Having some quiet time this morning, I was remembering my favorite summer job at Adventures Unlimited canoe rental in the Florida panhandle. I began to learn the importance of including times of solitude in my life as I would work to unload 100 canoes early in the morning, then rest in the river listening to the breeze, the birds and the flowing water. Solitude plays a vital role in pausing to listen for God’s voice in my life and in the creative process with my music.

Is my life more of an argument or more of a story?  This penetrating question entered my life a few years ago and began to transform my thinking and relationships.  My faith is vital to my life and God’s saving grace is truly amazing, undeserved and unearned. Yet, for much of my life the beauty of this truth was in the shadow of an “argument” perspective, that I was supposed to “defend” my faith.  For several years now I have been growing in living and sharing life as “story” – getting to know people through their story and discovering where my story and theirs connect.  Love, acceptance, forgiveness and grace are at the heart of this – not judgment or “being right.”

Over the past couple of weeks I have been reading short devotions on leadership and the issue of dependence on God rather than myself.  Here are some things that jumped out at me that I didn’t get to blog last week…

I have to grow in trusting God to meet my every day human concerns so I will give my entire attention to what He is doing right now, in the present moment. Accountability is what to seek, not autonomy. I will either view God’s character in light of my circumstances, or my circumstances in light of God’s character.