Conversations, Reflections & Meditations


	Main Page \| My Articles for The Life Connection \| Prayers and Meditations \| Poetry Haida Gwaii Reflections \| Education & Home-School \| Family
Sign Guestbook \| View Guestbook Comments? Questions? [email protected]	Prayer topics Shallow Thinking... Open My Mind, Lord Part of the Church Through Time and Space That Speed-em-through Attitude I Want To Hear Your Still, Small Voice Turn to God Before Turning to Others Servant or Doormat? New Attitude: All to the Glory of God Shallow Thinking... Open My Mind, Lord Date: November 20, 2003 I want to know You, Lord! I'm still reading away at CS Lewis' book, "Miracles." I'm going to have to reread it I suppose. We are not taught in this day and age to reason, and we lose out on so much with our shallow thinking. Oh Lord, open my mind and hear to Your truth. In Jesus' name, Amen. Return to the top Part of the Church Through Time and Space Date: November 21, 2003 I like reading things written by the old-time saints of the church centuries past, with all the archaic language left intact. It gives me a sense of the continuity and unity of the church over time and space, and really makes me feel part of a great, on-going movement of all those journeying, marching on, to our great hope and eternal future with our Father God, and our Saviour Jesus and the Holy Spirit - One God! Completion for us at last. I am coming, Lord. "Even so, come, Lord Jesus." Psalm 119 has so many sections that I can use as I pray. And praise. And that inspires me to really get into the word, law, testimonies, teaching, precepts, statutes, commandments, word of truth of my God. I've had a tendency to rush through the chapter because it is long. But it is so deserving of study and memorizing. Help me, Jesus, to truly study and hear Your word. "Speak Lord, for Your servant hears." .................. It is 5:08 am and I need to get ready for work - but just to say, I read through Galatians twice yesterday. When I was a teenager (after the Sutera Twins crusade I think) I used to love Galatians in my Living New Testament (the one with the cool pictures in it). When I read it now, it is still great, but there are parts I don't clearly understand. I wonder just what it was I loved so much then? Maybe the freedom we have in Christ! Wondrous! The wide place! I don't usually think of myself as having been a committed Christian at that stage, but I was for awhile. And - God has been working on me all of my life. (So why have I been so slow to learn?) Return to the top That Speed-em-through Attitude Date: November 22, 2003 Yesterday when I was reading "Miracles," C.S. Lewis mentioned something about joy - and I realized that the moments of greatest joy in my daily life are these morning moments when I am spending real quality time with You, my Lord and my God. Thank You, Jesus! Father! Holy Spirit! Blessed God! Joy!!! I was looking at the company's employee plan at work. I haven't had a review yet and may not get one for another 6 months, and no raise for another 6 months after that. And the raises are so miniscule and take so long to achieve. Well, I want to be in God's will, but Lord - I feel you are giving me such a heart for ministry, and I don't know how I can serve You in other ways when I'm so tired, even physically, from this job. And I don't know if I'm doing any good for You in his job at all. And now they are being really strict about only one person on break at a time, so it's even harder to talk to people or build relationships. And (maybe this is selfish) they are taking all the fun, creative parts of the job away. And they are putting such a big deal on "freshness" which means pulling baking product far more often each day. And yet I am also constantly expected to do more and more different jobs along the way. And as an almost-50-year-old I am too tired! To be honest, the "speed 'em through" attitude goes so much against what I believe in. To me it is wrong. Yes, I know it reflects our society, but that doesn't make it right. There is no time for relationships, no time for thoughtfulness, very little consideration of health and nutrition - never mind any time for faith and for You, Lord! Just writing this makes me reflect that maybe, to be consistent, I should be, when I eat out, looking for places that reflect my values (and putting those values into effect in my own home and in One Eighty.... I wonder how this all fits into my ideas for church and outreach?) even if it costs a bit more. I like Wendy's Restaurant food, and it's cheap, but it's still fast food, and supports and drives that kind of lifestyle. Which brings