IN REAL LIFE

YOU'RE ON TOMORROW!

Good morning, Ladies! I don't even know how to begin to tell you what your letters to Baby Maeryn have meant to my family and me. They'll mean a great deal to Maeryn someday too, so I'm keeping all of them to put in a special album for, along with the snippets of mini-women wisdom from the tweens. You are all fabulous.

And the thing is -- it's not only Maeryn who's going to benefit from the thoughts you've expressed. I think all of us can learn from the insights that surface when a new little person joins the world. So I've decided to start a new series with you here on this blog, called New Real Life: Learning from Maeryn. I'd like for it to be a way to take those insights and weave them in real ways into our lives (mine, too!) A lot of comments about jealousy and uncertainty about the future and confusing boy-thoughts have been coming up, and I think this series can address all of that and more. 

So how does that sound to you? I'll start posting tomorrow (I switched you and the tweens this week because they tend to get more restless in my absence! I hope you're not as bummed out as Geneveve -- above -- gets when my attention goes elsewhere!). If you want to post a comment today, tell us what you think -- what do you currently need help with? what topics would you love to have insights on? where would you like to basically start over? I'm excited about this -- but do let me know if it just doesn't resonate with you. After all, this blog's for you.

Speaking of YOUR blogs -- anybody have any new posts for "The Resolution Solution" and "The Blessing Pool?" If you've sent me one and I haven't posted it yet, would you shoot me an email at nnrue@att.net?

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." 

Blessings,

Nancy Rue 

 

I'M A GRANDMOTHER!

Good morning, Ladies. I'm a grandmother! Baby Maeryn Julienne was born Friday afternoon, weighing in at (wait for it!) 8 pounds, 4 1/2 ounces, which means ANNABELLE is our winner. Free copy of RL 4 for you when it arrives, my friend.

I can't even begin to tell you how amazing it was to be part of Maeryn's entry into the world. Birth is truly a miracle, and I could feel the world change the minute she gave her first cry. Right now, as you can imagine, all I can think about is her and her mommy and her daddy and her grandpa. We were all there through the labor and delivery and have been loving her and caring for her non-stop ever since. She needs to be surrounded by the best we can give her, love-wise, don't you agree?

Which means between that and, oh, yeah, trying to write a BOOK that's due soon (for adults) I think it may be next week before we here on the blog get back to our discussion of growing into the full stature of Christ, at least from my end. But what I would LOVE for you to do is think about what you would say to Baby Maeryn about beginning her life.  I have already whispered to her that God loves her, and I think she gets it -- if that sweet expression on her face is any indication. That will not only bless my family, but I think it will help YOU in your journey -- because every day in your life is a rebirth. As the sun comes up today, you can take your own advice and begin anew. I can't wait to see what comes from this conversation. You are incredible young women. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers.

 

Blessings

 

Nancy Rue     

At Full Stature

  Hello, Ladies. The snow is falling. My granddaughter is going to be born within the next 3 and a half days. I'm up to my eyebrows in a novel I'm trying to finish before Baby Maeryn arrives. As you can imagine, it is SO hard to concentrate! Ever been there -- where your mind keeps going back to one thing because that's what you want to eat, drink, and sleep? Speaking of sleep, I dreamed last night that Maeryn came out a boy and she had red hair that was all combed like Elvis Presley!

But one of the things that has brought me back to earth is your responses to what it feels like -- even in tiny glimmers -- to be approaching the full stature of Christ, which is the one goal we all share in this year of resolutions.

      RACHEL says it's pure joy. A smile that won't stop and an urge to go out and do good godly stuff in her life. She's knows she's headed for full stature when she wants to yell, "How cool is God?"

          SARAH, too, experiences it as an insane joy, as if every day were her birthday. (At my age I'm not so sure I WANT a birthday every day, but I get it!)

        PAIGE is on board with the joy image, as well. She says it would be joyfully seeking to glorify Christ in every sphere of her life.

            ALISHA sees it as inspiring a nation. She thinks of having that confidence that God is with her, no matter what.

            TORI J's is different, yet of course just as vivid and appropriate. She says that being in the full stature of Christ would mean people wouldn't see her when they looked in her direction. She'd be invisible, transparent. Christ would be the only thing they could see. Wow. Awesome thought.

            GOTHGIRL sums it up for herself in one word: MAGNIFICENT! That does say a lot, doesn't it?

