Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Aerobic Intercession

2/27/13 Winter 2012's Anglican Digest article "Aerobic Intercession" was sent to me by my friend Margie H. It "hit my prayer concern spot" as I have several friends in some very hard places physically and I am burdened to pray "without ceasing" for them. But...how do I pray continually? 
Rev. Harrelson's article offered some prayer points to ponder. As the spiritual seeker in The Way of the Pilgrim prayed along his journey by repeating simple prayers, Harrelson too realized that he could pray for others by synchronizing his prayers words with his physical movements while exercising on his treadmill.
Though the writer's choice of prayer words were very specific, I considered the value of his practice. I desire time for prayer and meditation and am often frustrated when my "urgent" schedule tends to interfere. Physical therapy has taken up a good deal of my allotted weekly hours both at the clinic and also at home when practicing my assigned exercises. 
Why not use this time as a reminder to practice ceaseless inner prayer and communion with God with a focus on prayers for those others for whom I am so concerned. 
Thus, my own brand of aerobic intercessory prayer. I begin in cadence with my inhaling and exhaling, using their names with my very breath, whether spoken or thought.  With my physical movements, I add my thankfulness for my relationship with them and this privileged time of prayer. 
Desires and petitions.....Mercy for _____. Diminished pain for______. Miracle for ______. No side effects for_______. Loving comfort for_______. Extra grace for_______. Healing from surgery for_______. 
Handaches. Headaches. Cancer pain. Heartaches. Barrenness. Ankles, shoulders, hips and knees. All placed at the throne of grace.
Ending with praising God for His love and mercy and thanking Him for His best in each situation.

It doesn't look like a prayer position but I sense that God "hears" my aerobic intercessions and will answer in His good and perfect will for each individual life.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

MS Rand McNally "maps out" a new eatery

2/26/13 A light-hearted entry because I'm in desperate need of something light hearted today! 
Finally, in the Ecclesiastes study, I am seeing the importance of "gladness of heart." One needs to enjoy the moments that one has in the life that God has given him or her---eating would be included! (Ecclesiastes 5: 18-20)
I, aka Ms Rand McNally, found a place that won't be on your GPS---the address is on Summer Ave. but the entry is thru the Lowe's (Perkin's location) parking lot. Elwood's Shack. 
At Elwood's Shack, they "do" breakfast and pizzas as well as yummy barbeque. I've had 2 menu items so far, plus a bite of hubby's delish pulled pork sandwich.  Loved my Italian sub and my heavily smoked beef brisket "sammich" sans onion (and I ate my pickles separately)
 Plus, the decor was perfect for a map-lovin' gal. A US map comprised of original license plates from each state and all in their proper location. Checking out this "find" was a great way to wait for my order  prep---thus enjoying another God-given moment.

Monday, February 25, 2013

DRAWING NEAR.... to meditate

2/25/13......and to intercede for Jerusalem. Maybe it's because of my study of God's people in the book of Genesis, but.....it's where my heart is today!
16 O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteous acts, let now Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a reproach to all those around us. 17So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplications, and for [b]Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on Your (desolate sanctuary. 18 O my God, incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion. 19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.” (Daniel 9:16-19)
As one of your redeemed O Lord, one called by your name, I ask that you lead us all in the paths of your righteousness.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

SABBATH SNAPSHOTS: A COLORFUL WEEK

 2/24/13 From the colorful set up at church to the colorful set of UM's Russian play, Government Inspector, it's been a bright week!
But......the brightest moment came with 17 month old Lucy's addition to my literature presentation. Rhythmic language of books is a crucial reason for reading aloud books that appeal to children. The cadence of the words leads them into understanding of language sounds, even when they are just beginning to have that verbal aspect of language themselves. Lucy loves Llama Lama Red Pajama---& as she "read" I could hear the words baby and mama as well as llama. I could tell by her voice inflections when she reached the run, run page, she even dipped her head for "run" baby.
 Scroll to the bottom of the pix, click the play button/arrow and listen to Lucy read!!!



Saturday, February 23, 2013

AGOG

2/24/13 Saturday prayers always include time interceding for others. This month I have been praying for a long time friend---praying that she would seek the Lord and His face & that His light would shine through her during family times as well as in her workplace. (CMS) I prayed that in her worship she would be agog to see more and more of God's goodness. I'm not sure where "agog" came from but that's the word I had written for her on my March prayer sheet. And then agog began to "take on a life of its own" every time God brought her to mind.
Awed (by) Generosity Of  God
Awed (by) Goodness Of  God
Awed (by) Grace Of  God
Awed (by) Gospel Of  God

Are you all "agog"over spending time in God"s presence and praying for others?

