I’m baaaack..:)

Sunset at Honeymoon Bay, Freycinet Peninsula, Tasmania, Australia Photo by JJ Harrision

Good morning, beloved,

The sun is rising this morning as it has done every morning of my life. It shines bright this morning as I begin. I may not see the sun every morning, as I rise, but I know, I know it is there.

Sun behind Clouds PHOTO by Quant

Psalm 113:

Praise the Lord!

Praise him, you servants of the Lord;
praise the name of the Lord.
² The Lord’s name ·should [is to] be ·praised[blessed]
now and forever.
³ The Lord’s name ·should [is to] be praised
from where the sun rises to where it sets.
⁴ The Lord is ·supreme [exalted] over all the nations [99:2];
his glory [^CGod’s manifest presence] ·reaches to the skies [is over the heavens].

Praise Him! Praise YHWH! I was talking about this idea of YHWH’s being like breath. To breath is to praise His name, which is very convicting to me that when I am in the midst of giving into temptation, I am breathing. My breath, my voice was meant to praise the One who gave it all. I am tempted to write with permanent marker on my hand:

Picture by http://www.jcpm.com/appliedchristianity/yahweh.html

Maybe a tattoo. The clouds would be challenging but to keep the truth of His name ever before me, I need it.

When am I to praise Him? Let’s look at this Psalm.  

The Lord’s name should [is to] be ·praised[blessed] now and forever.

Praise Him now and forever. Check out the Hebrew here. The word is `owlam. 

I. long duration, antiquity, futurity, for ever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual, old, ancient, world

1. ancient time, long time (of past)

2. (of future)

   1. for ever, always

   2. continuous existence, perpetual

   3. everlasting, indefinite or unending future, eternity

You, me, all of us are meant to praise Him all. the. time. Doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of gray here. Oh, Lord, how little of my day is spent worshipping You. I confess. You know we think of confessing sin as big things: anger, lies, lust, you name it. Yet, if the Bible states unequivocally to praise Him always…

We were meant to NEVER get over Him. YHWH. Our LORD. We were never meant to leave Him in a box. Or at church. Or in our morning devotions. He is with us always. We were meant to praise Him all day.

Next question. Where is He to be praised?

³ The Lord’s name ·should [is to] be praised from where the sun rises to where it sets.

Is there anywhere on this planet that the sun is not? So it seems to me that all the world is meant to praise Him.  His.. his glory [^CGod’s manifest presence] ·reaches to the skies [is over the heavens].

Join me today. Join me in the song. Our God sings over us. Let us join Him and the angels in worship.

Reflect on His glory. His manifest presence.

My thankfuls today…

266. God’s mercy

267. Hymns and spiritual songs that keep me in worship

268. Help

Pray on. Pray ON! Worship on.

 

Rise

Black ice growler from a recently calved iceberg closing in on the shore at the old heliport in Upernavik, Greenland. Such black ice growlers originate from gletscher rift, which has been filled with melting water, which has then frozen into transparent ice without air bubbles. Later we were able to pick up the growler and study it in greater detail. Kim Hansen

Good morning, beloved,

The earth is filled with His glory. Will we take time today to look outside of our circumstances and see the magnificence in the tall trees? Will we stop and listen to the birds that flock? Will we watch the squirrels play tag? Will we pause and lift our hands and thank Him for this new day?

Psalm 19: The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
² Day to day pours out speech
and night to night reveals knowledge.

Photo of the clouds passing and the sun emerging from the dark clouds. by Gardenkitty

What is His will for this day?

Awake, my soul, and with the sun
Thy daily stage of duty run;
Shake off dull sloth, and joyful rise,
To pay thy morning sacrifice.

I have to tell you, I’ve been longing to figure where Thomas Ken found his inspiration for the preceding hymn. To take it apart as I strive to discover God’s will for my day, it begin with:

Awake, my soul, and with the sun..

Ephesians 5:14

“Wake up, sleeper!
Rise from death,
and Christ will ·shine on [give light to] you [^Clikely an early Christian hymn based on Is. 26:19 and 60:1–2].”

Awake! Rise!

Isaiah 60: “Jerusalem, ·get up [arise] and shine, because your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord shines on you.
² [^LLook; ^TBehold] Darkness ·now covers [or will cover] the earth;
deep darkness covers ·her people [the nations].
But the Lord shines on you,
and people see his glory [^Chis manifest presence] ·around [upon] you

Waking up, walking in the confidence that His light shines on us. We are representations of His glory. We are representations of His love. We can shine, shine, shine!

