True

True. What a perfect Five Minute Friday word. I have been reading God's word with an emphasis on discovering what is true - according to God - not me, not the media version of truth, not anyone else's idea of truth, just God's.

Two months ago I began keeping a Truth Journal. As I read the Word, I try to discern what is true about God and what is He saying that is true. 

I have a son who seems to believe so many of the enemy's lies to the point that he starts to feel overwhelmed, anxious, inadequate, and depressed. At those times when we speak on the phone, I make it my mission to try and show him truth according to God's word. 

The enemy tries to take what is true, twist and distort it, and make us believe that lies are the truth. That is why he is called the father of lies. Our on-going mission needs to be filling ourselves to the brink and spilling over with God's truth according to His Word so that we cannot be fooled by lies from one whose mission it is to destroy us.

Do you want to write about truth today, or read what others are saying? Click on over to Lisa-Jo Baker and join the link up.

The Gift of Grace

No one forgives with more grace and love than a child.

Real Live Preacher (Gordon Atkinson)

Do you ever have a word or concept that continually pops up in your life? You keep thinking about it, hearing about it and reading about it. The last three years, the concepts of community, worship, forgiveness, and now grace have become that type of word for me. 

Grace can be defined as unmerited favor, something we don't deserve. 

In music, there are grace notes. I found them described online as "Notations used in writing music. They are notes written much smaller than regular notes, and donate sounds that are shorter than full notes. They are ornaments, they hold little value in of themselves, yet they can advance and embellish works of music. Like a spice that makes a good meal great."

What a beautiful thought. I am trying to learn to add those little notes of grace into my relationships. I  hope that the grace I am striving to learn to freely give will help to "advance and embellish" my interactions with others.

My Teacher, as I study the subject of grace, is the author and originator of grace. If I can learn to extend to everyone around me, especially those who hurt or offend me, even 1/1,000 the amount of grace God pours out on me daily I will feel that I am being an obedient child to my Teacher. 

Image: salvatorevuono/freedigitalphotos.net

Change. Why Fight It?

Today's Five Minute Friday word challenge is Change.

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I spent a lot of my life afraid of change.  Change generally meant something unpleasant or frightening had happened.

Then a good thing occurred.  I finally grew up.  It took a few decades, but I don't view change as a negative anymore.  I look forward to change, I covet change, I embrace change.

How did that change of attitude come about?  I'm not exactly sure.  A large part of it is growing in trust of God.  He has seen me through so many challenges and heart aches, misfortunes and changes, but always brought me out on the other side in one piece.  Maybe a little dented, dinged and wobbly, but in one piece.  And, I think, a little bit better than I was before.



1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community.

Enough is Enough

Linking up with Five Minute Friday - the word of the day is Enough


I have written about having enough previously.  I have enough of everything and sometimes feel overwhelmed by my abundance.  But what I don't have enough of is God. 

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Because of my abundance, God gets crowded out.  I can stream thousands of Netflix shows, I have thousands of book choices available to me 24 hours a day with my Kindle, I can communicate with friends a half dozen different ways, I can shop around the world by merely pressing a button.

All of this doesn't leave much space for God.  When the day is packed full and the brain is overwhelmed with choices and decisions, it's hard to find a peaceful corner in my home and heart to spend with my Creator and Savior.

He promises me rest and peace and all I could desire for a rich life, but instead, His promises get crowded out by my abundance.  Can I be like Elizabeth Prentiss and say, "More of Thee and less of me?"

1. Write for 5 minutes flat on the prompt: “Enough” with no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community.

Uncovering Mold

This is our bathroom.  Notice the lack of bathtub and wall?  Insidious mold was growing behind the shower surround, you know that thing that goes around your bathtub?  

We executed a temporary repair job a few years ago for the same problem, but had obviously waited too long before implementing a permanent solution because the mold came back with a vengeance.  So here we go again, the bathroom is torn up and getting remodeled.


 



It seems like we treat  our problems like this.  If everything looks fine on the surface, we just ignore the niggling hints that there is something wrong underneath and keep singing in the shower.

