I danced

Wednesday, October 19, 2011 (7:55 a.m.)

Blessed Lord,

Thank You. I danced last night. I smiled. I had fun. And then I slept. Really well. Thank You Lord.

Thank You that the first song that came to mind this morning reminded me of a friend, now long passed. I remember singing it with her in church. Her favorite. A lively “catchy” song about YOU dancing, ♫I danced in the morning when the world was begun I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth At Bethlehem I had my birth♫

Thank You Lord. In looking up the words, I read about its origin and learned that in 1967 Sydney Carter “adapted the tune from the famous American Shaker dance song ‘Simple Gifts’.” I read. I sing. And get ready to dance again. My heart smiles at the thought of You calling all to dance with You. ♫Dance then, wherever you may be I am the Lord of the Dance, said He! And I’ll lead you all, wherever you may be And I’ll lead you all in the Dance, said He! ♫

Yes Lord. In learning to dance I must learn to follow. To be led. Who better to be my Teacher than the Lord of the Dance Himself!

Thank You Lord. Thank You for music and for dance steps. Thank You for joy and laughter. For friendships and most importantly for Your love. Your surrounding and enveloping love, calling us all together to ♫Dance then, wherever you may be…♫

I ask You this morning to lead and guide me in the dance You have for me this day. I love You Lord. Thank You. Amen.

(290 words ~ 8:56 a.m.)

pay attention / ♫Blessed Be Your Name♫

Monday, October 17, 2011 (7:28 a.m.)

Blessed Lord,

I’m asking You to help me pay attention today! It’s relatively early and I’ve already made mistakes. Not ground breaking, earth shattering ones. But substantial enough to bring me to You, Lord, asking that I pay attention. To You!

Lord, I didn’t expect so many verses to choose from. I wasn’t prepared for the history and warnings these two words brought up.

(8:28 a.m.)

With over 40 entries to choose from, it’s Proverbs 22:17-19 where I finally stop. “Pay attention [♫pay, pay attention♫ - I hear it as a cheer! J] and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips. So that your trust may be in the Lord, I teach you today, even you.”

Tuesday, October 18, 2011 (8:07 a.m.)

Ah, that I would truly listen and apply the sayings of the wise. Lord God, I confess to You my propensity to running amuck. I get so excited about all Your Word has to say and then I become distracted with the random details of everyday life.

Yesterday’s call to “pay attention” did keep me mindful. Today I ask that I would use Your word, Your Truth far more effectively.

The Living Bible tells the above verse thusly, “Listen to this wise advice; follow it closely, for it will do you good, and you can pass it on to others: Trust in the Lord.” How simple is that? Even I can’t complicate it!

While I woke up singing quite a different song, right now I will lead with the obvious ♫Trust in the Lord With all your heart And lean not on your own understanding In ALL your ways acknowledge Him And He will direct Your path♫ Blessed Lord, how I thank You for ever turning my thoughts back to You!

Thank You also for waking me up singing this morning ♫Blessed be Your name In the land that is plentiful Where the streams of abundance flow♫ Lord it is so much easier for me to bless Your name when positive things are happening around me.

Thank You that You don’t want us to stop there. No. You also teach us to boldly sing out our hearts in difficult times as well. ♫Blessed be Your name When I’m found in the desert place Though I walk through the wilderness Blessed be Your name Every blessing You pour, I’ll turn back to praise When the darkness closes in, Lord Still I will say Blessed be the name of the Lord… Blessed be Your glorious name♫

Most blessed Lord, thank You. I don’t always remember to bless You first. I confess too often to falling back on fear and frustration. I whine a WHOLE lot more than I bless and thank. Bless You that You let me practice things until I get them better. You are patient and kind. You forgive. You wait.

The Life Recovery commentary for yesterday’s proverb (22:17-19) reminds us that, “it is wise to put our trust in God. He alone is the source of perfect love and truth. It is only by surrendering to Him that we can experience true love and discover how our life should be lived.” You know what You’re doing. I may rarely understand or agree with Your methods but I want so very much to get better at readily acquiescing [accept something reluctantly but without protest] to Your will.

