www.susielarson.com

Shaken...

Greetings, Dear Friends!

And to those visiting, I say welcome!

Susie Larson here...

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

Before I get into my topic, I have a gift card to give away. And the winner is...Rebecca Marshaw! Congratulations and thank you for stopping by week after week. Please email me at info@susielarson.com to claim your gift card.

Each month I give away a $10.00 gift Caribou Coffee gift card to someone who has posted on my blog. Leave a comment; you may win a nice treat!

I'm excited to announce the release of my new book, "The Uncommon Woman"

We have lots of exciting things going on as a result. Visit my website for more information. One thing I'll share is especially for you. In August instead of giving away a $10.00 gift card, we're giving away a $50.00 VISA card as well as several copies of my new book. Each week I will post on what it means to be uncommon and I want to hear from you! If you post, your name will go into the drawing. Drop me a line and say hi!

Ahhhh...And now on to my topic...

I've talked to a lot of people lately (myself included...yup, that's right; I do talk to myself on occasion) and you know, there's a whole lot of shakin' goin' on!

Many people have expressed an unsettling feeling; a sense that change is coming; and a profound awareness of their own frailties and weaknesses (myself included).

Whatever is not grounded in Christ, whatever is not nailed down in our character is being stirred up!

This past Sunday, before church, my husband and I sat out on the deck and talked about the countless ways God has been faithful to us. I turned to Kevin and said, "You know, five years ago, I sought hard after the Lord and asked Him for a vision for my next place of promise..."

If you've heard me speak, you know I firmly believe that we are called to go from strength to strength; from glory to glory; shining ever brighter until the full light of day (See Psalm 84:7 and Proverbs 4:18). The righteous shall live by faith. Without faith it's impossible to please Him. And there's a 'next place' of promise for all of us.

I continued with my husband, "Five years ago, God gave me a very clear sense of His plan for me and since then, all of those things have come to pass. But with all of the 'shaking' going on, I've not asked God for a fresh vision for my future. I've been more motivated by fear than by faith. I'm more aware of my weakness than I am His strength."

Together we came to the conclusion that the Lord deserves our highest and best. We bowed our heads, we confessed our own lack of faith, and we asked God for a fresh perspective and vision for our future. As soon as we said, "Amen" I was filled with faith and peace.

Within the past few days, some mighty opportunities have come our way. Not what I expected. Not something I feel qualified for. But instead of looking down, my faith compelled me to look up.

This morning during our prayer time on the deck I told Kevin, "You know, I'm glad God allowed that little sifting time because it forced me to reconcile every shred of unbelief in me. In so many ways it feels like our lives are about to change, but I can trust Him. I know it." 

Are you currently experiencing a time of sifting or shaking? Pay close attention to what God is putting His finger on in you! Maybe you're trusting more in your ability than His. Maybe you're more motivated by fear than faith. Just maybe, He wants to do a BIG thing, and you're expecting He'll do noth-ing. 

Put everything on the table, all of your hopes and dreams and fears, and then step back and say, "You get to decide how this goes, Lord. My times are in Your hands."

If He's shaking that which is unsettled in you, it's only because He wants you prepared to go to the next place He has for you. And be sure of this - He has a next place of promise for you.

Be blessed and full of faith this week.

He is faith-FULL.

Rest and Replenishment...

Greetings, Friends!

And to those visiting, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way. It feels like ages since I've connected with you although it's only been a short time. Two weeks ago I was in North Carolina attending a writers conference, and last week, I was in recovery mode after our hugely successful benefit dinner for the International Justice Mission.

You may notice this post looking different these days. Well TypePad has kindly imposed some "improvements" to this site that have left me pulling out my hair and wanting to jump and and down and scream. How's that for a peaceful picture? This morning I had my blog all ready to post and if can say this, I loved what I wrote about rest and replenishment. I pushed the "Save" button and my post completely disappeared. I worked all morning on that little ditty and then it was gone. I just returned from an appointment and sat down to re-write this blog and for the last hour, I've battled with the elements and barely won. So here I am with blue font, no ability to post links, and feeling completely beside myself with frustration. 

What a perfect time to stop, take a deep breath, and remember again what I wrote about this morning.

