ADVENT SUNDAY #3

How refreshing to pick up the morning paper on this third Sunday of Advent and read a very appropriate "published" scripture.

Titus 3:4-7 reminds us of the ,joy believers have because of the LOVE of God' who gave His son---His indescribable gift, (2 Corinthians 9:15) the hope of eternal life! Thanks be to God!

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.

MOTHER'S DAY MEMORIES

Thanks for the walk down memory lane from IKDS, Beverly H. ,and other friends who saw the Commercial Appeal's Mid-South Memories  photo, 5/10/2020.

I can't wait to share the "rest of the story."

CHOOSE: TO SEE

Choose to see what's right before your eyes even if it's in an unusual place in the morning paper.

How blessed we are to have a newspaper that still print's God's word----at least it did today! 

Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life. (Proverbs 22:4)

One thing for sure, humility is at the opposite end of the self-promoting spectrum and today's verse said absolutely nothing about fame, power or stock market portfolio.

I think a cuppa humil-TEA will go well with today's Bible verse in the Commercial Appeal.

May I choose to ponder what I have seen in print this morning.

CHOOSE: POSITIVE THOUGHTS ABOUT MEMPHIS

Watching the "nightly news"can rob me of my joy.
So I continue to subscribe to the Commercial Appeal, my local paper and "look for" good in "my" city, where the Lord has placed me. He determines the "exact places where they (I & you) would live." (Acts 17:26)  I am thrilled when I see hopeful info like last Friday's list of areas all over Memphis where the Tennessee Shakespeare Company would perform "Shout-Out Series" in public spaces. Admission Free. Hubby and I went downtown to Shake(s) Rattle and Roll at Madison Avenue Park. Click here for the TSC Shout- Out schedule. You'll be glad you did!

Who knew there was a park in this itty bitty green space at 151 Madison Ave. ?

They wove Shakespeare into the music and lyrics of Memphis music. Think, Soul Man. Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay and Blue Suede Shoes. Creative!! Great performance---worth the drive!

This morning's CA newspaper had a picture of the performance with the back of hubby's head in the foreground.

I would know that glow in the dark head full of gorgeous white hair anywhere, even from the back, CA  10/11/17 p. 4A

Today's Commercial Appeal made it easy to choose positive thoughts about Memphis. 

Choose Sadness

What!! CHOOSE SADNESS!
Sadness is the polar opposite of joy. I know that.

Maybe, I should have written, "Choose to Feel."

As one who usually chooses to suppress, repress or stuff feelings, I decided to give myself permission to feel sadness.

If Memphis readers read today's, 1/4/2017, Commercial Appeal's front page, above the fold headline, they might understand the source of my sadness----we're not talking life or death sadness. Yet, for me it is truly a lament. Hubby heard me wailing!!
Though to many, (50, I think) it will be a loss of even greater proportions as it affects their income as well as their own passions for books.

Some feelings are legitimate for me even if they don't make sense to others. What crushes my spirit might not phase another. But God....is near, regardless. (Psalm 34:18)
So today, I choose to feel sadness.

Grace for the Cure

This morning's paper was pin! I love it when the world recognizes the need for a cure for cancer, especially breast cancer.

Race for the Cure is what man is doing to meet the financial needs for research in that endeavor.

As I read the ad, the script R, glanced in part, looked like a G to me. 

Grace for the Cure---what an eyeopener.

While man "races" for the cure, God provides grace for the journey.

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness...."

 (2 Corinthians 12:9)

God's grace and power---so needed to those walking and even stumbling in this hard place today, while waiting for their own "cure" protocol.

Meditation" Mine or Thine: a Q and A

Randolph Walker stated in yesterday's (7/7/15) Commercial Appeal "Letters to the Editor," that "classic Judeo-Christian meditation is not about blanking out the mind." I concur. For many folks a blank mind easily turns to thoughts of SELF. Then, meditation easily becomes all about me.
My thoughts, (self-centered) not Thy thoughts. (other centered)
I practice meditation with God's word available---usually my Bible is open on my lap. Mr. Walker sees meditation as a "practice of reflecting on God's goodness."
Scripture at my fingertips helps me do just that.

Though prayer and meditation are different, they are not antithetical. Both are reminders of God's goodness. Meditation often serves as a springboard for prayer in a complementary way.

So.....does one meditate with the idea of discovering thoughts that are "all mine and will help me out" or does meditation help one focus on "Thine" as thoughts from Him with His help to direct those thoughts?

Rick Warren says it well in his first sentence on the first page of his book, The Purpose Driven Life. "It isn't all about you."

That pretty much sums it up.

The question, "Who is meditation about?"

The answer is, "Thee, not me"----especially in meditation.

Lighthouse Farewell

Farewell Lighthouse. A symbol of stability. A constant for many mid-southerners.

This morning's Commercial Appeal will be the last as a part of the Scripps (once Scripps-Howard) publishing group. Somehow that saddens me---and not because I've already been informed of a rate increase on April 15. It's another end of a journalism era for us Memphians. I was sad when the Memphis Press Scimitar, our afternoon newspaper, "bit the dust" in 1983. And now, more change.

The word is, that change won't be noticeable. I disagree. The lighthouse logo will be missing once the Milwaukee-based Journal Media group takes over tomorrow.

Knowing the One who is the light, (John 18:I2) I like the symbolism of a light house---helping the lost find their way. 

Even the motto, "Give light and the people will find their own way," will disappear. I wonder if that means "Today's Bible Verse" will no longer be published.
Those words might be the only "light" some readers get.