Now for Sami’s ramblings about Jesus:



In my office I have this ceramic angel lamp that is made in such a way that she is always looking upon you, no matter where you are in the room. It kind of reminds me of the Amy Grant song that came out while I was in Jr. High “Angels Watching Over Me.” Amy would fervently sing, “Got His angels watching over me, every move I make. Angels watching over me. Angels watching over me, every step I take. Angels watching over me.” The only verse I can remember goes something like this: “God only knows the times my life’s been threatened just today. A reckless car ran out of gas before it ran my. Near misses all around me; accidents unknown. Though I’ll never see with human eyes the hands that lead me home. But I know they’re all around me, all day and through the night. When the enemy is closing in, and I know sometimes they fight. To keep my feet from falling, I’ll never turn away. If you ask me who’s protecting me, then you’re gonna hear me say. . . .”



This morning I was reading in Acts about Paul’s trip to Rome. He was a prisoner being taken to see the emperor. The ship he was sailing on encountered heavy storms that threatened to kill them all. And yet in the midst of the turmoil, Paul continues to pray and seek the face of God. One day he says to everyone on board with him, “I urge you now to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For last night there stood by me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before the emperor; and indeed, God has granted safety to all those who are sailing with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told” (Acts 27:22-25).



Looking back over the past year, I see so many reasons to keep up my courage. There have been so many people who have been angels in my life. I think of chance encounters with people of faith who had just the right word of hope I needed to hear. I think of the perfect timing of events where things just fell into place with a precision that had God’s fingerprints all over it. I think of those unanswered prayers that, had they been answered, would have been disastrous. God’s help for our circumstances is always close at hand. One of the angels in my life I am especially thankful for right now is Becky, our intern. For those of you who don’t know her, she really is worth getting to know well. The timing of her becoming a part of our ministry here at the foundation is such a blessing. I know that once again God’s hand is at work.



It is so easy to be in the midst of a storm, with the ship breaking up all around, and forget that God’s providence and provision are close beside us. We look at our losses and feel devastated. We forget those miracles that bring us safely to shore so that our lives may be restored. Sometimes it is helpful to simply recall all the ways God’s grace has saved the day in our lives. From the very beginning, remembering God’s goodness throughout the past puts a new perspective on our present and our future. Like Amy Grant says, we rarely see with human eyes the hands that lead us home. We only recognize the grace of God’s help by its results.



As you travel this coming week, as you eat turkey and dressing, as you share the love of family and friends, remember that God’s grace is with you. As invisible as air, and yet sustaining you just as much as your next breath. God loves you. God hears your prayers. God sends His mighty help.



Thank you for sharing this journey with me.



Blessings,



Sami

Joy Fest

There is this really great episode of “Friends” where Phoebe and Rachel go running in Central Park. Rachel runs like everybody else, but Phoebe has a special way of running. She just lets loose and throws her arms and legs everywhere while she runs as fast as she can, the way she did when she was a little girl. Phoebe simply explains that if she is going to have to run she is going to have fun doing it. After being very judgmental about Phoebe’s “form,” eventually Rachel gives in to that childlike delight in running at breakneck speed with arms and legs flailing in the wind.

How about you? When was the last time you gave in to the simple delight of being alive? I love going shopping for the Wesley Foundation with Becky, our campus missionary intern, and whoever else happens to be there. It is always an adventure. And something about the delight of being out of the office and in a place with lots of cool stuff sets in. I’m worse than a kid in a candy store. Funny, it’s not as fun shopping by myself. There is no one to share the joy with. No one to show all the cool stuff to. No one to be a witness to the silliness that is part of my childlike delight.

I believe that Jesus was, is, full of delight. I believe that He takes great pleasure in the simple things of life. I believe that He regularly laughed out loud on earth, and I believe that He regularly laughs out loud in Heaven. We have heard the scripture that says, “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” But how seriously do we take that Word of the Lord? Maybe this is why so many Christians are so “not strong.” It seems we have gotten so serious about belonging to God that we have left the parts of God that aren’t “serious” out. Those are important parts! The JOY of the Lord is my strength. Not the discipline of the Lord, not the rules of the Lord, not the determination of the Lord, not the power of the Lord, not the wisdom of the Lord, but the JOY OF THE LORD.

