Share the Adventure! (The Lucas and Mary story so far)

Lucas and I were asked to share our story in our Sunday School class on 8-3-25. We set up a videocamera on a tripod because I wanted a record of how we shared our story-so-far in our 40s. If you want to know more about any part of what we shared, just ask! :-)

Solitude Reflections - J (August 2026)

Abbey of Gethsemani

8-27-26 - Way-Maker

You are here, opening their eyes

You are here, opening their ears

You are here, pointing them to Truth

You are here, pointing them to You

You are here, bringing the increase

You are here, so I battle on my knees

You are here, tearing down ancient walls

You are here, breaking generational chains

You are here, turning their hearts

You are here, letting me take part

You are here, bringing revival to Japan

You are here, doing what only You can

        I worship You, I worship You

You are Way-Maker (You're making a way right now for Japanese

                                all over the world to come to You!)

Miracle-Worker (You can do it! Dekiruyo! You are able!

                            You are doing it! Only You can bring a miracle of this level)

Promise-Keeper (The knowledge of You will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea.

                            You don't want any to perish but all to reach repentance)

Light in the darkness (Only You can flip a country that's 1% Christian

                                    You are the Light of the world we so desperately need

                                    and You tell us to let Your light shine within us

                                    so that others will see and give glory to You)

My God, that is who You are (I praise You. I remind You and myself who You are

                                                                            and what You're doing)

Even when I can't see it, You're working

Even when I can't feel it, You're working

You never stop, You never stop working

    so I won't stop either

        for at the proper time, I will reap a harvest

            if I don't give up

I will travail in prayer as an intercessor for Japan

I will sow seeds liberally for a Great Awakening in Japan

I will not be afraid to speak out

I will not keep this good news hidden in my heart

I will sing the songs that awaken the dawn

I will prepare the way for Your returning

I will learn the Japanese language like it's my job

I will make connections deep and wide

I will not be afraid to appear foolish

I won't stop until ____ and ____ and ____ and _____

and____ and ____ and ____ and _____ and _______ and ________

and____ and ____ and ____ and _____ and _______ and ________

and____ and ____ and ____ and _____ and _______ and ________

and____ and ____ and ____ and _____ and _______ and ________

and____ and ____ and ____ and _____ and _______ and ________

and____ and ____ and ____ and _____ and _______ and ________

    cross the line of faith and join the team and the kazoku

I believe You are able. I believe You are at work.

Do what only You can do, King Jesus.

              

8-27-26

Scripture memory

Bible study

Prayer

All are holy pursuits in the closet

    but lately, You've been blurring the line

        between secular and sacred

Lucas' love of video games

    has led to me being an intercessor for Japan

Learning the Japanese language

    is an eternal investment --

    helping me make connections before, during, and after our trip

Losing weight

    is breaking the grip overeating has had on me

    and is how I care for the temple of the Holy Spirit

Decluttering

    has created physical and mental space in our home

    and has made everything simpler

I've started praying this verse

    before opening my Japanese textbook

"For from Him                        You gave me this language to learn

and through Him                    I will learn it through Your strength

and to Him are all things.      and I will give it back to You to use

To Him be glory forever.        May You receive all the glory.

Amen.                                      Amen.

-Romans 11:36

    

8-28-26

From the outside in,

    I appear to have a spoiled life

        able to take off for a week of solitude

        able to travel as a family to Japan for 2.5 months

And although I know

    that many don't have the time or finances to make these happen,

I also know

    that we make sacrifices for the things important to us

For the last 20(!) years

    whether single or married,

    whether for one day or several,

        I have made it a priority to take a solitude retreat to commune with God

        almost every year since my first one in college

    It's a priority of mine, so I make it happen.

        (and thankfully, I have a husband who lets me go!)
For the last 8ish years,

    we've dreamed of living for a few months in Japan

        so we've been planning and saving and networking.

    I don't use expensive curriculum or go to expensive co-ops.