Friday, February 22, 2013

T.G.I.F.

2/22/13 "T.G.I.F." blinked at me this morning as I drove to MS for physical therapy. It seemed  an odd acronym for Trinty Baptist Church's LED sign. Even though today is Friday that seemed really "out of character" for a church's electronic message board, especially from that denomination.
So glad I returned to Memphis via the same route. Mystery solved. There was more to the sign than the first few "blinks." 
Thank God I'm Forgiven!

That makes sense. How thankful all believers can be for forgiveness, not just on Fridays, but everyday!
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Seeing Clearly

2/21/13 A recent optometrist visit had me relating my maladies of dry eye and difficulty driving at night. Tests showed cataracts but not enough growth to warrant surgery---yet. A different prescription was given for my bifocals and so some improvement has been noted. The cloudiness still makes me insecure when driving long distances at night, especially in unfamiliar territory. I want to see clearly---without the fog.
In my BSF small group, one of the gals, often talks of how she just needs to see what God's plan is for her. Kathy, like the rest of us, knows that scripture is truly the lens to seeing the Lord. But sometimes she would like God to make His way BIG & BOLD so that she clearly sees it.  
I understand her frustration. Similar to the wait for cataract surgery, to correct physical eyesight, maybe one also has to wait for a later time for the Lord to correct our spiritual cloudiness in certain areas so that we can clearly see. 


Maybe we won't clearly see until eternity. With Him we will see fully.
Yet, in the waiting room of life, one can continue to gain spiritual "insight" from:
  • God's voice through His word,
  •  Nudges from the Holy Spirit, 
  • God winks in circumstances, or 
  • Counsel from godly folks who understand. 
Trusting Him as we wait and loving and serving others will help us keep our focus.
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. (I Corinthians 13:12)

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

PLAN A

2/20/13 Readers of my  blog realize that in my life I often move not only to Plan B or Plan C or D...but even further "down" the Dotsy Plan Spectrum. Downward---that's often the spiral.
Why? I've begun to ask myself that. Usually I try new plans because I am the "queen of pain avoidance." Ease and comfort are too often my pursuit.  Along with frugality and convenience, my action plans are too often ruled, to a fault, by these four nouns. Nouns for living life "My Way."


Recently, I was brought up short by a comment from friend Debbie Frazier as she related her prayer during a "hard place" in her life. She asked the Lord for relief.....a Plan B----because Plan A wasn't going so well. She sensed that the Lord was telling her that there was no Plan B.
Plan A. That was it. Plan A was His plan for her life, even in this very difficult situation. 

God's sovereignty at work. We can either rest in it or wrestle with it in resistance as Crickett says.

Resist God's plan. I think not. 

Even if Plan A seems hard, we can trust Him to use the "discipline learned there" to be for our good and  in His timing to bear the peaceful fruit of righteousness." (Hebrews 12:11) 
As Psalm 119:71 states, "It was good that I was afflicted that I might learn from that statues."

Plan A---it's really  the only plan there is.


**For all my friends & blog readers who are in a VERY difficult Plan A right now, I continue to stand in the gap for you in prayer. In no way does this blog entry diminish the pain and hurt that is a part of your life right now. Praying extra measures of God's grace and mercy as you "endure" each moment & asking Him to be your true comfort, as only He can be.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Mobile viewing....

2/19/23 ....for those who were not reading yesterday's blog on a mobile device, increasing the sign on the back of the truck for viewing/reading was impossible. It was the verse I had written out, but....I cropped & increased the actual sign size to show you the verse on the Brim's truck. Hooray for Brim's for sharing scripture on the road. It certainly helped this one who was in need.


Monday, February 18, 2013

GOD'S WORD FOUND

2/18/13 Brief bedside prayers. Scurrying to get out the door. Physical therapy earlier than usual. In Mississippi----though worth the drive. Arrived "just in the nick."

"But God," I thought. "This is "Meditation Monday" and my head is muddled--- full of stress induced chaos."

But God....provided.
As I drove home, God's word was "front and center" as I pulled up behind a Brim's delivery truck. 
Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call on him while he is near. (Isaiah 55:16)
Seek---while He may be found---Today is a good day for seeking.
Call on Him---He's always near.

God's word found.....on the back of a truck!

