My blog relaunch has been a bust. I said I would start posting on Tuesdays and Thursdays with the theme of Psalms and Puritans, respectively, but somehow I haven’t quite hit my stride.
This summer we’ve been sharing cars. Part of the time it was four drivers for three cars, then four drivers for two cars, then three drivers for two cars. It actually worked pretty well. I do not take for granted the extra time I spent with my husband and college son this summer, riding together and dropping off, and many days just staying home. Still, the last few weeks I have been looking for a car, test driving quite a few, and looking for a low-mileage, good deal. On Tuesday I brought home a white Pathfinder which I have oddly wanted since my days as a Stetson Hatter. My friend Maria had one then, and I thought she was the coolest and that her wheels were the gold standard. I had another friend Jenn who got an Explorer a couple of years later. I could not stop calling her car the Pathfinder.
“Do you want to take the Pathfinder?” I’d say.
“It’s an Explorer,” she’d say.
But the point is, at the advent of the SUV era, only Pathfinders made the cut in my mind, and now I have one, a white one like Maria’s to boot.
Will was rounding at the hospital this morning and met Sam and me at church. My Pathfinder has ApplePlay, which I have had before, but not in my most recent car. It’s such a fabulous feature for many reasons, but my favorite thing is to use Siri to text and drive. Will had sent me a message that I laughed uproariously at — he’s a very funny guy, but I don’t know why this particular line struck me as so funny.
Then Siri, unbeknownst to me, recorded my response. She said, “Your message says, ‘HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.’ Ready to send it?”
I don’t know if I’ve written enough Ha Ha’s above. It went on and on and on and on. I wish I could have her read me that message to kick off every Sunday. Because Sunday should be a day full of joy, celebrating again that the tomb could not hold Our Savior, acknowledging that we are loved beyond measure, that God is Sovereign over all things, that He has never and will never leave His throne. The world may feel out of control and discouraging, but not the tiniest aspect of it has surprised Our God. He holds you in the palm of His hand and loves you with a patient devotion beyond comprehension.
As the exiles who returned were told in Nehemiah, “Eat the fat and drink the sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10b). I hope you recognize today — and every Sabbath — as a feast day to be celebrated. After all, the joy of the Lord is our strength!
With Love,
Kristie
P.S. I am hoping to be more faithful about posting in the coming weeks!
The Covid lockdowns have had such widespread disastrous effects. From learning loss, to recklessly devaluing hard work, to creating and validating neurotic fears, sadly these harms are not going away anytime soon. Given all this, I guess it’s not the end of the world that movie theaters are on the brink of failure, but I used to love going to the movies. In fact, I enjoy them now, even though they feel a little cavernous when most of the time there are only a handful of other moviegoers. This week, I finally saw Inside Out 2. It was extremely well done. If you’ve seen it, you know how artistically it portrays our emotions, and in particular the concept of dying of embarrassment! So funny.
From a theological perspective it is not exactly accurate, but I always find it interesting that when a storyline even hints at the truth, it invariably feels emotionally weighty. The simple tune of the Inside Out theme contrasts in a profound way with the depth of what is being acknowledged: People are complicated. People are sinful. Life can be hard. But Love is powerful.
The main character in Inside Out, Riley, demonstrates a recognition, even a horror, of her own sin. She wants to flee it. She wants to be a good person. Meanwhile, the “Joy” component of her emotions wants to boot every bad experience she’s ever had to the fringes of her subconscious. It is a fair representation of what society teaches us to do. In fact, our culture encourages us to blame others when we are forced to acknowledge any defect in our character.
The movie almost feels to me like pre-evangelism. It so aptly portrays the problem. We have many experiences that we have difficulty sorting into a cohesive picture of who we are. We are hurt and need to extend forgiveness, and we have our own shortcomings that also need to be dealt with. A lovely ending would have been for Riley to comprehend for the first time that Jesus is the answer!
I can envision the Joy character just elated to realize that Jesus provides power to forgive others and ensures a clean inner slate every morning! It could have flowed beautifully.
As an aside there is a scene where teenage angst and pressure are eating at Riley. Physically she is rocking and back and forth, gasping for air. Meanwhile, the visual at the control desk of emotions is that Anxiety has created a tempest, swirling and swirling, forcefully pushing everything else to the fringes. This too paints a true-to-life experience and is an invitation for the Gospel. Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life…Look at the birds of the air…Consider the lilies of the field…seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6: 25a, 26a, 28b, 33.
