Spiritual Character TEA-raits

Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. (Proverbs 30:5, ESV)

Tomorrow, Nov 30, 2014, Caleb Davenport Liles will turn 9. As always, I will pray verses form Proverbs 30, as it corresponds with his birthday.
Spiritually Caleb is secure having accepted Christ as his Savior 12/24/11. He even chose baptism this past May....so moving for me to watch that on video as his father baptized him (April 27, 2014)

In character, Caleb is all boy---loving sports and adventure ---so, this year I've added some verses from God's servant, Caleb, because he followed the Lord wholeheartedly. 

Excerpts from Caleb's prayers* for my Caleb:

• Make Caleb a leader among Your people. (Numbers 10:1)
• Help Caleb refuse to see life through the eyes of men. (Numbers 14:30-33)
• Help Caleb to know Your Presence which brings boldness and direction/ (Numbers 14:5-10)
• Cultivate within Caleb a fresher and fresher faith as he grows older. (Joshua 14)
• Give Caleb the "guts" to pray..."Give me the land" (Numbers 13:30) and "Give me the high ground. (Joshua 14:11-12)

May Caleb not only choose a cuppa quality spiritual TEA-raits for himself but may he inspire others to choose that cuppa as well.

*Thanks to brother, Buddy, for these verses!

Li-TEA-rary Cuppas

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 
(Genesis 1:1, KJV)

First lines are important. First lines set the stage.
All writers know the importance of that first line. That very first line aka "the HOOK" uses memorable words to "hook" the reader and draw him into the story. 
From "I am Sam, Sam I am," (Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss) to ...and the clocks were striking thirteen. (1984, Orwell), choice words "hook" us.
"Marley was dead: to begin with." starts Charles Dickens', very familiar Christmas Carol. Even a partial sentence such as Dickens' Tale of Two Cities'...."It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," can prompt remembrance. Miss Vaughn's senior English classroom comes to my mind. 

 "First Lines Literature Mug"
philosophersguild.com

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again....."was the opening line for Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, which I still recall some 50+ years later. It conjures up eery silence and Gothic intrigue.

A couple of years ago, I read Death Comes to Pemberley, by P.D. James, because I assumed it would be her last. It was. Phyliss Dorothy James, a British crime writer, passed away yesterday 11/27/14  at her home in Oxford England. This final novel, combined a sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice with a historically accurate murder mystery and though not my favorite, I'm glad I read it.

I've been a fan of James' books featuring detective Adam Dagliesh since college days. I also remember her female detective in an, Unsuitable Job for a Woman. 

Though I don't remember the opening line for Death Comes to Pemberley,  I do remember the setting. The setting compared her sitting room with the splendid library, full of volumes and freely open to her---so different from her earlier home library, which she could enter only by invitation. 

In the Bible, the first line lays (literally) the foundation for creation and the basis of the Greatest Story Ever Told. (Genesis 1:1)

God's Word is my favorite li-TEA-rary cuppa. I'm hooked. 

A BIG cuppa Gra-TEA-tude

 In everything give thanks, (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NASB)

A great verse reminder to give thanks throughout the year---not just on Thanksgiving Day!

Dickens says we Americans have it backwards---we should spend 364 days a year being thankful and set aside one day only for griping and complaining.

Amen! to Mr. Dickens and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Gra-TEA-tude---How full is your cuppa?

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! (1 Chronicles 16:34, ESV)

Didn't we learn in kindergarten to say "thank you?" I didn't go to kindergarten but I learned it from my mother and grandmothers and I taught it to 5 year olds and pre-schoolers for 20+ years.

You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. (2 Corinthians 9:11-12, NIV)

"Happy people are not always thankful but thankful people are almost always happy." Howard Clark said this and WSJ research seems to back it up.
Wall Street Journal says"Giving thanks is good for your health."

Adults who frequently feel grateful have more energy, more optimism, more social connections and more happiness than those who do not, according to studies conducted over the past decade. They’re also less likely to be depressed, envious, greedy, or alcoholics. They earn more money, sleep more soundly, exercise more regularly, and have greater resistance to viral infections. 

