For some reason lately, I have been thinking about blogging again. It is unbelievable to me that I haven't posted anything since October of 2010 after several years of regular blogging. Perhaps the blogging season of my life is winding down, although I'm not ready to write that final post quite yet.
My journey as a blogger began with a desire to put my thoughts about my faith journey into written form...an opportunity to process "out loud" about the ways that I saw God working in my life and in the lives of those around me...a chance to share what God was teaching me in a way that He might even use as an encouragement to others. Serendipitously, one thing led to another and I found myself in unexpected places sharing the power, peace and purpose I have discovered within God's Word and the freedom I believe is possible through a growing relationship with a living Lord. Most recently, I found myself in White Bear Lake, Minnesota speaking to a group of women whom I had never met before. We celebrated the arrival of April and warmer weather by sharing together a weekend "Spring Renewal" and I left with 50 new friends.
As my oldest daughter finishes her junior year in the next couple of days and my "baby" completes her freshman year, I become increasingly curious about what God has planned for me in the next season of my life. So much of my time and energy over the past 15 years has been focused on my daughters and their activities and I have enjoyed every second of it. Although I have never doubted that being home with my girls was the right decision for our family, I do look forward with anticipation to see what might be next for me in terms of vocation. Will I return to my work as a clinical social worker in private practice? Will I pursue my love of writing further? Will this recent adventure in Minnesota blossom into an expanding speaking ministry? Might I go to work advocating/ fundraising for one of the causes about which I feel strongly?
It is still several years until baby girl graduates and I am grateful for a few more years of being a full time mom. Yet, I am also aware that I need to be listening...listening to the places where "my deep gladness meets the world's deep hunger." While I know I will be sad when my babies have all left the nest, I want to make sure that the space they leave behind does not leave me empty. While I cherish each moment of the next couple of years, I am also beginning to explore the next steps that God might use to unfold His plans for me. My recent weekend is Minnesota was part of that process.
I have recently been able to download the recordings of my talks in Minnesota and I am going to attempt to share them here over the next few days since it appears that Typepad now has the ability to insert audio right into my post. There were 3 sessions and the one below is Friday evening's opening session. Each of the talks is around 40 minutes in length. I pray that God will use these words to reveal something to you about His deep and abiding love!
01 Spring Renewal White Bear Lake- Friday night 4_1_11
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