Look outside your window. Go ahead. What do you see? Even if you see stone and brick, you know that Jesus declared even the rocks will cry out in praise to God. This, you know. This we declare together. We awake with a thought. What if that thought was…

Thy daily stage of duty run…

Romans 12: ¹¹ Do not be ·lazy but work hard [^Llacking in zeal], serving the Lord with ·all your heart [^La fervent/eager/enthusiastic spirit].

What would it be, for me, to arise and be excited that today I get to serve my God? My God who has given me everything. He has given me Christ! Therefore I am a new creation and the old has gone and the new has come. Notice the stage of duty is not walk, is not jog or canter or crawl. It is RUN. We need to work hard. And even if we are in pain, dizzy, crazy busy, we can set our minds on our service to Him with our whole hearts. We can pray fervently for the saints if we cannot rise out of bed. We can write encouraging notes if we cannot be there in person. The Lord has given us a task this day. Will we  join Him?

Shake off dull sloth and joyful rise…

Rise! Joyful!

Psalm 32:

¹⁰ Wicked people have many ·troubles [pains; torments; woes],
but the Lord’s ·love [loyalty; covenant love] surrounds those who ·trust [have confidence in] him.
¹¹ ·Good [Righteous] people, rejoice and be happy in the Lord.
·Sing [Shout joyfully] all you whose hearts are ·right [upright; virtuous].

To pay thy morning’s sacrifice...

Psalm 50: 

¹⁴ Give an ·offering to show thanks [thank offering] to God [Lev. 7:12; 22:29; Heb. 13:15].
Give God Most High what you have ·promised [vowed].
¹⁵ Call to me in times of ·trouble [distress].
I will ·save [rescue; ^Tdeliver] you, and you will ·honor [glorify] me.”

Hebrews 13:

¹⁵ So through Jesus let us ·always [continuously] offer to God our sacrifice of praise, ·coming from[^Lwhich is the fruit of] lips that ·speak [profess; acknowledge] his name.

Three gifts worn:

263. My wedding ring

264. A scarf

265. Slippers

264.

Pray on. Pray on.

260

: 360° panorama from the summit of Mount St. Helens as seen on an early-October afternoon. In the foreground is the ice-covered crater rim. Visible in the lower center is the lava dome. Steam rises from several dome vents. Above the dome, in the upper center, lies Mount Rainier and Spirit Lake. Mount Adams appears to the right of Rainier on the horizon as well as Mount Hood and Mount Jefferson on the far right. Also on the far right are glimpses of the Swift Reservoir, Yale Lake, Lake Merwin and the Lewis River. Climbers stand on the crater rim and are visible along the Monitor Ridge climbing route. Photo by Gregg M. Erickson

Good morning, beloved,

The Son ·reflects [or radiates; shines forth] the glory of God [John 1:14] and ·shows exactly what God is like [^Lis the exact representation/imprint/stamp of his being/essence/nature]. He ·holds everything together[sustains/upholds all things] with his powerful word. When the Son ·made people clean from their [^Lprovided purification/cleansing for] sins [9:14], he sat down at the right ·side [^Lhand; ^Cthe most honored position beside a king; Ps. 110:1] of ·God, the Great One in heaven [^Lthe Majesty/Preeminence in the highest places; ^Ca Jewish way to avoid saying the divine name of God]. Hebrews 1:3EX

These last few days have found me staring at my computer to start a new addition to my blog. I will be honest, I have struggled to find words. To bring a voice to my heart’s cry, I have found that writing brings me to cope and understand. My brain has not seemed to be able to connect. Yet, here I am, trying. I need to try.

What do you do when you feel like your world is crumbling? Where do you go when frustration mounts? When do you call in for help?

Can I be honest? I have found such hope in talking through the Word with my kids. We start our morning with our declarations. So far we have memorized 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostles Creed, Psalm 15, and Exodus 20:1-17. All done with Sing the Word, I will say we can’t do it as well without the music but hey, it’s not bad for the group. I am quite proud of us! So now we begin John 1 and everyone, for AWANA, has already memorized the first couple of verses and so, now to understand.