Like I said, we knew the previous repair was only temporary, but we left it alone too long, the problem got bigger and bigger and we arrived at the point where we had to strip the wall back to the cinder blocks.

Ignoring a problem doesn't make it go away and implementing a temporary repair is just that, temporary.  Sometimes you have to do the hard work of digging below the surface to get to the root of a problem.

• Are your finances a mess?  You might need to examine your expenditures to uncover where all the money is going.  
• Do you have a troubled relationship?  Don't keep shifting the blame on the other person, examine your own heart, motives and actions. 
• Are you gaining weight, or having trouble eating healthfully?  Don't deceive yourself, assess what you're eating, how much you're eating and when you're eating.  You'll likely find some answers.

In order to transition to a life of wholeness, health and peace, we need to examine honestly the unhealthy areas in our lives and deal with them by initiating changes.  Even when they're messy.  Even when they're inconvenient.  Even when they're hard.  Even when it hurts.


And while it's great to research and talk to other people about the best way to handle the problem, remember in the end that their solution is probably not going to be your solution.  Everyone has diverse circumstances. 

As a Christian, my solution begins by going to God and asking for help because effecting radical change is difficult and sometimes impossible on my own.  And quite likely the way He leads me is going to be different than the way He leads someone else.  However it happens, the repair work may still be hard, and others might judge and criticize my methods and choices, but at least I know I'm doing it the way He wants me to.

So, where is your mold?  Are you willing to strip your life down to the cinder blocks to find the truth and make changes?

Taste and See?

What is Five Minute Friday?  Here's what The Gypsy Mama says, "So, here’s the skinny: I’ve been thinking about writing and how often our perfectionism gets in the way of our words. And I figured, why not take 5 minutes and see what comes out: not a perfect post, not a profound post, just five minutes of focused writing."

This week's word prompt is See.  Let's see what will come from my keyboard:

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All I kept thinking about after seeing the word "see" is, "Taste and see that the Lord is good." Well that's an odd piece of scripture.  How can we taste and see that the Lord is, indeed, good?  After considering it for about five seconds, because I only have five minutes to write after all, I couldn't come to any conclusion.


I know the Lord is good and I absolutely believe the Lord is good.  I have seen His goodness countless times in my life and in my family's lives.  I See His goodness, but taste?  I'm not sure how I can taste His goodness other than the obvious food connection. He provides good food for us to eat and I'm appreciative, but I'm sure this means more than food tasting good.  


Can't finish my five minutes, suddenly got the news that there may be a tornado headed this way.


Afterword:  The more serious weather heading north.  The Lord is good whether I can see it or taste it or not.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community...

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How do You See the World?

Welcome to 5 Minute Friday.  Today's word - Perspective

For me the word perspective is inextricably tied to world view.  One's perspective about most things is connected to how they view the world.  If you're an avid environmentalist, how you view political decisions, news items and the conversation of others will all be evaluated based on your views on environmentalism.

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I became a Christian when I was 24, so I feel like I possess two world views:  one from before I became a believer and my current view since believing.  But that doesn't mean my perspective has remained stagnant since believing in Christ as my Savior.  World view is one's framework, personal experiences and learning fill in the picture.

Growing and maturing further changes one's perspective.  We learn, we meet more people, we think more deeply as our life marches on and all of this new input adds to our knowledge and alters how we see things.
 
I know that I prefer the person I became after joining the family of God.  The Spirit of God works within me, refining me and teaching me, expanding my perspective and helping me to understand, love and accept others more than in the past.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Please visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments.

Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing

My mind usually has a song going through it.  I would like to say it's the soundtrack of my life, but I hope not because one of the songs that frequents my brain is, I Shot the Sheriff.

When the song, Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing, popped into my head I began considering what it was about, and that was love of course, since that's the theme of so many pop songs old and new.

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Then I was struck by the idea of real also meaning genuine and I how I have begun seek what is genuine.  I want genuine friends, a genuine walk with God, genuine relationships.

