Sally Clarkson's Blog, page 38

The Lovingkindness of God

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In the past few months, I have had the opportunity to have personal discipleship times with a number of people that I work with here in Oxford and in the States. Many carry a legacy of anger, passivity, scars, and loneliness from their childhood. It breaks my heart to hear their stories, as they are precious women and I would have loved to have given them the deliberate love, compassion, and sympathy of God that they could have as their memory.  

God wants us to learn what He is like, and what are the attitudes of His heart for us. On the Mondays ahead, I will be podcasting about scripture that teaches us about His amazing attributes that we can ponder, understand, and then model to those around us so that they might better understand and know God from the ways we exhibit His reality through our lives. I hope this will encourage you. 

Today, we talk of the lovingkindness of God—the term comes from Chesed, the Hebrew term which meant to give oneself fully, generously, with love and compassion. Imagine if we lived out the lovingkindness of God through our lives every day, how encouraged those around us would be. I like to imagine how wonderful it would be for me if those around me initiated God's true kind love and compassion to me every day. I think it would fill my soul. Let me know what you think. 

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Share with others. My prayer is that this podcast brings encouragement to women and families, and I would be honored for you to tell others about it.

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Tea Time Tuesday: Coronation Day

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As I shyly walked into the church where the coronation was being shown on a large screen, balloons were flying around, decorations abounded, a hat was thrown onto my head and an extroverted gentlemen said with a large smile, “Long live the king!” And that was the beginning of a delightful celebration.

Hip, hip hooray was roundly cheered several times, we all stood for the king to sing the national anthem twice, and a feast of grilled hot dogs, hamburgers, sausages, chicken and salmon sizzled on 6 grills out in the rain and everyone celebrated by eating to their hearts’ content. It was definitely a day I would not quickly forget.

The enthusiasm, the sacredness of the ceremony and call to be a servant leader touched me. To hear of a national leader bowing before God with accountability to serve his people was a picture of what our own Jesus has done. I do understand the complexities of all the issues surrounding the monarchy—but the service touched a deep place in my heart.

Today, on Tea Time Tuesday, I speak of one of my favorite children’s authors and illustrators, a new recipe, the profound influence of music on our brains, beauty as something that lowers adrenalin and the ways of rhythms in life. How has your week been?

Blessings and blessings my friends.

Happy Mother's Day Giveaway!

Motherhood is by far the most comprehensive and difficult role I have played in my lifetime. It challenged me, stretched me, broadened me, instructed me, cultivated my faith and prayer life more than I could ever have imagined.

Motherhood is also the best ideal in which I have ever invested my life. it called me to my best self.

Some of my best memories are when I was holding infant Sarah in my arms and she looked up at me with those beautiful blue eyes and smiled just for me, and I knew I held a treasure that God had entrusted into my arms that had eternal significance and infinite worth. And then I got to repeat this three more times.

Those times when I nursed and sang lullabies late at night when my baby would pat my chest. The nightly talks, lying together in bed and secrets saved just for mama, me! The “Look at me, mama!” pride of trusting me with those little but big in their eyes, accomplishments (riding a bike, drawing a masterpiece that only a mama could tell what it was, sharing doubts, deep heart thoughts)… the dinner table talks, the evenings on the deck in the dark by the fire where we all shared in friendship, the snuggle on the couch reading together, mountain hikes, family days, birthday cinnamon rolls with “why I love appreciate you” sharing. Sleeping together under the stars and loving our little wonder-filled community. Bedroom talks over tea and chocolate chip cookies where dreams were shared.

I love my children to my very depths, they are my best friends, they are amazing and wonderful and such a soul-filling gift.

And next Sunday, we celebrate all mothers. So today, I want to give away 5 of my books, Teatime Discipleship, to honor you precious mamas who give so much of yourselves. It matters so very much.

Enter the giveaway through my IG (@sally.clarkson) or my Facebook fanpage.

Maybe your mama would love a copy of Teatime Discipleship.

Teatime Discipleship: Sharing Faith One Cup at a Time By Clarkson, Sally Buy on Amazon

Tea Time Tuesday, 2 Days Late

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“Best friends are those you can do everything with or nothing at all and still have fun and feel accepted.”

My friends, I love this community. I feel like I am coming back. Wish you could have tea today with me as I share my crazy days. After the necessary flurry of launching a book into the world, flying back to Oxford, settling in as much as possible; then having a team of people from my publishers come for 5 days to work on a really exciting project, I am barely beginning to breathe peaceful moments into life again.

The past few days took us about 23,000 steps each day all over Oxford to photograph “my places” and to record my thoughts about life. (It may become a book down the line.) We even had 2 gorgeous, almost warm days!

