word association

Wednesday, August 31, 2011 (7:52 a.m.)

Awesome God of Glory,

Good morning. Hello. Salutations. And finally, a smile. Hi God. I love You. Thank You for allowing me to come before You exactly as I am. Sometimes, silly. Others, a little odd. Remember? We talked about that the other day. I can be odd or awed. Which brings me all the way around to ‘word associations’ – the spontaneous and unreflective production of words in response to a given word.

I love following how one word leads to another. ESPECIALLY when I believe that I am being led by You to another important truth. Today I find myself again at the beginning of Proverbs. The Common English Bible warns in brackets preceding 1:8, “Avoid evil associations”. I read the Recovery Themes listed on this page in The Life Recovery Bible and I am once again amazed by Your provision of our every need.

The Importance of Common Sense, The Power of Priorities, The Role of Boundaries, Building Healthy Relationships. How could any of this surprise me? You know the number of every hair on our heads! (Matthew 10:30)

You set out clear examples of using common sense and wisdom so that we would not be counted as fools. You also provided us ways of identifying our priorities, straightening them our, turning them over to You and getting them in line with Your will. Ah, now THERE’S a need fulfilled!

In this particular book You have presented the importance of our learning to set personal boundaries, learning when and how to say no to others. You truly DID know us [and our needsJ] before we were ever born! “You alone created my inner being. You knitted me together inside my mother” (Psalm 139:13 God’s Word Translation).

And finally Dearest Lord, pertaining to this tiny synopsis of Proverbs – building healthy relationships! Here’s something we could have all used throughout our lives. This particular book helps us see that ‘we are called to be consistent and tactful and to use discipline.’ Now that’s EXACTLY what we all should have been practicing since learning it in kindergarten!

Lord God, how I thank You for associating my words to the betterment of this day. Be in and with me as I set out to use the common sense You have given me, order my priorities, set good boundaries and build healthy relationships. I love You so very much and I thank You more than I could ever express.

Thank You for ‘so loving the world [including me!] that You gave Your one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life’ (John 3:16). Thank You that You ‘did not send Your Son into the world to condemn it but to save it through Him’ (17).

Thank You for this awesome time of word association this morning. I love You so much. Now on to prioritizing… Amen.

(488 words ~ 9:13 a.m.)

simple things

Friday, August 26, 2011 (8:01 a.m.)

Blessed God,

It’s the simple things Lord. Visiting dogs. Adults learning to swim. Rigorous yard work. Simple, uncomplicated, everyday things.

(2:25 p.m.)

And with each of them come joy. Deeply seated, intricate joy. Thank You Lord. Thank You for the simple things.

Sunday, August 28, 2011 (7:53 a.m.)

I read Your Word Lord, looking to understand the simplest of things. Truth. Life. Love. Somehow those look far more complicated today than when I first started this!

Let me look again at the simple things that brought me such joy the other day. A dog. Walking. Running. Sleeping. Simple. A woman SO excited to be enjoying the water for the very first time in her life that she couldn’t even speak. You helped me with that Lord. And the yard work? Hot. Strenuous. Wonderfully satisfying!

Thank You Lord. Thank You for deep, sincere joy in simple things. I tend so often to complicate matters. Help me follow Your teachings and live Your Word instead.

And You do! Reading Paul’s Teachings about Spiritual Gifts in his first letter to the people of Corinth (12:1-11) I’m recognizing again that all power is Yours. As I continue on (12-26) I am again reminded that we are Many Parts but One Body. The Life Recovery Bible comments to both of these sections stress the fact that it is YOU who gifts us and shows the importance of our accepting these gifts and using them well.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011 (7:46 a.m.)

The other night at church Dearest Lord, the pastor shared a thing so simple with the congregation that he had all of us repeat it. It was John the Baptist’s reply to the Jewish priests and Levites when they asked him who he was (John 1:19). “He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, ‘I am not the Christ’.” (20)

It’s a VERY simple thing really. There IS a Christ, and NONE of us is it! When it comes to keeping things simple today Lord, help me remember YOU are the Christ. Not me! Simple. Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(297 words ~ 8:07 a.m.)

awed / odd

Wednesday, August 17, 2011 (8:06 a.m.)

Awesome God,

Wednesday, August 24, 2011 (6:36 a.m.)

A week Lord! An entire week since I started this, got sidetracked and then refused to come back to it. To YOU!

I tried. You saw me here several days ago, but apathy took over and I was gone before I said anything in print. So talk to me, will You? Say things to me that You would have me know. Things about persistence and obedience. Priorities. Important stuff that You want me to know.

