Psalm One Update - June 2019

“Your ears will hear a word behind you, ‘This is the way, walk in it’, whenever you turn to the right or to the left.” (Isaiah 30:21)

How do we learn to discern the voice of God in the midst of the noise and clatter, in the midst of the muchness and manyness? We’ve been studying the Holy Spirit through 1 Corinthians and I’ve been challenged and encouraged in a fresh way by the comfort, guidance, and power of the Holy Spirit.

"I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.”  (John 16:12-15)

Next week I am pulling away for a “Jesus Trip”, a Prayer Pilgrimage, so I can have time in silence and solitude to let the dust and debris settle enough to really listen to the Lord. I have a marquee on my forehead that says, “Tell me your story”, and complete strangers all over the world do just that, so I need to head somewhere with fewer humans. I am so glad people feel they can be open with me. But for a little while, I need to be open to God, and God alone.

My soul, wait in silence for God only, 

For my hope is from Him. 

He only is my rock and my salvation, 

My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.

(Psalm 62:5-6)

I’m thankful for a board who understands why I need this prayer pilgrimage. With the ministry God has entrusted to me, this is a necessity, not a luxury. How can I invite people into silence, solitude, and deeper intimacy with the Lord if I am not doing so myself? How can I coach men and women to slow down and listen to the Holy Spirit if I am not making space for God in my own life?

As I go away for this prayer pilgrimage, please pray for: 

• Provision for all aspects of the journey

• Protection as I travel on my own

• Time in the Word as the scaffolding and foundation of my prayer

• Ears to hear…

Six times in Scripture, Jesus says, “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." Please especially pray for me lean into God with: 

• Ears to hear

• Patience to wait

• Discipline to listen

• Courage to obey.

Too often, we’re only interested in God rubber-stamping our plans. Pray for:

• God’s heart

• God’s agenda

• God’s power

• God’s love.

Pray that I may bring back a closer walk with God, a deeper love for Jesus, and fresh insights from the Spirit. I know not everyone can take the time away to spend an extended time alone with God, but I offer you opportunities to have a day or weekend away to deepen your connection with Jesus, to learn to discern the voice of God, and to care for your soul. I invite you to join us as we study the Word and seek the Lord. See upcoming events below. All events (except for the pastors’ wives retreats) are for men and women!

I can’t do this ministry alone! Will you help me?

• Prayer Team: Would you be willing to pray for Psalm One Ministries and for me? I need a team of friends who are willing to pray for us on an ongoing basis. I also need trusted people with whom I can share struggles and challenges as they arise. I need friends who will pray for me and fight the spiritual battle often involved in ministry. So much of what I do with people is (by necessity) private. I need people who can pray in confidentiality. I need people who can lift up events, needs, prayer requests, and praises as we see God at work. You have no idea what it means to me to know people around the world are holding me up to the Lord! I need my prayer team!

  • If you would be willing to be on the Prayer Team for Psalm One and me, please drop me a quick email and let me know!

• I need a bit of administrative/technical assistance! These shouldn’t be too tough, but I want to do it right.

• Do you know how to work with Outlook 365 and Microsoft Office Contact lists? I need some help combining lists, backing up, and handling gremlins. The contact lists are absolutely vital to what we do and I need to be sure they are set up and working properly.

• Does anyone know how to add PayPal or another secure online payment app to a website? We are still in the stone age, and I need help bringing us into the 21st century. (Or at least the 20th?)

Can you help me with either of these challenges? Even if you’re in a different country, can I pick your brain by phone, Skype, or remote desktop?

• If you can help me with Outlook or the payment app on the website, please email or call me (513-226-0025). Thank you!

Please pray for me as I at Jesus’ feet, and truly listen to that still small voice. “But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.”  (Luke 5:16) If He needed it, how much more do I?

Much love,

Linda

Psalm One Update - May 2019

What do I bring to the table?

Do you ever struggle with feelings of inadequacy? Or is it just me?

• Do you every feel like you can’t boil water? Everyone else seems so competent, confident, together. I can’t even get your laundry put away. My “to do” list keeps growing instead of shrinking.

• Are you ever intimidated by the size of the task? The entire world is hurting. The needs loom so large. Does anything I do make any difference at all?

• Social media will make you think everyone else has a better life, a stronger marriage, perfect kids, lots of money, a more effective ministry, more exotic vacations—and they have a side gig as a runway model. Comparison will eat your lunch.

One of the things God whispered to me during my last prayer pilgrimage was, “Bring yourself to the table.”

God does not call us to be Marvel superheroes. God will not ask me “How much were you like Moses?”, “How did you compare to Billy Graham or Mother Theresa or Wonder Woman?” 

Throughout Scripture, God asks us to bring whatever we have and put it in His hands.

