Beth K. Vogt's Blog, page 39

In Others’ Words: Keeping Company with God

There was a time, back when I was involved with teaching women’s Bible studies, that we spent an entire year studying prayer. I read a variety of books on the topic. Discussed prayer with my co-leaders. And, of course, I spent a lot of time applying what I was learning — which means I spent a lot of time praying.

Of all the things we learned, the most life changing for me was the concept of listening to God during my prayer time. I stopped talking, talking, talking — asking, asking, asking — and I started listening. I learned to quiet my mind, my heart, and to wait on God because I wanted to hear if he had anything to say to me.

One of my favorite Scriptures is 1 Peter 3:12 that says God’s ears are open to our prayers. But during that year devoted to prayer, I learned the importance of listening for God’s voice … and yes, it was, as Philip Yancey says, a new way of ‘keeping company with God.’ 

Do I still ask God for things? Yes. Can I fall back into a shopping list mentality when it comes to prayer? Yes. But that year was a change point for me — where my relationship with God became less about giving and taking (Him giving and me taking) and more about listening and waiting.

In Your Words: What are your thoughts on prayer? Have they changed over the years? How? Recently I found the 31 Ways to Pray for Your Kids App by Bob Hostetler.  It’s a great prayer tool! 

In Others’ Words: Keeping Company with God #InOthersWords #quotes #prayer
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“For me, prayer is not so much me setting out a shopping list of requests for God to consider as it…
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In Others’ Words: Defining Your Space

I read an interesting interview of Shonda Rhimes, the writer/producer of such TV hits as Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. The last question was “What else do you wish women knew?” — but I think the question, and Rhimes’s answer, is applicable to everyone.

” … People deal with so much insecurity and spend so much time thinking, That person is better, so I couldn’t possibly try this. Yes, you can! Everybody puts themselves in little pockets and holds themselves back, but there’s no reason to. Make your own space.” 

That last sentence echoed in my heart: Make your own space. 

Why do I ever try to squeeze myself into someone else’s space? Or why do I ever try to conform myself to someone else’s image in my space? It’s usually because, like Rhimes said, I’m looking at them thinking they’re better than me. Or I’m thinking of all the reasons I won’t succeed.

I need to stop checking out other people and their spaces. Instead, I should focus on making my own space. What do I want that space to look like — who do I want to be? If I know that — if I define myself, my space — I’ll fit into that space just fine. Anyone else’s space? Let them have it. I don’t belong there.

In Your Words: Are you making your own space? How? How would you describe it? 

In Others’ Words: Defining Your Space #InOthersWords #quotes #beyourself
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“Make your own space.” #quotes #ShondaRhimes #beyourself
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In Others’ Words: Truly Confident

 

 

Do I wait for others tell me who I am? Or do I know who I am, both my strengths and my weaknesses?

There are days I struggle with myself, my confidence facedown in the dirt. Funny story: I remember the day I thought: Where do I get off thinking I could ever write a book? — and I had just published my first novel!

Odds are, circumstances had tripped me up that day, skewing my perspective of myself. More than likely, I ran to someone else — several someone elses — to encourage me, to tell me I was okay. That I could write. That I would publish another book. A better book. And that’s okay because that’s what family and friends are for: they believe in us when we don’t.

But I’m learning to accept myself, even love myself, for who I am. Strengths and weaknesses. Good habits and bad. Successes and failures. I’m becoming more forgiving of my mistakes and yes, more confident in my abilities.

The difference is, my anchor, my confidence, is in who God says I am — loved, accepted, forgiven — and the truth that He loves me no matter what — success or failure, strong or weak, questioning or faithful.

In Your Words: How are you doing when it comes to accepting your strengths and your weaknesses? And while we’re talking today, I’d love to hear something you’re good at! 

In Others’ Words: Truly Confident #InOthersWords #quotes #confidence
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“Real confidence comes from knowing and accepting yourself — your strength and your limitations –…
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In Others’ Words: Releasing Fear

You know how someone says something and their words just reverberate in your mind and heart for days afterward?

That’s what happened to me this past Saturday when I attended a local writer’s group. Author (and friend) Cara Putman spoke to the group via Skype and early on she said, “Let go of the fear of being wrong.”

Cara said a lot of other valuable, insightful, encouraging things, but these seven words stayed with me. I knew from the moment I wrote them down that I’d be sharing them with you all on this blog. How could I not? Yes, Cara was speaking within the context of being a writer, but this truth is applicable to everyone, even if the only thing you write is a grocery list or a monthly rent check.

