The Season of Lent

Day 2:  What is my offering today for Lent?  Quietness!  I have been focusing on one scripture for a year now and with my little hyper personaility, it has been a hard verse to get under my belt.

Isaiah 30:15 – This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:  “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is you strength, but you would have none of it.

Today I will stay in my sanctuary.  I will not have a Plan.  I will focus on hearing the voice of My Abba.
First, I must quiet all the other voices down.  I have such a need or desire to connect with my daugher, mom and friends.  I will make one more call and then the Adventure of Quietness.

The Quiet Adventure:  This produced a challenge as I became fiesty, restless, sleepy but finally a calm settled in .  I am reading 24 Hours that Changed the World by Adam Hamilton.  In the quietness I realized:
God watched His Son die for ME!             
 Am I confused by Jesus’ Words?     

       No Other Way – Jesus’ Blood

He Knows I Will Fail  - even when I don’t know!          

How Have I Betrayed Him?

 I was a Slave to Sin and Death                         

Jesus looks past my betrayals,  sins, & failures & calls me Friend. 

 Jesus needed Friends and  I  Need Friends – for this Journey

      The Mount of Olives and thinking

           Of What Jesus Experienced

The Season of Lent

Yesterday I began a 40 Day Journey.  I love experiencing 40 Day Adventures because I sense they are Biblical.  Growing up Baptist, I had never heard the word "Lent" and didn't feel too badly about it after going to a Baptist bookstore and asking for literature on Lent when the clerk asked if that was spelled "lint"!
 Lent is a time of sacrifice for Jesus.   The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer — through prayer, repentance, alms giving and self-denial — for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events linked to the Passion of Christ and culminates in Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In preparation I pondered what I could give up:  chocolate, wine, sugar, etc. and nothing really registered because as I dug deeper, I realized I wanted something that I could check off each day and give myself a star and pat on the head.  As I prayed and searched my heart, it finally occurred to me that the adventure I was being called to was a daily asking God what would bless His heart.

Day 1:  God wants a Contrite Heart from me:

Isaiah 57:15 – For this is what the high and lofty one says - he who lives forever, whose name is holy:  “I live in a high and holy place, but also with him/her who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.

Isaiah 66:1-2 – “Heaven is my throne, and the earth my footstool.  Where is the house you will build for me?  Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being”” declares the Lord.  “This is the one I esteem:  he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word."

Psalm 34:18 – The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves such as have a contrite spirit (those who are crushed in spirit).

Psalm 51:17 – The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:  a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

 What did I accomplish in my adventure today:  realizing that when I hurt someone else, whether it is my family, friends or someone that I just ignore, I am breaking God's heart because He has asked me to Love as He loves and to treat others as I want to be treated.  Contrite doesn't mean that I'm just sorry but that I am broken hearted that I have hurt or wounded God's heart by hurting those He loves.

Courage To Change

Are You Ready to Change?  I thought I was changing so much because I was reading my Bible, having quiet time. teaching - all the things a "nice Christian Woman" does.  BUT, it wasn't until I started working the Twelve Steps of AA that real change began in my life.  I am so encouraged to interweave my faith with the Twelve Steps because many times we feel that "knowing" the Bible is what it is all about.  Getting wrapped up in "teaching", even at times dogmatically, what the Bible says is not what it is all about.  As I have read Romans for the kazillioneth time, the answer finally registered in this brain and spirit of mine.  Faith without actions = ZERO!  I have read and re-read Romans 7 and 8.  However, putting steps 5 and 6 of AA with that has produced the miraculous.  Romans 7 affirms that my heart's desire is to be all God wants me to be.  So I have tried, tried, tried and wondered what can be the problem.  I have associated "trying" with "making it happen!"  As Paul says:  "But I need something more!  For if I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help!  I realize that I don't have what it takes.  I can will it, but I can do it.  . . My decisions such as they are, don't result in actions."  Pooey pooey.  Then I go on to Chapter 8 where it says:  "With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved.  Those who enter into Christ's being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud.  A new power is in operation.  The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing me from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny . . ..  Then - low and behold - as I was reading Courage to Change I found I had worked Steps 1 - 4 but when I got to Steps 5 and 6 - Whee Hoo - it showed me that I had to Admit to God, to myself and to another human being the exact nature of my wrongs!  I don't mind admitting my "wrongs" to God but to another human being!  Yikes, that takes Courage.  But I put on my "big girl pants" and admitted to others how I had been wrong.   The Action that I was missing was Step 6 which is being entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.  I have tried tried tried to make myself do and be what I sensed was needed and now I wonder why it took me so many years to realize I CAN'T DO IT - ONLY GOD CAN.  The big question is do I have the Courage to accept Him doing it as a gift instead of keeping on trying so I can give myself "kudos" for being so wonderful.  I found the secret:  God is who He said He is and God can do what He says He can do.  I believe - just for today - I will accept what he wants to do and give Him the "kudos" or PRAISE and accept the fact that I don't have what it takes - but He does!! Hallelujah What A Savior.

The Ice Berg

Whoa, can you believe I encountered an Ice Berg this morning in my quiet time.  Reading I John 5, I realized that it was saying to me:  My Faith in Believing that Jesus is Who God says He is and that He can do what God says He can do equals the POWER that overcomes the world!  Well now, why would that be an ice berg?  From The Message I read "Every God-begotten person conquers the world's ways.  The conquering power that brings the world to its knees is our FAITH.  The person who wins out over the world's way is simply the one who believes Jesus is the Son of God. . .  If we take human testimony at face value, how much more should we be reassured when God gives testimony as he does here, testifying concerning his Son.  Whoever BELIEVES in the Son of God inwardly confirms God's testimony. . . This is the testimony in essence:  God gave us eternal life; the life is in his Son.  So, whoever has the Son, has life, whoever rejects the Son, rejects life.   And how do we know we have eternal life, well the whole book of I John is about believing what God says about His Son, Jesus and Jesus says the bottom line is "loving correctly".  The first part I need to get down is how to Love God correctly which means DOING WHAT HE SAYS instead of gushing out sentimental junk!

Now a picture:  How is this an Ice Berg.  There is a little command:  Love as I have Loved you!  We say:  "OK" and then go merrily on our way.  But when we look under the little ice cap we are blown away with the size of what God is saying.  Ponder that!   How's your Loving on a scale of 1 - 10?  BEWARE - AN ICE BERG IS LOOMING!

You Have a New Name - Beloved!

A thought to make your day:  From Matthew 3:13-17 there is a startling thought, that if accepted can change how we proceed through life.  God called Jesus "My Beloved Son" before He had done anything in ministry.  Was in knowing that He was Beloved that He proceeded to accomplish what God had planned. 

Have you ever thought about the fact that when each of us go through baptism, we enter the family and God says of us that we are Beloved?  The startling fact is that most of us, myself included, spend the rest of our lives 'doing' so we can prove we are Beloved.  However, it's a God Thing because of His love and Grace.  It's a GIFT straight from God.  To enter into His family is to enter the glad "river" to be captured by the Gospel of Radical Love!  Can I accept God's affirmation that I am His Beloved, that this Name is given and not earned, and proclaim what He says "You are my Beloved Pattigail"

Well, how about let's greeting each other with:  Hi my name is Beloved PATTIGAIL - What's your Name?_______________?
(these thoughts were evoked from a sermon by Rev. Bill Braswell presented at the Village Chapel of Bald Head Island)

What Happens When Women Pray

There is an adventure in my life that I would like to share.  Four of us are getting together, after exploring the Adventure of the book God Guides.  We have named ourselves birds because we live on an Island.  God speaks through nature so we watch our birds to learn what is positive and negative about each bird.  I wanted to be something majesticic but the gals named me "Killdeer" - if you aren't familiar they are the little birds that run all over the place along the beach and when in danger fake it to divert your attention!  Nailed!!
I run with a Brown Pelican - who should probably be a Dove, a Wise Owl - who ponders what she says and a Great Blue Heron - who keeps us focused and sluggish (have you ever watched how long a heron can stand still?) 

It is a "God Thing" that we are together.  He orchestrated our getting together and we have been searching for almost a year as to what our purpose is.  The first purpose was, as a group, to experience being quiet together [that's a miracle for women :-)].  Amazing what happens when women get together intentionally to listen together for God's voice!  We each learned the value of each one's personality and what they added to the group with no comparisons or judging [Another miracle for women].  We had a day where each of us had a "God Guides Day" and did nothing but be directed on how and where God wanted to communicate with us and then got together and shared our day.  [We all experienced miracles that day and the joy of sharing with others on the same jouney was an exquisite joy.] 

After a year, we are focusing on What Happens When Women Pray by Evelyn Christensen and are excited as we realize that God is calling us to learn to pray more powerfully, more focused and in line with what He sees is His will and not ours.  We were first challenged to pray for two particular people and see if it made a difference in their lives.  Do you know it is hard to focus everyday on praying for someone just because God has directed it? And even harder- even though we believe God - to believe that our praying will truly make a difference.  At our last get together we realized that God wanted us to pray for two couples.  We are waiting quietly for what God wants us to do.  It is so exciting when we focus and pray as a group the change we experience.  Ms. Killdeeer wants to run and fix everything but my instructions are to suggest that both couples may want to begin the adventure of reading God Calling - which Ms. Great Blue Heron has motivated us to enjoy and share.  Ms. Brown Pelican/Dove is encouraging us to read The Faith Club to watch for opportunities that are God Guided and Ms. Wise Owl has blessed me with the thought:  "We all let people into our lives, but you will find that really good Friends let you into your Own."    A God Adventure - oh kill dee kill dee kill deet deet deet = Thank you God.

New Year - New Thoughts

IT'S A NEW YEAR:  2011   Focus:  How to Have Quiet Trust!   The top of my new journal has a profound thought that I want to be challenged with this year:  Sacrifice of Time with God pleases Him and strengthens me!  I am deciding how I can make this an actual part of my day instead of randomly seeing if it happens.