Heather Holleman's Blog, page 27

5 Promises from Psalm 112

I love the day I arrive to Psalm 112 in my daily Bible reading of the psalms. On this morning, I consider the promises offered to the person who fears the Lord and delights in His commands. I decided to read this Psalm in The Message version for the first time. It reads like this:

Blessed man, blessed woman, who fear God,
Who cherish and relish his commandments,
Their children robust on the earth,
And the homes of the upright—how blessed!
Their houses brim with wealth
And a generosity that never runs dry.
Sunrise breaks through the darkness for good people—
God’s grace and mercy and justice!
The good person is generous and lends lavishly;
No shuffling or stumbling around for this one,
But a sterling and solid and lasting reputation.
Unfazed by rumor and gossip,
Heart ready, trusting in God,
Spirit firm, unperturbed,
Ever blessed, relaxed among enemies,
They lavish gifts on the poor—
A generosity that goes on, and on, and on.
An honored life! A beautiful life!
Someone wicked takes one look and rages,
Blusters away but ends up speechless.
There’s nothing to the dreams of the wicked. Nothing.

I write in my journal 5 beautiful promises: Mighty children; prosperity; joy in hard times; opportunities for generosity; and a legacy of honor. My favorite lines in the ESV include verses 7-8: “He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid. . . “ I ask God to make me the type of person who lives without fear of bad news. I ask for a firm, steady heart.

The post 5 Promises from Psalm 112 appeared first on Heather Holleman.

All Day Celebration

Today I attend an all-day retirement celebration for my boss from the last 17 years. This party involves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and various panels of important people in our field of rhetoric and composition—all celebrating her prestigious career contribution. I note most of all in the invitation and in the schedule of events the theme of hope. She’s lived a life of hope. Hope for students. Hope for her instructors (me!). Hope for life. Her theme of hope made me think of what my own theme might be when I’m in my 70’s and ending my own teaching career. If someone were celebrating you all day long after a lifetime of work, what theme for your own life might you choose? If you look back over the whole story of you, what theme did God most weave into the chapters?

When I ask my heart this question, I keep thinking of the word “delight.” Ever since I began daily blogging back in March 2010, the theme of Live with Flair stayed true to finding delight each day of my life. I think we often forget that in the midst of pain and hardship, we serve a God who ultimately works to secure our highest pleasure, satisfaction, and joy. Delight!

The post All Day Celebration appeared first on Heather Holleman.

Quotable Quotes

Today I asked my students to share with me some of their favorite quotes. I wanted to prove that most of the writing we remember and quote often uses contrast, chiasmus, rhyme, and most of all brevity. I thought you’d love to see some of the words students keep in their minds as favorite quotes. I also recommend asking students what they chose for their senior yearbook quote, too! You’ll learn so much about them:

Lost time is never found again.—Benjamin Franklin

Fear can hold you prisoner; hope can set you free.—Andy Dufresne in Stephen King’s Shawshank Redemption

How you love yourself is how you teach others to love you.—Rupi Kaur

We can’t always choose the music life plays for us, but we can choose how we dance to it.— unknown

No one succeeds unless we all succeed.—unknown

It’s not the critic who counts. . . but the man who is actually in the arena. —Theodore Roosevelt 

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.—unknown

Embrace what makes unique even if it makes others uncomfortable. —unknown

You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.— Wayne Gretzky

Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain.—unknown

Not all who wander are lost.—J.R.R. Tolkien

Be excellent to each other. Party on.— Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure

Do or do not. There is no try. —Yoda.

Before you heal someone, ask him if he is willing to give up the things that make him sick.—Hippocrates

It’s not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog.—Mark Twain

The post Quotable Quotes appeared first on Heather Holleman.

Impart What We Bestow

I stop and underline this line in Andrew Murray’s The Ministry of Intercession. He writes: “[When we have] given ourselves no more to seek anything for ourselves, but for [others], and that to God, for Him to use us, and to impart to us what we can bestow on others, intercession will become to us, as it is in Christ in heaven, the great work of our life.

Can you imagine asking God daily to impart to us what we can then give to others? How rich our prayer life would become as we interceded for those around us whether our families, neighbors, or coworkers!

The post Impart What We Bestow appeared first on Heather Holleman.

I Think It’s the Treats

Over the years, I’ve taught in all kinds of classrooms: computer labs, lecture halls with stadium seats, tiny old rooms with no windows, classrooms with immovable desks, classrooms with moveable desks. I used to insist we all learn in a circle as something foundational to my classroom environment, but I quickly realized the impossibility of it. So I stopped creating circles. But one thing I haven’t stopped (unless the computer lab insists I do not bring these) is bringing treats in.

Treats! I always loved days in school when someone brought a treat, like for a birthday or holiday. The whole day brightened. The classroom suddenly became a celebration.

When I bring treats, I tell my students it’s a psychological experiment to make them associate writing with positive feelings. I tell them that every time they think of writing, they’ll also think of s’mores bars, blueberry scones, or butter cookies. They’ll think of triple chocolate espresso brownies. I also have nearly perfect attendance because they know my treats are coming, but they don’t know on which days. You never want to miss a class with treats.

Maybe it’s the rush of sugar or the feeling that someone cares about you and thought about you, but treats change the whole environment. Other professors know I summarize my teaching philosophy as “Go early” (which means I arrive to class 20 minutes early so I can chat with students and learn about their lives), but it’s also “Bring food.”

