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2010-03-30T08:20:00.000-07:00

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Imagine Life Without Grace

2010-03-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

By Sharon Swing
Related to the Valley Experiences Map from Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story by Sibyl Towner and Sharon Swing.

“I need to live a life of amends,” said Tiger Woods in his first interview after the public discovery of marital indiscretions. He stood with hands folded in front of him, still and stoic. His eyes had lost their youthful sparkle, his familiar smile absent. “I turned away from my Buddhist roots.”

I felt my emotions rise, and tears filled my eyes as I watched and listened to this downtrodden man who looked like a much older brother to the victorious champion who walked off a golf course last year. I thought, “This man needs grace – he needs Jesus!” His Buddhist beliefs offer no such undeserved favor. From his perspective he has no prospect of true forgiveness and the love that flows through grace. I thought about what it would it feel like to view the rest of the story of my life as a way to make amends for all of my transgressions, to make up for all of my mistakes. The thought hung on me. What would it be like to feel that I had to work each day of my life to try to climb out of the hole I have dug for myself?

I am painfully aware of the fact that I need forgiveness and grace that is offered through what happened about 2000 years ago on a day we remember as Good Friday. I have accepted gifts of mercy (God withholding the punishment that I deserve) and grace (undeserved favor) I could never earn. I could never make up for what I’ve done wrong. Jesus’ death on the cross paid the price for what I have done and will do, a debt I could never pay on my own.

Making amends and living differently is only possible for me because of the love I experience from God. The Bible assures me that my transgressions have been – get this -- forgotten. God chooses not to remember what I’ve done wrong! As an additional extravagant gift, God extends his grace and mercy to also offer me the power to live differently as I float in a river of love. The strength he supplies for me to humbly ask for forgiveness and make amends to those whom I have wronged, and the power to live differently comes from the same source that raised Jesus from the dead on Easter.

The future of my story is not about making up for what I’ve done, but it is about being free to live differently, extending and expanding the love I’ve been given in the power of the risen Christ. I, like Tiger, have admitted I have fallen short of God’s standards, and my own. Unlike Tiger, I have humbly accepted a gift I did not deserve from a God who knows I cannot carry the burdens of my sin on my own. That is a choice that changes everything. Like you, Tiger has that same choice available to him.

Ponder This

Take some time to imagine what it would feel like to see the story of the rest of your life attempting to compensate for all the ways you had failed.
Talk to God about your thoughts and emotions.

Scripture

He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him. Psalm 103:10-13

Where is the god who can compare with you— wiping the slate clean of guilt, turning a blind eye, a deaf ear, to the past sins of your purged and precious people? You don't nurse your anger and don't stay angry long, for mercy is your specialty. That's what you love most. And compassion is on its way to us. You'll stamp out our wrongdoing.  You'll sink our sins to the bottom of the ocean. Micah 7:17 MSG

Sharon Swing is an author, retreat leader, speaker, artist and consultant with interests in life story as a spiritual development tool, crafting experiences that give God space to do what he does best, art as a spiritual pathway, and change. With Sibyl Towner, she has co-authored Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story. For more information, visit www.oneLifemaps.com. She is an organization development consultant specializing in planning, meeting facilitation, leadership development and change management. For more information, visit www.swingconsulting.com.

Reprinting and republication of this article is permissible in its entirety, with full attribution, including the paragraph above. Please let us know you’ve found it useful.

It's Not Too Late! Lent - Part Two

2010-03-16T07:58:00.000-07:00

Observing Lent Through Spiritual Practices
by Sibyl Towner with Joan Kelley

Related to the Life-Giving Rhythms Map from Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story by Sibyl Towner and Sharon Swing.

Lent is a season of remembering our sinfulness as well as our mortality and our need for God’s daily grace in order to live. But how can we truly enter into the Lenten season with humility and simplicity so that we might receive God’s grace in a new and joyful way? How can we weave the themes of Lent into our daily lives? I think we can do that by seeking out spiritual practices which help us turn from our self centeredness and turn toward grace filled humility.

Lent calls us to the discipline of abstaining from things that make us feel significant or that comfort us. Fasting during Lent is a tradition that has been a practice for a very long time. Food is a reminder of our physical needs and our life here and now. Limiting our eating with some form of fasting reminds us there is more to life than food. “Jesus answered, It is written: ‘People do not live by bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4

Some people intentionally forgo some other attachment that is keeping them from a more honest relationship with God. Food is only one option, but what about shopping, work, media? Another practical application of this is a more focused practice of Sabbath where we intentionally rest in order to be reminded that the Lord is the ruler of all – and we are not.

Lent can also call us to a discipline of engagement. We can journey together as a family as we read through the Gospel accounts. Walking ‘The Stations of the Cross’ at a church or retreat center with some friends or family engages us in the story of Jesus’ journey to Calvary, His death, burial and resurrection. When you worship with other believers, pray for those around you and invite God to use you to greet, to listen and to extend his love to someone else. Plan to celebrate the Feast of Passover and invite others to join you.

Emilie Griffin says “Lent is our chance for a fresh start, a new page. We consciously let down our defenses against the grace of God.” So observe Lent with a fresh start right where you are today. Let the resurrection have a deeper meaning in your heart this year.

Scripture

“Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and make me willing to obey you.”-- Psalm 51:10-12

Questions

What might be a spiritual practice that will pull you closer to God?
How will I join Jesus on the journey to Jerusalem?
How can I enter into Lent this week?

Prayer
Return to the Father’s House (from the Church of the Resurrection)

“Let us pray for a Lenten journey of repentance and growing reverence for God’s word. And let us pray for those far from God, especially that we may invite them into the Lord’s house on Easter. May we all return to the Father’s house.” Amen.

Sibyl Towner and Sharon Swing are co-authors of Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story, a visual workbook for small groups, mentoring relationships, workshops, retreats, classes, between spiritual friends, or individually to re-discover the storyline of the life they are authoring with God. More information is available at http://www.onelifemaps.com/.

It's Not Too Late! Lent - Part One

2010-03-09T08:06:00.000-08:00

By Sibyl Towner with Joan Kelley
Related to the Reviewing My Days Map from Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story by Sibyl Towner and Sharon Swing.

Maybe you sped right through Advent as you got into the flow of the Christmas rush, but it’s not too late to enter into the experience of Lent.

While Advent reminds us of God’s unimaginable love for us, Lent reminds us of our sin and mortality. It is a time to remember why we are in need of a Savior, and the enormity of the price Jesus paid to rescue us from certain doom.

Dust and ashes symbolize our creaturely mortality and moral culpability. Simply said, we are finite beings who sin. Literally, we need to cry out, “Lord, have mercy on me a sinner.” Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, reminds us we are dust, and to dust we return. It sets the tone of Lent’s simplicity, sobriety and sorrow.

