www.susielarson.com

Transformation...

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. I also like to give away fun treats so if you post on my blog, you may win a $10.00 gift card from Caribou. Next week I'll award the winner for June.

And be sure to visit during the month of August because I have something GREAT to give away. More info to come.

And now on to my topic...

Over the past year, some of my closest friends have heard me make this statement time and time again, "I am in a unique place right now. On one hand, my ministry is taking off, on the other hand, I feel like I've hit the ceiling with the gifts and abilities God has given me. I'm not unorganized; I'm moderately organized, but only moderately so. I'm very disciplined, but it seems that in order to keep up with the demands on my time, I need a new way to function. I have a basic level of intellect, but it seems I need far more education than what I now possess. In every way, I feel like I'm on the edge of the land and facing the Red Sea. And yet, in no uncertain terms, I sense that God is telling me to wait on and rest in Him." 

Ever feel this way? It's not the most comfortable place to rest, is it?

I have rested here, and I've wrestled here. I've found peace and faith in this place and I've felt great fear and self awareness here.

This weekend on the way home from church I was praying and asking God, "Help me to be faithful in this place." Because, you see, one the outside, I am busy as ever, I'm working hard, and great things are happening in my ministry. But on the inside, I'm trying to rest while constantly pondering, "things are moving fast; will I be able to keep up?" "and " how will I get there?" and "I'm not qualified for any of this!"

Deep in my heart I know that God uses us not because we're qualified but because He's called us. He chooses the foolish to shame the wise. We humans have a strong tendency to trust in ourselves, to take the credit, and to rely on our own strength. We rely on our own strength that is, until it fails us, and then with arms flailing, we run back to our Refuge because He is an ever-present help in times of trouble.

On the way home from church I prayed and I watched the trees whip by in a blur. Suddenly that still small voice whispered across my heart, "I've heard your prayers for a fresh touch from Me. You're in a cocoon right now. Soon you'll break through to a new place and I'll give you wings to help you get where I am taking you."

I can't tell you what that little piece of wisdom did for me!

It made perfect sense.

I was 'hitting the ceiling' because, in a new way, I had come to the end of myself and realized, on a deeper level, my need for more of God in me. I also need to sharpen my skills and hone my craft. I've got a lot of growing to do.

When God has you in a waiting place, or a cramped circumstance, it's easy to forget the promise on the other side of this season. The temptation during such a time is to focus inward. 

Before God spoke those precious words to me, I felt surrounded and cocooned by my own smallness and limited ability. I felt frustrated by my own weakness and the many ways in which I was lacking certain gifts. 

God uses nature to teach us many things, and this lesson to me, is divine. About 24 hours before the chrysalis (the cocooned monarch) breaks free, the cocoon becomes transparent from the outside. On the inside, I'm sure the Monarch is thinking, "Get me outta here; I'd rather be crawling than stuck in this cramped place!" but on the outside, others see the promise before it comes to pass. Through the transparent film, one can see the beautiful wings, and a butterfly that was once a land-loving caterpillar.  

Though I've been feeling cramped by my own humanity, my closest friends have seen the butterfly in me. They are quick to tell me what they see and this encourages me greatly.

So when thoughts of inadequacy come my way, I will push back and declare that God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever!

And when you feel cramped by the smallness of your life, declare that God WILL bring you out to a spacious place and He will put a new song in your heart!

If you're feeling pressed in on all sides, be encouraged. God knows your name and He knows where you live. Don't focus inward, focus on Him. And with all of your heart, soul, and strength, sing this song:

Soon I will fly.

Soon I will do the things God has destined for me.

Right now I declare my worth!

I am alive in Christ!

Though I'm not much from the world's view,

I am everything to Him

And I am made for great things.

I'm not who I was

I'm not what I do

I'm someone He enjoys

I'm not who I will be

I'm not what I should be

But I'm everything to Him

He sees who I am

He sees who I can be

He holds me close to His heart

And soon I will fly...

"...We also, should walk in the newness of life" (Romans 6:4).

Until next week~

The Valley of Decision...

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.

Drop me a note and post your thoughts. At the end of this month, one of you will win a $10.00 gift card to Caribou.

And now on to my topic...

The other day I was talking to my oldest son about marriage. He and I love to dialogue about all sorts of things. This particular time we were talking about the tough seasons in marriage. I said to him, "Jake, there comes a valley season in every marriage where the husband and wife don't 'feel' the love anymore; in fact they don't even like each other all that much. It's in that place where big decisions are made. In this place, the quesion becomes, 'Will I die to my flesh (my rights, my expectations, my demands) or will I set my jaw, clench my fists, demand my way, and let my marriage die instead?' Many marriages die in this valley. But those who, for the sake of their commitment before God and man, die to their flesh, will find on the other side of that valley season, life and marriage abundantly."

