Category: Obedience

Posted on in Book quotes, Challenge, Faith, Focus, Obedience, Prayer, Spiritual discipline, Surrender, Yield

March 25 Amy

Amy Carmichael quote again.

Proverbs 10:29: The way of the Lord is strength to the upright.

If by the grace of God my heart is set on uprightness, then I may count on the fulfillment of this word. It holds, however one turns it. Is my way beset by temptation? God is faithful, who will not suffer me to be tempted above that I am able to bear, that way of the Lord, therefore, is strength, not weakness or defeat. Do things happen that are shattering to the human in me? “He shall be the stability of thy times.”

5 The Lord is exalted; he dwells on high;
    he filled Zion with justice and righteousness;
6 he will be the stability of your times,
    abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;
    the fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure Isa 33:5-6

This verse was given to me a few days ago, and I pass it on with joy. There is then no need for us to be shaken and unstable. Is my way clouded? “The Lord shall be a light unto me,” so that I can go on in strength.
Never once in Scripture do we find weakness expected in the Christian. There is provision for strength: “the way of the Lord is strength.” He who is our Way is Strength, the joy of the Lord is our strength. May God give it to us to hate the “I can’t help it” of the weakling. May He make us strong.
1 Cor. 10:13, Isa. 33:6 Darby, Mic. 7:8, Nehemiah 8:10

I read this while praying for my friends Betty and Kathy. One needs strength and joy as she deals with unrelenting, recurring pain. The other has a serious illness and also a husband who needs much care. Amy wrote, “the way of the Lord is strength.” Oh, Lord, we each need Your strength in so very many ways. Give us that strength always, we pray.

If I am falling into lack of strength I often have to reset my attitude, re-frame my experience in line with God’s way. The way of the Lord is strength. Help me find the best attitude and vision for my walk through You, Christ Jesus. Come, Holy Spirit, I need You now.

Posted on in Book quotes, Challenge, Faith, Obedience

Proposed Baptismal Covenant Additions

The Episcopal Church has a process whereby things are added to parts of the Prayer Book. The Baptismal Covenant is under review right now. (I won’t try to elaborate on the process that goes through General Convention, etc.) These following statements are being considered for inclusion in the Covenant.

  • Will you strive for justice and peace among all, and respect the dignity of the Earth and of every human being?
    • I will with God’s Help
  • Will you strive to safeguard the integrity of God’s creation, and respect, sustain and renew the life of the Earth?
    • I will with God’s Help

I think those are terrific statements to make, especially if we hold to them dearly as we do the other statements.

The Book of Common Prayer Pages 304-305

Read these prayerfully, perhaps renewing your commitment to faith in God.

CelebrantDo you believe in God the Father?
PeopleI believe in God, the Father almighty,
    creator of heaven and earth.
 
CelebrantDo you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?
PeopleI believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
    He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
        and born of the Virgin Mary.
    He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
        was crucified, died, and was buried.
    He descended to the dead.
    On the third day he rose again.
    He ascended into heaven,
        and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
    He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
 
CelebrantDo you believe in God the Holy Spirit?
PeopleI believe in the Holy Spirit,
    the holy catholic Church,
    the communion of saints,
    the forgiveness of sins,
    the resurrection of the body,
    and the life everlasting.
 
CelebrantWill you continue in the apostles’ teaching and
fellowship, in the breaking of the bread, and in the
prayers?
PeopleI will, with God’s help.
 
CelebrantWill you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever
you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?
PeopleI will, with God’s help.
CelebrantWill you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever
you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?
PeopleI will, with God’s help.

304    Holy Baptism

CelebrantWill you proclaim by word and example the Good
News of God in Christ?
PeopleI will, with God’s help.
 
CelebrantWill you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving
your neighbor as yourself?
PeopleI will, with God’s help.
 
CelebrantWill you strive for justice and peace among all
people, and respect the dignity of every human
being?
PeopleI will, with God’s help.

I pray these are things that you also hold to in your faith walk.

Posted on in Amazing Creations, Challenge, Faith, Nature, Obedience, Praise, Prayer, Rest, Spiritual discipline

Swans

Many of our local parks now have white swans. As I drive past the park I love glancing over to see what the swans are doing. Last year the pair mated and the park built a barrier shield for their nest. They seem to glide effortlessly over the water, but there is activity under the water level, as this video shows! I love seeing their necks extend underwater, too!

