On this Monday morning, may we...
pause. breathe. pray.
To begin our day. May we know prayer may not change our circumstances, but it can change our heart and perspective about them. May we allow God to be the core of our hearts and minds today to give us the perspective we need.
With love and hope,
Shawn
"Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you." - Jeremiah 29:12
Stephen and I took a walk this afternoon and came home to the boys surprising us with a snowball fight
It was definitely a top moment of 2020
I’ve always been told I have an old soul yet that gets balanced with being a kid at heart, and I love moments like this!
This moment was a great reminder of the joy of surprises and how fun and laughter nourish the soul.
I am sharing this with you today to invite you to join me to...
pause. breathe. pray.
Let’s choose to break out of that shell adulthood can keep us in and find that kid inside who just likes to have some good old fashion fun. You never know how much a simple moment of fun can be the fuel your soul has been needing.
With love and hope,
Shawn
PS I am already planning how to get them back
8 years ago. I remember where I was, as I am sure you do. I remember hugging our kids and thinking about the unimaginable loss the families in Newtown experienced.
On this day, as we remember, may we hold each of these families in our hearts and prayers
May we also take what we learned from that day and apply it today. On that tragic day, our hearts broke together as a nation and we grieved with the families as though their loss was our own.
Although it may not be our loved ones who have lost their lives due to COVID, so many lives have been lost and those families are forever impacted by it.
I invite you to join me to...
pause. breathe. pray.
May we remember the children and adults who lost their life on that tragic day. May we take time to pray for their families and let their stories forever impact our hearts to be a part of the change we need to see.
May we also take that same heart of empathy and compassion we had then and take it into our days today. Whether we know those who are personally impacted by COVID or not, may we be compassionate and experience others losses as our own. May we do what is ours to do to help prevent more losses of life, by COVID and gun violence, so more families will not have to experience such tragic losses as these.
With love and hope,
Shawn
“Mourn with those who mourn.” - Romans 12:15
Yesterday we went driving through towns looking for Christmas lights. It was a reminder to me that no matter how dark the days, or this season may be, there is light to be found. If these dark days, or this dark season, are weighing on you, I invite you to join me to...
pause. breathe. pray.
May we keep seeking the light of God’s word and truth to be our guiding light through the darkness. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” - John 1:5. May this truth become a meditation for our mind and anchor for our soul to see us through.
With love and hope,
Shawn
“I am the light of the world.”
- John 8:12
This morning our youngest came running down and jumped into my prayer chair with me. I had been texting someone yet a wave of clarity came over me and I put down my phone and wrapped my arms around Matt.
It wasn’t long before he was ready to jump back up and head back upstairs.
And that’s it. It isn’t long...
It isn’t for long that our kids will willingly jump into our laps and let us hold them, or their hands.
So while we have the opportunity, may we remember to...
pause. breathe. pray.
And choose to put down our phones and hold the people we love. This may not be a perfect practice yet may we make this our standard so when the time comes when the choice isn’t there, we know we chose wisely while we had the opportunity to.
With love and hope,
Shawn
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven”
- Ecclesiastes 3:1
As joyful of a time of year this is, I am also hearing the heaviness of many hearts. I just want you to know, if you’re heart is heavy, it’s okay to not be okay. And if you’re also feeling stuck, please be sure you let someone know
And if you have someone share their heavy heart with you, or tells you they are stuck, may we make time for them and imitate Jesus’ love towards them. He wouldn’t be focused on getting his to do list done. He would make coming beside the heavy hearted his priority knowing all else that needed to get done would get done. So as much as there may be for us to do in this season, may we be sure take time to slow down to..
pause. breathe. pray.
May we keep our eyes and ears open to those who are heavy hearted. When able, may we be imitators of Jesus’s love by coming beside them and let them know they are seen and heard. And even though we may not be able to make everything better, may we be a bridge to care if/when needed and be a prayer warrior for them in this season.
And if you’re like me, sometimes we may see so many people going through things, we can be paralyzed and do nothing or think we can’t make a difference. Instead of being paralyzed or thinking we can’t make a difference consider this quote that helps me,
May we “do for one, when you want to do for all” - @andy_stanley
and/or choose to do at least one thing, when you want to do everything.
With love and hope,
Shawn
"Love each other as I have loved you."
- John 15:12
On a recent hike I found a birch limb in the woods. I had this idea to use it as a part of a centerpiece for our dining room table. I asked Stephen if he would build me a box out of extra wood we had around and turn the birch limb into candle holders for me.
I have a thousand ideas a day, and Stephen graciously listens to many of them, patiently waiting for me to lay many of them down. Yet this idea was one he could see I was excited about.
After an errand the other day I came home to the empty box on my dining room table and Stephen asking me how he wanted the birch tree cut
This is one of the reasons I love my husband so much; he listens to the things that may not matter to him but he knows they matter to me. And he could go out and buy me the box but the fact that he and Gavin made this for me - even while football was on - means so much to me.