Now, researchers are finding that gratitude brings similar benefits in children and adolescents. [Studies also show that] kids who feel and act grateful tend to be less materialistic, get better grades, set higher goals, complain of fewer headaches and stomach aches, and feel more satisfied with their friends, families, and schools than those who don’t. (WSJ 11-23-10)

Thanksgiving Day comes tomorrow...but  according to Edward Stanford Martin

"Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow."

I plan on sipping frequently from my FULL cuppa gra-TEA-tue. How about you?

Identi-TEA : a cuppa choice

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in His name, he gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12, NIV)

Identity is important in our nation. Safety continues to be a big concern. Identification is crucial in both air space and cyberspace. Though terrorists and hackers seem to understand how to "skirt" that issue, those on the "right side of the law" appreciate diligence.

Privacy is also a concern. We might not want people to know all about us.
Even without an official ID or driver's license, there are many indicators, along with our "outward" actions, that tell others about us.

The delivery man wearing brown, we assume, works for UPS. 
Uniforms with stripes or neon orange jumpsuits on roadsides have us thinking unsavory thoughts about the "wearers", even though we've probably never met any of those folks picking up the trash.
At the gym, colored balls signify aging and even the color of one's hand weights SHOUTS to all in sight of one's fitness level, or lack there of. 
On an airplane, I find comfort when my seat is across from one wearing a cleric color.

Identity is more than our name or initials. It's even more than our "job" uniforms or badges. It's even more than our likes and dislikes, by which others often define us.....for me, that would be berries on bushes, books, pockets in jammies, tea and the Lord. But, does having Bibles sitting around and a cross around one's neck tell the true identity. 

One's ID is not just worn or collected, it's lived out! Anyone can slip a cross around their neck and yet their actions belie this symbol.

The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)

True identity is found in the One who gave us the right to be called children of God. Aren't we glad He knows our identity!
Actually, He's the one Who served us our very own cuppa identi-TEA.

Gramma-TEA-ically : a significant cuppa

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. 

(Philippians 4:1, NLT)

Therefore, an adverb---meaning; a result.....for that reason.
THEREFORE ----used 1468 times in the King James version of the Bible. 

Cole Huffman sees "therefore" as an encapsulating word which shows us what all the preceding words were there for.  In the scriptures, it is often used after the writer has shown all that God has done for you (me)---therefore, or in light of all of this, here's what should follow in your (my) life.

One of the first things I learned in my early years of Kay Arthur Bible studies, was the "therefore rule." 
If therefore appears in a passage, and it will a lot, it will be incumbent on you to find out what it's there for. In other words, it's our responsibility to "open" our Bibles and dig into the Scripture allowing God to reveal truth and the life lessons He has for each of us.

Here are a few "therefores" for your digging pleasure......

Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober,... 1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, put on the whole armor of God...Ephesians 6:13 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed....Philippians 2:12 Therefore, there is now no condemnation....Romans 8:1 

.....therefore you can enjoy the fruit of that labor as you gratefully sip a gramma-TEA-ically significant cuppa.  

SABBATH SNAPSHOT : pover-TEA to plen-TEA

Lila, by award winning author, Marilynne Robinson, is partially set in Gilead, which is also the title of her 2005 Pulitzer Prize winning book.

As the story opens, Lila, the young protagonist, is the personification of abandonment and anguish. Even much later when she "wanders" into a small town church in Iowa, she has a difficult time accepting kindness from others, especially the Reverend John Ames. She is offered "plenty" compared to the despair and poverty which she has known. Eventually Lila becomes the wife of the widower, Rev. Ames---"Old Man" as she calls him.
Haunted by the trauma and impoverishment of her earlier years, Lila doesn't know what to do with this new-found plenty---so she often distrusts it. She even distrusts herself.
It's a book of redemption and hope and the human condition, with the reality of depravity shown throughout the narrative.

“The river was like the old life, just itself. Nothing more to it. She thought, It has washed the baptism off me," thought Lila. And "Old Man" once again in his patient ways had to reassure her  about God's grace. Lila might have struggled with words, but she found her way to the scriptures, as she looked for a reason for her own existence.

Pulitzer Prize winning books don't always appeal to me but----Robinson's simple, yet somewhat unorthodox, style of writing grabbed me, though the occurring events were not told in chronological order. Though confusing at first, this "switching" added intrigue for me.