As you continue to work on your resolution -- and there's a lot of activity over on the Resolution Solution (I'm about to add two new posts right after this) -- look also for the glimpses of that full stature, that almost-there that comes when you least expect it.  

Whenever you want, post those moments in comments here on In Real Life, because we all need to be reminded of what they look like. My last one, for example, came last Saturday night when my daughter was feeling embarrassed that she'd gone to the hospital when she wasn't actually in labor yet. We were all trying to convince her that she shouldn't feel that way, that it happens to a lot of new moms, that there was nothing to be disappointed about, there's still a baby, blah, blah, blah. And suddenly I had a thought that didn't come from me but that made me stand tall within (my full stature image). I said to everybody, "You know what? I think we need to let Marijean feel whatever she feels right now and not try to talk her out of it." So we all did, and very soon she was okay and back to looking forward to the day when it IS time -- which is going to be Monday when they will induce labor if Marijean hasn't had her yet. It was such a small thing, but it was a glimpse of what it's like to understand and have compassion and say the right, loving thing. That doesn't come from me -- I'm not that good! That comes from just wanting to do the Jesus thing.

So share with us. And y'know what, since I have a one-track mind right now, let's have a baby weight contest. What do you say? The person who comes closest to guessing Baby Maeryn's birth weight without going over (like on The Price Is Right!) gets a copy of RL 4 when it comes out (soon!) or the book of your choice from my stock. The guesses are first come, first serve, so if you think 8 pounds 3 ounces and that's already been taken in a comment before you, ya gotta pick a different number. I will give you a hint: at her ultrasound last week, Maeryn was measured at 8 pounds, 2 ounces, give or  take nineteen ounces (that's the error margin!) So -- ready, set -- GUESS!

I'm proud to know you. "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."                  

 

Blessings,

 

Nanny . . . uh, Nancy Rue           

ONE GOAL FOR ALL

Hello, Ladies. I can't tell you how impressed I am with your participation in the Resolution Solution. (If you're just joining this party, post a comment asking what's going on, and somebody will fill you in). You seem to love the groups -- as do I -- and I think the whole concept gives us an unexpected opportunity to make an effort to remain one body even as we form smaller communities focusing on the same "soul goals" for the year. Of COURSE as soon as I was starting to think about that, I came across this reading in today's lectionary. (I love it when that happens):

        "The gifts he (Christ) gave were . . . to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ."  (Ephesians 4: 11-13)

We're all working on one of four different KINDS of goals, but we're all headed to the same big ol' hairy lifetime one, and that is to come to the "measure of the full stature of Christ."

So I'm thinking, how do we measure that? How do we know we're actually getting there? I don't know about you, but as a visual person, I like to envision where I'm going, even if I've never been there before. Do you do that? When you're going on a trip, for example, do you imagine what your hotel room is going to look like, or the beach, ro whatever is there at your destination? I can't tell you how many times I have pictured the birthing room where we're going to be with Marijean as she goes through labor and delivery with Baby Maeryn (who hasn't arrived yet -- but she isn't techinically due until a week from today . . .)

So wouldn't it make sense to envision what we'll be like when we get close to "the full stature of Christ"? Not a detailed picture of perfection, because that would probably interfere with the journey itself, but a glimpse, a single image that we can measure ourselves against from time to time.

Here's an example. When I think of myself at the full stature of Christ, I think of Sojourner Truth, an abolitionist in the 1800's. She said that whenever she spoke out against slavery, she "felt tall within." At the times when I feel "tall within" -- like I can hold my head up a little higher because I feel God's presence and power and integrity in some small part of me -- that feels like I'm aproaching the full stature of Christ. I don't feel it all the time. I have a long (long!) way to go. But there are moments, and I recognize them because  God has given me that image of Sojourner Truth.

If you're up for it and you want to post today, pray and think about your image of what the full stature of Christ would look and feel like to you. Knowing you, we will come up with a gorgeous array of Christ-like women who we are even now becoming -- just like squares on a quilt. I can't wait.

Blessings,

Nancy Rue     

LINKING YOU UP TO THE RESOLUTION SOLUTION!

Hello, Ladies! Well, du-uh (as my tweens would say) -- I did forget to provide you with a link to The Resolution Solution blog. Here it is -- drum roll, please:

The Resolution Solution

There are now four posts, one for each resolution group, thanks to NICOLE, EMII, KATIE, and JESSICA. Please, please, please send me your posts as you make discoveries and have epiphanies. If you find yourself writing really long comments, those may actually be posts, so attach them to an email and send it to me instead (nnrue@att.net). I will try to post them as quickly as possible after I receive them -- that's MY New Year's Resolution!

