we have a wonderful mothers day gathering planned at Good News in the Neighborhood. a special gift, opportunities for pictures, + a powerful service. we would love to see you there.
also, we made a newspaper. it’s 16 pages of locally applicable content to serve our community. it has a Christian flavor, but is designed to be Good for Everyone. if you would like one, just reply with a physical address + i’m happy to send it to you.
one trait all moms should emulate
the power of honoring intentions
God blessed me with a wonderful mother. trying to convince her family to eat weird stuff + do new things is her love language. she loves to create adventures. whenever something strange appears on my calendar or in my fridge, i know it was her.
Every once in a while, the niche parade is lame or the restaurant ends up being closed or the cheese doesn’t taste good. whenever one of her plans doesn’t pan out, she always says the same thing with a halting hilarious delivery.
‘well, it was a nice idea’ - my mom
this sentiment also applies to my grand plans that don’t come to fruition or goals i kids set that i didn’t reach. when the reality isn’t what we wanted, she’s a master at pivoting to intentions.
now, she isn’t afraid of clear feedback. she has no problem pulling weeds at my house and telling me she had to step in to fix my failure lol. if she finds something i do boring or unclear, she often gently makes that clear, but her approval isn’t in my success.
it’s in the effort.
in the old testament, something similar happened with King David. at the height of Israel’s power + success, the warrior king wanted to build a permanent house of worship. God told him it wasn’t going to happen. someone with clean hands would have to be the one for such a task. although David would not achieve the goal, he was still blessed for the intention.
1 Kings 8:18
But the Lord said to David my father, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart.
this is a powerful concept my mother has mastered. when you bless yourself + others with the benefit of the doubt for what they were trying to do, joy abounds.
so on mother’s day …
whether your mom was everything she longed to be financially + relationally + instructionally for you or not, you can bless for the energy she expended in trying to reach even the goals she missed.
God does it for us, why not do it for her?
To women on Mother’s Day weekend
God made each woman, including you in his image. You find yourself in a season that He has appointed for your life. If it’s a good season, enjoy it. If it’s a difficult season, keep praying - it won’t last forever. Some of you became moms as a long-hoped for dream come true, while others of you have become mothers through marriage or through unforeseen circumstances. We know that God’s Word says that children are a heritage from the LORD, a reward and yet whichever season of motherhood you find yourself in, I’d be shocked if you couldn’t admit that it has its moments filled with utmost joy but there have also been a bountiful amount of difficult ones too. The best thing that we can be to the children in your life is women of faith that pray for our families and the women in our lives and believe the promises of God on their behalf.
Let’s not forget where we have been before and that not everyone is not walking in the same shoes as you. Almost sure as shootin’ there’s a woman you know (even if you don’t realize it) that longs to be a mother and yet because of the circumstances that have been allowed in her life she has yet to hold a child in her arms. She has prayed more prayers than she can count and her pillows have tear stains. Let’s pray for that woman today, that God would uphold her on this difficult journey, and that she would experience God’s presence and joy and at every twist and turn God would fill her with an unwavering faith.
There’s probably a mom you know with little ones that is lacking sleep and feels like these long days may go on forever. She has heard the phrase, “the years are short and the days are long,” but motherhood feels harder than what she thought she was signing up for. Let’s be women who encourage these weary moms, let’s pray their babies would put the hours of sleep together that they need. And I hope that when they vent about how difficult the isolation of the last year has been we’d have compassion for them. Let’s pray for this dear one, that God would meet her in the mundane of her days and give her simple joys; that she’d be clothed with strength and dignity and that her home would be filled with laughter.
Oh how the mother of teenagers needs your friendship and wisdom and prayers! She got to this stage faster than she could have thought and she feels the tension of letting her son or daughter gain independence and yet wants so badly to guide them in the right direction. Lets pray for her to have wisdom in what to say and do and for her response when inevitably her teenager acts like a teenager.
Whether it’s your mom or aunt or friend there’s a woman you know who made it out alive (LOL) to the empty nest stage. Some have found it exciting and liberating whereas others have felt it more as an identity crisis. Let’s pray that this woman would find joy in this season and that she would rejoice and cheer for her adult children in their new endeavors.
We know life is short, and that surely there is a woman missing her mother today. She treasures the memories they shared and still wants so badly to make her mom proud. Let’s pray for comfort for her today. Let’s be women who encourage and honor and love the mothers we know in our life. There but for the grace of God go you & I.
Cup of Leadership
people who have stopped making friends are usually unhappy. i love making new friends. just this week at a wedding, kristen + i met a wonderful couple, thoroughly enjoying a few hours of chatting. afterwards, we dm’d on Instagram and everything.
and some old friends need to go. in the last few years, folks who liked me for what i had or weren’t going the same direction i was anymore gradually fell away. no need to be mean, but sometimes a relationship drifts or ends. we def shouldn’t cling to people just because we both liked horror movies at 16 years old.
the friends you make in your mid-20s + beyond are wonderful, but they can never be your old friends. BUT … the people who have been around a long time have powerful context + connection to your life and should be cherished at all costs. they know you and like you for you and don’t fall for any of your nonsense and love you anyway.
Saturday Morning Book Review
once upon a time in russia: the rise of the oligarchs
by Ben Mezrich
an older book from the author of ‘social network’ + ‘bringing down the house,’ i picked this book up at the start of the russian + ukrainian conflict a couple months back. it is like every book Mezrich writes, vivid + compelling, a genuine page turner.
if you are interested in the context of the post communist russia, this book is a fun and quick read.
happy mothers day + have a great weekend …
luke + kristen
This posting was a true blessing to me as a mother. I loved the picture of you Pastor Luke and your mother.