Peace and Quiet

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12: 1-2

We started discussing flexibility yesterday, and then today, I discovered that “flexibility” is even a topic under God’s promises.

Life can make us crazy, can’t it? Pulled hither and yon, one direction to another, so fast we lose sight of what’s right, what’s wrong, what’s good, what’s bad.  A dear friend reminded me today what we need to do when life gets like this. We just need to put on the brakes and STOP. Ask God where He’s leading us, which direction He wants us to go.

Sometimes, that direction may be upstream, against what everyone else is telling you to do. Sometimes, it may be in line with everyone else. But we’ll never know until we ask God, will we?

He wants us to be TRANSFORMED. The Message translates our verse above this way:

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life - and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t be so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Romans 12:1-2 

However, as it is written:

“No eye has seen

no ear has heard,

no mind has conceived

what God has prepared for those who love him”

but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.  We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.

1 Corinthians 2: 9-12

I guess I’m still dwelling on preparing/planning/goal setting. This verse jumped out at me for today’s blog post.

How do you make plans? Do you pull out a calendar and fill the dates with “must do” tasks, events, chores? Or put it all into your Blackberry or online calendar?

What do you do about unexpected events? How does the unexpected affect your planning? Do unexpected events change your purpose?

I still have more questions than answers, so we’ll keep exploring. I’d love to hear some of your own insights - please share them with us.

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10

It’s that time of year when we start analyzing the goals we set for last year - did we meet them? - and start setting goals for the upcoming year.

Do you set goals?

I admire people who seem to have a plan for everything. One of my cherished friends goes over goal lists with her husband twice a year to keep their family, personal, and professional goals on track. It’s such an admirable trait - and everyone can see the fruits of their efforts.

Unfortunately, I’m not one of those people who can do that. I find it hard to plan a trip to the grocery store - what if something else comes up that’s more important? I guess I have trouble with the balancing act - I tend to be too flexible, I guess.

Flexible and spontaneous. How do those traits fit with today’s verse - if God prepared good works in advance for us to do, then how can we be sure to do them if we aren’t focused on that? Maybe we can still be flexible and spontaneous - as long as we keep our eyes focused on Him and keep the prayer line open for His guidance in all we do?

I don’t have the answers. Just plenty of questions. But I do know one thing - He’s definitely not finished with me yet.

Are you a goal-setter? Do you make plans? Share some of your tips and strategies with us!

But you, God, shield me on all sides,You ground my feet, you lift my head high,

With all my might I shout up to God,

His answers thunder from the holy mountain.

Psalm 3: 3-4 (The Message)

We traveled this past weekend, returning home in the rain. I asked one of my dear friends and prayer partners to pray for our safety as we traveled.

She e-mailed that she was led to a couple of verses for us -

“He gives His angels watch over you to keep you in all your ways.” and “A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand but it shall not come near you.”

Then, today, in my own Bible study, I was led to Psalm 3. The whole passage spoke to me, comforted me, lifted me. I thought about just sharing a verse or two, but why not the whole thing? I pray it will bless you and comfort you as it did me:

O Lord, how many are my foes!

How many rise up against me!

Many are saying of me,

“God will not deliver him.”

But you are a shield around me, O Lord,

you bestow glory on me me and lift up my head.

To the Lord I cry aloud

and he answers from his holy hill.

I lie down and sleep;

I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.

I will not fear the tens of thousands

drawn up against me on every side.

Arise, O Lord!

Deliver me, O my God!

Strike all my enemies on the jaw;

break the teeth of the wicked.

From the Lord comes deliverance.

May your blessing be on your people.

To God be the glory, great things He has done!

“They said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’”

Acts 16:31

Today, December 2nd, is the anniversary of the death of my precious grandmother Nanny. She passed away many years ago, and yet still lives so much within me, and with our entire family.

Nanny was quite a character. As a child, my goal was to reach her height - of course, I didn’t realize that she was in reality only about 4′9″ tall - in my eyes, she was a giant! (Thankfully, I made it over the 5′ mark, but not by much!)

