Heather Holleman's Blog, page 235
July 14, 2017
By Name
Today I hear a woman speak about how God calls us by name.
It’s so precious to consider how, in Exodus 33:18, God says to Moses, “I know you by name.” Think about Isaiah 41:1 and God’s declaration: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” Or consider, in Luke 10:20 about the “names written in heaven.” Both Revelation 20 and Philippians 4:3 reveal how our names written in the Lamb’s book of life. I also love John 10:3 and how the Shepherd calls the sheep by name.
It’s so amazing! It’s so personal, so tender, and so wonderful. He knows us and calls us by name.
July 13, 2017
A Wonderful Love Poured In
I think Romans 5:5 is a Bible verse of personal breakthrough. It’s so simple and so beautiful. It contains this little statement: “God has poured his love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.”
Can you imagine having God pour His love into you so that you don’t need so much attention or affection from others? What if this love so filled you that criticism didn’t penetrate in (there’s no room!) just as praise doesn’t fill you with it’s sugary and sometimes toxic liquid (there’s no room!). What if this love so filled you so that you moved about your day in a way that blessed others with this love that there’s so much of you can pass it around to thirsty people needing a sip? And then you tell them they don’t need you; they can have God pour this love right into them, too.
When God pours His love into your heart, you’re free to interact with people from a place of security and fullness. You don’t need them to fill any empty places inside. I pray that God increases our awareness of this love that has already been given through the Holy Spirit.
May we see ourselves as filled up–like one of those expensive water bottles that keeps things warm for the whole day so no external temperature matters–with the wonderful love of God.
Think of your heart like this water bottle. See God pouring in His love, all the way up, so you’re finally full.
July 12, 2017
A Little Nest for You
We have a fun expression in our family. It’s this: “Would you like me to make you a little nest?” This means that someone needs a special place to rest and relax, perhaps take a nap, and enjoy some quiet time.
A “little nest” consists of soft blankets, a pillow or two, a refreshing beverage, and books or other ideas for solitude. We also make “little nests” before bedtime to arrange the comfy blankets and pillows into a cozy little space.
I’ve always loved nests and the contained comfort, creativity, and nurturing space they represent. And I love thinking of making my own little nests, not just for children, but for my husband and myself. In my little nest, I refresh and rest, burrow in, recover, feast, and grow.
July 11, 2017
“Apparently, there is nothing that cannot happen today.” Mark Twain
I love this quote by Mark Twain, who according to some research, said this in a joking manner when something strange happened (a man with an unusual name arrived to demand Twain change the name of a character in his book because it was his name). I love the quote for its humor and its optimism, and so I wonder:
What might happen today? Nothing is impossible with God. There is nothing that cannot happen today. Oh, the bright hope and joy of it!
July 10, 2017
Put the Old Records On
Sometimes I go back and listen to the music I loved in college, and then I watch movies I loved in college. Today, I heard a song from a summer long ago from David Wilcox called “Farthest Shore.” Back then, it was a cry for one day living a life of deepest surrender to God:
Let me dive into the water
Leave behind all that I’ve worked for
Except what I remember and believe
And when I stand on the farthest shore
I will have all I need
I think about everything I have of any value, and it’s never an object or an achievement. It’s God and people. It’s love. I have all I need. As a woman in her 40’s I know this. As a girl listening to this song, I wanted it to be true. Oh, how I hoped it were true! I love now knowing that it is.
July 9, 2017
Back to the Frogs
I see them in the murky water. Their glossy green heads, still as mossy stones, watch us. One jumps up towards a nearby log, and the sheer size of him astonishes us. Bullfrogs.
I remember the day along a creek in Virginia when I saw the muddy shore shift and sink and then move apart to show a bullfrog the size of a dinner plate. I was seven years old, and this monstrous, joyful creature opened up a new world of wonder. How can this be? Who made this? How does it live?
For him to reveal himself like this made me feel special, anointed, chosen. I felt connected to mystery and beauty for the first time. I watched the frog move away from me into his secret habitat, into territory I would forever seek along every creek for the rest of my life.
The world was now a place to search and find, to stay very still for, as we wait for shores to change and reveal what we were always looking for.
July 8, 2017
An Atmosphere of Joy and Peace
Today I read in Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology about the Holy Spirit manifesting His presence by an atmosphere of peace and joy. Among so many other things the Holy Spirit imparts––wisdom, truth, righteousness, glory, freedom, power, unity, and an awareness of our belonging to Christ––I love thinking about the peace and joy of God.
I want the atmosphere around me to radiate the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit. I think about the atmosphere of my home, workplace, church, and any gathering places where I go. I pray that the Holy Spirit manifests all the peace and joy possible here.
July 7, 2017
Worship Before Work
I read this in A.W. Tozer’s The Purpose of Man: “God wants worshipers before He wants workers. He calls us back to that for which we were created––to worship the Lord God and enjoy Him forever. And then out of our deep worship flows our work for Him. Our work is only acceptable to God if our worship is acceptable.”
I consider how work might flow from deep worship, how work isn’t the first reason God created us, and how God wants us to enjoy him, not simply work for Him.
July 6, 2017
Reminders of Divine Activity
Today I remembered how God allows even suffering as a means to achieve His highest goals of blessing us and bringing glory to Himself. He is always faithful to bring about good. God is good, and what He does it good.
If I could truly believe this, and live as if it were true, so much about my attitude and emotions would change. I would worship God in uncomfortable or painful circumstances. I would trust what I cannot see and even cannot yet know about divine activity in these circumstances.
July 5, 2017
What You Ask God to Teach You
In Psalm 25:12-13, I love this truth:
Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way he should choose. His soul shall abide in well being, and his offspring shall inherit the land.
I’ve been thinking about the promise that God will instruct us in the path we should choose. What a great promise! David cries out in Psalm 27:11 the following prayer: “Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.”
I think about what I need to ask God to teach me. What decisions await me that involve choosing the right path? Where do I need more leading? What principles do I still need to understand as I grow into greater maturity? I fill my journal with a list like this:
Teach me to worship You!
Teach me to choose the right paths in writing, speaking, and teaching!
Teach me to love people better!
Teach me how to parent teenagers!
I could go on and on and on. I’m so grateful that we have a God who instructs. He is our Great Teacher.
