spa for the soul - journaling

The other day,a friend of mine allowed me to read her journal. Do you have any idea what a rare privilege that is? To have someone let you know about something they wrote in their journal is amazing, but for them to allow you to read their intimate thoughts with God is a beautiful and trustful act.

Although I won’t tell you what she wrote I do want to share with you how she wrote. She had something she wanted to share with God so she began a dialogue. She would write a line and then God would answer her. God would say something and my friend would respond. It was a rich and lovely communication between a woman and her Lord. It was deep and it was revealing. It made me want to come home and have a written conversation with Jesus.

If you’ve never tried journaling, I invite you to try it. It is a powerful way to learn more about yourself, more about you and your relationship with God and more about Him. If you already journal, take it to another level. Try having a conversation with Him…ask yourself…ask Him hard questions and don’t try to force the answers…just let them evolve. Invite God to speak to you through the pages of your journal.

Grace and Peace,
Deb

love

“No account of Christian spirituality is complete if it fails to give a central place to love. God is love. He has poured this love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Offering us his love, he desires that we become like him - great lovers.”

David Benner

This is a hard quote for me. I use to think that the sign of a really spiritual person was how much scripture they had memorized. I now believe that the true sign of one who loves Jesus and is devoted to him has less to do with what they know and everything to do with how they love. This is not good news for me. Why? Because I struggle with love.

It’s easy to love those I choose to love. Do you know what I mean? It is those people who I like. I am willing to give grace. I desire to work through tough things. I find a way because I want to maintain and grow these relationships.

But then there are people that are difficult for me to love…or even like. They may do things differently than I do, they may be critical, they may hurt people I love. When I begin to feel justified in my negative feelings toward someone, I am brought back to what God calls me to and that is love. In fact, when I am in trying to make a decision between what I think I want to do or say and what I feel God wants me to do or say, I ask myself a question… “What would love do?” That makes it pretty simple. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t times when I need to say tough things to others or even put up some boundaries to protect myself and those I love from harmful people – but even in those times I need to do it in a way that honors God.

Do you have people in your life that you find hard to love? Do you think you’ve built up walls or justified reasons why it’s ok not to love? If so, I ask you to consider today what response God might be calling you to…consider asking the question – “What would love do?”

Grace and Peace,
Deb

time

“Eternity is not something that begins after you're dead. It is going on all the time. We are in it now.”
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
I have been thinking about this for awhile. I am not sure why it never occurred to me before (maybe all of you have already had this revelation and I am just wwwway slow!). I always thought of eternity as something ‘out there’ or beyond now. But it really is ‘now’. I am in the midst of eternity. I am in a certain place in time within eternity.
I am also aware of how much I am caught up in time. Wikipedia, the ‘expert ‘source on everything, says that time is: "a nonspatial continuum in which events occur in apparently irreversible succession from the past through the present to the future." The part of that sentence that stands out to me is, ‘from the past through the present to the future’. That is time….that is eternity.
I am wondering how I might live if I were consciously aware that I am already living in eternity? How might it change my view of dying? Or of losing those I love?
Just thought I would share my musings with you.

Grace and peace,
Deb

homesick

"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

C.S. Lewis

Do you ever feel like this? That you are an alien? That you are a foreigner in this land? I do. There are times when I am quite comfortable here. I like so many things about this world. I love my family. I love my friends. I love music. I love animals. I love food. I love visiting other countries. I love the oceans and the mountains and the desert. I love the seasons. I love flowers and I LOVE chocolate.

But there are other times…times when there is a dull ache inside of me. Times when I feel like my spirit is groaning, carrying the weight of living here under the fall. Times when I feel incomplete…when I feel like I am missing part of myself.

Then I have a reminder. The veil is parted for a moment and I get a glimpse of what is on the other side. It’s home! I see something that stirs my spirit and I remember where I came from and where I am going to. And, when I am really paying attention, I can even feel it, right here, right now. It is a bittersweet mixture of extreme love, as I sense God in a different way, and it is also an extreme longing as I realize I am not quite home yet.

