TARRYING TUESDAY!

Tarrying in scripture was the directive, during Pentecost, for the disciples as they waited for the glorification of the Lord and the Holy Spirit to come. (Luke 24:49) For me, the analogy of tarrying is indicative of the waiting required for clarity, direction and power from God all of which are evidence of the ascended Christ.

Recently I have been focused on my physical condition when In fact, it's my spiritual condition that allows me to "put on Christ." (Romans 13:14)

Clothed in Christ. Think compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience. (Colossians 3:12)

Lately, it seems sometimes I have to seek God's face from the stillness of my bed, front porch or out the window. Today is that kind of day for me. 

Neighbor's flame azalea. 

Aflame with the Spirit reminder. (Romans 12:11)

Tarrying. Lingering. Physically waiting in prayer to enable me to cling to His Presence throughout this day. 

May this Tarrying Tuesday be a time of waiting in God's Presence!

A soul-filling time!

MOVE FORWARD FEARS!

Move forward in faith----not fear!

Medical fears! How can that be when I belong to the Great Physician?!

The fears I feel, in response to the growing impact of amyloids, stroke, and heart issues are not from Him!

2 Timothy 1:7  reminds me, He does not give the spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind. Not sure how much soundness is left in my mind......but God, is the One whom I trust even in the midst of these fluctuating medical issues, a "mess" of emotions, a "kaleidoscope of feelings." AKA fear.

Lord, this week I seek to exercise, sound mind----self- control, good & sound judgment, and wise discretion, no matter how I define it. Self-preservation needs to take a back seat to Your glory. I need to move forward in faith.

May I learn to handle my pain/fears with hope because I trust in you.

PLS--PLEASE & THANK YOU----for the power, love and self-discipline you have given me for this season.

NO POWER!!

Without Power

No Power; No such thing!

No electricity. Yes! 

Day 3 of that COLD reality in  Memphis.

But God......in His love granted mercy in the midst of 21º temps and limbs blocking our garage and driveway but not hitting our house!. 

A gas fireplace. A gas stovetop. Gracious neighbors.  

Our house knows the One who is our power. That's His greatest mercy.

He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. (Isaiah 40:29, NLT)

REAL POWER RECONSIDERED

A popular myth is that you can do or have whatever you desire if you work hard enough to achieve that goal.  REALLY!

All who espouse that theory haven't burned our yet or run out of steam yet or hit the wall yet in order to learn that "empowering beliefs and one's own strength are no always enough. NOT to be a naysayer.....but be positive with encouraging words and call that myth what it is----malarkey.

Life happens along the way. sometimes, no matter how how you try things don't work out regardless of all you positive thinking and mantras. 

Don't fritter your life away trying "to do it all" in your own strength.

A Christian's "point of power" is centered around the Lord in an abiding relationship. (John 15)

Note to self---quit striving and allow Him to exert His great power on my behalf, even in my greatest weaknesses.
It's time to reconsider Who is the source of real power and stay plugged in to Him.

Mammogram TEA-nsion

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.(2 Corinthians 12:9, KJV)

'Tis the season for my annual mammogram and my anxiety is trying to creep  back up. There's just something about sitting in a mammogram waiting room that serves up a cuppa anxi-TEA, whether one sips from it or not. Anyone who has ever received the "dreaded call back" understands.

Today I am choosing not to allow the tension of the exam to result in my ingesting any anxie-TEA. 

Trust me, I couldn't conjure this courage up. But God had a verse for me....allowing His power to work best in my weakness. 

I really thought of God's strength as the pressure pusher that squooshed me digitally registered 9.4 pounds and then 12.0 pounds on the pull backs. How low can it go???

As I added the punctuation to that last sentence, the tech appeared and leaning down, she whispered in my ear, "We need to do an ultrasound. Okay?" What can one say but, "okay."
As the "Happy" song started playing in the background---I had to smile. If my gowntail would have stayed closed I might have gotten up for a "little dance." Even after the doctor had to come in to scrutinize ultrasounds 3 and 4, I sensed God's grace as discussions began.