Continue Your wonderful, mighty, glorious work in my heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30) that I can not only sing out to You ♫Blessed be Your name When the sun’s shining down on me When the world’s all as it should be Blessed be Your name♫ but readily and wholeheartedly ♫Blessed be Your name On the road marked with suffering Though there’s pain in the offering Blessed be Your name… You give and take away You give and take away My heart will choose to say Lord, Blessed by Your name♫

Lord God, how I thank You for such a privilege. Help me use it well. I love You. Thank You. Amen.

(704 words ~ 8:40 a.m.)

choices

Sunday, October 16, 2011 (7:14 a.m.)

Blessed Lord,

Where to start? With “Thank You!” It’s Sunday and we get to go to church. What a gift is that? We live in an area where we not only get to choose which church to go to, but which service to attend.

Thank You Lord. Thank You for the decision, the choice made several years ago between husband and wife, to find the church YOU would have us attend. Thank You Lord that it involved seeking. Searching. Actively communicating our hearts with You and one another.

Thank You Lord for leading us. Thank You that we asked and You answered. We sought and finally found. Thank You Lord for all the choices we were given through the process.

This morning, in searching the word ‘choices’ I came to Proverbs 2:11. “Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.” Lord, how I thank You.

Thank You for the choice to come to and follow You in the first place. Thank You for the freedom to choose. Thank You for Your leading and Your guiding when we put our own stubborn egos and pride aside.

Thank You Lord for the truth of Your Word. Thank You that Wisdom Is from God: Proverbs 2, “My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God” (vs.1-5).

You are amazing Lord. So good. Kind. Loving. Perfect. “For the Lord grants wisdom! From His mouth comes knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to Him” (6-8).

You make promises that You keep Lord. We’re not always used to that anymore Lord. You are trustworthy. Faithful. And we are grateful!

We wander. We stray. We get lost. And when we finally come back to You with all of our choices, You answer. “Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy” (9-10).

Lord God, how I thank You for time together with You. Thank You for the wisdom You provide to save us from ourselves and evil people. Thank You for the truth of the remainder of this proverb. Thank You that You truly are here to guide us in making the right choices. Keep us asking and seeking You.

I love You so very much. Thank You for Your wisdom. Your guidance. Your love. Please make sure I use them well. I love You Lord. Thank You. Amen.

(493 words ~ 8:25 a.m.)

different

Saturday, October 15, 2011 (6:14 a.m.)

Awesome God,

Thank You!

(6:45 a.m.)

I got out of bed hoping to find a re-creation of yesterday morning’s beauty. Today could not be any more different than what I had anticipated! It’s dreary. A bit chilly. Gloomy. Foggy. And still, I’m so very excited to be up for it. Thank You Lord. Thank You!

(7:34 a.m.)

Wow Lord. This is all so much different than I expected. Instead of being outside experiencing Your beauty, I’m in Your Word reading of when Samuel first anointed Saul to be king. I must confess. These details are new to me.

I remember learning long ago that because Samuel’s two sons [Joel and Abijah] were not like their father, the people of Israel pleaded for “a king like all the other nations have” (1Samuel 8:2-5).

What I find exciting as well as encouraging here Lord is that Samuel’s very first response was to turn to You. “Samuel was terribly upset and went to the Lord for advice” (v. 6).

These are kernels that I have pretty much read passed before. Not taking the time to fully absorb and appreciate Your willingness to give the people what they wanted, even though You fully knew ahead of time where it would all lead (7-18). You are so good Lord.

Thank You for this lesson about Samuel and Saul this morning Lord. We have the advantage of looking back and learning from their choices and decisions. Help us to take to our very core – our hearts, minds, souls and strength – the Truth Samuel spoke to Saul as he anointed him. “At that time [on Saul’s way home from searching for missing donkeys] the Spirit of the Lord will come mightily upon you and you will prophesy with them, and you will feel and act like a different person” (1Samuel 10:6).