So…if you have one of those moments when you experience an ache inside that you can’t seem to put your finger on, maybe, just maybe, it is……….. homesickness.

Grace and Peace,
Deb

out of the ashes

“To be grateful for an unanswered prayer, to give thanks in a state of utter desolation, to trust in the love of God in the face of marvels, cruel circumstances, obscenities and commonplaces of life is to whisper a doxology in the darkness.”

Brennan Manning

I think parenting is the source of some of our sweetest moments and some of our deepest pains as human beings, especially as moms. I can remember vividly the two times I gave birth. The moment that tiny person was placed in my arms I had an entirely new definition of love. I knew that I would stand against anything that would threaten my child. I resolved to be the absolute best mom I could be. I wanted to love deeply, love in a way that allowed my child to know that, if the world seemed against them, I would be their safe place to fall. I wanted to teach them that Jesus loved them even more than I did. I wanted to tell them a life outside of Jesus would be empty and futile. I had hopes and plans and would daydream about what the future would look like.

For the most part, those dreams have come true for me. But….there were some scary times…times when I thought they might drift away. Sleepless nights, anxiety-filled days. Times when all I could think about was how they were doing. Would they be safe? Would they choose a life honoring to God? Would they want me to continue to be part of their lives?

I have a close friend who is living the nightmare. She has watched all three of her children make very destructive choices…choices that will impact them for the rest of their lives. I have sat with her for hours watching her heart break. I ache for her. I have compassion for her. I have prayed for her.

Recently, although her children’s circumstances haven’t changed, her heart has. She still has deep pain but she is resting in God’s sovereignty. She has moved from asking “Why?” to saying, “Show me where to find You in this pain.” God has begun to answer that prayer. Her children are experiencing the consequences of their choices. But, she is trusting that God is in control although everything looks as if it has spun terribly out of control. She is…… whispering a doxology in the darkness.

Peace to you, my dear friend.

Love,
Deb

noticing

“God is everywhere. He is always with us – it’s just that we don’t always choose to participate in the relationship.’

Gary Moon

How much have I missed? I feel like a woman who has been in a coma for years and has just woke up. I seem so much more aware of God than I did a few years ago. Back then I knew a lot about God but I wasn’t aware of His presence. I knew that He was everywhere all of the time but I didn’t think to look for Him.

And, even though I am more aware of Him, I still have to remind myself to be looking for Him. I want to see Him in the design of the spider web covered with dew outside my window. I want to see Him in the conversation I have with my neighbor. I want to see Him in midst of the struggle I am having. I want to live in the reality that He is everywhere.

To be this aware, I need to be intentional. I need to get myself out fo the way. I need to sit quietly with Him, I need to remind myself that He is all around me, waiting to be seen. It is a choice to sllow myself be open to this reality.

Today, I invite you to take some time to ponder the truth that God is everywhere. I want to encourage you…encourage you to choose to participate in the relationship.

Grace and peace,
Deb

too busy

Recently, God has been speaking to me about busyness; about going from one thing to another. I’ve had to take a look at why I feel a need to be busy and I think it comes from insecurity. Perhaps I feel as if I have something to prove…wanting others to see that I am worthy. Believing the lie that the busier I am, the more important I am.

I think God wants me to look at why I need this affirmation…why isn’t what He thinks of me enough? I need to reflect on this and discern how He wants me to respond.

Does this hit home with you? Are you 'too' busy? Busy for the wrong reasons? Take some time to observe your life, your activities, your choices and see what God may want you to notice...and perhaps to change.

Blessings,
Deb

masks

Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.

James Arthur Baldwin

Masks….I have worn them all my life. I’ve worn them to protect myself. I’ve worn them to pretend I am someone I am not. I’ve worn them because I think without them I won’t be accepted. I’ve worn them to gain approval.

