"Sen-TEA-mental"

...when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois......., and I am persuaded is in you also. (2 Timothy 1: 5, NKJV)

This past week, I have been on a sen-TEA-mental journey of sorts. I've spent time with both my brothers (tea drinkers together as kids) as well as cousin Joy. Joyce, as others call her, was a big part of my childhood, tho we lived in different states. (only 24 miles apart) She's always been a Tennessee gal---I've just re-located here from Kentucky.

Sen-TEA-mental--that would be me---it's the adjective that modifies the cuppa I drink from a lot lately. It’s this emotional tendency that causes me to "puddle" at inopportune times. It's  where most of my "house" clutter originates….it's so hard to part with things that prompt feelings of tenderness and nostalgia, along with a little sadness woven in.

Parting from dear ones, those whom I rarely see, always has me excessively prone to those feelings. Plus, on this trip, sweet Joy has given me, a sen-TEA-mental gal, great joy. She gave me Mama’s rocker.

Thus, this morning, coupled with the fact that my cancer doc visit would be in just a couple of hours, I gave into the excessive indulgence of my emotions. Praising and "puddling."

As Timothy's grandmother taught him the Scriptures from a young age, it was my grandmother, "Mama Davenport," who let me watch midget wrestling on Saturday nights and still got me up early for the walk to church the next day. 

She taught me scriptures as well....as we walked up Second Street turned right onto Union and a block later hung a right on to Madison Ave. and on down a ways to the First Christian Church. It was on the south side of the street on a corner and we always entered the front door, furthest east. Not sure why. 

I assume God knew that one day my faith would blossom, and my faith was due, in no small measure, to the godly upbringing and influence of Mama.

All of these sentimental thoughts of gratitude crowded my head as I had my cuppa seated in Mama's rocker and read Psalm 121 from her battered Bible. 

The thought that God might use me to pass on an eternal legacy to my children's children has me "puddling" in my sen-TEA-mental cuppa .

Li-TEA-rary Sentimentali-TEA

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants. (Psalm 116:15, NIV)

NASB renders faithful servants as His godly ones. The King James version calls them saints. Regardless of the translation, they all describe Claudia Parlow.

Today would have been her 70th birthday---August 12, 1944- November 30, 2013.
I know because my morning cuppa li-TEA-rary was sipped as I opened my devotional reading that was based on classic Christian verse. A gift from her, my literary loving friend.

Quickly my 2nd cuppa was filled with sentimentali-TEA as I read the inscription written above the August 12 entry. 

This cup is Claudia's. I baked brownies for her hubby, Terry, today and we shared both sadness and nostalgia as we remembered her past birthdays and celebrations.

"To Dotsy who's been a soulmate in suffering and prayer....." Love, Claudia. 

Both sadness and pleasure served in remembrance.

"agili-TEA"

When you walk, your steps will not be impeded; And if you run, you will not stumble. (Proverbs 4:12, NASB)

Balance is so important as one's chronological age increases. I know because I have to continually "practice" the one leg stance exercises in my "Silver Sneakers" class. When I have both feet on the floor in my Zumba Gold class there's not nearly as much stumbling. Gold......a class for mature adults or old coots as Larry's dad used to say)

Spiritually, when we walk (or dance, as I like to say) with God's leading and trust in His wisdom stumbling seems to occur less often. And.....when I do stumble, I don't hurl headlong His hand is always there to support and "catch" me. (Psalm 37:24, NASB) *

When we're traveling life's path with Him, God might not remove the rocks and stones that hamper us but He enables us to press on without falling flat or being utterly cast down.

Note bit of "rocky" path

Agility is a by-product of walking with Him in faith. 
A cuppa agili-TEA---good for all ages. 

*Update (8/12/14)---Last night hubby read Psalm 94 to me as a part of Allen Bible Church's 2014 Bible reading plan. If I should say, "My foot has slipped," Your lovingkindness, O LORD, will hold me up. (Psalm 94:18)

9/16/09 blog entry reminded me that "God’s Word doesn’t say there won’t be mis-steps throughout our lives, only that He’ll be there to keep us from fallin’ headlong." 

My cuppa agili-TEA is served from His hand.

SABBATH SNAPSHOT : au-TEA-biography

God's Double Agent is both a compelling and a disturbing read. It's a true story. That's the disturbing part.
I couldn't quit reading but the relentless persecution of Christians by the the Chinese communist was beyond anything I could ever imagine. The RULES for "family planning. Break the rules and "they" will break you for violation for a States Basic Policy. (p. 316) A blind man's escape over shard's of glass, scaling of walls and finding sighted friends to help him. "God must've helped me escape." (p. 324) Testimony after testimony....of rescues through the underground church and ChinaAID, established by The author.

My favorite parts are the variety of ways the Chinese people have come to know the Lord---only God could orchestrate such testimonies. An imprisoned political dissident was given a copy of Streams in the Desert, upon his release and he became a believer. before escaping to the United States. (p. 255)

Laura Bush describes Fu's story as " a testimony to the power of faith and an inspiration to people struggling to break free from oppression." 

Reviewers call it a page-turner. I have to admit I read it in a matter of a few days. 

"TEA-ditions"

Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth. (Proverbs 5:18, NLT)

Today is our wedding anniversary.....so hubby will have to think hard to visualize any "youth" in said wife. But God, our keeper, has kept us together for 45 years.

