Sharla, Author at Sharla Fritz - Page 9 of 29
April 14, 2020

6 FREE Resources for Spiritual Practices in Uncertain Times

Undoubtedly, you have many emotions running through your head these days. COVID-19 has stirred up fear, uneasiness, anxiety, and doubt. Our world now faces something new and scary. When we don’t know what to do, spiritual practices can help. This post includes 6 FREE resources you can use in these uncertain days to stretch your faith and turn your heart to the God who has everything under control.

Soul Spa Kit

In these bewildering days we all need a spiritual compass. We need to reconnect with the One who can give us peace and direction. A spiritual retreat can be the conduit for that reconnection.

Every month I try to schedule one morning for a personal spiritual retreat. Jesus told His disciples, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31). He knew they needed to get away from the crowds, the noise, the responsibilities. Christ offers the same invitation to us.

You might be wondering: What do you do during a personal spiritual retreat? Here’s my process. I read God’s Word and journal what I hear God speaking to me. I pour out my struggles, asking God to make sense out of everything. I spend time resting in God’s love for me.

To help others experience their own personal spiritual retreats I created the Soul Spa Kit: 59 Ideas For Creating Your Own Spiritual Retreat. Inside this resource you will discover the who, what, when, why, where, and how of soul care. This kit is a little like a three-day spa weekend for your soul.

Click here to find out more about this resource and sign up for the Soul Spa Kit.

7 Words Your Soul Needs in a Waiting Season

Right now we are all in a holding pattern. The world has slowed and we wait for answers, wait for word that things can go back to normal.

But there’s no denying that waiting is hard. What do we do in the meantime?

Although our hearts squirm at the sound of the word wait and our souls try to wriggle away from its grasp, maybe it’s a word we need.

But, perhaps we need to reframe waiting. Look at it from a different angle. Hear it in a different context. What if when God said, “Wait,” we heard one of its synonyms? What if it were pronounced “pause”? Or “Expect“? Or “Abide”? Would it make a difference?

I think it does. Although the word wait almost always has negative connotations in our culture, I don’t think God necessarily intends waiting to be gloomy and punitive. Sometimes waiting is meant to be restorative. To give us a season of rest. To draw us closer to the Father. To help us abandon our own puny efforts and rely on the almighty power of God.

That’s why I created the free ebook 7 Words Your Soul Needs in a Waiting Season. Each lesson examines one of the synonyms of the word wait and how examining a waiting season from a different perspective can help us grow in faith in the God who loves us.

Click here to find out more and sign up to get this free ebook.

Finding Enough: A

7-Day Jump-Start to Decluttering Your Life

With extra time at home, maybe you are thinking of organizing closets and cupboards. Then this 7-Day Decluttering Guide is for you. It will help you not only purge the stuff you no longer need or want, but it will also help you toss out harmful emotions and thoughts.

Finding Enough: A 7-Day Jump-Start to Decluttering Your Life can help you reduce the clutter of your life. In the span of seven days, you will take a journey to cast out what is cluttering your closets, your schedule, and your minds. Each day, you’ll examine one area of your life and decide if it is time to keep or time to cast away. I won’t tell you what to hold on to or what to toss—that’s up to you. Some of the days, you will tackle a practical area of life like your home or schedule. Other days, we’ll delve into the cupboards of your soul to see if anything harmful or unnecessary is stored there.

If this is for you, click here to find out more and sign up for this free resource!

Spiritual Disciplines

Perhaps you are looking for a new way to spend time in God’s Word. A few years ago I discovered Spiritual Disciplines. At the time, I thought I had stumbled on something new, but Spiritual Disciplines have been used by faithful Christians for centuries, even millennia.

I love using Spiritual Disciplines because they help me focus my attention on my Savior and receive His gifts. These ancient practices help me spend time with the One who can calm my soul and reassure me of His love. These practices include prayer, listening, and meditating on God’s Word.

I did a whole series of articles on Spiritual Disciplines. Click on a link to explore each helpful practice.

Palms Up, Palms Down Prayer

SACRED Reading

Prayer Journaling

Examen

Slowing

Silence

Meditating on Bible Stories

Verse Mapping

If you’re a Bible nerd like me, you love spending time in God’s Word. You love digging into deeper meanings and discovering what it has to say in respect to your current situation.

Enter Verse Mapping. Verse Mapping is a Bible study method that examines the context, cross-references, translations, and word meaning of a particular verse in God’s Word.