Now I don't want to get into a debate about circumstances that surround divorce. I know that some are abused and victims of great injustices within marriage. I'm referring to the majority of marriages that die simply because life within marriage stopped being fun or interesting or fulfilling.

What I've noticed about myself and the countless of other people I've spoken to on this topic, is that those who persevere through the valley, find on the other side, a promised land.

This got me thinking...I believe the same applies to other areas of life. God puts dreams in our hearts and writes a destiny over our lives. And if we trust Him enough to take Him at His word, we will find ourselves on a journey toward the fulfillment of that dream.

Unfortunately, the path that takes us to the promise is always wrought with thickets and thorns. Nothing worth having ever comes easy or without opposition. Storms will come, lions will roar, and our fears will be confronted. God allows the path to be difficult because He intends on refining us and preparing us for our place of promise. He is intent on extracting from us, that which our enemy would love to leverage against us.

God loves us too much to promote us before we are ready.

And so, as we follow His lead, we will at different times, find ourselves in a valley - a valley of decision. Marriages aren't the only thing that die there. Dreams die there too. The flesh dies hard and unfortunately for many, they've opted to let their dream die before they'd ever allow their flesh to be confronted.

We all have weak spots and areas of inconsistency in our character. Until we see Jesus face to face, we will need His guidance and correction. He wants to take us from strength to strength; from glory to glory.

Ephesians 3:20 tells us that He wants to do abundantly above and beyond ALL that we could ever ask or think, but there's a clincher in this verse...it's according to His work within us. To the extent that He's allowed to work in us, will be the extent that He does great things through us.

After my conversation with Jake, I pondered this idea a little more. I envisioned a valley of dry bones. Bones from marriages, relationships, and dreams abandoned because many people refused to die to themselves, to humble themselves, and to let God have His way in their lives.

Don't let your dream die in the valley!

If you're in a season of refining, lean in. Trust the loving hand of your precious Savior and know that He will lead you to the other side. Refuse a sense of entitlement and don't demand to be understood.

Instead, humble yourself and seek to understand what the Lord is doing around you.

He will faithfully lead you and you will be strengthened as you go. 

On the other side of this refining time is a fresh perspective and new mercies.

Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God; in due time you will be lifted up and honored before a watching world.

Have a blessed week.

Your Pilgrimage...

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.

Each month I give away a $10.00 gift card to someone who has visited and posted on my blog. Well it's time to announce the gift card winner for the month of April.

And the winner is...Kathy Schwanke! Kathy, contact me offline at info@susielarson.com and claim your gift card! Congratulations and thanks for being such a faithful visitor! Blessings to you!

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...

As some of you may know, I've stepped into a new role as of late. While I'm used to being interviewed on the radio (and I really do love radio), working on the other side of the microphone is fairly new to me.

We as Minnesotans (and the surrounding areas) are blessed with fairly large and very popular Christian radio station. KTIS is continually rates in the top ten Christian stations in the country.

Recently I had the privilege of co-hosting with Kim Ketola (formerly Kim Jefferies) on her show, Along the Way with Kim Ketola. My first time co-hosting I got to interview my friend Sara Groves. Sara was incredible as always. Yesterday I had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Calvin Miller. We had a great time together. If you want to hear that interview or listen to the whole show, follow this link (the interview took place during hour 2):
Along the Way - May 6th

So what does that have to do with our topic today?

The theme that ran through the whole two hours was this: Our Pilgrimage.

Kim Ketola just returned from France and described how, because of their desperate need, thousands and thousands of Catholics traveled long distances to touch the holy water. Calvin Miller described the mindset of the Celts and how they viewed their whole lives as a pilgrimage.

Though our hope is not in the water but in Christ alone, the challenge remains. What is the object of our earnest pursuit? In fact, are we earnestly pursuing anything?

To be earnest is to be:
Intense
Committed
Dedicated
Diligent
Wholehearted
Sincere
Urgent
Impassioned

The opposite of earnest is to be:
Frivolous
Apathetic
Halfhearted

Look again at this list. Do you see yourself among the earnest?

When you pause and take a look around, where do you see your greatest energies applied?

I chose the picture at the top of the page because I think it represents the life of the Believer. We are not a stagnant pond with no life flowing in or out. We are a bubbling, bursting, flowing stream. Isaiah 58:11 calls us a spring, whose waters never fail. Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that He rewards those who earnestly seek after Him.

