Learning Along The Way

The Life of Joseph and The Rhythm of Life

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Here’s a word association: The Life of Joseph, the Rhythm of Life, and Bingo.

What do all these things have in common?  At first blush, common threads aren’t obvious but there are a few actually.

When I was a child there was a game show on TV (black & white back then before God invented color, according to my sons!), whose name I don’t remember (age issues showing up again) and there was a clear drum turning with ping pong balls bouncing around.  Each ball had a letter and number on it, somewhat like a Bingo game.  Every once in awhile one ball would roll out of the drum and down a ramp to where it could be picked up and identified.  In recent years in California, a similar system was used for one of the many lottery games.  The anticipation of waiting to see what the ball said was exciting.

My mind has been a lot like that drum lately.  The ideas in my head have been a lot like the ping pong balls bouncing around waiting to roll down the ramp into the foreground of my thoughts to be identified.  The anticipation of what the thoughts mean is almost as exciting as the game show was.

So here’s where The Life of Joseph comes in.  Our pastors have been teaching about the Life of Joseph all through the Fall.  I love how much depth and application these men show us each week.  You will definitely learn a lot if you click the link and listen.  But there has been this random ping pong ball idea bouncing around in my head that has formulated itself into a question.

Here it is: If Joseph could trust God so thoroughly, why can’t we?

He didn’t have the Bible in print or on his computer, smart phone or tablet.  He didn’t have Bible studies or small groups or the fellowship of other believers.  He didn’t have commentaries to study or a plethora of books to read about Who God Is and How to Know God.

He simply trusted.

Perhaps God was more obvious to Joseph because he had less-distractions?  He was in a pit and in prison for quite awhile.

How can we have less-distractions in this day and age? This is where the idea ball named Rhythm of Life comes down the ramp in my mind.

If we make time alone with God a priority and we plan for this time in each day as an appointment on our calendar, then we are actively choosing to make God a priority and push back against the tide of distractions that threaten to overwhelm us daily.

My google calendar says Coffee with Jesus from 6 am to 7 am daily.  It is a starting point.  Pick a time that you like.  Make it a date.  Write it on your calendar.  Show up.

Guaranteed He will too.

Focus. Practice. Sacrifice.

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A constant focus on adversity defeats many Christians. They walk through a day that is brimming with beauty and brightness, seeing only the grayness of their thoughts. Neglecting the practice of giving thanks has darkened their mindsIt’s Monday. Sometimes just saying ‘it’s Monday’ can bring a deep sigh; a ‘here we go again’ mindset about the daily grind. After a longer break from routine for most, this Monday may have more challenges than usual. This morning I read the day’s entry from the devotional Jesus Calling by Sarah Young and was reminded of a few things.
* Giving thanks takes focus give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thess. 5:18)

* Giving thanks takes practice … and be thankful; …with thankfulness in your hearts; …giving thanks to God (Col.3: 15,16,17)

* Giving thanks is a sacrifice Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. (Heb. 13:15)

Focus. Practice. Sacrifice.

These are words that are associated with training, with work; and work takes effort.

Many friends have made the effort and used social media this month to name what they are thankful for on a daily basis. I have been blessed and encouraged by their posts. You may be one of them. I am thankful to God for you as you live out …let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good deeds (Heb. 10:24)

So if today you’re focusing on the drudgery of your responsibilities, may I suggest a shift in focus? Look for things to be thankful for. Name them. Thank God for each one.

Practice thanking God for the little things. This work has a promise attached to it:
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:7)

And who among us couldn’t benefit from a peace that passes all understanding in the middle of our day?

Black Friday Focus

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Today’s entry from My Utmost for His Highest quotes a portion of Malachi “Take heed to your spirit that you do not deal treacherously”. Chambers goes on to say “Our state of mind is powerful in its effects. It can be the enemy that penetrates right into our soul and distracts our mind from God. There are certain attitudes we should never dare indulge. If we do, we will find they have distracted us from faith in God. Until we get back into a quiet mood before Him, our faith is of no value, and our confidence in the flesh and in human ingenuity is what rules our lives.”

On this Madison Avenue marketing day, as we look for great deals on things we ‘need’, what will you do to demonstrate you are a person of faith?

Let someone with less in their arms go ahead of you in line?

Give money to the Salvation Army bell ringers?

Slow down and smile at the store employees dealing with people who are way too intense and frantically grabbing at items to get the most and the best?

