Amazing...

Greetings to you all!

And to those visiting, I say welcome.

Susie Larson here...

I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way.

First of all, I want to apologize for missing you last week. I was on vacation in northern Minnesota and the internet was down at the resort. I had fully planned on posting, but the forced break from my computer was a welcomed one.

This week I am in Orlando at the giant Christian booksellers convention. Today is my first day online in what seems like ages. In a moment I'll respond to some of your posts from last week (bless you for stopping by!).

Before I get into my topic, I wanted to remind you of a couple of things. Each month I give away a $10.00 gift card to Caribou to someone who posts on this blog. I love to hear from you!

In celebration of my new release, "The Uncommon Woman" I will award a $50.00 VISA gift card to someone who posts in August. Each week I'll post about what it means to be uncommon and I want to hear from you! The call to be uncommon is straight from the Word of God, and I want to hear from you!

Now, on to my topic...

I'm here in Orlando to celebrate and promote the release of my new book (can I just say that this new book is truly the book of my heart?). I'm doing radio and TV interviews, I had a speaking engagement and a book signing, I've had editor/agent meetings, I've connected with a number of my author friends, and I've walked the convention floor to see what new books are hitting the shelves.

Each day I see someone 'famous'. The other day I had an interview right after Liz Curtis Higgs and before Karen Kingsbury. During one of my interviews, I looked to my right and a couple feet away, Rebecca St. James was giving an interview, and Ralph Reed was on deck. Yesterday as I walked onto the convention floor, I looked over my shoulder and noticed Kirk Cameron walking right behind me.

Truth be told, I'm not one to get star struck, but this whole event got me thinking about status and fame. This morning I had the most amazing prayer time in my hotel room.

With the Word of God open before me, I pondered God's greatness and majesty. I thought of the oceans and the mountains and the stars in the sky. He holds it all in the palm of His hands. Amazing. 

While we pine and posture to get our way, He tells us to delight in Him and He promises that He'll establish us.

While we strive and strain because of our many responsibilities, He tells us to be still and know that He is God.

While we are instantly impressed with the accomplishments of man, we often miss the wonders of God's hand.

We love to be noticed and embraced by someone of influence, and yet we often miss or make light of God's invitation to be much with Him.

To think that God Most High - the Maker of the Universe - thinks much of us, is amazing.

To think that the God - the One who is a Consuming Fire - draws us near without burning us up, is amazing.

To think that that Jesus - the King of the Earth - invites us to come boldly and gladly into His presence, is absolutely, amazing. 

May we value the Lord the way He has valued us.

May we take seriously the invitation to be much with Him and trust Him to make a way for us.

May we honor the invitation to come before Him, and do so regularly.

And may we understand in a fresh new way, what it means to walk in the fear of the Lord. 

He is our Friend, but He is far more than that. He is God Most High. He is a consuming fire. 

He is Authority.

He is Power.

He is Peace.

He is Forgiveness.

He is Love.

He is the Judge and He will judge sin and selfishness.

There can be nothing casual about this relationship.

He deserves our affections and our praise, our trust and our gratitude, our reverence and our honor.

He is God Most High and He invites us into a deep and abiding relationship with Him.

Isn't that just...amazing?

Everything else pales in comparison.

Slow down today and ponder what it means to be linked in fellowship with the One who holds the Universe in the palm of His hand.

Have you honored lesser things over the honor due Him?

Reflect again on the greatness of God.

Have a blessed and reverent week.

Until next week~

Transformation...

Greetings, Dear Friends!

And to those visiting, I say welcome! 

Susie Larson here...

I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way. I also like to give away fun treats so if you post on my blog, you may win a $10.00 gift card from Caribou. Next week I'll award the winner for June.

And be sure to visit during the month of August because I have something GREAT to give away. More info to come.

And now on to my topic...

Over the past year, some of my closest friends have heard me make this statement time and time again, "I am in a unique place right now. On one hand, my ministry is taking off, on the other hand, I feel like I've hit the ceiling with the gifts and abilities God has given me. I'm not unorganized; I'm moderately organized, but only moderately so. I'm very disciplined, but it seems that in order to keep up with the demands on my time, I need a new way to function. I have a basic level of intellect, but it seems I need far more education than what I now possess. In every way, I feel like I'm on the edge of the land and facing the Red Sea. And yet, in no uncertain terms, I sense that God is telling me to wait on and rest in Him." 

Ever feel this way? It's not the most comfortable place to rest, is it?

