TORN AND TATTERED!

Torn and Tattered. The way I feel some days!

Once belonging to F. Heron. Purchased by me in 1998(?) in Harley, England near Gatwick Airport. Diane A., JoLynn H. Pam Higg, and I were staying at Kevin's B&B near the antique shop. 

Reason for purchasing....Psalms prayers, Hymns of old & pictures similar the ones in Mama Davenport's KJV Bible.

I appreciated the wealth of wisdom therein.

 

God guides me with His counsel (wisdom TLB, wise advice, NIRV)....for me it is good to be near God; 

(Psalm 73:24a & 28:a)

Never torn and tattered but fresh and new each day.

PRAYER CHAIR PROMPTS!

SCRIPTURE PROMPTING PRAISES!

He tends His flock like a Shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. (Isaiah 40:11)

PRAISES for a LORD who keeps us close to His heart!

s l o w i n g VERBS NEEDED

Wordsmith Wednesdays seem to frequently have me exploring verbs. I have spent several years focusing on dance in both the verb and noun parts of speech. However, the last 2 years I have focused on a single "action" verb each year. I know because in 2017 I logged over 200 "choose" blog entries. Sunday, I reread a "choose" entry on nearness of God as I was praying for others through Psalm 73. 2018's verb focus has been "consider" and I've learned in all my actions, it's important to "consider" Him first! (Hebrews 12:3) 

I might need to focus more on Him today as I seem to be  growing weary and losing heart, as the rest of the verse states. Lysa Terkeurst's Embraced, stated, "We run at a breakneck pace to try and achieve what God wants us to slow down enough to receive. (p.19)

Maybe I need to focus more on "to be" verbs ----verbs of being, not action.

Maybe for me, a compromise is needed---action verbs indicating a slower speed.

Amble. Linger. Relax. Soak. Be still. Bask. Be refreshed.

Pause before speaking.

Pause before seeking.


Slowing verbs might be just what I need. How about you?
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FRIDAY FUNERAL

Funerals can be a celebration of a life well-lived. 

Such was today's funeral of 88 year old Lilly Laughlin!

Lilly, a woman whom I have called friend for 50 years, showed me throughout all those years that God was her refuge. Nearness "to her Lord" was evident to all who knew her as she told of His works and lived a life of faith and fun! 

"Her flesh and her heart may have failed but God was the strength of her heart and portion" up until she took her final breath and God received her in to glory. (Psalm 73:24, 26, 28) 

Lilly holding hydrangeas, from my daughter Molly's yard, is one of my favorite pictures. Plus, it's in a "Dotsy" frame.

Lilly did not hide her love of the Lord from her descendants; she told her girls and grands and most of us in attendance, many of whom have told their next generation (grands and great grands) of the "praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done," as it says in Psalm 78:4.

This "Friday Funeral" for one of God's faithful was indeed a celebration!

Our loss of sweet Lilly is heaven's gain! Glory be to God.

CHOOSE: NEARNESS

Growing up in the Methodist church in Hoptown, one tid-bit I recall is analogous with sitting near a roaring fireplace. If one doesn't feel the warmth, guess who moved away from the fire. Similarly if one doesn't feel the warmth of God's presence, guess who moved? Not God. He is Emmanuel, "God with us!"

Psalm 73:28 reminds us "it is good to be near God."

The verse continues, "I have made the Lord God my Refuge." Psalm 46:10 expands the thought giving understanding of the resulting strength that comes to one who chooses the nearness of God as a refuge. When I "move away" from that nearness, I suffer, as do others around me.

I know because I have chosen my own strength these past weeks and thus failed miserably! 

Control. Dread. Fear. Insensitivity. Ire. Irritability.  By-products of my own life when I move away from the warmth of His love,  

As a new year approaches, I hope to change my direction moving closer to Him.  May I allow that nearness of Him, to not only give me refuge but His strength as well. 

Nearness to Him is the essential for Christ-like living. 

propinqui-TEA

Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: (Ruth 4:14-15, KJV)

Prayer times yesterday with a prayer partner and today, on my own, had me continuing to pray thru Psalm 73:23-28. "Nearness of God is my good." So many who are dear to me need to embrace that truth. 

It is during those times of nearness to Him that He restores and nourishes. He becomes a refuge and a guide. He holds us (especially needed during dark times) with His right hand, providing peace in the midst of the trial.

How does one close the "spatial gap" between heaven and earth in order to be near the Lord? A close proximi-TEA is needed.....but how does one get closer?

That's why propinqui-TEA was my "tea" choice during my "Tea with Thee" time today, because propinquity is more than just close in distance----it is a close kinship. Such a kinship is established as one is in God's Word discovering who He is. Triune God. Father. King. Brother.

As hubby and I have been reading from the book of Ruth, we have seen the importance of that kinsman (Hebrew go el) who acts on behalf of a relative. For Ruth it was Boaz, who "closed the  gap" when she needed someone near to her to be designated to deliver and rescue her.

Jehovah is Israel’s Redeemer, the one who promises to defend and vindicate them as they draw near to Him in worship.

In the New Testament, Christ is often regarded as an example of a kinsman-redeemer because, as our brother, He is the true kinsman-redeemer of all who call on Him in faith. Today I have been calling on Him for others....that a close relationship might be established with Him as they pour out their heart, seek to know Him thru His word and trust His goodness.

Proximi-TEA. Propinqui-TEA. 

What ever cuppa I choose, I need to sip it with my Bible open that I might draw near and get better acquainted with my Kinsman Redeemer and continue to pray for others---that they too might realize that nearness to Him can also be their good.

"Proximi-TEA" : a 3rd cuppa

But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; (Psalm 73:28, NASB)

"Tea with Thee" is all about verse 28 in Psalm 73.

I am no where near Memphis at the moment---think, a rainy PGA championship in Louisville, Ky......but during my quiet time, my location doesn't matter. 
All that truly matters is my proximi-TEA to Him.
Proximini-TEA---an intimate cuppa.

"Still all my song shall be, Nearer, my God to Thee, Nearer, my God to Thee, Nearer, to Thee." (Cokesbury Hymnal (1923), 83)