ODK MATRICULATES TO WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY!

Grandson Owen's Swain High School Events ended last night. 

According to his first-grade brother, he became a "graduator."

Even Mr. Mike and wife brought blessings!

The Maroon Devils commencement began with the SHS Concert Band playing "Pomp and Circumstance" and the Star Spangled Banner, as all rose from their concrete stadium seats covered in sunshine! 

The ceremony itself opened with prayer delivered by one of the top 5 academic class leaders followed by the SCHS Vocal Ensemble singing Psalm 86! 

When I thought it couldn't get any better than that, the valedictorian delivered an encouraging charge to all her classmates to remember the old as well as embrace the new as practicing righteousness and serving others in their future as cited from God's Word, Romans 12:2:

Do Not conform anymore to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then, you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--His good, pleasing and perfect will.

I so agree with her choice of Scripture.

Mindset is key when young adults go forth in today's world. 

Think matriculating.

Not only did each graduate receive a diploma but a Bible as well!

Fireworks and tossing their mortarboards ended the night with a BANG!

GOD'S WORK---JOIN HIM THERE!

GOD'S WILL! ASK

GOD'S PATH! SEE

GOD'S PLAN.........

JOIN HIM THERE!

RELAX! RECHARGE! RENEW!

Relax. Recharge. Renew.

3 Rs for the aging! Cannot be done alone! In His Presence is key!

Sarah Young (May 25) reminds readers the importance of turning from problems (ours) to Presence (His) Tangled thoughts with anxious knots get us no where....except maybe the ER!

Choose time in His Word. A creekside walk. A Porch "sit." 

Maybe even a nap to recharge one's body. 

A Word Search of "fear not" verses for a mind renewal. (Romans 12:2)

As for me, this week, I am camped out in the Psalms! 

DST!

Saturday as I reset clocks in anticipation for The "Spring Forward" for DST on my calendar, I accidentally turned on the bedside table alarm!

ARG!--It went off, not only on a "sleep in a bit later day" but an hour earlier.

But God in His love and mercy sets a time for everything and everyone. And today, I needed more sleep.....or so I thought.

Actually, I needed more zeal to do His will. (Romans 12:11) 

More of Thee less of me......regardless of the time of day.

FLIP-FLOP MENTALITY

Sister-in-law Charlotte is a flip flop fiend! Her closets back me up on this! I probably would be as well, if I had "pretty toes" like she has!

My only flipflop leanings are in my "distractible mind." It is difficult for me to focus and it seems to be getting worse with each new year. 

How does one undo forgetfulness as they age? Recall failure flusters without allowing forgetfulness to push out peace?

Minds are steadfast, keeping peace of thoughts when they trust in YAH the LORD......Isaiah 26:3

Romans 12:2 reminds us (me) to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Colossians 3:2 says, "Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things."

As Paul says in Philippians 2:1-5, be mindful and live with an awareness of the present. On a straight path. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Steadfast. Transformed. Renewed. Mindset. Mindful.

Have the mind of Christ.

 

Put the "Flip-Flop" mind back in the closet where it belongs!

MATURITY!

Mature? Immature?

Physical---look to check growth attributes.

Emotional---look and listen.

Spiritual---compare words with actions.

Didn't think I was too immature until I got to the end of Tyson's list.

Reminder still needed to please God, not man. (1 Thessalonians 2:4)

He sees beyond our actions into the motives of our hearts.

We "see" it in our own lives if despair/depression keeps knocking at the door of our mind.

If we compare, we despair. It's up to us to transfer our minds to embrace God's good, pleasing and perfect, will/purpose for our lives.

Paul David Tripp sums it up well. "There is nothing for which we can take credit. All praise, honor, worship, and service go to God and God alone. He sought us. He birthed us. He sustains us. He matures us." (New Morning Mercies, September 24)

That's what maturity looks like......from the inside out! 

THREE R's for a NEW YEAR!

REFOCUS! REFUEL!! REFRESH!!!

1. Refocus your mind.
2. Refuel your heart.
3. Refresh others.

Do all three. Use scripture to chart your course!

1. Set your mind. Reset as needed to clear your mind of earthly matters. (Colossians 3:2)
2. Open God's Word and chew on it 'til your heart can delightfully digest it. (Jeremiah 15:16)
3. Refresh others. You'll also be refreshed. (Proverbs 11:25)

Refocusing. refueling and refreshing = Renewal of one's Spirit.
Renewal results in transformation. (Romans 12:2)

Being transformed by a renewal of the mind, refuels one's soul and enables one to refresh others.

What an honor for any gal to incorporate the 3 Rs in her new year and be recognized as a Philemon saint...."The hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you...." (Philemon 1:2)

FUNCTIONAL AGING (A.M.A.P.)

At our church, the LLL or Triple Ls are the ones whose class members would all check the last box on the age information-----above 65! Chronologically aging.

Functional aging is physical and out of our control. Attitudinal aging is a choice.

I'm wondering if checking that last box for some years now should have been an alliterative reminder for me---one who, too often, languishes in lethargy or lapse into anxiety.

