Photography

College Graduation

/ Susie Stewart / 7 Comments

I gaze down at you

from my bleacher seat perch

with a sea of black square-top hats before me

 

and I pick you

out of the crowd

staying fixed on that one square hat

 

for you are my son

and my heart is set on you

 

This is a monumental moment

when the boy we raised

becomes an independent man

 

and I’m proud,

so proud,

but my emotions start to stir

 

for when I close my eyes

and open them again,

you are standing there with a white square hat

 

x5

and my heart skips a beat

 

I can never convey to you

what raising you all these years

has meant to me, Arik,

 

and God’s heart for you

rests in me

for He put that love for you there

 

I thank Him,

with tears that words cannot express,

for allowing me

and your dad

to watch you all these years

become the man you were meant to be

 

I love you, Arik ❤

 

– Mama – Susie Stewart

 

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

– 3 John 4

 

Photos by Andy and Susie Stewart

 

Defender

/ Susie Stewart / 1 Comment

He is defending you,

firm and resolute in your corner

 

He Himself,

when all others have turned away

 

The God of the Universe

is your defense

your strength

your vindication

 

And isn’t it so good

to have a Defender

who sees all?

 

Who sees what you are going through?

 

Who sees what is not fair

or right?

 

Be at peace knowing

that He’s got you

 

– Susie Stewart

 

The LORD, the LORD Himself, is my strength and my defense;  He has become my salvation.

– Isaiah 12:2 (NIV)

 

Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. …The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.

– Exodus 14:13,14 (NIV)

 

I love you, Lord;
You are my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
and my place of safety.
I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and He saved me from my enemies.
The ropes of death entangled me;
floods of destruction swept over me.
The grave wrapped its ropes around me;
death laid a trap in my path.
But in my distress I cried out to the Lord;
yes, I prayed to my God for help.
He heard me from His sanctuary;
my cry to Him reached His ears.
Then the earth quaked and trembled.
The foundations of the mountains shook;
they quaked because of His anger.
Smoke poured from His nostrils;
fierce flames leaped from His mouth.
Glowing coals blazed forth from Him.
He opened the heavens and came down;
dark storm clouds were beneath His feet.
Mounted on a mighty angelic being, He flew,
soaring on the wings of the wind.
He shrouded Himself in darkness,
veiling His approach with dark rain clouds.
Thick clouds shielded the brightness around Him
and rained down hail and burning coals.
The Lord thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded
amid the hail and burning coals.
He shot His arrows and scattered His enemies;
great bolts of lightning flashed, and they were confused.
Then at your command, O Lord,
at the blast of your breath,
the bottom of the sea could be seen,
and the foundations of the earth were laid bare.
He reached down from heaven and rescued me;
He drew me out of deep waters.
He rescued me from my powerful enemies,
from those who hated me and were too strong for me.
They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress,
but the Lord supported me.
He led me to a place of safety;
He rescued me because He delights in me.
The Lord rewarded me for doing right;
He restored me because of my innocence.
For I have kept the ways of the Lord;
I have not turned from my God to follow evil.
I have followed all his regulations;
I have never abandoned His decrees.
I am blameless before God;
I have kept myself from sin.
The Lord rewarded me for doing right.
He has seen my innocence.
-Psalm 18:1-34 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

My brother, Danny Oertli – “Fight For Me”

Cheerful

/ Susie Stewart / 3 Comments

My husband has a cheerful heart.  

People are drawn to his infectious, loud laugh,

he whistles the Looney Tunes melody in the shower,

he dances with abandon in Uganda,

he sings and hums while he’s cooking,

he makes up nicknames for people,

he loves on the people he loves without holding back.  

He’s not a pouter.  

He’s a joy to be around most of the time (Nobody is a joy to be around all of the time).  

And when I think about what God’s Word has to say about cheerfulness — that it’s good medicine — I know it’s true,  

because I live with a cheerful man who soothes my heart with his kind eyes and whimsical ways.  

May we all be more cheerful and not self-centeredly sullen.

May the light of God’s Spirit show through in our eyes.

– Susie Stewart

Andy with chameleon

Bright eyes and a cheerful expression bring joy to the heart, and good news revives the spirit and renews health.

– Proverbs 15:30 (VOICE)

Africa 2011 271

A warm, smiling face reveals a joy-filled heart, but heartache crushes the spirit and darkens the appearance.

