Practicing, Day 1

What a lovely morning. Other than my slight headache from staying up until 1:00 am. We just ate sausage and biscuits and my mom's fresh eggs. Oh and grapefruit and coffee and are getting ready to take a walk.

And nope, I did not check my emails when I got on the computer to write this. And it wasn't even hard. Of course, this is hour two, of day one, so I am assuming it will get much harder.

I read part of "The Life You've Always Wanted" by John Ortberg this morning. I thought I had read it, but if I did, it must not have been the right time, because I am LOVING it now and I don't even remember it from before.

Anyway, there were a couple things I found very encouraging because I am not a very disciplined person by nature. First off, he said Abraham Lincoln was "notoriously disorganized." Abe had a file in his law office labeled"If you can't find it anywhere else, try looking here." I put a smiley face by that!

Then John wrote this, "A disciplined follower of Jesus-a "disciple"- is not someone who has "mastered the disciplines" and never misses a daily regimen of spiritual exercises. A disciplined follower of Jesus is someone who discerns when laughter, gentleness, silence, healing words, or prophetic indignation is called for, and offers it promptly, effectively, and lovingly."

I can be excited about that!

Love this!

Luke 12:30-32 (NLT)

³⁰ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. ³¹ Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.

³² “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom. ♥

Shhh....

I have been reading some books on spiritual disciplines recently and I am very intrigued. I have decided to focus on a different discipline each month in 2010. I am very excited about it actually. I chose disciplines that I would like to make part of my everyday life anyway. Some of them I already do, but I will try to make them more intense or different during the month I focus on that discipline. I figure since I lived through 2009 (it was a very hard year for me) I can pretty much do anything, through Christ. Oh, yeah, the Bible mentions something like that, huh? :)

In January, I am going to practice silence. Internet silence, to be specific. Only when I am at home though. I need to check my emails at work but I am feeling like that is the noisiest part of my internal life at home. Not to mention my favorite way of wasting time. I would LOVE to add TV silence, but that won't go well with submitting to my husband's desires. :)

So, if I don't immediately get back to you when you email me, you will know why. I will still blog, I just won't be able to check my comments...

And I am PRACTICING, so if I fail, I will just get back up and start over. It will not be the end of the world and it won't mean I am a complete and utter failure. That is why this can be fun instead of extreme torment and torture.

Reflection Time

Mmmm....

New Beginnings.

I love them.

Especially now that things actually change!

Because God is working.

In me and in you.

So much Hope in Him...

I love good books!

I just finished "What difference do it Make?" by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. It was the book the publisher sent to me that I was so excited about. I was not disappointed, I loved it. I don't usually like sequels as well as the originals, so I was happy that I like it even better than "Same Kind of Different as Me". If you are interested, it would be best to read them both, in order. They are about a wealthy man and a homeless man becoming friends and God doing His beautiful thing in them. It is a true story, very interesting and inspiring.

Dang it, Dang it, Dang it!

So, I am driving, trying to figure out how I can sneak $25 more dollars from Jason so I can get him one more present for Christmas, and these FLASHES went off around me. Apparently, I had entered a school zone. One of those speed trap vans were there. And I was going 30 instead of 20. ARRRGGGG. Now I am just hoping that the fine is only $200 and that he won't make me take back the presents I already bought and wrapped for him today. Pout, pout, pout. I sorta prayed that we wouldn't get the ticket but then I thought that was dumb. I was speeding and why shouldn't I pay for a ticket? But I DO think the city shouldn't put those stupid vans out during the Christmas season. Don't people have enough financial pressure this time of the year????!!!!! I guess they need money too...

Ugg...

Ok, I think it is time for another personal retreat day. I feel like my heart is a disaster area right now. Like I should wear a banner of that yellow tape that says, "Caution, Danger Ahead" until God gets my heart back in order. And it is weird, I usually don't have things lurking around under the surface. Lately, I think I am fine and then find myself all upset about something I thought I had made peace with. One of my friends said in her Christmas letter that the older we get, the more we have to rely on God. Definitely agreeing at the moment.

But were do you go for a day of solitude in the winter??? I best figure it out! :)

Yay!

Guess what I got in the mail yesterday? A free book from a publisher! Because of my blog. So cool. After I read it, I will give you the scoop. :)

Friendship

I have been thinking a lot about friendship lately. True, deep friendship. The kind that has been through the fire of difficulty and come out more refined and stronger. I looked up some friendship verses in Proverbs this morning. These are the verses I don't want to forget. The things I want to practice.

Proverbs 17:9
Love prospers when a fault is forgiven,but dwelling on it separates close friends.
Proverbs 17:17a
A friend is always loyal
Proverbs 18:24
There are “friends” who destroy each other,but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 27:6
Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.
Proverbs 27:9
The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense
Proverbs 27:17
As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.
Proverbs 29:5
To flatter friends is to lay a trap for their feet.

And to my friends that make my life so much richer, who love me, challenge me, and believe in me when I have failed them time and time again, who have made me better by their presence in my life, Thank you.

How is this possible?

Yay! It is December 1st! I am excited about the holidays this year.

So, I was reading 1 John this morning and got so much good stuff out of it. I may have blogged about this verse before because it shocks me every time I read it:

1 John 4:12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.

Full expression??? Really Lord? That just scares me to death.

I can barely grasp Him loving me, and then to think I am supposed to love others like that too? Scary, scary!

I will do a little more research on this verse and share it with you if I find anything interesting. :)

**Update**

So, most of the other translations say, "His love is perfected in us" or "His love is made complete in us". Not nearly as scary to me. That sounds like something that could happen that no one else would notice. Which, is not realistic at all. If we knew someone who had let God have His way in them, so much that they had a complete/perfected love for other people, we would notice. I think what impacts me the most about all of this is God's desire to be seen in us. So much responsibility! So far to go...