friendship | Elaine Olsen

Lunching with the Ancients

August 13, 2008

For my Tuesday ancients. I’ve written of you before, but today you caught my heart again. I love you all!

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.” (Hebrew 11:1-2).

I ate with the ancients today.

Now before anyone takes offense, you need to know that by my calling them “ancient,” I do so in the spirit of Hebrews 11:2.

Ancient. Presbuteros meaning “elder; of age; the elder of two people; advanced in life; a senior.”[i] And in the context of the scripture, an elder bearing the witness of a life built on the solid foundation of faith.

Yep. Those are my ancients—women seasoned with the grey and the wisdom of walking a long life with Jesus. We are in our fifth year of “doing lunch” on Tuesdays. We began gathering upon my family’s arrival to this community, and rarely have we missed a week in that time.

I seek them out wherever I go. The ancients. I suppose it won’t be long until others might consider me as one of theirs. It is a label I will humbly accept, for to be numbered alongside my ancients of today and the pilgrims in Hebrews 11 is, indeed, an honorable tribute.

The pilgrims that gathered today walk deep. On the surface, we may seem a little shallow, for rare is the occasion void of our laughter. We do our fair share of discussing politics, current events, doctor’s visits, and offering up of ideas on how to “fix” the problems in our church. Mostly, I just listen to their thoughts, and I am glad to do so, for they have stored up a lifetime of memories worthy of my pause.

But underlying all of our chatter, there runs a sacred thread of a well-spun truth that anchors us all to the table and keeps us coming back every Tuesday for more.

Faith, and the certainty of things therein.

For all of the changes that flood their current, there are a few things they would voice as certain. Things like…

This life is full of pain.
This life is full of joy.
This life is but a breath.
This life is not the end.
This life is to be celebrated because…
This life is a gift from God.

I bet that you have lived long enough to voice a few of these certainties as your own. It takes awhile to come to some conclusions in these matters. Our youthful immaturity and need for reasoned parameters often prohibits our clarity.

When pain is our present, it’s hard to reason the joy. When life fades to the certainty of death, it’s difficult to vision beyond the grave. And when celebration goes unnoticed—seemingly forgotten and pushed under because the urgent and desperate blankets the party with wet—well, life unwraps more like a tragedy rather than the sacred wrapping of a gracious God.

Indeed, it takes years of well-worn living to reach some conclusions in this matter called faith. My ancients have lived those years.

Some years have authored sad. Since moving here, three of my friends have buried husbands. One of them has buried a son. All of us have walked to the grave on behalf of loved ones—friends, family and one of our own named Maxine. Many have been escorted to the hospital because their bodies have betrayed them. Surgeries and procedures have been their portion. There are tears and remembrances a plenty that speak the witness of such sadness.

Some years have authored joy. Untold numbers of marriages and babies and graduations and birthdays have passed through their hands in our time together. There have been parties, vacations, and family reunions enough to fill a scrapbook the size of heaven. There are pictures and newspaper clippings that speak the witness of such treasured milestones.

My ancients know about years and about the threading the weaves them together. They know Jesus, and they are wild and wonderful and just on the other side of “crazy enough” to believe that He is the one who holds the needle that sews them ever closer to their eternal home.

They walk toward heaven, not from it. And if they harbor any fear in the matter, they keep it from me. Somehow, they realize that their faith, their hope, and their certainty about the season soon to come are needed commodities in a world that suffers from self-centeredness and short-sighted visioning. They’ve lived long enough to get over their bitter, to live with the unanswerable, and to surrender their need for control.

They simply live by faith, and not by sight. And they would all tell you that this is a really good way to live, considering that their temporal vision seems to fade with the passage of time. They have caught the vision of their forever, and that, my friends, is reason enough to lunch with the ancients every Tuesday.

I need to see, and they need to color the sacred canvas of their witness while the brush is yet strong and the paint is still wet. Like the saints of Hebrews 11, theirs is a portrait worthy of the throne room of heaven, and thus I pray this night with tenderness in my heart,

Thank you, Father, for surrounding my life with the ancients on Tuesdays. They breathe the witness of faith unlike any other women with whom I share my life. You knew I needed them, Lord, and with gratitude I accept their influence in my life. Script my heart with the certainty, hope, and faith in the truth of who You are. They are sure of their tomorrow. Let my life breathe with the same measure. And when we all finally reach our home with You in heaven, it sure would be nice to have a Tuesday table with our names on it. Please tell Maxine that we won’t be long in coming. Amen.

