Hard-Pressed, But Not Crushed
Recently, Brian has been reading 2 Corinthians 4 & 5 over and over again. I finally listened to his prompting to read it and began to see it like never before, feeling as if I was reading new chapters of the Bible. (I love it when God does that!)I got to verse 8 in chapter 4, which starts with, “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed..." and a photo I recently saw came to mind.
Someone had posted about making stamped, clay ornaments, but they were unlike any I’d ever seen before. Lace had been pressed into white clay shapes, creating the most intricate and delicate designs on their surfaces.
I saw beauty in being pressed but not crushed – of having an imprint made on the surface that replicated what had been pressed into it.
God spoke to my heart and said, “The continued pressing and pressure you’re feeling is the imprint being made in you – who you’ve become in Me through facing the pressure of this year, plus My very being and fabric of who I AM imprinted even more deeply into you. It’s being pressed more deeply for My intricate design to be made clear.”
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17)
When used on paper, a stamp only makes a mark on the surface by it first being pressed firmly into the ink, then pressed down firmly onto the surface it’s to make its mark upon. It’s as if we’ve been pressed into the ink that is Him and now the pressure is being applied for the mark to be made on the “paper” (i.e., earth) around us. It’s an imprint of Him within us that can only be imprinted elsewhere when pressure and pressing are applied.
The pressing many of us have continued to go through, even recently, has been for the purpose of making sure what we’ve gained this year - who we’ve become in the old passing away and all things becoming new, has gone down deeply, making a clear imprint on our spirits, souls, and lives.
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:16-18)
That pressing has been working His beautiful design in us and it’s reflecting His glory. You might not be able to see it, but those unseen things are those that are eternal.
Don’t lose heart, sweet friend! He’s been making His imprint in and through you, and it’s stunning!
Living for Him,
Andrea (& Brian)
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
2025: A Year of Structure
This has been a year of alignment. Now, it's time to move into it being a year of structure being built.
A year ago, when God told me 2024 would be a year of alignment, I was so excited and had such huge expectations for all the amazing things that I “knew” were going to take place.
There was a moment this morning when a thought popped into my head – “This year hasn’t been what I expected” and I was surprised by suddenly finding myself in tears.
Just as quickly as the thought came and the tears flowed, I heard, “What did you expect from a year of alignment?”
That gave me pause. As I allowed myself to engage in this holy invitation to conversation, I began to list off a few things.
- I didn’t expect certain friendships to shift and change and no longer be what they’ve been.
- I didn’t expect to strip away some things that have been a hugely important part of my world in favor of shifting time to other things I sensed God leading me to devote my time to instead.
- I didn’t expect Brian to walk out dreams fulfilled only to have that chapter close far sooner than we expected but still know God’s hand was on it all.
- I didn’t expect the sacrifices to be as great as they’ve been or for things to be so hard.
- I didn’t expect to not easily succeed at the things I felt God leading me into and to struggle with feelings of failure, shame, and internal shaking in a totally different way than I’ve ever experienced.
Yet . . . as I listed those things off in His presence and laid them all down before Him, I began to sense gratitude rising within me and my list changed.
- I’m so grateful for the depth of community that’s grown for me this year, even if it’s mainly across the world, and that it includes being part of a church family that is iron sharpening iron in ways I’ve never experienced before and I’ve grown exponentially in Him.
- I’m so grateful to be able to spend so much time with our grandchildren and support our “kids” as they’ve parented. I’m thankful to have devoted time to writing and seeing the fruits of that. I’m thankful to have had time to listen to others, pray for them, and pray for our nation and the nations of the earth.
- I’m grateful to have had more daily time with Brian, have a front-row seat to watching him grow and transform as he walked more fully in his calling, and to get to partner with him in a ton of new ways.
- I’m grateful that this year of “hard” has revealed my growth in Him, deepened my faith and trust even more, and shown me I really can be at peace and have joy, even during times of letting go of things dear to me and walking through challenges.
- I’m grateful that things not coming as easily to me has been an invitation to lean into even more conversations with God, seeking to know His blueprints (not my plans), learning to be okay in the tension of not understanding but still trusting, and allowing His truths to continue to sink in deeply to those places where fear of failure, shame, and self-image being shaken continue to be grappled with as I question Him about so many things . . .
- I’m grateful to have taken more risks this year than ever before and to be even more certain that He has my resounding “yes” however He may lead me.