In Verse Mapping, you look at the individual parts of a Bible verse and then put it back together with the new understanding you have gained. It incorporates all the things I usually do to dig into God’s Word in a systematic way. Through this method, you will grasp the meaning of the verse in a new way that will help you apply it to your life.

For some of you this time of coronavirus isolation has meant more time on your hands as your normal activities have been put on hold, leaving you with more time for Bible study. I did a series of articles and videos to explain the five-step process of Verse Mapping. Check them out!

Step One Article Video

Step Two Article Video

Step Three Article Video

Step Four Article Video

Step Five Article Video

Bible Study for Busy People

While some of you have more time on your hands because of coronavirus isolation, others of you have even less time than before as you juggle home schooling your children and doing your job!

You know you want to spend time in God’s Word, but you need some strategies to find that time and make to make the moments you have meaningful.

That’s why I did a series of articles on Bible Study for Busy People. Here you will find motivation to spend time with your Savior and some Bible study methods that help you make the most of that time.

Click on the links below for more information about Bible Study for Busy People!

Bible Study for Busy People

Bible Study for Busy People: Start with Stories

Bible Study for Busy People: 7 Strategies

Bible Study for Busy People: 5 Tech Strategies

Bible Study for Busy People: Finding PEACE in God’s Word

I hope that these ideas will help you grow in faith during this unusual time of coronavirus quarantine! Whichever methods you choose, remember that God is still in control. We may be shocked and surprised, but He isn’t. And He is able to work out something good even through a pandemic!

Next step: Pray and ask God which faith-stretching practice is best for you right now. Try it out, trusting that the Holy Spirit will bless your time in God’s Word!

Filed Under: Bible Study, Spiritual Growth Tagged With:
March 24, 2020

7 Verses and Prayers for When Fear Comes to Visit

We live in uncertain times. And uncertainty can open the door to fear. Fear about getting sick. Fear about finances. Fear over the general state of the world.

We try to shut out fear, but may not feel strong enough to barricade the door. Sometimes–when we watch news reports or close our eyes to sleep–fear pushes through. It plops down on the sofa in our minds and refuses to budge.

When that happens, here are 7 verses and prayers that can chase out fear.

So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

Gracious Father, when fear pushes its way into my heart, help me remember that You are there too. You never leave me and I find comfort in that thought. Your omnipotent strength can overcome any fear. Help me to rest in your hand.

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. (Psalm 56:3)

Lord, thank You that You are always trustworthy. Help me not to put my trust solely in governments and officials that are working to alleviate this crisis. Bless their efforts and give them wisdom, but help me to put my trust in You, the almighty, invincible God.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:34)

Jesus, thank You for these words! Sometimes fear enters my heart simply because I look ahead and start asking a million what-if questions about the future. Help me to focus on today. You will always give me what I need for this moment in time.

Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” (Mark 6:50)

Christ Jesus, I love this verse! You know my fear. You see the anxiety in my heart. But You invite me to “take courage” because You give it as a gift. Even when I can’t summon up any brave feelings on my own, I know I can turn to You and lean on You for the courage I need.

I am the Lord your God.
I am holding your hand,
    so don’t be afraid.
I am here to help you. (Isaiah 41:13)

Lord God, how comforting to know that you are holding my hand–right here, right now. In the midst of this time of uncertainty, You reach over and grab my hand to reassure me of Your presence, Your help. Help me to remember this whenever fear tries to barge in again.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Holy Spirit, Comforter, thank You for the invitation to dump all my anxiety in Your lap. You tell me not to harbor anxiety about anything–big or small. Help me to remember this in these stressful days. Whenever fear threatens to push its way into my heart, help me to turn to You again–and again. Thank You in advance for Your transcendent peace.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)

Jesus, I rejoice in Your gift of peace. Right now it seems that the world gives only stress, anxiety, and fear. But You flood our souls with a peace that is available any time. I thank You that Your peace doesn’t depend on serene circumstances or tranquil surroundings. Fill my heart so full of Your peace that there is no room for fear.

If you need more help in pushing out fear, check out my posts “When You Feel Like You’re Straining Against the Wind” and “Why Are You So Afraid? Two Kinds of Fear.” If you want more guidance on how to pray during this coronavirus crisis, read “20 Prayers to Pray During This Pandemic” by Jen Pollack Michel.

