’s heart through us, through our kids, and then to the world.

And I took another bite of that fall apple.

And I felt love swell in my heart with each bite, love that came with this harvest.

Photo Credit – Apples Ready For Harvest by Timotheus Fröbel on Unsplash

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

How To NOT Flush Yourself Down The Toilet!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
a black and white photo of a bird flying in the sky

So I was a bird, soaring in the clear blue sky, when someone down far below aimed their shotgun towards me (or towards something close to me?) and fired. I fell like a lead weight to the ground and landed with a painful “thud”. When I carefully examined myself, I couldn’t find a gunshot wound.

The shot must have just grazed my ear (Wait – Do birds have ears – WHATEVER!).

The point is that I was down on the ground again, walking on two feet, eyes looking as down as my soul.

Even when we beat the odds and finally learn to fly, we can sink back to earth so quickly, don’t you find?

But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, “Master, save me!”

The Message

“What the heck is she going on about now?” you ask each other, popcorn in hand and trying to find the “Rewind” button on the video of this Newsletter. I will explain. I will now put on my (almost) Psychotherapist hat and enlighten you on another great truth that will help you soar through life1.

a man and woman looking at each other

THE POINT:

When our thoughts tear us down, my friend from England calls this “Going down the tube.” For them, a Tube can mean “Toilet!” As in, the “overflow tube” on a toilet where stuff goes when it is flushed! My friend talks about how our thoughts can make us circle the drain, which eventually has approximately the same effect as flushing ourselves down the toilet. Haha! A vivid picture, but something we all do very often, if we’re honest.

For me, (hypothetically speaking, of course) it looked something like this yesterday:

When you are spiraling, remembering in vivid detail the time the mean girl laughed at you in Grade 4, followed by the time you were rejected by THE boy of the century (What was his name again?) in Grade 7, and this was all instigated by the checkout clerk at the grocery store who forgot to glance at you today as she said, “Have a nice day,” your self-esteem (of course) suddenly plummets like that bird in the sky.

So do this, friend:

(1)   Ask God something

(2)   Ask God something else

Above is the framework.

Below is specifically what you ask:

(1)   What is a picture, God, of what is NOT true?

(2)   What is a picture, God, of what IS true?

We quiet our hearts and minds, bring our tangled emotions to God, and ask Him for His perspective.

For example, I did this exact exercise yesterday when I had the VERY RARE occasion of feeling a bit nuts, though I had no idea why, and EVEN MY HAIR was combed that day, so that I couldn’t have been plummeting because of that.

I had a picture of me trying to grasp something just out of reach, something on the top shelf that I wasn’t tall enough to grab, but that I REALLY wanted.

This picture represented the lie I believed, and I immediately remembered something I wanted that didn’t seem like God would give to me.

Then I asked God, “What is the truth?” of this situation, and I saw a picture in my mind’s eye as I sat in prayer of God reaching down from Heaven to pull something off the top shelf – not exactly what I wanted, but something nearby, something smaller, and handing it to me. I enjoyed this item immensely, like a child enjoying a giant lollipop that was precisely the right size to satisfy her sweet tooth and no bigger.

white and red lollipop on blue background

Then I saw that the thing I REALLY wanted was so heavy for my puny arms that even if God did give it to me, I would drop it on my foot and it would crush my toes.

The thing I REALLY wanted wasn’t best for me. Like the things kids sometimes REALLY want, such as a 50-kilogram cake that will only make them sick if they get it. Good parents KNOW what is BEST for their kids, what will satisfy even the desires within them that aren’t fully developed yet (Like for a hunk of broccoli with that cheeseburger now and then).

Could I trust Him?

And then I was soaring again, and not even the fear of missing out or being shot out of the sky by my neuroses could stop me from soaring on the wind!

Try it!

Why not ask God what keeps you in “Nuts” instead of “Joy”?

As the song below sings, “You know what I need”, reflect on this awhile, and then consider asking God, “What is a picture of something that I am struggling with in my life that is NOT the truth?” And “Can You show me your perspective, the truth, about this situation?”

And I hope you can stay soaring in the sky a bit longer next time, friend!

“Who will give me wings,” I ask – “wings like a dove?” Get me out of here on dove wings; I want some peace and quiet.

The Message

Or, at least, I hope you become a bit less nuts!

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

Photo Credits – Bird Soaring (?) Falling (?) – You Decide! by viswaprem anbarasapandian on Unsplash, Giving Advice To Help Another! by Fotos on Unsplash (I am symbolically on the RIGHT in this photo – Which reminds me: I also give helpful marriage advice, such as the FREE advice found HERE and HERE!)

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

1 I learned a helpful tip about this lately, from Mark Virkler and shout out to him, who ACTUALLY has useful stuff to say on HIS website (Show-off!)!

You Need To Toss One Attitude To Hear Remarkable, Surprising Spiritual Things

/ Lori Lawe / 2 Comments

What happened that day astonished me, opened my eyes and heart to the possibility of a God in the universe, one with a heart of love, who stretches out His hand sometimes to protect me when needed.

That is precisely what happened that day over three decades ago.

At that time, I wasn’t sure what I thought about God, wondering if God was the ruler of one particular religion – and which religion, if so? Mostly, though, I didn’t think too much about God at all until that day. Then I couldn’t stop thinking about God.

That event opened a curtain into the window of the possibility of a spiritual dimension that I could enter through, if I wanted.

Whenever, though, they turn to face God . . . God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence

The Message

I walked past the veil, and since that day, I have never looked back, continuing my journey to know more and learn more about a God who stretches down His hand to give us a warm embrace.

And this is how He did it that day.

Except….

Insert that terrible sound when movies play in reverse, and we rewind the scene to an earlier part of the show.

I was seventeen when “it” happened, which ushered me into a thirsty quest for spiritual things.

I was quiet immediately after this event, not talking about the event with anyone but one person.

Why not? That is the subject of today’s newsletter. Why don’t you hear about the spiritual events in other people’s lives?

The clues are all around you, but you are blind to them, stepping on jewel after purple jewel, because no one shone them up for you, and they are so covered in the dust of life that they blend in with the dirt-colored stones around them.

No one told you their spiritual stories.

Why not?

You wouldn’t have believed them anyway.

This fact brings me to THE POINT of today’s newsletter: You have to believe to see.

Jesus looked her in the eye. “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

The Message

To even HEAR about the POSSIBILITY of spiritual things occurring in other people’s lives, you need to tune your ears to the radio frequency of the POSSIBILITY of God entering our world, both as a babe 2000+ years ago and as Holy Spirit whispering even now.

Do you believe?

Believe so that you may understand

Philosopher Augustine of Hippo, circa 400 A.D.

Good.

Then you can hear.

So, I will tell you my story next time.

Photo Credit – The Exchange by Austin Kehmeier on Unsplash

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!