“You could do nothing more important than to wake up every morning of your life and remind yourself that the One who created and controls everything that exists has been made, by grace, to be your Father…He is always with you. His hand is always upon you. He never stops watching you. His heart is always for you.” — Paul David Tripp.
The movies of our lives always point to the hole in our hearts. Any light shown in the darkness points to the hole. Any tiny glimpse of truth lets in a beam of light. I hope you know that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, and that His heart is always for you.
In The Valley of Vision, one Puritan writer said: “O Lord, Help me never to expect any happiness from the world, but only in thee. Let me not think that I shall be more happy by living to myself, for I can only be happy if employed for thee…Teach me that if I do not live a life that satisfies thee, I shall not live a life that will satisfy myself.”
Do we expect happiness from the world? Are we guilty of living for ourselves? Do we believe that living for God is the only truly satisfying way to live?
We know our culture is hostile to Christianity, but it almost seems the brevity of the Puritans is the basis of the 21st Century playbook. You can almost picture a gathering of demons, Screwtape style: “Listen up, the key is convincing them to live for themselves. Tell them it’s about them. Tell them they deserve to be happy, to expect it, to believe that if they are true to themselves, they will be. This is low hanging fruit. It’s a sure road to misery. Now, get after it.”
Thankfully, we know the truth: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Do you make a point of taking in sunrises and sunsets? Some places are better than others to do so. When we lived on Lookout we used to see the sunrise at the gym — sometimes the clouds would be beneath us. Other times we’d take the golf cart to a place where the rock formations jetted out into the valley with a perfect view of the sun setting. Beholding sunrises and sunsets require less effort where I am now. And as much as I love mountains, I also just marvel at colorful skies framed by swaying palms.
The Psalmist said:
The heavens declare the glory of God: the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. Psalm 19:1-2 (NIV 1984).
Who would deny that starting the day, or closing it out, with majestic beauty is good for the soul? But more than just soaking up glory, it can provide spiritual renewal. All you need to do is acknowledge that the heaven’s declare the glory of God. It’s a simple but ever-needful reminder: It’s about Him, not us.
Can you believe it’s August? It’s funny August use to mean wrapping up swim team and a relaxing month before my little boys went back to school the Wednesday after Labor Day. August used to be a month to vacation and breathe easy. Now, August marks the end of summer. For the first time, we took our family vacation to Michigan in June. Although July was lovely, it still felt like the most fun thing was behind us. Not sure I like that schedule. My dream is to spend the whole summer in Michigan.
But today I am launching a series on writings from the Puritans. If you have not read any Puritan authors I trust you’ll be blessed to see the richness of their language and the depth of their faith. Many people have recommended The Valley of Vision to me over the years. I’m actually not even sure when I ordered it, but it has been sitting around for a good bit and then last week I had a lovely beach day with a sweet pal of mine. Our husbands have been tight buds since kindergarten and we all got married young. She mentioned how much she has been loving The Valley of Vision. I decided I’d start reading it and blogging about it.
Today I read an entry entitled The Family. Here are some excerpts:
Help me to hate and forsake every false way…O God, I cannot endure to see the destruction of my kindred. Let those that are united to me in tender ties be precious in thy sight and devoted to thy glory…Grant that the promising appearances of a tender conscience, soft heart, the alarms and delights of thy Word, be not finally blotted out, but bring forth judgment unto victory in all whom I love.
Maybe one way to counteract the praise song repetition, the uniformity of language generally, is to read these authors. Plus, the sweetness of the faith! How can you not love it?
Yes, Lord, yes. As time with family in the summer of 2024 comes to a close, may “those that are united to me in tender ties be precious in thy sight and devoted to thy glory.”
But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. Psalm 3:3
A few of you may remember that sweet song our little ones sang at school in the early 2010’s. It is indeed: “For His glory. It’s for His praise.”
I hope you’ve had a fabulous Tuesday. I snapped the picture above on a walk with my man this morning and I just wrapped up a steak dinner grilled by my middle son who has recently taken on the role of grillmaster. These are the bookends of a very lovely day. God is good.
In my much beloved Bible reading plan, I read Psalm 53 this morning. Do you know the opening line? It is a familiar one, and the title of this blog is a hint: The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” Psalm 53:1 (ESV).
How could one walk along the beach at sunrise and think there is no God? How could one marvel at the comfort of love and think there is no God? How could one cuddle a newborn babe and think there is no God? How could one smell a sizzling steak off the grill, delivered by one who was seemingly just a newborn himself and think there is no God?