I’ve worn them with other people and sadly, I’ve worn them with God. Not that it fooled Him, but it certainly kept me from being real and honest before Him. Because of His incredible love, the masks have been falling off. I am understanding that He loves me just as I am….no matter how messed up that may be. I believe that He grieves when I try to be someone I’m not…when I try to hide what is really inside of me.

I still occasionally wear a mask but it seems it’s less and less of the time. The more I rest in His love, the easier it is to be real with other people. And the more real I am with others, the more real they can be with me.

I am thankful to God that I don’t need to be anyone other than who He made me to be.

Are you wearing masks today? Are they there to protect you? To make you feel important? To help you hide from God? I invite you to allow God to gently lift those masks and allow you to be real…with Him and with others.

Grace and Peace,
Deb

life

‘I am a spiritual being. Of this I am sure. I know it every time I see a spider’s web or a newborn baby’s fingers, hear a mourning dove cry or the mingled laughter of young children and wise crones. I am convinced the world is not random. There is absolute order here, although I know it is absolutely over my head in theory.”
Margaret Becker, Coming Up for Air
I love the Scriptures. They tell the story of God. They tell the story of us. They tell the story of God and us.
And, I love how God makes Himself known to us through everyday life. This quote from Ms. Becker speaks right into my life. I have a hummingbird feeder that hangs right outside my kitchen window. No matter how many times I see one feeding, I still have the same reaction – it just takes my breath away. I have watched the birth of one my grandsons and cried tears of pure joy. Five years ago, I stood over the incubators of my granddaughters as they fought to hang onto to life, being born too soon. I cried tears of sadness – for the girls, for my son and daughter-in-law. Last weekend I spent the evening at Chuck E. Cheese for their 5th birthday party (somehow that doesn’t register as the ‘mingled laughter of young children’….more like a ‘riotous trip to a robotic crazy town’). That being said it was a great evening celebrating my granddaughters’ birthday. They are now beautiful, healthy, whole little girls. I watched them play with their friends and thought about the miracle that they are. Over the past year, I have stood, too many times, at the side of my mom’s hospital bed, wondering if she would survive this episode of chest pain, breathing trouble or internal bleeding. It has been a tough year – like living on the edge, never knowing when you might fall off….an emotional rollercoaster. When she is struggling, it seems like it is always night. But, in the midst of this physical storm, the lovely relationship we have forged over this past year is worth it all. I have been able to see God’s handprint all over it.
If you are looking for it, you can see evidence of God’s involvement in this world everywhere (even at Chuck E. Cheese!). In any situation you find yourself in, good or bad, beautiful or challenging, He is there. You can know that intellectually but unless you learn how to look for Him, for hints of His presence, you will miss it.
The sacred is all around you. Be intentional today about looking for it.
Grace and peace,
Deb

spa for the soul - solitude

“If we are serious about hearing God, we will stay close to him. We will have frequent times when we allow the discipline of silence to deepen into solitude. In solitude - which is more a state of mind than a place – we purposely withdraw from interaction with others for the purpose of being with God.”
Gary Moon


I can remember a time when being alone for any period of time was very hard. I would fill my day with lots of people, if possible. Because it wasn’t always an option to be with someone, I would have on the tv, radio, cds…anything to fill the silence. It was just plain uncomfortable.

For quite a few years now I have been practicing silence and solitude. I look forward to it. I carve out time in my morning. I love it. It’s still dark when I get up. I get my cup of coffee, go into my sunroom, light a candle and sit quietly in the dark. My reason for doing this? To be with God. No agenda, no requests…only sitting with him.

The simplicity of it is beautiful. I simply want to be with Jesus. But as simple as it sounds it is difficult to just ‘be’. Usually, my mind doesn’t want to turn off. Some days it’s easier, some harder. But I keep doing it. And you know what? I love that time.

I used to try so hard to have some type of regular quiet time. I did it because if I didn’t I felt guilty. I did it because other people said I should do it. But now, I can honestly say I do it because I desire it. I love it. I don’t know exactly what happens during that time. I usually don’t feel anything. I cannot say that I come out of it enlightened…at least in a way that I am aware of. What happens during that time is a mystery. But just the fact that I now desire to spend time with God tells me it’s a good mystery.

