accorDANCE

6/11/11 Assume the postion for accorDANCE---if you want a 3 word answer to most of life's questions, that is! The answers to the questions that matter in life are not, do this or don't do that. Rather, according to Oswald Chambers, the answer lies in 3 words, 'Come unto Me.' (Matthew 11:28) "If I (you) will come to Jesus, my (your) actual life will be brought into my real desires.........and actually find the song of the Lord" (My Utmost for His Highest 6/11 entry)

My way of thinking about that is----if I align my will with His will, His desires will become my desires. In this dance of life, if I want to be lead by the spirit of life, I need to learn the "new" steps of "accorDANCE!

Now it's your turn to think on the implications of that verse in your own life.

On the Road Again

6/11/11 Will post when I find a computer----nursing home doesn't have much need for a computer room.
Was leaving early this am to head back to Nashville but a phone call from brother Buddy has me headed out the door with a sense of urgency. Brother Buddy & Charlotte are turning around & heading back from Louisville and Bobby and Louise are loading up for a 14 hour trip from Sanibel Island. West Meade called and Daddy has had an "event" that has caused his blood pressure to plummet and his O2 levels to fall----Hold on Daddy---we're all coming!!

Friday Fatigue---the good kind

6/10/11 So tired will post later!

PRAISE PRACTICE

6/6/11 A plethora of meds have graced my bathroom counter these last few months. All are intended to improve my physical health/well being. Finally, I’m about to get used to this routine---with hubby reminders. But….it takes practice. Daily practice.

I assume if I need these daily doses for my physical health, then a daily dose of "praise" would surely improve my spiritual health. (and yours too) I’m prescribing it for all of us as we begin this week of meditation. Psalm 5, a psalm of protection tell gives us a direction for beginning.

1.Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. 2. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. 3.My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

RX for improved spiritual health for week of June 6-12

• MON. I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High. (Psalm 9:1-2) Does my heart even know how to praise Thee adequately? May I improve with practice.
  
• TUES. And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD. (Psalm 27:6) Are my enemies real or perceived?
• WED. I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. (Psalm 34:1-3) Is my praise continual?
  
• THUR. I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. (Psalm 40:1-3) Am I waiting on the Lord? Do others see Him in me?
• FRI. Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. (Psalm 112:1) Am I delighting in His law or trying to Make it fit my desires?
• SAT. I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. (Psalm 145:1-4) Do I bless His name everyday?
• SUN. Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness………Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD. (Psalm 150:1-2, 6) For from Him and in Him I have my being.

What’s the rationale for praising the Lord? God's Word says, "Rejoice in the Lord!" (Psalm 97:12) It’s good for the soul.

St. Augustine said it well, from the Lord’s perspective. “You stir man to take pleasure in praising you, because you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” (Book I of St. Augustine’s Confessions)

Bible-less in Bellevue until………………..

6/5/11 I found the Bible version I was looking for nestled between the Cokesbury hymnals on the bookshelf in Bobby & Louise’s computer room. Not only that, it was inscribed from Mother and Daddy to B & L on their wedding day. How perfect was that! Now, I had a special Bible to take and read to Daddy. A perfect wedding gift for them (then) and a perfect gift for me (now) for such a time as this. It even had an entire page of pictures of animals in the Bible and included the locust that I’ve been trying to help Daddy see as they buzz by his window in room 3010.

I told you it was the perfect gift.

Locust Lore (pic to follow soon)

6/4/11 Nothing like a quiet morning walk to "unmuddle" one's mind---or so I thought. It started with a droning sound from afar, progressing to a high whirring sound---a sound not likely to be forgotten. It steadily rose to a crescendo * somewhat akin to a 100 kindergarteners shaking aluminum cans filled with poptops---in both hands. (*To hear the sound, click the link & scroll down to video #6 cicada wall )

As I walked directly under a tree, my shirt became dotted with light, wispy, little winged creatures. A few "crisp" ones crunched under my feet.
"Our 13 year locust," a passer-by informed me. "The red-eyed ones are all around but a few blue-eyed ones are here too. Cicadas. Spittlebugs. Pests. " she informed me. "You Tube is full of videos of folks eating them with drawn butter or chocolate coated."

A very informative morning walk---now I had new things to whir in my mind and at my feet. Prior to these insights, my locust info came only from the Bible story of God sending the plague of locusts on the Egyptian pharaoh and the description of the apostle John in Mark 1:3-8 as one who ate "locusts and wild honey."

I picked up a locust carcass for close inspection. I gathered more. The educator in me and the "hope" in me, knows that if they come out from underground only every 13 years, then I need one for each of my grands' future 4th grade entomology projects. I envision them pinned to the poster board with the entomological name underneath and the date, June 4, 2011, Bellevue, TN.

