* I'm Linking Up to Celebrate Angie Smith's New Book: What Women Fear *
Do you have a fear you'd like to overcome? Angie's powerful words inspire us
to journey through our fears, to find God transforming our walk of faith.
-Click Here- to share your fears & link up with the (in)courage Bloom Book Club.
* LISA LEONARD GIVEAWAY *
To celebrate the autumn season of faith, Lisa Leonard is
graciously giving away Autumn's Song Necklace.
Enter the Autumn's Song Giveaway at the end of this post!
There comes a time for letting go and a time for healing. How is autumn speaking to you?
Letting go. Letting go.
When I see leaves drift in descent from stem to the ground, they tell me autumn is coming. Autumn is here.
Letting go. Letting go.
If I’m very quiet, especially in the early mornings, I hear them rustle. A cool breeze passes through and nature’s wind chimes on branches begin their song.
The leaves fall pretty, scattering auburn and golden, supple and moist on the dewy ground.
This is the season for tenderness.
For letting go.
The Fear of Necessary Endings
In the past, most of my time spent in spiritual seasons of autumn have swirled around my fears of letting go. Of necessary endings.
Sometimes we place such pressure on our lives to be fruitful, we lose faith and end up collapsing under our own weight.
That is when the time comes to let go of problems, people, places and even dreams that we were never meant to carry.
The work of letting go has been long and intense.
What will I have left?
I honestly did not know.
Jesus knew.
He kept leading me deep into autumn, never leaving my side, with His hand clasped in mine, holding me up, as I stood there, leaves shed, branches bared.
All that shedding, I was scared. I didn’t know if I’d even recognize myself anymore.
How wrong I was.
My long journey deep through autumn has given me a song.
Autumn’s song.
Autumn’s Song
As summer ends and autumn comes, the days get shorter and shorter. This signals that winter is coming. The trees know they need to conserve the sunlight and energy that has been captured during the summer.
They need to rest.
To rest, the trees stop making green chlorophyll, which recedes from their leaves.
As the green fades, the true colors hidden within the leaf emerges.
Red, orange, yellow and brown. They have all been there all along.
I used to hide my hurts and buried them deep in the past, because I wanted to move on.
The truth is, I wanted to cut out the parts of my story I didn’t like.
I was afraid others would see how broken I was and find me unlovable.
But, a beautiful thing happens when you’re stripped bare in the loving presence of Jesus.
He wraps His healing comfort around your heart and He does it by bringing out the truth of what’s happened. He speaks the fear that you feel and says —
I was there.
I understand.
I still love you.
These are the lyrics written in Autumn’s Song.
They weren’t just given to me on a piece of Scripture to memorize or spoken through the pulpit as I took notes in the pews.
When you find yourself ushered into a season of fall
— where activity ends
— where your days gets shorter
— where the winds of change in your life shed who you once were
Jesus Himself will sing Autumn’s Song to you.
His voice will be un.mistake.able.
Not only will Autumn’s Song be sung, an amazing miracle will happen.
When you’ve survived the longest winter of your life, God will usher in spring. He will bring the miracle of new seeds and new beginnings back into the soil of your life.
Planted next to you will be other trees that have weathered the seasons of faith.
They will bring shade and comfort to you.
They will reach out to you and call you friend.
Sung In You
If you find yourself entering into a season of autumn or maybe it is already winter for you, let me say to you:
God’s Autumn Song is being written and sung over you.
You and I may think we are withdrawing, but in God’s eyes, He is welcoming us into resting.
It is a time of healing.
To receive comfort.
To be kind to yourself.
To unfold the layers that have kept you from tenderness.
To find the soft places under the hard.
To discover that you can be loved, are loveable, and completely, entirely safe and beautiful in His eyes.
God says, Let your light shine.
It’s another way of saying, Let your Autumn Song be sung.
Tears drifting, arms relaxing, heart breaking, body exhaling, soul healing.
Soul healing. Soul healing.
Get comfy and cozy, friend.
Autumn Song is here. Jesus is near.
Soul healing. Soul healing.
~~~~~~
“…We rely on the love God has for us.
…God is love… There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.”
1 John 4:16-18
~~~~~
What are your Autumn Reflections in your current journey of faith?
What fears are you facing in your journey of faith?
Pull up a chair. I love company and quietly read and reply to comments. Click to share a comment or subscribe by email.
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Lisa Leonard Jewelry Giveaway: Autumn’s Song Necklace
A couple weeks ago, I dared to enter back into community in a big way. I flew South to Hilton Head, SC to join 24 other DaySpring (in)courage writers on a beach retreat.
While I was there, handmade jewelry designer Lisa Leonard gave me a special gift that came straight from God’s heart —
Lisa Leonard’s Autumn Song Necklace.
{ Photo by Lisa Leonard }
Lisa was so sweet and generous, she brought pieces from her new fall line as welcoming gifts for the writers. As I passed by her room, I peaked through the open doorway and saw stacks of jewelry cases on the bed.
Oooh… what is this? I asked Lisa.
As she introduced each faith-inspired piece to me, my eye was immediately drawn to a silver chained necklace that dangled a hand-cast leaf, accented with faced apricot bead, wood, and a cream stone.
Oooh… I like this one. I breathed, eyes and heart happy.
I like it on you. Lisa smiled. It’s called Autumn’s Song.
I squealed eyes teary and hugged Lisa hard. Thank you.
Enter To Win!
Today, Lisa Leonard has graciously offered to giveaway the Autumn Song Necklace to ONE WINNER randomly selected here at Faith Barista (yay!).
To Enter:
1. Share a comment or blog post by Midnight Wed 9/28/11.
For Extra Entries:
2. Subscribe to Faith Barista and leave an extra comment letting me know.
3. Share this post on Facebook or Twitter (Click the “Share/Save” button below) and leave extra comments letting me know.