Today, I invite you to plan a spa for your soul. Plan to set some time aside, light a candle and just ‘be’ with God. Allow the mystery of those moments to transform your spirit.

Peace and Grace,
Deb

quest

touching the unseen

you seem so far away from me today.
just out of reach.
or maybe i’m the one who’s out of reach.
out of touch.
what is it in men that makes you so hard to see?
i need new eyes. spiritual eyeballs that look past
the bills that need paying
and the car that needs fixing
and the emails that keep coming
to see what lies beyond.
eyes that can see in the dark.
and through the dark
to you.

i’ve been looking
in all the wrong places all this time-
in myself rather than you,
within this world rather than
beyond it where the kingdom
of God resides, where you live,
and secretly smile at my shortsightedness-
and wait.
i’m glad you’re so patient.

quest.
steven james

apples

I had a conversation recently with a dear friend. She spoke of her struggle with guilt from a choice she had made in the past. As she thought back to the time of the incident, she knew that she had made a choice that was not what God would have wanted. It is difficult to see her continue to struggle with this past choice and not be able to receive God’s grace and forgiveness. In her head, she knows that God forgives, but in her heart she still carries the burden. I think she believes if she would decide to fully receive God’s grace, she may make a similar choice in the future. It is like she needs to keep the pain of that choice front and center so she remembers and she hopes that the frequent reminder will prevent her from doing it again.

But, while she continues to carry that burden she avoids spending time with God because of the shame. Can you see how she’s caught? We briefly talked about how, if she stays in that place, she most certainly won’t move closer to the heart of God.

God loved her as much after she made her choice as He did before she made it. He loves her fully now even though she is keeping Him at arms’ length. I think He is grieved that she won’t allow herself to receive His comfort.

Isn’t that what sin does so well - create separation from God? Remember the garden? Adam and Eve lived in perfect communion with God. Then they made the choice to pick the proverbial "apple"…to have autonomy. That choice resulted in shame. They hid from God. What did God do? He pursued them. Yes, there were consequences to their sin but God also provided for them and continued to care for them.

We all live under the fall…we’ve all picked and will continue to pick ‘apples’ and make choices that are not pleasing to God. But He is always waiting for us to come back into right relationship with Him.

God loves you. He wants you to be with Him... not just in the future sense of eternity but right now, in this very moment. Whatever you have done, He still desires your company. He loves you deeply and wants to have a restored relationship. Do what needs to be done to work towards restoration…with Him…with others - and then let it go. I am convinced we don’t change our behavior by sheer will. I’ve tried that over the years and the results have been sketchy, at best. What I do believe changes me is being as close to the heart of God as I can be…by pursuing an intimate relationship with Him. Recognizing His love for me and resting in that love can change me like nothing else.

So…to my dear friend…and to those of you who are struggling with the same thing, I invite you to set aside some time today to sit in God’s presence and pour your heart out to Him. Don’t allow the shame or the guilt to keep you away. Sit with Him and tell Him exactly how you feel. And allow Him to pour His love over you.

Grace and Peace,
Deb

awareness

Being aware of the 'nearness' of God can change the way you look at the world. That, in turn can change everything. Take some time today to bring your full awareness to God and where He is moving in your life.

Peace,
Deb

ponder

”But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

Luke 2:19


Ponder. Not a word we hear a lot these days. What does it mean? Here’s a dictionary definition:

Ponder:
~to consider something deeply and thoroughly; meditate

~ to weigh carefully in the mind; consider thoughtfully

Mary knew that what had been told to her was very, very precious. I think she knew that there would be times in her life when it would be important for her to remember those words, those moments when she first said yes to God. There would be wonderful times as she watched him grow from an infant into a little boy. Then there would be terrifying times as she heard the news of his arrest, and witnessed the events that followed.

