AGING WITH GRACE - INTRO & CHAPTER 1

Hello there! Welcome to Women's Fellowship and Study.  We're in the "Afternoon of Life" since we are in our mid 50's to 85+ years old.   Pull up a chair - there's room in our community around the LORD's table. 

AGING WITH GRACE or AWG, written by Sharon W. Betters and Susan Hunt, who themselves were in the Afternoon of Life, often talked about how hard it is to flourish at this stage of life, when they have physical changes that keep them from participating like they once did.  

The focus of AWG and our fellowship/study is PSALM 92:12-14 

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,

    they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;

13 

planted in the house of the Lord,

    they will flourish in the courts of our God.

14 

They will still bear fruit in old age,

    they will stay fresh and green,

15 

proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;

    he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.

There is so much in the book AGING WITH GRACE, which you can get here at the Revive Our Hearts ministries or through Amazon. (Aging with Grace photo art - used by permission. Photos by Susan Boback.)

The interview of the authors is here, a 28-minute listen which gives an overview of the AWG book. 

Can I be completely candid?  I thought Aging with Grace was referring to a graceful attitude, being able to move gracefully despite falling last year or being dizzy now and then.   I loved the idea of gliding through the days ahead, knowing that I could be more graceful!  Funny.  But thinking about the grace I want to have in movement, it isn't too far from the GRACE of Aging and a relationship with Jesus, is it?  With Jesus, I have "goodness and mercy".   I have his "grace is sufficient".  These both refer to movement also, in that a relationship with the LORD is alive, and it cannot be something I can do by myself.

Now I'm wondering, what do you think of the title - Aging With Grace?  You can be honest. Its a good place to start.

So Gracefully, I will look to the Lord for His Mercy and Love as we come a little closer to Him in this stage of life.  Let's continue the discussion.  

Our Opening Prayer today is:

We are addressing the Lord our God.   

Heavenly Father: Your word IS a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.  Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths.  Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You, I will wait all the day long. You have made known to me the paths of life; You will make me full of gladness with Your presence.  (Psalms 119: 105; 25:4-5; Acts 2:28) AWG

Being in fellowship with others takes getting to know one another - we start out strangers, all come from different walks of life, different upbringings - and get to know one another as women of God, coming together in our Afternoon of Life.  

#1. Choose one thing that explains who you are; then in one sentence, tell why this item explains you right now.  

Here's some examples:  a hiking boot, a recipe book, a library book, a potted plant, a notebook, a pillow, a bag of bird food, a musical instrument, keys to a vehicle, bicycle helmet.   You can pick one of these or your own.   

For readers, write this statement in a journal, and then return to it at a later date, when you might decide that your item is changing.

Here's mine: 

Recipe Book. I enjoy baking with my garden produce, zucchini, and something for my husband every week, plus smaller versions to share with others. SB

What's yours?

#2. Sharon, one of the authors, wants you to ask yourself: "what if aging, through challenging, is not a season of purposelessness, but rather an opportunity to discover our true identity in a way we couldn't in the first have of life? " (Page 28)

We're going to open the door to an adventure of God giving us the desire and ability to "age with grace".  That means to grow in a relationship with God through his Word (the Bible), prayer, worship and fellowship."

As you grow older, expectations change, right? Sooner or later you come to realize - I believe this takes time - that there is no perfect family, church, situation or society.   And because we all live in a broken world, we are surprised, aren't we, that things actually go as well as they do. 

Why is that?

Because God's gives us grace upon grace.  (I learned a definition years ago from a woman in her "afternoon of life", G - God's R - redemption A - at C-Christ's E - Expense) 

Did you know that struggling and rejoicing can happen at the same time? Because God gives us the hope "surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life." (page 20, 21) 

"And for those of us already feeling ill-prepared, feeling worthless, and rudderless (page 28) it is not too late to experience God's grace and through His work, make an eternal impact in this season of life."  

So our adventure in the "Afternoon of Life" is going to include making an eternal impact to those around us?  Really?  As we are drawn closer to the LORD through the scriptures, we'll be seeing a different perspective, a perspective that is beyond our physical limitations, our illnesses, our loneliness, our lack of direction.   Now ladies, that sounds almost impossible!  And it would be except "that growing in grace is impossible apart from God's Grace."

This week, write your own Statement of Grace - this is a positive statement of blessings

Here's mine: 

I am 72 years old. I have been married for nearly 38 years, and between our two families, we have 5 grown children, 14 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. I'm creative and caring for others is my gift.These are my blessings.

