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Jan 10 2021

Giving God your zero

Social media is certainly interesting right now—with lots of upheaval on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Parler.

Many who have enjoyed a robust following are finding the bottom is dropping out seemingly overnight.

Others are being banned for “violating” the rules in some way.

And still others are voluntarily calling it quits on platforms with which they can no longer agree.

The result?

The need to start from zero somewhere else.

With zero content and zero followers—completely starting from scratch.

Of course, some are finding they don’t have a choice in the matter—but others are doing so as a matter of choice.

I made that choice over a year ago, leaving Facebook and later Twitter, too.

Starting from zero with God

All that got me thinking about the dynamics of starting from scratch.

Of the willingness to give God our zero and trust Him with the outcome of doing so.

I read about four guys who did the same during my devotionals this morning: Andrew, Peter, James, and John.

In Matthew 4:18-22, we read the description of how they became Jesus’ followers:

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.

21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

NIV

When Jesus called them to follow Him, they immediately got up, left everything and everyone behind, and did exactly that.

I wonder how many of us would be willing to do that today.

To leave behind our comfortable lives and follow Jesus into the unknown.

To give Him our zero and trust Him with it.

To do what’s needed in the context of our call to put His kingdom first.

His will be done.

On Earth, as it is in Heaven.

The willingness to leave what’s familiar, to depart previous success, and start from scratch can be a hard thing to do.

But God will honor your willingness to do exactly that.

If you trust Him with your zero and step with Him into whatever He has next.

Written by Sue Montgomery · Categorized: Graceful Aging · Tagged: Prayer, Priorities, Social media, Trusting God

Jan 09 2021

Medical Interventions—3 Things to Consider

When faced with healthcare challenges, it’s understandable that individuals may want to embrace promising medical interventions that are readily available.

However, before agreeing to any type of preventative or treatment-focused intervention, it’s important to keep three considerations in mind:

1. Your individual situation.

Everybody’s needs are different and each person’s situation is unique.

That’s true in terms of health conditions, health status, age, etc.

Consider your specific needs to help you determine whether a medical intervention is right for you.

To help you decide, discuss this with your healthcare provider and others whom you trust.

2. Informed consent.

Before agreeing to a medical intervention of any type, it’s critical that you fully understand what it is you’re agreeing to.

Learn all you can about the intervention—including expected side effects and any other questions you may have.

Remember that informed consent is important for any type of healthcare intervention—whether it’s focused on treatment or prevention.

2. Credible information.

Basing decisions on credible information is essential.

As such, it’s important to tap into sources you trust to provide it.

As you do, remember that agreeing to a medical intervention of any kind is your decision.

After all, only you can decide what’s best for you.

This post is adapted from Sue’s Perspectives column in the latest edition of The Empowered Traveler™ Newsletter. If you’re not already a subscriber, you can do that here: Subscribe to Sue’s newsletter.

Written by Sue Montgomery · Categorized: Graceful Aging, Perspectives · Tagged: COVID-19, Health, healthcare, Informed Consent

Jan 08 2021

The peace the world really needs

In the midst of the upheaval and uncertainty that surrounds us, many are seeking inner peace.

Which is what Jesus can provide.

His peace is different than what the world offers.

And that’s exactly what we need.

A lasting and effective alternative to the temporary, self-reliant solutions that will persistently fall short.

Trying to find inner peace within the chaos that surrounds us is impossible without Jesus.

Because only He can provide the consistent, powerful, and eternal peace we seek.

​John 14:27 (NIV), Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV), I Peter 5:7 (NIV)

Written by Sue Montgomery · Categorized: Bibles & Bathrobes™ · Tagged: Devotionals, devotions

Jan 07 2021

When is it okay to be silent?

I watched a video recently in which the speaker urged the “silent majority” to speak up.

While I understood what she was saying, her invitation also got me thinking about the dynamics of silence.

Now, me thinking about things can lead to a variety of scenarios.

