Breath of Life

I want to write.  I desire to write.  God has granted me the ability to write (somewhat at times.)  This past year has been super crazy and many things I love have fallen off my to do list.  But now, I'm adding back in, Yea!

I wanted to breath life back into this blog (however was willing to cut it if it was God's will - see I'm learning to seek His plan above my own.)  So in prayer, what should I write about?  After a year of God pouring into me heavily, the old post weren't coming to me and when I read them they are less personal, less me, just less.  The blogs I love to read are the ones about the people, what they are up to.  I like reading successes and failures - because we're not Holy yet.

So what to write about?  God answered:

"fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2

Write about Him, Jesus.  What is He doing in my life?  What am I learning?  How am I being conformed to His image (Rom 8) - meaning where am I not!

It may take me a couple weeks to get back into writing regularly again.  I hope you stick with me or join in.  

God is Good!

My work space

I need of a dedicated work space.  A place where I can continuously plug my laptop in.  The battery only lasts about an hour, so it needs to be connected.  We have a desk with a desktop computer - I'm sitting at right now.  However, it is on the laptop that my fingers love to pour out words.  I'm also less prone to check email and such on the laptop - less likely to be distracted.  The desk is shared with D and K, not someplace in which I can leave my stacks of books and Bibles.

I'm getting ready to start the writing phase of the test to be a certified counselor.  The test is sixty essay questions with a minimum of one page of writing per question.

My space needs to be:

• a place where I can have my things all over
• the ability to close my books and leave in a neat stack that won't be pretty, but will be available
• to sit down and jump in where I left off
• a firm chair so my back doesn't suffer
• a good view that isn't so distracting

I chose this place.

It is the end of my kitchen table.  This isn't someone's "assigned" spot, for certain times of the year the sun is glaring into this seat.

It has a great view of outside. I love my little slice of Paradise.  I'm so blessed to live on a lake.  You can kinda see it at the bottom, below the bird feeders.

And the wall of my girl - pictures of her childhood.

I cleaned out the junk, moved over the paperwork and plugged in my laptop.  Now we'll see what my family says about this workspace - maybe I'll move into the cat's room, if I can find a gas mask to save me from the litterbox smells.

Time to Write

I love writing, Ha that's a surprise.  However, I am prone to have my best composing happen when I'm no where near paper or a computer.  Often I'm laying in bed or have my hands in dish water or stirring a pot. 

Finding time to write can be difficult at these times with my family home or when I should be sleeping.   Yet, I can't trust I'll remember the next time, because I don't!  By the next day I can only  remember half and then it doesn't make sense when I write it down.

How to capture the thoughts?

Well, I'm techno behind, as previously stated.  I don't text...egads right?  We decided it just not part of our life.  We converse with people rarely enough, with texting, we may never have a voice conversation with a real person again.

Yet, I got a fancy non-smart phone so I would have a tool in relative closeness to type in those wisps of brilliance (perhaps to flattering) that flutter around in my brain.  I can save a note in my phone.  Then I just need to take the time to write before I accidentally delete all my saved notes.  Not saying it happens (it does), just saying I need to get writing and not put it off.

Some nights, I'll get out of bed to write, it is the best time.  Sometimes I'll toss it up to God the help me remember.  It is for Him I write and if it really is that good, I'll remember, eventually.

Playlist #2

Another song on my playlist is Shine by Newsboys.

You hear your heart start asking,
"What's my motivation?"

I love jogging to this song.  It's upbeat and that part gives me the encouragement to push through and keep jogging.  I ask 'What's my motivation?'

My motivation?  God and being obedient to Him.  He's called me to jog.  The old me doesn't want to jog.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17

It's amazing, listening to this song, I can push through.  Get to the point to really jog.  I want to stop.  I want to say it's to soon to do a steady jog, I need to walk another minute.  Push through to that place where I am at a steady pace.  I slow pace, mind you I wouldn't win any races.  It's a jog, its a slow pace, it's a place where I could go on longer than I imagined.  It's my motivation that God has a goal for me.  He wants me to stick to it.  He doesn't want me to tweak it, to make it my own.  He wants it to be His.  He wants me to obey.  I get the joy of knowing I obeyed, that I am healthier for the jog and next time I can go longer, do more.

