All is Well

Before me, even as behind, God is, and all is well ~ John Greenleaf Whittier

Friday Findings

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I’m a curious soul – with a wide range of nerdy and geeky interests, ranging from space exploration to theological concepts.  I often find interesting items when stumbling about on the internet – and on Friday’s I like to share my findings with you!

Funny Creatures

Photo by Martin Grace

One of my favorite “Best of the Year” lists is out – The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards…and I finally stumbled across 2022’s winners. My favorite of the lot is this shot of two penguins, titled “Keep Calm and Keep Your Head” – but all of this year’s pics are worth checking out – you can find them here: 2022 Comedy Wildlife Photography Winners

A Chance to “Chat” With C.S. Lewis

I’m certain by now that you’ve heard of ChatGPT, the powerful AI engine that seems able to do, well, almost anything – from writing content to writing code. We’ve had fun messing around with it a bit – it’s crazy how powerful it is (and scary, truth be told).

Well, the other day I came across another pretty powerful AI engine that allows a person to have a ‘conversation’ with pretty much anyone – a favorite sports here, a United States President, a fictitional charachter, or even your favorite author….

….so, of course, I decided to ‘chat’ with C.S. Lewis. All his replies are pulled from his books and what others have written about him – but it has been a bit fun to ask him questions and ‘read’ his reply…almost like a real conversation.

Curious? Give it a try at Character AI

Sam Baker – Children’s Author…at 99 Years Old

I loved this story about Sam, a WWII Vet who bought his very first computer when he was 95 years old…and with that purchase, decided to write a children’s book. It’s never too late to try something new…read more about Sam here: New York Post and then check out his website and books here: Sam Baker – Children’s Book Author

Ice Cold Symphonies

Last up for this week’s Friday Findings – I leave you with this beautiful video of an orchestra made from ice…..

Make My Heart Burn

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Photo by Anna Popović on Unsplash

I am prone to discouragement.

I’m not sure why….it very well could just be my personality. It could be the things I have seen and experienced in this world. It could be my cynical nature. I don’t really know why – and the reason probably isn’t all that important.

What is important, is what I do or where I turn to, when those old familiar tugs of discouragement start pulling on my soul.

I’ve battled discouragement for enough years that I know what I need in those moments. That doesn’t always mean I do what I know I need to do for my soul. Sometimes, like a fool, I try to battle discouragement on my own – I think that maybe if I achieve more, work harder, be a better parent, wife, friend, exercise more, be more disciplined in my daily life – I can beat back encroaching discouragement. And sometimes these things work…for a bit. But they are temporary fixes.

Bandaids.

The generic brand.

No – the only thing I know that is true medicine for my soul, is seeing who my Jesus is – who he really is – through consistent scripture work.

Our pastor, Michael Howard, preached a sermon this morning from Luke 24:13-35. (Check it out here: 1/15/2023 Cleopas And His Companion Luke 24:13-35 ) Those verses recount the story of two of Jesus’ followers who were on the road to Emmaus, a village about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were discussing the events of the past few days, including the crucifixion of Jesus, when Jesus himself came upon them and walked with them. However, they did not recognize him. Jesus asked them what they were discussing, and they told him about the events in Jerusalem and their disappointment that Jesus, whom they believed to be the Messiah, had been crucified.

Jesus then launched into teaching these two men, who did not recognize him, all the scripture that pointed to himself as Christ, starting with Moses and the prophets:

“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27)

When I read this story, I always have a ton of questions – like, if these two guys were truly Christ followers – how did they not recognize this was Jesus? Or why did God hide Jesus’ identity from them initially?

Our pastor suggested an answer this morning that I hadn’t ever really considered before – could it be that God obscured their ability to recognize they were walking down the road with Jesus because in this instance, it was important that they believe what God’s word said and not just because Jesus was standing there in the flesh?

