To Serve well

Serving with Excellence for a Life of Excellence

Faith

Life is measured by love: Upping our love game this week

(revisiting a post from 2020)

Who doesn’t love puppies? (Okay, kittens, too. Heck, let’s add baby ducks and chickens!) I ran across a tweet from Pope Francis today that stopped me in my tracks. I couldn’t get it out of my head, so I am hoping this is as powerful for you this week.

The tragedy we are experiencing summons us to take seriously the things that are serious, and not to be caught up in those that matter less; to rediscover that life is of no use if it is not used to serve others. For life is measured by love.

Is that not just perfect?! I love this idea of “summoning us.” As in, I am calling you into my life. I am bringing in all that is good and lovely and true.

The last couple of years have revealed again that suffering and joy often come linked together, hand in hand. We learn through both, and when we take the focus off of ourselves and instead dedicate ourselves to service and love, we are able to better find joy in all circumstances.

How can we all love the best this week? Serve the best? How can we take the focus off of all things COVID-19 and world drama and become a pain reliever for someone in need? How can we shift the energy and the story to create stories of love? As a Christian, Jesus spent time cleaning the feet of the disciples… this was in a time and geography that certainly would have made this an especially sacrificial act. This urges me to dig deep and think outside of my normal service patterns. I know if you are reading this, you are likely a “giver” and someone who constantly focuses in this way, but I am thinking this is a call to going deeper still. What is one thing I can do to in sacrifice in service to another?

Cheering everyone on, and praying for you and your loved ones. May the Lord cover each of you and inspire your minds and dinner time (and Super Bowl) conversations with innovative ways to up the ante on our capacity to spread love this week.

Simple thoughts Sunday: The wilderness taught David to see beauty everywhere

When my grandparents used to travel, they would come home and be so proud of their photos. They took the time to print them and put the pictures under those protector sheets for safe keeping and for display. At the time, I thought it was so boring – picture after picture of mountains, fields, and birds… I wanted more go-karts and less potted flowers, I guess.

My, how things have changed.

I’m not sure entirely if it’s age and wisdom, or how Apple’s iPhone has creates endless possibilities and opportunities to be creative. Maybe both! Regardless, I find myself mesmerized by the beauty in a yellow-breasted bird sitting on the fence, visiting me for breakfast. The soaring mountains, the painted deserts, the astounding perfect design of moss growing on a fallen tree on a long winter’s walk, and the aging hands of those a couple of decades ahead of me. So of course i take ample pictures of all of these things. As of today, I have 42,224 pictures, to be exact.

But back to my point: Beauty can be found everywhere. I’m sure my grandparents knew that those mountains and rivers of life had deeper meaning that they learned as they traversed their lives. What I know is that often the more painful and challenging parts of our lives seem to create a pause that offers us this incredible time to look up, look around and realize that once you get off of the highway, you find yourself surrounded by beauty.

I am so thankful for these moments – every last one of them. I’m grateful for the season I just left, which presented me with another opportunity to see God’s beauty throughout my life. I pray that I will use this to serve well in every day I am given.

I heard a message once that said you are either in the middle of a challenging season, just left one, or are headed into one. In other words: We’ve all been there most likely. Wherever this message finds you today, know that you are not alone. In fact, God has given us more love and beauty than we can imagine. Look around, breathe deeply and know that God will unveil all manner of stunning and extravagant love in so many forms when we are ready and willing to receive. In the midst of our adventures, let the simple bird pictures be plentiful.

Cheers to a wonderful week ahead and the ability to walk into the days with finding and serving up beauty at the top of our to do lists.

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Pointing to the promises

Advent officially kicks off today, and it’s quite a season of celebration. My son and his beautiful fiance will be married this week, and how appropriate is it that we are headed fully into a season that just absolutely shouts LOVE and JOY? I’m not sure if they knew when COVID-19 forced them to reschedule that they were selecting this magical week, but here we are! (Perhaps it is God’s divine way of showing us His hand is in every detail, and that He gave Tucker and Libby this gift as a wonderful reminder every year on their anniversary of the power of love.)