Next step: Which verse will help you most today? Write it out a sticky note and post it where you will see it often. Share it with a friend!

Filed Under: Spiritual Growth Tagged With: ,
March 10, 2020

Why Are You So Afraid?: Two Kinds of Fear

On a windy day on a lake, Jesus asked His disciples, “Why are you so afraid?” As the wind pummeled their small boat, Jesus confronted their fears.

This story came alive to me recently when my husband and I traveled to Israel. This trip had been on my bucket list for years. I longed to walk in the footsteps of Jesus and see the land God’s people called home for centuries.

On the third day of our trip, our tour group spent some time in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. It was the end of the day and the sky began filling with clouds. But beams of sunlight filtered through, shining God’s glory.

The Sea of Galilee and Mount Arbel from our boat.

Jesus on the Sea of Galilee

While gazing at the beauty of the sky, the lake, and the surrounding mountains, our tour guide read us Mark 4:35-41:

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

God dramatically punctuated the word “windstorm” with a great gust of wind that shook our boat for a minute. Our guide told us that because the Sea of Galilee is surrounded by mountains, winds can whip up suddenly and unexpectedly. That’s exactly what happened the day the disciples were in the boat with a sleepy Savior. They thought He didn’t care about them and woke Him up.

Jesus immediately took care of the situation by calming the sea, then asked His trembling disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

Two Kinds of Fear

The story of Jesus and the disciples on the Sea of Galilee talks about two kinds of fear.

Deilos Fear. Fear comes naturally to us humans. The word for afraid in Jesus’ question, “Why are you so afraid?” (Mark 4:40) is deilos–meaning timid or fearful. While we may not be on a sinking boat, our world gives us many reasons to have fear. We fear sinking financial failure and not being able to pay the bills at the end of the month. We fear storms of relationship troubles and clouds of deadly viruses.

Or maybe your fears are a little more subtle. Even if you don’t see monsoons of disaster in the skies of your life right now, you may harbor secret fears of loneliness, fears of growing old. Maybe you hide fears of failure, fears of the future.

But just like Jesus asked His disciples, He asks us, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

Phobeo Fear. The second word for fear in the story of the disciples in the boat comes in verse 41: “And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’” (emphasis added). Here the Greek word is phobeo, which can mean to be afraid, but also can indicate reverence. The disciples were in awe of Jesus’ ability to calm the wind and the sea.

Instead of deilos fear, let’s have phobeo fear. If Jesus can calm waves on the Sea of Galilee, certainly He can quiet the fears in my heart and your heart. When we focus more on awe of the God who can handle any situation instead of our timid hearts, God will erase our fears. The sunshine of His grace will filter through the dark clouds of our anxiety.

My husband John and me on the Sea of Galilee.

Why Are You So Afraid?

If fear has taken up residence in your heart today, listen to Jesus’ question, “Why are you so afraid?” Examine the source of your fear: finances? relationships? health? Then consider Jesus’ second question, “Have you still no faith?” Do you believe that Jesus’ power and strength can overcome any financial, relationship, or health problem? Can you trust that even though He may not remove the problem that He will walk through it with you? Then why fear? Focus on the ever-present, all-powerful God who says, “Peace be still!” to the raging anxiety in your heart.

Next step: Read Mark 4:35-41 once again. Picture yourself in the boat with Jesus. What would you have felt that day in the boat? How does Jesus’ ability to calm the sea affect you? How does it change your perspective of your current-day fears?

Filed Under: Spiritual Growth Tagged With: ,
February 11, 2020

Distracted: Finding Faith-Focus Habits for a Frenzied World

How would you describe your life? Focused, calm, in control? Or is it more like overwhelmed, chaotic, and distracted?

At the beginning of every year I pick one word that I hope will characterize the next twelve months. In January of 2015 I chose the word “focus.” The previous two years seemed like a whirlwind of activity with little direction. My schedule had grown into a large unfocused mess. I taught private piano students and sat down at my computer to blog and write. I volunteered at a homeless shelter and directed my church choir. I attended a Toastmasters group and led a women’s Bible study. I felt overwhelmed and distracted.

The path of my life had grown from a single road heading in one direction, to a highway with many appealing exits and detours. God whispered, “Keep your eyes on Me.” But too often I succumbed to the enticing signs that lured me from Christ’s path for my life. It wasn’t that I followed roads to immorality. But I kept following signs that promised greater success or a bigger life purpose. And too often these signs pointed to paths not meant for me. These paths led away from peace, serenity, and intimacy with God and toward greater frustration.

