Sunshine in my Nest

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Our Summer Faith Challenge this week is to examine the way we think about our bodies and aging. 1 Samuel 16: 7b tells us that “... the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
 
Summer is a time when it is easy to be fixated on how we look and be overly aware of our bodies. There are a lot of ads talking to us about being swimsuit-ready and wanting to maintain our youthful look. I was laughing to my sister-in-law this pastweekend that after my first son was born, I convinced my husband to let me buy my forever swimsuit. It was a little more expensive, but it was a one-piece with boy short legs, so that I could chase our future kids while not showing the whole world my assets.
I didn’t really swim again until our third son was born, because trying to keep all the toddlers from drowning felt impossible, but when I put on that suit, I couldn’t believe how much my body had changed. In an effort to embrace this new size, I once again convinced my husband to let me buy my new “forever suit.” SoI could confidently go to the pool.
But now, ironically, I’m somewhere between those two sizes. I tend to pendulum swing between pretending my body doesn’t matter at all, and overanalyzing every shift that each year brings.
What if our faith changed our focus? What if the way we see life allowed our soul to become more beautiful and our faith an anchor of security as we step out into the pool with our kids or grandkids this summer?
Enjoy this episode with Jen aging with grace.

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Our second Summer Faith Challenge is to use words that are kind, or to ask forgiveness and repair when they aren’t. I could probably use this challenge every week of the year, but I want to focus specifically on encouraging words with a kind tone this week.
My mom had a verse from Eph 4:29 she would quote tous likely every day “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building othersup according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Our challenge this week is to print that verse (I’ll providea printable verse card for you in the show notes) and pin it somewhere where we will see it. Challenge your Summer Challenge Besties to use kind words this week and ask for forgiveness when your words or tone move away from that.

The more we are with someone the easier it is to harm them with our words, and when we travel with people and have them with us 24/7 in cramped quarters, it becomes harder to choose to speak words of kindness over them every day. Jesus knowsthat. He knows our weakness, but promised to send his Holy Spirit to empower us, and to hear our prayers when we ask him for strength or forgiveness.

I think this conversation with Abbey will remind us that while we can challenge ourselves to speak kindly, that often comes with the need to learn to ask for forgiveness and also remember that Christ loves us and is our righteousness even when we fail.

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Our first challenge for the summer is “trust.”
Summer is a time that I struggle to trust, and I’ve heard it is for you too. Our schedule is off, and we have to pack and plan for trips. Everything feels a bit more out of control
Often, though, we forget that and think we have to solve the world’s problems or our own for everything to work out. We spend nights lying awake, brainstorming solutions to our problems or safeguarding ourselves from pain, or trying to plan our words so we can convince others to do what we know would be right for them.
Start a text thread with your “summer challenge besties” and ask them to tell you about a time in the past God relieved them of anxiety. Take those stories to encourage you this week. Then check in at the end of the week to share how you thrived or were challenged.
I’ve been quoting this a lot, so people who know me are probably sick of hearing me refer to it, but CS Lewis in Screwtape Letters has a line that has become so real to me hesaid, “It’s not as important for (Satan) to convince people that God isn’t real as much as it is for them to just forget he exists at all.”
Using our anxious feelings as a trigger to point us back to God allows us to take something that was meant for evil and turn it into something good that grows us closer to God.

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Usually, during the summer, I take a break, but this summer, I’m curating ways that I would like for us to grow together in faith.
 
Every episode on the Sunshine in My Nest Podcast this summer will have an email that goes with it and will be a series of relational challenges that will help you to love God and disciple your kids, grandkids, or the women in your life better.
 
I’ll kick the episodes and emails off with an introduction and then wrap it up with a specific way for you to walk in wisdom and live in faith. I think that as you do these challenges, it will transform your family life and walk with God, but that’s just the first half!
 
As believers, we aren’t just called to be transformed ourselves, but to “go make disciples.” I think we can make that too complicated, but as part of this challenge, I’d like you to take what you’re learning into your community.
 
More than ever, I find we use our relational energy scrolling on social media and becoming involved in dramas that have nothing to do with us. One of the most valuable positions in thechurch right now are the community builders. The people who show up in person for the people in their lives. That doesn’t have to be complicated. Talk to another mom while poolside, send a text to a friend, or invite someone to join you through the summer.
 
My hope is that these will grow your faith as you feel God’s encouragement and love the women in your real life.

I grew up with attendance in a wide smattering of church denominations. It got to the point where my parents, when someone asked what denomination they identified with they would say they were "Bapa-Lutha-Terian."
Even now my favorite thing is over the summer, we have a break from some of our church responsibilities, and we often choose to visit the churches of our friends around the city. It has reminded me the body of Christ isn't all eyeballs. Each cluster of believers comes to faith with unique language and strengths that encourage me as I spend time with them.
Tim Challies is a pastor and author and has spent a huge chunk of time not just visiting churches in his city, but churches around the world. I can't wait to hear what he's learned from his experiences. 
Did you grow up with a solid home church or a varied church background? 
Do you have any early moments that you remember being impacted by the faith of other believers? 
What inspired you to start traveling to churches around the world? 
What have you learned from some of those experiences? What do we risk if we only look at Christianity through an Americanized lens? 
How does exposing ourselves to the global church strengthen believers as a whole?
Why is it good for our families? 

You can find Tim Challies's book "⁠From the Rising of the Sun⁠" and the kids' book "God's Great Big Global Church" or find him on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠his blog!⁠

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Original Music written and recorded by Jonathan Camenisch
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