[i] http://studylight.org/desk/view.cgi?number=4245

~elaine

I would love to hear about the “ancients” who surround your life. If you don’t have any, find some! They are a treasure trove waiting to be discovered. Shalom.

Concluding Exhortations

June 29, 2008

“Let love of the brethren continue.” (Hebrews 13:1).

Concluding exhortations.

That was the topic of this morning’s adult Sunday school class. I am not on the circuit of regular teachers for this group of mature seniors, but I have been attending their class for nearly three years. I dearly love them, both collectively as a group and as individuals. Their words drip with wisdom, and their love breathes as genuine. They’ve lived long enough to find their compass—to anchor their hearts within a centered peace and an abiding faith that are not easily shaken.

So when I was asked to offer my voice as their leader, I welcomed the opportunity. Problem was…the invitation was issued a few months back, and in the busy of my past two weeks (i.e. vacation in Gatlinburg), I neglected its remembrance. Mid-week of my mountain retreat, I remembered and was tempted to bail. After all, I had left my curriculum guide at home and was weary with my lazy.

God gently reminded me that no curriculum was necessary. The truth of his Word, alone, was enough to carry me through. Thus, I contacted one of the class members to retrieve the scripture.

Hebrews 13:1-16.

A to-do list of sorts. Some final thoughts to punctuate the previous twelve chapters detailing the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ.

Loving one another.
Entertaining strangers.
Remembering those in prison.
Keeping sexual purity at a premium.
Keeping a love for money at a minimum.
Finding contentment in the “have”, realizing that the “have”—Jesus Christ—is all we’ll ever need.
Receiving the truth of that “have” as changeless—yesterday, today and forever.
Imitating the faith of the saints.
Guarding the Gospel as the truth.
Bearing the reproach of Christ.
Offering the praise of sacrifice.
Doing good and sharing that goodness with others.

Indeed. Some final, heavy thoughts, packed into sixteen verses of scripture duly categorized by modern-day translators as some…

Concluding exhortations.

And for all of the ways I could have taken the lesson this morning, sticking with the theme of this one phrase was the right way to go. Even though these words of organization are not included in the original manuscript, they are rich in their application, especially as it pertains to the contents of Hebrews 13.

I asked the class to consider their concluding exhortations. Exhortation, as found in Hebrews 13:22, is the Greek word paraklesis. It is a word meaning “encouragement, entreaty, consolation, admonition, importation, refreshment, and persuasive discourse.”[i] Thus, I challenged my pupils (whose wisdom and maturity surpass me by at least three decades) to pause and to consider what they might like to say as a concluding word of encouragement to those whom they love and to a world who desperately needs the exhortation of such Godly influence.

It is a tough question to ask, especially to souls who are aging and who, undoubtedly, live with some memories and pains and regrets that have shadowed them into these golden years of living. But tough is not always wrong, and this morning, tough was very right and became the tender soil of God’s plowing. I witnessed my students’ tears of understanding as we marshaled our way through sixteen verses of “forget-me-nots.”

They laced the discussion with their laughter, with their memories, with their truth and with God’s. And as quickly as the ten o’clock hour arrived, it left, and I was stunned by the provision of God’s grace and presence who arrived on the scene to partake in our discussion.

It is his promise to us, straight out of Hebrews 13:5-6.

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The LORD is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’”

Indeed, if there is one exhortation that breathes from the hearts of the Friendship Sunday School class, it is this simple truth. For all of the years traversed upon this earthly sod, there is God who has journeyed it with them. Fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty, and almost ninety year’s worth of walking it through with the LORD, Covenant God. Helper and Sustainer of life.

Man has already done his doing over their lives–years worth of doing that have left some scars. But the fear, well it is mostly gone now, for they have learned the secret of being of content. In little and in much. In sorrow and in joy. In sickness and in health. In the present and in the tomorrow yet to come, for with each day comes Jesus. And they have all reached the conclusion that Jesus is, in fact, worth their living.

This is why they were there this morning, present and accounted for in a “doing” that they’ve been doing for a long season. This is why I was there this morning and will continue to attend the senior-adult Sunday school class at my church. The class members live and breathe a concluding exhortation worthy of my pause…worthy of my embrace. They warrant my time and my preparation, for they are my brethren, and my love for them and their love for me…continues.