My prayer for you is that you experience the Lord’s joy. It is a precious, precious thing. It “takes a lickin’, but keeps on tickin’.” God’s joy cannot be taken away. It is the gift of His presence which is with us always. Only we can squelch it. Only we can put it out of our lives and pretend it is not there. So many Christians live a miserable existence, but this is not, and never has been, the Lord’s intention for any of us. So do something harmless and crazy and fun. Fill your life with delight. Let the Lord show you how to really laugh again. Allow Jesus to give you His strength.

Blessings,

Sami

Now for Sami’s ramblings about Jesus:



I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween. The Halloween party we had last Thursday was so much fun. Once again Jason wins best costume. You should ask to see the pictures. He makes a good Jesus. I can’t help it. I love Halloween. Ever since I was a kid I have loved dressing up in a costume and going from house to house to get candy. I loved singing the songs of the season: “Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat!” Even though I don’t go trick or treating now, I love to be the first one to answer the door when the goblins, ghosts, and ladybugs come by. (Yes, we had an adorable lady bug stop by.) I so enjoy the fun of seeing kids all dressed up and the joy of giving away treats that make them smile. Lord knows I can’t wait till Noah is big enough to go around the neighborhood.



I think the fascination for me has always been the opportunity to pretend to be something or someone else, to exercise my imagination in creating a fabulous new identity. It was always so much fun to dress up. One of the things I have learned over time is that many of us expend a lot of energy playing “dress up” everyday. I know I have. It’s not that we put on costumes before going to class or work, but we do make sure we project an image of ourselves that we want others to find attractive and believable, or at least an image that is acceptable to ourselves. I used to do this with a smile. My motto was, “always be nice, never be mad, and always look happy.” People would comment on how I was the happiest person they knew. In reality, the smile I wore often hid my real feelings. It was easier to put on a smile than to admit to myself and others that I didn’t have it all together. That’s just an example. People hide all kinds of things about themselves for all kinds of reasons.



I think of Mr. Rogers. When I was in seminary I would come home everyday from class and watch his show “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.” I think it was therapy for me. I was finally having the mask of happiness peeled away and was very uncomfortable with what I was seeing in its place. But everyday I would hear those words from Mr. Rogers, “I like you just the way you are.” I was learning that it was okay to feel sad, mad, and drab. It was okay to need help. And I was also learning that while not everyone is like Mr. Rogers, some people are.



I like to think of the Wesley Foundation as a part of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. We’re not fancy, but everyone who comes through our doors is important. It is a place where “Just As I Am” is more than an altar call song, it is the invitation to the family. Come just as you are. Come and share your burdens. Come and share your boredom. Come and share your real self. Because once you don’t have to spend so much energy pretending to be something you are not, you miraculously find the strength to really experience true joy.



By the way, the real Mr. Rogers is Jesus. In His neighborhood, or shall we say Kingdom, everyone is important and highly treasured. Every person’s feelings are respected. And each one of us has the space needed to learn how to be like Him. There are no unreal expectations of us in the Kingdom of God except the ones we bring with us.



I pray that today you will feel the joy of being accepted for who you are. I pray that you will experience the freedom to just be yourself. I pray that you will know you have a home you can come to where you will be liked. If you don’t come to the Wesley Foundation, I pray Jesus will lead you to another place that is also part of “the neighborhood.”



Blessings,



Sami

No Regrets

Every now and then I’ll find something I wrote a while back that really seems to make sense. In one of these random notes to myself I found this on the back of an old bulletin today. “Keeping Sabbath: Doing those things that you would wish you had done if you died tomorrow, nurturing those things that go with us beyond death.” I’m sure this is one of those God things that I just happened to catch as it flew by. It really speaks to me today. It puts into perspective all of those things whirling around inside my heart and mind. Here’s the question: What am I doing right now that is really worth doing? What am I worrying about that is really that important? What in my life right this minute has lasting significance?



