tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071872512288815488.post2551606562203733176..comments2016-03-09T20:13:05.914-05:00Comments on Epic Online Class Blog: The Story God is Telling: EPIC: ACT ONEHolly Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476411667354933648noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071872512288815488.post-11677020181130571362015-07-12T08:53:36.285-04:002015-07-12T08:53:36.285-04:00Heather, I agree that is all of our tales - the ha...Heather, I agree that is all of our tales - the happy and the painful that lead us home and I too am grateful for the ones that have deepened my faith and my walk. As I reflect about the stories in the Bible there are stories of great pain and suffering, all to show us the abounding love of our God and our commonality as we walk the earth. And Carolyn, your story, which is your life, is so moving as well as hopeful and admirable. As I look at a portion of my own story, when my beloved mother died from senior-onset alcoholism, I was sent on a journey that connected me even deeper to Our God. I would not treasure Him or know Him so well I think without that difficult and rich journey. You put it beautifully "without a strong faith - we could not survive - He is my constant companion." Amen Karen. You are a wise and brave woman.<br /><br />JeriAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071872512288815488.post-89636333969963900232015-07-11T17:35:57.247-04:002015-07-11T17:35:57.247-04:00Hi Karen, your story reminded me of the many times...Hi Karen, your story reminded me of the many times I sat in the summer in the back yard and listened to the grown-ups tell stories. Some very funny but some very sad. Both of my parents had abusive parents and at the time beating children was excepted. However as an adult it helped me to understand why our family was so dysfunctional. My parents were married for 56 years when my dad died. They were married during WW II and mom was just 16. Their life together was a constant challenge but we knew they loved each other and our family. There were five children I was the eldest and my baby sister was born when I was 16. Peggy and I and Mom are all that is left of the family. Without a very strong faith in our Father we could not survive. He is my constant companion.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09560670984685851540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071872512288815488.post-12984437921158095352015-07-11T08:57:49.919-04:002015-07-11T08:57:49.919-04:00Karen,
I would have been giggling, too, at your gr...Karen,<br />I would have been giggling, too, at your granddaddy's references to the Nutts. Ha. Stories on the front porch...such a precious time of multi-generational bonding and strengthening. Once again, we see how stories tug at our heartstrings.Holly Muellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00476411667354933648noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071872512288815488.post-10722231155659508382015-07-11T08:12:45.018-04:002015-07-11T08:12:45.018-04:00Is it bad that I have come to love and appreciate ...Is it bad that I have come to love and appreciate the cautionary tales because of the strong drive to my Father? Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00610530609277014354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071872512288815488.post-17806452979957573252015-07-11T07:44:00.287-04:002015-07-11T07:44:00.287-04:00How come it is the cautionary tales, after we have...How come it is the cautionary tales, after we have used up our resources that we turn to God? Shouldn't He be our primary resource? I am guilty as well.<br />Tom WayAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071872512288815488.post-7521229497204448992015-07-10T22:18:51.127-04:002015-07-10T22:18:51.127-04:00Karen, what fun to remember those good times of yo...Karen, what fun to remember those good times of your youth - thank you for sharing! I could see an image of the porch in my mind and sense your joy. It helped me recall still, quiet country nights at my aunt and uncle's farm when I was little. Lovely memories.<br /><br />I agree with Jane, that those stories become more precious as we age. I find myself wanting to delve further into my lineage as I get older, aware that some stories are heart-warming while others become a cautionary tale. Both types of stories have been significant in my life - the first (heart-warming stories) for obvious reasons, the last (cautionary tales) because that is where I come to the end of myself and my resources and learn the depth of God's love and grace.<br /><br />JeriAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071872512288815488.post-6275083049941440472015-07-10T21:44:14.627-04:002015-07-10T21:44:14.627-04:00Tom, thank you for sharing that verse - it is alwa...Tom, thank you for sharing that verse - it is always one that humbles and touches me. <br /><br />JeriAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071872512288815488.post-33270353439982545952015-07-10T14:17:48.574-04:002015-07-10T14:17:48.574-04:00In this string of posts, the differing language ab...In this string of posts, the differing language about us and God is striking. We are disappointing, fleeting, selfish, having flings, inattentive--in short, we are sinful and unworthy. God is trying, wanting, forgiving, loving in spite of our unworthiness. Like the potter and clay analogy, we are lumps of clay--useless, unformed, and lacking beauty until we yield to the potter/God who can mold us into forms of beauty and purpose.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16957820599621664726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071872512288815488.post-65173420835693544982015-07-10T14:06:56.644-04:002015-07-10T14:06:56.644-04:00Thinking about "the generations before me&quo...Thinking about "the generations before me" --it is a curiosity we all seem to have to know our roots, to record the family tree. Interestingly, genealogy seems to be important to God as well--like the record in Matthew's gospel tracing Jesus's ancestry all the way back to Adam. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16957820599621664726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071872512288815488.post-12333649426941564502015-07-10T13:57:05.559-04:002015-07-10T13:57:05.559-04:00Karen, you share how important family stories are....Karen, you share how important family stories are. As we grow older, they mean more and more. Being in the family of God is like that, isn't it. :-) Thank you for sharing your sweet memories.<br />Jane Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071872512288815488.post-49547554594847004962015-07-10T09:48:05.054-04:002015-07-10T09:48:05.054-04:00Jesus understood the unconditional love of childre...Jesus understood the unconditional love of children.<br />If God is love........<br />Then the kingdom of God is love........<br />Thus, to enter the kingdom one must love as only a child can love.<br /><br />"And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matt 18:3 NIV)<br /><br />Tom WayAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071872512288815488.post-48182913526148525682015-07-09T22:11:39.173-04:002015-07-09T22:11:39.173-04:00I love this Karen! I would have loved to sit on th...I love this Karen! I would have loved to sit on that front porch with you! Especially loved the "He writes the story on our hearts"Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00610530609277014354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071872512288815488.post-42356270818731207412015-07-09T22:07:41.133-04:002015-07-09T22:07:41.133-04:00"But take heart! I have overcome the world!&q..."But take heart! I have overcome the world!" oh how many times have I forgotten that. Thank you Tom for sharing and bringing remembrance.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00610530609277014354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071872512288815488.post-73246553311488378912015-07-09T22:01:19.274-04:002015-07-09T22:01:19.274-04:00Jeri, thank you for sharing your experiences with ...Jeri, thank you for sharing your experiences with this " unfathomable love and forgiveness". I have seen these very things in my own childhood, in my extended family, and families that I serve at the Y. I never understood it, but always wanted to. I will be checking out that book too...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00610530609277014354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071872512288815488.post-58007449804355736892015-07-09T21:55:13.699-04:002015-07-09T21:55:13.699-04:00Well stated Tom! Like Holly I resound with these s...Well stated Tom! Like Holly I resound with these snippets and David's heart when he asked, "who am I that you would love me?"Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00610530609277014354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071872512288815488.post-89593858942464032302015-07-09T20:24:20.540-04:002015-07-09T20:24:20.540-04:00I was really struck by what John Eldredge says abo...I was really struck by what John Eldredge says about how we need to know that love is real and that it endures, that a world of love is planned for us and waits for us, and that we can count on it. That is so true!<br />"I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jer 29:11) and what about "I go to prepare a place for you. and If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also." (John 14:3). We have that assurance! God not only gives us that assurance in His Word, but He writes the story on our hearts! <br />As a child, I remember sitting on my grandparents front porch, listening to the grownups catching up on all the news from that little town in Arkansas. Somehow, the Nutt family would always come up. My Granddaddy would say something like, "Yep, she was a Nutt. There was a whole family of Nutts in that area". As I look back, I know he said that for my benefit, because I always had to giggle at the thought of a whole family of Nuts! Granddaddy was a story teller and told lots of funny stories about growing up bilingual in Missouri (German and English). I have always felt like part of a larger story. But to feel like part of THE story - that feels really good! <br />I apologize if this is posted twice - it didn't seem to go through the first time.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09950612393836997163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071872512288815488.post-9479200246147185862015-07-09T17:29:10.915-04:002015-07-09T17:29:10.915-04:00Tom - so many snippets I love about this post: &qu...Tom - so many snippets I love about this post: "He always finds a remnant and begins the process all over again." I'm in constant amazement about that. WHY does he continually try to woo me back? I'm hopeless it seems! And the word "flings" - that's a perfect description of our feeble attempts to commune with Him. "His forgiveness is abundant even though our love is fleeting." Thank GOD!Holly Muellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00476411667354933648noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071872512288815488.post-90359613061578119562015-07-09T13:46:08.891-04:002015-07-09T13:46:08.891-04:00One of the major story lines in the bible is how G...One of the major story lines in the bible is how God continually tries to be in relationship with us and his creation. Unfortunately we always disappoint. While having brief "flings" with God we always fall away and embrace selfish wants. But God never gives up, He always finds a remnant and begins the process all over again. It is not enough that you or I love God and are in intimate relationship with him. God wants his ENTIRE creation to be in relationship with Him and each other. His forgiveness is abundant even though our love is fleeting.