Swiftly Flow the Days by Joylene M Bailey

 

What I love about living in the country is that the seasons are amplified. From my library window I can watch a wheat field turn from baby green to rippling ripe blonde.

Every spring, we look forward to the calves and lambs and orange-red baby bison we know we'll see on our drive to the nearby town. As the season stretches on, so the babies themselves stretch and grow and change. 

Before long, big round bales of straw have replaced the wheat I saw waving in the field. Almost at once those are gone, and the field is white with deep snow, broken only by a Mama moose and her half-grown calf effortlessly skimming across it.

It is comforting to me to know that, without fail, the seasons will come and go. But watching them come and go wrenches emotions from me. Like seasons of life, I can wave goodbye and Good Riddance to a season that is going. Or, if it was an especially good one, I hang on as long as I can before moving into the next, which I can either welcome or dread.

What has captured my thoughts all my life is that things are always, always changing. Isn't that why we take photographs? We want to freeze a moment in time. But the truth is, regardless of whether we move ahead with apprehension or expectancy, we are always moving ahead. Leaving the past behind.

Children grow up, family members pass on, we move to new homes, walk ourselves and our friends through periods of heartache and hardship. Some seasons are rough, others full of contentment and joy. Some are periods of busy, hurry, purpose. Other times last forever when the waiting is excruciating. Most seasons carry sprinklings of everything, and most of us have been through them all. We rejoice and we lament.

I was captivated by the words of an elderly woman who was asked about her long life. "Some decades are hard," was her simple reply. That just about says it all.

~~~~~

You hurt and you heal, you build and release,

and it's all part of the same process: it's life.

- Jennifer Healey -

healingbrave.com

~~~~~

               ~~~~~                  

It is perhaps fortunate that we can't see far enough down the path into the next season. Over the next hill, around the next bend, is the mysterious unknown. 

I keep telling people I'm in my flower era. I love anything with flowers on them. Notecards, notebooks, quilt fabric, clothing, even my purse is an explosion of flowers. I recently stopped myself before buying a pair of shoes covered in pretty flowers, thinking maybe that was taking things a little too far. And also, I don't need another pair of shoes.

But I'm also in a season of chronic pain, which, on the worst days, hangs like a cloud over all aspects of life. The focus of this year has been to try to figure things out and get some relief. I wish I could look around that bend in the path and see what the next ten years look like. More of the same? Or a totally transformed me. I can't see around the bend, however, and must trust that my Father knows the path ahead. I must put my hand in His, trust Him with the journey, and do everything I can to walk this path with joy. 

If you are in a difficult season, I pray you sense God's lovingkindness and mercy. If your life is mostly well these days, may God grant you grace, peace, and rest.

~~~~~

Some of the trees around our place are already turning colour. It seems too soon. Is Madame Autumn already here? At first, I'm shocked that summer could be gone so soon, but after a few seconds I find myself thinking of the cooler evenings ahead. I anticipate a walk through crunchy leaves, and that familiar nip in the air. I'm hopeful for the next chapter. Rather than look back, I turn towards the new season, as late summer sunflowers turn towards the sun.

~~~~~

                All the trees are losing their leaves, and not one of them is worried.