    My boys aren't in year-round (or really, any!) time-and-money-expensive activities

    And now, the dream is becoming a reality

    It's a priority of ours, so we're making it happen

        (and thankfully, Lucas has been working extra hard for it to be financially feasible)

8-28-26

What does it mean to travail in prayer for Japan?
Is it an increase in quantity?    

    praying more often in set-aside times

                                    and through the day?

Is it an increase in depth?

    crying out to You

    on my face before You

    begging and pleading You for awakening?

Is it an increase in labor?

    doing the work of sowing seeds

                            and sharing my story

                            to hopefully be an answer to my own prayers?

is it an increase in perseverance?

    committing to intercede more over the long haul

                                                not giving up even when I don't see fruit

                                                continuing whether I feel like it or not?

Is it an increase in fasting?

                        making physical sacrifice

                        choosing prayer over food?

Is it an increase in corporate prayer?

                            gathering with others instead of only praying along

                            banding together with others called to intercession?

All of the above?

8-28-26

You prepare a table...

The gardener prepared a "table" for the birds--

        quiet space, planted flowers and wildflowers

        birdseed for the taking

    And because a table was prepared,

        dozens of types of birds have made their home here.

The monks prepare a table for guests

        quiet space, meals and snacks,

        bed and bathroom, lovely grounds, no agenda

    And because a table was prepared,

        thousands have met with God here.

I prepared a table for Lacey

        an invite to a homeschool group

        where she was loved and encouraged in her journey of faith

    And because a table was prepared,

        I have a new sister in Christ.

I prepared a table for our Sunday School class

        a challenge to memorize a psalm as a family

        I didn't do any teaching or Biblical interpretation -- 

        I just knew that if families got into the Word and got the Word in them,

            the Holy Spirit would be free to move

    And because a table was prepared,

        24 families meditated on Scripture as a family and as part of a community

  

I'm preparing a table for my Japanese friends

        some literally at the table in my home

        but others at the table of my heart

            where I pray for them, connect with them, laugh with them

    And because a table is being prepared,

        I hope that many will come to know the love of a Father

            who has prepared the ultimate table 

                                                for them

                                    

Mom Group talk (September 21, 2025)

MomGroup talk - September 21, 2025

[recite Psalm 139]

Today, I’m going to talk to you about two practices that have changed my life. One I started ten years ago, and one I started three weeks ago.

First, let’s go back in time to December 30, 2014 to that version of Mary Thomas.  I was thirty years old and two days away from my 4th wedding anniversary with my husband Lucas. We had our first two sons by then – Carter, a bright-eyed three-year old and sweet baby Calvin.  I had been a Christian since I was seven and came down to Kentucky to attend Asbury where I thrived in the spiritually nurturing environment.  I was heavily involved in the children’s ministry at the church where Lucas and I met – serving at multiple services every week. Our church applauded leadership way more than discipleship, and I was on track to developing my leadership skills, pouring into not only the preschool kids but also the volunteers under my care.  I was also a leader professionally, thriving at a Christian school where I taught music and technology and led the preschool chapel services.  On paper, I was a great Christian leader. And morally, my character lined up with that, too.  But even though I was leading every day of the week, I rarely opened my Bible (unless to work on a talk or lesson plan). The Bible had become stale and familiar to me, and with as busy as my schedule was, I sure didn’t make time for it.

So THAT version of myself read this Facebook post from my friend Lyndsay I hadn’t talked to since high school: I have done this challenge for two years, and it has been a really great way for me to keep my mind focused on scripture. I am going to do it this year, so if you want to join, we can encourage and keep each other accountable!

