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05
Jan
How to Build a Spiritual Legacy You Can Be Proud Of
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Everyone builds a spiritual legacy even if they don’t plan to. Each of the twelve disciples built their legacy as they walked and talked with Jesus and spent the remainder of their years spreading the gospel across the known world. Even Judas left a spiritual legacy; negative, yes, but a legacy we note and from which we learn what not to do.

A positive spiritual legacy is made up of things we do and say that make a difference in other’s lives and draw them closer to Jesus in some way. The people we influence may only meet us one time, or they may be folks we live and work with for years. They might remember our name, which is important if they are family, but our name may not be something that impacts them at all. We know we’ve made a difference if our words and/or actions leave a small imprint of Jesus in their hearts.

Saint Paul said it this way when he wrote to the Corinthians:

You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts (2 Corinthians 3:2, 3 NIV).

Usually years are needed to build a spiritual legacy because so much of that legacy is made up of the impact we have on people as we slowly change into the image of Jesus. Folks watch us. How we interact and respond in life circumstances, how we spend our money, where we hang out, the way our time is used, the kindnesses we do in Jesus name, and the way we treat the people around us–all these are things that impact those we love and those we stumble across.

What to expect in 2012

This year you will be seeing more posts that relate to building your spiritual legacy. It’s what I do with my life: help people build their spiritual legacies. The post categories will remain the same as we explore how to grow in Jesus, how to make a difference, and how to laugh and enjoy the life entrusted to us by the One-Who-Gave-His. I hope you continue to hang around and grow with me.

One addition to this blog will be a monthly interview with someone who is building an inspiring spiritual legacy. This month we’ll be hearing from Debbie Fuller who has found a unique way to use her key collection to communicate part of her spiritual legacy. She’s an amazing woman, and I look forward to sharing her interview.

I’d love to get to know you better this year. I have so enjoyed connecting with those of you who have made yourself known to me, and I look forward to building a relationship with so many more. You can always leave a comment on one these blog posts, or you can join the conversation at one of my following haunts:

1. Monday through Friday I share a daily tip on building your spiritual legacy and a quote to help you find the Holy in the daily on my author Susan Gaddis Facebook page. Just click “like” when you arrive on my page to receive the tips on your home feed. It’s also a good place to hang out and dialogue with others who are building a legacy.

2. If you frequent Twitter, I share tips and links that help you build your spiritual legacy @susangaddis. I use the hashtag #buildalegacy. Mention that you found me at Holy in the Daily and I’ll follow you back so I can get to know you.

3. If Linkedin is your kind of place, I’ll look forward to connecting with you there.

4. You can sign up to receive my monthly Building a Spiritual Legacy newsletter via email here.

5. And finally, if you’re looking for resources and haven’t checked out my books yet, visit Eternal Foundations. There you’ll find details on:

Ebooks to help you deposit a legacy within your children or grandchildren: Eternal Foundations for a New Generation

A book to help you leave a legacy through prayer: Intercessors, God’s End-time Vanguard: How To Pray Effectively for the Things That Matter Most. Available in paperback ($9.95) or ebook ($2.99) at Amazon.com, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Sony, Kobo, Smashwords, etc.

A book on how to leave a legacy through healthy relationships: Help, I’m Stuck With These People for the Rest of Eternity: Christian Advice on Healthy Relationship Characteristics and Making Relationships Work. Available in paperback ($9.95) or ebook ($2.99) at Amazon.com, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Sony, Kobo, etc.

So there you have it–what to expect in 2012. I look forward to the journey together.

(And Oh, I almost forgot–I’m going to be doing some remodeling of my website and blog design soon. So please be patient when you find things a little messy. Thanks.)

Susan Gaddis, Helping you build your spiritual legacy

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28
Jul
Enjoy Your Summer With Sayings of the Desert Fathers

Desert area of the Desert FathersIf you want to enjoy your summer and put a little more holy in your daily, read some of the sayings of the Desert Fathers. These men traded populated areas for the solitude of the wilderness during the early years of Christianity. They left us their wisdom of the desert. This is one of my favorites:

Once Abbot Anthony was conversing with some brethren, and a hunter who was after game in the wilderness came upon them. He saw Abbot Anthony and the brothers enjoying themselves, and disapproved. Abbot Anthony said: “Put an arrow in your bow and shoot it.”

This he did.