The emphasis in this story on scripture is incredible. And incredibly beautiful. The Word is what we have been given – scripture that speaks to our souls and points us to our savior. Written words that lay out for us the divine plan of grace and mercy, redemption and salvation, justification and sanctification.

At the end of their journey, the two men invite Jesus to stay and as they sat down to eat together, they recognized him as he broke bread. Jesus then vanished from their sight.

Gone.

That alone – one moment he was there and the next he was gone – that would be enough to undo anyone, I think. I’m sure it had to have freaked these two guys out – why wouldn’t it? Good grief. But that’s not what the focus is, in the written words of verse 32. It doesn’t say they were astonished that Jesus was there one minute, gone the next. It doesn’t say “Where did he GO?”

Instead, verse 32 captures this thought:

Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures (Luke 24:32)

Did not our hearts BURN within us? Did not our hearts flame with fire as we walked that long, dusty dry road for seven miles, as this guy who we didn’t realize until JUST NOW was Jesus taught to us all of the scriptures that pointed to him as Messiah and Redeemer?

Why? Why is this – the opening of the scriptures to these two guys by Jesus – the focus rather than the fact that they had spent the day strolling with Jesus and didn’t realize it until they were eating together – and then he disappeared?

Could it be that the all-knowing, all-seeing God; the one who knows my name and yours – also knew that we here in 2023 would need the words of Luke 24:32 to remind us that we have scripture to run to in our most discouraged moments? And in the same way these two men found their hearts burning as Jesus talked to them about scripture on the road in the wake of their most discouraged moments, we, too, can pray that God will cause our hearts to burn within us when we turn to scripture, pointing us to Him – our only hope.

Reading in 2023

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Photo by Kimberly Farmer on Unsplash

I love to read. Always have.

Growing up, I found the stacks in our local library a place of escape – row after row after row of books to take me anywhere I wanted to go. Nancy Drew Mysteries. The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet. The Hundred Dresses. The Best Loved Doll. Any and every book I could find about horses – Black Beauty, Black Stallion, Misty of Chincoteague, National Velvet….

Still some of my very best childhood memories.

I’m glad my love of reading has stuck around all these years.

I came across this quote recently…though I can’t remember where. I just jotted it down like I normally do when I find a gold nugget:

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. ~ Charles William Eliot

I don’t know anything about Mr. Eliot except that he was a Harvard President – but I did find that his quote resonated. Books have been my quet and constant friend, from the time I learned to read at 4 years old, through today (I’ll spare you how many years that is).

I’ve not read nearly as much in the past few years than I do normally – I have wrongly let work consume me and cut into both family time as well as personal time to pursue things I love, such as reading and writing. I’m hoping to make some significant changes this year, to get work corraled back to its rightful place, and to bring some of the joy and rest to my soul that I find when I have time to think, write and read.

Reading Resources

To kick off 2023, and because I’m going to try to read significantly more this year myself, I thought I’d share some reading resources with you that I’ve found helpful and enjoyable.

Every year I set a reading goal of 52 Books – one per week. This year is no different, and I plan to track my books read in both Goodreads and Notion.

If you are interested in a social media site dedicated to books and readers, I highly recommend Goodreads – its like Facebook for book nerds. I love seeing what my friends are reading, and I enjoy tracking my reading progress and rating books I’ve completed. You can check it out here: Goodreads

If you’d like something a bit more robust where you can not only track what you are reading, but pretty much organize your entire life – check out Notion. Lots of templates to get started – if/after you sign up for Notion, Google “Notion Reading Tracker” and you’ll see several templates to try – or, you can always create your own.

Another fun way to get ideas of what to read (and to track your reading) is Visual Theology’s Reading Plan Posters. I buy myself one every Christmas (yes, as a gift to myself, lol) and I place it in a cheap poster frame that I bought at Amazon. I use the suggestions on the poster for reading topics, and I cross off each one I complete. I was first introduced to it in 2016 through Tim Challies’ blog, and have used it ever since. You can purchase the poster here: Visual Theology – 2023 Reading Challenge

So – what are your reading plans this year? I’d love to hear about them – leave a note in the comments below, or send me a message – and Happy Reading to you!