Here is some nature data about swans. “While their floating abilities are impressive, swans are also skilled swimmers. Their large, webbed feet act like paddles, propelling them through the water. A typical mute swan’s swimming speed is around 1.6 miles per hour, but they can achieve bursts of speed by oaring with their webbed feet. And when they wish to really pick up pace, they can even use their outstretched wings to take advantage of the wind which allows them to move across the water more efficiently.

“Swans, along with other water birds like ducks and geese (all members of the order Anseriformes), have developed specialized features that enable them to float. These adaptations exploit two key scientific principles: surface tension and buoyancy. From https://enviroliteracy.org/do-swans-float-in-water/

So what looks like magical floating is truly large paddle feet either directing their course or moving them along. Also, an innate ability for bouyancy to match the surface tension. In the video I also noticed the tail wiggle seems to adjust like a rudder?

What about folks that seem to float along in their spiritual life? Surface tension does not seem to faze them. It might look as if they never struggle with God. Some even go so far as to say that person has a direct line to God! I do not think that is true. Looks can be deceiving. God sees them in their ‘prayer closet’ and when they fight off evil. God knows the secret places of their hearts. All of us struggle when it comes to pursuing God. We only see their outward demeanor and we make judgements based upon that. The New Testament writers stress repeatedly that they are no different than we are. (See Ephesians 3:7-8, Galatians 1:15-16, 2 Corinthians 1:15-16, 2 Timothy 1:9)

So what makes them seem so different than we might see ourselves? I believe it is perhaps their the constant pursuit of Jesus, the hunger and thirst for righteousness. Like the swan, floating, paddling, swimming, diving under, those folks put seeking the Kingdom and His righteousness the number #1 priority in their lives.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 NRSVUE

Where are you this Lent in your pursuit the Holy One? Perhaps like the opening photo, we could use this time to lean into knowing more about the highest and best that we are individually called to!

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Jeremiah 29:11 NRSVUE

Posted on in Challenge, Faith, Focus, Illness and Health, Obedience, Prayer, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Surrender, Trust, Worship, Yield

Quicken

Recently an entry by Amy Carmichael in her book, Edges of His Ways, brought my attention to this word. It is not used much in today’s English. I was feeling worn out and weary by all the medical hoopla. I certainly need the Lord to quicken me as only God can.

The word quicken is used in the King James Version of the Bible, and it means “revive or make alive.” If something is living, it is “quick”; to “quicken” something is to bring it to life or restore it to a former flourishing condition. I seriously needed restoration and the promise in Psalm 51:12 “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.”

For many years I read 5 Psalms each morning. Because it is so bloomin’ long, I broke up Psalm 119 into 22 selections for days 1-22 of each month. Some Bibles show Hebrew letters at the beginning of each stanza. Those correspond to the Hebrew alphabet, (which I do not read).

It can be depicted this way.

Back to the main topic here! Quicken lead me to do a study of the passages in Psalm 119. Psalm 119 has so many references for this word.

Revive me, give me life, be gracious, enliven me. I imagine most of us if not all of us could use more of this from God. Perhaps the best way to present this to you is simply to list the passages with the references? That way you can read it for yourselves and apply them prayerfully to your life.

Psalm 119:25  KJV reads My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word. NIV reads My soul clings to the dust, revive me according to your word.

Psalm 119:107 KJV I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O Lord, according unto thy word. NRSVUE I am severely afflicted; give me life, O Lord, according to your word.

Clinging to dust. Severely afflicted. Yep, just done worn out. God can handle this even when we cannot in our own strength.

Psalm 119: 40 KJV Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness. NRSVUE See, I have longed for your precepts;  in your righteousness be gracious to me.

As we long for His precepts {divine principles, guidelines, statutes, and instructions that God has set forth for righteous living} … as we long for these guidelines and instructions from God, God is gracious to us through righteousness. We long, God fulfills. Do you truly long for these?

This might sound all too simple, but this is the Word of God. There are promises here. We will be restored as we cling to the Word and walk in the ways God shows us to walk.

Psalm 119:50 KJV This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me. NRSVUE This is my comfort in my distress, that your promise gives me life.

If you have not chosen an activity for this Lenten season to draw you closer to the Father, perhaps studying these verses might do the trick?

Psalm 119:88 KJV Quicken me after thy loving kindness; so shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth NRSVUE  In your steadfast love spare my life, so that I may keep the decrees of your mouth.

