• Wife
• Mother
• Grandmother (aka-Mimzy)
• Writer
• Blogger
• Author
• Jesus Follower
• Survivor

A simple list. Nothing too “earth-shattering” here–until you read between the lines. Until you gather the stories that make up the bullet points.

Susan is no stranger to pain, loss, and devastating heartbreak. But as the tattoo on her right wrist states: GAKAT (God Already Knows About This)–even in her darkest days her strength and endurance comes from Jesus, the lover of her soul and her Hope-Giver.

These lines from her biography capture her life and purpose beautifully as they provide a window to her heart:

I love the Lord with every fiber of my being and my life’s purpose is: That I may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Colossians 1:10 (NKJV) My life vision is: I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in Truth. 3 John 4

#HOPECHANGESEVERYTHING

Follow Susan at

Blog – https://hopehearthome.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/susan.shipe

Twitter – https://twitter.com/hopeful50

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/hopehearthome/

Amazon Author Page – https://amzn.to/2tFKtum

 

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A New Season of Lent

Susan Chamberlain Shipe

I grew up in a home where Lent was never mentioned. Our Catholic neighbors observed it and my sister and I were jealous of the ashen crosses dusted across their foreheads each year.

Let me explain. We were raised in a Christian home. We went to church. We believed in the resurrection and salvation by no other means than Jesus’ shed blood on Calvary.

We just didn’t practice Lent.

Lent was for other “religions.”

Then, about 15 years ago our church fellowship held an Ash Wednesday service. WHAT? At 50-something I finally realized what I had been missing. Forty days set aside to walk the journey of self-denial and surrender.

I’ve observed it ever since. I am not legalistic about it and if I forget it’s okay; however, there is something holy about its observation. The tradition is to “give up” something you love – something that will be difficult to be without. However, I like to challenge myself to “take on” something – something uncomfortable for me. Forty days is a long time when you are out of your normal comfort zone.

If you don’t believe me, try it. One year I gave up candy because I realized how much I liked it. One year I  “took on” an act of kindness each day, which sounds relatively easy, right? But, I work from home and I had to learn to be creative. I asked the Lord what and who I could reach out to every day. I made phone calls. I wrote notes. I arranged visits in our neighborhood and with our church family.

One year I wrote a book! 40 Days of Lent – the people, places, and events of the Passion. Within its pages is the journey Jesus Christ began in the winter of A.D. 29, as He began the trek to Jerusalem where He would make the ultimate sacrifice and lay down His life for the sins of mankind.

This year Lent begins on March 6th, I encourage you to pray and see if the Lord wants you to do something. I highly recommend starting out small – don’t set yourself up for failure. And, by all means do not self-condemn when you miss the mark – grace is available at every turn.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” Matthew 16.24

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Thank you for joining us today!! Please remember to check out and follow Susan’s social media profiles and website (links above).

Blessings, xoxo

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