Wednesday Wanderings with Dr. Sherri is biweekly and a time we set aside to wander in the Presence of Jesus and ponder His truths. When you are ready, prepare your mind, body, and soul to have a transformational encounter with Jesus.

Watch the Wednesday Wanderings Welcome for this week.

Now that we have cleared our minds of the clutter, we can wander on the journey with Jesus.

PREPARATION: In our last Wandering with Dr. Sherri, we examined guidance through darkness. This week we will investigate Hope.  When you are ready, you may begin the dialogue with Jesus and state: “Jesus, I invite you to help me to leisurely wander into your Presence. Prepare my heart to receive, and illuminate my spiritual senses to encounter you.”

PROMISE: Ephesians 1:18 Amplified Bible

¹⁸ And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people).

The songwriter knew that when we fall, shame and guilt appear to block our remorse and kill, steal, and destroy our repentance. In those times we must remember what hope looks like, feels like, and smells like. What does hope look like, feel like, and sound like to you?

PARABLE: 

During these uncertain times, HOPE is something that can be hard to see, hear, or feel. As I rewatched Black Panther starring Chadwick Boseman, I was reminded of what hope looks like, feels like, and smells like. Chadwick took Hollywood by surprise and gave a hopeful message that in Christ we too–in the struggle– can use our superpowers and be hope givers. Few people knew that he was dying of colon cancer as he played African American icons such as James Brown, Thurgood Marshall, and Jackie Robinson in Hollywood films. The first African American superhero icon Chadwick Boseman passed away this weekend but not without leaving a legacy of hope to all races to not give up in the face of adversity. He used his days wisely letting his light shine through the obstacles and choosing to be a hope giver.

Perhaps you are stumbling to stand in hope or maybe you need additional encouragement to keep standing. Find joy in knowing that the light of hope is shining even as the public display of disparities in health and social justice rise and anxiety and depression and use and abuse of substances and violence increase. There is a Hope Giver named Jesus who is providing us with light in our darkness through the hope of other’s faith displayed.

I leave you with the words of Chadwick Boseman“When God has something for you, it doesn’t matter who stands against it. God will move someone that’s holding you back away from the door and put someone there who will open it for you, if it’s meant for you. I don’t know what your future is, but if you are willing to take the harder way, the more complicated one, the one with more failures at first than successes, the one that has ultimately proven to have more meaning, more victory, more glory then you will not regret it. Now, this is your time. The light of new realizations shines on you today.”

PONDER and WANDER:  If you choose, take time to ponder these questions: Is it your season to be a hope giver or a hope receiver? If you are to be a hope giver, who are you assigned to? If you are to be a hope receiver, who is supposed to encourage you to hope?
Soul care training exercise:  There are times when we need to allow Jesus to hold the space of hope for ourselves and others.  If you choose, when you are ready, invite the Holy Spirit to help you HOPE.

• First, Hope in Jesus. He can restore our contrite hearts. Tell him when you are feeling hopeless. Tell him when you feel hopeful.
• Next,  Open your heart to search if this is your season to be a hope receiver or a hope giver.
• Then, Pray and seek Jesus to fill you with an abudance of hope.
• Finally, Enjoy the gift of hope .

PRAYER: Jesus, thank you that I can find hope in you. Help me to be a hope giver and share it with those you have assigned me to. In the hopeful name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

PRAISE: Now that you have emptied your mind of the clutter and wandered with Jesus, take a closing moment to breathe in and let the work of your wandering fill you with hope.

Then take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes of wandering into the next ones and beyond.

Until next time, be Resonant.

The post What is your hope appeared first on Resonant 7.

_{Image Attributions:
Hope in Jesus: Photo by Tia Cifferno with text added
What does Hope feel like: Photo by Renee Morgan with added text
Hope Giver: Photo by Mary Shortreed with added text}

BONUS REFLECTION: If you choose, take seven minutes to do this bonus hope reflection.

Wednesday Wanderings with Dr. Sherri is biweekly and a time we set aside to wander in the Presence of Jesus and ponder His truths. When you are ready, prepare your mind, body, and soul to have a transformational encounter with Jesus.

