www.susielarson.com

Celebrate!

Greetings, Dear Friends!
Susie Larson here...

And to those visiting, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way.

If you take the time to post on my blog in May, you may win a $10.00 gift card to Caribou, Target, OR Dairy Queen! Your choice. So drop me a note and say hi!

Now on to my topic...

I recently returned from speaking at the first ever, "Beloved" conference hosted by South Union Christian Church in Indiana, and I'm telling you, we had a wonderful time!

The event hosts treated me with absolute love and care. In fact, they bathed the whole weekend in prayer and we enjoyed a powerful time in the Lord's presence.

My reason for sharing this with you is because they they did a skit that is still affecting me. And though this at first glance may appear to be a post directed at women, there's something here for men too.

Prior to one of the sessions, the lights went down, the spotlight went up, the music played, and one at a time, women marched down a model runway, each wearing different banners that represented where their value came from. One banner said, "Ambition", another, "Model", and another, "Educated" and so on and so forth. One at a time, the women strutted down the runway with an empty but prideful look in her eyes. During this portion of the skit, the large Power Point screen displayed one timeless quote after another; each depicting true beauty; inner beauty and value.

Off to the side, judges sat on tall chairs, whispering and jotting down their remarks on each woman.

Once the women had done their walk, they disappeared back stage. A minute later, they all re-appeared wearing jeans and a "Beloved" t-shirt. They lined up on the stage, all looking very much the same. The judges approached the first girl, crowned her and hugged her. She jumped up and down with excitement and headed down the runway, this time with great joy and humility and celebration. The music was fun and upbeat and everyone celebrated her.

Then the next girl was crowned and celebrated and did her walk/dance down the runway. Everybody cheered. Everybody celebrated.

Every girl in the cast was crowned, cheered for, and celebrated as if to say, "You win. And, You win. And You win. And so do you, you win!"

And so it goes with you.

For the LORD your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty savior. He will rejoice over you with great gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will exult over you by singing a happy song (Zephania 3:17).

Maturity...

Good Day, Friends!
Susie Larson here...

And to those visiting, I say welcome!

I post every Wednesday and my goal is to nourish your soul and challenge your faith along the way.

I'm writing this from my sick bed and I'm scheduled to speak in Georgia this weekend. Please pray for a divine and swift recovery if you think of me. :)

If you take the time to post on my blog in March, you may win a $10.00 gift card to either Caribou or Target (your choice). So drop me a note and say hi!

Now on to my topic.

With one son getting ready to graduate from college, and another pondering the idea of marriage, and still another making plans to take his darling girlfriend to the prom, I can't help but think about the various phases of life.

I love my boys, and while I see plenty of areas in their lives that still need to be refined, I think they are exceptional young men because they each possess a tender, teachable, humble heart. And to me, that's worth more than gold.

I'm not one of those moms who is blind to her children's foibles. I'm a straight talker when it comes to addressing the low or inconsistent places in their character. I won't be sympathetic towards a trait that could very well diminish the kind of husbands, fathers, employees, and Christ-followers they are called to be.

Even so, every day, several times a day, I let them know I love them. They know it so well, that when times of confrontation come, they stand up a little taller knowing that this too will equip and mature them into healthy, fully-devoted followers of Christ.

According to Ephesians, we are all called to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves...rather, by speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body is joined and held together.

So what are the stages of spiritual growth and just what does spiritual maturity look like?

Your Turn...

Greetings, Dear Friends!
Susie Larson here...

And to those visiting, I say welcome!

I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way.

If you take the time to post on my blog in March, you may win a $10.00 gift card to either Caribou or Target (your choice). So drop me a note and say hi!

Now on to my topic.

Though I'm an early riser, I wake up extra early on Wednesday mornings because I'm scheduled to stand on the wall and prayer watch on behalf of my church family.

I sat in my usual oversized chair surrounded by my devotional books and Bible, and I wrapped my hands around my warm cup of java.

It was pitch black outside. I couldn't see past the window.

I couldn't help but ponder the days preceding Christ's death. Talk about a dark night of the soul.

And yet, in His knowing and understanding of what was ahead of Him, He kept moving forward. Each day, He taught, He loved, and He lived.

He pointed His followers to life and to the provision and promises of God. He modeled love. He stayed focused.

Furthermore, when He defeated death on the Cross, the Bible says that He made a public spectacle of the powers that opposed us and stood against us.

Colossians 2:13-15 says,

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Though I could have spent the whole morning meditating on what Christ did for us when He made a public spectacle of the powers that stood against us, my thoughts quickly turned from what He did for us, to what we do for Him.