Let me start off with, I love You. Even though I haven’t been showing up here with You with any sense of regularity, that hasn’t changed. Opening my Bible one day a week (while we’re in church) is NOT my best way of showing my revere and admiration of You. While I am keenly aware of how awed I have been of You all week, it was just now that I thought of an equally descriptive word to how I had titled this entry last week. It’s a homonym to how I am toward and by You [awed J] and how I so very often feel [odd J] about myself.

Thank You God! This alternative word fits PERFECTLY in my thought process of late! Especially where it regards the title of this blog. Just yesterday I was asking myself when was the last time I truly felt ‘agog’ with You. Looking up the scripture verses mentioned in The Message concerning ‘odd’, I find the majority of the ones listed reference being ‘at odds’.

In Genesis 16:8-10, an angel of Yours told Hagar how her son Ismael would always be at odds with his family. Responding to a message from King Hiram of Tyre, the newly appointed king Solomon told how You had “provided peace all around – no one against us, nothing at odds with us” (1 Kings 5:1-3).

Job’s friends (15:16-18) continued giving their advice about the dangers of being “Always and ever at odds” with You. Isaiah spoke of it, using several examples in chapter 45 (7-9). In the apostle Paul’s explanation to the church of Rome (Romans 5:8-10) as to how Faith Brings Joy, he puts away the question of being at odds with You.

While all of these verses are giving me hope this morning that I will once again TRULY become “AGOG (rather than ‘at odds’) with God” it is Galatians 5:15-17 I am asking You to work mostly effectively in my heart this day.

It is here that Paul encourages his readers to depend on You, our Christ, alone for salvation and daily strength. Ah, Lord. I AM truly awed by You! You have called us to a free life. Sadly, I still abuse this freedom! “For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?”

Ah yes Lord! Indeed. Why don’t I? Teach me Lord to TRULY live by Your Spirit’s leading! Thank You for leading me here with You this day. Keep me coming back for more. I love You. I thank You. I AM truly awed by You. [And sometimes, more than a little, just plain odd! J] I love You, Lord! Amen.

(598 words ~ 8:03 a.m.)

Isaiah

Saturday, August 13, 2011 (7:38 a.m.)

Awesome, Glorious, Amazing God,

Thank You! These were not the words I was going to use to describe You this morning. One look into Your Word and hope and joy took over. Thank You Lord.

The Book of Isaiah, written ‘to confront the people of Judah with their sin and denial and to inspire them to rebuild their lives based on Your promises’ speaks volumes to me. Ah yes Lord. Your Word. Your promises.

Thank You Lord. Thank You for the opportunity to be Your child. The slightest smile started out on my face and just grew into the biggest grin. Lord, You ARE awesome. Glorious. Amazing. Holy. Worthy. Righteous. Loving. Forgiving. And I am grateful.

You provide. Truth. Salvation. Hope. Isaiah recorded these things for the good of Your people. Not only did he know Your truth, he lived and shared it as well. No wonder I find such delight in his book.

He knew You as: The Holy One of Israel (5:15-16), Sovereign Lord (8:13-15), God the Judge (11:3-5; 24), God, Our Salvation (26:1-4, 12-13), Everlasting God (44:6-8), the Living God (40:11, 41:10, 13), Lord of Glory (60:1-3). And he wanted others to know You as He did. He wasn’t afraid to share You, to follow Your will for his life with determination. What a wonderful example of being faithful to Your call despite great opposition and discouragement.

Another smile begins for me as I read of Isaiah being “sensitive, yet strong in his convictions”. I see myself as just plain sensitive. “He recognized his personal need for healing and received God’s help.” I absolutely recognize my own personal need for your healing, but I keep trying to manufacture it myself!

Lord God, how I thank You for this example of such a godly man, living a godly life, offering to others Your truth and hope.

Monday, August 15, 2011 (7:34 a.m.)

Laughlin, NV

Still I am grateful Lord. You provided us a blessed worship experience yesterday morning followed by a safe three-hour drive into Nevada. Thank You Lord. Thank You for shared laughter, extremely warm (112˚) air temperature and a beautiful view of an almost full moon reflected on the Colorado River. Grateful, Lord. Truly I am grateful.

As I continue reading in and of Isaiah, I am awed by his obedience. There is so much wisdom in his words. Truth. Hope. Promises.

Grow me Lord. Grow me into the woman You have always planned for me to be. Wise. Obedient. Dependent on You alone!

Blessed Lord God, You are so good. Holy. Awesome. Amazing. Glorious. Isaiah spoke Your words of truth. I long to learn and live them. Work in and through me exactly as You know is best. I am Yours. I want desperately to prevail as such. I love You so much Dearest Lord. And I thank You.