Watch the Wednesday Wanderings Welcome for this week.

Now that we have cleared our minds of the clutter, we can wander on the journey with Jesus.

PREPARATION: In our last Wandering with Dr. Sherri, we examined Being Lost in Darkness and Found in the Light of God. This week we will investigate being Guided through the darkness by the River of Life.  When you are ready, you may begin the dialogue with Jesus and state: “Jesus, I invite you to help me to leisurely wander into your Presence. Prepare my heart to receive, and illuminate my spiritual senses to encounter you.”

PROMISE: Psalm 30:5 Common English Bible 

Weeping may stay overnight, but by morning, joy!

When the darkness appears and the night draws near
And the day is past and gone
At the river I stand
Guide my feet, hold my hand
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

Thomas Dorsey, the author of this hymn, knew that when darkness appears and the night grows near and days have past and gone, God is near. In the midst of the dark night of the soul Dorsey leaned into the darkness, pleaded for God to guide His feet, and Hold his hand and sought the river of life to guide him home.

PARABLE:   Unexpected and debilitating grief can leave us in despair and try to convince us that nothing good can come from this place. I confess that I have believed this several times in my life, including recently.  I have struggled with an endless season of grief for over three years.   I have cried enough tears to form a river. I have cried out, “Lord, here I stand at the river.”  I have lost words and had nothing but utterances. Yet, the Holy Spirit interceded within those groans too deep for words. 

From the drought in my heart, the Holy Spirit guided me to the rivers of living water that flow within my soul. Yes, in the dark night of the soul, there is a transforming river of life within us. Darkness is never so dark that we are lost. God’s light will always find us and in the mourning shine His light and trade our spirit of heaviness for a garment of praise, and move us from a stumbling crawl to a stance as strong as a mountain. 

God did not remove the darkness but He did meet me in it. He chose to have me seek a glimpse of the SONshine. Over the last few months, God has been leading me to moments on my mat, stretching my mind, body, and soul past my comfort zone into the stretch zone of new possibilities. Some of these transforming moments were done in silence, solitude, and Holy Listening. Some were done in crises, clutter, and chaos.

Perhaps you are living through a dark night of the soul, have just come out of one, or are headed into one. No matter which is appropriate for you, in your times of darkness, God’s present to you is His Presence. To feel His Presence we may have to attune our ears in the chaos–through the chaos like a hunting hound who hears the silent whistle. We may have to turn our tear burning gaze to God. We may have to choose to be mindful that the Holy Spirit–in the darkness–will guide us to the River of Life whether in solace, clutter or chaos. Standing in our river of tears we can invite Him to lead us home to the safety of His arms.As we surrender, weeping may stay overnight but by morning joy will come.

PONDER and WANDER:  Can we find God in the darkness? Yes and the Holy Spirit will GUIDE us to the river of life.

Soul care training exercise:  Whatever is present in your life that is hindering the SON from shining, the Holy Spirit can GUIDE you through it. If you choose, when you are ready, invite the Holy Spirit to GUIDE you through these steps.

• First, Give room for Holy Listening.
• Next,  Unclutter your mind, body, and soul.
• Then, Invite God’s Presence
• Now, Do nothing but be with God.
• Finally, Engage your mind, body, and soul in the process.

Whether in silence, solace, or solitude or crisis, confusion, or chaos, we can find God in the darkness. As we follow the guidance of The Holy Spirit we will not walk in darkness because we have the light of life.

PRAYER: Father, you are light in the darkness. When I am experiencing a drought, you are the river of life that floods my soul. Keep me walking toward your light. In the promises of Jesus I pray,  Amen. 

PRAISE: Now that you have emptied your mind of the clutter and wandered with Jesus, take a closing moment to breathe in and let the work of your wandering fill you with His healing light.

Then take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes of wandering into the next ones and beyond.

Until next time, be Resonant.

The post Guide me River of Life appeared first on Resonant 7.

_{Image Attributions:
Weeping may stay: Bible Gateway Psalm 30:5 image
River of Life and Guide: photos by Tia Cifferno with text added}

BONUS REFLECTION: If you choose, take five minutes to do this bonus reflection and contemplate which direction the River of Life is taking you.

