WEARY WORDS

Lord, I'm so weary and yet you blessed me with an incredible week with family! ALL 17 of us!

Then....I opened, seeing beautiful again. There it was. God's word! 

The very words I needed for my day!

He gives strength to the weary 

and 

increases the power of the weak. (Isaiah 40:29)*

Strengthen me by the power of your might today, O Lord that I might walk worth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.....regardless of my physical and emotional fatigue!

*Font used was "Dancing Script" to remind me to start dancing again----right after my nap!

BIG WATER BOUND

All 17 if us +3 are "BIG WATER" BOUND!

No place I'd rather be in "steamy" July than with family!

Will share if and when I can.................

YIELD TO GOD AND PARK YOUR MIND THERE TODAY!

MINDSETS,  a July 8 blog entry  keeps coming to my mind.  Lisa TerKeurst's, (Chapter 2, p.17) in seeing beautiful again, had me at the title,  "The Best Place to Park Your Mind Today. 

Scripture, Philippians 4:8 was an added bonus! Finally, brethren whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely--if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things. (my memory) 

Remember this verse Quad Squad/Pi Phi friends!

Thinking is a mindset and thoughts based on scripture are the best place to "park your mind."

Yield to Him and His word for you!

Yielding is a choice. Think about this as your thoughts "drive" you to ponder life's realities---frustrations, disappointments or a pity party. Zip ass those "messy" thoughts and let the Lord steer you to Him and park there. 

It's a mindset parking lot set up for His children.

As TerKeurst says, "When we set our minds in the things of God, we will have direct access to the peace of God. A parking lot of peace in our own minds " (p. 21) ----what a great place to be. 

Reserve me a spot!

CHOICES

Choose, Dotsy! It's your choice!

My "just in case" plans..........God's Plan A.

Pull up by my bootstraps mentality........God's strength.

Walk in my own way.............Walk worthy of the gospel message.

What does it look like when I make poor choices and depend on self rather than God? The visual answer is below.

I either run out of steam temporarily.....or I burn out completely.

Brother Buddy reminded me that I was embracing a little too much of "Mildred's" busyness/do it all for everyone persona. I tried to explain that I was being "other-oriented." He reminded me as I choose to be  God oriented, He will help me say no when necessary. 

The Lord will direct me to be "others-oriented" on His guided path. (Proverbs 3:5-6, a Bro Buddy fave) 

Where He guides, He provides---with time and strength. I think I just heard an "AMEN" from my brother!

MINDSETS

I have decide to spare you my quotidian details involved in my circular thinking that led to this blog. 

Mindsets are earthly focused or focused above. (Colossians 3:1-2)

I think most earthly mindsets fall into one of two categories. Whether it's in your relationships, careers, finances, recreation or entertainment.

Self or others. Which is it for you?

Are you self-absorbed in your thinking?  Actions can follow your thinking.

Are you Other-Oriented? 

Others know, even if you don't.

You might pray as Ronnie Stevens wrote.....

Lift us up out of the pit of perpetual self-regard. 

Cause us to be other-oriented.

 (Path to the Cross, entry July 10)

PROCESS PROCEEDS PROMISE

"The Process before the Promise" is the first chapter in my new devotional book of 50 devotions, seeing beautiful again, by Lisa TerKeurst. As a weird reader/wordsmith, the fact that the chapter title was alphabetically correct as well as contextual spiritually, was a great hook. BTW, I chose the verb, proceed  in this entry title because it can indicate moving ahead---ie. to continue and it keeps the title alliterative and in ABC order. Though, I admit, precede would definitely work & probably more definitively, except for my alphabetic idiosyncrasy.  

What follows are my journal jottings. I have decided I cannot do one chapter per day, rather I  meditate on just one chapter, with its scripture correlations per week.

• Sufferings seem  present for a long time; long-suffering is not always long enough to match the suffering from the struggle. 
• TerKeuherst's "Hurting but still  hoping--" (p.14) touches my idiosyncratic tendency of alphabetical order. For me: Hoping in spite of the hurting. Hoping is what helps us get through the hurt. (Though I clearly understand the author's context.) 
• Great reflection on Psalm 40.
•  Psalm 40:1-10--David is praising the Lord---a perfect basis for hope being able to flourish.....regardless. He is waiting patiently---it's part of the process. 
• Hope is a continuous action part to the process. Sometimes repeated over and over.
• David continues to focus on God's goodness, even in the struggles/low places, reinforcing his belief in God's goodness to continue. 
• Psalm 40:11-17--David continues crying out to the LORD, recounting his need as well as his trust. David remembers the Lord is his help and deliverer. 

Application---aka "Do it, Dots" 

The Lord put David upon a rock. God kept His promise that He is with those who trust in Him. As He did for David, He will do for me "On Christ the solid rock I stand." He is my Hope. Live it out so that others may see the hope within especially during the hardest times.

Waiting is a part of the process. 

W orshipping

A s

I

T rust           (my acronym)

How we wait shows our testimony lived out..... of the One in whom we place our hope because of HIs promises. He works all things together (Process -->  Promise) for our good and His glory, regardless of the circumstantial or relational outcome in our lives.

TRUE FREEDOM!

ONE NATION UNDER GOD is what the Hobby Lobby ad declared in today's newspaper. BLESSED IS THE NATION WHOSE GOD IS THE LORD. (Psalm 33:12)

How grateful I am to live in a community where God's Word can appear in the newspaper---whether as a paid ad or as part of the publication that is free of  charge & explains true freedom in Christ with "A Verse For Today," Galatians 5:1.