She was referring to Beth Moore’s Scripture memory challenge of picking a new verse every two weeks and then posting as a comment on her blog what you were working on. I love a good goal, especially at a new year, so for 2015, I decided to go for it.  For the first six months, I faithfully picked out a verse twice a month (this, really, was my only time in the Bible).  I wrote them on cards and practiced them throughout the days, throughout the weeks. Once I had memorized them, I could recite them anytime, anywhere.  I still have some of those cards:

Ears to hear and eyes to see – both are gifts from the Lord. -Proverbs 20:12

“ ‘Don’t be afraid, Mary,’ the angel told her, ‘for you have found favor with God!’ “ -Luke 1:30

“A wise woman builds her house; a foolish woman tears hers down with her own hands.” -Proverbs 14:1

Meditating on these verses was like laying kindling down, and halfway into the year, the Holy Spirit ignited that kindling into a bonfire. Suddenly, instead of never opening my Bible, I had a voracious appetite for it – reading it, memorizing it, studying it. I would steal away during my planning period to the prayer chapel and just devour His Word.  This was like a step function of growth that has continued (maybe not with the number of hours I spent in that season but with a sustained deep hunger).

At the end of 2015, I knew I wanted to keep memorizing and decided that I could aim for a whole book this time – Philippians.  Those 104 verses changed me, and I was hooked.  I recited the whole book during the elementary chapel at my school, and committed to learn the Sermon on the Mount the next year.  This continued, and when I decided to memorize the 176 verses of Psalm 119, I knew I needed to do more than the rote repetition method, so I started creating songs. And I’ve continued that – every verse I’ve memorized since then is linked to a song, whether I found it or adapted it or used a familiar tune or wrote my own.  

Every year, I’ve completed a memory project – 

James in 2019, 

Titus in 2020, 

Romans in 2021, 

John in 2022, 

Ephesians in 2023, 

and last year, Hebrews. 

I’ve also added in Jonah with my boys and Haggai with a Bible study group here at FAC.

Memorizing Scripture has been life-changing for me. There’s something incredible about having the Word INSIDE you – it’s portable, and you can take it anywhere. It naturally comes out in conversation and in prayers. Since I memorize whole chapters, I know the context for verses pulled out. And perhaps my favorite, it has made Scripture like a treasure hunt. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve come across a verse that is familiar to me but not from the book I memorized because, for instance, the author of Hebrews quotes often from the Old Testament. So I’ll see a passage in a psalm that I’ll recognize because it is later quoted in Hebrews. It’s especially fun to make these connections when they’re not listed as cross-references in my Bible. It’s like I’m my own cross-referencer!

Scripture memory has also spread beyond me. When I switched schools and began teaching in the regular classroom, I told my fourth graders that my goal for them was not just to do well on their Bible memory test on Friday but to remember these verses the rest of their lives. I looped up with them to fifth grade, and by the end of those two years, we sat down in front of a videocamera with a list of all the verse references we had learned, and we were able to sing over 100 verses from memory!

And then, obviously, it has trickled into my home. I now have five boys, and we are always memorizing something. For three summers, they have memorized and quoted enough verses to earn a full scholarship to Scripture Memory Camp in Louisiana.  The older four also learned the Sermon on the Mount last year. 

And then for the past four summers, we have memorized a different psalm.  Back in 2021, we hosted our first Recitation Celebration with two other families who had also memorized a psalm.  The next summer, we had 0 participants but some other friends joined us while we recited our psalm, which was the one I recited for you at the beginning of this talk. Then last year, there were 3 families who participated.  This year, because we did a challenge for our Sunday School class, 31(!) families memorized a psalm this summer, and 16(!) joined us at the park for the 4th annual Recitation Celebration. It was one of the coolest events I’ve ever been a part of, and you’re invited to join us next summer! I plan on memorizing a psalm every summer, Lord willing, for the rest of my life.

I keep sowing seeds of Scripture memory – whether recitations (I’m reciting Hebrews this Saturday at Wesley Village if you want to come!), family challenges, songs posted on YouTube, or talks like this…because I never know how God will use me as a “Lyndsay” in someone else’s life.  She probably never could have imagined how that simple Facebook post has literally changed the trajectory of my life and others in my sphere.  I didn’t even tell her that I was memorizing with her until the end of that year. So, too, I may not know until heaven the impact of my gentle prodding to GET IN THE WORD! As Priscilla says, “You DO have time!”

