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Shrink Not

Posted on May 16, 2023May 16, 2023 by Pam

Yesterday I saw a friend I met 50 years ago for the first time in 30 years. In catching up I observed that there are too many stories so stick to the most powerful. So, when I was chasing a rabbit down a sad trail my friend interrupted me with, “So, what about the future?” Thank you friend! I am reminded of “Forgetting what lies behind”…or in full from Phil 3:13-14, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

After this recent missions travel I have adopted a thought that I need to embrace the unfamiliar. I don’t want to shrink back from anything or settle for anything. I have done that in the past, thinking that was God’s will for me, but not everything we do is God’s will just because we pray or just because we “sense” His voice. I cannot answer for you what only God can say but I do know that pressing reminds me of my families new puppy. This sweet dog has no idea what five people are saying to him. He probably has a sense of the word ‘no’ but a dog will do just about anything for food. Dogs have no idea what is good for them but instinct is in charge. Am I not like that at times sniffing around for something hopeful? Have you ever rummaged through the pantry at some late hour because you want a little nibble? You settle for what is in front of you because you want something.

Let us not shrink back from the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. God has promised a calling and a prize. One final thought on shrinking. In Mark 8:17, Jesus is discussing bread at the end of another long day of ministry. In that verse His answer to the disciples comes because Jesus was “being aware of it…”. Remember that Jesus is aware of you. He knows your best calling and He knows, in the greatest detail, about the prize. This is no mystery to Him and we press on and one way we can do that is to not shrink away by forgetting some things in the past that held us back. Do some things still catch up with us – even 30 years later? As we age we worry about forgetting things but in this case it is good to forget. What is next for me is to keep embracing the unfamiliar (new things), not shrink back, reach and press on.

"Thoughts from a genuinely evaluative mind."

Pam writes so that must make her a writer. Recently retired, she can now fill days with family, friends, missions, writing, creating, and showing up for whomever needs her. Pam loves the Lord and people. The Bible is God’s love letter to us (and who does not need more love) so she studies and writes some more.

Pam lives in the Pacific Northwest but was home-grown in Southern California. She attended San Jose Bible College and finished a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry at UCLA. She became a teacher, then a Research and Development Chemist, then she built two successful real estate businesses in two states. Pam also pursued study at Fuller Theological Seminary and just completed six months serving in missions abroad.

Pam has two amazing children, married to two precious in-laws, and five sweet grandchildren. Pam is a gifted connector and communicator and the Northwest has the perfect climate for staying inside and writing – or baking! She has been writing since a wee one and is currently converting many years of blogging, by topic, into ten books. The first is a collection from 2011 titled, Beautiful Enough. The second is a yearly day-timer titled, Weekly Planner - Lessons in Life, Glory, and Grace. Number three is in progress with the working title, Christmas Today.

Ten facts about Pam in no particular order:

  1. On the team that developed an insulation for the Alaskan oil pipeline.
  2. Loves looking at homes, decorating, and has flipped five homes.
  3. Likes being tall.
  4. Films have helped define her vocabulary.
  5. Comes from Colorado tenement farmers with history traced to Wales.
  6. Was lost but now is found.
  7. Baking makes her happy – as does eating sweets with coffee, of course.
  8. She thinks mission work is the most important work in the world.
  9. The church started in Rome so she is learning Italian.
  10. Pam is a work in progress!

“I will be your God throughout your lifetime - until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.” Isaiah 46:4

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