Anniversary traditions are always a part of our celebration---

Five years ago I searched far and wide for 40 ruby items....this year it's sapphire BUT 45 sapphire items were way out of this retiree's budget. So...I settled on the things he enjoys most---golf and a glass of wine. Lots of wines come in brilliant sapphire bottles. The problem was which one. Not being a connoisseur of wines, I had to have help. I think the clerk was dumbfounded that I cared more about the richness of the color of the bottle than the richness ("bouquet" in he wine term of a oenophile) of the wine within. Gift 2 is a round of golf at Sapphire Mountain Golf Club for an upcoming trip to western North Carolina when the trees will be brilliant against a rich blue sky.

Naturally, I love all the scriptures reminding husbands to love their wives. (Ephesians 5:22) but many describe what that love will entail.....
"....be exhilarated always with her love...."(Proverbs 5:19c) or as Ecclesiastes 9:9 states, "Live joyfully with the wife whom you love." According to hubby, when I"m happy, it's easier to  to live joyfully with me. So....I've scheduled dinner for us  at the Swag on our extended anniversary trip.
Hopefully, this year's anniversary gifts will provide the perfect cuppa TEA-dition for our celebration.**

**YEA! Hubby's gift follows the TEA-dition as well---Sapphire rules for me, aka Mrs. Rand McNally. An atlas, my favorite gift, had a deep "sapphire" blue cover---I now have Crater Lake blue stars in my eyes! What a thoughtful guy!

"Proximi-TEA" : a 3rd cuppa

But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; (Psalm 73:28, NASB)

"Tea with Thee" is all about verse 28 in Psalm 73.

I am no where near Memphis at the moment---think, a rainy PGA championship in Louisville, Ky......but during my quiet time, my location doesn't matter. 
All that truly matters is my proximi-TEA to Him.
Proximini-TEA---an intimate cuppa.

"Still all my song shall be, Nearer, my God to Thee, Nearer, my God to Thee, Nearer, to Thee." (Cokesbury Hymnal (1923), 83)

"Irresis-TEA-ble"

Thou hast put gladness in my heart...(Psalm 4:7, NIV)

Tea anytime of day is irresistible to a "hot tea" aficionado. 

Tea served right after "tubby time" by a grandaughter is the Best or as the New Living Translation states, "You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine.

Separation from far-off grands has me re-living memories of those irresis-TEA-ble times through photographs.

Praises----as I was having my morning cuppa at brother Bobby's, a text arrived with a pic of Lucy, already at a Brooklyn playground. My plain cuppa became irresis-TEA-ble as it was sweetened with a "digital shot" just minutes old.

"TEA-raining"

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. (2 Timothy 4:2, NIV)

When I teach, I can go to preaching so this verse seems appropriate for today as I go to share with the St. Luke's Methodist Day School Teachers.

What a privilege. What a responsibility! 

Kids count---a lot. Teaching counts---a lot. My words need to count---a lot.

Words to be useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, (2 Timothy 3:16)

A cuppa "TEA-raining" served in my sheep mug and tempered with responsibili-TEA, as I go forth to feed His sheep, to those who will be tending His lambs. What a privilege. What a BIG responsibility!

LILES LEARNINGS FROM THE TRENCHES OF PRE-SCHOOL

(nothing earth-shattering, just observations)

• ·      Don’t rob a child of his childhood.
• ·      Allow children to think outside the box.
• ·      Allow children to color outside the lines or create their own lines.
• ·      First impressions have lasting significance.
• ·      Never do anything for a child that he can do or learn to do (with developmentally appropriate guidance) on his own.
• ·      Separate and simplify. (Break down into doable steps.)
• ·      Train the eye, at an early age, for the reading experience.
• ·      Without comprehension there is no reading.
• ·      The more one reads (or is read to) the more one knows when he reads.
• ·      Don’t stop reading aloud. Pass it on, even at home.
• ·      It does matter what one reads.

Dicot-TEA-my of me

15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. (Romans 17:15-21, NLT)

"The devil made me do it is," what Flip Wilson said, as his character, Geraldine Jones. According to these verses, Wilson got it right. This scripture rings true just as Wilson's quip. It is the sin within that can negatively influence the lives of believers, especially their good intentions.

These verses reflect a part of life that all of us experience but rarely talk about when we come to church on Sunday morning. They're also not easy to include on a blog. Even Pogo (Comic strip) “We have met the enemy and he is us.” 

The law certainly convicts of sin. It feels like a war within. Guilt occurs. I, like many Christians, wear guilt well. 

But God, in his mercy, has made His righteousness available for us, apart from the Law. No more "legalistic" law keeping,---just allowing Christ keeping us.

I needed to remember that today as I set aside my quiet time to pursue projects. The struggle has continued most of the day. The good news is.....the day is not over. I'm heading to my prayer chair to unwrap a new cuppa faith.

entrea-TEAs

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14, KJV)

The first Monday of the month is the day I meet with a small group of like-minded pray-ers in the prayer room at our church. Prayer for Revival is the official name of our cadre. Much of the prayer focus is for our church, our city and our nation. These prayers of people, called by His name, are more than just petitions. These earnest and humble prayers are for the healing of all the aforementioned communities.
Scripture passages are chosen for meditation. Psalm 9:1-10 was the morning's selection. Appropriately chosen because all of us wanted to "enter into His gates with praise," as "God inhabits the praises of His people." (Psalm 22:3) The first verse of Psalm 9 does just that.

Our heart felt prayers easily segue into prayers for each other and our families because this is a "safe place" to share the desires of our hearts.

What a privilege to continue in prayer throughout the day with entreaties for those with whom we have knelt (in our hearts) before His throne of grace.

A cuppa entrea-TEA that lasts throughout the day.