Recently, I was reading a devotional on “flourishing,” which got me thinking how God has people flourishing in roles for a season.
It seems he often makes room for new vision in our hearts as old seasons come to an end. And as with many endings, there is often painful growth in the transition of letting go. Like seeds, some things must die in order for the new to come to fruition. And those things aren’t always clear… timing, places and people come into the sovereign mix orchestrated by God. Throughout the ages, God has continuously called people to flourish in the new seasons of life — always for his glory. When I meet with someone or lead our Starting Point Q&A I tell people, “there’s a place for you in God’s Kingdom!” (and I always follow it with, “and whether it’s here or elsewhere, it is my sincere hope to help you find it!”). It’s exciting to walk alongside others as they seek God’s will for their lives. It’s also a bit nebulous, mysterious and not for those unwilling to step into the adventure of following Jesus. Flourishing according to God’s purposes is not for the faint of heart - rather it is for the caring of heart - the one after God’s own heart! What is God asking of you in this season? Let me know if you want to chat about it! Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:19, ESV) For appointments: esther@coldspringschurch.net
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“Day by day, day by day,
Oh, dear Lord three things I pray, To see Thee more clearly, Love Thee more dearly, Follow Thee more nearly, Day by day.” Do you ever have lyrics from songs of the past sing their tunes in your memories? The song above from the 1970’s musical, “Godspell,” comes to mind often. It’s a simple song that puts words to the desires of my heart. I love to sing it and pray it. It reminds me that we can flourish in our faith by keeping God clear, dear, and near. “Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.” Isaiah 55:6-7 When everything around us goes awry, our walk with Him can remain strong and steady. The Maker of the world is also the Shaker of the world, but not for our harm. When we are clear, dear, and near to the Father, our faith will flourish…even in a messy world. It’s helpful to ask ourselves these three questions on a daily basis: What am I facing today that I need to see God in more clearly? What do I need to add, or let go of, to love Him more dearly? What holy habits do I need to start, to follow Him more nearly? In answering these questions, I believe our faith will grow and we will flourish- day by day! “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing, To declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” Psalm 92:12-15 Seeking His heart, Charlotte I’d love to hear your stories of flourishing! Charlotte@coldspringschurch.net Day by Day Music by Stephen Schwartz Lyrics by Saint Richard of Chichester (13th century) No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.
1-John 4:12 God calls us to serve. But maybe because you fear being rejected, even by a stranger, the homeless person on the street never receives the hope you could share. God doesn’t want fear limiting our influence in these ways. He wants us free so we can love and serve others freely. He wants us to experience what He created and called us to do. And He certainly doesn’t want the enemy using fear to steal our purpose from us. By resisting fear and trusting God, we can live life to the fullest and have the privilege of showing God’s love to everyone we meet. If we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? ~Blessings, Jackie Wehr This month we begin the season of Spring and the freedom writers have decided to write on what it means to flourish. What does it mean to flourish? “But blessed is the man who trust in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. “ – Jeremiah 17:7-8 A Story… I walk the stairs in my home as my mother-in-law does laps around the downstairs living area. To keep moving in her older years, my mother-in-law walks for 10-12 minutes after each meal. After dinner we walk together. I see her strength and courage as she faces the changes that come with age. An Invitation to Empathy… We recently saw a movie titled The Father, about an 81-year-old man, Anthony suffering from dementia. We were put in the shoes of someone suffering from the disorder. Here is a clip of the closing scene below. How do we “flourish” when we feel like we’re losing our leaves? How do we “flourish” when others seem to be losing theirs…? “But blessed is the man who trust in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. “ Can we trust in the one who waters and sends drought? Can we trust in the one who showers blessings but also allows adversity? Can we believe that He is working all things for our good? Maybe we are here to be both Anthony and his compassionate nurse. Maybe in this life, we need and are needed. Maybe this is what it means to flourish – to recognize our need to trust and to love and to be loved. I walk the stairs as my mother does her laps and I marvel at her… *If you are feeling like Anthony (Antonia 😊) please don’t hesitate to contact me. christina@coldspringschurch.net Sincerely & With Love, Christina
Have you ever been in a situation in which the more of God’s love you offer, the more offensive you are? It can happen showing kindness to a wounded soul, or setting boundaries in a relationship. Some may react in anger, even accuse you of being a “bad Christian.”
Or perhaps in your social circles or workplace, you may be one of few demonstrating principles in areas which the majority do not. Your integrity may seem strange or humorous. But friend, you are not alone. Through the ages, God’s people have persisted in demonstrating his love while held in contempt. Our ultimate example and comfort lies in that Jesus, although blameless himself, suffered to the point of death, for the sake of a world who rejected him (2 Corinthians 5:21). And I am not guilt-free either. I do not merit his forgiveness and lovingkindness. Yet I receive it. Therefore, I can choose love in all these matters. These matters in which people do not understand and may even choose to blame. They only matter to the extent that I continue to live and love them through Jesus... because of his great love for me. Is it always so simple and easy? No. Jesus’ love may be simple… but people and situations can be very complex. God’s word reminds us that in this world we will have troubles, but we take heart— because he has overcome the world (John 16:33). Remember… this world is our temporary accommodation. It is not our permanent home. We are abiding in our home spiritually in Jesus now… until he comes for us eternally then. We have each other and Jesus. What matters is that we can love everyone. Whether or not they also do. In Christ’s love, Esther To chat about what matters to you: esther@coldspringschurch.net Love. It’s a word that brings a lot of different thoughts and feelings to mind. There have been songs sung, movies made, poems penned, and words written to express the many emotions and definitions of love.