We spiritually get ready for Good Friday and Easter with Lent helping us to recognize both our belovedness and our sin, and realizing that God’s grace covers it all.

So how do we physically get ready for lent? This year, I placed a piece of purple fabric outside my front door where others enter and draped it on a tile I have on my kitchen counter where I write a verse for the day. I began to read the accounts in each Gospel of the journey to Jerusalem: Luke 18, Mark 10:13, Matthew 19:13, John 11.

I made Lenten readings available on the kitchen table:

Show Me the Way – Daily Lenten Readings by Henri J.M. Nouwen
Small Surrenders – a Lenten Journey by Emilie Griffin
Living the Christian Year – Time to Inhabit the Story of God by Bobby Gross

We placed seven candles on the dining room table and each Sunday we light them all and then week by week blow one more out. The candles are a visual connection back to Advent. A crown of thorns and cross are placed on the coffee table. These are a visual reminder of this season of suffering for my sin. I play the Messiah CD and let the words take me through the Easter season.

I look outside and remember that Lent means springtime. The days are lengthening and showing new signs of life. Even the natural world reminds us of the resurrection. These visual reminders on my outside world force me to look inward for the work that needs to be done there. We naturally don’t want to go there but God accepts us “as is.”

Spend some time lingering on the inward journey of Lent as you prepare outwardly. It’s not too late to experience a meaningful Lenten season!

Scripture

“Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.”-- Psalm 51: 1-2

Questions

How can I enter into Lent this week?
How will I begin my outward and inward preparation for this Lenten season?

Prayer

Return to the Father’s House (from the Church of the Resurrection)

“O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy; Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ, your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Sibyl Towner and Sharon Swing are co-authors of Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story, a visual workbook for small groups, mentoring relationships, workshops, retreats, classes, between spiritual friends, or individually to re-discover the storyline of the life they are authoring with God. More information is available at http://www.onelifemaps.com./

Define or Refine

2010-03-03T06:15:00.000-08:00

by Sharon Swing, Co-Author of Listen to My Life

In the movie, “Because of Winn Dixie,” a young girl says to a new, older companion, “The most important thing you need to know about me is that I don’t have a mama.”

As a viewer, my heart sinks as she says those words that reveal so much about the identity she has assumed. She sees herself as unlovable, unlikeable and somehow at fault for her mom’s decision to leave the family. A choice, not of her own making, has defined her.

She tells herself this story about who she is, and she believes it. More importantly, she lives out of it.

•    “I am divorced.”
•    “I am a cancer patient.”
•    “I am an ex-con.”
•    “I am an adult child of an alcoholic.”
•    “I am just a housewife.”
•    “I am unemployed.”
•    “I am a widower.”
•    “I am A.D.H.D.”
•    “I am a failure.”

These are just a few of the kinds of opinions, events or circumstances that a person can allow to define who they are. They may or may not be accurate descriptions, but they are not appropriate definitions of one’s identity. They may be subplots of a story that serve in some way to refine a person, but they do not define one’s identity.

The stories we tell ourselves, about ourselves, are of critical importance, because we make assumptions and decisions based on those stories. If one believes they are a failure, they will seldom believe in themselves enough to even try. If a person defines himself as a cancer patient, they may obscure their view of their what they have to offer the world, even with – and because of - the condition of their illness.

God would never use these descriptions to define who He made someone to be.

Here is what God says is true about you:

•    “You are my precious child.” John 1:12
•    “You are my friend.” John 15:15
•    “You are a saint.” 1 Corinthians 1:2
•    “You are a temple of my Holy Spirit.” 1 Cor. 6:19
•    “You are worthy of great sacrifice. I have traded the life of my Son to save you and call you my own.” Eph.1:7
•    “You were created with great purpose.” Ephesians 2:10
•    “You have been set free from sin. Whatever has happened, you get a fresh start.” Romans 8:2

To view ourselves as God defines us is of immeasurable importance. His view frees us to live in grace, extend grace to others, and believe that God is not limited by our conditions. A sense of value and importance is instilled into our lives with the expectation that God intends to live through us, as He made us to be. There is something of God’s character that he wants to express uniquely with us and through us. There is redeeming, healing, loving, encouraging and restoring to do all around us. Have you noticed? He wants you to join Him in what He is up to in the world. It is an open invitation!

It is not that our conditions or circumstances are not important, but we are not to allow ourselves to be defined by them. In fact, God will use our ‘conditions’ not to define us, but to refine us. In his beautiful economy, somehow he can turn hardship and suffering into good. (Romans 8:28) Even when we cannot see it, we can trust that God will make good on his promises.

Reviewing our life stories can help us to discover where we have allowed our circumstances to define us – when God intends to use those same circumstances to refine us. When we walk the path of remembering with God, He is faithful to bring us back to the broken places of our story to replace lies with truth. He ALWAYS has our best interest in mind.

Prayer
Dear Father,
Please help us see ourselves as you see us, and see our circumstances as You see them. Replace and heal the marred views we have of ourselves, of others, and of our circumstances that keep us from welcoming whatever refining you are doing in us so that we can boldly join you in what you are doing in the world. Amen

Scripture
“We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!” 1 Corinthians 13:12 (MSG)

Questions
•    How do you define yourself?
•    What implications does that have on the choices you make?
•    Are any of God’s definitions of you hard to take in? Why?

If you are interested in getting clarity on defining or refining your life story, please consider using as a guide, “Listen To My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story” by Sibyl Towner and Sharon Swing.

Sharon Swing is an author, retreat leader, speaker, artist and consultant with interests in life story as a spiritual development tool, crafting experiences that give God space to do what he does best, art as a spiritual pathway, and change. With Sibyl Towner, she has co-authored Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story. For more information, visit http://www.onelifemaps.com/. She is an organization development consultant specializing in planning, meeting facilitation, leadership development and change management. For more information, visit http://www.swingconsulting.com/.

Reprinting and republication of this article is permissible in its entirety, with full attribution, including the paragraph above. Please let us know you’ve found it useful.

Plot, Subplot

2010-02-17T06:47:00.000-08:00

by Sharon Swing, Co-Author of Listen to My Life

Maybe you’ve experienced reading a book, having your mind drift, and losing the handle on the storyline? Flipping back some pages, you might have to find the place where you absent-mindedly left the story to make sense of where the plot is going.

Have you ever lost the handle on the story of your life?

If you consider your life as a story, “What’s the plot?”

Sometimes it might be difficult for a lead character in the story to track their own storyline. Busy with just living, we can fail to notice how the events connect in to subplots, let alone the main plot or themes of the story.

Often, people talk about the plot of their lives as a series of events stretched across a timeline that reads more like a resume than a story with a strong plot. At times the thread that ties those events together is evident, and other times seemingly invisible, or random. But, are those events the plot of the story, or the subplots?

