Her Evergreen Soul Podcast (private feed for amy@amybrady.com‪)‬ Amy

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
As it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right If I surrender to His Will;
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life
And supremely happy with Him Forever and ever in the next.
Amen.
(prayer attributed to Reinhold Neibuhr, 1892-1971)
Most of us are familiar with the shorter version of The Serenity Prayer, as this widely known prayer is called. Serenity is a state of being peaceful, calm, and undisturbed. I think it’s safe to say that in our modern era, serenity feels impossible. But I feel the longer version offers us a much richer look at the ways we hijack our own serenity. Let’s break down this prayer in phrases and do a little reflection on it. If you can journal some of your reflections, take the time to do that.
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.
It’s hard for me to accept that I cannot change these things….
I need God’s help having the courage to change these things…
These are some situations where I struggle to know if I should apply acceptance or courage…
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
How would living one day at a time and one moment at a time, help you practice and receive serenity? And what situations in your life do you feel prevent this from feeling like an option?
If you accepted that hardship isn’t always a sign that you are doing something wrong, but often just the reality of anyone’s life, how would that help you?
Why might acceptance be a pathway to peace?
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
As it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right If I surrender to His Will;
Often an obstacle to our peace is the internal frustration that things aren’t as we believe they should be. Jesus, it says, took this sinful world as it is, not as He would have it, and in doing so, protected His peace and ours. How would Jesus’ approach make a difference in your serenity?
Surrendering our desires and wishes of what our lives look and feel like, is a monumental act of trust in Jesus and when we do this He makes all things right (and new). Are you willing to make this holy trade-off with Jesus in order to have access to more peace in your life? Why or why not?
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life
And supremely happy with Him Forever and ever in the next.
Amen.
Please do not miss the word reasonably in this phrase.
What do you think reasonably happy looks like? Do you feel our culture encourages us to be reasonable in our pursuit of happiness? Are your ideas of a happy life reasonable?
Can you think of someone you know or just observe, who lives a reasonably happy life?What is it about their life that makes you think this?
This life is not our end story.
It’s just a prequel.
To expect eternal happiness in a temporary land is not reasonable.
Would you rather be reasonably happy here or supremely happy with Jesus in eternity? Process your answer.
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Welcome, Jesus, Welcome
When I welcome Jesus into the hard spaces,
they become holy places.⠀
When I welcome Jesus into the things I don’t understand,
it becomes clear that I don’t need to.⠀
When I welcome Him in,
the fear and anxiety and anger and worry have to leave.⠀
This body isn’t big enough for them all.⠀
When I welcome Jesus into the false self,
the authentic self can emerge.⠀
Just three words to freedom.
Just three words to peace.⠀
Welcome, Jesus, Welcome⠀
-Amy Brady, copyright 2024
Breath prayer was one of the first spiritual practices I learned. Brother Lawrence first introduced me to this way of practicing the presence of God. I remember feeling wonderfully perplexed that a simple few words could count as prayer. I also felt relieved. I needed prayer to be approachable, realistic, and in-the-moment and breath prayer was all these things. I began to see through experience how Jesus could be always-there. He said He was always there, but honestly it didn’t always feel this way for me.
Breath prayer brought Him near in my consciousness and eventually into the heart of my daily living. These simple prayers became a life-line of sorts for me, especially in seasons where the Holy Spirit’s groans were the only fervent prayers coming forth from me. Life was just too much at times and in a state of overwhelm, anxiety, or trial, I found it difficult to also think of ways to pray.
Welcome, Jesus, Welcome. These three words have poured life into me through the years. I no longer remember how they softly came onto the scene of my heart, but they did and I’m grateful.⠀
I have yet to find a circumstance where they don’t apply.⠀
Where could you pray this breath prayer in your life?
I’ve shared below some examples of moments where this simple breath prayer has been an oxygen mask for my heart, soul, and mind.
After each one, stop a moment and imagine a place in your own life that you feel this breath prayer could be helpful.
“God, I have no idea what this feeling is rising up in me....”⠀
Welcome, Jesus, Welcome⠀
“Lord, how is this going to turn out? Work out? I’m scared.”⠀
Welcome, Jesus, Welcome⠀
“I feel alone.”⠀⠀
Welcome, Jesus, Welcome⠀
“My heart is raw with grief, God.”⠀
Welcome, Jesus, Welcome⠀
“If [insert annoying person] does not stop I’m gonna.....”⠀
Welcome, Jesus, Welcome⠀
“How am I suppose to pay for this?”⠀
Welcome, Jesus, Welcome⠀

