TEA WITH THEE : a TEA-sentation

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33, ESV)

TEA-sentation might be a bit of a s-t-r-e-t-c-h but what else would you call a presentation about taking tea as part of one's quiet time. He Cares, a special ministry of First Evangelical Church, is designed to meet the needs of our homebound seniors as well as giving care givers a break. As always, the "senior" audience, some who are younger than yours truly, was gracious as I sought to encourage them during their worship time.

TEA-sentation set-up

I'm sure that I left them with "tea" words whirring in their heads but hopefully they realized the importance of daily time with the Lord. Seeking Him first. Allowing Him to fill their "cuppa." Otherwise, the "world will fill their life's cuppa.

The world often pours out---stressors of anxi-TEA, feelings of inferiori-TEA, negativi-TEA and hoi-TEA, Toi-TEA attitudes of people who think that they are better than others.

The Lord pours out---chari-TEA (love) generosi-TEA, humili-TEA, integri-TEA, sensitivi-TEA, and sereni-TEA....to name a few.

Daily choices---cuppas brewed afresh---and served by the Lord are an encouraging way to start one's day. 

My encouragement came after the presentation when Charlie Martin told how Terry Parlow, my blind paralyzed friend, whom Charlie had assumed was too sick to attend, made an effort to come so he could hear, Dotsy. When the van lift would not work, his care giver "Miss Ronnie" pushed him in his wheelchair from his condo all the way to church. The distance isn't far UNLESS you're the one pushing big ole Terry in the wheelchair---"uphill" most of the way according to him.

I "puddled." 

I can't remember when I've been so encouraged. Isn't that so like God---we try to minister to others in His name BUT we are the ones who are truly blessed!

A Cuppa Necessi-TEA

......And what does the LORD require of you But....to love kindness, And to walk humbly.... ?(Micah 6:8, KJV)

A cup of tea, fast internet connection and a trustworthy best friend are some of the bare necessities of modern life, according to a Daily Mail internet survey. Also included were television, iPhone, and a car. Naturally, a cup of tea was #1, as the survey was done among the Brits. As a tea lover, I concur. I would also add a crossword puzzle to my list and a FRIXiON Clicker 07 erasable pen. 

This past week I have experienced life in a place with no daily weather reports, (unless one requested them)----we just walked outside for a temp ck and looked up to see the cloud cover---or lack there of. At home, the weather can tend to rule conversation and scheduling. 

I knew little of the world's happening---Seattle slayings or Ebola possibility until I returned home. It was a welcome respite from the barrage of negative news which tend to overtake our media and can make me feel sad and helpless.

No cell reception, limited TV (by choice) and a car that stayed "mostly" parked was very welcome. We tooled around in a golf cart. Even food, which is a universal necessity, was "eating what was at hand." (OK, so much of what was "at hand" was delivered by Chef, Simon.) But....bacon and eggs and a simple grilled cheese are equally good to curb one's hunger.

Much of the preceding list was "tongue-in-cheek" as a way of emphasizing some of the less important things which many folks consider physical necessities. What about spiritual necessities?

But God.....has a way of narrowing down true necessities to kindness and humility----using those "times away" to draw one unto Himself. Heart preparation can occur in the still moments so that the bulldozer of God's Spirit can arrive and begin to touch our soul each day in a new way. True relational necessities linked and strengthened with those spiritual chains of shared-faith.

Sharing morning devotions around a table after laughing over unique breakfast choices, think "sweets." Sharing and caring. 

Celebrating life.....whether in song and dance with "toasts," or in the simple acts of a Scrabble game or singing hymns with lots of la-la-las when no one can quite remember all the words.

Doing dishes together at the sink. Pooling our minds together to come up with a crossword answer or just a random fact that somehow escapes our memories.....until later. Then, we're free to shout it out, without condemnation.

A cuppa spiritual necessi-TEA sweetened with relational integrity and served with kindness and humility.

Rec-TEA-tude

But you, as a person dedicated to God, keep away from all that. Instead pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance, and gentleness. 1 Timothy 6:11, NET Bible)

 Pursuit of righteousness. Righteousness---synonymous with rectitude.

Rectitude was the word I heard last night from the monotone ”reading” voice on my audio iBook. It’s the word I remembered this morning as I struggled to awaken after a “short” night of sleep.

The struggle started last night as I was still awake in the wee hours because sleep had alluded me….probably because I had continued page turning in a book whose topic greatly disturbed me.*

One of my insomnia tactics is to listen to a work of non-fiction read by a monotonous voice in order to push out thoughts that are keeping me awake, thus lulling me to sleep. Even as I was lulled to sleep, that word, rectitude, stayed with me.

Strong moral principals to guide my loved ones’ thoughts and actions are always upper most in my desires for their lives. However, I know that rectitude cannot be legislated.....but it can certainly be modeled in the early years and prayed for in the latter.

A cuppa rec-TEA-tude.

May my children and their spouses sip such and serve it to their own children tempered with the milk of God's word and the fruits of righteousness. 

"Integri-TEA"

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9, KJV)

There is more to writing than a really SHARP pencil and a high quality eraser. That's just my starting point, as I jot ideas on my "blue for blog" notepad. One of those is integrity. It's sort of a Christian blogger's "TEA-ology" gut check. "Integrity" brand is actually stamped on my #2 pencil.

• Check motives. Thy glory, not mine. 
• Check author. Thy words, not my words. 
• Check audience. Thee, not readers. 

Blogger's Prayer by Ann Voskamp (2010) summed it up well.
Yahweh, You alone are my God, not Google. Jesus, You alone are my Savior, not site meters, And Holy Spirit, You alone are my comforter, not comments.

Her prayer was the impetus for me trying to "do it right." Blog with integrity. It's why I cite when I know a reference and indicate unknown source as just that; a note from my marginalia, a memory scrap, or a jot on a scrap of paper used as a bookmark, etc.

Prayerful beginnings: Examine me, and probe my thoughts! (Psalm 139:23) Test me, Lord for my heart is deceitful in ways only you can know.

Integrity is a quality that I certainly need to keep "brewing" in all areas of my life, not just my blog----tho that's a good place to start with this morning's entry and my cuppa integri-TEA.

As I sit before the Lord today with my cuppa, may he reveal to me areas in my life where I need more of Thee and less of me.

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)