Let me announce to you that the plot of your life is knowable, discoverable, and freeing. The plot can be summed up like this:

Loving God; Loving People

All of our life story plots converge in this statement -- simple, yet beautifully multifaceted.

Subplots converge to tell the over-arching plot of a life story. This is where the uniqueness of our character, the circumstances, people and the places of our existence are woven into stories of triumph, tragedy, faithfulness, betrayal, fast action or stalled dreams. God is the one that holds the random subplot stories together and is weaving them together into the only plot that matters. In him and through him all things, including our subplots, are held together.

Yet, as co-authors of our life stories, we make choices to turn toward or turn away from our true selves, as God intended us to be. As we review our lives we can find the beauty of God’s expression through us, the ugliness of when we’ve turned away, and the ever-present themes of redemption – or hope of coming redemption for our life story plot and subplots.

God promises to use any and all subplots of our lives to draw us closer to him, expanding our capacity to trust him and love him. Joining the Master Author in the story as he arranges the redemption of all things that are not as they should be in our lives is what turns our mundane stories into great, wondrous adventures.

Your story is worth knowing and worth telling because it is a part of God’s Epic Story, which makes it part of our collective story. Together, we can live up to and into the only plot worth living; the one that leads us toward expanding our love for God people. Getting a handle on the storyline of your past will help you to make profound choices that impact the beauty, clarity, direction and outcome of the plot. Choices you make about your present and future determine if the main plot turns out to be inspiring, just plain boring, or something in between. Great stories often include a dramatic turn of events, against all odds comebacks, or the completion of a long obedience in the same direction.

Scripture:
God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love. Eph. 4:15-16 MSG

Question:
So, are you aware of how the subplots of your story are converging to tell an epic story of love, or have you lost the handle on the plot?

If you are interested in getting clarity on the plots and subplots of your life story, please consider using as a guide, “Listen To My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story” by Sibyl Towner and Sharon Swing.

Sharon Swing is an author, retreat leader, speaker, artist and consultant with interests in life story as a spiritual development tool, crafting experiences that give God space to do what he does best, art as a spiritual pathway, and change. With Sibyl Towner, she has co-authored Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story. For more information, visit www.oneLifemaps.com. She is an organization development consultant specializing in planning, meeting facilitation, leadership development and change management. For more information, visit www.swingconsulting.com.

Reprinting and republication of this article is permissible in its entirety, with full attribution, including the paragraph above. Please let us know you’ve found it useful.

What Defines You?

2010-02-10T13:16:00.000-08:00

by Joan Kelley, onelifemaps Facilitator
Related to the Following Forward Map and Reviewing My Days Map from Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story by Sibyl Towner and Sharon Swing.

Have you considered what defines you or who you let define you?

I was doing some reading today and thinking about what defines a person and perhaps what doesn't. I know for a fact cancer does not define my son, Will, or our family even though that's probably one of the top three facts someone would use to describe our family right now. I was introduced to someone I didn't know from our neighborhood the other day. She said "hmm...your name sounds familiar." I'm pretty sure I know why - it's because she had heard about a boy with the name Kelley who has cancer. But I'm not about to let leukemia be a defining portion of our family. At the Christmas service at church, there was a point where they had people share brief parts of their story. One I remember vividly was a woman saying, "Divorce does not define me!" Amen to that! I've seen how society can make a person feel that way.

So what does define you? I heard a good question the other day. It was something like "what word or phrase would you be willing to wear on a t-shirt 24/7 if it were meant to define you or say something about what you believe to be true?" There was a line of t-shirts that I loved that just said 'be' on the front. I liked this idea a lot. Be present, be hopeful, be a friend, be loved, be courageous. I think it boils down to being yourself. Be the person no one else can be and be settled and comfortable that this is enough. Be the person that God dreamed of when he made the stars and moon and sky. Be your true self, not what you think your parents want or your spouse or your friends or society wants. When we are being ourselves, we are a gift to others and not a burden. We waste less time, expend less emotional energy, and our decisions are easier because our outer actions match our inner being. But when we find our true selves, we need to learn to be settled and comfortable enough with that person to celebrate the uniqueness and grow into it in a richer, fuller way of living the days we have been given. I wonder if we be courageous enough to let 'being' define each of us.

Scripture: "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them." Psalm 139:14-16

Question: What word or phrase would you choose for your t-shirt?

Joan Kelley is a facilitator and teacher who uses the Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story, a visual workbook for small groups, mentoring relationships, workshops, retreats, classes, between spiritual friends, or individually to re-discover the storyline of the life they are authoring with God. More information is available at www.onelifemaps.com. Joan writes a daily blog at www.caringbridge.org/visit/willkelley.

Mosette Syndrome

2010-02-03T12:37:00.001-08:00

by Anita Schamber, onelifemaps Facilitator
Related to the Following Forward Maps from Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story by Sibyl Towner and Sharon Swing.

If you are like me, "self-doubt" has crept in on little cat feet into one or more of your decisions during your life so far. On those occasions when God or His appointees presented you with an opportunity to serve, you may have questioned, "Who me? You want me to do what? I don't think I can do that. Ask someone else."

For as long as I can remember, I've heard a chorus of comments about inadequacy, and I have named this state of being as the "Mosette Syndrome" (or Moses Syndrome for men). Moses used a long list of objections or excuses for not accepting the "divine appointment" to lead the Israelities out of Egypt, to which God called him. Some of the excuses Moses used are the same as ours: I'm not worthy. I don't know enough. I'm afraid of what others will think. I'm not a good speaker. Let somebody else do it.

Like a wise Father, God addressed each of Moses' concerns and reassured him of His presence and specific provisions for the most challenging call on Moses' life.

As we reflect upon our own life stories, we may discover times when we were like Moses and refused to answer a call from God because of feelings of inadequacy. As someone has said, "God doesn't call the equipped; He equips the called." I found that adage to be true when I was called to conduct a funeral for an unchurched family, to build a support system around a homeless woman, and to enter many cultures to develop leaders for World Vision. What I learned as I have grown in faith is to trust the Caller regardless of my insecurities.

A second characteristic of the the syndrome typifies Moses' impulsive and irrational behavior. All of us, at times, can have a habit of acting impulsively - outside of God's plan. When God intervenes, we then have to step back, listen, and be obedient in redirecting our steps. I have been this kind of Moses many times as I moved forward under my own initiative only to see that God had a BETTER plan than I. What these experiences have taught me is that if I follow forward in faith keeping my eyes on God, I can trust His leading and provision.

Anita Schamber is a facilitator and teacher using the Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story, a visual workbook for small groups, mentoring relationships, workshops, retreats, classes, between spiritual friends, or individually to re-discover the storyline of the life they are authoring with God. More information is available at http://www.onelifemaps.com/

Letting Go and Holding On

2010-01-27T14:34:00.000-08:00

By Joan Kelley
Related to the Following Forward and Reviewing My Days Maps from Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story by Sibyl Towner and Sharon Swing.

