IN REAL LIFE

The Valley of Baca

Hello, Ladies,

    As you're sharing your Life Spiritual Milestones -- with your usual honesty and maturity, I might add --it may have occurred to you that some of those milestones have happened at not-so-happy times. Turns out we don't only grow from burning bushes and miracle healings. Sometimes, in fact, we learn the most about God when we are downright depressed.

Psalm 84 is a great example of that in verse 6.

"As they go through the Valley of Baca . . ."

Not exactly a location on the lips of ordinary folk today, but those folks knew it well as an arid, desert-like place on the way to Jerusalem. People had to pass through it in order to get to the Holy City, which was a huge deal to them. Talk about your Life Spiritual Milestones.

I think we all pass through that valley at one time or another in our journey with God. The teenage funk is practically in your contract as an adolescent for one thing. And some of us, myself included, have a biological component that makes us particularly susceptible to the blues. Even if you're the always-cheerful type, you still face circumstances that can make you wonder, "Are you there, God?"

So what makes that a spiritual milestone? The Psalm explains:

'Happy are those whose strength is in You . .

As they go through the valley of Baca

they make it a place of springs.'

Here's how it works. You're in the Valley of Baca for whatever reason. Maybe it's a desert of grief and loneliness or of total dryness in your relationship with God or even an unexplained case of depression. Even in the midst of the heat and the severe clearness of the sky and the eye-stinging blowing of the sand, you know God's spring is there somewhere. It always is. You get quiet, and the water overflows into all the pockets of your soul.

Whenever you rest in God instead of in your own efforts to "cheer up" or "get over it" or "change your attitude" , and you find refreshment like drinking a cold glass of lemonade or falling into a crystal clear pool -- that is a Life Spiritual Milestone.

So as you continue this Real Life discussion of those epiphanies, don't leave out your trips through the Valley of Baca. I miss you.

 

Blessings,

Nancy Rue

Life Birds

I have SO been missing you ladies since the retreat. As NICOLE pointed out, "tomorrow" for me usually does mean, "as soon as I have a break in my hectic schedule. " You ARE a break for me. I was reading in the Bible this morning something about God's love being like oil being poured over Aaron's head and down into his beard. That actually sounds pretty disgusting to me, but when I thought about it, I realized that I have often compared being with the special people in my life to putting on lotion. Anyway -- bunny trail -- I have missed you and it's good to connect again.

You have, of course, carried on beautifully yourselves. Several of you peeked in on the Tween blog party last Friday. Are they precious or what? It's hard to realize that you were once there (some of you literally!) It is a good and joyful thing to look back and see how far you've come (and to be thankful that you aren't there any more!)

Your maturity is due almost entirely to your growing relationships with God, which I hope have continued to deepen since the retreat. Maybe you've developed the Centering Prayer discipline, or are reading the Bible differently or are simply taking time to be still and know that God is God. That's hard when friends of friends have died or you haven't reached a goal you've longed for, but those are the times, at least for me, when God seems even closer. Kind of like Baby Maeryn who has a bad cold; my daughter says that normally independent nine-month-old is clinging to her like a baby koala. Cling in the tough times. Cling hard.

Since the retreat I've been gathering snippets for us to build on here on the blog, especially in light of how much and how quickly you're growing spiritually (even if you yourself can't see it). One of those pieces comes from my friend who is a bird biologist. Seriously, she makes her living consulting for the  Wildlife Conservation folks. She kind of looks like a little bird herself. (Another bunny trail.) She was sharing a story she's writing for a magazine and in it she talked about being on an expedition in Alaska (we're talking polar bear Alaska, staying in an Inuit shack near a glacier) and seeing what she called a Life Bird. That means a bird she had never seen in her life, but had always wanted to. 

