Broken, but Not Crushed 1-8-15

“I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Phil. 3:12

Broken, but not crushed.

As we enter this New Year and reflect on time gone by, good and difficult memories intermingle, creating a myriad of emotions within. The particular emotions and memories that “stick”, however, are the ones to which we place our focus.

On what memories are we going to choose to focus our thoughts?

Personal story: After unpacking from a recent family trip, we were unable to locate our camera. This particular Cleary adventure had been a mixture of both wonderful memories and broken dreams. Longer story short, our camera was found in a parking lot, broken, but not crushed.

~We find this broken camera “picture” analogous to events and relationships in so many of our lives.

Our camera, which had recorded pictures of all of our precious memories, was nearly lost/destroyed. Yet, despite the odds, the camera was both found and in tact enough to recover our good memories captured within its images.

Over time, as we focused on these captured images of joy, we healed and moved on from broken dream imagery, as God filled us with new dreams of hope and purpose.

We found like Paul: “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward

what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which

God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 3:13-14

Our minds, like cameras, contain captured images. It’s a matter of choice and discipline which images we choose to place our focus. Likened to Samuel with God in 1 Sam. 15:35-16:1, there is a time to grieve/mourn alongside God. ~Then, there comes a time to move on. In 1 Sam. 16:1, the mourning period came to a close when God came to Samuel saying, “How long will you mourn?...Fill your horn (picture of authority) with oil (picture of anointing) and be on your way to the place I am sending you.” And God’s pattern is the same with His beloved today: there’s a time to mourn, then a time to move on in our Eph. 1:10 promise, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

May we embrace all that He has for us in 2015 and refuse to allow negative memories to permeate and control us. Amen.

Much love and hugs,

Shaun and Betsy

“We have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you (“pleroo” meaning to be totally controlled by) with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” 

Col. 1:9

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of our friends and family. Your lives bless us beyond measure and we are so very thankful for you! Much love and big hugs  ~ Shaun and Betsy

Own Independent Way: The Hard Way 12-9-14

“Where no counsel is, the people fall: but

in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” Prv.11:14

“Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but

in the multitude of counselors they are established.” Prv.15:22

Hasty decision-making and overexposure to worldly advice and can lead one astray. “Cease listening to discipline, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.” Pv 19:27

(Knowledge: da’ath means discernment, understanding, wisdom)

Do you know anyone wrestling with this right now? Perhaps your “boat is rocking” and you, or a loved one, is feeling antsy in decision-making? May we learn to draw our security from the great stabilizers: Jesus, His Word, His Spirit in us, and His counsel through God-honoring counselors.  His discernment (or the lack of it) can make the difference between success and failure, victory and defeat.

“What sorrow awaits my rebellious children,” declares the Lord.

“You execute a plan, but not Mine, and make an alliance, but not of My Spirit.” Is 30:1 

“Be careful how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise.” Eph 5:15 

(Walk: peripateo means to regulate one’s life; Wise: sophos means

forming the best plans and using the best means for their execution.)

When we choose to follow our own independent way, are taking the hard way.

“Where no counsel is, the people fall: but

in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” Prv.11:14

“The rebellious dwell in a parched land.” Ps 68:6b

(2 biblical examples from Moses and King Josiah of Judah: In Ex 2:11-14, Moses, acted in haste and made a serious blunder, which in turn caused his reputation to be discredited and forced him to flee his home in Egypt. And in 2 Chr 35:22-24a, against God’s wishes, King Josiah insisted fighting a battle which in turn cost his life.)

This said, there are times when the Lord prompts us to act quickly.

(2 biblical examples from Abram and Paul: In Gen. 12:1 God tells Abram to without delay, leave his native country with his family and go to the land God would show him.

And in Acts 22:17-18 God prompts Paul to quickly flee Jerusalem.)

Regardless of “haste or no haste”, what matters to God is our submission to His promptings. (Versus following the path of our impulses)

Obedience and submission lead to His absolute best for us. (And “best” sometimes comes in the form of inner forte and divine insight!)

May God richly bless us as we follow His lead this week.

Much love and hugs,

Shaun and Betsy

Dreams, Visions and Re-ordering Relationship

“I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

Your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.”

 Acts 2:17; Joel 2:28

On September 15th, Shaun turned in his “daddy badge”, Betsy turned in her “mommy badge”, and together we closed a treasured chapter of life. With kids out of the house and both pets having died in recent months, we are definitely amidst a season of “re-ordering relationship”. For us, embracing divine change in this season entails a lot of travel.