God is my motivation.  Wanting to do what pleases Him.  I spent so much of my life pleasing me only to be unhappy, anxious and depressed.  Spending time with God and learning what He's calling me to do (not what He's calling you to do) and how He's calling me to do it is the best way to spend my life. 

Playlist

Lies or Truth?

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says "Do not be afraid!"
And the voice of truth says "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Casting Crowns Voice of Truth

This song is on my workout playlist.  It's has a slower beat in which I do my warm-up stretches and crunches.  I just love it.

How many times in the Bible does God tell His people "Do not be afraid."?  We'll leave it at a lot.  He tells us not to be afraid.  

The lies in my head says to be very afraid.  Don't write that, what will others think?  Don't speak that, how will others react?  Don't put in the effort, since it won't turn out how you expected anyway.

Every lie possible to foil the truth floats around waiting for that tiny opening to go in.

Lie: Don't work out, it's pointless boring and no matter how much you do, nothing changes.

Truth: Well, things do change, just slower than they used to.  I will never be an Olympian.  I will be strong enough to endure physically.  If God called me on a mission journey right now, I am not in a position to go physically.  With training, I can get there.  He may never call me.  Either way, He is calling me to prepare today to be in good physical health.

Lie: you'll give in a eat sugar eventually, just like you'll soon give in and drink a soda.

Truth: when I stop laughing about the soda part, I say watch me.  As I posted before, I've been sugar free since Dec. 27, 2011 and soda free since Dec 7, 2004.  Yes sugar is a big deal in my life, yet God is a bigger deal.  He's calling me to health.  He's calling me not to crave some food over Him.  He's calling me not to be afraid.  And even on Valentine's day where there's cookies and CHOCOLATE, I can stay true to what God is calling me to do.

Lie: why put in the time to write a blog that no one is reading and won't ever read.

Truth: God did not call me to write for others.  He gave me this gift for me.  He knows that if I write it down, collect the thoughts in a clear order, the words will also come out of my mouth.  That is His goal for my blog.  It isn't the be the hottest blog in the world.  It isn't to be worshiped with people longing to read what I have to say.  It is about Him and how I am part of His story.  How I am His tool to work in the lives of His children.

Lie: Don't point to Jesus, no one will accept you. 

Truth: Well that could be true.  No one here in the world that is.  Someone great, Wonderful, Counselor, Father will accept me.  He calls me to obey.  It's not up to me how others react.

As for me, I chose to listen to the voice of truth.

Strengthen and Encouraged

2 Thessalonians 2:16a, 17 May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

I love the combo of these verses.  How they speak to the good things God has in store and are truly an encouragement to doing what He has called me to do.

When I finally submitted my life to God, He didn't frighten me by sending me unprepared to third world mission for the rest of my life.  He has dealt gently with me.  I on the other hand have cause sandpaper abrasions by my own stubborn heart refusing to go His way, since it didn't look like the easy way.

And in case you didn't get that...God's way is the easy way.  It doesn't look like it's easy according to the world, but the world does not look to God.

Back to this verse, the more I obey, the more I follow, the more I'm encouraged and strengthened to do more for and in Him.

My post about Sugar.  Had I never given up soda, I don't think know I would not have given up sugar. When I finally started and wrote the blog He has called me to do, I find the words written here where I don't know who reads are the words coming out of my mouth for others to be encouraged from.  It's simple marvelous if you think on it for a minute. 

God called us to a journey.  

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. 

He shows me the next step I am to take.  He often doesn't show me the end results.  For one, I may want to skip all the steps in between that are needed for my own pruning or I will not accept the path and refuse to follow (stubborn.)  He gives me enough light to take the next step.  Then the next.  He strengthens and encourages me with each step.  He shows me that with His grace to took all the steps behind me and I can trust His grace to take all the steps before me.

And when I'm weak, when I think I can't go on, God gently reminds of where I've come from - encourages my heart, what I've been enabled to do - strengthened in every good deed and word.

Praise my God!

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who love us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.