SLA’S

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When my daughter was learning to talk, it became pretty obvious she had speech problems. I don’t mean just certain sounds, or lisping. I mean I couldn’t understand her unless I was looking right at her face.

If she was behind me, or out of my sight, I usually had no idea what she was talking about. It made car rides pretty interesting. If I was at a stop sign, and could stare at her via the rear view mirror, it was ok. Other than that, it was pretty much like this:

Daughter: Babbling. Something unintelligible. (Point at something                 out the window.) Garbled mouthwash sounds.
Me: “I don’t understand you, honey. Let’s wait until we get there.”

That’s fun for a two-year-old, right?

Thank the Lord for my son. When he was in the car, he’d watch her talk and then interpret. Sometimes I thought I was a character in a foreign film with audible subtitles. Other times a Marx Brothers comedy. But if not for him, my daughter and I would both get frustrated with the inability to communicate.


I experience much the same thing in faith sharing.

I love the Small Group setting, and I am in a group every summer. There are five of us, and we’ve been meeting for several years. We have read many books together, and completed group studies too.


It never fails to amaze me how much I learn from these women. We are all reading the same chapters, and answering the same questions. But often, there are five different takes on the same theme. At the outset, I may not understand their point of view at all. But then, through discussions and explanations, a new perspective comes to light. I love that!

I believe that the Lord puts special people in our lives to act as Spiritual Learning Assistants, or “SLA’s”.

Just as my son revealed the meaning of my daughter’s garbled speech, my Small Group sisters open me up to the Lord’s amazing love and intervention, through his work in their lives.

God has many ways to communicate with his many people. He expresses himself to me in ways that I understand, but you may not…and vice-versa. When you take the time to translate your experience to me, then I’ll be born into a new awareness.

It might sound like: “Wlskj isodg“ to me at first, but you will interpret it as a new truth. That truth leads me to a new, deeper, and richer knowledge of the Lord.

And God calls us to a deeper relationship with him. That’s why we need our churches, our small groups, and our SLA’s. These are some of the powerful places that the mystery of God is revealed.

I believe this blog is a true SLA to me, because I learn so much from your comments. Every one of you: shares your faith, offers an experience, or finds a new way to interpret the post for the day. I love that! I join St. Paul in praying for you with joy, for your blog-friendship and generosity of Spirit.

I thank my God whenever I think of you; and every time I pray for all of you, I pray with joy, remembering how you have helped to spread the Good News from the day you first heard it right up to the present.

I am quite certain that the One who began this good work in you will see that it is finished when the Day of Christ Jesus comes. Philippians 1:3-6



Linking today with: Bible Love Notes , Faith Filled Fridays , Essential Fridays

62 thoughts on “ SLA’S ”

  1. Beautifully said.

    It is such a blessing to have a small group of women to study and prayer with every year. That way you get to deepen friendships, faith and understanding. I really love the concept.

    Blessings. xx

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    • Hi Joyful! We share that joy for sure. It is a wonderful way the Lord brings hearts and souls together to talk about him. The real bonus is when Small Group members become friends.

      Have a wonderful weekend, and thank you for your visit :)
      Ceil

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  2. What a Sweetie you are, Ceil. Seriously…to take the time to let your blogging friends know how the Lord uses them in your life is precious. I always look forward, not only to coming to visit you where I glean much wisdom from your posts, but also I look forward to your comments over at my blog. What an encourager you are, my friend! Thankful for you. xx

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Dianna! Thank you so much for your kinds words. You are a very faithful reader here, and encourager. I am so glad that we ‘met’! You are always looking for the Lord in your life, and that is great model for me. So let’s keep working on seeking the Lord, and supporting each other on the way…sounds great to me :)

      Have a wonderful weekend. I am thankful for you too!
      Ceil

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  3. I love the last sentence in your quote from Philippians. God intends to perfect His work in each of His children and He uses each of them in the process. That is why we are told that we must not forsake the gathering together of ourselves.
    God bless you

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Brenda! You are so right, God does use all of us to spread that Good News. It’s really our honor to do that as followers of The Lord, right? You do that so beautifully on your blog, and I know you encourage me here so much. I love seeing you comments.

      You really do lift me up every day you are here. Thank you for being such good news to me :)
      Blessings to you, my blog-friend,
      Ceil

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  4. Hi Ciel! I love the sound of SLA’s. I hope i could belong in such a group. haha.

