Day 13 No voice. No more. November

Check out this great post about what it means to be an egalitarian. It is helpful, in part, because it clears up what an egalitarian is not.

Here are the 5 things:

• Equality is not sameness
• There are differences on average
• Gender difference does not require gender roles
• Gender roles aren't the Bible's (or God's) way
• Humanity before gender

#novoicenomorenovember

5 Things Egalitarians Believe | Scot McKnight

Day 12 No voice. No more. November

Women gathering at National Prayer Summit

Great podcast by Bill and Kristi at Soul Shepherding.

https://www.soulshepherding.org/podcast/141-pa-women-in-ministry/

#novoicenomorenovember

Day 11 No voice. No more. November

(Prayer offered by David Kendall, Bishop of the Free Methodist Church: "For my sisters and colleagues in ministry and leadership in North Michigan and beyond")

Loving Lord God, YOU

Who reveal yourself as the God of Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel,
The God of Tamar, Miriam, Ruth and Bathsheba, and

The God and Father of the Mary's three - the Mother of our Lord Jesus, the sister of Martha whose place at the feet of Jesus was noted and protected, and the Mary of Magdala cursed seven-fold by demonic possession and yet set free...

We worship you and bow down before you, and place at your disposal all that we are and will be, all that we have and will have, all that we know and don't know - we place it all before you, completely surrendered, utterly available. We - in your presence - at your service.

How amazing and how humbling to be with you, in the Presence of that Supreme Lord of all who broods over  a people as the mother eagle, who covers with mighty pinions her children in moments of storm and threat, lifts and bears them up in times of weakness, and ultimately shields them from all deadly terrors!

How comforting and challenging to receive your care - healing from wounds suffered, forgiveness for wounds embraced, recovery, renewal and resurrection from mortal threat.

How welcome and fitting to receive your empowering for ongoing following after Jesus, walking in his footsteps, loving in his shadow, joining together in his yoke, striving and contending one with another for the sake of his gospel, working with him, serving with him, sacrificing, dying, and rising with him.

Lord God of all, let it be. Let it be!

Loving Lord God, from among my sisters and colleagues in ministry and leadership.

May your mighty Spirit, in our day, call forth, anoint, and empower a multitude of Miriams who compose songs and lead your people in a depth and quality of worship from which will flow your might acts that set people free;

a contingent of Deborahs whose strategic vision, mastery of weapons of your 'warfare,' and courageous leadership achieves awesome victory in the battles your people must face;

a cadre of Esthers, prepared, and positioned and poised to rise up for times such as these for every hour critical to our unfolding plan of provision and redemption for peoples, communities, and nations;

a community of Marys called to inconceivable tasks and unbelievable roles, declaring: 'Here we are, women of willing and daring obedience, let it be to us and through us according to your word'; and

a company of countless other sisters who, though un-heralded, step up as blessed witness to your resurrection and thus bring new life in Jesus to this till death-laden world!

And, Loving Lord God, may their brother - colleagues cheer them on, support their way, and join their ranks, in your Holy Name, Amen!

#novoicenomorenovember

Day 10 No voice. No more. November

Check out this short video. There are a ton of other more thorough explanations by N. T. Wright, but this is concise.

 #novoicenomorenovember

#ntwright

Day 9 No voice. No more. November

Phoebe Palmer is a figure in recent church history that every person who says that they follow Jesus MUST know about. She inspires me. She changed her world and changed the church.

https://www.seedbed.com/she-preaches-gospel-phoebe-palmer/
#shepreachesgospel
#novoicenomorenovember

Day 8 No voice. No more. November

Dr. Joseph Coleson has a great video here. He is a great human being along with being a support male advocate for women in church leadership.

https://vimeo.com/221322723?fbclid=IwAR0P7e_WqWzyohHbSXBT-Y4AZgWaAm8m-lR89sy0ZKX0MJM8EgYHeX2Tn58

#novoicenomorenovember

Day 7 No voice. No more. November

https://juniaproject.com/becoming-a-champion-of-women-pastors-journey/

In this post, Larry Walkemeyer states:

Also, as I ministered in areas of the world where women were empowered, I saw the amazing impact that gifted women were having for the gospel. I realized how much the gospel was being slowed by the unscriptural subjugation of women.

It is now my desire to champion the right of women everywhere to use all their gifts on an equal basis as men. The injustice of being oppressed by inaccurate interpretations of scripture must be actively addressed.