Now I know that life demands its share of busy work and things that we would rather not do. But is there some space in our life when we focus on the good stuff? Have you hugged your cat today? Have you called your best friend just to say hi and tell him or her thank you for being there? Have you told your mom and dad that you love them? Have you let the Lord smile on you? It’s a pretty neat thing to just sit there and feel the pleasure of the Lord dwelling upon you. God gets the biggest grin when we will just be still and let Him love on us. When was the last time you let the good stuff have part of your day?



No regrets. That’s what I would give each of you, a life with no regrets. Of course this isn’t in my power, but it is in God’s. So we’ve wasted time. So we’ve given too much attention to non-essential stuff and not enough to the important things. The forgiveness that comes through Jesus Christ wipes that slate clean. He gives even our missteps meaning. And then He shows us how to grab hold of REAL life now. I want to challenge you (and me) to spend some time this weekend keeping Sabbath, doing those things we wish we had done if we were to die unexpectedly, nurturing those things that go with us beyond death.



Jesus loves you so much; and I do too. Keep hanging in there.



Blessings,



Sami

Miracles in the Mundane

It is hard to come up with something profound to say. Two words: sleep deprivation. Sometimes I think my only life consists of making bottles, feeding, burping, changing. When I worked as a pastor in a church I would counsel with women who had children who were trying to get their spiritual lives in order. I would say, “just set aside five minutes a day to read your Bible.” I would still offer the same challenge today, but today I know now how difficult squeezing out even five minutes can be. I guess what I am learning is that there is a lot of holiness in the mundane when we invite the presence of Christ into it. Now I know many of you are not up at night feeding a baby. But many of you are up at night studying for exams, writing papers, completing projects. I know that you probably spend a good hour each day just walking up and down the hill. I know that going to the grocery and looking for a new parking place when you return can be a frustrating but necessary experience.



What mundane things can you invite Jesus into? How can the mundane things in life teach you about a Heavenly Father that is actively involved in every detail of your living? I look into the face of Noah, hoping and praying that he loves me, that he knows me. And then I wonder if God looks into my face wondering the same thing? What about you? When you climb the Hill do you imagine Jesus climbing with you? Do you imagine how Jesus helps you climb the mountains of adversity and challenge? When you ask questions in the classroom do you consider how the Lord welcomes your questions about faith and then helps you to find the answers?



Returning to the Wesley Foundation has helped me connect with that part of life beyond diapers and spit-up, helping me appreciate even more the gift of diapers and spit-up. My prayer for you is that you will find a place of serenity within the ordinary, that Jesus will be real to you every moment: the serious ones, the boring ones, the challenging ones, the funny ones, the tedious ones, the frustrating ones, not just the spiritual ones. Please know how precious you are in His eyes and how thankful I am to be sharing the mundane with you!





Blessings,



Sami

Live and Learn

For those of you who don’t know, Noah Joseph Wilson was born at 8:50am on Friday, August 20th. From the beginning I had a really hard time getting him to eat. Because of this he became very dehydrated. When we went to the doctor his sodium levels were dangerously high, and he had to be admitted to the hospital. Since Greenview didn’t have the staff or facilities to take care of him, he had to be taken to Vanderbuilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville. His first two weeks of life were the most difficult two weeks of my life. It is hard to even put into words what they were like.



When we got to the ICU at Greenview (before being transferred to Vandy) there was a wonderful nurse who put her arm around me and said, “I want you to repeat after me: I will not blame myself; I’m here to take care of Noah; and I’m here to learn.” She would make me repeat these three things to her every time she saw me. As a friend of mine from seminary would say, “That will preach!”



Sometimes in life things happen that are beyond our control. My mom says we each do the best we can at any given moment. And sometimes our best still comes up short. It is so easy to look at the difficulties of our lives and meditate on “what might have been” or “if only . . . “ But looking backward that way just seems to heap more heartache on top of what we already have. I like what the nurse said to me: take care of what you can right now and learn what you can right now.



Maybe you are in the middle of the hardest semester of your life. Maybe you are having relationship problems. Maybe you have regrets. Maybe you’ve made mistakes. Maybe you are at .the hardest point in your entire life, and just need someone to put an arm around you and say it will turnout all right. Maybe God sent the words of that nurse to encourage you too. We cannot change the past, but we can seek the Lord and entrust to Him the present and the future. In the meantime we can take care of what we can now and learn what we can. From my experience I have learned that God is there even when we feel most alone and forsaken. I know that God loves you and is with you right now. Just keep holding on to those words of hope. Soon you will see they really are true.



