Seeking things above
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Welcome!  I pray the words I write will encourage reflection within and deeper study of the Word of God, which is able to build us up, equipping us to be victorious as we journey through this earthly life.
 May we all earnestly seek the things above, not the things of this world. 

Keep seeking the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on earth. Colossians 3: 1-2

Feeling groovy

11/17/2015

2 Comments

 
Yes, I know.  I am showing my age.  Who says groovy anymore?  Yet that is exactly how I felt as I spent many leisurely moments on the front porch of a lovely cottage home, the first home of my youngest son and daughter-in-law.

Groovy means enjoyable and excellent.  It was a word popular in the 60's, the era of my childhood.  It was the time of hippies, bell bottoms, peace and love.  It was a time of  turning one's back on  the 'establishment', and choosing to slow down, enjoy and savor life.  As I sat on that porch, tea in hand, feet propped up, an old Simon and Garfunkel  song came to mind.

                   
                      Slow down, you move to fast
                      You've got to make the morning last
                      Just kicking down the cobblestones
                       Looking for fun and feeling' groovy
                       Ba da da da da da feelin' groovy


Slow down, you move too fast.  It was almost as if I could hear these words coming from the brittle autumn leaves crunching beneath my feet as my daughter-in-law, husband and I took an early morning walk.  I ignored the admonition in my head to slow down as Brit and I marched through the brittle leaves.  My husband, on the other hand, strolled leisurely, kicking up cobblestones, or more accurately, kicking up leaves to find pecans that had fallen from the trees.  He found many, and would then stop to crack open the hull,  eat the bounty inside, and savor the taste of the fresh pecans.  As I looked back at him, and waited on him, I thought how this walk for me was exercise, but for him, it was discovery.  What things don't I discover because I move too fast?

Too many times, I have ignored the admonition in my head to slow down.  In fact, recently I had an echocardiogram because as the technician explained, I had a 'Nike heart', one that swooshed (meaning it was a type of heart murmur) and they needed to discover why.  The results showed that my heart valve did not fully close or relax between beats.  When the doctor explained this to me, I actually laughed and said, "I could have told you that, and so could my family!"   

I am afraid I have fallen victim to the 'establishment'.  The establishment that says, "Do more, be more productive every day, get busy!"  I believe Ephesians 5:16  encourages us to be good stewards of our time and opportunities, yet I wonder if perhaps that verse gets interpreted far too often as be busy, very very busy with Kingdom work to the neglect of taking daily opportunities to spend time alone every day just reflecting and resting in the King.  There is such wisdom in sitting, listening, reflecting, meditating; purposely turning off all outside noise- phones, TV, music.

My time on the front porch on Patton street was a wonderful reminder of slowing down and resting.  My youngest son and daughter-in-law are wise in their time.  They choose to turn off the noise and simply sit on that front porch.  As they embrace parenthood soon,  I pray they will continue to spend time on that porch and teach their child the value of quiet reflection and stillness within.

It is a lesson I think Jesus wanted His apostles to learn. After they had been busy with Kingdom work, and reported back to Him all they had done, His simple reply was,

​"Come away by yourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile"  Mark 6: 31 

A place of quiet rest.  A place of stillness within our souls.  Something we must purpose every day in our crazy, hectic lives.  I found my groove on the porch on Patton street.  My nike heart found rest, and I felt completely and utterly groovy.
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The bread of  L.I.F.E.

10/3/2013

1 Comment

 
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I have been re-thinking lately, the title of this web site, and the by line on my home page.
  
"Encouraging women to seek the heavenly perspective".  


Suddenly, that seems rather vague to me.  Just what is the heavenly perspective?  Trying to see as God sees-in others, ourselves, and situations?  Trying to see the 'big picture' of our lives as purposed by God, and not get caught in the everyday mundane aspects of life?   Those are all good things to aim for as Colossians 3: 1-4 states and as is written on my home page picture.  But I think perhaps I made a mistake by not including verse 4, which now seems to me is the most important part. 

When, Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.  Col 3: 4

Christ,  who is our life.  Is Christ our LIFE?  Do we make Him our LIFE?  And how do we do that?  If we consider life, as just what we physically are here on earth, our physical bodies, in our physical houses, with our physical relationships doing our physical work, then I don't think Christ IS our life.                      

I just spent a weekend at a woman's retreat in which the theme was "Hunger is not a game", with the text for the retreat being John 6.  This is the chapter where Jesus performs His 4th miracle, the feeding of the 5,000 using 5 loaves and 2 fish.
Later in the chapter,  Jesus says in verse 35,  "I am the bread of life, he who comes to me shall not hunger and he who believes in me shall never thirst."  And He says this twelve different times in different ways in John chapter 6.   Twelve times! 
Do you think He wants us to get this...to really understand what He is saying.
He is telling us, I am all you need.  Partake of me, and LIVE!

Even though I had prepared similar thoughts to present as the speaker before me, it was her words, that really made me re-think this web site.   She took us to John 1: 1-2, which says , "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the word was God.  He was in the beginning with God."   This is speaking of Jesus;  He is our bread,  our sustenance.  It is through the word of God, that we are filled.  And then she said very simply and eloquently,  "When you are seeking the physical, you will always want more. God's words heal, they satisfy, they are all you need". 

