Heather Holleman's Blog, page 19

Never Stops

This morning, my friend sent me a song to listen to that I just love. It’s on repeat! If you haven’t heard it yet, it’s Riley Clemmons and “Fighting For Me.” Enjoy!

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Slowly Enough

On the way to visit a neighbor yesterday, I walked slowly enough to notice the late afternoon shadows stretch across the sidewalk. I looked up to notice the leaves in the trees lit up with sunlight. I walked slowly enough to feel a cool breeze on my face, and I closed my eyes to hear the birds and occasional barking dog. I had nowhere to be and nothing rushing me along. The feeling felt refreshing and kind.

Some days, I remember a different way of living. I remember I love slowness, stillness, and simplicity that brings us back to simple pleasures.

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Promised Pictures of the Robins

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Some Great Moments from a Great Sermon

A student I taught over a decade ago recently reconnected with me and shared one of his favorite sermons that helped him recover from several great disappointments in his life. It’s a sermon delivered by Ligon Duncan back in 2012 called “The Underestimated God: God’s Relentless, Compassionate Grace in Pursuit of His Own Glory and His Ministers’ Joy.”

(I love becoming the student of my student; I have always learned from them.)

I listened to every word and found myself overwhelmed by the truth of it. I pulled some of my favorite moments from this great teaching. First of all, Dr. Duncan tells us the sermon is for “special encouragement for the discourage faithful.” He explains:

“Some of you start out in Christian ministry and you think, if I’m faithful to God, if I’m doing His bidding, if I’m trusting in His grace, if I’m empowered by His Spirit, then I will not have the crushing darkness as a part of my experience. And then it comes and you’re you’re left asking, ‘Why is this happening what’s happening to me? Oh, God! What what am I supposed to do with this? I didn’t think that it was going to be like this’!”

Then, Dr. Duncan instructs us to “study our disappointments.” I just love these words;

“God wants us to study our disappointments because if we look at our disappointments, we’ll see what we love. When the bottom falls out, you will learn things about what you love that you never knew before, and it won’t always be pretty. You’ll learn what you believe. You’ll learn what you really believe when the bottom falls out, when the crushing disappointments come, and you’ll learn where you really rest where you really find your fulfillment and satisfaction and security. You’ll find what your real treasure is when the disappointments come.”

Study your disappointments. They are teaching you.

Before Dr. Duncan expounds upon his understanding of what’s happening to Elijah (the focus of the sermon) he says this: “In disappointment and discouragement we are tempted to think that there is a greater treasure that has been withheld from us or taken away from us—a greater treasure than what God has or can give to us.”

So go ahead and listen to one of the best sermons on shattered dreams and the life of Elijah. We learn that God often deals with His most faithful servants by “ruthlessly crushing their idols” out of His compassion and grace —because He wants us to have a greater joy.

Just when we think God is too hard on Elijah, we learn something so beautiful. Consider these words:

“Even when it looks like God is being hard on his servants, you can be assured that His provision is staggeringly and lavishly loving and generous and good and kind and He will relentlessly and ruthlessly pursue you in His compassion and in His grace for your joy.”

He then reminds of us something I never noticed before about why God takes Elijah in the whirlwind and in the chariots of fire. It has everything to do with what God knows Elijah has wanted most of all in His ministry—to see God’s glory in the whirlwind and fire back in 1 Kings. And it has everything to do with God knowing what Elijah most needed when He invites Elijah back into the story in Luke 9, when Elijah sees what his heart most needed and wanted all along: Jesus Christ. Can you imagine the everlasting joy of Elijah? Can you imagine him saying to God, “It all makes sense now. I understand!”

God sees you and knows what He has crushed in you to bring you out of idolatry so you can see and receive your Greatest Treasure.

Enjoy the sermon! Now one of my all-time favorites.

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Happy Little Tomatoes

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A Step Further: When Jesus is the Advocate

Yesterday, I wrote about self-advocacy for people who have a really hard time standing up for what they need and how they wish to be treated. But as I was thinking about why the image of the trial lawyer and client mattered so much to me, I realized that so many of us never felt like someone stood up for us. We don’t know what that looks like.