From this single verse another song began singing to me ♫Let the glory of the Lord rise among us… Let the praises of our King [YOU Lord!] rise among us… Let the songs of the Lord rise among us… Let the joy of our King rise among us Let it rise Oh, let it rise♫

Oh yes Lord. Let Your Spirit come mightily upon us that we would each truly let Your glory, praises, songs and joy rise among us!

Yes Lord. Thank You for this day that began so very different than I had first imagined it would. I love You. Be with me this day in all my feelings [heart], being [soul], thinking [mind] and doing [strength] (Mark 12:30). Empower and enable to me to represent and love You well. I love You. Amen.

(445 words ~ 10:18 a.m.)

"Pretty!"

Friday, October 14, 2011 (7:38 a.m.)

Most Glorious Lord,

The very first word out of my mouth an hour ago was, “Pretty!” So pretty was the sky that I went outside to see it better. The longer I stayed out there, the prettier it got. There was so much color going on in the sky. Then when I thought I was done, it started all over again. Turning back toward the house, I found the roses have bloomed. An unusual amount of birds were chattering in the trees and the moon was still visible behind a misty cloud. I honestly turned around in circles, not knowing which way to look because of the beauty. Your beauty Lord. Your gift for starting the day. Thank You Lord.

♫For the beauty of the earth, For the glory of the skies, For the love which from our birth, Over and around us lies: Lord of all, to Thee we raise This our hymn of grateful praise♫

(8:33 a.m.)

Thank You Lord. I got distracted. Started looking at other things. My first glance down at my open Bible just now was at Psalm 108:1. “O God, my heart is ready to praise You! I will sing and rejoice before You.” How is that Lord?

My heart IS ready to praise You and instead I go off and check the email for messages. Keep me HERE Lord. With You. Focused. Attentive. Learning. Absorbing.

Mm Yes Lord! The song sung above referenced Psalm 107:8. “Oh, that these men [the exiles brought back from the farthest corners of the earth. The ones who had wandered homeless in the desert, hungry and thirsty and faint (vs. 3-5) that You led straight to safety (7) after they cried, ‘Lord, help!’ (6)] would praise the Lord for His loving-kindness and for all His wonderful deeds!”

Oh Your goodness Lord. Your deep, vast, glorious goodness! The first paragraph of this chapter reads, “Say thank You to the Lord for being so good, for being so loving and kind. Has the Lord redeemed You? Then speak out! Tell others He has saved you from your enemies” (107:1-3). You HAVE redeemed me Lord! How is it that I don’t spend the bulk of my time singing Your praises?

Oh most good and glorious God, You provide such beauty. ‘Singing and rejoicing before You’ (Psalm 108:1b) IS the proper response to You and Your gifts to us.

♫For the wonder of each hour Of the day and of the night, Hill and vale and tree and flower, Sun and moon and stars of light Lord of all, to Thee we raise This our hymn of grateful praise♫

This song of praise goes on to mention: ‘the joy of human love, Brother, sister, parent, child,’ ♫Friends on earth and friends above, For all gentle thoughts and mild♫ Your Church, holy hands, pure sacrifice of love, You, ‘best Gift divine’, Your great, great love, ‘Peace on earth and joy in heaven’.

Lord God, we would do so well in focusing our thoughts and efforts in saying thanks to You “for being so good, for always being so loving and kind” (Psalm 107:1). Keep me in this mindset, Blessed Lord. Remind me of the very first word out of my mouth this morning. “Pretty!” Thank You Lord. I love You. Amen.

(549 words ~ 9:14 a.m.)

"a far better way"

Thursday, October 13, 2011 (6:26 a.m.)

(6:47 a.m.)

Blessed Lord,

Starting out blessing, thanking and asking You probably would have been a far better way. A far better way! To heck with the song I’ve been humming for more than an hour and can’t figure out what it is, YOU are “a far better way”!

