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New Mercies I See!

9/29/2013

The Lord's unfailing love and mercy shall continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. Lam. 3:22-23

Hello Friend,

This morning I work with an awareness that a goal that I had set for myself was not met. I am disappointed that I did not follow through with my plan. Now I can continue to focus on my failure Or I could acknowledge that this is an opportunity to begin afresh. We have all missed opportunities and blown more of them than we care to admit. God's mercies are new every morning. He still loves me. And now I must love myself and not look back. I need to release yesterday as just that--yesterday. It is gone. And looking back will just keep me in a cycle of chaos.

Our bedroom is on the second-level of our house and I love to open my blinds in the morning and gaze upon the wonderful old oak tree with Spanish moss dripping from the branches and blowing in the breeze, and for some unconscious reason, I took my camera and shot pictures from my bedroom window. I think I thought the images of the tree would be calming and remind me of God and His wonderful creation of which I am a part. I asked myself, "What do you see?" and instead of the beauty of the old oak tree, I felt myself become distressed by the townhome directly behind ours which kept coming into the viewfinder. Suddenly I had the realization that the townhome was actually part of God's message to me this morning. God was asking me, "Where is your focus?" So, now I ponder and choose: The oak tree or the townhome? Yesterday or new mercies fresh as the morning? I pray, "Lord, thank you for the opportunity to begin again. I choose hope. Amen. Thanking the God of second chances,
Linda

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A Life-in balance Worksheet

9/22/2013

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Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence, and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself. Luke 10:27 (MSG)

Hello Friend,
All three dimensions of your life should be in balance: your spiritual life, your relationships with others, and your self-care. Too much time and attention in one particular area indicates a problem that needs to be addresses.
JOY formula (Jesus, Others, Yourself) in perfect balance.

Jesus
How much of your time do you spend nurturing your relationship with Jesus? Do you need to spend more time in study and prayer or less? Also included in this dimension would be time spent in worship and service projects connected with church activities. Yes, you can be out-of-balance in your spiritual life!!!

Others
Are your relationships fulfilling? Do you give as much as you receive? Do you have some relationships that are hurtful? Where do you need to set personal boundaries?

Yourself
Self-care: Do you need to spend more or less time attending to your own needs? It is possible to take care of yourself while being a caretaker. You are worthy of being tended to lovingly. Do something for yourself that makes you happy even if others think it is silly!

Enjoy and Learn from this activity,
Linda

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September 15th, 2013

9/15/2013

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You have eyes—can’t you see. Then Jesus placed his hands over the man’s eyes again. As the man stared intently, his sight was completely restored, and he could see everything clearly.                   Mark 8:18, 25

   Hello Friend,

             I am loathe to confess my faults to anyone but God. Yet, sometimes when I learn a truly hard lesson, my insight may be able to help you in your relationships. So here goes! My son Matt came to visit this week, and in the course of our conversation, told me of an important letter he had to write. I quickly jumped in with, “I could help you with that.” He said he would handle it. Not to be shut up, I told him I could help with grammar and perhaps even suggest some impressive vocabulary. Frustrated, he looked at me and said, “Mom, I am glad my ego is okay; you are making me feel inadequate to the task.” Yikes! My intention was to help. The outcome of my faulty vision was hurtful.

          Let me explain. There is an exercise in psychology in which each participant is given a large white sheet of paper with a small black dot in the center.   After each person is given adequate time to examine the paper, they are asked to reveal what they saw. Every person shared about the black dot with a failure to notice the vast expanse of white. The leader went on to explain that the white area could be filled with poetry, art, even music lyrics or profound quotes, yet all eyes were focused dot.    We are often like that. Our loved ones are filled with wonderful qualities, but we focus on the one flaw. We are blind to their possibilities; we see limitations. Fortunately for me, Matt and I have a very open and loving relationship, and with a word of apology from me, we were able to have a lovely afternoon together. How do you view others? Where is your focus—on their flaws? Too often, the answer is yes. Learn from my mistake. Others need your approval and love.
                                                                                                                                Linda

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It's Okay to have fun!!!

9/8/2013

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I came that you may have and enjoy your life.
                                       John1 0:10 (Amplified)

Hello Friend,

            Top of the day to you; you might guess I am feeling much better. My attitude has improved 100% (okay, that is a lie), but it is much better. And I am ready to have some fun!! My summer is almost over; school has started and church services will be starting this fall. Yes, I still have many sermons to write. Yes, there are still chores that I wish I had done earlier in the summer. Is organization of your closets ever done? Yes, I wanted to replant my entranceway flower bed. Yes, I had planned to accomplish much more than I did with my summer break. But I still have time to have some fun. Perhaps a trip to England is not going to happen; still, I can have fun right where I live. Jesus wants us to “enjoy” our lives. For that reason, I have included a page from my latest book, Whispers in the Garden, to inspire you to have some fun. If you wish, copy the page and keep it handy as a reminder to find Joy
each and every morning.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I know that you were no frowning Savior. People flocked to your side and found comfort, rest from their cares; and encouragement. So I come near to you right now to experience the “Joy” that you promised me. Teach me to let go of my worries and toust you to solve the problems of the world. Show me how to have fun. Reassure me that it is “okay” to put aside my work routine and just relax. I long to feel once again the wind in my hair as I glide high into the air on a tire swing dangling on a rope from a limb on an old oak tree. How I loved doing that as a child. What a fond memory of friend Bonnie and I in her back-yard playing. So Lord, I want to create a new memory
today—a joyful moment to cherish once again. Encourage me to have fun. Teach me again how to play.

                                                          Amen and Amen,

                                                                        Linda

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Changing my Focus

9/1/2013

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May he God of hope fill you with all joy.
                                          Romans   5:13

Hello Friend,

          Good Morning. I hope for you it is a good morning. For me, I woke up grumpy again.   I have been to the doctor three times this week, and my back is still killing me. Well, not really killing me, but my joy has certainly been affected. Jim is getting on my last nerve. All the chores around the house that need to be done immediately (at least in my imagination) loom large in my mind. One thing I can do is sit in my easy chair with a heating pad on my back and write; however, because of my cranky attitude, writing about joy and hope seems artificial and phony. So how do I share good news on a not–so-good day?

         Of course, God had a thump on the head for me. The above scripture came flooding through my consciousness. God is a God of hope. And that hope fills us with all joy. This back issue is not going to last forever. And if the pain were to remain, am I going to continue on with this attitude of poor-me? Our joy is not based on our day-to-day circumstances; sometimes I forget and need reminding.

        Perhaps you woke this morning with a pain—physical, emotional, spiritual, even a relationship pain—sometimes people can be a pain-in-the. . . I was thinking pain-in-the-butt. Whatever ache you are experiencing will not last, I promise. God has an answer, a solution, a way out of any dilemma you may be encountering.   And when we put our hope in Him, our joy returns—a full measure and overflowing. You and I need to take our eyes (and our minds) off the problem, and focus on Jesus. Do you truly want to experience joy? I do! Let’s change our focus. And the things of this world will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”

                      Thank you God for your Word this morning,


                                                                 Linda

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New Mercies I See!

The Lord's unfailing love and mercy shall continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. Lam. 3:22-23

A Life-in balance Worksheet

September 15th, 2013

It's Okay to have fun!!!

Changing my Focus

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