Special 15% OFF Discount Code
If you browse Lisa’s adorable store and find something you’d like, enjoy this special Faith Barista 15% OFF discount code! Autumn Reflections (it’s good thru 9/29/11)
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*** NOW, IT’S YOUR TURN — FAITH BARISTA JAM! ***
Faith Barista Jam Thursdays — I serve up a topic of faith, you write the post. Let’s encourage each other. Add your voice. Swap our stories.
Share your post by clicking the blue button below “Add Your Link” or just comment directly.
Today’s Thursday’s Topic 9/22: Autumn Reflections: Reflect on your journey of faith as you enter into the autumn season.
Approach it any way you feel inspired! Only required ingredient: keep it real.
Please place the “Faith Jam” Badge in your post and help build the Keep Fresh Fresh Community. Thanks!Grab the HTML Code For the Faith Jam Badge
Next Thursday’s Topic 9/29: Finding My Voice. (This topic is not limited to writing. Approach it any way you feel inspired.)
It’s a jam session. As time allows, say hi & drop a comment when visiting the community faith blends!
~~~~~
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196 Comments
I am already an avid subscriber. 1 extra point!
Shared your post on Facebook and “liked” you there as well.
Yes, something beautiful happens when we are stripped bare, as am autumn tree. Then only can spring come after the winter. This was beautiful. Thank you for sharing your heart and encouraging us to bare our souls.
I shared on twitter and have already subscribed.
I love your words, Bonnie. The necklace. God’s perfect timing.
“Autumn Song is here. Jesus is near.
Soul healing. Soul healing.”
I feel like I’m been in fall for awhile already, a time of soul rest and healing, (with several interruptions by summer activities!), so I relate to what you’re saying. It is scary to me to let go for awhile. I still need to do more of that. You’re inspiring me to think more about what I need to shed as I head into another winter.
Change is always frightening and I’m one of those, I like it where everything is consistant and the same, but I’ve learned over time to just….trust our Father and embrace Him…Because I realize….part of change, is growing and part of growing is refining and if I don’t change….what happens instead, is that I’m not really allowing Him to work in and through me and my life and the people around me, but rather…risk…becoming stagnant and not really useful, not only to our Father, but also open to what I need to change within me….Instead of letting go..I’m just holding on to dead leaves that aren’t really beneficial as much as I think it is.
SO enjoy this post!
Oooohhh…say the word “song” and I’m all ears.
Sing to me, Jesus. I am listening.
I shared your article on my FB page,http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sunflower-Faith/249461529407
Well, it’s not really autumn yet in Texas, but the cooler weather has been refreshing and the little bit of rain has bee a sweet reminder of God’s mercy poured forth on weary, broken people.
Beautiful post and so true. It is interesting watching the seasons change and seeing those changes in our own lives as well. Thanks for the chance at that beautiful necklace!!
I’m a subscriber!
I have shared this on FB
Thank you for posting this today.
To say that I needed to hear all your words right now feels like such an understatment today. I have tears in my eyes as I type this comment.
I know I’m entering into a new season right now, in what also feels like yet again, and this is a great comfort. One to the extent that I plan to copy the text out of here and post it somewhere on my desk or in my home where I can read it often.
thanks again!
Leanna
I’m a subscriber 🙂
Oh I also subscribe to your blog
and I shared on FB as well 🙂
I love Autumn! This is a wonderful season in MI. Cooler weather, changing colors, apples and pumpkins. This necklace certainly represents what Autumn means to me.
Lovely, necklace….PRECIOUS words! Thanks for sharing and speaking to my heart. Love when God does this!
I am always blessed by the post on Faith Barista. This one on Autumn is especially touching because I have been in a Autumn time in my life.
fear..that the new won’t come..that the anxiety will always remain..yes, feeling very fall, in more ways than one!
Yes, yes and Amen! I will be reading this all day long….It is a time of healing.
To receive comfort.
To be kind to yourself.
To unfold the layers that have kept you from tenderness.
To find the soft places under the hard.
To discover that you can be loved, are loveable, and completely, entirely safe and beautiful in His eyes.
Thank you!
I love Autumn, too, when I used to live in a state where it occurred. Unfortunately I live in an area of Arizona (Gilbert, which is near Phoenix) where there is no autumn. There are no colorful leaves. They just get brown and die by November or December. We only have two temperatures here: blazing hot most of the year and cold for a few months. When I lived in New York, Autumn was my favorite time of the year and I miss it. I come alive when the weather turns cold. (I hate the intense heat). It’s like a rebirth to me. That’s physically and mentally. Spiritually, I’ve been in a long winter. I do need something that only God knows. Yes, I need the cold winds to blow away a lot of debris that has been clinging to me for a very long time.
Autumn can be a challenge for me as my rheumatoid arthritis makes itself known with extra aches. The aches also remind me of how blessed I’ve been with this debilitating disease for over 40 years. I still walk, keyboard and I’m able to play with my family. God understands kneeling days are over, floor time doesn’t happen but the gifts he gives and gives and gives I give thanks and praise.
The necklace shows the promise of seasons and contentment of Autumn through faith and love God so freely gives!
God is singing His Autumn Song to our hearts now-He has brought us Beauty from Ashes and Joy in the Morning! We lost a daughter to a fatal chromosome disorder called triploidy in late 2008 and just this July after two years of grief and healing we gave birth to a baby girl whom we fittingly named Bella Joy. God is faithful and He never let us go!
I feel like this post describes perfectly what I’ve been walking through the past few weeks. (Even down to the verse at the bottom – I’ve been using that exact verse for comfort these past few weeks!) God is calling me to let go of the lies I’m believing that are keeping me from Him. I’m facing the fears that I’ve ignored and pushed deep down for so long. It’s an exhausting and scary season, but I’m anxious to enter His rest. When I’m terrified, I take refuge in Him. He’s dancing and singing Autumn’s Song over me.
