Kristin Saatzer - Purposeful Encouragement

My Best-Loved Books of 2020

January 2, 2021 By Kristin Saatzer 2 Comments

Hello, friends!

I read quite a bit in 2020, as you can see by the pictures of the fifty-two books I tackled (copied from Goodreads). I reread seven from my shelves at home because of quarantine and the library was closed and I blew my book budget.

I would like to highlight some of my 2020 favorites for you bibliophiles (and wanna be’s) as I do each year on the blog. So, here we go…

Non-fiction:

Chasing Vines by Beth Moore: I deeply enjoyed the lessons on viticulture and the tie ins between the Old and New Testaments. Great questions for readers about the fruitfulness of our lives.
Doing Life With Your Adult Children: Keep Your Mouth Shut & The Welcome Mat Out by Jim Burns: So… funny timing… I read this book just before my three adult children moved back in for quarantine! There were no big light bulbs here for me, but it is all practical, doable, encouraging, and engaging.
The Third Option: Hope for a Racially Divided Nation by Miles McPherson: This book is my favorite out of all I have read on this difficult subject. The author (a beloved San Diego pastor) brings much hope and positivity while writing through a biblical and practical lens.
Irresistible: Reclaiming the New that Jesus Unleashed for the World by Andy Stanley: This is a controversial book. I find myself still thinking about it often and I read it over two months ago. There are points the author makes that are hard for me to swallow. Then, other points that challenge me in the deepest parts of my Christian soul and cause me to embrace the New Testament and Jesus as never before.
The Path Between us: An Enneagram Journey to Healthy Relationships by Suzanne Stabile: An Enneagram book by my favorite Enneagram teacher. If you know your number and the numbers of those with whom you do life, you will find this book an invaluable tool. I refer to it often.

A Book to Keep, A Book to Share

November 26, 2020 By Kristin Saatzer Leave a Comment

Hello friends,

Many of you know that I published a book last year called Savor the Savior: Twenty-Five Devotions for Advent and Christmas Inspired by the Names of Jesus. For those of you new here, you may not yet have heard.

I can’t think of a more meaningful way to end this crazy year than to spend twenty-five days of Christmas and Advent learning about the names of Jesus and drawing close to Him…through a series of short and biblically deep devotionals.

If you purchase it now, you will get it in time to begin on the first day of Advent, December 1, 2020. It also makes a great Christmas gift.

Order a copy today (also available as an eBook):

www.barnesandnoble.com/w/savor-the-savior-kristin-saatzer/1134738504?ean=9781683149200

www.amazon.com/s?k=savor+the+savior+Kristin+Saatzer&ref=nb_sb_noss

https://www.walmart.com/search/?query=savor%20the%20savior

Blessings and thanks,

Kristin

PS. If you read and enjoyed the book, I (and my publisher) would deeply appreciate a rating and/or a review on one of the above sites. It means a great deal in the book world. And it means a great deal to me!

The Light of Life

November 19, 2020 By Kristin Saatzer 2 Comments

Gloomy clouds dawned in the morning sky yet again. The Coronavirus closures coincided with weeks of rain and gray skies that are atypical for sunny Southern California where we pay the weather tax. The dreariness outside and relentless bad news on my screen merged with underlying anxiety, depression, and the loss of my in-person community. It all felt suffocating.

From the edge of my bed, I gazed out my window and prayed. As I asked Christ to lift the dismal, heavy weight off my chest and bolster me for another long day, a stunning beam of sunlight broke through the clouds. A fitting symbol of truth I had failed to remember – Jesus is the Light of the World and the light of my life. And through this Light of Life, I’ve been charged to shine for Him individually and in community.

In that morning moment, God shone a bright dose of bravery into my gloomy soul.

I wish I could say that after that experience, all was peachy for me. It was not. Yet, a shift took place in my spirit as I focused more on Christ’s light and less on the shadows of the world. I stopped marking each day’s end with an “x” in my journal. I sought out happy, good news stories. And with great intention, I reduced my intake of news and social media and increased my intake of God’s truth. I put this verse on my phone and stuck it near my bed and computer as a reminder: “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life” (John 8:12 NLT).

My bleak state brightened as 2020 carried on and I found wisdom as I focused on the Light of the World.