This was a great idea, Ladies -- but, then, I would expect nothing less, because you are GETTING all these ideas from your relationship with God. That is, of course, where the best stuff comes from. 

Have a great weekend, and please keep praying for Baby Maeryn. Any day now, she will be with us!

 

"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with all of you."

2 Thessalonians 3:16

 

Blessings,

Nancy Rue

GOALS FOR YOUR SOULS ARE UNDERWAY!

Hello, Ladies! Our newest blog, "The Resolution Solution",  is up and running. I loved all your title suggestions and will be using all of them as titles HERE at one point or another. 

I've only received two posts for that blog, one from Katie for Resolution #2 (Being a creative witness) and one from Jessica for Resolution #3 (Realizing God is at the center of everything and living that way) If you are in either of those groups, you can go on and read the post and start making comments.

What I need now are some posts for Resolution #1 (Making better use of time) and  #4 (Getting totally into Scripture). As soon as I receive those, I can post them and you can make your comments and get your support going. The posts don't have to be long (even though Katie and Jessica's are!) and they don't have to be perfect (seriously-- are MINE?). They just need to come from your heart and God's. So pray away and start typing. My email address, to which you'll need to attach your post, is nnrue@att.net.

No baby yet, but I think we're getting close. Will you pray?

 

Blessings,

Nancy Rue 

WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER

Hello, Ladies! It is SO cold here in Middle Tennessee today, and the blanket of snow on the ground makes it feel even colder. I stand in the window watching my crazy dogs romp around in it and I just shiver. Are they serious? I'm so glad God made hot chocolate, and that my daughter knitted me fingerless mitts so I can basically type with gloves on.

No baby yet, by the way. Little Maeryn seems to like it right where she is for the time being. If it's warm in there, I don't blame her! (And ladies, thank you so, so much for your prayers for my family. I've shared them with Marijean)

In the midst of waiting to become a grandmother, I've been reading your posts about how we can co-ordinate helping each other with our various God-goals for this new year. One of the things that has become clear is that you really do depend on each other, in a way that you don't the friends you see face to face on a daily basis.  One of our biggest LIFE goals is to be able to be as transparent with everyone as we can be here on the blog, but since the people you're associating with personally right now aren't as mature as they're going to be some day, that's probably not going to happen this year! So that makes it even MORE important that you have a way to truly support each other in specific, concrete ways. 

Here's what you've suggested so far:

        (1)  create a different blog where each resolution has a post, and we continue to comment on our resolution's post about how we put our resolution into play.

        (2) have Mrs. Rue put us into resolution groups and then connect us by email address so we could talk to and check up on how our resolutions are going.

        (3) post one resolution group at the bottom of each regular post and we would use that time to post updates and such on how we're doing. 

All great ideas -- as was the Facebook idea, though as you pointed out, not everybody has access to that.  Since The Blessing Pool has worked pretty well (except for me not keeping up with changing the post often enough!), why don't we try this? 

        * I'll set up another blog and we'll call it -- what shall we call it?

        * Any of you who want to can write a post about the resolution below that you're working on and send it to me ATTACHED TO AN EMAIL.  (My email address, as you know, is nnrue@att.net) Indicate which number you're writing about in your subject line so I can immediately put it in the right file.

            1    make better use of time (instead of internet, boys,

            2   be a real, creative  witness -- not a judgmental one, not just in big things but in small. etc. 

            3  let God be the center of absolutely everything (Includes falling in love with Jesus, having Jesus as best friend, realizing we're walking on water, balancing God as friend with God as all-powerful being, etc.)

            4  getting totally into Scripture

        It seems like everything you posted falls into one of those very broad categories. If not, let me know.   

        * I'll give you until Thursday night to do that (although you can continue to submit posts to me as the year goes on). Then I'll post four -- one for each resolution category -- and you can start responding with comments in your category. I'm thinking you should probably stick with your resolution group so it doesn't get overwhelming and confusing.

How does that sound so far? It'll be up to you to send me emails telling me it's time to change the post (maybe every week or so?) We'll let this grow organically and see what happens. It may peter out after a while, or it may take on a life of its own, but it's worth a try. As SARAH said, if we don't work at this and encourage each other, we're probably not going to stick with it. I'll check in now and then and leave comments, too, if that's okay with you. I think we'll all remember that this is about encouraging each other, having a place to say, "Yikes, I'm not keeping to my commitment -- anybody got a word for me?" 