Your statement of Grace will be different.  Examples are your age; schooling or occupation; where you've lived; if you've been a caregiver for a parent or family member; what your spiritual gift is; what your retirement is like. State whatever your blessings are and remember, that this is not a competition nor should you feel "less than" if your Statement of Grace is not like anyone else's, OK?

In the "Afternoon of Life" we are looking for a new identity and purpose that transcends it all.   But how?

Psalm 92:12-14 is our answer - to grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord. 

We are like a perennial - we're never finished growing till our season has ended.   When spring comes, the leaves pop out.  I love the spring green that only lasts a little while, then the maples turn to a full leaf and darker green.   We see the changes around the fall equinox, when like a perennial plant, the green slowly fades.   How blessed we are to see yet another stage of the leaves, when they turn colors.  

So now that we are in the Fall season, and our leaves are starting to lose their green - could we say that the leaves are in their own "Afternoon of Life"? and what is to follow, no one knows exactly?  We know there will be a change, that the leaves will be colorful, but we don't know which ones will turn what color and when.  We don't know what the fall season will be like or how long the season will last, do we?  And don't we celebrate fall, because for many of us, what will come next (cold and snow) will not be as enjoyable. 

But we have HOPE because we believe in the Creator God.  We trust Him to proceed with His plan for the change of seasons in nature and in our lives.   Here is a print I made with ink and embossing.  I could not create another one exactly like it no matter how hard I tried.   That is how God thinks of us - we are uniquely individual. 

There is always more grace to experience and more grace to know. 

We will Flourish and be Fruitful as long as we live in these earthly bodies!

It's a blessing to have you on this journey. I encourage you to read the book, Aging with Grace, and listen to the ministry programs online.  

Join us again next week!

Share your thoughts in the comments or email me at sboback54@gmail.com

FROM SERENITEA TO SERENITY

                                    

Hello there!  Thanks for stopping by! 

THE BEGINNINGS OF THIS BLOG AND WHAT IT EVOLVED TO BE

I started this blog "Serenitea-sb" in 2012 to share the tea parties I held, the menus, table settings, linens, decorations - all ways we found serenity.  I've discovered as I look back, that several of these guests have passed away, so having the memory of time spent together with their photo has been comforting to their family as well as to me, a tea party friend.  As time passed, I began to share my journey with weight loss and getting physically fit - something I'd never done in this way.  And from that I have written many personal thoughts about my faith, and the growth I experienced through all of the above.  

FROM SERENITEA TO SERENITY

So now in 2026, I have decided to share my writing again and invite you to be a part of it.  Though my blog is still called "Serenitea" you will find it is not just about tea!  I hope you will follow along as I share my thoughts, writings, and women's fellowship notes on the studies my friends and I are doing. Plus, if doing a bit of artsy projects brings you serenity, I hope you will pull up a chair because there's space around my table for you.  Let's enjoy some fellowship & creativity together!

BLOG POSTS FROM THE PAST

Take a tour through the posts from the past: tea parties, devotions, weight loss journey which includes my thoughts and concerns about making big changes in my lifestyle.  

BLOG POSTS BEGIN AGAIN

Beginning mid-September of 2026, I plan to be posting notes from my Women's Fellowship Group as well as regular thoughts and ideas that will inspire you all!

We'll be diving into the "Aging with Grace" book based on Psalm 92:12, 14.  You can purchase it if you wish through the Revive our Hearts ministry website or from Amazon. 

Revive our Hearts Womens Ministry

Aging With Grace

For my creative side, follow me on Instagram and YouTube where I share my paper crafting and junk journaling ideas, and inspiration from everyday life with nature that brings me serenity. 

Click on the blue lettered words above and below, which will be an active link to those sites.

Instagram

YouTube

                                

Whatever you do today, find a little time for Serenity!  Be Blessed! sb

CLEAR DAY

Luke 13:10-17New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman on the Sabbath

10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”

15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? 16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”

17 When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.

THIS IS THE WORD OF THE LORD – Thanks be to God!

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Sue and Jeff sing “On a Clear Day”

On a clear day, a perfect day, you can see forever. There's no clouds, there's no smog, there's no rain or snow or blizzard, no smoke, no bugs – there's nothing that blinds you or distracts you from seeing a great distance or something right in front of you. On a clear day, rise and look around you, you can see every mountain, sea and shore, you can hear from far and near, a world you've never heard before.....on a clear day..

On a CLEAR day; On a MONday we wash; on a TUESday we iron, on a WEDNESday we mend; on a THURSday we churn, on a FRIday we gossip; on a SATurday we bake; on a SUNday we rest.