I have rested here, and I've wrestled here. I've found peace and faith in this place and I've felt great fear and self awareness here.

This weekend on the way home from church I was praying and asking God, "Help me to be faithful in this place." Because, you see, one the outside, I am busy as ever, I'm working hard, and great things are happening in my ministry. But on the inside, I'm trying to rest while constantly pondering, "things are moving fast; will I be able to keep up?" "and " how will I get there?" and "I'm not qualified for any of this!"

Deep in my heart I know that God uses us not because we're qualified but because He's called us. He chooses the foolish to shame the wise. We humans have a strong tendency to trust in ourselves, to take the credit, and to rely on our own strength. We rely on our own strength that is, until it fails us, and then with arms flailing, we run back to our Refuge because He is an ever-present help in times of trouble.

On the way home from church I prayed and I watched the trees whip by in a blur. Suddenly that still small voice whispered across my heart, "I've heard your prayers for a fresh touch from Me. You're in a cocoon right now. Soon you'll break through to a new place and I'll give you wings to help you get where I am taking you."

I can't tell you what that little piece of wisdom did for me!

It made perfect sense.

I was 'hitting the ceiling' because, in a new way, I had come to the end of myself and realized, on a deeper level, my need for more of God in me. I also need to sharpen my skills and hone my craft. I've got a lot of growing to do.

When God has you in a waiting place, or a cramped circumstance, it's easy to forget the promise on the other side of this season. The temptation during such a time is to focus inward. 

Before God spoke those precious words to me, I felt surrounded and cocooned by my own smallness and limited ability. I felt frustrated by my own weakness and the many ways in which I was lacking certain gifts. 

God uses nature to teach us many things, and this lesson to me, is divine. About 24 hours before the chrysalis (the cocooned monarch) breaks free, the cocoon becomes transparent from the outside. On the inside, I'm sure the Monarch is thinking, "Get me outta here; I'd rather be crawling than stuck in this cramped place!" but on the outside, others see the promise before it comes to pass. Through the transparent film, one can see the beautiful wings, and a butterfly that was once a land-loving caterpillar.  

Though I've been feeling cramped by my own humanity, my closest friends have seen the butterfly in me. They are quick to tell me what they see and this encourages me greatly.

So when thoughts of inadequacy come my way, I will push back and declare that God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever!

And when you feel cramped by the smallness of your life, declare that God WILL bring you out to a spacious place and He will put a new song in your heart!

If you're feeling pressed in on all sides, be encouraged. God knows your name and He knows where you live. Don't focus inward, focus on Him. And with all of your heart, soul, and strength, sing this song:

Soon I will fly.

Soon I will do the things God has destined for me.

Right now I declare my worth!

I am alive in Christ!

Though I'm not much from the world's view,

I am everything to Him

And I am made for great things.

I'm not who I was

I'm not what I do

I'm someone He enjoys

I'm not who I will be

I'm not what I should be

But I'm everything to Him

He sees who I am

He sees who I can be

He holds me close to His heart

And soon I will fly...

"...We also, should walk in the newness of life" (Romans 6:4).

Until next week~

The Valley of Decision...

Greetings, Dear Friends!

Susie Larson here...

And to those visiting, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way.

Drop me a note and post your thoughts. At the end of this month, one of you will win a $10.00 gift card to Caribou.

And now on to my topic...

The other day I was talking to my oldest son about marriage. He and I love to dialogue about all sorts of things. This particular time we were talking about the tough seasons in marriage. I said to him, "Jake, there comes a valley season in every marriage where the husband and wife don't 'feel' the love anymore; in fact they don't even like each other all that much. It's in that place where big decisions are made. In this place, the quesion becomes, 'Will I die to my flesh (my rights, my expectations, my demands) or will I set my jaw, clench my fists, demand my way, and let my marriage die instead?' Many marriages die in this valley. But those who, for the sake of their commitment before God and man, die to their flesh, will find on the other side of that valley season, life and marriage abundantly."

Now I don't want to get into a debate about circumstances that surround divorce. I know that some are abused and victims of great injustices within marriage. I'm referring to the majority of marriages that die simply because life within marriage stopped being fun or interesting or fulfilling.

What I've noticed about myself and the countless of other people I've spoken to on this topic, is that those who persevere through the valley, find on the other side, a promised land.

This got me thinking...I believe the same applies to other areas of life. God puts dreams in our hearts and writes a destiny over our lives. And if we trust Him enough to take Him at His word, we will find ourselves on a journey toward the fulfillment of that dream.