I don't know about you, but I'm not up on avian creatures enough to know if I've seen a particular species of bird or not, much less make a list of the ones I WANT to see! While in Alaska myself two years ago (staying in a lovely HOUSE, mind you) I did get to see a fledgling eagle and it was amazing to watch the mother eagle coax him and his brother out of the nest. That was a thrill for me, so I can only imagine what seeing one of her Life Birds would be for Melinda.

More than that, I love the metaphor of it. While we might not have Life Birds, we all probably have Life Dreams of some kind, things God has planted there, just as God has given my bird biologist friend a passion for feathered creatures. It could be a fun thing, like Life Foods -- a longing to someday have real Baked Alaska or creme brulee in Paris or fresh lobster in Maine. Or maybe Life Broadway Shows -- Lion King on stage, or Cats, or Hairspray. If you want to post a playful one, please do.   

If we STOP there, though, we miss the opportunity to go deeper, and we're all about digging down, aren't we! What if we thought of this as Life Spiritual Milestones? It doesn't trip off the tongue like "Life Birds" but the possibilities hidden there are certainly as intriguing. Some of the milestones in our journey with God we can't even imagine until suddenly there they are. But others we can look for because although they will be unique to each person, the existence of each will make itself known in every person's life led intentionally with God.

For example, I can look back at my Life Spritual Milestones and see the day when I was twelve in confirmation class and realized, "So God, I can actually talk to you myself. Like, for real." The night I was confirmed and received communion for the first time and felt the Holy Spirit in my shaking hands. The day when I was in my late twenties and I was nudged to write. The afternoon at age 32 at Camp Galilee on Lake Tahoe, when I heard that still small voice say, "The best is yet to come."

Yet there are some Spiritual Milestones I still long for. I long for the day when the inner peace of abiding in the Lord will last longer than an hour before I start fretting. And for the time when I will have the courage to speak out about some things in the current state of Christianity that I don't think have anything to do with Jesus. And, of course, for the moment when I pass from here to there, into the arms of the God I have loved for so long.

I'm going to be away at the Academy for Spiritual Formation tomorrow (the 24th) through Sunday (the 30th). While I'm away I would love to see you discuss your Life Spiritual Milestones here on the blog (as well as the fun ones, of course!)   What are the ones you have experienced? What have been the surprises? What are some that you long for? Are there any that you are actually afraid to experience?

I know you will respect each other's honesty and encourage one another when frustrations and discouragement emerge. Just remember as you share and read that these milestones aren't goals you set, but rather destinations you reach because you are relying on God to guide you, lead you, and sometimes even carry you. They can't be rushed or skipped over, so please don't compare yourselves to each other. There's enough of that when it comes to complexions and grades and number of hotties who check you out, right? I want you to feel safe, trusting in the power of the Spirit.

I'll miss you, but I know I will come back with all kinds of new insights to share with you. Blessings, my ladies.

 

Nancy Rue

Life After the Retreat

Ladies, the weekend retreat was beyond my greatest expectations.

We missed those of you who couldn't make it, but you have a chance to be part of it by clicking below to see Crystal's slide show.

Retreat Slide Show a la Crystal!

I will be sharing a summary of the first four sessions tomorrow. For now you will definitely see NICOLE's summary of Sunday afternoon's session, when I wasn't there.

Girls that were there:

• Alyson
• Abbie
• Sylvi
• Miriam
• Paige
• Therese
• Lilly
• Caitlin
• Nicole

 

Summary:

We began by 'checking in', Alyson led us in prayer, and we talked a bit about what we might be doing if we were together in person.  Paige asked what major things had learned from this retreat.  Most of the responses were along the lines of focusing our prayer on Him and Him alone and what it means to really cry out to God.  Then we started breaking down Jeremiah 6:16, starting with crossroads.  We discussed its meaning as well as personal crossroads in our lives.  Moving on to the line about ancient paths, Abbie pointed out that Jeremiah (speaking as God) says to ask for the ancient paths, not just go ahead and choose one.  We pretty much came to the conclusion that ancient paths are not only the way of God that is portrayed in the Bible, it is God Himself.  Paige and I also briefly mentioned the last part in the verse, the promise of rest when we walk in the good way.  And poor Abbie asked us all a few times how we were going to walk in the good way, and we all basically ignored the question or didn't notice it (oops!).  During all of this, Paige also asked us what we thought about this generation, and what our unrealistic and realistic job choices were.  Finally, Miriam and Abbie closed us in prayer and we all said our sad goodbyes.

