CHOOSE: 5 FOR 5th FRIDAY

Random jottings that jumped off the page and hit me right between the eyes.

1. We worship our work; work at our play and play at our worship.
2. Forgiveness is a commitment to live with the consequences of another person's sin. (Neil Anderson)
3. Everyone on earth is either a missionary or a mission field.
4. Satan doesn't make you do anything, he just fluffs the pillows.
5. A little thing is a little thing...but faithfulness in a little thing is a BIG thing. (Hudson Taylor)

Choosing to think on these 5 jottings from the margins of my "old" Bible as I sit under tent canopy at Deep Creek while the rain pours down & I wait for the New Yorkers to arrive with Lucy. The younger ones are tubing  the creek in the rain saying it makes the creek run faster. 

CHOOSE: TO DANCE TO MY LIFE'S SONG

How does one know her life's song?

For me, I had to look for God's hand and listen to His soft whispers---those are the visual lyrics & melody of His unique song for my life. 

God has written each one's story, one's own life's song. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Wubbels, Lance, Dance While You Can.2006

One just needs to "tune" her heart to hear.

Lean in a little closer and choose to allow Him to lead you to "dance" with Him to the music He has chosen for your life's song.

CHOOSE: PERTINENT PITHY GRABBERS

Have you ever heard a phrase that so "names you" that it can remain with you all day! It's like one of those ear worms, but without the music. It just gets stuck in one's brain.

"Stress strangles." Yep, it does. I already have trouble swallowing. I think it's an Adams trait but it makes the word "STRANGLE" reverberate in all caps!
A catch in my throat that resonates in my mind!

I sipped a cuppa per-tea-nent this morning because I knew "stress strangles" was a pithy grabber  that was pertinent in my life and I needed to heed it! (Philippians 4:6)

CHOOSE: NOURISHMENT

Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife. (Proverbs 17:1)

At 1152, our kids experienced more than just dry crust. Think burnt toast!

My prayer is that they were nourished enough around our kitchen table, whether reading aloud books together or praying for names drawn from the yellow smiley mug, that those memories will sustain them with godly peaceful thoughts and encourage them today during the "burnt toast days" of their own lives.

CHOOSE: MY OWN LANGUAGE

Music, as termed by many is the universal language. For me, "dance" is a language of its own!
It's my language! Analogous for my own life's journey language. My dance with the "Lord of the Dance." 
My beautiful Ukrainian friends use "language of dance" in their worship movement. Sweet Lynn H. uses "language of dance" in her art.
I use it in my faith based writing as I reflect on the One who leads me as I put my (the follower) right hand in His. Looking up. Focusing on Him---not my feet. (circumstances)
Can your visualize the "closed" position of dance?  The leader puts His right hand on the follower's back and uses it to guide her so that she does not stumble and fall head-long. (That is so biblical-- Psalm 37:24)

Whatever is one's chosen language, may it clearly express praise in His name. (2 Chronicles 5:13)

Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He,
And I'll lead you all wherever you may be,
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said He.

Just click here-- Choose the language of children and dance in your heart! --and listen.

CHOOSE: TO BE MUCH OBLIGED

Much obliged---was an old-fashioned expression Daddy often used. It was his way of saying "thank you." "Thank you very much!" Actually "much obliged" seemed to be the vernacular of small town rural folks in western Kentucky. My grandmother, Gena Adams, used it too, but she then would view the obliged part, as something she had to do. 

Though obliged does indicate an obligation I'm not sure Daddy saw the obligation as something he had to do, just something he wanted to do. "Desired to do"would have been more a part of his mettle,  as he was always so appreciative of the kindness and generosity of others. Though in fact, most people didn't expect a pay back or a return for the favor. It was just the Hoptown way.

Our friends, the Walkers, heard that our  grandson Owen was in his school's chess club. They gave us an exquisite chess set to  pass on to Owen as a way to encourage his pursuit of that hobby. 

I was definitely "much obliged" and I want Owen to be grateful as well. He never sees them to say thank you so I want to encourage him to write a thank you note. Courtesy is a character trait, I want to instill in him. It's important to learn at an early age to "sip" from a cuppa great-TEA-tude especially when one has been served a large cuppa generous-TEA. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Not because "one has to" but because "one wants to."

Whether one chooses to say, "much obliged," thank you very much or just thanks, gratitude is always the right choice!

CHOOSE: TO ACKNOWLEDGE BANDWIDTH

This entry would have been perfect for Wordsmith Wednesday as even "wannabe" wordsmiths love to discover new word meanings. Even though it's Thursday, for me, today's word is BANDWIDTH.

