GOD'S WORD FRONT AND CENTER!

Today I was asked to "be prepared" to share my favorite Bible verse along with other members of our "Prayer for Revival" group. For me, that's a tough assignment! I esteem, treasure, hold close to my heart and love every word of Scripture.

But God soon had Jeremiah 15:16 begin to flood my mind, .....

Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts. (ESV)

.......I decided to meditate on it in many scripture versions.

Marginalia results: What a feast!!!

"THY" words found, I ate them, I devoured them, they became a delight; happiness of my heart, gave me joy; jubilation, rejoicing in my heart; with gladness in my heart.

I listened tp every word: swallowed them whole, & they sustained me.

I am called by your name;Yahweh Adonai-Tzva’ot, you had me bear your name., Yahweh Elohim Tsebaoth, O God, God-of-the-Angel-Lord, God of Heavenly Armies!, Lord God All-Powerful, Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; Commander  of hosts, O Yahweh God of hosts, O Jehovah, God of Hosts.

Lord God who rules over all. I belong to you. (NRV)

MEDITATION CONTINUES....

Last Monday's passage meditation had me on a single verse---Psalm 143:8, specifically the last 2 lines of the verse.
This time the selection prompted prayers beyond family to prayers for friends---so many friends. Sisters in Christ who seem to struggle as I do when it comes to being confident in God's daily plan for them. Such wonderings require daily focus on scripture.
I prayed the verse especially for sweet KDS friend, Sandra, who was hospitalized for observation after a scary blood pressure event. Taking a few treats to Methodist Germantown to celebrate her recovery, I saw she had her Bible opened to that verse.  I had told her earlier I was praying Psalm 143:8 for her.

After  she was dismissed from the hospital, she shared this picture from her morning quiet time. 

Her morning cuppa---tea and truth. Her special Psalm143:8 teacup served as bookmark for that same verse in her Charles Stanley study Bible!  

Then........Sunday's "responsive reading" at church that week was from Psalm 143:8----of course it was.

God is gracious to keep me meditating on a verse until "I get it"!

The meditation continues so I'm excited to see all that He has for me within these 31 words!

MINDFUL MEDITATION: A GREAT REDUNDANCY

Robert Morgan's, All to Jesus, day 203 was last Monday's  (July 22) devotional reading. It was right on the money for this gal whose life is too often filled with fear, flurry and fretting. His reminder was from a quote by St. Francis de Sales, "Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in in a calm spirit." Mull over God's word. No flurry.

For me, cultivating a quiet mind requires much mulling over scripture. Perfect assignment for Meditation Monday. As I will be teaching "Meditative Prayer" at Town Village tomorrow, the reminder was very timely for that lesson as well.

THOTS

Trusting Him On This Subject/Scripture

Today, God used another Morgan book, Redeeming the Lost Art of Biblical Meditation, to continue my "mulling over mindful matters"---as I call to mind, holy thoughts of what God has for me today and allow Him to show me the way to go. (Psalm 143:8)

This month I have had this picture posted near my kitchen table---a great morning reminder. A verse for meditation. A verse to pray for my adult kids, their spouses and all "my" "grands. Plus, God has brought many others to mind so I've prayed for them as well. Psalm 143:8 is also on typed card by my prayer chair and on a post-it note upstairs in our computer room. 

Mindful meditation on this one verse has me focusing again today on, "show me the way I should go." Not "my" way.....but "Thy" way, O Lord.

Trusting God instead of my "to-do" list has calmed my spirit and allowed me to see His priorities and today that means I "stay put" at 1152. Obviously more mindful mulling is still needed.

consider--Consider--CONSIDERING

A morsel for musing.

I seem to be seeing the verb "consider" in degrees. Degrees of intensity.

Some consideration. (lower case) 

More consideration. (w/ capital C) 

MOST CONSIDERATION. (ALL CAPS)

A quick glance (consider) might capture a few words or one idea.


A more thorough "seeing" (Considering) as thought patterns evolve.....and sometimes even echo in my head as I ponder.

Most CONSIDERATION comes with understanding when paired with scripture which gives illumination--the true light.

Scriptural context takes CONSIDEIRNG TO THE nth degree!



*Original place holder that spawned the comments.
More later.

Considering a nap at the moment.