- Donald Miller -

~~~~~

All photos from Pixabay.

Joy lives with The Cowboy and their livestock (two cats and a dog) at The Cleft in lake country, Alberta. It's been a busy summer at The Cleft, full of visits from family and friends, and one very happy Corgi.

Joy writes stories for children, short stories, articles, and poetry, and is working on a longer work of fiction. Find more of her joy-infused writing at Scraps of Joy.  

Processing the Seasons of Life by Steph Beth Nickel

 

Fountain Pen Note Notebook - Free photo on Pixabay

It's my guess that you're facing challenges of one description or another, no matter what season of life you're in.

You may be a young person wondering what the 2025/2026 schoolyear holds in store.

A 20-something just getting started with your adult life. So many decisions to make!

Maybe you're in your 30s, 40s, or 50s, deep in the weeds of "adulting." (I wasn't sure about that word when I first heard it either, but it's grown on me.)

And then, there are those of us in our 60s and 70s and beyond, facing the fall and winter seasons of life.

Whatever our age or our situation, there is one thing that will help us all process our thoughts and feelings.

And that's...

Writing.

Of course you may be writing for "the public." Books. Articles. Blog posts.

But there are several types of writing we can do that others will never see, not if we don't want them to.

Julia Cameron developed the idea of "morning pages," three pages of uncensored, unedited streams of consciousness put to paper before we officially begin our day. Because there is a psychological difference between writing by hand and writing on the computer, she encourages readers to use pen and paper. I did so for awhile and found it super helpful. I may have to return to the practice.

I'm currently making a brief entry in my journal at the end of most days. I first heard about line-a-day diaries from podcaster and author Kendra Adachi. This is perfect for recording 1-4 sentences that sum up each day. No matter how tired we are or how unmotivated we feel, most of us can bring ourselves to complete this exercise.

And then there's what I call "rambling until we stumble upon truth." I haven't done this type of journaling in several years, but I found it a great way to process my thoughts and feelings while encouraging my inner editor to take a break. Sometimes, I was surprised at what ended up on the paper.

These are only a handful of the ways we can process where we're at in our particular season of life.

I made a number of false starts to this post because I'm currently processing my way through imminent changes and those that I anticipate will occur within the next year or so. How much should I share? Would I just be filling the page? Would it actually benefit readers? 

I decided to save those rambling thoughts for my personal journal. 

You may find it helpful to work through the challenges you're facing in the same way. And those thoughts just may motivate you to share with others who are facing the same challenges.

Steph Beth Nickel is the former Editor of FellowScript and the current InScribe Contest Coordinator. Steph is an editor and author and plans to relocate to Saskatchewan from Ontario to be close to family in 2026. (Headshot Photo Credit: Jaime Mellor Photography)

The Season for Gathering Memories by Brenda Leyland

Everything has seasons, and we have to

be able to recognize when something's time has

passed and be able to move into the next season.

Henry Cloud

found on BrainyQuote.com

Little did I realize that I had been waiting for the season when I'd turn 60. Having reached this stage (successfully finishing 60 trips around the sun), I had some inner sense of having 'made it'. I'd come safely and reasonably happy through my childhood, young adulthood, and now middle age—and all that went with these various stages of life. It had been—and still is—a good life.

At the outset of this new decade, there were lots of things I didn't have to do anymore. By this time, I'd now lived the major portion of my life. I was no longer setting down roots for my future or laying foundational blocks, learning how to live the life God had given me or trying to carve out a lifestyle based on my situation, passions, and needs. But as a bit of a late bloomer—not having married until I was forty-one and never having dreamed of being a writer until I was older—I was well into my forties when I attended my first InScribe event around 2002. As the desire to write grew, I knew I wanted to write about life from my corner of the world, using my own life experiences as fodder. Somehow I came to recognize that I had had to live my longish life before I could write about it. I needed time and distance to see how God’s faithfulness, loving guidance, and grace had umbrella-ed everything that had ever happened to me. When I approached 60, it signaled something on the inside that this was the time the writer in me had been waiting for, and the season would start with a lot of rearview mirror gazing and gathering in the memories. 

I began curating my personal history, organizing the motley collection of photo albums, journals, yearbooks, scrapbooks, and multitudinous touchstone keepsakes. It was the season of gathering the fruit—stories, experiences, lessons—of my life. And putting some order to it. Based on the advice from Natalie Goldberg, or was it Julia Cameron, I created ten-year increments of 'Just the Facts' timelines, of my life from birth to present day. From there, I took the barebone facts and began creating a more detailed narrative timeline. A lifetime in a timeline. I felt so organized and orderly (smile). 