up the question of eating out on Sundays, which forces people to work on the Lord's Day - and discourages simple Christian fellowship and hospitality. Lord? Return to the top I Want to Hear Your Still, Small Voice Date: November 24, 2003 I just wanted to sleep in this morning. I even reset the alarm clock, but then got up anyway, and here I am. I was going to start by writing, but decided I should listen first to God's Word, so I turned to the devotional, and this verse just leaped out at me: "Be still and know that I am God." (Psa 46:19) See! It doesn't matter how I "feel" or how other people are. God loves me and He is in control and He does have a wonderful purpose for me (which may be totally outside my expectations - and probably is) and He is working it out for me right now There is another thing I want to record here. The devotional today really, really spoke to my heart. Oh Lord, I do want Your "peace that passeth all understanding." Dear God, help me to enter in where You dwell, and hush every other sound so I can hear Your still, small voice. Please help me, dear Lord, heavenly Father, precious Jesus, Holy spirit, my God! Thank You! Return to the top Turn to God Before Turning to Others Date: November 25, 2003 I really intended to go and talk to ___ (and maybe ___) for the past week or two, but never got to it - because God Himself had things to teach me first. Good Christian friends and mentors are wonderful, but it is our Lord and God to whom we must first turn, and ultimately turn. He is the One who knows what is best for us. He is the One with the true purpose and plan for our lives. He is the One with the answers (even if the answer is just "Wait, walk with me, believe). He is the answer! Thank You, Lord. Return to the top Servant or Doormat? Date: November 26, 2003 Lord, what is the difference between a "servant" (as we are called to be) and a "doormat" (which I sometimes feel I am, and which you certainly weren't, dear Jesus)? I can't handle anymore of bing told how stupid, mean, uncaring, etc that I am. Can moms run away? See! I want to escape rather than stand up to it. Are all our family problems at root because of my character flaws? Have You been trying and trying to change me, and I haven't been cooperating, or even really realizing what I am like? Should I just buckle down and enjoy this job no matter what, and choose to stand up for myself, and choose to enjoy it as much as I can? I do have a negative attitude, and have been catering to it. And not talking to You when I need You at work. Forgive me, Lord, for that. Should I at least give the new system a chance and see what develops? Okay... Thy will be done, Lord. Return to the top New Attitude: All to the Glory of God Date: November 27, 2003 Yesterday I determined to go to work with a new attitude, to look for enjoyable things and enjoy them. And guess what? In all my moaning and groaning I had forgotten about the fun, encouraging people, and how I do enjoy making perfectly baked cookies and things, and the satisfaction of organizing so that everything gets done decently, on time, in order, and I even enjoyed scrubbing out the walk-in fridge so it looked clean and safe. I'd forgotten: "Do all to the glory of God!" I have Jesus right there working with me! Wow! I want to make Him glad. And to give honor and glory to Him in the eyes of others. Amen, Lord Jesus. Thank You. So. Day by day, step by step, moment by moment with Him, let Him have His way, and He will bring His purpose and will for my life, and for my family's lives, to fruition. Hang in there, girl! Friday, November 28, 2003 Yesterday at work I tried hard to keep up a good attitude. Mostly I was okay, but I forgot to keep asking for Your help and forgot to keep praising You. These are habits I need so much to learn. And I was tired from the day before (work, dental appointment, housework, cell group, pick my husband up from the airport at 11:30 pm) and not enough sleep. And it was so busy for me. No break from 6 am till 11:30 am, then rush, rush, rush. So many extra cookies to bake, cakes, busy lunch hour, and when I left, only one cake (besides coffee cake) in the fridge. At one point I was so tired I went in the freezer and had a little cry. But I had a good time in other ways. Oh, my supervisor was tense again and "telling me something" a lot, too, but I am finding that there are still challenges and creative moments, and lots of need for my organizational skills, and those things are positives. Return to the top
Main Page \| My Articles for The Life Connection \| Prayers and Meditations \| Poetry Haida Gwaii Reflections \| Education & Home-School \| Family


