Recent Inspiration

Two posts in one day...since I've missed so many weeks of postings, I guess...

Although we haven't settled on a church home, yet, since our move, God has been faithful to keep me close to Himself.

First off, probably due to the challenges of the transition, it has forced me to cling to Him.

I did much journaling and processing early in the move.  Then felt the need to dig more deeply into The Word.  I felt lead to study Galatians - a book I haven't spent much time in but have wanted to, specifically now because of the them of "freedom" that I feel God is wanting me to learn.  

I asked a new friend who also recently moved here and seemed like she would be one of those "true fellowship" sisters if she wanted to join me in studying Galatians.  God has provided sweet friendship, fellowship, partnership, and accountability through our relationship.  One way of staying connected to the Lord!

Visiting different churches has offered fresh opportunities to worship Jesus and connect with lots of neat people.

One church is having a women's study learning from Beth Moore's Proverbs study on Wisdom - rich stuff.  Good to inspire and challenge and seek the Lord!

That church also has a "Super Sunday" where they bring in quality speakers.  Last month was Christopher Yuan.  I read the book her wrote with his mom prior to going to his speaking engagement - "Out of a Far Country: A gay son's journey to God, a broken mother's journey to hope."  Powerful.

This month's speaker is Lynn Wilder.  I read her book this summer in anticipation of her coming to speak -  Unveiling Grace: The Story of how we found our way out of the Mormon Church.  Another inspirational story that reminds you of God's power, keeping me engaged with the reality of His presence. 

And most Sundays I have still gotten to rest and be refreshed and inspired while reading Ann Voskamp's blog: aholyexperience.com  A few Sundays ago I noticed on the sidebar a square that said: Tim Keller with Ann Voskamp in your city...now Tim Keller is another one of my favorite people (i.e. one of my favorite people whom I've never met:)) and to have the opportunity to hear them both from the same stage, I wanted to know more.  Turns out they were going to be the two National speakers along with a 3 person national panel broadcast in over 60 cities worldwide speaking on "advancing good in your community" through this event for Q-Commons (never heard of them!)  And my city would be one of those 60 cities!  At each city location they would also have 3 live local speakers.  How enticing...I ended up going last Thursday - a unique experience, once again uplifting to experience the universal Body of Christ coming together for a common cause.

So these are some ways God has been recently encouraging, inspiring, challenging me and teaching me to stay in step with His Spirit!  

Random Thoughts

It dawned on me as I was early in the journey of hearing from God that there are different voices to discern.  Well, actually this isn't new as 1 John 4:1 makes it clear that there are different spirits, some from God, some not and we are to test them.  We are influenced by the quiet and loud, subtle and obvious voices of our past, our present, our enemies (spiritual and fleshly), our friends, our God, the media, the culture, inner, outer.  The main voices I wanted to discern were the deception of the Enemy, the fickleness of myself, and the Truth of God.

And then I realized that there are times which I know it is the voice of God - Him illuminating His Word or a sweet God Whisper (GW) to my soul and other times I don't feel like it's of me (for it seems too spiritual, too selfless, too others focused), but I'm not confident it is the voice of God. Is it just a random "good" thought or is it truly goodbecause it is inspired by God and He wants me to do something with the thought?  I think I've discerned those as Spirit Promptings (SP) in my life - prompting my heart, mind, & soul.  Not quite the directness of the voice of God that I must be obedient to (in thought and action), but His influence I should pay attention to and follow through with...for good and glory.  And then there are those thoughts which I want to grow and dwell on, to fill up my perspective so this is the way I see, so my life is more Christ-centered - shall I call them Christ-Focused (CF), Colossians 3 thoughts? 

So,  check out the "Random Thought" tab on the Home Page for some GWs and SPs and CFs which I may not have wanted to take the time to make a full blog post on, but thought it would be fun to collect them in one spot.

Distracted or Delighting?

I was watching an interview of Ann Voskamp that a friend sent me.  She was talking about how her blog is so much an expression of lessons between her and God.  I could relate to that.  And as I think about how I haven't articulated many of my God-lessons in the last month, even though I've had many, I haven't felt as close to, as intimate with, God in this time.  I've missed it - I've missed Him, I've missed processing and putting into words these life lessons, these lessons I want to renew my mind and transform my life to the glory of God!  (Romans 12:2)

So what has filled this time instead - a week of preparing to travel, a week out of state (throwing my parents a joint surprise 60th birthday party - it was marvelous!), returning to attempt to bring life and house back to "neutral", returning and four days later finding out I'm pregnant:), and seven days later really feeling pregnant:(

Ugh!  Now struggling with the low energy and yuck feeling - no puking, yet, but just yuck and eating continually to keep the yuckies away, which gives me a different bloated yuck feeling.  With DS and DD I didn't start feeling pregnant until about 8 weeks, but this time around it hit at about 5 1/2 weeks.  And I have to remind myself to give thanks in all circumstances - and this one is easy because it means the pregnancy is taking, a peace of mind for anyone who has had an early miscarriage.

And I also think I was still in the process of playing emotional catch up.  Another example of how if I hold my hands more opened to God, I can receive His gifts with more immediate joy!  See, we had been "trying" for about a year and I was banking on this month falling in line with all the previous months for two reasons - 1) I had been training for a cycling trip to the mountains of Colorado in June - I will probably still go, but finding out I'm pregnant did put a damper on my excitement about being pregnant and about the trip.  2) Due Date: Middle of December.  One child has a birthday 10 days after Christmas and now one about that distance before Christmas.  And this past Christmas it dawned on me that 5 of our last 8 Christmases together had something major going on right around Christmas.  I was really hoping we would get to have a Christmas that we just got to focus on the Reason for the Season!  I guess I'm easily distracted.

That's been my theme as I've been returning to the LORD tired and weary and foggy brained this last month.  I'm sorry, LORD, I get so easily distracted.  I want to be thinking clearing and be able to focus on You and things of You, staying in step with Your Spirit.  "Teach me your ways, O LORD, that I may walk in Your paths, Give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name." (Psalms 86:11)  This is the prayer of my heart... and then I get distracted...

And the low energy and the yuckies certainly don't help.  But really are those just more excuses for distraction...do I really desire intimacy with Christ and reflecting His glory more than I want my life smooth and comfortable?

"Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalms 37:4)  Am I delighting myself in the LORD?  Or I am being dragged down by the never-ending duties and depressions of this world.  For if He's my delight, then He's the desire of my heart and if I'm delighting in Him then He will give me more of Himself, which is the desire of my heart anyway!  Now that's a win-win situation!  

When I start feeling the distraction or the drag or the depression, can I replace those thoughts with what I want the reality of my true desire to be!?!

What does it take to set my mind on things above and not on earthly things? (Colossians 3:2)

Yes, easier said than done, but this articulation is a step and it's a step I've been missing for many a weeks now.  Draw me back, Jesus, I'm really ready to be drawn back...It does me no good to keep floundering in this place..."Come to me all of you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest..." (Matthew 11:28-30)  Yes, I am physically, spiritually, emotionally weary and I am burdened by my own sinful distractedness.  May I learn from you, gentle and humble-hearted Teacher (Matt. 11:29)