Struggling with Prayer?
I’m a bit behind in my study of Max Lucado’s new book. Proverbs 31 Ministries has been doing the study in the online Bible study (OBS) format, and it has been a real blessing. Lucado offers a very concise prayer model, that you can utilize and modify for your daily prayers. I wanted to make you aware of a different site, so you don’t feel like you have to fit the time frame of the OBS study. This is the last week of that study, but these resources have no time schedule. Take a look, read the book and let me know what you think. I find Lucado’s style to be very warm and encouraging, and I think his model prayer is a great place to start, or continue your prayer life from. Just as he suggests, his pocket prayer will provide you with something to focus on the minute you get out of bed in the morning. Instead of running to tune in to the news, take time to pray
Visit the site for more information and sign up for a four week prayer challenge. While there, take advantage of the free sample chapter, free worship song download, and sample video.
Lucado’s New Book on Prayer and a New Online Study
Proverbs 31 Ministries is offering a short study of Max Lucado’s new book on prayer. The study details can be found at the OBS (Online Bible Study) site. All you need is a book. And this time they are throwing in their special study conference calls for free. If you’re like me, you are always looking for something new on the topic of prayer. This probably won’t disappoint.
One of my goals with this blog is to make information available regarding online studies and resources. I’m a huge believer in seeing the Internet used for good, and a huge believer in Bible study. God’s Word and the study of it, is crucial to walking by faith. Perhaps this is your time to jump in? The days before Christmas could benefit from taking time to slow down and spend a few moments with Him and with other believers online.
See you there? Visit their Facebook page for further info…
And…if you have participated, share your thoughts here!
View from the Window
![dreamstimefree_207706[1]](http://dancingwithsimplicity.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/dreamstimefree_2077061.jpg "© Carsten Erler | Dreamstime Stock Photos")
Every year I say I am going to …Declutter my house, journal, read more, bake, learn a new craft and organize paper clutter in my office.
And every year it does not happen. Well, not most of it anyway.
It’s like the view from my kitchen window. We have a backyard that is split in half, with a little gate in between. It is a long, narrow yard, very close to the neighbors. Since we acquired our little rescue dog four years ago, we have had nothing that resembles a lawn. Instead, we have a lot of odd trees and weeds that like to keep coming back every year. Let’s call it yard clutter.
This year we finally paid to have the overgrowth removed. We also tackled a downed tree. Everything was pretty, though still not grassy. The yard cleaned up nicely. Both halves were done, but the view from the kitchen window revealed the side that was the cleanest, and the most conquered. Despite the lack of much greenery, it was something to behold.
Now however, months later, the weeds are back with a vengeance. Yard clutter.
So it is with our yearly, weekly, daily, goals, and plans. The space is cleared. We make room in our homes, our schedules our lives for all sorts of things. Unfortunately, before we know it the whole mess has grown back again. Weeds filling the schedule, our thoughts, our plans, blocking out our attempts to dream some big dreams. Some weeds show up because of our own bad behavior! Botttom line, our attempts to simplify, declutter, get rid of the weeds, are thwarted every time.
Now you might think this is a bad thing, but it really is no surprise to God. He knows we have no good thing in us, and He knows our sin will come back. Smooth sailing doesn’t last long in a fallen world. The weeds will come back. And with it, things like anxiety, stress, depression, pride, stubbornness, clutter. Notice these are not all blatantly sinful things. Sometimes, they are just time robbers. Sometimes they simply drain you and zap your energy. They grow in like those weeds, quickly, subtlely, unnoticed. Just like in my backyard.
The remedy?
Romans 7:18-25 (NLT)
18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t.
19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.
20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.
22 I love God’s law with all my heart.
23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.
24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?
25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Maybe, it’s time to remember the weeds and clutter are simply going to be there. Instead of being surprised by them, clear them up and move on. And if they grow back, tear them down again. If it takes some repentance and confession, so be it. Ultimately, Paul’s answer, Jesus, will be the one who fights through the clutter. Let God’s presence fill up the overgrown messy weedy places. You may find opposition coming back, and taking over. Opposition to your plans and choices comes in all sorts of forms. Though it is a battle you may deal with every single day for the rest of your life, in the end He has conquered it all. And finally, things will be clear for good. For now, try planting His Word in the barren yard.
Next time you take in the view from the window; don’t be surprised by what is growing in the yard. Recognize it, expect it, and conquer it. Tear it down. Deal with it when it grows and back better yet, let Him be the gardener. Simplify your life, by anticipating the opposition. Be prepared for it, and keep moving forward.
Really? Are You Questioning God’s Direction?