It was a such a satisfying season. Some things got wrapped up, some got sorted. Other situations remained shrouded in mystery and no answers to the whys of life but it was okay to let it be. Some things were dusted off as I paid close attention to which memories shimmered and begged to be told. Quite often bits and pieces of this material worked its way into essays for blog posts and anthologies. I self-published a magazine through Blurb that housed my simple but cherished childhood Christmas memories. Which made lovely Christmas presents one year and I was amazed at how much interest it garnered in sales from strangers.

From the start, I wanted to write about my lost dream to marry and become a mom early in life. My twenties disappeared as did my thirties; I was still single and earning my own way in an unchosen but good career for years. It wasn't the plan at all. It would be years before I'd meet my partner. I even thought about a working title for this memoir "The Journey Between a Prayer and a Proposal: Twenty Years of Waiting... and Living". I never realized until I started looking back that I'd been composing possible chapters in my head for years, ever rehearsing those touchstone experiences till they were etched in my heart of how I had learned to let go of my expectations and invite God to show me how to create his beautiful life for me. I had lived the story for years; the time had come to get it down on paper. I took a memoir writing course with Lisa Dale Norton and loved her book Shimmering Images on the topic. The first draft got done, but I never quite got up the courage, and energy, to push through and finish it. It's still a work in progress.

Turning another corner

That was several years ago now. The gathering season ended. The pressing need to collect those memories and record them was over. I just came across a line I'd jotted in my journal in 2023 which summed up my feelings at this time: "I don't want to keep living my old memories - I want to make new ones." My soul was longing to once again start looking forward and make some new memories. Some people use their retirement years to travel. I have traveled some, and I enjoy going away on holidays. Truth is, I'm really a homebody, where I'm happy in the heart of my home, near my writing desk, computer, and windows overlooking the garden. Where I can read books stacked up on shelves. And spend time with family and friends. Stay in wonderment and curiosity as I wander, wait, listen, pray.

I still want to share my life through writing... whether it's on my blog (my favourite place to write for these past 17 years), curating some of my favourite essays into small book collections, or finishing a memoir or two. I have known God's faithfulness and great grace through every stage of my life, including my writing life. Now as I edge toward my 'elder' years, a line from a song* Sandi Somers mentioned in her latest post seems such a lovely reminder: "In ev'ry change He faithful will remain". Amen.

_______________________________

Top Photo credit: Image by CongerDesign from Pixabay
*Be Still My Soul

Brenda is living her beautiful life in slower mode, having time to watch the world go by, sit in her comfy spot by the bay window, read, walk, watch the birds and clouds and flowers grow. And she enjoys writing on her blog It's A Beautiful Life and here on InScribe. She can also be found on Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky.

 

 

Spring in Autumn by Lorrie Orr

 

This month's prompt asks us to think about seasons. Just as the created world experiences the cycle of seasons, so do humans. There are springs when fresh newness bursts within you, times of drought when all seems futile, autumns of abundance, and winters when cold austerity threatens to overwhelm. Write about a season you are currently experiencing or have experienced. How did God meet your needs during this season? How did it affect your writing life?

Blackberries hang heavy and sweet on invasive vines in every neglected school yard corner, along the streets, and in sunny open fields. Full of flavour, they make wonderful jams and sauces, and I freeze some for winter cobblers. Blackberry season reminds me of the day when I was about 12, visiting my grandparents. My grandmother invited me and my sister to go berry picking with her. I, engrossed in a book, declined. My sister went and had a marvelous time. I am not merely reminded of the regret of an afternoon with my grandmother. I am reminded of the passing of seasons and of my life. Of the loss of childhood. My life is rich and full but now, in the Autumn of my life, I want to savor the sweetness of the moments with my family, to reach past the thorns to find the juicy heart of the best.

Seasons relate to the movement of the earth in the solar system, but also to human life. Infants change to toddlers, then children, then teenagers, young adults, middle-age, young old age, and finally, old age. There are wanted and unwanted seasons of life. Sometimes our inner season does not line up with the external one. Winters can come suddenly, without warning in the midst of a summer season when all seems well. Several years ago I wrote on the InScribe blog about a winter of the soul, cold and dark. I am so glad that season has passed. 

