Happy Treasure Hunt Tuesday! This week feels like a good one to share several blessings and encouragements from different directions that I hope can be uplifting to you as well. And of course I’d love to hear the treasures you’ve been finding lately, too! Here are a few of mine from this past week:
** Wednesday brought not only the first day of spring (hallelujah!), but it also marked the birthday of Mr. Fred Rogers. I enjoyed reading several tributes to him and especially loved one from Brad Montague on Instagram. (Brad is the innovator behind Kid President and is an amazing encourager himself as well.) He created the artwork below and shared this quote from Fred Rogers:
“If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with a person.”
(Click here to check out his full post–definitely worth reading!)
I keep coming back to that last line, though. How does it change my interactions with others when I realize I leave a part of myself at every meeting with another person? What do I want to be sure to leave with others? Who are the people who have shaped my life and left a part of themselves with me? How can I thank them or honor them?
Brad encouraged us to commemorate Fred’s birthday by letting “somebody know how special they are.” And then he added, “While you’re at it, don’t forget to tell yourself.”
It seems I often need these reminders to draw me back to who I am and whose I am. (I might have a couple of songs from Sunday running through my head now, too… “I am chosen, not forsaken, I am who You say I am”… “I am a child of God…”)
Maybe these thoughts are stirring up more contemplations in you, too… I’d love to hear what comes to your mind that you’d be willing to share. (Or feel free to include any favorite Fred Rogers quotes if you’d like!)
** I also appreciated Emily P. Freeman’s reminder this past week to Tell Yourself the Truth. You can listen to her share about it on her Next Right Thing podcast or read those same thoughts in her blog post, Why I Can’t Get That College Admissions Scandal Off My Mind. She reminds us of these important realities:
“Doing the next right thing happens one step at a time. So does doing the next wrong thing.”
This is why we continually need to focus on what is right in front of us, be on the lookout for any false narratives that may be starting to weave into our minds, come back to the truth, and simply (although it’s not always easy) do the next right thing.
Bonus: Also keep in mind that Emily’s new book, The Next Right Thing, releases in one week, but you can get some great free extras if you preorder by April 1stand fill out the form on this site. I’m sure I’ll be sharing more on her book soon, too!
** The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast episode with Kevin Queen this past week was full of so much good and powerful insight I had to keep pausing it to ponder and pray. So it took me a few days to get through the whole thing, but it was definitely worth it! Kevin is the lead pastor at Cross Point Church in Nashville, and the story of how he has sought God and heard from him in this transition season is remarkable. I also especially loved these key takeaways Kevin shared:
- “I don’t want to pry a door open. I’d rather pray a door open.”
- “The more intimate we are with God, the less intimidated we are by people.”
- “We’re either going to put our desperation on people or we’re going to put our desperation on God… The only person that’s attracted to desperation is God Himself.”
- And from a book he referenced by Siang Yang Tan: “A better aim for one’s life, instead of doing great things for God, is to do things for a great God.”
We don’t have to strive to be great–God is the only One who is truly great. We just need to be in relationship with Him, obey, and do the things He’s given us to do. (Sounds almost like a “next right thing” kind of mindset!)
P.S. It’s also worth checking out the interviews Kevin has done with Annie F. Downs on her That Sounds Fun podcast. They have a long history of friendship and now are connected at the same church after all these years. Her episode 48 includes his whole story of the transition and move, and he’s also been on a couple’s episode with his wife Rea, plus the recent Awaken Nashville recap about the month of city-wide prayer and fasting. All of them are worth listening to, and he’s popped in to offer prayer and encouragement on a couple of other episodes, too. (So in other words, I feel like I “know” him through Annie and then loved hearing him share his story and heart with Carey last week as well.)
** Finally, I can’t possibly share about this past week’s treasures without including the concert I was blessed to attend with Chris Tomlin, Tauren Wells, and Pat Barrett on the Holy Roar Tour. I never want to miss an opportunity to see Chris Tomlin in person because he is such a pure worship leader at heart (although I’ve heard him say before he prefers the term “lead worshiper,” and I love that, too!).
The night was put together so well with the way Chris, Tauren, and Pat seamlessly intermingled their songs throughout the evening for a unified time in worship. Pastor Darren Whitehead spoke about the seven Hebrew words for praise as well, followed by every voice in the arena coming together with the anthem, “How Great Is Our God.”
While I loved the songs from each of the artists, to me it’s also touching that they wove in a couple of worship choruses that weren’t written or recorded by any of them as well. They simply wanted to engage our hearts in continuing to worship with well-known songs of praise, not focusing on the “concert” atmosphere but directing our hearts to the One and Only, the Name above all names.
Even watching some behind-the-scenes moments from the tour on Instagram stories has been encouraging with their interactions and in how they often prepare their own hearts for worship together by singing simple refrains such as “I Exalt Thee” or other choruses before getting ready to go on stage.
It just brings me back to the truth that there is only One to be exalted. He is the only One who is great, but He’s a “good, good Father,” and we’re loved by Him. What more could we need?
I pray these truths will encourage your heart this week as well. I’d love to hear any others you would like to share, too! Always feel free to leave a comment or send me a message!
So well said for us who feel more at home doing, rather than following.
Thank you, Chuck! I get that for sure–it's why I need to keep coming back to the right perspective and priorities often. I appreciate your comment and encouragement!