Do you know what’s drawing you toward God and pulling you away from God these days?

I’ve been writing an almost daily blog for the last seven months. One huge blessing out of that is the time spent reviewing my day. In the midst of thinking about the highs and lows of the day were, I’ve been more able to recognize what God has been up to in my life. It gives me time to consider what I want to change for tomorrow, how I can parent differently, notice where I’ve seen a smidge of growth, where I need to laugh at myself more, qualities I need to celebrate in myself, character traits that can get me in trouble, and things to be thankful for. Do I see all these things every day? No, but I start to see patterns and themes and threads that I can follow or connect. And the year begins, it’s easier to think about what I want this new year to hold.

I’m asking: ‘What do I need to let go of as I enter 2010?’ and ‘What do I want to carry forward into 2010?’ I want to let go of things like my need for control and having my way, busyness and people pleasing. I want to hold onto seeking simplicity, joy, delight and gratitude, trusting God more, focusing on relationships first, listening with my whole self, finding my true self, being vs. doing. By looking at these two lists I now know what to say yes to and what to say no to. I am reminded when I say yes to one thing, I’m saying no to something else. My lists of letting go and holding on help me set expectations and boundaries in healthy ways. These lists are no longer just two sheets of paper, but a set of evolving ground rules that help me make choices throughout the day. They remind me what draws me toward God and others and what pulls me away. I wonder what your lists might look like. Share them with a friend this week or even in response to this blog.

SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to Him.” James 4:8

QUESTION:
As you leave 2009, what do you need to let go of?
As you enter 2010, what do you want to carry forward?

Joan Kelley is a facilitator and teacher using the Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story, a visual workbook for small groups, mentoring relationships, workshops, retreats, classes, between spiritual friends, or individually to re-discover the storyline of the life they are authoring with God. More information is available at www.onelifemaps.com. Joan writes a daily blog at www.caringbridge.org/visit/willkelley.

From Discontentment to Gratitude

2010-01-20T11:46:00.000-08:00

By Cheri Hudspith
Related to the Reviewing My Day Map, Desires & Longings Map, and Valley Experiences Map from Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story by Sibyl Towner and Sharon Swing.

Last fall, I was troubled by the fact that I could not arrive at a contented place in a very big part of my life. I wanted desperately to live without the tension and burden of discontentment. I noticed that when I talked about the future, my voice was filled with angst and struggle. It was not the voice of a trusting daughter. I desire to be a trusting daughter of the Most High God. I started asking the Lord to show me the cause of my discontentment.

Apparently, this was something the Lord was pretty happy to supply an answer to. Through a series of events… a retreat in Colorado, questions asked by others in a bible study on Colossians, a serious physical trial being faced by a friend and a book called Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, I discovered a hard truth. The Lord both gently and firmly with His still small voice said, “Cheri, you are demanding. In the places where you choose not to be grateful in all circumstances, you only know discontentment.”

Through the use of the Reviewing My Days Map, I have discovered that God is moving in this area of my life where I have been discontent. He’s just not doing it the way I want Him to do it or at the speed I want. My arrogance in this way of thinking is so profoundly heart breaking. Who am I to tell God how or when to do anything?! Now, it is more clear to me why I have resisted the Desires & Longings Map. I was afraid of being disappointed and being tempted to get bossy with God. I instinctively knew that I would be in potential conflict with God when I dared to give voice to what I desire and long for.

I am now making use of the Valley Experiences Map. What events in my life or ways of seeing the world need to be reframed by truth… truths about God and truths about me? While praying through this map, I’m having a series of new realizations that are helping me understand how my past hurts contribute to my tendencies toward ungrateful discontentment.

God has done a work in me. I can honestly say that I have moved from discontentment to contentment, angst to peace, bossiness to submissiveness and ungratefulness to gratitude. I have known the deep love of the Lord for me in the midst of the revelation of truth. I’m so grateful He heard my cries and has answered them. Praise be to God!

SCRIPTURE REFLECTION: “Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Do not stifle the Holy Spirit.” 1 Thes. 5:17-19 NLT

QUESTION: Will you trust the Lord to show you where you struggle to be content or grateful? Are you being invited to discover how to be grateful in all circumstances?

Cheri Hudspith is a facilitator and teacher using the Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story, a visual workbook for small groups, mentoring relationships, workshops, retreats, classes, between spiritual friends, or individually to re-discover the storyline of the life they are authoring with God. More information is available at www.onelifemaps.com.

Living Forward

2010-01-07T12:28:00.000-08:00

By Joan Kelley
Related to the Following Forward & My Life Story maps from Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story by Sibyl Towner and Sharon Swing.

Where do you tend to get stuck – the past, present or future?

It’s hard for me to believe that in a couple months my son, Will, is going to turn 17. Seven months ago he was diagnosed with leukemia. So I have to admit we were ready for 2009 to end. I think because of all that has happened, I have spent some extra time reflecting on his life and mine as we enter 2010.

It’s funny to me how these almost 17 years have flown by. If you had told me when Will was just a baby what was ahead, I think I wouldn’t have believed it. I wonder what I would have changed had I known. Perhaps I would have been more present when he talked or shown more love and less nagging, read more stories, made him finish his vegetables.

I know I can’t go back and relive it but I can live forward. Living forward requires living in the present first with an eye on the future, while learning from the past. Living forward means waking up and being grateful for the day and living it, really living it to its fullest, living it with the capacity that God gave me, living it simply, living it with less focus on me. Living forward means taking the moments during the day to have a snowball fight, play CandyLand when you don’t want to, letting the dishes sit there sometimes, reading the bedtime story vs. your newspaper, putting the Blackberry down so you can hear what they are saying, telling them specific things about their character that you see them developing.

Living forward is selfless and hard and doesn’t make sense sometimes to the human mind. But living forward takes the tension we live in between our past and present and the anxiety we may have about the future and forms a more healthy relationship among all three – past, present, future. The past doesn’t hold us captive, the future is not something we are dependent on for our happiness and in the end the present feels like a place where you can be content. I think I’ll make 2010 a year focused more on living forward.

SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
“I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.” --Philippians 3:12-14

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” –Matthew 6:34

QUESTION:
What can you do today and in the coming months to “live forward?” Share it with a friend this week.

Joan Kelley is a facilitator and teacher using the Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story, a visual workbook for small groups, mentoring relationships, workshops, retreats, classes, between spiritual friends, or individually to re-discover the storyline of the life they are authoring with God. More information is available at www.onelifemaps.com. Joan writes a daily blog at www.caringbridge.org/visit/willkelley.