<br />Tom WayAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071872512288815488.post-47710946458806504172015-07-08T20:45:18.299-04:002015-07-08T20:45:18.299-04:00Bring a parent of 4 children the miracle of birth...Bring a parent of 4 children the miracle of birth never got old. Creation at it finest, I am still in awe. Such a small chapter..such a BIG event,<br />Tom WayAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071872512288815488.post-43620507178690777382015-07-08T20:38:30.664-04:002015-07-08T20:38:30.664-04:00Gosh, I can't imagine what it must be like for...Gosh, I can't imagine what it must be like for a parent to have a child be away at war or the possibility of being at war. That's when faith and trust in God and the bigger story is the hardest to hold on to, but so necessary! Thank you for sharing this.Holly Muellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00476411667354933648noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071872512288815488.post-73445782103623576272015-07-08T20:34:28.962-04:002015-07-08T20:34:28.962-04:00It does seem to be most clear that there is a bigg...It does seem to be most clear that there is a bigger story going on when a baby is born! Many past generations go into the DNA of that baby, and the combinations make something completely unique. "We are all invited in" into the fabric of forever!Holly Muellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00476411667354933648noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071872512288815488.post-20178648343933708322015-07-08T20:29:54.492-04:002015-07-08T20:29:54.492-04:00Isn't that something that abused children stil...Isn't that something that abused children still want to go home? It IS shocking that children have such a capacity to love and forgive. The Boyle book sounds good, Jeri. Holly Muellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00476411667354933648noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071872512288815488.post-80868187486916221032015-07-08T18:48:35.485-04:002015-07-08T18:48:35.485-04:00Tom Way Question 3: Being part of a larger story.....Tom Way Question 3: Being part of a larger story.....<br />I wrote the reflections and poem below in 2006.<br /><br />Sharlotte and I flew to Norfolk, Va. to visit our son, Matt. There were a number of reasons we flew out.<br />1) To see the church where he’d be married in September and to see the reception hall where we would celebrate his marriage.<br />2) Matt turned 24 last Sunday, we celebrated his birthday.<br />3) Matt re-enlisted for 3 more years. We went to support his decision.<br /><br />With all that was going on, Matt re-enlisting, caused me to reflect during the flights out and back. The words of the prophet Jeremiah are most appropriate for one of my most vivid memories of Matt’s naval career to date.<br /><br />We hoped for peace <br />but no good has come, <br />for a time of healing <br />but there was only terror. ( Jeremiah 8:15 NIV)<br /><br />I’ll never forget Sunday September 9th, we had brought dinner to Matt and ate with him in the mess aboard his ship. 2 days later, 9/11, terrorism gripped the world and I wondered when I would see Matt again<br />. <br /><br />We hoped for peace… but there was only terror.<br /><br /><br />The rest of my reflections are summarized in this prayer.<br /><br />Six years ago<br />He came to me<br />“Dad, I’ve signed up,<br />I’m off to sea”<br /><br />And from my porch,<br />My tears did well.<br />I watched his friends,<br />Bid him farewell.<br /><br />He’s been to sea,<br />And back again.<br />And now a girl,<br />Is his best friend.<br /><br />The world has changed,<br />Since he’s been in.<br />The war on terror,<br />We try to win<br /><br />LORD, Peace on earth<br />Is all I pray<br />So, that my son,<br />At home, will stay <br /><br />I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV)<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071872512288815488.post-26278492011084276292015-07-08T15:04:13.942-04:002015-07-08T15:04:13.942-04:00Discussion Question 3:
Eldridge says, "Someth...Discussion Question 3:<br />Eldridge says, "Something preceded us. Something good. ...Life doesn't rest on our shoulders, but invites us up into it." There have been 3 special times in my life when I was swept over by a wave of feeling about the larger story. Upon the birth of my daughter Holly, I remember the impactful realization that there was a line of women before me - my mother, grandmothers, great-grandmothers and on back in my lineage, whose DNA, love, and Christian beliefs were carried to me, and now, through me, to a new generation. The same feelings swept me again at the births of my 2 granddaughters. But this time, I was further back in the line, and realized that they will be going into a future beyond what I will see. I think that glimpse of continuity gave me a taste of God's long, larger story. His Epic, so grand that Ecclesiastes says we cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end, overwhelms me. Isn't it miraculous that we are all invited in! I'm so grateful for the generations before me, and that God is weaving Holly, Libby, and Katie and all of us into the rest of the story, all the way to the finale. What an amazing, loving, magnificent Author!<br />Jane M.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071872512288815488.post-74945088105687768892015-07-08T07:47:16.533-04:002015-07-08T07:47:16.533-04:00Right now I'm reading Home, a book by Toni Mor...Right now I'm reading Home, a book by Toni Morrison--and the theme of the novel resonates so well with what Jeri has written. Like the prodigal son, we all long for home and the affirming love of a father. What a comfort it is to know that in our heavenly Father, we have that eternal home and love.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16957820599621664726noreply@blogger.com