Email Subscriber to your blog.
Oh Bonnie, what a beautiful, poetic post. And yes, I found your kind link. Aren’t we all at times the girl who needs to know? What an honor to get to know you… praying for you and all your ministry opportunities. So many people need your insights and honesty.
Much love… Lysa
So beautiful, the changing colours, seasons all beauty of God’s love x
What a timely piece for me – heading into what I suspect will be a really tough autumn season of life and not looking forward to it. Appreciate the encouragement.
Autumn’s Song was beautifully written. What a precious closeness to our Savior.
I’m definitely in a fall season — letting go! It’s an empty nest and as a result an empty life… I packed my youngest off to college and don’t quite know what to do with myself — I loved what you said about rest — I am tired and need rest and I look forward to seeing the little seeds of my new repurposed life sprouting. In the meantime, savoring the rest…
hmmm I can’t decide if I’m in Fall or winter. There’s a lot of letting go being done in my life, but it’s been that way for months. Things are starting to get darker and colder. I’m grieving loss and drawing away, but anticipating spring. You have, in your special way, opened my eyes to the beauty of this season….In the physical realm fall is a favorite season for the changing leaves, hot drinks, and chilly air. It’s beautifully refreshing. 🙂
Shared it! <3
Beautiful, beautiful post Bonnie, I love your Autumn song! Yes, I am resonating with what you wrote, as I reflected and wrote similarly yet so differently. Ah, God is gracious, his colors are vast! The necklace is beautiful and I’m glad you shared that moment with us as well. Love you!
The changing seasons in Ohio always make me appreciate God’s creation and the detail we so often take for granted! Only GOD could make beauty out of flowers and trees dying and going dormant 🙂 Pretty awesome!!
Liked on FB 🙂
Already subscribed !
This was just what I needed to hear today. How many times in our lives, do we find ourselves going through, “enduring” something, somehow feeling like God can’t be in this……. It’s after we’ve finally returned to “Spring” that we realize that God was there in the Fall, in the starkness of Winter. He was there – in that very situation, at that time, standing right by us, holding our hand, whispering “Come closer, you’ll see”. Teaching us even more about faith, leading us ever closer to Him. Bless you for sharing with all of us.
I would love to win this amazing Giveaway!
I subscribe to Faith Barista. It’s amazing!
Touching as always…
I liked these words of yours that say “He wraps His healing comfort around your heart and He does it by bringing out the truth of what’s happened. He speaks the fear that you feel and says –
I was there.
I understand.
I still love you.”
There was a moment when I felt bare,unsure,insecure but he closed his strong arms around me and restored what needed to be.
God Bless!
Love,
Irma
Thank you Lisa! That was just beautiful and gives me comfort and new perspective as I enter into this season of letting go!
His voice was “un.mistake.able” to me through your post today. With tears in my eyes, I thank you for being God’s voice to speak to this weary heart needing to know that it is okay to experience autumn. Not only is it okay, it explains everything and is His will. Thank you friend!
Fall has alway been my favorite season. Don’t get me wrong, Spring bring hope and Summer reminds us to take time to really enjoy life in a more carefree manner. Winter? Well winters winter:) But harvest time reminds me or God’s unfailing provisions. He provides me with such a beautiful artistic display of colors that the best painter couldn’t match. He’s given me to working eyes to enjoy the sight. But most of all, its a time when I can hear His unmistakable call to pause and reflect on who He is. Thank you for such an uplifting blog. God bless you sister.
I am a subscriber, bonus point! I would love to win this so, I could give it to my step-daughter for her 19th birthday.
Hi Bonnie.
I just want to thank you again for your blog and your writing. It is such a gift that blesses so many!
I am also a lover of Autumn! It is my favourite season. It just makes me praise God when I start feeling the chill in the air, yet the leaves are colouring warm with vibrant golds and reds.
I also love the smell of decaying leaves on the ground. Even though they are dying, they smell rich with the promise of life and nourishment.
I have added my newest blog post, shared this post on Facebook, and I am already a subscriber to FaithBarista!
Blessings!
Merissa
As another season of autumn begins, I have to admit that I am feeling low as I seem to be stuck in the “striping away of leaves” in my life. I keep asking, still, we are still here?? But over the past few weeks, HE has uncovered the “seed” that was planted and we, HE really, is healing it and turning the lie into life…so I wait…
However, as I sit here and write these words HE is reminding me that there is already new life forming in the seed and the waiting is necessary for the harvest to grow into the fullest of blooms in the Spring!
I am starting to see the jewel tones of HIS love, life and blood emerge as the healing of the soul begins….thank you!
I really needed to read this. While God has brought many good things into my life (including the people who pushed me to start blogging this summer!), this year has been full of change for me. And change is unsettling sometimes. So the thought of a season of autumn and rest is a necessary one for me now.
And I’m a subscriber now, too!
Thank you for the post, it is a well timed message for me. I am feeling a little forgotten right now, not feeling God near. My husband and I are going through a lot of changes in life and are hoping for good to come.
And I love the Autumn’s Song necklace!
Tears spilled down my cheeks as your words spilled over my heart. I so needed these words today. Thank God for Him bringing them through such a beautiful voice. With your permission I will print this and place it on my bedside so I can see it when I wake each morning of this fall season. This season of letting go of control, and of the doorknobs to dark places, and letting the Healer into my heart. The winter will be long this year as I heal, my leaves are almost gone. But the Song of Autumn with be sung over me every day. And, when the healing is done I will be there for others who need to know the song is sung over them. For all of us, Thank You.
I shared on Facebook too. I should have added a comment about having their tissues ready.
Sometimes the things that fall off during autumn would not fall off any other way. And when they’re gone, we’ll wonder why we put up with them for so long.