Why am I sharing all of these personal things with you? It’s because while the particulars won’t be the same, I know the struggles have been similar for so many who can write their own lists of “I didn’t expect . . . ” sentences.
And, I’m here to encourage you to let your list shift to gratitude. Look at each of the “I didn’t expect” statements and allow God to speak His truths into what really happened. You may not have expected things to transpire as they have, but nothing ever takes God by surprise, and He can bring such beauty out of it all.
True confession – I haven’t ever been a lover of the book of Ecclesiastes, but in June of this year, God prompted me to reread it (even grudgingly), and it was as if a new book had been added to the Bible as the Lord helped me to see it through an entirely different lens. While I won’t delve into it now, chapter three’s wisdom of “to everything there is a season” has spoken deeply to my spirit and heart, especially as I’ve dug into the meanings of the words in verses 1-8 and allowed Him to give me a greater understanding of His ways.
Times, seasons, and cycles – they all change, and there’s change coming in the New Year.
As this year comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on what’s past, and asking the Lord about what’s next.
I’ve seen alignments happen over and over this year, both in our lives and others’ – so many transitions, repositioning, and shifting taking place!
The alignments have been needed to position us for what’s ahead – the STRUCTURE that will be built. They were necessary to create a firm foundation to build on in the coming year.
There’s also been a digging deep – SO deep that it’s been painful, but the digging had to happen this year in order for the structural beams to have enough depth to be positioned in, creating stability for the structure to be erected on and remain firm.
This year has been so worth it. I’m thanking God for every single alignment and realignment and am looking forward to 2025 being a year of STRUCTURE being built in so many ways - more on that to come!
Remember . . . as a structure is built, it takes time to build it well. Trust Him in the process and celebrate each milestone. That will help keep you focused and moving forward in partnership with God and all He’s building!
Brian and I are cheering you on! We always say this, but we truly mean it – if you need prayer, please reach out to us. We’d love to hold you close to the Father’s heart and encourage you in any way we can.
I’m sending you so much love, my friend, now and always!
Living for Him,
Andrea
P.S. This is a worship list I created on YouTube and have had on repeat lately. I hope it blesses you!
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
What's Been, What's Ahead, Plus a Touch of Christmas
Recently, I had the honor of being a guest speaker in Women of War, a group on Facebook led by my amazing friend, Rian Davis. I shared with another friend that I loved taking the puzzle pieces of what the Lord has been speaking to me, having Him organize and flesh it out as I spent time in His presence, and then sharing it with others.
If you missed it, you can catch the recording - maybe even as you cook ahead for Thanksgiving. I'd love to hear what resonates with what the Lord has been speaking to you!
As I spoke, I mentioned snapping a progress photo of a puzzle we had been putting together and how I couldn't stop thinking about it. Ask the Lord what He's saying to you through it and please share your thoughts with me!What's the Lord speaking to you as you reflect on 2024 and prepare your heart for the New Year? Fill me in! I'd love to hear!
Brian and I are so very grateful for your continued friendship! We wish you and your family unexpected blessings, joy, love, and hearts filled to overflowing this Thanksgiving and always!
If we can pray for you, please reach out to us. We would love to hold you close to the Father's heart!
Living for Him,
Andrea
P.S. It's not too late to grab your copy of Experiencing Christmas Through the Eyes of Those Who Lived It! See Christmas with a new perspective and, as you do, you'll recapture wonder, hear from God, learn to "fear not," trust in the waiting, and relish the days between.
Available in paperback and Kindle! Why not gift your friends and family with an Ebook this Thanksgiving?
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
November Prophetic Word
It’s a Season of Acceleration: Prepare, Strategize, Plan
God has been speaking really clearly to me about preparing, strategizing, and planning – not just for this month, but especially for next year. He’s accelerated the timing for its preparation. I sense a strong mandate to hear from God and plan now. I thought it was a word just for us, but over and over again, I’m hearing and seeing it’s a corporate word. Let me break this down and illustrate it by sharing how it’s been unfolding for us.
This has hands down been one of the most challenging years we’ve walked through. We’ve faced a lot in our 33 years of marriage, but this year has been one of the hardest. At the beginning of this year, the Lord told me it was a year of alignment. It’s been one alignment and realignment after the next, but each has had to happen to bring us to where we are now. One cog being aligned has enabled the cog next to it to get into alignment, then the next one, and the next one.