Deeper. Stronger. And more fully with every conversation that we share. We are a Hebrews 13:1, loving kind of people. We’re working on the other verses, but this love thing?

We are living it, and it is my great joy and privilege to be living it alongside them. And so I pray…

Make me like them, Lord. Let my life breathe a concluding exhortation that includes love as its anchor. Keep me close to the wisdom of these saints, even closer to your truth, so that we may grow as one body in the unity and grace given to each one of us through your cross. Give me ears to listen, a heart to receive, and a hand to serve these precious friends of mine. Give them, each one, the strength to find their voice and the praise to find their lips so that their final chorus sings with a faith that will melody throughout the generations to come. Thank you for the privilege of their companionship along the road. They have been your grace to me, and I am the better for having them in my life. Amen.

[i] http://studylight.org/desk/?l=en&query=Hebrews+13%3A22&section=0&translation=nsn&oq=&sr=1

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God has been stirring my thoughts for another mini-study to begin in the near future. Stay tuned for further details. Shalom.

Chasing a Dream (part two): The Towel and the Basin

June 26, 2008

“After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus replied, ‘You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ ‘No,’ said Peter, ‘you shall never wash my feet.’

Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.’” (John 13:5-8).

I am uncomfortable with my feet. Always have been. They are functional, not pretty. I am more content with their hiding rather than their exposure. I am also not a big fan of other people’s feet. I don’t mind them if they are well groomed, but rarely do I find a pair of feet that I love.

There is one exception. I love my children’s feet. I could wash them, trim them and doctor them without hesitation. Perhaps, in part, because I was responsible for making them. My children are an extension of me, and my love for them far exceeds any other earthly loves I have known. I come close to loving them unconditionally—the way that my heavenly Father loves me and commands me to do the same for others.

But loving with agapao has always been a difficult embrace for me. It is a requiring love. A demanding love. A selfless, best-interest kind of love that leaves little room for compromise. Agapao treads hard upon the soil of my flesh and necessitates a bending of this heart that is almost always prone to standing.

And when hearts remain unbendable…remain standing and in control…loving always remains conditional and falls short of a basin and a towel.

Jesus understands our bent toward control. This is why he wrapped a towel around his outer garment, took to his knees, and began to wash away the dirty pride that framed his disciples’ steps. Their requirement in the matter?

To pause for the sacred necessary.
To yield their feet for the cleansing.
To expose their ugly and vulnerable to the Beautiful.
To understand his touch and then to go and do likewise.

That is a lot of teaching for a single meal, but in one simple act of service by Jesus, and in one simple act of submission by his followers, a model for kingdom service was birthed into the hearts of men and scripted upon the pages of holy writ for our remembrance and our modeling. And just this past weekend, I met a group of women who remembered and who rose to the task of their bending.

Their mission?

My feet and the feet of five hundred other women. The Proverbs 31 staff and volunteers came to Concord, NC, in order to serve. To wrap the towel of God’s agapao around their waists and to tenderly and gently ask for my feet and my vulnerabilities. My wants and my worries. My fears and my tears.

I gave them up willingly, for I understood the need for their washing.

They graciously received me, just as I was, and began to do what Jesus asked them to do. They loved me without conditions. They offered their support to me at every turn and encouraged me toward the equipping of God’s calling upon my life. I am forever moved by their service to me. To name them all would take too long, but there are a few women who quickly made their way into my heart because of their time and gentle care toward my many needs.

Lindsey Kane came to serve. She is one of the first women I met upon my arrival. I didn’t know her. She didn’t know me, but within minutes I knew that I liked her. A lot. In fact, she is the kind of woman that any mother would love for a daughter-in-law. I told her so. Lindsey has a passion for God and exhibits that passion through her music. She is a gifted artist and musician and a true worshipper of Jesus Christ.

Jeannie Burlowski came to serve. I sat in her seminar to learn about the in’s and out’s of publisher proposal meetings. As the seminar ended, I realized that I had some tweaking to do on my proposal “pitch” that was about to be served up to a first publisher in one hour. Jeannie found me at the couches and asked about my book. She loved the idea and helped me reformulate a few things that I would say while in my meetings. I am forever indebted to her time and to her gracious acceptance of me.

