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/

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 Holding Hands with God. This week we will investigate Abandonment and Trusting 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: Hebrews 13:5b Amplified 

We can trust the history of God’s loving presence.  HIS-story has proved that He will not fosake us! There is no situation that can unhinge His hand from drawing us near and caring for us.

Trust in Him who will not leave you,
Whatsoever years may bring,
If by earthly friends forsaken
Still more closely to Him cling

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 to and trust in God who will never us.

PARABLE: When I think of feeling forsaken and abandoned, I see the vivid image of my ten year old self. I feel the hard concrete steps beneath my bottom. I feel and see the bright sunshine. I see the cars and delivery trucks riding down Milton Street. I smell the crisp dew of the morning air. I hear the sound of my siblings and neighborhood friends playing 4 square (also called A,B,C block). I hear them beckoning me to come and play. I respond, “I can’t. I’m waiting for my dad to come and pick me up.” I feel the hot sun beams from the heated cement, I see the street lights flickering on. I hear my mom saying, “You have to come in.” It’s eight o’clock at night and its dark. You can’t sit out here. I’m sorry. Your dad is not coming.” I taste the salt from my tears of abandonment. I feel the snot from my runny nose. I hear the whimper song of disappointment as I cry myself to sleep.

There were times when my father was unable to pick me up for our visitations due to working overtime at the steel mill. I now understand that the disappointment and anticipation of the waiting was a seed that the Evil One was planting. It would grow and become the root of why I would believe, act and feel that God my Heavenly Father could not be trusted and that He would forsake me. It was painting a picture of unhealthy and untrue God attachment that would take years to re-portrait.

Because we cannot physically see God, we forget that God is El Roi and He sees us.  Perhaps you have your own memories of how our trust in God is often based on our mistrust of others who have abandoned us. Regardless of what lies our past may try to tell us, our present self,  the Presence of Jesus can help us to live in the truth that we can trust in Him who will not leave us no matter what life brings.

So…How do we re-portrait the picture of abandonment?  We place our hand in Our God of hope and trust that He will never leave or forsake us.  

PONDER and WANDER:  In circumstances when we feel abandoned, we can trust the history of God’s love. HIS-story has proved that there is no situation that can unhinge His hand from caring for us.

Soul care training exercise: If you choose, when you are ready, complete the T.R.U.S.T. exercise that can help you to strengthen your trust in God.

• First, Turn over your memories of abandonment to Jesus.
• Next,  Recognize the lie that the Evil one is using to draw you away from the truth that God, El Roi is our God who sees you.
• Then, Understand that God is not like man. He will keep His promise to NEVER leave you.
• Now, Surrender the stronghold of the past memories of being abandoned to Jesus.
• Finally, Towards Jesus. Let the Holy Spirit lead and guide you to the arms of Jesus. Rest in His arms knowing He will never leave you.

PRAYER: Lord God, Help me to trust your track record more than I trace the memories of feeling abandoned. Let me know what it means to trust you with my whole heart. 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 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 Trust in Him appeared first on Resonant 7.

_{Image Attributions:
Trust God: Belovedwomen.org photo with added text
Trust: Belovedwomen.org photo with added text}

BONUS REFLECTION: Our experiences can damper our ability to put our total trust in God. If you choose, take five minutes to experience this T.R.U.S.T. guided reflection of placing our feelings of abandonment in the hands of God.

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 souls of the clutter, we can wander on the journey with Jesus.

PREPARATION: In our last Wandering with Dr. Sherri, we investigated Holding Hands with God. This week we will consider to what we are clinging.   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:  Proverbs 12:3 ESV 

 No one is established by wickedness,
     but the root of the righteous will never be moved.

In the first stanza we acknowledged that no one on earth is unmoved by the swift transitions of time. Think of a tree. When the wind blows, you see the evidence in the branches, maybe even in the trunk itself a bit, but not the roots. Even if the entire tree snaps off the roots almost always remain intact. The same is true of our souls. The events of life move us, but not at our core. That is safe with God. Where are your roots?

Jennie (the writer of this hymn) was that the things of this temporal life are faulty and failing.  At a young age she lost her father, and was also stricken with typhoid fever which left her an invalid. Yet from the lifetime seat of a wheelchair, she choose to put her roots deeply into the unchanging hand of God.

PARABLE: As I journeyed on the path below Newport Lake at Millcreek Park where I shot our welcome video, I was struck by how the trees along the path had grown. The landscape was pretty rocky with many stones exposed and a shortage of soil in any places. This left the roots of many trees exposed.

The tree above had succumb to what I can only imagine was a catastrophic storm which revealed the weakness of the trunk unequal to the strain. Even still the roots remained intact. I think of our hymn writer and what she endured yet remained hopefully holding to God’s unchaining hand.

I long for that kind of faith. Faith which allows me to hold on even when everything around me seems to be crumbling. Look at the root of this tree.  Even thought the soil in probably once grew through seems to have forsaken it, it is still more closely clinging to the rocks.

What an incredible picture of what our God invites us to do. Even when the things of earth forsake us, cling even more closely to Him. I am trying to exercise that faith today.  How about you?

How do you cope with the circumstances of life which leave your roots exposed? Will you keep holding on? Are your roots firmly established righteousness? Let’s take a few minutes and ponder that.

PONDER and WANDER:  As we walk through the storms of life, maybe even raging today, holding to God’s hand will reassure us that we do not journey alone. He is the Rock that that imbues us with righteousness not our own. That righteousness allows our roots to remain unmoved, even when all else fails.

The soul training ROOTS exercise can assist us in pressing deeply into God’s hands.

Soul care training exercise: If you choose, complete the R.O.O.T.S. exercise.

• When you are ready, clear your mind and invite the Holy Spirit to help you Root your soul into God’s hands by whatsoever means are necessary. God’s hand and hand over the weights that are holding you back from discovering the purpose of the pain.
• Next,  Open your heart that the Spirit may reveal and faulty soil into which you may have mistakenly put your the roots of your soul.
• Then, Open your hand and let go of any wickedness [faulty thinking or living] He may have revealed.
• Trust Him for the continued work of growth required for your roots to be ready to hold when the branches and even the very trunk of your life is swayed by the circumstances in this temporal plain.
• Finally, Set your hopes on things eternal which will give you a very different perspective to deal with even the most tragic of loses, including life itself, yours or others.

PRAYER: O God my Rock, root my soul in You again and deeper still today. For the storms of the today and the disappointments of tomorrow may my roots be true and founded on you. My strength is not enough for them, so I put my trust in You for this life and the next.  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 Rooted On the Rock appeared first on Resonant 7.

_{Image Attributions:
Millcreek Park, Newport Lake Dam and West Trail}