It doesn’t cost much money to bring in treats, but it does cost you a bit of time. Thankfully, my expert baker of a daughter loves to spend an evening making treats for my classes. We bake together a few times a semester for my students.

If your own gatherings don’t feel as joyful or connected, remember the power of unexpected treats.

The post I Think It’s the Treats appeared first on Heather Holleman.

Of Good Courage

I’ve always loved Deuteronomy 31:6. It’s one of the very first verses I memorized in the Bible: “Be strong and of good courage, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not fail or forsake you.“

This morning, someone asked me what I needed the most courage for today. I love this question! It reminds me of how, when I ran a Loving Conversations workshop and asked participants to think of a great question to ask their partners, one woman asked her husband, “What are you most afraid of in your life right now?” He loved this question.

Where do you need courage today?

What are you most afraid of?

I love these questions because they invite our friends to unburden themselves. We can talk about our fears, strengthen our hearts, and take courage that we are together, with God, and able to do harder and harder things.

The post Of Good Courage appeared first on Heather Holleman.

“Take Assignments that Outsize You”

I’m listening to Beth Guckenberger talk about “reckless faith” and how she learned to say “yes to God’s assignments that outsized [her].” In other words, she’s lived a life of such faith that, even if God’s asking something of her that exceeds her capacity in whatever way, she says “yes.” As I talk to Beth (one of the perks of being an emcee means I connect with great speakers!), she tells me how much she travels. As someone who does not enjoy travel, I tell her about my canceled flight from Charlotte and how I’m still not recovered from that feeling of being stranded overnight. She told me about all her tricks for sleeping in airports—even in locked airport bathrooms. I was horrified. I was also amazed. She cheerfully quipped: “It’s the missionary spirit!” I thought about her life and how she’s raised in total 11 children whether adopted, fostered, or biological. She regularly takes on assignments that outsize her, in unsafe places, with uncomfortable surroundings.

Earlier, I listened to a speaker talk about how he’s at his best when he’s desperate. He pulls me aside and says that the older he’s grown, the more he’s realized his need for Jesus. At 70 years old, he needs Jesus now more than ever.

I’m growing in my ability to say “yes” to God even if what He’s asking of me will deplete me financially, emotionally, or physically. I’d rather be exhausted and sick with Jesus than healthy and comfortable without Him. When I think about life in this way, I’m able to do harder and harder things. In fact, I’m writing this from an airport, one of my least favorite places. I’m here. I’m doing it.

The post “Take Assignments that Outsize You” appeared first on Heather Holleman.

I Suppose If I Must

This weekend, I served in an emcee role at a conference for Cru in Arizona. Serving as an emcee isn’t easy; it’s not my natural gifting, and it’s harder than it looks. You set the tone and expectations for the meetings. You tie program elements together. You help direct audience attention to key points. You introduce every speaker in a genuine way. You keep track of time. You need to know everything related to announcements, including specifics about the venue. Great emcees also bring humor to the room—something I’m also not necessarily the best at. But I’m learning.

For this event, I thought it might work as a lighthearted moment to talk about the hotel coffee and gelato shop. I even awarded a gelato gift card to an audience member who won a competition I planned. Every moment I was on stage, I decided to talk about my love of the gelato shop, and I updated the audience on which flavors I had tried. People started to look forward to my recommendations, so it naturally became my emcee duty to taste and rank the gelato flavors for the audience. I suppose if I must, I will take on this hardship.

Banana Dolce de Leche. Coffee Kahlua. Vanilla. Burnt Honey Strawberry—

This wasn’t just any gelato; this gelato was fabulous! Every flavor! I’m off to fulfill my emcee duties to try to more flavors. I suppose I will if I must.

The post I Suppose If I Must appeared first on Heather Holleman.

When It’s Challenging, It’s Good

I’m out here in Arizona, speaking for a Cru event. I love the desert; I love everything it symbolizes. As I walk on a trail early this morning, I think about the verse where God says He can makes the desert lush. Think of Psalm 107: He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water or Isaiah 35: The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing.

When thinks look bleak, dry, unfruitful, and challenging, God’s work appears more powerfully. You know it’s Him. You know it’s supernatural.

Desert Blooms in Arizona. Me and a Cactus Desert Blooms Hello! From a Cactus

The post When It’s Challenging, It’s Good appeared first on Heather Holleman.

Two Small Things in Any Situation

As I continue to travel or spend longer days working, I’m learning the importance of two small things that you can do in almost any situation: drink more water and take a walk. My daughter and I for example, took a 3-mile walk in an airport, drinking water and talking. Rather than lounging by the gate, bored and snacking on things to pass the time, I’m learning to think, “Hey! I can take a walk!”

What a difference movement and hydration make on feelings of well-being! It also feels productive (if you’re feeling trapped or bored). You can make hydration and walking a task to complete on days when you feel overwhelmed with unending projects. Take a walk? Check. Drink another bottle of water? Check.

Maybe someone needed to read this right now if you aren’t feeling your best. Take a short walk if you can. Drink water. You might find it makes a difference today. I find I forget the importance of both, so gentle reminders always help.

The post Two Small Things in Any Situation appeared first on Heather Holleman.