Renee Swope came to serve. I’ve known Renee only a short time, but when she saw me, she was quick to hug and to encourage. Renee models compassion. She is tender and soft spoken, but her service to humanity packs a punch like no other. She is a Godly lioness ready to take a bite out of anyone who threatens the Father’s flock. Thank you, Renee, for showing up at all the right times on more than one occasion. You offered me courage when I had little.

Susanne Scheppmann came to serve. I’d never met Susanne prior to this weekend. She led a fabulous seminar on The Pathway to Publication. Her raw and unedited truth, her humor and wit, and her grasp of the material endeared her to me for always. In a particular vulnerable moment on Saturday evening, Susanne stepped out of the service with me so that I could share my heart with her. She’s a published author who serves the body of Christ with the basin and towel…in Las Vegas no less! After meeting Susanne, I think Vegas and her are a good fit!

Lisa Whittle came to serve. I am a fan of Lisa’s blog. I have only recently come across her work, but she writes with a depth of insight that forces me to a deep pondering of the things of God. I ran into Lisa in the hallway on Saturday afternoon. I shouted out her name and introduced myself. She was a kindred spirit from the get go. Lisa has just published a book entitled, Behind those Eyes: What’s Really Going on Inside the Souls of Women. Her overriding passion in this book is to see women live authentic lives before God and with one another. What she modeled to me in our brief encounter was as authentic and genuine as Christian relationship comes. I feel so privileged to have met her and to have had my feet washed by her in a moment of great exposure.

Last, but certainly not the least of these (and not a member on the panel of speakers) my friend Joy came to serve. Her writings on her blog drew me to her, but her friendship with me in Concord is the thread that will keep me coming back for more. Joy is a quiet, yet strong woman of God. She laughed at almost everything I said; not because she had to, but because she was willing to give me the stage, and I am prone to an audience. The perceptions you have of her from reading her blog are accurate. She’s genuine through and through and even more so once you put that name with her pretty, adorable face. Indeed, she is Joy to me, and I’ll love her for life.

These few, along with many others, washed my feet this weekend. In their pretty and in their poise, they bent low to embrace God’s calling upon their lives to serve. They understand better than me, the theology of a basin and a towel. And through their grasp of my ugly, my vulnerable and my needy, I have learned a great deal about Jesus and his love.

No wonder a teaching over a last supper! Jesus knew that we needed it. And where I have lacked in its understanding, I now more fully comprehend because of the witness and bending of some new friends who have learned to love the most excellent way.

I want to be a foot washer. I want to readily embrace the towel around my waist and begin to wash the ugly away from this world, and so I pray…

Thank you, Father, for those you sent to wash my feet this past weekend. I am moved by their witness. I am changed by their love. Teach me to love this most excellent way. Let not control remain as my issue; instead, let me bend and submit my life for the washing and for the washing of others whom you place at my basin. Left to myself, Lord, I cannot adequately love, but with your promised Spirit living within, I can love to the uttermost. To limits unfathomed and to grace unmerited. Humbly I bow to the sacred privilege. Amen.

One of my favorite pasttimes in Gatlinburg…beading with Kevin at the Smokey Mountain Bead Bar!

Yes, girls…a prize is on its way!

Chasing a Dream

June 24, 2008

She Speaks, 2008

“But Jesus immediately said to them, ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’ ‘Lord, if it’s you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’

‘Come,’ he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.”
(Matthew 14:27-29).

I chased a dream this past weekend.

It’s been chasing me for a long season.

Instead of lurking in its shadow any longer, I turned around to embrace its linger. A faith not yet required became my requirement because long-seasoned, God-ordained dreams will only be birthed…

through an obedience that walks hard.
through a trust that roots deep.
through a faith that looks forward.

Dreams birthed in the easy and in the shallow and in the rearview mirror are never really meant to breathe. But dreams birthed in the recesses of a timeless creation are always meant to find their voice. God dreamed them first on our behalf. He planted their seeds within our souls. He tends them with his time. Not ours.

And when his time comes…when the arrival of fruition begins its advance on the horizon…God intends for us to move forward.

Come.

The language of invitation.

Come.

The word of possibility.

Come.

The breath of culmination.

Come.

The one obedience that separates a dream from its realization.

Four months ago, God whispered his words of invitation for me to come…to simply leave the comfort of my current and to embrace the tumultuous of an unchartered sea. With hard steps and loosely rooted trust, I fixed my gaze on the horizon, and I began the pilgrimage toward my dream.

