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Vulnerability Yields True Community
After a particularly hard week, I spent an evening pouring out my heart to a trusted friend. Having a good listener at the other end of my struggles lifted my spirit. My sharing turned into mutual encouragement, finishing with a time of prayer for each other, acknowledging that we both had needs that neither of us could fix. The words that touched heaven were heart-pleas, that God would show us His presence, administer His peace amid overwhelm, and invade the lives of those we love by showing up and doing the impossible. In short – do a miracle in us and them! Prayer brings peace and the empowerment of the…
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Courage to Risk
Today I risked! My children’s story is now in the hands of an editor. The Bella Project has been seven-plus years in the making. When Covid hit, I decided to pick Bella back up, and see her come to life by putting watercolor to her simple sketches. It has been exciting to see the progress over these past eight months, as I have steadily plodded along, putting corresponding illustrations to the words of her story. But…just hours after hitting send on my story, I felt like my spirit plummeted. Have you ever felt this way? You finally move forward on something you feel God nudging you to do, and then; BAM!…
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Tunneling into worship
Paving the way for hope Have you ever wondered how God could take the good, the hard, and the impossible surprises in your life and use them to infuse hope in the life of someone who is journeying through a hard situation? For hope to rise to the top of any difficulty, we need to know that God is fully present, and will remain wholly faithful in every situation we step into and journey through. Hope in Christ gives us not only the desire for an expected end; but the assurance that God will use everything we have gone through, and everything we will go through for His glory and…
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Compassion
Compassion God, help me to see you in this situation Help me to know you’re there. To rest upon You completely In an attitude of prayer. To speak when the Spirit prompts With holiness and truth. To listen with a heart of care May my grace exude. Fill me with your Spirit’s power As you nudge me to speak. That in this holy hour I would boldly be. The sharpness of an arrow That strikes the heart of lies. Hitting its mark of anything Against the Word of Christ. Encouragement to the wounds Compassion filled with grace. A vessel emptied of myself For Jesus took my place. Linda Jane Dingeldein:…
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Textile, color and design breeds creativity
The Colliding of Passion: There is something that draws me towards textile, color and design. This combination stirs me deeply, allowing passion to collide with soulfulness and ultimately, igniting creativity. A weekend trip into the mountains of Baguio, Philippines refreshed me, not only with cool, clean air; but all things uniquely designed. I delighted in the view of rainbow painted houses, precariously perched on tiered mountain sides. My eyes took in jars and jars of freshly made strawberry jam with the sun igniting their ruby brightness. An endless array of handwoven head scarves, tapestry bags, knitted caps and colorful straw brooms; each, a harmony of color spilling over into a…
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Learning to Live Out of Our True Selves
As I step softly into this new year many questions have already begun to occupy my mind. What keeps me from living freely out of my unique, God-created design? What paralyzes me from living out of my true, authentic self? What has me repeatedly running to others to earn validation, applause and approval? “The greatest battle we face as human beings is the battle to protect our true selves from the self the world wants us to become.” E.E. Cummings Living Out of Our True Self: The true self are those parts of you that are authentic, and flow from living out of the true identify you have…
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Exposed to God’s Truth: Knowing Self
The Character Quality of Knowing Self: I expectantly eyed the bathroom mirror, keenly aware that this day would not only put another candle on an elaborately iced cake, but mark off another significant decade. With anticipation for the day ahead of me, I stopped to assess my reflection. Instantly, I was met by a rather dismal birthday pronouncement. The voice in my head spoke loud and clear. “I don’t like you!” In one quick instance, I had summed up four decades of my life. And with four short words, I had pronounced myself, lacking. Was I saying that I didn’t like how I looked? Or was I saying, that…