Use me this day. As You wish. I love You. Amen.

(492 words ~ 9:15 a.m.)

neighbors

Tuesday, August 9, 2011 (7:31 a.m.)

Most Dear and Blessed Lord God,

How I thank You for the neighbors You have provided us. I actually just started singing Mr. Rogers ♫Won’t You Be My Neighbor?♫ How’s that for completely unexpected?

Looking in Your Word there is much to be found about neighbors and neighborhoods. Growing up in a tightly knit one with people still being friends after more than 55 years, yes Lord, I have to thank You for neighbors!

It truly was ♫a beautiful day in the neighborhood♫ yesterday Lord. Neighbors shared coffee and lemonade with one another. There were many words of encouragement. Hugs. Your name was spoken as the source of strength and power. What a blessing it was Lord. From start to finish, it was a true blessing. Thank You Lord.

Now… what would You have me learn about neighbors today?

Friday, August 12, 2011 (8:25 a.m.)

Something seems to be up with me Lord. Or is it ‘down’? I believe myself to be fully aware of the blessings You provide us, yet I feel as though I have been avoiding You. Truly, I don’t know what’s going on.

♫Open the eyes of my heart Lord… I want to see You… To see You high and lifted up Shinin’ in the light of Your glory Pour out Your power and love As we sing holy, holy, holy… Holy, holy, holy I want to see You♫

But do I really? If I truly want to see You, wouldn’t I be looking in Your direction? Instead I feel myself running in the opposite direction. Something’s going on with me. IN me! And I don’t know what it is, NOR what to do about it.

So here I am. Again. After days of avoidance and turning my head around, truly asking (seeking, knocking) that You would open the eyes of my heart. To let me see You high and lifted up. Shinin’ in the light of Your glory.

What better place to possibly be? I AM asking You to ♫pour out Your and love♫ as I sing holy, holy, holy. What would it be like for me to truly sing those words just as a matter of fact? Nothing contrived. Just an automatic response to whatever comes my way.

Yes Lord. Speak to me about this. You have provided us so many blessings. Oh and speak to me You do! Thank You Lord. You are so good. So perfect. So all knowing. Picking up again in Zechariah (7:9) from the other day, I read messages of hope.

Lord God, I confess to You that I used to believe that I knew so much. Now I question, even doubt most things. “Seeing is believing” doesn’t cut it for me any more. I doubt. I question. I wonder. Yes Lord, even worry. But then I remember. YOU are good! All the time! All the time. You are good. Thank You Lord.

Too often I wonder if I can truly tell up from down. I am easily discouraged. Disillusioned. And then I come back to Your Word. I filter things through You. I am reminded that I am to stand firm in Your love. I don’t have all the answers as I had once mistakenly believed, but I know The One who does! Thank You for the invitation and the opportunity to love and be loved by You.

As I read The Message version of Your Word, Eugene Peterson reports Zechariah’s words to the people rebuilding Your temple thusly, “When you held days of fasting every fifth and seventh month all these seventy years (of Babylonian exile), were you doing it for me? And when you held feasts, was that for me? Hardly. You’re interested in religion, I’m interested in people” (7:5-6).

I read The Life Recovery Bible commentary and am again reminded, “Only as our heart is changed by God can real deliverance occur.” Mm yes Lord. Real deliverance. So many things are being blocked around here by our refusal, unwillingness or inability to just let go! Help us Lord.

You have provided us loving neighbors Lord. Truly loving neighbors. How we thank and praise You for SUCH an awesome gift!

Back to The Message, YOUR Message! “There’s nothing new to say on the subject (of fasting). Don’t you still have the message of the earlier prophets … Well, the message hasn’t changed. God-of-the-Angel Armies said then and says now: (7:7-8) ‘Treat one another justly. Love your neighbors. Be compassionate with each other’ (v.9).” Ah Lord, You wrap it up so nicely for us. You know exactly what we need. Not only that, You provide it all for us! In just the right measure!

Keep me looking to You Dear Lord. Ever opening the eyes of my heart so I can see You high and lifted up. Oh how I truly do love You. Thank You Lord. ♫Pour out Your power and love♫ that I would TRULY ♫sing Holy, Holy, Holy♫ How I thank and praise Your most holy name! Amen.

(844 words ~ 9:34 a.m.)

curse / shame

Friday, August 5, 2011 (10:20 a.m.)

Awesome, Wonderful God,

I need You. I want You. I love You. I thank and praise You. And sadly, far too often I curse You. Yikes! Did I just confess that? Yes Lord. I complain. I mope. I pout. I kick and scream. Then I get fed up and I curse.

