Where God is Speaking Lately

1.  "The kingdom of God is not coming with something observable, nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
~Jesus, Luke 17:20-21

Other translations say the kingdom of God is "within you" or "among you."  I was so struck by the verses above when I heard them this weekend - I feel like I had lost sight of this truth.  The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).  Connecting with the presence of Jesus brings those things within us and among us, and He is right HERE in our midst - what a gift!  Although our earthly experience will always be a partial preview of what is to come in Heaven, let's live out our Kingdom hope and calling to the fullest!! ❤

2.  "We had hoped that He would be the one to set Israel free! But it has already been three days since all this happened... Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted for them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures."  ~Luke 24:21, 27

Christine Caine used this Emmaus Road passage in her message this weekend.  "We had hoped that He would be the one..." -- their stark disillusionment and disappointment mirrors the areas where we once felt deep hope and now feel a vague sense of grief or loss (marriage and motherhood are high on that list for me, and God is beginning to change that).  I adore this story and have always loved verse 27 where Jesus personally walks them through the Scriptural teachings and interprets and explains prophecies about Himself -- wow, imagine!  Anyway, God spoke fresh hope to me through this Biblical reminder that He knows the bigger picture and how to connect the dots and details in His good plan for each of our lives!

3.  "Trouble is a promise, but misery is an option."  -Joyce

Not a verse, but I appreciated this simple reminder this morning.  Jesus promises that we will have trouble in this world, but we get to choose our response.

4.  The value of an integrated sense of self.

I saw Inside Out 2 this weekend with friends from Oak Haven.  It was exceptional.  I cried multiple times... about 10 minutes in, I realized I was in trouble (I think my emotions are still a little extra post-surgery, but the movie was really moving either way).  Pixar does a great job of giving us visuals and metaphors to reflect what is happening inside us... the way we try to bury certain memories and hide certain parts of ourselves, the way our beliefs form our sense of self, and what it looks like when we allow one emotion to control everything versus embracing every part of our story!  The ending was powerful and beautiful and a great reminder that our entire story matters... owning our awkward/embarrassing moments, our anxieties, secrets, joys, sadness, anger, nostalgia, disgust, fear, hope, etc. gives us a fuller, more integrated sense of self - knowing who we are, where we come from, what we bring to the table, what we need, and what we want to build in life.  Cultivating safe relationships and regular blog writing have helped more than anything with my sense of personal integration, and I'm so grateful! ❤

Yay, Michelle! ❤

Oak Haven Counselors: Madison, Julie, Amy, Michelle, and Lindsey ❤

Yesssss... keep going, keep growing, keep glowing!!

I see this on most of my lunch walks, and I love it!

He is with you and for you, friends and fam!!

Anxiety arriving with extra baggage... that and the "anxiety storm/panic attack" were incredibly well done!

Joy and Sadness exploring the belief system

I have my first counseling session (as a client) this afternoon, and I feel good about the counselor I've chosen, so I'm excited to begin that!  God is on the move, and I want to walk in step with Him.

I love you and believe in you, and I believe in your ability to hear from God!

❤