I am an advocate for the unhindered calling of all women.

#novoicenomorenovember

Day 6 No voice. No more. November

What Happened at the Seneca Falls Convention? | History



I voted today! Glad to use my voice.

#novoicenomorenovember

Day 5 No voice. No more. November

Empowering Women Leaders: An Interview with John Ortberg



Great interview. What is there not to like about John Ortberg?!



#novoicenomorenovember

#johnortberg

Day 4 No voice. No more. November

#novoicenomorenovember

Day 3 No voice. No more. November

When we think of evangelism, we needn’t think of an unnatural, contrived, or scary process. Nor should we think that evangelism necessarily entails crossing land and sea (although for some it will). When we think of evangelism, we can think of it as an overflow of our life in Christ wherever we are. We see this in the lives of the Samaritan woman and Mary Magdalene. They couldn’t help but share the Good News with the people around them.

Evangelism happens when we rub elbows with people on the highways and byways of our lives—the laundromat, dog park, coffee shop, church, community events, social events, work, or school. It happens among our neighbors and family members. When we connect with others in our daily routines, they have an opportunity to encounter Jesus. If they ask us about ourselves and about what is important to us, the Good News will naturally spill out of us—if we are being honest about who we are and what has happened to us. In our everyday circumstances, we can invite people into sharing the joy and wonder of knowing Jesus. It needn’t be awkward or forced. Some will respond to the Good News we share and embrace it with joy. Others won’t. But those who do will hail us as beautiful, for we have been the joyful messengers of God’s salvation, of God’s abundant resurrection life to them.

#novoicenomorenovember

https://www.christianitytoday.com/women/2018/october/first-female-evangelists-mary-magdalene.html

Day 2 No voice. No more. November

B.T. Roberts: "I hold that in the local government of the church, women should be allowed the same vote as men in the admission of members, and in the election of officers, as is the custom in Protestant churches general: that if God has given to some women such gifts and grace, and placed her providentially in such circumstances that the members generally and spontaneously feel that she is the most suitable person to fill some office in the church, then there should be no ironclad rule that would exclude her on account of her sex."
#novoicenomorenovember
#LLM150Anniversary
#btroberts
http://fmcusa.org/lightandlifemag/ought-women-to-govern-in-the-church/

No voice. No more. November

Over the past few years it has become a trend that men celebrate "no shave November" which gives them purpose in growing a beard or neglecting to shave.

Additionally, I am inspired by the idea that we really can take on something new and make it a habit if we do it for thirty days. In November of last year, Lived Experience was filmed (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdpnOTpOjs4&t=1s).

The process of making the film and it being released was exciting and exhausting. Honestly, I was tired and wanted to crawl into a cave by the time it was completed. It is hard to be an advocate for those who have been hurt and who feel like they continue to have no voice.

I went through a period of silence myself because I was done with advocating. This 30 day social media campaign is my way of re-engaging. I am asking others who have influence to join me in advocating for the voices of women to be heard.

Each day in November, I will post a video, podcast, prayer, or article which informs and challenges others to see how valuable it is that there are no more voices left unheard.

Stay tuned here or search Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram using this: #novoicenomorenovember

Stranger but No Stranger, part 2

One of the most incredible things about Jesus is that he was such a good listener. He cared about the person who was speaking with him, the person requesting something from him or touching him as though he or she was the only person in the world.

This recently struck me while reading through the Gospel of John, I notice how much time and intentional caring conversation Jesus has with people. In John 4, Jesus cared deeply for the woman who was a Samaritan. No "respectable" Jewish man would have had such a conversation (4:9). He talked with her as though what she was saying was significant. He entertained her novice theologizing (4:8-25). He honored her by listening to her. Jesus speaks the truth to her as though she was a person with dignity. She needed the truth and she deserved the truth. When he reveals to her that he is the Messiah, she is shocked (4:26). I can imagine that she thought, "why would he be talking to me?" or "why would he sit there and allow me ask such silly questions?" or "how could he know my past, see past my past, and still want to be in conversation with me?"

Jesus had such compassion. He was not aloof to human suffering. He saw that there were circumstances that cause alienation. It seems as though he understood that there is suffering that is caused by human stupidity and rejection of the things of God. And, on the other hand, there is suffering that is not a direct result of any one particular sin. Maybe, he would have summed it up the way one of my preacher friends here says, "it is a beautiful and broken world." Jesus would add, "repent, for the kingdom of God is right here, right now and is available for you to enter."