Psalm 119:93 I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me. NRSVUE I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life.

Psalm 119:37 KJV Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way. NRSVUE Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; be gracious to me {give me life} according to your word.

Psalm 119: 149 KJV Hear my voice according unto thy loving kindness: O Lord, quicken me according to thy judgment. NRSVUE In your steadfast love hear my voice;  O Lord, in your justice preserve my life.

Psalm: 159 KJV Consider how I love thy precepts: quicken me, O Lord, according to thy loving kindness. NRSVUE Consider how I love your precepts: be gracious to me {give me life} according to your steadfast love.

Psalm 119:156 KJV Great are thy tender mercies, O Lord: quicken me according to thy judgments.NRSVUE Great is your mercy, O Lord; be gracious to me {give me life} according to your justice.

That might seem like a lot of digest. I hope you did not just blow through the verses. I think if you will ponder them you will find them a source for better understanding what the Psalmist knew about God and how you can draw closer for a better understanding for yourself.

Posted on in Amazing Creations, Challenge, Faith, Journal, Listen, Nature, Obedience, Poetry, politics, Praise, Prayer, Rest, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Surrender, Thanks, Yield

Still at a Center Point

Before dawn today there was a four bird chorus raising praise to the Lord for His goodness and holiness. The northern Cardinal, Carolina wren, American robin and tufted Titmouse were raising a continuous singing of triumph and might. I know, because I asked the Merlin Bird app from Cornell University to identify them for me.

How have you lifted your voice today? What time did you begin? Did you lie in bed bemoaning the day or the rough night of pain?

Perhaps we would benefit more by taking a fresh look at the goodness of God to bring us through the night and unrolling before us another day of living and loving?

Amy Carmichael wrote in Edges of His Ways:

Psalm 19:10, R.V. margin: The droppings of the honeycomb.
This morning I found this marginal reading which was just the word I wanted at the moment. There are times when we cannot read much or even think much. But if we are quiet we shall hear little sweet words dropping into our hearts, “sweeter also than honey and the droppings of the honeycomb.” I need not write them; they will be different perhaps to each one of us, but they will be comforting and strengthening too; and we shall go on our way for another day, fed and refreshed.

If we are willing to get still at the center point of our souls I believe we will hear “little sweet words dropping into our hearts.” Perhaps not every single time we get still, but the incidences will increase as we employ the practice.

“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalms 46:10

T. S. Elliott said:

“At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance.”

I pray you will get still enough to hear those little sweet words dropping into your heart.

In this present moment, have stillness. Breathe.

Posted on in Amazing Creations, Challenge, Faith, Just do it, Listen, Obedience, Prayer, Rest, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Worship, Yield

Stillness is Like

Stillness is like coming to a center point and waiting. Not waiting on the starting block of a foot race.

Above is that point in the race where runners are poised for action. In contrast, the stillness we need more of in our lives is the stillness where we learn to wait in peace and collectedness. Listening for that still, small voice of God. The place where the promises below are fulfilled.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Psalm 32:8 NIV

And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”  Isaiah 30:21 NRSVUE

It takes practice to listen in this way. And practice leads to better listening during the hubbub of life. Can we agree unreservedly with Isaiah 50?

The Lord God has given me
    a trained tongue,
that I may know how to sustain
    the weary with a word.
Morning by morning he wakens,
    wakens my ear
    to listen as those who are taught.
5 The Lord God has opened my ear,
    and I was not rebellious;
    I did not turn backward. Isaiah 50:4-5 NRSVUE

I, for one, have a long way to go in yielding my ears to hear God and yielding my tongue to speak words of comfort and encouragement in due season! Listening, practicing stillness, will most assuredly get me to that goal more thoroughly than any other method I have ever found.

Holy and Mighty One help me to give myself over to this stillness and listening to Your voice, I pray.

Posted on in Challenge, Faith, Just do it, Listen, Obedience, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Surrender, Yield

Lenten Season

The season in the church calendar called Lent is here! It does not have to be all prune-faced dislike. In an effort to draw closer to God, we can forsake (give up) something for this 40 days. I prefer to embrace something I have neglected. Confession of my sin can be one thing I tend to neglect.