Here’s the deal. It’s been great for them to memorize this many verses. It’s not what makes them Christians and it most certainly needs work to translate into their/my actions. It starts with me. If you read this and compare then I’ve lost my point. My point is, and it is so very hard for me to keep my eyes here, we cannot spend our time comparing each other’s lives. That leads to desperation and hopelessness. My family can attest that this has been a hard victory.  I am desperately clinging to routine and schedule and I know that for me to begin my day well, it begins with the Word. And if we stop reviewing what we’ve memorizing, it will fall away.

So, when my world is crumbling, frustration is mounting, it is so good for me to teach my kids, it starts with the Word of God. We begin each day, no matter what we’ve faced, with what we believe.  Blessing to remember what we believe. Blessing to keep His Word close to our hearts and minds. Blessing!

We have to! We have to start with Him. He is the one who,  ”·holds everything together[sustains/upholds all things] with his powerful word.” It is His word that began this day. It is His word that keeps me breathing.

His Word. His life.

My thankfuls:

260. When His Word is repeated during my day and it mixes beautifully in with what we studied earlier.

261. For the beloved who say, I was just thinking about you…

262. For advice and the grace to listen and put it into action into my own life.

John 4:³¹ Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” ³² But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” ³³ So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” ³⁴ Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

John 6: ³⁵ Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. ³⁶ But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.³⁷ All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. ³⁹ And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. ⁴⁰ For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Brown bears at Brooks Falls Katmai National Park. Photograped by Brocken Inaglory in July of 1998

Good morning, beloved,

Sunday, the Lord”s day, a day of rest, a day of peace, or supposedly such, we forget what God‘s original design. We forget He designed us to work for six days and on the seventh, we rest. I am grateful, grateful for God’s design. It is flawless, it is beautiful and to this daughter, necessary.

However, can I just get some agreement here? Even if I cut out everything outside of our home on Sunday afternoons, things still creep in. Even if our goal is rest, the house still needs to be picked up. Dishes still need to be done. We have to start packing, as our floors will be torn up soon. We are painting a bathroom. Time to spend with the family that can be fun. So my quiet is now, before I open my email, read my messages on Facebook, and today, remember, Your will be done, Lord, on earth as it is in heaven.

Your will- from Blue Letter Bible’s Lexicon:

1) what one wishes or has determined shall be done

a) of the purpose of God to bless mankind through Christ

b) of what God wishes to be done by us

1) commands, precepts

2) will, choice, inclination, desire, pleasure

Oh, we must see this word, thelēma, in action in other parts of the Word. Come with me, and let’s dive in.

Matthew 7: ²¹ “Not all those who say [^Lto me] ·‘You are our Lord’ [^L‘Lord! Lord!’] will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do ·what my Father in heaven wants [the will of my Father in heaven].

So, the first thing to remember about God’s will, those who do what the Father wants will enter the kingdom. That word only interests me but as my family likes to call it..this becomes a rabbit trail.

Matthew 12: ⁵⁰ My true brother and sister and mother are those who do ·what my Father in heaven wants [the will of my Father in heaven].”

Jesus calls His family those who do the will of His Father in heaven. We are His family! What a blessed thought.

Matthew 26:4² Then Jesus went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for ·this painful thing [^Lthis thing; ^Cthe cup of suffering; v. 39] to be taken from me, and if I must ·do [drink] it, ·I pray that what you want [^Lmay your] will be done.”

Jesus, twice asked the Father, to be taken from the cup of suffering, and yet, Jesus, of course, did take the cup, asking the Father for His will be done. Whatever we face today, we face it with the knowledge, that  the One who drank from this horrible cup, can give us the strength to cope with it .

Psalm 40:⁸ My God, I ·want [delight; take pleasure] to do ·what you want [your pleasure].

    Your ·teachings [instructions; laws] are in my heart.”

⁹ I will tell ·about your goodness [the good news] in the great ·meeting of your people[assembly].
Lord, you know ·my lips are not silent [^LI have not restrained my lips].

May this be our prayer today. Our desire to take delight in doing His pleasure. To hold to His teachings in our hearts and proclaim the good news.

Romans 12:² Do not be ·shaped by [conformed to; pressed into a mold by] this ·world [age]; instead be ·changed within [transformed] by ·a new way of thinking [orchanging the way you think; ^Lthe renewing of your mind]. Then you will be able to ·decide [discern; test and approve] what ·God wants for you [is God’s will]; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect.