If you want to post today, let us know what you think and make any other suggestions that would make this even better. Meanwhile, you can continue to encourage each other here the way you always do. I'll use Thursday's post to get you started on THAT blog, and then next Monday I'll go back to posting additional stuff here about goals and epiphanies. I'm learning tons that I can't wait to share with you.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessings,

Nancy Rue (P.S. Today's picture shows Guinness, Geneveve, and my granddog Frost all supporting each other in their New Year's goal to kick back as much as possible . . .)       

READY, SET . . . GOAL!

Good morning, Ladies! Let me just say right up front that I'm a little bit discombobulated (is that a word?) this morning, because it looks like Baby Maeryn is going to be born VERY soon! A new life coming into the world is a huge thing, so it's hard to focus on just about anything else. 

But if I can set my mind to anything, it's YOU. The goals you've set for yourselves are so heart-felt and God-filled, I just had to stop and applaud you, because you, too, are "giving birth" to new life.

RACHEL wants her prayers to be more like conversations with God. ANNABELLE's going to for a good Bible-reading plan.  NICOLE, like me, wants a more trusting and conscious relationship with God throughout the day. EMII's thinking of reading the Old Testmament. ALY has three, one of which is to spend at least an hour on devotions everyday.  MEGAN wants to go to God with everything. Even in the midst of a tough time, MELODY is holding onto that thread of wanting to trust God. ALISHA  is going to fight her battles in a far different way from now on (she said it so much mroe eloquently than I'm paraphrasing).   GOTHGIRL wants to shine for Jesus without worrying about what people are going to think.  TORI TJ is all about not insulting and nit-picking at her siblings. In her effort to think more about God, JYLLENNA is going to try to see herself as God sees her.  BETHANY's main goal is to be the best friend and witness to others that she can be (since as she points out, it's selfish to keep God to yourself!) .  MARY CATHERINE would like to find a lot of passages in the Bible that she can really relate to as a fourteen year old girl living in the twenty-first century.  As for KATE, even in the midst of a huge move (again!), she wants to renew her relationship with God by spending time with Him again.  JESSICA is going to try to think more pure thoughts and have a postivie attitude towards all people. 

Y'know what? I am glad my granddaughter is going to be born into a world that has all of you in it. Can you even imagine what that world would be like if EVERYONE set and stuck to the kinds of goals you've realized God has shaped for you? You CAN change things -- and you will -- starting with these not-so-small steps.

Speaking of which, our next step is to find a way to support each other as we try to weave our longings into our way-busy lives. We've talked about accountability groups, or even a pairing of people with similar goals. Here's what I'd like to do. Between now and Monday, see if you can come up with some approaches to this through our blog. I know I have as many different things going on here as I can handle (and by the way, look for a new post on THE BLESSING POOL momentarily! If you want to post today, over the weekend, and Monday, tell us your ideas. I'll look at them all Monday evening and see if I can put together a plan. Feel free to comment on each other's ideas (in your usual positive way). I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

Now, off to the doctor with mama and soon-to-be-born baby!

 

Blessings,

 

Nancy Rue

THE SECRET TO STICKING TO IT

Happy New Year, Ladies! I've been reading your comments about the changes you want to make in this next year of your journey and, honestly, just when I thought I couldn't be any more impressed with you, I am! After your solitary time, you realized that:

* Jesus can totally empathize with everything you're going through because he was, as Christmas reminds us, human. (Thanks, RACHEL)

* It would be great if we treated every day as a New Year's Day, putting the past behind us and making goals and trying to make ourselves better people (Thanks, PAIGE)

*  What better time than the New Year to rededicate ourselves to reading the Bible and living more like Christ wants us to, for the only thing that really lasts? Why not pick a theme for each day and stick to it? (Thanks, ANNABELLE)

* This year, why not LIVE your life instead of Facebook it? (MANY thanks, EMII!)

All of you who posted have goals for the year that I know God totally approves of (and probably shaped in your mind and heart, come to think of it). But the one thing almost everybody said was:

        "I just don't know if I can stick to it."

Oh, I hear you! How many diaries have we all started on January 1, only to lose track of them by Valentine's Day? Weight loss programs and gyms have record new memberships in the month of January, but only about 30% of those people are still enrolled six months later. Even Bible study classes that start right after the New Year are usually packed, and then dwindle in attendance as the winter drags on. What happens to our good intentions, do you think?