If I’m trying to multi-task, that might mean that I put:

  • A dryer sheet in the washer.
  • The wrong pillowcases on the wrong pillows.
  • A double helping of mousse on my hair.

However, when I’m thinking in a more focused way about something like when-it’s-okay-to-do-this-or-that, I usually (hopefully) start with asking God what He thinks.

Since I try not to live in an echo chamber, the other thing I typically do is try to understand various perspectives.

Three camps of silence

When it comes to how individuals decide about being silent, I think it basically boils down to three camps:

  1. Those who are determined to remain silent.
  2. Those who may be willing to speak up for the right reasons.
  3. Those who are going to consistently trumpet their opinions.

That leads me to thinking about what kinds of dynamics influence who resides in which.

Factors that may influence silence

There could be a variety of factors at play, but generally, they may involve things like:

  • Personality. We’re all wired differently. Just because introverts are more likely to remain silent on a topic doesn’t mean they don’t care. And extroverts shouldn’t judge them for being true to themselves.
  • Stage in life. Older individuals often have the life experience and wisdom that informs whether they should or shouldn’t speak up. Those who are younger may be more impulsive and willing to jump into the fray.
  • Life goals. If you’re full of energy and ready to lead new initiatives, good for you. But if you’d prefer to focus on experiencing inner peace, good for you, too.
  • Priorities. While this is similar to life goals, what I’m referring to here is that each person’s situation is different. For some, their plates are quite full—as is the case for family caregivers or individuals dealing with health or other difficult issues. When this is the case, speaking up about various things likely isn’t the priority they’re focused on.  
  • Faith. This one could have many nuances, since there are various types of faith systems that people embrace. As you may know, I’m a Christian, so I live and write from that perspective—which is why I expand more on this below.
  • Perceived importance of the issue. Sometimes this is clear-cut, such as the need to advocate for the most vulnerable. Often, this is highly influenced by faith. It’s also a factor that each person has to decide for themselves.
  • Fear. Unfortunately, that’s a real thing in the world we live in. Some are afraid to speak up due to consequences that may occur if they do so—which, even more unfortunately may also be a real thing.
  • Courage. As you likely know, courage isn’t about the absence of fear, but the willingness to act in the face of it. I’d just like to point out that great acts of courage aren’t always visible. Instead, they may occur within small and individual acts that we’re never aware of.

Balancing silence with speaking up

Personally, I think all of those factors play into finding a balance between being silent and speaking up.

For me, it’s a matter of responding to the Holy Spirit‘s urging to become involved in something, take a stand, or make my opinions more visible in some way.

But to do so, I have to spend the focused time in prayer and study of the Word that’s needed to sense God’s leading.

While there is great power in speaking up, I think there is also great power in being quiet.

In being mindful and measured about how we communicate our opinions and views.

Our country is a mess right now and many are frustrated and overwhelmed.

In such an environment, it can be easy to have a knee-jerk response to current events.

I’m certainly tempted to do so at times.

But when I step back, pray, and wait on God‘s direction, then I can be more peaceful.

Because I’m responding to the Rock of His leading—instead of the shifting sands of my own emotions.

With such an approach, I can better engage with the world in the way God wants me to.

And reserve my focus and energy to exit silence and speak up about the things that matter most to Him.

Written by Sue Montgomery · Categorized: Graceful Aging · Tagged: Advocacy, Prayer, Priorities

Jan 06 2021

Pro-Life: Finding Your Place

This morning, I started reading pro-life leader Shawn Carney’s new book, To the Heart of the Matter.

If you don’t know who Shawn Carney is, he’s the President and CEO of 40 Days for Life, “The world’s largest grassroots movement to end abortion.”

This pro-life organization focuses on prayer and fasting, constant vigils of peaceful prayer outside abortion facilities, and community outreach.

With a short and simple format, To the Heart of the Matter is designed as a 40-day devotional that can be used in various ways, such as during one of the 40 Days for Life campaigns, during Lent, or any other time at all.

