On Being Rich

A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.
~Henry David Thoreau
I am slowly learning that there are more and more things that I should let alone.  They may be good things, the new, "in"  things, tempting and very useful  things; just not for me things.  


Knowing what to embrace and what to let alone frees me to focus on those things that truly make one rich- treasures in heaven.  


What do you need to let alone these days?  Pondering that question more and more as the new year approaches ...


I wish you simple blessings and eternal treasures in 2012!


(and I will get this template issue ironed out sometime soon .. i hope!) 

A Garment of Praise

When I read Ann's words last week about a habit being something we wear, I thought of Miss Anita from the church I attended as a child and where my husband and I took those first tottering steps together into the world of church life and ministry.  Dear, precious Anita, whom my husband will tell you taught him to pray as he listened to her quiet humble prayers; prayers which always ended in tears, always hers and often mine.  She requested the same song from our chorus book on Sunday evenings, always this one:

Put on the garment of praise for the Spirit of heaviness;
Lift up your voice to God.
Praise with the Spirit and with understanding.
O, magnify the Lord.

This is the year of Praise for me, and like Miss Anita, I will wear it as a garment, my daily habit.  I will put it on each morning first thing and try to be mindful throughout the day that it is about me.  I will place reminders about my home for those times that I forget what I'm wearing and why I am doing whatever I happen to be doing.  Reminders like this scripture which is now before my face multiple times a day ... placed prominently in the place where I find myself so often at home (but that's next week's post!): 


1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
3To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
Isaiah 61:1-3



What are you wearing these days? :)

Gratitude Journal 3/8/10

Thankful today for ...

nature-
rain
birdsong
robins hunting for their breakfast in the backyard


signs of spring-
geese heading North
daffodils
freshly tilled garden soil
seedlings


comforts of home-
a quiet morning
the gentle rhythm of daily tasks
hum of washing machine
a cup of tea
cuddly quilts
good books

a reminder of whose and what I am-
Yet, O LORD, you are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8

For these graces, big and small, thank you Lord.

Giving thanks with the multitudes today. If you'd like to join us, stop by Holy Experience and join the Gratitude Community.

Fast from What?

Fasting. I've been pondering that one this week.
We don't observe Lent at our church, but my husband and I have done so for the past few years. I was thinking about my lack of "giving up anything" this season thus far, oh I tried to fast from coffee (ha, don't try that one if you need to be focused enough to homeschool 3 girls, care for a wild and newly mobile one year old, write with any clarity and meaning, otherwise function like a reasonable adult), chocolate (my husband bless him brought me a Heath bar the first night ... ).

As I sat this morning in my prayer spot and prayed (whined) about this whole Lent thing and how I wasn't doing well, didn't know what to "give up" etc., etc. a little thought popped into my mind ...

Fast from negativity. No complaints, no excuses, no criticism of others. Keep those opinions to yourself if they aren't positive, even if they are true!

At first I dismissed that thought, I mean Lent is about giving up "good things" isn't it? But the thought was persistent throughout the day.

Then, I read Jennifer's post and I see ... maybe this year God wants me to fast from the thing that is keeping me from His best!

So, now that I've blurted it out for you all to read, and confessed my tendency to have just a tad bit of a critical spirit (confession is good for the soul, right?) ... I think the next few weeks will be a bit quiet for me, much to some people's relief. I'm sure some tongue biting will be in order, but I think we will all be the better for it!


I'll be praying this daily:

Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. Psalm 141:3

Pray for me!

Loving Like Jesus

Loving like Jesus sometimes just means "being there" for someone.

Today I received a call from a dear friend whose aunt passed away yesterday. Her passing was expected, she lived 104 (yes, really!) years on this earth and was ready to go on to a new life with the Lord; but losing someone we love is never easy, even when it is expected and we know our loved one is in a much better place. You see, my friend and her family have been loving like Jesus themselves, caring for this lady in their home, doing all they could to make her last days comfortable and peaceful, surrounded by those she loved.

I got a text message yesterday telling me she had passed away. I answered back- praying for you. What else can one do at a time like that? Sometimes (probably more often than we realize) praying is the very best way to love someone, because God knows exactly what to do when we lift our friend in need up to Him. He is what they really need.

After praying, at least in this situation of loving like Jesus, comes just "being there". As I said, my friend called today to tell me about the funeral arrangements. When I asked what I could do she said, "Please just be there. It will help me if you and your family will be at the funeral and then afterward come with us to the church for lunch. I'll feel better if you are there." Just be there, could it be any simpler? Just be present, show your support and love by being there.