I share this with you today because in these times of giving, sometimes a gift of love doesn’t require spending money. Sometimes it may cost us our time and energy. Yet whatever we give the most important thing is that it is from our heart to theirs.
As we enter this holiday season, I invite you to join me to...
pause. breathe. pray.
As we go to give gifts, whether they are homemade or purchased, may it be a gift from our heart to theirs. What I mean by that is that when we think of the person we are giving to, may what we give not be about us, but about the joy we know the gift will bring to them. May the gift speak to their hearts that we hear them when the speak. Even though what they like may not matter to us, like this box to Stephen, they know we are giving it because we love them and know how much it matters to them.
With love and hope,
Shawn
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like a shifting shadow.” - James 1:17
All three kids are back home this week remote learning. I know it’s an adjustment for our family when all three are home, as I am sure it is for any of you experiencing similar shifts this year has brought us.
Something that has helped me is to remember these words a friend gave me last year.
As someone who thrives on routine, the shifts in our schedules has definitely thrown me off of my desired path. Also, as someone who has practiced and taught yoga for well over a decade, I know the value of flexibility in the body. Yet the same truth holds true for our hearts and minds.
If we hold tightly to our plans and expectations, when shifts come, they may break us. Yet when we put our palms up to God and say, “these are my plans, but when you direct my steps, I trust your lead,” it provides enough space for us to be more flexible to His will over ours.
So if you are finding yourself growing more rigid with the changes this year brings, I invite you to join me to...
pause. breathe. pray.
These times are challenging and shifts in our schedules/routines does try and break us. Yet to help us from breaking may we choose to be more flexible and let go of our desired plans and expectations. May we instead practice trusting God as our steps are redirected. It’s not easy, and I am far from perfect at this; ask our kids. Yet these practices aren’t just about my peace, I also know my kids are watching. How I respond to these moments matters. I pray to point them back to God as the one who never wavers, in this ever wavering world.
With love and hope,
Shawn
We make our plans, God directs our steps.”
- Proverbs 16:9
This picture fell out of an old journal today. It made me pause. I love this picture for so many reasons, including the people in it who we haven’t seen in a long time.
What I also love about this picture is that it was taken after these kids did something they thought was impossible.
Every summer we go to the beach with Stephen’s family. Years ago we were walking along the beach when we saw this huge piece of drift wood in the water. I was determined to get it out and I asked this fun crew to help me pull this piece of drift wood out of the water. With a little encouragement, they eventually agreed. When we bent down to move it, we realized that this thing weighed hundreds of pounds. Rather than walking away, together we pushed, shoved, and rolled this huge piece of drift wood to shore.
Afterwards there was such a sense of accomplishment, we captured the moment with a picture.
I share this with you today, because in these unique times, we may feel like what we are being asked to do things that feel impossible. Or we may feel that we don’t have the strength, patience or endurance to get through. If you can relate, I invite you to join me to...
pause. breathe. pray.
May we remember that we are more capable than we often give ourselves credit for. One thing I have learned is that God will equip us with what we need to accomplish the journey before us, all we have to do is ask.
So whatever seemingly impossible feat is in front of us, may we remember to invite God into the equation to help strengthen us from the inside out, and encourage us for the journey. May we also do our part to remind others of what they are capable of, and encourage them along the way.
And I pray that when we look back at this time one day, our stories from this experience, and how we were able to do things we didn’t think we were capable of, will encourage others for their journey.
With love and hope,
Shawn
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” - Philippians 4:13
Do you ever have moments that capture your heart and you know they will stay with you? This morning I had one of those moments.
I had the pleasure of meeting an incredible kid on a zoom call for a virtual author visit.
When he first got on the call he noticed his hair was a little messy. I could see his desire to try to make it neat. Yet I told him I loved his hair as it was and shared that my son often shows up for his calls in a similar way.
I felt this was a moment I needed to let this boy know that he was welcome to this meeting, as he was, no matter what his hair looked like. I wanted to just get to know him, beyond the surface, where his truth resides.
And this caring, courageous kid did just that. He let go of the need to be perfect and just showed up for the conversation. He bravely shared his heart with me which lead us to having an authentic, rich, heart to heart conversation.
I share this with you today because this boy taught me something today that I wanted to pass along to you. I invite you to join me to...
pause. breathe. pray.
May we learn from this remarkable boy that showing up for others isn’t about how we present ourselves on the outside. It is about being willing go beyond the surface and present our authentic self to others. When we can do that we will have richer conversations, and connections, like he and I did today.
And may we not only being willing to follow his lead, but may we also welcome others as they are too, just as God welcomes us
With gratitude and hope,
Shawn
Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. - Romans 5:7
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