I wish I could have joined the jam today, but I was working and unable to blog. However, I love autumn. It is my favorite time of the year. I love what you showed about the leaves’ colors. Even just today, I was having a conversation with some friends that was revealing those broken parts – because frankly if we want a fruitful season later on, we cannot afford to hold onto those or keep them hidden. With them exposed they can be dealt with and those anxieties, insecurities and wounds lose their power over us allowing us to truly enter into rest – the kind of rest that refreshes and renews.
By the way, that necklace is beautiful and I am a subscriber 🙂
I also shared this on FB, friend!
Thank you Bonnie, that was beautiful. Just what I needed today at this season of my life- leaves falling, soul healing, God carrying me thru the wind…
Thank you for being such an inspiration to us all…..I so enjoy your blogs.
I also shared this on FB and with some friends going through some difficult times….thanks again Bonnie!!!
As the autumn leaves fall I am reminded that all is only temporary here on this earth.
We are here but for a fleeting blink of the eye, and then we are gone, returned to our maker. Thank you for hosting this Blog Jam. God bless you in all your efforts.
Your sweet words could not have come a better time. I so needed to hear them as I know God is asking me to let go of some things. Some of which makes me sad but I know His way is best. I love Autumn and the changes of color and I never thought of the connection utnil today when I read your words. Thank you. I am a subscriber already and so I just wanted to leave a comment to say blessings to you and thank you for touching my heart today.
Beautiful story, beautiful necklace. I love Autumn it is my favorite part of the year.
i really LOVE lisa’s stuff, and i really love fall :: so, it’s perfect combination.
thanks for the great giveaway.
blessings,
shana
Rest…yes. Autumn feels like an exhalation. Deep breath out, now rest.
i also subscribe to your blog by email . . . and enjoy it greatly. thanks!
blessings,
shana
Thank you for this post, Bonnie! I found it interesting that I had no idea what exactly you were going to blog about. My blog had some similarities….interesting. We obviously have some of the same thoughts about what season of life Autumn is.
The necklace is beautiful…..and the feeling behind it is even more special.
I also like this, and posted on Facebook:)
Oh, wow.. How I enjoyed reading your Autumn Song. It seems I am being led back into a time of releasing some unpleasant things from years passed.. I’m not always sure how to go about that. I don’t know why I hung onto them in the first place and why they are still there to shake me awake in the night now.. I don’t know.
I try to look on the bright side on hopeful days, my unpleasant memories make me feel childlike. Not knowing what exactly happened, not understanding. I have a Father who is all-knowing and all-understanding and I can be happily childlike. It’s a good thing.
Is there some way to print your article? To keep the font and colors but not have the ads that make it 20 pages long? lol
Thanks 🙂
For me the hardest change to accept is death, but through death comes life everlasting. My brokenness may take a life time, and then some, to heal but i know one day through the Grace of Jesus Christ my Winter will turn to Spring and all things will be made new agin.
Bonnie, thank you for such a lovely and inspiring post. I’m in a place in my life where I can only do so much and while I love being able to rest, I sometimes wonder if I am resting or simply being lazy. Too often I tie my worth to how much I do, which is so silly, I know.
I recently read part of an essay by Mike Yaconelli. I love to come across things that get me thinking and spark insights.
This writer starts out…….
“Life is a kind of unraveling of the mystery of ourselves, a never-ending search for clues about the stranger that resides within. The older we get, the more complicated the mystery becomes. Our identity weaves its web into more intricate and sticky patterns. The more we know about ourselves, the less we know…and yet…yet there is, at the same time, a new kind of knowing………
(He then speaks of the view of God, faith, the cosmic order that he was taught when he was young)
A lot of time has passed….. A lot of water has gone under the bridge. So much has happened in my life—and in my friends’ lives—in these last four decades that my faith has truly taken a beating. It’s still there, but it doesn’t look much like it did in those beginning years ………… I have disappointed God so many times…and I have been disappointed by God …. as well. There have been so many mentors— who I admired greatly—who stumbled and fell, never again to recover their faith; so many “truths” about (God and Jesus) that turned out to be false; so many casualties, so many losses, so many assumptions that turned out to be just that—assumptions, not truth.
One such assumption, in particular, has haunted me throughout all my Christian experience: the Assumption of the Changed Life. I was taught that if I was a Christian, then people would see a marked difference in my life!!! And further, I was taught that the closer I was to God—the more spiritual I was—the greater and more visible that difference would be…………
He goes on to say that he no longer believes that but believes: Whatever the change is, it is not so much outward as it is inward. This difference that God makes is often visible only to God…and no one else. It is a new way of looking at God, a new way of understanding God, ……that liberates us …….. from our old way of viewing God. “
His essay continues with his awareness of what has changed within himself and he puts into words the changes he sees.
Just seeing those words frightens me. It frightens me because the words sound dangerous—like I have abandoned my faith. But I haven’t abandoned my faith, I have abandoned a way of looking at my faith. Of course we change when we meet Jesus, of course we are never the same,…………..But what is different is different than I thought.”
(Mike was killed in a car accident on October 30, 2003.)
This is where my thinking began to spin off. I have been aware that my ideas and inner self have been changing over the years. I was wondering if I was entering an AUTUMN my FAITH because I was not thinking or feeling the same or using the same words to express my spirit as I did even twenty or thirty years ago when it felt like SPRINGTIME. Then it was all new life, miraculous happenings, excitement. Was my faith shriveling like an Autumn leaf?
What I have concluded is that my faith like my body, my intellect, my emotional self is an organic thing. It is alive and growing just like all of the other parts of me. In viewing my faith and relationship with God, I see that excitement and emotion became a solid intimacy; talking about my experiences and bouncing thoughts off of others became a solid inner seeing and knowing. Following what I know is assignment replaced doing everything that I see or am told needs to be done. Mercy replaced judgement; silence and listening replaced telling and asking (this was true in prayer and with others); peace replaced fear; giving replaced grasping; trust replaced having to have all of the answers; being replaced striving: knowing that all things happen for a reason replaced running from anything negative. Yearning replaced shame and avoidance of Him.