Love Him More...

Hello, Everyone!
Susie Larson here...

And to those visiting, I say welcome.

I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way.

If you take the time to post on my blog in March, you may win a $10.00 gift card to either Caribou or Target (your choice). So drop me a note and say hi!

Now on to my topic.

If you've heard me speak before, you've no doubt heard me drill home the message of God's boundless love. It's not that we loved God, but that He loved us (1 John 4:10), and it's not about how high we can jump, but that He stooped down to make us great (Psalm 18:35).

The Church is full of striving, jumping, straining people. We're exhausted from trying to earn enough God points to be good enough, or just so we won't seem so bad.

Though this is not new news, it's certainly great news...God loves us.

He sent His Son to pay our debt that we might be free, forgiven, and linked in fellowship with Him.

Love, love, beautiful love, that's what we have access to every single day.

His mercies await us with each new morning and His faithfulness is there during those dark nights of the soul.

The more we let His love pour in to every pore of our being, the more we will be healed, restored, and assured that He's enough for us.

Yes, His love is the best news of all.

His love is the foundation of the free and true life of every Believer.

But where do we go from there?

The Impact of Compromise...

Greetings, Dear Friends!
Susie Larson here...

And to those visiting, I say welcome!

I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul.

If you take the time to post on my blog in February, you may win a $10.00 gift card to either Caribou or Target (your choice). So drop me a note and say hi!

Years ago I was involved in Beth Moore's wonderful "Believing God" Bible study at my church. She encouraged each of us to wear a blue bracelet which signified our commitment to "up our level of sanctification."

We all have areas of subtle compromise or sluggishness, and the challenge was for us to step it up in our commitment to holiness.

Though we know that only God by His Holy Spirit can affect real change in our lives, we are the ones who who take the first steps in either flirting with compromise or walking away from it.

So what about you?

Can you think of an area of your life where you have let down your guard or simply blended with a godless people?

During one of our family meetings when our sons were young, we all stood in a circle, holding hands. I looked each of them in the eyes and said, "You are so important to this family. You are a gatekeeper. Whatever you allow in your life, you allow in ours. Your decisions will always impact more than just you. God has made you that important."

God has been speaking to me lately about that truth in my own life.

Because of the authority God has given my husband and me in our home, our choices carry even more weight than our sons' choices.

With all my heart I believe that where I compromise, I open the door for my sons to struggle even more so.

I'm that important.

And so are you.

The Road Narrows...

Hello, Friends!
Susie Larson here...

And to those visiting, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday, and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way.

Before I get into my topic, I want to mention that next week I will be giving away a $10.00 Caribou gift card to one of you who posted on my blog in January. Like coffee, smoothies, green tea? Post a note and share what God is doing in your life! Your name might be drawn for a sweet treat!

Yesterday I had lunch with a friend and we enjoyed a candid conversation about the church, our lives, and the world in which we live.

"This is a different day than we've ever known" my friend said. "If we want to make it, we can't pretend; we have to talk about stuff. There are too many temptations to pretend that they don't exist, and there's too much at stake to just pretend everything is okay."

She's right, you know.

If you've heard me speak or read some of what I've written, you've no doubt heard the analogy I've repeatedly shared with my sons:

The Christian life is like a winding, country road - with deep ditches on each side. One ditch represents your rebellion, the other, your response to someone else's rebellion. Satan could care less which ditch he gets you into, he just wants you off the road.

Last night as I tossed and turned and battled sleeplessness, I found myself thinking again about that analogy.

Many today are painfully pretending to be something they are not. In public, they look like the stereotypical Christian, but behind the scenes they are embroiled deep in addictive behavior.

Other Christians are squeaky clean on the outside, but their hearts are hard with pride because they love to look down on those who struggle with such blatant sins.

As I pondered my analogy, I pictured more and more of the road giving way, creating cavernous ditches on both sides, and leaving a very narrow road on which to walk.

FAREWELL 2007!

Dear Readers:
WELCOME! May I be the first to wish you Happy New Year! Susie Larson is spending time with her family today, but will return tomorrow! I know you will miss her inspiring words, but I'm honored and delighted to be with you today! if this is your first visit make sure you come back tomorrow for Susie Larson, 'BLOGGER EXTRAORDINNAIRE!!! Be sure to scroll down for end of the year inspiration, suggestions for keeping New Year's Resolutions and yummy recipes for a traditioal New Year's Day Dinner!

What I love most about the New Year is that we have a fresh new start . . . . a clean slate. A chance to change our ways, overcome bad habits, and start anew at page one!
"Behold! Old things are passed away." Revelation 21:5
"Therefore, if any man in Christ, he is a new creature." II Corinthians 5: 17

HAPPY NEW YEAR!


