Lord, Bless the Children--Part 1 by Sharon Espeseth

Jesus with young children
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Jesus Loves the Little Children

"The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: 'Don't push these children away. Don't ever get between them and me. These children are at the very centre of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God's kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you'll never get in. Then gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them. (Mark 10:13-16 The Message).” 

 

Teaching 

For my first year of teaching, I was assigned to teach 24 grade three students in a small three-room school in a small town. I “adopted” these kids and vowed to do the best I could for each of them. Each year, I “adopted” a new batch of kids and committed myself to teaching them to the best of my ability. Knowing I needed more education to meet the varied needs of my students, I continued taking evening and summer classes at the U of A. 

Being single, I had the opportunity to live and teach in different communities in Alberta where I gained experience. My niche became the primary classroom, and maybe reading recovery programs. 

In 1974, I moved from Fort McMurray back to Edmonton, where I could take more courses at U of A. I also taught Resource Room students half-time in Alex Taylor. Teaching in this inner city school with Steve Ramsankar, a nationally recognized educator, as my principal was an amazing adventure. I loved teaching kids to read and to unlock the treasures in written material.

Sharon in the Classroom

Changes in the Status Quo

My return to Edmonton was for only one year, because 1974 was also the year I met Hank. We were married the next summer and Barrhead became my more permanent home. Hank knew I enjoyed teaching and working or spending time with kids. He listened when I told him I longed to have  children of my own. “If for any reason we don’t have children," I added, “I’d like to adopt.” He didn’t walk away.

After 18 months of marriage, we still didn’t have children. Married at 31 years, I may have been impatient. I reminded my  husband about our "pre-nuptial discussion.” When I came home from school the next day, adoption papers were on the table. We filed our application with Social Services in mid-January, 1977.

Adoption

In May of that year, I got a letter from the Department of Social Services saying I'd need to resign from teaching, effective June 30, in order to qualify for adopting an infant. We were surprised. Somebody, and we believe it was God, knew something we didn’t know. 

Realizing I’d be leaving the classroom indefinitely, I got to work with report cards, packing my own teacher files and material, and getting everything in order. On the morning of June 29th, a teacher work day without students, Hank came to school to help me take my “teaching stuff" home. 

When Hank arrived, he told me he had news to tell me, but first he asked for a private place where we coul sit down. I couldn’t read his facial expression. Was he excited? Worried? Sick? We stopped in a small workroom off the hallway. That’s where he told me we were going to be receiving a baby. Not soon, but tomorrow. 

We needed to travel several hours to pick up our first baby, almost newborn, the following morning. Our social worker had previously advised us not to buy baby things ahead of time as we wouldn’t know the size or the gender of the baby until we got the call. After a quick shopping scramble and a friend’s promise of a shower within a few days, we were on the road travelling south.

Arrival after Arrival after Arrival

Next day, we were bringing our first child, Michael, home less than six months after submitting our adoption application  His arrival caused quite a stir for us and among our family and friends. In fact, when we got home to Barrhead, the Espeseth’s had started arriving for a July 1 family reunion. Guess who was the star of that show? 

One year later, Christie, also just weeks old, joined our family without the family reunion, but with equal fanfare. She was introduced to the Augustson family at a picnic in Red Deer. Jennifer was almost six months when we were called away to receive her--our third child--into the family. The enthusiasm of Jenny’s older siblings only increased the hubbub of her arrival at Betty and Leon’s, where they waited for their new sister.

Within two years and two months from our first application, Hank and I had become the parents of three young children. God had listened to my longtime prayer, which was now our prayer, to have children of our own. 

Backyard picnic with 3 muskateers

Hank and I were ecstatic. Then came the first day Hank went back to work and I realized exactly how busy I would be. Within a week, we were moving to our new house, which would be more suitable for all of us. 

As imperfect and ordinary as we were, we had been chosen to be the parents of Michael, Christie and Jennifer. They kept us busy, but they were so much fun. Adding our three children to the family, my dad had a constant supply of new stories about his grandchildren.

Grandpa lots of stories about the grandkids

Just as God had knit each of these babies together in their respective mothers’ wombs, we believed He would give us the wisdom and grace to parent our three children. He knit the five of us together into a family.

Knit together as a family
Children are Christie, Jenny and Michael

Our Gratitude Together with Our Concerns for the Birth Mothers

Decades later, we are still grateful to these three young women, really teen at that time. Each of them had tough decisions to make when facing an unplanned and, what must have seemed an untimely, pregnancy. Each mother in her own words wrote that she wasn’t ready for the responsibility of parenting then, due to school and other concerns. For her child, each birth mother wanted a loving family with two parents who were more ready for parenting.

