GOD'S WORK---JOIN HIM THERE!

GOD'S WILL! ASK

GOD'S PATH! SEE

GOD'S PLAN.........

JOIN HIM THERE!

PRAYER PLACES!

I have "plopped" for prayer in many places!

The phone table at 2211 with a party line, though I'm not sure of many prayers in those early years.

Hospital rooms as I visited others. 

Homes and porches of many friends and funerals.

Church pews, as I attended weddings.

Fireside @ Camp Loucon, Lake Junaluska, Pinecrest and the Cove.

In Hungary it was in a field of sunflowers.

In Ukraine it was by the river at Kompas Park between sessions with kids.

In Antalya, Turkey it was on a sandy beach on the Mediterranean coast between speaking times at a Biblical conference under the guise, for safety, of a business leadership event.

In the mountains of Tlapia, Mexico, a cloth was over my head.

In Costa Rica it was on a train bench in the rain forest.

In Honolulu, Hawaii it was seated on boat ride to the USS Arizona with a snarky, pushy line-breaker. I had to pray for forgiveness for my attitude.

In my "Prayer Chair," in our Tennessee home, often occupied by a grand. 

During this season, with "final" move to NC, I can plop on a large prayer chair, stretch out on a bed, kneel on a floor pillow or stand and look out an eastern view of the mountains because this home has a "prayer room"....... A PERFECT PLOPPING PLACE!

 What a view for worship..... a worthy place to plop and pray for all those devoted to prayer. (Colossians 4:2)!

JOY! JOY!! JOY!!!

A joyful face says it all!

A big thanks to Pace McKee for sharing Ron Man's quote from the recent council retreat.

IF YOU HAVE JOY IN YOUR HEART, NOTIFY YOUR FACE!

P.R.A.Y.

Many folks use ACTS as a reminder of great steps in our prayer life.

A doration

C onfessiom

T thanksgiving

S upplication

A reminder to worship and search your heart for sin and thanking the Lord for forgiveness before we start asking,

P raise

R epent

A sk 

Y ield

This P.R.A.Y. but I appreciate the reminder to yield to God's will for His answers as we ask/ petitions. 

A great way to align our will with His---so that His will be done!

This past Month my sweet friend from Ukraine shared Lectio 365, an on-line devotional, with me. Today's devotional offered this acronym, for pray.

P ause to be still

R ejoice with a psalm

A sk for God's help for self and others

Y ield to His will, come what may

Regardless of your style of praying, with or without an acronym reminder---how about a rhyming one--PRAY TODAY!

joy......Joy......JOY!

Struggling lately. Depressed spirit. Enveloped by a pall of sadness and grief.

Lethargy looms.

Knowing joy is a choice.......guilt ensued.

Joy is a by-product of an attitude of gratitude.

I had taken off my dance shoes. 

The Bible is a book of joy! (Deuteronomy 16:15)

Exercise needed. More time in His Word. (Psalm 94:19) D.

Acceptance. Keep on keeping on. (Philippians 4:4) A.

Fulness of Joy RX. (Psalm 16:11, I Thessalonians 5:16-18) 

Don't lose hope. (Romans 12:12) N.

Consolations from friends. (Psalm 94:19) Thanks, Dixie! C.

I need to find my D.A.N.C.E. shoes. E. 

Exercise joy.....Joy.....until it gets to JOY!----

                            my basic "barre exercise" for abunDANCE. 

HURRIED FORGETFULNESS: A Meditation

7/8/13 Recent post had me pondering some questions about worrying and hurrying. Pondering those resulted in some guided meditation. (Allen Bible Church, 7/5/10) Pondering brought focus!

Listen to His will: Focus. Pray. Rejoice. Give thanks.

Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

The Lord gives His will but also gives His warning so that hurry & worry won't result in low-grade joylessness---aka as a life more filled with "blahs" than "ahs."

In David's Psalms (his journal, of sorts) he reminds us to remember all that God has done for us. 

Remember His warning:

Bless the Lord, O my soul and FORGET NONE OF HIS BENEFITS. (Psalm 103:2)

It might take a little time to recall God's benefits and to say thank you. But....as author Timothy Jones states, "As I take time to enjoy God, I find myself lifted out of life's littleness."

Hurried people become forgetful & ungrateful, which can lead to lives of irritation & "demandedness." One demands more from God & others in order to serve self.

Grateful people don't forget to say thank-you. 

Our forget-filled lives: Hurried.Worried. Ho-Hum.

His will: Be Thankful

His warning: BEWARE OF HURRIED FORGETFULNESS!

Prayers for Michael

12/18/12 Michael B. from IL is at St. Jude today for his scans. Praise the Lord for all the answered prayers for his health as you lift prayers on his behalf today. Please pray for good results and God's best for him throughout his life. They are here only briefly and I am too sick to be around anyone, much less a precious St. Jude patient.

Here are some pix from his last visit in September.

Michael & sister Ellie 

Sharing books (no surprise there) w/ Ellie and camera shy Michael 

Michael turned 5 this year!!!

Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

KUDZU Thoughts

9/9/11 Kudzu….the weed that eats the South in the summertime. (can’t remember where I read that.) So true of that invasive plant. Sort of like wisteria, give it an inch (you know the rest)---but at least wisteria has pretty blooms.

How do you combat kudzu? Can you even keep it in check? Is there anything good about kudzu?

My thought life can be like kudzu if I don’t hold it in check. “Take every thought captive.” ( I Corinthians 10:5) An unchecked thought life can be destructive. Sometimes on the roadways, kudzu can take on the form of animal shapes, a Kud-Zoo, of sorts…..but underneath, living trees can be smothered and barns and cabins are so thoroughly covered as to be on no use. That’s also what can happen to my uncontrolled thoughts, especially if I have been “wounded” by the actions of another.

Can anything good come out of kudzu? Today’s CA advertised a “brown bag lunch and learn” at the Memphis Botanic Gardens, “Cooking with Kudzu.” (Had link) A positive life approach resemblant of “if life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

So how do I make a positive thought out of my resentment toward my “hurter” when it pops into mind. First thing is to begin to pray---forgiveness is key. Filling a mind with thankfulness and rejoicing always helps too. (I Thessalonians 5: 16-18) BTW, rejoicing when the offender has put on a few extra pounds does NOT count. That’s just a kudzu thought disguised---your heart will reveal the real motive.

See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. (I Thessalonians 5: 15)

All people----even the one who is the source of your kudzu thoughts.

*Blog in honor of dear friend, Abe, who when playing Scattergories™ with "K"s puts kudzu as the answer for every category b/c as he puts it, “Kudzu covers everything.” I think he has a point!