To my blog readers, howdy all, it’s been a minute since I’ve added content here. We moved in 2023 and what can I say, except it was, um, distracting. I’ve missed interacting with you on this blog space so I am determined to add content here more regularly than every two years. For now, I thought I’d begin sharing my monthly Top Ten List. You can also get this delivered to your inbox, along with other content by checking out the Inner Circle page on this site and signing up. It is free, of course, and just requires an email address. I promise I’ll only email you once a month.
My husband and I now live out in the country and are currently surrounded by a sea of wildflowers. It is a dream. We keep waiting for someone to tell us it is past check out time and we need to go. Meanwhile, when not watching the wildflowers grow, I still wake up insanely early to journal, read, pray and watch the sunrise. My friend Donna calls these the “wee hours” and told me they are Holy. I believe her. I have many aha moments during the wee hours and those insights feed my retreats, preaching, writing and speaking through the year. Much of it never gets shared, so I’m passing along what has inspired me in the last few weeks.
Cindy’s Top Ten Latest “Aha” Moments for April 2025
- I still read Jesus Calling by Sarah Young every day. On March 5 the entry reminded me to “make friends with the problems in your life.” By trusting God and thanking God for what I will learn from my difficulties, I allow God to fit everything into a pattern of good. (Romans 8:28) Do you have a problem in your life that you need to befriend instead of fight?
2. Richard Rohr reminded me that Lent means both springtime (Old English) and slowly (Latin). We are to slowly prepare our souls for Easter. We are to slowly take stock of ourselves. From God for Us: Rediscovering the Meaning of Lent I imagine you are moving pretty fast right now. How can you slow down to be better prepared for Easter?
3. This aha came from my pastor friend, Dr. Jenn Pick. She is giving away 40 bags in 40 days for Lent as a spiritual discipline. The simplicity, clarity and bigness of her goal inspired me. I decided a small grocery size bag will do. I determined I could give the bag away or perhaps it was just trash. Both counted equally. Right now, I’m ahead of my goal. If this speaks to you, you still have time before Easter to do a bag a day. Do you need to declutter physically in order to make more room for spiritual things?
4. This aha moment goes with #3 above, in Life in His Presence, also by Sarah Young, I read these words, “Do not be weighed down by the clutter in your life.” p. 138-139 What clutter is weighing you down?
5. In an essay by Maria Shriver in her newsletter The Sunday Paper on 3-9-25, I read, “When the ground around you shifts…be of service. Go where the light is. Go where the love is. Go where people who do beautiful thing are.” When the ground around me shifts, I’m anchored by worship. I’m lifted by lifting someone else. I’m encouraged by the people who feed others, who help them when they are sick, who reach out in small acts of love. What light filled thing can you do when the world seems shaky?
4. In Wondrous Encounters: Scriptures for Lent also by Richard Rohr he wrote this jaw dropping truth. “Did you know that you only ask (in prayer) for what you have already begun to experience? Otherwise, it would never occur to you to ask for it. Further, God seems to plant within us the desire to pray for God already wants to give us, and even better, God has already begun to give it to us.” p. 34. When you and I pray, God is already at work on it because God caused that prayer to be born in us. Wow. What specific prayers is God stirring and already answering in you this season?
5. Do you have fear and anxiety? I do. Sometimes I even have weird fear surges as I’m drifting off to sleep, as if my body wants to give me one last zing or two of worry before I rest. A therapist reminded me recently of 1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” When my body tries to fear zap me, I whisper back simply, there is no fear in love. It really helps. Do you need a scriptural mantra to cast out fear?
6. I’ve been learning about the power of a quiet mind. I wrote these words in my journal on 3-11-25, “Be quiet in your mind, so you can see.” I read we should never respond to anything emotional without waiting at least 24 hours. I think that is in order to quiet our mind. Does your mind need quieting?
7. Do you have fear and anxiety? Sometimes I do. I even have a weird fear surge as I’m drifting off to sleep, as if my body wants to give one one last zing of worry before I rest. A therapist reminded me of 1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” When my body tries to fear-zap me, I whisper back simply, “There is no fear in love. It really helps. Do you need a scriptural mantra to cast out fear?
8. I’ve been learning about the power of a quiet mind. I wrote these words in my journal on 3-11, “Be quiet in your mind, so you can see.” I read we should never respond to anything emotional within at least 24 hours. I think that is in order to quiet our minds. Does your mind need quieting?
9. Sometimes even the internet is wise. I’m always snapping screenshots of anonymous aha moments I see as I scroll. How about this one? “It’s not your job to feed the 5,000…only to bring the 5 loaves and 2 fish.” What is your one small contribution to a bigger miracle?
10. Another internet gem that spoke to me, “Your mind will always believe everything you tell it. Feed it hope. Feed it truth. Feed it with love.” What are you feeding your mind and heart? Is it time to change the menu?
I hope you are inspired by some of what inspired me recently. Until next month, Cindy
Dr. Cindy Ryan is a pastor, wife, mother of three, breast cancer survivor and Mosa to Keller, Pace, River and Tatum. She enjoys teaching Servant Leadership, writing, speaking and staring at the wildflowers.
drcindyryanblog.com 