This culture, this world we live in has a powerful hold and strength. As Paul says, this mold of this age kills. The world holds nothing but death. Instead, let us be changed, transformed into a new way to think. Asking the Lord, with Your teachings, instructions in my heart; with the example of Christ; with knowing we are family then please, change us. Transform us. We want to know Your will. We want transformation. Lord, we seek You to know what is good, what is pleasing and what is perfect.

Oh, I could go on with this one. Join me again tomorrow, when I work through more of the Word of God with this one phrase: Will of God.

My thankfuls today:

257. Laughter, what a precious gift, to laugh.

258. A new day, provisions, hope.

259. Watching our son play basketball with a smile on his face.

Pray on. Pray on.

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Fill

Liverpool Waterfront at Sunrise – Dave Wood, Liverpool Pictorial

God, my heart is ·steady [steadfast; ready].
I will sing and ·praise [play a psalm for] you ·with all my being [^Las will my soul/or glory].
² Wake up, harp and lyre!
I will wake up the dawn.
³ Lord, I will ·praise [thank] you among the ·nations [peoples];
I will sing ·songs of praise [psalms] about you to all the nations.
⁴ Your great ·love [loyalty] ·reaches to [is greater than] the ·skies [heavens],
your ·truth [faithfulness] to the heavens.
⁵ God, you are ·supreme [exalted] above the ·skies [heavens].
Let your glory [^Cmanifest presence] be over all the earth [57:5–11]. Psalm 108 EXB

Awake ! One of the stanzas of A Morning Prayer by Thomas Ken stands out to me today.

Lord, I my vows to thee renew; disperse my sins as morning dew; guard my first springs of thought and will, and with thyself my spirit fill.

Fill.

⁷ [^LBut] We have this treasure ·from God, but we are like clay jars that hold the treasure [^Lin clay jars]. This shows that the ·great [extraordinary; transcendent] power is from God, not from us. ⁸ We have ·troubles all around us [or all kinds of troubles/trials], but we are not ·defeated [crushed]. We ·do not know what to do [are perplexed/bewildered], but we do not ·give up the hope of living[despair]. 2 Corinthians 4 EXB

We cry out to be filled. And so much can fill us, but today? Today, let us choose to be filled with His Spirit.

Let us give thanks.

I will praise (thank) You!

Hang on to your hearts. I realized that my last two blog posts didn’t have my thankfuls..

249. A son captured by a book

250. A son worshipping upstairs

251. A daughter and son sleeping peacefully

252. My mom finishing my laundry

253. My dad being here, listening

254. Community in the church

255. Solutions

256. Good talks with family

257. Playing games last night

Fill, Lord, Fill us with You.

Pray on. Pray on.

 

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Hope

The Athabasca River railroad track at the mouth of Brûlé Lake in Alberta, Canada. Photo by Alcazar Mountain

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields
and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand. (Traditional Gaelic blessing)

Sitting in the doctor’s office, waiting for my son to finish some testing, I watch the people come and go. I’ve been here all day…watching. Singles, couples, families all filtering through each with their own story. To hear their stories, moments in their lives, to listen to the receptionists answer the phones, I am bombarded by the hopelessness found in so many faces and conversation.

However, there is a new baby sitting with her Mommy ensconced in pink making all the cute baby noises and faces. I think the Mom might think me strange. I can’t keep my eyes off this little beauty!

Hope in the eyes of a little one, she brings smiles to all who surround her..

Hope. We all need hope. We want the road to rise up. We want the wind to be at our back. We want the sunshine.

Somehow, if the road isn’t meeting us, the wind is to our front and the clouds cover the sun, we wonder, where is the hope?

Hold on. I think I’m missing something. I think this train of thought might be our problem. We are longing, LONGING to be through this trial. Be on the smooth road. Guided by a calm wind. Sun streaming on down. It makes it so much easier when people ask to our health and wealth to be able to respond describing the lovely road, the demur winds and beautiful sunshine. Right?

We want to know why we can’t find the sun. We want to find that road, freshly paved.

Did God ever answer Job’s questions of why? Nope. He never did. However, he sure did find out a whole lot about the storehouses of snow! We spend so much energy trying to figure out things that might not be revealed until our homecoming.

Psalm 46: ¹⁰ God says, “Be still and know that I am God.
I will be ·praised [exalted] in all the nations;
I will be ·praised [exalted] throughout the earth.”

We always hear the first part of this verse. Yet, I think it is more important to realize that God is on His throne. God is in control and one day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. That His praise will ring through the nations. That His praise will flow throughout the entire earth. And because of this truth, we know that we can be still.

