"Brevi-TEA" : a rebrew

Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool. (Ecclesiastes 5:3, NLT)

Terse verse. I'm an admirer. Always have been. It's fun. it became a car game for us on long trips. We called it stink pinks. (one-syllable) A rabbit seat.....a hare chair. Stinky pinkies (two-syllables)  A witty hare....funny bunny  Stinkity pinkity (three syllables) An earth day promise? Pollution Solution.

Just a two-word poem that rhymes. One phrase is given as an explanation. The answer is the rhyming synonym with appropriate number of syllables. The kids were great at this game, aka "hinky pinky."

Think of it as a texting type poem. Fun but not true writing.

Poets. These true writers can say the most with the fewest words. It's as if depth of thought resonates with each single word choice. A rare breed. An admired  breed by me. As I've blogged before, that "pithy with a punch" kind of writing is difficult for me. But.....for the sake of blog readers, and because of conviction from the above verse, I do keep trying to pare the words.

Dog Songs celebrates small everyday moments with canines in this book of "dog poetry" provided by friend Ann M.

My great and lordly satisfaction at her splash
of happiness as she barged
 through the pitch pines swiping my face with her
wild, slightly mossy tongue. (p. 25)

Wow---what a great relationship picture in 26 words. Brief but comprehensive.

My writing is neither concise nor lyrical. It's just words on paper which help me organize my thoughts. But God......seems to keep me writing to extend my "Tea With Thee" time with Him. So....though the blog entry words need to be condensed, my time with Him does not. Writing/blogging keeps me more focused. 

Brevi-TEA of words might come with time....BUT don't "count" on it.

brevi-TEA

God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. (Ecclesiastes 5:2)

Much time was spent this morning in God's Word. So much so, that when my phone rang at 12:20, I had to admit I was still in my gown-tail. (a Mama Davenport term) 

Yet, not one blog thought had been given. Not even a "tea" word. Was this the blog door closing? 

Verbose. Had I been writing too much? My desire has been to write in a "pithy with a punch" way? Were my own words overshadowing His truths?

Driving home from Bible Study tonight, I prayed, "Lord if you want me to blog today, please give me the words. So......here they are.

• Serve a cuppa brevi-TEA.
• Pare it down and pour it out. 
• Take truths from today's study & summarize.

There's a stark contrast between the godly who delight in God's Word and the ungodly who scoff at God. (Psalm 1) 

• God's Word: Delight. Meditate. Follow.

God reveals Himself in nature and His Word as we "look" for Him. (Psalm 19) 

• Look for God daily.

God's truths give completeness and purpose to life while wickedness centers on self without purpose. (Psalm 37) 

• "Fret not!"

Pouring out only a 1/2 cuppa of all I learned today. 

• 

Just enough. Sometimes brevi-TEA is best. 

Aspects of Simplicity: Slowing

6/5/13 "Simplicity" has been an often recurring theme in my blog posts this year as far back as March 12. At least that's what a "Dotsy Details simplicity" google search indicated. For the next 3 weeks I hope to share more snippets of simplicity from the specifics of a "Summer Refreshment" study,  "simplici-TEA."

"Slowing" snippets from last nights study group:

• All true and lasting simplicity will be an overflow of one's central (heart) relationship with the Lord. 
• To simplify, Dallas Willard says one must, "Ruthlessly eliminate "hurry" from your life. 
• "Multi-tasking" is the newly coined word for "hurry sickness." Americans always seem to be in a hurry to accomplish more. 
• "Hurry sickness" is not about having a disordered schedule; rather it's about having a disordered heart. (John Ortberg) 
• Hurry is an inner condition that is fear-based. 
• Moving quickly while walking in-step with God is NOT "hurrying."
• Everything we do must come forth out of love NOT just from following rules or checking off a to-do list.
• My cuppa "simplici-TEA" could use a little brevi-TEA, and humili-TEA blended in as well a BIG scoop of "intentionali-TEA" as slowing doesn't come easy for me.

For info and assignments needed, simplici-TEA participants may click on these links and sign in with own email address and own email password when prompted. Protected because only you know your own email password.

Slowing

Simple verses

Tea With Thee
WARNINGS from yesterday, in case you missed it.

Today's "simple truth" (for me) came in this morning's Commercial Appeal.   "Labor intensive" value of a great caramel cake caught my eye. Well, that's my all-time favorite cake---I could just suck the icing right off of it. But, who has the time to make it & caramelize all that sugar. At my house, BURNING would come into play.

What I loved was the simple solution given----one with a punch. Just order one from Sugarees, in New Albany, MS makes them, which a previous blog stated but.....according to the CA article, you can request EXTRA icing. So-o-o grateful for that tasty tid-bit!!!

Oh my........ that's worth "slowing" for!  If I practiced "slowing" by taking 5 minutes to walk from my kitchen to the living room with a piece of caramel cake in hand, I'm sure just focusing on & savoring that icing would simplify the process.

TEA WITH THEE.....

3/6/12….in Psalm ninety. (nine-TEA) Nothing much better than a morning with the psalms and a cuppa---both tend to soothe the soul.

Psalm 90 is where I found myself as I am trying to “steep” myself in the Psalms this year. Reading through it the first time, the “tea” elements jumped off the page. There was much to “sip-on”---eterni-TEA, (v.1-2) frail-TEA, (v. 3) gravi-TEA (v.7-8 ) of our iniqui-TEAs, etc.  When I got to brevi-TEA, (v.10-22)I thought what a hard cuppa to swallow for those who don’t know the Lord. Perfect "cuppa" (v.17) is a believer's cup of tea.....favor of the Lord our God, resting upon us and establishing the work of our hands.

Tea with the Lord and my cuppa satisfied.  The simplici-TEA of it all---God’s unfailing love, as shown in His word, satisfies. (Psalm 90:14)