It is Good To Be... by Jocelyn Faire

Listen Jacob. Listen Israel—I'm the one who named you! Isaiah 48: 12, The Message 

What's in a Name?

I confess a secret relief when reading Hosea, a relief that I was never born to his wife Gomer ... and never given a name like Lo-Ruhamah, (not loved) or Lo-Ammi, (not my people). I always felt those were harsh names given to children for the sake of the sermon. But a little further in this story, (Hosea 2:23) God declares that He will show love to the one called unloved, and He will say to those not my people, you are my people. 

Throughout the scriptures, it is evident that names carry significance and that names are revisited. I do recall my own pregnant poring over name books in search of the perfect match to bestow upon each child, reflecting desires wished for their lives. One painful thing I know of names: no parent ever wishes to inscribe their child's name on a gravestone. 

In my story of identity crisis, stumbling through grief, divorce and accumulated loss, God spoke powerfully through my renaming in a manner similar to that of Abraham, Sarah and Paul; where it amounted to a spelling change. After a lot of conversation with God, I was given a new name... Changed from Fehr to F-A-I-R-E—Faire, the same pronunciation as my name of the previous 30 years. The beauty of it ... gave me shivers as the words came to me ... FAIRE... the words given by the Spirit ... Faith And Identity Restored Eternally. A holy goose-bump raising moment. My identity as a beloved daughter by her Father was affirmed in this renaming. Identity and how we view ourselves impacts us as we relate to the world.

God continues to be in the business of moving us along in directions we should go. Now that my identity has been restored, I've creatively taken the 'R' to also stand for rest and renew. Just as soil needs rest to renew ... our souls need rest and renewing as well. As I write I feel I should add remember as another important meaning of 'R'. Affirmations need to be remembered in those days when amnesia of faith takes hold of our stressed minds. That is why we write things down, and why we share our stories. Sometimes people will remind us of what we have said, just when we need it most. 

Recently, I've been challenged with a new question related to names/identities.

Is it good to be _______(me)? 

Fill in the blank with your name. Is it good to be you/me? There was a time I wished I was someone else and not the mother of two children in heaven. Now, after life has moved to a better place, I'm back to the usual negative voices in my head ... the ones that tell me, I should do more, be more, be better ... etc. (We're all familiar with those critics lurking in our heads) ... and now I've been challenged to ask—Can I say ... It is good to be Jocelyn Faire? ... and Yes, I can say it. (Because I've been practicing) 

From this affirmation, comes a freedom to move into new growth spaces that I believe the Spirit wants us to move into. As writers we know that we are always telling a story about ourselves, that is how we deal with situations ... and usually our mind wants to immediately categorize our stories (and often our lives) as good or bad ... I've been challenged to let the judgements go, (there are still troubles worldwide) but I want to affirm that it is good to be me. From there I believe I can open my heart further to the fullness of God. I believe as we open our hearts, we live more and more in the fullness of God's goodness, and as we declare and live it, we bring that goodness into other people's lives as well. 

Here's my challenge to you: repeat the line out loud five times, with a different emphasis each time— It is good to be ___. It is good to be____. It is good to be_____. 

It is good to be Jocelyn. It is good to be your name. Sometimes it is just good! 

What's In a Name? A Lot! by Tracy Krauss

I fully admit to a fascination with names and their meanings, so this month's theme has been a dream, both to write and to read! 

I think I've always loved investigating names. I recall scouring baby name books even at a young age. I must have passed this love on to my own children, for this book, which I acquired when I was a young woman, became a favourite with my kids. (The cover has been repaired more than once.)

When I was pregnant with my own children, I was very intentional about choosing their names. I wanted each one to have a Biblical name, a reference to our family heritage, and a good meaning. Also, I didn't want to choose something that was too popular. (I missed the boat on that one with my son. I thought Zachary was unique at the time - but it has seen an explosion in popularity... I did think I was very clever, however, because his initials also spell his name: ZAK.) 

In any case, to this day I keep a list within sight of my desk with all my children, their spouses, and grandchildren's names on it with their meanings. I use it to pray over them, that their positive characteristics would increase as they step into the destiny God has for them. It has been a great comfort for me at times. 

As for my own name, I admit to feeling disappointed the first time I learned about its meaning. Apparently, Tracy comes from Theresa which means "The Harvester". How boring, I thought! 

Now I choose to think of this in the Biblical sense. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9: 37 - 38 (ESV) I count it a privilege to be among God's harvesters and believe that I can be used in this regard. Even though I have never been comfortable as an evangelist, I believe my writing is one way of reaching people for Christ. 

I also found that Tracy can mean 'Courageous defender" so, again, I like to think that part of my destiny is to defend the gospel. 

I am very proud of the fact that I was named after my paternal grandmother, but that feeling wasn't always the case. (My middle name is Lydia.) As a child, I was embarrassed because I thought it was so old-fashioned. I got over that by the time I was an adult and named my first daughter Lydia. In fact, something rather cool has happened, as you can see from the picture. 