Today on Tea Time Tuesday, I speak of broiled trout with lemon-dill sauce, peach-almond bread, roasted red peppers, onions, mushrooms, and potatoes, and a lovely book, movie, and more.

So, is it too early to have spring fever?

Don't you think that God meant for us to go outside, to take naps under budding trees, to breathe in pleasure when everything is alive and inviting after a long hard winter?

An overwhelming desire to escape is rushing through every molecule of my being. To breathe apart from responsibility, or phone calls, requests or demands from loved ones. Just time to blow.

My house needs organizing. Groceries need to be bought. Meals must be made. Birthday presents for Clay, Sarah and Joy need to be gathered. But, my brain is empty and I just want to play, or nap, or watch a movie!

A maid would be appreciated right now, and a personal massage therapist in my home at my beck and call. And someone to provide a fully cooked, fresh, oh-so-tasty meal—where I do not have to wash a single dish. Coffee and a pastry at a cafe every day.

Do you have spring fever, too? What would you do now if you had no responsibilities?

Blessings and blessings to you today, friends.

The Power of Returning Spring

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“Earth, teach me regeneration as the seed which rises in the spring.”

-William Alexander

Recently, I realized that I had been in England every year for the past four years during the daffodil blooming season. These yellow lovelies are happy flowers, delighted to be alive, blooming in their glory.

It was so wondrous after a very cold winter with the dark and dirty that comes with it, to be reminded that spring is on the way—nothing can hold it back. Perhaps many of us need to have hope that there is a spring season of life, beauty, and strength just ahead. 

Each winter when all appears to be dead or dying, daffodils pop up, as if out of nowhere, to proclaim, there just may be a surprise and delightful life ahead.

The Unstoppable Power of Returning Spring

God masterfully transcribed lessons and insights of life into the very warp and woof of His creation. Spring, summer, winter, and fall cast the pulse of life as we experience it.

A time to bloom, to grow full-blown, to harvest, then all dies, for a season. Until the cycle of life starts over again.

But winter will not have the last word.

There are winters in our lives—times when it appears that everything is dead or dying. Cold, stormy weather beats at the windows of our hearts as well as the window pains of our rooms. As Jesus said in Matthew, there will be times when the storms will burst against our house.

During this darkness of the cold, there is a deepening of roots that will allow new and better growth, a putting off of the old leaves and wilted fruit to make way for the new. It is in the darkest of nights that wisdom is learned, perspective is given, and humility clothes our souls.

In winter, gloom flows over and the fog of despair rains hard on our hearts. This is not the end of our story.

The power of returning spring is unstoppable, as though God's song refuses to be quieted.

A force so strong that it defies all other forces, life will indeed show its glory, beauty, and strength, again.

Every year, when darkness seems longest, daffodils spring up first, Blooming "with all of their heart," they proclaim, hope is coming, light is on its way!

These, are a true picture of resurrection life.

Our Sovereign Role as Mothers

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Today on the podcast, I am joined by my angel friend (and one of my assistants!), Katie Haines. Katie is a wife, and mother of Ben (3 years old) and Emma (9 months old) and lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. Read below for a glimpse of our conversation that covers our sovereign role as mothers, the noble, the inspiring, and the beautiful. 

In 1947, a young Princess Elizabeth gave a speech in Cape Town, South Africa, on her 21st birthday declaring her dedication to the British people and her role as their future monarch. She says: 

“I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong. But I shall not have strength to carry out this resolution alone unless you join in it with me, as now invite you to do: I know that your support will be unfailingly given. God help me to make good my vow, and God bless all of you who are willing to share in it.”

When the young princess spoke those words nearly 80 years ago, I wonder if she knew then just how long her reign would be, or just how many trials and troubles she would have to sort through as sovereign. But in light of the upcoming coronation of King Charles III, we talk about:

Serving God with your whole heart. When Queen Elizabeth was crowned during her own coronation, she was anointed with oil by the Archbishop of Canterbury in a solemn and sacred ceremony, where she took an oath before God. Throughout her life, Queen Elizabeth continued to serve God with her whole heart, as she was raised to believe the role of the monarch was to bring light, beauty, and truth to the world.

When a child is born, so is a mother. And while swaddling precious new life, we aren’t anointed with holy oil right there on the spot, but we are anointed with the holy spirit for the work ahead. Ephesians 2:10 says: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  Just as Queen Elizabeth believed her role as a monarch was to bring light, beauty, and truth to the world, mothers were designed by God to do the same for our households. 

