Star Words Year 1 - Guidance

2017 was the first year I had a word for the year, a star word (read more about where these came from here).  On the Sunday we celebrated Epiphany, we each drew a star out of a basket.  My star said, “Guidance.”  I blogged about the irony of that here.  I noted these two scriptures:

Psalm 16:8 came up the very same day:  "I keep my eyes always on the Lord."
Psalm 25:9 came up the next day: "Humble people seek guidance."

And I wrote Psalm 16:8 on the easel pad in my office…at Westminster

Presbyterian Church in Galveston, TX.  I’m writing today in Sterling, KS where I now serve United Presbyterian Church.  It’s been quite a year of seeking God’s guidance!

In my first blog about star words, I wondered whether this meant guidance for me (receiving) or guidance for others (giving).  I’ve found through the course of the year that I have to keep both in view.  I need it, and I inevitably give it, and not always intentionally.

For the first six months of 2017, we were reading a Psalm a day together as a church, and with whoever was following the 6 Months In The Psalms Facebook page.  I blogged about how this endeavor connected with my star word here.  I did not know when we began, or even by the time I wrote that blog, that by the time we finished reading the Psalms, I would have accepted and started a new call.

I was just beginning to see towards a new call when I posted this blog about guidance and about my goal of remembering and helping others to be in love with God.  I also mention there how God uses Facebook memories to guide me and remind me of lessons already learned that need revisiting.  I posted a lot on Facebook this year with the hashtag “guidance,” but it turns out not to be so easy to collect all those.  I did, however, find a few.  Click the links to read them full size, and note the comments as well as the post.

 

John 15:5 read post here

James 1:19 here.  

Psalm 73:23-24 here

In looking at these I see how God speaking to me became God speaking to others, as well.  I also noticed how the interaction on some of these posts was also God speaking back to me.  God gives us guidance in so many ways, and through so many different people.  I am thankful for the amazing conversations I get to have with people about God and faith and life.

I am also thankful that the Bible continues to be foundational in giving me guidance.  I began the year doing a read-through using The Daily Message, a daily devotional Bible using the Message version.  It was good at first, but it got to be too much to keep up with alongside the daily Psalm reading.  (The previous year, I did a read-through using The NRSV Daily Bible.  I liked its format better, and was more successful with that one.)

I continue using the Jesus Calling series of devotionals.  This year I used the sequel, Jesus Always.  Sometimes the redundancy gets annoying to me, but most of the time it's good for me to be reminded to keep focusing on Jesus and trusting him, and to keep working on thankfulness and joy and prayerfulness.  

This year CREDO, a retreat for new pastors, was again a factor in God's guidance.  I learned so much about myself at the first half back in 2016.  This year the second half was encouraging and affirming in many ways.  There were lots of opportunities to spend time seeking God.  One one of my walks, I found this little weathered gem stuck to a signpost. (See pic at right)

Over the course of the year, my biggest lesson has been to be mindful of going God's speed.  Sometimes he's moving faster than I expect, sometimes slower.  It's not always easy to keep pace, but when I do, the results are much better and the answers much clearer.  When it seems that he's not speaking, so often it's just because we haven't gotten to the next signpost yet, kind of like driving in the country.  It's easy to get lost on rural roads because there are fewer intersections and fewer landmarks. Sometimes getting to a directional sign will mean continuing to drive on, even if it might be the wrong direction, until a sign appears.  Sometimes it turns out we were going the right way already, and sometimes we discover a course correction is needed.  

One of my big aha's this year generated this meme, which captures something I say a lot and includes some scriptural foundation for saying it. Isaiah 41:13 continues to be instrumental for me, but now it's much less connected to overcoming fear.  So thankful to God for that bit of growth.

In these days of GPS, we have become accustomed to being able to know where we are all the time, but even now there are places where there is no GPS.  But there are no places where there is no God.  Even when I don't know what's coming, God does.  There have been some amazing surprises from following God this year - a new call, our first house, deepening of old friendships and the making of many new ones, and I'm certain that the more we seek him together, the more we will grow in love and grace, and in the joy and peace of Emmanuel, God with us.

Thanks be to God.

Guidance and Glory

My star word for this year is guidance.  This word has made me pay more attention to opportunities for receiving guidance.  Maybe that’s why there seem to be a plethora of people lately saying things to me that are the same as what I say in sermons and Bible studies and meetings.  At a workshop last week, the leader told us about her theological ‘three-legged stool” – 1) In all things give thanks, 2) God uses everything for good, and 3) God makes everything new.  Those three "legs" are in many of my sermons and yet I so needed to hear them said back to me that day.

I get to hear my own words said back to me on Facebook as well, in the “memories” feature.  I’m often amazed at the wisdom I’ve posted in the past and forgotten.  Today a song I posted seven years ago was among the memories.

Every Time I Breath / Big Daddy Weave

I remember the day I first heard that song on the radio.  I marveled at the passion for God in this song and wished I had that same depth of passion.  As I hear it today, it stirs up that depth of passion that I have along the way come to find in my own heart, and I’m thankful as I realize that my prayer was answered.  But I can also see that there has been pain involved in getting here, pain that has been instrumental in opening up my heart.