MY ONE WORD

The choice is made---my one word for focus, pondering, meditating on & taking thought of in 2018 has been decided.

I have to admit that MISERY was a word that came to mind often over these last 2 weeks of being in bed.

But God......as I was praying for friends, Sam & Suzie on the mission field in Uganda and 3 sweet friends who deal everyday with chronic pain, had me considering true sacrifice and real pain. Staying "abed" pales in comparison to their situations.

CONSIDER---that's my word. Can't wait to see where God will take me in this meditation.

How about this for a start.

Joy is the path I need to "consider."

May the Lord use my momentary affliction as a reminder to fervently pray for others.

MY ONE WORD

Here I go again. Simplify. Focus.

Pare to one word for meditation if that helps.

Just like last year, I thought in January that I knew my one word for 2017. 

I had thought it would be one of two words. Trust or Joy. I was not even close.

Once again, I've spent the month of January focusing on what I thought would be my one word. 

Now here I am the first day of February re-"considering."

I'll keep you posted.

CHOOSE: MEDITATION

Meditation Monday---Nothing more needed than my old favorite New American Standard Bible.
Plus, on page 14, it has the yellow highlight marks from Josh at age 2.
An open Bible with a 2 year-old in your lap is always a special time for meditation.

http://dotsydetails.blogspot.com/2015/07/meditation-mine-or-thine-q-and-a.html
Today I was able to meditate on Isaiah 45:18-22 with two Prayer for Revival warriors.
Prayer overflows from the meditation on His word which always comes first!
What a time of praising the creator of heaven and earth knowing that He speaks truth and declares what's right. (Isaiah 45:19, NIV)
What a privilege to have prayer partners!

CHOOSE JOY IN MEDITATING

It's "meditating" Monday and there's joy because of a cleared agenda.

No agenda gives space without hurry.

A time not just to" taste and see"  the goodness of the Lord but to savor it. (Psalm 34:8)

A time to interweave prayers from the heart with the scripture that prompted them.

It's not an "either-or" but a both-and" of meditation and prayer. 

When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, (Ephesians 3:4, Paul to the church in Ephesus) 

R + P = M 

Reading and Praying = Meditation.

When you read scripture as you pray it brings revelation and that brings great joy. 

REFLECTIONS

REFLECTIONS! A time for reflecting is pretty common this time of year.

News commentators have already started looking back---almost ad nauseam in the "celebrity" realm.

Certainly as one reflects, there is a fine line between discernment and self-absorption.

For me, discernment can only come with an open Bible in my lap. 

Of course, also for me, it doesn't hurt to have a cup of tea (and maybe even a donut) to help me "stay in the Word" for more than a few minutes. Meditation takes perseverance, especially when encouragement and hope are desperately needed.

For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Romans 15:4)

Thanks be to God---who gives patience and encouragement (Romans 15:5) as we make our way in life....learning from one year, even the mistakes, and taking those life lessons from Him, into the next year.

"So long," 2015.......

Hopeful Meditation #3

12/9/13 Today's Streams in the Desert was "on the mark" for my season of struggle. Sadness continues to "catch me unawares." (a Hoptown phrase) Not only was a verse of encouragement provided but other thoughts for contemplation as well. Thoughts so appropriate for this Monday Meditation.

There is a compensation in every sorrow, and the sorrow is working out the compensation. It is the cry of the dear old hymn:

"Nearer my God to Thee, nearer to Thee,
E'en tho' it be a cross that raiseth me." 

.....weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. (Psalm 30:5b)

There is a peace that cometh after sorrow,
Of hope surrendered, not of hope fulfilled;
A peace that looketh not upon tomorrow,
But calmly on a tempest that it stilled.
A peace that lives not now in joy's excesses,
Nor in the happy life of love secure;
But in the unerring strength the heart possesses,
Of conflicts won while learning to endure. (Streams in the Desert, 12/9)

Message to jumpstart meditation......

9/30/13 OK I know I shouldn't be noshing on chocolate before noon----BUT all that retreating and resting at this past weekend's women's retreat wore me out. I thought one little Dove piece would jumpstart my day.....never thinking it would jumpstart me to meditation.

A message to stir meditation is what I received. God indeed can move in mysterious ways. (Disclaimer: please never assume that Dove messages are a source for spiritual meditation---they're more like a positive fortune cookie which are not intended to have real (in the Christian sense) spiritual value.) 

