This month, I took a big risk for better hair, celebrated another birthday, and finished another chapter of my thesis! As of today, I am a little over halfway done and looking to keep building momentum.
“Continue to Hold”
As I spent time writing this month, God called me to remain steady instead of pursuing change. He helped me balance my desire for change and movement, and move from his pace of peace and rest.
At the beginning of May, I grieved over having to spend so much time simply doing the next right thing rather than being free. I responded by resting, remaining especially active on my days off, and remembering the bigger picture.
“Home base”
This month, I spent a lot of time thinking about how to live as though Seattle were a home base for ministry. Since moving here two years ago, I’ve been increasingly drawn to inner healing ministry and felt a burden for this region. As I consider what it might mean to remain here for the next 1-2 years, I am energized by conversations about spirituality. I see that there is room for the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to individuals who are longing for life, wholeness, and living water.
God of the Good Gift
James 1:17-18
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.b 18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of His creation.c
As I waited this month, I remembered how God’s gifts are always perfect, fully formed, and good. He has perfect timing and knows what we can receive. As I feel this season drawing to an end and a sense of mystery about the next one, I’m glad that he remains faithful.
Worship
Names of God
Each month, I give God a name that aligns with scripture and how he revealed himself to me that month. This month, I spent the majority of time knowing him as,
- “God, My Overcomer”
John 16: 33
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
John 14: 27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
Verses
Here are some verses I reflected on in May!
Psalm 34: 14
Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
Isaiah 64: 5-12
You come to the help of those who gladly do right,
who remember your ways.
But when we continued to sin against them,
you were angry.
How then can we be saved?
6 All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
7 No one calls on your name
or strives to lay hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us
and have given us over to[b] our sins.8 Yet you, Lord, are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.
9 Do not be angry beyond measure, Lord;
do not remember our sins forever.
Oh, look on us, we pray,
for we are all your people.
10 Your sacred cities have become a wasteland;
even Zion is a wasteland, Jerusalem a desolation.
11 Our holy and glorious temple, where our ancestors praised you,
has been burned with fire,
and all that we treasured lies in ruins.
12 After all this, Lord, will you hold yourself back?
Will you keep silent and punish us beyond measure?
Isaiah 28: 5-6
In that day the Lord Almighty
will be a glorious crown,
a beautiful wreath
for the remnant of his people.
6 He will be a spirit of justice
to the one who sits in judgment,
a source of strength
to those who turn back the battle at the gate.Isaiah 29: 23-24
“No longer will Jacob be ashamed;
no longer will their faces grow pale.
23 When they see among them their children,
the work of my hands,
they will keep my name holy;
they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob,
and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24 Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding;
those who complain will accept instruction.”
Music
Simple Pleasures
- Learning how to drink coffee
- Watching the apartment cats in neighboring buildings
- New alignments
Media
Books
Oz: The Complete Collection by L. Frank Baum
Once when I was in middle school and had read through all my library’s Wizard of Oz collection books, I vowed that as an adult, I would finish the remainder of the series. Rediscovering this series on Kindle has been an absolute delight! It was exactly the easy reading I needed to keep focused on thesis writing and enjoying this summer this month.
Movies
“Return to Me” (2000)
This month, I was reminded of the best of late 1990s/early 2000s humor in this sweet rom-com. The plot is playful and carries some elements of magic realism. Overall, it was a simple yet robust, fully-formed film.
Prayer Requests
- For clarity and direction to gradually rise in God’s timing regarding opportunities for this fall. For God to continue blessing me so that I will be prepared for new contexts!
- Grace to continue holding
- For God to establish maturity, purity, authenticity, and integrity in each of my alignments.
Age of the Unexpected 