– Proverbs 15:13 (VOICE)

Scang - Version 3

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

– Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)

IMG_4270

Photos by Susie Stewart and Melissa Sievers

Silence

/ Susie Stewart / 1 Comment

 

When God is silent, He is not still.  God does some of His best work in the dark.  He does some of His best work when you don’t think He’s doing a thing.  He’s behind the scenes, working it out.  He is faithful even though you feel you cannot see Him.  

He has a plan for you, and it is a good one.  Your commitment in the dark is the path to your victory in the light.  Commitment to keeping your faith is the path to your victory in the light.  Commitment to keeping your faith, seeking God, and not throwing in the towel when no human solution is in sight is the secret to exchanging emptiness for abundance.  

– Tony Evans

 

Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.”

– John 5:17 (NIV)

 

O God, do not remain silent. Do not turn a deaf ear to me. Do not keep quiet, O God.

– Psalm 83:1 (GW)

 

When you cannot hear God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible — with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation.

– Oswald Chambers

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

 

Gripping Eternity

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

I’m holding tightly, Lord,

to eternity

 

and I’m holding loosely

everything here where I am

 

…at least I’m trying to

 

Life here can be hard

and disappointing

and painful at times

 

but knowing there is perfect

and beautiful

 

and everlasting, never-ending love

 

beyond

and forever

 

makes me want to hold tight

and to savor the thought

 

of peaceful and vibrant heaven

and of forever with You,

my beautiful Savior 

 

– Susie Stewart

 

Set your heart not on riches, but on goodness, Christ-likeness, faith, love, patience and humility. Fight the worthwhile battle of the faith, keep your grip on that life eternal to which you have been called, and to which you boldly professed your loyalty before many witnesses.

– 1 Timothy 6:11,12 (PHILLIPS)

 

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.

– 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NLT)

 

My heavenly guide brought me to the river of pure living waters, shimmering as brilliantly as crystal. It flowed out from the throne of God and of the Lamb,  flowing down the middle and dividing the street of the holy city. On each bank of the river stood the tree of life, firmly planted, bearing twelve kinds of fruit and producing its sweet crop every month throughout the year. And the soothing leaves that grew on the tree of life provided precious healing for the nations.

<<<Fed by a crystal clear river is the tree of life. In the beginning, Adam and Eve were prevented from eating from the tree once they were expelled from the garden of Eden. Divine creatures and a flaming sword then stood guard at the entrance to the garden (Genesis 3:24). Now the tree of life returns to the story, a single tree situated on both sides of the river. No one is denied access to its luscious fruit and healing leaves.>>>
No one or nothing will labor under any curse any longer. And the throne of God and of the Lamb will sit prominently in the city. God’s servants will continually serve and worship Him. They will be able to look upon His face, and His name will be written on their foreheads. Darkness will never again fall on this city. They will not require the light of a lamp or of the sun because the Lord God will be their illumination. By His light, they will reign throughout the ages.

– Revelation 22:1-5 (VOICE)  

 

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.

– 1 Peter 1:3,4 (NLT)

 

I would not give one moment of heaven for all the joy and riches of the world even if it lasted for thousands and thousands of years. 

– Martin Luther

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Breath and Beat

/ Susie Stewart / 4 Comments

Stop for a moment

and notice each breath you take

 

Put your hand on your heart

and feel it pulse

 

Life within you

given by God

 

Each breath a gift

each heartbeat His to give

 

You are alive

 

Are you alive in Him?

Or are you merely existing?

 

Does His heart beat in you?

Does the Life-Giving Spirit breathe in you?

 

– Susie Stewart

 

His speech shaped the entire cosmos.
Immersed in the practice of creating,
all things that exist were birthed in Him.
His breath filled all things
with a living, breathing light—

– John 1:3,4 (VOICE)

 

…in Him we live and move and have our being…

– Acts 17:28 (NIV)

 

God formed Man out of dirt from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. The Man came alive—a living soul!

– Genesis 2:7 (MSG)

 

For the Spirit of God has made me,
and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

– Job 33:4 (NLT)

 

He Himself gives life and breath to everything, and He satisfies every need.

– Acts 17:25 (NLT)

 

I will give them a new will—an undivided heart—and plant a new spirit within them; I will remove their cold, stony heart and replace it with a warm heart of flesh.