That's my locust story, what's yours?

Morning Reminders

6/3/11 After yesterday's visit with Daddy and a restless night, I was grateful for the reminder I read this morning---from a reread of Tom Frazier's India 2010 journal entires.

Jesus said, 'I am the resurrection.' In essence He says, not Yesterday if, not Tomorrow when, but Today because. Living in the past or longing for the future leaves us empty and makes the promises of God of no effect to us. God is our 'ever present help in time of need.' Jesus is the resurrection , now. It's only in the NOW
that time and eternity kiss. Not yesterday if, not tomorrow if only, but today
because He is our Life.

His recollections reminded me of my own teaching on the verb tenses of life. Live in the pleasant (present) tense. Give up the if onlys (past) and the what if fears. (future) I needed that reminder this morning!

Nashville News--A sad commentary until.......

6/2/11 Sadness prevails as I scan the 3rd floor dining area. Not from the residents, but from me. Mother would have said ,"Get a hold of yourself!"
Daddy sits and watches as all await their food. No need for chairs as all are wheelchair bound. Tonight's ratio is 19 to 4. Only 4 resident men. There's a semblance of conversation at one table but most sit in silence. One screeches out on occassion even though her husband visits her at mealtime.
At Daddy's table Mrs. S, who is such a lady, doesn't hear well but regales us with her life stories. As the wait for food lengthens, she becomes quiet and then says, "For the life of me, I can't figure our why I'm here or how I got here. Do you know?" How do you answer that kind of question? Mrs. P, sitting next to her replied, "Darlin' I don't know why I'm here either but let's don't worry about it tonight." I think there's a life lesson/truth in her words---acceptance.
This scenario is so different from the rehab floor where Daddy was just last week and it's going to take me awhile to digest it.
But God....had Sheila show up. Sheila who calls Daddy, "Grandaddy" and worked with him on the 2nd floor. But as she says as she hoists Daddy over the toliet in his lift, "2nd floor was temporary, my real love is 3rd floor." Praises for people with a Sheila size heart.

Retirement Questions???

6/1/11 Lots of retirement questions. Of which there are no answers………..YET! Any plans? How’s it going? I don’t know how it’s going. It “feels” no different from years past when being out for the summer. My only stated goal, which is not at all spiritual, was to SLEEP for a year. With this congestion crud I’ve been fighting, I’m already taking sleep to the next level.

One concern I have is not living up to the expectations of family and friends during this upcoming season. I’ve been warned by folks, who have tread this path before me, not to make too many plans/commitments, especially with Daddy’s needs at the forefront of all decisions.

But, I am a people pleaser so I’m already feeling guilty, “No guilty feelings allowed,” son, Buddy, admonished during his retirement day phone call. Easy for him to say.

But God……has dealt wondrously with me in the past and most recently in allowing this time. Joel 2:26 states:

And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with youJ (I’ve definitely gotten the eating part down to a science. Now the plan is to beef up the praise.)

Therefore I can continue to trust Him for guidance to allow me to accept His best for me-----that which pleases Him.

So here’s the plan………..

Now the God of peace, …..make you perfect in every good thing to do His will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, (Hebrews 13:21-22a, ASV)

I guess I’ll have to refer all retirement questions to the only One who knows the answers.

Military Positioning

5/30/11

The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable. ~ Sun Tzu, Chinese strategist, on the art of War

I don’t know who Sun Tzu is, but he does reflect what I do know about the importance of positioning in military strategy. The works of Watchman Nee, a Chinese Christian whose life was a symbol of steadfastness, have taught me much about strategies for living a spirit filled life in the midst of spiritual battles. In an increasingly hostile world, Nee, too, emphasizes position.

From his book, Sit, Walk, Stand, I have learned the importance of these positional truths:

• Sitting comes first---sitting at the Lord’s feet is essential so most of our pre-battle strategy time should be spent in this position;
• Walking follows sitting---the Lord will move us out in His timing and strengthen us to walk in truth as we are lead by His Spirit;
• Standing in His strength, coupled with His truth makes our position unassailable.

I also know that life is one continuous battle after another. Step 1 is realizing that our battles are against the evil one. Step 2 is keeping my mind filled with God’s strategies by meditating on His truths and walking in them. Step 3 is my stance, which is made possible only by following steps one and two. WARNING—Don’t reverse these steps!

The only way my position is unassailable in the warfare of my own life is by putting on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6: 10-18)

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6:13)

That’s my military position what’s yours? Meditate on this verse this Memorial Day because as always, it falls on a Monday and meditation is what we always do on Mondays.