I’m so glad that I did. Now, less than twenty-four hours on the other side of this boat ride, I ponder the mystery of God’s design. I think about all that I would have missed I had forgone my Father’s summons. I would have missed a holy lot. Things like…

Friendships.
Feasting.
Laughter.
True worship.
Moments at the cross.
Communion at the table of grace.
Sacred intimacy.
Tender tears.
Answered prayers.

…and

Dreams renewed, freshly rooted in my now.

Yes, I would have missed a great deal if I had knelt to my natural, and in the natural, this flesh is prone to the safety of a boat rather than the wild of a wave.

The apostle Peter understood the pull between known things and unknown embraces. Like me, he carried a few dreams in his pocket—dreams that exceeded his current and dreams that challenged his faith. If he would have stayed as he was—content on the shores of faithless fishing—he would have missed a holy lot. He would have missed Jesus. He would have missed everything. But Peter knew something that all true dreamers know.

Dreams that sing real are dreams that breathe faith.

The same is true for us. Our dreams may voice different, look different and read different, but every dream worth dreaming is always rooted in Jesus Christ. At the end of the day…at the end of a life, if our dreams aren’t scripted in the annals of heaven and through the pen of our Father, they perish as dust.

But those penned by the Almighty will remain. They will find their voice, and they will sing as eternal. And my friends, I want to sing. I want you to sing alongside. God created us for the song; thus, the chase becomes our requirement. We must press on to take hold of all of that for which our Savior has taken hold of us.

He stands on the horizon of our water’s edge. Some of us are currently sailing the calm. Some of us are living the ravages of a storm’s embrace. No matter. His word of invitation cannot be hushed by the water’s divide.

Come. Simply come.

Dreams are birthed when we step out in faith, and so I pray…

Thank you Father, for your invitation to come and to participate in your plan for my life this past weekend. Thank you for showing me your presence through your servants at every turn. Forgive me for the times when my faith is weak, and my doubt is strong. Keep my eyes fixed on your horizon, and keep my feet planted upon your waters. And when the storms rage hard and the waves beat fierce, remind me of what awaits me on the other side of my obedience. You, God, are my reward, and this heart is ready for the chase. Amen.

My new best friend, Joy, from Canada. Love u sister!

I’ve traveled far and wide in Gatlinburg to find a place to link up tonight! We’re on vacation this week; thus, my communications will be limited. Shalom!

God and Prizes

May 19, 2008

“After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, and your very great reward.’” (Genesis 15:1).

Someone asked me the other day if I thought that people were logging in to the blog and commenting just to receive a prize.

Perhaps.

Does that bother me?

Not at all. Because here’s the deal…

I believe that God and prizes go together. At the end of the day, no matter your reason for stopping in, whether for a prize or for a word,

You still get Jesus! For he is the great and ultimate Reward of our precious lives.

I’ve lived a long time for the rewards of this world. I’ve tasted some, and I’ve gone without. But no matter my appetite, there is only One who truly fills. He is why I get up every morning. He is why I walk it through…this crazy life of mine…every day. He is where I’m headed. He is the pulse behind this blog.

For the rest of my days, Christ alone is worthy of my boast. It is my deepest hope and prayer that you will always find him here…no matter the reason for your visit.

May God be close to each one of you in your hearts this day. May you sense his defining presence at every turn. May you feel the breath of his consecration over your very life, and may God give you pause enough to see him when he splits the sky and lands on your scene in the next 24 hours.

It is my joy and privilege to have you in my life. It is our Father’s joy to have you as his child for always. Walk in that abundance and take hold of your Reward. His name is Jesus, and his love for you cannot be measured.

And for one of you…well let’s make that TWO of you…

I pray that Beth Moore’s book, David: 90 Days With A Heart Like His, will lead you closer to your Reward.

Our little warrior has picked our first winner before heading out to school this morning…

Tracy

And not to be left out, my little princess wanted her two cents in the matter…

Regina

So congratulations to Tracy @ My Cup Runneth Over and to Regina @ Grinder’s Switch: Heaven on Earth. Please send me your snail mail ASAP via my e-mail ([email protected]). Please take a moment to visit these ladies on their blogs and offer your congrats! As always,

Category Archives: friendship