It seems like forever, looking out the window as the greenery fills in and buds appear. Then a little color begins to show in those buds and soon they look ready to pop! I look out each morning and I see only the buds. But then, one fine day, I look out and the peonies have delivered their beautiful blooms bursting with color seemingly overnight. Today was that day!! And when I saw those lovely blooms, it gave me joy in the beauty of God’s Creation.

What about you?

You are a person of faith, a follower of Jesus. Are you blooming? Or are you a perpetual bud, with lovely hints of color, still waiting to open up in the full splendor that God created you to be?

God has given us everything we need to bloom fully and beautifully. I think about John chapter 15, where Jesus talks about being the vine and how we are the branches. A branch cannot stand and grow alone anymore than a bud can bloom apart from its source. We need the Source, Jesus, to blossom into whatever God has created us to be. Without the Source, we will wither.

Jesus, John 15:1-2, says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.” God is growing us through Jesus the vine, to whom we are attached. God, as the vinegrower, cares for the vine by pruning the branches—that’s us! A vine (Jesus, the Kingdom of God at hand) grows better and produces more fruit when its branches are pruned, so God takes care to do just that.

Jesus also says in verse 4, “Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.” Listen to that Good News-Jesus already abides in you! But did you catch that second part? We cannot bear fruit unless we abide in Him. To tie it back to the beautiful peonies…we cannot bloom without abiding in Jesus.

Abiding in Jesus doesn’t just happen by accident. Jesus actively abides in us, and we must actively abide in Him. Abiding in Jesus means we are intentional about our relationship with Jesus by loving and serving and worshiping Him, we adopt spiritual practices in which we surrender to being pruned by God-the vinegrower, and we allow ourselves to be nourished by Jesus the Vine rather than other things we might be tempted to choose instead.

Over the course of our faith life, how we abide in Jesus may change as we change and grow. What works and provides meaning in one season of our life, may not do so in another. The good news is that there are many ways to abide in Jesus.

Angel Strings Ministry is about coming alongside a person to explore various ways that might be meaningful for that person to abide in Jesus—ways that promote growth and blooming in whatever season of life you happen to be in. Too often, Christians are taught how to follow Jesus as a “one size fits all” formula; other times they aren’t taught at all how to abide in Jesus.

Which brings me to a special event coming up for women of faith.

Next Tuesday, May 30, 6:30-7:30pm ET is the FREE

Living FAITH Fully event on Zoom!

Go to angelstringsministry.com and register for the event under Upcoming Events so you receive the Zoom link to join us. I am seeking to create a community of Faith-filled women who want to join me in exploring ways to abide in Jesus, while also having a safe place to share and encourage and learn from each other. By getting to experience and process various spiritual practices, you can decide which ones are helping you to abide in Jesus and ultimately bloom beautifully in your life of faith. Abiding in Jesus is what it means to be Spiritually Well…so I am all about helping women increase their Spiritual Wellness!! That’s why I have made this opportunity so affordable.

This Spiritual Wellness Community Membership is $15 per month, but if you stay for the entire Zoom session on Tuesday, you will get THREE MONTHS FREE to try it out!

Each month includes: a teaching on a spiritual wellness topic, group spiritual direction, a therapeutic harp meditation session, a book discussion related to the topic, and any on demand Holy Yoga classes that you want to choose….and coming in June: a private Members Only Facebook group for all of you to interact outside of our Zoom sessions.

During the Living FAITH Fully event, we will talk about what it means to increase your Spiritual Wellness and how being in a community with other women can create a supportive environment to learn and to provide accountability too. As you learn, try, and experience various spiritual practices you may choose to implement some in your life and set others aside…it will be different for each person. And that’s okay…it simply means that you will learn to abide in Jesus in the way that works for you in this season of your life, and provides meaning and growth for you. I truly hope that you will join us, and I hope you will consider inviting a friend too!!

OTHER NEWS (applies to men and women):

Holy Yoga

As I am beginning to add Holy Yoga classes to the On Demand section of the website, I wanted to share some info. All Holy Yoga classes are included with a membership. For non-members, the classes are by donation. Since the emphasis is on Holy Yoga as a spiritual practice—-a sort of incarnational spirituality, as I call it—each class will always include scripture, prayer, breath work and meditation time along with the postures. I have decided to include 7 postures per class (beginning with the Armor of God class I just posted) because 7 is a number of wholeness in scripture and that is what we are ultimately seeking in God. Should be fun!!

Spiritual Direction and Harp Therapy

For those of you who have chosen individual Spiritual Direction or Harp Therapy for a more personal approach, I am now offering Packages of sessions. This means if you pay for 3 or 6 sessions in advance you will receive a discount. Then when you go to schedule your session you will use a ‘credit’ from your package. This helps you get a price break and it helps me to know that I have several sessions to walk with you on your journey.

Personal News

On June 26, I will celebrate 25 years of ordained ministry! It has been quite a journey, during which I have grown and been pruned myself over the years. Having learned my own spiritual practices by trial and error over the years, and pastoring others who have struggled with the same, is why I started Angel Strings Ministry. Now, as I am getting closer to retirement from congregational ministry, all that I am offering here at angelstringsministry.com will become my focus. As a pastor, you never stop being called to guide people in their faith even when you leave congregational ministry. Thank you for the privilege of letting me walk with you, and watching you bloom!

Grace and peace,

Julie Parsell

Pastor-Spiritual Director-Harp Therapist-Holy Yoga instructor