Simplici-TEA

3/7/12 Sometimes it’s good to ease up on the accelerator in life. (1,000 words, Commercial Appeal 2/26/12)

Hearkening to those words, after my “retreating” has me hankering to do just that.

It’s the “cuppa” I hope to drink great draughts from this month, especially in my blog. May it be good medicine for my soul and yours as well.

Saying more with fewer words. Slowing down to consider big ideas from small portions of passages, etc.

Simply tea---though a stronger tea for energy

Flying to Texas today. The next 10 days will be spent with all my Texans in Allen, TX and then driving with them back to Memphis on Saturday. They will be here for Spring Break so-o-o today is probably a great time to start. I also hope to plan more moments of solitude and to find a quiet place where I can focus on God. In the past, sitting with one of the little Texans in my lap during my quiet time has given me a great focus and understanding of the simplici-TEA of His love. A love, that when fully accepted, overlows to others.

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)

MEDITATION MONDAY: A STERLING IDEA

3/5/12 Having been up to my elbows in silver polish for the last week, I readily understood our BSF leader, Cathy’s, analogy about our spiritual lives being like silver. When company comes, our moms always got out the silver and polished it carefully as a way of welcoming and esteeming our guests. Polished silver reflected the best we had to offer

As part of her teaching on Ephesians 1, Cathy reminded us that as God's children, we are chosen by Him for the "praise of His glory." (Ephesians 1:12) Our lives should clearly reflect Him---just like my piece of recently polished silver reflected me, the polisher.

Cathy Crowe's BSF principle, 
“God’s children are chosen to bring Him glory.”

But…..the hard part of the lesson came in the realization that, just like the silver, we can easily tarnish. We too often let circumstances or listening to gossip of others, have us reflecting the world and NOT the glory of God. “Polishing” by God is required. In order for “polishing to take place, we must be in His word. Daily exposure to God’s truth can give us such a shine that once again we reflect Him and His glory.

 “Meditation Monday”  = Time for reflection in His word.

16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe..... (Ephesians 1:16-19a)

Her question, “Are there any tarnished places in your life?” Her suggestion, “Ask God to use His word to polish them. What a sterling idea!!

SABBATH SNAPSHOTS: CONVEYANCES OF GOD'S MESSAGES IN CREATION

3/4/12 "A lily, or a tree, or a servant of God, may convey God’s message to me. What hinders me from hearing is that I am taken up with other things." (My Utmost for His Highest, 2/13 entry) During my first weekend in March walk, I listened to the Lord with my eyes. What a conversation we had!!!

Tulip Poplar, I think?

Forsythia, unfettered and splashing everywhere---the way Mother said they were meant to grow---not clipped like a formal hedge.

Hyacinth---none sweeter
(Berries in background---just another plus for me.)

Bark and berries----I so-o-o love both.

Lenten Roses Smiling---it is Lent.

Lenten Roses Bowing---an appropriate gesture for the season.

Bradford Pears in abundance

New addition to the Dinkelspeil's landscape

Camellia with more blooms than usual it seems. 

Building a “Sweet” Spiritual Life

Good read with a slice and a cuppa.

3/3/12 Some people are cake people. I’m a pie person.  I “side” with the characters in Mamet’s play, “Boston Marriage”, who say, “We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie.” (NYTimes, 2/16) At my house, “Pie it is!” Even the book I’m finishing is Bradley’s, Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.

Last Monday, I went to learn basic piecrust-making at a King Arthur flour demonstration. Not only could pies be in my future but scone making would be demonstrated as well. Scones and a cuppa---a favorite of mine.

Informative, funny and enlightening.  

Yet, I began to see a great analogy between pie prep and spiritual growth for believers.

Start with clean hands and plan to use your hands a lot. (Confession is a good way to start our days, “clean.”)

Susan, our pastry chef’s, 1^st ingredient was “pure” flour. Oh how she stressed the importance of purity. (If we want our lives to “rise” to the level of perfection in Him, we too should desire purity first & foremost & "set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity." (I Timothy 4:2) 



She continued talking about accurate measurement and following the recipe. (Our standard of measurement is always the Lord and His directions/recipe for our lives are written in His word.) 

• However, she also reminded us how easy it was for a pastry to get a little dry---she would just “spritz” with a little mister of water and continue toward her goal. (Good directions for God’s people to follow---feeling a little dry---go to the always available Source of living water and get a little “spritz” or more if necessary.) 
• As she was winding up her demonstration, she cut off all unnecessary dough from her pan before she sealed and pinched her edges. (Is there unnecessary stuff in my life, that could easily be discarded so that my spiritual life is one that others can “taste and see” that the Lord is good?) 

Her final touch was a wash of cream and a topping of luster sugar---the perfect finish that draws others to “try” her pie. (Shouldn’t believers’ lives have a luster about them. A luster that draws others to the true “sweetness” in their lives?)

Yes, ’tis sweet to trust in Jesus,

Just from sin and self to cease;


Just from Jesus simply taking


Life and rest, and joy and peace.

 (http://nethymnal.org/htm/t/i/tissweet.htm)

"HAPPY TO BE"

3/1/12

Preparing to walk out the door to attend “Anything Goes” at Briarcrest High School, I gave myself a spritzing of Clinique’s “Happy to Be” cologne. Very appropriate as I love musical theater----and was "happy to be" attending especially when tonight's cast is made up of young people whom I know. I will see Spencer Stewart (in his final high school role) as Billy Crocker and Kat Golightly (from my Lakeland Elem. days) in the ensemble.