Maybe you can think of some other situations where instead of figuring it out or overthinking, you could instead pause, place your hand over your heart and pray these simple words,
Welcome, Jesus, welcome.
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O God, I have tasted Thy goodness,
and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more.
I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace.
I am ashamed of my lack of desire.
O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee;
I long to be filled with longing;
I thirst to be made more thirsty still.
Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee,
that so I may know Thee indeed.
Begin in mercy a new work of love within me.
Say to my soul,
`Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.'
Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee
up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
-A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God
Tozer’s ability to put into words through his prayers such deep felt but often hidden emotion, inspires me every time I read it. But it is his humility in not only crafting such a prayer, but publicly sharing it through his books, that leaves me in awe. Our prayers can be a look into the depths of our hearts at times, and Tozer’s heart was humble. As a pastor and leader, he admitted to some really difficult places we can find ourselves as we seek to follow Jesus.
“I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace.
I am ashamed of my lack of desire.
O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee;
I long to be filled with longing;
I thirst to be made more thirsty still.”
Do you ever feel shameful at your lack of desire for God? Or perhaps a lack to follow Him, to deny yourself, to want what He wants?
Think of a time when you have felt this way, (it could be now). Do you feel shame or do you feel God is ashamed of you?
Do you want to want Him more?
Sadly in the Christian Church we have often made these places of humility and honesty, places of shame. But I have discovered they are actually meeting places of God. Jesus wants to meet you in that place of lack. He wants you to feel loved right there in the last place you would maybe think He would love you. Because perfect Love, the Love of Jesus, casts out fear and shame. And once we realize we can be loved there and enter into the receiving of that Love, that place right there, that’s the place of change.
Begin in mercy a new work of love within me.
Say to my soul,
`Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.'
Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee
up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long.
That place that once held shame, is a place God desires to gently come in with His mercy and begin a new work of love within you. This is the place Jesus lifts our head, holds our hand, and leads us. When He does we are set free from the need to solely figure out how to conjure up devotion and feeling for Jesus and His path.
In His mercy and love He even does the things we think we are solely responsible for. Having believed for far too long, “The Lord helps those who helps themselves”, we can be released of the burden of making ourselves new in Christ and instead open ourselves up to allowing Him to make us new. All He needs is our yes and our trust.
Do you feel responsible for your relationship with Jesus? Do you feel it is all on you to grow and mature in Him?
Where might this misguided idea of spiritual formation have begun?
What would it be like for you if you didn’t feel following Jesus depended on your own doing? What would that free up in you?
I encourage you to sit long with these questions and the thoughts and feelings that cause your soul to rise up. Invite Jesus into that moment and allow His Holy Spirit to show you the way of Love.
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*I apologize that today’s VoiceOver isn’t the best quality. I’m trying to figure out what’s causing it. But my motto in this season is, “Done is better than perfect.” So I’m sharing it anyway, and hoping next week’s will be back to better.

