Heather Holleman's Blog, page 64

Everyone There Needed Something From Jesus

Last Sunday, the worship leader at church talked about the crowds gathering around Jesus on Palm Sunday. She remarked, “Everyone there needed something from Jesus.”

Something about the statement pierced my heart deeply. Everyone came to Him. Everyone crowded around Him. They all needed something from Jesus. They had heard about this man, Jesus, raising Lazarus from the dead. If He can do that, what other impossible thing might He do? I imagine people came to Jesus for healing for their pain both physical and emotional. I imagine people came because here was a man with power over demons. Why did they come? What did they need? The lonely, the hurting, the poor. They all needed something from Jesus. Our pastor later remarked how Jesus enters on that donkey and didn’t seek fame, power, money, position, or anything of the things the world values. He wasn’t an impressive figure on that donkey. Yet the people rushed to him. They all needed something from Jesus.

The worship leader asked us what we needed from Jesus. If we were in the crowd, what would have drawn us there? I like imagining that some people might have cleverly asked Jesus, “What should I ask you for?” So many of us don’t even know what we need at all. We are so confused and can’t figure out our inner turmoil. I think Jesus would tell us to ask for His peace. In fact, a few chapters later in the book of John, we read the most beautiful words: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid (John 14). 

5 Per Day

I’m not sure why I love breaking things up into “fives.” It’s such an easy-to-accomplish number: grade five papers; clean for five minutes; pray over these five things; just do five minutes of this hard-to-do task. (I used to think ten minutes was ideal for this sort of thing, but if you lack activation energy, say you’ll do the thing you don’t want to do for just five minutes. It’s so much easier.)

My five things this afternoon? Grading five long-form essays. If I grade more, that’s fine. This manageable goal gives me a sense of accomplishment. With such encouragement, I often grade five more. 

We need some wins today. We need some encouragement that we’re getting things accomplished. Do five minutes. Finish the five things.

And then maybe you’ll do five more.

A Greystone Devotion I Loved: “What If We Could Finish His Sentences?”

I love reading the Greystone Devotion that comes to my email each day. Today, I just loved the beautiful way Cecilia Glenn describes the evolution of her relationship with God and how she began to spend time with Him. She calls it “What If We Could Finish His Sentences?”

You can read it here: https://devotions.campgreystone.com/blog/2022/4/what-if-we-could-finish-his-sentences

Enjoy!

Nothing Noble Enough

This morning I read a quote from George MacDonald as quoted by Elisabeth Elliot in Keep a Quiet Heart. In discussing God’s work in a person’s heart and how every painful thing God uses for a divine purpose, she writes that “. . . nothing will ease his pain, nothing make life a thing worth having, but the presence of the living God within him; that nothing is good but the will of God; nothing noble enough for the desire of the heart of man but oneness with the eternal. For this God must make him yield his very being, that He himself may enter in and dwell with him.” 

I love thinking how there’s nothing noble enough to fill our desire for purpose or meaning apart from Christ. And I love remembering that, if it’s the will of God in my life, it’s always good. This shapes my prayers for us all: that we would seek oneness with God as our highest, most noble and beautiful goal.

Remember What Will Come From It

We’ve had, as my daughter proclaims, soggy days. With so much rain, it’s tempting to succumb to a rainy day bad mood. But then I look back on all the rainy days at Live with Flair:

The puddle-jumping. The wormy joy. The way the birds depend on rain (and the mud it creates) to build their nests. The soaked soil for my May seeds. Rain brings so many beautiful things.

Today I remember to look at what will come from the thing I’m not enjoying at the moment. Yes, it’s a soggy day, but tomorrow, we’ll have nests to observe!

A Little More Courage

I recently heard a colleague share his answer when someone asked what he looked for in a woman when he was younger and ready for marriage. He immediately answered courage. 

I thought it was an odd answer, but I loved it anyway. Courage!

I like that courage is something one can develop each day. We can do things that scare us a little. We can see hard struggles as events that grow our courage. Perhaps each day, we could say, “Now I am growing my courage! Right now, I am being courageous!” We can also point out when others show courage.

You were so courageous. That took courage. You were afraid, and you did it. 

The Preferred Future

Today I talked to a brilliant student about all he’s learning about making rational choices each day to optimize well-being and work towards his preferred future.

Preferred future!

I know we’re supposed to live in the present moment and all, but listening to the wisdom of always working towards a preferred future makes so much sense to me.

What do I want in 5 years? 10 years? How will I get there? How is what I’m doing right now helping me to get to that preferred future? 

I love these questions. They are the kind of perfect questions that a life coach might ask you. And we get them for free! Right here!

(I told my student that when I ate the Tillamook Mudslide ice cream last night even though I didn’t have any Weight Watchers points left, I wasn’t working toward my preferred future. What was I to do in that moment? He laughed. He told me it takes time, training, and commitment to stop and invest in one’s preferred future. He said I simply wasn’t being rational. Every choice either invests in the preferred future or not.)

Well, clearly I’m irrational most of the time.

Well, tonight I shall invest in my preferred healthy future. And I shall make choices to invest in my preferred career future as I think of a new class I might design.

Even a Small One: Start a Little Garden

I love when a friend drags me by the hand and says, “Have you seen my seedlings?” With gardening friends, you know it’s that time of year to talk about the plan. Everyone enjoys a different plan; some of my friends grow serious amounts of lettuce and herbs (like basil that overtakes the yard and ends up in jars and jars of fresh pesto which I love). Others, like me, focus on fruit trees, berries, and some novelties like pumpkins and watermelons and figs. Another friend will grow more kinds of hot peppers than you can imagine. We’ll talk about our tomato seedlings with intensity. We’ll worry over how many beans we should plant.

I love this time of year. It’s a month of planning in order to plant in May, so we’re getting things in order around here.

If you’ve never started a garden, consider a small one–maybe even something in pots–to enjoy all summer. It’s so fun to tend to a vegetable garden or patch of raspberries. Pick out some seeds this week. Make your plan. Enjoy the fun of a summer garden.

April Good News: Moody Women’s Bible Studies are 40% off this Month

Hello! For the month of April, my Bible study (and the rest of the Moody Publishers women’s Bible studies) are 40% off over at moodypublishers.com! You can use this link for 40% off the Include in Christ Bible study: https://www.moodypublishers.com/included-in-christ/

Always Learning

I love asking people what they are learning about God. What is God teaching you? What have you been learning in the Bible, through prayer, or through others? Can you imagine the fellowship and joy of having these conversations daily?

I think this is my favorite question in the world: What is God teaching you lately? 

God is a good teacher. The Holy Spirit is our counselor. We are learning every day more about Jesus and more about ourselves. In particular, I love thinking about Colossians 1 and this picture of a growing Christian:

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

From this passage, I consider how I might ask others what they are learning about God’s will, about bearing fruit, about strength, and about thanksgiving.

I’m learning most of all about inner strength to endure patiently. I’m learning how to”keep a quiet heart” and listen in solitude to God before I take action, speak up, or react to a situation. My personality doesn’t naturally go along with this kind of maturity; I’m growing day by day and learning how to live like Jesus with His patience, wisdom, and measured responses. Day by day, I’m learning and growing. Along the way, I am learning to see every situation as an opportunity to joyfully give thanks.