Jennifer Howe's Perspective Archives

Blessings—as You Go…

02.01.2021 by Jennifer Howe //

Dear Reader,

The FACETS are thankful for you. After all, this whole project was completed with you in mind. We thought of you each time we sat at the keyboard to share. I hope you know that.

A writer can be tempted to share words for her own benefit, and it would be difficult to think that focus of heart couldn’t slip in silently while we are unaware. Know our hearts desired to serve, to share words designed to bless and encourage. We always hoped to stir deeper connection with God and with others. Mostly, the team believed words could stir something in the soul that led to thoughtful moments and exciting conversations with God, internally, and with others. We hope FACETS of Faith blessed you, too. It definitely did some precious work in us!

Please—read the content here. Some of it is pure gold. We’ll keep it here for a period of time.

Before the last page turns and the book is closed, I (Jennifer) wish to pray for you—

Heavenly Father, I pause here and now to pray on behalf of your daughter, a member of the FACETS of Faith sisterhood. Hear my heart and receive the “golden bowl” I offer as a prayer of blessing…

My friend is precious in Your sight because You say, “He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). There is no burden she carries that You do not wait for her to set down at Your feet and give to You. Anxiety, fear, guilt, shame, every sin and the punishment connected to it—You ask her to put it all down and surrender it all to You. You will take it from her, and it will be far from her, “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12).

Her experiences shape so much of who she is, and that, too, is precious. There is pain in the past, and You was present in those moments. Give her eyes to see Your presence and grace in those moments. Give her the gift of freedom and healing because You say, “by His wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24).

You are “the God who sees” (Genesis 16:13). You see her, my friend! You do not leave her alone in the highs, lows, or mundane middle. Your antidote for painful hardship, loneliness, or relational distance is relationship to You, “the God who is and who was and who is to come” (Revelation 1:8)! Thank you!

If You, Lord, can transform the life of the “chief of sinners,” You most certainly can do the same for my friend (1 Timothy 1:15). There is no one You don’t love deeply, no one You have not died for, no one who cannot be redeemed by grace through faith in Jesus’ saving work on the cross! Meet her in this moment and bring to mind the incredible, unfathomable love You have for her! You will meet her with truth, grace, mercy, and love. May the Spirit help her know more completely and to the core of her soul that You are her Savior, Lord, and Lover of her soul. Thank you!

Breathe fresh wind into her everyday life. Give her breath for each day. Sustain not only her breath but also her mind, heart, and strength. Help her see when she tries to succeed in her own smarts, heart, or perseverance. You give wisdom, if she asks (James 1:5). You calm the storm (Mark 4:39), give her peace in every moment (1 Thessalonians 3:16), and help fill her mind with thoughts that keep in step with Your mind (Philippians 4:8). Thank you!

Let her trade in life’s ashes for Your crown of beauty (Isaiah 61:3). Help her know and celebrate Your royalty and her adopted status when she seeks Your face. When she asks that the blood of Your Son be applied to her whole life in order to cover her sin, let Your Spirit confirm to her that she is victorious, a child of God (Revelation 21:7). Thank you!

Give her spiritual insight to notice and celebrate Your presence in everyday life. The world is noisy and busy and distracting and hard—all the things—Spirit, help her slow down and make space for Your quiet voice and gentle leading. Let her see the evidence of Your presence and the work You are completing in her during this life. Thank you!

She wants to hear Your voice! Help her hear the quiet whisper (1 Kings 19:12). Thank you!

She wants to be available to You. Work in and through her. Reveal Your presence and power in beautiful gifts and fruit as she submits her heart, mind, and strength to You (1 Corinthians 12, 14; Galations 5:22-ff.). Please give her courage and strength for the divine appointments You have placed before her. Thank you!

And grant her Spirit-infused endurance for the race so she can fight fiercely for things that matter to You and finish her life in a way that glorifies You to the end (2 Timothy 4:7). Thank you!

Lastly, “Let perseverance finish its work so that [she] may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:4). She needs You to persevere through each day. Spirit, let it be! Thank you!

Friend, you are blessed as you go because I have asked Him to bless you. Thankfully, He answers prayers that are in keeping with His heart, mind, and purposes.

You are blessed to GO and BE a blessing!

Love you, friend. Until we meet again…

The Blessing and the Battle

01.18.2021 by Jennifer Howe //

Hello, friend. I’m thankful you’ve come back to visit during this special month. If you’re following along, you know we’re focusing on “The Blessing.” If you haven’t seen the team post from last week, take a look. We had the honor of walking along Memory Lane. It’s so sweet, really.

