"Your Sacred Yes: Trading Life-draining Obligation for Freedom, Passion and Joy" by Susie Larson

Susie Larson is a national speaker, author and radio show host with another fantastic book out--this one called "Your Sacred Yes."

The premise? "Anytime we say yes, we say no."

"If we say yes to working too many hours (beyond what God has asked of us), we say no to family and friends and the sacred life rhythm God offers us," says Larson.

"When we say yes to purchasing more items than we can afford, we say no to financial freedom...When we say yes to overindulgence--on any level--we say no to soul freedom, and we give the enemy the opportunity to destroy our lives and our influence," she continues.

It makes me think: What am I saying yes to in my life, or no, that needs to change?

Her new book explores that and offers a pretty good trade--life draining obligation for freedom, passion and joy. To get there, we need to rely on the power of God, the peace of God and the grace He offers to all of us.

Check out some of these chapter titles:

Busyness vs. Abundance
There's Rest in God's Yes
There's Freedom in God's Yes
When God Redirects
Stand in Power

We are a busy people, so it seems wise to discern where and how we will spend our days.

Susie Larson's new book is insightful and helpful. Packed with godly advice and stories from her own life, it's a must-read for those who need a renewed sense of joy and purpose.

The True Meaning of Christmas?

 

 What is Christmas?

To some it is Santa and snowmen and toys,

To some it’s the shopping, bright wrappings and noise,

To others it’s family and everyone’s home,

To me, it’s much more. Let me share in this poem…

 

Christmas is where it all began,

  An infant child who became a man.

Eternity came down so we could understand,

  The child of Creator, the true Son of Man.

 

He was not unexpected, for the prophets foretold

    The events that had happened would surely unfold.

Four hundred years later the miracle came,

  The star over Bethlehem shone where He lay.

 

They came to attend Him from near and from far,

  The shepherds and wise men who followed the star.

  All were rejoicing that first Christmas night

At the child of a virgin, a humbling sight.

 

So what is the meaning of that first Christmas night?

  Simply, He came to make everything right.

  For the Child had a purpose in coming to Earth.

He came as a light and to give us new birth.

 

He gave us forgiveness and paid with His life.

  What kind of love would pay such a price?

For death could not hold Him; He rose from that grave.

And freedom and life were the gifts that He gave.

 

No longer divided, no longer alone,

  Because of His love the wall had come down.

  Live free forever! O, what a gift!

Both now here on earth and forever with Him.

 

Wise men and angels followed Him then.

  Wise men still seek Him, again and again.

 

                                                  -- Jackie M. Johnson

Autumn Leaves: A Lesson in Letting Go

 

There’s something about the brilliant colors of autumn leaves as summer's green fades to flaming red, vibrant yellow or amber orange.

 

Before the first snow falls, each leaf wafts to the ground and only the barren tree branches remain. It’s a shedding of sorts. For a season, it looks as if the gnarly trees will be empty forever. But just as sure as spring comes, tiny buds appear; lush green leaves form again and mighty maples, oaks and aspens come to life once more.

 

Old leaves fall; new growth comes.

 

In your quest to clean up your house or redecorate your inner life, remember that there is a reason for release and a season for renewal. Letting go, like the brown, crunchy leaves at autumn's end--and letting go of the past and pain in our own lives--is possible as you pray. Ask the Lord to blow a mighty wind in your life to empower you to let go when releasing the past is difficult.  

 

And then, you will find more peace and freedom.

 

You’ll feel lighter, as if a weight has been lifted from you. Mostly, you will be making room for new things. And when you do, you never know what surprises God may have in store for you.

What Is Christmas?

To some it is Santa and snowmen and toys,
To some it’s the shopping, bright wrappings and noise,
To others it’s family and everyone’s home,
To me, it’s much more. Let me share in this poem…

Christmas is where it all began,
An infant child who became a man.
Eternity came down so we could understand,
The child of Creator, the true Son of Man.

He was not unexpected, for the prophets foretold
The events that had happened would surely unfold.
Four hundred years later the miracle came,
The star over Bethlehem shone where He lay.