Wednesday Wanderings with Dr. Sherri is biweekly and a time we set aside to wander in the Presence of Jesus and ponder His truths. When you are ready, prepare your mind, body, and soul to have a transformational encounter with Jesus.

Watch the Wednesday Wanderings Welcome for this week.

Now that we have cleared our minds of the clutter, we can wander on the journey with Jesus.

PREPARATION: In our last Wandering with Dr. Sherri, we examined Trusting God. This week we will investigate Being Lost in Darkness and Found in the Light of God.  When you are ready, you may begin the dialogue with Jesus and state: “Jesus, I invite you to help me to leisurely wander into your Presence. Prepare my heart to receive, and illuminate my spiritual senses to encounter you.”

PROMISE: John 8:12

¹² Once more Jesus addressed the crowd. He said,
I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me
will not walk in the darkness but will have the Light of life.

Thomas Dorsey, the author of this hymn, like others also wrote from a heart of despair. History tells us that he was in St. Louis being featured as an artist during a revival meeting when he received the telegram announcing that his wife died and soon after, his newborn son also died. Receiving this announcement in this manner was enough to bring him physically and spiritually to his knees.

PARABLE: Grief, loss, guilt, pain, and other life circumstances can lead us to dark nights of the soul. If we are not careful, they urge us to turn away from God. Depression can become our companion as the inner talk of “could of, would of, and should of” invades our sanity. The feelings associated with grief and loss are natural. Depression is when we experience persistent sadness and loss of interest.

Our brain’s natural tendency to focus on the negative can draw us into a physically, emotionally, and spiritually draining tsunami and numb us from experiencing the pain. I understand sorrow being so heavy that you want to escape. I know what the dark curtains of depression can do to our spiritual light. Trying to run from the pain can exhaust us. To heal, we have to confess that we are tired, weak, feel alone, and are lost in the darkness. To overcome the difficult thoughts, feelings, and sensations associated with our tragedy we must recognize, acknowledge, and investigate the darkness and allow Jesus, the Light of the World to nurture the pain.

God never leaves us but in times of loss, isolation, and depression, we can feel alone. It is during these times that spiritual warfare is occurring and the evil one is coercing us to keep our emotional distress a secret. This is when we must do the opposite and ask for help! From our fallen stance of sadness and hopelessness, we must seek God’s hand to lead us to the light. We must also recognize God has equipped some of His children to lead you into the light of God’s Healing Presence. He has placed someone in your life to walk with you on your journey toward hope, healing and health. When you find yourself in the darkness, invite God to take your hand, lead you out of the darkness, and to help you stand.  

PONDER and WANDER:  When you find yourself in the darkness, how do you get to the light? Who has God placed in your life that will be your designated flashlight one step at a time as you walk towards Jesus?

Soul care training exercise: If you choose, when you are ready, invite the Holy Spirit to help you to ponder these questions:

• First, consider the question, Am I secretive about my emotional distress?
• Next,  reflect on the question, Do I seek support from others in times of distress and how?
• Then, consider if you are currently experiencing emotional distress, isolation, and/or dark thoughts (click here to take a depression survey).
• Now, Ask God to take your hand and to lead you to help that you may see His light in this darkness.
• Finally, share your distress with a friend, family member, spouse, or counselor.

God has a plan for you to walk in His light. It may include allowing someone else to be the flashlight to your recovery. Hold on to His hand, with His guidance, you can stand. If you are not experiencing any darkness, ask yourself who in my life may need me to shine light? Do you have a friend who lives alone, someone experiencing a challenging time, someone who needs you to listen? Allow God to direct you to that person lost in darkness and direct them to The Light.

PRAYER: Jesus, sometimes the circumstances of life are dark and I get tired and too weak to see past the current moment. BUT… You are the Light of the World. Help me to be transparent with my emotional distress. Surround me with light-bearers who light my path toward healing by shining their lights on You. In the healing name of Jesus I pray, Amen. 

