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Stephanie J Thompson

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How You Can Help a Family With a Child Who is Affected by Mental Illness

September 27, 2017 by Stephanie 6 Comments

  Families with a child affected by a mental/neurological disorder often live a chaotic and stress filled existence. Often, the struggle is invisible to the public. Unknown to even neighbors, a series of chronic storms erupt inside the home. Furthermore, stigmas make seeking support challenging. Parents struggle to give time to all of their children […]

Filed Under: Help! This was not in the book! Tagged With: anxiety, child, food, gift cards.pizza, help, love, medical, Mental Illness, neighbors, siblings, struggle

To the People Who Embrace My Daughter: Depression, Anxiety, and All

September 20, 2017 by Stephanie 4 Comments

Words barely express the ways your actions have breathed life into my daughter. Movement into unknown territory involves risks. Your willingness to do that does not go unnoticed. Connecting with her isn’t easy. I know that. As you know, she’s not one of those outgoing social butterfly types. She’s an observer. In addition, her mental […]

Filed Under: Help! This was not in the book! Tagged With: anxiety, child, connecting, daughter, depression, emotions, family, loving, purpose, school, teachers, thank you

Soul Care-After an Unexpected Descent Into Depression

August 10, 2017 by Stephanie 1 Comment

Without warning, I found my mental state rapidly shifting. For one week in late March, it seemed to spin out of my control. Increasing anxiety gripped my soul, its force building stronger each day. Suddenly, the anxiety transformed into a deep depression. Never had I felt such a heaviness pressing upon me.  After a few […]

Filed Under: Help! This was not in the book! Tagged With: anxiety, brokenness, control, depression, father, God, heal, Jesus, medication, mental health, power, solitude, therapy, trust

To the People Who Embrace My Daughter: Depression, Anxiety, and All

May 29, 2017 by Stephanie 2 Comments

Words barely express the ways your actions have breathed life into my daughter. Movement into unknown territory involves risks. Your willingness to do that does not go unnoticed. As you know, she’s not one of those outgoing social butterfly types. She’s an observer. In addition, her mental illness makes identifying and controlling emotions challenging. She realizes […]

Filed Under: Help! This was not in the book! Tagged With: anxiety, breath, child, depression, emotions, help, home, life, Mental Illness, risk, struggles, support, teachers, tears

Do You Want to Be Made Well? Identifying With the Man in John 5

February 11, 2017 by Stephanie 1 Comment

” Do you want to be made well?” The question posed to the man in John 5:5-9 appears rhetorical. We do not know if he was born with a disability or his physical limitations are the result of an injury. Regardless, he is accustomed to his place near the pool of Bethesda. He has resided […]

Filed Under: Sacred Connections Tagged With: abundant, anxiety, chronic, comfort, deliverance, fear, forgiveness, healing, hope, identity, illness, Jesus, life, mercy, resore, sin, well

How I Found Peace Living in the Not Yet

January 31, 2017 by Stephanie 2 Comments

Sometimes, life leaves your brain full and your mouth empty.A season of life two years ago encompassed one of those times for me. The thing is-these seasons don’t just end with a nice and tidy resolution. They don’t leave us with an instant epiphany of profound theological insight. Rather, we are left with a reminder-:spiritual, […]

Filed Under: Help! This was not in the book!, Sacred Connections Tagged With: answers, anxiety, Christ, destruction, doctors, Earth, Epilepsy, expectation, God, healingwinter, healthHeaven, Holy Spirit, illness, Jesus, kingdom, peace, resurrection, scars

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When my first child was born 20 plus years ago, I envisioned taking just a few years off from my role as Pastor of Youth and Family. While that didn’t exactly unfold as expected, God used my gifts and skills in other ways. Read More…

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Jesus’ invitation is enticing yet puzzling. “ Jesus’ invitation is enticing yet puzzling.

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.

What to make of his offer? Jesus just completed an emotionally filled rebuke of the towns which dismissed both his and John the Baptist’s words. Interestingly, he names whole towns. Were their individuals who were transformed in their thoughts and behaviors by the divine miracles they witnessed? We can only speculate. However, by naming whole towns, he indicates that individual actions contribute to corporate systems. Corrupt powers become familiar habits and the appetite for feeding them becomes insatiable. John and Jesus came to both convict and point them back to desiring the “very good” God provides for them. But turning back demands surrender to earthly gratification, human driven agendas and reasoning.

So the very towns which had witnessed the very signs of Immanuel (God with us) refused to repent of their human ideologies. In order to emphasize his point, Jesus compares them to towns whose names were already scandalously attached to sin. Whoa.

His invitation uses an analogy the crowd understood. Oxen are yoked together so that the more experienced one teaches and takes the burden of the other one as they navigate their course. God has come into their midst. There are no hierarchy obstacles or cultural/racial/gender barriers to being “yoked” with him. No religious bucket lists to follow. But rather, a relationship.

As Eugene Peterson translates in the Message:

 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30.

#Redbudwriter #stephaniejthompson #Jesusliberates #yolkofJesus
Recently, I experienced several “Moses moments.” As I went about my daily tasks, I encountered a “burning bush".: And then two more. They appeared in different forms than a bush. Actually digital communication. Nonetheless, they caught me by surprise and drew my attention.