She could cook some of the best food you ever put in your mouth. She crocheted beautiful afghans and sturdy quilts. She would also give you - or anyone who needed it - the shirt off her own back. She was giving and loving and kind.

She wasn’t always like that. I admit that in my early years, she was a bit harsh and judgmental towards people. But as I got older, I watched her grow and mellow, becoming more like Jesus the closer she got to Heaven.

Nanny taught me many things over the years - the most important being prayer. Nanny taught me to pray about all things, and about everyone. She even taught me how to pray when I didn’t know what to pray. Funny thing - she never sat down and said, “This is how you pray.” Nope, she taught me how to pray by example only.

She prayed for me daily - I knew that without a doubt. After I became a Christian at age 22, she became a regular prayer partner with me - if I had a need, I called or wrote her about it, knowing she would pray. And she did.

The day she died, I knew she was with Jesus, and I couldn’t be sad about that. The hard part was knowing my bestest prayer partner was no longer here with me. I felt the mantle pass.

And I still want to grow up to be at tall as Nanny.

All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 4: 15

Three things I’m thankful for:

1) My late grandmothers. I had the best grandmothers in the world. I always said my Nanny taught me about God, cooking, tending, and nurturing, and my Grandma taught me how to be a lady, get quality clothing for bargain prices, and to enjoy the occasional Peanut Buster Parfait from DQ. As you can tell, the two women were very different - and I loved them both equally. When/if I ever become a grandparent (no rush, kiddos), I’ll use them as my model and hope to be a wonderful Nana myself!

2) Fishing. Yes, I’m thankful for fishing - my dad taught me how to fish almost at the same time I learned to walk. Many of our days were spent out on the lake fishing, swimming, skiing. Our fishing days supplied us with food - we weren’t, and I’m still not - the ”catch-and-release” kind of fisherman. I fish to put food on our table, and am thankful for each and every one I’ve ever caught, and ever eaten. I’m even thankful for that really big one that got away…

3) S … I know - you’re all thinking I’m going to say SHOPPING on Black Friday - but I’m not a shopper. Yes, I’ll probably be out in the throngs today, but for the experience of being out there only. I’ll be thankful to get OUT of the crowds after a few hours! And I’m thankful for any bargains that all of us - you included - might find!

My “S” word is one that will probably make some of the ladies cringe. I’m thankful for SPORTS! Specifically, college football season. I was raised on Alabama football, and I love this time of year. Tomorrow is our biggest game of the year, and our biggest rivalry of the year - against the War Eagles of Auburn. Roll Tide!  

 So, what are you thankful for today?

And another question for you - has making these lists help your heart to overflow with gratitude? It sure has mine. Re-read today’s verse “may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.’ Thanks be to the Glory of God!!

Thanks for letting me share! I think I’ll continue the lists through the end of November!

PS - I MUST add one more thankful for today - I’m so thankful for leftover turkey. Seriously. It makes the best sandwich that you can’t get any other time of year!

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

Psalm 100:4

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Three things I’m thankful for today:

1) Being able to visit with my family this year. We missed the Thanksgiving celebration last year, and I’m so thankful we can be together again this year. I treasure the time spent with my two sons and one future daughter-in-law - they are funny, and smart, and precious.

2) Laughter. I love to laugh and this week will be full of it. Making people laugh puts a smile in my heart, too.

3) Food and the hands that prepared each and every dish we’ll devour this week. Many of us may not have an abundance this year - but each dish will still be special. As a teen learning to cook, I never understood why the food my mother or grandmother prepared tasted better than something I made, even when following their recipe exactly. I realized later that it was the love stirred into the pot that made the food taste extra yummy.

Don’t we serve such an awesome God?

So what are you thankful for today?

Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp.

Psalm 147:7

My thankful list for today:

1) I’m thankful for music - I LOVE to praise and worship with all sorts of music. I love classical, rock, country, Southern gospel, contemporary gospel, jazz, swing, pop, 50s-70s pop, 80s-90s country. I love Sandi Patty, Andy Griffith, Elvis Presley, Larnelle Harris, Barry Manilow, Alabama, Beethoven, Mozart, Vivaldi, Josh Turner - I’m sharing all of these so you’ll see just how varied my tastes really are! I also love almost every musical instrument ever made, and am so thankful my boys learned to play many of them. I’m also a sap for Christmas music and marching bands.

