Our Greatest Hope on Election Day: Our King Has Come

by | Nov 3, 2020 | Learning Story

Our Greatest Hope on Election Day: Our King Has Come

Whether we are pleased or disheartened by the results of today’s election of the American president, there is one thing we all need to remember, especially if we are Christians: we are citizens of an everlasting kingdom, and our King has come and will come again. Meditate on this good news from my new devotional, From Recovery to Restoration: 60 Meditations for Finding Peace & Hope in Crisis.

Your Kingdom Come

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10, ESV

As we survey the ruins of a marriage after an affair, a neighborhood after a flood, a world after a global pandemic, the cry that rises naturally to our lips is, “Your kingdom come.” What do we mean when we pray this prayer—whose kingdom is it, what is that kingdom like, and what will it mean for this kingdom to come?

Whose kingdom is it? It is God’s kingdom, the kingdom of the One who created heaven and earth and declared it “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Although God’s original creation was deeply damaged by sin, because of his “holy stubbornness,” his “refusal to accept ruin,” God repaired the broken creation in the most unlikely of ways, by becoming man and dying on a cross.

God’s kingdom is characterized by shalom: “heavenly wholeness, the right alignment of everything” and the belief that shalom is “not beyond recovery.” It is the realm of grace that announces the rule of grace. In this kingdom, the righting and restoring of all things began with Christ’s death and resurrection. When our King returns, this kingdom will be fully consummated, with shalom reigning forever in the now-restored new heavens and new earth.

God’s kingdom is the kingdom of heaven that opposes itself to the kingdom of darkness. To pray “Your kingdom come” is to pray that Jesus would today defeat the wily efforts of Satan, the prince of darkness who seeks to captivate our attention and energy for his purposes (Colossians 1:13; Ephesians 2:2). Christ the King has already triumphed over the god of this world on the cross; one day, he will return to establish his kingdom and cast Satan into the lake of fire forever (Revelation 20:10).

To pray “your kingdom come” is to repent of our own tendencies to create small kingdoms by placing ourselves, our loved ones, our work, our homes, or any other thing we see as ours, on the throne of our lives. It is to pray, “Your kingdom come and rule in my heart; your will, not mine, be done in my life.”

To pray “your kingdom come” is to seek to serve our King by fulfilling our mission to grow and multiply his beauty on this earth today. It is to move toward an ex-wife in the hope of co-parenting in harmony; it is to pull out moldy drywall in the hope of restoring a flooded home; it is to care for the sick and broken in the hope of healing soul, if not body.

As we recover from crisis, it is easy to recognize the disaster this world has become through the ravages of sin. To pray “your kingdom come” is a daring prayer, an imaginative prayer, a prayer that acknowledges the gap between what is and what ought to be. And yet, every day, we must persist in praying it, in announcing to the world, “Our King has come; he will one day come again.” And when he does, shalom will reign forever.

Prayer

Our Father,

Your kingdom come. May your reign of grace be the rule of the day.

In the name of Christ our King. Amen.

Further Encouragement

Read Matthew 6:7-15.

Listen to “King of Love” by Steven Curtis Chapman.

For Reflection

Into what broken places would you like to see God’s kingdom come?

From Recovery to Restoration cover

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Advance Review for From Recovery to Restoration

"When the storms of life crash into our lives, the devastation left behind is often overwhelming. Recovery and healing is slow and arduous. Elizabeth Turnage's devotional is for all those laboring toward recovery. From Recovery to Restoration is a hope-filled, gospel-laced, and Christ-exalting book which invites us into God's story of redemption and helps us see how he is at work to redeem and restore all things, even the aftermath of our personal losses, heartaches, and trials."

Christina Fox

Writer, Counselor, Speaker

author of A Heart Set Free: A Journey to Hope Through the Psalms of Lament.

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Returning to a Full Nest: 4 Gospel Strategies

by | Aug 18, 2020 | Learning Story

Returning to a Full Nest: 4 Gospel Strategies

For the first few weeks of quarantine, my friend Lara was delighted that her “babies” had been sent home from college. She enjoyed staying up late talking with her daughter, and she loved cooking her son’s favorite meals. But then weeks turned into months, and while her work continued, her kids’ summer jobs had been canceled or furloughed. As things re-opened, her son and daughter wanted to hang out with friends and sleep the morning away. Now they were finally going back to college, but they would be returning home at Thanksgiving, and staying home until after Christmas. Lara found herself easily irritated and occasionally longing for a return to her empty nest. Like Lara, many parents struggle to navigate the transition back to a full nest. How can we live our faith, hope, and love in this season? Although there are no quick and easy answers, applying four gospel principles will help.

