Leaving my "self" at the door

Autumn gate by Thomas Kinkade

Happy are they who throw themselves with bowed head and closed eyes into the arms of the “Father of Mercies,” and the “God of all consolation,” as St. Paul said! There is only one way to love God: to take not a single step without Him, and to follow with a brave heart wherever He leads. All those who live the Christian life, and yet would very much like to keep a little in with the world, run great risk of being among the lukewarm of whom it is said they will be “spewed out of the mouth of God.” Taken from “Devotional Classics”
Sobering words by Francois Fenelon

The Christian life for me is a constant process of moving myself out of the way, and letting God take over. Today I started to pray when I realized that I was tripped up by my own “self.” It was something I had to correct as soon as God brought it to my attention. As soon as I started thinking about how much time I would put in and how much would be acceptable to God, the battle was lost. I had made a religious “thing” out of it. It’s like this: How would you feel as a parent if you knew your child was only spending time with you because they felt they “should” but not because they wanted to. Forgive me, Lord for all those times I try to playact with You.
I paused, I reflected, I started over with a purer heart. Then my prayer time became what it was supposed to be once again. A place where I connect to the Creator of Heaven and Earth, and He connects with me. What a privelege, what a unspeakable gift!

If the Holy Spirit is our gateway to the throne of God, then prayer is certainly the pathway through that gate. Thankfully, the omnipotence of God is tempered with love and grace otherwise we would not be able to stand in His presence……

“Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16.

Prayer changes things


From Philip Yancey’s book on Prayer
Towards the end of Einstein’s life….When a doctoral student at Princeton asked, “What is there left in the world for original dissertation research?” Albert Einstein replied, “Find out about prayer. Somebody must find out about prayer.”

“I have come to see prayer as a privilege, not a duty. Like all good things, prayer requires some discipline. Yet I believe that life with God should seem more like friendship than duty. Prayer includes moments of ecstasy and also dullness, mindless distraction and acute concentration, flashes of joy and bouts of irritation. In other words, prayer has features in common with all relationships that matter. Philip Yancey, “Prayer”

I find this to be true. I enter my prayer closet with an expectation of change. Either change in a situation or change in myself or help for someone else. I know that even if the situation remains the same, prayer is the way I can ask God to help me deal with it the way He wants me to. I never quite know what to expect when I enter but I know that always, He meets me there.

I love this illustration from a man named John (also in Yancey’s book) he says this: “I’ve been working around street people, mostly homeless, for twenty-five years now. I help run a coffeehouse where they can drop in, and then on Sunday we hold a small urban church service upstairs. We never know what will happen there. Some of the people smell bad, disturbed people pray too long, and visitors wander in and out of the service. The other week one person prayed, “Thank you, Lord, for Metamusil,” and another chimed in, ‘That’s a 10-4, God.”

Romans 12:12 rejoicing in hope; enduring in troubles; continuing steadfastly in prayer;

Multitude Monday….


Thankful for the promises in the Psalms today…. Continuing onward to 1000 gifts! I included a few different translations.
77. Psalm 9:9 (NAS) “The Lord also will be a stonghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.”
78. Psalm 9:10 (NAS) “And those who know Thy name will put their trust in Thee; For Thou, O Lord, hast not forsaken those that seek Thee.”
79. Psalm 18:36 (NAS) “Thou dost enlarge my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped.
80. Psalm 23:2 (NAS) “Makes me lie down in green pastures; and leads me beside still waters.”
81. Psalm 23:3 (NAS) “He restores my soul, and guides me in the paths of righteousness.”
82. Psalm 104:12 (NAS) “As far as the East is from the West, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
83. Psalm 116:8 (NAS) “For Thou hast rescued my soul from death, my eyes fro tears and my feet from stumbling.”
84. Psalm 121:8 (NAS) “The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in, from this time forth and forever.”
85. Psalm 145:17 (The Message) “Everything God does is right-the trademark on all His works is LOVE.”
86. Psalm 145:14 (The Message) “God gives a hand to those down on their luck, gives a fresh start to those ready to quit.”
Join Ann here for more gratitude:
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Morning prayer


Now that I am down the road a bit, I can see all the times
in my life where I left you out, Lord.
How much better they would have
been had I invited You along.

Of course I know You were there, waiting in the wings.
Hoping, waiting for me to acknowledge You
instead of being focused on my fears
my feelings
my needs….Or just simply thinking that
You had forgotten me,
or didn’t care.

I can imagine you saying, “I can help you with that,
if you just let Me;
Ask, seek, I am here knocking
but I will never violate your
free will.”

Help me to remember all the times I have been helped
by a perfect stranger. How grateful I was.
Help me to keep my spiritual eyes and ears
open to those who need help, or might be seeking You.
Remove the blinders that keep me so focused on my own agenda that I miss Your opportunities.

Thank you Lord, for being with me now.
What a miracle that I can bring eternity
into every little moment, and know
that Your are smiling on me when I do.
Amen

Revelation 3:20
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock:
if any man hear my voice, and open the door,
I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

Be Blessed

 

This is a repost from 2009 that is true just as much today as when I first posted it! Be Blessed friends!

“Bell Tower, Mount of Olives”
1-2 When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:

3″You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

4″You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

5″You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.

6″You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.

7″You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.

8″You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

9″You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.

10″You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.

Salt and Light
13″Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.
And the picture above reminded me of this verse…….
14-16″Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

“The Message, Beatitudes Matthew 5:1-13

Pushing through fear


Have you ever met anyone who would just try anything? They seem to sail through life devoid of fear, embracing change and leaping over roadblocks and challenges that would cripple the faint of heart. The reality is: they DO have the fear, they just don’t let it stop them.