Really?
Look around, and listen. The latest expression, which may be getting old already, is really.
Everyone is using the word, from celebrities, to newscasters, to friends and family. Really, is the new buzzword. Online definitions state that really means you are surprised by something someone has said. However, for our purposes, let’s go back to the slang term that everyone is tossing about. Essentially the word means, “are you kidding me?” “You have to be kidding!” “Are you serious?”
And such is the expression I myself used when I felt God telling me to start writing again. As a teenager, I had taken journalism courses and creative writing courses in school. My father’s uncle was the creator of a small publication based on gold mining in the Wild West. Though I was not thrilled with the subject matter, his work inspired me to pursue writing. He shared insight on tools and resources, and he gave me inspiration. The inspiration paid off. In high school, I won a state sponsored creative writing award. Really.
I don’t know why I ever continued to be attracted to writing. Ballet and crafts were the things I cared about. Perhaps I tucked this into my back pocket for a day when ballet was no longer physically possible for me. For such a time as this. The craft addiction is still there, but the writing interest has returned after being set aside.
As I start focusing on writing again, I have been reflecting on writing as a gift from God. It’s something He has been asking me to do, and this is just one part of a journey of obedience. It has taken me a year or better, just to get this blog off the ground. Really. I did not want to let Him down, but I did not want to be unauthentic either. As a small business owner, I spend far too much time on mindless paperwork, and too little on following after Him. I seek to use His gifts so much more than I currently do. I don’t want this to be a meaningless, mindless blog. I hope to move from my frustration with mindless living, to a purposeful place where a simple, faith based life of creativity thrives. I hope you join me in this journey.
I’m wondering what God has asked you to do, that makes you say “really?” He may be asking you to buy a meal for a disadvantaged family. Really. He may be asking you to speak to someone in the grocery store, someone who needs to hear what He has to offer. Really. Anytime we are asked to do something out of our comfort zone, really becomes the key word. It can be an excuse, or a jumping off point to get moving and start sharing, caring, and helping. Try changing your tone from the slang really (“you have to be kidding God!”). Change it to, “really?” Joyfully accept what He is asking you to do.
So next time you feel God asking you to do something, share something, follow a certain path, even if you find yourself saying “really?” know that He never asks us to do what He does not equip us to do. Jump in, with a preliminary prayer for wisdom. Keep seeking Him along the path as you journey into the actual doing of the thing. It may be a very short-lived task He is asking of you, or it may be a very long journey. After all, I pretty much shelved my writing after junior high and high school, and here I am forty years later. I’m feeling the slang really, but prayerfully, thoughtfully crossing to the other side of the word. If it truly is His direction for me, soon I will be saying “yes, really!” with a definite conclusion and confident determination.
Help me Lord, to seek the path You have for me. To glorify You through the use of the gifts You have given me, every day.
Simple Living?
1 Thessalonians 4:11 (NLT)
11 Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before.
This verse has always captured what I am trying to do with my life and in my family. Unfortunately, it isn’t as easy as it looks. I’m hoping to use this blog to zero in on these qualities. Now, I am plugged in to social media, Facebook and Twitter with my various technological tools. I’ll probably even subject my writing to spell checks, and grammar programs. If I must. Maybe that’s all the polar opposite of what I’m trying to say. Maybe not.
I want to delve into crafts of all sorts. I want to read and study. Not just the Bible, but literature. I want to lead a quiet life with the husband God has blessed me with, my four adorable critter children and my praying, Godly Mom. I don’t want a bucket list. I want a God-centered Word driven daily to-do list.
I’ve just ordered a book that I think may help along those lines. Lysa TerKeurst’s The Best Yes. #TheBestYes. I’m trying quite hard to say no, not necessarily to people, but to demands that waste my life and time. I don’t necessarily see those things in people, I see them in time wasting endless mounds of paperwork. I see them in taking business calls after hours when it’s time to shut the office door. That’s the plight of the self-employed. I see distraction from the best path, coming in the form of anything that takes a focus off God and puts it on man. He is the ultimate goal of our adoration, time, money and resources. He is that perfect yes. He is the one the prowling lion seeks to keep us from.
1 Peter 5:8 (NLT) 8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
Is this simple living? Is it possible? Again, I don’t like the bucket list idea. I prefer that “live a quiet life, mind your business, and work with your hands” stuff. Put your home and family under His care. Love the ones He has surrounded you with. Even the furry children. Dance in His simple plan for your life and walk in faith.
If any of this resonates with you, feel free to share. Is it even possible to live a life like this? It does seem that my efforts are thwarted at every turn. How about you?
.
Recent Comments