Swimming

While Swimming I Got A Great Idea! Weekly Connection Time!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
man in black and white checkered dress shirt and black cap sitting on chair

So, I was on a long swim because I am so athletic and fit, and while I saw a few fish, I sensed God speaking to my heart.

“Who cares?” you ask.

Well, Holy Spirit was speaking about you.

I know you have been waiting in suspense, clicking “refresh screen” every few minutes since you read THIS POST, and I promised to share one of my fish stories with you, so let’s get down to business.

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

That day, as I swam, I came across a brownish green slimy patch of regular-looking water weeds that I swam over.

I sensed from God that the slimy patch of brownish green weeds was my writing. 

“Wow!” I thought. I felt so encouraged by that! There were many, many, much more than usual, minnows1 swimming around in this little unremarkable patch of weeds, which encouraged my heart so much.

The minnows are you!

And this is where it gets personal, and I stick my finger through this Substack and poke you in the chest a little.

I have been astonished at how God has brought so many readers (people from 33 countries so far have read this writing online2), or how there are so many minnows around this brownish colored, slimy patch of weeds!

I kept swimming, because as you know, I swim VERY far, and after I turned around and began swimming back home, I suddenly stopped at the location of that little patch of weeds because THERE WERE SO MANY MINNOWS I couldn’t find a way to swim through them.

God is feeding you, friend, and bringing us together to share our food with each other in this little patch of weeds.

The Point?

There is purpose, there is something God is doing, as He is drawing us together. I no longer feel like I am writing to the wind with the sole purpose of building up my shallow self-esteem, begging for “likes,” and trying to inflate my ego.3

I believe that God is waking people up, teaching them to soar, and placing them in communities to grow roots more deeply so that more of the seeds He has planted in each of our hearts can blossom into the flowers He has called each one of us to share with the world.

So, would any of you be interested in attending a weekly prayer and connection gathering, starting in the fall? 5:00pm Pacific time Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday are potential times that work. Please let me know in the comments, by email, or through the contact forms, which day would be preferable.

The time would be to discuss together and pray together. No talking experience or prayer experience is necessary! It would be great to share prayer and tea regularly, friend.

Yes, of course it would be free!4

Everyone needs to bring their own tea. That’s it! I look forward to connecting with some of you!

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Thank you for liking me! I like you too! (Proven HERE, HERE and HERE!) Let’s journey together!

1 Also, minnows are small fish, and small fish will, by definition, get bigger (I think?), and so I hope that you hang out with me in my little brown weed patch long enough so that I can get all the credit for your growth! (Editor’s note – Try to think of others, not just yourself. Lori’s note: Whatever!)

2 Yes, the stats of which country you are from are posted for free! Yes, the web is super weird. I’m sorry, but I didn’t even ask to know! “Not all visitors who visit your site will have their location enabled in their browsers. Some visitors might access your site through an incognito browser or a Virtual Private Network (VPN).” So, get an incognito browser or a VPN! The web is weird! You’re welcome! Good luck!

3 Though of course I am doing that, too!

4 Did you think I would pay you to attend?

Are You A Spiritual Loser? How To Get An “A” On Your Spiritual Report Card!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

a statue of a man standing on top of stacks of money

Photo Credit – Loser and Winner by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash – Notice that the “Winner” here has less money than the “Loser,” so it’s not about more money, but you already know that! For additional proof, however, consider this quote from one of the wisest people I know:

I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.

Jim Carrey

While training for a triathlon, I was pretty fit.

I swam to my friend’s home two bays down at the lake where we were staying as a regular training exercise.

Then I suddenly got a bit older, and I wasn’t QUITE as fit anymore, at least as I thought I was. “Could I swim to her home again?” I asked myself. A few quick years had passed, of sitting on the couch and eating donuts at every meal, but otherwise, I still felt pretty fit. That summer day, I swam and swam. I did it! Wow!

I sat on her wharf in my solo victory party, my pride rising around me like a great cloud, buoying up my low self-esteem until the cloud tried to suffocate me with the sudden unwelcome thought, “But CAN I swim back home?

No walking trails existed along the shore of these “boat access only” cottages, and of course, cell phone reception was an impossibility in that remote area, even if I did have a phone with me (I didn’t, of course).

My stomach quavered.

How would I get home?

And The Point of this Newsletter is that sometimes, as graciously illustrated HERE and HERE, we aren’t QUITE as amazing as we imagine ourselves to be.

What if that’s true spiritually, too?

Now, before you hold up your hands and caution me against speaking further, responding with the most common objection, like: “Well, at LEAST I’m not Ted Bundy or someone super bad like that! Therefore, I’m sure God will open the Great Golden gates to me!”

Again, I ask, what if being a bit “nicer” than a serial killer like Ted Bundy is STILL not an “A” on your spiritual report card according to Jesus?

(Just asking the question).

And so, how did I get home that day that I swam WAY too far and exhausted myself with my pride? A person I knew saved me. As I swam, when I saw someone I knew, I would crawl up their ladder onto their wharf to sit awhile, resting (and pretending to visit while I caught my breath), until I had enough strength to continue my journey.

And luckily for you, that’s how you can find the way to your true home, too – Just drag your tired butt out of wherever you are struggling just to get by, and rest awhile with Jesus.

He’ll give you some food for your journey, a blanket to warm your soul with increasingly authentic relationships, and a map to guide your unique life adventure to begin soaring like a bird in the sky with Him.

A white bird flying through a cloudy blue sky

He energizes those who get tired . . . but those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar . . .

The Message

And the best part? God will swing open those Golden Gates to anyone who is friends with His son. What have you got to lose except a bit of suffocating pride that you don’t REALLY want anyway?

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

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