My best friend is one of these people. I think it comes from living in an “unsafe” environment growing up. She had a mean older brother and every day she was faced with waking up having to push through her fear of what he might do. She knew that her folks would do nothing to stop his behavior; they never had. So it was up to her to push through…..As a result it left scars, but it also made her a survivor.

When she was 18 a friend offered her a job driving a logging truck. Here was his lesson, “I will drive up the mountain, you watch what I do and it’s your turn on the way down.” Mind you, these trucks have two gear boxes and sometimes as many as 16 gears! She made it down the mountain and got bit by the professional driving bug.

Later on she drove a cement truck for several years, until the day another truck driver pulled out in front of her. He was completely stopped at a stop sign. (Tell me how you miss a cement mixer?) He looked right at her and pulled out. She sustained a broken back and the other driver was unhurt. His license was revoked and he was cited. The police officer said that if it hadn’t been for her exemplary driving skills, they both might have died. She has since said that the accident was the best thing that ever happened to her….I met her not long after that and as a result, I introduced her to the One who not only could heal her body, but her soul as well.

I never had to fear that much growing up. My home was a calm, peaceful, happy place. However, when I was 27 and my husband died unexpectedly I was introduced to real fear. It stretched out in front of me like a “black hole.” I got reintroduced to prayer like never before and I learned that when I didn’t have the courage to get out of bed, I rolled out anyway on raw faith; knees hitting the floor first! Everytime He met me there. Through those experiences, I learned that His promises are true.

Now all these years later I am working at a place I never dreamed I could be, doing things I never thought I could do. Fourteen years now at Intel,Corp. Always there has been help. At every turn He has been with me, and sent special “angel” people (and undoubtedly real ones too) to surround me during times I felt like I would cave in and run home. (Well, I did do that but only once.)

Whenever I feel fear nipping at my heels, telling me I can’t do something, I rest in this verse: “I can do ALL things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
Depending on Him through prayer, reading His word, believing Him for His promises. That is the only way to banish fear and send it packing back to hell, where it belongs.

For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7


“Nothing fosters courage like a clear grasp of grace.”
“Feed your fears and your faith with starve. Feed your faith and your fears will.”
“Fear corrodes our confidence in God’s goodness.”
From “Fearless” by Max Lucado

Everyday Holiness


By reading the scriptures I am so renewed that all nature seems renewed around me and with me. The sky seems to be a pure, a cooler blue, the trees a deeper green. The whole world is charged with the glory of God and I feel fire and music under my feet.
Thomas Merton

After posting the quote above, another “Merton” quote kept popping up in my mind and I couldn’t let go of it. I think it is very true, we tend to “section” off parts of our lives, but knowing God, who is in all and through all, wants ALL of us, not just part of us. Once we know Him, everything around us becomes infused with His presence and we begin to see the “Holiness” of everyday experiences.

A life is either all spiritual or not spiritual at all. No man can serve two masters. Your life is shaped by the end you live for. You are made in the image of what you desire.
Thomas Merton

Life is a prayer


God doesn’t care if we use big words when we pray,
He already knows the biggest words anyway.
Sometimes silence is prayer because we run out
of words, but God knows our heart.

Sometimes I fall asleep right in the middle
of a prayer at night, and I think that is okay.
I think He smiles at that. Sometimes you aim
for Heaven and that is enough.
He likes that I am thinking of Him.

Don’t worry if your tongue stumbles over itself,
To His ears it is eloquent, because
You are His child.

And sometimes, the burden of life is just too
overwhelming, that is when I can pick up the prayer
where you left off…
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express” (Romans 8:26).

Multitude Mondays


Today I am thankful for yesterday’s reminders
of the beauty of being in Your outdoor sanctuary….
the sway of pines against sky, magic sway
and song….oh let me hear the sigh of
Your wind in those trees in my soul
forever more….

Thankful for a carpet of pine needles, more
grand than any berber or import rug you can name.

Fall coloring foliage, nature’s surrender summoning
strength for what is to come…. yet the pine remains itself
all year.

Cool whisperings in the air of solstice rest,
winter’s deep ponderings.

She rests from her labor.

What a treasure to be reminded once again,
how I need this quiet, this filling up of
my soul; this rest that satisfies,
lingers deep for when I need it next.

As we walked from tree to tree looking up I said, “Do you think when we are in Heaven we will remember our times on earth? Or will we be so overwhelmed with everything we won’t give it another thought.” She said, “I don’t think we will give it a fleeting thought.” I said, “I don’t know, maybe little glimmers of things.” Then I said, “No, you’re probably right.”

The gratitude list goes on…..
67. Cool solitude of the mountains
68. Going away for the day
69. Coming back home
70. Pine trees and their gentle sway
71. Appreciation of all these things
72. Fresh unpolluted air
73. God’s blueprint of nature
74. Red cliffs against electric sky
75. Escape from the sound of cars
76. Sharing these with like minded people

Join Ann here for more gratitude:
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The stones will cry out…


When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Luke 19:37-40

Today I feel so grateful that I feel like the stones along the side of the road; they are there just being stones, doing nothing….minding their own business, until the Son of Man passes by and they can no longer contain themselves. See, the people knew who Jesus really was, and as usual the Religious leaders of the day were clueless. Except for some of them like Nicodemus who came to Jesus at night.

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” John 3:1-10

Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. John 3:1-15

This conversation leads up to one of the most well known Spriptures in the Bible, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Thankful, so thankful for this today. I pray for all those today who do not know you yet…..