Secrets of the Heart

Photo: 'Love is always' by Sara Alfred- CC BY 2.0

I've been reading 'Live, Love, Lead' by Brian Houston (2015), founder and global senior pastor of Hillsong Church. He talks about the secret to living a full and abundant life coming back to what is going on in our hearts. I was captured by the image of God planting unique things or 'secrets' in our heart.

"God plants such beautiful things in our hearts. We often think of secrets in a negative way...But what about those "secrets" that God has pioneered in your heart, something that's just between the two of you- a desire, a yearning, a longing, something that brings tears to your eyes and stirs something deep down inside you." (Houston, 2015, p137)

I feel like I'm at a place where I need to rediscover those secrets  in my heart. In my twenties these secrets seemed obvious, I felt the yearning. Then life happened and I've taken on other roles as spouse, parent,  partner in ministry. I've tried to be faithful in pursuing God's  call on my life and know that as a family we are where we are supposed to be. Yet sometimes following this path has felt like it is leading me in a totally different direction to the things that would fulfill the desires of my heart as I would have described them not so long ago. But more than that, I am not sure if I'm still able to recognise the secrets in my heart. Are my long held desires are still relevant? What are the things that stir me? What has God planted in my heart?

And so my friend, I think that one of the things that I need to do is to rediscover the secrets in my heart.

Em

What are the secrets that God has placed in your heart? How have you discovered or rediscovered the vision that God has placed in your heart? Leave a comment.

Conspicuous by their Absence

Photo: 'Library' by Stewart Butterfield-CC BY 2.0

I love reading. I will read anything: fiction, non-fiction, the back of the rice bubble packet, for pleasure, study, work or ministry. Anyway, today for the first time in a while I was browsing my local Christian bookstore looking for inspiration to add to my 'to read' pile stacked up by my bed. I'd been thinking and reading about leadership over the last little while and on a whim today thought it would be good to hear some of the stories and experiences and wisdom from Christian women on leadership.

I wander on over to the leadership section and scan the books, quickly at first, and then more deliberately. There would have been over a hundred books on leadership on the shelves and how many were written by women? One. And that one was about leading 'women's ministry' complete with floral cover.

I was surprised at first, and then not, and then disappointed. While I've learnt a lot about leadership and ministry from great quality leaders and writers who are men there are some unique experiences, opportunities and challenges for women in leadership and ministry roles (Having to wrestle with and justify whether being in Christian leadership as a woman is Biblical just as a starting point- I'll need another post for that topic). And I would love to learn more from those who have gone before me.

Standing in front of those shelves today was the catalyst for me to revamp a very old and neglected blog. I felt motivated to create a space where I can process and reflect and maybe even connect with others-men and women,  to learn from and encourage one another as we walk our unique paths in ministry, leadership and life.

I'd love it if you would join me.

Em

Have you got any recommendations for what I could be reading at the moment? Leave it in the comments.