Cliffhangers

January 5, 2025

A Trusting Leap

Dear Nieces & Nephews,

I’ve been thinking about cliffhangers lately, as I’ve resumed my writing of “Mystery at Lake Paradise.” I want my readers to keep coming back for more, waiting and wondering, staying attuned and engaged.

Does God do the same in our lives? Is that part of his strategy for keeping us engaged? If there was no unresolved conflict, would we tune out? And is there a way to “read” with our hearts so caught up in our story that we don’t want to be diverted by sin and distraction?

I believe there is, and it’s only through the big-picture lens of the Kingdom that we will see it for the adventure it is. Through my own lens, I see trouble and hopelessness. Through the Kingdom, I see the mystery and tension of the not-yet and I-wonder-how as I free-fall through uncertainty.

A couple years ago, Uncle Kerry and I faced the most difficult question of our lives. We were looking darkness full in the face and had to decide if we’d let it into our home.

Could we live alongside evil?

Could it possibly be God’s will?

We never got a clear “Yes.” We just knew we couldn’t not. It was too woven into our lives to turn our back on it. And so we reached deep inside, found a brighter light, exhaled fear and leaped.

The King caught us.

We’re still falling, but we’re learning that re-positioning ourselves safely in His arms daily, even moment-by-moment, keeps us from hitting bottom and even gives us the ability to enjoy the view.

From that vantage point, Psalm 131 is one of my favorites, from The Passion Translation:

“Lord, my heart is meek before You.

I don’t consider myself better than others.

I’m content to not pursue matters that are over my head –

Such as your complex mysteries and wonders –

That I’m not yet ready to understand.

I am humbled and quieted in your presence

Like a contented child who rests on its mother’s lap,

I’m your resting child, and my soul is content in You.

O people of God, your time has come to quietly trust,

Waiting upon the Lord now and forever.”

Quietly trust?

Yes. Even in a world of cliffhangers.

And from that place of rest, I will not submit to the darkness I live with. Rather, I will grow in my authority in Christ. I will keep turning on the light. I will keep thanking Him. Keep praising Him. Keep praying. Keep speaking life. Keep loving.

Our homes are meant to be shelters from the storm; we’re just in a leaky-roof season for a little while. I believe it will come to an end and we’ll be dry again. But then there will be something new to face outside, where we’ll learn even more the art of resting during trouble.

As I’ve heard Bill Johnson say, we only have authority over the storms we’ve learned to sleep through.

And here’s one thing I’ve learned in the presence of darkness: In this world, nothing’s that clear-cut. You’ll find light hidden deep in the darkness, and darkness in the light. Good and evil do live side-by-side. My human definitions and judgments always hit dead-ends and remind me again not to pursue matters I’m not ready to understand. I’m no better than anybody else.

“Oh people of God, your time has come to quietly trust.”

May a supernatural well of quiet trust rise up in you today, enabling you to face trouble as a Kingdom adventure and cliffs as something to leap from. Just don't forget to ask the King first. And kids, your parents too!

All My Love,

Aunt Michelle

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Birthday Baby

By Michelle Hauge • March 28, 2025

Celebrating Life

Adventure Day

By Michelle Hauge • March 23, 2025

Dear Nieces & Nephews, We had been home schooling your cousins for several years when I decided our days had become too mundane, and “Adventure Days” were born. Once a week, I’d wake everyone up with a mysterious list of items to pack, then we’d drive off into the great unknown. The study desk for the day might be a new library, the top of a bluff, the base of a waterfall, a waterpark in its off-season, a donut shop. Kids had only to trust, follow along and have a great time. Some of them loved these days and still talk about them today. Some chafed and battled. Why? I still ponder my way through the psychology of it. I’d suspect there were two elements at work: pride (“I have better ideas than you; I want to do mine instead.”) and insecurity (“My trust broke when I was a baby and I can’t trust you unless you’re utterly predictable.”) Both demonstrate an insatiable appetite for being in control. And I relate to both. It amazes me how diligent God is in refining the skill set I need to trust Him in each day’s unpredictability. It’s finally dawning on me that the angst in the pit of my stomach won’t dissipate until I let go of my pride and insecurity and stop battling for my own way, which sounds like this: “I want adventure, but it needs to be of MY choosing, in MY timing. I need YOU to be steady and predictable and safe. YOUR job is to (please) make it comfortable and fun, and (please) make sure I look really good to everyone else along the way.” God doesn’t usually go along with requests like this. He loves me too much. He loves YOU too much too. If you feel like you’re drowning today, please learn this alongside me: The very life circumstances that are drowning us can also make us float. The difference is in our response. Lightness and ease will not come from being in control of our own adventure, but in surrendering and trusting the One who loves us so very much. He is trustworthy, even when others haven’t been. Peace will not come when the unpredictable stops. It will come when we learn to float in it. How do we learn this skill? Ask the Holy Spirit for swimming lessons. He will teach you. He will . Just ask. Even if you don’t think you know how to hear His voice, I guarantee He will not give you a snake when you ask for bread. (Matthew 7:9.) He’s the One who knit you together in your mother’s womb. (Psalm 139:13.) He knows every thought before it even enters your mind. (Psalm 139:2.) He certainly knows your language. Pay attention. Make Him your focus, not the circumstances that are making you panic. Then respond. We’re on the adventure of a lifetime together, you and I. Let’s enjoy it! Love, Aunt Michelle

Equal & Opposite Reaction

By Michelle Hauge • February 26, 2025

Dear Nieces & Nephews, “Grandpa Dave” has been God’s gift to our family since both sets of grandparents left early for heaven. We don’t live super close, so most of our contact lately has been over the phone, talking about challenges and breakthroughs and what we see God doing through them. Yesterday he told me that while thinking about how dismal the world is looking these days, he was reminded of Newton’s Third Law of Motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. “God is getting ready to release an equal and opposite reaction to all that the Enemy has been unleashing,” he said. I had to wrestle through the concept of “equal” when it comes to God and Satan, but eventually it made sense. God’s not wasteful. I think He uses just enough of his bottomless resources to meet each action with its equal reaction. And here’s another scientific truth we see everywhere: When opposite and equal forces collide, there is a burst of ... shall we say ... productivity ? When it’s opposite electrical charges, there is a spark or release of energy; the intensity depends on the magnitude of the charges involved. Varying air temperatures collide to create a storm. (I could go on, but I'll stop before my simplicity brings laughter to the true scientists among you.) That’s where my encouragement for today is coming from. My life has been a fierce, ongoing storm for some time now. (I’ll bet I’m not the only one.) Every day there is either cataclysmic disturbance with flying debris, a respite of sunshine and rainbows, or darkening clouds as another onslaught forms. The main goal of my quiet times is to lift my chin, focus my attention on the Savior, press on, and hold onto peace. Bill Johnson says, “We only have authority over the storms we’ve learned to sleep through.” Jesus has a cushion laid out for me in the bottom of the boat beside Him, and I intend to use it. Then I'll wake up occasionally to watch the lightning display or pull others to safety. This morning I studied all of Newton’s Laws of Motion, and there is a boatload of spiritual truth hiding in all three. I plan to dive deep and learn as much as I can from them about my Creator because the more I grasp how He thinks naturally , the more I’ll understand Him supernaturally . Without this, I’m sure I will sink. With it, I’m in for the ride of my life. Hoping to find you resting there alongside, Aunt Michelle