It’s foolishness, utter foolishness.
Yet my eyes are not opened as a result of my own effort. I am not able to recognize such foolishness because I am smart, as tempting as it may be to sometimes feel that way. The truth is that even my faith is a gift from God. I can take credit for nothing. All glory and honor belongs to the Author and Perfecter of my faith.
I hope when we look around and see the many who say in their hearts “there is no God,” we pray for them instead of condemning them.
I haven’t posted on my blog for over two years. In 2022 I gave Substack a whirl and it was the right platform for the right time. In fact, I could not have known what a comfort it would be to write only for my people (subscribers) in that season of life. I demonetized it as the end of 2023, and planned to write more on other projects. I cannot overstate how epically I have failed on this front. I either self-impose deadlines and structure, or I simply don’t write. So, I’ve been thinking about how to get myself back to writing more regularly. I enjoy the process of writing so much, and I invariably walk away with greater clarity, so it is selfish in its fulfillment as well. I am going to start writing here again twice a week (even if the posts are super short). On Tuesdays I’m going to do a series on the Psalms and then onThursdays I’m going to do a series on the Puritans. Psalms and Puritans may sound dry, but I’m excited to convince you otherwise!
As for today, Happy Friday. If you have followed my blog from years ago, you know that I did a series called Jackson Five Friday for about a decade. I used funny stories from my boys and life in general. I now have four giant volumes of my old posts — they are like Jackson family yearbooks. But the problem is my sons are all grown up — the youngest is a senior this year. They are still funny, but certainly don’t want me blogging about them, understandably. Will and I are not quite as entertaining, so Psalms and Puritans it is!
Of course everyday life always gives me ample experiences to write about. This morning I saw a woman putting caution tape around some trees.
“Baby coming,” she said. And I looked down. Yes, a baby agave plant was sprouting up next to the adult agave plant. She was taking precaution to protect this new little life from pedestrians who might cut the corner. Her loving concern for this baby plant has been on my mind all morning.
What a contrast to our world! I am praying today and in the days ahead that new human life, that all human life, will be cherished and protected. I am also praying for the protection of my own well-being. The evil of those who throw away every shred of caution tape can get me feeling down and defeated.
May we remember that God knit us together in our mothers’ wombs and in His own image. We are of infinite worth, as is the person who drives you most crazy. Plus, we know how this all ends.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more.’ Revelation 21:3-4a
Last month, I wrote about how I am giving up blogging and pursuing a new writing venture on Substack. The vision of my “newsletter” is to connect directly with readers. Substack author Andrew Sullivan wrote, “There’s something wonderful about writing just for readers. Because your people are there, you have to be accountable, but it’s a very pure relationship.” [emphasis mine]. A blog is accessible for anyone, anywhere, and lacks both the accountability and relational aspects that Sullivan describes. I am excited about this next phase for me as a writer for a whole host of reasons, and it is a huge paradigm shift. It feels like I’m launching a small business —Spurstack— that will require focus and dedication. In my mind, it’s nothing like blogging, which always felt like a guilty pleasure and time I should’ve spent elsewhere. The thing is I need accountability, focus and dedication, and the idea of tying these together in relationship with my people, no matter how few, is ideal.
Spurstack will have four distinct sections. Each section is a different topic and will be delivered on a different day. As a subscriber, you can receive all four weekly emails, or any combination of the four. Lord willing, on Sunday evening, January 2, 2022, the first Spur Sunday will go out. It will be devotional in nature and aim to get your week (and mine) off to a great start. For me, Sunday nights are special because you are savoring the rest and relaxation and time spent with family, but you are also gearing up for the week ahead. I think it’s the perfect time to be reminded how we can all spur each other on to greater love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24).
Relational Monday will focus on marriage and family. Who among us has mastered relationships? Certainly not me, but I aim to be ever-learning how I can do better. This is the section where I will pilot doing a podcast in lieu of the email. I am both nervous (because I hate the sound of my own voice) and excited about doing something totally new. The Substack platform allows each post to be either a newsletter or a podcast, so it will vary week to week. Fittingly, there was a recent Babylon Bee headline about the last remaining American without a podcast, so I am certainly late to the game!
Worldview Wednesday will tackle a current issue or event in light of a biblical worldview. I am pumped about this because it justifies taking a deeper dive into some ideas that I find discouraging in our culture right now.