We are journeying toward our Promised Land and while we're at it, through our faith and earnest pursuit of God, we bring God's Kingdom to earth as we go.

Our call is this sacred pilgrimage. Our temptation is to forget our call.

The Cross For Me...

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!

I'm writing this post on Monday because on Wednesday, I'll be flying home from a speaking event.

I just love mornings, and this morning was an extra special one for me. Today was the first time this season that it was warm enough for me to sit out on my deck and greet the morning.

With the breeze blowing in the trees, the birds singing a happy song, and the sun peeking through the clouds, I felt especially aware of God's incredible attention to detail. What a beautiful God He is!

For a brief moment, I closed my eyes, bowed my head, and prayed for our country. I've been concerned about the intense divisions among us as a nation. I'm troubled by the desire of many to see God wiped from our history. I'm concerned about many of the youth in our day. There's an absolute disregard for authority, purity, honor, humility, gratefulness, and so on and so on. Needless to say, I prayed and asked for mercy, for protection, and for a renewed fire in my belly that I might live for fully for Him.

As soon as I said, "Amen" I looked up and what I saw took my breath away. I captured it in the picture at the top of this blog. A perfect Cross was etched in the sky. I took out my phone and snapped a picture (click on the picture and it'll enlarge enough for you to see the Cross).

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is intimately acquainted with our ways, He is engaged in our journey, and He is high above every circumstance.

Within the hour the wind picked up and the clouds took on a different shape. Even so, I lingered a while with my thoughts.

That beautiful Cross for me, was a reminder of the brevity of life and the height of our calling.

This day, this time in which we live, calls for authentic faith, real passion, and a love that is less calculating and far more forgiving than we've ever known before.

Staying True...

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.

A special thank you to Jo Franz for guest blogging for me last week.

Today I announce the winner of February's gift card giveaway. And the winner is...Carrie Kuiken! What a faithful blogger you are! It's always a pleasure to read your posts. Congratulations, Carrie.

I'll be doing another giveaway in March.

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.

This morning I read the fascinating story of Catherine Booth, who with her husband, co founded the Salvation Army.

I was incredibly inspired by her grit and perseverance.

In the face of incredible persecution, this once painfully shy woman of God, rose up to be a mighty warrior for Christ and a mighty advocate for the poor and the needy.

Catherine and her husband William were vehemently opposed by the British government because it was believed the Booth's had a political agenda, when in fact, they were simply living out the Gospel.

The name, "Salvation Army" was intended to ridicule the Booths and their work, but they liked the name. In the face of incredible odds and persecution, this once shy and fearful Christ follower proclaimed, "Members of the Salvation Army will fight on, waging war on poverty and injustice wherever we find it."

What's amazing is that the work of Salvation Army, along with Catherine's fiery speeches, led women to give money to the same organizations their husbands were trying to outlaw. (From Stories Behind Women of Extraordinary Faith by Ace Collins; p. 29).

In due time though, the government that scorned them finally embraced them and recognized the impact of their ministry.

Because Catherine stayed true to the Word of God and the call on her life (even while her husband was imprisoned for his faith), she became a history maker and a hero in her time.

Let's read what the Word of God says...

In Your Corner...

Greetings, Dear Friends!

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 February, you may win a $10.00 gift card to either Caribou or Target (your choice). So drop me a note and say hi!

If you've ever attended one of my speaking events, you've no doubt heard me joke about my once strong willed child.

My middle son, Luke, spent more time in the corner than not; so much so, that if I wanted to be with him, I'd have to go visit him in the corner! I remember several times going to the corner, sitting down next to him, and striking up a conversation.

I always wanted him to understand, that though there were consequences for his behavior, I would always be in his corner, loving him, cheering for him, holding him accountable, and challenging him to grow into the man I knew he could be.

Well I'm thankful to report that Luke recently turned 20 years old and he is an honorable, godly, young man, with no traces of that feisty, strong-willed toddler I used parent.

God gave me a rich piece of wisdom when I was raising my boys and I would like to share it with you.

Early on in my parenting journey, the Lord spoke this to my heart, "Susie, remember the 25/75 rule: 25 percent of your communication will be correction and discipline; and 75 percent should be love, affirmation, enjoying life, dreaming together, and teaching them about Me. There'll be stages in your kids' lives when it seems all you are doing is correcting them, but it's especially during such times they need to know you're in their corner. If their particular season requires increased discipline, then increase your loving communication as well. You must never reduce your relationship to correction after correction; especially during the teen years; otherwise you'll lose them."

My topic this morning is twofold:

How we parent by the 25/75 rule...

And how we allow God to do the same for us.