Before I get into my topic, I need to award May's winner of the $10.00 Caribou gift card. And the winner is...Lynda Bishop! Lynda, congratulations! Please email me at: info@susielarson.com to claim your prize. 

Like coffee? Post some on this blog in June and you may be a winner!

Now on to my topic...

If you've heard me speak before, you've no doubt heard me say this: With all my heart, I believe one of the enemy's ploys in our day is to get us so over-committed, so depleted, that we completely lose our sense of wonder, awe, and peace. He wants us running in so many directions, or simply running too fast in one direction, that we forget that life is more than our task list. 

I'm reading a wonderful book on the Sabbath by Wayne Muller. And though I don't agree with everything he writes, I'm learning again how to rest, not just on Sundays, but - to a certain degree - every day. There's something to be said about unstrapping the harness or setting down the load of cares, and resting for a moment. 

We need Sabbath moments every single day. 

Right now, I have all of my boys at home. And though two of them are preparing for their next phase of life, I have them with me now. I'm struck by how quickly their childhood came and went. My sons are now men. And so, for this short time, I relish their nearness. When we sit down together for dinner, I light a candle and sit down to enjoy my family. We take longer to eat; we linger at the table and laugh about trivial things. Dinners with my family have been Sabbath moments for me.

Another sacred time for me is the morning. Even on the brisk mornings my husband and I head out to the deck swing. Wrapped in a blanket and hugging our morning we coffee, we pray for our boys, our country, and for the safety of our friends at International Justice Mission. Mornings replenish me.

Since I am a doer, I must constantly watch over my schedule and make sure I'm not squandering my time on things God has not called me to do. I think a lot of us struggle doing a lot of good things at the expense of the highest and best thing.

So why do we go on overdrive and neglect our soul and body's need for rest? I submit that we do this for one of two reasons. 1 - We have a bloated view of self (we think we are the only ones who can save the world, or do our job, or whatever). 2 - We have a shriveled view of God (we lose sight of the fact that He holds it all; He provides it all; and He commands us to rest). 

Read this excerpt from Muller's book on the Sabbath:

"Sabbath requires surrender. If we only stop when we are finished with all our work, we will never stop - because our work is never completely done. With every accomplishment there arises a new responsibility. Every swept floor invites another sweeping, every child bathed invites another bathing. When all life moves in such cycles, what is ever finished? The sun goes round, the moon goes round, the tides and seasons go round, people are born and die, and when are we finished? If we refuse rest until we are finished, we will never rest until we die. Sabbath dissolves the artificial urgency of our days, because it liberates us from the need to be finished."

I love that. 

Sabbath moments are the exhale to our inhale. They are the ebb of the flowing tide. They are the down beat in the rhythm of life. Just as it's impossible to be healthy by only eating on the weekends, it's impossible to enjoy a peaceful, rhythmic life without responding to your body's and soul's regular need for a little down time. 

Sit in your car in the parking lot, put your head back, and soak in the words to a profound song. Pull into a park, and sit on a bench. Watch the trees sway in the breeze and ask God for that kind of flexibility. Get up early, or stay up late, and take a few moments to ponder the idea that you are someone God loves. 

Refuse the staleness of a hurried life. 

Work hard, yes. Do what yo do with excellence. But don't think for a moment that your tasks are more important than the condition of your soul. 

In his book, "Celtic Devotions", Dr. Calvin Miller penned this profound little prayer, "Lord, Help me to remember that I can make more bricks in six days than I can in seven." 

I love that too. :)

Be fully present with your family around the table tonight. Take hold of those promised Sabbath moments God offers you each day. And when you feel that inner nudge to spend a little more time with Him, consider yourself honored to do so.

Have a blessed week~

"I'm Here For You..."

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.

First things first. If you take the time to post on my blog in April, you may win a $10.00 gift card to Caribou, Target, OR Dairy Queen! Your choice. So drop me a note and say hi! Next week I'll announce April's gift card winner.

A week ago today, I was in Michigan for a speaking event. My hosts picked me up from the airport, got me something to eat, and then dropped me off at my hotel for a little down time before the big event.

I put on some music, set my alarm, and dozed in and out of sleep. Curled up in a ball and hugging my pillow, I prayed for the women for whom I had come to serve. I asked God to meet them in a profound way and to provide for their needs.

