Refreshed!
Elizabeth's personal reflections
on living and growing with Jesus

June 2010

Weary

I'll finish out this month's page with a few words tonight. Many tell me they appreciate it when I'm real about my weak times. I'm far from strong these days. And certainly a long way away from being Refreshed!

God is still faithful and good. I'm gonna crawl up into his lap this evening, and ask him to soothe my weary soul.

June has been an intense month. I've worked intensely but it's not the work that's wearying. Rather it's the waiting. Waiting for the Spirit to come and fill these sails. Waiting in the heat of the day on a still, hot lake with no paddle. Waiting hopefully, expectantly, yet weary from the waves of disappointment that hit me instead.

Tonight I'll turn to Isaiah 40 for I can identify a bit with the very weary Judeans.

30/06/10

Loss and grief: a grace disguised

I've been kind of quiet here this week while I've worked on a new initiative for my practice. It's lovely now, on this Friday afternoon, to announce that it's now complete.

The initiative began with my time of prayer on Tuesday morning in what was an ah-hah moment. An insight was given which immediately made so much sense. It had to do with reaching out intentionally to those who are journeying through loss and grief. It made sense because I have also journeyed through loss in a rather excruciating period early in our marriage as Gérard and I tried to start a family. One of the things which helped me to get back on my feet (Gérard got there much quicker than I) was the hope, in faith, that God would redeem my pain by using it to extend compassion and healing to others.

Somehow this desire came clearly again into focus this week. It was stimulated by contact with a new online acquaintance, Janelle Hertzler, whose website is dedicated to those who are traveling through grief. Janelle's site is loaded with resources, including book reviews. The latest contribution is mine, a review of Gerald Sittser's A Grace Disguised which helped me profoundly in my journey.

Anyway, check out the new set of pages with a focus on grief recovery. If you think my words have potential for those in your circles, go ahead and forward a link or bookmark a page. I sign off on this Friday afternoon with a grateful heart that I serve a remarkably good Father who does indeed redeem our pain.

25/06/10

Today's gift

This morning I arrived at a very familiar Bible passage. Since I know it inside out, it would have been easy to breeze through it, to skim the surface. I would have 'done my duty' in having read from the Scriptures, but I would have been left unchanged.

This morning I knew I needed to hear from God. I read the passage again, slowly. A 3-word phrase stirred something in my heart. So I resisted breezing on through and stayed with that phrase, pretty sure there was something my Father wanted to say to me through it.

And there was! Through those 3 words insight was given. A gift was bestowed. A few minutes later I became aware of a deep sense of peace in my heart, and the anxiety I'd been feeling was completely gone.

When you read a familiar passage, do you find yourself asking the question:

Lord, what do you want to show me that is new?

That's not a bad question, but I believe there's a much better one:

Lord, what do you want to show me that is now?

Changing just one word in the question opens up all sorts of possibilities:

• The Living Word (Jesus) has something to say today through his written Word.
  (There is always something new to be gained.)
• The perspective shifts from mastering what has been written to being in relationship with the Person who said it (which fosters humble openness to his promptings.)
• It promotes an anticipation for hearing from God (and if we expect it we will listen more closely.)

Tears welled up in my eyes as God spoke something new into my now today. What he spoke connected directly to the current need of my soul. I needed to hear what my Father had to tell me, and I'm so glad I didn't miss it by breezing on through.

You'll find more on reading for the now in Formational Reading.

15/06/10

Barometric Pressure

Eugene Peterson's masterful use of imagery sometimes opens a doorway for the soul. Like this paraphrase of Romans 8:1-2.

Those who enter into Christ's being-here-for-us no longer live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud.

When low-lying clouds persistently hang over my soul, I know there's something amiss. I might not be able to identify the precise cause, but Peterson helps me to identify the solution.

The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death

The Spirit has done this work of clearing the atmosphere. It's one of those already accomplished truths which I can step into, by faith. Because Christ dwells in my life, I can look past the dreary clouds to his Light. By the Spirit's power I can exchange my spirit of heaviness for a garment of praise (Isaiah 61:3). Fixing my focus on him changes the barometric pressure of my soul life as heaviness turns light. Then I realize I'm living what Eugene Peterson says next.

Attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life.

Do you feel like the low-lying clouds have hung around your soul for too long? Here's some input for this essential work of turning your attention to God.

09/06/10

The first leg is complete

Well my shoulders are about to seize up but the English side is pretty much there. I'd love to know if you find the site easier to navigate and, most importantly, how you experience it in relation to its invitation to spiritual direction.

I'd love your feedback! (update) You can comment above or, if you'd prefer to comment privately, I'm just an e-mail away.

I'm soon off to teach a fabulous group of young Christians on being secure in their identity as children of the King. Their smiling faces will be a nice change from this computer screen!

03/06/10

On your mark ... get set ... go!

I'm off! With 3 days of offline work behind me, I'm about to bring the restructuring work live. It'll be a little chaotic on this site for a bit. My hope is that the mess will be sorted out today for the most part, at least for the English side. The Dutch side's chaos will take some time to solve, so thanks for your patience.

03/06/10

This week's undertaking

My project for the week is to restructure this website. Already? Yes. The reasons will be self-evident once I'm done.

The project is necessary. It feels heavy, although the hoped-for result propels me forward. If you feel inclined to pray for me, I'm aware of my need for intelligent and clear thinking. I'm sure 'the mind of Christ' extends to website structuring. May he guide this work!

01/06/10

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