Our Minnesota summer is winding down with school starting Sept 4. This last week has been busy with back to school events, last minute fun activities, and the MN State Fair.  Since the kids started 4-H it’s been a tradition to spend one day at the State Fair, usually ending with their Share the Fun skit performance.  This year we were there for the 4-H Performing Arts acts as one of our kids received a champion at the county fair.  We were able to fulfill our tradition of eating cheese curds and Sweet Martha’s chocolate chip cookies.

I’m really looking forward to getting back into a routine with kids going to school.  I’m planning to rework my clock schedule and try to stick to it!

One of our classes at
TK with a spiritual
focus was called
“Soul Making”.  We
usually talked about
a specific idea and
read scripture about
it.  At the end there
would be questions
for personal reflection.
This first one is on Desire.

Scriptures used:

1. Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12)
2. Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. (Isaiah 55:1)
3. Come unto me, all ye that labor and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

Some questions we discussed included:

• What are some traps that promise love and fulfillment, and why are they so attractive?
• Who or what has been your source of security? Achievement? Belonging?
• Have these sources led you to true fulfillment or have they been destructive?

Desire is given by God.
He’s placed in each of
us basic human desires
of safety, acceptance,
and achievement.  These
have somewhat of a
building on each other.
If basic safety isn’t
possible, it will be
difficult to think about
what we are achieving
with our God-given
talents. The layers are
depicted well here…

In our session we talked about how it’s nice to feel safe with other people, it’s comforting to feel like others accept us, and it’s inspiring to see what we’ve accomplished, AND all of that pales to the safety, acceptance, and accomplishment we feel when we are in Christ and the Spirit is in us.

Here are the personal reflection questions we answered. Feel free to write out your own answers.

1. What would it be like to walk on a path towards Jesus carrying your burdens?
2. What would it be like to surrender your burdens or baggage to Jesus? What emotions would you feel – hesitant, excited, doubtful, dreadful, sad, happy?
3. If you symbolically carried your burden to the cross of Jesus today, what would it feel like? Would you want to pick it back up again?
4. What does surrendering fully mean to you? What do you wrestle with and what do you know confidently?

New Song posted – Father’s Heart – about His desire for us.