I'm tired of the superficiality of so many interactions in my life.  I would like to strike the word "Fine," from my vocabulary.  I would like to finally and completely turn my self over to my God with a sincere heart.   I would like to know what is genuinely troubling my family, my friends....


Out of time again.

Welcome to Five Minute Friday when we spend five minutes writing about the word prompt presented by The Gypsy Mama without editing or over thinking.
Please link back here to share what you've written, visit the person who linked before you, leave an encouraging comment and invite others to join in.

God, Grace and the Gift

On this day before Easter, I think about three things, God, grace and the gift.

Without God there would be nothingness.  End of story.  I wouldn't be here writing this, you wouldn't be there reading this.  If you don't believe in a universe created by God, you will, of course, disagree.  And you know what? That's your privilege.  But I've lived too long and seen too much to ever think that all of this - life, the universe, people, intelligent thought - is just happenstance, randomness.

Next, grace.  I can't even begin to comprehend this concept.  Theologically it's often defined as unmerited favor, a blessing given which is undeserved.   As messed up as I am, as many mistakes as I make, as unlovable as I can be - still, grace is poured down on me.  I am loved and forgiven - every time.

And finally, the gift, represented by the cross, the iconic symbol of all Christendom.  The gift was a sacrificed son.

The early Israelites could only obtain forgiveness for their sins through animal sacrifice.  Seems barbaric, strange, incomprehensible to 21st century minds.  But we have to be purified somehow.  What right do we have to think that we could ever be good enough to deserve to be in the presence of an Almighty God?

And so, the gift of a son sacrificed.



Day 7 of the Blogging A to Z Challenge, the letter G.
 

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Meeting the Challenge

Day 3 of the Blogging From A to Z Challenge gives me the perfect word to write about today, Challenge.

I don't know anyone who is not facing a challenge.

Some of those challenges are internal such as struggling with feeling unappreciated, anxiety, self-doubt, grief or anger.  Other people's challenges are external.  Maybe they're dealing with an estranged relationship, serious illness, financial problems, or employment needs.  Whatever form our challenges take, we all have them.

One of the hardest things about dealing with our challenges can be the feeling of powerlessness we experience.  Some of our challenges occur not because of choices we've made or something we've done.  They occur because of circumstances beyond our control.  For example, if we're involved in a car accident caused by someone else and now have months of rehabilitation ahead, it is going to be a challenge on many levels.  We didn't choose to have this happen, nothing we did caused it, but now we have to deal with the repercussions.

That feeling of powerlessness can lead to feelings of anger, discouragement or helplessness.  But we can't let ourselves go down under the waves of these feelings and drown.

No matter what challenge we're currently facing, a support group or support person can be our lifeline.  Having an advocate, a listening ear or someone to physically help us can make the challenge seem more bearable.

As a Christian, I know I always have someone ready to listen when I feel overwhelmed and someone to take on my challenge and help me walk through it.  I've been a Christian for a long time and know that living for God  does not come with a "Get out of jail free" card.  I face as many and as difficult challenges as anyone else.  But I have a support system that can't be beat.  I might feel like I'm sinking, but I'll never drown, no matter what.

Are you facing any challenges that just seem impossible to deal with?  Write and share.  I'd be happy to pray for you.

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If You Want to be Great

Tonight, I'll be doing something I really don't want to do, serving dinner in our local homeless shelter.

It says in the Bible that if we want to be great in God's kingdom, we need to learn to be a servant to all.  I am not seeking greatness here on earth or in heaven either, but I do want to do what is right in God's eyes, and that's why my husband and I will be at the shelter tonight.

Why does my stomach tighten up at the thought of doing this?  I don't mind cooking and bringing food.  I don't mind preparing their bag lunches for the next day in the well-equipped kitchen.  I don't mind setting out the food and preparing the tables for the buffet line.  I don't even mind the clean-up.

The hard part for me is talking to the people to whom we're serving dinner.  Believe me, I don't think I'm any better than they are.  Life takes so many unexpected twists and turns that all kinds of people end up homeless and hungry. I could be there just as easily as anyone else.

