Posts Tagged ‘friend’

Beautiful moments, Beautiful women

September 15th, 2008

I have spent the last few days surrounded by truly beautiful, funny, intelligent and creative women and I feel so blessed!

I guess it really started last Thursday. Two other women joined me for yoga and prayer Thursday morning and we had a great time just working out and being immersed in God’s word together. And then afterwards we sat and talked for a while and just shared little bits of our lives with each other. Both of those women are people who I am just beginning to really get to know and it was so great to just get to know them a little better.

Later in the day on Thursday I meet with a few other women for coffee and some time to just catch up and reconnect with one another. It was actually a bit of an awkward time for me, but mostly because I felt so honored again to be with each of these amazing women and felt self conscious and even maybe ashamed of myself in comparison to them (I have been thinking about self consciousness and social gatherings and some stuff like that and will probably share more about this later).

Then on Friday I drove to Berlin with seven other women for a weekend of shopping, cooking, eating, talking, laughing, resting and exploring together. It was an AMAZING weekend for me. I was really nervous about it going into it, but it was so much better than I could ever have imagined. I often feel awkward and uncomfortable and self conscious in social gatherings and I expected to have a weekend of feeling that way, but I didn’t. I felt so free this weekend, and remarkably comfortable with these wonderful and beautiful women. Berlin itself just has a free and creative and open spirit about it and I think that rubbed off on me (I’ll be writing more about the atmosphere in Berlin soon as well). Plus I went into the weekend with a genuine desire to not focus on my own junk and hang ups and self conscious fears about what others will think about me and instead to just be willing to listen and accept each step of the trip as being exactly what God had for me at that moment – and the result was really beautiful. I felt like I could really be present and myself this weekend, sure there were still some awkward moments for me, but over all I felt like I could allow myself to relax and let myself be known and also allow myself to freely get to know others. I feel so blessed to have been with each of the women who went and so grateful that each of them came.

Then today I went out for drinks with a few girl friends here. I had felt icky all day and I didn’t want to go, but when I quieted myself and really listened I felt like I was suppose to go. So I loaded up on anti-histamines (natural one’s, of course) and headed down town. I am SO glad I did! I had such a wonderful time talking with these friends and hearing their insights and about their lives. And I felt completely comfortable to share my life and insights with them tonight too.

Each of these experiences where so different and the women involved were mixed and varied. But, as I walked home tonight I felt such overwhelming gratitude and thanksgiving for each of these experiences and for each of the beautiful women I got to spend time with this week. There is something powerful and beautiful about women coming together and walking through life with each other.

Thank you, Lord, for my girl friends and the beautiful women you have brought into my life, here in Prague and over the past many years. Lord, thank you for always giving me girl friends to talk and laugh with and learn from. And thank you for providing that for me here in Prague as well.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

Photograph by Beth Stedman

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Admiration Mondays: David and Sarah Baker

September 1st, 2008

Today I want to tell you about our friends, the Baker’s. We met David and Sarah Baker back in January and though we have only known them for a few months they have become fast friends. I think the best way to tell you about the Baker’s is to tell you a little story about the last time we hung out with them…

It was about 7:30pm Saturday night when Bryan called David to see if they wanted to hang out. The Baker’s had just gotten off work, they hadn’t eaten dinner yet and their house was still a little messy from the house guests who had just left. If it was me I would have said “sorry, but I think we will take a rain check and hang out another time, we’re tired and the house is a mess.” But, that’s not what the Baker’s said, “Sure come on over” was their immediate response. Of course they made apologies for the house being messy (which it really wasn’t much at all), but they welcomed us into their home with open arms any way.

We sat and talked about life and work and the past week while they ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Bryan and I snacked on some chocolate they pulled out. Then we all played Settlers of Catan but instead of playing the normal way we decided to get creative and played on teams with our spouses – Baker v. Stedman. It was a rowdy game filled with making up rules as we went and of course some competitive energy flying about. In the end Bryan and I won but one more turn and the Baker’s would have won so it was a really close game.

After playing settlers we started talking about some business ideas and ventures and ended up spending a good couple of hours dreaming and envisioning one business idea in particular. We pulled out the computer and did some brief research. David pulled out a sketch book and we started brain storming names and what we would need to start and how much it would cost and all that good stuff. Ideas were bounced back and forth and before we all knew it was after midnight.

We left with our hands full of things that the Baker’s were generous enough to share with us – a Nooma video I hadn’t seen yet, the book The Kite Runner, a new translation of John, an electric razor so we can cut Bryan’s hair. We always seem to leave the Baker’s with our hands brimming over and our minds and hearts full.

David and Sarah Baker are a truly remarkable couple. They are open and generous. They are fun and creative. They are intelligent, but not pretentious.  They aren’t afraid to step out of the box and take risks sometimes. They really care about the people around them and you can tell that they really love each other deeply. David and Sarah Baker show love in very real and tangible ways to everyone they meet. And I feel blessed to call them my friends.

David and Sarah, may God’s blessing on you extend and exceed the great way in which you bless those around you.
May He bless the ideas of your minds, the dreams of your hearts and the work of your hands.
May He continue to draw you towards one another and fill you with love for each other all the days of your life.
May He strengthen the friendships you have and bring more and more friends into your lives who can love you as much as you love those around you.
May God truly do more than you could ever ask or imagine in you and through you in the years to come.

God bless!!

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman


Photographs by Beth Stedman

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Bouncing Questions off the walls of my Brain

August 15th, 2008

Wow. I feel like I went from really having nothing to write about a few hours ago to having TONS of thoughts bouncing around my head all of a sudden for no apparent real reason. I really want to write about all of these thoughts, but I can’t really figure out how to write about them right now… hum… Guess I really am tired. Well, maybe for now I’ll just list out a few general things I’m thinking about for later reference…

-          Listening to God – I’ve experienced this in little ways lately and have been thinking about it a lot. What does it really mean to listen to God and what does it look like in our day to day lives?