2) I thank God for my senses - I’m thankful to hear all that music I so love, to see my children and critters and colors, to smell and taste all varieties of food, smell flowers. I’m also nutty about touching textures too - if a piece of clothing doesn’t “feel” right, I don’t buy it. I’m thankful I can read words and experience all the different colors God created, and that He has given me a special eye for photography.

3) I thank God for our vehicle. We have only one, but it’s all we really need, and it’s paid in full. It looks sharp, provides for my hubby’s long commute, and keeps us safe to travel.

So what are you thankful for today?
 

I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.

Psalm 69:30

As I’ve thought about these lists, something else occurs to me that I’d like to share. All of our stuff - our possessions, our money, our food, clothing, shelter, EVERYTHING belongs to God. He is gracious and generous enough to allow us to have anything we do have - and even when it seems like we may lose everything, He can replace it. Just ask Job.

Even though the world - and our own actions - make us THINK that WE have provided for ourselves, that’s FALSE. Only God can provide for us. He may ALLOW us to earn a living, and ALLOW us to use our talents to provide for our families - but He is the giver of all good things. We don’t do it alone.

Three things I’m thankful for:

1) My critters. I have one dog as a pet - a beautiful, spoiled rotten 7-year-old German shepherd mix, that we love like a child. She sleeps with us, watches over us, protects us, and runs from screaming fireworks or shotgun blasts. We also have dozens of other critters - but they’re all part of the nature around us. I have DOZENS of funny-looking squirrels that entertain me on a daily basis right outside my window - until we moved here, I’d never seen multi-colored squirrels like this. (You can see a picture of one on my Web site.) We also have lizards - most of them are skinks, but I think there are others I haven’t yet identified. Birds by the hundreds flock here, too, of all shapes and sizes. The largest are the turkey vultures we spotted up in a dead tree one year. I so wish I’d had my camera! God’s creativity with all the different forms of nature is astounding, and I thank Him for sharing some of it with us.

2) My electronics. I always said I was meant to be born during this day and age - I’m a geek. I love my computer, and have been accused of being addicted. I thank God for the technology that allows me to stay connected with my friends and family at the touch of a button.

3) My home. We have a tiny little cabin, set under a magnificent old oak tree. Our house is only one bedroom, but it’s big enough for us most of the time and it just feels so homey. Despite a heat pump that I bad-mouth almost daily during the winter for blowing cold air when I’m freezing, it still keeps us warm and dry. And the big windows allow me to watch the critters in action. I thank God for my home.

What are you thankful for today?

These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.

Psalm 42:4 (NIV)

This week, with the holiday, I’m going to do something a bit different, and I invite you to join me in the comments. As many of us gather with family or friends, we can lead the procession with shouts of joy and thanksgiving!

A writer buddy, Robin Lee Hatcher, has been sharing three things daily that she is thankful for - I think she’s doing it all month. But since I decided to do this late, we’ll just do it for this entire week. Include your lists in the comments - your list may bring to mind something we all need to be thankful for.

1) I’m so incredibly thankful for my spouse. I have the most precious, loving husband a girl could ever hope for - a man I can truly call honorable. I admire him, respect him, love him, and look forward to spending the rest of my life with him.

2) I’m so incredibly thankful for my two sons. They made it to adulthood, despite many obstacle courses along their paths. They are strong, intelligent, independent, kind, and loving. A mother truly could not be more proud - but I think the trials and tribulations that we’ve all gone through over the years has helped me appreciate the outcome much more than if it had been easier.

3) I’m so incredibly thankful for my friends. God has placed special people in my path over the years - people who nurture me, mentor me, pray for me, and others who let me nurture them, mentor them, pray for them. It’s amazing how all that works out, and I know it’s all because of God’s hand in it.

So what three things are you thankful for today? Yes, this list tends to make you want to write more than three - but we’ll add three more tomorrow!