Heather Holleman's Blog, page 6

Remembering Hibernation

Today I remembered my wise friend’s advice to “take our cues from nature” about our behavior during certain seasons. So many of us punish ourselves and wonder what’s wrong when we feel fatigued, when we feel like rolling ourselves into warm blankets, when we feel like lounging about and eating warm foods as the December temperatures drop. We worry over our productivity levels. We wonder if we’ve earned the right to watch movies, eat Christmas cookies, and sit there watching the snow fall. Shouldn’t we finish more, exercise more, and produce more?

Remember the hibernating animals in winter. We might take our cues from them. Hibernation makes us consider minimal activity. It’s about slowing down, resting, and conserving energy and resources for the next season.

The post Remembering Hibernation appeared first on Heather Holleman.

To Figure Out Your Writing Voice

Today I made more Christmas cookies while listening to Christmas Jazz. In between batches, I took a few calls that both involved talking to writers about their writing journeys. I answered questions; I gave advice. I offered my opinions on agents, publishers, query letters, proposals, sample chapters, career authorship, and anything else one writer wondered about. Mostly, I looked back over the years and years of writing. I’m ten books in.

The two things that mattered most in developing the craft of writing involve teaching writing and daily writing. I love Parker Palmer’s quote: “We teach what we most need to learn.” Teaching writing helped me understand grammar and sentence variation, and when you read thousands of student essays over two decades of teaching, you’ll gain a sense of what works. You’ll notice technique. You’ll notice what works in a sentence.

Then, when I wrote every day myself, in the daily blog, I could try on different writing voices. It’s a weird process to try to match on the page a kind of voice that’s in your head. And you want it to sound like you. You don’t need to sound like anyone else. This takes an extraordinary amount of time, but then you find your written voice. This voice differs from the academic, scholarly voice from my PhD training. This voice differs from the narrative voice of young Elita Brown.

On your own writing journey, you’ll find a way to sound real. But it takes time. Think about how you’d teach writing. And write.

The post To Figure Out Your Writing Voice appeared first on Heather Holleman.

Time to Celebrate!!!

The post Time to Celebrate!!! appeared first on Heather Holleman.

Finally Better (Almost): Start Marveling

What a week of recovery! The human body amazes me in how it heals and fights infection. Sometimes, I thinking about it and marvel. I marvel over the memory of cells. I marvel over medicine. I marvel over how my cat seems to know I’m sick and comforts me. Then I start marveling over my cat and how he purrs. God didn’t have to make cats purr, but He did. Why?

I love marveling. It’s part of a savoring life.

I love the Christmas Jazz Instrumental playlist I’m listening to and how God made us to love music. Why? It’s amazing that such delight comes through sounds arranged like this. At Christmastime especially, I marvel over how much we all love light displays and how we’re drawn to light shining in the darkness. We’re made for it. We’re made for marveling and for worshipping and for delight.

The post Finally Better (Almost): Start Marveling appeared first on Heather Holleman.

The Cookie Factory

For two decades now, I’ve made Christmas cookies to pass around to friends, family, and colleagues. We officially started the “Cookie Factory” yesterday. My daughter and her college roommate came home to help, and we even enjoyed the creative assistance of the little girls from next door. We keep a pile of Christmas cookies in the kitchen from December 1st onward, but mostly, we wrap stacks of them in cellophane and gold ribbons to distribute. I use this sugar cookie recipe and then an almond icing with powdered sugar. I make a fresh batch every week or so until Christmas. The Cookie Factory represents a joyful celebration that’s become something I love; I spend leisurely time in the kitchen.

Put on your Christmas music. Make something delicious. Invite some children to join you. Then, scatter the joy around.

The post The Cookie Factory appeared first on Heather Holleman.

As You Read the Psalms

Every fresh month, I start reading the psalms again. For years I’ve done this, and I’m amazed at how God teaches me something new. I experience God’s word as “living and active” (Hebrews 4:12) through this process of reading the psalms over and over again. God’s word is alive and will speak to you in new ways each time you approach the Bible.