As Mike Yaconelli says, it is “liberating from my old way of viewing God” and liberating from the concerned of having a visible difference for people to see.
As for my outside, there are more wrinkles, the taking of more pills, less taking of physical risks, a slower pace, less energy reserves and the use of a cane sometimes. Oh yes, and hearing aides that I forget to put in first thing in the morning. Actually, outwardly I am beginning to look like many other seniors rather than having a “visible difference”. However, I find that inside, I am dancing with wild abandon in the palm of God’s hand! Autumn leaves shrivel, but Autumn fruit ripens, matures, and reproduces through it’s the seeds.
Hello and thank you. I realized reading this post that I need to worry less about rushing, doing, and how to cram everything in and more about shedding, relaxing and BEING…I really need to pray more, listen more and let go of a HUGE backpack I’ve been carrying around. Maybe it’s time.
I’m a subscriber and and am grateful.
I tweeted @designsbylindar
[…] am linking up today with Bonnie, the Faith Barista for Faith Jam. Will you leave a comment below and share your journey of faith as we enter Fall? […]
I too am in a season of “stripping”. I want Him to take everything that I am holding onto, strip it away, so that I can become new, more like Him.
I shared this post on Facbook!
Oh, Bonnie, this is so beautiful. I love thinking of Autumn as the season of tenderness–the season of rest. Usually, I am energized by the drop in humidity and the crisp clear blue of the sky…but this year, rest sounds so nice.
I always find rest here. You bless so.
I have been in seasons of autumn and winter since last year. Change has always been difficult for me. I want to cling to what I have even if it is not the best for me. I cling to the norm, the known, my comfort zone — even if there might be something better, I’m scared to move on. God has had to push me into change — a desert experience — which at the moment seems to be going, and going, and going….I wait on my Heavenley Father. He is in control. I ask for faith and trust to grow in Him, as I walk this journey.
Already a fan and a subscriber. And I only subscribe to a few 🙂 Thank you for the beautiful bare thoughts. 🙂 Lovely necklace. I cannot lie, I hope I win 🙂
THANK YOU for this post today! I feel like I’m in between Autumn and Winter. It’s been over a year of “this” and I cannot really move forward until next summer. Parts of me are nervous, scared and very unsure (I’m a planner so this is kinda freaking me out!). It’s so nice to hear from someone who’s been there. Your posts have been FANTASTIC!!! I love whatever you’re doing differently.:) They were good before too but now they get me every single time!:)
So sorry to hear about the loss of your dear friend, Sara, this week Bonnie…wishing you all the best during this difficult time. Autumn is tough for our family as well because it’s the Anniversary of my Dad’s passing and even though it has gotten easier with time, we still miss him being here with us now. Thanks for hosting the “Faith Jam” again and for a wonderful giveaway. Have a good week, fondly, Roberta
Wow – one of my favorite posts here at Faith Barista!! Thank you for being here.
When you said, “Sometimes we place such pressure on our lives to be fruitful, we lose faith and end up collapsing under our own weight,’ i could so relate.
There is something beautifully simple about a tree shedding its leaves. It’s time for a new season.
I so needed this today. Thank you! And I love the Autumn’s Song necklace.
What a wonderful Autumn Song! A time of rest…. hmm….. seems more of what God continues to tell me, since last Fall, continues on this fall….
I posted on FB.
Perfect timing, Bonnie 🙂 Thanks so MUCH for this post! I have been in a season of releasing and letting go, too. Even though it’s really difficult to let go, and every ounce of me wants to resist, I clearly hear God saying: “Release your grip and leave this in My care.” He’s showing me, too, that a season of change like Autumn is a beautiful season of us learning to trust our Father more, and, equally, a season of really receiving and soaking in God’s love and learning more about His character 🙂 Thanks again for this wonderful post, Bonnie!
Would love to sing along with “Autumn Song.”
The words you wrote in this post were so comforting to me Bonnie. I am in a season of letting go of so many things and desires. And yet one of my greatest desires is to let my light shine. I want to overflow with the love of Jesus to others. So if I must go through this autumn season and God would be glorified, it is well worth it.
I’ve visited Lisa’s website many times. I love her unique jewelry. How special that she had a necklace that was so perfect for you. It is beautiful!
I love to participate in your Faith Barista Jams!
Blessings and love,
Debbie
Thank you Bonnie for yet another inspirational post…..I have shared this on facebook as well as with a dear friend going through some difficulties.
Bonnie, I think I typed a response already, but I don’t see it so I don’t know if I messed up or just don’t see it, so here it goes again.
Thank you! This season of fall… rest, I never looked at it that way. The trees need rest, just like we do. And that seems to be what God continues to say to me since last fall into the new year and into the fall again.
Thank you friend for your words!
I am so glad to have stumbled across your blog! Pursuing healing is definitely scary at first. Thank you for posting these beautiful, encouraging words. Blessings! Kat
Subscribed to you 🙂
Tweeted this post. https://twitter.com/#!/kzg86/status/117086343439454210
So beautiful and the story behind it makes it even more precious!
Subscribed by email.
Bonnie, I needed these words – “Tears drifting, arms relaxing, heart breaking, body exhaling, soul healing.” Thank you for everything, for you…for Christ in you.
No colors yet in our town. The trees are still green, but I know that on one of those days that I pass beneath their boughs I’ll look up and see shades of yellow between the green. The temperatures will begin cooling. I know that all of a sudden color will appear everywhere. At the peak of its change, I know that winter is just around the corner. I think we’re all changing. We wouldn’t be Christians if we didn’t change…for the better. To others, the tree looks like it’s dying, shedding it’s leaves, and yet the following year, like my Russian Sage, it will be bigger, bloom brighter, and be much more of a presence in my yard like a Christian should be in the world.