Hank and I and the extended family are especially thankful these three birth mothers didn’t choose abortion as a solution to an “inconvenient” pregnancy. Yes, for our sakes, we are grateful that we have the three children who were entrusted to our care. But we also realize that, but for the grace of God and the three women, our children might not have been given the gift of life. Hank and I are also thankful for the mothers themselves that they didn’t suffer the aftermath of abortion.

One of My Passions Is the Life and Well-being of Children

As Christian, most of us agree that every stage of life--from the womb to the tomb--is important. Pro-life is a personal and spiritual view for me, rather than a political one. Many times I’ve asked myself the Micah question. “. . . What does the Lord require of me? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with (my) God (Micah 6:8 NIV). 

I believe pro-life means all of the above. Saving unborn children is important, but acting justly in all our endeavours, being loving and merciful, and walking humbly with God also counts. 

Whose Children Are They?

“The children we have are never really ours. They are given to us, in trust, for a time, a short time really, and we are asked to be mothers and fathers, mentors guardians, teachers, priests, ministers and friends to them, but they are never really our children. They belong to somebody else, God, and to themselves more than they ever belong to us.”

                            Quote from Fr. Ron Rolheiser’s column “In Exile” in The Catholic Register, 2006

To be continued. . .

Thankful for My InScribe Family - Tracy Krauss

Friend and fellow member Sheila Webster texted me shortly after Fall Conference with these four questions:
1. What are three takeaways from conference?
2. What is one thing you wish you'd said or done?
3. Who were you happy to see?
4. What are you inspired to write for the Kingdom?

I had to ponder these questions for awhile. My mind (and heart) were so full that I couldn't process my thoughts, let alone articulate them. 

Initially, I wrote (and this is me being brutally honest): "I am unequal to the task of being president!" and, "There is still so much I need to learn!" but I knew in my spirit that this was my exhaustion talking. Fortunately, my third takeaway, "I love my InScribe family!" helped me refocus on God's goodness and resonated with me into the next morning. 

As I continued to ponder, I realized that the most important thing about the weekend for me was something that I had shared with Dayna Mazzuca, another friend and member, on her way out the door at the end of conference. I was excited to share my 'revelation' with her, since she was instrumental a few years ago in helping the executive zero in on who we are as an organization so that we could write our mission and purpose statements. In case you missed it, the shortened state of our purpose is:

We minister to writers, so they can minister to others. That's a bold and powerful statement. (Credited to Sheila Webster?)

Anyway, I managed to convey to Dayna how grateful I felt for her skill in helping us define who we are, because... We fulfilled our PURPOSE at conference because PEOPLE WERE MINISTERED TO! 

I've been reading through the post conference evaluations and over and over again this same theme keeps coming up. People were moved by the worship; touched during the morning devotional times. (Thanks to Ron, Charity and of course, the Holy Spirit!) People loved the connectedness, the personal nature of the open space concept, the powerful doxology that was sung at the last gathering, and the feeling that God was present. In short, those that attended kept relaying that same message: they had been MINISTERED TO. 

Yes, there was also some wonderful teaching and I came away with a lot of new information. As always, a highlight for me was seeing my InScribe family in person. I truly love and appreciate the deep relationships I have gained over the years. You truly feel like FAMILY to me, and because of that I know I can lay aside any sense of inadequacy because the grace of Christ dwells among us. Yet, the wonder of God's Almighty presence is what struck me most about this year's conference. It literally permeated the air. 

I finally settled on these three takeaways:
1. We fulfilled out purpose in that we ministered to the writers who were present.
2. God's presence was felt in a powerful way - from the worship, to the devotionals, to the doxology, and everything in between.
3. Even the skeptics left with a sense that God did something new at FC this year. 

As for the rest of my answers, well, perhaps that is for another time.

Tracy Krauss writes from her home in northern BC. 
As InScribe's current president, she is well aware of her shortcomings, but is thankful that God still uses "cracked pots." Visit her website: tracykrauss.com  -fiction on the edge without crossing the line-

Psalm 100: A Reflection by Susan Barclay

Image by Karin Henseler from Pixabay

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His house with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever, His faithfulness continues through all the generations.” ~Psalm 100 

Thanksgiving is a day set aside to be thankful, especially it seems for family, friends, and food to eat. But we have much more for which to be grateful, don't we? In the chapter above, the psalmist points out several things:

1. The Lord is God. I don't know about you, but that really takes the pressure off. The Lord is God. I don't need to be in control of the universe. He's got it well in hand, and far better than I could ever hope to. He has given me responsibility for myself, my thoughts, my words, my actions, and that is enough. 

2. It is He who made us, and not we ourselves. There's a lot of turbulence out there these days, people questioning their identities, searching for answers, trying to find themselves. God knows me, He made me, He gets to define me, my identity is in Christ. If I want to know who I am, all I need to do is ask Him and search out what He says. 