Time for a Change

So at the beginning of 2015 I wanted a change. I began praying for focus. For direction. For wisdom to discern between the important and the trivial.

Little did I know that just around the corner was an event that would change everything.

My husband was diagnosed with lymphoma.

Just a few days into 2015 our family physician called John with the news. Our calendars began to fill with doctor appointments and medical tests. Hospitals and cancer centers became our destinations.

I discovered that a life-crisis can quickly put things into perspective. Suddenly I had no difficulty in abandoning activities I no longer found fulfilling. I had a good excuse to leave organizations that had become life-draining instead of life-giving.

Although my life path was headed in a direction I never expected, I found it much easier to ignore the tempting exits not meant for me.  Suddenly life had focus.

The Focused Path

I thought about my life path when I read this well-known passage in Matthew:

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:13-14 NIV)

Of course, this passage is talking about the road to salvation. Jesus told us He is the only Way to eternal life. Through parables, He explained that He is the gate.

But perhaps this verse can also be a picture of a meaningful life here on earth. Maybe a broad road filled with too many roadside stops and littered with too many belongings leads to the destruction of peace and tranquility. Perhaps a narrow road pointed in the right direction with few exits or detours leads to a full and abundant life.

Living Life Distracted

In this modern world, it’s easy to live distracted. In fact, it’s difficult not to be sidetracked by the myriad of things clamoring for our attention. Societal pressures to have more, do more, be more divert us from the life God meant for us to live. Media convinces us we need one more gadget. Pressure to be successful leads us to take on one more responsibility at work. The burden to leave a legacy compels us to say yes to one more worthy cause.

And yet with all this doing and having, we still feel unfulfilled. In the quest to have it all, we wonder if we have missed something important. We sense that we have been spending too much time and effort on the trivial and not enough on what really matters.

Thankfully, you don’t have to go through a life emergency to change the road you are traveling. I created a book so you don’t have to wait for a crisis—you can learn from mine.

 So How Can I Live Life Focused?

In my book, Distracted: Finding Faith-Focus Habits for a Frenzied World, you will discover sixteen habits of living with focus. These are the very habits that helped me discard distracting activities from my calendar when my husband was going through cancer treatment. They are the habits I have continued to use to create a life that is meaningful and life-affirming. These routines enable me to avoid disappointing detours and remain on the path God has laid out for me.

You can keep living the distracted life. Racing through life following every disappointing detour. Rushing through a thousand activities without enjoying any.

You could wait for a life crisis to change your course.

Or you could ask God to transform your path. You could delve into sixteen life-altering habits that will help you stay in the narrow path leading to a full and meaningful life.

God is calling you to the road that leads to life. A full, focused life.

Next step: Start this journey to more focused living by closing your eyes and imagining you are driving down the road of life. Ask yourself, “Where is this road headed? Is this where I want to go?” Then in your mind’s eye, look at the signs along the road. What do the signs say? Which ones are the most distracting? Which ones pull you off your main road? Open your eyes and record your thoughts.

This post is an excerpt from my book Distracted: Finding Faith-Focus Habits for a Frenzied World. If you would like to learn more about avoiding distractions and living a focused life, check out the book Distracted: Finding Faith-Focus Habits for a Frenzied World on Amazon.

The ebook is only $3.99!

Inside you will find 16 Faith-Focus Habits that will help you:

  • find focus by connecting to God 
  • truly pay attention to what is essential
  • prioritize your day
  • find focus in your work
  • make important choices
  • defeat the distractions of technology
  • find rest in our hectic world

Filed Under: Spiritual Disciplines Tagged With:
January 28, 2020

4 Ways To Notice God in Your Ordinary Days

What did you notice today? I asked myself this question every day for the past year. At the beginning of 2019. I chose “notice” as my word for the year because I wanted to intentionally notice God in my ordinary days. 

I know from God’s Word that He is always with me:

“He has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”
(Hebrews 13:5 ESV)


 But often I’m too busy to notice Him! By asking myself “What did I notice today?” I slowed down for a minute to contemplate how the Father blessed me that day, how the Son made His presence known, how the Spirit whispered God’s truth to me in the Word.