Thank you for that inspired post…..Feeling autumn winds in my life right now. I had forgotten the beauty of autumn in the pain of having a lot of my life dismantled, but your words reminded me that our God is a God of PURPOSE in the seasons, both of the weather and of our lives:
“It is a time of healing.
To receive comfort.
To be kind to yourself.
To unfold the layers that have kept you from tenderness.
To find the soft places under the hard.
To discover that you can be loved, are loveable, and completely, entirely safe and beautiful in His eyes.”
I will be reading these words many times throughout this “Autumn”!
Hi Bonnie,
I’ve been a subscriber for a bit now and have been enjoying reading your blogs each week. I tend to be shy and have never left a comment on anything before, but your words speak such encouragement into my life…they are like a reflection of my soul and give me a renewed faith and hope. Autumn is my favorite season for all the reasons you mentioned and my soul is longing for a great big sigh of ‘letting go’. Thank you for pouring your heart out each week. God bless you!!!
I’ve shared on Facebook as well…have friends who would be inspired too and need to read your blog 🙂
Blessings, Miriam
Such great thoughts here Bonnie. I have always found comfort in the Fall season.
[…] Faith Barista, Some Girl’s Website, and A Holy Experience… Tweet This Post Cancel reply […]
Beautifully written, Bonnie. I was 16 when the campmeeting preacher spoke from Isaiah 64:6 “…and we all do fade as a leaf…” encouraging us that the fallen leaves of our life’s failures (and sins) are intended to protect and nourish the tree’s roots and prepare it for more, healthier growth and fruitfulness. Nothing is ever wasted in God. More than 40 years later, your post reminds me of that truth during a harsh winter season of my life.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and your life.
Ah, Bonnie, thanks for putting into words what I’m feeling…struggling so hard with letting go…
happy fall!
Bonnie: Once and again, the words you choose and the intentions in your writing cause me to pause and learn. One of the ways I am letting go this fall is I am letting go of worrying if I am doing it “right”. After 5+ decades of trying to get it “right” I can nod right along with you when you write, “But, a beautiful thing happens when you’re stripped bare in the loving presence of Jesus. He wraps His healing comfort around your heart and He does it by bringing out the truth of what’s happened. He speaks the fear that you feel and says –I was there. I understand. I lstill ove you.”
And.
That,
Is.
All.
I.
Need.
Maybe that is the true meaning of the “still, small voice” and “be still and know.”
You have given me so much to think about….thank you!
Shared your insightful post on my FB page and liked it as well.
This post spoke to my soul! Thank you, Bonnie!
I shared this link on Facebook
I already subscribe to your fabulousness!
I am catching up on reading emails this morning so I had already posted my end of the week reflection on my blog. Even though it was not titled “Autumn Reflections”, your words were so tied into the feelings I have experienced over the past year. My autumn season included taking time for myself as well as prioritizing my time with family. We all were in need of healing…the kind of healing that requires time. It was a time of letting go, resting in the care of our loving Father and allowing Him to restore us.
If you would like to read more of my story please check out My UnCommon Life at http://www.mollyslewis.blogspot.com/
Hugs to all of you!
Molly
dearest bonnie, since aug.12, i have been in the season of fall due to extreme high blood pressure and a minni heart attack. i let go that weekend of plans and fears. i chose to trust FatherGod with my body. my blood pressure continuely goes way up and down. the docs haven’t yet found out the cause. so far, every test is normal which means more testing and waiting. your words brought tears to my eyes as i felt them hug my inner most being. THANK you kindly.
I’M NOT REALLY A BLOGGER; MY FRIEND DEBBIE, OVER AT “HEART CHOICES,’ SENT ME OVER TODAY, SO THIS IS MY FIRST TIME AT YOUR SIGHT. IT WAS SUCH A PERFIECT TIMING FOR ME AS FALL ALWLAYS HAS BEEN MY FAVORITE SEASON. I ESPECIALLY LIKED THE EXPRESSED THOUGHT ABOUT HOW WE ARE OFTEN SO BUSY THINKING ABOUT BEING FRUITFUL, BUT FORGET ABOUT THE TIME OF GATHERING, A TIME FOR THE LEAVES TO FALL AND TO GIVE THE TREE TIME TO REST, REPLENISH ITSELF. GOD IS JUST EVERYWHERE, ISN’T HE?
THANK-YOU FOR YOUR LOVELY POSTING.
my first time linking up…this post spoke deeply to my heart.
thank you for sharing words of hope for seasons of change – i so needed to read them…:)
and i’m a subscriber too 🙂
I’m a subscriber!
Oops, I thought I made a comment earlier the first time I read this post. But I guess I didn’t. Thank you for your words, Bonnie, reminding me of the purpose of Autumn and letting go. Even of bearing visible fruit.
[…] For this Fall: Little Slips of Letting Go Posted on September 25, 2011 by BecauseOfGrace “But, a beautiful thing happens when you’re stripped bare in the loving presence of Jesus. He wraps His healing comfort around your heart and He does it by bringing out the truth of what’s happened. He speaks the fear that you feel and says –I was there. I understand. I still love you.” Autumn Song, Faith Barista […]
I loved reading this post…I am definitely guilty of hiding my hurt because I’m afraid of rejection or judgement if anyone knew I wasn’t okay…even though I’ve experienced that healing comes with opening up and no longer running from being found out.
I love Lisa’s jewelry! What a beautiful giveaway, and just in time for fall 🙂
I just subscribed to your blog 🙂
Oh, I love everything that she designs, and she’s such a wonderful person too! Thanks for the giveaway!
I’m a new follower (RSS)!
Great post! Autumn is my favorite time of year-the chill in the air, the magnificent colors, back to school, etc. I LOVE it (ok especially the back to school part-this work at home mom needs a break!) I think my greatest fear is not being afraid to open up about my faith to others, the fear of being embarrassed and/or being uncomfortable standing up for what I believe in. I love the (in)Courage Bible Studies-I have Angie’s book and am ready to roll-can’t wait.