“Now shoot another,” said the Elder. “And another, and another.”

Then the hunter said: “If I bend my bow all the time it will break.”

Abbot Anthony replied: “So it is also in the work of God. If we push ourselves beyond measure, the brethren will soon collapse. It is right therefore, from time to time, to relax.”

I’m taking that advice to heart and heading to Finland next Sunday for the wedding of our middle son, Jonathan. I plan to rest, laugh, explore Helsinki, and stay in a summer cottage in the countryside. And yes, I have scheduled posts for while I am gone, but if I don’t respond to your comments, you’ll know why—I’m taking a break.

What are you doing to enjoy your summer? How are you taking a break to relax? What part of that break are you looking forward to the most? I’d love to hear about it.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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Category: Quiet moments, Relationships, Seasons, Susan Gaddis News  Tags: , , ,
18
Jul
Happy Birthday KJV! A Monday’s Moment Clip

Let’s raise a cheer of Happy Birthday KJV! This is the 400th birthday of the King James Bible. Although the Bible has been translated into different versions, the KJV stands as the first that was really available to the masses of people. Here is a one minute tribute to the King James Bible by one of my favorite Celtic Christians, Liz Babbs.

If you received this post via RSS or email and cannot view the clip, please visit my Holy in the Daily blog to celebrate 400 years of the King James Bible.

What version of the Bible is your favorite and why? Did the KJV ever play an important part in your Christian development? If so, tell us about it.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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15
Jul
Do You Have a Life That is Moving Too Fast?

The Stress of a Writing DeadlineDo you ever feel that life is moving too fast? I do. I know I need to do some things to reduce stress. And I know myself well enough that when I get to this place of busyness, I must cut back, sit back, and listen to the Spirit.

I’ve been working on a new Eternal Foundations website for my books. I’ve also been updating the books into ebooks and new paperback editions—much work and a big learning curve. All of this writing plays out alongside of being a wife, mom, grandma, pastor lady, and chief cook around the Gaddis home.

Later this month we have a son getting married in Finland and another having his first baby here in California. I’ll be rushing home from the wedding in order to walk into the hospital in time for little Sawyer’s grand entrance.

I’ve maintained my daily routine of study, prayer, and musing with the Lord over my morning cup of coffee, but I find myself in a season where I need more time to listen. I need time to catch the still, small voice of the Spirit Holy in unexpected moments and in unexpected ways.

In order to protect my sanity, preserve my life from a mental breakdown, and walk more closely with the Spirit, I’ve decided to only post on this blog on Mondays and Thursdays. So this will be my last Friday post for a while.

*sigh* Thanks—I knew you’d understand.

Now that I’ve spilled my guts, what’s your stress story? How do you find a quiet space in your life to listen to the Spirit Holy when the noise of life seems too loud? Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below—I’d love to hear from you.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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06
Jul
Texas Governor Perry Declares a Day of Prayer Based on the Book of Joel

Hats off to the Texas Governor Rick Perry for declaring a day of prayer and fasting for our nation based on the Bible book of Joel. In May his official proclamation went out to all the citizens of Texas along with a letter to the other 49 state governors asking them to participate.

Since I am currently reading the book of Joel, this proclamation resonated within my spirit. The complete proclamation appears below, but you can also read it on the Governor’s website where it was posted on the 4th of July.

In 1775, the Continental Congress asked the colonies to join in prayer, seeking wisdom as they faced the responsibility and opportunity of building a new nation. As leaders of that young nation assembled in 1787 to craft a Constitution, Benjamin Franklin implored the framers to pray for guidance, famously declaring, “The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: that God governs in the affairs of men.” Decades later, during a time of national turmoil, President John Adams declared “a day of solemn humiliation, fasting and prayer,” asking citizens of all faiths to pray for America’s protection from danger. Later, as civil war tore our young country apart, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a day of national fasting and prayer, saying “It behooves us … to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray to the God that made us.” During World War II, with our troops locked in battle on the beaches of France, President Franklin D. Roosevelt led the nation in prayer, “As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.”

Given the trials that have beset our country and world – from the global economic downturn to natural disasters, the lingering danger of terrorism and wars that endanger our troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and theaters of conflict around the globe, and the decline of our culture in the context of the demise of families – it seems imperative that the people of our nation should once again join together for a solemn day of prayer and fasting on behalf of our troubled nation.