	Main Page \| My Articles for The Life Connection \| Prayers and Meditations \| Poetry Haida Gwaii Reflections \| Education & Home-School \| Family
Sign Guestbook \| View Guestbook Comments? Questions? [email protected]	Prayer topics Shallow Thinking... Open My Mind, Lord Part of the Church Through Time and Space That Speed-em-through Attitude I Want To Hear Your Still, Small Voice Turn to God Before Turning to Others Servant or Doormat? New Attitude: All to the Glory of God Shallow Thinking... Open My Mind, Lord Date: November 20, 2003 I want to know You, Lord! I'm still reading away at CS Lewis' book, "Miracles." I'm going to have to reread it I suppose. We are not taught in this day and age to reason, and we lose out on so much with our shallow thinking. Oh Lord, open my mind and hear to Your truth. In Jesus' name, Amen. Return to the top Part of the Church Through Time and Space Date: November 21, 2003 I like reading things written by the old-time saints of the church centuries past, with all the archaic language left intact. It gives me a sense of the continuity and unity of the church over time and space, and really makes me feel part of a great, on-going movement of all those journeying, marching on, to our great hope and eternal future with our Father God, and our Saviour Jesus and the Holy Spirit - One God! Completion for us at last. I am coming, Lord. "Even so, come, Lord Jesus." Psalm 119 has so many sections that I can use as I pray. And praise. And that inspires me to really get into the word, law, testimonies, teaching, precepts, statutes, commandments, word of truth of my God. I've had a tendency to rush through the chapter because it is long. But it is so deserving of study and memorizing. Help me, Jesus, to truly study and hear Your word. "Speak Lord, for Your servant hears." .................. It is 5:08 am and I need to get ready for work - but just to say, I read through Galatians twice yesterday. When I was a teenager (after the Sutera Twins crusade I think) I used to love Galatians in my Living New Testament (the one with the cool pictures in it). When I read it now, it is still great, but there are parts I don't clearly understand. I wonder just what it was I loved so much then? Maybe the freedom we have in Christ! Wondrous! The wide place! I don't usually think of myself as having been a committed Christian at that stage, but I was for awhile. And - God has been working on me all of my life. (So why have I been so slow to learn?) Return to the top That Speed-em-through Attitude Date: November 22, 2003 Yesterday when I was reading "Miracles," C.S. Lewis mentioned something about joy - and I realized that the moments of greatest joy in my daily life are these morning moments when I am spending real quality time with You, my Lord and my God. Thank You, Jesus! Father! Holy Spirit! Blessed God! Joy!!! I was looking at the company's employee plan at work. I haven't had a review yet and may not get one for another 6 months, and no raise for another 6 months after that. And the raises are so miniscule and take so long to achieve. Well, I want to be in God's will, but Lord - I feel you are giving me such a heart for ministry, and I don't know how I can serve You in other ways when I'm so tired, even physically, from this job. And I don't know if I'm doing any good for You in his job at all. And now they are being really strict about only one person on break at a time, so it's even harder to talk to people or build relationships. And (maybe this is selfish) they are taking all the fun, creative parts of the job away. And they are putting such a big deal on "freshness" which means pulling baking product far more often each day. And yet I am also constantly expected to do more and more different jobs along the way. And as an almost-50-year-old I am too tired! To be honest, the "speed 'em through" attitude goes so much against what I believe in. To me it is wrong. Yes, I know it reflects our society, but that doesn't make it right. There is no time for relationships, no time for thoughtfulness, very little consideration of health and nutrition - never mind any time for faith and for You, Lord! Just writing this makes me reflect that maybe, to be consistent, I should be, when I eat out, looking for places that reflect my values (and putting those values into effect in my own home and in One Eighty.... I wonder how this all fits into my ideas for church and outreach?) even if it costs a bit more. I like Wendy's Restaurant food, and it's cheap, but it's still fast food, and supports and drives that kind of lifestyle. Which brings up the question