Lord, I am having some serious difficulty letting go. Things are piling up around me. There is stuff that needs to be put (or GIVEN!) away. Issues need to be dealt with. “Grown up stuff” that I don’t know how to do. Help me Lord. This simply putting one foot in front of the other is NOT working!

Saturday, August 6, 2011 (7:37 a.m.)

So I went on to struggle with the word. Looking up its meaning I realize that I DO ‘utter offensive words in anger or annoyance’. Again, here I sit and ponder.

Lord, I DO love You. AND thank and praise You. Talk to me more about this whole letting go process. I worked at being ruthless yesterday, which made me wonder about its root, RUTH: – a feeling of pity, distress, or grief; from the verb RUE: bitterly regret. Wow! Look at me. I can go from cursing to rueful in no time at all.

Lord God, I DO want to be the woman You created me to be. Far too often I set out to accomplish that mission on my own. In a self-attempted effort to ‘cowgirl up’ and ‘be all I can be’, I fall short. Thank You Lord for reminding me that You are SO much bigger and better than any of the plans I can try to manufacture for myself.

Turning to Your Word [ALWAYS the best place for me J] I find myself encouraged by Isaiah again. Looking in the Topical Index of The Life Recovery Bible, I am intrigued by SHAME. Truly Lord, do You see me as shame-based? I wonder.

Twelve Step Devotionals offered under this title list: Step 3 – Redeeming the Past, Step 5 – Feelings of Shame, Step 7 – Into the Open, Step 10 – Repeated Forgiveness. Recovery Principles offer ‘Hope’ and ‘Love’. Lord, You are so good. Every time I start to list ALL the reasons I don’t deserve to be loved as You love me, You show me truth that has stood the test of time.

Isaiah 54 (4-8) tells of Glory Ahead. “Past shame will be forgotten as God, with deep compassion, recalls her (Israel) to an endless relationship” (The Illustrated Bible Handbook). Chapter 55 describes Your Invitation to the Thirsty. Lord, I AM thirsty for Your peace and joy! I can’t just ‘think’ myself there.

Your Word tells me that You will redeem our past. You pardon abundantly. You clear our messes. You refresh us and give us the courage we need to go on. This I ask You Dearest Lord. I have made messes I have no hope of clearing up on my own! I give it all to You, Blessed Lord. Asking, seeking, knocking, trusting You to do in and for me that which I can’t possibly do for myself. Rid me of the shame. Fill the empty places of my heart with Your best.

I love You so very much Dearest Lord. Remove the cursing and the shame “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12). Thank You Lord. I love You. Amen.

(573 words ~ 8:29 a.m.)

vibrant

Tuesday, August 2, 2011 (7:18 a.m.)

Most Incredibly Blessed Lord God,

Thank You. Thank You for the absolute beauty of this morning’s sky. Beauty beyond belief! Color. Clarity. Vibrancy.

Now there’s a word I didn’t expect! Vibrant – spirited, full of life, exciting... Lord, You are GOOD! I thought we were going in the direction of mercy this morning. You know, forgiveness. Compassion. But no. You never want me to think ahead of You, do You?

Thank You for that! Thank You for keeping me corralled. Not letting me get too far ahead of myself. Well, YOU actually!

Yes Lord. Thank You for the intense, vibrant beauty outside that would inadvertently lead me to Psalm 89 in The Message. And even in doing that, I giggled as I came to it in The Life Recovery Bible. Wedged right between the end of 88 and beginning of 89, I had penciled in ♫I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever♫ Mm, mercy. Your love and kindness. Truth. Miracles. Your faithfulness. All discussed right here.

Lord God, I love You. You provide such beauty. Such joy. So many surprises. Thank You Lord for all You want to give to us. And here’s something else I didn’t expect. The name of this month describing how You ‘loom immense and august over everyone around You’ (v. 7). I’m used to August being a noun, the name of a summer month. This is new to me. Until now I didn’t know it to also be an adjective, ‘distinguished, respected, celebrated, honored, awe-inspiring…’

Wednesday, August 3, 2011 (8:24 a.m.)

Thank You Lord. Thank You that because of one word [vibrant] I get to explore so many other ones. Because of YOUR Word, I get to examine reality. In looking more closely at Psalm 89, again I am in complete awe of You. The Message and The Living Bible each tell Your truth of verses 14-18 with different words.

The Message is what brought me here yesterday. “The Right and Justice are the roots of Your rule; Love and Truth are its fruits. Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise, who shout on parade in the bright presence of God. Delighted, they dance all day long; they know who You are, what You do – they can’t keep it quiet! Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us – You’ve been so good to us! We’re walking on air! All we are and have we owe to God, Holy God of Israel, our King!”