As we launch into the holiday season formally, I love this idea of the season “pointing us to the promise.” The Advent devotional I picked for this year via Proverbs 31 Ministries is appropriately titled the same. The beauty of this season is that we have an entire 4-week period where most of the world around us is literally on a joy seeking mission. Celebrations abound & decorations dress the halls and fill our homes with reminders that it is truly something special… a season set apart.

Advent serves as a time to prepare our hearts. To take the time to really let our hearts catch up with the beauty of all that is good in this world. As this week’s devotion pointed out, “He promises love, life and light that the darkness cannot overcome.” I am so thankful for this and so many other promises and for holding on to a faith that allows me to know I am always surrounded by good, even and especially when it is hard. As I go through this week and through the next four leading up to the ultimate celebration, I am praying that my faith would be strengthened and that each of you might feel the power in the season.

I am especially prayerful for the wedding, and that Tucker and Libby might find warmth and delight in their moments leading up to their wedding and that they will always keep pointing to the promises of God. Would you join me in that prayer? I think that would be absolutely wonderful and know they would value the gesture!

Have a wonderful week. Cheers to a season of celebrations and hearts filled with peace and joy.

Simple Thoughts Sunday: Paths paved by faith

Our human thinking is often so limiting. We question God and wonder where He is in all of “this.” Whatever “this” is in the moment. Do you ever stop and think maybe God is taking you on this path for a reason? Maybe you think you want something, and maybe God wants you to have something better. Something that might exceed our greatest desires. Steven Furtick’s message this time a few years ago was incredible. Here was my takeaway at the time:

“Faith cannot rest in God fulfilling OUR agenda.” If we “zoom out,” there may be a purpose that is greater and a plan that is bigger than we can even conjure up in our simple minds.

I am believing this today my friends. I often find myself in a place of wondering. It is a familiar and well-worn path in my mind, to question where God is taking me. Despite being under some great teachers in my life, I get dragged in by my own reasoning. I am grateful today that God’s logic is not even close to mine and that His ways are greater. I am counting on better paths and in God’s great design to exceed my wildest dreams.

Simple Thoughts Sunday: I need you to know…

I thought a lot this week about both the beauty and fragility of life. With so much whirling around us, we could miss the extravagant world. As you go into your week, I wanted to leave you with a few thoughts that I hope remind you of who God says we are… It’s helpful to hear that we aren’t defined by our status, personality, possessions, habits or opinions of ourselves or others. Focusing our mind on truth is always a good idea. So, let’s fire up a short list.

I need you to know…

That you have everything you need to fulfill your purpose. (Col 2:10)

That you are forgiven for all of your mindless and even your intentional mistakes. Good to know, because I sure do make a mess sometimes and need this one! (1 John 2:12)

That you are the light of this world. Each of us are charged to bring forward the good and brighten the path for those around us. I LOVE THIS ONE! (Matt 5:14)

That you are MORE than a conqueror… fully equipped to to deal with what this life hands to you. ALSO.. AMAZING! (Romans 8:37)

That you are created for GOOD WORKS… Let’s BRING ON THE GOOD TOGETHER! (Ephesians 2:10)

That you are guarded by God’s Peace… WOW, this one is so essential… Anyone else? (Philippians 4:7)

My friends, there is SO MUCH MORE… you are blessed, protected, accepted, healed, surrounded by God’s mercy, never alone, sufficient, STRONG, joyful, and absolutely WONDERFULLY MADE!

It’s a hard world out there some days and weeks and even years. Yet, we are so much more than we often call to mind. You are also covered in prayer and I am hoping that you have the most incredible week ahead.

Simple Thoughts Sunday: A week of courage

Ryan Holiday is a terrific author. I have read almost all of his books (Ego is the Enemy, The Daily Stoic and Stillness is the Key (my fav)). His latest, “Courage is Calling” is worth a week of blog posts. I hope you will find these as wonderful (and helpful) as I have. Ryan’s books are easy reads – small but mighty.