God
Our Father.
See us.
Hear us.
Do what you do best
Draw near.
Stay close.
Let us feel your breath on our skin.
Your relief in our souls for we are weary
and sick
and tired
and worn.
Give us eyes to see past the veil
So we can know we don’t walk alone.
So our hearts don’t languish wondering if you are near
if you hear
if you see.
We are desperate without You.
We are heavy laden in need of the yoke You alone can give.
In the Name of the Son who paid for all this in full.
Amen
-Amy Brady, Liturgies of the Moment, Copyright 2024
I wrote this liturgy during a very devastating season of my life. A season I am still unpacking in many ways. A season that marked all the others to come. From that time of grief and daily strain, I have learned a better way to live. I thought I was close to Jesus then, and I was. I was devoted and followed Him desperately. But devastation has a way of taking us to a new level. And that level doesn’t always feel higher. It often feels deeper, to a depth we will never know without the grace of suffering.
In this place I learned what it really feels like to experience Psalm 42, rather than just merely read it.
Take a moment and be still. Take a few deep breaths and settle in. Ask Jesus what He has for you weary soul today. Open yourself up to depth and not height. Be willing to receive encouragement for where you are, right now, instead of just a feel-good verse to “lift your spirits”. When we are met by Jesus in our devastation, our weariness, our anxiety, we are seen by Him in a way we often don’t even recognize we are needing.
Let Him be the “with-ness” of God for you in the midst of your current reality.
Read Psalm 42 below, listening for the way your soul rises up when you read certain phrases or words. Get curious about what is beneath the surface. Listen for the soft and strong nudgings of the Holy Spirit. Allow Holy Spirit to converse with you in a way that you can hear, soaking in what is conveyed to you. Then pour out your heart to God and wait for Him. He will meet you there.
1-3 A white-tailed deer drinks    from the creek;I want to drink God,    deep drafts of God.I’m thirsty for God-alive.I wonder, “Will I ever make it—    arrive and drink in God’s presence?”I’m on a diet of tears—    tears for breakfast, tears for supper.All day long    people knock at my door,Pestering,    “Where is this God of yours?”
4 These are the things I go over and over,    emptying out the pockets of my life.I was always at the head of the worshiping crowd,    right out in front,Leading them all,    eager to arrive and worship,Shouting praises, singing thanksgiving—    celebrating, all of us, God’s feast!
5 Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?    Why are you crying the blues?Fix my eyes on God—    soon I’ll be praising again.He puts a smile on my face.    He’s my God.
6-8 When my soul is in the dumps, I rehearse    everything I know of you,From Jordan depths to Hermon heights,    including Mount Mizar.Chaos calls to chaos,    to the tune of whitewater rapids.Your breaking surf, your thundering breakers    crash and crush me.Then God promises to love me all day,    sing songs all through the night!    My life is God’s prayer.
9-10 Sometimes I ask God, my rock-solid God,    “Why did you let me down?Why am I walking around in tears,    harassed by enemies?”They’re out for the kill, these    tormentors with their obscenities,Taunting day after day,    “Where is this God of yours?”
11 Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?    Why are you crying the blues?Fix my eyes on God—    soon I’ll be

“I’m too tired to trust and too tired to pray,
Said one, as the over-taxed strength gave way.
The one conscious thought by my mind possessed,
Is, oh, could I just drop it all and rest.

“Will God forgive me, do you suppose,
If I go right to sleep as a baby goes,
Without an asking if I may,
Without ever trying to trust and pray?

“Will God forgive you? Why think, dear heart,
When language to you was an unknown art,
Did a mother deny you needed rest,
Or refuse to pillow your head on her breast?
“Did she let you want when you could not ask?
Did she set her child an unequal task?

Or did she cradle you in her arms,
And then guard your slumber against alarms?
“Ah, how quick was her mother love to see,
The unconscious yearnings of infancy.

When you’ve grown too tired to trust and pray,
When over-wrought nature has quite given way:
“Then just drop it all, and give up to rest,
As you used to do on a mother’s breast,
He knows all about it—the dear Lord knows,
So just go to sleep as a baby goes;

“Without even asking if you may,
God knows when His child is too tired to pray.
He judges not solely by uttered prayer,
He knows when the yearnings of love are there.
“He knows you do pray, He knows you do trust,
And He knows, too, the limits’ of poor weak dust.

Oh, the wonderful sympathy of Christ,
For His chosen ones in that midnight tryst,
“When He bade them sleep and take their rest,
While on Him the guilt of the whole world pressed—

You’ve given your life up to Him to keep,
Then don’t be afraid to go right to sleep.”