In times of trouble, even those who have been granted power by the people must turn to God in humility for wisdom, mercy and direction. In the spirit of the Book of Joel, Chapter 2, Verses 15-16, I urge a solemn gathering of prayer and fasting. As those verses admonish: “15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly… 16 Gather the people, consecrate the assembly…” As Jesus prayed publicly for the benefit of others in John 11:41-42, so should we express our faith in this way.

THEREFORE, I invite my fellow Texans to join me on August 6 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, as we pray for unity and righteousness – for this great state, this great nation and all mankind. I urge Americans of faith to pray on that day for the healing of our country, the rebuilding of our communities and the restoration of enduring values as our guiding force.

THEREFORE, I, Rick Perry, Governor of Texas, do hereby proclaim August 6, 2011, to be

A Day of Prayer and Fasting for Our Nation

in Texas, and urge the appropriate recognition whereof.

In official recognition whereof, I hereby affix my signature this the 23rd day of May, 2011.

RICK PERRY
 Governor of Texas

I don’t know if our California Governor Brown will participate in this day of prayer, but I’m encouraging those with whom I associate to put a little holy in their day by setting aside time on August 6 for prayer and fasting. If you can arrange a time to meet with others and pray as part of that day’s activities, all the better. I’m also calling our Father’s House intercessors to a day of fasting and prayer on August 6th. Mark your calendar and join with Texas in praying for our nation.

What are your thoughts concerning Governor Perry’s perspective on the need for prayer and fasting? What do you plan to do about it?

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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08
Jun
Five Thoughts for Adjusting to an Empty Nest

Jonathan

They really do leave the nest—eventually. But how do we adjust to the empty nest depression that accompanies them leaving the nest?

Jonathan, child number four of six, flew off to Finland last Saturday to marry the love of his life, Sanna. The wedding comes in August, but the adjustment comes now—at least for his parents.

Here are my five thoughts for adjusting to an empty nest. These are along the recovery path of “change your thinking and your mood will change” therapy.

Five thoughts for adjusting to an empty nest

1. Oldness doesn’t resonate as old until you really are old. Then it hits you that most of your life has already been lived. This revelation doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy living life to the full with the time you have left; just that time really will be coming to an end and you wish you could have done things better in the time you have already lived. *sigh for deep thought*

2. Most of those who have gone before us lived shorter lives than we have. The average life span during the Middle Ages was 25. I can be thankful that I have lived long enough to see my nest empty.

3. Many people throughout history were pretty dysfunctional, just as I have been. (“We really should have been better parents, but we didn’t know how” kind of stuff.)

4. God seems to get really involved in dysfunctional people’s short lives—I’m thinking Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Peter, and all those who have served God throughout history. To us, our life may seem seem like a vapor, but not to God. He sees our short lives as a beginning point, or why would he invest himself so much in dysfunctional people?

5. Therefore, *grin for big conclusion here* God is investing in something bigger than just our short lives here on earth. He has much bigger plans in mind—like all of eternity future kinds of things with us by his side.

Putting my life into perspective with the bigger picture allows me to acknowledge the past mistakes of my journey, and honor the future—both my future and Jon’s. The nest may be emptier, but it isn’t less full.

So, what are your suggestions for adjusting to an empty nest, whether you have experienced it as one leaving the nest or as one watching others leave?

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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23
May
Wacko Memories of Eye Doctor Visits

Do you have wacko memories of eye doctor visits? Joint the secret club of SSBE–Surviving Senility and Bad Eyes. “God grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.”

I don’t know who said that, but I think she was one wise woman. That prayer has finally been answered for me. Cataract surgery on the left eye is completed, and I now expect to see with 20/20 vision those folks I want to see, and I pray I embrace with dignity the senility that causes me to forget the folks I don’t want to see. Neither will I have to endure the eye doctor visits described by Brian Regan in this humorous clip.

(If you received this post via RSS or email and cannot view the clip, please visit my Holy in the Daily blog to add a smile to your day.)

So fess up–what memories of eye doctors, dentists, and the principal’s office haunt you at night? And if I am one of those folks that senility has caused you to forget, don’t tell me. Just fake it.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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11
May
Blindness is Required for an Aha! Moment

I just realized that blindness is required for an Aha! moment. Yes, I know–I’m a little slow on the uptake at times. For the first time in my life I awake to view the sharp details of my bedroom dresser and the wrinkles on Husband’s face instead of fuzzy colors meshed together. It’s true—only with clear sight can we know how blind we have been.

