The Journey Of A Lifetime

Who doesn't want to take a journey of a lifetime? We all do. The good news is, my friend, you actually are on a journey of a lifetime. It's the life you are living right now.

When you think about it, we all are living the journey of our lives. Your journey is the sum of all things that happened in your past, what's going on in your life right now, plus all the events and moments yet to come. Thus, your journey is a summation of many parts! No one event necessarily defines you. (It can, but it doesn't have to.)

This journey of a lifetime is your journey. No one else can take it for you.

Caleb was a man who lived during Biblical times. His life was hard most of the time. He was born into slavery, fought battles for survival, lived in the desert for 40 years, and then fought more battles. But two things stick out about Caleb: the Bible says he had a different spirit and he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.

What was different about Caleb? The Bible doesn't exactly say, but my guess is that he was willing to trust God even when the road was difficult. Over and over Caleb witnessed God's faithfulness which helped him trust God even when things got hard. While others looked to the circumstances in defeat, Caleb kept his gaze on God. He viewed his circumstances through God's lens and it gave him the courage to move ahead. Caleb never let his circumstances define him because his focus remained on his great and mighty God.

Caleb never wavered in following God. He followed Him through the parting of the Red Sea, followed Him into the wilderness, and followed Him into battles.  What makes Caleb so special is how he followed God. In describing Caleb, the Bible tells us five times he followed the LORD wholeheartedly. Wholeheartedly is defined as: with complete commitment and sincerity. Caleb was all in! He knew His powerful and loving God and trusted Him especially in the most difficult times.

How do we, like Caleb, live wholeheartedly?

Remember God's faithfulness in both good and hard times.
Live each day with confidence knowing God promises to travel with you on your journey.
Look to each circumstance with full assurance of God's power and love.

Jesus never promised life would be without challenges. BUT he does promise this: He will go with you each and every day. This sounds like a journey worth taking!

Thoughts on Billy Graham, good coffee and great conversations

Great Conversation Happened Here

A couple of weeks ago, I had the fun privilege of visiting my friend Kelsey in Branson. My husband and I and our good friends were spending a weekend there. And since Kelsey goes to school in the area I texted her to see if she was available for coffee. She said yes. 

It just so happens that Kelsey’s cousin was visiting from Delaware, so the three of us settled in the local coffee shop to chat. Little did I know that our good conversation would soon turn out to be great conversation. 

Shortly after our trip to Branson, Billy Graham passed away. It’s been interesting reading news articles, listening to interviews and discussing with friends how Billy Graham affected their lives. In a story by George Bush, he describes a one-on-one conversation with Billy Graham that turned his life around. Kathie Lee Gifford tells how Reverend Graham sat in her home and read the Christmas story to her children (for her first ever TV Christmas special). 

Many have pondered who will take Billy Graham’s place. The answer of course is no one. However, we should not be discouraged by that, because the world is full of people who love God like Billy Graham loved God. 

Back in Branson, Kelsey, her cousin and I visited a lot about my new book, A Wild & Wonderful Life. Before long, it became obvious that our conversation was going to a deeper level than I anticipated. Kelsey’s cousin asked me, “How do I begin to have a Wild & Wonderful Life?” At that moment, I realized our good conversation had just turned into great conversation. As the three of us sat and talked about loving Jesus, I couldn’t help but think this is exactly what Billy Graham did: Share Jesus. Talk about Jesus. Or even introduce someone to Jesus. 

Billy Graham certainly made an impact on the Kingdom through Crusades. But, from the stories I have heard recently, his personal conversations were equally important. Who’s going to carry on Billy Graham’s work in the future? We are. We are going to have great conversations with people we care about and share Jesus with them. In this way, all of us will impact our world — just like Billy did.  

 A Wild & Wonderful Life is available 

on Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Sharing Stories Across the Miles

On November 15, I launched my first book, 
A Wild & Wonderful Life. 

Since then, I have received countless support through emails, handwritten notes, phone calls, and words of encouragement. I’d like to share a quick story from Kameron, a friend of my son who lives in Birmingham, Alabama. The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we were all tailgating before the Auburn/Alabama game when he told me this:

From Kameron:

“On Thanksgiving, I was telling my dad that you had written a new book and I was thinking about giving a copy to my grandmother for Christmas. As we were talking, my grandmother entered the room.”

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“My friend’s mom has a new book that I think you would enjoy.”

“What’s the name of the book?”

“A Wild and Wonderful Life.”

With that, my grandmother turned and left the room. A few minutes later she returned, with a copy of A Wild & Wonderful Life in her hand. 

“How in the world did you know about the book?” I asked.

“My friend Laura wrote a blog about it and suggested to her readers that we should all get a copy, so I did.

This Laura, who Kameron’s grandmother was speaking about, is a dear friend of mine from Austin, Texas. Laura traveled to Kansas City to support me at the book launch party. As it turns out, Laura is also a dear friend of Kameron’s grandmother who lives in Birmingham, Alabama.

I love this story because it shows how word of mouth travels. From Kansas City, to Austin to Birmingham, in less than 10 days, my little book made an appearance because someone told someone else about it!

Life is wild for sure, but most definitely it is wonderful when your story includes Jesus. I pray that as you read my new book, you will experience the immeasurably more that a life with Him offers. And then, I hope you will share your Jesus story with someone else. If you do, who knows, I may just hear about it in Kansas CIty!

available on Amazon

Will you help spread the word? If you’re a member of a group (church group, book club, women’s group, or any organization) I would love to share or discuss my book and my Jesus story. Please contact me at susanc@morethanyouimagine.org and I would be glad to schedule a time.