WEDNESDAY WORD!

Wednesday is often a betwixt day on the calendar for me. Friend Renee's morning text referred to it as "Hump Day" which for those still employed  gives hope that the work week is getting closer to the end. 

Today's Word A Day,  a gift from "my Molly" was convicting to me.

Too often, according to her, I say,"I am no longer who I once was!" Instead of enjoying my moments, I keep thinking of all I can no longer do. Think betwixt and between young and old or well and infirmed. Think two different states of being or realities.

Hoping to focus more on my God-given moments today, I opened my Bible.

Stop dwelling on past events and brooding on over times and brooding over times gone by; (Isaiah 43:18, (CJB)

His word has me no longer betwixt but basking in today's God-given moments but to look for new things springing up from His hand.

 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.( Psalm 32:8)

Think embracing the spiritual anchors God has planned for me as a way to help others.

HAPPY THOUGHTS!

Comparative thinking can have both positive and negative effects.

A friend sent me an amazing comparative. 

Comparing a Christian and a pumpkin. A perfect positive for this October 31!

BEHOLD! BEHOLD!! BEHOLD!!!

#1 Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life. (Psalm 54:42)

#2 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! (Psalm 133:5)

#3 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17, NKJV)

Three glorious truths to see, watch for, be alert to BEHOLD!

BEHOLD: ONE WORD LOUD & CLEAR IN SCRIPTURE

BEHOLD---used 1,298 times in the Bible, KJV version. A word that shows up from Genesis to Revelation.....in Genesis with creation, (Genesis 1:29) with the prophets, "Behold, this is our God, "(Isaiah 25:9) through the New Testament (2 Corinthians 5:17) to  Revelation "Behold, I make all things new." (Revelation 21:5)

To behold music that will lift you up....

CLICK HERE https://www.facebook.com/FirstEvan/videos/578071259669891/ 

.....if you want to Fast forward to my favorite, Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" at 47:13 or to 43 if you want an upbeat intro w/ soloist Effie Johnson) 

You will beholden to me if you do so.

NEW BEGINNINGS

....welcome 2016! The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Or is it???

It seems that I'm always in the midst of a struggle as old years transition to the new ones. This year is no exception. Except....that I'm making NO resolutions.

My hubby and daughter, on the other hand,----along with a friend, a doc and a wise counselor are resolving to "help me" cut back. Maybe it's a reflection of the inner disarray that becomes "outer" when I let down my guard around them.

For a Christian, all new beginnings, in new years or new seasons, start at the cross and continue with obedience to His word.
For me, I want a renewed emphasis in my life on worship. My study in Revelation has been an impetus for that. Loving God and serving others are an overflow of worship..... so, how do I pare down? Relationships take time----time with the Lord and time with others. What a conundrum!
So far, the only fresh start I have made is to begin with a "new" Bible and a new journal. (Thanks, Nancy)

For a journaling junkie, these are essential tools. Maybe the new "journaling" Bible will help me see anew. See truth from Him rather than relying on years of "scribbled notes" (tho marginalia sounds better) in my old Bible. Maybe the new journal will help me keep up with sermon notes and improve my memory and "scattered thinking. "

Yet, the quandary remains---how can there be a "new beginning" when the old ways are so familiar!

"Identi-TEA" : a re-brew

Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. (2 Corinthians 1:21-22, NIV)

"I" is for Identi-TEA was the 12/23/09 blog title. Info given is still  a part of my identity fabric. Alphabetical order is a part of who I am and how I organize---sometimes to a fault. The entry was a bit of a walk down memory lane for me.

These days a cuppa of my identi-TEA would be filled with these words---a book lovin’ tea drinker with a burnt toast nametag, 

This was not a staged burn---tho I did scrape it and "tried" to eat some of it---because I don't like to "waste."

----a gal who loves to write for the Lord but who lacks the gene given to poets who are able to say the MOST with the fewest words. Not so with me. Words string forth. A cuppa Verbosi-TEA---is that a word??

That entry from 4 1/2 years ago also dealt with "I" words in scripture. "I" words that identify the Lord.

For this entry, my word choices will identify who I am in the Lord......because that's the identity that counts.

My "in Christ" identity "SHIELD"---

Blessed. (Luke 11:28) Created. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Forgiven. (Ephesians 1:7) Healed. (Isaiah 53:5) Justified. (2 Corinthians 5:21) Loved. (Romans 8:38-39) Redeemed. (Titus 2:14) Sanctified. (1 Corinthians 1:2) Saved (Psalm 3:8)

These participles might not all start with the same letter but they are in alphabetical order and express the continuous action aspect of my life's identity.