  1. Be kind, patient, and gentle (Ephesians 4:2, 32).

Being kind does not mean allowing our kids to do whatever they wish. It does call us to consider that this transition may be harder on our young adult children than it is on us. In the midst of being stuck at home during a global pandemic with serious concerns about their future, the anxiety young adults already feel may be exacerbated. Our kindness, gentleness, and patience can help to ease this anxiety.

Kindness, gentleness, and patience will help us to consider what our adult children are going through in this uncertain time. Young adults who have lived away from home at college or elsewhere have learned to live on their own, to “adult,” as they call it, cooking, paying bills, working, and going to school. Having to return home can jolt them out of the healthy rhythms they may have developed. While we as parents may be tempted to roll our eyes as we consider the so-called “challenge” of enduring homecooked meals and free rent, we need to recognize how much our kids miss the independence they have gained.

  1. Be humble and respectful (Ephesians 4:2).

Just as Jesus honored the little children, we can honor our young adult children and the ways God uses them to grow us in grace.  Young adults are going through a normal process psychologists call individuation, learning for themselves and developing their own value systems. When they return home, they may reject some of our values and traditions. If we respond with humility and respect, we can discover what the Lord may be teaching us through them.

A pre-Covid example may help to illustrate. When our older daughter arrived home for fall break her sophomore year of college, she no longer wanted to eat our traditional Sunday night meal of grilled hamburgers and homemade French fries. As an exercise science major, she was studying nutrition and pointed out (politely) that it wasn’t the healthiest meal. While it was tempting to take her rejection of our tradition personally, humility and respect led us to consider her point. Good conversation ensued, and she introduced us to the concept of food deserts, explaining that poor people often struggle to obtain healthy food. If we had demanded that she eat the food we prepared, we might have missed an invitation to know our daughter’s heart for the marginalized and to learn how we could better love the marginalized.

  1. Seek wisdom for setting reasonable expectations about potential conflict, and seek to be peacemakers in conflict (James 1:5; Romans 12:10, 18).

When young adult children return to the nest, they may long for the nurture and care they received as children. At first, we may enjoy doing their laundry, cooking all the meals, and shopping for groceries, but that joy can fizzle fast, especially if they are lying around on the couch. After arming ourselves with prayer for wisdom, and with the aim of living peaceably, we can discuss reasonable expectations about household chores, finances, curfews, meals, guests, and other concerns.

Our daughter and her husband, who work in college campus ministry, noted a conflict unique to the coronavirus—concerns about staying-at-home and social distancing. Young adults, by God’s design, enjoy spending time with peers, but parents are concerned about introducing the virus to the household. Complicating matters further, some young adults have returned to a home where parents, grandparents, or siblings are part of the vulnerable population.

Although we as parents have the authority to set the rules, prayerfully listening to our young adult children and respecting their growing wisdom can lead to a more fruitful discussion. We may discover that our young adult children have some creative solutions that address our concerns and allow them to enjoy needed time with friends.

  1. Repent and forgive (1 Timothy 1:15-16; Ephesians 4:32).

In the midst of conflict, we can follow the lead of Paul, who identified himself as the “worst of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:16 NIV). As parents, we should always be examining our own hearts, searching for sin and idolatry. As parents, we should also lead in forgiving, “as God in Christ forgave” (Ephesians 4:32).

Lara’s irritation boiled up into anger, and at one point, she launched into a loud and long tirade against her kids. She’s not alone. Despite seeking to be kind, patient, gentle, humble, and wise, we will fail. Conflicts will arise, and we may not handle them well. And yet, even sin and failure can lead to love if we repent and forgive. Lara went to her son and daughter and apologized, asking their forgiveness. The three had a healthy conversation about expectations, and Lara also forgave her children for the way they had failed to respect her. 

When we lead with repentance and forgiveness, our young adult children will notice. Just as they will always remember this season fraught with fear and friction, they will also remember that their parents showed them how to live into the fullness of their faith, hope, and love. Isn’t that the best end-goal for all of us in this season?

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Back-to-School Planning: Five Steps for an Uncertain Year

by | Aug 4, 2020 | Learning Story

Back-to-School Planning: Five Steps for an Uncertain Year

Don’t you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly-sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.  Joe Fox, You’ve Got Mail

When back-to-school plans look more like a three-year-old’s scribbled flower bouquet than a bouquet of newly-sharpened pencils,

When images of students sitting at their desks in neatly lined rows are displaced by bad dreams of kindergartners hugging one another and/or their teacher,

When classroom rules have more to do with telling your students, “No, you can’t wear Johnny’s mask even if you like his superhero print better than your camouflage print…”

We’re a long way from Joe Fox’s back-to-school musings.

