7 Ways to Increase your Awe-wareness

Hello Friends!

In the last newsletter, I shared 7 benefits of AWE. Now that we know these benefits it is wisdom to be proactive in discovering ways to increase our AWE-wareness. Here are 7 ways I have found. If you have other ways, please let me know!

7 Ways to Increase your Awe-wareness 

1  Get out in nature. Go for a walk but leave mental to do list at home.

2  Watch awe-inspiring videos or listen to great music or live worship.

3  Read books on science - even grade school level.

4  Expose yourself to the supernatural activity of God.

5  Spend time with a child. Watch as they encounter the awe and wonder of life.

6  Watch great athletes do spectacular feats.

7  Start a journal of past awe-inspiring experiences from your own life. Take time to remember how you felt as you encountered the awe. 

We know the power of remembering negative or traumatic events. It is time to start the practice of remembering the awesome ones. I believe Paul had awe in mind when he encouraged us to think of things that are lovely and praiseworthy. (Philippians 4:8) I believe the activating agent of an awe encounter is the gratitude and worship that we mix into the experience. 

Good News!

Important Alert!

Chosen Books is offering the e-book version of God of Wonders for $.99 during the month of June. Feel feel to share this link with your friends. http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/god-of-wonders/404111

May we find new ways every day to increase our awe-wareness!

- Faith Blatchford

7 Benefits of Awe

Hello Friends!

If a Doctor prescribes a medication for me I want to know the benefits. There may be some side-affects but I can handle those as long as I know in the end my mind or body will be better because I took the pills. If awe is one of God’s inexpensive mental health prescriptions it is helpful to know the benefits. The good news is there are no negative side-affects.

I just happened to stumble on the benefits of awe. One day I was in Michael’s craft store looking for a new Christmas decoration. A piece of wall art with the words “Fall on your knees.” got my attention. As I stood looking at it I felt God’s Presence. I wanted to buy it but resisted the impulse buying temptation deciding to come back in a few days. Thankfully it was still there. I hung it on the wall in my prayer room. Every time I walked by it I had the same feeling of God’s Presence that I had had in Michael’s. I felt like I wanted to get on my face on the floor in awe of God. 

Being a writer, I decided I needed to write a book on awe. (God of Wonders: 40 Days of Awe in the Presence of God is that book.) The first step of course was to Google “awe.” I was surprised to find more articles on awe from the secular world than from the Christian world. Dr. Dacher Keltner and his team at Berkeley did the first major study of awe in 2003. From that study hundreds more have been done showing the benefits of awe to the human mind and body. The following is a list of these benefits as discovered by scientific research 

7 Benefits of Awe

1 - Reduces level of inflammation, which is a contributing factor for diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and Alzheimer’s.

2 - Reduces depression as it releases endorphins.

3 - Reduces anxiety because awe calms fight or flight response in the brain.

4 - Reduces feeling of loneliness.

5 - Disrupts default mode of egocentricity in the brain.

6 - Reduces materialism and the stress associated with the pursuit of things, fear of loss and comparisons with others.

7 - Enables us to discern the truth more clearly about others, our world and ourselves.
 

May we learn to dwell with the God of Wonder in the place C.S.Lewis described as the “region of awe.” 

- Faith Blatchford

God’s Inexpensive Mental Health Prescription

Hello Friends!

What can we do this month to strengthen our mental health since May is Mental Health Awareness month? With all that is going on in the world right now it is important we remain healthy in our mind as well as our body. 

Until I wrote God of Wonders: 40 Days of Awe in the Presence of God,  I had no idea of the connection between the emotion of awe and our mental and physical well being. From the research done by scientists it appears we have been hard wired to benefit from awe encounters. Who knew? The benefits of awe have even attracted the attention of Hollywood! The science of awe actually shaped the production of Pixar’s movie “Soul.”

Here are three resources to help boost mental health. Please share them with your family, friends, and co-workers. 

1 - I will be Live on my Facebook page at 11:00am PST on May 12, 19, 26. The topic will be Awe and Mental Heath. I will cover the following:

• - The evidence we are wired for awe and the benefits of it to our mental and physical well-being.

• - What mindsets and habits may hinder us from living from a state of awe?

• - What practical steps can we take to increase our awe level?

2- I am offering a $50 discount off a Freedom-Focus-Strategy session with me during the month of May. It is important to identify what is keeping us from a life of awe and learn what steps to take to move us into wonderland. Click here to book a Freedom-Focus-Strategy session. Use Coupon Code MAY50

3 - My publisher, Chosen Books, is offering a 30% discount off my book God of Wonders. This book is a resource to help us live with daily awe. Click here to order a copy.

May we all be transformed by daily doses of awe and wonder!

Faith Blatchford

2020: Year of Wonders

Will you look back on 2020 as a “Year of Wonders” for you personally? Perhaps on January 1 you looked forward to 2020 with great anticipation, not just for the new year, but also for a new decade bringing revival and heaven to earth. Today, there is a battle day by day to maintain this great hope.

This year, 2020, is not the first year a pandemic has disrupted the world. Between 1665-66 the Bubonic Plague ravaged the nations. Sir Isaac Newton was 23 at the time, attending Cambridge University in London. The threat of death from the Plague was so intense the University closed. Newton went to his home, Woolsthorpe, experiencing what we call “self isolation” or “social distancing.”

Later in life, as he reviewed his world changing theories on calculus, optics, and the laws of motion and gravity, all of which occurred during the time of self quarantine, he said it was the most intellectually fruitful period of his whole life. He referred to the year 1666 as “The Year of Wonders.”

