Heather Holleman's Blog, page 13

His Help

When I speak on “surrender” at retreats, I often ask women to reveal their thoughts about Jesus. I ask them to call out the first word that comes to mind when they think of Him. I love what erupts from the crowd. Rescuer! Redeemer! Healer! Comforter! Friend! Hope!

This past weekend, I noticed the same word popping up in their minds. Helper. Jesus is my Helper.

I’ve always loved this idea of Jesus as a Present Helper. I love how David writes in Psalm 54: “Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.” The sons of Korah write in Psalm 46 on the same theme of God as our “ever-present help in trouble.” Consider how, when Joseph blesses his sons in Genesis 49:25, he describes God as the one “who helps you.” Over and over again, we see God as our help.

When we have help, that person eases a burden, provides resources, and serves us. Imagine the loving character of the God of the entire universe who becomes our help. Us? Why would he bother? Why does He love us so much? I think of David’s same feelings in Psalm 8 when he muses, “What is man that you are mindful him?” And now imagine turning to Jesus to humbly ask for help. Where do you need help? Do you believe He will help you?

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Part of History

Just now, my sixth grade neighbor popped over to interview me for her history class. She wanted to learn about my experiences on 9/11. It suddenly occurred to me that she viewed me the way I saw people who were alive when President Kennedy was assassinated. They were old and part of history long ago. But now, I’m the one who lived through that terrible day in September, when the sky seemed unnaturally blue as I watched the second plane hit the South Tower. Did I remember how I felt? Did I remember the events of the day? What did I do?

Yes, I remember everything. My husband joined the interview to talk about his relief efforts as Cru distributed over 10 million memorial magazines called Fallen but Not Forgotten in NYC. Ashley worked for a week to support people in the city.

The day’s events stay clear in my mind, and I was happy to recount them for a young girl who hadn’t lived through it. I suppose in decades to come, we’ll also talk about living through a pandemic to young people who never experienced it.

Time passes, and it matters to talk about it and not forget what we felt and what we learned.

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Not in My Bow or Sword

I love whenever I read passages of scripture that indicate what actually saves us. It’s never our strength or our cleverness or any of our resources. It’s always the Spirit of the Lord. I see that again in Psalm 44 where we read, “I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but you give us victory. . .”

It reminds me of the powerful line in Zechariah 4:6: “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the Lord of Hosts.

I think of anything I rely upon, especially with upcoming speaking events. Nothing happens because of natural talent, clever words, or flashy presentations; what changes people is the Holy Spirit.

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Chop the Veggies / Eat the Veggies

So much about eating healthy involves preparation and availability. One must reduce the friction, the barriers, to eating nourishing food. It’s far easier to grab something healthy and good for you if it’s there, ready and waiting. So chop up the veggies. Make a nice dip for the veggies. Pack everything up so it’s ready to grad for lunch. Then, eat.

I sit in my office dipping the carrots, cauliflower, peppers, and cucumbers into a light ranch dip. I see my bag of oranges cut and ready.

I know these things. We all know these things. You want to make living a healthier life easier, not harder.

I like to think about things I wish to do and how to make those things easier. Exercise is easier with a friend. Writing is easier with coffee and warm slippers and a cat nearby. Cleaning is easier with great music. Grading is easier with little treats every hour.

Chop the veggies. Eat the veggies.

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He Heard and Is Working

This morning, I returned to some words written by Hannah Whitall Smith about resting in God, especially when we feel like we are wrestling in prayer about something or someone. She writes, “Having made our request known, we must then wait in a quiet and patient faith, sure that the Lord will not rest until He has finished the matter we have put into His hands.”

She implores us to enjoy a quiet and patient faith, rather than a wrestling and agonize one.

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The Comfort of Psalm 23

If you haven’t spent some time in Psalm 23 lately, I highly recommend it. Consider the lovingkindness of God as a Good Shepherd and all He’s doing. Consider your day in light of the work of God. What if we believed that, somehow, God made us rest in green pastures, by quiet waters? What if we actively looked for His refreshment, guidance, and comfort? When will the table appear, and in what form? Where will we find all that goodness and love? What a day to expectantly wait for Psalm 23 to shape everything!

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Just Picked: New Mini Pumpkins

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You Know What’s Coming

I love this one neighbor who always delivers us something from whatever she’s baked or canned. The latest? Pickles. She has so many pickles she’s made from her cucumber abundance. I love pickles. I love nearly any pickled thing like beans, okra, and beets. So in a few minutes, I’m receiving a pickle delivery.

(It’s such a gift how she always makes more than she needs of everything: Italian rainbow cookies, apple cider caramels, bread, soup, donuts, jams, fruit bars, more soup, pickles, more bread.)

When she texts, I know what’s coming. It’s always something good. It makes me want to become more like her. Imagine being the kind of person like this that whenever people hear from you, they know what’s coming. And it’s good. It’s going to be something generous and nourishing.

Sometimes, we receive messages from people, and we know what’s coming. Maybe it’s complaining, gossip, bragging, asking for another favor, or some divisive comment. What comes when my neighbor text always delights.

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5 Minutes. 2 Years.

This morning I learned about waiting five minutes before we indulge in anything from a place of learned emotional response. Set a timer when you want to eat something when you’re not really hungry but rather bored, stressed, or angry. After five minutes, the urge often dissipates.

While I haven’t read the research behind waiting five minutes exactly, I like how much you can do in five minutes instead of that thing you’re trying not to do. Clean a surface. Take a walk. Paint your nails. Call a friend. Weed. Journal. I love this idea of setting a timer for five minutes to interrupt learned behaviors.

Then, in the afternoon, we staked the tilted top of the gingko tree to correct its direction. It will take two years to correct the wayward growth. I like thinking about the new directions our lives take and how change doesn’t happen over night. It might take two years to right ourselves, to allow God to do His work. If it takes that long for a tree to reorient, maybe that’s what it’s like for the heart.

So in small ways, in five minute increments, we’re changing. In two years, we’ll be set in our new direction.

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The #1 Tailgate Food

As you may know, Penn State enjoys one of the nation’s biggest football tailgate cultures. Since I know people read this blog from all over the world, I’ll explain that, at least at Penn State, a pregame tailgate (technically, the phrase means you serve food from the back of your car near a sports stadium—hence the word tailgate) involves great food and beverages, fun games like “cornhole,” and socializing for a few hours before the game. Each semester, I ask my students to tell me their absolute favorite tailgate food. I love to learn what’s trending. The number one answer never changes:

Buffalo Chicken Dip.

Maybe I’ll hear a variation like buffalo chicken mac n cheese or buffalo chicken nachos or buffalo chicken wraps. But by far, the number one answer is always the original Buffalo Chicken Dip served with chips (Scoops) or veggies.

There’s a history to learn. The name comes from the town of Buffalo, NY, and it’s a dish derived from buffalo chicken wings dipped in a blue cheese dressing. I had never heard of buffalo chicken dip before moving to Pennsylvania, and some of my students from the west coast have never tried it. But after a few semesters at PSU, it’s always a fan favorite.

So tomorrow for the first Penn State game, you’ll find this classic dip nearly everywhere. We’ll make some at home as we watch the game from the comfort of the couch while my daughter cheers in the stands along with the other 106,000 fans in what many consider to be the greatest student section of any university.

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