Often, like now, there are no words to make things better, there's nothing I can do to ease my friends hurting heart; but I can pray, and I can "be there" for her, loving her like Jesus by lifting her up to Him and being there for her when she needs me.



How do you love like Jesus? Visit Holy Experience to join in the conversation.

Amor Es

How do we love like the Father?

As I was pondering that question this morning, I picked up my Bible and perused the concordance for LOVE. Two themes seemed to be most prominent when I went looking for Love in the scriptures ...

God's love

endures forever



God's love is

unfailing



Those are tough, aren't they?

Forever is a long time. And being all too human, enduring anything unpleasant for even a short time is well ... apt to make me not as loving as I know I should be.



Unfailing ... let's just say that doesn't describe me ...



So, I know that to love like the Father, I will have to do what I must when anything good or godly is required... Let HIM do it! Only by allowing Him love others through me can I ever hope to love as He does. I must empty myself and allow Him to fill me with Himself, who is love.



Amor Es. That is the title of the song we sang in prayer group last night. Yes, in Spanish. (We are part of a bilingual fellowship, and are very slowly learning this beautiful language.) But no, I really didn't know the meaning of much of what I was singing at the time.

I did know that Amor Es means Love Is, but that was about the extent of it.


This morning I did some translating and was touched by the beauty and truth in the song. Here is my translation of the chorus (pieced together with the aid of an online dictionary):

Love is to give yourself in soul and body to mankind.

To live always serving, without expecting something for yourself.

That is exactly what God did through Jesus ... and what He still does today, through us.

I pray that like You, Father, may all that I do be done in love (1Cor. 16:14).

To read how others Love like Father, visit Holy Experience today.

Building a House of Prayer

Building a house of prayer is much like building a house of stone or wood. Start with a firm foundation-Jesus; and build stone by stone...moment by moment, day by day, prayer by prayer. Your house of prayer will stand firm and be a refuge and protection for your soul and your family when storms of life come; just as a well-built home will protect you and your family when thunderstorms rage outside its walls.

Prayer flows throughout our house daily. From the first silent prayers offered as I wake each morning..."Thank You, Father for this day... I love You, Lord." Some days it is "Oh, HELP me, Lord!" because, though thankful for another day, I'm not ready just yet to face it.

As I wander into the kitchen and start water for coffee, I lift my husband up to the Lord, "Help him, protect him, bless him this day".

After he leaves for work and the girls resettle in for a little more sleep, I begin my morning time with God. I read from a devotional and the Bible, pray for my family and friends, sometimes I journal, sometimes I just sit and breathe out whatever is heaviest on my heart at the moment, and wait for Him to fill me...

Prayer is exhaling the spirit of man and inhaling the spirit of God. ~ Edwin Keith

We pray together during the day. At breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we give thanks for our food, and lift up other concerns, prayer needs we are aware of...not always, some days, a very quick, "Thank You for this food, Amen." is all you will hear.

I often get calls or emails throughout the day requesting prayer, and we lift those up as they come...
We pray with family and friends who visit our home, and have hosted cottage prayer meetings for our church family.

We pray together as a family before bed, a ritual started years ago, and one that the children will not allow to be skipped, ever. Gathered round on the living room floor, my husband reads a Bible passage or missionary story, and then we pray; each taking a turn if we feel like verbalizing our prayers. Some nights all pray aloud, some evenings one person or more chooses to keep their prayers between them and the Lord. But we pray together as a family, every night.

One room of our house of prayer still requires work...My husband and I struggle with praying together, just the two of us. I don't know why, we certainly communicate well enough any other time...but there is always this...tension there. It is something we must work through and get over; as more than ever, we need to pray together. I've read other posts today that tell a similiar story of the struggle to pray with a spouse... Join me in prayer that this struggle be put to rest, and prayer, pure and genuine, would flow freely for those who have this problem?


This is the cry of my heart today:

Psalm 86
Hear, O LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
Guard my life, for I am devoted to you.
You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you.
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long.

Lord, your child is poor and needy...in need of You and Your help, even in prayer. Help me to continue building this house of prayer, one that trusts in and honors You in all things. I pray as I call to You all day long, You will be blessed by the outpouring of your child's heart to You.

Lord, I pray for myself and my sisters who struggle with praying with our husbands...help us, heal this rift Lord, break the strongholds that keep our mouths closed, and our hearts afraid to open up and reveal the cry in them. Lord, help our husbands also open up and pray freely with us.
Lord, as you have joined us together, husband and wife, one flesh; join our hearts in one cry to You. Amen

For more on Building a House of Prayer, visit Holy Experience today. Ann's grace-filled words will bless and encourage you.