I want more than anything, for you and I to be women who read God's word.  When I say, 'Encouraging women to seek the heavenly perspective in this earthy journey',  what I need to add is that the heavenly perspective is ONLY found in the word of God.  I want to encourage all of us to read the word of God, really read and chew on it, allowing it to soak into our being, and heal our brokenness, and completely satisfy us.  My words are nothing, they are empty and meaningless,  if they don't encourage one to go to scripture, and eat of the bread of life.  So please, don't read my musings only...spend time with HIM, in His words.


It takes priority, and intent to purposefully open God's word daily.  It takes fighting Satan who convinces us we are too busy, too tired, or too distracted to eat the manna from above - the word of God.    Like I said in an earlier post, we women tend to take care of the needs of everyone else, before we take care of ourself.   It is no wonder we get to feeling so down, so drained. We don't stop and take care of ourselves.  We don't refresh ourselves in the ONLY thing that was meant to fill us up, heal and satisfy, and that is the Word of God.  

You may have noticed that the title of this post is The bread of L.I.F.E.   And you may have wondered why the periods after each letter.  This acronym came to me as I was chewing on John 6. 

                                       L. I. F. E = Living  Intentionally For Eternity



Only Jesus has the bread of life.  The bread that helps us be intentional in our daily lives, not living randomly but purposefully.  Not letting life just happen to us, but putting our imprint -His imprint- on this life. Not living for this present world, or day, but for an eternity spent with Him.   THAT is what this LIFE is all about. 


So eat up...read the word...be refreshed and filled!  

1 Comment

Beside still waters

7/9/2013

7 Comments

 
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The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me besides still waters.
He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of  death,
I fear no evil;  for Thou art with me;
Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
Thou has anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me
all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalms 23


You just read it, now read it again slowly, savoring each word.  Stop,  reflect and  
meditate upon the words that jump out at you today. Breathe the words in.  Reread it.


What beautiful words. They are His words, words meant to strengthen and comfort, words meant to be our daily bread, our sustenance.   Just as a physical body cannot live long without nourishment, a soul cannot live long without nourishment either.  We need the daily nourishment of God’s word, which is living and active
(Hebrews 4:12) and able to perform its work within you. (I Thessalonians 2:13)


 Please forgive my getting personal with you here, but are you being nourished in God’s word?  Are you  savoring His words, today and every day?


I ask this because I am beginning to prepare for a talk on Living Victoriously in Christ, and what I keep coming back to, is the Word of God.  It is
the  key, it is vital , it is what grows or nourishes our faith.  And it is our faith that gives us the victory to overcome this world and the trials life brings as we journey here.  (1 John 5:4)


 I observed a mamma bird recently.  She was very busy.  She went and got the food
for her young, chewed it for them, then regurgitated it out for them to eat.  Are we like those baby birds, who expect the preacher or the teacher to gather the word, chew it for us, then spit it out to us in the sermon or the lesson?  If we are, will we ever fly?  Will we ever live victoriously in spite of our trials?  Or will be always be dependent upon someone else for our spiritual nourishment and therefore flounder about spiritually.


 I have a passion for you young moms out there.  You too, like the mama bird, are busy  tending your nest. Their needs come before your own.  Just like the mamma bird, you prepare their food first, feed them first, before you ever think to sit down and feed yourself.  And you get worn out.  I read a post on social media just yesterday from a young mom wishing for life to slow down.  I wish I could tell you it will, very soon, but the truth is, while they are in your nest, under your care, it won’t slow down, not for a while. Not until you bid them farewell , and send them out into the world.
  

I also have a passion for all you women out there, those who tend to the needs of others, aging parents, ill spouses.  And for those who labor in the world of work and find themselves often in the lion’s den, and are exhausted by the demands on your time and energy, physically and spiritually.

You young moms, I know, it’s never really ‘still’ , except in the early early morning or late at night, both times when sleep is what you need and crave.  You caregivers, planning is not something you can do anymore, you are under the influence of a disease in a loved one, and the disease often dictates your day and minutes.  You that labor in the world of work, at home or in the world, your day goes by in a flash, and you wonder how you made it through.  Quiet and stillness are elusive.  
 
I know, because, I have been where you are, I have been a young mom, a caregiver to a sick parent, and in the throws of a job that demanded so much of my energy. (Thankfully not all at the same time!)  I didn’t always find the still waters, mostly because I did not make it a priority.  But I will tell you this, from experience, when I did find the still waters, and let the word of God refresh me,  I felt at peace, no matter what the chaos around me. 

 
So to all you women I say,


                                                Make it a priority in your life every day
                                      Find the still waters, and let Him restore you soul.
                                     Let the words of life,  the word of God nourish you.



The noise of this world will always crowd out the stillness of God.  That is why you have to search for it, you have to find it.  Make a time each day and turn off the devices, stop and reflect upon and breathe in His word. It is the ONLY thing that will refresh you.  Steal
moments each day just for yourself, and make those moments about basking in His love for you, and His desire to lead and nourish you.
                             
I pray you will diligently seek the still waters today and every day. I pray you will be refreshed by the word of God, and that you realize just how much your cup overflows. 

 And if you glance behind you, you just might see mercy and goodness following you ;)

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