Why should we have a time of self examination in the Christian church? This is one way to safeguard against delusion. A serious safeguard against just going through the motions of religion, “playing church.” Are we transparent in wanting to change our ways from self and flesh to God and the plan Christ laid out for His indwelling us? The powers of self examination and confession, forgiveness and redemption should not be underestimated.

The Book of Common Prayer has us confess “we have sinned against God in thought, word and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone.” We then go on to acknowledge that “we have not loved God with our whole heart; and we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.” And I also add I have not loved myself as God would want me to do.

It is important to stop there and ponder in what ways are these statements true? It is far too easy to memorize a prayer and blow past the significance of how these sentiments apply to us personally.

Stop. Ponder. Confess. Pray for forgiveness. There is not a single one of us who does not need this. We all fall short of God’s highest and best for us.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my thoughts. Psalm 139:23 NRSVUE

God asks us to search and know our own hearts, test and know our thoughts along with Him. This is our work as well as His. We are so easily deceived. We fool ourselves more often than we might think we do!

Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. 2 Corinthians 13:5a NRSVUE

As realization dawns upon you, write down what you see as your shortcoming, and acknowledge that you are out of line with God’s ways. Then tell God you are sorry and ask for help in changing your ways.

God is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us. Yes, Lord! Perhaps you will embrace self examination and confession this Lent. One of our priests says her dad who was a priest used to tell people , “Have a miserable Lent!” I, too, hope that yours would be miserably holy. As we seek to draw closer to God we see how far we fall short of His likeness. Let God help you move closer to that goal of living holiness this season.

Posted on in Challenge, Faith, Illness and Health, Listen, medical treatment, Obedience, Rest, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Trust, Yield

Uncertainty

Many world religions teach us the importance of learning how to live with uncertainty. Most of us are not very good at it! I read this quote recently from Gratitude. It hit me right where I have been living.

Peace is an invitation in daily life to breathe deep, right here, in the uncertainty. Morgan Harper Nichols

Learning to live with the knowledge that I have a large aortic aneurysm has been difficult and very unsettling. Knowing my God calls me to a life of peace has me wondering how to tap this particular dance. (My sister took tap lessons, not me. I remember her reciting shuffle-ball-step.)

My Internist convinced me that I cannot continue to live in this high state of stress. Doing so for 2 months has caused a massive, ugly fibromyalgia flare. Fibro is a nasty condition addressed in other blog pages. Suffice it to say my body became a train wreck.

I began returning to some of the best teachers I know regarding good mental health. Rick Hanson.net has many resources from this renowned Psychologist. One of his books came to me by way of my sister. I passed it along to my granddaughter. Now I am buying another one for myself!

Resting in Calm Strength: When you recognize that you are basically all right in the present moment, you can release unnecessary anxiety. This isn’t about denying real threats or challenges but rather about not letting anxiety run the show when you are, in fact, safe.

I have prayed and asked the Lord for help with all of this. Deliverance came with realization that this aneurysm may have been present for decades! Now that we are aware of of it, doctors can monitor and treat it. Yes, I very likely will need open heart surgery at some time in the future, but I am in fact all right now.

This is not to say I will remain calm and full of equanimity when the time comes to book that surgery. It just says I can cope in the here and now – this moment – without dwelling in that high anxiety constantly. Perhaps with practice I will be able to face the surgery with peace and calm? The hard work of re-framing all of this plus the three blood pressure medications they have me on seem to finally be bringing my blood pressure down. Now, to maintain those lower numbers!

It has been difficult, but not impossible to let go of those aneurysm thoughts. With practice and diligence I have been able to lay most of them aside. I realized browsing though Hansen’s webpages that I had used the old, ugly habit of rumination with the aneurysm. Rumination is based on negative, obsessive thoughts and it drags me down to the lowest places. Here is a blog entry I wrote about it in 2022. https://treasures-in-plain-sight.org/2022/07/21/rumination/

So I have signed up for his 5 week course entitled Breaking Out of Rumination. Dr. Hanson says that rumination “is very normal, and problematic in the extreme.” I am looking forward to getting a handle on how to stop myself from this habit. I likely learned it from my family of origin – that inability to let something go – just hashing and re-hashing it over and over again. Plus, more good news, when I actually went to sign up the course was half-off!

My writing may drop to 4 blogs a week as I put more work into preparing the poetry for publication. I am also pulling blog entries to try to organize into booklets for publication. Yes! I found an editor and now need to apply myself to the new work of compiling, editing for my part, sending them to her for edits, revising, preparing for publication, open an Amazon self-publishing account, etc.etc.