There is a scene in Pride and Prejudice (2005) where Elizabeth Bennett (Kiera Knightly) sits on a swing in her yard. As she slowly moves back and forth, the seasons twirl around her. It's a cinematic effect I find so lovely, evoking the passing of time. In Genesis 8 God promises that "while the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease." Each season brings its own beauty, opportunities, and challenges.  

Chronologically I am now in my autumn years (can it really be?). Yet I feel energy springing up in me to try new things, to publish a book or two, to dedicate myself to learning new skills, to garden with dedication, and to embrace activities I may previously not have made time for. I'm embracing this season, thankful for a healthy body and mind. Retirement means that I must be intentional about what I want to accomplish, making the most of the days given to me. I want to do that without panic and desperation, but in quietness of soul, trusting God to help me. In his poem Ode to Autumn Keats called this a "season of mist and mellow fruitfulness", filled with "all fruit with ripeness to the core." The fruit of the life I have lived is ripening now, perhaps in a process contrary to the earthly world, setting seed for newness once again. 

Lorrie Orr writes from Victoria, BC where she enjoys life with her husband and hopes that there is always a bit of springtime in her life. 

  

 

A Season of Uncertainty by Lynn Dove

One of my favourite Scripture passages comes from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8:

A Time for Everything

3 There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

²     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
⁶     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

When I was a young Mom, I lamented over the fact that I had no time to accomplish all the things I wanted to do during the day.  I was so busy chasing after two toddlers, caring for their needs as well as figuring out how to accommodate the schedule of my tweenager, there just didn't seem to be enough hours in the day to fit in other household chores, Bible studies, or eking out time for daily devotions.  I had no time for myself, let alone trying to have a date night with my husband.  Getting ready for Sunday morning worship services was a task all on its own, and I found myself so spiritually unprepared for the service because I knew I had probably broken a few commandments on route to church just wrestling kids into car seats! 

A Godly, older woman I admired for her strength of character and wise counsel, spoke into my life on numerous occasions.  This time she smiled at me sympathetically as I sought out her wisdom with regards to my time constraints and my guilt for not being a "perfect" wife and mother. 

"Lynn," she said calmly, "there is time for everything, and everything in its time.  This is an important season of life for you.  ALL seasons of life are important, and your walk with God will be different in each one, but your main priority in this one is looking after those three children.  God gave them to you.  They are His gifts to you.  They are your responsibility to train up in the way they should go so they will never depart from it.  You may not be able to spend time on doing everything on your "to do" list, but embrace this season of life.  It is fleeting. Your children are only babies for a short amount of time.  Enjoy this precious time with them.  There will come other seasons in your life, when they will be grown up and you will have time for all the things you may think you're missing out on now, but you'll never have that time back with your young children. So, take advantage of this season of life now before it's over and then prepare for the ones ahead."

My first cancer diagnosis in 2001, changed me in ways I never expected.  All of a sudden things that had been priorities before, now were not important.  I was fighting for my life, and all activities were put on hold as I battled.  My entire family joined me on the journey.  I am only now beginning to realize how that season of my life, affected each of my loved ones in a variety of emotional and spiritual ways.  We all grew in the Lord, especially my sixteen year old daughter.  She had to lean entirely on Him for wisdom and guidance as she took on the role of caregiver to her two much younger siblings when I was too sick to look after them myself.  She was determined to not burden me with the load she carried every day, trying to excel at school, and be available at home.  I didn't realize at the time what a toll it was on her, but I couldn't have managed without her. 

I was so immersed in the battle, I forgot time even existed.  My husband's role fluctuated daily with caring for me, his children and working full time too.  It was an exhausting season for him.  Then when I was declared cancer-free, I started to embrace life again.  As a family, we took a big breath of relief and started making plans again.  I lived one day at a time, thankful for each day.  I wrote my first book during that season, followed by two more in the years that followed my battle with breast cancer.  I went to seminary and got my Master's degree.  I helped plan my daughter's wedding.  I began blogging.  As I told everyone, who seemed to admire my new-found lease on life, I was a "thriver" not just a "survivor".  I embraced that season wholeheartedly.