Look for different posting times and authors this month. You never know what you’re gonna get in January.

When I (Jennifer) sat down to write my final FACETS post, I was a mess. I puzzled…and paused…and puddled. Over and over. It’s been days. To be honest, I had no idea what to say in my last words strung together in this space. Please have grace for the “behemoth” that follows. I’m leaning into the blessing and the battle.

Finishing Well

The focus of this site looms bigger now: conversations about life, faith, and friendship. When I began, my heart was revealed in Bible study-like posts. Over time, I learned to share a little more of my soul. A tiny crack became an open door. My heart for relationship to God, self, and safe others became the lens through which I wanted to write.

Buckle up, friend, because a shift is happening—from The Road I’ve Walked when you first met me to the longer road I hope to walk when I’m no longer one of the FACETS. In one sense, I’m thankful to know when the finish is, as sad as that is. I see the end of the run, and I want to finish well.

Words are Powerful

When I joined the team that dreamed up FACETS, I believed words were powerful, and I hoped to share my heart. The topics weren’t the “fluffy” kind most of the time, and that was intentional. The niche was women who craved something more thought-provoking—deeper, truer, real-er than the usual. It could’ve been FACETS of Faith Lite… Nah!

I’ve mulled these words over for quite a while. I hope you find them useful in your world and in your journey.

Wars and Rumors…

You and I live in a time like no other. We live more completely and immediately connected but more distant than ever. This played out in 2020, didn’t it? The world shifted to a 2-D life. Fear and social distancing threatened our relationships and maybe our peace with God and others. I felt that.

Then the election dropped a seemingly catastrophic wedge between people who used to hug and high-five. I felt that pain, too.

“Once-upon-a-time-friends” started lining up to oppose each other. I don’t think it was obvious to all of us at first. Nevertheless, there was the right way to do life…and everyone else’s way. Masks, six feet, and gathering. Race, protests, and riots. To vax or not to vax. Government, the election, and every political thing. And then it seemed everything was a political thing.

This is war?

And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed… Mark 13:7a ESV

Not if. When. This time and this place? I’m not sure. Still, there are obvious culture wars.

What’s Going on Here?

I’m sad, friend. People I know and love stifle words for fear of rejection, condemnation, and shame. I do it, too. The social media feeding frenzy whips up quick. I’ve seen friends—people I know love each other!—shred one another with posts, comments, and words before my very eyes. There’s a terrible, political information war going on here, and too many are casualties of “friendly fire.”

Is a habit, preference, priority, or belief system so valuable? More valuable than the person right there in two dimensions or three? I had to ask myself these questions first. I blamed 2020 for a long list of relationship fractures; and while stress added a thick layer over everything, I’m responsible for my portion of any relational tension. Ouch!

When the FACETS chose relationship—the “high way” over “my way or the highway”—it was a thing. Over and over. We chose relationship. We chose peace. We chose to think the best of each other. We chose to honor one another. This isn’t just the stuff of blog collaboration. It’s for every relationship!

Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Romans 12:10 ESV

I’m learning how to do that every day, and there’s plenty of room for growth.

The Battle

Closing this chapter called “FACETS” feels right, complete, and awkward at the same time. When the decision was made, we never thought there would be the swirling activity in culture we see now. The “cultural war” seems to rage, but I submit to you a much larger battle looms—a battle was waged in Genesis 3 has raged ever since.

The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. Genesis 3:1a ESV

This battle between God and the enemy of our souls has an end, and we can read about it (Genesis 3:15; Revelation 21:1-ff.).

Our Battles

In many ways, every day is a battle, isn’t it? We might label our own battles according to topics or our enemies:

Struggles with God and others
Finances and having enough
Personal image as we are accepted or rejected
The political thing is hard to overlook
The battle for freedom
Every war on—everything

And all these things can divide us. Make no mistake, the Christian is called to be wise, discerning, and generous. The follower of Jesus defends the weak and cares for the poor. Like the “men of Issachar” and other wise men, we can know the signs of the times when we live with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other (1 Chronicles 12:32). We don’t know the dates or times established for His appearing, but we can look through a biblical lens.

Like the Bereans, we must study and test all things against the Scriptures.

Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Acts 17:11 ESV

The Scriptures, the Sword of the Spirit, is one of our weapons for battle! (See Ephesians 6:10-18.)

The Wrong Battles

We pick our battles for all the emotional reasons I mentioned: habits, preferences, priorities, deeply held beliefs, and religious values.