I started my blog Spur in 2008. I’ve taken very little time away in thirteen years, posting at least once a week. I hope it has spurred others on to love and good deeds, but the biggest blessing for me is that I love to write. My most enduring series (there were quite a few over the years) has been Jackson Five Friday. I have looked forward to using personal snippets for these weekly devotionals, and it is still fun to hit that publish button. Willa Cather said, “The only reason I write is because it interests me more than any other activity I’ve ever found.” I feel similarly. It’s my favorite. Runners’ high may be a thing, but writers’ high has to be more intoxicating.
The problem is that it feels like I should be doing something else. I have a law degree. I’ve paid my bar dues all these years. Next year, I’ll have two sons in college. In January I’ll be fifty. Supporting my four men, who are varying degrees of needy, has been my great pleasure. They would not be who they are without me. Perhaps that sounds conceited, but I don’t mean it to be. Anyone who is extremely successful and also happy and well-rounded probably has someone who is a sounding board and steady encourager. A lot of my time is devoted to investing in them. I would never regret a second of it. The idea of having a career outside my home has never felt like a pull. Perhaps it’s because I worked a block from the White House with extremely smart, driven people. But my mantra after a year or so of law school, sung to “We want a pitcher, not a belly itcher” was “I want a baby, not a J.D.” My sweet man was not convinced by my catchy tune. I finished the J.D. I passed the bar exam, by God’s grace. I made a ton of money for a twenty-something. Then I happily quit when my first son was born. I don’t feel the pull of a career in part because I had a one-year stint as an attorney. It is always a gift to know what you do not want to do.
Oddly, I also have never gotten over my distaste for the word, “blog.” I find it embarrassing. I feel almost sick to my stomach admitting to a new acquaintance that I blog. It sounds so dang trite, even after doing it for more than a decade. The connotation of the word makes me feel defensive and insecure. The idea of widely publicizing it, or trying to monetize it by getting sponsorships has never been a consideration. It couldn’t be because I don’t have enough readers — I’m never going to appeal to a broad audience, and I hate ads anyway. I reluctantly link to new posts on social media every week, but that’s not something I enjoy either. I have once in a great while submitted a piece to various outlets and I’ve had a few things published over the years, but mostly I get something like: “not what we are looking for.” It is deflating, but also just feels like a waste of time. You almost get the sense you could submit a true masterpiece (not that I have) and get a “no” in response. Part of it is a numbers game, and part of it is who you know. I know no one. I won’t deny that I’d be ecstatic to have an editor who would help me hone my skills and cheer me on. My current editor is wonderful but he’s also a hospital administrator, and I’d rather not mix business and pleasure.
So if I’m done blogging and I don’t have any intention of pursuing publication by others, where does that leave me? Fortunately, the creator economy is exploding. I’m going to launch a Substack newsletter in January. Substack is a newsletter platform, based on subscriptions. My newsletter will land in your inbox, should you choose to subscribe. I’m committing to writing a lot more in 2022 (more specifics on that later — it will have different themed sections, one of which will be fiction, and sometimes the post will be a podcast instead of a written newsletter). It’s possible I’ll get to the end of 2022 and happily quit like I did from lawyering. Maybe I won’t feel like I have enough subscribers. Maybe I’ll run out of things to write about. Pshaw! That’s never a problem! But regardless, as my dad often and wisely quipped, “Time will tell.” Until then, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I’m going to venture at it for a year and reassess.
I hope my readers will also understand that charging a nominal fee for my newsletter is important on a couple of levels. For one, if I was someone who made quilts or jewelry, it would be odd to give my work away for free. I watch my friends who are photographers or painters and I want to cheer on their artistic pursuits. I am not gifted in any of those ways at all, but in a sense I am guilty of devaluing my own writing by giving it away. Plus, there’s the opportunity cost. These artists could be doing something else. It is difficult for me to equate artistic skills with my own writing. But I want to. If I have a mindset that I am creating something of value, then I can justify devoting more time to it. When I give it away, the nagging feeling that I should be doing something else is joy-robbing. It’s like I’m shooting myself in the foot, because I love doing it, but I’ve hemmed myself into a routine where it feels like writing is a guilty pleasure instead of a worthwhile endeavor.
We will ring in 2022 in less than 50 days? Do you have something you really want to check the box on before New Years? Do you have some audacious goal set for 2022? Because I want to channel this little girl from the 1970’s. She is jumping into the deep end. She looks like she is unconcerned about what others might think. Her joy is not tainted by fear of the unknown or life’s inherent lack of safety.
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:23-25 NIV
Spur 