 But God.....often uses things at hand in my life to draw me back to Him and seeing His hand.

The message inside took me back to a reference in yesterday's blog entry as well as to my notes on "The Sacred Present." Time is a gift, not a possession," as Cynthia Heald reminded us. Enjoy the time at hand. 

Meditate on James 4:14 with that thought in mind.

How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. (New Living Translation)

FOG BOW... a rare picture b/c the fog dissipates so quickly
Little Cranberry Isles, Maine, Summer 2013,
Robin Smith photo, via Soos V.'s FB

Meditation: Visual Aid

9/16/13 A visit last fall to the Chatlos Memorial Chapel at The Cove in North Carolina, aka Billy Graham Training Center provided me with the "visual"aid for today's Monday Meditation. This verse is one I often pray or my "daily" folks so.....I thought a little more insight, via meditation, would be helpful. 

God's grace. God's countenance. God's Peace. Word pictures can also be visual aids as we meditate.

PERIPATETIC MOVEMENTS

8/19/13 Peripatetic is a Ronnie Steven's 50¢ word. He has a trove of them. It aptly describes my movements this summer, though I would use "hither and thither" to chart my journeys. Maybe even hither, thither and yon.

The journeys away from home have seemed to go in all directions yet they were meaningful and worth while because the purpose was to spend time with family and dear friends. Fait accompli.

But....the time at home, in between those trips & treks, has had me here, there and everywhere. Not much (purposeful, at least) accomplished. Running from pillar to post, as my grandmother, Gena, would have said---a linear description of walking in circles and therefore accomplishing very little. 

So what's the remedy? Meditation.

I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. (Psalm 119:15)

God can redeem the time lost in my peripatetic, helter skelter, chaotic life when I take time to sit at His feet, head bowed and Bible opened on my lap. He can work everything together for good.....for His purposes. Even my hither and thither life style.

HOPEFUL MEDITATION #1

8/12/13

Following yesterday’s entry about hope, I spent time in the Psalms.

Those who acknowledge God in their lives have a hope that others might not even understand. God matters to them. Hope for better tomorrows are a part of their lives, regardless of the trials or struggles they are facing this side of heaven. They acknowledge His goodness. Their hope is in Him.

Show me your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me,
 
for you are God my Savior,and my hope is in you all day long Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love,or they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me,
for you, Lord, are good. (Psalm 25:4-7) 

Today, “think” on the hope offered by the Lord.

T-Shirt Theology

8/5/13 Nowadays a person's wardrobe has a way of espousing their belief's----at least in the T-shirt domain. More than advertising or designer logos. Sometimes a "cause" or a "beef" is front and center.

This past week I saw several T-Shirt "backs" that had me thinking and one that gave me pause for meditation. One was still hanging on a sale rack in the ice cream shop "gift" area. T-Shirt #2 was being worn by a VBS teacher eating lunch at Chick-fil-A (natch) in Lebanon, TN.

Life is bumpy. Enjoy the ride.
So true. Life sometimes offers twists and turns that we don't expect....but they are part of "our life story," as Taylor taught us on Sunday. So.......choose acceptance,  pray for God's strength and enjoy the ride as much as possible.

In order to get through the fear of those "bumps" in life that come our way.....one must choose to trust God. 

For God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7) 

Focus (meditate) on God's love and power---not on those fearful bumps. Make that your theology and wear it on your own T-Shirt, if you choose.

CELEBRATING LIFE!

7/15/13 Headed to the mailboat early this morning to "ferry" over to Isleford, the hamlet located on Little Cranberry Isles.  Isleford is the home of our dear friend Ashley Bryan and though he's visited our home in Memphis several times and daughter and I have visited him on the island, today was hubby's first visit. Larry was just as enthralled with our time as I was. Plus we got to meet Ashley's Sus, (Susan V.) who is sort of like the island's chamber of commerce welcoming gal, as well as running the general store and handling all of Ashley's schedules and "tech" stuff. He doesn't even have an answering machine.
Ashley showed us new art work and shared his upcoming book, "Can't Scare Me" from memory. He's a great story teller so that was a real treat. His book should be out  by the end of summer.

Ashley, an animated storyteller brings his words to life----can't wait to see his illustrations for his new book, "Can't Scare Me."

What a glorious day! Time visiting and chatting with Ashley and soaking up his "wisdom" as well sharing his gourmet Dean & DeLuca passion fruit and coconut birthday cake. In celebration of his 90th. What a delight to while away the hours with such a special friend.

Because Ashley so embodies the essence of Psalm 90:12, that's the verse for meditation today. Ashley understands "numbering of days as he lives each day with gratitude and has not only a heart of wisdom but also one of the kindest hearts, I know.

So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom. Return, O Lord! How long? And have compassion on Your servants. Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, That we may rejoice and be glad all our days! And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands. (Psalm 90:12-14, 17)

Ashley celebrates each day as a "birth" day. He celebrates living and he does it well.

In one of Ashley's studios---this is where he is using sea glass to create the stained glass image of Paul, the apostle. He has already completed Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Peter with glass he finds along the shore. With the apostles bookending his creations, he depicts the life of Christ and florals in his panels as well.

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!

DREGS

6/18/13 In previous blog entries I have given a variety of euphemisms to the word "dregs." Dissatisfactions. Disappointments. Leftovers. Remnants. Worthless parts.

Last weeks simplici-TEA assignment /discussion encouraged looking at a specific "dreg" in one's own life. Identifying and dealing with dregs in our lives is one part of the meditation process. This week the focus was to be on that component. Component #3.

Using the Tea with Thee form, to aid in the blending, brewing, steeping and serving of our scripture meditation we were to ask God to show us our hearts....to see if there be any hurtful/wicked/offensive way in us. (Psalm 139:24) Allowing God to investigate/ cross-examine/test us can be so revealing, and even painful. But God....can use it to bring one to the point of crying out to Him, to "create in me a clean heart, O Lord" (Psalm 51:10) which can lead to a renewed Spirit within, i.e. a change in attitude or behavior.

1. Sip---find a verse or passage of scripture and "steep" it in prayer
2. Savor--think on it with prayerful guidance of God's Spirit 
3. Discard the dregs--eliminate the distasteful parts shown in your life
4. Pour out--not only to yourself but share what God has shown you thus benefitting others as well

The dreg, which God brought to my mind, was EXCESSIVE PLANNING. Though difficult to savor (think on) something so "bitter" in one's own life, it is necessary in order for God to teach truth and for change to occur.

I had to ask myself these hard questions:

• What brings on this distasteful "driven" attribute? 
• Am I still desiring  perfection, even though I know that's unattainable? 
• Is it fear based? 
• Is there a root of unbelief?

In Jesus Calling entry 4/25, author Sarah Young states, "fear often manifests itself in excessive planning." Christians know that fear is not from God because He has said, "I will always be with you." (Hebrews 13:5) Do I truly believe that? If I do, then my actions are not showing trust. Certainly a lack of trust can thwart intimacy with Him.

This dreg my friends is nothing but sin. By any other name, it's still sin. 

It's taking God out of the equation of my life's activities and actions.

It's a lack of trust. Lack of trust is rooted in unbelief.

That's not just a bitter dreg. That's sin. 

"What brings you joy?"

6/10/13 "What brings you joy?" That's what the sign at Yates and Shady Grove asked.

Not happiness, but true joy. Happiness is too circumstantial. Dependent on what's happening in your life. An "under the circumstances" viewpoint/location. A location where Mary Ann Frazier says no Christian should reside. Christ's beloved should rise above their fleeting circumstances and experience deep joy based on their relationship with Him.

You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)

The "lasting" answer is found in that verse. True joy, in all its fullness, regardless of one's circumstances,  is found in the Lord's Presence. A question and a verse worthy of meditation.

Corporate Meditation & Prayer: A Blessing

6/3/13 What an encouragement from today's prayer group---not only from the scripture choice itself but also through the praise and petitions of these seasoned prayer warriors. 

Encouragement from a scripture passage (1 Corinthians 2:1-10) which affirms that Paul & effective preachers/teachers rely on God's leading by His Spirit.  Thus, the "hearers" faith will rest on God's power and not human wisdom or effort or tech savvy presentations or charisma of the teacher. Go God!

3) I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4) My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5) so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. (1 Corinthians 2:3-5)

And the prayer group said, "A-men!"