Hi!

Fearless is a blog dedicated to the truth that God has told us over and over again in His Word:  FEAR NOT.  We have been created to walk fearlessly secure in an intimate love relationship with Jesus Christ.  The question is…how???

How do we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Savior and shrink in the areas of fear and insecurity in our lives?  The answer is simple–and difficult:  We look into the Word of God, receive it, and apply it in our lives through dependence on God.  Please join me on this adventure trek through the Word of God!

–Susan Jean Stevens

Meditating for Babies

Spring Break 2020 began March 13th this year, and I decided to do a little overhaul on my spiritual life during break. I picked up my well-worn copy of Oswald Chamber’s My Utmost for His Highest and began eating from that always restorative banqueting table. My sister-in-law, Robin, recommended a Bible reading app called Read Scripture, which I read every night when I go to bed. This app includes amazing videos created by The Bible Project which tie together Bible themes across the Old and New Testaments.

My friends Vicki and Gary gave me a copy of Moving Your Invisible Boundaries and I decided to slowly read a chapter in the morning and one in the evening while putting into practice the suggested exercises. Part of the premise of this book is that we are limited by some of the beliefs in our hearts. For example, if I believe that I am worthless it will affect my actions. However Dr. Jim Richards points out that we can change the content of our hearts by meditating on God’s Word.

As Spring joyously bursts forth so is my renewal in the Word of God.

If I were to rank how I best get to know God, I would make a ranking like this: 1) Studying the Word, 2) Reading the Word, 3) Praying, and 4) Meditating on the Word. Dr. Richards made me aware of the importance of meditating on the Word and so I’ve started—-wait for it—-Meditating for Babies.

I have a notebook in which I have lists of verses (mostly pertaining to our identity in Christ and in His death, burial, and resurrection). I write one of these verses on a page in my notebook, and then I put on a little water sound audio clip that goes for 10 minutes. (This is why I call this meditation for babies. I’m setting VERY achievable goals for myself.) Somehow, the audio track seems to keep my brain on track. I meditate on the verse of the day with a pencil in hand until the audio clip runs out.

I am NOT trying to set myself up as some sort of spiritual giant here. It’s more like when you put off repairs on your car until it’s going to cost you a small fortune to get it back on the road.

I’m not quite sure what to think about a lot of what is going on with Covid-19. I do ache for people who have gotten sick, who’ve lost loved ones, who have canceled weddings, and for all those who’ve lost jobs when living paycheck to paycheck–not to mention all of the people working in essential positions who are juggling family, work, and restrictions. But for me, our shelter-in-place allowed me to easily continue my new routines until they become firmly established. I pray that you will find spiritual benefit during this time too!

I forgot to post about my new book. (Aka marketing is not my thing.)

In early September, my second Christian book was published….drum roll, please…Wrestling Grace in a Tit-for-Tat World. 

When I first encountered the concept of grace as a new Christian, it seemed way, way too easy to my natural mind. 

Although I don’t know that I would have said it out loud or in so many words, I thought that people should pay some sort of penance for their sins–especially sins against me. 

On the other hand, I really did like the idea of grace extended toward me when I blew it. What a hypocrite!

This book is not so much about my journey, but about the results (so far) of my exploration of God’s Unlimited Infinity Pool of Grace.

Jump into the pool with me and enjoy the riches He has for you.

Say It!

1st Thessalonians 5:11

In this verse, we are commanded to encourage one another and build up one another.

Encourage, or parakaleite, means to aid, help, comfort, and encourage. It comes from two words that mean “call to the side of”. We call someone alongside us so that we can encourage them.

Build up, or oikodomeite, means to build, rebuild, construct. Metaphorically it is to establish and confirm.

Recently, a couple of events happened that showed me that I don’t do this enough. A friend, who I hadn’t seen in twenty-some years, came up to me and said, “I was just talking about you yesterday. We were having some parent/step-parent issues at my school and I told them that I was in the car with you and your sons and step-sons once when your step-sons began complaining about their mother. You stopped the car and turned around and told them that you NEVER wanted to hear them talk about their mother that way!” Maybe it’s a small thing to you, but to me it was the most affirming thing I could have heard at that moment. 