They came to attend Him from near and from far,
The shepherds and wise men who followed the star.
All were rejoicing that first Christmas night
At the child of a virgin, a humbling sight.

So what is the meaning of that first Christmas night?
Simply, He came to make everything right.
For the Child had a purpose in coming to Earth.
He came as a light and to give us new birth.

He gave us forgiveness and paid with His life.
What kind of love would pay such a price?
For death could not hold Him; He rose from that grave.
And freedom and life were the gifts that He gave.

No longer divided, no longer alone,
Because of His love the wall had come down.
Live free forever! O, what a gift!
Both now here on earth and forever with Him.

Wise men and angels followed Him then.
Wise men still seek Him, again and again.

                                   -- Jackie M. Johnson

Freedom and Peace on the Road of Life

No matter what you are going through--or have just come through--there is hope. Hope that one day things will be better. More joy, less pain. More freedom and peace.

There is a new road: Following God's path instead of going the way of what we think will satisfy. It may be unfamiliar at first, maybe a bit different than what you're used to, but ultimately...satisfying...good...very good.

Be encouraged, the journey of life takes many twists and turns, but if you're following the One who loves you most, all will be well in the end.

A New Road to Follow

Come forth from the darkness and into the sun.
My child, do you know that a new day has dawned?
The chains that have held you are loose; you are free!
Go forth on a new path. Get up; follow Me.

For I’ll show you a new way, a new road to trod.
It’s long and it’s winding and, at first, may seem odd.
But I will be with you. Child, come take my hand.
Get ready to enter the new Promised Land.

I know you have been in your Egypt too long.
In bondage, oppression and not very strong.
Throw off your sadness, your fear and distress.
It’s time to be different, it’s time to be blessed.

To know the truth and to be set free,
To learn and become all that you’re meant to be.
To walk in a new way – in freedom and might.
To walk daily by faith and not by sight.

The desert will bloom once again and rejoice!
But remember, my child, that you have a choice:
To live by My words; to trust and obey.
In step with the Spirit, I’ll show you the way.

With power and purpose your life will be strong,
For the joy of the Lord will be your new song.
Come forth from the darkness and into the sun.
My child, it is true – a new day has dawned!

-- --Jackie M. Johnson

You Hurt Me and I Have to Forgive You?

Forgiving someone who’s hurt you can be difficult. In an ideal world, the person who has wronged you would come forward and say he was sorry. He’d acknowledge his wrong-doing and ask for forgiveness. In an ideal world a lot of things would be different. In your situation, the other person may or may not show signs of repentance, remorse or being sorry. Forgive anyway.

Really?

Yes. It’s time to set your heart free.

It’s not easy, but it is possible—when we know what forgiveness is and is not. I’ve been posting recently on this topic, so if you missed it, check out the other blog posts from this week. Here are some final thoughts. It’s helpful to know that:

Forgiveness releases you. When you do not forgive you are the one that hurts, not the other person. You may feel physically sick, or have other aches and pains from holding onto hurt, anger and resentment. Don’t let an unforgiving heart eat you up on the inside and destroy you.

Whether it was ten years ago or ten days ago, when you forgive you are unbound and free to move into the next season of your life. Forgiveness is the balm that heals the heart.

When the pain has been dealt with you can leave the past in the past. You don’t have to drive on in life constantly looking in the rear view mirror. Because you are now moving forward, you look through the front windshield toward the future.
Will you choose your way and hold on to the hurt, or choose God’s way and forgive?

Freedom, baby. You are the one the can be free.

Forgiveness is not a one time thing. When Peter, one of Christ’s followers back in the day, came to Jesus and asked how many times he should forgive his brother, Peter thought he was being generous when he offered to forgive up to seven times. Jesus’ reply must have startled Peter when Jesus said seventy times seven. We forgive again and again, but we are also wise as to how we let the other person treat us.

Forgiveness is an act of your will; it is a choice. Choosing to forgive someone is a heart decision. You may still feel hurt or angry but you don’t have to carry it around in your purse or back pocket.

