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Haunted Tales and Stormy Gales…and Grace and Truth Link Up

October 23, 2020 by Lauren 16 Comments

I want to start by letting you know about my new e-book This Was Not on My Bingo Card:  Essays on Cancer and Other Related Surprises.  It is FREE, but the only way to get it is to subscribe to my blog.  Do it today in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month!  I pray you will be blessed.  Now…on to the post: 

 

It was a dark night of the soul.  So begins our spooky tale.  Gather around the campfire – if you dare.  We won’t encounter any ghosts or need to run from hockey mask wearing murderers.  No monsters or other-worldly creatures.  But I guarantee you spine-tingling, gooseflesh inducing terror as we recount…the year 2020!  Muah-ha-ha-ha!

 

Ok, maybe this year hasn’t been haunted; but it has been crazy, unexpected, unplanned, isolated and ( if you haven’t heard this enough) unprecedented.  When you roll all those things together, you get a ball I want to kick to the curb!  As my daughter said recently, I would rather swallow a jean jacket than relive the horror.

 

The Australian bush fires carried over into the first quarter of the year killing untold numbers of animals.  The California wildfires followed.  Covid-19 built steam until it shut the whole world down, killing and infecting huge portions of the population and forcing us all to wear masks – long before Halloween.  George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others died.  We mourned, we protested, and we rioted.  Loneliness and isolation still run rampant as schools, restaurants, stores and churches adapt to changing social distancing rules.

 

Presidential election years are always a disaster, but did you see the first debate?  I’m not sure what’s more frightening than that!  And somewhere in the mix a murder hornet made an appearance?  That’s the subject of a horror flick if I’ve ever heard one!  There are many other components of 202o that I lack space and time to mention, or I have blocked them out to preserve what’s left of my sanity.  But you get the gist.

 

In my family alone we have seen physical dangers, mental illness, broken bones, depression, job loss, and spiritual warfare.  Now before you log off the internet wondering why you signed up to read these depressing posts, I do know the light at the end of the tunnel.  I don’t know when the pandemic will be over.  I have no clue when or if life will resume some measure of “normalcy”.  I can’t promise an end to racial strife or guarantee that any politician ever will be civil and above board.  (Get to the point, Lauren).

 

But God…

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Psalms 46:1 NIV  He promises to always be with us and lend us the same power that He used to raise Jesus from the dead.  That doesn’t mean we won’t still have problems.  In fact, He guarantees that we will (John 16:33).  We live in a messed up world, after all.  But He promises to comfort us in them, so we can pass that comfort on to others (2 Corinthians 1:14).

 

God assures us in Revelation 1:17 that he was here before anything in this world and that when Coronavirus and governments and our earthly bodies are gone, He will remain.  And Romans 8:28 says, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.  No matter how bad it is, He can use it for good purposes if you are His.

 

John 3:16 gives us the instructions for becoming His.  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NIV  You only have to believe.  Trust Him.  And once you’ve been justified through faith, God brings peace( Romans 5:1).  You may not always feel it in a moment of struggle or sadness, but the peace is always there.  Knowing what He has saved you from and what you are being saved to can usher that peace back in.  Just lean into Him.

 

Conclusion

 

I guess our story is not so scary after all.  If you would like to hear more of the story of God’s love for you, I would like nothing better than to share it with you.  Contact me at lauren@laurensparks.net and we will email, text, call or go to coffee if you are close by.  It’s my favorite story to tell.

 

And now for this week’s featured post.

 

Engage multiple senses with Jeanne Takenaka’s Desert:  How to Trust God to Provide in Worrisome Times.  This gorgeous post combines breathtaking scenery photos with a message we might all need to hear right now.  Thank you for linking up, Jeanne.

 

 

Grace and Truth_Rules

 

1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

 

Grace Truth_Button

 

Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

 

We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

HEATHER HART & VALERIE RIESE – Candidly Christian
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LAUREN SPARKS
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Now Let’s Link Up!