I have a thought about that (though I'll want to hear yours, too, of course.) I've known if for a long time, but it came to me yesterday when I was sitting with my daughter (who is now even BIGGER than she was 10 days ago when the picture above was taken; BTW, don't those homemade cinnamon rolls of hers look scrumptious? They WERE!). Here's what came to me.

About a year and a half ago, Marijean and her husband Brian set a "goal" of having a baby. As most of you know, she had three miscarriages before it was discovered that she has an autoimmune disorder that, left untreated, made it impossible for her to carry a baby. With great medicine, she's been able to keep Baby Maeryn in utero, and in no longer than 20 days from now, she'll be born. Goal accomplished -- they'll have a baby.

Of course, they didn't meet that goal all by themselves. Not only did they have medical help, they had God's help. God created the miracles of conception and gestation and birth, which is a good thing because if we had to control all the hormones and cell divisions and developmental stuff, the human race would have come to a screeching halt long ago!

Besides that, after a certain point, even if they had wanted to abandon their goal, they couldn't have. That's one of those decisions that, once in process, can't be changed. Right now Marijean has no choice but to stick to it -- in spite of the heartburn and the back aches and the kicking going on in there that has her convinced she's going to give birth to a Rockette. She and Brian have made a huge commitment and there just is no turning back. If they are like every other set of parents who have ever brought a child into this world, there are going to be two-o'clock-in-the-morning moments when they're going to question that decision, but they will definitely "stick to it."

So -- what if we made our New Year's decisions that carefully? What if we only chose those things that are truly going to change our lives? What if they were things that we couldn't do without God? What if they were things for which we had no choice but to stick to them? What if not sticking to them would mean there would be no new life?

For instance, one of my goals for 2011 is to be more conscious of God in my daily life. I have special quiet time every morning and another quiet time at night before I turn out the light. But in between, sometimes I go for hours without actually thinking about God in my conscious mind, and I just wonder how much better I could serve, how much better a person I could be, and how much happier and more at peace if I, as Brother Lawrence put it, "practiced the presence of God."

That's a tough one, because unlike quitting smoking or losing twenty pounds or reading the Complete Works of Shakespeare, it isn't a tangible thing you can check with the number of cigarettes left in the pack or the number of pounds that show up on the scale. Applying the questions, though . . .

    Would this goal truly change my life? Ya think? I'd make better decisions, maybe move more people toward Christ without realizing it, definitely be a better friend -- and that's just for starters.

    Could I accomplish this without God? Now that's a no-brainer! It's all ABOUT God. God will decide whether to nudge me or poke me or speak to me in a still, small voice. There's no way I'm jist going to say, "I will be conscious of God," and magically pull it off.  This is totally going to be a team effort.

    Do I have a choice whether I stick to this? It might seem like it, but once you make a vow to God (rather than just to yourself or to someone else), breaking it becomes a pretty huge thing. Fortunately, God wants me to reach this goal as much as I do. God will remind me, get me back on track, especially if I employ spiritual practices designed to make me more aware of God's presence (or God will just plain show off as he's doing this very minute with the sunset outside my office window -- spectacular).   

    Would not sticking to this mean there would be no new life for me? I don't even have to ponder that. There is no New Year, new me, new ideas, new ways of looking at things without a deeper awareness of God. There is no new creation without the Creator.

So I think the secret to sticking to our New Year's resolutions is not self-discipline or beating ourselves up every time we slip up. I think it's in the formation of the goals to begin with. Are they worth setting? Do they mean enough for us to want them more than anything? Are they things we know God wants for us and wants to participate in our having? As the passage from John that I read this morning says, "I (Jesus) came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."

If the goals are big and life-changing, we're going to need help and lots of it.  As PAIGE pointed out, we seem to have "pairs of goals on here. It seems like every person has someone else that's doing the same thing. Wouldn't it be cool if we grouped up into little accountability groups?"

That sounds like an amazing idea to me, and several of you concurred in your comments. So why don't we do this:

        1.  Answer the questions in green for one of your goals for the year. You don't have to post your answers, and if you do want to share, just give us a brief summary.

        2.  Do tell us what your goal is, and I'll post them all on Thursday so you can see the entire list. Then you'll know who you're going to pray for and support and who's doing the same for you.

        3. You'll always be free to comment on that, even when we move on to other topics.

        4. Give your suggestions on how this could work.

Sound good? It should, because YOU came up with it --  you maturing sisters in Christ. I'm so proud. I want to be like you when I grow up.

 

Blessings,

Nancy Rue