Blessings.



Sami

Be More than a Bystander

Last spring, when we said goodbye to the old school year and left for summer, I had a protruding midsection that was somewhat noticeable. Now I have a belly that feels like it is ready to pop! Noah Joseph will be here soon. As I have thought about the whole process of babies growing and getting ready to be born, I’ve also thought of the wonderful, new things God does in us, and through us, and among us. I am just as confident that God is doing some awesome things with the Wesley Foundation right now. Many of the positive signs of life and growth began a while ago, and they are just now getting ready to be revealed. We have wonderful student leaders who love this ministry, who want to see the Wesley Foundation be all it can be, who genuinely care for all the other students, and who (most importantly) love Jesus with all they got. We have a wonderful Campus Ministry Intern, who has sacrificed much and stepped out on faith (in a big way) to join us in ministry this year. I know God is going to honor all of these hearts who are so ready and willing to be used for His glory. I feel so blessed to be a part of such a great group of people who are dedicated to serving Jesus at the Wesley Foundation.



If this summer has been less than stellar, if you are bored out of your mind, if you can’t wait to get away from home and a grueling summer job, know that what awaits you is full of the promise of God’s joy and awesome wonders. I want to challenge you and encourage you to be more than a by-stander this year. Step in deep with us. God is going to continually blow us away with His gracious and wonderful works of love and power. But you might miss it if you just stay on the side-lines. And more importantly, you might miss an important part of God’s plan for your life as well.



If you know a new student or returning student who needs to receive our e-letter, send me their address. I would love to welcome them personally and add them to our list.



Have a great week! Can’t wait to see you soon!



Blessings,



Sami

Helping Hands

Hello! I am so excited that you are coming back to school! I missed seeing your bright shining faces this summer. Some of you are getting this e-letter for the first time. It was good to see you at the Info Fair in Diddle on Tuesday. I hope Master Plan has been a wonderful experience for each of you.



As time has gotten closer for school to start, I have really seen the hand of the Lord moving on behalf of this ministry. This is how much Jesus loves you. About two or three weeks ago, one of the members of Broadway United Methodist Church approached me and shared how her Sunday School class was looking for a service project. She asked if she could bring our campus ministry before them as a possibility so that they could help us get our facilities ready for school. Well, of course I said yes! When she brought it before the class, they voted overwhelmingly to come and spiff up our buildings and yard. Let me tell you what kind of miracle this was. Last summer Tim (my husband) and I spent a lot of time cleaning, organizing, and making things ready for the new school year. This summer has been a totally different story. Being in my last trimester of pregnancy has made it next to impossible to do some of the simplest things. There are days that I can’t even put my shoes on without help. I can’t even get up out of a chair without help. And with the increasing size and weight of my belly, I have come to have quite a bit of sympathy for turtles and bugs who get stuck on their back, finding themselves laying there helpless with arms and legs waving in the air. This offer of service from the Unity Sunday School class has truly been a God-send.



And so, last week they came, men and women, and even some children. They even brought their own equipment. They washed, organized, gutted, rearranged, sweated, and still came back to finish everything. They mulched, trimmed, pressure washed. They even cleaned out our fridge! They worked hard. And at the end of the day they were still asking what more they could do to help us. It moves me to tears when I think about it. It is one of the few times that I have seen the Body of Christ shine forth with the full radiance of the Holy Spirit. I don’t even have words to describe how much they did for us, and how much they are still willing to do.



Let this thought be with you this week as you get ready to start classes: God loves you in mighty, mighty ways. God brought a whole group of people, who have never even met you, to pour out His awesome and powerful love for you. Part of our mission statement is “to put a human face on God’s love.” God did that for each one of us in a very tangible way. So go into this semester fearless, knowing that God is working mightily on your behalf. Go into this semester expectant, knowing that God is ready to use us in mighty ways just as He brought His servants to work on our behalf in mighty ways. Go into this semester with hope and faith, knowing that God’s provision is bigger than your biggest need.



