All of a sudden our grass has turned green again! For weeks it looked sickly, like maybe there were pests or the watering wasn’t quite right, or was it was just the hot hot southern Utah summer? I couldn’t quite make anything work. Then I fertilized, and that seemed to take care of it. I just mowed four days ago, and as you can see, it’s already out of control!
It’s one of the moments I remember so clearly. I was driving in the car with a dear friend a few months after my father passed away. I had helped my mom sort through his office, deleted his cell number, wept when a military convoy drove by (he was career military), and had been processing “goodbyes” in countless other ways.
Last week, I wrote about Reading Scripture Relationally. God has given us the Bible so we might connect with Him in authentic relationship! As we read scripture relationally, we know God for who He is and open ourselves up to be known by Him. This creates space in our lives where we can bring our real selves to meet with God where real growth, healing, and change can take place.
How can we read the Bible relationally?
Continue reading “Three ideas for reading the Bible relationally”
A friend asked me recently, “how do you read Scripture…?” The first thing that came to mind is that I read it relationally and for the heart. In relationship, we come to know another and be known.
God desires relationship with us (take a peek at my previous post, Love is Relational, for more on this). And as we grow in relationship with God, knowing Him and His love for us, we naturally grow in loving and relating with people.
Love is intentional! Love notices people, sees needs, reaches out, responds, takes action … and follows up on the intent to do so! Love is not passive or disengaged. With loving actions and responses, we change the course of our futures, and that of other people as well (it makes a difference!).
Earlier this summer I jotted in my journal: “Intentionality: How can we reach out? Show love? Create beauty? Create fun? (Invite friends over.)” These good things don’t just happen by accident in our lives. They happen when we are thoughtful and imagine the possibilities, then follow through and take action to make that which is good and loving happen!
For me, sticky notes help me be intentional about all sorts of things. (I also like Google Keep on my phone, as it’s great for making lists or notes wherever I am.)
Continue reading “Love…powered by sticky notes? {Love is intentional}”
Live a Life of Love 