On Sunday I try to focus in on how faith coincides with key insights that help us build better lives. Courage is a hot topic in this arena, and even those who weren’t raised around the church are usually familiar with the David and Goliath story. The epic battlefield scene that called on the least likely warrior (a young boy) to lead his tribe to victory in defeating the town giant. Sometimes life’s giants call us to overcome our fears with a strong dose of courage. How we might do that is worth some dialogue.

Lucky for us, there are countless people throughout history who have displayed crazy bravery. From Nelson Mandela, to Malala, to Teddy Roosevelt, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks or perhaps your own parents or grandparents. The stories are worth learning and relearning in my opinion. In his writing, Holiday spends quite a bit of time focused on Florence Nightingale. I didn’t know just what an amazing human she was, and what a beautiful example of every day courage she demonstrated. I’m planning to spend more time on her in Wednesday’s blog. Today, I am focusing on perhaps the key to conquering our fears…

“We must make courage a habit,” is what was my greatest takeaway when you strip it all down. There are endless examples, from athletes who didn’t expect to hit the game-winning goal, to the lawyer who stood in front of the mirror reciting their rebuttal over and over, to the teenager who walked the halls before school started to get a bit more comfortable with that feelings of entering their next stage of life.

He continues, “How can you trust that you will step forward when the stakes are high, when you regularly don’t do that even when the stakes are low? So, we must test ourselves.” That is soooo good to me! The idea of how we navigate our own everyday lives by practicing the good we hope to produce seems fundamental, yet complicated. The decisions we make even when thinking about helping others with our resources comes to mind. Sometimes we are too afraid of not having enough, that we don’t give generously, even though we know we could meet a need of our friend or co-worker. Ruminating on the idea of practicing... testing ourselves doing everyday good is worthy of our thinking and of our efforts.

As we think through the idea of testing on the big things, It is clear that we must start with small things. The adage, “Do one thing each day that scares you,” is a step in that direction. I believe we must always be pushing ourselves to the other side of our comfort zone.

I recently finished up my scuba diving certification and it was way out of my comfort zone. Honestly, that surprised me, because I’ve always been an avid swimmer, but the idea of carrying around an oxygen tank on your back and going 30 feet under seems daunting. Nevertheless, I made it a personal goal to do hard things, especially as I get older. The instructor almost didn’t get me to finish because I was quite adamant that I just didn’t want to, and frankly didn’t see the point during that moment of near panic. The bottom line is that I, for some reason, was too scared. He ultimately was successful by getting me to just “go on a little swim” over and over until I eventually built up the courage to keep going so I could pass the certification. It may seem like an insignificant example but I assure you, this is how I and others have done almost everything that was scary to them: by continuing to move forward, one small step at a time.

Regardless of if it’s deciding to push yourself physically, to become emotionally uncomfortable for a bit while you address a hard conversation, or if it’s something spectacular, it all starts by practice – forward progress in the direction you are headed. David did this during his daily practice as a shepherd boy, and most likely so did everyone else that has encountered a courageous moment.

My faith gives me courage, and my friends do as well. My boys give me this unbelievable desire to stay strong and be courageous in all that I do. I hope that you will feel called to be courageous and in one way or another, be inspired to practice courage daily. Sometimes just getting through the day should be considered practice. Sometimes we have to think through what areas of our lives have we really not prepared ourselves really well? What stress or pain points need confronted with a bit of Rosa Park’s bravado? I have a short list and imagine you may as well.

As I close out today’s post, I leave you with my son’s favorite Bible verse. It’s a good one and he picked this in 3rd grade, proving it is never too early. “Be on your guard. stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16:13).

I think I’ll go try to do that this week! Anyone else?