God’s voice spoke through others to offer me opportunities to expand my writing voice. I was beckoned to venture into new territories. As my brain processed the implications, my body felt a wave of fear wash over me. I immediately secured myself in Moses's footprints.

My words echoed his, “But why me? (Exodus 3:11)

When one makes themselves available to being agents through whom God’s purposes unfold, we shouldn’t be surprised when we encounter burning bushes. But we are. Because in our humanity, we fear things that place us in positions outside our comfort zones. And even when God’s voice interrupts us to announce that our dreams are being realized, it can feel like too much. Did we really think God saw us? Heard us? Knows us?

But just like Moses heard, so did I. “I’ll be with you,” God said.

So with a bit of trembling in my voice, I said yes. But that wasn’t the end of it. Because just like in Moses’s narrative, his purpose was to show others the “I-AM-WHO-I-AM.” (Exodus 11:14). That audience includes both the direct participants of my calling but those with whom I share my vulnerable story. Of hopes. Divine interruptions. Trembling bodies. Trust in God.

I shared my story with my young adult kids and nieces. All of it. Nervous banter included. Because they are watching and discerning how we all fit into God’s big story. They are encountering their own Moses moments. Our lives flesh out the Biblical narratives for them and anchor them to the “I-AM-WHO-I-AM” who has been interrupting and empowering his people since the beginning of creation. We can all use the reminder that God calls us and uses us despite our insecurities, It is a beautiful truth.

#Redbudwriter #stephaniejthompson #Moses #parentingyoungadults #Godhearsyou
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s2thomp

#burningbushes #holyground #moses #godseesme "#div #burningbushes #holyground #moses #godseesme "#divinepurpose #redbudwriters
#rahab #godusespeopletohelppeople #womenofthebible #rahab #godusespeopletohelppeople #womenofthebible #redbudwriters
Jesus’ invitation is enticing yet puzzling. “ Jesus’ invitation is enticing yet puzzling.

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.

What to make of his offer? Jesus just completed an emotionally filled rebuke of the towns which dismissed both his and John the Baptist’s words. Interestingly, he names whole towns. Were their individuals who were transformed in their thoughts and behaviors by the divine miracles they witnessed? We can only speculate. However, by naming whole towns, he indicates that individual actions contribute to corporate systems. Corrupt powers become familiar habits and the appetite for feeding them becomes insatiable. John and Jesus came to both convict and point them back to desiring the “very good” God provides for them. But turning back demands surrender to earthly gratification, human driven agendas and reasoning.

So the very towns which had witnessed the very signs of Immanuel (God with us) refused to repent of their human ideologies. In order to emphasize his point, Jesus compares them to towns whose names were already scandalously attached to sin. Whoa.

His invitation uses an analogy the crowd understood. Oxen are yoked together so that the more experienced one teaches and takes the burden of the other one as they navigate their course. God has come into their midst. There are no hierarchy obstacles or cultural/racial/gender barriers to being “yoked” with him. No religious bucket lists to follow. But rather, a relationship.

As Eugene Peterson translates in the Message:

 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30.

#Redbudwriter #stephaniejthompson #Jesusliberates #yolkofJesus
Recently, I experienced several “Moses moments.” As I went about my daily tasks, I encountered a “burning bush".: And then two more. They appeared in different forms than a bush. Actually digital communication. Nonetheless, they caught me by surprise and drew my attention.

God’s voice spoke through others to offer me opportunities to expand my writing voice. I was beckoned to venture into new territories. As my brain processed the implications, my body felt a wave of fear wash over me. I immediately secured myself in Moses's footprints.

My words echoed his, “But why me? (Exodus 3:11)

When one makes themselves available to being agents through whom God’s purposes unfold, we shouldn’t be surprised when we encounter burning bushes. But we are. Because in our humanity, we fear things that place us in positions outside our comfort zones. And even when God’s voice interrupts us to announce that our dreams are being realized, it can feel like too much. Did we really think God saw us? Heard us? Knows us?

But just like Moses heard, so did I. “I’ll be with you,” God said.

So with a bit of trembling in my voice, I said yes. But that wasn’t the end of it. Because just like in Moses’s narrative, his purpose was to show others the “I-AM-WHO-I-AM.” (Exodus 11:14). That audience includes both the direct participants of my calling but those with whom I share my vulnerable story. Of hopes. Divine interruptions. Trembling bodies. Trust in God.

I shared my story with my young adult kids and nieces. All of it. Nervous banter included. Because they are watching and discerning how we all fit into God’s big story. They are encountering their own Moses moments. Our lives flesh out the Biblical narratives for them and anchor them to the “I-AM-WHO-I-AM” who has been interrupting and empowering his people since the beginning of creation. We can all use the reminder that God calls us and uses us despite our insecurities, It is a beautiful truth.

#Redbudwriter #stephaniejthompson #Moses #parentingyoungadults #Godhearsyou
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Categories

  • Advent/Christmas
  • Easter
  • five minute friday
  • Help! This was not in the book!
  • Sacred Connections

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