-Streams in the Desert, December 23 entry, L.B. Cowman
In my early days of walking with Jesus, I was a young mother. Full of anxiety, guilt, frustration, and fear, I was often weary-hearted with worry about getting this mothering thing right. I think you can feel that way with anything, but for me, in that season, it was my fear of messing my kids up somehow.
Into that fretful time, the Spirit whispered,
“In order to disappoint me, I would have to have a previous expectation of you. But since I knew you from your mother’s womb, I also knew all you would do and how you would struggle. So I do not need expectations because I have knowledge of you. Amy, you can’t disappoint me.”
I cannot tell you how much comfort this brought to me.
So as you journey on in your days, Dear One, wondering if you are getting it right, whatever it is, just know your Heavenly Father, is walking beside you, fully aware of all that lies ahead and He chooses to stay by your side the whole way. Perhaps he hopes you’ll turn to Him in those moments and allow Him the opportunity to Love you there. To soothe your worries, to carry your burdens, to lift your head, and to hold your hand. All in His beautiful, expectation-crushing Love. He offers you far more grace than you can imagine.
I believe all women mother in some way and in some capacity. Teachers, Moms, Coaches, Mentors, Pastors, Aunties, Grandmothers, Nannies, Daycare Workers, Counselors, even Friends, each of these is a unique and beautiful way to Mother.
Whatever capacity you find yourself mothering in right now, thank you for doing it. You impact is more far reaching and more deeply meaningful than you could ever imagine. Your love literally is the hands and feet of Jesus. Enjoy your day today!



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God moves in a mysterious wayHis wonders to perform;He plants His footsteps in the seaand rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable minesof never-failing skill;He treasures up His bright designs,and works His sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;the clouds ye so much dreadare big with mercy and shall breakin blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,but trust Him for His grace;behind a frowning providenceHe hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast,unfolding every hour;the bud may have a bitter taste,but sweet will be the flow'r.
Blind unbelief is sure to err,and scan His work in vain;God is His own interpreter,and He will make it plain.
-William Cowper, (1731-1800)
Words such as the ones in today’s Simple Sunday Liturgy are not penned by one who has not know trouble. They are instead often penned by one who has known deep and grievous pain in life. Today’s author was no stranger to the dark night of the soul, having battled most of his life with depression. I am often reminded of the glory of God in the way that God can bring such incredibly beautiful things from such a difficult life. It is as if the art is made more beautiful by the struggle. More miraculous because of what it had to work around and through to produce something that makes the heart sigh with awe.
No matter what you are enduring in this season of your life, God can bring something beautiful from it, something even holy. And when He does the treasure that surfaces will be priceless, because the cost exacted for it to come forth may have nearly cost you everything.
Today I would like to lead you through an ancient spiritual practice called Lectio Divina. It means “Divine Reading”. In this practice we listen as a passage of Scripture is read multiple times. There is an exact order you can follow that is helpful when you just begin to use this practice to deepen your prayers and understanding of Scripture.
Steps to Lectio Divina (←click there for a free printable)
* Prepare (Silencio)
* Read (Lectio)
* Mediate (Meditatio)
* Pray (Oratio)
* Contemplate (Contemplatio)
Silencio- We begin by taking a deep breath and settling into where we are seated. Take in the silence with your breath and allow it to settle your mind and heart.
Lectio- We read or listen to a reading of a passage of Scripture. We are just allowing the scene or context of the Scripture to come into our understanding. It’s more of observing than processing.
Meditatio- We listen to the passage or read the passage again, this time paying attention for any words or phrases that shimmer for us or stick out. Think about those words or phrases for a few moments while you continue to allow your breath to be relaxed.
Oratio- Once more we read the passage or listen to it being read. This time we are in a colloquy or conversation with the Spirit, asking what Spirit wants us to see or know or understand regarding these words or phrases that are lingering for us.
Contemplatio- Now it is time to just be still. We listen longer for anything else the Spirit wants to show. We have a posture of gratitude for this encounter and we just take some time to stay in this moment, seeing the gaze of Love upon us. We soak in the experience of Love loving us, as we are, as His child.
If you are listening to the Voiceover, I’m going to help you practice Lectio Divina by reading 2 Corinthians 1:8-11. I have used the J.B. Phillips New Testament version. However, if you are not using the Voiceover, merely read through the passage three times, taking a pause in between to practice lectio (read), meditation (meditate), and oratio (pray). Then finish with contemplatio (contemplate).
This passage goes well with our liturgy for today, so let’s see if we can mine a few more gems before we go our Sabbath way today.
Each time I read it, I will pause for you to interact with the verse via the steps above.
“At that time we were completely overwhelmed, the burden was more than