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

 

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Turning Friendship into Blendship – Fighting for True Community

April 29, 2018 by Lauren 30 Comments

I came out of the gym yesterday and saw this on the construction site next door:

 

 

 

I stopped and watched for a few minutes as this stories-high crane lifted massive, thick concrete walls into place.  After snapping a few pictures, I started to feel like a weird creeper so I climbed into my car.  In the stuffy stillness inside my vehicle I heard God whisper that the walls coming up around my heart are just as thick.  *Sigh*  You’ll have to excuse me.  I’m up in my feelings.  I’m trying to figure out how to stop the crane before it places any more pieces of this wall in my life.  I want others to be able to get in before the fortress is sealed and it takes something catestrophic to knock it down.

 

The night before I took these photos, my husband, Shelby and I went to a city gathering hosted by our church.  The purpose of the get-together was for us to get to know others in our neck of the woods and possibly connect us to life groups (our term for small groups who get together regularly for fellowship, bible study, mission opportunities, or whatever way they choose to do life together).  I wasn’t looking forward to the discussion on life groups.  I’m feeling rather burned by friendships in general right now.  I’ve been a part of 3 different life groups in the past 10 years.  The first gave me life while it lasted.  Beautiful friendships and challenging bible studies and discussions.  It grew so large, however, that we split it and my husband and I agreed to lead one of the splinters.  Unfortunately, splintered is what that group became.  Due to some issues (that I shouldn’t get into) that went unchecked and ignored – as much as we tried and prayed – the group was so unhealthy that we had to implode it.  Still licking my wounds, I joined a ladies only group and tried to make that the right fit.  But when some incredibly painful personal circumstances left me unable to share honestly and vulnerably with these precious women, I had to bow out of this group as well.

 

You might be wondering right now, “What’s the big deal with life groups?”  For me, they are a very big deal.  God made us for community.  First with Him, and then with others.  The writer of Hebrews tells us to “…let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”  10:24-25 NIV  We need each other.  And I’m not talking about some stale Sunday school class.  The Message version of this passage says, “Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out…”  I’m talking about real friendships – inside the confines of an organized group or not!  I’m so hungry for it.

 

I have some really good old friends from back in the day.  They live in different cities and even states.  I love them, but “doing life” with them is not a possibility because of proximity.  Proverbs 27:17 tells us, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”  NIV  Some versions even use the word “friend”.  Good companionship can make us better friends, better people, better believers.  But that kind of sharpening is difficult across a miles wide divide.  I need friends I can go to the movies with, grab a bite to eat with or run errands along side.  I want others who enjoy spiritual discussions and silly discussions and laughter and games. But lately, I’m feeling left out in the cold (and that’s saying a lot ’cause it’s warming on up in Texas).  Not only did my last 2 life group experiences end poorly, but I have received rejection after rejection of late when I have invited friends to do something.  Everyone is too busy.  Too many kids sporting events, too many other responsibilities, too many other invitations.  And if no one is excepting my invitation to cook them a meal or take them out, you can bet no one is inviting me!  It’s left me feeling pretty lonely.  I’m sorry to dump that on all of you, but I warned you that I was up in my feelings.

 

I’m not content to remain stuck in this season of walled up isolation, though.  The gospel of John tells us that others will know we are Jesus followers if we “love one another”.  13:35 NIV   That means love in action.  No one will realize I love Susan if I only think it.  Or even if I tell her.  Others will know I love her when they see us spending time together, pouring into each other’s families and helping each other.  And then our relationships become a walking witness to the sweetness of God.  I want to be obedient to that.  And I want to have fun!  Friends are fun!  So I’m not giving up.  I’m looking outside the boundaries of my current friendships.  It’s a little daunting to think about in this stage of life, but I’m on the hunt for new friends (I’m not cutting anyone off, mind you.  Anytime a friend decides she has time, I am here.  But I can’t continue to sit around and wait for that time to come.)  I’m working to expand my circles.  I’m being brave enough to invite those I haven’t ever before and praying my family will “click” with some others.  Maybe enough to build a life group on.  But for now, we’re just taking the first step of inviting.  And…I’m planning a trip to see my best friend in Alabama this summer.  Because deep connections – like that wall around my heart – aren’t built in a day.

 

What are you doing to foster genuine community in our crazy busy culture?  Comment on this post to share your ideas and join the discussion.

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About Me

I love Jesus, my husband and caffeine. The order of these can change depending on how tired I am. When my two daughters, stepson, and 4 grandchildren get to be too much, I practice yoga. God graciously allows me to share our adventures, victories and flub-ups from my laptop. May He be glorified here.
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