 

Topics & Responses:

PRETENDING TO BE TOGETHER

Miriam - We would probably be tucking into a comforting lunch, with the foods that we talked about yesterday.

Abbie - We'd all have tea/hot chocolate and blankets.

Sylvi - We'd be watching the lake and having a yummy dessert as we'd pray, and learn more. We'd also sing, and warm ourselves with some cozy blankets, and watch the falling autumn leaves.

Alyson - We could all be sitting around a nice warm fire and roasting marshmallows telling stories.

 

MAJOR TAKE-AWAYS

Sylvi - Focusing more on God, and leaving the "ooja-oojas" behind along with silly thoughts.

Abbie  - I learned about crying aloud to God I think that when I'm struggling with a problem, I need to go to God first, instead of thinking I'll pull myself through and waiting till the absolute last minute.

Alyson - This whole retreat has just replaced in my brain many things. I am nothing without God and he makes me who I am. Having my life centered around him is the least I can do after gave HIS life to save me.

Miriam - I have learned a lot about giving my problems to God and Centering Prayer.

Paige - Something I'd say I really learned is how essential it is to leave behind everything when I enter prayer and how I can do that better. I've come to realize that I REALLY need to set apart time to just well, center prayer. I read my bible daily, but I just can't get the hang of prayer and I think this weekend really helped.

Therese - I've learned how important it is to be praying and listening to God daily. The closer I am to Him the easier it will be hear what He has to say to me.

Nicole - I've really learned what it means when 'two or more are gathered in His Name'. Also, I've really learned what it means to cry out to God. Psalm 86:1 says, "Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy." David freely admits that he is poor, needy, broken, sinful, like me. I need God. All the time.

 

CROSSROADS

Abbie - The definition of 'crossroads' on dictionary.com is "a road that crosses another road, or one that runs transversely to main roads." a little bit obvious, but it helps you think about 'crossroads' really means.

Paige - So as for crossroads I'm facing in my life... COLLEGE! I've finally picked a major that I'm pretty much definite on, but now I have to decide where to go to college. I had about 15 different ideas, but they keep narrowing down. I only have one I really like now. Others pop up, but then I don't like them for various reasons. I'm not sure if I'm just being super picky, or if this is where God's pointing me and He's being so direct because he knows I'm super indecisive!

Alyson - I think that the crossroads is basically too decisions in life. We have to choose with path to take.  A crossroad in my life is kind of shaky. I have a friend who has lupus, a life threatening disease. I love her dearly and love being her friend. She loves having me as a friend and she has said that, but I still have that uneasiness when I think about her future. She did not have a great childhood, and she is not going to have good or long future. I have gone thought the emotions of losing someone I love before and I am kind of scared of that happening again. It won't affect my willing to be friends with her, but I am still nervous.

Miriam - We're met with crossroads every day. We all have choices to make, whether big or small. Sometimes you have to choose whether you want to continue on the road that you are on or if you need to turn around and take a different path. But we cannot make those decisions by ourselves. We need God, the Ancient of Days, to show us the ancient paths. [My Note: I think she summed up those two lines of Jeremiah 6:16 very eloquently and clearly!!]

Nicole - Well, a crossroads for my family as a whole is the next house we're going to buy. There isn't much clarity right now as to what we're supposed to do, where we're supposed to go.