Pause while you are in line to thank the One who gave you the ability to breathe, stand, carry, think, earn money, etc.?

Any or all would probably be a way to battle the ‘attitudes we should never dare indulge’.

As I’m getting ready to pile into the car for a shopping extravaganza these are great reminders for me, so I’m sharing them with you. Let me know how your day went; I’ll be praying.

Love, Loved, & Lovable

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Quia amasti me, fecisti me amabilem Augustine

Augustine wrote these words about the One who loved him best. God.
The same God who spoke to Abraham, who talked with Moses, who inspired Rahab to hide the spies, who led Ruth to follow Naomi home, who called David A Man after His own Heart, who gave Solomon wisdom, the prophets something to talk about, and Who Came in the Flesh so that we could comprehend Him.

Jesus. He came first as a babe and will come again as a conqueror. The in between is where we live. It’s where Augustine lived. And Thomas a Kempis. And Brother Lawrence. And Galileo. And the millions who have gone before and who are walking here today. God was. God is. And God will forever be.

How do we relate to this very other being? We learn to love.

“Because you loved me, you made me able to be loved.” These are Augustine’s words translated to english.

Because God has loved me I am able to be loved. God has not gotten a great deal in me being part of His family. I am wayward, unfocused and generally a problem child. But He chose me. He calls me Friend. I am His beloved. If you claim His saving grace, these things are true of you too.

Because God has loved me I am able to be loved. He offers us gifts throughout the day. Love gifts. A stranger’s smile. The sight of a beautiful bird. The laughter of children at play. To simply say Thank You for each gift is a beginning. An acknowledgement of His Presence, His care, His love. He offers out of love. It’s His very nature.

The acknowledging of God’s gifts can be part of our day, part of our rhythm. Pausing the music or talk radio in the car and saying Thank You for your ability to hear, to understand, to appreciate the sounds coming out of the radio. Saying Thank You for the good scent of food cooking, or the warmth of a sweater on a cold day. All these are simple ways to be in the process of learning to love, learning to love the One who gives you life.

How will you adjust your rhythm to acknowledge God and His good gifts today?

Quia amasti me, fecisti me amabilem

Friday Focus

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My windows need washing.               And I can see them.

 

My laundry needs folding.                 My hands and arms function.

 

The dog needs a walk.                         My legs work.

 

A friend needed to be heard.               My ears can hear.

 

A heart was heavy.                             Tears flow.

 

Burdens on the left                             Blessings on the right.

 

Where do you focus? 

Focusing on blessings isn’t denial; it brings glory to the One who provided the blessings.  Bringing the blessings into focus doesn’t take away the burdens but gives them a platform for being carried; the burdens in the context of blessings have a different perspective.

So this weekend, whatever it may bring, adjust your  focus.

Sharpen Your Focus

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“If any of you lacks wisdom let him ask of God…”

“Lord I need clarity.  I’m not sure where I need to focus my writing.”

You might be surprised what an honest prayer for wisdom brings.

Had coffee this morning with the small group of women whom I meet with monthly. We don’t get together to just have coffee and talk about anything and everything; our focus is to encourage each another in our writing and speaking endeavors.  Each month a different woman is the focus of our time together; we listen, give specific feedback, challenge and/or encourage as needed.  We’ve each benefited in various ways through the six or seven times we’ve met and one of those benefits for me has been the honesty.

I came today and simply stated my need for clarity and focus.  Because it is a serious matter for me my emotions are right on the surface, so I teared up in sharing my need.  (I actually do that a lot; anyone who spends more than 30 minutes with me can attest to that! I am very empathetic, but I digress)

What I received was not a chorus of “oh but you are…” or “that must feel awful…” Instead I was asked good open-ended questions that helped me articulate my thoughts.  I received very specific ideas for my writing topics and specific feedback /encouragement for moving forward.

And now I am armed and encouraged to take the next step!

This, my friends is exactly what a focus group can do for you.  Your focus group might be for parenting.  Or organizing your home.  Or exercise.  Or the education of your children.  But having a small community where you can sharpen your focus, where you can be honest and you are heard and cared for, is essential for personal growth and change.

Want to know more?  Invite me for coffee!

When Life Happens

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But little Mouse, you are not alone,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes of mice and men
Go often awry,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!   Robert Burns

Do you ever feel like you start something new with every good intention,  only to have something happen that derails your plan?

You are not alone.

And, if you’re anything like most of us, you are none of the things you call yourself for not being able to get right back to your good intention.

