Dear ones...how goes the reading? I am listening to the book on CD while I travel. I wish you could hear Elizabeth's voice. It's so soothing and kind. Anyway, as I promised here are a few things for you all to engage with to help us on our journey of becoming women after God's own heart:)
Martha and Mary...a familiar story but I pray for fresh eyes to see it again today. See Luke 10:38-42. Remember " Martha was so busy doing things for the Lord that she failed to spend time with the Lord." Mary however made worship of the Lord her top priority. Time with Jesus was at the top of her to-do list:) She made a choice that indicated a heart of devotion. She knew she had to do a few things to be with Jesus. She couldn't just "go with the flow" Hey remember...she was in Martha's house and there was definitely a flow going on!
What things can you do this week to
....cease your busyness
....stop all activity and
....set aside secondary things
One thing I've done is enter my daily practices into my phone calendar! Yep, it's there. At 6 a.m. my phone calendar goes off with the song "You Make Me Smile" and reads out...."Hey sunshine! See you on the couch." It really helps me. Let me know if you are doing anything new or something you've been doing that helps you stay on track. Thanks Maggie for the "no bible; no breakfast" rule. That made us laugh. Also, can't you all just see little Lydia's sweet face saying, "Mommy, so when do you read your bible?" Precious.
Here's a quote to ponder:
"Modern civilization is so complex as to make the devotional life all but impossible. It wears us out by multiplying distractions and beats us down by destroying our solitude, where otherwise we might drink and renew our strength before going out to face the world again."
Maybe you already have a scheduled time already. My schedule changes in the summer so I have to adjust things. If you are like me, today is a great day to make that choice and put it in your schedule (or phone calendar) Remember...something is better than nothing. Aim for consistency even if its just a little bit each day. "Great lives are made up of many little disciplines."
Sweet friends, I don't want us to miss the best thing for us. You don't want to either! It will be said of us as was said of Mary, "she has chosen the better thing and it will not be taken from her."
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
A Walk Around the Block :)
What a blessing to have you all in my living room last night. I can't stop thinking of your stories. I felt like Ruth in the field of Boaz...I got to glean so much and return home so full and joyful!
Seth is under the gift of concentrated prayer. People change when we pray. History changes. Courses change. Curses fail; blessings come! Darkness is swallowed up in Light! We will trust the Lord. I read in the book of Jude this a.m. It's the famous doxology..."To Him who is able to keep you from falling and present you blameless..." He is able and He is eager. Thank God He's not just able and reluctant. Oh no...never! May He become more beautiful to you today. May you experience in your inner man another measure of His wisdom. I hope you see Him in new places. He is working on all levels.
This morning I was walking around a neighborhood and passed a familiar sight...big moving van parked out in front with garage door open and new boxes open and ready to be packed for the move. What wasn't familiar was what happened when I passed by the young mom who was loading her two precious blonde children in her jeep. I thought, "wow Lord...wonder where her husband is. Wonder if he is overseas right now and she is left to do this move alone. Maybe this isn't her first move alone. I wonder if she has any friends here. Respect began to well up in my heart for all these military women who do this type of thing all the time. But another thing welled up too...the Lord's presence.
"Lisa, pray for her today as you walk by. I hear. I see. Do you believe that you passed her today accidentally? No. I wanted you to see her and pray for her. This is how I work." You see dear ladies, these are the "mere edges of His ways..." This is how God encouraged me today and no doubt He used my silent prayers to bless that sweet mom with her two babies and retriever. Oh how He cares and acts!
I hope you will enjoy your reading and the CD. I already love you all so much!
Seth is under the gift of concentrated prayer. People change when we pray. History changes. Courses change. Curses fail; blessings come! Darkness is swallowed up in Light! We will trust the Lord. I read in the book of Jude this a.m. It's the famous doxology..."To Him who is able to keep you from falling and present you blameless..." He is able and He is eager. Thank God He's not just able and reluctant. Oh no...never! May He become more beautiful to you today. May you experience in your inner man another measure of His wisdom. I hope you see Him in new places. He is working on all levels.