What do I treasure in my heart...what do I ponder? What do I take so seriously, feel so deeply, experience as God moving me in my spirit? I know that I do not ‘ponder’ enough. I don’t take the time to think deeply often enough. And because of that I miss things that God has for me. I miss experiencing a more intimate relationship with Him.

I want this to change. I want to be captured by words or thoughts so much that I won’t let go of them. I want to hold them close and meditate on them. Ponder them.

I encourage you today to think about what you hold in your heart…what do you ponder? Thoughts about Jesus? I invite you to enter into Scripture slowly today. Take a verse and allow it to in sink deep. Treasure what God shares with you in your heart and ponder it for as longs as God leads….it will change who you are.

Grace and Peace,
Deb

mr potato head

Did you have a Mr. Potato Head as a kid? I did. I loved that toy. I could spend hours changing his features to make him into an entirely new person…ummm..potato….you know…well….as much as you can possibly change the look of a potato.

I spent much of my adult life as a Mr…wait…a Mrs. Potato Head. My insides remained pretty much the same but my outsides might change depending on who I was with. Not flagrant inconsistencies but more than I would have liked.

I am getting older (although they are saying that 50 is the new 30!) and I want to live my life with integrity. I want to be the same inside and out. I want to be the same no matter what circumstance I’m in or who I am with. I don’t want to put on airs or downplay my strengths. I don’t want to hide behind feelings of inadequacies nor do I want to be quiet about what I think or feel strongly about. I just want to be me…the me who is changing and growing and becoming more comfortable with who I am and who I am becoming. I believe this is what God calls me to….a life of integrity.

If you find yourself being like Mr. Potato Head, I invite you to spend some time today thinking about the ways you may not be living in integrity and consider what you might want to change.

Grace and Peace,
Deb

spa for the soul

“We exist in the loving ocean of God’s being. We cannot attain the company of God. What may be missing, however, is our awareness of his transforming presence…”
Gary Moon

“We exist in the loving ocean of God’s being.”
Sit with this thought and try to comprehend it. Notice that it isn’t a state you need to work towards… you already exist in it.

“We cannot attain the company of God.”
Again, you nor I can’t do anything to work ourselves into the company of God.

“What may be missing however is our awareness of his transforming presence.”
Think about this for a while. The missing piece is our awareness of God and his presence. It is all around us.

I’ve been taught over the years that God is everywhere. And, I feel as if I spent most of those years trying to move closer to him….. only to discover that He has been closer to me than my own breath but I didn’t know how to see Him, to notice Him. I was caught up in ‘doing’, in service, in reading, in thinking, in talking, in debating, in growing…in my efforts to work my way there. Now, I find that when I sit, quietly, without talking, just wanting nothing more than to be in His presence, my spiritual eyes are opened and I see Him everywhere.

I see Him in nature, in the book I’m reading, the movie I’m watching, in my husband building something, in the beautiful faces of my grand-daughters, in the athletic ability of my grandson and in the face of my daughter as she plays with her two little boys.

God is everywhere. Earth and heaven are saturated with Him and His presence. If I only take the time to look…take the time to see….take the time to learn how to be still.

I invite you to slow down today…maybe right now, take five minutes, to just sit quietly with Him. Tell Him all you want to do is be in His presence…to sense His love for you.

Peace,
Deb

shine

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. “
Marianne Williamson


It occurs to me that I walk between two realities. I am made in the image and likeness of God. I also know that I live east of Eden. I no longer live in the garden. I am broken and flawed. I struggle, many times, to do the right thing.

Often I tend to think of myself as average. Every once a while I have a ‘brilliant’ moment or two but my focus tends to be on what I am not.

But this quote takes me back to the ‘real’ reality. I am a child of God. His spirit resides within me. That is what people see when I get out of the way. Because of Him I am who I am. My playing small does not serve the world….and neither does yours.

I invite you to give this some thought today. How do you ‘play’ small? How do you diminish the glory of God that is within you? Spend some time pondering these questions and considering what response God wants to invite in you. May you let your light shine.

Blessings,
Deb

believe and trust

“What if we actually believed that this hidden wholeness was really true? What if, as an experiment, if only for one day, we lived as if we believed that there lived in us some reliable strength, wisdom and wholeness? What if we were to pretend that, regardless our health or mood, our fortunes or circumstance, we would remain quietly wise, accurate, and trustworthy in our judgments and actions? Even more, what if we could actually feel, sense and know, with unshakable certainty, that wherever we went, into whatever company or situation we were called, we would carry with us always this capacity to move with confidence and trust into any situation? How would we think, act, choose? How would we respond differently to the world during the day?”

Wayne Muller, A Life of Being, Having and Doing Enough


Wouldn’t it be beautiful if I, if you, could intentionally live each day, always remembering that the Holy Spirit gives us reliable strength, wisdom and wholeness? How easy it is to forget. How easy it is try to rely on our own strength and wisdom.
Join me in being intentional today about living in rhythm with the Spirit.
Grace and peace,
Deb

prayer

Celtic Evening Prayer

I lay my head to rest
and in doing so
lay at your feet
the faces I have seen,
the voices I have heard,
the words I have spoken,
the hands I have shaken,
the service I have given,
the joys I have shared,
the sorrows revealed,
I lay them at your feet,
and in doing so,
lay my head to rest.

John Birch, www.faithandworship.com

prayer

Celtic Morning Prayer

I arise today
embraced in the arms
of God the Father,
empowered by the strength
of God the Spirit
immersed in the love
of God the Son.
I arise today
in the company
of the Trinity,
Father, Spirit and Son.
I arise today.

From John Birch, www.faithandworship.com

expectations

“The anguish in the world can be traced to expectations.”

Anthony deMello


Did you ever notice how true this is for you? It certainly is true for me. It happens on vacations, in new jobs, during the holidays. I always have an idea in my head how it will work and it never seems to meet my expectations.

Honestly, I felt like that when I went to Israel two years ago. I expected to see THE tomb. They don’t know where THE tomb is. There are several possibilities. I expected to see the THE stable where Jesus was born. Now, in retrospect I realize how silly it was to think that the stable would still be there over 2000 years later. As you have guessed, there is no stable. In fact, the picture above is of a hole in the floor of a church in Bethlehem. You place your hand in the hole and feel the stone underneath. This is possibly the stone that was under the stable. Talk about unmet expectations.

It can happen with people too. We have expectations, they aren’t met and we become discouraged.

Consider holding your expectations lightly. I invite you to give them to God and allow him to attend to the outcome.

Blessings,
Deb

chosen

A couple of years, within the space of three days, I heard or read the story of the wedding feast, the place of Jesus’ first miracle…He turned water into wine. I have read this story countless times but when I encountered it for the third time, in such a short span of time, I asked God what He wanted me to take from this story…how He was speaking to me through it. As I sat, in silence, I felt the desire to write a poem. I do not, at all, consider myself a poet. In fact, I don’t think I’ve written a poem since high school. But, the words that follow flowed out onto the paper. I doubt it would win any awards but it expresses what God laid on my heart that afternoon.

My prayer is that He would speak to you through these words.



chosen

simple ordinary container
willing to hold fresh water
to refresh, to quench
sturdy, dependable
loyal, practical
content to be a holder of this sustaining liquid

but wait…
a wedding day
beautiful jars filled with wine
to be seen by all the guests
an extraordinary vessel
to carry the fruit’s offering

then…it’s gone
it has run its course
and is no more
guests shall be disappointed
bride and groom disgraced
a wedding feast marred

simple ordinary container willing to hold water
now being filled as usual
but…it is not usual. no…it's wine!
not just wine
but the purest wine ever known.

wine from the vine
sweet and warming
not just to the body
but to the heart

simple ordinary container
sturdy dependable
loyal, practical
chosen



deb

iron sharpens iron

"The person you would most not want to be with in community will always be there."
Henri Nouwen


I first heard this quote several years ago when I was at a conference. It rang true for me. For whatever reason, there is almost always someone, somewhere that I am, that I would rather not be there. Did you follow that?

I know this is most “unchristian’ of me to admit but it is true. I am not so evolved that I love everyone equally. In fact, there are some that I really struggle with. And for some reason, God makes sure that I usually have one of those people in my path.

Something else I have discovered is that these people have something in common….they usually have some quality I have! Did that ever happen to you? You find yourself rubbed the wrong way by someone. You take some time to think about what it is that bothers you and realize it is a quality you also have. But…you give yourself a pass because that quality is a positive in you and just plain annoying in this other person.

God gently reveals these lies to me. He places other people who are either too much like me or not like me at all to help work out His purposes in my life.

Iron sharpens irons…..that’s how the psalmist puts it. We need each other, and the forging quality of relationships, to work off the rough edges and craft us into individuals who reflect God.

I am trying to be thankful for those people who mirror to me things I need to surrender to God. I also need to humble myself and realize I am THAT person for someone else. I am the one that is someone else’s ‘person they would not want to be in community with’.

It goes back to the basics. It goes back to love. It goes back to looking for the beauty in each other. It goes back to allowing God to do the work in our lives any way He chooses. And if He chooses to use me to work in you or you to work in me….may it be so.

Who are those people in your life? Consider spending some time today thinking about them, what God might want to be showing you through your interaction with them. Maybe we can both get to the place where we can actually thank God for their presence in our lives.

Grace and Peace,
Deb

moldable

It is not you that shapes God.
It is God that shapes you.
If then you are the work of God
Await the hand of the artist who does
All things in due season.

Offer Him your heart,
Soft and tractable,
And keep the form in which the artist
Has fashioned you.
Let the clay be moist
Lest you go hard
And lose the imprint of His fingers.
Prayer from St Irenaeus

This prayer speaks about part of the journey I have been on in the past couple of years. I have become increasingly aware of the fact that God initiates everything in me. Sometimes I become anxious about what may be in the future but I want to continue to trust Him and His timing. I want to be pliable and moldable in His hand.

Consider taking some time today and sit with this prayer. See what God may want to say to you. Journal about what you are hearing and consider how you might want to respond.

Peace,
Deb

spa for the soul

Women like to do certain things for themselves. They get their hair cut, colored and highlighted. They purchase special shampoos, good conditioners, glazes and paste. They buy bath gels, body crèmes, hand lotions. They use moisturizers, masks, potions and lotions. They love makeup. They do their nails…they get manicures and pedicures. Occasionally they will treat themselves to a massage. So many times, their fantasy is a day at the spa; a day to be pampered and nurtured. They long for that time of rest and relaxation…to renew and rejuvenate.

But, as frequently as they may think of caring for their physical bodies, they may neglect their spiritual selves. They seem to think that a prayer shot up, here and there, a minute or two in Scripture, a Sunday morning message, and singing a couple of worship songs takes care of meeting the needs of their spirit.

Think for a few minutes about this. Our physical bodies are in a constant state of deterioration. I know this is not a happy thought, but it is true. All of our attempts to stave off the inevitable may make the inevitable a little easier to accept but it is still happening. Our physical bodies are moving towards death every day. But, our spirit is eternal. Any effort we put into opening our spirit to God, takes us deeper into His presence. When we spend time practicing those disciplines that create intimacy with Him, we are building into something that will last forever.

Now I am not saying that we shouldn’t spend time on our physical bodies. They are gifts from God and we need to care for them. But…what would our spirits look like if we nurtured them as much as we do our bodies?

My passion is to help women (and men!) nurture their spirits. This blog is one way I want to do this. My hope is that is why you come back…to hopefully feed your spirit. Sometimes, there is food for thought…for your brain and how you think about God and the world around you. Other times, it is for nurturing your spirit. Allow your spirit to be nurtured today.

Blessings,
Deb

impossible

A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell. ~
C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

Came across this quote recently. Consider spending some time today pondering all it holds………

Grace and Peace,
Deb