When my two youngest children hit their teen and young adult years, they had outside interests that didn't include me.  I was so immersed pursuing my hobbies, my writing, and participating in Bible Studies, that I forgot my priorities.  Sometimes I over-extended myself, having the inability to say, "No" to some activities.  It came at the expense of spending good, quality time with my two adolescent children still living at home.  Even though I was involved in worthwhile activities, I was not as engaged with my younger kids at a time when they needed me most.  It was a hard lesson to learn and a hard season followed. 

It was only after they had both moved away from home that I remembered too late, the advice from my friend that time is indeed fleeting, and I should have embraced all those precious years more readily with each of my children.  It seemed I had squandered a lot of time "chasing after the wind" to find a lot of what I had accomplished meaningless.  I was unprepared for being an empty-nester and so I poured my heart out to God, asking Him for direction through this new stage of life, and try to redeem some time again with my adult children.  God was faithful.

I started to write again, particularly on my blog, Journey Thoughts.  As the readership and followers grew, I realized God was growing it from just a collection of my musings, to a full-fledged writing ministry. I was once again fully immersed in a new season of writing, reconnecting with my children, husband, and my church.  Grandchildren were born, and I found myself telling my adult children the same advice that was given to me when they were little: embrace this season with your young ones because it is fleeting.  Thankfully, they seem to be heeding that advice.

In April of this year, when I was starting to settle into a routine with blog writing, and was eagerly embracing the thought of spending my retirement years traveling with my husband, another cancer diagnosis, this time endometrial cancer, floored me.  Every plan I had made was immediately put on hold.  I once again had to re-evaluate what my priorities would be moving through a new season of uncertainty.  In the scheme of things, time cannot move fast enough to get me through this season, and yet, God is teaching me so much about Himself through this most challenging time, I hesitate to rush through it too fast for fear of missing out on all He wants me to learn. 

My life verse: "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9, has brought me comfort through every one of my seasons.  God has faithfully brought me through every season of life and I know He will get me through the ones to follow. 

Lynn Dove is the award-winning author, of the YA “Wounded Trilogy”- a contemporary Christian fiction series with coming-of-age themes.  A wife, mom, grandmother, and free-lance writer with articles published in several magazines and anthologies including Chicken Soup for the Soul books, her blog, “Journey Thoughts” is a Canadian Christian Writing Award winner.  Readers may connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and at lynndove.com   

Embracing the Changing Seasons of Life by Nina Faye Morey

For everything there is a season,

and a time for every purpose under heaven.

~ Ecclesiastes 3:1 (ASV)

Just as nature’s seasons change, so do the seasons of our lives. We may not be willing to accept these changes, but they will happen nevertheless. They are inevitable and come and go quickly. Time passes even faster as I grow older, and the seasons of my life zoom past with head-spinning speed. But would I really want to stop the clock? If my life grew stale and stagnant despite these ever-changing seasons, would I still remain content? As far as I can see, I only have two choices. I can be the passive casualty of change or the passionate embracer of change. I know which one I will choose. How about you?

Change doesn’t have to be viewed as negative. Many changes in my life have definitely been for the better. They’ve opened me up to new adventures, new experiences, new discoveries, new ideas, new passions, new hopes, new dreams, new purposes, new people, and so many other new and positive things. I’ve discovered that I am more satisfied with the seasons of my life if I choose to actively embrace these changes rather than complaining about them, fearing them, resisting them, or outright rejecting them. I must not be afraid to step out of my comfort zone, shake-up my normal routine, and move ahead with my life.

Autumn is a glorious season when the summer leaves change colour from their fine greenery to brilliant shades of yellow, red, and orange. It’s also traditionally a time when one season of life transforms into another. As I harvest and preserve the fruits of past labours, I am also planning what seeds I will plant and nurture through my next season of growth. Embracing these changing seasons of life offers renewed opportunities to envision how to make the best use of my God-given gifts. More specifically, what does God want me to do and what do I want Him to do for me in the next phase of my writing life? I am excited to see what new challenges He has in store for me and how He will help me to meet these challenges. What does He require of me and how will I respond? I have dreamed up so many writing projects for this upcoming season that I hardly know where to begin.

The LORD says, “I will teach you the way you should go;

I will instruct you and advise you.

~ Psalm 32:8 (GNT)