In the Spirit of Christmas

2009-12-30T10:47:00.000-08:00

by Anita Schamber, oneLifemaps Facilitator
Related to the Reviewing My Days maps from Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story by Sibyl Towner and Sharon Swing.

During the recent busy Christmas season, when have you noticed the love of God through the kindness and compassion of others?

As my 4 year old granddaughter, Claire Arney, rode in the back seat of her mother’s car one bitterly cold December day on the way to preschool in Denver, she noticed a homeless man on the corner holding a makeshift, cardboard sign with the scrawled words “Cold, Hungry, Ugly, Dirty.” Mr. CHUD, as they named him, was one of many homeless persons Claire had asked questions about with her parents. They explained that they gave money to the church and shelters to help homeless people who weren’t as fortunate as their family.

On this particular day, Claire apparently wasn’t content simply passing by and watching Mr. CHUD standing alone in the cold, hoping that their gifts to the church and shelters might help him. As the car passed Mr. CHUD, Claire sat silent for a few moments and then decided, “Mom, I’m going to help Mr. CHUD. Tomorrow, I’m going to bring him a breakfast bar, a banana and some money from my piggy bank.” When she arrived at school, Claire continued, “Mom, I’ll also bring Mr. CHUD a cup of milk.” Her mother agreed that milk was a good idea, but it might be difficult to provide; yet she commended Claire on her thoughtfulness.

After school and into that evening, no further conversation about Claire’s plan for Mr. CHUD arose, so her parents thought that her plan was a fleeting thought. That was, until bedtime. As they prepared Claire’s school things for the next morning, Claire also diligently began to gather gifts for Mr. CHUD. Before going to bed, Claire grabbed $2 from her piggy bank, a banana from the countertop and a breakfast bar from the cupboard, and announced that she would give them to Mr. CHUD the next morning.

The next morning Claire added two hand warmers to her little bag and headed out the door with her daddy, excited about the prospect of giving them to Mr. CHUD. As their car approached the corner, they spotted Mr. CHUD, cold and not dressed for the frigid weather, with his nearly illegible, but quite accurate sign. They stopped the car 50 feet short of the corner and beckoned to Mr. CHUD to come to the car. When Mr. CHUD neared the car, Claire rose up from her car seat, proudly and sweetly, and raised her bag toward Mr. CHUD’s outstretched arms. She carefully explained, “I made this bag just for you. Inside it you will find, money, food and hand warmers,” and her daddy added, “She is a 4-year old and the money is from her own piggy bank.” Mr. CHUD then smiled, revealing only a few cracked teeth, a smile that seemed to be his first in a long time. Then, in a weak, but genuinely appreciative and sincere voice, he said, “Thank you very, very much, honey.”

As they drove away, Claire simply said, “Good! Now Mr. CHUD can buy whatever he wants!” And her daddy smiled. As my son retold the story to me, his mother, via e-mail, he wrote, “I’m not sure what that visit really meant to Mr. CHUD, but for me, the joy I felt pounding in my heart as we drove down the road was a realization that Christmas came early for me this year on that early Tuesday morning."

Is it any wonder that Jesus wanted the adults to “let the little children” come to Him? He knew their pure hearts, love, and compassion were unfettered by the prejudice, cynicism, hatred, and materialism of the larger world. When I learned of my granddaughter’s giving spirit, I, too, smiled and then cried – grateful for her act of compassion and generosity and the reminder to be Christ to others. Jesus calls each of us to respond as Claire did, for when we do this to and for the least of those in this world, we do it to and for Him.

Scripture Reflection:
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in. . .” Matthew 25:35

“I tell you the truth,, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3-4

Question:
How is Jesus calling you to respond to the needs of those around you?

Anita Schamber is a facilitator and teacher using the Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story, a visual workbook for small groups, mentoring relationships, workshops, retreats, classes, between spiritual friends, or individually to re-discover the storyline of the life they are authoring with God. More information is available at www.onelifemaps.com.

"I'm Here"

2009-12-22T07:44:00.000-08:00

By Sibyl Towner
Related to the Life-Giving Rhythms & Reviewing My Days maps from Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story by Sibyl Towner and Sharon Swing.

This past Sunday was the 4th Sunday of Advent…the season of waiting with anticipation…the time of listening more deeply to who we are and who we are becoming in Christ in this particular year. It is an invitation to honesty and openness on our part.

It is also:
•The time of remembering that Christ came 2000+ years ago and entered our world vulnerable and needing others to survive and live. This is true for all of us.
•The time of reflecting on the ways we have come to Christmas over the years and the events that have shaped our actions each year.
•The time of looking at our relational world; its health and vitality and our part in helping relationships deepen and grow…beginning with those closest to us and extending to those on the other side of the world.
•The time to remember that He is coming again and until then, we carry the gospel hour by hour, day by day and week by week into the place we live and work and have our being and our doing.

This Advent began the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It was a travel day going back home after having been with family. That Monday I taught at Judson University for their chapel and opened up with Advent inviting the students to come to Christmas and to Christ in a more authentic way this year. Dick and I usually have Advent gatherings that include a lot of families and singles each week to come together and remember the Christ who came, who is in our midst through one another and who is coming again. This year we had less large groups and a number of small gatherings with a focus of listening to the activity of God in our current lives and to give thanks. We went visiting as well to some who could not come out, but who could receive someone coming in.

Scripture Reflection:
"Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." Ps. 25:4-5

Question:
Can you find 10 minutes this week and approach God as a beloved daughter or son and be quiet? Just say, "I'm here." Listen for nudges and invitations to action, to waiting, and pray for courage to follow Him.

Sibyl Towner and Sharon Swing are co-authors of Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story, a visual workbook for small groups, mentoring relationships, workshops, retreats, classes, between spiritual friends, or individually to re-discover the storyline of the life they are authoring with God. More information is available at www.onelifemaps.com.

Stop and Think About It - Part 3

2009-12-16T13:17:00.001-08:00

By Joan Kelley, oneLifemaps Facilitator
Related to the Life-Giving Rhythms & Reviewing My Days maps from Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story by Sibyl Towner and Sharon Swing.

What rhythm and pace have you felt as you have approached Christmas this year?

We have four children ages 16 down to 8 and so the pace at our house can be quite hectic to say the least. This summer my oldest son, Will, was diagnosed with leukemia and now our pace has a much different look and feel. Will’s illness has required attention and simplicity that has not been necessary before. After his diagnosis, our plates were immediately cleared. As I look back on it now, I realize that was a gift. And now as we slowly and selectively add things back into our lives, we are watching our pace very carefully.