Many humorous social media posts refer to 2020 as the year of a baby boom. Hopefully the most popular baby name will not be “Corona” or some derivative of it! On a more serious note—let’s all get pregnant! This is the perfect time to become pregnant with the purposes of God for our life. How many inventions, creative solutions to problems, screen plays, masterpieces of art or music, could be birthed at the end of this time of sequestration with Holy Spirit? Yes, even in the midst of what seems to be chaos: kids out of school, working remotely, or not working at all, His banner over you is love—love is always fruitful. You may not end up in the history books like Newton, but your life’s work will be recorded in Heaven’s museum of history.

Steps to conceive Heaven’s vision and carry it to full-term:

1. Take more time to be with Jesus.

2. Turn off all unnecessary distractions – it is hard to be intimate with CNN or FOX news blaring in the room.

3. Go over all the dreams and prophecies and scriptures of the past that have been part of your love relationship with Him. Let your heart be stirred by them again. Allow Him to give you creative solutions to see these come to fruition in the midst of a topsy-turvy world.

4. Take time every day to adore your Beloved.

5. Talk to Him about this vision that you are carrying. Work together with Him to ensure healthy growth and delivery.

6. Giggle a lot with Him about the future. It is going to be wonder- filled!

Celebrating with you 2020 — The Year of Wonders!

Week 4: Don't Stop Celebrating!

I hope your Christmas has been truly special. I wonder, how did you celebrate? Perhaps some of us were alone, or with a small number of friends or family. For others, I know you’ve spent this past week at some of the largest family gatherings of the year! However you like to celebrate, there is so much to celebrate. In addition to the unique ways God has blessed each one of us, we are engaging in a worldwide celebration of the birth of Christ! I can hardly think of anything more awesome.

I am sure 2019 has looked very different for each of us. This week, I encourage you to take time to journal about the highs and lows of this year. Be honest with yourself about the disappointments and sadness you’ve experienced, and be sure to remember all the ways God has blessed you and made Himself known to you. I feel confident each of us have so much to celebrate.
 
Although Christmas is past, I feel something important about continuing our celebrations into the New Year. What better way to prepare ourselves for 2020 than to proclaim how good God has been to us?

I want to leave you with some extracts from the Bible. The Bible is full of celebration – and it has so much to say about  it! As you read through these verses, allow the Holy Spirit to inspire you. How do you like to celebrate? And how can you remind yourself how good God is to you?

Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! Psalm 47:1

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls 1 Peter 1:8-9

And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2:11

They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness. Psalm 145:7

Then on the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work, and you shall observe a feast to the LORD for seven days Numbers 29:12

But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind Luke 14:13

Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord Ephesians 5:19

Worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling Psalm 2:11

And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate. Luke 15:23-24

The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad. Psalm 126:3

These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full John 15:11

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God 1 Corinthians 10:31

With heartfelt blessings for the New Year, Faith Blatchford

Week 3: Good News is Coming

How do you feel when something good is about to happen? I know I go through all sorts of emotions. The path towards a good event can involve happiness and thankfulness, but also feelings of suspense and even anxiety.

Have you ever wondered why the angels who greeted Zacharias, Mary, Joseph and the shepherds began their message with “do not be afraid”? It seems odd to me that the announcement of such great news would begin with this kind of reassurance. But the truth is, good news can sometimes be shocking! It might come as a surprise. It doesn’t always meet our expectations. It might invite us to embrace a challenge. It might provoke all kinds of questions. I am thankful that, with the benefit of hindsight, we can look back at the events of Christmas and recognize that God was most definitely up to something good!

“Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy”

I want to encourage you that this Christmas season, God is up to something very good! Don’t be afraid to bring your concerns, desires, requests and questions to Him: He is listening carefully and loves to respond to us. Don’t forget to watch and listen carefully, too. As His children we can confidently remind ourselves that Immanuel, God Himself, is living and moving in our midst.

The Holy Spirit Himself is eagerly bringing us “glad tidings of great joy!” When you go to bed tonight, I invite you to say to yourself “God is up to something good!” Maybe you can write it on a post-it for your spouse, or remind a friend who is anxious about finishing their Christmas shopping! Let’s use every opportunity to rest in the joy of Christ’s arrival. No matter the challenges we face, God is up to something good.

Week 2: No Conditions

Have you ever been surprised by an unanticipated visitor at your door? Let’s be honest: even if it’s a friend, we may find ourselves dashing around, tidying bits and pieces and checking our hair in the mirror before we open the door!

This Christmas, I expect many of us will spend time cleaning and decorating our homes in readiness for guests. Hospitality is a beautiful thing. Yet it is interesting that the Son of God was not born in a state-of-the-art birthing facility, but in a stable. Subject to political circumstances, Mary and Joseph were traveling on a budget and unable to find a more hospitable location for the delivery. The first people to arrive on the scene were not religious leaders or dignitaries but shepherds – who had their own lowly reputation!

They shall call His name Immanuel, which means “God with us”

Through the life story of His Son Jesus, our Father God has done an excellent job of expressing to us that He does not require an immaculate home upon arrival. In fact, He knows we could never clean the house without Him! His desire is simply to dwell with us – no stipulations, no conditions, other than this: Let Me in. Trust Me. Let’s do this together.

No matter the state of your heart this Christmas, I encourage you, take the time to welcome Jesus in. Talk to Him about your joys, your challenges, your highs and your lows. He didn’t mind a smelly stable, and He certainly doesn’t mind our messy lives. He wants to be right in the middle of it: God with us.