    Thank you for commenting on my last post. I have missed you too! :)
    Ive been so busy with my studies, that’s why. Anyway, keep on blogging and God bless your beautiful soul. :)

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Sheena! So nice to see you here today :)

      I hope that you will find a group of faith-friends someday. You’ll love it! You do have on in the blog world, and that’s a really good start.

      Blessings to you in your studies. Of course, that is your primary focus, good for you for being so responsible. I hope you are learning a lot, and doing well. You are in my prayers :)
      Have a blessed weekend Sheena,
      Ceil

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  5. So true! Some of my closest SLA’s were back up in Illinois, where we use to live, who were also my homeschool mom friends. They were so inspiring and only wanted to bring someone closer to Our Lord.

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Patty! I think our friends that we make along the way with our children are so special. Certainly the home school Mom’s would have such an interest in curriculum, the children, and in the Lord. How much a blessing is that?

      I hope you will find friends like that where you are now too.
      Have a wonderful weekend, my friend :)
      Ceil

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  6. P.s. Which got me to thinking that too many times I take my role as my children’s SLA for granted. I love to do my job, but sometimes I need to be putting more love into my job :) You are always so inspiring to all of us here! Have a great weekend and a blessed Sunday!

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Again! You make an excellent point. We are SLA’s for our children. Your idea of ‘putting more love’ into you job is such a holy desire. I think we could all share in that hope, in all we do.

      Blessings to you!
      Ceil

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  7. What a great analogy Ceil. I love how we can learn and encourage one another through our blogs too. I loved going to Bible Study Fellowship for 8 years as we navigated verse by verse through the Scriptures. I learned so much listening to the answers other women gave to the same questions I had completed. We can learn from one another.

    blessings and love,
    Debbie

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Debbie! You have been doing Bible Study for eight years? No wonder your posts are filled with so much faith and joy.

      I do agree that we can learn, and should learn, so much from each other. Why else are we here, but to encourage and learn? It’s such a joy to come to a new understanding of God. I love it.

      Thank you for visiting today! Have a blessed weekend :)
      Ceil

      Reply ↓

  8. I remember when, as a relatively young Christian, I’d be leaving the worship service with friends; and we’d be talking about how the sermon had spoken to each of us. It was amazing to me how each person had gotten something totally different from the message. God truly does use His word to speak to each of us individually. And, although we read the same passage or hear the same sermon, He has a personalized message for each of us. What a wonderful God we serve!

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Linda! So you had your own Small Group after church! It is a wonder that God can speak so individually to all of us. He cares for us so deeply. Like you said, what a wonderful God we serve.

      Have a blessed weekend Linda! Thank you for your visit today :)
      Ceil

      Reply ↓

    • Hi Kristi! Oh my yes, God has given us a chance to know him to know him so much deeper through each other. I am so glad that I can help you, and you know that your blog-friendship is one of the oldest ones for me. I am so grateful to you for your encouragement and faith.

      Have a blessed weekend!
      Ceil

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  10. Hi Ceil…
    It is so nice to meet you via your visit to my blog and now my visit to yours.
    I love to meet new friends.
    I see that we are Sisters in Christ. So, we will see each other again…if not here on Earth….in our Heavenly home.
    Please, stop back by Teacher’s Pet any time. I appreciate your visit and also love your sweet comments.
    Have a beautiful weekend.
    Hugs to you,
    Jackie

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Pam! How wonderful to hear from you while you are on vacation! Now that is a great blog-friend, I really appreciate it.

      I am so glad we got to know each other. Now we can witness and teach so we can know the Lord better. What can top that?? We are SLA’s for each other :)

      Enjoy your time away!
      Ceil

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  12. Dear Mrs. SLA,
    I feel the same way about you! Thank you for your wonderful insights, your funny sense of humor, and the way you look at God’s truth. You have encouraged me, challenged me, opened up my eyes to new thoughts and perspectives. For that, I thank you.

    May we all hold on to each other as we walk this journey called life, and may we praise our Heavenly Father for His constant Presence as He walks beside us.

    GOD BLESS!

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Sharon! Oh you are too funny! (Mrs. SLA!) Thank you for your extra kind words, as they are meant for you too (from me!). I so enjoy your writing, which I told you today on your blog.

