tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123043706114460279.post955194394341148902..comments2018-02-18T08:41:39.235-08:00Comments on BettieG'sRAseasons: A Friend of GodBettieGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184677704960428160noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123043706114460279.post-9805395308648428862017-11-21T13:34:48.437-08:002017-11-21T13:34:48.437-08:00Yes, Mary, I think you would really love Jayber...Yes, Mary, I think you would really love Jayber's descriptions of nature--especially with the beautiful photos and words that you share from your own walking outside! He had such a way of bringing us alongside to feel and see the beauty all around. I am thankful that you found encouragement here too! May you have a Blessed Thanksgiving!BettieGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01184677704960428160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123043706114460279.post-54233424789916654292017-11-21T06:50:36.430-08:002017-11-21T06:50:36.430-08:00Beautiful reflections! The more I have read from y...Beautiful reflections! The more I have read from you and Michele aboutJayber Crow the more I want to read the book. The description you shared of the forest and the mention of the above ground stories was beautiful. Thank you for elaborating so well. Happy Thanksgiving! Mary Geisenhttp://www.marygeisen.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123043706114460279.post-79543399068726707262017-11-18T20:23:35.997-08:002017-11-18T20:23:35.997-08:00Dear Joy,
Oh, yes you are right that from a human ...Dear Joy,<br />Oh, yes you are right that from a human standpoint we can't imagine that God would desire to call us friends. It's another one of those mysteries that the Holy Spirit brings to our hearts as we understand His Word isn't it? Thank you for your thoughts on this--I wonder if the Lord would be encouraging us to pray for Holy Spirit stirrings in those that we long to know Him as a friend! I am so grateful that you have come along on this journey through the story of Jayber Crow and his community. There have been so many convictions heavy on my heart along the way, and I have been so blessed by your encouragement as I've shared them. Your friendship is such a gift from the Lord! May He bring you blessings and Love this weekend! xoxoBettieGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01184677704960428160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123043706114460279.post-3950240528138724462017-11-18T15:31:35.568-08:002017-11-18T15:31:35.568-08:00From a human angle, friendship with God seems so u...From a human angle, friendship with God seems so unlikely and unattainable. It is hard for our hearts to comprehend. We definitely do have this treasure in jars of clay! Yet as the you have so beautifully expressed, we are honoured to be invited into an intimate relationship with Him, to experience a "friendship deeper than any other" and "so much higher than all we can grasp."<br />I've really enjoyed the unfolding of Jayber's story over the last few weeks and the way it intersects with your own. His faith quest has drawn out your tender compassion toward others, your yearning for all to know God as Saviour, Lord and Friend, and your innate sensitivity to all things spiritual. It's been such a blessing to take this journey with you. My heart aches too for those who are lost and hurting. May they be drawn with cords of holy Love and Compassion, lured by God, our earnest Soul Lover, and discover the enormous gift and privilege we are given to be children and friends of the Most High Himself! Love and hugs to you, sweet friend! xoxo ��Joy Lentonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03486637586238798088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123043706114460279.post-87417119241722981022017-11-17T13:34:38.889-08:002017-11-17T13:34:38.889-08:00Dear Trudy, Yes, Jayber had such a way of describi...Dear Trudy, Yes, Jayber had such a way of describing those forests and places of nature that were all around him! What an amazing Lord we have, who gave us these things to point us to Him! And yet when those stirrings of love & longings awaken within us, it can be overwhelming sometimes, can't it? I am so thankful that HE knows how to help us speak in His Name as we do answer His call. Love and hugs to you too! xoxoBettieGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01184677704960428160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123043706114460279.post-84382235758679202222017-11-17T13:31:08.976-08:002017-11-17T13:31:08.976-08:00Dear Michele, Oh, yes I will miss our times of con...Dear Michele, Oh, yes I will miss our times of connecting over these words! But I am so thankful for the convictions that I will carry forward from this time. I am always amazed at the way that God uses these stories to open my own heart to find HIS stories growing within me. Memories of all of the vivid word-pictures that Jayber painted for us--out in those wide open spaces, or gathered close to dear hearts--have left sweet places in my heart. Thank