It’s July 22 as I write, and parents everywhere are still trying to figure out whether or not to send their children back to the school building or to try some combination of homeschooling and virtual schooling while many also try to work at home.

So maybe it’s too early to think about back-to-school planning or gathering back-to-school supplies. Even so, it’s not too early to take stock, to consider the months and year ahead, and to pray and plan for our children (and ourselves) as this school year begins.

This five-step process helps me plan, pray, know how to encourage, and make intentional time to gather as family. It also helps me to be a happier, more sane mom, and I hope it will help you as well.

5 Steps for Back-to-School Planning

If you’d like the free “Back-to-School Planning Guide” to work through this process, be sure to join Living Story subscribers. 

PS — I think this process is helpful even if you’re not a parent, student, or teacher. And grandparents, you can definitely participate!

1.  Check the calendar.

I like to get out a yearly calendar and print out the calendar from the school’s website then sit down with my planner and start writing in the important dates (In the free Back-to-School Planner, I’ve put a yearly calendar and a place to write these important dates).

I learned the hard way with four kids that if there will be a college graduation to attend (let’s all hope and pray that we get to hold and attend graduations in 2021!),  you’ll want to book hotel reservations far in advance unless you want the whole family camping in your son’s college apartment (word to the wise—you don’t!).

It’s a good idea to take note of holidays and early dismissal days so you don’t have any childcare surprises.

2.  Do some journaling.

This is a great time to take a look at various aspects of your child’s story. Consider these questions:

  • “What struggles or weaknesses should we be aware of in advance?” (What unique struggles will my child face given the Covid-19 pandemic?)
  • “What will be exciting and new for my child this year?”
  •  “In what areas would we like to see growth?”

(The FREE Back-to-School Planning Guide has six suggested journaling questions. Be sure to get it!)

3.  Make a prayer list or prayer cards.

Take those struggles and those exciting things and turn them into prayers. Consider the following suggested categories:

  • Praises: Thank you that we got Mrs. Awesome-Teacher, and that she is a Christian!
  • Prayer for specific struggles: Please, may this be the year that Loren shows up to Math class with a pencil, and his notebook, and his math book, all at the same time.
  • Prayer for spiritual growth: Lord, may this super-stern teacher help Tadesha learn how to be kind to people who seem like enemies.
  • Prayer for friends: Please give my children kind and faithful friends; help my children to be kind and faithful to their friends.
  • Prayer for the school: Lord, bless this school with your mercy, grace, and truth. May your name be glorified!
  • Prayer for teachers: God, help these teachers in such a challenging year; give them extraordinary patience and Holy Spirit wisdom in every moment of every day.
  • Prayer for challenged families: Lord, help those who will be especially challenged by this particular school year: single parents and their children, students and teachers with vulnerable health. Show us how we can help others in these hard days.

4.  Make a “To-Do/To-Gather” list.

Gather various school supply lists (Check out this Pinterest board for some ideas), and then get out your calendar and schedule times to get everything ready.

5.  “Be still and know that he is God.” Psalm 46: 10.

The year will hold all sorts of stories, but God, the One who plans all things for your children’s good and his glory, knows what he is doing. Take heart and take time to stop and smell the freshly sharpened pencils.

A Prayer for Returning to School

Lord God, you created so many interesting things; make us eager to learn and thankful for the opportunity for education. We want to continue to grow and gain new skills so that we may better serve you. Please help us, students, parents, grandparents, and teachers, to plan and prepare well so that we may honor you in this coming school year. In Jesus’ wonderful name we pray, Amen.

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5 Summer Reads for Every Age

by | Jun 30, 2020 | Book Reviews, Books

Five Summer Reads for Every Age

 

Is it just me, or is there something about summer that makes reading better than ever? Today I share some summer reads for every age (n.b. all of these are good reads for adults!). Given the sorrow and losses of the past several months, I decided to curate a list that focuses on growing in hope and love. Let me know in the comments or by email if you’ve read any of these, or suggest some of your favorites. I’m always up for new book suggestions!

Also, please note—there are affiliate links in this post. That means that if you purchase one of these books from one of these links, I get about a nickel, which I will apply to the maintenance of this website. I have begun working with Bookshop.org for every book I can find there. They support independent bookstores, and they ship relatively quickly. Check them out.