As I prepare for my next season of growth, I feel God challenging me to cultivate fresh fields. One new field in which I plan to plant and nurture seeds is on a site in the realm of the internet. I haven’t settled on a name for my new domain yet, but I’ve been reading several of those how-to books and websites that promise to help me plan, design, and launch my new website into this online world. I don’t know if this new site will prove to be a fertile ground for growth, but I intend to fully embrace this challenge. I believe that if I listen to God’s voice and respond positively to this change He’s asking me to make in my writing life, my efforts will prove to be fruitful.

Remain in me, and I will remain in you.

For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine,

and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

~ John 15:4 (NLT)

Just as the seasonal changes in nature are inevitable, so are the changes that naturally occur as we go through the seasons of life. What new challenges in your life or writing do you feel God has in store for you this season, and how will you respond?

Seasons of Creativity by Tracy Krauss

This month’s theme asked us to consider our current season in life and ponder the question Jesus asked Bartimaeus, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 

I needed to take the prompt quite literally and took some time to ponder this topic. In doing so, I recognize that each season has had a different artistic or creative focus at its core. 

There was the 'Art' season in which my main creative outlet was visual art. Drawing was my first love. Even as a small child, I loved to sit and draw and filled many sketchbooks. When I went on to University, I majored in Fine Art and even tried to 'make it' as an artist by doing commission work. 

My artistic endeavours dwindled somewhat when I had small children. In fact, I traded my paints for a typewriter. Still, I wouldn't class these years as a truly writerly season since it was very much hit and miss. It took me sixteen years to write my first novel during that time! Most of my creative energy just went into parenting.

These years gradually melded with my 'homeschool season', when much of my creative energy went into teaching my own children. I was never much for using 'canned' curriculum, so mostly created my own for the nine years that I taught my kids at home. I loved planning units full of creative projects and even thought about writing them down for publication someday. That day never came, but I still managed to keep writing through all the busyness. 

The next phase had more than one facet. I went back to teaching in the public school system at the same time that my husband and I started into ministry full time. 'Ministry' and 'teaching' could be their own separate seasons, but my main creative outlet during these years was 'Drama'. I began teaching Theatre Arts (along with Fine Art, English and some Social Studies), and my love for Theatre - from writing plays to producing and directing - really blossomed. This lasted for almost twenty years until I retired from teaching just a year ago. It was a huge amount of work to put on two major productions a year, but it is also the thing I miss most. There is nothing like the energy that flows on opening night and nothing like the sense of accomplishment - even euphoria - that accompanies it.

Which brings me to to the last 'past' phase before I move on to the present. I'll call it the 'break through' phase. It has been ten years since my first book was published. I had been writing, writing, writing all along, but it wasn't until mid way through the busyness of the last phase I mentioned that I started to look seriously into finding a publisher. Of course, I had no idea what that entailed and spend many years getting rejected over and over again. These were wonderful learning experiences, however, and finally someone wanted to take me on! Since then I have had multiple contracts with different publishers, had - and lost - an agent, and tried everything from vanity presses, to traditional publishers, to DIY publishing and starting my own publishing company.

But... even though I am still very involved in both writing and publishing, I sense a 'shift' into a new phase. When I decided to leave the public school system back in June of 2018, part of my motivation was to have more dedicated time to spend on writing. I had finally reached my dream of the 'full time writer' phase - or so I thought. To go back to Jesus' original question, “What do you want Me to do for you?” my current situation would have been my answer. 

Yet, having more time hasn't translated into being more productive. In fact, it has been quite the opposite. Instead of finding the precious moments to write, as I used to do, I find myself doing other things because there is always tomorrow. As well, I am not as focused on marketing and trying to build my platform - another thing I thought would accelerate, not decelerate! Strangely, I feel quite content about this. For some reason, productivity and 'success' just aren't that important to me right now. 

Perhaps God is helping me to relax. To be more focused on being content. To keep my eyes focused on the bigger picture called 'Eternity'. I am still very busy - make no mistake, and I still write, publish, teach (I work for an online school now) and I'm even involved in Drama again. (I'm spear heading a Passion Play in my community as well as teaching some Drama Camps for kids in a nearby city.) 

But none of these are the central focus of this season. Instead, I feel God calling me to just 'be' and He'll take care of the rest. 

Tracy Krauss, InScribe's current president, lives in northern BC. 

http://tracykrauss.com