We can be confident that one day the road WILL rise up to meet you.

Up to Baile na hAbha The narrow road rises from the stream to an industrial unit at Baile na hAbha. In the background on the left is the hamlet of Lisgardan.

The wind will, someday, be at your back, always…

wooden sailing boat Kleine Freiheit – 70 year old gaff cutter – operation: Abenraa – Denmark Photo by Uwe Kils

The sun will shine on your face…

Staring straight into the shining sun Early morning light on Castleshaw Upper Reservoir. Photo by michael ely

Soft rains on our fields…

A weekend of Rain! Hope everyone is warm and dry! Photo by Michael Gil

Until then, though, God has ·written [engraved; inscribed] your name on my ·hand [palms]. Isaiah 49 EXB We are not alone.

Pray on. Pray on.

 

 

 

Cease this, but not this…

View of the crescent moon through the top of the earth’s atmosphere. Photographed above 21.5°N, 113.3°E by International Space Station crew Expedition 13 over the South China Sea, just south of Macau (NASA image ID: ISS013-E-54329).

Good evening, friends,

Talk with Me about every aspect of your day, including your feelings. Remember that your ultimate goal is not to control or fix everything around you; it is to keep communing with Me. A successful day is one in which you stay in touch with Me, even if many things remain undone at the end of the day. Do not let your to-do list (written or mental) become an idol directing your life. Instead, ask the Spirit to guide you moment by moment. Sarah Young.  (2004). Jesus Calling. 

I have to admit, at first, reading Jesus Calling was unnerving. Why do I have a hard time reading this? The first person language, I think, gave me pause. Yet, as I have watched friends and family, the blessings are clear. Why should I balk at the first person conversation with Jesus? Good grief, how often have I cried out to the Lord for a phone call! Seriously! Lord, couldn’t You just call me and tell me what to do? What is Your will? Even a letter or a fax..I’m good.

Yet, these words here, resonate with me deeply.

Always rejoice. Really? How in the world do I rejoice when my world feels like it is crashing down around me? Oh, friends, as I walked our mile route today, my youngest on her bike, my eldest riding his Dad’s bike, the two middles on scooters flying down the hill, I capture that moment in my mind. Joy isn’t found in our circumstances. It is found in Him. Communing with Him. Ooooh..communing:

Share one’s intimate thoughts or feelings with (someone or something), esp. when the exchange is on a spiritual level. Google

Keep sharing my thoughts with my Author. My Creator. My Love.

I’ll never forget the first time I prayed, Lord, is there something You want me to do today? It ended up being a very meaningful conversation and lots of prayer. It was cool to see His Spirit guide. People say to me, oh, Cara, you are so sweet. Ooh, that is dangerous for me. My idols might not be a to-do list, but people’s applause can be a drug to me. So what made this amazing was, I didn’t ask for a thanks, or an “atta-boy” and I didn’t need it. Hear that? I didn’t need it, because I had the applause of heaven.

It’s not always like that and this is something I am having to die to ALL the time.

¹⁶ Always ·be joyful [rejoice]. ¹⁷ Pray ·continually [without ceasing], ¹⁸ and give thanks ·whatever happens [in all circumstances; in everything]. That is ·what God wants [God’s will] for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5 EXB

Pray without ceasing. A constant conversation…

⁶ ·Remember the Lord [^LKnow him] ·in all you do [^Lon all your paths],
and he will ·give you success [^Lkeep your roads straight]. Proverbs 3 EXB

Remember the Lord! Know Him. Not my words, not my meanderings, His Word. His voice. He is calling me. He is calling YOU.

Cease striving. Never cease praying. Interesting, isn’t it? Stop worrying. Stop planning. Stop trying. Instead, fill your mind with prayers. Not my job to fix everything, nor is it yours. Pray.

 

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Pause

Psalm 103: 103 ·All that I am [^TO my soul], ·praise [bless] the Lord;

Vasco da Gama Bridge, Lisbon, Portugal Photo by F Mira

·everything in me [^Lall my inward parts], ·praise [bless] his holy name.
² ·My whole being [^TO my soul], ·praise [bless] the Lord
and do not forget all his ·kindnesses [gifts; benefits].
³ He forgives all ·my [or your] ·sins [iniquity]
and heals all ·my [or your] ·diseases [ills].
⁴ He ·saves [redeems] ·my [or your] life from the ·grave [^Lpit]
and ·loads [or crowns] ·me [or you] with ·love [loyalty] and ·mercy [compassion].