My momentary fears and afflictions are just that. Momentary. Even in a call back or a less than perfect diagnosis. So, each year I go back because I have to. The alternative is not to know, and that is worse. This time I have to return sooner but today's event  has been better because I brought  God in with me. The reali-TEA station at the Methodist Hospital Breast Center was offering many a cuppa of uncertain-TEA to several of us ladies......

.......But God..... sweetened my cuppa by blending veraci-TEA from His word!
With a little background music!

......Because I'm happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do....(Pharrell Williams)

It's what I want to do---choose joy, not fear. 

"Prosperi-TEA for Posteri-TEA"

So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come. (Psalm 71:18, ESV)

Prosperity means many things. For most it indicates affluence based on a healthy bank statement. In both scripture and Winnie the Pooh, it can indicate "milk and honey." For the Christian, prosperity goes beyond one's calculated financial wealth. Prosperity for all Christians is made up of faithfulness to and trust in the Lord----regardless of their bank statement. Most of us know believers who have eked out , scratched by and suffered "lack" most of their lives, yet lived lives of utter fidelity to God. How prosperous are they!!

A "Prosperity Gospel" imagines the Lord as a "vending machine" God. This health and wealth gospel teaches that all one has to do is believe and receive, as they ask for God's blessings. The prosperity gospel is a half-truth, perhaps less.
Yes, God is good. God is faithful and God does bless His people, but God.....the one true God of the Bible is the God who will see us through regardless of the circumstances. Sometimes blessings are obvious and it is easy to thank Him. Other times when it seems times are so hard that one is not experiencing the blessing of God, one can still trust that God is there,  just waiting for us to turn to Him, and learn that in loving Him we have life's deepest blessing.

Posterity, on the other hand, indicates a future generation of people. People who need to know the truth of God's faithfulness. Who will tell them? Who will pass on the prosperity that accompanies a life of true faithfulness to the Lord?

As Crickett teaches," God is more interested in our character than our comfort." Our faithful character will be our legacy for posterity.

If one wants to pass on prosperity for posterity, he/she needs more than a T-shirt to tell of God's truth. The whole truth will be told by their life.

Serve a cuppa of true prosperi-TEA for the posteri-TEA of the next generation.

"authori-TEA"

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. (Romans 13:1, NIV)

Leaving church Tuesday, loud claps of thunder, the wall-shaking, window-rattling kind, had everyone's attention. It reminded me of the Lord speaking with Moses on Mt. Sinai. the lightning, thunder and powerfully loud trumpet blast certainly got the attention of the Israelites. They trembled. (Exodus 19) God's word had power for their lives and gave authority to Moses to lead them.

Sometimes God's word seems to speak LOUDLY to me. When it continues to thunder in my head, I know that I am suppose to pay attention. "For the word of God is living and powerful,..."(Hebrews 4:12, NJV) It is the authority Christians choose to follow.

Power, literally translated, is “authority.” You have been delivered from the power, or authority, of darkness and placed into God’s kingdom. (Colossian's 1:13)

Authority, the right to rule and the right to be obeyed, belongs to the Lord, the Creator of all things. All authority belongs to Him.

A worthy cuppa for all---God's authori-TEA!

Connectors: Conduits of God's Power

Sunrise on Longreen as I read Genesis 1:14-16

1/23/12 But you are a CHOSEN PEOPLE, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, GOD'S SPECIAL POSSESSION, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ..... now you are the PEOPLE OF GOD;.... now you have RECEIVED MERCY. (1 Peter 2:9-10)
Much more to say about God's power---but "taking a beating" with blog problems, so adding text is very difficult.
But God....
He is our source. We are just conduits. (Huffman, 1/22/12)

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves. (2 Corinthians 4:7)

POWER FAILURE

9/13/10 Have you ever lost your power? Better yet, has a male member of your household ever lost power to “cable TV” on a Saturday when college football games are back to back and the Fed Ex Cup is in phase 2? This past Saturday while trying to help a neighbor, hubby was attempting to retrieve his own S video cord (those red, white and yellow audio visual thingies) to share with said neighbor. He no longer needed that cord for his Comcast connection. Oops, something went wrong. Everything on hubby's BIG screen TV went blank. He was not happy.