I started with book #3 in the "Gilead series," which is not recommended by some reviewers, so I've decided to learn more about the intriguing Lila and have "checked out" Gilead and Home the other 2 books, in which Lila is introduced.  Plus, I checked out another Robinson book as well because I thought the title descriptive of me---When I was a Child I Read Books. I do my part to keep up the "circulation stats" of our Memphis libraries---- closing any public library would be a travesty.

Pover-TEA & Plen-TEA

“Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God (Proverbs 30:7-9, NIV)

Pondering and seeking the Lord's choice for my morning cuppa, notations in my journal had me rereading Proverbs 30:7-9 several times. The notes* reminded me of a needed perspective of thankfulness. Maybe Thanksgiving being just days away prompted this meditation as well.

Plenty---a BIG cuppa plen-TEA is what most Americans want! 

"Economy sways are voting, not character.  "Plenty" tempts us to think we can get along without God.  (H. Clark, 2005) 

Without thankfulness, one can become selfish and cynical, regardless of how much $$$ one has.

Poverty---a cuppa pover-TEA that can become bitter as one becomes sulky and sorrowful. 

Viewing life as if God has forgotten us can fuel feelings of jealousy and resentment. 

• A change of perspective is often what is needed most. 
• Without the pang of hunger, food is not a gift. 
• Fatigue helps us appreciate rest, 
• Darkness helps us seek light, 
• Illness increases one's awareness of the gift of health.

Thankfulness vaccinates us against ungratefulness. (H. Clark, 2005)

Pover-TEA and plen-TEA---two cuppas that can be a BIG cuppa enmi-TEA. In excess, either can become an enemy o of a thankful heart. Sip in moderation. Allow the cross to cover any enmity.

*(Howard Clark,  "POVERTY & PLENTY ENEMIES OF THANKSGIVING" sermon notes, 11/20/2005)

TEA-riffic Time

You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul,.....You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. (Deuteronomy 11:18-19, ESV)

What a fun way to spend a dreary, overcast,  drippy day---sharing a Downtown Dining Event at Felicia Suzanne's, my favorite "downtown" restaurant, with "my" Molly---her first time there.
Just getting there was fun---laughing so much in the car that tears were streaming. Parking was a "trip" too, as I didn't know how to use the new meters. 

Sharing food "tastes," doubled our pleasure. Messaging & teasing Josh on his birthday---with our double dessert pix---such a family thing. Sharing spiritual stuff added another layer to our day. 

A TEA-riffic cuppa added warmth to our mother-daughter outing.

Walking along the way---the river way---past the new Beale Street Landing to a hidden treasure....

with unobstructed views of both bridges on the mighty Mississippi.

A great end to a TEA-rrific day!

TEA WITH THEE : a TEA-sentation

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33, ESV)

TEA-sentation might be a bit of a s-t-r-e-t-c-h but what else would you call a presentation about taking tea as part of one's quiet time. He Cares, a special ministry of First Evangelical Church, is designed to meet the needs of our homebound seniors as well as giving care givers a break. As always, the "senior" audience, some who are younger than yours truly, was gracious as I sought to encourage them during their worship time.

TEA-sentation set-up

I'm sure that I left them with "tea" words whirring in their heads but hopefully they realized the importance of daily time with the Lord. Seeking Him first. Allowing Him to fill their "cuppa." Otherwise, the "world will fill their life's cuppa.

The world often pours out---stressors of anxi-TEA, feelings of inferiori-TEA, negativi-TEA and hoi-TEA, Toi-TEA attitudes of people who think that they are better than others.

The Lord pours out---chari-TEA (love) generosi-TEA, humili-TEA, integri-TEA, sensitivi-TEA, and sereni-TEA....to name a few.

Daily choices---cuppas brewed afresh---and served by the Lord are an encouraging way to start one's day. 

My encouragement came after the presentation when Charlie Martin told how Terry Parlow, my blind paralyzed friend, whom Charlie had assumed was too sick to attend, made an effort to come so he could hear, Dotsy. When the van lift would not work, his care giver "Miss Ronnie" pushed him in his wheelchair from his condo all the way to church. The distance isn't far UNLESS you're the one pushing big ole Terry in the wheelchair---"uphill" most of the way according to him.

I "puddled." 

I can't remember when I've been so encouraged. Isn't that so like God---we try to minister to others in His name BUT we are the ones who are truly blessed!