Subscribed to your blog too!
Fears I am facing? If I’m honest with myself, it’s the fear that I am not being Jesus to my children. I lose patience with them, I am not always long suffering or kind. I do not always set the example of the mother I know He wants me to be. I’m taking more time to rest in His word, so that His Spirit can work through me. I’m following more blogs like yours, so that His truths will be on my mind. Thank you for this post, as it has urged me to admit this for the first time.
I tweeted the giveaway too!
Your post spoke to me. I feel that the seasons of my life are changing–entering Autumn. I want to do this grace-fully. I want to walk with God through this.
subscribed. another chance?
would love the necklace
what a beautiful blog about autumn and a beautiful necklace to match 🙂 both very refreshing, and thank you for the chance to win such a wonderful gift.
I would love to have this, it’s beautiful! Thank you so much for the chance!
I needed this post. So well said. Something I have felt and said similarly long ago, but I have quieted the voice down of this and no longer desire to. I feel the changes in the earth so strongly. They ripple through me. I am not sure what to do, except that my body tells me what you say – Rest. Thank you for affirming me. Thank you for sharing your gift with me. and others.
i also just became a subscriber! look forward to more wonderful thoughts!
I just discovered your blog this morning through your post on in-courage. I appreciated and enjoyed what your wrote about Autumn. Thank you for sharing your heart and inspiring mine. Blessings to you on this beautiful Autumn day!
Winter seems to come often in this earthly life. Sometimes it only lasts for a day, other times for more than a season. And, yes, Jesus is near–always! Autumn is all about preparing for that season of rest–to train our eyes on the Redeemer, who will bring spring out of the winter. Great post, great reminders!
Already subscribed to your site!
Shared link on Facebook.
I just loved this post. So many times I have felt the same way, and needed a little “soul healing.” Thank you for that today.
Lisa’s jewelry is simply beautiful. Thanks to both of you for the opportunity to win a piece from her collection! 🙂
I am a subscriber! 🙂
Thank you so much for the encouraging post! Autumn has long been my favorite season, and now I have a new spiritual reminder through it that makes me love it even more.
That necklace is beautiful!
I am an e-mail subscriber.
Thank you for your encouragement. This necklace is absolutely beautiful! Fall is my favorite time of year because of the crisp cool air and the changing colors of the leaves.
Thanks for sharing. I’m looking forward to hearing more from you now that I have subscribed.
I’m an autumn person too. I loved every word. Thank you for sharing such a deep post.
What a great giveaway! I love Lisa Leonard! My husband gave me one of her name necklaces when my daughter was born. Of course, now we’ve added one more to the family so I’ll have to get a new one. 🙂
beautiful post. Sing through the change :).
So loved your post to day .So real and honest .It spoke to my heart.
Anita
Had to share it on Facebook so my girlfriends could see…especially my friend Becca…I would send this little bit of lovely to her, because it would look beautiful on her!
I loved this post! Just yesterday, I was voicing my concern to God about how unfruitful I feel in this season of small children. Days fall into monotonous routine of cleaning, cooking, cleaning, teaching, cleaning again. It is easy to lose sight of what is being produced in this place of simple tasks and yearn for jobs of more grandeur. But I was reminded that He asked me to abide in Him and His promise is that He would produce the fruit that remains through my life. Reading your post today fell right in line with that conversation.
This post really spoke to me today, as this is the exact thing I am going through right now in this season of life. I am stuck in it deep and trying to find my way out. I wrote about it here: http://iamrefinedbyfire.blogspot.com/2011/09/rough-day-or-three.html and linked back to your post. I also subscribed as well. Thank you so much for sharing this today!
Love love love the necklace!!
I suscribed! Would love to win the beautiful necklace!
Currently I feel like I am in winter, with new growth beginning to push up through the melting snow, spring just around the corner. Last year was my autumn and winter, and it was a hard one. I had to let go of the small bit of health I had. I had to let go of being able to take care of my children. I had to let go of being able to leave my apartment. I had to let go of visiting with friends, instead staying home in silence to rest, to recover. It was a time of loneliness and clinging to the promises of God. A time of focusing on what I knew to be true, not on what I felt. Recovery has been slow, but it is happening. God grows us through the hard autumn and winter times. I wouldn’t have chosen the autumn or the winter, but God knew what I needed. He always knows what I need to draw me closer to Him, to grow me, and to conform me to the image of His Son.
beautiful post and a beautiful necklace. how i love autumn.
I am joining the book club just for this book! I need it!
I love Lisa Leonard’s work, she is amazing!
I’m a brand new subscriber!
Beautiful post! Beautiful necklace!
I’m a subscriber now too!
Hi this my first time coming to your blog after following the link from this morning’s (in)courage devotional email. I am so glad I came because this post spoke so strongly to the place I am in right now in my life. I am entering a season of fall -letting go- in an abusive relationship that has kept me from walking in fullness of what God has for me. This week I have been asked to make a decision about this relationship and have received confirmation upon confirmation, including this post. I am thankful for God’s patience in supplying the confirmations I need to be able to step into this fall season by faith that I will be healed, confident and stronger when my spring comes.
Thank you =)
“To find the soft places under the hard.
To discover that you can be loved, are loveable, and completely, entirely safe and beautiful in His eyes.
God says, Let your light shine.”
This is where I am. Wanting to delete some of my story, but am finding that God keeps pointing me to the fact that somehow I can shine from where I am…no matter how ugly I think that place/person is.
Lovely post. Will tune my ears to the Autumn Song sung by the One who wants to win my heart.
I just subscribed to Faith Barista, I was really touched today. Thank you again =)
The necklace is not only beautiful but also has a message. What a great giveaway!
I can’t remember the last time that reading a blog post brought so much clarification to my life. Almost feels as if it were written just for me.