Just two days ago we experienced a very intriguing commuter plane flight. Shortly after boarding and taxiing off the tarmac, our pilot announced that one of the airplane engines was not functioning, and we’d be pulling back to the gate. Long story short and some time later, we boarded a different aircraft and took our seats, Shaun on the isle and Betsy by the window. (We’ve found our inconveniences are often used for God’s greater glory, so we emotionally “just went with it”. All the while, Betsy was reading Dreams and Visions: Is Jesus Awakening the Muslim World? by Tom Doyle.)

Our first plane wasn’t fully occupied, but the second was at full capacity. Wouldn’t you know, the last man on the plane politely asked (in his Middle Eastern accent) if he could take the only seat remaining…the one between us. With a smile, “of course” was our reply.

Right away, Dreams and Visions caught Farhad’s attention. Having just returned from Tehran, Farhad’d heard stories of “a man in a white robe appearing in dreams”. (Jesus is on the MOVE big time in the Middle East!) Intrigued, Farhad and Betsy conversed as he showed her surprisingly lovely lush photos of his homeland. Their hearts and eyes uttered profound spiritual exchanges, and in the descent to landing, Betsy felt prompted to ask Farhad if he would accept her book as a gift, after all, this book had been a recent gift to her.

Farhad accepted the book, held it to his heart and tenderly uttered, “I will treasure this forever.” Then we prayerfully parted ways. (Betsy inscribed the cover and also wrote down the contact info for two of our Persian friends to whom Jesus appeared in their respective dreams, prompting their conversion from their Muslim faith to boldly following Jesus.)

It’s comforting to know that Farhad is beloved and treasured by Jesus, and that Christ will make Himself known to anyone who genuinely desires to know Him. It’s thrilling to partner with Jesus and watch Him “ooze His love” on precious souls through interaction and prayer.

“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Pet. 3:9

Are you experiencing a season of re-ordering relationship? If so, embrace the changes. (And thank goodness we have Jesus to leads us by example…like in Jn. 2:3 when He left the season of being a boy, modified His family relationships and began His public ministry!)

God has magnificent plans for each season of our lives. May we live every moment for Him! 

Much love,  ~Shaun and Betsy

Miracles Abound in Him 10-20-14

“For I have come down from heaven 
not to do My will

but to do the will of Him who sent Me.” Jn. 6:38

“Walking on the water is easy to the impulsive pluck, but walking on dry land as a disciple of Jesus Christ is a different thing. …It is inbred in us that we have to do the exceptional things for God; but we have not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things.” O. Chambers

Personal story: Many of you know that Betsy has increasingly struggled with being able to focus/think clearly this the last year. Doctors recently discovered the primary reason:  a node in her heart throwing an extra 30,000 beats a day, causing decreased oxygen to her brain and extremities. Long story short, Betsy underwent a heart procedure 2 weeks ago to “kill the usurping node”. And this is where we witnessed 2 miracles:

First miracle: 4 days prior to heart surgery, Betsy went in for a normal teeth cleaning and showed the dentist a loose crown. Over a 2 yr. timeframe she’d regularly told him this crown was loose, but this time he agreed that he needed to take a closer look.

~By the end of the next day, Betsy had undergone oral surgery to clear the reservoir of infection, place an artificial bone in her jaw, graft gum tissue to cover the hole, and infuse her with antibiotic to kill any remaining infection.

Miracle: Had Betsy not had the routine teeth cleaning, the large infection would have gone undetected and Betsy could have died with the heart surgery 4 days later.

(Additionally, Betsy shared the Lord with her oral surgeon who enthusiastically exclaimed, “I know why this happened to you, Betsy…so you could come share Him with me.”)

Next miracle happened on the operating table 4 days later: Betsy underwent a 2hr 40min. heart procedure with ZERO anesthesia (the doc needed to “jack” her heart and took no risks with sedation.) ~Infused with adrenaline, Betsy was “hyper aware” of the lively discussion taking place in the operating room. As the docs administered drugs to give her a literal heart attack, lying motionless, naked and hurting, she candidly shared the Lord and His promises.

~At 2 hrs 20 min. the procedure appeared to be complete, and 3 of the 4 catheters to her heart were pulled. THEN, as friends from all over prayed: “the 4 sec miracle”. Betsy’s heart started throwing PVC’s every beat (the usurper node was still alive, and 1 cath was still in)

~The doctor became animated, ecstatically barked orders, and told Betsy “brace for pain”. The room became a fluster of activity as the doctor went into Betsy’s heart through the one remaining catheter, found the “usurper node” (who was nuzzled up next to her aorta), burned him dead twice, and then enthusiastically verbalized this miracle to his entire team!