Susan Wales
Guest Blogger
Author of THE CHASE, THE REPLACEMENT and THE CANDIDATE (BAKER/FLEMING REVELL PUBLISHERS, A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN I & II with Ann Platz (Multnomah)
A CHRISTMAS KEEPSAKE AND KEEPSAKE FOR A MOTHER'S HEART with Alice Gray, Thomas Nelson, Publisher
COMING SOON IN 2008 - GRANDMOTHER  . . . ANOTHER NAME FOR LOVE! Howard/Simon Schuster Publishers
And other books available at amazon.com

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Protect Your Treasure

Greetings, Friends!
Susie Larson here...

And to those visiting, I say welcome!

I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way.

Lately I've been studying the different parables in the Gospels. I've so enjoyed taking my time, walking through the history, and understanding the context of Jesus' teaching.

Something struck me the other day and I can't wait to share it with you.

Do you remember the old fable, Jack and the Beanstalk?

Jack and his mother were destitute and yet Jack "irresponsibly" traded their last material possession for the seed that would someday save them.

In one of the parables, Jesus taught how the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of seeds, it grows into the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree so the birds of the air can come and perch in its branches.

In her study, "Secrets Jesus Shared," Jennifer Kennedy Dean wrote this: "The leaves of the mustard shrub were believed to help everything from stomachache to toothache. The mustard plant, once planted, was nearly impossible to eradicate."

To the world, it seems foolish to sell out and base all our hopes on the promises and the love of God. But to the Believer, we believe because we know we are receiving more than we could ever provide for ourselves.

The Kingdom of Heaven comes to us in seed form and we lay hold of it by belief.

When we first come to Jesus, and we receive His seed planted in us, we have no idea what a treasure we've received.

Growing in Gratitude...

Happy Thanksgiving, Friends!
Susie Larson here...

I pray this note finds you well.

To those visiting I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my goal is to bless and nourish your soul along the way.

I love this holiday season. For me, it's a time of reflection and remembrance. For many years our lives were marked by crisis and deep character cleansing.

But God has and is restoring every lost thing.

One day, many years ago, I pushed a heavy cart of groceries through the parking lot. I made sure my three little boys each hand a hand on the cart so I could keep an eye on them.

Once we loaded the groceries in the car and I buckled the boys in their seats, I slid into the driver's seat, put my forehead on the steering wheel, and prayed, "Oh, Lord, how can I ever thank you enough? We have groceries! We have choices about what to eat. We can go to our cupboards and find food there. Oh, God, I thank you for your goodness to us."

I looked over my shoulder to see my three little boys with heads bowed and hands folded in prayer.

The reality was that we had tens of thousands of dollars in medical debt. The reality was that our house was falling apart and we had no money to fix it. The reality was that my husband was working two and three jobs and I was battling a disease while trying to care for three active boys.

But the superior reality was that God was on His throne and totally with us in that place of desperation. And when I bowed my head to thank Him for His provision, our car became a sacred place, and I knew my boys were affected by His presence that day.

A different day we found ourselves at the doctor's office. One of my son's had an ear infection. When we got out to the car, my prayer went something like this, "Father in Heaven, I thank you for providing us with insurance. Thank you for a simple, treatable diagnosis. Thank you for taking such good care of us."

Every time I thanked the Lord in front of my kids, I felt the heaviness of our situation lift. In fact, I now understand that my lessons in gratitude were the very things that made my kids feel that all was well in their world.

I always found it curious that they didn't have a clue that we were in the crises of our lives. Now I know that their lives were full, because my heart was full of thanksgiving.

Not that I always did it right; on the contrary. I had my cynical, frustrated days like everyone else, but whenever I returned to praise and gratitude, the climate around me changed.

The Power of Peace...

Greetings, Dear Friends!
Susie Larson here...

And to those visiting, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way.

With the year slowly drawing to a close, I find myself looking back over my shoulder, remembering moments of victory as well as defeat. I bring with me, into the coming year, lessons learned, skills honed, and a deeper understanding of what's been made available to us as Beloved ones of the Most High God.

One of the greatest insights I've gleaned from the battles I fought this past year, is how to thrive amidst those battles. Not that I do it right every time; but when I get it right, I know and feel and taste the Power Christ has made available to us who believe.

Give yourself a gift this holiday season. Let peace RULE in your heart. Go after peace. Seek peace and pursue it. Wrap your arms around peace and turn your back on worry, striving, anxiety, and anger.

When you make a peace a priority in your life, something Super-natural happens...