I started this search by reading The God Hunt by Karen Mains. In this book, the author points out four categories of places where she looks for God in her everyday life: any obvious answer to prayer, any unexpected evidence of His care, any help to do God’s work in the world, any unusual linkage or timing.

Using these as a guideline, I’ve become a little better at spotting God at work in my life.

Here are some ways I’ve seen God lately:

Any obvious answer to prayer. 

Last week, I met a friend for coffee. We’ve been reading and discussing a book together, so I brought my iPad with the Kindle version of the book. However, when I left the cafe where we met, I forgot my tote bag with the iPad in it. I didn’t notice my forgetfulness until I got home. All the way back, I prayed my bag would still be there. And it was!

Any unexpected evidence of His care. 

The winter canopy of clouds in Chicagoland has left me feeling blue. But just when I needed it most, friends of ours asked my husband and me to meet them for pizza. God knew I needed time with special people!

Any help to do God’s work in the world. 

I’ve been working on editing a book for a friend of a friend. This kind of writing is new to me, but God has given me the wisdom needed to complete the project.

Any unusual linkage or timing. 

I’ve been praying for a few new piano students. In January I got four new students! Unusual timing in that students usually start lessons at the beginning of the school year, but God’s timing is always best!

Gradually, I’m learning to notice God in the everyday stuff of life.

(It’s not too late to choose your own word for 2020. Here are a few ways you can get more out of your word.)

Next Step: What did you notice today? Take time to write down how you noticed God in an answer to prayer, evidence of His care, help to do His work, or some unusual timing.

Filed Under: Spiritual Disciplines
January 21, 2020

Spiritual Disciplines For When You Struggle With Forgiveness

What do you do when you struggle with forgiveness?

We’ve all been hurt. We’ve received unkind words. Other people have disappointed or deceived us. We may feel like those closest to us have stabbed our hearts or trampled our feelings in the dust.

We know we should forgive, but how?

Recently, Michelle Diercks and I had a conversation about this on her podcast “Peace in His Presence.” Click here to listen in!

Below you will find the main points of our conversation, along with other helpful information.

Spiritual Disciplines For When You Struggle With Forgiveness

We can’t forgive on our own—we need to go to God. And one of the ways I love to connect with Christ is through Spiritual Disciplines—practices that help us tap into God’s love and grace. Here are three disciplines that help me.

SACRED Reading

SACRED Reading is a way to meditate on God’s Word. Through times of reading, contemplation, and prayer we can hear God’s voice speak to us in the pages of Scripture.

The word SACRED is an acronym that helps me remember the steps in this practice. In the practice of SACRED reading we slow down and notice what the Holy Spirit draws our attention to. (Find the specific steps for SACRED Reading here.)

For instance, read Ephesians 4:31-32 and pay attention to what the Holy Spirit “highlights.”

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

What word or phrase does God draw your attention to?

  • Is it “bitterness”? (Do you realize you have a lot of stored-up anger?)
  • Is it “slander”? (Are you convicted of speaking negatively about a certain person you are angry with?)
  • Is it “be kind to one another”? (Because you feel you could never show kindness to a certain person?)

After you meditate on the passage, empty your heart in prayer and ask God to heal your emotions and help you forgive.

For more information on SACRED Reading, go here.

When we struggle with forgiving others, we can meditate on the forgiveness we have already received. Try meditating on these Scriptures:

Meditating on Bible Stories

Another spiritual discipline you can use when you need God’s help to forgive is meditating on Bible stories.

In this practice, use your imagination to put yourself in a Bible story. Read a Gospel story and ask the Spirit to guide your thoughts. See the scene in your mind. What sounds do you hear? What scents are in the air? Picture yourself as one of the characters in the story.

This discipline helps me experience the story in a new way. Often the Holy Spirit will show me something I never noticed before in the Word. He will speak to me the exact message I need in that moment.

Meditating on the Gospel story about the woman caught in adultery can help you get a handle on forgiveness. Read John 8:3-11. Put yourself in the story. Picture Jesus writing in the sand. Notice the accused woman–her posture, the look on her face. Imagine the accusers–their expressions and the tone of their voices. Then ask yourself these questions.

1. What character do you identify with? The woman who has been caught? The people accusing the woman of wrongdoing?

2. What are you feeling? “The other person is the guilty one!” “God should throw the book at her—at the people who have wronged me!”

3. What does Jesus say? What is your reaction to those words?

4. Perhaps read the story one more time and see it from another perspective. Put yourself in the place of one of the other characters.

