May My Heart See...

What a horrendous week it has been for me!   And its only Tuesday (sigh!)   Sometimes I just want to climb into my fifth wheel and wheel away . . . . I don’t care where, just ANYWHERE but here – I hate conflict, don’t you? I think I hate it because conflict tears at my heart – its sin and its wrong.   But can we live in a world, okay let’s just say “in a family” without conflict?   Aren’t we supposed to be a family (whether by blood or by faith) of unity – a Christian community that loves one another and is unified?   Seems simple, doesn’t it?   It ain’t!   One wants this, the other that.   Someone is unhappy or feeling unloved or being pushed around.   There’s manipulation and pride and jealousy – these ARE NOT family traits you know (!)   or for that matter, “fruits” of the Spirit! In all this muck, I have been praying, I have been fasting, and I have sought counsel, both from the Word and from wise prayer warriors.   I have tried to get to the bottom of it all and I have t

In the last few months, a new exclamation has come forth from my lips:   the word, SERIOUSLY!   Now that could be seriously?   (like “ did you really mean that? “ or “ that’s the look you were going for ??!! “ ) or I use it when I’m making a point or trying to convince someone,   like, “no, I mean it, seriously!”.      I can’t figure out when I started this new “habit” or even how to stop it.   I’m just glad it isn’t a new swear word (!).   Sometimes I pick up words that those I live with or “hang” with say.   Like, “whatever” or “totally” or “SWEET!”.    You get the picture – a slang word of sorts, an exclamation.   But seriously, (!) where did this come from? NO CLUE.   I say its “interesting” because IT has entered into my prayer life – seriously.   Okay, I’ll stop now . . . . (maybe not).   J Does God need a “seriously” in my prayers?   I’m thinking He knows my heart and knows how “serious” I am about them.   In fact, I have scripture to back that one up:   (PSALM 44)

Have you ever had conversations in your head?   Like, you talk yourself into something or OUT of something?   It was early Sunday morning and I was alone as my hubby was gone ice fishing for the weekend.   The alarm went off and these thoughts came through, loud and clear: NOT YET – I don’t want to get up!             But you have to get up – there’s church today. BUT the bed is warm and I’m tired.   I don’t have to go today.   I go every Sunday, I can miss today.             What about choir?   Aren’t you singing in choir? YES, but they don’t need me .             YES they do and you want to go to church, remember?   You love worship. I know, but the bed feels so good   . . . . . Anybody else out there?   Oh, I got up, got ready and was late for choir rehearsal but glad I went because later, during worship, as we (the choir) sang one of my favorites, my life song, I like to think, “Make My Life An Alleluia”, my heart was overwhelmed with praise and thanks

I thought with a new year and all, we should start at the beginning – the top – where it “all” began – the Garden of Eden.    The Bible starts with Genesis: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.   Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.   And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. There was nothing – in the beginning.   After God created light, came the earth, the ocean and the perfect place, the Garden of Eden.   Scripture keeps telling us, “ God saw all that He had made, and it was very good . “   Very good:   beneficial, wonderful, lovely. You know the story.   He put Adam and Eve there to live.   They were doing just fine, living in perfection, in God’s Presence, until Eve doubted what God had told her.   The serpent twisted the Truth and had Eve doubting.   She did the one thing she was told NOT to do – she had everything, nice home, loving h

Happy New Year!   It’s a new year, a new beginning – the old is gone, the new has come!   YIPEE!   Not that 2012 was so awful – but it’s good to start afresh, don’t you think?   Get rid of some old “bad” habits, put on some new “good” ones.   My husband and I have promised each other we are not going to be “crabby” with each other anymore.   I am horrible!   We will try and talk nicely to each other - that alone will be a miraculous feat!! Sometimes, I just want to take back immediately what I just said – ever want to do that?   At my office, my new cubby partner taught me a wonderful keystroke last year that I told her has “spiritual” meaning.   Seriously! ctrl-Z.   Ever use it?   It un-do’s.   Yep – whatever you type wrong or don’t mean to do – it undoes it.   Ingenuous!   I use it all the time now.    (I know – I’m slow!) What on earth could be the spiritual meaning of ctrl-Z?   Hmmmm, well . . . . how about when I am crabby and disrespectful with my husband (last y