#1 rule of thumb is to always “check your connections!” You have to determine your power source. Are you plugged in?

I thought of that this morning when I was struggling for strength to get out of bed. Was I plugged in to my Source? I felt disconnected. I blamed fatigue and weakness from ongoing sinus infection. I needed His strength, His power and yet I felt guilty asking. Last weeks Psalm 71 said to “declare His strength to this generation and His power to all who come.” Why is it easier to ask for His power when battling cancer than when battling fatigue from sinusitis, which this morning felt equally debilitating? He gives power in all areas----just check out your concordance.

HHS Student Impact’s sign for club week, Roman 1:16, speaks of His all important power. Today, I plan to think on that power---the one for today, tomorrow and always.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

DREAD is not dead………….

5/23/10………..”it’s” still living in my head. I use the gender-neutral pronoun, it, because I’m not sure how else to classify a monster. I have this “dread” monster in my life. Just ask Larry. Sometimes it’s hard to keep “it” at bay especially when stressed or extremely tired---both together become one gigantic joy robber. My head actually feels full and heavy as if it could explode---too tired to even think clearly. That could be a result of my ebbing "end of the school year" energy.
I haven’t even quite closed out of school yet and already I’m overwhelmed by all the “undones” of the summer schedule. Why can’t I embrace the joy of time off for family and friends? Where is the joyful anticipation? Larry’s celebration/honor, 2 destination “family” weddings, trips with friends, art camp and birthday parties at 1152. I think I’m still that Mother Duck that Dr. Stenberg dubbed me---the one situated on the placid water "who is actually paddling like hell underneath to keep all her “ducks” afloat."

Why would I have any feelings of dread about a summer so full and glorious? I am actually fearful, as I “look down the road” of getting it all done----done in a timely manner and done “right”---which to me translates to perfect, which I know is impossible. I just want to do all things for all people and not disappoint. I feel so incapable.

Hmmm……….”looking down the road.” I know better. “What if’s” are a major character trait of DM. (dread monster) Looking down the road instead of looking up----wrong focal point, Dotsy.

I need to allow His power to strengthen me and work within me.
I need to quit resurrecting the dread!

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, (Ephesians 3:20)

God's Strength

2/2/09
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

This is a good verse for meditation on a morning when you don’t even want to get out of bed. I prefer the mornings when I’m able to say, “Good morning, Lord. I think I’ll have a piece of homemade chocolate meringue pie for breakfast.”

I was able to sit with Mommar, Larry’s mom, and watch birds and squirrels out the window even though thoughts of lawyers, docs, reports to fax, calls to make etc. etc. etc. were whirring around in my head. Those who are “on the same page” with me in the Jesus Calling book know the focus of today’s entry was free flowing thoughts seem to move toward problems------if focus is snagged on your problem, it circles round and round (boy, did it ever)----Your energy is drained!! It was already drained from three days of the “tyranny of the urgent”—you know those things that demand your attention & so you tend to them.

As an aside, if you are on the same page in the Jesus Calling book would you let me know---I’ve heard from several folks thru comments or LHH message/well wishes page or cards & calls. Just e-mail me at dotsyliles@gmail.com. Just wondering how far this little book is reaching.

This Monday was in my mind to become the day to share a little about MAC with folks b/c some have asked---maybe I wasn’t ready for that. I do know that sometimes people look at me as if I’m “in denial”---I’m really in a grace bubble. Trust me, I know a lot about MAC & enough of the journey ahead to warrant my attention and an understanding of things that I choose not to share b/c you readers are not covered with that extra measure of mercy and grace that is mine for the taking/accepting in the midst of this crisis.

Today became “Journal Jottings: a Juxtaposition of my Frailty and God’s Strength.” I needed His power and strength today in extra measure!! 

Thanks to anyone who prayed early---maybe it was your prayer that helped get me out of the bed and in a mode to ask Him myself---to strengthen me by the power of His might….for patience and endurance during this time.”