For more information on meditating on Bible stories, go here.

Other Bible stories on forgiveness to meditate on:

Prayer Journaling

Hurt feelings may take a long time to heal. We may need to forgive and forgive many times as those hurt feelings resurface. One way I use unburden my heart is prayer journaling.

You may feel uncomfortable at first writing down all of your messy emotions in a prayer. But I think we are in good company when we do this! Many of the psalms seem to be David’s way of unburdening his heart. I think God invites us to take all of our feelings to Him so that He can help us deal with them.

Here are a few ways to prayer journal when you struggle to forgive:

  • Use your journal to tell God all that bothers you. Tell Him about the hurt and pain. Ask Him to help you forgive.
  • Journal what the Holy Spirit is speaking to you through your SACRED Reading or meditating on Bible stories.
  • Write out the hurtful things you experienced. Then ask God to help you forgive and destroy the paper as a concrete way to demonstrate forgiveness.

For more information on prayer journaling, go here.

When we’ve been hurt, our natural reaction is to hang onto the anger, the bitterness, the hurt. We think this will cause the other person pain. But author Joanna Weaver wisely wrote:

Bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.

Resentment and unforgiveness only cause us pain. God can help us forgive. Let’s go to His Word and receive His love, His grace, and His power to help us let go of past hurts. Live free in forgiveness.

Filed Under: Spiritual Disciplines Tagged With:
December 30, 2019

Find Enough: A 7-Day Jump-Start to Decluttering Your Life

Does your home feel crammed with possessions? Does your life feel overstuffed with obligations? Perhaps you need to begin the process of decluttering your life.

It’s easy to accumulate stuff. The pair of jeans that hasn’t fit since before baby number two. The bridesmaid dress you hate but paid “good money” for. The bread machine you never use. The yarn you bought but didn’t have time to knit. The toys your children no longer play with.

Of course, that’s just the stuff clogging your cupboards and closets. A lot more stuff probably clutters your life. Countless meetings and appointments, oodles of kids’ baseball practices and dance recitals fill up your calendar and crowd out your peace. Even your mind and soul may seem cluttered. Disappointment, bitterness, and perfectionism can easily take up the space in our hearts that is meant for God’s grace, love, and joy.

Do you want to make a change? Do you desire to declutter your home and experience the joy of less? Do you long for a streamlined schedule that has more room for the important things of life? Do you want to empty your mind and heart of the fears and anxieties?

Perhaps that seems impossible. But we can make a start. I have a free tool for you to help you begin the process of decluttering your life. My free workbook Finding Enough: A 7-Day Jump-Start to Decluttering Your Life will guide you in getting rid of the meaningless and unimportant stuff while still keeping what is valuable and beneficial to your life.

The process is based on Ecclesiastes 3:1,6:

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven . . . a time to keep, and a time to cast away.

Using this workbook, you’ll examine one area of your life each day and decide if it is time to keep or time to cast away. So it won’t become too overwhelming you will use a process I call “Keep 10 Toss 10”–you will only decide on ten things that are valuable enough to keep and ten things that need to go. I won’t tell you what to hold on to or what to toss—that’s up to you.

Over the course of seven days, you will take a journey to cast out whatever clutters your closets, schedules, and mind. Some of the days, you will tackle a practical area of life like your home or schedule. Other days, we’ll delve into the cupboards of your soul to see if anything harmful or unnecessary is stored there. Most of us have been amassing more and more for years or decades. Our culture tells us that we need more stuff, more goals, more activity to complete our happiness—and we’ve bought into this idea. But many of you have recognized this for the lie it is. And that’s why you’re here. You are ready to find enough.

Ready to start the journey to find enough–enough stuff, enough joy, enough meaning in your life? Type your email in the box below to subscribe to my Soul Rest newsletter and receive my free guide: Finding Enough: A 7-Day Jump-Start To Decluttering Your Life.

If you would like to learn more about finding enough, check out my brand new book Enough for Now: Unpacking God’s Sufficiency!

A study of the parable of the rich fool, it will help you discover:

  • enough money
  • enough stuff
  • enough food
  • enough relationships
  • enough time
  • enough of me

You can find out more about it here. And order it here and here!

Filed Under: Contentment Tagged With:
December 17, 2019

Advent Waiting: Waiting With Gladness

Advent WaitingwithGladness

Advent is a waiting season. A time of waiting for Jesus.

