WORLD POETRY DAY

World Poetry Day is always celebrated on March 21.

Yesterday I celebrated it with friends in the creative writing group at McWherter Senior Center in the Sea Isle area as they shared their own haikus, free verse and one with a rhyming scheme, "Vanishing" which  aging folks could easily understand.

What a treat!

I have been camping out this week in Psalms, one of the poetic books of Scripture, as I've been praying for grandson, Nathan, on a mission trip to Panama. (Psalm 9:10-11)

Psalms is one of five poetic books in the Bible along with Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. These books are sometimes referred to as mankind reaching out toward God. Maybe that's why I turn to them so often, especially Psalms.

World Poetry Day 3/21, a way for me to celebrate both poetry readings and God's Word. A great two-fer!

PRAYER PROMPTS

P.R.A.Y.

There are many prompts which can help one with the structure of prayer. 

The one I've been most familiar with is.... 

Praise

Repent

Ask

Yield

This morning I found a new P.R.A.Y. on Lectio 365, a devotional my dear Ukrainian friend, Katya shared with me.

Possibly it's because I seem to find it difficult to first be still  and Lectio's P. stands for Pausing---as a gerund, a verb used as as the head of a noun phrase. Pausing is difficult for me.

Pausing to be still......I need to remember. 

Rejoicing....with a Psalm, my go to Scripture and Reflecting on Scripture gets me right into God's Word. Okay so it's 2 r's but it's a GR-R-E A T idea!

Asking God's help not only for self but for others.

Yielding to his will in our lives, come what may.

The prompt one chooses doesn't matter...but prayer does!

CHOOSE: TO CAMP OUT

Hubby can't wait to "camp out" by the creek. He's been  pulling out the needed equipment for weeks and it's still over a week before we leave for Deep Creek Campground.

I, on the other hand, would be perfectly content to just "camp out" in the Psalms.  It takes a lot less equipment---just my Bible and a quiet place. I can use God's word as my "flashlight." (Psalm 119:105)

But God reminded me that two of my grands will be there, Owen as well as Lucy, whom I rarely see. 

So, camping out, "hubby style" it is.
But....I'm taking my Bible and will seek a quiet place for my "mental tent" right beside the flowing creek. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

There's a Psalm for that....

4/8/13 Relating recently to friend Wynellen that I was once again "camped-out" in the Psalms, I actually felt guilty about that admission. It's been a year and a half now and I'm still there. I've even intentionally included praying and meditating in selected psalms on birthdays of friends and family.

So, why should I feel guilty? Possibly because I can "do guilt" very well. I think I was afraid that I was in a milk-toast study. I so loved the psalms that I didn't desire to move on, at least not during my quiet times of prayer and reflection. During study times, I am in Genesis and Ecclesiastes. (Listen to me---trying to defend my "guilty" choice of Psalms, as if any book of Scripture isn't a worthy choice, in and of itself!!!)

Summer 2010, son's Allen Bible Church did a series on "Engaging God and One Another thru the Psalms." 

So....I reread some of those blog notes to remind myself that Psalms are profitable for any season." "Psalms that can help me personally keep engaging God right where I am." (Buddy, 6/13/10)

RIGHT NOW I need a psalm of intercession---there's a psalm for that.....

But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favor as with a shield. (Psalm 5:11-12)

That Psalm is Psalm 5----for such a time as this.......in this person's season---a Psalm just for that.