Mothers were uniquely created to create goodness and calm chaos, to kindle hope, and foster faith. We are the beauty bringers and soul shapers of our homes and our communities. And the good news is, on the days that it feels like a burden too heavy to bear, the Lord has sent us a helper, the Holy Spirit. Scripture says that we were created to the good works, which he has already equipped us to do. We don’t need to try and push through in our strength but partner with the Holy Spirit in the work in which he has called us. 

Excellence requires investment. When it’s finally time for our children to take those first tentative steps into adulthood, what do we want them to take with them? Do we want them to take years of feasting, fellowship, hero stories, Scripture written on their heart, and the story of God that has shaped their soul? If our hearts long for our children to be shaped by the good, the true, and the beautiful, we must invest in it today. We must make “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy” (Philippians 4:8) priorities in our home now to reap the good fruit of our faithfulness as our children grow into young adults. 

Today, if you’re struggling to feel like any of it is worth it. Perhaps your toddler is wiggling his way through story time (been there!), or your teenager is struggling with difficult attitudes at the dinner table; pray that God will show a glimpse of the harvest ahead. Just a small taste of what is it come, an encouragement to your weary heart in the midst of a worn down day. Because what you’re doing today matters not only for these small moments but for eternity. You, my friend, are writing heaven on their hearts. You are bringing the realities and goodness of God to them when you give one more goodnight kiss, read one more story, and make one more meal. 

Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

FOR MORE

Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

Leave an iTunes Review These are so important as they help our podcast reach more women with messages of encouragement.

Follow on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and updates.

Share with others. My prayer is that this podcast brings encouragement to women and families, and I would be honored for you to tell others about it.

Join my friends and me in membership at Life with Sally, a place for me to share more teaching from the Bible and messages on education, motherhood, discipleship, and more

Tea Time Tuesday: Flourish!

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“Great works are performed, not by strength, but by perseverance.”

-Samuel Johnson

“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.” -Hebrews 10:36

As I sit once again in my living room, as I have done thousands of times before (candles lit, music playing, sipping tea, and Bible in hand), I am thinking about all the times I have sat in this very place pouring out my heart, worship, and requests to God. This place is familiar to me, my own personal altar, meeting with my familiar, loving God.

Today, my prayers are for my various children, big demands on the lives of several of them. “Lord, please lead them in wisdom. Please give them strength.” Then there is the matter of my surgery. “Lord, give me the right doctor.” And so on.

Life is a long story for most of us. The sum of what we have accomplished when we go to see Jesus face to face is not measured by one deed, or one act of faith. It is measured by years of love growing, compassion stretching, perseverance under trials, and faith in the darkness, practiced over and over. When we add up a life of faithfulness in serving God, accumulating maturity, grace, knowledge, wisdom, failure, forgiveness, and compassion—it is thousands of moments of choosing to practice persevering, one moment at a time.

But it is only in making those small choices, when no one else can see, that we find ourselves progressing on the path of the righteous.

On today’s Tea Time Tuesday podcast episode:

Composer: Ralph Von Williams

Food: Ham and Swiss cheese Croissant with Bechamel Sauce & a touch of honey

Book: Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil Frankweiler

Principles of Life that Create Human Flourishing:

Time with family or friends outside the house 2x a week

*Faith: A Belief in a benevolent God, and way to organize the universe, life, purpose, truth

*Multiple times in nature each week--immersing oneself in Physical Beauty

*Physical: Healthy food, exercise, sleep

*Fun and recreation regularly, A break from work and responsibility

*Mental stimulation or growth regularly

*Expected Rhythms and routines to organize life (stability)

*A positive sense of self & accomplishment

Buy your copy of Teatime Discipleship today!

It is Inevitable that Some Days, Rain Will Fall

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It is inevitable that some days, rain will fall. It is an unavoidable part of nature. So is life, some days are dreary and stormy.

A friend of mine was talking with me lately over coffee. She was feeling down, desperate, depressed. Feelings of failure and “I don’t think I am going to be able to do this life,” had troubled her as she saw day to day of caring for children/home through the next relentless years. We all feel this way sometimes. Caring for children, mentoring them at home, protecting them from culture, providing for their needs… every day they need to eat, wear reasonably clean clothes, and have a need for love. Training and attention are not for the faint of heart! It is undeniably hard and it was for me, too.

Often, I get letters that say, “It must have been easier for you.” No, it wasn’t. I had many “rainy” days. When I asked my friend her source of discouragement, she had been reading different people on the internet that were so engaged and idealistic in their articles and goals, it made this tired mama feel she would never be able to accomplish what she needed to do.