The perfect scent for one "chosen of God."

As I placed the atomizer back on the counter, I realized I had lots of reasons to be happy. My meditation phrase for the week flooded my mind. A reminder that I am “Happy to Be” chosen of God.

Brokenness addendum

2/29/12 Have you ever questioned whether you did all that God asked of you. I posted yesterday's "Brokenness" blog entry, but God...thought I omitted something important. His word. The main part of the passage that I was dealing with needed to be more clearly spelled out. Citations alone do not do that. I had even queried my self several times about just putting the jar of clay citation and not the verse itself. God answered that query. 

Tonight at Heart to Heart Bible study, the tech man was closing up and right there in front of me was God's answer to my query. Just citation or include the main verse?

I even had my camera. So, with "tech's" permission I documented God's answer. God wanted each blog reader to have the verse at hand. I think He assumed it was a verse too important to miss---or to be left in each reader's hands to look up for themselves. 

So here it is! His power to answer prayers specifically.You can thank God for His addendum. I did. 

FORGIVENESS

2/29/12    FORGIVENESS---it's all about grace.

Hearing from 3 blog readers who would underline forgiveness in this week's, Colossians 3:12-14, meditation passage, I decided to post a link to my "teaching" on that topic. I confess that I did not want to teach that topic---but God......and you know how that goes. How grateful I am that the Lord had me deal with this issue a few months before my cancer diagnosis. I can only imagine how difficult that journey and healing would have been without having been finally purged (over 20 years of trying) from the bitterness and resentment of my "wounded" spirit. 

Alliterative outline is included to help remember 1. Repent. 2. Release. 3. Refocus. Yet it goes beyond that---dealing with "deep hurts" and smoldering resentment. Listen if you have need. It will be my voice and my heart that you hear. 

http://www.firstevan.com/?s=Dotsy+liles

BROKENNESS

2/28/12 From my neighborhood walk to my backyard patio, I saw brokenness. In the physical realm brokenness seems like such a negative. Destruction. Disenchantment. Disappointment.

Bu† God…..these last few weeks has been showing me, once again, the necessity of brokenness in the spiritual realm. Brokenness is humility---our humble response to God’s conviction of sin in our lives. It’s one of His ways for accomplishing transformation in our lives.

In the BSF lesson scripture (2 Corinthians 4:7-10) reminded me of my “treasure within.” But how do others see that treasure within? They see it through my brokenness. When the Lord’s life flows through my weak and frail jar of clay, Jesus “sticks out all over.”

In my life, brokenness first had to occur through thick walls of self-protection that kept both earthly and heavenly relationships at bay. The distance was self-induced to ensure pain avoidance. For a long while, it worked. Bu†God began to tear away at the protective seal that I had tightly woven over my heart. He showed me my sin. The words in Dr.Larry Crabb’s, Inside Out, jumped off the page at me.  He called self-protection what it was. Self-protection is a sin. A sin requiring repentance in order for my relationship with the Lord to grow.

The demand to keep ourselves safe is strong.  We look in all the wrong places for the relief our soul desires so badly, developing a style of relating designed to protect ourselves from the pain we fear.  Although our self-protective strategies are foolish (even when we get the safety we want, we realize it’s not what we want), we still cling to our ‘right’ to protect ourselves.  We demand that our pain be relieved.  That core demand must be faced before we’ll give it up through repentance and learn to re-direct our energy into love. (Crabb p.142)

For me brokenness was a good thing. Painful, yes---but worth the suffering! A yielding. A willing submission. Rising from the dust of my shattered jar was the Spirit of the Living Lord. It was His filling in my life that fulfilled me. Brokenness was my path to wholeness. A dichotomy of sorts---a broken person ready to wholly serve in grace-filled ways.

When I am broken, the life of my Lord is put on display for others. Can you see Him?

Meditation Musings

2/27/12 When meditating on God’s Word, what is most important?  Scripture selection? Time? Place? Is amount of time more important than a place with no distractions? Is a long passage better than a few verses? Does posture matter? The answers to all these questions will vary from person to person based on individual situations and often even on one's season of life. Time frame might be decided based on one’s schedule or sleep patterns.  What matters is meditation. Spending time in God’s word.

Today I decided to read only 3 verses from Colossians chapter 3. Though it’s only 3 verses, Billy Graham emphasizes that the Lord can even use only “ a few verses at a time” to “reshape your life.” (Nearing Home p. 154)

Foster, too, states, “It is better to take small portions and digest them fully that to attempt to gorge yourself and get spiritual indigestion.” (Foster, p. 131)

I began by reading this passage aloud in its entirety----somewhat along the lines on an example given in Sanctuary of the Soul. (Foster, p. 124)

After reading aloud once, I went back and prayerfully asked God to focus my attention on verses that needed my attention. I reread, underlining words or phrases that stood out to me.

I waited in “listening silence” (Foster, p. 125)

Then I "steeped" some more by reading only the underlined words. 

The single phrase that stood out was “chosen of God” and that’s the 3 words I’m carrying with me to “think on” for the next few days. Already I’m asking myself if my actions are consistent with that privilege, “chosen of God” and what kind of heart does one “chosen of God” put on every day?

12 So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. 14 Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

I’m still musing this verse. Muse with me. Let me know your meditation musings either on Colossians 3: 12-14 or whatever verses the Spirit has for you.