Unfortunately, the path that takes us to the promise is always wrought with thickets and thorns. Nothing worth having ever comes easy or without opposition. Storms will come, lions will roar, and our fears will be confronted. God allows the path to be difficult because He intends on refining us and preparing us for our place of promise. He is intent on extracting from us, that which our enemy would love to leverage against us.

God loves us too much to promote us before we are ready.

And so, as we follow His lead, we will at different times, find ourselves in a valley - a valley of decision. Marriages aren't the only thing that die there. Dreams die there too. The flesh dies hard and unfortunately for many, they've opted to let their dream die before they'd ever allow their flesh to be confronted.

We all have weak spots and areas of inconsistency in our character. Until we see Jesus face to face, we will need His guidance and correction. He wants to take us from strength to strength; from glory to glory.

Ephesians 3:20 tells us that He wants to do abundantly above and beyond ALL that we could ever ask or think, but there's a clincher in this verse...it's according to His work within us. To the extent that He's allowed to work in us, will be the extent that He does great things through us.

After my conversation with Jake, I pondered this idea a little more. I envisioned a valley of dry bones. Bones from marriages, relationships, and dreams abandoned because many people refused to die to themselves, to humble themselves, and to let God have His way in their lives.

Don't let your dream die in the valley!

If you're in a season of refining, lean in. Trust the loving hand of your precious Savior and know that He will lead you to the other side. Refuse a sense of entitlement and don't demand to be understood.

Instead, humble yourself and seek to understand what the Lord is doing around you.

He will faithfully lead you and you will be strengthened as you go. 

On the other side of this refining time is a fresh perspective and new mercies.

Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God; in due time you will be lifted up and honored before a watching world.

Have a blessed week.

Your Pilgrimage...

Greetings, Dear Friends!

Susie Larson here...

And to those visiting, I say welcome!

I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way.

Each month I give away a $10.00 gift card to someone who has visited and posted on my blog. Well it's time to announce the gift card winner for the month of April.

And the winner is...Kathy Schwanke! Kathy, contact me offline at info@susielarson.com and claim your gift card! Congratulations and thanks for being such a faithful visitor! Blessings to you!

If you take the time to post on my blog in May, you may win a $10.00 gift card to Caribou, Target, OR Dairy Queen! Your choice. So drop me a note and say hi!

Now on to my topic...

As some of you may know, I've stepped into a new role as of late. While I'm used to being interviewed on the radio (and I really do love radio), working on the other side of the microphone is fairly new to me.

We as Minnesotans (and the surrounding areas) are blessed with fairly large and very popular Christian radio station. KTIS is continually rates in the top ten Christian stations in the country.

Recently I had the privilege of co-hosting with Kim Ketola (formerly Kim Jefferies) on her show, Along the Way with Kim Ketola. My first time co-hosting I got to interview my friend Sara Groves. Sara was incredible as always. Yesterday I had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Calvin Miller. We had a great time together. If you want to hear that interview or listen to the whole show, follow this link (the interview took place during hour 2):

Along the Way - May 6th

So what does that have to do with our topic today?

The theme that ran through the whole two hours was this: Our Pilgrimage.

Kim Ketola just returned from France and described how, because of their desperate need, thousands and thousands of Catholics traveled long distances to touch the holy water. Calvin Miller described the mindset of the Celts and how they viewed their whole lives as a pilgrimage.

Though our hope is not in the water but in Christ alone, the challenge remains. What is the object of our earnest pursuit? In fact, are we earnestly pursuing anything?

To be earnest is to be:

Intense

Committed

Dedicated

Diligent

Wholehearted

Sincere

Urgent

Impassioned

The opposite of earnest is to be:

Frivolous

Apathetic

Halfhearted

Look again at this list. Do you see yourself among the earnest?

When you pause and take a look around, where do you see your greatest energies applied?

I chose the picture at the top of the page because I think it represents the life of the Believer. We are not a stagnant pond with no life flowing in or out. We are a bubbling, bursting, flowing stream. Isaiah 58:11 calls us a spring, whose waters never fail. Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that He rewards those who earnestly seek after Him.

We are journeying toward our Promised Land and while we're at it, through our faith and earnest pursuit of God, we bring God's Kingdom to earth as we go.

Our call is this sacred pilgrimage. Our temptation is to forget our call.

Are we too easily distracted from our intended purpose on earth?

When the storms hit, or the breakthrough tarries, do we lose sight of our goal and camp in the wilderness?