Jesus was not a stranger to suffering, to feelings of loneliness, or anger. To imagine him as a man with low affect is inaccurate. Human emotions were part of his life. Though emotions were a part of his life, Jesus was not held hostage by emotions. He was a stranger to the game-playing, maneuvering, and spinning the truth. He was a stranger to things like guilt trips and manipulation and bribery. As he fully trusted in the Father, he didn't have to resort to these things. He could experience human emotions without allowing them to hold him hostage. He was free from being mastered by them because he was intimately connected with the One who sent him. He was free to care and show compassion without having to be validated or even have the love reciprocated.

With reverence, joy, humility, and delight I recognize that this is the Master that I follow. I gladly bow and worship this One.With the words of O Holy Night! verse two, I sing: "The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger, in all our trials born to be our Friend; He knows our need, To our weakness is not stranger. Behold your King, before him lowly bend!"

Stranger but No Stranger

This time of year is full. For us, it is full of planning and traveling. Sometimes, we travel by plane and sometimes by car. Regardless of the mode of transportation, it always seems as though we spend more time in transit than actually settled in one place. None of this is new to us because we have chosen to live at a distance from family most of our lives. This choice puzzles many of our friends and family.

The desert southwest used to feel so familiar to me. Now, I feel mostly like a stranger. This place has a beauty that is hard to explain, but those who live here know it. The way we describe it often includes food. Our celebrating centers around New Mexican dishes: tamales, posole, Chimayo corn pudding, and guacamole. All of these must include green chilies, however it is acceptable to include some red as well if one is trying to be kind and include those who like red chilies.

If I cannot be in New Mexico for Christmas, I still try to prepare some New Mexican cuisine. The green chilies in the can are not bad, but they are not the same either. We have made posole in Kentucky and it is just fine. We have made tamales with students and labored to bring the taste of home to those who share our love for such flavors.

The miracle that we remember and celebrate during this time of year is that the One through whom all things came into being traveled the distance between earth and heaven...between human and divine....welcoming the strangeness of not just coming into flesh, but also the strangeness of giving up infinity for our limitations. The Gospel according to John elaborates this mystery and miracle.

"He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it...He was in the world, and the world did not know him. He came to what was his won, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth...From his fullness we have received, grace upon grace...No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known" (John 1:2-5; 10-14; 16-18).

The incarnation, what C.S. Lewis rightly calls the greatest miracle of Christianity, is that the Father's heart is now incredibly accessible to us. We accept this as reality because we know a grace and truth that is radically different than any other. If we are open to this mystery of God being made known to us in the manger, as an infant, we can surely see the power available to us in the every day challenges of life.

This is a glorious mystery. To say it is a mystery does not mean, however, that we cannot know it. We can now know the Father's heart. We can read, listen with our hearts, and rehearse the reality of Christ-Jesus-"a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).

We rehearse it when we enter places, spaces, and circumstances that are difficult or strange. We can accept and know Him in, beyond, and through strangers -  even if the strangest among us are family and should be those who are most familiar. For me, it seems I hear an invitation to reimagine how my interactions with those who are both stranger and family can be filled with grace and truth. If this glorious mystery of God-with-us is real and true, then how is being made real and true in me and in my words and actions during these days?

The mystery remains: Is the miracle and mystery of Christmas - God come to us in flesh and blood - to show us that we too can share in this, a living reality for us? Is the strange and wondrous bridge between the human and divine welcomed and accepted in your traveling, celebrating, stretching, and gathering this season?  

Lived Experience: Please, Lord Help the Bleeding Stop!

My wrists were sore almost to the point of giving out. I had already been transcribing the life story of this dear woman for fifteen hours. The tears were forming, again. If I paused the transcribing at this point, I would never make my goal. This story was too painful to continue. This particular woman had been pushed to the margins by those in power. The people who were given the responsibility to care for her soul were neglecting that responsibility. It was their job to to encourage her in her ministry and they had failed miserably. There were many occasions when they made sure she knew that she was not welcome in their "club." The story that had me in tears on this occasion featured her being publicly humiliated by one such person in authority at a gathering of ministry colleagues.

I knew that it was important for me to do this work, but I just could not continue at that moment. This was the trail of my thought and laments:

WOW, this is harder than I thought it would be!

Much harder!

