Mystery and Wonder
Luann Budd
Paul says that our spiritual formation is as radical as dying and being recreated. I’ve spent some time recently reflecting on what this means.
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President's Blog
Luann Budd, president of NEWIM, blogs about the spiritual life of a leader, shares insight from what she is reading, and reflects on the call to Christian leadership.
Filtering by Category: Soul Care
Beyond Mars
Luann Budd
I was flying to Chicago and although I had my own books to read, I started flipping through the Southwest Airlines magazine. I never read the airline magazine. Tucked inside was a nugget of wisdom, hidden treasure from the Lord.
Read MoreSpiritual Discernment: What does the process look like?
Luann Budd
2017 was a year of spiritual discernment for the NEWIM Board and me. As we transitioned from Jackie's leadership to mine, we sought to discern God's leading. What is spiritual discernment and what does the process look like? I found Henri Nouwen's book on Spiritual Discernment very helpful in confirming what I understood about the process.
Read MoreThat We May Have Life
Luann Budd
It's really easy to get buried in too much work, only to have one more thing come up that we must do. Of course we say, "Yes," and before long we are living overwhelmed. I've been quite surprised that even during retirement when I'm not reporting to a boss, I still find myself running ragged. It seems that no matter what stage of life we are in, the only way to have some time to rest is to schedule it.
Read MoreImmersed
Luann Budd
We often live as if heaven were far away, lost somewhere beyond the clouds. Yet, we affirm that Jesus said he would never leave us and we know the Holy Spirit lives within us. If the Presence of God brings heaven to us, if as Paul told the Athenians “we live and move and have our being in Him,” we don’t want to miss Him, living as if there is a distance.
Read MoreCrooked Timber
Luann Budd
How can we make progress in our struggle against sin?
We are "fearfully and wonderfully made," yet we find in ourselves an incredible bent toward selfishness and overconfidence in our own abilities. Earlier generations expressed this truth by saying that we are “crooked timber.”
Is there anything that we can do?
Read MoreI Could Sing of Your Love Forever
Luann Budd
Over the mountains and the sea
Your river runs with the love for me
Floating in the River that is God's Love
Luann Budd
Are there prerequisites for Christian ministry? I think so.
Jesus really wants us to know His love. When we get to heaven, I think He will ask us, “Did you know that I loved you?” He wants us to float in the river that is His love. He doesn’t want us to just stand alongside the bank of the river getting splashed every so often. He wants us to jump in, be fully immersed, letting the current carry us downstream. That's a prereq for ministry.
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