Heather Holleman's Blog, page 11

Scratch That—Back to Heat

For the next few days, we’ll experience high temperatures in the 80’s. I’m back in t-shirts, and the house returns to air conditioning. Seasons in Pennsylvania teach me that during times of seasonal transition, we might swing widely to extremes before settling in. Heat in October. Ice on the leaves. Snow on the daffodils. Frost on the tomatoes. It’s been this way for as long as I’ve lived here. It’s like Pennsylvania can’t make up its mind sometimes and it wants the best of both worlds. There’s something playful about it.

I exit the English Department with a student dressed for the beach, and we bask in the warm sunlight filtering through the just-changing golden and red leaves. “I wish this had been the weather during the White Out,” she says, referring to the freezing cold game we all suffered through weeks ago. I agreed, but then I remembered how much I longed for cooler days and loved the return to fall.

Back and forth, back and forth. I settle into unpredictability. Colder days will surely come. But maybe they wont.

The post Scratch That—Back to Heat appeared first on Heather Holleman.

Happy October (and 3 Blogs for 3 Days Without Internet)

Day One: I’ve been in Gettysburg for Cru’s Faculty Common’s conference called “The High Ground at Gettysburg.” I’ve attended this event for the last 15 years with Ashley to learn leadership principles from the battlefield, and I discover something new every year. This year, I’m drawn to the words of President Eisenhower in 1958 (featured in the museum) on leadership. He writes, “All leadership—political, economic, or moral—involves persuading others to do something now that will bring fruit in the future.”

To do something now that will create a preferred future: I love thinking that leaders know how to paint a picture of this future and motivate others to choose today what will bring about this future. Wonderful!

Day Two: I never tire of the Pennsylvania landscape, especially the battlefield as the sun sets from my viewpoint in the Lutheran Seminary cupola—the very spot where leaders climbed to discover the “high ground.”

Day Three: I still cannot connect to the internet in my historic manor. I finally realize that perhaps the Lord doesn’t wish me to work; He’s thwarting any ability to prepare for teaching, to write, or to do anything involving my laptop. Instead, I find myself delightfully resting. I stroll around. I lounge. I think. Sometimes, when God’s thwarts one thing, it’s to invite you into rest.

The post Happy October (and 3 Blogs for 3 Days Without Internet) appeared first on Heather Holleman.

A Psalm for the Overwhelmed

I love Psalm 142, and this morning I read it in a version (NASB 1995) that used the one word I hear most from students: overwhelmed. We read this in verse 3.

When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,
You knew my path.

I love the simplicity of trusting in God’s knowledge of our journey. When we are overwhelmed, we can rest in God’s care for us. We can ask Him for help since He knows our path. The psalm reminded me of the often-quoted sentence from Corrie Ten Boom: “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” Or consider the famous line: “Don’t fear the future; God is already there.”

God knows what we don’t know. We can trust Him when we feel overwhelmed.

The post A Psalm for the Overwhelmed appeared first on Heather Holleman.

On the Day You Call

Today I wrote in my journal Psalm 138:3—the words of David about God. I recorded this:

“On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul.”

I notice two things: First, God answered on the same day David prayed. I like thinking of praying to God and receiving an answer on this very day. Second, David must have prayed because he was in a situation that made him afraid or nervous. Instead of removing him from the situation, we read about a different answer to prayer. God makes him bold and strengthens David inside.

If we’re going to live supernatural lives, I imagine it’s going to take some courage. I imagine we’ll be afraid. I imagine we’ll need strength. I’m glad David prayed like this to hear God’s immediate answer.

The post On the Day You Call appeared first on Heather Holleman.

Simple Pleasures: Chili in a Thermos

It finally feels like autumn here in Pennsylvania. Leaves change; acorns crunch underfoot; the air chills my face. I wake up so excited to pack my lunch. In particular, I love cold days with a thermos full of steaming chili. I look forward to hot tea in the evenings, all the soups, and all the warm blankets. If you need a great chili recipe, I don’t have one. I just dump things in that sound good. This time, I added charred corn, chipotle chili powder, and several poblano peppers to various beans, tomatoes and ground beef. I threw in some onions and made it too spicy with jalapeño. Add some chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika, and you’ve got your chili!

The post Simple Pleasures: Chili in a Thermos appeared first on Heather Holleman.