Simple Thoughts Sunday: “You are strong and brave” – The power of provision

Sometimes it is so challenging for me to choose what to write about. I have so many swirling thoughts that trying to lasso in the one God wants me to focus on can be challenging. I try to be mindful of what speaks to me and what might serve you all the most. On this Sunday, I hope that at least one of you finds some good in these humble words. So, drum roll please on where my heart went for this post…

I’m reminded over and over again this week that God’s provision is literally spread around like confetti if we search for it.

Lysa Terkeurst (@lyseterkeurst) is one of those women who provides mentorship from afar. She’s an author and fellow mom, and recently she made a comment that spoke to me. It was something to the tune of “God’s word is the only provision you need.” In my experience, that’s about right. If you tune in, you might find that the direction or guidance you need is right in front of you. In fact, God’s word illustrates beautifully the primary insight of this post, which is that of the “provision” of friendship.

The people you find yourself surrounded by are an example of God’s provision in my mind. The people who seem to step into the story at just the right time; who send you an encouraging text, or share a photo just in time… The people who God chose to surround you at that exact point in your life. What a gift!

Who else loves the truth that you have a God-given tribe around you, and that they were designated for you personally, just for this moment? On the flip side, who else wants to be the person chosen to be that friend to someone else? I love to be there for others, and want to be able to give my time, my presence, my love … especially in times of need. Lysa shared some terrific advice for us as we think through how to be a better friend in a tough time:

“Instead of (asking) ‘Are you okay?’ text this: ‘You are strong and brave. If you ever have a day you forget that, I’m here to remind you.'”

Lysa Terkeurst

Isn’t that great? It really spoke to me, both as someone who would love better ways to help others, but also someone who needs this personally.

I have felt the challenges of the last year on my soul. The accumulation of all manner of stresses has left me wondering what in the world is going on. In all of that, God has clearly appointed some beautiful people to be that provision for me, and today I am especially grateful for that gift. I hope that some or all of you may be reading this in case I haven’t personally thanked you. I know I need to find time to do way better at sharing my heart on this matter. It occurs to me, that some of you may not know you are filling that role because you didn’t know I was in this phase*. (Anyone else not big on sharing the not so fun parts of life?)

I hope that you realize God has given us the provisions we need in this life. He has given us his guidance in stories. He has provided us leaders, like Lysa, with wisdom to share, countless friends, and thankfully has provided us eyes and ears to be alert, and to listen; hearts to encourage, and minds to know to step in when needed. All of these should be counted as great blessings, for I believe they are the very roots of our lives, holding us regardless of the changing winds.

I’m praying for you all today – for you to continue to grow and learn, and to desire to run toward God and every dream and every hope in your heart.

*If you don’t know my entire story, you may not be aware that it has been a heavy lift literally from what I remember as 3 years old forward. I have written it and will publish it at some point, but in the meantime, feel free to ask and I will share individually. I share those only to say that my writing does not come without true experience.

Simple Thoughts Sunday: What an unbelievably beautiful world

I am fairly sure I could write on that blog headline alone for months. So many ways to approach that.

On this Sunday, I am struck by the beauty surrounding us all. The people God has surrounded me with alone showcases his absolute goodness. How about you? Who in your circle brightens your world? Isn’t it an amazing thought to consider? My head swims with why I am gifted with such incredible people. I know for certain I have done nothing to deserve that, and yet…

In Ephesians 3, verse 20, we find that God promises that he will provide more than “all” we can ask or imagine. Folks, I, like many of you, have faced many trials and sometimes the logical mind just cannot wrap it’s simple thinking to create a narrative you or I can understand. Many hard realities just flat out don’t make sense, and YET, we are promised good. Over and over in my 53 years, I have witnessed this truth. It makes my head spin with joy really.

Today’s simple thought is a call to stop and truly look around and take inventory. No matter where you find yourself, at a mountain top moment in life, or in a “WTH” moment (Google it if you need to ? ), your mind will be blown away by the beauty surrounding you. I went to a church for a season that always ended the service with “God is good all of the time, and all of the time, God is good.” That is true.