you again for asking us to ponder and think about the words that we read, and not just skim over the surface. I hope you have a Beautiful time with your family this Thanksgiving! BettieGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01184677704960428160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123043706114460279.post-13390185985155728282017-11-17T09:41:27.554-08:002017-11-17T09:41:27.554-08:00This is so touching, Bettie. That excerpt about th...This is so touching, Bettie. That excerpt about the big trees made me long to be there. I identify also with the longing you feel that those around us may <br />"find a friendship deeper than any<br />a love so much higher than<br />all we can grasp"<br />And that we ourselves will answer His call to speak in His Name. Love and hugs to you!Trudyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05179372917600231306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123043706114460279.post-37065243868629141312017-11-17T09:27:02.564-08:002017-11-17T09:27:02.564-08:00Bettie, reading your thoughts here brought back th...Bettie, reading your thoughts here brought back the loveliness of those pages in which Berry described Jayber's wanderings in the Nest Egg. I agree with you that he never gives us a clear sense of where Jayber's heart is in reference to the truth, but I wonder how much of that is just orneriness, and how much is a poet's tendency to show and not tell. <br /><br />The truth has certainly been put on display here in your writing home throughout this journey, and I'm so grateful for the role you have played in sharing insights about the book and the way it has hit your sensitive heart.<br />Looking forward to many more visits around words and around the Word.Michele Morinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814119096056835884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123043706114460279.post-72307148068024686182017-11-17T07:40:53.788-08:002017-11-17T07:40:53.788-08:00Oh thank you so much Dear Friend! And may Your Tha...Oh thank you so much Dear Friend! And may Your Thanksgiving be full of Blessings also! xoxoBettieGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01184677704960428160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123043706114460279.post-30887786087820464162017-11-17T07:37:24.505-08:002017-11-17T07:37:24.505-08:00Dear Cheryl, Oh you are so right that HE "is ...Dear Cheryl, Oh you are so right that HE "is the only true fulfillment of peace that the human soul craves." I am so thankful that He understands all our weaknesses, and yet continues to call us to find help with Him. Thank you for your sweet words and your gift of friendship. My prayers are with you today! Much love and blessings to you!BettieGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01184677704960428160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123043706114460279.post-25706776991913669362017-11-17T07:20:22.516-08:002017-11-17T07:20:22.516-08:00THANKSGIVING BLESSINGS TO YOU BETTIE G!!! xoTHANKSGIVING BLESSINGS TO YOU BETTIE G!!! xoSusanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14364430951695372897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123043706114460279.post-53681037159632084132017-11-16T21:40:44.059-08:002017-11-16T21:40:44.059-08:00Oh, sweet friend! I hear that call...that beckoni...Oh, sweet friend! I hear that call...that beckoning call that can only be spoken through His voice. It is compelling beyond words, and it draws me in closer to His side. How I long for Him! He is the only true fulfillment of peace that the human soul craves. Thank you for always pointing me ever nearer Him. Thank you for your precious friendship and support and kindness to me. Much love to you, dear Bettie!Cherylhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01891257905649460436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123043706114460279.post-62028648994684217712017-11-16T20:48:19.023-08:002017-11-16T20:48:19.023-08:00Dear Gayl, Yes, I knew that you would appreciate t...Dear Gayl, Yes, I knew that you would appreciate those words about the forest, since you live right on the edges of those woods! I do hope you are able to get back to "Jayber" at some time, because there are such beautiful expressions of the beauty of nature in his words. I am so thankful that we can share that love of the woods, and the poetry they stir within us, my friend! And I am grateful that God has allowed us to live so close to their beauty also. Many blessings, love and hugs to you! xoxoBettieGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01184677704960428160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123043706114460279.post-43572447053178976392017-11-16T20:44:14.547-08:002017-11-16T20:44:14.547-08:00Dear Linda, Oh yes, what a joy Heaven will be, to ...Dear Linda, Oh yes, what a joy Heaven will be, to be in the very presence of the Lord who created all of these beauties around us! I guess that explains my deep sadness for Jayber, because he understood the gift that creation is so well, but seems to have missed the One