As we look at 2023…

As we look at 2023…

“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:1-6)

After the last several years, a lot of us are tired, discouraged, disconnected, or bewildered as to how to navigate the Church in the midst of all of the arguments, deconstruction, and reconstruction. So many great people who love Jesus are struggling to gather and worship God in Spirit and truth in the current atmosphere. Many believers feel homeless and rudderless. Many are in a spiritual desert, looking for ways to prime the pump with fresh water.

How do we gather as believers, study and apply the Word, filter information through a biblical worldview, become more like Christ, and love one another when there is so much division? Some see everything in black and white. Some see everything in gray. Some see white, gray, and black. How do we find unity on cardinal issues and diversity on non-cardinal issues? And who decides what is cardinal?

How do we let go of the toxicity without throwing out the baby with the bathwater? How do we pursue love and unity when we have such divergent views on so many topics?

I keep asking God: What is my voice to be in the midst of the 2023? The same as always: To put your hand in the hand of Jesus and let Him do his thing. What can I bring to the table?  I am a pastor/teacher, and my two primary gifts are Bible teaching and spiritual formation: opening the Word and fostering transformation in Jesus.

We all need communities of friends who may be diverse on many issues but of one heart on centrality of Christ. Men and women who participate in Psalm One gatherings attend different churches, have different politics, embrace different cultures, hold different viewpoints, but what we offer are growth opportunities for people who love God and want to know Him and walk according to his Word. Call me a wimp, but at Psalm One events I ask people to leave politics, denominations, and other divisive topics at the door. That’s not my gig.

In His Farewell Discourse (John 13-17), Jesus prays that we will have love and unity. "I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. (John 17:11) Sometimes we see much love and unity.

“Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:1-11)

Yowza. Lofty goals. Easier said than done. How do we pursue love and unity in such a splintered time? The only solution I know: Fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. He’s the only one who knows how to proceed.

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:1-3)

If you’re looking for a place to debate controversial issues, Psalm One is probably not for you. You may be a part of a church or community that finds its calling in taking a bold stand on controversial issues. I am glad there are people whose gifting is to speak up, take a stand, and wrestle with some very complicated issues.

If you long to draw near, seek Jesus, walk with Jesus, and lift up one another as we lift up Jesus, that’s what we offer. May Psalm One continue to be a community of brothers and sisters who want to learn, grow, and fix our eyes on Jesus.

Grace and peace,

Linda

Psalm One Gatherings and Events: Join us for community and encouragement. I look forward to sharing much of what God has given me during the life-giving sabbatical. Please be praying as doors of ministry open. God alone knows where I might show up!

• Tuesday Night Bible Study: Come and be fed from the Word with a great group of friends. This is for men and women from anywhere. We meet via Zoom at 7:30pm Eastern Time (Cincinnati/New York). For those of you Down Under, this is Wednesday morning. (Those who live locally may be meeting in face-to-face if we find the right location. But so many people would not be able to attend due to geography or other hurdles if we are restricted to Southwest Ohio.)

You are always welcome whether you never miss a week or drop in occasionally. Sign up to stay in the loop with links and resources: https://www.psalmone.org/tuesday-night-bible-study

• Refocus and Refuel Retreat: Registration is open for the first of four 2023 Psalm One Refocus and Refuel Retreats! For men and women. Could you use some extended time of peace and quiet at Jesus' feet with the encouragement of others who also seek a closer walk with God? Could your heart, mind, and soul use a good cleansing and jump-start? How we love these life-giving getaways! Space is limited, so don’t wait to register.

• March 10-12, 2023

• May 19-21, 2023

• September 22-24, 2023

• November 17-19, 2023

For more information and registration: https://www.psalmone.org/refocus-and-refuel

• Soul Care Retreats for Pastors’ Wives:

There’s no such thing as a “typical pastor’s wife”. You may be a pastor, accountant, stay-at-home mom, worship leader, butcher, baker, or candlestick maker. But you are invited to a fun and encouraging getaway with others who understand life on the front lines of ministry.