Here’s the key. It may be helpful for you to process the hurt before you are ready to forgive. Check out Chapters 3 and 4 in “When Love Ends and the Ice Cream Carton is Empty” for suggestions on how to deal with your emotions and how to grieve losses. You may want to write in your journal, talk with a trusted friend or Christian counselor about your issues, too.

Another helpful way to prepare your heart to forgive someone is to pretend they are sitting in a chair next to yours. You say whatever you want to say, and can speak freely because no one else is listening. The power of release comes as you let loose and vent with words, tears, or both. Even though they are not there to hear it, speaking aloud releases the pain in you. Just as you take the garbage out of your house, you can get the emotional garbage out of your self.

Forgiveness can eventually lead to acceptance. It takes time to integrate new ways of thinking into your heart and life. But in time, you will be able to come to a place of acceptance that this relationship is over and assimilate this new idea. Acceptance does not always mean you like it or agree with it, it simply frees you to live in reality and get on with your own life.

Forgiveness does not always lead to reconciliation. It can, but it may not always be wise or safe. Forgiveness does not mean we have to have a relationship with the other person or allow them to treat us badly. In addition, the other person may no longer be alive, or may not be able to receive what you have to say. Use discernment to guard your heart and stay away from a person who’s harmed you.

Forgiveness leads to freedom and peace. A person who has been forgiven much and who chooses to forgive others has a freed heart. No longer tethered to the pain of wrong, they can run in righteousness, made right with God. Perhaps you’ve seen it. They are more at peace and have a lighter heart because they’re no longer carrying around the weight of the past. Their shoulders relax, and a smile replaces and angry scowl. By God’s amazing grace and mercy they are never the same.

What is binding you-—bitterness, anger, resentment, or offense? Perhaps it’s time to release your vice grip hold and forgive. Give God your thirst, your ache, and your needs. As you choose to forgive and release, you will find freedom and peace.

“I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.”
(Psalm 119:32)

After a Breakup: Forgiving Someone Who’s Hurt You

After a breakup we may have a hard time with forgiving someone who has hurt us.

Sometimes we are wrong and we need forgiveness, and other times we are wronged; someone has hurt us. When they do, Christ wants us to forgive them. But before we can get to that place of release and forgiveness, we often wrestle with the decision. We want the other person to “get it,” to understand how much he has hurt us. We may want him to pay or be punished for what he’s done. The flesh (the human side of us) and the spirit part of us grapple with why we should forgive.

Men and women in relationships can hurt each other deeply. One guy started dating one of my closest friends while we were still together. Another one didn’t even have the guts to break up with me; he just closed off all communication—after two years of being together.

People lie, they hide, and they say and do things that can mar your heart for a really long time. Maybe the guy you were with used you, or maybe you’re sick about letting yourself be used. You didn’t want to, but you gave in to his sexual advances (whether it was sex or just doing more physically than you were comfortable with). You naively thought that would make him love you more—and maybe he would stay. But he didn’t. Maybe he was unkind, tactless or downright cruel. You wanted a promise-keeper and ended up with a promise-breaker. On the other hand, perhaps he was a “great guy” but you’re mad because he didn’t choose you.

We may have myriad reasons to be hurt or angry, and a part of us is hesitant to readily forgive. But our perspective changes when we realize what God has done for us. And in the light of the mercy He’s shown us, we can extend the hand of forgiveness to others.

To be sure, forgiveness does not always come easy. We want the scales of justice to be balanced; we want things to be fair. Yet, when we came to God asking Him for mercy despite our unwise and selfish ways, we were more than okay with the scales tipping in our favor.

Because He has first forgiven us, Christ commands us to forgive. And in an act of loving obedience to the One who loves us most we can follow Ephesians 4:31, 32, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Jesus himself said, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14, 15)

Forgiveness comes in time, not always right away. Sometimes we have to grieve it first. Ross Parsley once said, “Forgiveness is a decision, but healing is a process.”

Forgiving others is possible as you:

Acknowledge you have been hurt. “I have been wronged.”

Receive God’s forgiveness. “I have been wrong, too. I need forgiveness.”

Choose to forgive. “I’m wrestling with why I should I forgive him?”