So, I got out my hard copy of American Heritage Dictionary, college edition.  Maybe some wordsmiths are familiar with the first listing of a definition on the list but not so much with a #2 rank or a more esoteric definition. Or as I discovered......the "sense" of the word use determines the most meaningful order in the entry list. From a lot of mumble/ jumble, on "Order of Definitions," I learned definitions are listed in what the editors assume will be the most useful order for the general reader.  (hint---general readers know more about transmitting signals of bandwidth than the mental and energy bandwidth capacity in one's own life.)

A morning email from my son's church used the word bandwidth and I was intrigued as my only experience with it had been with electronics---think, radio signals or internet.

My limited  knowledge of bandwidth did not sync contextually with the letter's use. So...I looked it up!

I have continued to ponder it in my own situation as well as share it with prayer partners.

What became obvious throughout my FULLY-scheduled day was that I had just about reached my own bandwidth.  My mental and physical capacity had reached a personal limit.

But God....was gracious as I acknowledged my own limitations and sought His strength. I was alert for luncheon  #2 and hubby had covered my housekeeping necessities so that I could finish a GG Project and the last of my Bible Study lesson for tonight.

Yet, I think this has been the third heads up in 2 days.
My first one came yesterday from friend Shelia Groshart during a lunch conversation, a 5am letter this morning was #2 & then a prayer from Betsy Martin, stressing the importance of slowing and seeking times of solitude with the Lord---just to know Him better capped off the 3.
My rule is....3x and then I'd really better start to "listen."
"Be still and KNOW that I am GOD!" (Psalms 46:10)

I need to listen up and choose to know that I don't have the bandwidth to "do it all"----because God doesn't require that of me, or anyone.

CHOOSE: ISLAND TIME

Last week's phone conversation with dear friend Ashley Bryan ended with an invitation to come, via the mail boat, to "his" island next year for his 95th birthday.  His island is Isleford, ME, a small hamlet, on Little Cranberry Isle off the coast of Northeast Harbor, Acadia National Park)

His invitation was delivered with the "Lord willing" caveat."

Having known Ashley for 28 years, I have seen first hand how he treasures his moments. He never seems in a hurry. He always has time to talk with a friend. He says its because he lives on island time---which always has enough minutes in each day for what's really important---relationships. 

But....in his "spare time" he writes and illustrates books. Freedom over Me, his most recently published work, (2016) won Newbery honor for Children's Literature, presented in June at ALA in Chicago. He also won the Coretta Scott King honor for both auth and illustrator of the same book. Quite a year!!

Dec. 2017, Ashley's work will be included in Our Story Begins and next spring his illustrations of Nikki Giovanni's, I am Loved, will be published. Plus, another one is in the works for 2019 publication---"Lord willing."

Ashley's studio clock reflects his comfort with island time---he gets up when he awakens, eats when he's hungry, paints outside when it's sunny, gathers sea glass for stained glass windows, creates puppets from the day's island "finds" and always has time for friends! (And everyone is his friend,)

Come now, you who say, 'Today of tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit'---yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'if the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.' (James 4:13-15)

Ashley believes that his time on earth is in the Lord's hands---not in a morbid or fearful way, but in a God honoring way! 

Ashley Bryan chooses "island time" everyday----Lord willing!

CHOOSE: TO CAMP OUT

Hubby can't wait to "camp out" by the creek. He's been  pulling out the needed equipment for weeks and it's still over a week before we leave for Deep Creek Campground.

I, on the other hand, would be perfectly content to just "camp out" in the Psalms.  It takes a lot less equipment---just my Bible and a quiet place. I can use God's word as my "flashlight." (Psalm 119:105)

But God reminded me that two of my grands will be there, Owen as well as Lucy, whom I rarely see. 

So, camping out, "hubby style" it is.
But....I'm taking my Bible and will seek a quiet place for my "mental tent" right beside the flowing creek. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

CHOOSE: MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR

"Ministry of the interior" is Oswald Chambers analogy (in a nutshell) for prayer. (My Utmost for His Highest, 6/20) A most important ministry.
Prayer is what I've needed these last few weeks. A need to intercede for many others (Job 42:10) as well as to pray for myself. Praying for myself seems far harder to do. Certainly I do it less often.

But lately, as a "phrase from the funnies" jolted me, I realized that "no matter where I go, I carry so much in the confines of my head."

That's why, for me, it's so important to have those thoughts be prayerful ones---for both self and others. Remembering to prayerfully take thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:5) helps to dispel the worries and fear which so easily consume my "interior."

CHOOSE: TO EXPLORE

A more complete title would be, "Choose to explore 901" as we will have a 10 year old with us Saturday & we're going to search for new, to us, places to explore.

Will let readers know what we find---or maybe someone could offer us ideas. One place, under consideration, is Railgarten. My water buddy, Lynn S. said they have great ping pong tables inside and out---so weather would not be a factor.

