Mar 2
It’s the Lenten season now, ushered in last week with Ash Wednesday. We had a worship service where we were given the opportunity to examine the self, rid the self of sin, and if chosen you could write something in particular on a piece of paper to be burned in the service. It is a common practice and one we have done for several years. This one, however, was a bit different; much more heated so to speak. Read the rest of this entry
Feb 18
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
So how is your prayer life? Do you…
If you were able to answer yes to any of the choices above, then your prayer life is seriously lacking. And, yes, that includes those of you who were able to answer yes to even the top two. Don’t even think about patting yourself on the
back for a “job well done.”
Seriously, I hope you don’t think of prayer as a “job” at all but rather as an ongoing relationship with your greatest love. Now that’s a good question-is God your greatest love? If the answer is yes AND you answered yes to any of the
above then I ask you again-How is your love life, really? Is God truly first in your life? Read the rest of this entry
Feb 17
What do you think? Were the disciples rich or poor?
While sitting in a NAZI prison Dietrich Bonheffer wrote this about the plight of Jesus’ followers.
“The Disciples are needy in every way. They are simply “poor” (Luke 6:20). They have no security, no property to call their own, no piece of earth they could call their home, no earthly community to which they might fully belong. But they also have neither spiritual power of their own, nor experience or knowledge they can refer to and which could comfort them. For his sake they have lost all that. When they followed him, they lost themselves and everything else which could have made them rich. Now they are so poor, so inexperienced, so foolish that they cannot hope for anything except him who called them.” Discipleship p 102-103
What would you give to have known Jesus? What would you give to know him now?
Luke 6:20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.’ Matthew5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
If we love the good things of life more than God, then our wealth is our enemy. If we are self-righteous, then we will not know how very much we need Christ.
RD
Feb 16
The pursuit of happiness is a frivolous American affair which confuses fun with the greater life of finding joy in mind, body, and spirit.
Fun is often a market driven state of mind with little redeeming quality outside of the extreme state of the moment. Though it should be a part of the enlightened state of joyful living it is often so obsessed over that it must be purchased and often in the form of a chemical alteration to the brain or other parts of the body. It can lead to an obsessive and compulsive behavior attempting to maintain the heightened sense of excitement or pleasure. It can and will be disrupted by most or all things which interfere with the pleasing moment or the perceived attainment of social, mental, financial or physical goals.
The enlightened state of joyful living begins with spirit and moves to mind and body. If the mind and body are dysfunctional the spirit can carry the person who has found contentment. In the Judeo-Christian tradition this state of joy filled spirit and living is found in the simultaneously devoted journey with and toward God. In his/her God given faith the sojourner learns to desire the thoughts and ways of the Creator. The power of well being grows from the experience that the Lord God will care for them even in the absolute worst situation. This confidence of understanding does not depend on continuous pleasures but grows from the very troubles life does contain.
Because God is the ultimate source of life and healing the person does not depend upon purchased or exotic fun for fulfillment. Instead the peace of a God centered life is enjoyed with moments of fun scattered throughout but not depended upon. Life is celebrated because of the loving presence of God, not due to something purchased, perceived to have been earned, or social acclaim.
RD
Feb 15
By looking at the Christ we have our best opportunity to understand life, love, tragedy, and redemption.
The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.
- Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein, one of the greatest human minds at unlocking the mysteries of creation understood the power and beauty of that which is beyond our grasp of understanding. Maybe it was the beauty of it that kept him thinking and dreaming about the unknown and the keys that unlock the doors of understanding, one at a time.
God is the greatest of all mysteries. This is why faith is so difficult to understand for those without its comfort. They cannot own it, or create it with their rules; it is Grace and this is one blessing we cannot control or enforce. It must be
accepted then set free to bless all others. The minute we tie it down, it is dead, ceases to exist within the borders of our laws. If we deny others are worthy then we have killed it within our breast. For Grace comes from the very breath of God, and as Jesus said “we cannot tell which way it will blow.” Nor is it for us to decide. Thank God, otherwise we would all be damned by someone!
Seriously, thank God and enjoy the mysterious Grace given to us by our Lord, the Christ.
RD
Feb 13
The other day I was inside my granddaughters school waiting for the bell to ring, and I noticed a small poster from an organization called Acts of Kindness, with its purpose being to promote random acts of kindness. Next to the poster was a very large chalk board where the children wrote about their random acts. I love this idea!
As I read through some of the articles on the website I realized the entire site was geared for educators and students with ideas for teachers to promote kindness. There are many resources available.