Release to God in prayer—and forgive. “Because God has forgiven me, I will forgive him.”

While you may have been offended, that does not mean you have to hold on to the offense. In this life we will be hurt or offended many times; that is a given. However, we have the choice of how we respond to the wrongdoing.

John Bevere in The Bait of Satan: Living Free from the Deadly Trap of Offense says that offense is a tool used by the enemy to bring believers in captivity leaving them ensnared and unable to break free. “Pride keeps you from dealing with the truth,” said Bevere, “It distorts your vision. You never change when you think everything is fine.” You hold onto the offense, so you hold back forgiveness.

Bevere helps us to remember the law of sowing and reaping. “…when you sow the love of God, you will reap the love of God.”

Just as you plant seeds in your garden and reap a harvest of summer fruits and vegetables, when you sow seeds of unconditional love you reap the love of God in your own life. And that love gives you the reason— and the power—to release the person who has wounded you.

“The love of God is the key to freedom from the baited trap of offense,” said Bevere.

Raspberry Moments

I had a bowl of fresh raspberries this morning. And when I took the very first bite of the little red fruit suddenly I was eight-years old again.

I could see my younger self walking across the gravel road outside my grandparent’s cabin in the Wisconsin north woods toward a long patch of wild raspberries. We'd pick them and eat them with cereal or right from the vine when we just couldn't wait. I can still remember those long summer days of freedom and adventure--just me and my two sisters at my grandparent’s lake cottage every two weeks, every summer. Bliss!

I remember swimming in the lake until "our lips turned blue" as Grandma would say. Walking through the woods with my nature-loving grandfather was a given; he’d point out different kinds of birds, plants and animals. He knew a lot and longed to share woodland wisdom with us, but most of it didn't sink in. However, I’ll never forget one important plant: the wintergreen. When you snap the firm leaf in two, it smells like gum! That one I remembered.

We'd take drives in the pine-covered countryside, go horseback riding, or go into town for supplies. Minocqua was a quaint nearby tourist town with water-ski shows and Mass on the lake. Leisurely strolling down the main street, we’d stop to buy trinkets with our allowance. Grandma would always want to look at fall clothes, and we couldn't image why anyone could even THINK about autumn when summer was right here, ripe for the picking. I wanted to stay in my summer state of mind forever.

I remember the smell of Folgers’s coffee brewing early in the morning. As I chomped on Frosted Flakes, I wondered why grownups drank the stuff when it tasted so bitter. Most days Grandpa would take us for a boat ride on the lake. He taught us to fish (and made us bait our own hooks) and clean our catch. Then Grandma would fry up a fresh perch or bluegill dinner, complete with a baked potato and big green salad. Yum.

After dinner we’d take a short walk down the pine-covered peninsula that jetted out into the water. As night fell, you could hear the distant sound of a loon singing his own unique tune and return to the cabin walking on a soft bed of pine needles and mossy green ground.

But back to the raspberries. Funny how a taste can incite a memory. Good memories. What foods give you good memories? What could you taste right now that would transport you back to a time that was happy, carefree, and wonder-filled?

Today mine was a bowl of red raspberries. It sure felt good to be eight again.

The Mystery of The Cross -- Reviewed

The Mystery of the Cross: Bringing Ancient Christian Images to Life (IVP) by Judith Couchman is a unique read.

Couchman offers forty images of the cross from the early church days and throughout history. Thoroughly researched (and with illustrations), ancient images spring to life from the pages as you traverse historical, theological, and artistic context in each of these different images. The chapters are both informational and devotional.

“Without this cross,” says Couchman, “we’d be stuck in our sin with no future hope of heaven…The cross is our spiritual centerpiece, the sign of our soul’s emancipation.” (page 22)

While early believer’s revered Christ’s cross, “they knew the Savior, not the actual cross itself, had ushered in salvation and radically changed their lives.” (page 14)

It’s one thing to read about the cross of Christ; it’s quite another to let it change you. Instead of ignorance and forgetfulness, let’s remember that Jesus died and rose again to free us. Live free forever, both now here on earth and forever with Him!

We remember the power of the cross, and are unspeakably grateful.