It’s felt like an endless process, but God is in process – ours and yours. It’s all about who we become through it. He refines us and creates in us the capacity we need to walk in what’s ahead. We couldn’t be who we were and effectively walk in all He’s planned for us now and in the coming months. We’ve had to embrace the hard, stand on God’s truths, allow His refining fire, be willing to take a long look into the mirror’s reflection, and do something about what we’ve seen.
Can you relate? Have you had a similar year?
Earlier this year, I had a dream. In it, I was faced with needing to jump onto a fast-moving waterslide through a very narrow opening (Matt. 7:13-14). It was scary, but someone stood next to me telling me I could do it. That person gave me the courage to leap.
What does this dream mean? It’s all about acceleration, being willing to do what seems scary, and having someone alongside you who encourages and tells you that you can do it. I couldn’t see where the waterslide was going to take me or what waited at the bottom, but I knew I needed to jump in and go after the person I was chasing in the dream (who was different than the person who encouraged me to jump into it).
The last two months have seen a massive amount of acceleration in our lives. We haven’t traveled this year at all until September. Since then, we’ve gone on four trips between us. I also wrote and published a new book, we launched a new business, Brian hosted a men’s retreat weekend, and over the last two weeks, I’ve hosted a daily prayer group for our nation, which will become a weekly prayer group through 2025.
Sounds like a swiftly moving waterslide, doesn’t it? At times, it’s felt scary and completely daunting, but we knew it was the leap we were to take. It’s also been a “narrow gate” of entry – “'For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.’” (Matt. 7:14)
During the last two weeks, we’ve sensed the Lord nudging us to begin to prepare, strategize, and plan for 2025. While many prepare into the following year well before now, we don’t usually start to put dates on the next year’s calendar until December. This spoke to us again of the acceleration of time.
God was also very specific about the planner I was to get for next year – it was to include daily time blocking so I would be more intentional about how I invested my time each day. The planner has arrived and dates are being added as we’ve sat in His presence and leaned in to hear His plans for the coming year.
I believe God is urging each of us to get in His presence, listen for His direction, strategize with Him, plan, and prepare for next year. He wants us to intentionally plan for specific actions we’re to take and the timing for each. In some ways, it feels militant in that we’re being shown the battle plans and our marching orders are being revealed. It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s for us facing upcoming battles, but it speaks to effective preparation, strategy, planning, and implementation.
Prioritize planning with the Lord today and throughout this month. Write down what He shows you – put the dates on your 2025 calendar and flesh out the plans for what next year holds for you in partnership with Him. Have someone next to you who will help direct you on the path before you and encourage you, especially when your next step seems scary or daunting.
God is accelerating the planning and timing for what’s ahead. It’s important we’re prepared for it, know the plan, and are in sync with His timing.
Living for Him,
Andrea
Here's a link to the planner I purchased. I don't receive anything for sharing it. I simply wanted to share a great resource. I got the weekly planner - it includes time blocking.
God has really been ramping up the ministry side of our lives and much is in the planning for 2025, including men's retreats, women's retreats, and another retreat designed for a very special group of people (more details soon), as well as a weekly intercessory prayer group and a third book being published early next year.
If you would like to partner with Brian and me by sowing into The Renovated Life, you can do that via Venmo (@Andrea-Johanson-2), PayPal (therenovatedlife@gmail.com), or Zelle (770-870-9041).
Thank you for partnering with us in building God's kingdom as lives are transformed in His presence!
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
Experiencing ChristmasThrough the Eyes of Those Who Lived It
Experiencing Christmas Through the Eyes of Those Who Lived It is NOW AVAILABLE! This new ADVENT STUDY is your invitation to slow down and truly EXPERIENCE Christmas this year.
Imagine this season filled with wonder, peace, and a deeper connection to God. Over four weeks, we’ll journey through Advent together, seeing Christmas through the eyes of those who lived it.
Each week, you’ll find opportunities to recapture your sense of wonder, hear God’s voice, learn to “fear not”, and grow in trust and faith in the One we celebrate.
Inside you’ll find a new topic for each week, along with weekly activations for hearing the voice of God and applications for your daily life - all crafted to bring the hope and joy of Christmas alive in a fresh, powerful way and prepare your heart for a truly meaningful Christmas.
Use the weekly activations as personal journal prompts or as group discussion questions. Whichever you choose, my prayer is that God uses them to bring the hope and joy of Christmas alive in a fresh way.
I'm SO excited to share my newest book with you!
Living for Him,
Andrea
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