PRAISE: Now that you have emptied your mind of the clutter and wandered with Jesus, take a closing moment to breathe in and let the work of your wandering fill you with His healing light.

Then take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes of wandering into the next ones and beyond.

Until next time, be Resonant.

The post Trust in Him appeared first on Resonant 7.

_{Image Attributions:
Light bearing hand: Pixabay 
Take my hand: Belovedwomen.org photo with added text}

BONUS REFLECTION: Take a moment to let in the light of Jesus. You will find healing and hope in Jesus, the Light of the World.

Wednesday Wanderings is and a time we set aside to wander in the Presence of Jesus and ponder His truths. When you are ready, prepare your mind, body, and soul to have a transformational encounter with Jesus.

Watch the Wednesday Wanderings Welcome for this week.

Now that we have cleared our minds of the clutter, we can wander on the journey with Jesus.

PREPARATION: In our last Wandering with Dr. Sherri, we examined Abandonment and Trusting God. This week we will investigate ???????????????????.  When you are ready, you may begin the dialogue with Jesus and state: “Jesus, I invite you to help me to leisurely wander into your Presence. Prepare my heart to receive, and illuminate my spiritual senses to encounter you.”

PROMISE: Pslam 89:13 ESV 

Over these weeks we have focused on our need to hold onto God’s unchanging hand, and for good reason. His grip is true even when ours is not. What better time to trust in God’s grip than when we come to the end of this life. That trust effects not only how we face the end of this life, but how we live it as well.

Jennie (the writer of this hymn) must have experienced a sense of abandonment through the lost of her father, typhoid fever, and the loss of her legs. becoming an invalid.  Still, she choose to cling and trust in God who will never let us go.

PARABLE: Have you ever had a time when you really wanted to hold on to God’s unchanging hand but you just were not sure if you could anymore? A time or times when your strength has failed you? Or maybe it was a decision of the will. You made a conscious decision to let go, either to test God’s grip, or simply give Him the chance to demonstrate just how faithful He is.

If you have experienced either one or maybe even both of those painful realities, well, you are in good company because all of us have had those experiences whether or not we are honest enough to admit them. That is good news, we have all failed at one time or another, but there is even better news. God never fails. His grip never weakens or wearies.

How incredible is that? Even when we are faithless, He is faithful. Not sure about that. Read 2 Timothy 2;13 [ESV], “if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.” WOW! He never lets go!

You may have no trouble believing a weary hand would still be held by God, but a faithless one? Believe it. It’s true. Even when our faith lets go, He remains faithful.

So when we come to our end, and our strength is almost gone, and then totally gone, and our cold, lifeless hand can not longer cling to God’s…guess what? He will still be holding us. Once we place our faith in Him, He holds us secure forever. Take comfort today in the eternal grip of God.

So…How do we apply this truth today?  We put our faith in God’s hands, and rest that we are held eternally. 

PONDER and WANDER:  If you have ever struggled with a time when you faith waned, find comfort in this powerful truth. God is faithful!

Soul care training exercise: If you choose, when you are ready, complete the H.A.N.D. exercise that can help you to strengthen your trust in God.

• First, Humble yourself and admit there have been times your grip failed, and other times you chose to let go.
• Next,  Acknowledge God’s faithfulness in the midst of your faithlessness.
• Then, Nestle your hand snuggly in the strong hand of God today.
• Finally, Declare your intent to hold God’s hand through this life and in the next, and thank Him in advance for holding you even when you don’t.

PRAYER: Jesus, thank You for holding me even in the times I have left go do to failing strength of faith. How kind of you to keep me even then safely in Your hand.  In the strong name of Jesus I pray, Amen. 

PRAISE: Now that you have emptied your mind of the clutter and wandered with Jesus, take a closing moment to breathe in and let the work of your wandering fill you with strength.

Then take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes of wandering into the next ones and beyond.

Until next time, be Resonant.

The post Nestle Your Hand in God’s Today appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image Attributions
Mighty Arm – https://pixabay.com/vectors/arm-exercise-fist-flex-health-2029406/
Strong Hand – https://pixabay.com/vectors/fist-hand-gesture-power-strength-24468/