I am so humbled by our Lord’s generosity. I am so overcome with gratitude for these very ordinary, everyday people who have served so completely and given extravagantly from their hearts. I pray that the Lord will continue to do mighty things through them, will bless them in ways they cannot even imagine, and that the seeds of their obedience will yield a mighty harvest for God’s Kingdom through us and others they are touching in Christ’s name.



Know that each of you are precious in the Lord’s sight. Jesus loves you so much. I know because sometimes I think He will burst my heart with the fullness of all the love He wants to show you. Have a great week!



Blessings,



Sami

What's God God In Store For Your Summer?

Remember that just because it is summer break, God is still up to some wonderful, clever things. I want to challenge each of you to seriously pray about how God is using you this summer. It’s almost like you have a short-term mission assignment, wherever you are. Y’all have each touched my life in a specific and special way; I truly believe that God intends to use each of you to touch someone else’s life this summer in a similar way. Where is the need that really tugs at your heart? Is there someone you see often who just needs some extra encouragement? Maybe you are working in a gloomy environment and God has injected your zany sense of humor at just the right time to brighten things up.

I think of my dear friend and mentor George. He was the Senior Pastor at the church I first worked at. During those two years we worked together he really took me under his wing, taught me how to have fun in the midst of the craziness of ministry, and kept encouraging me to find ways to connect with God so I wouldn’t get burned out. After those first two years he retired. He always said that when he retired he wanted to focus on doing the 30% of ministry (Bible Studies and teaching) he loved full-time instead of the 70% of church business, politics, and administration that he hated. He always said that retirement didn’t mean retiring from ministry; God still had special things for him to do. And boy did God use him in a special way. Perhaps the most significant ministry he ever gave happened in the last three years of his life, during his retirement. He was able to step into a bad situation at a church that was really hurting to provide stable leadership, loving compassion, and wise support as they healed. His legacy blows me away, and reminds me that we are never really off-duty when it come to the Lord.

That is not to say that you shouldn’t enjoy your break. This summer break is one of God’s gifts to you. He has already planned for your refreshment. In fact, you will be refreshed and renewed even as you serve Him in your new environment. It will be a joy to your soul.

I am so proud of each of you. I am so thankful for your presence in my life. Know that you are greatly loved by Jesus. I know because He has put His love for you in my heart.

Have a great week!

Sami

Love Revolution

Today several students and I handed out the care packages that everyone helped put together on Monday. Man, I love doing that stuff. It is such a blessing to help God bless others. We delivered popcorn to all the houses on our street down to the stop sign, and then we had lots left over! So we went to Cherry Hall to give away bags to pedestrians. I never knew how hard it could be to give away popcorn and kool-aid. I guess now I know what God feels like when He is trying to give away His heart. He just wants to bless us, and sometimes we say “No Thanks.”

But then I think about everyone who accepted our gift, and the look of surprise on their faces. Some asked us why we were doing this. They seemed really shocked when we simply told them God loved them and we really just wanted to provide them with a study break during finals. I pray that someone was blessed in a special way.

You know, that’s the thing about God. I think about the parable of the sower. If I were sowing seed, I would only throw it on good soil, so I would know my efforts weren’t wasted. But not God. Knowing there will only be a 25% success rate, He throws seed everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE: the road, the thorns, the rocks, places where that poor seed doesn’t even have a chance!

Yet there is always a deeper, more significant truth to God’s stories. God shares His blessings with us with reckless abandon. Every little opportunity to show us His love, He gives, whether we notice or not, whether we receive it or turn up our noses. He sends little love notes in every way possible. When I step outside on a spring day in Bowling Green, I feel it the most: sun gently warming my cheeks, soft wind mussing my hair, the sweet smell of flowers making everything nice.

What love notes has God given you lately? Are there some that you might have missed? I pray that in these next couple of weeks (especially next week during finals) God will give you the special grace to see every little way He is trying to love on you, and also that you will be blessed extravagantly because of it.

Our Lord loves you so much. I can’t say it enough. You are a masterpiece creation in His eyes. You are precious beyond your wildest imagination to Him. Somehow, when we realize the beautiful truth of who we are to Him, it changes everything.

Here’s to the revolution of God’s love.

Blessings,

Sami