Here’s a new thought: 

So instead of talking to yourself in ways you would never allow anyone else talk to you, repeat the words in the box above.

Then start again with what you wanted to do.

Apply and repeat.

It sounds so easy you might think I’m being ridiculous to take the time to write this out.  But the truth of the matter is, we get stuck in the way we think and act and react and don’t even realize it.  We also don’t realize the simplicity of making a different choice.

So go ahead.  Start something new.

When Life Happens, don’t get mad that your plans went awry; recognize that Life is happening and then start again.

Is Change Happening?

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Do you wonder if change is happening?

You might be battling discouragement today.

Maybe when the new school year began you started (or tried to start) to make changes in your routine: getting up earlier, eating right, being on time places, not losing your temper, writing that thank you card, memorizing scripture, or even just reading the Bible; any one of these changes might be on your to do list.

You started your plan and it was going great!

But life happened today and the to do list didn’t get done.  Or maybe it’s the third day in a row that “life happened” and the to do list is buried under the mail.

The question is: do you give up?  Just quit because change is too hard and you don’t see it happening?

Or do you make a different choice?  The choice to persevere?

Steady Progress
Three years ago to honor my dad’s memory I wanted to make our backyard into a relaxing retreat area by installing a water feature.  Here’s what it looked like brand new:

The plants were little and it looked rather stark.  It wasn’t lush and verdant like I had imagined, partly because the cost to plant mature plants was way out of the question and partly because I am committed to the process of growth and I wanted to watch the yard change over time.

Little by little, when I wasn’t paying attention, change happened.  Now, this summer the fountain area looks like this:

My point is, don’t give up!  Little by little, when you push back against the tide of demands and make another choice to continue on your new routine, starting again, you will see change when you least expect to!

Sometimes when we’re the most discouraged, we do want to throw in the trowel, in gardener speak, and just quit.

I have one word for you: DON”T!

Keep going!  Start again!  Get support from friends or, contact a Coach!  Click over here to learn more about working with a Life Coach.

Change can happen.  Change takes time.  Give yourself grace and get support.

Of Fountains and Questions

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This fountain is lovely, in a lovely setting, surrounded by flowers and grasses. 

It looks great. 

But something is wrong.  Do you know what it is?

The water is stagnant.  See it in the bottom?  Greenish- brown and gross.

The fountain is off so the water isn’t moving.  The fountain looks good from far away but it’s not serving it’s real purpose: moving water and making a lovely noise.

I wonder if you’re feeling a little like this fountain?

Do you feel disconnected from the Source?  Not sure you’re doing what you’re supposed to be here for?  Do you desire to bring beauty to your environment and make a lovely noise but aren’t there yet?

Those are questions whose answers can be changed. 

We’re here for a purpose bigger than ourselves.  Figuring out what that purpose is can be the joy and mystery of life.

For this fountain to go from gross to lovely takes getting connected to the Source.

Is that what you need too?  That’s what I’m here for: not to preach, but to help process. 

Let’s connect…

Life is a Journey

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As I was getting ready for work this morning, I had Pandora playing. A song I’d not heard came on; a song whose lyrics really expressed my heart. 

It’s not a new song, so some of you may already be familiar with both the song and its composer/performer, Ginny Owens.  The lyrics of her song, “If You Want Me To” are words I would write if I were a songwriter.

I know that life is full of challenges, Jesus told us it would be this way.  “In this world you will have troubles.”  That may sound pretty bleak.  But He also gives us a great encouragement: “Take heart!  I have overcome the world!” 

Jesus has already won the fight for our eternal destiny.  He fought that for each of us because of Love.  Love for the Father and Love for each of us.  In spite of  whatever we’ve done that we might think wouldn’t be deserving of Love. 

He willingly fought for you and me.  Because of Jesus’ battle for our souls and His righteousness alone, you and I can be accepted into that Love.

This priceless Love makes this journey worth taking.  The journey here is a journey toward God’s heart.  We are changed along the Way by the challenges.  Even though life is full of challenges, heartaches, losses, in the middle of it all there is the security of His Presence.  The best part of this journey is that Jesus wants to walk through it all with us! 

Because He Loves You.  Because He Loves Me.  The difficulties give us the chance to grow closer to the One Who Loves us.

This song reminds me that because of this a.ma.zing Love,  I am willing to journey through tough things.  Not alone.  Not forgotten.

Be encouraged. Listen here: If You Want Me To

Follow Me…

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