(7:09 a.m.)

So here I’ve been for twenty more minutes reading in Hebrews about the priesthood of Melchizedek. Lord, I confess. There’s more here that I don’t understand than that which I do. Help me Lord.

(8:06 a.m.)

Yes Lord. Help me. Help me be an encourager. A good steward. An ambassador for You. Faithful. Persistent. Yours.

There’s so much to learn and to apply. I still haven’t found the song I continue humming, but You’ve given me something better this morning. Truth!

Hebrews 7:20-22 (CEV) “God Himself made a promise when this priest (Jesus) was appointed. But He did not make a promise like this when other priests were appointed. The promise He made is, ‘I, the Lord, promise that You will be a priest forever! And I will never change my mind!’ This means that Jesus guarantees us a better agreement with God.” Or as Eugene Peterson put it, “This makes Jesus the guarantee of a far better way between us and God – one that really works! A new covenant.”

Thank You Lord. I may continue looking for things that I might never find, but You will ALWAYS be “a far better way”! Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(256 words ~ 8:21 a.m.)

too many things

Wednesday, October 12, 2011 (7:11 a.m.)

Awesome God,

I’m asking for help this morning. Too many things remain unfinished around here. I start too many things and finish few.

And that’s what I thought we’d be talking about this morning!

Oh, but God. You are SO good! Thank You for not allowing me to go off in my own direction. Thank You for leading me to a brand new area. The Apochrypha. Specifically Sirach 11. Which led me right back to Luke 12:13-21 and A Story about a Rich Fool.

Oh my Lord! You DO have Your way about You! I’ve been asking everyone that will listen to please pray for me to become a better steward. Lord God, I absolutely believe that this is imperative.

Beloved Father God. I confess to You. I have too many things! Here Lord is a truth I have know for far too long. Along with this reality is another underlying piece. Fear, Lord. I fear making a mistake. I confess to being frozen in the fear of hurting someone. Getting rid of things that somebody might want. Things continue piling up because of the fear I have of letting them go.

Lord, I confess this to You. I know You are a good God. You have provided us so many blessings throughout the years. I feel embarrassed here Lord. Ashamed. I’m holding back the tears that want desperately to fall all over the keyboard. I stifle the sobs that could represent freedom from the too many things that I fear.

I read of ‘true freedom and contentment’ being found in depending exclusively on You. Luke 12: 30-31, “All mankind scratches for its daily bread, but your heavenly Father knows your needs. He will always give you all you need from day to day if you will make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.” Too many times I think that I do exactly that Lord only to find that I really don’t.

“So don’t be afraid little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom. Sell what you have and give to those in need. This will fatten your purses in heaven! And the purses of heaven have no rips or holes in them. Your treasures there will never disappear; no thief can steal them; no moth can destroy them. Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be” (vs. 32-34).

A section of Theology in Brief in the Illustrated Bible Handbook helps hammer this truth home. Under Money and the Christian we’re told “Jesus’ followers are freed, by relationship with God, to concentrate on that of which life does consist” (see Luke 12:15). “Freedom comes when we grasp how greatly God loves and values us. Thus He will meet our needs (12:30,31). Freedom is expressed by use of our possessions to meet the needs of others (12:32; 2 Corinthians 8:13-15)… Those who are ‘generous and willing to share’ (1Timothy 6:18) have a valid ministry to others. What is really important then? To not let money distract from what Scripture shows us is the true center of life for Jesus’ followers. We are called to love and trust God – and to value persons above possessions.”

Lord God, hear my prayer! Please Lord, make me “generous and willing to share”. This HAS to be the antidote for ‘too many things’! Yes Lord. And just as I am finishing up this prayer today, I turn over to 2 Corinthians, chapters 8 “A Call to Generous Giving” and 9 “God Prizes Cheerful Givers”. Oh yes Lord. Make me so!

I love You. Work in and through me this day I pray. Thank You Lord. Amen.

(621 words ~ 8:44 a.m.)