Christmas is long gone, January is now in the rear view mirror and we are slogging along in “Ordinary Time” according to the church calendar. What do you need in February?

For some of you, spring is still weeks and weeks away. For some, thanks to marketing on steroids by Hallmark you will be reminded you of what you are not. Not married. Not in a very “romantic” place nor with a very romantic person. You are not sexy. For some, the year has already thrown you curveballs with visas, language lessons, medical emergencies. If this is “ordinary,” no thank you.

So, we ask again, how can you tend your soul this month?

To remember that you are loved. With this in mind, we asked Wendy Scott-Penson to spend time with God and then speak to us, all of us, this month and remind us that God loves you.

Wendy Scott-Penson is a Senior Philanthropy Advisor with Wycliffe Bible Translators. In this role, through prayer and encouragement, she has the opportunity to invest in the lives of donors as they invest in Bible translation.

The spiritual gift of encouragement or exhortation has consistently been revealed as one of Wendy’s central traits. This has been confirmed both through official channels such as gifts assessments, and through informal interactions with colleagues, family and friends. 

Wendy’s interest in encouragement has been intensified as she co-parents her three children, all of whom experienced trauma prior to becoming part of the family with her and her husband of 30 years, Derwin Penson.

Wendy counts it a joy and honor to contribute to Global Trellis. Having lived cross-culturally in a number of settings, she has personally been enriched by the unique challenges and blessings discovered when reaching past barriers of language and social difference in order to build loving, God-honoring relationships.

Each video is less than four minutes. Feel free to play it with your eyes closed and let God speak directly to you. (Don’t see a video? Click here.)

GOD loves you. As Wendy spoke, what stood out to you? Or to use the language of spiritual formation, what sparkled?

On this Soul Tending Tuesday, may this reminder that GOD loves you, do just that, tend your soul. The God of the universe, the creator of everything, loves you.

Grace and Peace.

Fact 1:  We are commanded to rest.
Fact 2:  We are commissioned to risk.
Fact 3:  Facts 1 and 2 don’t seem to square with each other.

Many of us have been trained to think of these facts as a “problem to solve” instead of a “tension to be managed.” This month’s workshop is presented by Amy Young and will explore what it looks like to manage this tension. Whether living in proximity to physical harm, in an area prone to natural disasters, with inadequate health care, or risking a future that might not include a spouse or children, this workshop is for you.

Photo by Iman soleimany zadeh on Unsplash