One thing I’ve been doing is pulling a key verse to meditate on from each psalm. So yesterday, I took the first five psalms and noted some interesting things my soul needed: I thought about what it looks like to “delight” in God’s word (Psalm 1); about how “blessed” we are as we take refuge in Him (Psalm 2); about God as a “shield” around us (Psalm 3); about God putting “gladness” in our hearts (Psalm 4); and how He surrounds us with “favor” (Psalm 5). Then, it’s easy and powerful to recall these words: delight, blessed, shield, gladness, and favor.

We can then form wonderful declarations from the psalms to carry us through the day and night. You can say to God, “I delight in You and Your words. I am blessed today. You are my shield. You fill my heart with gladness. You give me favor.”

Essentially, we build up a vocabulary in our minds to renew us and our thinking. Try it and see what you think. It’s a study strategy I like. Choose key words. Make simple sentences about God from these words. Let the statements generate a new way of thinking.

The post As You Read the Psalms appeared first on Heather Holleman.

A Life Like This

I enjoyed thinking about Isaiah 30 this morning. Consider these highlights of God speaking to His people:

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.”

But think about the opposite kind of life from the beautiful one described above: a life of stubborn pride and exhaustion, a life of frenzy, complaint, and worry. Here, God invites us into a different way of living. And why wouldn’t we live just as He asks us to? This is a God who describes Himself like this:

The Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

He longs to show us His gracious love and compassion. He blesses us as we wait for Him. He hears and immediately answers. He furthermore directs us.

I often hear the prompting of the Holy Spirit when something is “not the way for me.” You might be reading this and wondering if you’re taking a path that, while seemingly good and prosperous, isn’t the way for you. Listen for that voice that redirects you. God will teach us and lead us.

The post A Life Like This appeared first on Heather Holleman.

How to Spend a Day with the Lord

I suppose every day is a “day with the Lord” because He’s always with us, but today already feels special. I decided to make a day with the Lord since I’m waiting for my eyedrops and antibiotic to kick in for my ear ache and pink eye. Add laryngitis into the mix, and I’m really not good for anything! So this morning, I felt under divine instructions to rest. No lesson plans. No writing a novel. No grading. No work. No meetings.

Can you imagine canceling everything to create a day that sprawls out in front of you like a red carpet unfurling to some grand event? That’s what it felt like to sit in my mustard yellow recliner and plan my restful day with the Lord. If you’re curious how it works (and how it’s going), I’ll tell you. (And I realize this only works because I don’t have small children needing my attention. When I did, I left the house for a 6 hour retreat with the Lord at a prayer cabin.)

Brew your coffee or steep your tea. Get into your coziest clothes. Start with your journal. Fill a whole page with grateful thoughts to God. On the next page, list out everything distracting you or what you’re worried about. Next, read Psalm 145 several times and linger over phrases that catch your attention. Spend the next hour thinking about the unsearchable greatness of God (v. 3) and abundant goodness of His care (v. 7). Talk to Him about all He has accomplished in your life. Talk to Him about things that amaze you in nature. Marvel a while. By this time, you might want to listen to a great worship song. You might also become hungry. Eat your breakfast. Take a walk or a bath. But the whole time, keep thinking about God. Think about Psalm 145:19 where we’re told that God “will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him.” Make a list of what you actually desire. This might take some time.

To change the program a bit, consider your prayer journal. Take the next hour to pray for people in your life. Pray for healing, protection, wisdom, provision. Pray for direction and for godly relationships. You might also spend part of this hour texting encouraging words to hurting people.

Since you still have time before lunch, why not stay in God’s presence and make something unusual and delicious? Since the antibiotic is hard on my stomach, I wanted to make something easier to digest. I made pearl couscous with lemon, basil, and some parmesan cheese. I listened to music while I cooked. I ate a great lunch. I took my medicine. I did a few chores. The whole time, I kept God in my mind.