RAILGARTEN IT IS---CHEESE CURDS AND ICE CREAM INCLUDED!

So grateful we chose to explore in mid-town!

CHOOSE: TO CELEBRATE...

I chose to celebrate dear friend Ashley Bryan's life via "Ma Bell," as today is his 94th birthday! We always try to chat on my birthday or his and either bless my heart immensely! Ashley is one of my "Hebrews 10:24 friends"---as he "stirs me up"with his encouragement "to love and good works."

This morning was no different even though we shared grief in the loss of his "Soos." 

Susie/Susan Valdina, an Isleford resident, Ashley's precious friend and his "tech" connector with the digital world, died 2 months ago after 18 month struggle with pancreatic cancer. There are not enough words to tell all she meant to the Cranberry Isles folks, especially Ashley. Often, she was the go between for us as she handled both slug mail (as Isleford post mistress, and emails on his behalf. She made sure I received a birthday hug and e-mail blessings from him on my birthday last year.
As our chat continued we shared much good news.

One of the biggies was the stage performances of his "Dancing Granny" in Alliance Theatre in Atlanta.

To see and hear this amazing video, click here alliancetheatre.org/granny.
It will be inspirational to all!!
Of course, it truly warms my heart as I have the original "album" (remember those?) signed by Ashley to me,

Ashley was thrilled that we are going to the High Museum in Atlanta Ashley Bryan's  current exhibit, which is causing quite a "stir" in Atlanta. (All the MARTA buses have signs depicting the exhibit, "Painter and Poet: Wonderful World of Ashley Bryan") Above link also has a 6 minute video of Ashley.
Friends from North Carolina are going with us at the end of the month and I am so-o-o-o excited!

Ashley and I both choose to celebrate life each day God gives us, and today we chose to hope to see each other next year on his 95th---as hubby and I plan to go to his island!

CHOOSE: INTENTIONALITY

One must see clearly to see God. That's why I am choosing today to intentionally look for Him. To see God's hand in everything is a choice. Intentionally looking to see God at every turn. Open your eyes to Him---He's at every turn/circumstance. Nature is an easy way to not only glimpse Him but to clearly see Him.  (Romans 1:20) 

One just needs to be looking for Him. That's intentionality!

For more on being intentional, grab yourself a cuppa intentionali-TEA and just click blue link to read this archival blog. 

CHOOSE: TO "SEE" A SONG

This entry could have been, "Choose kiddie lit with your morning cuppa," because the book on the kitchen table was beckoning. I couldn't resist. The title alone drew me in.
Sometimes a simple children's book can open one's mind to possibilities.

My morning cuppa with Eric Carle's, I See a Song, had me contemplating "seeing" with each of  my senses, not just sight. I think Jenna Fergus' art lessons are permeating all areas of my thought processes.

That coupled with recalling all the ways "to see" which my"blind friend," Terry Parlow, had taught me, had my mind seeing with my eyes closed. After he lost his sight in an accident in 2004, he told me that his "vision" was sharper than it had ever been.
I think that's because his other senses were so heightened when he lost his vision.
Carle's succinctness is a creative reminder of the value of intensifying an experience by bringing all of one's senses to bear, rather than just the obvious one.

• Hear color.  
• Paint music. 
• Let colors dance.
• See your own song. 

I would add: Feel color; Feel the beat; Rearrange lyrics to create your own song.

So, I closed my eyes and sang, "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing." A fount of every blessing. A tuning of my heart. A singing of grace. Unending mercy. LOUD, LOUD, PRAISE!!! A sealed heart!

I felt like the sounds in my head were accompanied by musical and non-muscal sounds from wind swooshes, water dancing and vibrations of a tuning fork.
Even colors came forth, from soft blues and to bright reds in the lyrics, as the words took root in  my head and ended with COLORFUL fireworks!

What a way to begin my day!

All because of a cuppa, a kid's book, and two friends who taught me to see with all my senses and sing & see with all my heart.

CHOOSE: A REREAD FOR REMINISCING

Folks who know me well, know that I rarely reread a book. I'm more of the "So many Books, So Little Time," philosophy. However, since college days I have read Anne Morrow Lindberg's book, Gift From the Sea multiple times.

This past week I dug it out for another reread, partly because July 6 was the birthday of my dear, dear, friend, college chum and sorority sister, Maureen Kinney. 7/6/1946-1/29/2005. She gave me the book in 1968, almost 50 years ago.

