Captivi-TEA

A cuppa captivi-TEA is needed if I'm to serve a little positivi-TEA to others. I have to live it before I can serve it.

Yea, yea, I know----tea blogs were for last year ----but cut me a little slack because "tea thinking" is a part of who I am. And a cuppa captivi-Tea is about one's thought life.

If I'm concerned about thinking positive thoughts about Memphis town, surely I can work on eliminating negative aspects about my self.

Replacement thinking. Sounds like something one would hear from a therapist's couch. Replacing my thoughts with His thoughts is from the "good book" not a psychology book. My thoughts are not His thoughts (Isaiah 55:8) so I need to "bring every thought captive" (2 Corinthians 10:5) out of obedience to the Lord.

This week, partly in response to my husband's request to "quit being so hard on my wife," I have tried "replacement thinking."

• ADD Reality---Always Distracted Dotsy---(similar to my often "Ditsy" typo-label) Replacement Response---God knows me by my "real" name---(Exodus 33:17)

"Dotsy(s)" on the cuppa mark it as really mine! CF knew that!

--Reality (what I think)---It's so-o-o hard being me.

**Replacement Response--I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14)

--Ineptness Reality---What I think when unable to conquer my PowerPoint for upcoming Exodus lesson.
**Replacement Response--God's power is made perfect in "my" weakness. Go God! (2 Corinthians 12:9)

--Most common self-inflicted diatribes---I haven't a clue and I can't remember squat.
**Replacement Response--To the man who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, (Ecclesiastes 2:26)

WHOOPS---how pitiful are those diatribes for one whose desire is to please Him---God gives wisdom to those who please Him. 

My "personal pursuit" for 2015 is to please GOD. I'd better bring that reminder front and center---a cuppa Captivi-TEA of thoughts and actions to please Him.

s-TEA-rife tempered by captivi-TEA

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5, NIT)

Strife. What is it? What causes it? What can one do about it?

My life must have it as I often realize my teeth are clenched. Even my shoulders seem to stay "clenched" lately. Up around my ears----until I intentionally pull them down, willing myself to calm down and relax.

Then, yesterday my iPad notes from 2 years ago opened wide for me to see:

• Strife---an inside job---it springs from within
• Strife---the enemy of peace and calm
• Root of strife = SELF-Worldiness, aka pride (opposite of pride is humility)
• Strife is conflict between our thinking and God's word.
• Mood-induced thoughts can keep me in turmoil, aka strife.
• Real issue--Whom will I love? God or the world? James 4:4 asks, "don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God?"

Good riddance for strife---submit to God, draw near to Him and as He reciprocates by drawing near as well, it becomes much easier to take every "rebellious self" thought captive.

(Continue reading).....God's word, that is.

God gracefully serves us cuppa after cuppa of humili--TEA, puri-TEA, and in-TEA-macy once we pour out the dregs of enmi-TEA and s-TEA-rife that have stained the insides of our former cuppa.

Papal Wisdom

7/25/13  In Rio de Janeiro today, the Pope (Francis) said, "....we must do more to end the culture of selfishness." That's the only part I heard and I don't want to take it out of context. However, that reference to selfishness resonated in my own conscience. Working with high schoolers for several years opened my eyes to their expectation of instant gratification and their perceived unfairness if they were ever on the short end of any "they have, I want" stick. I blamed it on their self-centered age.

Not today. Today I saw myself afresh.  SELFISH (in all caps) brought me up short.

Philippians 2:3-4 is my defense. My weapon. I will use God's word to fill my mind. Hopefully, that will cast out all those ungrateful, selfish thoughts and allow me to see the Lord's truths in a fresh way.

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

I'm not Roman Catholic, but I thank the Pope for his wise words. Words that took me to the Word. God's words that I need to keep at the forefront of my mind.