Welcome to Have You Seen? We’ll review last week and share other posts from around the web. Enjoy rest and renewal while you cozy up for some soul-food reading.
Last Week’s Theme: Prayer
Looking Up and Out Through the Marathon of Life + Soft Pretzel Bites (3 Ways) by Ashley Felder— “This marathon I speak of is the marathon of my current life, similar to lots of you: living overseas, a husband with many busy roles, three young kiddos, homeschooling, and the roles I attempt to juggle. It’s chaotic most days. But instead of giving in to complaining about the chaos and noise, the Father is moving my heart and mind to focus on keeping my eyes on Him and others.”
Christmas Continues… {Book Club} by Kimberlee Conway Ireton—”Christmas is upon us, friends! Its joy continues to unspool in these 12 days of celebration, the magnitude of God-with-us sinking ever more deeply into our hearts and lives. Because it is a season so rich with wonder and meaning, I have chosen to reflect briefly on a few of its many themes.”
Onward Christian Hobo by M’Lynn Taylor— “I started 2016 with a prayer penned in my journal “Shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.” It’s a beautiful and poetic line from The Message (Psalm 51:7-15). Instead of doing a One Word for the year, I claimed this as my phrase. Looking back, I realize I had absolutely no idea how God would answer the prayer.”
The Life-Changing Magic of Praying For Salsa by Karen Huber— “My word for 2016 was SALSA. I know – not exactly a deep, soulful, year-centering word. But for me, it was a relief, a release of emotion from the not-exactly-met hopes of my previous one words “try” and “submit.” It’s not that those years were years of failure, but what I had hoped they’d mean – and what they came to represent, in all their varying forms, good and bad – didn’t exactly match up.”
To Catch a Kingfisher {The Grove: Prayer} by Kimberly Todd— “Prayer Is Like Watching For the Kingfisher: A Poem by Ann Lewin
Prayer is like watching for
The kingfisher. All you can do is
Be there where he is like to appear, and
Wait.
Often nothing much happens; . . . “
From Around the Web
What’s on Your 2017 Cultural Bucket List?
In 2017, Get to Know Some Dead People.
How Do I Make Goals for 2017 When I Know I Can’t Meet Them?
RAISING OUR KIDS WITH A “LEGACY LIST.”
The Best Books I Read in 2016 (Plus 27 Others Worth Knowing About).
Finally, The Truth about Loneliness.
And Now for Next Week
The theme is . . .
We all have them. Those passages of Scripture that anchor our soul. Ones we return to like slipping on a favorite comfy sweatshirt. Others that infuse a fresh perspective into our thinking in different seasons. Passages that never fail to breathe life into our passions. Ones that whisper hope and courage to our weary soul.
This week we encourage you to consider a passage of Scripture to focus on this year. As you intentionally return to it again and again, letting it sink deeply into your being, watch how layers of meaning are revealed over the months.
Maybe this is part of what Paul meant when he wrote, “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly…” Let this one particular passage become a part of your thinking, your prayers, your rhythms, your formation.
Join us at The Grove beginning on Thursday at 6pm EST and share your passage, your process of choosing it (or realizing it had been chosen for you), and how you intend to let it dwell in you richly. And don’t forget to share your passage on Instagram using #VelvetAshesPassage.