Instantly He led me to the first few verses in the 23rd Psalm. Over and over again, I prayed those verses and pondered them on behalf of my Michigan group of women.

Suddenly I realized that four specific needs are addressed in just the first two verses; in fact six needs are addressed in the first three verses:

Guidance, provision, rest, renewal, strength, and honor.

Let's take a closer look...

Raise Your Shield!

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 April, 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 was talking with one of my mentors this morning and she expressed something quite profound to me. She said, "Susie, I don't think we have any idea of our impact as ones who belong to God. Take the touch, for instance. Since my husband has become a Believer, our embrace has taken on a whole new meaning. When we wrap our arms around each other, just for the sake of a hug, there's more power in that embrace than I've ever known before."

I tried to imagine in the spiritual realm, what that means for us as Believers. Since it's true that God has assigned angels to our care, things change when we walk into a room. And to the extent that we walk in the knowledge of who we are, will there be an impact on the things we touch.

This morning during my prayer time, I considered the gift God gave us when fastened each of us with a shield.

Do you know how to use your shield?

Wisdom...

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.

It's time to announce the winner for March's giveaway. And the winner is...Gina Wills! Congratulations! Gina, email me at: info@susielarson.com Send me your address and let me know which gift card you would like (Target or Caribou).

Since spring is upon us (well, only in theory for some of us), I want to add one more gift card to the mix.

If you take the time to post on my blog in April, 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.

Every once in a while my husband and I like to put our sons on the spot.

Sometimes when we are all together sitting around the table we will throw a question out there and ask for a quick answer - just to test their instincts and see if they're becoming the critical thinkers we've tried to train them to be.

Here's an example:

"Okay, boys, give us your gut-instinct answer on this one. If you had to choose, what's more important? Loyalty or integrity?"

I love to watch them look out the window or up at the ceiling as they play through a few scenarios in their mind.

In no time at all, Luke spouted out the answer, "Integrity!"

"Why?" I asked.

He replied, "Because if you're loyal to someone blindly, you may end up abandoning integrity to stay by their side."

Bingo.

The Time Between...

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.

Last month I mentioned that if you post on my blog you would be eligible for a $10.00 Caribou gift card. Well, that was so much fun, I've decided to give away two gift cards for the month of January!

Drum roll please...

Kathy Peterson and Rebecca Marshaw - you are the proud winners of a $10.00 gift card from Caribou; sure to keep you warm during this blustery winter season.

Please email me at: info@susielarson.com and let me know where I should send your card.

For February let's give away either a $10.00 Caribou card or a $10.00 Target card - your choice.

It blesses my heart to no end to hear from you. This journey can be a lonesome road and it always encourages me to know you're out there.

Now on to my topic.

The other morning, I was reading the 32nd chapter of Exodus. Moses was up on the mountain having a face to face encounter with God. His followers hadn't heard from him in a while and they got bored waiting for him.

Let's look in at their response:

When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. "Come on," they said, "make us some gods who can lead us. We don't know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt."

This fellow?

Moses risked his life to secure their freedom. God used Moses to preform mighty miracles on their behalf. Moses wasn't just a fellow, he was the one God used to save them.

Moses' journey with the Israelites very much parallels Christ's journey with us.

And with that in mind, I noticed three things about the Israelites' reaction to Moses' delay:

Impatience with God's plan.
Minimizing God's place in their lives.
A willingness to default to idol worship.

And we do the very same thing.

We just have to look back over our shoulder to see some of the mighty ways God has moved on our behalf. We don't have to think too far back to recall the times He has met us and spoke directly to our hearts. Our faith is encouraged when we remember the ways God has come through for us when we needed Him most.

And yet, when we are asked to wait longer than we want for the thing He has promised, we get impatient, and we wonder about plan B. We are very quick to make a back up plan when God takes too long to come through for us.

Wouldn't God appreciate a little help on our part to, you know, hurry the plan along?

I mean He has the whole galaxy to manage, and well, this is just a little itty bitty thing to Him. Right?

Wrong.

Nothing is too hard for God, but that doesn't mean little things mean nothing to Him. He is the God of detail! Look at the butterfly, or the hummingbird, or the pedals of a flower. Try to wrap your brain around the human body! He loves detail and He is madly in love with us.

