CHOOSE: TEA-rrific TRIO

TEA-rrific trio, indeed!!!

New mug. "New to me" black tea. New Ann Voscamp book.

Such pleasures make it so easy to give thanks. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

For a tired, black tea loving, avid reader it's what was needed----a TEA-rrific trio just for me!

"Integri-TEA"

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9, KJV)

There is more to writing than a really SHARP pencil and a high quality eraser. That's just my starting point, as I jot ideas on my "blue for blog" notepad. One of those is integrity. It's sort of a Christian blogger's "TEA-ology" gut check. "Integrity" brand is actually stamped on my #2 pencil.

• Check motives. Thy glory, not mine. 
• Check author. Thy words, not my words. 
• Check audience. Thee, not readers. 

Blogger's Prayer by Ann Voskamp (2010) summed it up well.
Yahweh, You alone are my God, not Google. Jesus, You alone are my Savior, not site meters, And Holy Spirit, You alone are my comforter, not comments.

Her prayer was the impetus for me trying to "do it right." Blog with integrity. It's why I cite when I know a reference and indicate unknown source as just that; a note from my marginalia, a memory scrap, or a jot on a scrap of paper used as a bookmark, etc.

Prayerful beginnings: Examine me, and probe my thoughts! (Psalm 139:23) Test me, Lord for my heart is deceitful in ways only you can know.

Integrity is a quality that I certainly need to keep "brewing" in all areas of my life, not just my blog----tho that's a good place to start with this morning's entry and my cuppa integri-TEA.

As I sit before the Lord today with my cuppa, may he reveal to me areas in my life where I need more of Thee and less of me.

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)

Friday Findings

12/9/11 Noticing notes jotted all over my fading yellow legal pad, I decided to share some of my most recent "finds."

"written under the influence of grace"---that's my desire to write under His influence.

Nourish your soul with Bible reading. It will prepare a spiritual feast for you. (Augustine)

Prayer is union with God.....reconciles people to God, produces holy tears, forms a bridge over temptations, and acts as a buttress between us and afflictions. (Spidlik, Thomas, Drinking From the Hidden Fountain p. 355)

Prayer is born of joy and gratitude. Prayer makes gentleness blossom in the heart. (?)

It is better to pray in the silence of the heart than to pray only with words, without the mind paying attention. (Spidlik, Thomas, Drinking From the Hidden Fountain p. 367)

Many people want to direct God instead of surrendering themselves to be directed by Him. (Madame Guyon)

Order my steps in thy word: ... Direct my steps according to thy word: (Psalm 119:193)

The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)

I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps. (Jeremiah 10:23)

...repentance is the gift of God. If you ever cease to know the virtue of repentance, you are in darkness. Examine yourself. (My Utmost for His Highest, 12/7)

I never meant for you to be self sufficient. I crafted your longings and feelings of incompleteness to point you to me. (Jesus Calling, 12/8)

“God appoints people who do disappoint – to point to a God who never disappoints.” (Ann Voskamp 12/8)

Joy sometimes needs pain to give it birth. (Streams in the Desert, p. 457)

GUEST READER/REPORTER, CAROL N.

10/26/11 Sweet friend, Carol Newman, has been a great one to bounce off of for reading ideas and interpretations as well as leading me to new "worthy" books. I trust her not to lead me astray so I am now in pursuit of The Rest of God, Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath for my "must read pile." She began with a quote from A. Voskamp, author of One Thousand Gifts, who was quoting the author, Mark Buchanan.

"Being in a hurry. Getting to the next thing without fully entering the thing in front of me. I cannot think of a single advantage I've ever gained from being in a hurry. But a thousand broken and missed things, tens of thousands, lie in the wake of all the rushing...Through all that haste I thought I was making up time. It turns out I was throwing it away."

Carol goes on to say................

This particular book of his, The Rest of God, Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath, is also a very special reading experience. When I first read it, I thought of you. He concludes each chapter with a liturgy section. He describes liturgy as "a kind of choreography, a choreography for our dance with things unseen, things ancient and things anticipated, things above and things below." He goes on to say that the liturgy sections are meant to 'try to coax you onto the dance floor...even finding yourself, like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, floating above the hard, cold floor of your workaday life, your feet barely touching." So, you see why it made me think of you. And his liturgy sections are not exactly what I would call liturgy, but application- questions- challenges to approach the next bit of time differently, getting onto the dance floor!

Now, with your retirement, hopefully you can put this on your reading list. It's about true rest of the soul, not just retirement from a job. It draws the dancing parallel that flows through your own writing. And he includes playing with our children (and grands) in the wonderful plan of restoring/refreshing our souls. Of course!!!!

Don't you love it!! I did. Carol should be blogging personal book reviews! I just had to share it with my readers, most of whom are just that---READERS!