⁵ He satisfies ·me [or you] with good things [^Las long as you live; or according to your desires]
and ·makes me young again [^Lrenews your youth], like the eagle [Is. 40:31].

Praise. Bless. (3x repeat in 2 verses) What part of me is involved in worship?

All that I am. My soul.

Everything in me.

All my inward parts.

My whole being.

I wonder what that looks like. Hmmm….

2 Samuel 6: ¹⁴ Then David danced with all his might before the Lord. He had on a holy linen ·vest [ephod; Ex. 28:6–14]. ¹⁵ David and all the Israelite shouted with joy and blew the ·trumpets [ram’s horns] as they brought the Ark of the Lord to the city.

I wonder how often we worry more about what other people think about our worship than what our God thinks of our hearts in worship. If we were to worship God with everything in us, what would that look like?

Colours of Happiness Photo by Camdiluv

Forget NOT His benefits…

His kindness.

His gifts.

Verbs found in these five verses:

Forgives- The primary idea here is a lightness, a lifting up. To be merciful, to pardon, to shew oneself to be gentle.  And how much does He forgive? all. Isn’t that a lovely word? All. Not some. Not a little. Not most. ALL.

Heals- All. Totality. Encompassing every disease.

Saves

Redeems- On this weekend, especially, these two words are everything to me. Jesus paid the price to cover my sin. Your sin. Forever. It is a debt we could never cover. It is freedom. It is our deliverance.

Loads

Crowns- Surrounds for protection

Satisfies

Makes

These are all gifts from our God. Ponder that. Hold on to this in the dark moments. When it seems there are no answers. Our Answer crowns! He will satisfy.  So that? Our youth is renewed like the eagle’s. We are made young again.

I watch my children ride their bikes. All day. Seriously. I cannot imagine riding my bike all day. Running all day. They constantly are in motion.

There is a lightness to their childhood. Their worries are small. Their joys are HUGE. Their cares are light.

They run with energy for they have a child’s load of woes. They are not weighed down by financial concerns. They do not ache with the worries and concerns that adulthood brings. Do you ever notice when a person is depressed their entire countenance droops? They appear to be laden with packages and bags.

However, if we allow the Lord to crown us, satisfy us and make us, could we begin to run like youths? Dance like David?

As I sat in this waiting room yesterday, the entire room was filled with people drooped by cares. I can’t say I was much different. A couple sat with a chair between them waiting for their son. A woman played games on her phone, her face creased with concern. A blind man came in with his daughter carrying all sorts of papers stuck in different directions. The receptionists were downtrodden. They answered the phones with a near disdain. Yet a couple came in, the news, I could tell, was not fantastic. However, they smiled. They had joy.

Now that gave me pause. How do I react as the cares of the world threaten to overwhelm? Oh, I cannot say that yesterday there was much joy. I forget.

I forget that our blessings far outweigh the cares in our life.

They always do.

So I begin my day. I begin with…

246. Thankful for friends who sit and carry.

247. Thankful for phone calls at just the right time.

248. Thankful for a new day.

Pray on. Pray on.

 

Links

Good morning, beloved,

I’ve been wandering around the web this morning, finding some fabulous resources for Passion Week. First must be the Biblegateway graph.

Holy Week Timeline

Next, ESV has given us, using Google Earth, a step by step pictorial look at Jesus’ last week.

 

Passion Week

Here is a DETAILED look at this week, all the Bible verses are included in this day-by-day account. Scroll to the bottom of the blog to start with Palm Sunday.

Holy Week-Justin Taylor

How about a beautiful look at this week with Blue Letter Bible‘s video?

The Passion of Our Lord

Do you have young children? This 65 page Easter resource is free!

Easter Resurrection Pack

A book from John Piper?

Love To The Uttermost

Hope these help you. They have been a blessing to me this week. Time to begin new day!

243. Thankful for loaves and fishes kind a week with food.

244. Thankful for peace in our house..

245. Thankful for being in the midst of this week.

Pray on. Pray on.