Have a wonderful week ahead and enjoy every last bit of this delightful season we find ourselves in.

Spiritual formation is a slow process: Finding the “something more”

I am amazed at how much I have learned over the years. It seems that at some point –– and I have no idea when that is –– you would pretty much know what you are going to know. I can confirm that is, of course, absolutely not true. (Relax, younger readers!) Our journeys can include endless learning, if we choose to make it so.

Today’s post is on the idea that spiritual formation is a slow process. I could easily say the same for our understanding of financial or relationship matters. We evolve, learn, grow, and are able to be better for it.

I am not sure how I got on this idea of “spiritual formation.” Perhaps it started with Rachel Held Evan’s book, “Inspired,” which is a story of how in her 30’s she pretty much started to second guess everything she had learned in church. She wanted “something more” and was willing to be intentional about finding out what that was. She found out that if she really started to go deeper, that the (what she calls) “magical stories” in the Bible make more sense when understood within proper historical background, and context. It feels like, that for the most part, the vast majority of people (including me until a few years ago) thought the stories in the Bible progressed chronologically somehow, which honestly doesn’t even make sense, but they don’t teach you that in Sunday School. There is so much left on the table.

“Spiritual Formation” speaks to the ordinary maturing of our faith in the context of our personal beliefs and values, no matter what those may be. For me, it’s the Christian faith. But again, it stands true regardless. (I should point out here, that I am not using the same spiritual formation term that some religious groups feel is controversial, i.e. trying to suggest a change to the doctrine.)

For me, it is clear that God gave us these amazing human minds, and he wants us to use them so that we can grow and help others grow. The primary form of educating is storytelling in the New Testament and in that, Jesus is often found asking thoughtful questions of the people. This was clearly what he felt was the best way to get them actually “thinking” and exploring the truth and meanings and better yet, how those learnings inform and impact their lives.

Today’s insight is to simply point out that our progress is indeed a lifelong and “slow” process. We have the power to develop our thinking through solid information, reflection, collaboration and prayer. I believe we would evolve in a positive way within our societies, communities, work places and homes if we ask of ourselves to go deeper and begin the long road of learning with the intent to understand and not merely accept all that we hear, read, etc at face value. Praying for you all and our country during this historic week.

Heading into the season with a spirit of prayer & expectation

The saying above is beyond powerful. Let it saturate your soul.

Prayer is a first response. Prayer is a gift that can help us open up so many gifts it’s truly incredible. Prayer offers us a companion to…

  • Show our adoration & gratitude 
  • Intercede for others
  • Seek guidance 
  • Deliver us from self focus
  • Confess our misgivings and concerns 
  • Simply share our heart … (and so much more)

I have unintentionally strayed from a rich prayer life. Upon reflection, it is simply due to allowing life’s everyday distractions to consume me, edging me off center. I found the book “ The Battle Plan for Prayer” in my bedside table last week. It’s been waiting there for me. The book is part of the War Room project, which included a fantastic movie reminding us of the power of prayer. When I was in Columbus for Thanksgiving, my son had a prayer board in his room with various prayers and scriptures pinned up that he wanted to lean into. This was the point of the movie. (The “war” room is essentially the prayer closet.)

I am always fascinated by the ways God speaks, but never surprised. Right in my direct path, two reminders to nudge me toward perhaps the most powerful tool I have ever found in order to center me and give me direction and hope: PRAYER.

As we launch into December, it is the ideal time to lock into what we know is absolutely true for us… Seeking the roots of our life and spending our physical and emotional energy to ensure we finish the year strong and move steadfastly into God’s plan for us in the new year. I want my prayer life to go deep again; to truly start each day with the power of that connection, and never to consider it an add on to my days if time allows. How about you?

My prayer is that you will have one of those holiday seasons that you find yourself taking in wonder at every turn. What a gift this season is!

REWIND! This post is a throwback that feels exactly like what we need this holiday season. Enjoy!