I think my problem is that I try to put myself in their place.  If I were living in a homeless shelter and had just spent another discouraging day looking for work and trying to provide for my children the best I could, I don't think I'd want well-meaning strangers talking to me, asking me my story, maybe offering me sympathy, suggestions, or counseling.

My questions to them would be, do you have a job for me?  Can you find me a home where my children and I can be safe?

But the people I'll be serving tonight might have very different thoughts than the thoughts I imagine they might have.  I can only imagine what I would think and feel.  They are living it.

I've been praying about this all day.  Praying that I would have the right words to say.  Words of sincerity and authenticity, compassion and strength.  I don't want to be great, but I would like to be a blessing.

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Still Working on It

Two weeks ago I started to write about my self improvement projects.  I meant to finish talking about it last Monday, but, if you've been keeping up with the blog you know I got involved with the blog comment project and just couldn't keep up with my writing as well as reading over 130 blogs.

The remaining three self-improvement tasks I've set myself involve reading, my spiritual life and my future.  

Reading?  What, she needs to learn how to read?  Actually, it's the quality of reading material I want to improve.  My favorite genre is historical mysteries.  I love history, I love mysteries.  And while I think that’s fine, I know I should read more books of real worth.  I want to, but historical mysteries are like junk food to me.  I can't get enough.  Who want to eat broccoli when you can have cookies?  

This is part of the self-discipline I'm trying establish in my life.  I am lazy at heart and just want to please myself.  Can I get a witness?  

One of my reading goals is to read Winston Churchill's The History of the English Speaking Peoples (four volumes) this year.  Can you guess how far I've gotten?  Confession time,  page 42, volume 1.  Pretty shabby.

I also have started reading The Sovereignty of God by A.W. Pink, twice, (I love his book The Attributes of God, life-changing for me) but haven’t gotten far.

Then, I picked up David McCullough's newest book The Great Journey: Americans in Paris, 1830-1900 from the library.  This book has a two-week loan period.  Am I optimistic or what?  Do I really think I'll read this in two weeks?  Well, I might if I put aside my fluff reading and dig into something a little more challenging.

This segues into spiritual life.  Again, I need to dig in and make more time for prayer and reading and studying my Bible.  I need to stop making excuses about busyness and make the choice to put aside some of my leisure activities in favor of the better thing – God. 

I started reading my Bible-in-a-year-chronological-bible in November because I felt it was time I systematically read through the Bible again.  I don’t plan to finish in a year because my goal isn’t to see how fast I can read through the Bible but to think and study while I read.  My desire was to read it in 18 to 24 months, but I’m only on February 16 of the schedule and have been at it for four months.  Again, I’m not using my time and energy the best way I could.

If reading the Bible isn’t at the top or near the top of my priority list, what is?  Apart from taking care of my family, homeschooling, my part-time business, blogging and homemaking, the answer is doing things that are more fun such as watching TV, messing around on the computer, reading and knitting.

So, something has to change, but it won’t until I stop trying to satisfy my lazy nature and start desiring to please God instead.  All of this self-improvement takes a lot of discipline and requires making a lot of choices.

This post is getting long, so my last self-improvement area, the future, will have to wait for another day.

Exercise update : Exercise has been happening five days a week.  Day 20 of the 30-Day Shred is done and, while I'm not going to lose the 20 pounds in 30 days which is supposed to be possible, I am losing inches slowly, very slowly.  To change things up a little last week, I went to a zumba party at the gym.  Crazy, intense, cardio fun.

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Runnin' On Empty

Empty is never a word that's associated with good things and happy times.  Our stomachs become empty because we're hungry.  Our gas tanks become empty and we either need to quickly find a gas station or we'll run out of gas.  If our bank account is empty ... that's even worse.

But perhaps the worst empty we experience is an emptiness of spirit, when we feel we have no more resources to draw upon.  An empty spirit for me is usually brought on by a distance between God and me and as always, I'm the one who has pulled back and drawn away.  Why do I ever think I can can be joyful, content and fulfilled if my spiritual gas tank is empty?