As you can see, I chose the last.

Though Carney’s tone in the book is positive, he doesn’t sugarcoat the grim and growing realities of abortion, noting that 56 million lives are claimed annually (p.2) and that “every 30 seconds a baby is lost to abortion” (p.5-6).

Heart-felt Language

Unfortunately, many in our society are willing to accept both the inhumane practice of abortion and statistics like these.

But they get up in arms about the use of what they view as inflammatory terms like the various tenses of “kill” to describe this brutal process.

With my nursing background, I’m more nurturer-than-activist, so I have to admit that I sometimes cringe at seemingly inflammatory pro-life language, too.

However, I know the intent behind is it to cast a spotlight on the stark realities of abortion.

Because the collective conscience of this world has seemingly become either dulled or deadened to what’s happening in our midst.

After all, abortion does kill.

It intentionally ends the life of a preborn baby.  

And it emotionally and spiritually scars mothers, fathers, and other family members.

So heart-felt language that exposes these realities is needed to take a stand against the abortion industry and those who support it.

But equally important is heart-felt language that extends a compassionate message of love and support toward those who are in need of exactly that.

To the desperate moms and dads who need to know there are alternative options available.   

Heart-led Efforts    

Fortunately, there are many pro-life organizations that are finding a way to strike that type of balance.

There are three I particularly like in this context, since they all provide compassionate and supportive services to those in need—while also leading the way to help stop abortion for good:  

  • 40 Days for Life—which I previously described.
  • Heartbeat International—which is a global network that offers an array of supportive services, including the Option Line and the Abortion Pill Rescue Network® (APRN).
  • And Then There Were None—which helps abortion clinic workers leave the abortion industry.  

Of course, there are many other wonderful organizations doing similarly great work—but these are three that I learned about in my journey to taking a pro-life stand.

Finding Your Pro-Life Place

In his book, Carney describes the struggle many face regarding understanding how they can help to end abortion.

He says many who are helping to do so accomplish this “not by speaking or writing about the culture of life but by living the culture of life every day by doing small things with great love. …They go to the heart of the matter” (p.4).

For me, that boils down to both living a life of love on a daily basis and taking whatever steps we can to contribute to this critical effort.

With growing numbers of abortion-minded individuals being elected at various levels of government, the need is greater than ever for each Christian to find a way to become involved.

I certainly don’t mean to limit that to Christians, because it would be better still if those who don’t yet know Jesus would also stand up for the preborn.

But I’m directing this message to Christians because there are a lot of us—and collectively, we can make a big difference in this fight.

However, like me, you may have been or may remain somewhat asleep regarding this issue.

Or—also like I was—you don’t want to create conflict with family members or friends who are pro-abortion (pro-choice may be the term they use, but the baby doesn’t have a choice, so…).

And—yep, me too—you may not know how to help or where to start or what your role should be.

Regardless of any of that, the Bible is clear that each life is precious and uniquely created by God.

And ending a life in the womb is wrong.

Thus, abortion is an issue Christians cannot ignore or remain on the sidelines about anymore.

Instead, it’s time for each of us to step in and do what we can to help end abortion.

Getting Started

If you’re not sure where to start, start with prayer.

Ask God to show you how He wants you to specifically be involved.

Then consider the following as a few simple and practical options to begin supporting pro-life organizations on the front lines:

  • Pray for pro-life efforts.
  • Donate financially.  
  • Volunteer in various roles.
  • Be a model of Jesus’ love.

I mention the last point because many young women who seeks abortions do so because they don’t feel they have the support they need from family and friends.

That’s the case for Charlie, the 16-year-old main character of my upcoming novel, Final Moment.  

So one of the most important ways you can help to end abortion is to be supportive.

Be the kind of friend, parent, grandparent or other family member whom others feel comfortable turning to.

Who provides the love, acceptance, and support a young woman needs.

Written by Sue Montgomery · Categorized: Graceful Aging · Tagged: Abortion, Pro-life

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