Let’s face it: We’re all going to be wrong at some point. But the fear of being wrong — that can hold us back from so many things …

from pursuing a dream
from trying something new
from trying again when things haven’t worked out the way we hoped
from speaking up when everyone else is silent
from stepping outside our comfort zone into that beautiful area where life begins 

The next time fear shows up and grabs ahold of me, I need to shake off it’s grip. I need to admit that yes, I could do or say something and end up being wrong — or being perceived as wrong by someone else. But fear doesn’t get decide what I do or do not do. 

In Your Words: How do you get past the fear of being wrong? 

In Others’ Words: Releasing Fear #InOthersWords #lifequotes #bebrave
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“Let go of the fear of being wrong.” via @CaraPutman #quotes #amwriting #courage
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In Others’ Words: The End and the Beginning

If we can search and find the beginning hidden in the ending … well then, the ending isn’t quite so painful.

I’m facing an ending right now — an “everything is finished” kind of moment. God was gracious enough to give me a head’s up about it months ago, so I wasn’t caught off guard by it. But still, there is an ending here. And there is some sadness in writing “The End” on this chapter of my life.

But I also know this is a beginning, too. Do I know exactly what this new adventure looks like? No. But I know I’m starting something new — something that I want to do. And so, in the midst of the end I’m already anticipating the next thing God has waiting for me … and I’m waiting on Him to say, “This is where we start.”

Until then, I wait. I acknowledge the end even as I set my sights on what is up ahead. It’s an interesting place to be, one brimming with things finished … and things waiting to be accomplished.

In Your Words: Where are you? Are you at a “beginning” moment or a “finished” moment? What makes the moment manageable?

In Others’ Words: The End and the Beginning #InOthersWords #lifequotes #endandbeginninng
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“There will be a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning.” #quote…
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In Others’ Words: First Step, Last Step

Starting something and finishing something … I have to agree with today’s quote that those two steps can often be quite challenging.

Yes, the first step can be exciting, enticing even. The thought of embarking on a dream, pursuing your passion, is exhilarating at first — during the pondering stage. But then comes the moment when pondering must become doing. When thinking must transform into action. When you have to step out …

And that, my friends, can often feel like stepping off a cliff while the wind whistles past your ears sounding an awful lot like it’s saying, “What if … what if … what if … ”

Once I’m moving along — once I’ve written several scenes or chapters — I’m okay. It’s easier and easier to maintain momentum based on the progress I’ve already made.

And then comes the last step … the “almost there” part of the journey. Your steps start to lag, don’t they? Enthusiasm wanes a bit. And maybe, just maybe, you think less of finishing and more about just … not … continuing. 

I know there is no journey unless we start, but sometimes that last step is the most important one. Finishing. To be able to look yourself in the mirror and say, “I did it. I didn’t quit.” Whether the journey accomplished is all you’d hoped for and dreamed about, you completed it. And that should give you satisfaction.

In Others’ Words: First step or last step — do you think they are usually the hardest? Why or why not? And do you think that sometimes there’s enough satisfaction in just completing the journey? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

In Others’ Words: First Step, Last Step #InOthersWords #lifequotes #thejourney
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“The first and last step are usually the hardest.” #quote #Proverb #perspective
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In Others’ Words: Advise Me, Advise Me Not

It’s easier to give advice than it is to take advice, isn’t it? And then again, whether we take advice at all is often dependent on who is offering us their wisdom, right?

Remember that T.V. ad that said, “When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen?” As I recall, a room filled with people would fall silent and everyone would lean in to hear the financial advice of good ol’ E.F.

The question today is: Who’s your E.F?

The people we can trust the most are the people we are in true relationship with. It starts with knowing someone’s values, knowing their heart. And then, if I also know this person cares about me, I mean, truly cares about me in a way such that this person has invested time into our relationship … if I’ve been heard … if I’ve been validated … well, that person becomes my “E.F.”. If they talk, I listen. And yes, I will often write down their advice because that’s just the way I am. Sometimes I quote my “E.F.s” — one of them is my good friend, Wise Guy, who I’ve quoted on this blog before. I’ve even woven him into some of my novels. The man knows truth.

In Your Words: I’ll ask the question again — Who is your E.F.? Who do you know loves you such that you are willing to heed their advice, maybe even write it down? And if you’d like to share some of that good advice, please do!