Two thousand years ago, the nation of Israel was waiting for the fulfillment of the promises for a Savior. They had been waiting for thousands of years. But there was one man who probably was waiting more expectantly than anyone else:

Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. (Luke 2:25-26)

We assume Simeon was old because death was on his mind. But God had made a very specific promise to him–he would not die before he had seen the Messiah. Perhaps every day, he woke up thinking, “Is today the day?”

Then one day the Holy Spirit moved him to go to the temple courts. It “happened” to be the day that Mary and Joseph were bringing the baby Jesus to the temple to be circumcised.

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When Simeon saw this humble couple, he (like the prophetess Anna) recognized their young son as the Messiah. He went up to them, took the baby Jesus in his arms and said,

Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
    according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation
    that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and for glory to your people Israel.

(Luke 2:29-32)

Simeon’s wait was over. he had seen the Savior.

When we are waiting–waiting for a husband, a child, a job–let’s remember that our most excruciating wait is over. God has sent the Savior! We no longer have to feel the burden of sin. We no longer have to drown in guilt and shame. Jesus came to the world, died in our place, and rose in victory.

When we are waiting, let's remember that our most excruciating wait is over. God has sent the Savior! Share on X

Yes, I might still complain when I’m waiting for healing, waiting to see my grandchildren, waiting for my coffee order at Starbucks. But even while I’m waiting, I can rejoice that the worst wait is over.

The Light of the world has come. He has entered the world and my heart. And no matter what else happens in this crazy world, I know that I, like Simeon, can depart in peace. And because of that I can rejoice.

Next step: If you do not know for sure that you are going to heaven, I assure you that Christ died and rose for you too. If you would like to experience God’s love and forgiveness, simply pray this prayer:

Father in heaven, I realize that I am a sinner and fall short of what You want for my life. I know that I cannot save myself or earn eternal life. Thank You for sending Jesus to die for me. Because of His death and resurrection, You have made me alive for eternity. Help me to turn from my sins and follow You. Thank You for the gift of faith in Your Son, Jesus, my Savior and for the assurance of eternal life with You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Cover of 7 Words

If you would like to learn more about waiting well, check out my new eBook: 7 Words Your Soul Needs in a Waiting Season. 

In it, you will discover seven words that can mean wait. Seven words that can give hope and purpose in the middle of delay. Seven words your soul needs in a waiting season.

It’s FREE! Just sign up for my encouraging Soul Rest newsletter and you will receive this devotional eBook with seven lessons on waiting, plus beautiful graphics of my favorite waiting Scriptures that you can print and frame.

Sign up below!


Filed Under: Waiting on God Tagged With: ,
December 10, 2019

Advent Waiting: Waiting in God’s Grace

Advent WaitinginGod'sGrace

Advent is a season of waiting. We remember the world’s long wait for a Savior and we anticipate Jesus’ second return.

Often we focus more on the remembering part. Advent means setting up manger scenes, sending out Christmas cards with pictures of Baby Jesus, and singing carols about Christ’s birth. But let’s not forget to prepare for Jesus’ second coming.

The Story of the Ten Bridesmaids

Jesus told a story to encourage His disciples to be prepared and ready for His return.

The characters in the story are ten bridesmaids who are waiting for the bridegroom to take them to the wedding feast. It’s evening and they all have brought lamps to light their procession through the dark city streets. The bridegroom is delayed. All ten of the bridesmaids get drowsy and fall asleep. In the middle of the night, the bridegroom finally comes. His delay was so long that all of their lamps have gone out.

Five of the bridesmaids are prepared for this problem. They have brought extra oil. In a moment, their lamps are relit. The other bridesmaids are forced to go to the oil sellers and cannot go with the bridegroom. Later, when they arrive at the feast, they are not allowed in. (Matthew 25:1-13)

Through the story, Jesus reminds us all that we need to rely on the oil of His grace as we wait for His return.

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Waiting is Not a Waste of Time

When I put myself in the story, I think my reaction as one of the bridesmaids would have been, “What is taking this guy so long? Doesn’t he realize my time is important? I could be doing something significant. Instead, I’m just sitting here!”

But maybe, a wiser bridesmaid would have gently reminded me, “But waiting here is exactly what we are supposed to be doing. Waiting for the bridegroom is our role. It is an honor to be chosen as a member of the bridal party. When we get to the amazing feast the Bridegroom is preparing, we won’t even remember the agony of the wait. The love of the Bridegroom is worth waiting for.”