Simple Trust...

Happy Wednesday, 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!

Ever had one of these days?

Your email inbox is bursting at the seams and yet your computer keeps bumping you off the internet. You have laundry spilling over the basket and piles of paper work to sort through. Instead of feeling on top of your circumstances, you feel buried beneath them.

Am I the only one who gets this way?

On Sunday I returned from speaking at a women's retreat and we had a fabulous time together. On Monday I woke up to my bursting-at-the seams inbox, my billowing pile of laundry, and a sink full of dishes. I also had a very important conference call. In fact I had back-to-back conference calls.

Determining to take one part of my day at a time, I tried to put a dent in each of my piles of work. When it came time for my conference calls, I pulled my appropriate files and brought my laptop and phone up to my bedroom. I had my files spread out on my bed, my phone in hand (and a back up in case the battery died).

I even cut out of the my first conference call meeting a few minutes early so I could get to my next call - the one I'd been anticipating and anxious for.

I missed the conference call by an hour.

Apparently I had my time zones confused.

Ugh.

I woke up that morning exhausted but determined to make the most of my very busy day and yet I still fell miserably short.

Does that ever happen to you?

Well, I have some good news.

Great to be Back!

Hi Everyone!

Susie Larson here...

I've missed connecting with you all.

A big THANKS to my wonderful author friends who posted in my place. Bless you, big time!

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 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!

When my boys were young and adventurous, they wanted to try every adrenaline sport available. From skateboarding to snowboarding, from bike jumping to cliff jumping; I prayed for their safety and worked to keep healthy boundaries in place while allowing them to take a few risks once in a while.

During one of their outings, I looked around at the kids who were "regulars" to a particular sport. I watched how they talked with their friends, how they responded when someone got hurt, and how they treated the newbies.

It didn't take long for me to decided that this was not going to be a mainstay for my kids. They loved this particular sport, but they loved a lot of other experiences too.

So with prayerful wisdom, and unbeknownst to them, I gently steered them away from one activity and provided a way for them to actively pursue a different one that I knew they were equipped to handle.

I think God does the same thing for us.

He knows how transient we are. He understands the areas of our lives that are weak and still in need of maturity, and He guides us in the best path for us.

So when I'm tempted to worry about my own weaknesses or areas of vulnerabilities, I must remember that just as I, with understanding love, guided my boys to places where I knew they were equipped to stand, God does the same for us, and so much more besides.

I don't know if you ever do this, but I often fret over my own character flaws. More than anything I don't want others to stumble over my weaknesses. I don't want to dishonor the Lord because of my own foibles.

One particular day during prayer, God whispered to my heart, "Fear is the weakness; worry is the weakness; much more than the yet-to-be-developed areas in your character, the choice to worry about such things is the very thing that leaves you vulnerable to the wiles of the enemy..."

A Kingdom Holiday Season...

Hello Everyone!

Susie Larson here...

And to those visiting, I say welcome!

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

Since I've got a number of Christmas speaking events on my schedule, and since I've been prepping on and off for the past couple of weeks, my holiday season is in full swing.

I've had a significant amount of time to pause...and to think about my holidays this year. Do I want to run, racing from one event to another? Do I want to squeeze as many fun activities in as I can? Or do I want peace and solitude to mark my holidays this time around? We are all different, and we all need different things.

Looking back over the years I can clearly see that some of our most desperate struggles overlapped with the holiday season. I had in my mind how I wanted the season to look, but that 30 second commercial was an always elusive dream.

Thankfully I am much wiser and more mature (hmmm...) and I am not so interested in how things look. I am interested in how things are.

Persistence Pays...

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 and encourage you along the way.

Many of you know that prayer is a significant part of my life. Some of the most profound blessings in my life are a result of tenacious, unrelenting prayer.

I often think of the example Jesus gave us when teaching on how we should pray. In Luke 18 we learn about a widow and an unrighteous judge. The woman pleaded with the judge for justice against her adversaries. The judge neither feared God nor cared about the woman, but because she wore him out from her asking, he granted that which she requested.

Isn't it interesting that Jesus used such an example for us as His children?

He is not an unrighteous judge; He is our Beloved One.

In Luke 11 Jesus gives us another example of how to lay hold of the things we need from Him. Jesus paints the picture of a friend who knocks on the door of another friend at midnight. The friend standing outside needed some bread but the friend on the inside had already gone to bed and tucked his kids in for the night. Jesus explains that the friend-in-need, got his needs met, not because the "inside friend" was a friend, but because of the boldness of his request.

While evil prevails in our day, we must learn the secret Jesus is trying to teach us here.