An article on the site spoke about the health benefits of kindness, both physical and mental.
“Helping contributes to the maintenance of good health, and it can diminish the effect of diseases and disorders serious and minor, psychological and physical.
A rush of euphoria, followed by a longer period of calm, after performing a kind act is often referred to as a “helper’s high,” involving physical sensations and the release of the body’s natural painkillers, the endorphins. This initial rush is then followed by a longer-lasting period of improved emotional well-being.”
I recommend taking a few minutes to read the article.
I live in a small town where random acts of kindness still occur. Just yesterday a friend stopped by just to give me some company. (i’m presently healing from surgery) It was 20 minutes out of her day and made us both feel good. It’s not unusual to get a phone call ‘just because’, or a plate of cookies, even a chocolate pie! Last year a lady brought by a handful of children’s movies thinking it might be of some help to us as we found ourselves with grandchildren for an extended period of time. And just 2 weeks ago a friend came by with a beautiful gift that still brings me so much joy. She took the time to find and purchase a small pillow, then sewed 2 different pillow cases for it so when one got dirty i simply had to take off the other.
I wonder if we are born with kindness or is it something to be attained and maybe learned?
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control.
Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
2 Peter 1:3-9 3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
After reading these scriptures I tend to want to believe that kindness is something to be attained and learned and given.
To be kind is to love. To be kind is a quality; it is a fruit of the Spirit and something we are to clothe ourselves in. So it takes effort, thought, desire to be so. And it is something God has, is divine in nature and He is willing to give to us.
You’ve probably heard the story of the man who got out of bed in the morning, something happened to cause him to be angry and he carried that anger through out the day, spewing it upon each person he encountered who then did the same and so the anger affected many people, even ones he didn’t know. So then all we have to do is replace the anger with kindness.
I think it is easier to spread anger than it is to spread kindness. Kindness takes thought and effort.
I’m going to pray for kindness; Godly kindness that involves love, affection, sacrifice. And as I do I will thank God for the kindest act of all, giving His Son so that I may too know loving kindness.
Gee it looks like I’ve abandoned my blog, but not so! I’ve been healing from the first arm surgery and have recently had my second arm surgery. I sure am glad I don’t have more than 2 arms. I’ve also been working on my other website, TurnItGreenToday.com, and my church’s website, ArcherCityFUMC.com. I tend to hang around Facebook too! Speaking of which, is it just me or have you been hearing a lot about Facebook too?
A lot of people have been asking about the bruising this go around. Yes it’s there and it is just as ugly as the first.
So anyway, this is short but it’s late and I’ve got some thoughts to post tomorrrow. See ya then!
Jan 1
Seems I have a bit of catching up to do. First…Happy New Year! We ended our year at a worship service. Rick started the tradition about 3 years ago. It’s fantastic! I prepare myself throughout the day by reflecting on the past year, my accomplishments, my failures. I think about what I could do differently or if I should. I spend a bit of time praying and by the time of the service I trust in God to direct me. And He never fails to show me the paths He has layed for me.
It has been my prayer for several years that God would help me to love others deeply. I’ve discovered there are many steps to experience in attaining that height and depth of love.
The first year I knew I had to rid myself of some anger that had been festering for a couple years. I wasn’t successful in that year. It would get worse before I was able to finally release it. It has only been in this past year that I was able to do that. Now that it is behind me, I can go forward.
The second year I realized I needed to learn to listen to others, to discover the beauty of that person and that their faults weren’t that much different from my own. That a persons actions usually came from some personal turmoil not unlike my own. It was amazing to go through that year with that thought and purpose. It opened my eyes to see people in a different light.
This year, with the greatest desire of my heart being to love others deeply, I beleive I can move forward with confidence, with a greater understanding of man and with faith that God is the One that will help me. I know I must take the time to listen, to hear, to act. And patience! When you ask God to help you with something, you better know He is going to do it right. It isn’t an overnight thing with God, but a lifetime of experience and trust.
Enough of that! To update you on my arm, the bruising is gone, although there remains a hint of a shadow. Interesting. I had my 6 week check up this week. All is well. I will say that the elbow is extremely tender still and is the source of some pain. The doctor assures me the nerve is now waking up and so it is normal. I am scheduled to have my other arm done on February 3. UUGGHH!
As I am sitting outside in the beautiful 68 degree weather, my battery is running low. Again, Happy New Year. Oh, a good friend of mine pegged this saying today…”All will be fine in 2009!”
God Bless
Tracie
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