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Teachable Moments

Peace in my heart, peace in my home, peace in my world.

Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. Psalm 34:14

We gathered yesterday for lunch with two friends, believers, and ended up sitting around that table until late afternoon. We talked of earthly problems and heavenly things. We all agreed that life was tough and a struggle. I think the consensus was that if it weren’t for the purpose we all have here, our loved ones, we would be ready to leave this world for good…..no looking back.
When we gather with believers, we bring a bit of Heaven down to earth, if only for a moment. We were saying how every now and then there is a peace we feel. Thoughts settle like floating manna and for just a moment all is right, all will be right, and all is well, at least in our world.
We talked of teachable moments……one of which was explaining death to children. David had had a close call last year and it had to be addressed, unexpectedly to the Grand kids. One of them, the little girl was very excited that her Grandpa would be with Jesus. How many teachable moments are there is a parent’s life, and they miss it because too much life is pressing in? But that one moment may make the difference for all eternity.
Might save much heartache down the road.
That led me to start thinking about my own “teachable moments.” I wondered just how many times in my life has God probably been trying to teach me something and I missed the opportunity. I don’t even want to go there.
But now that He has opened my eyes to it, maybe I can be soft enough to get that lesson He has for me. I am thankful today, as I begin to list again my blessings.
I am reminded of my WORD for 2012, which is peace. I am like that stop sign, I “ain’t gonna stop” until I get it. I want to be a peacemaker in my own world this year. Instead of nursing hurt feelings I want to release them to the Lord. Instead of worrying my days away, I want to cultivate trust in my Savior.

Peace in my heart, Peace in my home, Peace in my world……

#835-845
Lying awake at the tide of thoughts rushing in this morning, I was thankful that I didn’t have to get up in the dark and go to work.
Squeaky floors that say I am home, and so are you
Fellowship with friends around a table once again
Cooing doves that accompany my prayers
The silly woodpecker that insists the satelite dish is a tree
Geese flying overhead
Thankful, so thankful for the sounds I hear
A new Easter flag, flying purple and yellow and pink against the sky
Bones that ache and remind me that I can walk and move
Knowing the King of Peace has me
 

One flower at a time….


“Just as a whole world of beauty can be discovered in one flower, so the great grace of God can be tasted in one small moment. Just as no great travels are necessary to see the beauty of creation, so no great ecstasies are needed to discover the love of God. But you have to be still and wait so that you can realize that God is not in the earthquake, the storm, or the lighting, but in the gentle breeze with which He touches your back.” Henri Nouwen, The Genesee Diary

I tried to fit you into my agenda today, God.
Forgive me. I should have known You would not fit neatly into the little space of time I had designed for You this morning.
You see, I had a day planner going in my head and I knew I needed to fit you in so here I am.
What?
Okay, Lord. I got the lesson.
Now that I am here in the quiet, I can hear you enough to see how foolish I was.
Thank you for allowing me to start over.
Forgive me for trying to make you small again.
Thank you for Your grace and mercy, it washes over me anew.
Make every task Holy today Lord, In Jesus name, Amen.

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39

Every day is Earth Day


God loves the earth…..
He created it, He died for it, and
He is coming back to re-create it!
Yes, we need to love it, and be good stewards of it, because He loves it.

“You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.” (Psalm 65:9-13)

We will not destroy it, we don’t have the power! How can He create a new earth if we have already destroyed the old one? The Earth still belongs to Him, it is only on loan to us.

The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? Psalm 24:1-3

The earth is not over-crowded, we just have too many in certain areas. We are not running out of open land, just come to Arizona, or Montana, Utah, or the California desert for that matter, and see for yourself!

“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17)

Jesus is at the center stage of everything, including our earth! So to me, every day is earth day because every day belongs to Him!

My future belongs to Him


Today I as I was praying, I was thanking the Holy Spirit for His presence, instruction, and also for His conviction of sin in my life when He hit me with a thunderbolt almost immediately.

Lately I haven’t been excited about my future.
I have allowed worry, anxiety, and fear to crowd it out.
To move, or not to move, and when……
and other things that I can’t even control.

Forgive me, Lord for allowing Satan to have the upper hand for even one moment. I have allowed him to choke away my optimism and gradually he has worn me down.
How dare he!

It is easy to think that once you reach fifty that your best years are behind you, but I really don’t feel that way. I don’t want to. I remember feeling optimistic when I turned fifty last summer, so what has changed?

When did I forget that my pathway leads me only to more of You, Lord?
When did I stop believing that all the love around me would disappear when I got old?
I hear Your words…..”I will never leave you or forsake you“…..I grab hold.

Thank you Holy Spirit for this new feeling of hope! You alone hold, my past, present and future, Father. You have given me these precious days and years that are now stretched before me with hope and promise…..I bind the power of Satan right now in Jesus name, for he comes with one mission only, to kill, steal and destroy.

His power is now useless here, for You have once again exposed him for what he is!

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” Jeremiah 29:11.

“Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16

Hallelujah!

The Suffering Servant


Turn playlist off, music is beautiful and haunting in this video…
“The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue,
to know the word that sustains the weary.
He wakens me morning by morning,
wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.
The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears,
and I have not been rebellious;
I have not drawn back.
I offered my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;
I did not hide my face
from mocking and spitting.
Because the Sovereign LORD helps me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,
and I know I will not be put to shame.”
Isaiah 50:4-7

Prayer for the faithful


St. Patrick’s Prayer for the Faithful

May the Strength of God guide us.
May the Power of God preserve us.
May the Wisdom of God instruct us.
May the Hand of God protect us.
May the Way of God direct us.
May the Shield of God defend us.
May the Angels of God guard us.
Against the snares of the evil one.

May Christ be with us!
May Christ be before us!
May Christ be in us,
Christ be over all!

May Thy Grace, Lord,
Always be ours,
This day, O Lord, and forevermore. Amen.

Today is my Monday, so Lord I thank you for being here, not just on Mondays, Wednesdays, but everyday! I thank you for your presence and guiding hand. I thank you for showing up at my workplace before I did to pave the way, for giving me the strength and ability to do my job, and help me be a good example and a blessing to someone today.

I can do all these things, but only though You! Thank you also Lord for remembering me as I was long ago, that little girl who loved to read and daydream and just knew that leprechauns lived in the woods!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day today everyone!

Early will I seek You….


“Let all who take refuge in You be glad. Let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, so that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with favor as with a shield.” Psalm 5:11,12

“In all things that I contemplate as I am consulting You, I find no secure place for my soul except in You. And in You, I pray that what is scattered in me may be brought together, so that no part of me may be apart from You. Sometimes…when You are working within me, bringing my scattered self to You, You draw me into a state of feeling that is unlike anything I am used to…a kind of sweet delight. I know that if this spiritual state were made permanent in me it would be something not of this world, not of this life.” Augustine – Confession 10

My all surrounding Father, how my soul is tempted to search for the meaning of my life in the love of others; to look for security in money and possessions; to strive for acceptance in service and good works. Now I see how these can be temptations, open doors through which my spirit slips out from within you Self in order to trust in my own strengths. I close those doors right now, and place my soul inside your tender might. Here alone with you, I draw together all my concerns…all my responsibilities….all that is broken and scattered and needy…My soul is fed and medicined with goodness from your hand!

Devotional reading by David Hazard, taken from “Early will I seek you.” 40 day journey in the company of Augustine.