      I join you in your beautiful prayer, and hope that everyone here benefits from each other, as the Lord walks with us all. I am so blessed by our blog-friendship!
      Happy Friday :)
      Ceil

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  13. Great symbolism!

    Reminds me of 1 Corinthians 13:12 – “We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!”

    (I liked the Message version of this one)

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Shara! So nice to meet you today! I ran over to your blog today, and left you a comment too :)

      I love St. Paul, so I appreciate your quote today. We all don’t see clearly, that’s for sure. Thank the Lord he sends us people who can help us squint a little less!

      Have a wonderful weekend! I hope you’ll stop by again some time,
      Ceil

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    • Hi Margie! Wasn’t it an amazing thing to connect? I’m not even sure who found who first, but I am so glad. Your writing is so beautiful and heart-felt. You are a definite SLA for me. Thank you for sharing yourself and your faith so well.

      Blessings to you, and thank you for your lovely comment :)
      Ceil

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  15. Hi Ceil,
    I just love your writing – you’d make a wonderful teacher with the narratives that help you to relate to the Word, an ethical principle or something from the Christian walk! We do need one another so much, to learn from and like you write, to interpret the Bile and Gospel for us.
    Thank you for sharing your gift here!
    WIshing you a peaceful weekend with moments of both laughter and rest,
    Nina

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Nina! Oh my, now you are speaking right to my heart, my friend. I would love to do some speaking someday.

      You have been such a faithful blog-friend to me Nina! And I know I was the one who, through grace, found you. I was going to visit your country and asked for tourist tips! LOL! God is so good, isn’t he?
      Thank you for your kind comment, but I mean all the thanks to go to you…sharing your faith and photography with all of us.

      Blessings for a wonderful weekend!
      Ceil

      Reply ↓

    • Hi Linda! You are so welcome, my friend. You are one of my most faithful readers, and I really value that. Thank you for encouraging me like you do.

      I hope you will find a community that you can call home. I think it can be very intimidating to meet a bunch of new people…to kind of stick out and all. But I know you are a wonderful person, any church would be happy to have you!

      Have a great weekend Linda! And thank you for all your kind comments and presence here :)
      Ceil

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    • Hi Christy! Yes, I am very happy to be a part of this group of women. I know that many people are a part of small groups, and I really think it is an effective way to grow in the Spirit.

      Thank you for your visit today :)
      Ceil

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  18. Dear Ceil
    Your post reminds me so much of Paul’s admonition to the Galatians that God distributes His gifts so that we can all be built up to maturity in faith. I am grateful that you have people in your life that enrich your faith and your walk with God.
    Blessings XX
    Mia

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Mia! Thank you Mia, I do have good small group friends. But you help me too, with your faith sharing on your blog. And when you come here to make such thoughtful comments. Thank you so much for helping me see God in deeper ways.

      Happy Weekend!
      Ceil

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  19. Oh, what a blessing it is to have stopped by here tonight, Ceil. And I thank you for your prayer through this Philippians passage. I needed to be reminded that God brings special people across my path for His reasons and for my good. You have encouraged me too, ~ linda

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Linda! How nice to see you today! I really do thank God for you, and your blog-friendship. You, and everyone here has been placed here so lovingly by God to help me on my path. I am so happy that I could be a source of encouragement for you too.

      I hope we will continue to help each other learn and get closer to the Lord :)
      Have a wonderful weekend, Linda,
      Ceil

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  20. Communication is such a wonderful thing. If you just think about those that are blind, deaf, unable to speak. Those who have disabilities and the list is endless. Many still find ways to communicate effectively whether it’s through braille, sign-language or such like. The human body is a marvelous thing and what a joy.
    Blogging is a great way to meet new friends, share ideas and get different points of views etc, which is always important when we live in such a vast world of different people.
    So glad I met you here and keep up the good work.

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Rum Punch! You are so right about communication. We are all programmed to want that, I think. So there are many ways to effect it, just as you talked about.

      I love your whole second paragraph, Rum Punch. That is why I blog. To share my ideas and read yours and meet new people. I didn’t even really know what a blog was five months ago. It’s a whole different world in the blog-o-sphere isn’t it?

      Thank you for your encouragement to continue. I’ll encourage you to do the same! Thank you for coming here when you do, and leaving comments too. It was a great thing to find each other’s blogs :)

      Have a blessed weekend!
      Ceil

      Reply ↓

    • Hi PJ! It was so nice to find your blog…don’t you love how God works? I am glad you liked what you read here, thank you for your comment!