You said “Sometimes we place such pressure on our lives to be fruitful, we lose faith and end up collapsing under our own weight.
That is when the time comes to let go of problems, people, places and even dreams that we were never meant to carry.”
I’d gone through a prolonged autumn season, partially aware but not fully understanding what God has been doing. I’ve fought the change of season. It can be hard to let go. Sigh.
I guess I’ve been afraid there will be nothing left, too. In my heart, I know better. Yet there is the subtle temptation to believe that we know better than God about what we need.
I could go on and on in this comment. But instead I’ll just say that I’m thankful for your continued transparency in sharing, Bonnie.
This post really touched me and gave me some very much needed hope.
Thank you!
letting go…something so necessary in life 🙂
I shared it through twitter too 🙂
I subscribed to this beautiful blog 🙂
I shared it on twitter 🙂
I subscribed 🙂
Autumn my favorite time of year 🙂
What a neat moment for you and Lisa as you both realized God’s working in your lives and bringing you two together! I have always loved autumn with all the change that begins to happen. This Autumn beings a new chapter for me as a mom.; my first is off at school. Walking him through this change in his own life and mine has been a hard but beautiful process in us learning to remember that God is always with us! Thanks for the chance to win a beautiful peice of jewlery.
I linked up your post on my facebook page.
I subscribed to your website as well.
Thanks
What a beautiful post…and necklace. After going through consistently high temperatures and a drought this summer, the lower temps of fall and the rain we’ve received of late have been most welcome, definitely a time of refreshing. What a picture of our walk this side of Heaven. The Lord allows us to go through seasons of drought but there are always the seasons of refreshing afterwards.
Blessings!
This Autumn has been a season of letting go of my striving and perfectionism and ceedeing to Grace. It’s been a hard fall, I’ve struggled a while, but now I float slowly down into the ground of humility. And I’m secure in his arms.
Subscribed and liked on Facebook 🙂
My heart is breaking in this my Autumn season. My only 3 grandchilden have lived across the field from my house for 12 years. Less than 2 weeks ago they moved 700 miles away. I am broken and spilled out. Life has taken a completely different road and the leaves are falling quickly. Thank you for the post.
I am a subscriber and reader. I have not written on my blogg for a number of weeks because the words are too painful.
Hi Bonnie,
You are a blessing to me because as I read your posts here in this site, this helps me realize something is missing in my life – self-reflection. I want to read more form you. Thanks!
Your words seem to be a direct answer to my prayers. I am trying so hard to move forward and see where I am to go next.
What path, Lord? Where?
Rest.
Sometimes the most simple answer is also the hardest. Rest is frightening. There is comfort in movement. But, bring me to where He is. I will rest and wait for Him.
Thank you for your post.
“Jesus is near.” Three words that i forget so often and so need to hear consistently right now in my life. My life is quite good by ordinary standards, yet it is so far from what I want it to be, what I felt it was supposed to be. Perhaps this is the waiting time? I am not sure, but I am frustrated and forgetful. God is still near. He is the one in control and knows why I am here. He will lead me to the next area when he chooses.
Happy Monday! Thank you for this opportunity to win!
Tweeted!
Wow, the necklace and post…providential? Fall, a time of comfort, shedding and healing! An awakening of senses as smells, temperature and texture all grow richer, savory. The slower pace and shorter days to pull the little (and not so little anymore) ones in our care back under our wings and connect in the safety of our family nest. What do I fear? Majoring on things which are not eternal and failing to give thanks for ALL.
beautiful post & beautiful necklace.
so excited to find this blog this morning. God is so good and so timely! Seasons of change, Autumns Song really spoke to me and reminded me once again of His faithfulness. Change is hard but He makes all things beautiful!!! As I move into another new season and pack my family up to move to Kenya once again, I am trusting in Him and the change that He brings!
blessings,
Brandi
I love autumn!
What spoke to my heart most in this post was…
Not only will Autumn’s Song be sung, an amazing miracle will happen.
When you’ve survived the longest winter of your life, God will usher in spring. He will bring the miracle of new seeds and new beginnings back into the soil of your life.
Planted next to you will be other trees that have weathered the seasons of faith.
They will bring shade and comfort to you.
They will reach out to you and call you friend.
The Lord has really been teaching me how to let go of my fears and embrace those around me that He has placed there to bring me joy and comfort. There is such beauty in this season… in so many different ways.
Thank you for the chance to win that beautiful necklace!
Change and letting go are generally hard for me. Fears right now: prospect of diving into a new-old church community that’s outside my comfort zone but may be in my husband’s; pressures from multiple sources beyond my capacity to resolve. It makes no sense to think I can manage and plan things better than God, but even after decades of walking with Christ, releasing and relaxing into His care still doesn’t come easily. Thanks for this encouraging post!
I love the thought of the “bare”times being an Autumn Song” that the Lord sings over us.
Thank you for your beautiful words of knowledge and comfort.
I am back because I am still meditating on the words of your post from yesterday and had to share them on facebook. I am hoping that my facebook friends will be blessed by your post as well!!
God bless you =)
This is definitely what I needed to hear at this time in my life. It has been a tough season but I know God is carrying me through.
Thanks for your hope-filled words at just the moment they were needed. The scripture in I John 4 is a life changing message. I subscribed to Faith Barista!
Beautiful post, and beautiful necklace! Thank you for the opportunity!
What a beautiful post. I’ve been in that autumn season for a while now…or maybe it’s winter. But I’m beginning to feel the earth moving and spring flowers are pushing their way up into the Light.
I would love to win the necklace. I also linked up with the fear posts.
I also subscribed to your posts!
And I shared a link on Twitter!
LOVE Autumn. LOVE everything about it.
I subscribed. Thank you.
Lovely, lovely.
I subscribed to Faith Barista.
I didn’t realize I had to put an additional comment in to say I had subscribed. 😉