I told you I was going to tell you two practices that have changed my life. Scripture memory is one of them. But even as I was renewing my mind, I was still frustrated that I wasn’t gaining traction in other areas of my life.  My spiritual life was thriving, but the rest of my life was not (and I’m realizing that they’re all connected!). Two years ago, I came to my first Mom Group, and I still remember Jan Biddulph’s opening, “Are you overwhelmed?” Um…yes!  That constant sense of overwhelm was my reality then and in the years since then…until three weeks ago when the other practice came into my life. It was right after the Recitation Celebration when I hit a breaking point in regards to physical and mental clutter. I was, simply, drowning in stuff. And I know I’m not the only one because the average American home has 300,000 items in it, and friends, we were not made to manage all that inventory!  I realized that it wasn’t just “how I am;” I began to name it for what it really was – bondage, idolatry, SIN.  So I started de-cluttering like a crazy person for the last three weeks.  

At first, I thought de-cluttering was a “worldly” thing, compared to the “holy” thing of sitting in my chair reading/praying/memorizing.  But then all these related verses came to mind that I had memorized:

Matthew 8 - Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. 

Galatians 5 - It is for FREEDOM that Christ has set us free. Therefore do not be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Matthew 11 - Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Hebrews 12 - Let us also lay aside every weight …so that we can run with perseverance the race marked out for us

Luke 12 - Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in the abundance of possessions

Matthew 6 - Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven

Matthew 7 - Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s (erhmm husband’s) eye but do not notice the log that is in your own eye…First take the log out of your own eye (in other words, first deal with your own clutter)

I had been a hearer, a memorizer but had failed to put these words into practice. I memorize faster than I obey.

James 1 - Do not merely listen to the Word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Matthew 7 - Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock. 

As a kid, I thought the rock was Jesus. And yes, he is the rock (Psalm 144:1), but it’s putting his words into practice that is the Rock. And now that I have been doing that, my life has become in alignment.  And y’all, everything in my life is better as a result of having less stuff:

-more mental clarity

-more bandwidth to handle what life throws at me

-less stress in our home

-less nagging about messes because there’s less to mess up!

-better relationships with my husband and boys

-more peace and joy in our home – it really is becoming a haven (something I never thought possible)

-enjoyment in cooking

-more productivity

-more time to focus on wellness

-great reflective conversations with Jesus

I could go on and on, but I’m convinced that this is the way we were meant to live – freely and lightly.  So the leaders asked me to talk about Scripture memory, which has shaped my life for these last ten years, but I also just had to share how that has worked out in my life the last three weeks.  And I’m not asking you to go home and declutter your whole house or memorize the book of Matthew. But what’s one step forward you can take in your Scripture memory journey? Going from zero memorizing to one verse a month? Going from one psalm over the summer to a psalm quarterly? Going from individual verses to a whole chapter? And as for simplifying your home…what’s one small project you can tackle this week? What space is driving you the most crazy? 

One more time from the Message paraphrase of Matthew 11:28-30 

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? 

Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. 

I’ll show you how to take a real rest.

Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. 

Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.

I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. 

Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” May it be so, Mamas.

Questions… Check your seat!

Solitude Reflections - 15 years, 10 years, 1 year ago (August 2026)

Abbey of Gethsemani

8-26-26

15(!) years ago

    was my first retreat here

I was in a dark place

    mentally and spiritually,

    hanging on by a thread

I don't remember much about that retreat

    except that I never walked the grounds

    so I missed those glorious sunrises and sunsets

And when I returned home to Johns Turn Trail,

    Lucas surprised me with a new keyboard,

    a gift I didn't know to ask for

    but that restored my spirit

    and has filled our home with melodies for a decade and a half now

It's crazy to catalog how much my life has changed

    since 2011, back when I was newly married, depressed, and pregnant

    I became a mom to 5(!) sons earthside and 2 children in heaven

    We said goodbye to 3 of Lucas' grandparents and my dad

    We moved to our beloved home

    I experienced a step function in my spiritual growth, once stagnant for years

    I taught in 3 different schools and then at home (never would've imagined that!)