Maybe we pick some of them because they are in line with righteous indignation described in the Scriptures. Not every battle is wrong, but some definitely cannot reflect the heart, mind, or hand of God. I’ve picked some that reflected the darkened heart and mind of Jen well enough.

Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12 NLT

There is a “good fight.” That fight is for “true faith”—and holding on to the gift of God, which is eternal life, and confessing that gospel to those who do not know Him or the true faith. We never know who that is, do we?

We have one singular message.

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2

Err and Repair

We were made for “life, faith, and friendship.” Something in us knows there is something more than this world; that’s eternal life. We were made to trust in something (Someone!) bigger and more powerful than ourselves, to search for hope in this hard world; that’s faith. And we were made to love and be loved; that’s friendship. When any of these things is out of whack, we know and feel it deeply.

A “seemingly catastrophic wedge.” These are the words that come back to me. I may not be responsible for the wedge appearing between me and God or me and others, but I’m responsible for what I do with it. Do you know how many times I’ve caught myself working with the wedge divisively in relationships hours, days, months, or years late? If you only knew how selfish I can be.

But there is hope!

I need two things: repentance and reconciliation.

The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, Acts 17:30 NLT

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 NIV

The peacemakers are blessed, for they will be called sons of God. Matthew 5:9 HCSB

There is forbearance for the weakness and ignorance in relationship to God and others, but the call is to repent and reconcile. The real calling on a Christian’s life is to be a peacemaker. And there’s no time like the present!

We err in relationship because we are human. We repair the relationship because, as followers of Jesus, we must! We desperately need spiritual vision, a gift from the Spirit, in order to see our errs and navigate the repairs.

The Blessing

By now you’re wondering why I chose these words. It’s out of love. Can you believe that? I wish to bless you with words that reflect one message: Christ crucified. I need the reminder if you don’t.

Friend, this—

And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25 HCSB

The conversation about life, faith, and friendship in this space may not go on, but it simply must continue in our lives, in the culture, and in our individual spheres of influence. Who are you caring for, concerned about, and encouraging? Who are you blessing? I am choosing to bless YOU!

I offer these words because I hope you will choose love and good deeds, and also encourage others in the same. I submit them because I’ve had a talk with my own heart as they were written. Those words up there are challenging for me, too.

Let’s be a blessing!

Now be blessed—

To repent
To reconcile
To be redeemed
To be used by God as He redeems this broken world

Do it while there is time.

I have more words for you, but I will be putting those prayerful words in a separate space here. I love you! Be blessed to be a blessing, friend!

If these words are worthy of sharing, I thank you for that. If you read every word, you are a blessing to me!

A Weary World Needs Relationship to Rejoice

12.09.2020 by Jennifer Howe //

Hey, friend! Welcome to FACETS. We hope you’ll be blessed by our shares this month. We’re thinking about how a weary world can rejoice…

As I (Jennifer) sit to write this post, it’s November—very early for me to be writing a post, honestly. I like to wait on my FACETS work because I hope to be in step with what’s happening in the world while keeping in step with the Spirit. But, back to the chompin’-at-the-bit early thing: that has been the gist of the end of this year for me and many friends. Are we all trying to escort 2020 out the door as fast as we can? It’s been a rough year, hasn’t it? Maybe you’re weary…maybe the world is.

The weary world rejoices…

This month’s topic came directly from lyrics you might know. This year, I feel the songwriter’s attuned pen in my life. 2020 has felt—heavy. I never expected to watch the entire year float away. Everyone I know has commented on being socially distant and fractured, financially pressed and depressed, and internally restless and stressed. It’s hard to ignore that disease, disorder, and death (of people’s lives and dreams) are heavy on me, you, the world.

Rejoicing?

You gotta be kiddin’ me! I sat down to write, and my heart wanted to say those words with a bit of snark. I had no idea what to say to the mom trying to work a full-time job and homeschool her children in absence of the support she needs. I wasn’t sure I could genuinely encourage the woman who’s been out of work in 2020 for more months than she’s worked. If the gifts are the highlight of the season in a person’s heart, this might be some polar train heading for derailment. How do we even get into the mood to rejoice? In my area, so many things are shut down. And lots of people’s wallets shut down this year, too.

Painfully real

Can I be real? I struggle in the holiday season some years, and this year is not only no exception but also exceptionally challenging. My introverted self has over-charged. If I’ve learned anything, I know I desperately n-ee-ee-ee-eed people! As an over-thinker, I rely on others to connect deeply and interrupt my little echo chamber with fresh truth, love, grace, and humor. That’s much better than self-talk in my outside voice. My Labradors and rabbits think I’m talking to them, but—ummm, no. Neighbors may be concerned? And I’ve just got to laugh at someone else’s quick wit—on the outside!