I’m finding this Advent season now has a new rhythm and pace as well. It seemed awkward at first and so I have had to begin with preparing my heart and mind. This has taken some discipline on my part to simplify and figure out what was truly important this year – doing less “stuff”, buying less “stuff”, saying more “no’s”, holding loosely to most things and holding tightly to God. Our “stripped down” version of what Christmas used to entail now holds more meaning. It’s simplicity seems to more closely mirror the conditions of our Savior’s birth. And while so much has been taken away, it has resulted in more humility, more awe, more awareness of the precious nature of life and family. I have slowly change my attitude from hurry up, clean it up and check it off to being more present in the moment and comfortable in the quiet. It has felt good to slow down, to be closer to my God-set inner pace vs. the self imposed pace the world pushes on us and we chose to own. This part of the advent rhythm has taught me about the rests in the melody that make the other notes so beautiful and sweet.

The Advent rhythm for me has then seemed to move from this time of preparation to anticipation and expectation. While the world has been in high gear about shopping and getting it done, I have tried to move my heart to delight. My children have helped me remember that God loves a playful expectant heart. I love their pure delight in moving the new character each morning into the nativity Advent calendar that hangs on the wall. My son went to bed and asked, “Can I move the day 3 sheep up? Pleeease! The day is almost here. Can I move baby Jesus in and make Christmas happen faster?” I’m trying to work on filling my soul with some more anticipation and wonder as we move closer to the time. I’m hoping to hear the melody of Advent in a more “forte” kind of way.

My final verse in this rhythm of Advent seems to center around pondering and savoring the story, the baby, the moments of awe. This is where the preparation and anticipation begin to weave together God’s story and my own. I’m beginning to spend time thinking about what it would be like to be “in the scene.” What would it feel like to be a shepherd, a wiseman, Joseph, Mary? Who does God want me to identify with this year? What does God need for me to bring to the manger this year – an uncluttered mind, a listening heart, a self-less soul, a new perspective on life, a renewed or reconciled relationship? How can I authentically bring these gifts and not just a beautiful empty box with those words on the label? How can I sing the familiar songs with a greater awareness of their fuller meaning? This chorus of questions has helped remind me how my story intimately fits as a part of the Christmas story. Like Mary, this Christmas, part of my gift is “treasuring up all these things and pondering them in my heart.” I’m hoping to do more treasuring and pondering in these days to come.

I’m thankful for this rhythm of advent I am learning this year – preparation, anticipation and pondering. I hope you can find the Advent rhythm that God has set before you this season and you can stop and think about it, savor it and pull it forward into the new year.

SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
“So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. “ --Luke 2:16-20

QUESTION:
How can I find the rhythm of Advent that God has placed before me, even in these last days before Christmas?

Joan Kelley is a facilitator and teacher using the Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story, a visual workbook for small groups, mentoring relationships, workshops, retreats, classes, between spiritual friends, or individually to re-discover the storyline of the life they are authoring with God. More information is available at www.onelifemaps.com. Joan writes a daily blog at www.caringbridge.org/visit/willkelley.

Stop and Think About It - Part 2

2009-12-09T06:13:00.000-08:00

By Joan Kelley
Related to the Life-Giving Rhythms & Reviewing My Days maps from Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story by Sibyl Towner and Sharon Swing.

What are you excited about this Christmas?

I'm starting to realize Christmas is approaching very quickly. I know this is not a real news flash for any of you, but it just kind of hit me in the last week. I saw final touches being done on decorations outside people's homes. I had to run an errand at Target, and it was oozing with candy canes and Santa Claus. I received the first few Christmas cards in the mail. The forecast is for cold and snow. I turned on the radio, and it was all Christmas. You see Christmas at our house feels different this year, because my 16 year old son, Will, was diagnosed with leukemia a few months ago. I cannot even begin to explain to you where my heart is at this year as we enter December. It's basically been living on the outside of my body since about June. I have to admit it's a bit hard to go out of my home sometimes, carrying this raw emotion and enter the “real” world of “ho-ho-ho!” It's a bit overwhelming and reminds me that we are walking in a very different stripped-down model of life at our house.

But in contrast to the world, my mind and heart, today at least, are at peace – I'm not frantic because lists aren't made, presents bought, Christmas cards written, travel plans made, cookies in the works, parties planned. It really makes no difference this year, and I have to admit it feels right and pure and simple. It's funny the things that God can teach you through cancer. However as I enter this outside world, I find myself wanting to shout, “Excuse me shoppers. Can I have your attention? Don't you get it? Stop and think about it! It's not about the gifts. It's about the baby.”

My friend, Gayle, shared this story that happened at their Christmas Eve service. “There were some young people in attendance with special needs. One of them in the middle of service shouted out, “It's Jesus' Birthday!!” He sounded so excited. Of course, people looked around. The mother was so embarrassed, but it brought tears to my eyes. How excited are we to celebrate Jesus' birthday? It seems to do just the opposite -- it brings stress about gifts, who's going where when, what are we having to eat, how many people will be there, and the list goes on. We should all take three seconds or three minutes and shout with joy -- IT'S JESUS' BIRTHDAY!!"

SCRIPTURE REFLECTION: “The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger."'” --Luke 2:10-12

QUESTION:
How can you become more excited and joyful about the baby and less distracted about the ways of the world this Christmas?

Joan Kelley is a facilitator and teacher using the Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story, a visual workbook for small groups, mentoring relationships, workshops, retreats, classes, between spiritual friends, or individually to re-discover the storyline of the life they are authoring with God. More information is available at www.onelifemaps.com. Joan writes a daily blog at www.caringbridge.org/visit/willkelley.

Stop and Think About It

2009-12-02T06:05:00.000-08:00

By Joan Kelley
Related to the Life-Giving Rhythms & Reviewing My Days maps from Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story by Sibyl Towner and Sharon Swing.

Have you stopped before you start this holiday season?

My eight year old son, Mitchell, and I were reading a book before bed the other night. It was a silly mystery book called Jigsaw Jones. We ran into this line in the story, “The whole family was piled tightly into the car, like a hippopotamus wearing a Speedo bathing suit.” Mitchell giggled and I did too (then I wondered did I know what a Speedo was when I was 8?) He then said, “stop...let’s think about that one.” He closed his eyes tightly for about 3 seconds as he sat very still and then rolled over with an even bigger belly laugh that could be heard throughout the whole house. I loved how he just stopped life for a moment to “think about it” and then he fully engaged in a well thought out uproarious laugh.

I think this is perhaps how we are supposed to be living – a little more in the moment, a little more intentional, a little more spontaneous, a little more silliness. I wonder if this is how God wants us to enter this season of Advent – to stop and think about it. Can we think about the coming of the Christ child with the delight and wonder of an extraverted eight year old boy? Are you willing to take 3 seconds or maybe 3 minutes and do that right now?

Join us in the next few weeks of Advent as we “stop and think about it.”

QUESTION:
What are you doing to prepare yourself to “stop and think about” the Christmas story this season with new found delight and wonder?

SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
“This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. It began just as the prophet Isaiah had written: Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way. He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’” --Mark 1:1-3

Joan Kelley is a facilitator and teacher using the Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story, a visual workbook for small groups, mentoring relationships, workshops, retreats, classes, between spiritual friends, or individually to re-discover the storyline of the life they are authoring with God. More information is available at www.onelifemaps.com. Joan writes a daily blog at www.caringbridge.org/visit/willkelley.

Strengthening Gratefulness Muscles

2009-11-24T06:24:00.000-08:00

By Sharon Swing
Related to the Life-Giving Rhythms & Reviewing My Days maps from Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story by Sibyl Towner and Sharon Swing.

What would your life be like without gratitude?

Our friend’s 16 year-old son, Will, was diagnosed with leukemia this summer. His mom, Joan Kelley, has been writing a blog entry each night on Will’s CaringBridge web site: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/willkelley.Through her writing, Joan has given us a glimpse into a mom’s life, heart and soul as she walks with her family through this very difficult time. She’s not slapping on a ‘victory smile’ over her emotions. It is a refreshing, sometimes gut-wrenching, peek into the life of a woman who is learning new ways to recognize and respond to God in the story of her life.

Her blog entry has become a regular evening devotional for me. One reason I read it each evening is that she reminds me to ‘thank God for what is given; not allowing what is not given to spoil it.’ (Elizabeth Elliott) Although some days it is incredibly difficult and other days it is blatantly easy, she has made a decision to look for how God is showing up in her life. She has the discipline of writing it down, which is a great way to tell God she’s noticed what he’s up to and thank him for it. I think that helps her to be more aware of those things for which she is grateful the next day. As a reader of her journal, I can see that her gratefulness muscles are getting stronger. My gratefulness muscles get stronger as I listen in on her story, and then reflect on my own.

Her intentions toward gratefulness help her to recognize the beauty God is bringing forth from the pain. It’s just like God to redeem life’s toughest struggles – but do we notice?

Look for Joan Kelley’s contributions to oneLife Letters coming in December.

SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

QUESTION:
How might you strengthen your gratefulness muscles?

Sharon Swing and Sibyl Towner are co-authors of Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story, a visual workbook for small groups, mentoring relationships, workshops, retreats, classes, between spiritual friends, or individually to re-discover the storyline of the life they are authoring with God. More information is available at www.onelifemaps.com.

Silence by Sibyl Towner

2009-11-20T06:56:00.000-08:00

Related to the Life-Giving Rhythms & Reviewing My Days maps from Listen To My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story by Sibyl Towner and Sharon Swing.

In this busy world have you considered silence as a life-giving rhythm?

Silence is a spiritual discipline that allows you to create a space in this busy world to encounter and hear God. One way to do this is through a silent retreat. A silent retreat is when you put yourself, alone or with others, in a place where you cease speaking in order to listen to God.

I think the first step in a silent retreat is to get in touch with your body: How fast is it going? Is your mind racing? Are you pacing? I often go to my room and sit in a chair placed near a window and gaze out at creation. I let my body slow down to the rhythm of creation. Often what happens is I suddenly realize how tired I am and I might give my physical body a rest by taking a brief nap.

By this time, I am more ready to listen to God, who has been waiting for me to be with Him. I might even say, “God I am here and I want to hear you.” I might read through some scripture – Psalms or a portion of scripture that follows the church year calendar. As I read it, I sit quietly inviting God to speak to me. I am not studying the scripture but receiving God’s word to me. I may journal, be quiet or read around the text. I may have a book that I will read which creates a listening space in me. I may take a walk and invite God to speak to me through his creation. I come back and write or draw what I have heard, prayed, read, rested or delighted in the Lord during my time in silence.

At the end of the day, I slowly ready myself to return to “life.” What has happened in this time of silence is that I have allowed God time and space to tell me that I am his beloved daughter. I have detached for a brief time from “my world” and can now come back to life more free, and more truly myself.

If you would like more information about an upcoming Advent 24-Hour Retreat of Silence, please go to www.hungrysouls.org. Karen Mains and Sibyl Towner will be leading us into and out of the silence on Dec 2/3 and Dec 4/5.

SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
“Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
--James 4:8

QUESTION:
Why do I delay in coming near to you?

Sibyl Towner and Sharon Swing are co-authors of Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story, a visual workbook for small groups, mentoring relationships, workshops, retreats, classes, between spiritual friends, or individually to re-discover the storyline of the life they are authoring with God. More information is available at www.onelifemaps.com.

Cryptic Signs by Sharon Swing

2009-09-01T07:49:00.000-07:00

Often, I pass the hours of car trips by sleeping while Tom drives. But things were very different while my family vacationed in the red rock country of Sedona, Arizona. The sights were beautiful and fresh at every turn. While traveling on dirt roads in a rented sedan, we were always interested in what was down the road, not wanting to get ourselves into a bad situation on a trek that may provide more rocks, inclines or potholes than we could safely navigate.

At one point, we came upon this sign, ‘Next 2 Miles’ on a signpost, all alone. The post protruding above the small yellow rectangle baring these words indicated that there was important information posted above it at one time, now missing. We stopped to take a picture with Matthew posing in confusion. We all thought the sign was humorous. But, right under the surface of my smirk I thought, ‘That’s what life feels like right now. I can see signs alerting me of something ahead, but I’m not sure all of what it might entail. My soul senses changing winds. Uncertainty lies ahead.’

I’m noticing God whispering ‘heads up!’ That’s my cue to pay attention, to be aware. I don’t take it as an ominous ‘BEWARE’ sign, but a gentle nudge awakening my soul to pay attention to what’s ahead. God doesn’t want me to miss it, and if he’s doing the nudging, I sure don’t want to miss out on whatever he has for me.

The uncertainty provides a choice. I can worry, or trust Him and pray.

Over the last 8 years, I’ve been paying special attention to reviewing my past so I can notice how God has been intertwined in my story. More importantly, I’m uncovering the ways in which I belong to His story. That’s been a faith building experience for me. So, I’m learning to recognize his work in my life with greater clarity in the present, so I can respond to him with trust in the moment.

Over time, I’m learning I don’t need to worry about what’s down the road the next 2 miles, as I choose to trust the One who knows what’s ahead. I’ll travel with Him as my guide. It may be a treacherous road, or it may provide stunningly beautiful vistas, (or both) but I want to be fully awake to what God is up to in me, around me, and through me as it happens. I’ll make the choice to travel with anticipation of adventure ahead. No sleeping through this trip!