That certainly gives me other things to think about. My Internist encouraged me to put my focus there!

You will keep in perfect peace
    those whose minds are steadfast, {staid on Thee}
    because they trust in you. Isaiah 26:3 NIV

Posted on in Challenge, Faith, Just do it, Obedience, Poetry, Writing Life, Yield

The Writing Projects

As you know I have been praying and asking which way to go with the things I have written. I finally was able to speak with an editor at Forward Movement and I am very excited! She read several of my blog selections and does not feel my material is memoir. Her idea is for me to compile a booklet with 30 items of similar theme. She will help me edit them. The best way to publish these days is through Amazon Direct Publishing. She is well acquainted with how to submit a manuscript to them and can help me with the layout, cover design, etc. There is a sliding scale for her services. Bob and I estimated correctly. It will cost approximately $50 an hour.

When the diagnosis of aneurysm came to me I got busy compiling a booklet by myself. I told Bob if died suddenly from this thing at least I printed one more booklet! So I have already gathered a few selections about prayer. I will need to organize them a bit differently and find more selections from the notebooks of printouts.

Thunderstorms all night followed by howling winds and 3 inches of snow!

More good news, my childhood friend, Dana, has an interest in publishing my poetry and binding them with a spiral binding. She has heavy weight paper and the binding machine materials. All I have to do is email them to her. I am flabbergasted that suddenly things are moving along.

During my recent sleepless night I also realized I have some stories that could go into a booklet together. So there is plenty to do whatever the medical prognosis will be this week. This project is not to earn me money. The point is to get my writing out there in hopes it will challenge and encourage others to pursue a deeper relationship with God. I will not be able to give it away for free through Amazon, but at least these things will move out of my files and into the hands of others. I have lots of work to do!

Please pray I can find the people who are hungry for this sort of thing. Pray the Righteous One will show me how to feed and challenge them. All of this warms my heart with anticipation as I write on this cold, gloomy, winter stormy day.

Posted on in Challenge, Faith, Illness and Health, Just do it, Obedience, Praise, Prayer, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Thanks, Trust, Writing Life, Yield

Using My List of Verses

For a while my writing may be hit or miss. This morning was taken up with going for blood work, dropping off papers at dermatology office, etc. Needed the blood work for the newest blood pressure medication they put me on. Yep, still trying to get my blood pressure down to where the cardiologist wants it. I accidentally let my subscription for Taltz run out. Of course! That required filling out paperwork, getting dermatologist to fill out her two pages and fax it all to Lilly Cares. Hoping they can get my medication here before I need the next injection ! I do not need psoriasis to flare up with all this other stuff going on.

A few days ago I listed verses that are helping me cope with the medical unknowns and my frame of mind. I never really mentioned how I use those verses. Yes, I read them over regularly, but I apply them at random times. I have never thought of myself as a person who worries a lot, at least, compared to my mother. Her anxiety was something to behold!

This unexpected report that I have some different sorts of heart troubles have set me to worrying, when I allow myself. So how to stop that? Well, first of all I have to become aware of the worrisome thought. When I can catch myself worrying I have begun stopping and asking the thought, “Are you from God?” If the answer is not yes, then I go to Corinthians where we are told to take every thought captive to Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

When I used to teach this verse in Bible study classes more often than not someone would ask, “Every thought?” I am re-learning that I certainly need to take captive the ones sent to torment me. None of us have any control over the things that will happen to us. So if I fret and get concerned over where all this is going with tests and possible open heart surgery I can work myself up into a high state of anxiety. That helps nothing!

After I send a thought packing to King Jesus, (and it MUST go as a captive of Jesus), I purposefully begin praising Him for being my companion and Savior. Such a Good Shepherd! He makes a way where there seems to be no way, just like His Father.

See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:19 NIV

There are many verses that talk about God making a way where there seems to be no way. God also changes situations that seem to be unchangeable. So we hope. We pray. We cling, knowing that we are never left on our own. Regardless of the outcome we walk with a mighty God!

Next Monday I have the Cardiac MRI, so with fasting, etc. I am unlikely to be writing on that day for posting next week, unless I get it done over the weekend. All prayers appreciated!!

Holy God, 
Holy Mighty, 
Holy Immortal, 
have mercy on us.

The Ancient Trisagion