God is big. He is near. And He is intimately engaged in this journey with us. Even when He seems silent, He has a divinely wise purpose for being so.

His part in our journey is of ultimate importance to us. He hasn't forgotten us. He doesn't ever accidentally look away when we take our leaps of faith. He catches us when we jump. He lifts us up when we stumble. And when He makes us wait, it's because He's making us ready.

Our part is vitally important as well.

We must not think for a minute that He won't come through for us.

During the waiting season, we'll be tempted to get bored and lose heart. We'll be tempted minimize God's involvement in our process. And we'll be tempted to build a counterfeit with our own hands.

The time in between the promise and the realization of it, matters. Infinitely so.

The time in between shows us what we're made of.

Inseparable...

Hi, Everyone!
Susie Larson here...

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

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

Many of you know that I've made it no secret that I'm no Martha Stewart. My friends say I don't give myself enough credit, but I say that I am a one-time wonder.

I can plant one kind of flower, maybe two, and it will thrive. I can make one kind of dinner, maybe three, and it will taste fairly good and nobody will get sick afterwards. I can decorate, to a degree, but I don't care about it enough to see my projects through to completion.

I remember a particular year when I was especially busy, and when spring approached, I was even too tired to plant flowers. One of my neighbors gave me the great idea of putting fake, plastic flowers in my hanging baskets outside!

What an idea!

Without further thought, I went to the store, purchased some bright, plastic flowers, and stuffed them into my hanging pots. Beautiful!

Beautiful that is, until the first spring showers. Rain is good for real flowers, but not so good for fake ones.

Though I thought I had saved time by not buying and planting real flowers, I really gained nothing. I spent time and money on a counterfeit and that's what I got.

Jesus calls Himself the Vine and He calls us the branches. We are to abide in Him and bear much fruit. He strongly stated, "Apart from Me, you-can-do-nothing."

When we strive on our own, we disconnect ourselves from the life-sap required to do His will.
When we get ahead of God, our branches thin out, our leaves wither, and our fruit ends up under-developed, and that's our fault.
When we take shortcuts because we're tired of waiting through the process, we plant fake flowers, and when the rain - that's meant to nourish - falls on us, our work is easily uprooted.

Our job is to stay connected to the Vine. Our job is to be the branch. Our job is to abide so closely with the Lord, that fruit super-naturally grows in every area of our lives.

Read on...

Cleaning Out Closets

Hello! My name is Eva Marie Everson. I am a writer and speaker but most especially, I am a friend of Susie's who just happened to "drop by" her blog.  Susie has graciously allowed me a moment to chat with you. I'd like to tell you about something God is doing in my life...a most amazing thing.....

Keeping No Account...

Hi Friends!
Susie Larson here...

So sorry I missed you yesterday but I am glad to have something to share with you today!

To those who are visiting, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday (99% of the time...) and my goal is to encourage your faith and nourish your soul along the way.

In order to be successful, we have to keep pretty good records. Our filing system needs to be somewhat consistent and user friendly. We save time and get more done when we write things down and put them in their proper place.

This statement makes me sound so organized and efficient, doesn't it? Well unfortunately I am only moderately organized and it's time for my office and files to be overhauled and updated.

I suppose that's why this topic is at the forefront of my mind right now.

While it's great to be able to quickly pull up of list of things you've done and the dates with which you completed them, it's destructive to keep such records of the the things you've done for others. It's even more destructive to keep a detailed account of ways other people have offended you but we'll address that topic another day.

Peace, Be Still...

Greetings, Dear Friends.

Susie Larson here...

What a friend we have in Jesus.

How sweet it is to be loved by Him.

Where would I be without His love?

Um, let's see how many more songs I can think of to express to Him my love and gratitude.

Yesterday I was desperately sick; so sick that I considered going to the hospital.

Many of you know that I have severe food allergies.

The day before yesterday I ate my soy yogurt for breakfast and my coleslaw salad for lunch (these are daily staples for me). For dinner I tried a microwave gluten-free meal. Unfortunately I think the label was supposed to read, "gluten-FULL."

By the following morning I was writhing in pain and could barely get out of bed.

And though my body was sick, my heart was assured of God's great love for me.

Deep in my soul was a peace that stayed with me all day long.