I love this scripture from the Message paraphrase, and you might, too. If you’re interested in having an experience with this passage, take a look at the suggestions at the bottom of the page…

Psalm 119: 29-34 MSG
Barricade the road that goes Nowhere; grace me with your clear revelation.
I choose the true road to Somewhere, I post your road signs at every curve and corner.
I grasp and cling to whatever you tell me; GOD, don't let me down!
I'll run the course you lay out for me if you'll just show me how.
GOD, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course.
Give me insight so I can do what you tell me— my whole life one long, obedient response.
Guide me down the road of your commandments; I love traveling this freeway!
Give me a bent for your words of wisdom, and not for piling up loot.
Divert my eyes from toys and trinkets, invigorate me on the pilgrim way.
Affirm your promises to me— promises made to all who fear you.
Deflect the harsh words of my critics— but what you say is always so good.
See how hungry I am for your counsel; preserve my life through your righteous ways!

As you read this scripture, you may want to try this process, called Divine Reading, or Lectio Divina to allow the scripture to ‘read you’ as you read it. It will be helpful to print this page to do this exercise.

1. Sit silently for a minute.
2. Read the passage slowly, underlining words and phrases that stir you in some way
3. Re-read the passage aloud. How do the words you underlined relate to your life right now? You might choose to make a few notes in the margin of the page.
4. As you read the scripture for the third time ask, “What might God be asking me to be or do? Write or draw what comes to mind.

Sharon Swing and Sibyl Towner are co-authors of Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story, a visual workbook for small groups, mentoring relationships, workshops, retreats, classes, between spiritual friends, or individually to re-discover the storyline of the life they are authoring with God. More information is available at www.onelifemaps.com.

oneLife at a Time by Rebecca Madden

2009-07-13T08:47:00.000-07:00

One of the maps in the Listen to My Life workbook is called Peak Experiences. It helps one to identity satisfying activities and experiences that can be clues to one’s unique design and purpose.

When I began the process of looking at my life and my Peak Experiences a few years ago, the first thing that was easy for me to identify was scrapbooking. I remember thinking to myself – what does this have to do with God?

Since I was seven years old, I have always loved to put photos on pages. My first book (see photo) has the old black pages, black photo edges, and captions that were written with a big, fat white pen with some misspelled words too! To this day, I still love to scrapbook, and it is the only thing that I will stay up to do half the night – especially if I have friends to do it with! I have now updated myself from black pages and white pens to digital scrapbooks with infinite numbers of page backgrounds, fonts, and colors from which to choose.

For some reason, God had wired me to do this and love this, but why? In the fall of 2008, I got my first clue. I was having dinner with Stella Kasirye who works for our church, Willow Creek Community, but she lives and serves in Malawi, Africa. She helps our church to engage with other churches to help with the issues of water, hunger, poverty, and HIV/Aids. She provides the hands, eyes, feet, mind and soul for our church on the ground in Malawi.

Last fall, my husband & I were having dinner with Stella. I told her that I was considering being a part of the serving trip to Malawi in June 2009. Jay asked Stella how she might want me to serve. Stella said, "Do you like arts & crafts?...Would you be interested in helping AIDs families do memory books?" She continued by talking about how the children are left with nothing once their parent(s) die. They have no pictures to keep and nothing to hold on to.

I could have just fallen out of my chair at dinner that night. Doing scrapbooking is part of who I am and who God made me to be, but I have never dreamed that it could serve a kingdom purpose.

In the Spring of 2009, I began to prepare for the trip and the memory book project by rounding up supplies of scrapbooks, pens, paper, glue, scissors and stickers to take with me. A friend pulled together the instant cameras and film that we needed, so that we could take pictures of the families. Stella suggested that I have enough supplies for memory books for 50 families.

In June 2009, I found myself in Chitipa, Malawi at a home health care visit sitting on a mat outside of a one room mud brick home - thousands of miles away from my two-story, four bedroom home in Chicago. The husband and wife both have HIV/Aids, and they have a six-week old daughter.

We had arrived there to encourage them, pray for them, and deliver gifts of sugar, oil and soap. We were asked to take pictures of us giving the gifts to the family. It felt like a photo-op – white, rich girl gives to poor. I was overwhelmed and uncomfortable with the poverty, sickness, and sadness of all that I had seen. I just wanted to run back to the comforts of my home – far away from all of this.

The next day, we were helping HIV/Aids families make memory books. In addition to the scrapbooks, we had questions in the books for them to journal about that would help them capture their family history, traditions and desires. While I was there, I found out that these books would also help by serving as a “will” that would help them to preserve their land and home after death.

We had 20 families to show up to do their books. One of those was the women with the six week old baby that I had visited the day before. I had no idea that I would ever see her again. We greeted and hugged each other.

We made progress with each of the family’s books, and then we told them to return the next day with other family members that they would like to have pictures made or to bring photos that they might have at home, so that they could add them to the books.

The next day, my lost luggage arrived, and it contained all the extra scrapbook supplies – including alphabet stickers. All of the participants wanted to put their name in their book using the stickers.

At one point, I walked over to the women with the six week old baby, and she was spelling out her name in stickers: R-A-B-E-C-C-A. How many women in Africa have my name? I can’t imagine very many. I felt like God was saying to me…I know that you are overwhelmed with all you have seen, but I am asking you to use your talents and gifts to bring hope to one person at a time, and I am confirming that by connecting you with someone else that has your name. I don’t think that she will forget me, and I certainly will not forget her.

I (we) can't individually tackle the global or continental or even country-wide problems of AIDS, poverty, hunger or lack of drinking water that exist in our world, but if we all engage with our talents, gifts and passions and help one person, we can make a difference - oneLife at a time.

What do you LOVE to do that doesn’t seem to have a kingdom purpose? Look around and explore the possibilities of how your talents, gifts and experiences can be used to serve another – either next door or on the other side of the world.

To see more pictures and video from Rebecca's trip to Africa, go to Rebecca's personal blog at http://thestorynextdoor.blogspot.com/

Rebecca Madden is author of the Listen to My Life Group Facilitator's Guide. Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story is a visual workbook for small groups, mentoring relationships, workshops, retreats, classes, between spiritual friends, or individually to re-discover the storyline of the life they are authoring with God. More information is available at www.onelifemaps.com.

Welcome to oneLife Letters

2009-02-11T20:48:00.000-08:00

We're thrilled to have you visit oneLife Letters, a blog dedicated to a community of people who are and have used the "Listen To My Life" workbook to help them reflect on their stories for the purpose of recognizing and responding to God in their past, present and for their futures.

We've got a bunch of courageous people who are taking the inner journey of faith. They are becoming more aware of God's activity in their lives and finding him to be loving and faithful.

We'll be getting our official web site up soon, so please sign up to follow this blog, so we can keep you informed of new developments.

Please tell us the stories of what God is doing in your life as you become intentional to listening for him in the midst of your story.

Sharon Swing and Sibyl Towner are co-authors of Listen to My Life: Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story, a visual workbook for small groups, mentoring relationships, workshops, retreats, classes, between spiritual friends, or individually to re-discover the storyline of the life they are authoring with God. More information is available at www.onelifemaps.com.