of eating out on Sundays, which forces people to work on the Lord's Day - and discourages simple Christian fellowship and hospitality. Lord? Return to the top I Want to Hear Your Still, Small Voice Date: November 24, 2003 I just wanted to sleep in this morning. I even reset the alarm clock, but then got up anyway, and here I am. I was going to start by writing, but decided I should listen first to God's Word, so I turned to the devotional, and this verse just leaped out at me: "Be still and know that I am God." (Psa 46:19) See! It doesn't matter how I "feel" or how other people are. God loves me and He is in control and He does have a wonderful purpose for me (which may be totally outside my expectations - and probably is) and He is working it out for me right now There is another thing I want to record here. The devotional today really, really spoke to my heart. Oh Lord, I do want Your "peace that passeth all understanding." Dear God, help me to enter in where You dwell, and hush every other sound so I can hear Your still, small voice. Please help me, dear Lord, heavenly Father, precious Jesus, Holy spirit, my God! Thank You! Return to the top Turn to God Before Turning to Others Date: November 25, 2003 I really intended to go and talk to ___ (and maybe ___) for the past week or two, but never got to it - because God Himself had things to teach me first. Good Christian friends and mentors are wonderful, but it is our Lord and God to whom we must first turn, and ultimately turn. He is the One who knows what is best for us. He is the One with the true purpose and plan for our lives. He is the One with the answers (even if the answer is just "Wait, walk with me, believe). He is the answer! Thank You, Lord. Return to the top Servant or Doormat? Date: November 26, 2003 Lord, what is the difference between a "servant" (as we are called to be) and a "doormat" (which I sometimes feel I am, and which you certainly weren't, dear Jesus)? I can't handle anymore of bing told how stupid, mean, uncaring, etc that I am. Can moms run away? See! I want to escape rather than stand up to it. Are all our family problems at root because of my character flaws? Have You been trying and trying to change me, and I haven't been cooperating, or even really realizing what I am like? Should I just buckle down and enjoy this job no matter what, and choose to stand up for myself, and choose to enjoy it as much as I can? I do have a negative attitude, and have been catering to it. And not talking to You when I need You at work. Forgive me, Lord, for that. Should I at least give the new system a chance and see what develops? Okay... Thy will be done, Lord. Return to the top New Attitude: All to the Glory of God Date: November 27, 2003 Yesterday I determined to go to work with a new attitude, to look for enjoyable things and enjoy them. And guess what? In all my moaning and groaning I had forgotten about the fun, encouraging people, and how I do enjoy making perfectly baked cookies and things, and the satisfaction of organizing so that everything gets done decently, on time, in order, and I even enjoyed scrubbing out the walk-in fridge so it looked clean and safe. I'd forgotten: "Do all to the glory of God!" I have Jesus right there working with me! Wow! I want to make Him glad. And to give honor and glory to Him in the eyes of others. Amen, Lord Jesus. Thank You. So. Day by day, step by step, moment by moment with Him, let Him have His way, and He will bring His purpose and will for my life, and for my family's lives, to fruition. Hang in there, girl! Friday, November 28, 2003 Yesterday at work I tried hard to keep up a good attitude. Mostly I was okay, but I forgot to keep asking for Your help and forgot to keep praising You. These are habits I need so much to learn. And I was tired from the day before (work, dental appointment, housework, cell group, pick my husband up from the airport at 11:30 pm) and not enough sleep. And it was so busy for me. No break from 6 am till 11:30 am, then rush, rush, rush. So many extra cookies to bake, cakes, busy lunch hour, and when I left, only one cake (besides coffee cake) in the fridge. At one point I was so tired I went in the freezer and had a little cry. But I had a good time in other ways. Oh, my supervisor was tense again and "telling me something" a lot, too, but I am finding that there are still challenges and creative moments, and lots of need for my organizational skills, and those things are positives. Return to the top
Main Page \| My Articles for The Life Connection \| Prayers and Meditations \| Poetry Haida Gwaii Reflections \| Education & Home-School \| Family