Pilgrimage into Prayer ~ When Plans Fail

Pilgrimage into Prayer...

I read a passage in For The Family's Sake recently, in which Susan Schaeffer Macaulay described her frustration at finding a good time to spend in prayer, Bible reading and meditation during the years when her children were young. While reading the biography of Charlotte Mason, she learned how Miss Mason set aside "the best time of each day" for these practices. For Charlotte Mason, it was following her afternoon walk, when she felt "quite fresh".

For me, the best time of day is early morning. By afternoon, I'm often feeling anything but "fresh"! I usually spend the hour our so after my husband has gone off to work in prayer, meditation, journal keeping, and Bible reading. Those few moments of quiet allow me to spend time at the feet of Jesus, in order to prepare my heart and mind to face the day.

Life being what it is, some days just don't work out the way I plan for them to. Take this morning for instance... For some unknown reason, all of my girls tumbled out of bed as soon as the kitchen light flickered on at 4: 15 a.m., and were ready to start the day. I, on the other hand, was not! They always wander down the hall to give Daddy a hug and kiss goodbye as he is leaving; but normally all head right back to their beds for a few more hours of sleep allowing me to settle on the loveseat with a cup of tea and meet with the Lord. Not today...no, no, not happening, and of course, this was one of those "need quiet" mornings for me. Sometimes noise is just too much...noise.

At 6:00 a.m., they wanted to go sit outside and wait for Auntie to arrive with little cousin Emma, who spends her days with us now. From 4:45 when my husband left until 6:00, they were mostly in their bedroom...talking, jumping, making all sorts of odd noises, turning on the radio to the station that was anything but "positive and encouraging" for me so early in the morning. There was not a bit of much needed quiet to be found this morning.

I tried to pray, really I did. Yet, not only was the hum of activity from the children distracting, my mind was racing, thinking all sorts of disconnected thoughts; it was every bit as noisy inside my head as it was outside. Not a good way to start the morning, not at all.

What do I do on days like this, when despite my best planning and efforts, I fail?

On those days, I return to the age old prayers that have been repeated countless times over the years. Prayers that are not commonly prayed in the church realm I grew up in. Oh, yes, we all learned the Lord's Prayer in Sunday school...but I do not remember it being prayed in church...ever. I do wonder why?

(photo of church windows snapped during our weekend wandering)

The Our Father or The Lord's Prayer

Our Father which art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done

in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,

as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

And the others, the Glory Be and the Jesus Prayer; those I discovered in my own spiritual searchings as, with a group of friends, I studied the Spiritual Disciplines and read much on prayer.

I have come to love the simple beauty of these prayers, and return to them often...especially on days like today, when I am distracted and quickly becoming distraught!

Glory Be to the Father or Gloria Patri

Glory be to the Father,

And to the Son,

And to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning,

is now,

And ever shall be,

World without end.

Amen.

And the one I feel the to pray most often-

the Jesus Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,

Have mercy on me, a sinner.

Some days I just repeat just 3 words....Jesus have mercy, Jesus have mercy, Jesus have mercy...for as long as I need to.

It is amazing how a few moments spent breathing out one of these prayers stills the soul and centers the mind. And they aren't just words, these prayers...not at all. Read them, pray them...they are powerful, beautiful prayers...ones that touch the heart of God, and change the heart of man.

For more on a Pilgrimage into Prayer, stop by Holy Experience today.

Continuing On in The Pilgrimage of Prayer

I continue on in the Pilgrimage of Prayer....in the power of Christ alone.

For in my own strength, and of my own will,
I know I will stumble and stray.
And when the day's over,
And I pause and be still...
I'll find I've neglected to pray.

But, He who lives to make intercession (Hebrews 7:25), He who dwells in me, draws me into prayer, into communion with Him...by the power of His Spirit. Only by abiding in Him (John 15:5) can I continue this important pilgrimage, this blessed privelege...prayer.

For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Acts 17:28

Yes, Christ teaches us to pray by showing how He does it, by doing it in us, by leading us to do it in Him and like Him. Christ is all, the life and the strength too for a never-ceasing prayer-life. ~ Andrew Murray, With Christ in the School of Prayer


In Christ alone, and because of Christ alone, I continue my pilgrimage into Prayer.

To share your own story of your pilgrimage into prayer, or to read other's, stop by Holy Experience today. You will be blessed by what you find there!

Note: I will be posting my Walk with Him Wednesday thoughts here now for ease of reading and commenting, both for myself and for others. To read my other posts in this series, click here.

If you've ventured here from Seeds of Love... Thanks for dropping by, and I hope you'll visit me here often, too!