• Cincinnati, Ohio: February 3-5, 2023

• Green Lake, Wisconsin: February 24-26, 2023

For more information and to register: Scroll down on https://www.psalmone.org/pastors-wives 

• Sisterhood of the Fishbowl Weekly Oasis: Where pastors’ wives can gather with friends to share our roller coaster lives, laugh quite a bit, and receive a spiritual boost. What a wonderful, encouraging, supportive community this has become! Thursdays, 7:30pm Eastern Standard Time. To stay in the loop for these online gatherings, resources, and encouragement, sign up for Thursday nights with the Sisterhood of the Fishbowl at the top of this page: https://www.psalmone.org/pastors-wives  

He Appeared and the Soul Felt its Worth

    O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,

    It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth.

    Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

    ’Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.

    A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,

    For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

    Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!

    O night divine, O night when Christ was born;

    O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

One of my favorite titles of God is El Roi, the God Who Sees. In Exodus 3:7-8, God declares He

1. has seen the affliction

2. has given heed to their cry 

3. is aware of their sufferings.

“So I have come down to deliver them.”

    Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

    ’Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.

He sees us, He hears us, He is aware, and He has come down to deliver us. Jesus’ birth demonstrates definitively for the world that the soul has found its worth, that with his birth the soul is seen, acknowledged, valued, and feels its worth. 

2022 was the first time in decades of ministry I wanted to quit. Stop reaching out. Give up teaching the Word, speaking, spiritual direction, facilitating, counseling, consulting. Shut down Psalm One. It shocked me but I wanted to give up multiple times, sometimes multiple times a day. Has anyone felt that depleted, dejected, or defeated in the last few years?

But God saw my affliction, He heard my cry, He was aware of my suffering. He kept inviting me away on sabbatical, extended time alone with Jesus to rest, recover, decompress, receive, and re-enter with renewed healing, vision, and freedom. He miraculously orchestrated a prayer pilgrimage that would take me back to the places I dearly loved, give me time with friends who are very much family, love me though an intimately personalized journey. He gave me so many opportunities to minister from a healthy place. He released me from burdens that He had not put on my back. He sprinkled the journey with divine appointments with diverse people from around the world. He restored my joy and laughter. He brought endless close encounters with life-giving creation and amazing creatures, because He knows my love language.    

If it had not been for this sabbatical, I would have been collateral damage. I would have been down for the count. But I am here, still in love with Jesus, still committed to serving the Lord and loving people. Jesus thought my soul was worth saving. He thought my ministry of soul care was worth saving. The soul felt its worth.

Ministry has increasingly complex challenges nowadays. How do we even begin to meet the needs? How do we release the toxicity yet not throw the baby out with the bathwater? How do we cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He heals and leads the Church? How do we come alongside our friends and family who are struggling with faith issues of various kinds? How do we hold together truth and love? How do we maneuver through the minefields of people who see things differently—and may be more eager to attack than dialogue? How do we hold onto peace in the splintered community? How do we tend our own exhausted, conflicted and isolated souls? How do we love well?

    A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,

    For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

The word “weary” sums it up for a lot of us in the last few years. But the Word is still all about life breaking forth where death has been. I certainly do not have all the answers, but in 2023, I hope to share some of the gifts of the sabbatical with others as we seek to rejoice in a new and glorious morn, to love as Jesus loves, and to rest in our dear Savior. Could you use a shot of hope and new life? May the soul feel its worth and may we draw near.

    O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,

    It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth.

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

    Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!

    O night divine, O night when Christ was born;

    O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

Grace and peace,

Linda

Linda treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.

Hi friends:

“But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19)

As most of you know, I have been on sabbatical. So much to share. I’m still processing, pondering, and praying through all God has shown me—and I will be for the rest of my life.

This sabbatical has been the most wonderful and most difficult thing I have ever done. God has taken me back to places and people that mean so much to me. I have been absolutely blown away by people’s kindness, generosity, hospitality, friendship, support, and loving care. I have seen God’s beautiful and amazing creation. I have found such peace and rest in the glorious quiet spaces. I have been flooded with unbridled joy. I have been overwhelmed with spontaneous worship. I have had such fun adventures. I have laughed until my face ached. I have loved and been loved.

I have also had dark nights of the soul. What’s the longest time you’ve ever spent with God and God alone? When you are alone in the silence, when the scaffolding is gone, when the distractions are stripped away, when you face your thoughts and emotions, things get real. It is challenging. Sometimes so hard. But so incredibly worth it. The fruit of the struggle is pure refined gold. Every nugget is worth the pain. “Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)

I am so grateful to the Sabbatical Prayer Team. It has meant the world to have a faithful community of people praying for me, encouraging me, and cheering me on throughout this time. I hope you all have enjoyed the wacky stories, the reflections on what God has been showing me, and the thousands of photos from the road. We’ve seen some amazing, beautiful, hilarious, and scary things, haven’t we?

So many transformative experiences. So many divine appointments. So many life-giving conversations. So many precious hours with friends who are very much family to me. So many delightful introductions to total strangers, some of whom are now friends. So many opportunities to minister along the way.

So. Many. Animals. Lambs and sheep who gently called me to rest in the Good Shepherd. Countless sea turtles who came alongside, swam with me, and surrounded me with a supernatural calm and peace. A genuinely hilarious and entertaining octopus who reminded me that God has christened me Goodtime Linda for a reason. A gorgeous lion who reminded me Aslan is not a tame lion. "Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.” (C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) So many dogs who remind me of God’s unconditional love. Plus horses, cows, kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, echidnas, bats, sharks, mantas, eels, whales, alpacas, dolphins, stingrays, kookaburras, and many other assorted colorful birds and fish.

I am so glad I did not let naysayers—or my own doubts, hesitations, and fears—prevent me from saying yes to God. I was exhausted and fried after some really rough years, and Jesus kept inviting me to come away with Him. God has confirmed a thousand ways how He ordained this prayer pilgrimage and will continue to use it for transformation in my life and ministry. My earnest prayer is that by it many will be blessed.

God will continue to unfold the rich treasures that He has revealed. His steady voice continues to whisper in my ear and in my heart. The Paraclete will continue to lead, direct, tweak, and possibly even change horses in midstream as needed. Jesus and I will continue to explore questions He has asked of me—and that I have asked of Him. He will continue to expand upon the hundreds of pages I have journaled, the many resources I have studied, the many experiences and interactions I have had. I will give away what God has given me as I teach, speak, lead, and minister.

You cannot give anyone else what God has given you. You can only make them thirsty for what you have.

I will do my best to share the nourishing truth and sustaining words of life that God has given me. I will share the stories and photos of His divine connections. I will do my best to continue living out my job description: to put your hand in the hand of Jesus.

So many people struggling. So much division. so much confusion. So much pain. We are facing challenges as never before in my lifetime. Two things I know: I don't have all the answers. Nobody would listen to me even if I did.

So, what is my voice in the midst of change and upheaval? What can I bring to the table that would be healing and strengthening? How can God use my teaching, discipleship, counseling, experiences, connections, writing, and even my photography to build the Kingdom? How can I offer freedom in the face of so much frustration and discouragement? How can we build healthy community and loving connections? How can we let go of some toxic elements without throwing the baby out with the bathwater? We keep going back to Jesus.

As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. So Jesus said to the twelve, "You do not want to go away also, do you?" Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life." (John 6:66-68)

I am a pastor/teacher. My primary gifting and calling consists of:

1. Bible teaching

   • Balanced teaching from God's Word to give us a grid for life.

   • Seeing how God brings life out of death from Genesis to Revelation.

2. Christ-centered spiritual formation

• Coming alongside those who yearn for a closer, more intimate, obedient walk with God.

• Creating time and space to connect and reconnect with God.

• Providing tools and direction to foster genuine transformation instead of just information.

• Training the head, heart, and hands to all follow hard after Jesus.

I offer these to men and women, lay and clergy, married and single, anyone hungry for God. I believe what we do in Psalm One is needed now more than ever.

I also have a heart to come alongside my brothers and sisters who are also standing on the front lines of ministry, trying to hold truth and love together as they build and strengthen the Church.

“For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine.” (Romans 1:11-12)

I’m still processing, still praying, still seeking God for each next step of Psalm One.

In the meantime, please pray:

• As I continue to unpack and process hundreds of pages of journals, notes, scriptures, and whispers from God during this sabbatical.

• As I tie up miles of ministry red tape and admin.

• For provision and direction as Psalm One continues to lift up Jesus.

• In my current spiritual battle: the enemy wants to attack, stress me out, fog me in, push me into a rush, and steal away all God has given me.

• As we pray through changes and how God would lead us going forward.

• For the upcoming Soul Care Retreats for ministry wives—details, provision, logistics, and wonderful getaways for these women who give so much to others. https://www.psalmone.org/pastors-wives

“But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19)

So many treasures to ponder. So many treasures for us to unwrap as we head into 2023. Still seeking how God will continue to use us. Stay tuned.

Much love,

Linda