Therese - A crossroad in my life right now is when to see my father. I do want to see him eventually, cuz i miss him, but when is what i'm stressing over. Its been almost 8 months since i've seen him or had any contact with him...i don't know....its confusing.... {Therese also said later: Nicole, could you just pray that i know the right time to see him and that when i do i know what to say to him...its been so long and a lot has happened since then and i need to be able to talk about them. Good and bad.}

 

ANCIENT PATHS

Alyson - It's an action; we need to do something. I think we should be asking God which way is the better way. And not just ask, but follow his instructions instead of blowing them off as a side note.

Abbie - Notice how it says "Stand at the crossroads, and look, and ASK for the ancient paths," not, "Choose the ancient path." We are supposed to ASK God what he wants for our lives. He will guide us. But we have trust Him first! {Abbie also said later: I think "ancient paths" means like what is said in the Bible that God wants us to do.}

Therese - I agree, it’s about listening to the plans God has for your life and the closer you are to Him the more you will just know what He is saying for you to do.

Nicole - I think when Jeremiah talks about the ancient paths, he's talking basically about what we talked about yesterday...how we read Psalm 77, and marveled at the way we could take this ancient Scripture and apply it to our lives. Also, looking back at what God has done in not only our lives, but in other, older people's lives, and in the Bible. {Nicole also said later: "Thus says the Lord." So, this wasn't just Jeremiah giving the people advice. This was, and is, God, the Almighty, the 'Ancient One' (as you said, Miriam), showing His love for His people by giving them clear directions for their life.}

Paige - I also think that like, God is the ancient path, in a way. There are all these "new" ways to walk in life, nowadays that we're so tempted by. I mean, com'on, we all like new stuff! But these aren't the good new things. Ways like "it's okay to be homosexual" or "abortion isn't bad".

Therese - Yeah we need to look in the Bible for truth the "ancient paths" and not all the people around us. We shouldn't let other people shape our views on truth. The on changing truths in the Bible is what we should look to.

Miriam - I totally agree with what you are saying about other people shaping our views. Society keeps changing, science keeps changing, but God will never change and therefore we should look to him.

 

REST

Paige - Something I really like about this verse, that is a little hidden, but such a wonderful truth is that until we walk in the good way, our soul won't have rest. Nothing this world has to offer us will ever satisfy our soul. Maybe our bodies, for a time, maybe our minds, for a time - but our soul? Never. Only God can provide that.

Nicole - We are to walk in the good way, loving others, serving God. And though that might seem like an impossible task, our Lord promises that we will find rest for our souls, even in this crazy world, even among our chaotic lives, He will give us rest.

Nicole, you have definitely set the bar for MY summary.

I have already decided we MUST have  Winter Retreat in January. What say you, my friends?

Tomorrow, in addition to summarizing the weekend, I'll address ABBIE's question, which is

"What are the ancient paths and how are we going to follow them?"

I'm licking my chops!

 

Blessings,

Nancy Rue

FALL RETREAT, FINAL SESSION -- AT THE CROSSROADS

Hello, Ladies!

Welcome to the final session of our Fall Retreat, which, by the way, I think has been even BETTER than our Summer Retreat. I'm thinking they'll continue to GET better, so what do you say we set a date for our WINTER RETREAT? Sometime in January, I think, after the holidays when things can get bleak and boring. Something to look forward to.

For this session, you're on your own, without Mama Rue to moderate. I'll read all your comments, of course, and I'll respond tomorrow with a post.

So, here's what to do:

* Everyone check in as you log on.

*Someone open with prayer -- or several someones

* Take one comment from everyone about what you're feeling at this final point in the retreat.

*For fun, comment on what you'd love to be doing if everyone were together, winding up the weekend

*Then consider this verse from Jeremiah (he and I have been hanging out a lot, lately)

Jeremiah 6:16

"Thus says the Lord:

'Stand at the crossroads, and look,

and ask for the ancient paths.

where the good way lies; and walk in it,

and find rest for your souls.'"