-fiction the edge without crossing the line

When Hope Springs Eternal by Bob Jones

On Sunday, March 17, 2019, the door closed on 29 years of ministry at North Pointe Community Church for Jocelyn and I. We were very happy as pastors at North Pointe. We loved our church family and they were endeared to us. 

Finishing well and handing off a healthy, prevailing church to younger leaders was the best farewell gift we could give. We felt a settled assurance that sometime soon, another door would open to us. 

SPRINGTIME 

For some observers this was the season of autumn in our lives. We saw it as springtime. A season of hope.

Monday, March 18^th held the promise of a new beginning. One year previous Jocelyn received the phone call from her oncologist that no one wants. “I’m sorry to have to call you. The tests show you have cancer. I’m so sorry.” Numbed, Jocelyn clung to hope. A month later, she underwent major surgery. Her medical team successfully removed the cancer. She was going to be OK. Follow-up visits one year later confirmed that she was cancer-free. We held on to the same hope that God would make it OK for us after North Pointe.

In April we launched REVwords.com as the platform for our writing. It was our way to be hope dispensers. I wrote my next book. The inspiration came from Jocelyn and the experiences of ten women who faced cancer, sexual abuse, mental illness, or loss.

“You’re Going To Be OK” was published in June. It’s a book of hope, for fighters, from fighters. Glori Meldrum’s story was positioned in the first chapter because she is a survivor of all four traumas. Glori was sexually abused as a child and suffered PTSD as a result. She lost her family when they sided with her abuser. She was diagnosed with cancer in her 40's and faced depression as a result of her prognosis. Her resiliency is extraordinary. God is helping Glori fight through. 

WRITING

Writing the stories of women who battled for their mental health opened the next door. I serve on the Board of the John Cameron Changing Lives Foundation. We are committed to making real advances in mental health in Edmonton, from diminishing negative stigmas to funding programs and scientific research. I pitched an idea for a book on reducing stigma and raising awareness about mental health to the chairman of the Board. The idea caught on. “Get Loud” - a book chronicling the stories of sufferers, their families, and the frontline warriors - is underway.

Glori read her story in “You’re Going To Be OK” and asked for my help in writing her biography. “Little Warrior” is Glori’s life story. She used her pain as fuel to found Little Warriors and the Be Brave Ranch – world-class initiatives for the treatment of child sexual abuse. The book goes to press in the fall. Working together led to planning more book projects with Glori. I enjoy writing, but I love the people I write about.

Humming away in the background is my memoir. The classic story of The Velveteen Rabbit provides the context for describing my 40-year, leadership journey. I plan to call it, “The Velveteen Pastor: Journey To Becoming Real.”

And then one more door opened. I was invited to become the interim lead pastor of Bethel Pentecostal Church in Barrhead, Alberta. On August 1st, I began commuting to Barrhead. Supporting Bethel's congregation to find their next lead pastor is my priority. Bethel is an awesome church family of gifted leaders, devoted volunteers, and a vision that their best days are ahead. One of my first community connections was with the local newspaper, The Barrhead Leader. I’ll be one of the writers for their religion column.

The freshness of spring is in the air.  

I am a recovering perfectionist who collects Coca-Cola memorabilia and drinks iced tea. My walls are adorned with our sons’ framed football jerseys, and my bookshelves, with soul food. 

I write to grow hope, inspire people to be real, forge an authentic faith in Jesus, and discover their life purpose.

Please follow my writing at REVwords.com

Embracing Your Life’s Season(s) by Sandi Somers

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT

by Love Institute

This month’s topic has been interesting, as my thoughts have shifted from one way of looking at seasons to another.

As a former teacher, September meant a new teaching year for me, a new term, a new cycle of learning. On the home front, late summer and fall means picking my apples and harvesting my vegetables.

These two themes—a new season and reaping what the previous season has produced—have become metaphors for what autumn means in my life.

A new season of personal growth

I’ve noticed over the years that God has given me what I call “three-month” seasons, new “semesters” of learning. Often these cycles begin with a challenge or a change of focus in an ongoing process of challenge, such as a difficult relationship issue. Or an area of character development as a Christ-follower. Or an area to take courage and trust Him. As I walk through the unknowns, He wants me to take one step at a time, one experience at a time. Sometimes I'm not sure what God wants to accomplish in me and in others, but often it’s only in retrospect that I see God's resolution and I hear His "Well done, good and faithful servant."

A new season of ministry

God is surprising me in this season with new leadership and ministries.

