Sinking

January 18, 2016 / Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Sink into His love today

up over your head

deep

Let the weightlessness

take your worry

your pain

your heaviness

Let the quiet

take all that speaks loud

and shouts at you

and distracts

Let the Living Water

refresh

and cleanse

and hydrate parched places

His love is a vast ocean

of hope and grace

Let go

and be enveloped

Sink not into despair

but into His love

– Susie Stewart

…with all of Your people they will have the power to understand that the love of the Anointed is infinitely long, wide, high, and deep, surpassing everything anyone previously experienced. God, may Your fullness flood through their entire beings.

– Ephesians 3:18,19 (VOICE)

Photos taken by Susie Stewart

His Love

January 12, 2016January 13, 2016 / Susie Stewart / 2 Comments

“I have trouble recognizing and absorbing God’s love for me,” my husband shared as we were eating leftovers together.

“Tell me more,” I said.

“Well, you know how the Bible tells us over and over about how much God loves us? I don’t know. I just have trouble applying that to myself.”

A good, honest assessment.

“Sweetie, think about how much you love your kids, and how they make you so proud, and you love to be with them, and how that video on Youtube about daughters growing up made you cry the other day?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, God sees you that way. And He loves you even more than you love those kids.”

Pause…. He’s thinking…

I go on.

“And what if I responded mechanically and business-like to your love for me? How would you like that?”

“I’d hate it.”

“Well, I don’t think we should be responding to God’s love like that either.”

Thinking some more….

“You need to let God love you and let it make you smile. Really smile! And respond to His love.”

I think things started to sink in for Mr. Logical. And I so appreciate that he has always been a good listener.

He knows what love for others feels like.

He knows he doesn’t want to receive a mechanical or distant response from the people he loves.

And he also knows how good and encouraging it feels to be loved by people.

God put this love in our hearts.

We can’t see Him

but He loves us extravagantly

in so many ways

not the least of which was the ultimate sacrifice –

Life.

Soak in His love!

Notice Him loving you through people

notice Him loving you through nature

notice Him loving you through the Bible

notice Him loving you through “coincidences”

even notice Him loving you through difficulties

and discipline.

Notice Him

and love Him back.

There is nothing better in this life

than to know that God loves you and to love Him in return.

– Susie Stewart

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind;

and,

Love your neighbor as yourself.

– Luke 10:27 (NIV)

Love must be sincere..

– Romans 12:9 (NIV)

Photo taken by Nicole Stewart

First

August 5, 2015January 13, 2016 / Susie Stewart / 3 Comments

FIRST

then second.

It started with decisions

His decisions

Because He has always been LOVE,

I was loved

and then….

He created

the Universe, heaven and earth, people and creatures,
All of it

And I was conceived
through His love

And He saw me

And I was born into this broken world

I grew

and I chose Him
but He had actually chosen me

My eternal life began
and I started to love Him

I trusted Him
I trust Him

and my life-dance has been stumbling through this broken world

and my own brokenness

and also
standing tall in victory

He has been
my Constant
my Encouragement
my Light
my Salvation
my Hope
my Love
my Rock

And I see Him
in people’s eyes
in the sun rising and falling
in the vivid flowers
in marriage
in children

miraculously
all around

And His love in my heart
is the filter with which
I see the world
and the brokenness
and the beauty

I allow His Light to reveal every corner
even when it uncovers
ugliness
pain
brokenness

and I know
Because I have seen

that
He redeems
and
He makes new

And I want Him First

intentionally
lovingly
obediently

with the flow of romance
and honesty
and listening
and connecting

and above all

His will be done

no matter what.

He is FIRST

Because He first loved me.
Because that is the place He deserves.
Because only then am I satisfied.
Because there is my joy.

And
people
jobs
entertainment
ministry

all of it

fade to second
Very second

in light of my relationship with Him

He knew me first

He is

FIRST.

– Susie Stewart

Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes.

-Ephesians 1:4 (NLT)

You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit…

-John 15:16 (NLT)

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb….”

– Jeremiah 1:5 (NLT)

Jesus answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.

– Matthew 22:37 (CEV)

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

– Romans 8:38, 39 (NLT)

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

– Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)

The Point

January 5, 2015January 5, 2016 / Susie Stewart / 4 Comments

So that was the point.

The point of the difficulty.

The point of the suffering.

The point of the disappointment.

The point of the pain.

To know You.

I miss that sometimes. I think it’s all about me and what I’m supposed to learn about myself.

But really, it’s not much about me.

It’s about You, God.

It’s all about You.

And the great lengths You go to to draw us near to Your side.

My life is to love you with abandon, and to bring You glory.

That includes the pain, the brokenness.

Life,

minus the pain,

equals….

…not learning of Your closeness to the brokenhearted.

…not hearing your comforting tone.

…not realizing that You are the only true faithful One.

…not knowing that you are the Friend that sticks closer than a brother.

…not experiencing Your timely providence.

…not depending solely on You.

….not following Your gentle lead as Shepherd.

…not knowing the depths of Your love.

…not witnessing Your awesome power.

…not feeling Your arms around me.

