Shelter

^{Today I just wanted to share something that the Lord really blessed me with.  It's from a super old book from the early 70's about marriage. ("Super old" might not be the appropriate term...)  It's called "I Married You" by Walter Trobisch.  I had never heard of it but someone had lent it to my husband, and while I was waiting for him the other day, I saw it on his desk, picked it up and started reading.  It's not a long book, but it was pretty interesting.  Growing up in the church I had heard a lot of what the author was proposing about marriage, but he had some fresh approaches and ideas that I appreciated.  I'm not going to give a summary of the book here, but I did want to point out a very cool scripture that he uses in the book while talking about how 1) God is our shelter and save place and 2) sometimes he also provides a shelter called marriage. (For others who aren't married, God is their complete shelter and it is amazing!)}

The Word of God:

^{Isaiah 4:2-6  NIV  "2} In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. ³ Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem. ⁴ The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire. ⁵ Then the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over all the glory will be a canopy. ⁶ It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain. " 

I just found that so beautiful and powerful.  The Branch of the Lord is referring ultimately to Christ - how amazing that He covers us.  And over all the glory of his fruit, being called holy, cleansing, being filled with the Spirit, and His leading  "will be a canopy".  His very presence that covers and sustains and protects us.  God did a lot of work in my heart just from reading these verses and I keep coming back to it. Read these words for yourself and ask God to let them sink into your heart.  Ask Him to plant a seed that will keep growing and changing and flourishing as you walk with Him in this particular knowledge of Him being our covering and shelter and safe place. 

I love Him and His word. 

Giving a Hoot

My husband has been really encouraging me lately in my writing.  Well, he has always been encouraging even when I was avoiding it like the plague.  Through his promptings and the Holy Spirit's, I started really writing in earnest about two years ago.  And since then he has been my biggest (no, he's not fat) supporter.

Last night while we were out for dessert (remember how he owed me big time! lol) he asked me how my latest project was going.  I explained some of the story line to him, things I wanted to change and also some things I wasn't too sure about.  He listened, asked questions, made suggestions and was generally quite awesome.

What makes it more awesome is that my husband does not read fiction at all.  Ever.  He likes some movies, but the only reading he does is for seminary, his own research, or whatever the pastor is leading the board through at the time.  So, the fact that he was engaging me in this was extra cool because I know he has no interest in fiction what-so-ever.

Not only did he listen and nod and ask another leading question in order to comply with the common sense rules and etiquette for social interactions, he asked what he knew would challenge and encourage me.  He challenged my setting and asked me what I was doing to make sure people could connect with the characters as real people.  He asked me what the "hook" was in my story.  It was cool.

I've now been thinking that I need to be more like that in my conversations with him as well as with others, especially people in my church.  We are called upon to spur one another on to love and good works.  That will include me asking people about things that I couldn't give a hoot about, but I know are important to them, especially areas in which I know God is working and moving.

And while I don't think I'm going to do everything my husband suggested (ie. make an outline of my book from start to finish! Desecration!) it has got me thinking in broader terms that I know gives even more space for the Holy Spirit to work.  And for that I am very very thankful.

An Uplifting Conversation

Today I just wanted to share something a friend shared with me recently.  We were having tea and talking about family and friends and the usual stuff girls chat about.

And then we started talking about our church.

We go to a wonderful church with a diversity of ages, interests, jobs, and passions.  There are some very cool things happening in our church. But there are also some not cool things happening in our church.  We didn't get into specifics with each other at all, but one point she made really stuck with me and I was very proud of her for being in a place in her life where she could think and say this.

She said, basically, that there's no point in complaining or wishing things were different if you weren't willing to get in there and help.  There are always going to be things about any church we're a part of that we wish were different.  But the turning point comes when we decide to roll up our sleeves, be thankful for what we DO have and work toward a better future for our church and community.

Like I said, I was really proud of her.  She didn't sweep things under the rug.  And I didn't pretend, "like a good pastor's wife" that nothing was going on.  But neither did I sit there and gripe about so-and-so doing this-and-that (which some of my fellow PWs have been known to do).

We acknowledged that there are some issues and problems, but then went on to encourage each other pointing out how we had seen the other taking steps forward in love and showing a willingness to be involved and serve in the power of the Holy Spirit.

It was very uplifting and I hope I can have more conversations like that.  And even if the other person isn't totally on board with it, I can still be encouraging in what I say and how I say it. It has really challenged me and I'm glad to have experienced it.