3. We are His people. We are the sheep of His pasture. I'm His person; He is my Shepherd! I belong!

4. The Lord is good. All of His attributes are good. He is kind. He is just. He is merciful. He is tender. He is healer. He sees, He hears, He responds. He is the "Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). He is the giver of all good gifts (James 1:17).

5. His love endures forever. He never stops loving. He is love. I may not have had a present earthly father who cared, but I have a loving Heavenly Father who thinks I'm to die for! If God had a wallet, my picture would be in it.

6. His faithfulness continues through all the generations. God never fails. He always keeps His promises. I can safely put my trust in Him, as well as my hope for my children's salvation. "But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear Him. His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to His covenant, of those who obey His commandments!" (Psalm 103:17-18)

Yes, as we head into Thanksgiving and into the upcoming federal election, we have much to be thankful for. God is for us - hallelujah!

_______________

 You can find out more about Susan Barclay's writing at www.susan-barclay.blogspot.com

Giving Thanks for Faith, Family, Friends by Sharon Espeseth

In our front entry, over the door, we have a wooden sign that says, "Faith, Family and Friend." I liked this when I got it at a gift exchange, because it is emblematic of what is important in life and in our household. And I display it with appreciation.

Faith

"The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." (Psalm 126:3 NIV) From creation to salvation to watching over us to his unfailing love and patience . . . the realm of what God has done and is doing for us is endless. I cannot contain my faith in the brevity of a blog, but "I will sing of the Lord's great love forever; with my mouth (and my writing and my living), I will make your faithfulness known through all generations." (Psalm 89:1 NIV)

I am thankful for the faith I learned from my elders and accepted as my own. I am thankful for God's Word that teaches how to serve the living God and how to live as Christ taught us. God's Word-- written by prophets, teachers, kings, and  apostles called from ordinary walks of life--informs my day-to-day life and my writing. "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to the dividing of soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12 NIV)

Many good books have been written and many excellent resources are available, but today I am giving thanks for the Holy Bible, the foundation of our faith.

Family

Like most of you, our family got together this past weekend and celebrated our thankfulness for each other and for the many other blessings in our lives. To me, our family is an earthly symbol of God's caring for us. How would shy Hank and quiet Sharon have managed to find each other in this noisy world, had it not been for the the Good Lord's leading, guidance, and wisdom? Yes, I was wise to marry Hank--not that I am perfect nor that he is perfect, but we are perfect for each other. And 42 years later, here we still are looking after and loving one another.

We wanted a family and God saw that we would have a family. Our first child, a baby boy, arrived 5 1/2 months after we submitted our adoption application. The second child, a baby girl, arrived 13 months later. The third child, another girl arrived on Valentine's Day the following year. Within 37 months, we had three children and life was in full gear.


God is great.
God is good.
But let us not thank him
just for the food.


Our family continues to grow by sons-in-law and grandchildren. We now are a family of 13 and we have much to be thankful for. When Hank and I were young, strong and full of energy, we didn't see the road ahead. As we have aged, health problems and waning energy can hold us captive. When we need help, however, the kids come. The kids are a source of help and support: a resource of sorts, but much more!

Our Original Family of Five

I always have been, and still am, close to the members of my birth family. Although some of our family have left this earthly realm, I am thankful for their loving influence on my life. I am thankful for my sisters and their families, who are also an important part of our lives.

None of us is perfect, but God has a way of working with broken vessels. He takes us where and as we are and leads us, if we are willing, to the place he knows is best for us.


Friends

We who have good friends are blessed. We can get busy in our lives and forget to show our appreciation for their friendships. A friend is a resource who can bring a well-spring of joy and blessing to our lives, and hopefully we can bring blessing to their lives as well.

Writing this blog seems an appropriate time to say thanks to the friends I have gained through my writing years. I think of the Women Word Weavers in our hometown. Some of our founding members, including me, are still around for the meetings, for keeping in touch, exchanging ideas, and encouraging one another. How thankful I am for their faithfulness and loyalty.

InScribe Christian Writer's Fellowship has been another boon to my continued growth and confidence in myself as a writer. I am thankful for the group as a whole, for our dedicated executive and volunteer workers, for Connie Inglis and Jack Popjes as spiritual advisors, and for the members of the prayer group, who offer prayer support for our members when it is needed.

As Paul said to the Philippians,

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel . . ." (Philippians 1:3-5a NIV)

Grateful For Rejection - Again by Tracy Krauss

This month we are encouraged to write about a difficult experience that taught us to be grateful. I can think of tons. The 'refiner's fire' is one of the best ways - if not THE best way - to grow as a Christian and as a human being. God has used many difficult experiences to teach me during my life's journey, and I know He's done the same for you.