These are some things you can comment on, though I'm sure your converstion will take on a life of its own.

*What crossroads do you face right now, where a decision of yours could take you one way or another?

*The Lord says, 'Look and ask for the ancient paths.'" Any idea what THOSE are?

*Is it clear what the "good way" is -- and if not, how do you find it? Think about some of the spiritual practices I've introduced to you this weekend. Centering Prayer. Lectio Divina (the way we studied the Psalm). Journaling. Can they help you find "the good way?"

* Isn't it interesting how 'walking in the good way' can help you find 'rest for your soul.' What kind of walk is that? Is it lonely? Companionable? Is it a stroll, or almost a jog? Does it give you rest for your soul?

Go on for as long as you like, although an hour is probably a good length of time. As people pop in, welcome them and catch them up. 

If someone would sort of sum things up in a comment, that would be great. Or all of you can. Or some of you.

I'm praying for you as you stand at the crossroads.

Godspeed as you walk the good way.

 

Blessings,

Nancy Rue 

FINAL SESSION -- FALL RETREAT

The final session of the

Fall Live Blog Retreat

will be at

2:00 p.m. Central Time

Today, Sunday, October 16

This will be a free chat among those who log on. There will be a post from me to get your started.

Enjoy, my precious ladies. Enjoy.

 

Blessings,

Nancy Rue

An hour isn't long enough, is it?

We've come to the end of our hour.

Can I tell you how much this means, to have you all here so early in the morning, to pray together and share our frustrations and see hope so close at hand.

If you were here, I would give each of you a journal as a gift. I would pray with each of you as you start out fresh on this day that has no mistakes in it yet. We would pray together that you would remember that forgiveness for the mistakes that do pop up is already there. And perhaps we would go and worship together. And have a fall picnic. And a bonfire.

There would be laughter and hugs and hope.

OH, wait, there IS . . 

So, go forth in peace to love and serve the Lord. Thanks be to God. Alleluia.

 

Blessings,

Nancy Rue

Pre-Prayer Journalling

Melody, you make a great point.

For some people, journaling gets all the "stuff" out there, and then your mind is clearer for prayer. It's like that ooja ooja clearing we did Friday night before we started.

The point is to tell God what you REALLY need to know or feel or embrace and THEN God will answer, in a myriad of ways. Often it's through those thoughts that aren't your own. OFten they will come out in writing. Sometimes they wont' appear until much later.

Praying on Paper

My journalling is one long prayer.

At times I have a hard time focusing otherwise.

My deepest prayers happen when I'm journalling.

That doesn't work for everyone, but if it works for you, that's our God.

MIriam's Poem

I really wanna get close to you Lord

But I really dont' know how

I ask and pray, everyday, HOpe you're listening now.

I know tha tyou are out there

And I know tha tyou can hear

So please respond to my prayer

When I ask that you are near.

 

Lovely, Miriam.

I have it on the best authority that what God really wants is our longing for him.

There's a beautiful song I listen to a lot in which one line says,

"All that he requireth is our need of him."

I"M hearing you, so . . .

I"m hearing your stress -- which is a large part of why we're here this weekend.

My heart aches for you, because I was (and still am sometimes) just LIKE you as a teenager -- and I know a lot of adults say that, but this really is genuine, my friends. I pushed myself, thought I needed to be perfect, tried to excell in everything -- basically beat myself up all the time.

I longed for someone to tell me I was enough.

Someone did, only I didnt' recognize that as God's voice until years later when I started to journal.

Remember that Psalm we read yesterday, and how Nicole saw in it the cycle?

First you dump it all out to God.

Then you think, "I am a complete mess, why would God want to hear from me."

Then you go, "Oh, yeah, that whole wonderful forgiveness thing, that unconditional love. I remember that."

And then the heart filled with incomparable joy.

Until next time.

Keep journalling.

Because if I can hear you and ache for you, without even really knowing you, how much more your Father who is in heaven?

Really.