What if we went deeper into the trial lawyer’s idea: Imagine now that you’re not the advocate. Jesus is the advocate, and He announces to the court, “My client (child) needs this. She will not accept this. She is asking for this.” Can you imagine? Can you imagine that, in the heavenly realms, Jesus is interceding for us right this very moment?

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When You’re Your Client

I follow an attorney trial on TikTok who gives fantastic advice on communication and conversation. He’s always advocating for other people in the courtroom, but he recently shared his best advice on self-advocacy in a way I never thought of before.

Since we often help other people, we sometimes don’t know how to advocate for ourselves, know what we really need, and speak up for what we want. Jefferson Fisher advises this: “Imagine a copy of yourself in the room” that’s essentially you with all the same wants and needs as you. Fisher says to name this person “my client” and then ask this person to sit down while you stand. He explains that, in the courtroom, you as the trial lawyer must know that you are your client’s only hope. He says, “If you don’t speak for your client, then nobody else will.” Then, you must know what your client really wants. You need “full clarity of mind of what your client is asking for.”

Then, advocate. Be the “enforcer of your client’s boundaries.” Like this: My client won’t accept that. My client would like this. My client is asking for that.

Now imagine this as Fisher advises: “Take that same mindset, and instead of saying my client, you just say “I.” I won’t accept that. I would like this. I’m asking for that.

It’s an important mental exercise to get outside of yourself, see what you need, and ask for what you need as if you’re advocating for a client. We do this so well for other people, but we fall apart when it’s our turn to speak up for ourselves. Imagining yourself as your own client helps people in situations where they need to set boundaries, too. It calms you down as you position yourself as speaking on behalf of a client, even if the client is you.

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A Quote I’m Thinking About

I’m in a book club for PSU where we’re reading The Art of Community by Charles Vogl. So far, I’m fascinated by this quote in the preface: “Best-selling author and marketing guru Seth Godin writes that people today want connection more than material things. He believes that we’re in a connection economy in which those who connect others well will succeed.”

I love this phrase “connection economy,” and I think both Godin and Vogl are on to something. People want social connection, so I’m adding this to my professional development skills to build for students. I can ask questions like these:

Are you good at connecting people? How have you helped create belonging somewhere?

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You Just Can’t See It

I learn that the mother rabbit will feed the babies in the middle of the night or in the early morning hours (like 5:00 AM). It’s another tactic she uses to keep the nest a secret from predators. I love that I learned this because I keep thinking she’s abandoned her nest. I keep thinking the bunnies must be cold or starving or neglected. I see her hopping around, and I cry out, “Go feed the babies! Go visit your nest!”

She doesn’t. She’s always diverting attention away from the nest. I’m feeling the stress of the neglect. I keep thinking, “Nobody cares about the bunnies!”

So I think all is lost.

But no! They babies have all they need. I just can’t see all the care and provision. I want it to look one way, and it looks a completely different way. Sometimes God’s provision is like that. And it makes no sense until we think about what’s best.

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Happy July!

I love a fresh, new month. It’s a great month to begin your health journey, your writing, your house project or anything else you have on your list of dreams-to-come-true. Why not start small with a simple change to your life? You can take a 10 minute walk, clean something for 10 minutes, drink a glass of water, or plan a healthy meal. You can look for blessings and record them.

I’ll start.

Right on time, the first raspberry of the season ripens. It’s going to be a great month! Let’s harvest some of the things we’ve planted into our souls, shall we? I also notice the mother robin still on her nest. She never seems to leave it. I love the vigilance of motherhood. I also love thinking about something I learned from Susie Larson yesterday. She talked about how we might “stop bracing for impact” and instead anticipate the goodness of God each day. So many of us are bracing for impact. What if we loosened our grip and took on a posture of receiving? What if went into the garden and picked the raspberry waiting just for us?

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