A pilgrim is defined as one who is traveling to a sacred place.

Where are you on this journey?

If yours is a stagnant faith? That's okay, just ask God to revive you once again!

If you've been distracted, be not dismayed, just ask God to give you a singleminded purpose from this day forward!

If your faith has been shipwrecked, don't despair. God will repair your sail and revive your soul.

To be earnest in our pursuit and focused on the call, takes some effort on our part.

Ask God today for a renewed sense of purpose and a revived sense of His presence.

Take Him at His Word, and walk on even when you don't feel Him.

Refuse to be addicted and distracted by the trappings of this world. Be in it but not of it.

Be a blessing to those around you and let your life be an example of freedom and wholeness.

Refuse to stay stuck in old wounds and wrong beliefs.

It's for freedom that Christ has set you free.

If you've been camping in the wilderness too long, pack your bags, and get moving.

May our lives, our pilgrimage, be marked by these things: sincerity; wholeheartedness; passion; conviction; dedication; and a singleminded focus on what really matters during our short time on this earth.

Be blessed today!

Until next week~

The Cross For Me...

Greetings, Dear Friends!

Susie Larson here...

And to those visiting, I say welcome!

I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way.

If you take the time to post on my blog in April, you may win a $10.00 gift card to Caribou, Target, OR Dairy Queen! Your choice. So drop me a note and say hi!

I'm writing this post on Monday because on Wednesday, I'll be flying home from a speaking event.

I just love mornings, and this morning was an extra special one for me. Today was the first time this season that it was warm enough for me to sit out on my deck and greet the morning.

With the breeze blowing in the trees, the birds singing a happy song, and the sun peeking through the clouds, I felt especially aware of God's incredible attention to detail. What a beautiful God He is!

For a brief moment, I closed my eyes, bowed my head, and prayed for our country. I've been concerned about the intense divisions among us as a nation. I'm troubled by the desire of many to see God wiped from our history. I'm concerned about many of the youth in our day. There's an absolute disregard for authority, purity, honor, humility, gratefulness, and so on and so on. Needless to say, I prayed and asked for mercy, for protection, and for a renewed fire in my belly that I might live for fully for Him.

As soon as I said, "Amen" I looked up and what I saw took my breath away. I captured it in the picture at the top of this blog. A perfect Cross was etched in the sky. I took out my phone and snapped a picture (click on the picture and it'll enlarge enough for you to see the Cross).

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is intimately acquainted with our ways, He is engaged in our journey, and He is high above every circumstance.

Within the hour the wind picked up and the clouds took on a different shape. Even so, I lingered a while with my thoughts.

That beautiful Cross for me, was a reminder of the brevity of life and the height of our calling.

This day, this time in which we live, calls for authentic faith, real passion, and a love that is less calculating and far more forgiving than we've ever known before.

The very thought of the Cross and the death Jesus died, forces me once again to ask myself, just how serious am I about following Him?

With all my heart I believe we are entering a day of acceleration. Things are going to happen faster. Things are happening faster.

Where once, it was unheard of for a young adolescent to shoot up his school, now, getting to that point seems a shorter road. Where once the idea that a wife would walk out on her family simply because she's bored, was something to make us gasp, is now a regular occurrence.

But it's not all bad news.

When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Lord raises up a standard against Him! Psalm 75:10 says, "For I will cut off the strength of the wicked and increase the power of the godly."

Those who are sowing seeds of faith, cutting from their lives that which is displeasing to God, and loving others because God loved first - those people - will walk in a Super-natural power that will bring some of God's Kingdom to earth.

Read this powerful passage from 2 Corinthians 6:16...

What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."

And here's another one from 1 John 3:21-23...

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from Him anything we ask, because we obey His commands and do what pleases Him. And this is His command: to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He has commanded us.

The verse above is a big reason why I spend much of speaking prep time letting God deal with me.

I want to be so in step with Him that when it comes time to pray for the women to whom I'm about to speak, I can ask for the moon! The things I ask for are above and beyond anything my finite mind can comprehend. I ask God to deliver, heal, restore, renew, remind, strengthen, and save the women at my events.

When we're at home in the presence of God, when we give Him access to our character, and when we love the lost and the unlovely, it's easy to come boldly into His presence and ask for the things He wants to give us.

The Cross for me made all of this possible.

May we strip off every weight, every encumbrance, every lesser affection that we might make a God-sized impact in the world around us.

The times call for it!

Blessings to you this week~