It’s true Lord! You ARE all this! How is it that when given the opportunity to speak of Your love and mercy I remain silent? I had the perfect opportunity the other evening and I hedged. I skirted. I didn’t just come right out and call You good. I hinted. I alluded. I did NOT stand firm and function in Your love. Change this in me Lord. Provide for me exactly what it is I need to be able to point directly to You!

“Your throne is founded on two strong pillars – the one is Justice and the other Righteousness. Mercy and Truth walk before You as attendants. Blessed are those who hear the joyful blast of the trumpet, for they shall walk in the light of Your presence. They rejoice all day long in Your wonderful reputation and in Your perfect righteousness. You are their strength. What glory! Our power is based on Your favor! Yes, our protection is from the Lord Himself and He, the Holy One of Israel, has given us our king.” (TLB)

Lord, I KNOW people like this! Not many, I confess. But I HAVE seen them! I’ve watched and observed them. I’ve wondered what it would be like to TRULY live my life as though I honestly believe every single truth Your Word speaks. Help me do that Lord. Help me know and trust You more that I would come automatically (first, NOT second naturedly) to thanking and praising You in ALL circumstances.

And just like that I am taken to Paul’s Final Instructions in 1 Thessalonians 5:14-24. “Dear brothers, warn those who are lazy, comfort those who are frightened, take tender care of those who are weak, and be patient with everyone. See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to everyone else. Always be joyful. Always keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Do not smother the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at those who prophesy, but test everything that is said to be sure it is true, and if it is, then accept it. Keep away from every kind of evil. May the God of peace Himself make you entirely pure and devoted to God; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept strong and blameless until that day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes back again. God, who called you to become His child will do this for you, just as He promised.”

These ten verses remind me that it is NOT on me to follow these instructions on my own. I can only do it with Your help! So again I ask Your assistance Lord. YOUR power. YOUR strength. In and through me. I love You so much. I truly long to live my life vibrantly! Full of energy and enthusiasm. What do You say? Yes? Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(921 words ~ 9:12 a.m.)

Psalm 23

Monday, August 1, 2011 (10:10 a.m.)

Blessed Lord,

I am coming to You as a sheep. In desperate need of You, my Shepherd (Psalm 23). Lord God, how I thank You that it IS because of You that I have everything that I need and ‘shall not want’ (v.1). How I ask You Lord to ‘make me lie down in green pastures. Lead me beside the still waters (2). Restore my soul (3a).’

I am feeling extremely shaky and scared right now Lord. I have successfully put off doing most things around here while planning and executing two vacation trips and a baby shower. Now that it’s time to get back on board with a regular schedule of doing life day in and day out, I fear that I have forgotten how.

Tiny, little decisions are overwhelming to me. Where do I start? With what do I begin? Thank You for the husband with the presence of mind to answer, “Why don’t you pray?”

Yes Lord. I need a Shepherd. You, who ‘leads me in the paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake’ (3b). I confess to You Dearest Lord, there is a part of me that is ‘fearing evil’ (4a) right now. Even as ‘I walk through this current valley of the shadow of death, I DO find comfort in Your rod and Your staff’ (4b).

Lord, this current valley of which I speak is not just of a physical nature. There is a death of ideals and dreams running concurrently. And here I choose to trust You instead of continuing to fear.

Lord, I love You. How I thank You for Your presence in my life. Thank You that I get to truly trust that ‘You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies’ (5a). And just as I was preparing to confess that I don’t really understand what is meant by ‘You anoint my head with oil’ (5b), I read a different translation (CEV) and got a much better grasp of it. “You honor me as Your guest”. And not only that! “You fill my cup until it overflows” (5c)!

Dearest Lord, it is in YOU I get to trust! ‘SURELY goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in Your house forever’ (6). What a promise. I’d much rather trust You than remain afraid. In my trust I ask You Lord to ‘bless me and keep me, make Your face to shine upon me and be gracious to me, turn Your face toward me Lord and give me peace’ (Numbers 6:24-26).

I love You so very much Dearest Lord. How I thank You just now, after all these years of wondering, for showing me exactly how it is that Your rod is here to comfort me. I never could understand how a rod was a good thing for a sheep. I just read a footnote that explains it as being a club for defending against wild animals. Ah! A truly good shepherd knows these things. Thank You Lord for being my TRULY Good Shepherd!

How I ask You to guide me and guard me this month. There is SO very much to do and I am absolutely prone to just wandering off and getting lost somewhere. I love You Lord. Thank You for being my Shepherd. Amen.

(562 words ~ 11:14 a.m.)