-          What does it really mean to listen to another human being and really understand what they are trying to say (not what you think they are trying to say but what they are really trying to say)?

-          When you get better at listening to your own heart does it get easier or harder to listen to other people’s hearts?

-          How do you handle times when you are listening to someone and really understanding them and what they are saying really makes sense and you can understand how they would see it that way, but it is so different from your own experience and so different from your own believes and maybe even conflicts with your own hurts? How do you listen to them and validate them while also being genuine and validating to your own story/believes/hurts?

-          Is it always important to get feelings you feel or hurts you experience or ideas/believes you have out in the open? Or is it sometimes beneficial to keep something to yourself or even hid it so as not to hurt someone or cause conflict?

-          How do you really listen to someone when what they are expressing a desire for is something that you don’t want to happen and even fear happening?

Yeah, all these questions/thoughts keep bouncing around my head. Any one of them could probably be a post in and of itself or I probably could have integrated them into one post that was much more coherent then this. But, it’s late. I’m tired. My head is too full with the questions to actually be able to piece them apart into a coherent blog, and so for now you get to just have a little glimpse into my crazy brain.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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Admiration Mondays: Sarah Springer

August 4th, 2008

Today my friend, Sarah Springer, left for a month in the states. I am so excited for her and for this opportunity that she has to go back home and be with friends and family, but I am sad to see her go. She will be VERY missed.

Let me tell you a little about Sarah Springer…

Sarah Springer is a beautiful woman and a beautiful friend. She has this joyful fun quality about her that is contagious. She has a beautiful smile that really does light up a room. She laughs easily and easily shares in other people’s excitement and joy. She is VERY creative (even if she doesn’t always think so) and she is full of life. She has a way of creating life all around her.

I think one of the things I love most about Sarah though, is that she is one of those people who makes people feel more than comfortable around her – she makes people feel safe. She has a natural relaxedness about her and that makes others relax around her. She is open and honest about her own life and struggles and that makes others want to be open and honest with her as well. She is immensely trustworthy and you know that if you tell her something she will be gracious with it. She won’t judge you, she won’t tease you, she won’t try and fix it, and she won’t share it with other people if you don’t want her to. Instead she’ll validate you and free you up to express yourself openly.

Sarah is an incredible listener. She doesn’t just stop talking to let others talk, she really listens. You can tell that she really likes it when people share and really enjoys hearing their stories. She asks really good questions to help draw people out and then she listens intently. People feel heard by Sarah. I think that the ability to make someone else feel really heard and understood is a real gift and skill that not many people have, but Sarah has it. And it’s amazing. Sometimes I like to just sit back and watch her draw people out – it’s a beautiful thing to see.

Another thing I love about Sarah is her depth of insight and intuition. She has a way of listening and seeing things that cuts through the facades and junk and really sees the heart of the issue. She sees truth and isn’t afraid to speak the truth in love when needed. She is incredibly gentle and gracious with the people around her and she is also incredibly insightful and intuitive as to what is really going on with them. She has this connection with the Spirit of God and this intuition and ability to understand a person that continually amazes me.

All of these things also make Sarah a really beautiful mom. I have also had the privilege of getting to watch Sarah become a mom and it has been extraordinary. Sarah has approached motherhood intentionally and I love watching it. She really allows herself to go to the deep places of herself and ask the important and sometimes difficult questions. She’s not willing to just mindlessly push her junk on to her child and she wants to intentionally learn to be a good mom to this particular little boy that God has given her. She has done her research about what’s best for babies in general and then she listens to her instincts and to her son and intentionally tries to make decisions based on what would be best for them at that moment. She clearly loves her son deeply and she shows that love every time I’m around her. It’s a beautiful thing to see.

I love my friend, Sarah Springer. She is a truly unique and beautiful woman. I have never met anyone else like her and I will really miss her over these next few weeks.

Sarah, may God bless you immeasurably – especially over these next few weeks!
May this trip be for you a refreshing time of joy!
May you be aware of your deep center, Christ, even amidst the uncertainty of the month ahead.
May you experience deep connection with all those whom you love and care for.
May God bless you now and always, my friend!

You are loved and you will be dearly missed!
 
 
 

 

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

Photograph by Beth Stedman

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Friendship and Confession…

February 22nd, 2008

Confession isn’t popular. People not only don’t like to do it, they don’t even really like to think about it or talk about it. One way I know this because I don’t like to do it or to think about it or talk about it (not to mention that the blog I previously wrote on confession is incredibly unpopular statistically, but I digress…)

Yesterday, a friend asked what my focus for this third week of lent was and I told her “friends or more generally focusing on my relationships with those the people I come in contact with.”Her response was something to the extent of asking what that will look like and asking “so will you be confessing to friends this week?” I was kind of taken back by the question… I hadn’t planned on it. I didn’t want to confess to friends. I think as I had been thinking about this week I had thought mostly about praying for people I know and for the strangers I pass by, about being open to God leading me to talk to someone I normally wouldn’t talk to or to listen to a friend who needs a listening ear. I had thought about focusing on being a good friend to my friends and to those I wouldn’t normally consider my friends. But, I had forgotten that being a good friend requires openness and honesty and being open and honest requires confession. And I had forgotten the other focus of Lent that God kept bringing up in my research… repairing brokenness.

Is there brokenness in my relationships with others (whether they are family members, friends, acquaintances, etc) that God wants me to confess and mend?

Lord, look for truth deep within my relationships and show me where I might need to confess to them and to you and repent and change the way I relate to others. In Jesus name. Amen.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Beth Stedman

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