Speaking of Simeon...

Yesterday I told you about my friend Olivia, who gave my name to the women's ministry at her church and suggested they contact me about speaking at an event they were planning.

That event was scheduled for this past April, and as you might well imagine, it was canceled along with the rest of life this past spring. They rescheduled it for next spring and asked if I could still serve as their speaker, and I'm excited to do so!

Meanwhile, they wanted to have a short, one-evening event for their women this fall; they wanted something to give them a chance to come together in fellowship, even if they sat at a distance from one another within the room.

They brought in a husband and wife duo to lead worship, and they asked me if I would speak from my Advent book - and of course, I was happy to do so. I spoke from the life of Simeon - and oh how I love the lessons I've learned from Simeon! 

But before I even arrived at the church that evening, while I was still hanging out with Olivia in her kitchen, rocking her baby so she could focus on a hundred other tasks at hand, she asked me about my topic for the night. I said, "Oh, you know...the life of Simeon." Only then did it occur to me that the baby I was holding at that very moment...was named Simeon.

Yes! I was holding Simeon, and in a couple of hours, I would be teaching about how Simeon held baby Jesus. 

I love God-details, don't you?

I first shared this talk back in 2015, and I updated it to reflect current stories from our lives. But in the past few weeks as I reviewed the talk in preparation, I hoped I would convey the message well. I hadn't spoken to a group in so long, and I wondered if it would be like riding a bike and come flooding back to me.

Perhaps the ladies would say differently, but Ryan said it came across very well. 

I shared from my heart...and from my book.

And at the end of the night, I stood across the way from the women who stopped by the book table and heard their stories. It was strange not to shake their hands or hug them - which is the typical behavior at a women's event. But it was great to hear their words, even if I couldn't see full faces or get very close. 

I think I needed the Simeon lessons even more than they did. I needed the reminder that God is always at work, even in seasons that seem fruitless. 

It's been a while since I've been able to share a talk based on the book. Because we're coming up on November, with December hot on its heels, I'll link to this first book-baby of mine. If you're looking for an Advent devotional to read this Christmas season, I'd love for you to consider this one! (It turns ten this year!)