A letter from Stine

Hi,

I have to start with a little confession.

I have spent almost the entire day completely convinced that September 20th was tomorrow.

Not today.

Tomorrow.

Apparently, my brain decided to create its own calendar.

And since I promised you a new A Letter from Stine on the 20th of every month, things suddenly moved a little faster around here.

But you know what?

Maybe that actually fits quite well.

Because these letters were never supposed to be about perfection.

They were meant to be personal.

Honest.

A small space for reflection, faith, everyday life - and perhaps a few thoughts we can carry with us.

So here comes letter number two.

A little less planned than I had imagined.

But very real.

I have started studying theology

I am still not entirely sure I have taken in the fact that I can actually write that sentence.

I am studying theology.

A few weeks ago, this was not part of some carefully designed five-year plan.

And those who know me know that I actually quite like plans.

Lists.

Structure.

Goals.

Preferably a timeline too.

Colour-coded, if possible.

But then a door opened.

I applied.

I was accepted.

And suddenly, here I am with my Bible, church history, the Old Testament, the Gospel of Matthew, textbooks, lectures - and my first major assignment in front of me.

It is incredibly exciting.

And quite humbling.

Because one thing has already become very clear:

I know far less than I thought I did.

And I genuinely mean that in a positive way.

Because the more I learn, the more I discover how much depth there is.

How much history.

How much context.

And how much we can easily miss when we read too quickly.

I am learning to read the Bible a little more slowly

This may be one of the things affecting me most right now.

I have read the Bible for a long time.

I have underlined verses.

Written notes.

Prayed over passages.

Found words that have carried me through different seasons of life.

But now I am being challenged to read differently.

A little more slowly.

A little more carefully.

And perhaps with a little less need to arrive at an answer immediately.

Because we humans are quite good at reading a Bible verse and instantly asking:

What does this mean for me?

Me too.

But my studies are teaching me that perhaps there are some other questions I should ask first.

What is actually happening in the text?

Who is speaking?

Who are they speaking to?

What happened before this?

What happens afterwards?

How might the people who first heard these words have understood them?

What does this text teach me about God?

And then I can ask:

What does this mean for me?

It is a small difference.

And at the same time, quite a significant one.

Because I do not only want to find verses that confirm what I already believe.

I want to understand more.

Even when the text challenges me.

Even when it does not fit perfectly with my own thoughts.

Perhaps especially then.

Maybe faith does not mean being in control

There is something slightly ironic about the fact that this is exactly what I am learning.

Because I like control.

I like knowing what the plan is.

I like knowing where things are going.

And if God wanted to send me an overview of the next five years - preferably as a PDF with clearly defined milestones - I would definitely read it very carefully.

But that is rarely how it works.

For a long time, I think I connected strong faith with being very certain.

Certain about what God is doing.

Certain about the direction.

Certain about the next step.

But more and more, I am beginning to think that faith can also look very different.

Sometimes faith is simply:

I do not know exactly where this is leading, but I believe this is my next step.

And then we walk.

I do not know where studying theology will eventually lead me.

I also do not know exactly how all the different parts of my life will fit together in the years ahead.

Faith.

Theology.

Family.

Leadership.

Business.

Communication.

But right now, I actually feel a deep sense of peace about not needing to have the whole answer.

I simply need to be faithful with what has been placed in front of me today.

And that is enough.

I think differently about growth now

There is also a lot happening in my business life.

New people are coming in.

New relationships are being built.

MOMfidence continues to grow and connect people across countries and cultures.

It is incredibly exciting to watch.

But at the same time, I notice that my understanding of growth has changed.

Before, growth could very easily mean:

More.

More visibility.

More content.

More revenue.

More people.

More goals.

More, more, more.

Now I find myself asking more often:

What if growth sometimes looks like depth?

Becoming more secure in who we are.

Standing more firmly in our values.

Learning to listen better.

Treating people better.

Building something that can actually stand the test of time.

I still have big dreams.

Very big dreams.

God has certainly not cured me of ambition.

But I want those ambitions to be rooted somewhere different than they were before.

I want people to matter more than numbers.

Character to matter more than appearance.

And I never want to become so focused on building something big that I forget to pay attention to who I am becoming while I build it.

And then there is Matthew

This weekend, I am working on my first major theology assignment.

And I am studying the Gospel of Matthew.

Those who know me from church may already know that Matthew has found a rather special place in my heart.

And yes.

I will be completely honest.

The Chosen may be partly responsible for that.

But apparently, saying I love Matthew because he is a brilliant character in a TV series is no longer enough.

Now I actually have to study the text.

Look at the context.

Read academic literature.

Compare different interpretations.

And try to understand what the text itself is actually saying.

I find that incredibly exciting.

And slightly overwhelming.

And I can already tell that this is going to change the way I read the Bible.

Not by making my faith smaller.

Quite the opposite.

The more I learn, the more respect I have for just how much is contained within these texts.

I also hope that some of what I learn will eventually find its way into these letters.

Not as someone who suddenly has all the answers.

Trust me, I definitely do not.

But perhaps as someone who is learning.

Wondering.

Asking questions.

And wanting to share some of the journey along the way.

One step at a time

When I wrote the first letter on August 20th, I wrote quite a lot about the words:

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

Those words are still with me.

But I think I am beginning to understand that being still does not always mean being passive.

Sometimes we need to become still so that we can hear.

And then we need to get up.

And walk.

Perhaps that is where I am right now.

I do not know the whole road ahead.

But I can see the next step.

And maybe that is enough.

So if you are standing in front of something right now and you are not quite sure how it is all going to turn out, I want to share the question I am trying to live by a little more myself:

What is my next right step?

Not the next ten.

Not the entire five-year plan.

Just the next one.

And then we can let God take care of the rest, little by little.

At least, that is what I am practising.

Even though I would still quite like that PDF.

Thank you for continuing this journey with me.

We will meet again on October 20th.

And next time, I will try to figure out what date it is slightly earlier in the day.

Thank you for being here 🤍

My name is Stine Marie Alme.

I am a trained nutrition advisor, entrepreneur, and passionate about how small choices over time can make a significant difference - both to our health and to life in general.

In this newsletter, I share personal reflections, experiences and knowledge about health, nutrition, everyday habits, leadership and faith. Some letters will be practical, others more personal, but all of them will be written with a desire to encourage, share and create value.

Do you have a question, or is there a topic you would like me to write about?

You are always welcome to reply to this email. I read every response.

Useful links

🌿 Online Shop
The products I personally use and recommend.

🌍 MOMfidence
Read more about my projects and the resources I share.

Thank you for taking the time to read.

See you in the next letter!

Warm regards,
Stine Marie Alme