• The LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" And he said, " A staff." (Exodus 4:2)

• Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" And she said, "Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil." (2 Kings 4:2)

• "Now therefore, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found." (1 Sam 21:3)

• "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?" (John 6:9)

What do I have to place in God’s hands to be used for the Kingdom?

A staff, oil, bread, fish…?

Education, degrees, or training? Spiritual gifts, fruit of the Spirit, temperament, personality, vision, burdens, talents, interests, and experiences?

What do I bring to the table?

Could God also use my photography, my chocolate chip cookies, my love of remote places, my longing for open ocean, my wacky random connections with total strangers, or my “animal magnetism” that leads to close encounters of the wildlife kind? Doesn’t sound very spiritual. Could God possibly use these?

God doesn’t waste anything. My goal is to be able some day in some measure to say, "I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.” (John 17:4)  How freeing it is to open my hands, surrender all I don’t have and all I am not, and give Him all I do have and all I am. The ordinary can truly miraculous in God’s hands. How I need to remember that! 

What do you bring to the table?

Next month I will head off for another extended prayer pilgrimage (The Jesus Trip, as I call it). God often calls me away from crowds, people, noise, and busyness to let the dust settle, sit at Jesus’ feet, and truly listen to that still small voice. I have learned that for me, this is not a luxury. This is a necessity. If my calling is to invite people into silence, solitude, and deeper intimacy with the Lord. “But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.”  (Luke 5:16) If He needed it, how much more do I??...

Please pray for me as I pull away from the muchness and manyness to be alone with Jesus…

Much love,

Linda

Psalm One Update - April 2019

I love Spring. Everything reminds me of growth happening where dormancy has been. New life coming up from ground that looked dead. Perfect imagery for me right now, as I recover from an extremely stressful 2018, and hopefully enjoy a better 2019.

Most of 2018 was survival mode. Between my parents’ declining health, my dad’s Alzheimer’s and final days, my own illness, and making the 200-mile round trip to Louisville at least once a week, life seemed to go from crisis to crisis. We never fully understand how much stress we are under until we are in a new season.

Some stress is inevitable and inescapable in the tough seasons of life. Certain stages of life are tough no matter how you slice it. Just. Plain. Hard. One of the things God continually whispered to me during my prayer pilgrimage last year was, “The next few months will be very, very tough.” He wasn’t kidding.

Some stress is avoidable, voluntary, a result of choices I make. Overscheduling, pushing beyond my limits, ignoring warning signs. I have limited capacity. I am obviously not Super Woman. I need to subtract some things from the Day-Timer (yes, I still use a paper planner). Another whisper from God: “Continue to say an enthusiastic yes and a discerning no carefully.” When I try to be all things to all people, when I try to please man rather than God, when I listen to every voice except the Lord, I become exhausted, frazzled, and defeated.

Margin:

o   Protects me from “fraying around the edges”

o   Prevents me from playing Messiah--from thinking it all depends on me

o   Provides life-giving resilience for the bumps and bruises of life

o   Improves my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health

o   Makes me easier to live with! Rested people are more kind.

I had to say no to a lot of very good people, projects, and places in 2018. I need space for recovery, rest, and recalibration. I want to make a special effort to leave space for the Lord to set up His divine appointments.

In “From Solitude to Community to Ministry”, Henri Nouwen says, “In the spiritual life, the word discipline means ‘the effort to create some space in which God can act.’ Discipline means to prevent everything in your life from being filled up. Discipline means that somewhere you're not occupied, and certainly not preoccupied. In the spiritual life; discipline means to create that space in which something can happen that you hadn't planned or counted on.”

Is there any margin in my life for Jesus to interrupt and reassign me? Any space for air, light, and water? Any possibility of serendipity?

Some stress can be diminished by adding life-giving experiences.  Yet another message from the Lord: “Tend your soul and you will be protected. Neglect your soul and you will be vulnerable.” I know that in order to tend my soul, I need to reorder my inner life, my rhythms, patterns, and pacing. I need to live a pattern of Rest à Prayer à Work à Play instead of Run à Crash à Burn à Recover. I need to include fun and renewing people, places, and playtime into my schedule.

I look forward to another prayer pilgrimage in 2019. I have learned it is absolutely essential for me to have an extended time alone with God each year. I would not have survived 2018 without my “Jesus Journey”. Through the Prayer Pilgrimage God gave me a well of strength from which to draw.

I will also get away with great friends this year to catch up, laugh, and explore. Good rhythms, good pacing, good friends, good times. Relaxation, fun, connections. Sometimes you need to get out of town with friends. Sometimes you need pizza and board games. Sometimes you just need to meet for lunch.

Here’s to a bit less stress in 2019!

This week, may we celebrate God bringing forth life where death has been. He is risen! He is risen indeed.

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)