– Ezekiel 11:19 (VOICE)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Kind

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Kindness

is rooted

in God’s heart

 

It is tender

and heart-felt

and real

 

It chooses the soft

when the hard is expected

 

And only through

His Spirit

can we consistently

 

breathe kindness

in an unkind world

 

– Susie Stewart

 

A kindhearted woman gains honor…

Proverbs 11:16 (NIV)

 

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

– Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)

 

Love is patient and kind…

– 1 Corinthians 13:4 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

My precious Niece Maggie ❤

Abide with Wisdom

/ Susie Stewart / 2 Comments

Abide in Jesus as your wisdom.  Seek to maintain the spirit of waiting and dependence that always seeks to learn and will not move but as the heavenly light leads on.  Withdraw yourself from all needless distraction, close your ears to the voices of the world, and be a docile learner, ever listening for the heavenly wisdom the Master has to teach.  Surrender all your own wisdom; seek a deep conviction of the utter blindness of the natural understanding in the things of God; and wait for Jesus to teach and to guide what you have to believe and have to do.  Remember that the teaching and guidance do not come from without:  it is by His life in us that the divine wisdom does His work.  Retire frequently with Him into the inner chamber of the heart, where the gentle voice of the Spirit is only heard if all is still.  Hold fast with unshaken confidence, even in the midst of darkness and apparent desertion, to His own assurance that He is the light and the leader of His own.  And live, above all, day by day in the blessed truth that, as He Himself, the living Christ Jesus, is your wisdom, your first and last care must ever be this alone:  to abide in Him.  Abiding in Him, His wisdom will come to you as the spontaneous outflowing of a life rooted in Him.  I abide in Christ, who was made unto us wisdom from God:  wisdom will be given to me.

– Andrew Murray

 

You are partners with Christ Jesus because of God. Jesus has become our wisdom sent from God, our approval, our holiness, and our ransom from sin.

– 1 Corinthians 1:30 (GW)

 

Abide in Me, and I will abide in you. A branch cannot bear fruit if it is disconnected from the vine, and neither will you if you are not connected to Me.

I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you abide in Me and I in you, you will bear great fruit. Without Me, you will accomplish nothing.  If anyone does not abide in Me, he is like a branch that is tossed out and shrivels up and is later gathered to be tossed into the fire to burn.  If you abide in Me and My voice abides in you, anything you ask will come to pass for you.  Your abundant growth and your faithfulness as My followers will bring glory to the Father.

– John 15:4-8 (VOICE)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Strong Vulnerable

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

…the strength of vulnerability. I am speaking of that paradoxical place where you discover the strength God has placed in you by actually risking the pain you would normally run from — especially in close relationships. You step into the difficult place and find you are not blown away. Hearing a friend’s criticism, you resist being defensive. You take the humble road, and find that it is the means of walking straight and tall. You say the words you need to say. In these kinds of moments, you can almost feel your soul expand.
Have you ever had an ‘impossible person’ in your life, with whom most of your interactions inevitably led to rejection and hurt feelings? If so, then you know the courage it takes to risk your heart – to be vulnerable – and to love in the face of that. That courage, exercised wisely, is like lifting weights in a gym, except that the strength you gain is an inner one.
In many ways, vulnerability is the last thing we would expect to combine with strength. The word literally means ‘able to be wounded,’ and therefore, vulnerability flies in the face of our usual concept of strength, certainly the one served up to us daily. To be vulnerable is to voluntarily place yourself, for the sake of a larger purpose, in a situation that could bring pain. You see something at stake — your own spiritual growth or someone else’s — and you are willing to risk your heart in a vulnerable way.

– Paula Rinehart

 

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
but God remains the strength of my heart;
He is mine forever.

– Psalm 73:26 (NLT)

 

Dear, dear Corinthians, I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!

– 2 Corinthians 6:11-13 (MSG)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

No Fear

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.

– Psalm 46:1-3 (NIV)

 

I imagine myself

standing on a mountain

 

when the ground begins to shake

and rocks start to split

 

the noise is deafening

and it’s hard to stay standing

 

I watch as mountains around me

crumble and fall into the sea

 

I stay standing

and I do not fear

 

my senses are heightened

my heart beats fast

 

but I do not fear

 

All is chaos

except inside of me

 

That is trust

 

A refusal to fear

because of who You are, God

 

That is the fearlessness I desire

 

– Susie Stewart

 

Do not fear [anything], for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you; I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation].

– Isaiah 41:10 (AMP)

 

Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.

– 1 Corinthians 16:13 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart