Joyful Transformation

I don’t really like this word. It keeps coming up in things I am reading, listening to, and to be honest just in my thoughts. Generally when this starts happening I try to pay attention. Of all the many definitions of discipline this is the one that best conveys the type of discipline I am talking about: Training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement.

Dallas Willard makes the point that we cannot transform our hearts by our own will or determination. If we could follow a bunch of steps and a bunch of rules to reach the place we needed to be then Jesus would not have had to die. (Gal 2:21) But when Jesus enters our hearts and our lives it is up to us to change our thinking. The Spirit will guide us in all ways that we are trying to seek and worship Christ, and I believe only with His help can we attain transformation. To truly change the ways we think and the very ideals and imageries that are in our head is not an easy task. It does require some effort on our part. We cannot act and think just like everybody else in the world and expect that our hearts will be renovated or our lives will be transformed.

Willard speaks of memorizing scripture as one of the disciplines that will help us in our journey to transformation. Like my diet, this is one of those things I do for a while and then I backslide. I work hard to memorize certain passages only to find that I can’t remember them “exactly” anymore. But he ascertains that anyone can do this, and I know that he is right, and I am going to renew my commitment to do so.

This morning I picked up a book for a quick read and here is part of what I read:

Do not despair, thinking that you cannot change yourself after so many years. Simply enter into the presence of Jesus as you are and ask him to give you a fearless heart where he can be with you. You cannot make yourself different. Jesus came to give you a new heart, a new spirit, a new mind, and a new body. Let him transform you by his love ans so enable you to receive his affection in your whole being.*

Do you think I believe that he/she who seeks shall find?


*The Inner Voice of Love- Henri J.M. Nouwen

In my current state of being, things can't always be predicted nor can I follow a pre-determined formula or calendar. However, I think it is important that I try to keep a semblance of my "so called" normal life. So while today is officially De mayo el trigésimo, Terri and I will be celebrating a belated Cinco de Mayo. Maybe we won't have to fight the crowds tonight at the Mexican restaurant.

In honor of said event my Avatar is appropriately attired!

Hope you all have a wonderful Monday I meant Tuesday Evening.

Tomorrow I may be talking about an ugly word.....Discipline!

1. By far the coolest discovery of the weekend is that my Blue Tooth capable Dell lap-top can talk directly to my Treo. I was able to "beam" photos directly from the phone to the computer. How cool is that?
2. Sunday Terri and I went to Cross Bridge. We sat with Clarissa and Rob and later talked with Khris and Greg. Greg introduced us to his sweet and beautiful children. Gary is amazing, even when he attempts to challenge my vocabulary I am just amazed by his heart and his mind! It is odd; I have visited many churches before, but at Cross Bridge I don't feel like a visitor. I feel like I have come home.
3. Matthew is not afraid of jumping INTO (thanks JS) the lake with his Dad and he now likes Spiderman almost as much as Batman.
4. Printing my digital photos is quicker and cheaper at Wal-Mart that buying ink, paper and a new printer (mine died).
5. Hotdogs are sometimes preferred to hamburgers.
6. My babies did look adorable in the red,white, blue outfits I bought for them.
7. Terri does make the best cookies in the world
8. I am happy to have all of my family at my house.
9. My husband is too good to me (yes he cooked! and cleaned up the shaded patio)
10. I don't enjoy reading in the sun when it is 97 degrees!! I am not sure I ever enjoyed it!
11. Amazon is taunting me again, they now say I have bought 87 things from them.....

I miss that “Schools out for the summer” feeling. That last day of school was always filled with so much fun, excitement and for me a little dread. Yes, I was one of the strange kids that loved school. But I also loved sleeping late and playing outside and riding my bike.

I think in recent years I have not had an “official” start to summer and often it is over before I realize I have missed it. This year I am determined to do it differently. When you get as many irons in the fire as I currently have you have to do things “on purpose” or life will just pass you by.

This year I am going to cooperate, not with the school calendar, but with the actual calendar. Summer will officially start for me this weekend and I am going to play and enjoy summer until Labor Day. The shorts and tank tops are coming out, the swim suits and flip-flops will come out of storage. I am going to cook on the grill, ride in the boat, swim in the lake, eat tomato sandwiches and home-made ice cream and I might even catch a lightning bug!! I do love the good ole summertime!!

How do you view your body? In any given day do you think about your body more than you think about your spirit? Do you ever get a little obsessive about it?

Last night I was reading (listening to) my new book. Willard makes the point that if we put our bodies first in our thinking that we are upside down from the way that God would have us to be. If we can develop the ability to live in the spirit and tune it to the kingdom of God even death will not be such a big event. We will just be passing through a phase of the Kingdom we live in.

This morning at the gym two of the girls Terri and I work out with were telling us about their recent surgery to “enhance” a certain portion of their anatomy. Immediately my mind starts to work…. “I could do that”, I say to myself. “It is really not that big a deal, everybody does it”. I was even thinking of some other “work” I could get done in that one lap around the track. Later Terri jokingly said she was going to just have liposuction. (like she needs it!).

It is easy to slip into upside down thinking that has nothing to do with growing in the Kingdom. While I think working out to take care of your health is a great thing, I cannot let it become the most important thing in my life. The transformation that I am seeking cannot come from the surgeon’s knife. However, the process is sometimes much more painful than being cut.

How many books are beside your favorite chair?

I just counted...I have 16 books
15 magazines
7 notebooks/journals
2 ink pens
an empty Diet Coke bottle
an empty glass (yeah, I drink a lot)
a church bulletin
3 Real Estate magazines
a CD
a coaster (with neither the glass or the bottle on it)
my case for my reading glasses (no glasses in it)
one bottle of finger nail polish.

I think I need to put the lap top up and get busy.



P.S.
Soul Patrol
(although Chris was still the best)

Sometimes writing is like bubble wrap for me…it is therapy. Many times I have found that I did not know what was bothering me until I just sat down and started writing. This morning I can make a long list of things that are bothering me, but I don’t want to dwell on all of those things. If that means therapy equates to a form of denial….I am OK with that.

I think that I was led to buy the Dallas Willard book. He is helping me to direct my thoughts and perhaps will lead me through this transformation. This morning he spoke of how our spirit is composed of our thoughts, emotions and feelings. He said that we can control those things. Yes, we can control thoughts, emotions and feelings. If you think about it you know that it is true. Controlling those facets of our life where we look at everything giving consideration to God will be what “renovates our hearts”.

I was thinking about the term “Mission Impossible” and how it related to my life. I think for me the Impossible Mission is the very one that I must strive daily to accomplish
Love the Lord Your God
With ALL of your heart
With ALL of your soul
With ALL of your strength and
With ALL of your mind and
To love my neighbor AS MYSELF! (Luke 10:27)

When I think about this, when I really try and practice it, all of my problems fade away. As I grow older the phrase that “Love will cover a multitude of sins” continues to evolve for me. I know that if I am busy loving you it is hard for me to be offended by you. I have chosen to accept this mission…..now I must be about it!

The book I purchased last night at Books-a-Million with my Amazon Card (I have already earned $25.00 toward the purchase of more books!!) was Dallas Willard’s Renovation of the Heart. I thought this was a good title for a girl who calls her blog “Joyful Transformation”. I bought the book on CD where I could listen to it while driving. I felt like I could sacrifice a little of my NASCAR radio since I was having a difficult time finding time to read.

Dallas Willard reads the book himself. (why do I always think of Bruce Willis as Korben Dallas in the movie The Fifth Element when I type his name?) I will tell you that he is not the most exciting reader I have ever heard. But he has already stimulated my thinking. The bad thing is I can’t stop and underline the points that I want to remember. One thing he says though is that all of our selves that are not physical are spiritual. It is up to us to properly train our “Spiritual Self”. In his words a terrorist is just as spiritual as an evangelist. There is something to think about. I am sure I will have more to share soon.

I had a real date with my husband last night. Our times together have been few and far between since Diana was admitted to the hospital on March 6th. Life has been about babies and that’s OK, but it was great to spend some time together. We went to eat and to see MI3. From the reviews I have read so far, skip the Da Vinci Code and go see this movie. I am not a big Tom Cruise fan (anymore) but I promise you will not be bored with this movie!

I mentioned going to the bookstore last night. Since I have been in there they have re-arranged. I really don’t like not knowing where everything is! While I was getting adjusted a book caught my eye at the end of an aisle.

Now, what I want to know is who buys this book? I guess it would have to be women who think that they have been left behind by a guy who fell for “such a girl”. Obviously anyone who was “such a girl” would not buy the book, a guy would not buy the book, I would not be seen even picking up such a book. Oh well, I guess it just goes to show that anybody can write a book that SOMEBODY will read.




*******************************************************
Question for you: If you hear someone criticize someone you care deeply about, even if you know that the criticism is just, should you tell them? What if that “someone” has no clue that they are acting in a way that is causing criticism?

I bought a new book tonight at Books-A-Million.
I paid for it with my Amazon Visa....

Who is the guy who would put up with a woman for three decades who;

• Don’t cook
• Don’t clean
• Can’t iron
• Is a slob
• Has no concept of time
• Makes Edward Scissor-Hands look like an amateur at trimming hedges
• Tore up the lawn mower and weed eater in the same day
• Caused him to be stung by a hornet
• Plays tennis three and four times a week
• Likes to go out with her friends
• Forgets to call when she is going to be late

Who is this guy who

• Cooks
• Cleans
• Buys groceries
• Once even cooked for girls night out
• Keeps the yard mowed
• Helps with babies in the middle of the night
• Irons
• Built his wife a library
• Laid ceramic tile in kitchen and bath
• Built and maintained a fish pond
• Works hard and always just hands his check over

Who is this guy?

My husband.
Happy Anniversary baby!
I love you!

For those of you who don't remember check out last year's post for a "current photo"

We Won!

My spring team won the league and we are headed to the State Championships!!

I played twice Friday night in Huntsville and won both of my matches!

I got to keep the triplets again this weekend, Matthew came to help me Saturday night. What a great weekend!

This morning as I was holding and feeding baby Ali, I was overcome with a feeling of love. And I wanted her to feel the love I had for her. I wanted her to feel comforted and safe in my arms. I wanted her to relax and just feel how much she was loved.

Last night I was reading the last chapter in the book “Searching for God Knows What” (finally, I started this book in March!) and he spoke of Romeo & Juliet as relating the love story of God for us. He said if you could think of the most intense love you have known and multiply it that it might come close to the love relationship we will have with Christ when we are in his presence.

As I held that baby, tears came to my eyes knowing that God loves me even more than I love that precious little girl. I know that he wants me to just be still and lay my head and all my worries on his chest as he tenderly holds me and speaks words of comfort to me.

Wow!

I don't like "creamed corn" so I am going with Mushrooms....after all they live in the dark, damp places....right?

A thing that provides connection, contact, etc.

This is one of the definitions provided by Webster’s for the word bridge. I have what I think is an unnatural fear of bridges. Especially the ones that are really high and you can’t see where it ends on the other side. And yet, there are many places you can’t get to at all if you don’t cross a bridge. The scary thing is not what is on the other side; it is that transition period that is spent getting there. There is something about being in a suspended state that is not appealing to me. I remember the first time that I drove to New Orleans. The bridge seemed endless. Having never been there I lacked a vision of where I was going and I could not physically see what was on the other side. This was quite unnerving.

Then there are the bridges that you walk on. It goes against our very nature to leave solid ground and walk on planks connected by rope suspended 40 or 50 feet in the air. And yet to get to the other side, taking the bridge is a necessity. Many a good movie scene has included someone falling through or off of one of these bridges. One of my favorite scenes in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is where he had to take a step of faith to cross a bridge. The actual bridge had a chameleon effect. You could not see it until you stepped on it. I suppose that it could be said that crossing any bridge requires that you have faith. Lack of faith is surely what causes people to fall off


I guess you could say I am on a bridge

From the "sage" songwriter Weezer from "Perfect Situation"

What is the deal with my brain?
Why am I so obviously insane?

I don’t think I told you what I got for Mother’s Day. My son & daughter in law got me a sweet bracelet engraved with “MiMi. David let me order a new lap-top and since it the week before Mothers Day he also got me a Blue Tooth headset for my cell phone. I am such a techno-nerd wanna-be. But the truth is my old lap top was a 1998 model and it was purchased for me by the place I worked for at the time so this is technically my first home computer (don’t be deceived, David has had MANY). I did wait on the Blue Tooth until the technology was cheaper. This may be my favorite new toy.

Anyway I got to thinking about computers last night. Even though my knowledge is limited, I always seem to be the one everyone turns to for answers at the office. When they come to me with problems with email, printers or whatever the first question I ask them is if they have “re-booted”. Usually when they do the problem is solved.

Computers have a way of storing little bits and pieces of programs and information in packets that makes it more accessible and makes your computer run faster. However, when a program is closed or a file deleted these packets do not go away. After awhile they will start to clutter up your processing efficiency. The only way to clear these up is to “re-boot”.

Our brain works much the same way. We associate certain things with other things and this connection stays out there in our “short-term memory”. Sometimes even when we have changed our mind about things or grown beyond something, our brain will tell us something different. A couple of examples;

1. When I was living at my parent’s home we had to ask to be excused from the table if we finished eating before everyone else did. To this day I do not like to leave the table at my Mother’s house until everyone is finished eating. If I do I am tempted to ask for permission.
2. One time when my son was a teenager he was on the phone with one of his buddies at bedtime. I told him to say “goodnight Deke”. He did except he added “I love you”. Habit, the words just followed goodnight in his world. (yes we continue to razz him about this to this day)

I think many of us have associated being close to God or being “right” with going to church. When we don’t attend every service (if we are brought up this way) we let it these memories cause guilt. I feel like many people today would struggle to define their relationship with God separate and apart (you know like giving) from the church. They practice morality, they practice church membership, but the concept of living like Jesus or being Jesus to their neighbors is a foreign concept. I have many hang-ups and out-dated ideals from my years of worshipping the church. There are many concepts that I have totally changed my mind about, yet there is this little cache of memory nagging at the edge of my mind causing me to be confused and causing doubt. I have talked some about a detoxing process, but perhaps what I really need to do is “re-boot”.

Am I one of those people? You know the kind that has to get her way or she will pick up her marbles and go home? I have a major decision to make tonight. Will I watch American Idol even though they allowed the VERY BEST contestant to be voted off….or will I boycott? I don’t know yet. I may record it just where I can go back and watch Taylor. But honestly I don’t even care to see the other two. I would change the channel if I saw them singing on TV or heard them on the radio. I do truly wish Taylor well. I would go see him perform live because I know I would be entertained, but I doubt that I would buy anything he recorded.

Oh well, I guess I should count my blessings that this is the biggest decision I will have to make today.

I ran across the following picture when looking for something else and wondered if it would make Diana feel better.

This is my dog Shelby when she had 11 puppies. Of course I know what Diana will say, Shelby was able to give her babies away when they were 8 weeks old!!

Therapy is expensive
Popping bubble wrap is cheap!
You choose!



unknown

There is a gas/station convenience store close to my house that has a boat launch across the road. For years we have called it “The Shell” as they sold Shell gasoline. Inside they sold fishing tackle, bait and water toys. In my little community if you are a Shell station you will price your gas the same as every other Shell station in town. So the other two stations would often be as much as 10 cents per gallon cheaper on gas. A few years ago they changed owners and while they are closer to my house, I will drive past them to go to the “other” store where the groceries are fresher and the people are nicer. Evidently the owners realized that there relevance to the community had been erased by a number of these factors. This week they have closed the gas pumps and added hot sandwiches and biscuits. In front of the pumps they have placed floating boat toys and other lake paraphernalia. I would assume that the owners finally realized that they had to make changes to attract customers. Repeating the same things they had always done in the past was not going to work anymore. There were two stations in close proximity that were giving more options and giving them cheaper and with a more welcoming spirit. However, this one station does have something to offer that the others do not in their lake toys and tackle. They are trying to emphasize their uniqueness and their strengths and giving up the areas in which they were ineffective.

I think I need to apply this principal to my own life. There are many things that I have done for years but that does not mean that I am doing it well or effectively. I cannot add things to my life and sacrifice having a good attitude about doing them. I AM unique. I have some things to offer that others do not. I need to spend my time and energy focusing on these things and drop some areas in which I am ineffective. Lately, life has forced me to make many of these decisions, but I want to be purposeful about it. I want to eliminate guilt over things not done and live each day with joy. Perhaps I can learn a lesson from “The Shell”.

My Mom with her great-grandchildren.

Thank you Mom. Without you I would not have these 4 beautiful wonders in my life. But more than just giving me life, you have given me love and direction. You have exemplified a life devoted to God. I thank you for all of that and am proud to call you my Mom! Happy Mother's Day.

** I slept NINE hours!!**

- I am going to play tennis

-I am having my Mom & Dad and my kids and grandkids (that really makes me sound old!) over for Mother's Day tonight!

- The triplets are spending the night with us tonight

**Sounds like I needed that sleep**

Hope you have a fun filled day too!!

When my son was in high school he played football. We were very into CHS Football during those years. David was the president of the Quarterback Club and we were at every game no matter where it was, no matter what the weather was. We went to dressing room after the games to tell the guys what a good job they had done and we got there early to see the team warm up.

The first year after my son graduated we went to most of the home games. We traveled to a couple of the away games that were close by. We didn’t get there all that early and sometimes we left before the game was over.

Last year, I made most of the home games, David made a couple. We still love football and follow what the team does, but somehow it is not the all consuming passion that it once was. At two of the games I spent most of my time entertaining Matthew (and we had a blast).
If you asked me I would tell you that I love high-school football. It is just not the same priority for me that it once was.

Recently I told you that I had to give up teaching my class at church. Earlier last year I had given up trying to work on WWF (Women Working in Faith) due to lack of interest. When we started our building project I was on the committee and helped to put together the video that launched our giving campaign.

So lately I feel the same kind of disconnect that I felt from football. I love my church and I make all the services that I can, but I don’t feel “needed” in the same way that I once was. I feel like a spectator at times, uninvolved in the process of finding a minister, of designing class rooms, or most anything. I know that it is no one’s fault but my own, so save your breath on those comments.

However, this disconnect has started my thinking process. I am sure that I have grown as much spiritually during this last year as I ever have before. I can see how being a “church member” sometimes gets in the way of being a Christian. Now before you jump on me too hard let me ask you a couple of questions.
a. What are the five acts of worship?
b. What are the five steps to salvation
c. What are the nine beatitudes?
d. What are the fruits of the spirit?

Did you answer a and b much easier than c or d? If so, do you realize that you are totally “churched” but may not be living in the Spirit? If what I said made no sense to you please just stop reading. But if you “get it”, I want you to know what a struggle I have been through. The book I am reading by Donald Miller talks about how symbols are meaningless unless we keep in mind what they are to represent. My friend Rick wrote an excellent post on why people are leaving the institutional church. The day before he had written about the kingdom of God living in us. Both had me reeling as he was speaking to what I was going through. That very night I got an e-mail from one of our elders saying “Don’t Quit”. Weird, huh. Then I read the blog of my friend Danny Dodd and he talks of Jesus without Community. I don’t know that I have reached any conclusions on anything, but I do believe that God is putting people in my path to help me let the spirit guide me through this. I have a strong desire to de-tox, but fear that if I disconnect totally I would be unable to find my way back.

Please don’t worry about me. I am not jumping off the deep end, but I did want to share what is bouncing around in my head.

If you read about the same subject four different times in two days, and it is a subject that is heavy on your heart, do you believe that someone is trying to send you a message? Because it is happening to me; I wonder if it is just coincidence, but what does that say for my faith?

Stay tuned…when time permits I will elaborate.

Last night I was sitting in my recliner awaiting the showing of American Idol (which I will never watch again! Pleeeeze! Chris was THE best!) when something strange happened. I had obviously dozed off, but I woke up with the strange sensation of having something in my mouth. I looked around and realized that I had fallen asleep while eating supper!! Not just that, but I was in mid-bite!! David accused me of sleep-eating! He must take a little credit though; he had the TV on “The Lumber Yard” on the Discovery Channel or the History Channel. These shows are great background music for a little cat-nap!

Today I was thinking that I feel for Jesus’ disciples when they could not stay awake while he was in the garden praying. Sleep does not mean that you are not interested in what is going on around you it just means that your body needs to shut down to refuel. The week they had been through along with a highly emotional big meal had no doubt left them physically and emotionally drained.

Of course like all pleasurable things in life, sleep can become a stumbling block and a crutch we use to escape dealing with life. Currently this is NOT my problem! Yesterday, I thought I had gotten just enough to not feel bad. My little incident in the chair, plus one hair-raising second that I fell asleep while driving home convinced me that I might have under-estimated my “bare-minimum”.

What goes first when you are running in too many directions? Your mind, your memory, your waistline, or is it your friends. I know that everything in life that is worth having is worth working for. I just sometimes run out of time to work for all the things that I think are worth having….worth loving.

I would like to send a big shout-out to my friends who stop by to check on me. I hope to get back to my normal self soon, but for now, I am involved in some highly important work for God. Sometimes I have to remind myself of that!

But I love hearing from you and I am checking your blogs every chance I get. I can’t always take time to comment, but I am there! See you soon!

Recently I told a friend (Paul) that it was important for us to learn to live in the present. I am often guilty of not being aware in the moment. I go back and enjoy the memory and I look forward to things, but sometimes I fail to cherish the moments as they are occurring. I think this is one advantage that grandparents have over parents. We KNOW how quickly time passes by, so we want to enjoy each moment of holding a baby or running and climbing with a (almost) 2 year old.

Last night I had a tennis match. I was exhausted from keeping my baby girls the night before (I am not discriminating, Mom just wanted a night alone with one baby and she chose the boy….mostly because he sleeps better.) I was involved in a very tough match. My partner and I just couldn’t get on our game and we ended up losing in a three set marathon match. I was feeling very depressed about the whole thing. But three of my teammates had ridden with me to the match which is around 30 minutes from our little town. On the way home we had a “laugh-fest”. We were all a little tired (or in my case completely exhausted) and things just got funnier and funnier. I could tell you some of the stories we laughed hysterically at, but you know how it is, they would not even sound funny to me today. I realized at one point that I was getting just what I needed. I needed to laugh out loud. I needed to be silly and not take tennis so seriously…it is a game.

At any rate the combination of good physical exertion and a really good laugh with friends helped me to have a great night’s sleep and a good attitude. (My sleep may have been helped along by the lack of babies in the room, but that is another story).

We were filled with laughter,
and we sang for joy.
And the other nations said,
"What amazing things the LORD has done for them."
Psalms 126:2

Meet his newest fans!!!
Ava
Eli
Ali

Go #8!

OK, I don't really like to listen to Contemporary Christian music when I am driving. Last night the Busch race was in a rain delay..(boring radio) and I could not find the Braves game...so I started browsing on the XM.

First of all I stopped by Fox News. The O'Reilly factor was on. They were congratulatory themselves on getting the "Sex-Offender" Act passed in through Congress. Now, granted that is a very good thing and it did take the efforts of the listeners calling Senator Kennedy to get him to act, but they were going on and on about what a good service and what a good thing they had done. Is it just me or does a self-congratulatory attitude turn others off too? Report the facts let me decide that you did something good. I think we have to be careful about doing this in all phases of our own lives (especially in church). For most people it is a turn off to hear you tell what YOU have accomplished.......so I switched the station.

Last night I listened to some Aerosmith, some Creed, some Rolling Stones and rocked all the way home from Huntsville. A good time was had by all.

Today I will be fixing that gray hair!!!

I was just pulling my hair up to go play tennis---YES!---but I noticed I have a whole new streak of grey hair!! What do you think could be causing that?

Contemporary Christian music is what I listen to most of the time. I have an XM radio at work where I listen to Channel 32 – The Message, all day long. In my car I listen to either that, XM 144- NASCAR radio, or the Braves. But, some of the songs played truly annoy me…there I said it! This morning I heard La Bible…..to the tune of La Bamba and then there is that Meshach song to the tune of Love Shack…..give me a break! But for the most part I am sure that it is better to feed my mind with lyrics like “Love one Another”, “Blessed Be the Name” or “Cry out to Jesus” than to hear “Highway to Hell”, “Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy” or “Gimme That”.

I am putting together the video for our Senior Sunday this week. I chose to use one Contemporary Christian song (again it is what I know). I was a little surprised when I talked to our youth minister and he did not know the Stephen Curtis Chapman song I had chosen but was very familiar with Nickelback’s song. I think I was happy and sad about that. I am happy that he is relevant to the group he is working with but sad when I think about the sheer joy and excitement I say among so many teens at the David Crowder/Third Day concert that I know our youth group is missing out on. Hopefully these attitudes are falling by the wayside with some of our other “traditional” thinking.

Anyway, I still enjoy music of all types, but just find myself preferring to hear things that build me up. I know that music is a direct link to the Soul; therefore I must handle with care what I feed myself.

Have you ever noticed how a repetitive sound will speak words to you? Diana’s breast pump makes a noise that says to me “pick up the phone, pick up the phone” I am just not sure who it is that I am supposed to call. Last week it was saying “Lo and Behold, Lo and Behold” I am pretty sure that was a reminder to do my Bible reading. So I guess it has a different message for me according to my needs.

The funny thing is that when I sat down here at my office to write something all I can think of is “pick up the phone”. I couldn’t help but think how true it is that I have to tell myself things over and over before they sink in. I have to constantly remind myself to eat right, to exercise, to finish my pressing work before I write a blog post…..of course I have learned to tune many of those repetitive voices out!

God repeated many things all through the Bible. I think that we should notice the things that were important enough to him to be said multiple times. The first one that comes to my mind is “I desire mercy not sacrifice”. It has taken me a long time to really understand that saying. Now that I do (I think) I can see how the whole of what God wants from me is wrapped up in that one sentence.

What are some other things repeated frequently in the Bible for us slow learners?

Went to lunch, it started raining, took a nap for about 45 minutes....

It don't get much better than that!

I will try to post sometime this month....