I would rather be getting a root canal than be listening and imagining the pain of all of these women!

Please, Lord, help the bleeding stop!

The transcribing had come to a screeching halt for a couple of weeks. As I was praying about my lack of progress, I started to cry again. Through the tears and laments above, I was sorting through all of the pain that I had felt during similar meetings. I faced the fact that because of my own wounds, I was being asked to sit with these stories and show honor to those who have been hurt by the church. Denial can only last so long. The gentle whisper in my mind and spirit assured me of a crucial truth as I cried out, "Please, Lord, help the bleeding stop!" It was the Heavenly Father giving me the power through partnering with Him to hear these excruciating stories. When we know that we have been heard,when the one listening to us is loving us through listening, healing comes rushing in.

May it begin with me?!

This work was good and was necessary and was extremely hard.

This idea about gathering stories of female pastors had first occurred to me long before I thought that I might research them. I was attending a Wesleyan Holiness Women Clergy conference where women in ministry from many denominations gather to encourage and enrich one another. There were four or five women in a row telling me their stories. These stories included such pain. Before this, I assumed that I may be the only one in the world who was told by a best friend: "You are an apostate! Women preaching is of the devil!" I thought that I may have been the only one who had sat across the table from a denominational official and heard the words: "Maybe you should find another denomination!" There was a consistent thread of being marginalized even in these denominations that, at least in theory, affirm women in all levels of church leadership. The stories tell of a different reality.

This is what I found as I researched the lived experience of female pastors: good, bad, and ugly responses to them as they followed their call in the church. I found women who were filled with passion and compassion, they were strong and tenacious, and they had persevered in ministry in spite of the fact that most of them had considered leaving the denomination.

The truth is that listening to such stories either in an official capacity as a researcher or in the capacity of fellow female pastor, is hard. I was given the gift of comfort that day as I prayed, I remembered that listening is an act of love. I am given the ability to sit and listen because the One who created me is a good listener. I have the best listening coach on earth. God is especially quick at hearing cries of those suffering under injustice. It is this God that "heard their groaning" and remembered the covenant (Exodus 2:23-24). It is this God who "is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth" (Psalm 145:18-19). The Lord assures us that when we humbly cry out to him and share our cares, we will know His presence (Isaiah 58:9 and 1 Peter 5:7).

God is near to all who call on him. 

God listens and we listen.

My hope is that the stories that I listened to, transcribed, and researched would help change the minds and hearts of people. The stories shared are not intended to be all-inclusive, rather they represent the types of challenges and barriers female pastors encounter in their every day life. It is my prayer that the church will be a good listener. The documentary "Lived Experience" is based on my research and there has been a significant seed pledge by the denomination for about half of the cost. I would love for you to consider giving toward this project. Will you prayerfully consider if you are being called to contribute in order to make this a reality? If you're interested in making a financial gift, it can be made at FMCUSA website designated for the strategic implementation, with "Lived Experience Documentary" in the comment box (https://give.fmcusa.org/donation/strategy-implementation).

Will you lean in, uncross your arms, and look into the eyes of your sisters in Christ and listen? Are you ready to hear your pastor's story, your ministry colleague's story, and your co-laborer in Christ's story?

Easy Yoke

I'm intrigued by how many of us make vacation - time away from our normal day-to-day life - so stressful. This morning I woke up at 3:30 a.m. in order to catch a 6:30 flight back home from a wonderful time away seeing family. There were A LOT of people at the airport, sending their checked bags down the conveyor belt, taking their laptops out of the bag, taking off their belts and shoes to go through the security check points. A few of those families were clearly going somewhere sunny to enjoy a few days at the beach. The flights to sunnier climates were packed. Our flight to Cincinnati had 9 people on it! Unbelievable, but glorious!

If we are learning from Jesus how to live our lives, we will be talking with Him as we plan our vacations and as we wait in those miserable security lines. Jesus tells us  "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).

Next time you get stressed out at this or other small, medium, or large details regarding that perfect vacation, instead of indulging thoughts of chaos, crowds, crash landings, running out of food (or worse yet, coffee!), lost luggage, etc... simple check to see the look on the One to whom you are yoked.

Can you get a vision of the smile and delight on your creators face? Can you push pause on the conveyor belt of crazy thoughts and simply enjoy being in the company of the One (Father-Son-Holy Spirit) who has you in the palm of His hand? (If all of this seems impossible to think and visual, consider reading, meditating on or memorizing some of Psalms, such as Psalm 18, 31, 63, 95, 121 and soon enough, your thoughts of who God is will expand and it will become more natural to think such thoughts.)

