My name is Beth Ann and in 7th grade another Beth Anne moved to town. Suddenly at school I became Beth. It’s only my cousins and Mother who know my name. It’s like the scent of fresh baked cookies in my childhood home - this love of being called by my name. In those moments I am refreshed, knowing who and whose I am — and loving wide open!
Thanks for sharing this, Beth! I love the description of your experience of love as like smelling the scent of fresh baked cookies in your childhood home.
Beloved of God - it is not easy to get my head around that. The only way to believe that I am worthy is through His Grace and His Love. Thank you for this message Jake.
Jill, you're not alone. It's a journey, isn't it? And I could never convince myself of it. I've had to experience receiving that love. Again and again.
I once wrote that “the church does not exist to tell us how to behave… the church exists to inform us that we are deeply loved”. I truly believe that if that were the focus of “the church” (all churches, regardless of denomination) we would have a lot more people in the pews. We all need to hear it and to be regularly reminded of it - God loves each and every one of us with the same unconditional, expansive, grace-filled love. ❤️
So many of us have strong feelings about our name, my husband has a strong dislike for the name Timothy and always go by the name Tim, my transgender grandchild changed their name from Leo to Sam as she said the name Leo didn't feel right. With me it's not how people say my name but how it is spelt, I am fussy about that, itis Jo-Anne not Joanne.
Also when I think about the saying love thy neighbour, to me it means to accept people for who they are, not to try and change them, not to ridicule or attack them because they are different un some way to you
Thanks, Jo-Anne! And unless you tell me otherwise I still like calling you Aussie Jo in this context. And respecting the dignity of every human being (loving your neighbor) is such a central commitment of followers of Jesus.
"I keep trying and failing. Help me do what I cannot do on my own."
Brilliant!!! I spotted another article you did back in October last year that teams incredibly well with this one. The story about Bill.. "Not that he didn’t try. He did try. And he failed. Repeatedly." [...] But instead of sinking into despair, Bill recognized that accepting his powerlessness was to take a step on an entirely new life path."
It dawned on me yesterday that repeated failures (where I'm mindful of my own powerlessness) can be abandoned or "laid down" as a deliberate act. "Letting go" isn't quite what I have in mind because that has the feel to me of "dropping" something. I mean an action that's more slow and deliberate, an act of laying down this difficulty before God and simply asking God to take it in hand. Then waiting with expectant heart (and remaining alert) for the work of the Spirit.
Thanks, Liz! And good picking up on that enduring theme. I'll be digging into that and related themes during my sabbatical next summer. Paul's letters and the Psalms will be the major focus. So far I'm thinking that this could lead to a couple of lengthy series here at The Woodlands.
Wonderful, Jake. I'm already looking forward to engaging with the insights and fruitful thinking that'll emerge from your sabbatical. Thanks for the heads-up! And last night I made a start on your new book; I was overjoyed to find one of my favourite themes - contingent being. The concepts of "growing beyond" and "contingent being" - these together - have possibly been the *most* profound and impactful for me personally. It's been a 7yr journey to joy; now in this 8th year I sense the rustling of something new.
I so appreciate this wonder-full writing. God continues to use your shared experiences, thoughts and words for healing in areas of my life that I wasn’t aware of, or forgotten were wounded.
The “challenge that Jesus gave us for loving our neighbors because I know that I’m already loved” opened that calling in a whole new way for me.
Our names are a funny thing, aren’t they? Sometimes people assume they know us better than they do, and so they take liberties with our names. Mine birth name is Angie, but so many assume it is Angela and proceed to call me such. I do have a nickname, Ang, but typically only my good friends or people that I know well and love call me that. So when someone I just meet calls me Ang, my ears perk up with a bit of “who said you could call me that” written on my face. But when I am feeling low and alone, the one thing that brings me back to center is imagining myself sitting in the lap of Jesus, leaning my ear to his chest, and listening to the heart that beats for me…and knowing that I am “the one whom Jesus loves.”
Thinking about some of the names I've been called and how they've described my life: Nancy Jane, Sis, Mom, Nana, Fancy Nancy, Wifey, Child of God, and best of all My Friend.
My name is Beth Ann and in 7th grade another Beth Anne moved to town. Suddenly at school I became Beth. It’s only my cousins and Mother who know my name. It’s like the scent of fresh baked cookies in my childhood home - this love of being called by my name. In those moments I am refreshed, knowing who and whose I am — and loving wide open!
Thanks for sharing this, Beth! I love the description of your experience of love as like smelling the scent of fresh baked cookies in your childhood home.
Beloved of God - it is not easy to get my head around that. The only way to believe that I am worthy is through His Grace and His Love. Thank you for this message Jake.
Jill, you're not alone. It's a journey, isn't it? And I could never convince myself of it. I've had to experience receiving that love. Again and again.
I once wrote that “the church does not exist to tell us how to behave… the church exists to inform us that we are deeply loved”. I truly believe that if that were the focus of “the church” (all churches, regardless of denomination) we would have a lot more people in the pews. We all need to hear it and to be regularly reminded of it - God loves each and every one of us with the same unconditional, expansive, grace-filled love. ❤️
And once we really get that message (from the source) loving behavior is who we really are, it seems to me. Thanks, Korie!
Amen to that. The true self has no need to compete, compare, or complain. Sees God in everyone.
P.S. Brandi Carlile is awesome, she’s a favorite of mine!
Her memoir is good. I opted for the Audible version to hear her sing the songs she excerpted.
So many of us have strong feelings about our name, my husband has a strong dislike for the name Timothy and always go by the name Tim, my transgender grandchild changed their name from Leo to Sam as she said the name Leo didn't feel right. With me it's not how people say my name but how it is spelt, I am fussy about that, itis Jo-Anne not Joanne.
Also when I think about the saying love thy neighbour, to me it means to accept people for who they are, not to try and change them, not to ridicule or attack them because they are different un some way to you
Thanks, Jo-Anne! And unless you tell me otherwise I still like calling you Aussie Jo in this context. And respecting the dignity of every human being (loving your neighbor) is such a central commitment of followers of Jesus.
I am fine with Aussie Jo, which I should be since I picked the name
Ha! Indeed!
"I keep trying and failing. Help me do what I cannot do on my own."
Brilliant!!! I spotted another article you did back in October last year that teams incredibly well with this one. The story about Bill.. "Not that he didn’t try. He did try. And he failed. Repeatedly." [...] But instead of sinking into despair, Bill recognized that accepting his powerlessness was to take a step on an entirely new life path."
It dawned on me yesterday that repeated failures (where I'm mindful of my own powerlessness) can be abandoned or "laid down" as a deliberate act. "Letting go" isn't quite what I have in mind because that has the feel to me of "dropping" something. I mean an action that's more slow and deliberate, an act of laying down this difficulty before God and simply asking God to take it in hand. Then waiting with expectant heart (and remaining alert) for the work of the Spirit.
I'm simply describing where I'm at in the present moment, in other words your post was especially well timed! I'll add the link to that other post: https://jakeowensby.substack.com/p/the-stories-we-tell-about-ourselves
Thanks, Liz! And good picking up on that enduring theme. I'll be digging into that and related themes during my sabbatical next summer. Paul's letters and the Psalms will be the major focus. So far I'm thinking that this could lead to a couple of lengthy series here at The Woodlands.
Wonderful, Jake. I'm already looking forward to engaging with the insights and fruitful thinking that'll emerge from your sabbatical. Thanks for the heads-up! And last night I made a start on your new book; I was overjoyed to find one of my favourite themes - contingent being. The concepts of "growing beyond" and "contingent being" - these together - have possibly been the *most* profound and impactful for me personally. It's been a 7yr journey to joy; now in this 8th year I sense the rustling of something new.
I'll be listening for how that new thing takes shape
I so appreciate this wonder-full writing. God continues to use your shared experiences, thoughts and words for healing in areas of my life that I wasn’t aware of, or forgotten were wounded.
The “challenge that Jesus gave us for loving our neighbors because I know that I’m already loved” opened that calling in a whole new way for me.
Many blessings for your day.
So glad this was helpful, Charlie! Have a joyful weekend
Our names are a funny thing, aren’t they? Sometimes people assume they know us better than they do, and so they take liberties with our names. Mine birth name is Angie, but so many assume it is Angela and proceed to call me such. I do have a nickname, Ang, but typically only my good friends or people that I know well and love call me that. So when someone I just meet calls me Ang, my ears perk up with a bit of “who said you could call me that” written on my face. But when I am feeling low and alone, the one thing that brings me back to center is imagining myself sitting in the lap of Jesus, leaning my ear to his chest, and listening to the heart that beats for me…and knowing that I am “the one whom Jesus loves.”
Oh I really love that, Angie! I just shared with another reader that I am comforted (and encouraged) to think that Jesus always calls me "my friend"
Thinking about some of the names I've been called and how they've described my life: Nancy Jane, Sis, Mom, Nana, Fancy Nancy, Wifey, Child of God, and best of all My Friend.
This is the first time I've heard a couple of those. It puts me to mind that Jesus says "my friend" to us. Like that.......