Sunday, February 17, 2013

SABBATH SNAPSHOTS: VALENTINE'S WEEK

2/17/13 From food to the arts it's been a glorious week of color!
Shrimp cocktail and "fine china"--a V'day must at 1152.
Hubby's colorful gift!
Brown Baguette Bakery in Southhaven, MS---a real find (by the Malco  Theatre)
"75 Rotations" A Project:Motion salute to Maxine Strawder's 75th birthday as her dancing has spanned generations How blessed I  was to have been there with  dear friend Dawn, who is Maxine's daughter.
More theatrics at Sunday night church as lots of slapstick had us all participating in the
story from the book of Esther and learning about
פּוּרִים-(Purim) the holiday soon to be celebrated by our Jewish friends. We even tasted 
hamentaschen, the traditional triangular shaped fruit filled cookie!

Thursday, February 14, 2013

TIMELY GIFT

2/14/13 FaceTime with Lucy---a perfect way to begin Valentine's Day. As she "read aloud" to me one of her favorite books, I knew I had 2 perfect examples of my upcoming "Children 's Literature" presentation. Choose books that are meaningful or enjoyable to both the parent and the child. That supports my premise that there is no such thing as a good book written just for children. If it's well written, it will appeal to everyone. 
The second point is the importance of rhythmic language in those beginning picture books. Lucy is a little over 15 months old, but she had the language of "llama, llama, red pajama" down pat. A few llama and mama words were recognizable but the semblance of all the other words were there AND in rhythm. Her intonations even changed when she turned to the page that followed RUN, RUN, RUN!
The perfect timely gift---don't you think!! It warms this old librarian's heart.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Refreshing Recalculation (3x)


2/13/12 This morning I prayed that the Lord would “refresh” me for teaching the Ecclesiastes “GPS” message again tonight.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have a bodily “refresh” button right at our fingertips---just like the one on our computers. But God….was my refresh button today. Opening the morning paper I saw the Zits cartoon equating a “recalculating” voice as coming from his mother.
Then, when I opened my email, I belatedly opened yesterday’s God Tube on-line devotional. “Recalculating Relationships.” The very first example was about GPS: Recalculating.
Next, as I began my Bible Study Fellowship lesson, I saw on page 4 of the notes, I found a “God: Our Guide” list of verses. 
Perfect for citations for my God’s Perspective Shown list of God’s leading and guiding. Leading and guiding. To me those 2 biblical words are God speak for “recalculating,” reminding us to turn back to Him.
Don’t you just love it when things come in threes. That’s the real “HEADS UP, Dots” for me---when God so clearly shows me His answers---not once, not twice, but three times!

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Navigating Life: GPS: Mine or Thine

2/12/13 GPS....God's Perspective Shown! Click here for message or under the picture.
Though it will say Limitations of Justice---I changed the title. Just click the play arrow.
Navigating Life Week 4
Posting my message on  Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:16 from this morning for my Ukrainian girls (and others who would like to hear it---I did misquote the "Fear God" verse. It is found in Ecclesiastes 12:13. Pray for God to speak to you and then open your Bible to the passage and follow along because I'm sure it can be hard to follow my voice without the aid of my slides---though I tried to remember to mention the verses I was reading.
God Bless. Бог благословить

Monday, February 11, 2013

DRAWING NEAR

2/11/13 Drawing near to God. 
That’s what Meditation Mondays are all about! It’s the pre-requisite of gaining understanding from passages of scripture. Drawing near prompts praise. That praise is carried into our time of meditation with Him and our hearts seem to open to the truths that he has for us. That prompts prayer. That draws us even nearer. It’s a great cycle. In the midst of all of that, is access to God through our hope in Christ, who ever lives to intercede for us. A perfect cycle! Complete.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse (James 4:8)
Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen... (Ecclesiastes 5:1)
(for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. (Hebrews 7:19)
Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)
Yesterdays’ Allen Bible Church message series title, “Let us Draw Near” was so-o-o “spot on” ---a great intro to direct one's meditation on Hebrews, chapter 7, a difficult passage
Drawing near---approaching God’s throne of grace in our time of need. A need for understanding His Word and applying it to our lives. 

Sunday, February 10, 2013

SABBATH SNAPSHOTS: TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS

2/10/13 Temperatures have been fluctuating daily for our family this last week. Our Memphis grandson had rain. In New York, our grandaughter had "freezing" temps and snow while  this weekend in Texas our grandsons had  67° temps today! 
"Coach" Dad and son (0) "sweat" out the free throw attempt. 
Bundled up for Brooklyn snow and c-o-l-d temps.