If you are in a waiting season–waiting for healing, waiting for a solution to a problem, waiting for an answer to prayer–remember that even when waiting seems like a waste of time, waiting is often our role as God’s chosen people. During that delay, the Holy Spirit teaches us patience, hope, and trust. 

When waiting seems like a waste of time, remember that during the delay, the Holy Spirit teaches us patience, hope, and trust. Share on X

So while you are waiting–waiting for help, healing, and Christ’s return–wait in the strength of God’s grace. Don’t let your lamp go out. Find a fresh supply of the oil that fuels your faith in the means of grace: God’s Word and the Lord’s Supper.

Next step: Find encouragement in the words of Psalm 27:14, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Post those words somewhere you’ll notice them often today and when you read them, remember that waiting is the privilege of the chosen bridesmaid! 

If you would like to learn more about waiting well, check out my book: Waiting: A Bible Study on Patience, Hope, and Trust.

Waiting Cover002 - Copy (2)The book studies the lives of:

  • Sarah
  • Hannah
  • The Widow of Zarapheth
  • Esther
  • Anna
  • The Woman with a 12-year Hemorrhage
  • Martha
  • Ten Virgins

Through their examples, we find hope for the delays in our lives. We learn how to wait well.

Find the book on Amazon or CPH.org

Filed Under: Waiting on God Tagged With: ,
December 3, 2019

Advent Waiting: Waiting Without Preconceptions

Advent WaitingwithoutPreconceptions

Advent is a season of waiting. A time of anticipation. A period of preparation.

For many in our culture, the preparation for Christmas is limited to planning get-togethers and buying gifts. Children anticipate opening those gifts. Everyone is waiting for holiday programs, plays, and parties.

But for believers in Christ, Advent also means waiting for His coming. It is a season of remembering the long wait of the world for the coming of a Savior and a time of anticipating His second return.

In Scripture, we read many stories of waiting. Sarah, Hannah, and Rachel were among the women who experienced long periods of delay before they were blessed with babies. Joseph waited years in a lonely prison. The Children of Israel waiting 400 years to be released from Egyptian slavery.

Anna’s Waiting Story

In the New Testament, we read another story of waiting. Anna was waiting for the Savior:

And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:36-38)

This dedicated woman of God only gets three verses in the Bible, but her story gives us so much wisdom for our seasons of waiting.

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Even though Anna was “advanced in years” she was one of only two people who recognized that the infant son of two Galilean peasants was the Messiah. During Anna’s lifetime, most of the nation of Israel was waiting for a savior, but they were expecting one that would save them from the tyranny of Rome. A powerful political leader. Not a helpless baby.

Perhaps Anna recognized the infant as the Son of God because she didn’t have preconceived expectations. Instead, she was open to God’s ideas. She didn’t insist on her own vision or plan. She knew God often works in mysterious ways.

Waiting Without Expectations

God invites me to be like Anna when I’m in a waiting season. To let go of my own expectations. To stop insisting on my own way. 

When I let go of my preconceived, self-made plans that I am more able to recognize God design for my life. It’s then I’m able to wait with a bit more patience because I realize that the delay might be part of the plan.

Anna was waiting for the Savior. You, also, may be waiting for rescue. Rescue from a desperate financial situation or from an impossible-looking health crisis.

One thing you can do in this waiting period is to let go of your expectations and preconceived ideas about how God should answer your prayers. Reaffirm your trust in a loving Father who always knows best.

Let go of your preconceived ideas about how God should answer your prayers. Reaffirm trust in His plans. Share on X

Next step: Write a prayer, giving God all of your self-made plans and preconceived ideas about what is best. Tell Him you trust His wisdom and His goodness. 

If you would like to learn more about waiting well, check out my book: Waiting: A Bible Study on Patience, Hope, and Trust.

Waiting Cover002 - Copy (2)The book studies the lives of:

  • Sarah
  • Hannah
  • The Widow of Zarapheth
  • Esther
  • Anna
  • The Woman with a 12-year Hemorrhage
  • Martha
  • Ten Virgins

Through their examples, we find hope for the delays in our lives. We learn how to wait well.

Find the book on Amazon or CPH.org

Filed Under: Waiting on God Tagged With: ,
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