…not knowing what it is to be more than a conqueror through You.

…not learning that You are completely trustworthy.

…not having awareness of the joy of obedience.

…not learning of Your unconditional love.

…not experiencing Your healing touch.

…not grabbing Your firm grip.

…not being changed by Your forgiveness.

…not seeing Your Kingdom here on earth.

…not worshiping You with tears.

…not being able to relate to the pain You endured for me.

You, my God, took my knowledge of You

and turned it into my experience of You.

You took what I knew in my mind,

and filled my heart with it.

Job, man of many a trial, battered and bruised from the fight, said after his dark, dark night,

“I had only heard about You before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes.” Job 42:5 (NLT)

You will fill every wounded soldier that looks to You.

That wants to know You.

To experience

You.

– Susie Stewart

“When God places you in a challenging situation, take it as a signal that He will be glorified – and that you will come to know Him in a deeper way. Because He’s going into the challenge with you. And you’ll know Him even better on the other side….To know Him is the grand goal and adventure of life. Inviting you into more intimate fellowship with Him will always be one of His primary reasons for steering you in one direction or the other. Don’t just be listening to hear Him. Be listening to know Him.” ~Priscilla Shirer

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3 (NIV)

Able

October 28, 2014January 13, 2016 / Susie Stewart / 2 Comments

Your Glory —– Untamable

Your Sacrifice —– Unthinkable

Your Pain —– Unfathomable

Your Determination —– Unstoppable

Your Love —– Unquenchable

Your Redemption —– Unalterable

Your Timing —– Undeniable

Your Peace —– Unbelievable

Your Purposes —– Unbreakable

Your Authority —– Unanswerable

My Sin —– Untraceable

My Joy —– Unspeakable

My Life —– Uncontainable

– Susie Stewart

But Christ came only once and for all time at just the right time to take away all sin by sacrificing Himself.

– Hebrews 9:26 (NCV)

Mind The Gap

August 10, 2014January 13, 2016 / Susie Stewart / 5 Comments

You are there.

I am here.

There is a gap.

I cross the gap and I see you, truly see you.

And you live in extreme poverty

The walls of your home are mud and sticks

Your front door is a piece of torn fabric.

My door here…

Well it opens to a very large house

With too many rooms for the few people who live here

The echo of your voice heard in these large spaces

And your family, all of you, sleep on a mud floor in one room

And you don’t have a bed

And you are tired.

I’m tired too.

I’m tired of the huge gap between me and you

Between how I live and how you live.

That’s why I’m moving.

Out of this familiar and comfortable home

Where rooms are plenty and I forget….

How you are not comfortable

And you may only have one meal a day

And you are a servant to the relatives who took you in

When your parents died…

The gap is too large.

I want to mind the gap

I want to do more, and then more, and then more

And acknowledge that you are suffering.

Acknowledge that you are there.

And I am here.

And there is a gap.

Not just in distance

but in tolerance of suffering.

Just enough is not enough

Radical is what God is after.

Minding the gap

So that you will have a place to call home

With a bed

And a family

And I find joy and purpose and I am blessed

Because I know for you, life is better

Because life for me, has changed.

– Susie Stewart

Let us not love with words or speech, but with action and in truth.

– 1 John 3:18 (NIV)

Friends, please search your hearts for ways that you can love radically. There is still so much need in the world. God calls us to different things, but there is no doubt that He calls all of us to DO something. This has been a journey for me of how to live more simply so that others can simply live. I have been inspired by my daughter Nicole, who for so long has set an example of simplicity and a lack of materialism. The book “Crazy Love” has had a huge impact on our family and this sermon by Joshua Clemmons. No judgment cast on anyone else, just challenging all of us to find ways to do more.

http://www.trueimpactministries.com – a ministry that is minding the gap.

* “Mind the Gap” is a phrase that originated in London as a warning to passengers as they cross from a station platform to a train door.

Photos taken by Susie Stewart

Let Go

August 5, 2014January 5, 2016 / Susie Stewart / 8 Comments

Let Go, dear one.

Your head and heart are clenched tight

You think that you will be shielded by your bravery

But you are shut

Like a door without a handle

And you long to be out where you can breathe

Where God meets you in your pain

And those closest to you listen

And you don’t feel numb from self-protection

And you don’t have to be brave in yourself

You are free.

Let go

…of pleasing the critical

…of criticizing yourself

….of fear

…of control

…of your tender but guarded heart

God will be there when you open the door

He always is

He wants you open, not shut

….to experience life

…to try new things

…to love and be loved

…to rest in Him

…to have His unmistakeable joy

Let go, dear one.

He is your shield.

– Susie Stewart

“The Lord is my Strength and Shield. I trust Him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.”

Psalm 28:7 (NLT)

ChoiSes

August 18, 2013January 13, 2016 / Susie Stewart / 4 Comments

I was jogging along this morning,

got to the end of a sidewalk where it forked two ways,

and I came across this:

Hmmm….. Which would YOU choose? Seems pretty obvious. Unfortunately my house was in the direction of the “worst” choise. I wasn’t about to run the long way to get back home so I went right.