One example came recently when I visited my cousin Gene in the hospital. Just as I entered the foyer, I unexpectedly met a neighbour, Lanny, and her two young daughters. Through her tears, she told me her father had just had a massive heart attack and wasn’t expected to live. (He died several days later). I was filled with awe and wonder at how God had arranged my meeting with Lanny at just the right moment.

Afterwards, I asked God to strategically give me more Divine encounters, where I could provide comfort, support, healing, or prayer for others—whatever they needed. I knew He was already doing this, but I want to open my life in a greater way to see God heal, encourage and support others.

A season of maturity 

Over my life I have gathered wide experiences with their challenges in forming my character, attitudes, relationships and spiritual life. Many of these experiences are bearing fruit now in my senior years—and will. I know that some of my most important life's work is yet to come. And I am not alone. Jack Popjes, one of our InScribers, wrote that his ministry path has widened, not narrowed in his senior years. My life purposes will continue as long as God wants me to live.

A season of asking Jesus for my future needs

Jesus heals Bartimaeus 

This month’s theme asked us to consider our current season in life and ponder the question Jesus asked Bartimaeus, “What do you want Me to do for you?” (A prompt suggested by Sharon Espeseth. Read her blog here) 

So through all these seasons I’m asking Jesus to deepen my faith and relationship with Him.

To maintain a positive and cheerful attitude as energies decline and when health issues arise.

To support, mentor and encourage the younger generations in my family and others.

To use my talents and abilities as long as I can, and this includes writing. My Mom and a neighbour were inspirations for me in this area. Mom prepared food for the Mustard Seed Street Ministry until she was ninety-two. Mabel prayed faithfully for her family until she passed away at 102.

To finish well.

To leave a legacy of faith and inspiration.

~ ~ ~

As I write this blog post, I know that God has a divine purpose for us in all of our seasons.

How would you describe your season(s) at this time? Is it a pleasant gift or are your difficulties gifts in disguise? What do you want Jesus to do for you? In turn, what is He asking you to do?

Whatever your season, God is urging you to launch out with His daily strength and direction. 

“Now may the God of peace…equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever!” (Hebrews 13:20-21 NLT).

Riding the Moving Wave ... by Jocelyn Faire

I have been given a season of abundance, which has made it necessary to relocate. However the abundance has not transformed into productive writing. Moving in and of itself does not seem to be a very holy event, in fact last day pressure packing brings out some of my least holy language. The advice column tells me to be decisive. Handle every item only once-decide do you take it, donate it or junk it? How can it be that I have collected so much stuff in the time of living here next to the Rocky Mountains? An oversized van and my mother's small car, both with tire rims bulging transported all the carefully selected items across three provinces to begin a new life. A bed, a chair, a lamp, pictures papers, some books and too much clothing buoyed my anticipated new beginning. Not one face was familiar to me on my arrival, and now half a decade later both the stuff and my relationships have mushroomed exponentially into the beautiful life developed in this region. The mountain's grandeur visible in my every day life has reshaped my soul to look upwards, to breathe deep of clear fresh air, and to take the time to process life.

What the experts don't tell me, is how to pack up the benefits reaped while living here? How does one box up the richness of relationships to take to the next location? And in the relocation process I wonder what does it mean to be at home? My soul has found a resting place, a nesting place here.

When people asked what brought me to Cochrane ... I said it was a series of events.

And now a rapid series of events fuelled by cupid's arrow draws me back to my prairie home province. Can I allow myself to live in this new land of dreams? While there has been a longing in my soul to move on, many times I have felt more comfortable living in the identity of a grief survivor, but a survivor who wanted to live, not just exist. It seemed unthinkable to imagine that I could experience deep joy again. And I am in the wondering phase ... I have been given the gift of a fantastic partnership of a lifetime, for a lifetime.

Eric Clapton sings—Nobody knows you when you're down and out—not true, I had many people walk alongside the grief journey ... and now many more are clapping their hands with this turn of events ... They tell me, I deserve this ... and I am wonder, do I deserve to get to be so happy? That begs the question, did I deserve the tragedy? While it is true that we often reap what we sow, no one sows seeds of earthquake, floods, accidents, and disaster. A wall hanging I've packed to move says:

In the end, what matters most is how well did you love, how well did you live, how well did you learn to let go? 

As I pack, I am letting go of stuff. I will pack up fond memories, rich friendships and lessons learned. I can move to this next phase of life, a much richer person having spent five years near the Rockies, and the mountains will continue to unfold, even from the Prairies. 

Jocelyn is the author of Who is Talking out Of my Head? She blogs at:

http://whoistalking.wordpress.com This is from an article she posted this past week.