 

 

Time

Bronte Sunrise Photo by popejon2 from Paddington, Australia

And everything You hold in Your hand
Still You make time for me
I can’t understand
Praise You God of Earth and sky
How beautiful is Your unfailing love
Unfailing love (Chris Tomlin, Unfailing Love)

Higher than the mountains that I face
Stronger than the power of the grave
Constant through the trial and the change
One thing remains
One thing remains

Your love never fails it never gives up it never runs out on me (Passion, One Thing Remains)

Love brought Jesus here. Love brought Jesus to this week, intensity unmeasured. These two songs have played on my Pandora. Sometimes I just need to remember, my love isn’t like the Lord’s. I love with issues. Right?! We put our designs, our thoughts, our past on God’s love for us and for others. These songs remind me, I don’t understand how deep His love is for us. What does Paul say in Ephesians 3?

I ·bow in prayer [kneel] before the Father¹⁵ from whom ·every [or the whole] ·family [^Ca play on words, since the words “father” and “family” are related] in heaven and on earth gets its true name. ¹⁶ I ask the Father ·in his great glory [or from the treasures of his glory; or out of his glorious riches] to give you the power to be strong ·inwardly[^Lin the inner person] through his Spirit. ¹⁷ I pray that Christ will ·live [make his home] in your hearts by faith and that your life will be ·strong in love and be built on love [^Lrooted and grounded in love].¹⁸ And I pray that you and all ·God’s holy people [^Tthe saints] will have the power to ·understand[comprehend; grasp] the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide and how long and how high and how deep that love is. ¹⁹ Christ’s love is ·greater than anyone can ever know [beyond comprehension/knowledge], but I pray that you will be able to know that love. ·Then [^L…so that] you can be filled with the fullness of God.

Be filled! I stare at the list of what happened on each day in the Passion week on the Blue Letter Bible. They’ve made a concise list of the events, teachings that occurred. I count 17 different things. 17! Seventeen. Ten and seven. (Here’s a link) If you knew you only had a amount of days left, what would you want whom you love to know and remember? Jesus passionately gives and teaches in His last week. On the other hand,  I wonder He  must have treated every day as a gift .  John 21: ²⁵ There are many other things Jesus did. If every one of them were written down, I suppose the whole world would not be big enough for all the books that would be written. I sit in wonder at that statement. I love books. I fill my house with them. We spend much time at the library. I love, love, love the treasure of books and John is telling us, yes, we couldn’t write it all down.

Keyingham Cemetery Photo by Paul Glazzard

It seems though, the gospel writers sure tried to give their readers a very clear picture of Jesus’ last words! I think of the disciples walking with Jesus, I think it was a blessing they didn’t understand the events as they unfolded this week. They followed. They listened. They nodded. Then like dawn falling on a new morning, after He died, all of the pieces fit together beautifully. Matthew 27:⁵⁴ When the ·army officer [centurion] and ·the soldiers [^Lthose with him] guarding Jesus saw this earthquake and everything else that happened, they were ·very frightened [filled with awe] and said, “He really was the Son of God!”

Today, I want to work on time wasters in my life. Things that detract from God’s mission for my life. This has weighed heavily on my mind. Treating my life more as a precious gift, and not being assured of my tomorrow. Teaching my kids to value quiet, to value time spent away from all things plugged in, to enjoy rest, to enjoy the beauty of a book. This number seventeen that burns in my head. Jesus treated His life, His time on this earth as precious time to communicate all things of God. I have a choice to bring this day under the glory of God.

Sitting on my computer, researching all things, pinning on my boards of Pinterest, checking a friend’s status on Facebook about her child learning to use the toilet aptly…really? Are these the fillers I need in my life? I think it’s time to get out my 25 Point Manifesto. You see, part of my problem is our schedule has had to change. So now I need to review without losing all the ground I fought so hard for with my children and me for the routines. I flop, I flip, I flop when I am outside of my routines. My work. My calling.

Spring break when there is no spring in sight does not bring the rest. Knowing, however, that I accomplished my routines and lived with the glory of God in my sight. Yes, that is a good day.

So my thankfuls :

3 gifts almost gone (Ann Voskamp):

240. My children…how fast time flies

241. Ruby and Arlene

242. Chocolate (why is it when I eat a piece it’s gone before I know it??)

Pray on. Pray on.

Related articles

• Passion Week (apreachaskid.wordpress.com)
• Palm Sunday-tears of Sovereign Mercy (ioan17.wordpress.com)
• Are You Willing to Surrender Your Will? (joleneengle.com)
• Palm Sunday Homily: We Must Live the Faith With a Young Heart (visnews-en.blogspot.com)