It made me think about choises, large and small, that we make throughout our lifetimes.

Selflessness < YOUR CHOISE > Selfishness

Soft Answer < YOUR CHOISE > Harsh Words

Listening Much < YOUR CHOISE > Talking Much About Myself

Disunity < YOUR CHOISE > Unity

Love < YOUR CHOISE > Hate

Truth < YOUR CHOISE > Lie

React < YOUR CHOISE > Respond

Violence < YOUR CHOISE > Peace

Addiction < YOUR CHOISE > Freedom

Give < YOUR CHOISE > Hoard

Cheerfulness < YOUR CHOISE > Negativity

And the list goes on and on.

I have definitely made my share of wrong choises. Some that I seriously regret, but can’t take back. Every one of us has.

Throughout this blog, I deliberately spelled “choice” with an “s” just like our young chalk artist. Spelling it the wrong way on purpose reminds me of how we all make deliberate wrong choices.

Deliberate AND wrong — those are the “worst” choices.

I know better and I choose wrongly.

Praise God, love covers over a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8), but when I do make the wrong choices, and it’s usually because of self, there is strain, relational scars, and consequences.

But here’s a choice that has ETERNAL consequences:

Love God < YOUR CHOICE > Reject God

If you love God and you believe Him when He says Jesus is the only way to the Father (1 John 14:6), then you make that choice to believe and follow.

The choice is simple, yet SO profound.

Eternity with God < YOUR CHOICE > Eternity apart from God.

I made the choice to be blunt, because it’s important.

Lord, help us make right choices. Give us discernment and a grounded sense of right and wrong

from your Word and Your Spirit.

– Susie Stewart

Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

-Psalm 119:105

Photo taken by Susie Stewart

Arik

July 24, 2013January 13, 2016 / Susie Stewart / 2 Comments

Matthew 7:7-12

⁷“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

⁹“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! ¹²So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

How does God see His children?

Think about how you see your own. Good parents love and nurture their children from the very first cry. Our oldest, Arik, was born after I spent almost two weeks in the hospital with premature labor. When he was born I felt a depth of emotion unique to everything else up to that point. I looked into those little eyes, and cuddled that little one, whose premature little body could fit on a washcloth. I have watched that handsome boy grown into a man, almost twenty now. All along the way there have been moments when I’m connecting with him through conversation and I get lost in those beautiful blue eyes. I tell him they are blue like the sea. My mama heart skips a little beat thinking of the years looking into those eyes, and being filled up with so much love that I feel that I could burst.

Sounds so dramatic, right?

That’s how parental love is. It is dramatic and it is fierce and it is so profound that you can hardly put it into words. You just want to stare at your child because you are so taken aback with the depth of love you have in your heart for them.

God put it there.

That beautiful love is a reflection of our Heavenly Father’s heart for us. But that’s just it. It’s only a reflection. The love He has for us is infinitely deeper and more profound because it originated from Him. And, as you see in the verses above, our love for our own children is tainted by evil. God’s love is pure and even so much more profound.

You are God’s child. He is staring into your eyes as you talk to Him. He thinks they are beautiful. He remembers when you were small and how you’ve grown into adulthood. He was there all along, your Father.

He wants us all to know this love of His. To know it! Not just to say “God loves me” but for us to know it!

The amazing thing is that the unique parental love you can have for one child can envelope many more, biological and not. The love I have for Arik, I also have when I look into my girls’ dark brown lovely eyes.

“For God so loved the world…” Parental love envelopes.

Someone once said that the eyes are the window to the soul…. Whether we want Him to or not, God sees down into our souls? Why not surrender to that love and soak it up? We need it.

I love you Arik, Nicole and Victoria. I’m blessed to be your mom.

– Susie Stewart

Photo taken by Susie Stewart

Run

July 22, 2013January 5, 2016 / Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

As I was running this morning….. Never thought I’d hear myself say that in this lifetime. I decided to take up running a few months after chemo ended. My family didn’t believe I would actually do it. But I am. The beautiful, serene, early mornings have been soothing to the soul, not so much the lungs. But I’m thankful to be able to get out there!

So, as I was running this morning I was thanking God for some of His limitless attributes. “I’m thankful (huff, huff) for your faithfulness. I’m thankful for your love. I’m thankful for your goodness. I’m thankful for your gentleness and kindness…” Pause. Deep sigh. It seems that whenever I contemplate God’s gentleness and kindness, I sigh. Truly, how wonderful is our God that loves us with a gentle and kind Spirit? You can’t get any more well-rounded in character than God, so these attributes mesh with His justice and even His holy wrath. Thankfully, God Almighty’s love extended to us through His Son Jesus. God the Son, perfect and righteous, satisfies the holiness of God. And guess what He told us when He was here on earth? “…I am gentle and humble in heart…” Sigh.

Jesus relieves the stress between God and humans. Jesus brings relief to our spirits. Soak in that relief if you are a follower of Him.

Sigh because your Savior is gentle and kind.

I love you, Jesus. Thank you.

– Susie Stewart

(Matthew 11:28-30)