(in)courage...What Encourages Me

What encourages me?

Words...yes, as in the familiar phrase... an encouraging word.

But, not just any words... they must be truth-filled, life-giving, living words. When I think of being encouraged or (in)couraged...the living Word, God's Word is first and foremost in my mind.
Words such as:

"Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you He will not fail you or forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Wait for the LORD;Be strong and let your heart take courage;Yes, wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:14

"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." John 16:33

But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, " Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid." Matthew 14:27

Over and over the Word of God tells us to take courage!

These words are very (in)couraging to me.


The other words that encourage me are the stories of other women who have taken courage; who have overcome their own fears and failures to become wonderful, grace-filled vessels that the Lord uses to bless others.
These brave souls who share their stories are the encouragement for me to push past my own fears and folly, to tell my own story...and His; hoping that my simple words will encourage another seeker of Truth, another thirsty soul who needs a little living water poured out for her to drink, another sorely tried and soul-tired traveler, in need of a little (in)couragement.

But Jesus turning and seeing her said, "Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well." At once the woman was made well. Matthew 9:22

Be (in)couraged! He has overcome the world...He (in)courages!

Come, and hear, all who fear God, and I will tell of what He has done for my soul. Psalm 66:16

On Solitude

It is in deep solitude that I find the gentleness with which I can truly love my brothers. The more solitary I am the more affection I have for them… Solitude and silence teach me to love my brothers for what they are, not for what they say. ~ Thomas Merton

Pondering this as I prepare for an evening of solitude, a rare occurrence for me. Most of my times of solitude come in the early morning hours after my husband leaves for work and before the little Loves tumble out of bed. But, tonight I will have several hours to myself...hours to spend in silence, in prayer, in Bible reading and meditation. Time to again find the gentleness I need to truly love those around me...something that I am very much in need of these days.

He knows what we must have, and meets every need...Thank You, Father!

The LORD is compassionate and gracious,

Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.

He will not always strive with us,

Nor will He keep His anger forever.

He has not dealt with us according to our sins,

Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.

As far as the east is from the west,

So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Just as a father has compassion on his children,

So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.

For He Himself knows our frame;

He is mindful that we are but dust.

Psalm 103:8-14

Lord, I pray that as I spend time in silence and solitude this evening, Your Spirit will fill me and change this one who is very dusty today...

As the cool of the evening brings new blossoms and a sweet fragrance to the Four O'Clock...

I pray that You will bring freshness, newness, the fragrance of Christ into my life. More grace Father, I am always in need of further grace...Fill me so that I may once again gently pour out Your Love to the dusty souls You bring to me.

Who Me, Critical?

My memory/meditation verse for this week:

Then let us no more criticize and blame and pass judgment on one another, but rather decide and endeavor never to put a stumbling block or an obstacle or a hindrance in the way of a brother. Romans 14:13 (Amplified Bible)



Sounds easy enough to memorize, right? Yes, that's the easy part...living it, that is not so simple.

Let me tell you, this verse (though in a different translation) "just happened" to pop up in this week's Memorizing Scripture Together email...the week that I'm also attempting a fast of sorts- a fast from being critical. This fast is an exercise from the book our spiritual formation group is reading together- Spiritual Classics by Renovare. Excellent book for practicing spiritual disciplines...but, this week has been tough.

Now, I'm not normally a critical person (at least that's what I thought...sigh). The challenge was to go 1 day (that's it, one day) without saying anything critical. Ha! Any and seemingly everything that could happen which would expose that ugly critical spirit has popped up in the past few days. Yes, I've had to extend my fast, starting over and over and over, since I've failed miserably each day! Let's see...my children have waged outright war on one another, homeschooling has been a battle (working on revamping that whole area of life right now anyway), extended family members have done things that make no sense whatsoever, I went into the kitchen this morning to wash dishes and instead found a punchbowl filled with less-than-lovely water from the leaking drainpipe underneath the sink; and I am still "patiently" waiting for our friend/landlord to bring me the oven igniter that he said he would pick up last Saturday...that I've been waiting for since mid-January......oh, can you feel the potential for some serious criticism here??? I could go on, but then I would just be asking for more grief I do believe.

I know the LORD wants to teach me some very necessary, but painful lessons this week; so I am thankful for the big eye openers...BUT one day's drama would have been enough if you ask me (which in HIS wisdom He didn't). OK...so I need more practice; but if it takes a roll of duct tape, I'm learning this one so I can move on from here!

I shall have to go back to my scripture prayer of a year or so ago:

Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. Psalm 141:3

Yes, Lord, please do!