I’m weary. Loneliness appeared as a tiny crack in March, but it’s widened to canyon proportions. Not having regular work has been sad for me and my friends. The disconnection from people is hard. Conversations are infrequent, and I feel an awkward “drive-thru connection” mentality developing.

“Hi, how are you?”
“I’m okay—except for the million things going wrong this month…
“I’m sorry it’s so hard.” (My stuff is nothing.)
“I’ve got to go. Thanks for listening!”
“Sure. I’ll pray for you—” (Awww, I feel with her!)

Some of us carry others’ loads in a way that deeply affects us. More than we might say. Without regular connection and time to process pain, a fast conversation can be too heavy. We can’t (and shouldn’t try) to fix others’ troubles. Our pain and others’ pain—it’s painfully real. What do we do?

Be real

Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and also more hard to bear. The frequent attempt to conceal mental pain increases the burden: it is easier to say “My tooth is aching” than to say “My heart is broken.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

Lewis nails it. I learned something new about extremes this year. I might keep silent.

I was mute and silent;
I held my peace to no avail,
and my distress grew worse. Psalm 39:2

Or I might admit there’s trouble, sharing all the details.

“Oh that my words were written!
Oh that they were inscribed in a book! Job 19:23

And some days’ trouble could fill a book!

The second looks like processing, but I still miss it: the faith-filled, introspective look; the safety and love in honest relationship to God, myself, and safe others; and the peace that comes from the nearness of God.

Can I admit my heart is broken? Can I genuinely share the road I’m walking is terribly lonely, and I can’t bear it? Concealing pain is a wrong move for me. I hamster-wheel the events, problems, and my solutions (Read: problem-solving echo chamber). I know God’s and others’ wisdom should be welcome!

Share the weary

This is the importance of God and safe people in everyday life. Humans simply must connect deeply; we were made for that. Deep, vulnerable sharing isn’t for every relationship, and it’s not for the shallow, hurried, too-short conversation in passing. It is for a select few, safe relationships. I believe my Heavenly Father loves me (and you!), and He wants faith-filled people to lovingly choose to walk through the best, worst, and wonky stuff in life.

Walking through the weary

How do we do it? Let’s try some of this:

* Realize my mind and heart need calibration with absolute truth.
* Be honest with God, myself, and a few safe people.
* Trust God with all my raw emotions and troubles.
* Trust an equipped, faith-filled, safe person with the raw emotions.
* Resist “drive-thru” connection.
* Participate in relationships as both a giver and receiver.
* Be available for others as a faith-filled giver.

I love that pain and weariness shared is a lighter load, when it’s done right.

A weary world can rejoice!

The Father sent Jesus in order to resolve our biggest pain and trouble—the problem of sin and death.

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.

The gift of the Savior—you and I can rejoice over His advent! You are, and I am, that valuable!

And then He created a community of people who would walk through this temporary, wearying experience together, loving Him and loving others well.

Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains He shall break
For the slave is our brother
And in His Name
All oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy
In grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us praise His holy Name

Why can I choose to rejoice? King David reminds me—

I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love,
because you have seen my affliction;
you have known the distress of my soul, Psalm 31:7

He knows our hearts and minds. He knows the amazing and the awful in our lives. We can trust Him with disease, disorder, and distress. Thank you, God!

The thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees,
Oh, hear the angel voices
O night divine,
O night when Christ was born
O night divine,
O night, O night divine

Closing out 2020 and going forward

At the close of this very hard year would you care to join me as I soak in this? Choose to make it your own, if you like.

I am not alone because Jesus, Immanuel, is “God with us” and chose to come for me. I have a Savior in Jesus and a Weariness Warrior in His Holy Spirit. There is the “thrill of hope” in just that!

I will be gut-level honest with God, myself, and a few safe people. I have to choose to lean in, but it will be worth it! Loads will be lightened.

I commit to faithfulness in my relationship with God, first; complete honesty and gentleness with myself; and full and genuine participation in relationships as a giver and a receiver.

It’s a manifesto, I suppose. This is how I will address the weariness in my world and how I’ll support others in theirs!

How are you handling your weary world? How can I help? Who will you help? Pop a comment below or at our Facebook page. Don’t forget—sharing is caring. Who else might be encouraged by FACETS of faith?