This video is a short one of Dallas Willard teaching on the easy yoke. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGsMVILmbvs

Give us this day our daily work (part 4)

As I have said previously, work is a gift from God and is best understood to be that which we do in partnership with God to bring about good in the world. Indeed, one of the challenges that we face with work is over-estimating our contribution to our with-God partnership. We may be tempted to over-work which may indicate that we think that the world is going to fall apart if we do not do our part. Notice that over-work may indicate that we really do not think that God can do a good job managing the universe (insert "the office," "the shop," "the kitchen," "the church" for whatever sphere you oversee).

Respect for work properly defined means respecting the limitations of work. God instructs the Hebrew people (and us) that they are to work six days and rest one day. This is the pattern and rhythm of life prescribed by God in scripture (see Exodus 20, Numbers 23 and Deuteronomy 5). It is a command along with being just good old plain common sense. The Hebrew people had been slaves for generations. They could have easily grown to believe that their identity was based on that which they produced. This is not God's way.

Our identity is tied to our Heavenly Father. It is possible to live in conversation and communion with the One who promises to care for birds and begonias and even us (Matthew 5:25-34). When we learn the good and beautiful way of Jesus, we notice that worrying and defining ourselves by the results of our work are simply not our way anymore. We can live in the easy yoke with Father-Son-Holy Spirit and there we will find a rhythm of work and rest that is truly life-giving and life-sustaining.

Our daily work is restored to us as the gift that it was intended when we acknowledge that it cannot own us. All of this comes from God. God created us to work and rest. How is it that we have so much trouble with this? Is it so hard to trust that God, in whatever time and in whatever way, will bring about good from our work? Is it hard for us to accept the gift of this rhythm of work and rest because we are not totally convinced that God is generous and joyous and gives good things to those who ask?

"Because we do not rest, we lose our way....We miss the quiet that would give us wisdom. We miss the joy and love born of effortless delight." Wayne Muller, Sabbath. Also other good books about the subject: Keeping the Sabbath Wholly by Marva Dawn and Sabbath Keeping by Lynne M. Baab.

Also, click the link below to hear-see an incredible sermon by Ray Hammond at EpicChurch Buffalo. We were visiting the church on the day he preached it. There are some very practical tools that may help you start this practice if you feel like a beginner.

http://subsplash.com/epicchurchbuf/v/sxazmhb

Give us this day our daily work (part 3)

The reality of God - Father, Son, and Spirit - Trinity as the most beautiful and mysterious and foundational community has been sinking into my mind recently. God created everything not because there was a lack of something, but because of the fullness of life within His being. For instance, the three plates on my kitchen wall represent the Trinity - the full life of God - extending beyond self. My husband and I get the rare privilege during these few weeks when our students are gone to have a meal with just the two of us. Meals with only us requires only two plates. We enjoy the presence of a third, or twenty five as was the case last week. We do this kind of sharing because we enjoy the company of others. We do not invite people over for dinner so that they are indebted to us. We give out of our abundance.

The third plate that hangs in my kitchen reminds me that God's life in the Trinity is full and abundant and overflowing. The Trinity is the ultimate extension of hospitality.

Jesus, the Son, made manifest the reality of God in human existence. While he was living among us humans, he was fully human. He did normal things we do including work. He had apprenticed himself to his father so that meant that he was a carpenter. His craftsmanship was good, however, I'm sure that when he first began, he made mistakes in measuring or cutting.

"Remember that you always measure twice and cut once!" I can just hear the words of his father. It is fun to imagine all of the things that Jesus made in his shop. His mind and his hands equally engaged in the task in front of him while at the same time engaging with God through prayer. I can imagine that as Jesus cut the wood, he would have been giving glory to God. I'm sure he was asking that the fullness of the Trinitarian life be made tangible and beautiful to the senses of those who would sit at the table he was making. The table represents communication and communion with others. I'm imagining that the energy Jesus put into making a dining room table would allow the many others that ate around it to see that God does provide and that God is good.

The communion of the Trinity is all over the place in the Gospel of John. Jesus addresses his disciples regarding his departure. They did not understand that he was going nor did they get why he must go. The dwelling place that Jesus promised these believers that he was preparing for them had very little to do with a physical location (John 14:1-2). In the heart of the Trinity, the dinner table was being prepared and all of them and all of us were being sent invitations. This communication and communion with the Trinity is now open and available for all of us.