Lethargy looms.  Lethargy lingers. Lethargy lessens.
Anxiety accelerates. Anxiety agitates. Anxiety adds angst.

Lethargy and anxiety are on opposite ends of a dysfunctional spectrum, but both are disturbances in a healthy relational life. Think sluggish vs wired!

Attitudinal lethargy and anxiety have their root in our thought life.
It's a mind battle. It's our "thoughts" which need positive intervention.
A.M.A.P. ---As Much As Possible.

I need A.M.A.P. of God's word in my thought life to be "transformed by the renewing of my mind." (Romans 12:2) I need to apply Philippians 4:8 as I capture thoughts at the entry level. and "think on these things."
True. Honest. Just. Pure. Lovely. Admirable.
Meditating on these truths will "please my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)

Functionally.....A relaxed (not sluggish) attitude lengthens a man’s life.  (Proverbs 14:30, TLB) and a cheerful heart is good medicine.  (Proverbs 17:22).....
......RX = daily dose ASAP of a cheerful heart. A.M.A.P.

CHOOSE: Perspicasi-TEA

I NEED a BIG cuppa perspicasi-TEA this morning. Some days are like that lately.
Just fill my teapot with a blend of keen mental perception and understanding and serve my cuppa. I will drain it to the dregs.
Decisions need to be made that I don't want to face. Partly due to lack of financial understanding and partly because of fear. I seem to lack confidence in "deciding" best options in many areas. I shun the responsibility that goes with making decisions when the options and possible consequences aren't clear.
"What ifs" rule my thought life.

But God...........in His word reminded me, "if I lacked wisdom, to ask Him" (James 1:5) and because I have believed his commandments, I can ask Him to "teach me good judgment and knowledge." (Psalm 119:66)
So....I can quit stewing and fretting about $$, worrying about a friend's health procedure or family choices and renew my mind with scripture(Romans 12:2) by choosing to apply perspicasity found in His word.

Shame on you, Victoria's Secret!

4/24/13 Today's mail held a CCV newsletter with an excerpt from Evan Dolive's blog.

Victoria's Secret is launching a new line of undies aimed at middle-schoolers. Their "Bright Young Things" line will feature "lace black cheeksters with the word "WILD" on them. There's even a lace thong with the words, "Call Me" on the front. As a dad of a 3 yr. old daughter, this made him sick.

It makes me sick as well. As 18 month old Lucy's Shug, I don't want her self-worth during her adolescent years "conforming to the world"(Romans 12:2) by focusing on words emblazoned on her under panties. 

Dolive (3/22/13 & 4/4/13) put it well listing the appropriate concerns he wanted in his daughter's mind at that age....

• Should I be a doctor or a lawyer? 

• Should I take calculus my junior year? Should I go to Texas A&M or U of Texas? 

• Should I raise awareness of slave trafficking or lack of water in developing nations? 

These are questions that he hoped she would be asking, NOT will a boy (or girl) like me if I wear a "call me" thong?

VS told ABC news and W'ton Post that the focus is for their  "pink" group not just tweens. When it's about money, do you believe them? I don't. I'm trying to find the petition that parents are signing to voice their  disgust. If I find it, I'll let you know. Til then, just know that VS greed and exploitation of young women makes me sick. Shame on Victoria's Secret!

Got junk?

4/24/12 More specifically, got a junk drawer? According to organizing guru, Maryanne MacDonald, no drawer should be a junk drawer, ie a catchall. Each drawer should have a specific purpose. I assume she meant that junk wasn’t a worthy purpose. Our junk drawer evolved into a purpose on its own---a place for hubby and me to put things when we didn’t know where else to put them. “Tidy”ing said “junk” drawer wasn’t on my day’s “to do” list but it came about anyway when I was looking for a sturdy rubberband. I was too lazy to go upstairs and get one out of the “Rubberband” labeled drawer in my old card catalog. Excess “junk” had the drawer jammed----thus the tidying up began.

As I culled and organized, I mused how akin to my brain this drawer was. Crammed. Filled to overflowing. Some information was useless clutter (trivia comes to mind) making retrieval for important info virtually impossible at times.

Sadly, one’s mind can be too spiritually similar to a junk drawer. Truth is, some thoughts don’t need to take up permanent residence there. Those thoughts can build resentment and bitterness and can “jam” pure thoughts or spew over and affect other unrelated aspects of your life. Bitterness is known in the Bible as spiritual poison and a means by which many are defiled (Hebrews 12:15)

 

Some thoughts never need to be allowed access in the first place. Take every thought captive… (2 Corinthians 10:5)

If mind ”junk” continues to be a problem, “….be transformed by the renewing of your mind” through scripture. (Romans 12:2)

Of course, I tidied up my drawer and wrote it on my “to do” list, (after the fact) so I could ✔ it off and feel a sense of accomplishment. Just yesterday, Debbie P. told me she often does the same thing. Since she’s a pastor’s wife, that info made me feel much better.

✔Drawer accomplished. Beginning to work on my brain now because in one’s thought life..…..organized junk is still junk.