The internet can make all of us feel inadequate, but is not our ultimate judge—God is for us, and has compassion and sympathy. He knows your limitations and understands your story. Please God, not others. One of the most important areas for graceful endurance in motherhood is to be yourself, accept the limitations of your own story, and decide that who you are is exactly who your children need you to be. There is no perfect home, no perfect mama, no perfect children. Rainy days will come, but the way you handle them will determine your ability to keep going forward.

Give yourself grace. Decide to like who God made you.

Some days are made for escape: go out for a drive. Order fast food—it doesn’t even have to be organic. Do something fun.

Don’t make important decisions when you are down. Get sleep. Make decisions when you are sane/emotionally stable.

Meet with a friend who gets your life. Take a break.

Tomorrow on Tea Time Tuesday, I will address more. Be blessed today, my friends. You are loved.

Get your copy of Teatime Discipleship and take a break!

Mamas Need Beauty

I am overwhelmed by the kind, generous posts all of you, my friends, have been putting up for my new book, Tea Time Discipleship. I am grateful. I pray it will comfort, encourage, give peace and rest to your weary souls. I wish I could invite youto my home for, quiet, talking and friendship.

Today, I was remembering a special moment in time that spoke deeply to my heart. Mamas give, love, serve, work, read, feed, comfort over and over again. Often, we work to emptiness before we know it. It had been a season of drain. I felt so alone, unseen.

One of my adult children was sitting talking to me out on our “meeting bench”. Somehow the subject of my worst miscarriage years before came up. I was 13 weeks pregnant, and suddenly, violently I began to hemorrhage. An ambulance eventually came, hustled me to the hospital because they were afraid for my life. I was in and out of consciousness because of blood loss over hours.

I was so anemic that I was placed on bedrest for 6 weeks. But, my father became deathly ill. I had to be pushed in a wheelchair onto the plane that took me to his eventual deathbed in the hospital. I had two very sad deaths to grieve. I haven’t even thought about it from an adult point of view until tonight.

As my child listened, a hush came. “Mama, I don’t think I ever realized what mothers do—you still had to love us, take care of us. But there was no one to take care of you! I love you mama. I’m sorry you were so alone.”

I sat in the stillness, alone, looking back wondering how I made it. A half hour later, my child reappeared. “Mama, I know that beauty comforts you. Come with me.”

There in my little study was a vase of spring tulips, a hot cup of tea and a candle and a kiss on the cheek. “I did this because I appreciate the ways you have given to us through the years. I wanted to give a little something to you.”

Mamas need beauty. As I was thinking about this memory, I wanted to give 2 of you a book to give to your mama for Mother’s day. Maybe the beauty of Tea Time Discipleship will bring a little bit of peace to her.

Just leave a comment below. I hope this as a “Happy Mother’s Day Book” it will encourage many mamas.

TeaTime Discipleship

Teatime Discipleship: Sharing Faith One Cup at a Time By Clarkson, Sally Buy on Amazon

Victoria Magazine Giveaway & A Great Big Celebration!

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Woohoo! Today I’m releasing Teatime Discipleship into the world. I am so honored that Harvest House would give me the opportunity to do a full-color, photographic book with so much beauty, inside and out. I wanted to give beauty into the world of my audience. And of course, I am always so happy when the launch date comes—it is a little like giving birth to a baby.

One of my interviewers told me that they thought this book was my very own sort of Victoria Magazine because it is so beautiful! What a compliment it was. As you know, Victoria has been a favorite magazine since Sarah was a teenager. We would secretly make a cup of tea and sneak into my bedroom on an afternoon and go through Victoria and read out loud to one another. What a legacy of beauty, inspiration, and friendship we built over those years.

Today to celebrate, we are giving away 3 one year subscriptions to Victoria Magazine. Isn’t that fun?!

To Enter on Instagram or Facebook:

Follow Victoria magazine

Follow me

Leave a comment on either my post or Victoria Magazine’s post—or both and be entered multiple times to win.

Today, on Tea Time Tuesday, I have some very fun and special quotes and stories about people who learned the secret of steadfastness in their ideals. My favorite scones and combinations, music, and more.

I pray that this book will refresh you in your ideals and give you a sense of why bringing rhythms of grace regularly into your life will help you keep steadfast in your meaningful work of mentoring, loving, serving and praying for those in your personal life and story.

Be sure to share this giveaway with your friends today. Thanks from the bottom of my heart. And follow my stories where we have another giveaway and several fun podcasts. Get your own copy of Teatime Discipleship today. Thanks a zillion billion!

Be blessed my friends.

Teatime Discipleship: Sharing Faith One Cup at a Time By Clarkson, Sally Buy on Amazon