Lucy and Mommy bundle up to face the chill---and have fun!
Check out MA relatives "blowing" 2 feet of snow!
Lucy's Aunt Maeve

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Questions and Answers: Fear & Insecurity

2/7/13 Friends and blog readers, concerned about our home break-in/burglary have inquired, "How are you doing?' One that I loved was, "Are you back to sharpening pencils
Yes, is the answer. I returned to pencil sharpening.
Hubby provided me with a "handy-dandy" hand held pencil sharpener to use on the go. No electricity needed. Though I do LOVE my oft-used electric one (I'm surprised it still works), it's not always convenient.

During this go-round of battling anxiety, I even included tidying up my tea cabinet---a helpful mindless activity. Like alphabetizing Claudia's pasta. 
Funny how one wants to "do" or "fix" something when life situations are so "disturbing" and totally out of one's control. Mind-numbing activities like pencil sharpening and tea tidying can work for me.....when I am "haunted by apprehension"....until God gets me back in His grip. Why do I ever pull away?









As Oswald Chambers states (My Utmost for His Highest, 11/13) "fear comes from not nourishing ourselves in our faith."
So...after days of anxious thoughts and nights of not night sleeping well:
  • Faith nourishing began.....I'm grateful for time at His feet to read and reflect on His Word. (Jeremiah 15:16)
  • I'm grateful also to remember that God is not sleeping so I can rest well. (Psalm 121:3)
Thanks for asking.

Dalton Ghetti has taken pencil sharpening to a new level.

Monday, February 4, 2013

Prayer Help

2/4/13 Scripture teaches much about prayer:
...it's effective (James 5:16)
...needs to be continual (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
...all kinds of prayer (Ephesians 6:18)
...include thanksgiving when you pray (Philippians 4:6)

We're even given examples of prayers from the Bible but.....sometimes words don't seem to come. What then? I've often heard to pray til you feel like praying. Sometimes I've felt like praying but words don't seem to be adequate to express the yearnings of my heart. Then what?
This quote, often ascribed to John Bunyan and sometimes to Gandhi, has helped me.


In prayer, it is better to have a heart without words, than words without a heart.

And in the same way the Spirit is a help to our feeble hearts: for we are not able to make prayer to God in the right way; but the Spirit puts our desires into words which are not in our power to say; (Romans 8:26, BBE--Bible in Basic English) 
A great verse to meditate on for God's answer to "prayer help."

Sunday, February 3, 2013

SABBATH SNAPSHOTS: Inside & Out

A week of water and sunshine picked up the "pick-me-up."

Even cold outside temps add beauty to our surrounds 

"Elixir of Love" a heartwarming comic opera set in Old West

Great ending for a chilly Saturday night---a hootenanny led by the Side Street Steppers with Vera dancing a NC jig that certainly warmed things up considerably.
Daughter Molly is their photographer.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Quest continues ...emotionally, part 2

2/1/13 The verse I closed with last night, because I was too tired to continue the blog, reminded me that fear is not from Him.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)
Looking back on the week, (after my home invasion) I saw that fear, which is from the pit,  robbed me of that sound mind that comes from His hand. I had spent a week in limbo---that fear permeated so many of my thoughts that everything seemed to be LARGER than life.
The limbo of waiting exacerbated by fear:
  • Waiting for the police to arrive
  • Waiting for peace of mind to return
  • Waiting for a coherent thought to take shape
  • Waiting for "walking" weather so I could walk---not only to clear my head but to continue "training" for upcoming rigorous trip to Disney World
  • Waiting for blood work from lab that had to be "redone"
  • Waiting in 2 doctor's offices for "scary/unknown" procedures 
  • Waiting for physical therapy on leg/hip pain to diminish pain
  • Waiting for biopsy report---on a place above my eyebrow I had never even noticed
But God, on the anniversary of THE event.....sent a late afternoon message that face biopsy was negative.
But God.......in His love and mercy sent a blog comment of encouragement from a long ago student, Nancy E.
But God.....in His goodness had me open a email this morning (though sent yesterday from Australia) from Jesus Calling author, Sarah Young, who has also experienced the violation of a break-in. She is praying.
I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
    out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
    and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
    a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
    and put their trust in him. (Psalm 40:1-3)
Quest ends where it should have begun...with the Lord.