After lunch, consider reading devotionally. I’m finishing up Andrew Murray’s Humility. After an hour of reading, move on to asking God some questions and journaling your thoughts about your purpose, activities, and relationships. Take the afternoon to create a “strategic plan” with God about your December and perhaps what you want to focus on in the new year. Now, it might be time for an apple or some nuts.

In a nutshell, a six hour “day with the Lord” could look like this:

Gratitude and Worries. You might even draw in your journal as you write down grateful items. Drink your morning beverage. Bible reading (Psalm 145) and lingering over key passages. Pause for breakfast. Worship by thanksgiving and praise (this might include confession and a clearing of the mind). You might take a walk. Intercession for others and texting encouragement Creative activity with God (baking, drawing, etc.) Devotional reading Planning for the future

Enjoy your day!

The post How to Spend a Day with the Lord appeared first on Heather Holleman.

For the Overwhelmed

I love Psalm 142. It’s a great psalm to send to someone in your life who might feel overwhelmed, sad, or discouraged. David wrote these words while hiding in a cave since Saul was trying to murder him. I love this part recorded in 1 Samuel 22 because of David’s unusual ministry in the cave of Adullam. We read that “all those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.”

So I imagine Dave writing this psalm to encourage himself and others who were in distress. This short psalm contains only 7 verses, and I bolded my favorite lines to consider:

 I cry aloud to the Lord;
    I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.
2 I pour out before him my complaint;
    before him I tell my trouble.

3 When my spirit grows faint within me,
    it is you who watch over my way.
In the path where I walk
    people have hidden a snare for me.
4 Look and see, there is no one at my right hand;
    no one is concerned for me.
I have no refuge;
    no one cares for my life.

5 I cry to you, Lord;
    I say, “You are my refuge,
    my portion in the land of the living.”

6 Listen to my cry,
    for I am in desperate need;
rescue me from those who pursue me,
    for they are too strong for me.
7 Set me free from my prison,
    that I may praise your name.
Then the righteous will gather about me
    because of your goodness to me.

If you feel like David felt–alone, in trouble, overwhelmed, unseen, uncared for, in great need–remember this psalm. And remember that God gave David a great ministry and a place to lead from this very suffering.

The post For the Overwhelmed appeared first on Heather Holleman.

View It All Through Being “Sent”

My cold turned into an ear infection and pink eye this morning, all combined with laryngitis. All day yesterday, I asked the Lord to please heal me so I wouldn’t have to go to the doctor. If I had to go to the doctor, could God at least help me secure an appointment today? Well, God not only didn’t heal my pink eye, but He also didn’t provide a doctor’s appointment where I wanted to be seen. When I called the doctor, the intake person said to go to an urgent care clinic since absolutely no appointments were left for the day. Urgent care would mean a long wait—I just knew it. Ugh!

I felt so discouraged until I remembered my “sent” identity. Was God possibly arranging something and using my pink eye and clogged ear to connect me with someone who needed Jesus? The thought kept running through my mind that the real story is never the presenting problem. The real story is always that God is sending me. I’m where I am because someone there might not know Jesus.

Strangely, a doctor could see me right away at the clinic. When I asked him if I could teach at Penn State tomorrow, he told me I could after taking my drops and antibiotic today. This led to him asking me what I taught, why I liked it, and my history of earning a PhD in romantic poetry, the exact same major he had in college before becoming a doctor. Then I asked him, “Are you a church goer? I find that people who love 19th century poetry seem more open to spiritual things and God.” It turns out, he was going to church and so hungry to learn as much as he could about God. He asked me so many questions. Eventually, I found out about his wife and daughter. By the time I had filled my prescriptions, I had signed two books (one for his wife and one for the little girl who would loved This Seat’s Saved). The whole time, the doctor said, “This appointment was more for me than for you, obviously.”

Obviously.

The pink eye and sore ear no longer mattered. They became a source of delight that I’m now connected to a moment that touched eternity.

The post View It All Through Being “Sent” appeared first on Heather Holleman.