The Rabbit Listened book

The Rabbit Listened

Cori Doerrfeld

This book was a gift from my younger daughter, but even if she hadn’t given it to me, I would love it. This little gem of a “children’s book” takes about five minutes to read, but you’ll want to read it over and over, and even keep it propped up on your bookshelf to remind you—to listen first, especially when people are hurting. It’s a classic tale of a young boy whose beautiful creation has been torn down and the different ways people try to “make him better.” The chicken wants to talk about it, but Taylor doesn’t feel like talking. The bear wants to shout about it, but Taylor doesn’t feel like shouting. And so on and so forth. Until the rabbit comes. But I’ll stop there and urge you to buy the book and read and live the rest of this wonderful story for yourself.

The Secret Garden

Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustrated by Tasha Tudor

Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved this book about a little girl whose world was ruined (notice a theme?) and then restored as she discovered a secret garden and some special friends. In fact, I’ve loved it so much, I’ve often referred to this classic in my teaching on story and redemption. I love my copy with the light green cover, illustrated by Tasha Tudor. If you’ve read it before, why not read it again, and if you’ve never read it, don’t wait—this book has great hope to give in this season of loss.

The Secret Garden book
The Hate U Give Book

The Hate U Give

Angie Thomas

Stories can often help us understand what lectures cannot. This brilliant story takes us right into the world of a black teen named Starr, whose best friend is killed by a white police officer. Written by Angie Thomas, a young black woman from Jackson, Mississippi, it has won numerous awards, and for good reason. A young adult novel, it (like others on this list) is an excellent read for adults; it would also be great for parents and teens to read together and discuss the issues of police brutality, activism, and systemic injustice. This profound story will have a lasting impact on the way you understand racial injustice.

The Curate of Glaston

George MacDonald

C.S. Lewis described George MacDonald, a contemporary of Charles Dickens, as “his master.” MacDonald is a great storyteller whose well-drawn characters will lead you to do some heart-searching for yourself. The curate actually comes to know the Lord; a surgeon’s blind spots are penetrated; an atheist searches for truth. The Curate of Glaston trilogy is an engaging read that will bring gospel hope.

The Curate of Glaston book
The Invention of Wings book

The Invention of Wings

Sue Monk Kidd

Warning: It’s graphic and vivid in its depiction of the brutality of slavery. Partially based in the true story of Sarah Grimke, it weaves together the tale of Sarah and “Handful,” the slave she was given for her tenth birthday. It’s a beautiful but haunting story about moving beyond limitations imposed by society, a story about the quest for true freedom. The blurb from The Washington Post explains why you should read it: “By humanizing these formidable women, The Invention of Wings furthers our essential understanding of what has happened among us as Americans – and why it still matters.”

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Why Telling Your Story Matters: Thoughts from Daniel Taylor

by | Jun 9, 2020 | Books, Writing

Why Telling Your Story Matters: Thoughts from Daniel Taylor

If you’ve been watching my YouTube Live Series on Story Feasting, you’ll know I think your story matters. Today, I’m sharing some thoughts from one of my favorite authors on story: Dr. Daniel Taylor. Read on to learn why you should share your stories, how you were born to tell stories, and how to get over the fear of writing down stories.

Daniel Taylor on Storytelling

In his book, Creating a Spiritual Legacy, Daniel Taylor, a wise man and scholar of story,  cheers on ‘every woman/man’ to “just do it,” get out there and tell a story. Not only does he encourage us; he actually shows us how to write our stories with some specific, short exercises. He includes stories from a broad spectrum of folks, old and young, to show us that leaving legacies is for everyone. Here’s a brief quote addressing the question, “why story?”.

Why storytelling matters

“Stories are, among other things, organisms for storing and preserving a life. But they do not do so in a static, mothballed way. Stories do not preserve our lives in the same way that mummification preserves a body or quite in the way that a battery preserves a charge. Rather, stories preserve a life in the way a plant preserves the sun. They absorb and embody the energy and dynamism of a life as a tree ties up the energy of the sun in its limbs, ready to be released again should someone strike a match.” Daniel Taylor, Creating a Spiritual Legacy

How you were born to tell stories:

“Everyone, I have claimed, has the ability to tell a story, and particularly a story from their own life. You do not have to be taught how to tell a story, or need “five secrets to good storytelling ” articles, or advice from people like me. Telling stories is as natural as breathing, and you have been doing it since before you could talk (pointing and crying and making faces being among our first storytelling strategies).” Daniel Taylor, Creating a Spiritual Legacy

Why you should write your stories down

To persuade us to write these stories down so that they may remain as a legacy, Taylor offers much-needed reality checks:

“We have this deep-seated misconception that anyone can talk but only writers can write – as though putting our story on paper puts us in competition with Tolstoi. Let it go. You’re not competing with Tolstoi. You’re competing with oblivion, which is what you’ll have if you don’t pass on your stories. Any story, whether beautifully or primitively written, is a strike against being forgotten.” Daniel Taylor, Creating a Spiritual Legacy

Check out this book and Daniel Taylor’s other excellent book on sharing story, Tell Me a Story. In both, you will find motivation as well as helpful instructions for writing down your stories. Making lists of stories and characters, organizing around scenes, and telling the truth are just a few of the many excellent suggestions he offers. Write a story. Leave a legacy.

And if you’ve always wanted to share your story, especially to write it down, but don’t know where to start, consider working with me as your coach. Sometimes it takes another person to spur you through the hard parts of getting that story down. 

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Five Good Reads for Hard Seasons

by | Apr 21, 2020 | Learning Story

Five Good Reads for Hard Seasons

 

Because I have been writing a devotional on finding peace and hope in the midst of crisis, I have been immersed in books on suffering for over a year now. It seems God was up to something in directing me to helpful resources. Today, I’m sharing five helpful books on finding hope in the midst of suffering.

Beyond Suffering Bible

Where Struggles Seem Endless God’s Hope Is Infinite

Joni & Friends

Joni Eareckson Tada, who became a quadriplegic in 1967 at the age of 17, has encouraged people with disabilities for over forty years. The Beyond Suffering Bible includes thoughts from Joni, devotionals written by the people at Joni and Friends, and other connections, showing how the hope of the gospel speaks to suffering people.

A favorite quote: “God cares too much—way too much—about us to leave us wallowing in self-pity….And so through the strange blessing of weakness, he pushes and prods us to take him at his Word.”  (A14)

Treasures in Darkness

A Grieving Mother Shares Her Heart

Sharon W. Betters

Sharon W. Betters shares the treasures she learned in the darkness after her youngest child was killed at age sixteen in a car accident. A woman of strong faith, Sharon gives us the kind gift of sharing her intimate journey with God through grief into hope. This is an excellent read for all who are grieving and for those who want to know how to come alongside the grieving.

A favorite quote: “The theme of redeeming the darkness of the journey by living a life that reflects our hope in you is a strong thread throughout Scripture. It takes every spiritual muscle to step up to such a calling, muscles that require regular exercise. Like the psalmist, I need the mind of a little child to daily face the tasks of each day with purpose and hope, trusting that in your time, you will come for your children. I long for that day.” (p.253).

A Grace Disguised

How the Soul Grows through Loss

Dr. Jerry Sittser

Dr. Jerry Sittser lost his mother, his wife, and his young daughter in a tragic car accident. As he grappled with immense loss and sorrow, he discovered a God who is gracious to redeem, to transform a person through suffering.

A favorite quote: “ If we face loss squarely and respond to it wisely, we will actually become healthier people, even as we draw closer to physical death. We will find our souls healed, as they can only be healed through suffering.” (p.10).

God’s Plans for You

J.I. Packer

This book will not give you a detailed map of God’s specific plans for you. Instead, the author, J.I. Packer, offers something far better: straight truth from Scripture about the things that we know God has planned for us—yes, plans for good and not for evil, plans for joy in the midst of suffering, plans for new life even in the midst of death and dying.

A favorite quote: “Grief, desolation, and pain are feelings triggered by present situations, but faith produces joy, hope, and peace at all times. This does not mean that grief, desolation, and pain cease to be felt (that idea is inhuman); it means that something else is experienced alongside the hurt. It becomes possible for Christians today, like Paul long ago, to be ‘sorrowful, yet always rejoicing’ (2 Cor. 6:10).” (p. 110).

Suffering Is Never for Nothing

Elisabeth Elliott

Elisabeth Elliot knew suffering. Her first husband, Jim Elliot, a missionary to the Huaorani tribe, was murdered by the people he went to serve. Elisabeth later went to Ecuasorto serve the very people who killed her husband. Her second husband, Addison Leitch, died of cancer only three years after their marriage. Elisabeth speaks from the heart as a woman who knows what the Bible says about suffering and knows intimately the God who meets you in your suffering.

A favorite quote: “There would be no intellectual satisfaction on this side of Heaven to that age-old question, why. Although I have not found intellectual satisfaction, I have found peace. The answer I say to you is not an explanation but a person, Jesus Christ, my Lord and my God.” (Location 313, Kindle edition)

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