Life with Sally

My assistants and I have chosen special, old podcast episodes to share with you so that I can take a break from that for a few weeks. After all these years of sharing my life and encouragement with you, there are some episodes that have particularly resonated with my listeners and that have had the most listens. I am looking forward to sharing these episodes with you over the next few weeks.

We see that dark nights of the soul are a part of a faith journey with our precious shepherd in this broken world. That is when I need to gently reach for His hand and heart, walk slowly through each season with His kindness, compassion leading me.

You'll have to listen to our podcast today to hear how the Lord miraculously brought this together and made it a possibility—a long life dream come true.

Gentleness grows stronger with practice. It comes with humility. It grows as wisdom and takes root in the heart that values the ones she loves.

There is something sacred about life celebrations. To underline and commemorate a life accomplishment, a normal day, a birthday, or just life, gives the person value, adds importance. Celebrations live in the hearts, minds, souls of the one celebrated for a lifetime and gives hope and courage when hard times come.

In April of 2003, my husband Clay released his book, Heartfelt Discipline , with the most beautiful study of reaching the hearts of children, giving them a vision for the life of relationships, faith, character, values through personal relationship, love and biblical training.

Training our children to commit to godly character happened day in day out, correction, instruction, taking time, learning to be gracious in relationships, working hard to complete a task, years of training in the midst of normal life circumstances.

I love historical biographies that inspire, give me a model of faith I can learn from, have full-bodied Christian women who call me to my best self and stay with me for decades. Lilias Trotter has been a favorite Victorian role model for me for quite a while. It just happens, a very dear friend of mine just released an excellent, soul-filling book about her life.

Words must also be initiated to be useful. It is no good just thinking appreciation. Words are water to thirsty souls, food to hungry hearts. May we pour out a flood of great words today and see the lives of people who need to hear God's voice, be changed by the grace that He uses through us to give to them who are longing for a touch from His Spirit.

Today, I am quite tired to my bones, but it is a good tired. I never knew God would give me 4 children, or that they would live far, far from home. Or that I would have the privilege to have a ministry amongst kindred spirits all over the world.

We must persevere, to subdue, to create beauty in our world. When the walls within our home bring safety, the music brings comfort, the food satisfies the body, the touch brings affection, the words bring hope, we are like the Holy Spirit—bringing the reality of God to the dark places of our world.

Lifegiving words have deep, abiding power. It is through words that we come to understand the truth about the Lord.

I am so excited today to be able to tell you about a wonderful new book that is coming into the world today. My lovely daughter in law, Keelia Clarkson, is sending out her first book, Chapter One Again.

Do you remember that He has come, that He is coming, that He continues to call men and women to Himself? Do you live your life with an eye open to the eternal things God might want to do in your own life? To love your neighbor, give to the needy, spread light?

Do I say, "yes" to God, give myself to serve in whatever way He asks?

Faithfulness happens over thousands of days, years, of laying down our lives.

There is a depth of love and a sense of "belonging to one another," a completeness, when I can be with my adult children and grandchildren.

I will be gone for one more week, but I will keep trying to make at least short podcast to tell you where I've been. Have a great week! And be sure to make something new and creative to delight yourself and your family.

Today was a really fun podcast and recording with Ainsley and my dear friends who have been a part of God's movement through our lives into this world.

Without love, we become noisy gongs, clanging symbols, and fail to reach hearts of our people with messages of truth. Love is the most profound reflection of Christ in a fallen world.