This morning I was walking around a neighborhood and passed a familiar sight...big moving van parked out in front with garage door open and new boxes open and ready to be packed for the move. What wasn't familiar was what happened when I passed by the young mom who was loading her two precious blonde children in her jeep. I thought, "wow Lord...wonder where her husband is. Wonder if he is overseas right now and she is left to do this move alone. Maybe this isn't her first move alone. I wonder if she has any friends here. Respect began to well up in my heart for all these military women who do this type of thing all the time. But another thing welled up too...the Lord's presence.
"Lisa, pray for her today as you walk by. I hear. I see. Do you believe that you passed her today accidentally? No. I wanted you to see her and pray for her. This is how I work." You see dear ladies, these are the "mere edges of His ways..." This is how God encouraged me today and no doubt He used my silent prayers to bless that sweet mom with her two babies and retriever. Oh how He cares and acts!
I hope you will enjoy your reading and the CD. I already love you all so much!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
BookClub
Hi friends. This thought came to me one restless night. Use my blog to stay connected with you all as we embark on the book, A Woman After God's Own Heart. I hope you all will avail yourself of the tool. One of the things I want to do is build our momentum. It's been my experience that I am often more talkative after meeting together; I've had time to process and think about what others have shared. Anyone else had that experience? So please....let's get on this 'blogger highway' and discuss the book as we read. I want (we want!) to hear from you. What's on your mind? It's helpful to include the page number so we can all look up the sentence or paragraph. Feel freedom to include links or songs that are meaningful to you. I want us to be eager to get together for the next bookclub. Monday June 28 :)
Our first meeting we will be discussing Part 1: The Pursuit of God.
Before we even begin the book I want to say this....this book is primarily focused on the disciplines we can follow to place ourselves before God to transform us.
Remember Elizabeth's comment about the "path of disciplined grace"
"It is discipline, because there is work for us to do. It is Grace, because the life of God which we enter into is a gift we can never earn...Discipline in and of itself does not makes us righteous, it merely places us before God....The transformation...is God's work"
Of first importance is that we truly understand that no discipline makes us acceptable to God. Jesus Christ did that work on His cross. He perfectly lived and died. That's all done. Ours now is the joy of living out the good of those realities; to get on with the good works He has prepared for us. We would miss the whole point if all our discussion and meeting were lost on working harder for God. May I present the idea that it's quite the opposite. All that we are going to discuss is birthed out of Jesus' work. We get to shatter the alabaster box at His feet and fill the room with that sweet aroma of worship and devotion for all that He has done for us. And not only that, but He enthusiastically welcomes us to come join Him in the work He is doing today on the earth. Indeed, it is a wonderful time to be alive! I can't wait to see what treasures are store for each one of us!
See you Monday. :)
Here's a link to feast on. www.offirstimportance.org
Our first meeting we will be discussing Part 1: The Pursuit of God.
Before we even begin the book I want to say this....this book is primarily focused on the disciplines we can follow to place ourselves before God to transform us.
Remember Elizabeth's comment about the "path of disciplined grace"
"It is discipline, because there is work for us to do. It is Grace, because the life of God which we enter into is a gift we can never earn...Discipline in and of itself does not makes us righteous, it merely places us before God....The transformation...is God's work"
Of first importance is that we truly understand that no discipline makes us acceptable to God. Jesus Christ did that work on His cross. He perfectly lived and died. That's all done. Ours now is the joy of living out the good of those realities; to get on with the good works He has prepared for us. We would miss the whole point if all our discussion and meeting were lost on working harder for God. May I present the idea that it's quite the opposite. All that we are going to discuss is birthed out of Jesus' work. We get to shatter the alabaster box at His feet and fill the room with that sweet aroma of worship and devotion for all that He has done for us. And not only that, but He enthusiastically welcomes us to come join Him in the work He is doing today on the earth. Indeed, it is a wonderful time to be alive! I can't wait to see what treasures are store for each one of us!
See you Monday. :)
Here's a link to feast on. www.offirstimportance.org
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