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Have you learned to concentrate in prayer? Does your mind no longer wander?
Do you meet the “criteria” for coming to Jesus? According to Paul Miller: ‘Jesus does not say, ‘Come to me, all you who have learned how to concentrate in prayer, whose minds no longer wander, and I will give you rest.’ No. Jesus opens his arms to his needy children and says, ‘Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest’ (Matthew 11:28 ).” A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World Are you weary? Overwhelmed? Does your mind wander? Is your life messy? ‘My grace is sufficient for thee. My power is made perfect in weakness.’ 2 Corinthians 12:9 Amen…
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Anxiety – the “Handmaiden of Creativity”?
If you are a friend of mine on FaceBook, then you already know that I was pretty freaked out yesterday. It had to do with my need to take four hour-long sessions from my standard Fear Not retreat and turn them into two thirty-minute sessions and one 45 minute session. Can you say slash and burn? I was trying so hard to delete delete delete. But with each passing hour, I became more and more anxious. Nice, eh? Fear, worry, and anxiety AS I’m studying God’s Word re: His sovereignty, goodness, and immanence. True irony. (And a true reflection of just how far I still have to go in life’s…
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Are Your Church Relationships Otiose?
(Don’t you want to click through just to find out what the word “otiose” means? 😉 ) Are Your Church Relationships Otiose?
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Pearl Harbor Day
I was so pleased this morning when we opened our Fine Art class in a time of prayer and my students remembered why December 7th is so important in our country’s history: The Naval History and Heritage Command’s Pearl Harbor Overview and Images Freedom is never free.
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Lord Jesus, Overcome what Overwhelms Us …
“Lord Jesus, come yourself, and dwell with us, be human as we are, and overcome what overwhelms us. Come into the midst of my evil, come close to my unfaithfulness. Share my sin, which I hate and which I cannot leave. Be my brother, Thou Holy God. Be my brother in the kingdom of evil and suffering and death. Come with me in my death, come with me in my suffering, come with me as I struggle with evil. And make me holy and pure, despite my sin and death.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Christmas Sermons (HT: Jill Carratini, What God Draws Near?)
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Women — Stop Submitting to Men (!)
Surprised to see that title for a post on my blog? Be sure to read this brief, but important, article by Rev. Dr. Russell Moore: Women — Stop Submitting to Men (HT: Challies)
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Want to Create? Do a lot of work …
If you’re trying to do something well. If you think to yourself, “One day, I want to create something extraordinary.” For all of you who ask me, “How can I be a published author one day?” or tell me, “I want to be a public speaker.” To all of my friends who make the world a more beautiful place through glitter, music, paint, glue guns, dance, gardens, cooking, sewing, and words … This is a very well spent (and encouraging!) 1 minute and 55 seconds: HT: Z
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Ex Ore Infantium
(A great read-aloud poem. Soph and I loved this. I especially liked (cried over!) the section I’ve highlighted …) EX ORE INFANTIUM LITTLE Jesus, wast Thou shy Once, and just so small as I? And what did it feel like to be Out of Heaven, and just like me? Didst Thou sometimes think of there. And ask where all the angels were? I should think that I would cry For my house all made of sky; I would look about the air, And wonder where my angels were; And at waking ‘twould distress me– Not an angel there to dress me! Hadst Thou ever any toys, Like us little girls…
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Obscenities Screamed at Me? It’s been awhile …
I had a strange experience at the grocery store this evening: a woman screamed the most severe obscenities at me in such a venomously furious voice that I actually had a flashback to my childhood. (I grew up in a home with a LOT of swear words and many of them were directed to me.) It was so weird. I just haven’t heard those words in that combination out loud for a long, long time. Oh! How grateful I was that the girls were not with me. (I tried to have a conversation with Sophia about profanity the other day and even just trying to describe “the S word” made…
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Are parachute pants next?
Love love LOVE these leg warmers that my mom and sister sent the girls: But I’m really wondering if parachute pants, baseball shirts, and all things neon are coming next … (My friend Sherrie said some words of wisdom today: “If you’re old enough to remember the style the last time it came around, you’re too old to WEAR IT this time around.” So true. So true.)