I can't help but think of a writing example which became one of my submissions to Inscribe's new anthology 7 Essential Habits Of Christian Writers. It is called "Embrace Rejection" and I think it embodies what this month's topic is all about. In it, I talk about my many years of submitting manuscripts to agents and publishers only to be rejected over and over again. Through those disappointments, I learned a lot of valuable things about what not to do which continue to benefit me as I grow as a writer.

"Rejection makes you a better writer because it forces you from the fantasyland of your own imagination into the real world of readers. It yanks you out of the cushioned bubble of friends and family, where everyone loves what you’ve written because… well, because you wrote it. The good news is that rejection will make you stronger. I know you’ve heard it before, but it’s true. Criticism, especially when it’s constructive, is a fantastic teacher." (7 Essential Habits of Christian Writers, location 1337) 

For those who have read the anthology, you may recall that I submitted more than a hundred different queries over several years. Most were unanswered, several received polite rejection letters with no explanation, even less received rejections that at least explained where I could do better, and three - yes THREE - were positive requests for more.

This early rejection helped me in many ways:

1. First, it helped me become a better writer. If that many people felt my manuscript needed work, then they were probably on to something.

2. Second, it opened my eyes to targeting the right audience for my work. One size doesn't fit all, no matter what we want to believe.

3. Third, it showed me that writing was more than a hobby. I mean, seriously! Who would keep exposing themselves to that kind of hurt if it wasn't something they felt called to do?

4. Fourth, it made me tough. Not everyone is going to love what I write and I'm okay with that. 

5. Fifth, and perhaps most important of all, it made me understand that I am not synonymous with my writing. A rejection of something I've written is NOT the same as a personal rejection of ME as a person.

You can read the entire article in 7 Essential Habits of Christian Writers.  Just remember that rejection is part of the writing life, so get used to it. Embrace it. Learn from it. And carry on.

Tracy Krauss writes from her home in northern British Columbia. Since those early days of rejection, she has gone on to see several best selling and award winning novels published as well as multiple stage plays, non-fiction books, and an illustrated children's book. Website: tracykrauss.com

Dear God... by Ruth Sakstad

Dear God,

Thank you for your love that displays itself in so many different ways to me.

Thank you for your love that is patient with me even when I am not always patient with you or myself.

Thank you for your loving-kindness that you shower on me. Your loving-kindness is better than life itself. It is because of your loving-kindness I am your child.

Thank you for the protection your love provides me. I am glad that you protect me from myself and the enemy.

Thank you for the trust you have placed in me to carry your Word and truth to a lost and untrusting world.

Thank you for the hope your love instills in me. Your hope does not make me ashamed.

Thank you that your love perseveres and never fails through the ups and downs of my everyday life.

Thank you that your love never gives up on me even when I make mistakes or give up on myself.

Thank you that your love will guide me throughout my life and that you will never let me down. You are a great and wonderful God and I praise you for that.

Thank you that you are a God of love and everything that entails.

I love you God.

Love because of Jesus,

Ruth

Being Thankful Is A Choice - Lynn Dove

Second only to Christmas, I go a bit overboard with house decorating for Thanksgiving. I scatter (fake) fall leaves liberally around the house, and fall colours of red, gold and orange are seen everywhere. In our home, Thanksgiving is a time of celebration, tradition, and remembering God's goodness to us over the past year. I usually cook up a big turkey with stuffing, gravy, caramel potatoes, sweet and sour red cabbage, some mixed veggies, fresh dinner rolls and of course pumpkin pie for dessert. Over the years my son-in-law has added to the menu by making yams (with marshmallows). Yummmm!

With a grateful heart, I can come to the thanksgiving banquet and rejoice in His goodness to me and my family... ...But I was reminded the other day that being thankful is a choice. It is easy to praise and thank God when, for the most part everything is going so well in our lives. It is far more difficult, but I would say far more honouring to God, when we can praise Him and give thanks to Him when life is frought with challenges and struggle.

I read a letter from a woman in our church who has probably had one of the most challenging years of her life. Her husband will not be with her this Thanksgiving. She has had financial burdens and has struggled with house and car repairs on her own. She admits that many times she has wept before the Lord and spent many a sleepless night, overwhelmed at times by the stress, the pain and heartache, but she says, 'Through all the trials and tribulations of this past year GOD IS SO GOOD'. She can praise Him wholeheartedly. She has chosen to be "thankful in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5: 18).

Our Sunday School teacher asked us, "Are you a "whiner" or a "shiner" based on Philippians 2: 14-16 "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life..."

As we discussed the passage at length, I couldn't help but think about this precious woman and the heartfelt letter of praise she wrote. She has gone through so much upheaval this past year but still manages to "shine" in the face of adversity.

No matter what your circumstance may be at this time, choose to be thankful. "Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 5:19- 20)