I’ve never known anyone who didn’t want to be loved by someone. Have you? It seems to be a basic need of all humans. Have you ever wondered why? I have. The Bible tells us we are made in God’s image. It also tells us that God is love. Could it be that something within us desires to give and also receive the very thing that describes God- His DNA of love? The world doesn’t know God, so it searches for what it thinks is love- a feeling, attachment, attraction, or whatever can be dreamed up. But when we know God in a personal way, through His word and time with Him in prayer, we find that love is an action. Jesus came and gave up His life for us because of love. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 God gave because He loved. We don’t have to wonder what love looks like or what actions describe it. God makes it clear in His word. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 It takes knowing God to know love fully, and it takes God’s help to fully love. Are you experiencing His love today? Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us with an everlasting love. Thank you for demonstrating your love for us by sending your Son, Jesus. Please help us live fully in the knowledge of that love and share it with others in a world that is searching for it. Amen. In His love, Charlotte Let’s continue the conversation- Charlotte@coldspringschurch.net My command is this, love each other as I have loved you.
John 15:12 Never underestimate the reason God has your path cross with another’s. He has a reason for everything. When we ask God to direct our path, we have to accept the closed doors as His will also. When these things happen in our lives, we should be happy that we were able to give that person our love. We shouldn’t think about it in any other way. It’s the same with kindness, with honesty, and with our ability to care about people. Whoever lives in love lives in God and God in them. In Paul’s great hymn in the Bible, he describes love as patient and kind. Love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable; it does not rejoice in wrong doing, but rejoices in the truth. When in doubt about anything, go to God first. Trust the voice of the Holy Spirit. Allow His wisdom to be the filter in which you view all things. If we say we are His, we must follow the example of Christ. Blessings, ~Jackie Wehr Esther, Charlotte, Jackie and I have decided to change the name of our blog from “3 on Thursday” to “Freedom Writers” As we brainstormed thoughts on what it means to have freedom in Christ, we came up with these thoughts for you and for our future writings!
A Book… In the opening scene of Louisa May Alcott’s book Little Women, four teenage girls wake up on Christmas morning to find their table laden with food that starts them salivating. You see, Dad is off fighting a war and Marmee (Mom) isn’t able to provide much beyond the necessities. Waking up to find these treats has the girls giggling with excitement. A moment later, their faces drop when their mother tells them a story of a family close by who has no food, no fuel to keep warm and who are in need of some holiday cheer. The girls quickly but reluctantly help pack up the food, fuel and a few extra blankets and march off through the snow… A Scripture story… There’s a story in the Bible of a young boy who surrenders his loaves of bread and fish to help Jesus feed a crowd of thousands. What causes people to give when they would rather not? Another book… In his book Invitation to a Journey, M. Robert Mulholland Jr. states that “God purposes us into a particular kind of being – that we might be holy and blameless before God in love.” And that “The process of being formed in the image of Christ takes place primarily at the points of our unlikeness to Christ’s image.” To put it in every day context, every time I want my husband to hear “my side” but am not willing to hear his…every time I get easily frustrated when circumstances change my plans…every time I choose to be silent when God’s Spirit prompts me to speak…those are the places I am least like Christ. What happened to the girls in the story? They gave out of obedience and their mother’s example and their wealthy neighbor heard about their sacrifice and gave them a more lavish breakfast than they had given away. What happened to the young boy who gave his loaves and fishes? Jesus fed 5,000. So, for this month of love, let’s offer our breakfast to the plans of Our Father, because, like Pastor David says, “We can’t outgive God!” With Much Love, Christina If you would like to connection or share your story, please contact me. christina@coldspringschurch.net Do you ever find yourself feeling weary of striving? Perhaps feeling “off?” A common pattern I see when I feel this type of “weariness” is a misalignment between my behaviors and beliefs. When I find myself repeatedly distracted and my good intentions readily overwhelmed, I notice I have not been as heartfelt in my prayer time and Bible reading, (which are core values of mine).
I say, “heartfelt” because I think it’s easy to just go through the motions of my morning devotional in order to check-off the “good Christian” box for the day. But if I do that without connecting with Jesus in a meaningful manner, of what value is it? I may as well sleep in. But what I really want and need is an authentic relationship with Jesus. Don’t we all? Don’t we all just want the real deal? God’s Word lights up my life, bringing truth and direction to it. His purpose for me through his Spirit bears fruit. Time with him never returns empty. I may not always see it. But I live by faith in his will. In his goodness. That comes through an honest relationship with Jesus. The kind I have when no one else is watching. Not a task I check off my “to do” list because I strive to be “good.” That’s where weariness stems from — the disconnect between what I value and what I do. Because it messes with who I am. Since I truly desire an authentic connection with Jesus, time with him is not only a blessing, it is a necessary lifeline. It is always time well spent. Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119:105, NLT) It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. (Isaiah 55:11, NLT) With love, - Esther esther@coldspringschurch.net It seems lately like my life is filled with numbers. Counting seconds for my eyedrops, keeping eyes closed, 1,2,3... Counting jumps as the jump rope goes around me, hoping my foot doesn’t tangle in the rope. Counting steps on my Fitbit- did I walk enough today? Numbers all adding up to a life filled with counting.
God’s word says, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 All the things I’m counting are good, they help keep me in shape, but am I also counting the things that matter most? What would God count worthy of my days? The verse above reminds me that He cares about our hearts. Yes, He cares about their physical beating, their health, but He cares most about their spiritual beating and who they belong to. He gives us a certain number of days and only He knows that number. It’s wise for us to ask Him what to do with the hours and minutes in it. As the new year leaves the starting gate for its race through another year, let us be intentional to do the things that matter most to God. Let’s ask Him to teach us how to number our days to be pleasing to Him, so we can gain the heart of wisdom He desires for us. Are you ready? Let’s start counting! In His love, Charlotte |
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