Eventually, the sun came out, but the black clouds of COVID stayed, as did the relentless torrent of bad news. And I deeply missed my friends.

One of the hardest parts of the pandemic (and my current health crisis) was and still is the absence of physically attending church. There is a hole in my week where there once was corporate prayer and worship. I’ve felt the loss of comradery, hugs, and screenless faces. We were created for community, weren’t we?

However, I remind myself that behind the monitors, the church is still The Church.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill” (Matthew 5:14 NASB). You and I belong to a body of believers whom God created to shine like one luminous flame on a moonless night. A city on a hill. In these historic days, we have an opportunity to radiate as one for Jesus as never before. I find myself hope-filled and compelled by these words of Jesus to join fellow Christ-followers as we shine collectively in person and through our screens.

And today, as the calendar continues to turn and the holiday season looms, I lift my face to the Light of Life when I am frozen by the fear that uncertainty brings.

Therefore, I am determined that in my little world, I will be a light bearer for my Savior. “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16 NIV). The holidays may look so different than normal for so many this year (my family included) and this scripture inspires me in my mission to shine and serve. As children of the King, we can reflect His radiant love to those He puts on our path. Hurting souls in desperate need of hope in an often lonely, difficult season.

As this strange, scary, arduous, and sometimes wonderful year closes in, I reflect on my journey with Jesus, the Light of Life. The One who shines through His Church, His beloved sons and daughters. I keep on returning to His light and wonder where would I be without Him? Without His word to lead me? Without His wisdom to guide me? My heart overflows with gratitude to the One who continues to rescue me in the dark morning moments, who guides me with bright courage, and leads me to shine for Him.

PC: Bradley Dunn

Thankful for it or Thankful in it?

November 12, 2020 By Kristin Saatzer 6 Comments

Hello friends,

It’s been a while. Thanks to those of you who have reached out through the website to check-in. I have been ill (not COVID-19) for almost two months with something that began after I donated blood in September. It has been quite harrowing, especially these last three weeks.

During these weeks, as my physical health broke down, so did my mental, emotional, and spiritual health. I have struggled to find gratitude in this pit. I have struggled to find joy. Frankly, I have struggled to find Jesus at times.

This morning, as I sat with pen and journal, I determined to write five things I am grateful for right now in the middle of this trial. As I began to write, and my list flowed to fifty – I realized I was experiencing a breakthrough.

Gratitude can do that, can’t it?

And because of the power of thankfulness (it is Thanksgiving month after all), I thought I would repost a blog I wrote during yet another harrowing trial in my life. The message from 2016 and the scripture speak to me in my current pit and I pray it will do the same for you in yours.

May the Lord bless and keep you in these turbulent times.

Kristin

Thankful for it or Thankful in it? June 28, 2016

Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 BSB

“Remember, God tells us to be thankful for every circumstance like it says in 1 Thes. 5:18.” These words came in the form of a text, the day after I received terrible news. My well-meaning friend was being a well-meaning friend. However, her words left me unsettled.

I was not thankful for this trial. Not at all. Still not.

In this verse, are the words “in” and “for”. It says to be thankful in my trial/circumstance, for this is God’s will. Maybe my theology is wonky, but my interpretation is: we may be thankful in our trials but not necessarily for our trials.

So, how does this look? How do we follow God’s will according to 1 Thessalonians 5:18 when faced with tragedy, betrayal, loss, and pain?

Let us dig deeply for the fruit in the midst of our agony and thank Him for it. Even in the worst of times, there are precious blessings if we intentionally look for them. This is how we get and stay thankful in the dismally deep waters of our circumstances.

I found riches in my pain: God has loved me through friends as I’ve never experienced before. I’ve learned the power of vulnerability in seeking help. My trust in the Lord has increased as has my thirst for His Word. AND! I now know that one can survive for days on only Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Saltines.

My journal pages are word-full of the treasures I have found in my trying circumstances. The pages crinkled by my tears. Maybe someday I will be thankful for it. but until then, I press on with my Jesus. For Him, I am always thankful.

Reflect:

~How can I thank God in this trial?

~Where do I see His fruit in my pain?

~How can/will this circumstance broaden my trust in God?

Dear Lord,

How rich we are in Your love for us. Lead us to find the fruit in our pain. Today we chose thankfulness in it, knowing this is Your will for us in Christ Jesus.

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