Now, breathe….…and let’s return to Oswald Chambers’ quote of being exceptional in the ordinary things. ~We fully recognized heart and oral surgery aren’t “ordinary”. The point is, in our own assessment we Cleary’s have felt somewhat sidelined from what we thought was our “calling” this last year, sidelined from “doing exceptional things for God”.  How wrong.

God is in charge of the calling. God engineers the circumstances. God gives the platforms.

Our job is to be so tightly connected with Him, we live and breathe His essence, infusing His glory into every circumstance/relationship we find ourselves, whether grand or ordinary.

May we choose to live light in His love and strength this week.
Much love, ~Shaun and Betsy



A picture of Betsy before her first swim, post surgery. Happy girl.

Convergence 10-14-14

“And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as

SIGNS to mark SEASONS and DAYS and YEARS’”   Gen. 1:14

We believe that God uses the heavens to tell His story. His handiwork guided wise men of old and continues to guide the wise of today.

”The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” Ps. 19:1

His creation of the sun and moon in Gen. 1:14, is particularly noteworthy. In addition to light and heat, the sun and moon serve 4 additional purposes: signs, seasons, days and years. These words hold different connotations than most of us are accustomed to:

Signs: “'owth” means signals, warnings (can refer to a method of communication from God)

Seasons: “mow`ed” means appointed season, set feast (can refer to the Jewish Feasts)

Days: “yowm” means a division of time (can refer to the Jewish Holy Days)

Years: “shaneh” means a division of time (can refer to Jewish Sabbatical Years)

Could it be, in addition to the lights in our universe, God placed the sun and moon in our skies to not only provide necessary heat and light to sustain life, but as signals/transmitters of/for His divine messages? Many Jewish and Biblical scholars today think so.

No one knows the time of Christ’s return (Matt. 24:36), but we’re held accountable to know the signs.

“Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.” Matt. 24:33

Sociological, geological, astronomical, and political events written in Scripture from long ago appear to be converging. Prophetic events written thousands of years ago seem to be synching.

Super volcano threats (Yellowstone roads melting 7/14), pestilences (like Ebola), blood moons (4 in 2014-2015, each landing on Jewish Feast Days), solar flares, earth grazing asteroids, famines, droughts, hurricanes, large red bodies of water, masses of dead fish, beheadings, end-time biblical alliances, nuclear threats, the rise of ISIS, rejection of Truth, embracing the lie, the list goes on and on…(Matt. 24; Mk. 13; Lk. 21; Dan. 11; Ezek. 38-39; Ps 83; 1 Tim. 4; 2 Tim. 3-4; 2 Thess. 2; Is. 17; Revelation; Acts 2:16-21…)

Looking at this list is disconcerting! When anxious let’s remember Jesus’ encouragement:

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Jn. 16:33

“ I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.” Rev. 22:12

Living light in His love and strength,

Shaun and Betsy

The One Enthroned in Heaven Laughs 8-18-14

“The One enthroned in heaven laughs.” Ps 2:4

In light of recent events worldwide, comfort is to be found!

The Psalmist in Ps. 2:1-12 is equally troubled by current events. He inquires:

“Why do the nations conspire (tumultuously assemble) and the people plot (devise, growl, mutter and roar) in vain? The kings (heads of state) of the earth take their stand and the rulers (gov’t authorities) gather together against the Lord and against His anointed (Believers). They say, let us draw away, separate and tear apart Believers bonds, and cast down their interwoven unity.” 

Sound familiar? Enter God.

“The One enthroned in heaven laughs! (sachaq: to make sport, jest, mock, ridicule)

He will speak to them in His wrath, and vex them in His sore displeasure.”

God advises these heads of state:

“Be wise. Be warned.

Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.

Kiss (be equipped with) the Son (Jesus). 

Blessed are all who take refuge (put their trust, hope and confidence in) in Him.”

Solomon, “the man who had it all”, also counsels us to place our trust, hope and confidence in the Lord… otherwise, he warns, this life is truly meaningless. He urges us to be open-handed with our lives before the Lord instead of vexing our spirit with empty striving. Sgs. 4:6

For us personally, this month has meant being open-handed with everything … from Betsy’s immediate heart issues, to facing 2 hurricanes and box jellyfish in Hawaii, to empty nest changes in 3 weeks, to career decisions, … even to Shaun’s choice of new dark brown large reclining living room cigar lounge couches (in our beach house)!

“If God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?”

Matt. 6:30

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.” 1 Pet. 5:7

May we give our utmost to the One who gave it ALL. He’s coming soon.

Much love and hugs,

Shaun and Betsy