"The shape of one's life is determined by many things, but I want first of all to be at peace with myself.
I want...to "live in grace" as much ...as possible....an inner harmony, essentially spiritual." (p.23)
"I would like to achieve a state of inner spiritual grace from which I could function and give as I was meant to in the eye of God." (p. 24) 

Lindberg goes on to expound on the simplification of life, away from a whole caravan of complications." (p.25) As she wrote of daily demands and balancing acts, her words rang true for me. This is not the life of simplicity* but  rather it is the life of multiplicity which the wise men warn us of.....leading us to fragmentation, which does not bring grace but destroys the soul. (p.26-27) Since Lindberg avers that distraction is inherent in a woman's life, (p.28) this condition runs counter to a creative or contemplative life. She decries the dilemma of "remaining whole in the midst of the distractions of life but continues to seek a balance between solitude and communion and between retreat and return."

All of that wisdom in just the first chapter along with an endearing inscription which reads, One of my favorite books, for one of my "most" favorite people. Love, Maureen.   What a treasure!

BTW, personally, I found that 2 Corinthians 11:3, helps me sip from a cuppa simplici-TEA as I reread this book. The verse helps me not be beguiled by the subtleties of the world so that nothing will lead me astray from the simplicity and devotion to Christ.

CHOOSE: TO ENCOURAGE

Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. (Psalm 1:1, from memory so probably KJV)

Scornful folks tend to seek company with the ungodly, and other sinners. But beware, it's an easy "seat" to fall into, even when you sit in your pew every Sunday. That's why Paul admonishes us "to do all things without  murmuring...(Philippians 2:14) Think, inuendos.

To me, a critical spirit spews scorn. Mother would refer to the scornful as "catty." 

Neither descriptors are positive. Therefore, at our house, we try to be appreciative of another's uniqueness or attempts---to applaud their efforts or at least try to understand them, even if that takes extra effort.

"Different"is not a sin.

Scornful folks might be trying to shame others so that their own deficiencies are not so obvious. The adept might introduce scorn through the backdoor of sarcasm---but that still oozes with criticism, even when they try to laugh it off as a joke.

Sarcasm can easily overflow from the heart of the scornful, and sarcasm hurts!

That judgmental seat of scorn is not a place of encouragement. So....don't even go there, much less sit down or take up residence.

May none of us choose to scorn or harbor a critical spirit in our hearts but rather choose to encourage.

Choosing to encourage comes easier as one delights in God's law and meditates on it and not on the perceived faults of others.

CHOOSE: TO SEE

What does it mean for someone to truly see?
After my paralyzed friend, Terry Parlow, lost his sight, he often spoke of how without eyesight, his vision was much clearer for truly seeing what was really  important---and people were at the top of his "focal" list.
Somedays one can be so distracted with the urgencies of life that they don't even "see" what's right in front of them, much less focus on them.
Even when objects, or people are noticed, it can be so quick that the image doesn't seem to really register.
Seeing can be more than the transference of visual image from the optic nerve to the brain.

Seeing becomes deeper when it moves to the heart and is then coupled with understanding.
Then blessings can abound!

Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. (Matthew 13:16, Berean Study Bible)

...they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart. (Acts 28:27)

Sometimes it helps to "choose to see" the world on tip-toes with friends on either side to aid in your understanding and enrich the shared visual experience from a variety of perspectives.

*Certainly this picture of precious Rory with his best friends blesses my heart.

CHOOSE: TO CONJUGATE HOPE

Wordsmiths (and preachers) tend to expound grammar tenses in conjugation, moving systematically from the simple to the more complex. Think, "present progressive/continuous" or "future perfect continuous" or even including the indicative or subjunctive mood. Not to mention pluperfect! It's way too early in the day for that!

Simple is "hard" enough for me.

This morning have been musing in "first person" ---I hoped (past tense) I hope, (present tense) and I will hope. 

When prayers seem unanswered, I don't want to give up hope. I need the continuous action of prayer to keep me hoping. Unanswered prayer is painful.

H.O.P.E. Hold On, Pain Ends.

In the dark places, I need to remember the One who is the anchor for my soul.

He is the One who gives me hope.

CHOOSE: TO CELEBRATE FREEDOM WITH GRATITUDE

JULY 4TH 2017!
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord/ (Psalm 33:12)

Today choose to thank a member of our military. The marines are at the Farmington Kroger in Germantown! (Before the rain)

Better yet, if you are blessed enough to have a family member choosing to currently serve in our military or a "vet" in your family, give them a big hug or at least a phone call.

CHOOSE: GOD'S WORD

All. 

Three little letters. An adjective indicating the entire quantity. The all of the all.

Then God spoke all these words. (Exodus 20:1) 

That sentence,"Then God spoke all these words," preceded the 10 Commandments. (Exodus 20: 2-17)--- a foundation for us---both as a spiritual basis for our lives as well as moral and ethical basis for our conduct.

A paraphrase of the first commandment sums up the basis for all the commandments to me...... 

above all else, love God alone.

Whether one's Bible is large or small, the words therein are all God's word.

Open it to find that all of them are the basis for all truth!

I choose all of God's word for the foundation of my faith.