I’m not telling you this to make myself look good, but to tell you how much it blessed me. This was the first incident that made me realize that I don’t always SAY IT! I may think it, but I don’t SAY IT!

The second incident happened in my homeschool classroom. We were reading King Lear, and I told them that when I read Romeo and Juliet in high school I went on to read most of Shakespeare’s plays. At that moment I realized how much my English teacher, Mary Francis, would have liked to have known that. She might also have been thrilled that I read most of John Steinbeck’s novels after we read The Grapes of Wrath.

I believe that Mary Francis would have been delighted to know that she fanned that flame. It’s so easy to encourage and build others up if we just take a moment to be intentional. SAY IT!

STC 22292, title page

1 Peter 5:12 Visual Verses

Philippians 4:8 Visual Verses

I’ve been teaching the High School Girls’ Sunday School class at our church for a few months, and I love it! We have a curriculum to follow, but they said they wanted to learn more about mental health and so I’ve been making these visual verses that we look at the last five minutes of class. Since I think of mental health as thinking Biblically, these verses seem to fit the ticket.

2 Timothy Visual Verses

I’ve been teaching the High School Girls’ Sunday School class at our church for a few months, and I love it! We have a curriculum to follow, but they said they wanted to learn more about mental health and so I’ve been making these visual verses that we look at the last five minutes of class. Since I think of mental health as thinking Biblically, these verses seem to fit the ticket.

James 1:8 Visual Verses

I’ve been teaching the High School Girls’ Sunday School class at our church for a few months, and I love it! We have a curriculum to follow, but they said they wanted to learn more about mental health and so I’ve been making these visual verses that we look at the last five minutes of class. Since I think of mental health as thinking Biblically, these verses seem to fit the ticket

Romans 12:2 Visual Verses

I’ve been teaching the High School Girls’ Sunday School class at our church for a few months, and I love it! We have a curriculum to follow, but they said they wanted to learn more about mental health and so I’ve been making these visual verses that we look at the last five minutes of class. Since I think of mental health as thinking Biblically, these verses seem to fit the ticket.

Where do we put our money and time?

Ho, every one 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.

2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread?

and your labour for that which satisfieth not?

 hearken diligently unto me,

and eat ye that which is good,

and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Isaiah 55:1-2

It’s not often that you come across two verses containing…wait for it…8 imperatives, or commands. And who are these commands addressed to? The thirsty and penniless. These verses are an extended metaphor which speak of spiritual thirst and spiritual bankruptcy.

The price is not gold and silver, but self-surrender—a seemingly high price to some of us, but one that we all can afford. Water (John 4:10), wine (Matthew 26:29), and milk (1 Peter 2:2) all represent spiritual blessings of salvation in Christ. Who are those commands addressed to? The thirsty and penniless. These verses are an extended metaphor and what we are looking at here are spiritual thirst and spiritual bankruptcy.

Verse 2 starts with two rhetorical questions:  Why do we spend our resources on that which does not feed us? Why do we spend our resources on that which does not satisfy us? Good questions. And yet we see it all around us–people spending time and money on that which only gives temporary pleasure. Bread represents the true life of the soul and spirit with Christ.

There are two imperatives in verse 2: Hearken diligently, shama’ shama’, and eat, ‘akal. In Hebrew when two imperatives are joined, the second expresses the consequences of the first. In other words, IF we hearken diligently to God’s calling to turn to Christ, we will eat that which is good and be satisfied by God’s word. As a result, our soul will delight itself in spiritual fatness—the kind of fatness to which we can all aspire!

The Flaws of Fearless

This is from Train Ugly, one of my new favorite websites, which connects my Bible study topics and my educational study topics. Ignore the “lizard brain” stuff that harkens back to evolution–just call it the fight or flight reflex. And I know that Liz Gilbert is a bit much, but I get it, she’s reframing her fear. If you can’t listen to the whole thing, start at 13:58 with The Flaws of Fearless. Here is the video: