regarding thursday's blog

God is so faithful. amen? (i am a preacher's wife. but really i'm a closet preacher myself, like my granny before me.)

i belatedly picked my 2009 verse on saturday, led by Him i trusted. i wrote it down in my journal but also jotted it down to have my daughter write it in her cool handwriting on the back of some old business cards to put around the house in different places so i could see it as i come and go. "these words...shall be on your heart...when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead and you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." (deuteronomy 6:6-9)

and the very next day, what do you think the preacher preached? one of the very concepts contained in the verse.

only He could confirm such a thing like that and so quickly, too. only He is so personally acquainted with all of our ways (psalm 139) - yours, mine, each of ours throughout this whole, wide world.  what's that song we learned as little children? He's got the whole world, in His hands!  He's got the whole, wide world, in His hands!   He's got the whole world, in His hands! He's got the whole world in His hands. 

 

can you hear it?

the decision envelope

don't know when he first begin doing it but sometimes when my husband makes a big decision, he writes it down, puts it in an envelope and lets it sit for a few days while the Lord confirms YES or NO as to the decision he's made. 

last week i couldn't sleep one nite.  my head was swirling with all these thoughts about a decision i was coming to after months of cogitating about something work-related.  finally i got up, went to the computer (thank you Lord for our computer) and wrote down what and how i thought God was leading regarding this decision. after two pages, i hit print, and put it in the decision envelope.  

like a bird sitting on an egg waiting for it to hatch, i just sat, metaphorically speaking, on the envelope and waited for the Lord to confirm, or not, the decision made.  in this case, i waited over the weekend. 

monday morning came. i opened the envelope, read the contents. my heart and the Lord's leading were still in agreement with the contents so it was "a go" -  "a YES."

one time my husband recalls that he pursued the God-affirmed decision in the envelope but over time and thru a series of circumstances God revealed His will did not match the contents of the envelope. this is not a "magic" envelope, it's just one way we've used over the years not be impulsive and emotional about discerning His will and God seems to have honored it.

miss annie chaires

miss annie chaires, may she rest in peace, was my sunday school teacher for several years back in the 1990's. she taught us one thing that i'll never forget and that i still do to this day.  she taught us to ask the Lord, at the end of each year, to lead us to a particular verse to meditate on for the whole of the next year.  the whole of the next year.  every day.  

and put that verse by your bedside, by the kitchen window, wherever you'd see it on a regular basis. i remember her specifically saying this:  "now, in the morning, before your feet hit the floor and you put your feet into your slippers, say that verse to the Lord and pray that He'll teach you what He intends you to learn about it that day." (i confess, this is one part of her plan that i haven't stuck to.) (it's good to take a person's idea and make it your own.)

i've been doing this since 1993 and have attempted to record the verses in my bible since then (there's a few missing in the record) and it's been a great blessing in my life. 

in 1994, a client gave me a gift - a book on the beatitudes - not knowing that my verse for the year was contained therein, matthew 5:6.  only God knew that. 

another year i meditated on a verse on jealousy but the next year i meditated on envy. same but different.

finally, in '07 and '08, i meditated on the same psalm both years as i needed it so badly (psalm 46:10). i'm late now, in choosing a verse with His help for 2009 but i'll find one soon and see how God will bring it to fruition in my life because of miss annie chaires' suggestion long ago.

you won't know 'til you know

it was october of 2007. both of my adult kids had come home to roost, one bringing a puppy. after 9 years, i could no longer do my counseling practice out of my home. but what to do, Lord? should i move my practice elsewhere? should i stop counseling and do something else? take a break altogether? go to work for patti who works with the elderly in nursing homes? go to work for another counseling clinic? the ideas and leads were there but the answers were not. finally, it came to me, something i thought was from the Lord above:  i won't know until i know. 

i was trying to force a solution which is one of my favorite alanon sayings. the rest of it says we become irritable, restless and discontent when trying to force solutions or something close to that. i began to relax. i began to apply the scripture "be still and know that i am God" from psalm 46:10. it was an ah-haaa moment for me and so i waited more patiently and in a few days, the answers came.  i moved my practice to another location, in with two other social workers.

january 2009.  it ocurred to me once again.  i'm trying to force a solution.  once again it's about work. (i think that may be coincidental, maybe not.)  i've been on a sabbatical from work since august and am now ready to return to work this month. but where? continue private practice? work in a hospital setting? go to work for hallmark selling greeting cards? become a teacher in the social work department at ualr? not that i've been asked to do any of these things but while i'm at it, why not brainstorm? but panic has been there for months instead of remembering the lesson from before:  i won't know until i know.  be patient. be still before a faithful, trustworthy God. i'm breathing better already since He reminded me of the lesson i'd already been taught. isn't He great to teach us over and over the things He's already taught us?

true resolutions

i hope my tongue 'n cheek blog the other day did not offend anyone. i can be a real smart aleck if i'm not careful.  in this month's "tabletalk" which my husband takes, there's an article on jonathan edwards' resolutions, unrelated to the new year in edwards' thinking but mentioned in the january issue because resolutions are on all our minds when the calendar rolls over.

during 1722 & 1723, when in his teens and just following his conversion, he wrote 70 resolutions. quoting the article in "tabletalk": "his (edwards') goal in making and keeping resolutions isn't self-fulfillment but the glory of God." here are just a couple.

1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God's glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence.  Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general.  Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many soever, and how great soever.

4.  Resolved, never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God; nor be, nor suffer it, if I can avoid it.

6.  Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.

28. Resolved, to study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive myself to grow  in the knowledge of the same.

29. Resolved, never to count that a prayer, nor to let that pass as a prayer, nor that as a petition of a prayer, which is so made, that I cannot hope that God will answer it, not that as a confession, which I cannot hope God will accept.

67. Resolved, after afflictions, to inquire, what I am the better for them, what good I have got by them, and what I might have got by them.

i am challenged to follow Jesus more intimately by anything the puritan edwards says. if i can resolve to do that in 2009, then all the rest will fall into place and i won't have to set unrealistic goals i'll never achieve like getting up at 4 am, spending hours-long quiet times and the aforementioned sillies in that previous blog. 

i resolve to depend upon and need Him alone as God, not myself as god, reflecting less of myself, my self centeredness, fears and tendency not to trust, to name only a few of my struggles. 

#'s

27: the floor our room was on, nite #1, in this beautiful high rise hotel, alexandria va

28: the floor we moved to because the 27th floor room smelled of cig smoke  :(

26: years we've been married as of friday (1.2.09)

17: beautiful, white, pink and red roses that awaited my arrival at the front desk - i was very surprised!

7: years in a row husband has had meetings here

3: times i've come along using free sky miles - what a gift

4: nites of this run-away-from-home (i am so spoiled, i've always said)

14: days by which we'll miss the 44th president's, obama's, inauguration

1949: 1st televised inauguration, president truman (thx andy rooney)

7: degrees outside, carter's coldest-on-record inauguration (thx andy rooney)

8.2: miles from our window's amazing view to the washington mall (we can see the washington monument, the capitol, the pentagon and the national cathedral and more)

13: minutes driving time to get to the white house from here - hullo george and laura!

3: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit Who make all these #s possible, the 3 in 1

resolutions

i talked with a friend around 10:30 am new year's day.

good morning! i'm so happy today! all is well. i've made some great new year's resolutions and have got right on them. i've been on that diet and have already lost 10 pounds - today! i've walked my daughter's dog and ridden the stationary bike as well!

then i had an hour quiet time. but that was just reading his Word. no, then i praised and worshiped for an hour after that. i've been up since 4 am. that must be what successful people do, they must rise and shine at an early hour.

she played along and said and what about your husband, what've you done for him? oh, yes, well, of course, like you wouldn't believe, serve, serve serve. some things i just can't repeat to ya, you'd be embarrassed but you get my drift.  

and i've also worked on my self care another way too - i've showered, shaved those legs, lotioned up afta - i mean this is the start of a new year honey-chile! oh and i've decided to go de-caf too. can't you tell? i'm just a calm as a sleeping baby, girlfriend!