This kind of relationship is not reserved for mystics or ascetics or those in monasteries or at altars at summer church camp. It is not reserved for pastors or for those who have studies scripture or who have fancy theological degrees. It is open for anyone who wants it. I'm sure that there is plenty of Triniarian fellowship among "the religious" but this fellowship was never intended to be contained in those place. It overwhelms me how accessible Trinitarian fellowship is to me right here in my ordinary life. I do not have to be in some special facility to speak with Him. It is shocking to me that I can know, not simply "feel," that reality right here....wherever here is and whatever this is that I am doing.

Finally, the section entitled Entering the Ordinary (page 14) in the Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard writes:  (he is addressing how Jesus entered into ordinary life and ordinary work and that this was God's way of arranging the delivery of His life to us) "If he were to come today as he did then, he could carry out his mission through most any decent and useful occupation. He could be a clerk or accountant in a hardware store, a computer repairman, a banker, an editor, doctor, waiter, teacher, farmhand, lab technician, or construction worker. He could run a housecleaning service or repair automobiles (and at one time Dallas included in this list a lady who owns a flower shop). In other words, if he were to come today he could very well do what you do. He could very well live in your apartment or house, hold down your job, have your education and life prospects, and live within your family, surroundings, and time. None of this would be the least hindrance to the eternal kind of life that was his nature and becomes available to us through him. Our human life, it turns out, is not destroyed by God's life but is fulfilled in it and in it alone."

Next time you are tempted to minimize how interested God is in your daily existence, come back to this thought: Trinitarian fellowship is available and the invitation has your name on it. "Come and Dine at the Master's table."

Give us this day our daily work (part 2)

It is Monday and Mondays get such a bad rap! This complaining that we do about Mondays is tied to this lie that we maintain that work is drudgery. However, work is not drudgery. Sometimes it may feel like drudgery for a variety of reasons. One of those reasons is that we need an attitude adjustment and correct thinking about work.

What if we were to speak the truth about Mondays? Here is my list of things that are true about this day for me:

• I said YES to too much last week. I was tired, perhaps exhausted is a better term because I got myself into a position that was not good.
• I have not been sleeping well or enough (part of this is due to the first item on this list and part of it has to do with anxiety and lack of trust that God has my back)
• I procrastinate tasks that frustrate me. I put them in that paperwork stack and forget about them until, on days like this, I have to confront them and somehow deal with unpleasant or mundane details. (Notice that I am actually spending my time blogging and not really confronting the stack;) 
• Details such as these can exhaust me.

How can I learn the truth about work today with all of these realities? What would it take for me to see work as good, as a gift from God, and as what I do in partnership with God to bring about good in our world?

As I talk with God about all of these details, I often hear his encouragement to hold onto things loosely. I do what I can and release all other matters into His tender care. For instance, I listen to His voice in, through, and beyond the requests that others make of me. God helps me discern those tasks that I am inclined to say YES to in a hurry to either please someone else or to rescue them from poor planning on their part. As I listen for His voice, I may also discern that there are tasks that I am inclined to say NO to in a hurry from fear or because I want to make life difficult for the one asking. If a particular task does not fit into either of these categories, then I will ask God to show me whether that particular thing is really mine to do. If it is something that I am happy to do and have time to do, then I ask God to show me what it looks like for me to do that task in partnership with Him. If imagining the task and the process is easy and if it will bring glory to God, at that point, I say YES.

If I find in retrospect, like this last week, that I have accidentally said YES to too many things, then I realize that even in the midst of no sleep and chaos, God has a way of bringing good. In the midst of too many tasks, I pray without ceasing and rely heavily on the power of God to fill in all the holes left by my busyness. I also remember during these times that asking for help from others is not a sign of weakness, but a good way to include others in partnering with God. They may not even be aware that you are inviting them into seeing what God is able to do with those who let them have it all.

A final thought is that Monday is a fresh day brimming with ways to partner with God. Like any other day, we can use it as a day to reboot. We have the power to prioritizing our tasks in life. We can begin the week by asking God to show us what we need to see in our work. We can be honest with God about that which is not going the way we had hoped. We can invite His care into our lists of tasks, into our e-mail correspondence, and into our meetings with others. Monday = a day to meet God in our work.