In Others’ Words: Advise Me, Advise Me Not #InOthersWords #lifequotes #advice
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“Write down the advice of someone who loves you, though you don’t like it at the time.”…
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In Others’ Words: The Courage of Dreamers

I just got back from a bit of vacation in California and, yes, I spent some time in Disneyland. It amazed me how everyone embraced the “happiest place on earth” mentality, donning all versions of “ears”:

 traditional Micky and Minnie ones
 Star Wars ones
Princess ones — think Ariel, Cinderella, Snow White … pick a princess, any princess …
Bride and groom ones
Pluto, Goofy, Donald Duck, Chip and Dale ones

 

My husband Rob and I, along with our youngest daughter CJ and her BFF, rode all sorts of rides — and yes, the Dumbo ride is my favorite because it is the quintessential Disney ride. We watched parades, arriving at the park early and staying late.

And all the while I walked around the theme park — not wearing any “ears,” mind you — I thought of Walt Disney. Of how all of this — Disneyland and Disneyworld and all the other versions of the theme park around the world — was his dream. And how it all started with a rudimentary cartoon of a mouse. 

We think of dreamers as being creatives. And yes, they often are. But dreams take an awful lot of courage, too.

Daring to dream is one thing. Daring to pursue a dream … well, that’s something else altogether. You have to keep dreaming despite setbacks and doubters and self-doubts (two very different things) and times when circumstances demand that your dream changes. The truth is, dreams have to change if we want to keep them alive. And being willing to allow our dreams to grow, to become something other than we first imagined? Well, that’s sometimes the bravest act of all.

In Your Words: What dream are you pursuing right now? How is that dream demanding that you be courageous? Or what dream in the past has challenged you to be brave? How?

In Others’ Words: The Courage of Dreamers #InOthersWords #lifequotes #WaltDisney
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“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” #quotes #WaltDisney #dreams
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In Others’ Words: The God of Hope

My understanding of God has changed through the years, but one thing hasn’t changed: I know that God is a God of hope.

Do I get discouraged at times? Yes. Do I struggle against God’s plan — sometimes when it’s clear and sometimes when it’s not? Yes. Do I call sometimes call myself “Oh-me-of-little-faith”? Yes.

But all that stuff about me doesn’t change that one bedrock thing I know about God: He is all about hope. I don’t determine who God is. My emotions, my circumstances don’t change God and I certainly don’t get to define him, either. 

So have a found myself in some desperate situations? Yes. Do I know other people in some desperate situations? Yes, yes, yes. Some of them are reading this blog right now. But I also believe that God doesn’t abandon me in any desperate situation. I believe that he brings hope to each and every struggle I face … that he brings himself to each and every struggle I face.

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18 NASB)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13 NIV)

In Your Words: How has God been your hope in a tough situation? How can I pray for you today — you can share here or email me at beth@bethvogt.com.

In Others’ Words: The God of Hope #InOthersWords #LifeQuotes #faith
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“God doesn’t want us to be trapped in desperate situations without hope.” #quotes #BethKVogt #writer
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I’m celebrating the release of my latest destination wedding novel with a Grand Prize Giveaway worth over $150! Join the fun and enter for a chance to win here!

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In Others Words: The Art of Learning

Most everyone would agree that Michelangelo was a creative genius, the artisan who sculpted the Pietà and David he was before 30, and who also painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome.

But I never realized that Michelangelo considered himself a learner.

When you consider someone as talented … no, as gifted as Michelangelo, you assume the man knows what he’s doing, right? He must have had an innate ability to sculpt, to paint, to design … to do everything he did.

And yet, his favorite saying was: I am still learning. 

And maybe those four words hold the key to all that Michelangelo accomplished — or at least hold a key to what he accomplished. I still believe he was incredibly gifted. But I also believe his posture of a learner — his inquisitiveness, his questioning — benefitted everything he did.

And it makes me wonder, too: Am I still learning? Or am I coasting on what I’ve already learned? 

In Your Words: Do you have a favorite saying? What is it? How does it influence your life? And do you consider yourself a learner? What have you learned recently?

In Others’ Words: The Art of Learning #InOthersWords #lifequotes #Michelangelo
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“I am still learning.” #quotes #Michelangelo #favoritesaying
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I’m celebrating the release of my latest destination wedding novel with a Grand Prize Giveaway worth over $150! Join the fun and enter for a chance to win here!

Enter @bethvogt ‘s $150 Grand Prize #giveaway celebrating her new destination #wedding novel!…
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