Or maybe its laundry on Monday, making pasties on Tuesday, eating out on Wednesday playing Mahjong on Thursday, Fish Fry on Friday, Walmart on Saturday, Football on Sunday. And if you are retired, “Everyday is Saturday.”

So on a CLEAR DAY – a clear day? Let's try to CLEAR our minds of all the things that rule our lives, let's take off our blinders, and set aside our distractions.

The woman in today's Gospel reading had one day on her mind – this day. She probably was NOT singing, “On a clear day, I can see forever” because what did she have to sing about, but self pity, frustration, sadness, even despair and doubt? She must have been consumed by her inability to participate as everyone else, right? That is how we would feel, wouldn't we? And why would she even go out in a crowd? Why would she want to call attention to herself – she could save herself the stress and struggle, remorse and negative attention. She could stay home. There she could read her Bible and worship God just the same on her own.. Its this way of thinking that is implied in today's text – that the ruler in the synagogue felt she didn't have any right to come and seek healing on the Sabbath.

Whether we sit in the same place every week, or move from one side to the other, we find a place that we can be comfortable. As we listen to the scriptures being read, sometimes we've never heard it before, so we give it our attention. OR “what does this mean for me?” can be too close for comfort to our own inadequacies. If that's the case, we can identify with someone ELSE that we know who needs to hear this message, because if they did, it would surely make a difference in their life! Being able to see anothers' infirmity is so much easier than looking at ourselves. Its the way the ruler in the synagogue looked at the woman in today's gospel. Its the way we look at her too.

This text makes us think about one day, its about how we decide to have a clear day, or how or when we will interact with our Lord Jesus Christ; how we let our infirmities, our schedules and distractions become the reason to interact with Jesus. The woman comes to “the synagogue” to do what? Regardless of what others think of her she doesn't come to beg Jesus to heal her; or to say, pick me pick me, I am the one most worthy; not to get pity for the ailment that was so obvious to others; she didn't come to be seen by others. No, none of these reasons. The day at the synagogue was the woman's clear day – a time to be in the company of others and to be in communion and share with the people of God.

When we look at her intentions, despite her affliction, we have to ask ourselves if we would do the same thing. Besides a mental, physical or emotional affliction, our afflictions are our timing – our schedules. Our own distractions allow us to decide when or how we should interact with our Lord Jesus Christ. Because as much as we would tell the woman who was crippled to stay away because of her ailment and all the attention she would draw to herself, we might also get the idea that we could find any number of reasons to tell ourselves to refrain from being with Jesus, too. If we stay away because of any number of reasons, we miss out. We can seek God in this place of worship or where ever we are in our daily lives.

If you have ever known the weight of a burden or sin, that seems to be crushing down on you, one that has crippled you; and then if you have known the relief of it suddenly being taken away, you have felt like raising to your feet and shouting and clapping in praise to God, like this woman who had been healed felt, like the joy of a boy doing the zippedy doo da dance!

And when Jesus saw her, he was moved with compassion towards her because of the sight of her misery, and the fact that she was alone. (If she had stayed away she would have missed this opportunity) Jesus issued a command – “he called her to him.” He somehow got the attention of this woman, who made great effort to see him. (Others might have suggested she not struggle to get to him) Jesus might have yelled across the room, “Be healed,” but he did not. He wanted to show her his face – up close and personal.

On a clear day, rise and look around you – do you see Jesus? Jesus will get our attention. Jesus calls out to us, too, because for Jesus, every day is a Clear Day. He sees us just the way we are – with our ailments, our misgivings, our sins, when we are not looking for him, when we don't have time for him, when we don't make time for him, when we are distracted.

Have you seen Jesus my Lord – he's here in plain view.

Take a look, take a look, open your eyes, He'll show love to you.

Have you ever stood in the family with the Lord here in your midst? Seen the face of Christ on each other? Then I say....you've seen Jesus my Lord.

On a clear day, rise and look around you! Take your blinders off, get rid of your distractions! A CLEAR DAY IS A DAY WITH JESUS! Jesus offers us a clear day every day, not just Sundays, not just here in this place. A day clear of sin, a day clear of pain and sadness. On a clear day, Jesus is there for us waiting - to meet us face to face.

On a clear day, you can “Turn your eyes upon Jesus – look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”

My friends in Christ - It is not the words that I say to you this morning, but it is the Word of the Lord, the Truth of God as it is in Jesus Christ!

May you discover a clear moment, a clear day with Jesus this week. Participate in worship, attend a Bible study, read a daily devotional, get the daily readings sent to you or find them on our FB page; seek Jesus in your activities in the community – Open your eyes and see clearly, and do the zippety do dah dance! AMEN