Nothing Like Joy

Today I found myself astonished by Andrew Murray’s words on joy in Abiding in Christ. He writes this:

“Abiding fully in Christ is a life of exquisite and overflowing happiness. As Christ gets more complete possession of the soul, it enters into the joy of its Lord. . . We all know the value of joy. It alone is the proof that what we have really satisfies the heart. . . there is nothing quite so attractive as joy. There is no proof of the reality of God’s love and the blessings He bestows, which people so quickly feel the strength of, as when the joy of God overcomes all the trials of life.. . . With a heart full of joy, no work can make us weary and no burden can depress us: God himself is our strength and song.”

Murray says that a great part of abiding in Christ to know this joy means looking back over God’s faithfulness, looking upward to what awaits us in heaven, and looking outward to “helping sinners home.” Backward, upward, and outward: a recipe for joy.

The post Nothing Like Joy appeared first on Heather Holleman.

A Little Assignment from Psalm 119

I recently talked to a reader about letting God’s word work deeply within you. Then, you have stories to share with others about how God used various passages of scripture to heal you or comfort you. As I read Psalm 119 this morning, I took a highlighter and marked every place where we’re told the power of God’s word. Try it. Look for any place where the writer talks about God’s word—His law, ordinances, testimonies, or commandments. You’ll be amazed. Once we develop the conviction of what God’s word does, we feel excited and even determined to read it every day and learn it well.

We’re told that, as we read and study God’s word, we’ll receive blessing greater than riches. We’ll gain wonderful things, great understanding, good counsel, delight, strength, freedom, honor, fellowship, refreshment and steadiness (to name a few benefits).

One day, we’ll come to know God’s word as our highest earthly treasure. What do we possess greater than these words that lead us to Jesus?

The post A Little Assignment from Psalm 119 appeared first on Heather Holleman.

Warm and Cozy: A Recipe

For years now, mostly due to the influence of my Danish friends, I’ve learned about the concept of “hygge” which has become more and more popular over the years in the US. My friends taught me about living a warm and cozy life; hygge involves creating spaces for warmth, comfort, nourishment, and peace. A home like this often creates warm lighting through candles or firelight and warmth through soft blankets. This home nourishes both body and soul. Think about cozy spaces where you can smell soup simmering on the stove and bread baking in the oven. Think about a circle of friends, talking and eating with no time constraints. The point? Relaxation and most of all, love.

With the cold drizzle and wind today, I venture to campus in an autumn sweater, hat, and jeans to visit friends at their various tailgates for Penn State football. After a few hours, I couldn’t wait to drive home with my daughter and enclose ourselves in warm blankets in the living room to watch the game on TV. With chili in the crockpot, buffalo chicken dip in the oven, and caramel pumpkin biscotti in process on the kitchen counter, we lit candles and relaxed for the whole afternoon. A little girl popped in with a gift of an autumn painting. I brought chili over to my neighbors in my pajamas and slippers. I returned to the blankets and curled up cats, ready for another conversation and another bowl of something warm and tasty.

I like thinking about decisions I make during the day and whether or not they add to a warm and cozy environment, the kind of space where people can be themselves and enter into the relaxation we’re all craving.

The post Warm and Cozy: A Recipe appeared first on Heather Holleman.

Rest and Reflection

Today, for no reason at all, I curled up in the grass next to my cat, Louie. He’s allowed to venture into the backyard, and he loves to lounge in the sunshine. The breeze blew; the leaves rustled; the sun glistened. The afternoon passed by. I rested and reflected. I let my mind think about its worries, and then I handed each worry, one by one, to Jesus. I asked God questions. I listened for answers in the quiet of my soul where the Holy Spirit can speak. I pet my cat. I heard a lawnmower and the chipping of a chipmunk.

When Louie decided to return inside, I followed the rhythm of the cat. I went inside and resumed my work. My brain felt clear; my heart felt light. I loved this afternoon of resting in the grass. If we haven’t made time to just sit somewhere in nature, let’s do it.

The post Rest and Reflection appeared first on Heather Holleman.

10 Great Questions from a Retired Professor

A friend sends me a professor’s list of favorite questions to ask people. I printed out several pages of his questions and picked my top 10:

What’s the best thing a teacher ever did for you? What movie scene stays most vividly in your memory? When do you need reminding? If you were to start a podcast this year, what would be its focus? If you designed the perfect backyard, what would you put there? What’s one form of courtesy that really matters to you? What ritual helps you?What do you need most from people when you’re sad?What do you do when you are bored?When has an encounter with a stranger been a gift to you?

Enjoy these questions!

The post 10 Great Questions from a Retired Professor appeared first on Heather Holleman.