Any of us who have been walking through this life with the Lord for a while know what it takes to keep the tank full.  Don't we hear this All the time? Prayer, reading the word, studying the word, hearing the word preached with knowledge and power.  This is fuel for the spiritual tank and really, it's so easy to get the fuel.  But we just keep driving past the refueling stations saying, "Oh I'll just take care of it later," and where do we end up?  Out of gas, our tanks reading Empty.


5 Minute Friday

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Please visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments.



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Take Back the Day

St. Valentines Day is one of those tricky "holidays".  It celebrates love, more specifically, romantic love.  But, what if a woman doesn't have a husband or a boyfriend?  What if she doesn't have children or parents?

What does a  woman alone do when presented with all of the seeming evidence that everyone around her is loved, but not her?  Her co-workers discuss romantic dinner plans and receive floral deliveries and flash their diamond engagement rings and all she can do is smile and nod and perhaps feel a little empty inside.

I think we need to re-define Valentine's Day and make it not a celebration of love received, but of love given.  God's kind of love.  Perhaps our goal could be to see how many ways  we can show love to others.  The kind of love that gives with no expectation of a return.

I challenge you, and I challenge me, to see how many people we can show love to on February 14.

 Maybe we can start with those people we don't even like, let alone love.  How about the unfriendly neighbor, the  driver who cuts you off, the supervisor who makes your life miserable, the rude sales clerk.  God's kind of love is the kind that loves the unlovable.

Who are the unlovables in your life?  How can you show them  a God kind of love on Valentine's Day?



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Trust

Welcome to 5 Minute Friday.  This week's word is Trust.

In God We Trust.  Or so it says on U.S. coins.  A strong, profound, planting both feet on the ground statement.  But do we really mean it on a personal level?

If we truly trust God, we won't worry, be anxious, stay up sleepless at night fussing and fuming over this decision or that.  If we truly trust God, we will put aside our fears, anxieties and worries, close our eyes and go to sleep.

If we truly trust God, we will have a heart of peace knowing that our lives are not spinning out of control, but are perfectly IN control ... just not our control.  Are we willing to live with that?  Are we willing to give up the control over our lives, circumstances and decisions and really, truly trust God to work on our behalf?

It's a bold step to say and mean In God I Trust.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3.Please visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them.

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Roar

We roar with rage.  We roar with pain.  We roar with frustration.  We roar when experiencing so many painful and, sometimes, sinful emotions.  There seems to be no other way to express ourselves when the unfairness of life descends on us and presses us down.


The word of God tells us that sometimes God speaks through a storm.  And sometimes He speaks with a still, small voice.  At times, a roar is the appropriate response, but at other times a quiet response, a whisper, a silent acceptance is what is needed.

Whatever happens, and whatever feelings we experience we are not left alone.  We have someone who hears our roars, the loud roars and the silent roars of our hearts.

And so in the midst of writing, the blue screen of death appeared and my son asked, "Did that make you want to roar?"

Here's how it works:

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – don’t edit; don’t second-guess.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Must: leave a comment for the person who linked up before you – encouraging them in their writing!

Image sources: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=172

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Okay, I am aware that it is Saturday, but I couldn't seem to find 5 minutes to think quietly yesterday, let alone write, so I'm fudging a bit and doing a 5 minute Saturday.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back to 5 minute Friday and invite others to join in.
3. Most important: visit, comment, encourage the person before you.

Open…

Open mind, open home, open heart, perhaps this is the Lord's message for me as 2012 dawns in just a few hours.  I am not a resolution maker because I know I'm in need of improvement all year long.  But I do like the idea of a fresh start, a new beginning, a new work in my life.  

Maybe being open, honest, giving, transparent, real, hospitable, forgiving, understanding are all areas that need to open up in my life.  It is easy to become like a little walled-in fortress protecting ourselves from the slings and arrows life and other people throw at us.  I don't like to be vulnerable, out of control.

But if I really want to open up my life and heart to others I need to be willing to be hurt and rejected too.  I need to be open to God's plans and be willing to take risks even at the risk of falling flat on my face and failing.

So maybe I do have a resolution for 2012; I will try to be open.