above it all. I will surely miss all of these discussion posts next week! I have a stack of books to finish, among them an ongoing savoring of Amy Carmichael's "His Thoughts Said, His Father Said," and Susan Shipe's "A Pruned Branch." But the one I put aside while "Jayber" was on the front burner, that I am really looking forward to is C.S. Lewis' "The Problem of Pain." I am so grateful for the gift of words that come to us from so many different places! Blessings and Love to you!BettieGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01184677704960428160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123043706114460279.post-10835510259578820532017-11-16T20:30:08.964-08:002017-11-16T20:30:08.964-08:00Yes, Barbara, I have enjoyed this discussion group...Yes, Barbara, I have enjoyed this discussion group so much also! I will miss these times. Jayber did bring such a beauty and joy to being in God's creation, and I have surely benefited from that. I am thankful that many of his early questions about God seemed to have been answered, but I still felt that lack of relationship. And therein lies my own convictions too, because there is always so much more in my own heart that can go deeper with Jesus! Thank you for all of your great posts and thoughts too! Blessings and Hugs!BettieGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01184677704960428160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123043706114460279.post-66705296019930153672017-11-16T14:55:06.505-08:002017-11-16T14:55:06.505-08:00I have not gotten back to reading the book yet. Th...I have not gotten back to reading the book yet. Things just got so busy for me, but I have loved reading your thoughts on it. I love how you take the story and relate it to your own life in some way. What you shared here from Wendell Berry - "Always, as soon as I came in under the big trees, I began to go slowly and quietly."- I have felt this myself when I begin to walk among the trees. It's awe-inspiring. Blessings to you, my dear sister. Love and hugs! xoxoGayl Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02564461995154051353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123043706114460279.post-48653416183100097282017-11-16T14:44:41.877-08:002017-11-16T14:44:41.877-08:00The afternoons in the "Nest Egg' were the...The afternoons in the "Nest Egg' were the sweetest passages to me also--reviving many memories for me. The logging too I have experienced more than once. So much beauty God gifts all of us. And when our thoughts turn toward Him in it is is even more beautiful...I have found this part of Jayber's story the easiest to relate to. But Heaven will be so much more than he mentions! For there we will have God present with us visibly, the most beautiful one of all. Everything else is just a little foretaste. I've enjoyed doing this read along with you, Bettie! What will you be reading next?Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682029173527471837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123043706114460279.post-80486699037388516612017-11-16T13:19:57.147-08:002017-11-16T13:19:57.147-08:00I wondered about Jayber's actual relationship ...I wondered about Jayber's actual relationship with God, too. It was certainly unconventional (like the rest of his life, I suppose), and he seemed to have more peace with Him at the end of his life than during his college years. But it still seemed like he missed so much.<br /><br />I have so enjoyed this discussion group!Barbara H.http://barbarah.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123043706114460279.post-61088675833538257942017-11-16T11:35:52.391-08:002017-11-16T11:35:52.391-08:00Dear Anna, Thank you so much for your encouraging ...Dear Anna, Thank you so much for your encouraging comments, my friend! Yes, my heart has been so convicted again & again throughout this series. We have been offered such a treasure in friendship with God, and yet we so easily turn it away. What a sweet way to pray, as you pass those ones while out running. Again, we are offered so many opportunities to point others to Him also! May my heart stay softened to His callings. Love and Hugs to you! xoBettieGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01184677704960428160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4123043706114460279.post-58328054277244489402017-11-16T07:49:04.598-08:002017-11-16T07:49:04.598-08:00Oh Bettie, I am crying. Oh what yearning in your p...Oh Bettie, I am crying. Oh what yearning in your post. Yearning I feel in the depths of my heart also. For ourselves and all those around us. I have found myself praying on my runs lately for each person that passes me. I sense God moving me to look with His eyes. Each and every person precious in His sight. Oh that He would keep breaking our hearts for what breaks His - including our own turning away from that offer of friendship. Thank you for all these convicting and encouraging posts. I've been so very blessed by the words you've shared.Anna Smithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06920411905278513062noreply@blogger.com