New Vision

“New doesn’t always look perfect. Like the Easter story itself, new is often messy… New looks like reconciliation between family members who don’t actually deserve it. New looks like every time I manage to admit I was wrong and every time I manage to not mention when I’m right. New looks like every fresh start and every act of forgiveness and every moment of letting go of what we thought we couldn’t live without and then somehow living without it anyway. New is the thing we never see coming – never even hoped for – but ends up being what we needed all along.” – Nadia Bolz-Weber

I’ve never been one for New Year’s resolutions. I don’t think my parents were much into the tradition, so it just didn’t occur to me until I was in my teens and twenties. After several utter failures, I gave up. But, I do like to use the New Year as a fresh start, a new beginning.

This year, it looks like this: “Dear God, please give me new eyes to see things from your perspective. Resurrect my broken places. Make me new.”

While I was on “vacation” last week, I spent a lot of time processing life with other women. We each spoke of our struggles and told stories of where God is at work in our lives. I came away from the time changed, new, starting fresh.

I realized my prayer was already working!

Sometimes all we need is a good friend (or a mother or sister) to help us change our point of view slightly. A tiny turn in our vision can create new growth. Or it can help us die to ourselves and our own desires and return to the place where Christ is present and working: resurrecting and bringing new life.

I came away from one of my vacation conversations with a new concept. (I love this idea!) Our newness doesn’t need to look perfect and shiny and just-out-of-the-box.

Did you catch that? New is sometimes messy. But it’s still new, still growth, still beautiful, still God’s work.

This helps me pinpoint places in my heart where Christ has worked and is working that I previously overlooked because they didn’t look the way I presumed they should.

When Jesus rose from the dead, he appeared to the disciples and showed them the holes in his hands and side. He was himself, through and through – holes and all, but new. When he raised Lazarus from the tomb (after 4 days!), Lazarus didn’t suddenly appear before everyone as a newborn baby, he was still a grown (old?) man. But, alive and well.

When I hear the words: So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! (2 Corinthians 5:17; NIV), I tend to think of worm to chrysalis to butterfly. In my head, worms are ugly and butterflies are perfectly, brilliantly beautiful. But, God is revealing to me that sometimes fresh, new beauty is present inside the messy. Sometimes we’re faced with ugly-beautiful. We just need God’s perspective to see it. And when we see it, the change is more beautiful than perfect, shiny and just-out-of-the-box could ever be.

I am thankful for all the lovely, talkative, God-fearing women I have in my life. You make me new. Have a wonderful 2014, friends! I pray we may all be blessed with fresh insight, new vision and bright green, sturdy growth.

- Bethany Tippin, MOPS Mom & Publicity Leader

Bethany Tippin is a wife and mother of 2 children, ages 3 and 5. She is a musician, teacher and writer. She joined MOPS very soon after moving to Sheridan and regularly finds blessing in her participation. This, her 6^th year, is her 1^st year in a leadership role. Serving as the 2013-2014 Publicity steering member is a joy and a challenge. She is massively excited about all the ways Christ is evidently moving in her life and community!

Thursday Thoughts with Theresa: A New Year: Resolutions or Inspiration?

A new year always brings on resolutions. Yet, when I think of what I will do or not do this year, it’s easy to measure myself based on the success or failure of that resolution. It seems limiting. And let’s face it, I rarely keep a New Years Resolution beyond a week or two!

So instead of making resolutions, I allow a new year to stir up inspiration. For me….

It inspires a sense of cleaning out:

It inspires fresh starts...

It inspires organization:

It inspires trying new things:

Tweaking the homeschool schedule.

Learning Spanish as a family.

Skiing as a family.

It inspires setting goals:

Lots of goals!

And with all of this cleaning out and being open to new things comes a sense of spiritual awakening; making room for and anticipating something mysteriously new.

So, for me, the question is not what I will do this year, but what will God do?

Sure, I still might attempt to floss every night diligently or attempt to put exercise back into my life, but what boils within at this time of year simply cannot be limited to a New Year's resolution for me. Because it's really all about making room for the immeasurable joys God has in store for me over this next year.

How about you – do you have a New Years Resolution?

I wonder what new thing God has in store for you over the next year? 

- Theresa Miller, MOPS Mom

Theresa is a wife and mother of four children (3, 5, 7, and 9), who are embarking on their first year of homeschooling. Theresa has been involved in Sheridan MOPS for the last 9 ½ years, serving in multiple leadership positions, including Day MOPS Coordinator in 2007-2008. She took one year off, then started the Sheridan Evening MOPS group in September 2009. Theresa has published an article with MOPS International MOMSnext Ezine, in addition to other on-line publications. You can find Theresa encouraging mothers on her blog, Heavenly Glimpses.

On Worries, God and a New Year

Christa Tietjen Photography

This blog post is “late.” You know, as in – inside my head I decided all posts “should” happen right around 8:00 AM every morning, Monday through Friday. Hmmm. And now, I’m reacting with stress and anxiety.

So, I sit in my worry, my thoughts racing to, “What do I do with the 3-year-old while I write? What do I say? Can I continue to ignore the dog hair on the floor and the mountain of laundry? Should I really be headed to the grocery store? …”

And God says, “Be still.”

Scriptures begin to surface.

Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10).

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord (Psalm 27:14)!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God (Philippians 4:6).

Then the 3-year-old’s voice rises from the chair beside me, “He’s got the wind and the snow in His hands… He’s got the big boys and the babies in His hands… He’s got Benjamin and lemurs in His hands, He’s got the whole world in His hands.”

Oh. Lemurs – totally deep, right?! But, it took me to the space where, very simply, I remembered that God’s got us all – me included – in His hands. And He’s got all my busyness and all my worries and all my questions wrapped up in His hands, too. In fact, as I pray, Jesus is sitting at the right hand of his Father, interceding for me!

And thoughts of this huge, loving Father are entertaining the 3-year-old. He’s got it all there in His hands.

So, what I write to you doesn’t matter, not really. And when it posts isn’t all that important, either. All I need to be doing, ALWAYS, in everything, is to be resting in the giant arms of my (our!) all-encompassing God. Everything else will fall into place.

May God bless you with the simplicity of His Presence today and every day. Happy 2014! May it be a year filled with joy and grace.

- Bethany Tippin, MOPS Mom & Publicity Leader

Bethany Tippin is a wife and mother of 2 children, ages 3 and 5. She is a musician, teacher and writer. She joined MOPS very soon after moving to Sheridan and regularly finds blessing in her participation. This, her 6^th year, is her 1^st year in a leadership role. Serving as the 2013-2014 Publicity steering member is a joy and a challenge. She is massively excited about all the ways Christ is evidently moving in her life and community!