My grandmother's name was Lydia. Her son, my father, was Fred. I named my daughter Lydia. And... she has named her son Fred. (She was born on my Dad's birthday, so they were always very close.) I also had an aunt Lydia and my middle name is Lydia, so as you can see, it is a strong family name. 

I could go on, waxing eloquent about the meanings of each of my children's names and why I chose them, but I won't do that to you. My daughters all seem to be following in my footsteps in that they have chosen very intentional names for each of their children. Suffice to say that there is more to a NAME than meets the eye. 

Tracy Krauss lives and writes in Tumbler Ridge, BC. She is currently serving as InScribe's president. For more visit her website: https://tracykrauss.com -fiction on the edge without crossing the line-

April's Mid-Month Moments by Connie Inglis

 April - Mid-Month Moments

Do you remember playing "dress-up" as a child? I do. My sisters and I would try on our mother's clothes often - and that was at a time when stiletto shoes with pointed toes and fancy, felt hats were in style. We would traipse around the house in oversized dresses, trying not to fall off our shoes, all the while our hats slipping down over our eyes. Other times I remember sticking my small feet into my dad's shiny, black, "church" shoes and clunking about. Of course, the clothing was all too big for us but that didn't matter. We wanted to be like our parents--at least for a short while.

I read something recently in Brennan Manning's book, Ruthless Trust, that brought this "dress-up" memory to mind. In talking about completely trusting God, he wrote, "...we are made for that which is too big for us. We are made for God, and nothing less will ever satisfy us."

The "bigness" of God can, at times, overwhelm us. And it should. He is indefinable, ineffable, eternal, and mysterious. And yet, He chose to reveal Himself--to reveal His mystery--when He sent His Son, Jesus Christ into this world. Col. 1:27 says, "To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." God chose to tell us about Himself through Jesus.

He also chose to call us His children. John 1:12 says, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name."

So, as His children, shouldn't we strive to be like our Father? To walk around desiring to fit in His shoes, His clothes? To follow the pattern Jesus showed us? We know He is w-a-a-ay too big for us but why should that matter when we were made to dwell in His "bigness."

As believers, we talk about a hole in our hearts that only God can fill. And, according to Eccl. 3:11 (He has also set eternity in the human heart), that is true.

After pondering Manning's quote, I think that I need to look at things from a bigger perspective. So that it is not that I have a God-shaped space in my heart but rather, it is GOD that has a Connie-shaped space in His heart. A space designed exactly for me to curl up in--and rest in. I believe He has a space like that for each of us. A space created just for you! Because, in His "bigness," there is room for us all. And because, that's how much He loves us--enough to, firstly, create us unique and uniquely loved, and then, to give us a resting place in Himself, created uniquely for each of us.

Oh how He loves us! Oh how He wants us to trust in that Love completely--to be like children and put on His clothes. There are many verses in the Bible about "putting off" and "putting on."

Rom. 13:14 "Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh."

Eph.4:22-24 "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

And Col. 3:1-15 has a long list of things we should take off and what we should put on.

Of course, we don't have to do this alone. Jesus modeled a way for us when He was here on earth. He lived a life of complete dependence on His Father. He spent time in prayer--and then He would do His Father's will. He trusted completely in His Father's "bigness."

My prayer for us this week is that we will bask in the wonder of being made for "that which is too big for us," and that we will take time to rest in the space He created for us in Himself--and from there we will put on the Lord Jesus Christ so that our "clothing" will reveal our Father, who loves us and whom we love. 

In the "bigness" of His glory,

Connie

May 3, 2018

Mid-Month Moments are past devotionals written by Connie Inglis that she shared each week when she was InScribe's spiritual advisor. (Originally called 'Mid-Week Moments') They are shared from her archives with permission in the middle of each month. 

The Meaning of Lynn by Wendy L. Macdonald

 

I love the meaning of my middle name. It reminds me of a hope I have regarding how I want to live, photograph, and write.

Before I share that with you, let’s open the dictionary and see what Lynn means. According to Google, it’s a “pond, waterfall, pool, or lake.”

Photographs are always better when they include a reflecting surface. Whether it’s a water droplet or a body of water, nature pictures are enhanced by their presence.   

Water is a necessity of life. Living Water is necessary for eternal life. Jesus promised we will be satisfied when we drink what He offers us. 

“Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’” John 4:13-14 NIV

Each morning I have a choice of where to find my strength for the day. I can fill up on Living Water or I can find worldly inspiration via social media. Thankfully, I’m in the habit of reading the Bible each morning. We are what we read and meditate on. 

By regularly imbibing the Word, writers are more likely to overflow with godly inspiration. And this is where I share what my hope is. My heart’s desire is to reflect our Heavenly Father in all that I do. In my art. In my photography. In my speech. In my actions. In my writing.

I remember the wretch I was before I was filled with the Holy Spirit. My ongoing struggles with my old self keep my memories fresh and keep my heart humbled. However, Jesus promised to continue the transformation in us. More and more His reflection will appear on the surface of our hearts’ pond. God is gracious. 

Blessings, dear friends, as we continue to grow in Christ and reflect Him more and more in our lives ~ Wendy Mac 

I'm nosy-to-know what your favorite body of water in nature is?