Is this how the blind man felt after receiving his sight? I feel like a kid on Christmas morning. *silly grin* Really—this is amazing! I once was blind, but now I see. Dr. Johnson is my new favorite-person-of-the-month. I have 20-20 vision in my right eye where Near-Sighted-Since-Birth fought with a cataract for total visual domination. The left eye is scheduled for renovation on May 17th and then I shall conquer the world! Maybe.

I still need multifocal lenses in my soul. For some reason Jesus doesn’t seem to want to wave his spiritual scalpel over my Near-Sighted-Since-Birth soul and instantly replace all cataracts with the multifocal lens of the Spirit Holy. It seems to be an ongoing surgical process—sight on the installment plan. Not nearly as much fun as Dr. Johnson’s better vision plan, but it does come with an eternal lifetime guarantee.

I do awake every now and then to the clear details of a situation where once only fuzzy colors had meshed my opinions together into a not so godly near-sighted mess. Spiritual cataracts fall off. A sliver of God’s multifocal lens glimmers into place. Maturity happens. Slowly.

Why does spiritual sight reveal blindness? Why can’t we just know we are blind? You would think a blind person would know he was blind, but that isn’t usually the case when it comes to spiritual things. We don’t see our blindness until we have sight. Go figure. Just another reason we call it the Backward Kingdom.

Comments? Questions? Opinions? What’s your experience with spiritual blindness?

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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02
May
Why I’ll Skip the Celtic Method of Cataract Healing

Last January I learned I had cataracts, and within a few months I would need to have surgery to remove them. Well that time is finally here. I’ll be experiencing a healing journey for some weeks as first one eye is operated on and then the other. In preparation, I looked through my resources to see if there was a Celtic prayer for the healing of cataracts. Sure enough, I found one—though it wasn’t what I expected.

This story is from the Carmina Gadelica, a collection of Celtic prayers, poems, and songs gathered by Alexander Carmichael between 1855 and 1910. The woman in this story suffered from cataracts and found water from special healing springs to be useful in relieving her suffering. Here is her story in her own words:

I take the basin of water home, and three green blades of grass of the plain, and I put a piece of gold or a silver coin in the basin of water, and I dip blade after blade in the basin of water, and pray to God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit, for guidance and compassion.

And I dip a blade of grass in the basin of water and draw the blade softly and gently across the cataract on the eyeball in the name of Father. And I dip a blade of grass in the basin of water and draw the blade softly across the cataract on the eyeball in the name of Son. And I dip a blade of grass in the basin of water and draw the blade softly and gently across the cataract on the eyeball in the name of Spirit.

And I ask the everlasting Trinity of life to grant me my prayer if it be Their own will so to do and if the asking be in accord with Their mind.

Her faith is remarkable, but personally, I thankful I live in more modern times and have the benefit of a specialist. Laser surgery and multifocal lenses sound like a miracle to me! I’ll let you know how my healing journey goes.

Have you or someone you know suffered with cataracts? I’d love to hear the story.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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01
Apr
How to Make a Memory and Hold Onto the Things You Love

The Gaddis Girls in Bubblegum Alley

Someone has said that memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, and the things you never want to lose. I had such a day this week. We called it the Gaddis Girls Club, and we were celebrating the newest addition to our family of Gaddis women—Sanna Luhtala.

Sanna is marrying my son Jonathan and therefore joining myself, my daughters Mary and Kati, and my other awesome daughter-in-law, Sharla, in the Gaddis Girls Club. This is a big deal since the Gaddis family was originally dominated by the male species—four sons and two daughters. To celebrate the addition of estrogen, we worked on wedding invitations, relaxed with pedicures, visited Bubblegum Alley, laughed over Thai food, window shopped in small San Luis Obispo boutiques, and rounded it all off with cupcakes. Nice!

Eventually I will probably lose some of my memory—at least my parents did as they aged. But this I know—God won’t forget (see Malachi 3:16). Someday I’ll look over my spiritual scrapbook with him, and together we’ll recall the joy of the day I had this week with the Gaddis Girls Club. I fully expect each of my girls to join us—over tea and cupcakes, of course.

How do you make memories that hold your loved ones close to your heart?

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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