    We went from Quest to simple church to LexCity to Covid home church to FAC

    We traveled with our boys to 35 states and counting

    We survived a worldwide pandemic

    I started memorizing Scripture 

        (10 books of the Bible, 4 trips to camp, 5 summers of Psalms)

    I continued taking solitude retreats (10 since then)

    I have stepped into my calling as a connector--connecting others to God, His Word, and each other

    We are 30 days away from setting sail for our family adventure in Japan!

I'm a completely different person in 2026

    with countless experiences, struggles, and victories since 2011

    and yet that 2011 Mary is still inside of me

        an inner ring

        as my tree-life continues to expand

And the seed of 2026 Mary

    was inside 2011 Mary

Seeds of discipline

            faithfulness

            perseverance

            choosing life

            following Jesus step by step by step

            orienting my decisions toward Him

Well, I'm reaping now

    "for at the proper time,

        you will reap a harvest

            if you do not give up."

I can't see what the next 15 years will bring

    but I can case a vote today

            by my actions and habits

        toward who 2041 Mary will be

"My greatest gift to God is the person I'm becoming." (Dallas WIllard?)

1991 Mary made a decision to orient the trajectory of her life toward Jesus

    so whatever comes my way,

        I aim to look more like Jesus.

8-26-26

Around 10 years ago,

    I was about to get pregnant with Poppy,

    and You spoke to me clearly

        on that solitude retreat at Cedars

    what became part of "Poppy's Song"

"So this is what it means to be rooted and established!

When cultivated, seeds can grow.

You have plans for my branches

For Your glory, I'm a strong and graceful oak."

I sensed that it mattered

    that I lean into You in my despair

        not only for my own spiritual health

            but for the "birds of the air"

                who would "come and make nests" in my branches

My branches in 10 years

    would only be robust enough

        if I plowed the ground 

            and cultivated the seeds then

It mattered that I do the work

    to be rooted and established in His love

    and let Him do the work of growing me up

You did have plans for my branches

    and now I'm in a time of harvest

    even as I continue to till and plant more seeds

In March 2016, I had no idea

    that I'd get pregnant, miscarry, carry 3 more boys, and miscarry again

    that I'd go on to memorize 10 books of the Bible

        (I was just at the beginning of my Scripture memory journey then)

    that I'd go through a season of disillusionment and doubt

    that I'd start taking seriously my responsibility to disciple my sons

    that I'd be leading and serving in the church and outside the church

    that I'd be thriving in my calling as a connector

    that my connecting would go to the next level

        when I started learning Japanese

        and organizing meet-ups with 30+ Japanese women

A full-circle moment

    was when I was able to comfort Eriko

    with the comfort I myself had received when I walked through my miscarriage

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

    The Father of compassion and the God of all comfort!
The pain of 2016 wasn't wasted

Pain and struggle can become fertile soil

You can bring beauty from ashes

                        joy instead of mourning

                        praise instead of despair

I'm living it!

Not overnight,

    but over time,

        I have become a strong and graceful oak

                                            not for my glory

                                            but for Yours

8-26-26

Last summer,

    when I came here for 5 days of peace,

        I walked the trails

            witnessed sunrises and sunsets

            joined the monks for prayer-songs

            read and reflected and wrote

Among the things I wrote

    was that I wasn't leaving my retreat with a step-by-step plan

        for overcoming my messiness

            It felt like an area of perpetual defeat.

I had no idea that hope and victory were on the horizon

Just three months later,

    I would go on a decluttering spree

        and remove 5 full vanloads of clutter from our house

I don't know that I've "arrived"

    and I haven't been perfect

    but "stuff" is no longer a stronghold in my life

I also had no idea of the family adventure on the horizon.

Just five months after my retreat,

    we would book our trip to Japan!

We had dreamed for years about going

I had dabbled with Japanese for awhile

I wanted one Japanese friend but had no luck

But booking our trip set into motion

    dreams becoming dates

    language learning shifting into high gear

    and the floodgates opening with too many Japanese friends!

A lot can happen in a year!

On these retreats away,

    I marvel at Your creation, yes,

    but I also marvel at what You're creating in me

Ever grateful

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