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All Glory be to Christ – A New Year’s Reflection

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Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

I’m a big New Year’s Day person.

I love the fresh start…the endless possibilities. I love to get organized, set goals, and yes – even make resolutions.

This year is no different.

I’ve cleaned out my inboxes. I’ve started a new calendar and planner. I’ve created a meal plan, refreshed my routines and have set my reading, career and healthy lifestyle goals.

Yep – I’m that person.

Part of my commitment to these New Year’s Day activities year after year is that I know me – I know that I am most well in mind, soul and body when I have clear routines in place – Get up, study and pray, make the bed, walk, write – these are the things that day after day help keep my soul settled and focused on God. And when these things get out-of-whack as they often due in the hustle and bustle of the holidays at the end of each year, I can literally feel myself sliding toward unwellness. I lose focus, and my old enemies of doubt and depression start to creep in…quickly gaining a foothold.

But the older I get, and the more years that rack up in this life as a Christ follower, the more I realize that while these things are the right tools for me – goals, routines, plans, trackers, writing – they are all rubbish in the spotlight of God’s sovereignty.

And, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

There is nothing wrong with the work I do – the planning, the calendaring, the decluttering – these are all right and good. But they are not my savior. They are not my life-giver. And any plan or goal I may put in place can and will be shattered, if it is not God’s will for my life – if He does not give me the grace and ability to achieve completion.

There’s a song we sang at the end of our Worship Service this New Year’s Sunday, that I first heard several years ago when I was in the midst of some very dark days. Days where I felt like a failure as a mom, as a friend, and as a Christ-follower. Days in which I was often asking myself – why bother? Why keep trying?

The song is “All Glory be to Christ” – sung to the familiar New Year’s Eve tune of Auld Lang Syne. When I first heard the words, they were a shock to my languishing heart – my prideful, burdened heart – a sharp reminder that my life is not my own, and that there is much comfort in that as long as I also know and believe that my God’s sovereignty is my only hope. My only hope. He is my salvation, and His plans for me are good and right, even when I do not understand them. The words of this song pull my planning, goal-setting, routine-loving drive back in line with Scripture – back in line with God’s sovereignty and will for my life. Scripture such as:

Proverbs 19:21 – Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

Psalm 135:6 – Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.

and

Job 42:2 – I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

This hymn, with words written by Dustin Kensrue, acknowledges that no matter what – NO MATTER WHAT – comes of my plans and routines and goals this year – in all of it, through success or failure, in the joyful and in the hard times – what stands is this: All Glory Be to Christ.

I want these words to be what I utter first upon waking, and what I sigh out of my soul as I end each day – All Glory be to Christ.

All Glory be to Christ

Should nothing of our efforts stand, No legacy survive,
Unless the Lord does raise the house, In vain its builders strive.

To you who boast tomorrow’s gain, Tell me, what is your life?
A mist, it vanishes at dawn, All glory be to Christ.

All glory be to Christ our King, All glory be to Christ.
His rule and reign we’ll ever sing, All glory be to Christ.

His will be done, His kingdom come, On earth as is above.
Who is Himself our daily bread, Praise Him the Lord of love.

Let living waters satisfy the thirsty without price.
Come eat of Him, our Living Bread, all glory be to Christ.

All glory be to Christ our King, All glory be to Christ.
His rule and reign we’ll ever sing, All glory be to Christ.

When on the day, the great I Am, the faithful and the true,
The Lamb who was for sinner’s slain, Is making all things new.

Behold our God shall live with us, And be our steadfast Light,
And we shall e’er his people be, All glory be to Christ.

All glory be to Christ our King, All glory be to Christ.
His rule and reign we’ll ever sing, All glory be to Christ.

All glory be to Christ our King, All glory be to Christ.
His rule and reign we’ll ever sing, All glory be to Christ.

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