      I’ll be right over to say ‘hi’!
      Ceil

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  22. Yah! The Martha-Mary girls made it to your blog! Feeling a little like a celebrity! Love this blog Ceil! I love the Spiritual Learning Assistant idea. A perfect title for so many people that God has brought into my life. Sweet story of how God used Ryan to communicate for KC when they were little….seems like yesterday sometimes, doesn’t it?

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Diane! I was wondering if anyone would see this! I am so happy that you read the post, and you were a celebrity before this, my dear :)

      The memory of the translation will always be with me, and in some ways it does seem like yesterday. God was being so faithful to all of us back then, and I wonder if I really appreciated it at the time? Probably not. But I do now!

      Hope you are having a wonderful weekend! Thank you so much for commenting, it’s fun to see you here, my SLA!
      Ceil

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    • Hi Heather! Thank you so much for your comments here Heather. You are such a supportive blog-friend, I am so blessed to know you.

      I’ll email you with my questions, as I am about as tech savvy as a goldfish. With less memory too!
      Blessings to you, my friend,
      Ceil

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    • Hi Mary! I agree completely. I learn so much, and the fellowship is the best. I look forward to my summer group so much, I don’t get to see these ladies much during the year.

      Thank you for your visit today! You are a true blessing.
      Ceil

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  25. God has given you such a gift, Ceil. Your posts are always so thoughtful, enlightening and encouraging. I enjoy stopping by here and “listening” to your wisdom. Blessings to you, dear sister.

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Dina! I am so happy to see you here today!

      Thank you for your comments, Dina. This is exactly what I am talking about, you encourage me and help me see value in what I am doing here. You are a wonderful SLA to me.

      I think everyone who writes needs them especially. We all gain strength and learn new ideas from each other. I pray that you and I will not stop enlightening and supporting each other. I really appreciate your kindness, and I really needed your words.

      Blessings my friend,
      Ceil

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  26. Fellowship, our special close friends and relationships are one of the most precious and delightful gifts that God has blessed us with here on earth, and I think that He often speaks through a friend to offer us guidance, laughter, and joy to help us grow. Small groups provide us with clarity and support; love my small group of five also! :) Blessings Ceil; have a joyful day! :)

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Denise! So you have a small group too? It’s so great. And how fun that you have the same amount of people that I have.

      Special friends are so important, thank you for bringing that up. What gifts they are to help support, listen and laugh with us on the journey. Not to mention blog-friends, as I wrote about…you are one of my SLA’s for sure. It is always a pleasure to read your posts, and I’m so happy that you come here too :)

      Blessings on your Sunday!
      Ceil

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    • Hi Cherry! Thank you for your thoughtful comment. We really can learn from each other, it’s a beautiful way God uses to help us get closer to him.

      Thank you for your visit today :) Thank you for your wishes for a good week. I wish the same for you!
      Ceil

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  28. I like that idea of a SLA, Ceil. So true; our interpretation of what sounds strange may be totally off, were it not for another’s help in clarifying what we are hearing.

    Have a great week, Ceil!

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Alison! Sometimes I don’t understand the idea of what someone else is saying. It’s so nice to have it all explained so I can learn a new truth. We really do need each other! It’s so great to have blog-friends who help you do just that.

      Thank you for being an SLA for me :)
      Ceil

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    • Hi Mel! I feel the same way. Without support and the love of friends in Christ, how would we be able to grow?

      Thank you for your blog-hop, where you allow so many to minister to each other in Christ. That is the definition of SLA!
      Happy Week, Mel :)
      Ceil

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  30. Amen! This is so very true. One of the things I learned as a pastor in seminary was that it was important for me to fellowship with other pastors so that we could uplift each other and nourish each other spiritually. Otherwise, ministry can be pretty lonely work, as people look to us for the answers and sometimes aren’t as receptive to us coming to them. To this day, I keep my circle of pastors and old seminary friends so that we can support each other, lead each other, pray for each other and nourish each others — pastors pastoring the pastors. :-D

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Anne! Thank you for reading two posts today, and commenting too. You are SUCH a great support for me.

      I do feel bad for pastors today. They do so much work, and who is the support for them? I think your learning about the importance of lifting each other up is such a great thing. How can you minister if you are feeling burdened?

      Are you a pastor now?
      Hugs!
      Ceil

      Reply ↓

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