Hearing this song reminds me about another prayer that’s even older, from long before I knew I would become a pastor, when I had only begun to know God in a more personal way, and I told God I would do whatever he needed me to do, as long as I could keep following and pleasing him.  That was also when I first began to want to help others to know God more personally.

There are so many things we pray for people – for health and healing and safety, for success and stability – but how often do we pray for people to have God moments?  How often are we asking God to help someone have deep, personal, life changing, heartfelt encounters with him?  Or even more than encounters – ongoing, thriving life lived in the strength and nearness of his glorious presence?

This past week many pastors preached about the story of Peter, James and John on the mountain with Jesus, watching Jesus become transformed so that they vividly saw his divinity.[1]  So often the message is that we can’t stay there, we have to go down the mountain.  But can’t we just stay there a moment longer and enjoy it first?  And doesn’t God go with us down the mountain?  Isn’t everything we do after that better if we let it soak in first and then let God go with us?

It is my prayer that everyone would know the deep joy of God’s presence so that, like Peter, they want to stay there, and in a way that the Big Daddy Weave song would resonate with them, too, and overflow into all the parts of their lives.

But I wonder if this works the same for everyone.  Gary Thomas, in his book Sacred Pathways[2], tells how we all find God in different ways.  A song will not speak to everyone.  The same words will not resonate with everyone.  I get that.  Really, my prayer is not that the song would resonate, but that everyone would find the path that works for them so that they would know the joy that is described in that song, that they would be able to say, “God, I am so in love with you.”  Helping people find this is my goal as a pastor, my hope for my children, my prayer for my friends and for the world.

As you read this, know that means you, too.  I hope that you would know God’s love deeply enough to be deeply in love with him, because he’s deeply in love with you.  Jesus came to help us see that.  It’s a challenging, life changing, sometimes painfully strong love.  May you find time daily to bask in the glory shining from God’s face and enjoy his goodness and renewal and give thanks.

---

[1] Matthew 17:1-9

[2] Gary Thomas, Sacred Pathways (Zondervan, 2010)

Psalms & Star Words

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you." --Psalm 32:8

On January 1 we began reading through the psalms – one psalm per day.  On January 8 we received star words to ponder and consider how God might be guiding us in relation to our words.  Initially I did not consider how these two might be connected – psalms and star words – but it has been my experience so far that the psalms have continued to inform my pondering about my star word.  Has that also been the case for you?

It should not surprise us that this is happening.  After all, the psalms are prayers, and prayers are an important part of our pondering.  We are seeking God about our star words and the Holy Spirit is using the words of the Bible, the psalms, to communicate with us, which is exactly how the Bible tells us the Holy Spirit works.

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.  He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.” (John 16:13-14)

My star word is “guidance,” and pondering this word has already caused me to be more intentional about seeking God’s guidance.  I am also noticing how often in the psalms we are assured that God will give us guidance.  Whatever your word is, I am certain that God has guidance for you, too.  I pray that we will all have listening and willing hearts, so that we might hear and do whatever God is telling us.

The abundance of God’s guidance is one way that I am seeing God’s goodness through my star word.  How are you seeing God’s goodness displayed in your word?

Let’s continue to encourage one another in seeking God and finding his goodness by sharing our stories.  You may send them by email, or post them on Facebook , or tweet with the hashtag #wpcstarwords, or comment below.

If you would like to receive the psalm daily reading plan and/or a star word, comment below.

May God continue to bless us as we seek him with all our hearts and give him thanks.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Melissa

Star Words - Our First Encounter

I should have known.  I should have seen the signs.

When they asked me to be the star for the nativity play, I couldn't resist the pun - I'm the star of the play!

When I was preparing my epiphany sermon, I was all about guidance and stars.

When I was putting the words on the cut-out stars, I commented on the irony of a star having this word on it.

I didn't put two and two together until after I drew my star word.  I laughed as soon as I saw it:  Guidance.

"Ok, God," I thought. "What are you trying to tell me?  Or are you just enjoying the laugh?"

No, well, maybe yes.  But that was only the beginning.

Of course, as soon as I ask, I begin to receive.  Is this about giving or receiving? Maybe both, but so far only receiving.  In asking the question, I'm already doing what the word says - seeking guidance.

When I searched the word in the Bible app (Youversion), the scriptures that came up were all about inquiring of God. Rebecca did. David did. Jehoshaphat did. Hezekiah did. Saul didn't. Ahaz didn't.*

I will.  I am.  I do.  But not nearly enough.

Reorienting...
Refocusing...

Psalm 16:8 came up the very same day:  "I keep my eyes always on the Lord."
Psalm 25:9 came up the next day: "Humble people seek guidance."

Message coming through loud and clear.  Now to work on putting this into practice.

Asking God about how.

See?

______________________________
* Rebecca Genesis 25:22; Saul 1 Chronicles 10:13; David 1 Chronicles 14:14, 2 Samuel 2:1, 2 Samuel 5:19; Ahaz 2 Kings 16:15; Jehoshaphat 1 Kings 22:7; Hezekiah 2 Kings 19:1-4