A Weekly Walk in the Word

1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Life in Minnesota has been heavy this week. We have so many unanswered questions as we grieve the loss of children while they worshiped. That grief is compounded by personal losses. Some days the baggage of life is just too much to carry. Those are the days that I feel Jesus the closest. Only he can carry the baggage that is too heavy for any human to bear. God is good, always.

Psalm 84:1-4 How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young – a place near your altar. O Lord Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.

We closed on Seth’s farm this week. To say it was a tough week, would be an understatement. It was his dream to have a farm where he could raise livestock. He fulfilled his dream. My dream for him was to know Jesus and to live in heaven where he could praise Jesus all day long. My dream for him was fulfilled last November. Our houses are only a temporary place to live until we go home to Jesus where we will dwell with him and praise him forever. This is the promise I lean on to get me through the tough weeks until I join the choir. God is good, always!

Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

These verses include Jesus’ last words of instruction to his disciples. Notice how inclusive he is. If you are listening to someone who excludes anyone, you are not listening to Jesus. Notice how the word all dominates these verses – all authority, all nations, all commands, all days (always). Let your light shine like Jesus as you go into the world telling all people about all His glory for all your days, because Jesus came into this world for ALL.

Matthew 11:28-29 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Where do you go to rest? I enjoy a walk through a garden or a bike ride through the woods. I am at peace when every bed at our farm is filled with family. I find my best rest at my friend’s house where we talk and laugh together into the late hour of the night. The most complete rest comes when we lean into Jesus and the gifts he has sprinkled here on earth through nature, family and friends. Where do you go to rest?

John 15:12-13 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

When I was a young girl in Brownies, we learned a song that went like this “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other is gold”. Now 50 years later, I see the wisdom in that catchy little song we sang. I was at the Rock County Fair in Wisconsin last week. It is the fair where I entered exhibits during my 4-H years and our children found their love for livestock during their 4-H years. I reconnected with childhood friends, church friends and fair friends. The hugs and ability to pick up where we left off years ago was immeasurable. I love all of my “old friends”. The day after I returned to Minnesota, I volunteered at the garden tour our church is hosting. I was able to spend the day with my church friends and meet new friends as they walked through the garden. Later that evening I stopped at a friends house to catch up with her and her family. I love all my “new friends”. I am blessed beyond measure to have these precious people in my life. A friend is a true gift from God.

John 10:3-5 The guard at the gate opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. Whenever he has gathered all of his sheep, he goes before them and they follow him, because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger but will run away because they don’t know the stranger’s voice.

The last time I was at Seth’s farm before he passed away, we moved sheep from the barn to a pasture on the opposite side of his property. The picture above are his sheep on that day. Seth filled a bucket with feed and opened the gate. His sheep never took their eyes off of Seth. They followed him out the gate, across the driveway and into their new pasture of tall grass. I closed the gate behind them as Seth quietly reassured them that they would be happy in their new temporary home.

My prayer for all of you is that you pursue the shepherd. Listen for his voice and follow the one who will lead you through the pasture to living water.

Psalm 68:6 God sets the lonely in families

My sisters always have my back. They show up when I need the the most. Last weekend we put on the Seth Playter Memorial Market Lamb Show. I was overwhelmed by the large amount of people who showed up at the Sioux Falls fairgrounds to show their sheep. I was even more overwhelmed by the large amount of people who showed because of their relationship with Seth. I was overcome by all the emotions once again. But, among all the people who attended, my sisters were there. They continue to carry me through the difficult days. I dedicated my latest book Women Walking in the Word to my sisters. In the introduction, I wrote…..

During the process of publishing this book, I lost my oldest son suddenly to cardiac arrhythmia. He was thirty-six. It is the greatest sadness I have ever experienced. When my world was the darkest, God’s light shone the brightest. I saw the hands and feet of Jesus in the sisterhood of women living out Jesus’s love through their hugs, tears, and meals when I wasn’t able to eat. They dropped everything to carry me. I am grateful for the circle of women in my life. Women need to be celebrated for the roles they play in everyday life.

These words were written for my biological sisters as well as my spiritual sisters. God has given us a great gift when he gave us sisters. They are more precious than silver or gold. Thank God for the sisters in your life.

John 18:11 Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”

What would you do if you or your best friend were wrongly accused of a crime? Would you lash out like Peter and cut off someone’s ear? Or would you surrender peacefully like Jesus? As a mother, I struggle when I see anyone mistreat my children. My mean, mama-bear side comes out. But in today’s reading, I learn from Jesus that in all circumstances – even death – God is in control. Trust God’s perfect plan.

The paragraph above is the Day 149 devotion from my new book Women Walking in the Word. I wrote this entry years before I lost my son to an undiagnosed heart condition. I found it again during the editing process. God is good. He gave me the words I needed before I needed them the most. God is in control even when we struggle to see the light.

Colossians 3:16-17 Let the Word of Christ – the Message – have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives – words, actions, whatever – be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

Today I will sing, sing, sing because this week I picked up 1040 copies of my second published book from the printer. It was a huge leap of faith to spend 9 years writing and another year publishing a book. But, I felt called to share the Word of God with others. Reflecting on the process, I see God’s hand on every page, in every word. He was with me every step of the way. I am excited for you to write your story along with me when you journal your way through Women Walking in the Word.

Psalm 119:105 By your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path. (The Message Version)

It is really happening! My second book Women Walking in the Word is at the printers. It has been a journey for sure. Only God knew the twists and turns my path in life would take as I worked through finishing this book. But we did it! God is good always!