How many of us have ever sat down and taken a good hard look at why we behave as we do, why we “are” the way we are, why we respond the way we respond, etc? I am known for being a stubborn, strong-willed, fix-it, doer, get stuff done, no-nonsense kind of person. I’ve been accused of being too serious, been told to lighten up, and more. Some of my behaviour has been protective, such as when my opinion and conviction differ sharply from someone else’s. Defending those convictions, defending those opinions has sometimes meant confrontation that my body can nolonger handle.
So I got to thinking and a memory came back to me of when I was in Rwanda in 2008. The people there wanted to give me a name that meant “gentle”! You can imagine the shock and amazement at being told they see a gentleness in me that I have failed to see in myself.
Lately those two sets of thoughts have collided, and I got wondering about that gentle bit. Was there a trace of it somewhere that I have not recognized in myself? Then I realized that I am gentle with insects (yes, I like insects and the other day got a wasp to sit on my finger instead of my daughter’s leg), gentle with animals, gentle with the elderly, etc.
So after those realizations came to me, I had to ask myself where the tough exterior came from…where the need to stand up for myself came from and how it got so strong. . .
The only answer I have is a possible acceptance/respect issue. The sense that I’ve often felt unaccepted for who I am and how I think has led to the perceived need to protect who I am and protect how I think, the need to ensure that I don’t succumb to the cookie-cutter others want to press me into.
Then as if those thoughts weren’t enough, my personal devotions took me to Proverbs 3, where I was reminded again of the need to grasp onto God’s wisdom and discretion. I paused on those verses, rereading them a few times, and then when devotions were over, I came to the computer and opened my email.
I have an author account, work account, and personal account that I check every day. I’ve been offering the daily sessions from my series as daily emails this year, with about 18 emails getting them every morning. I have my own author email receiving one as well so I know it went out. Today’s reading was about God’s gentleness. . . It starts out in Psalm 73, the last section and then gives a string of verses, 2 Timothy 2:24 being the one that really jumped out at me this morning!
I now know what it is I want to work on next. How do I obey 2 Timothy 2:24 as a strong-willed personality with a gentle underbelly? I realize that as a fruit of the Spirit, that striving to grow this fruit myself is a lesson in futility. However, fruit doesn’t grow by God’s hand if the branch isn’t allowing it to grow. In the surrender to the Holy Spirit’s work in this area, there must be willingness to pass through the process. That process involves changes of perception, attitudes, etc.
I’m at that point now, where I want to see what the Rwandans saw. I want to learn how someone of my personality can, with the Holy Spirit’s help, work that out. My mentor used to talk about humility in such a conversation. . . Scripture says to put others ahead of one’s self. . . Clearly there are some things I need to learn to put head knowledge into heart knowledge where it will be visible to those I interact with.
. . . and the growth train takes off again. . . how many bends down the track will there be this time?
A fellow author, Shelley Hitz, has just released her book, “21 Prayers for Teen Girls”, and it’s FREE today through to August 31st at midnight on Kindle.
If you purchase “Mom’s Little Black Book: Godly Advice for the High School Graduate” this weekend from: the Songdove Books Blog Store, I’ll include the link in your thank you email as a bonus for buying my book.
Hurry, as this bonus is only available this weekend!
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or
rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ~ Colossians 1:15-17
This passage came to me twice in two days. The first time was Pastor’s sermon Sunday morning as He shared how Creation speaks of the majesty of God and shows various aspects of God’s character. A study I began looking at this morning opened with the exact same passage and very similar subject matter, as if I got the same sermon twice.
My daughter is one to look at the hills around where we live, capture sunsets on her camera, and marvel at how amazing God is to create all this!
Pastor also mentioned: John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
Another passage that sticks in my mind is: Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
All these verses were in the back of my mind as I was made to realize yet again, just how depraved the unsaved mind is when not governed by the ways of God. Apparently Sunday marked a day when grown women figure they can go topless just like men can! This used to be childish thought patterns before young girls realized they were built differently than men and have more to protect on top than men do. Women have two things called breasts, that not only feed babies, but according to Scripture and science, provide pleasure in sexual union with one’s husband. Because of that latter useage, much like a man is to keep his own sexual organs covered in public, so much a woman. But in a depraved, ever-sinking world trying to push God and His ways out of public life, the logic of this understanding is clearly missing.
It is because of men and women who feared and obeyed God’s ways of doing things, that we’ve had such a calm and generally-considered pleasant society for so many centuries in North America. But it’s disturbing to see just how naively sinful, average everyday thinking is getting, such that childish thought patterns are being trumpeted as adult female rights. I had to ask myself, “Do we now need to legislate common sense and basic morals???”
Then I woke up this morning and saw all these verses again. God is still sovereign over creation. God has created His universe such that the unsaved mind has no excuse. Their day is coming. Those that refuse to see the Light for Who He is and longs to be in their lives, will one day face judgement for their choices. I can only bow to that knowledge and lament.
So today I need something to write about. I was going to grab an article I wrote but unfortunately didn’t save to my pc, but the site where I posted it for approval has been down for the past several days. You’d think this geek would have learned long ago to save things locally before sharing them online! *sigh*
The topic is about household finances. The first post I made about this referenced three different steps to take when managing household finances. The first step had three points to it: 10% tithe/charity, 10% savings, 20% spending.
This particular habit began for me when I was a young child getting ready for kids camp at Nanoose Bay Pentecostal Camp back in 1978. I had three envelopes under my bed. One held my tithe money, one held my savings for camp, and the last one held the money I could spend however I chose. As a child, this was easy to do. Any birthday money, Christmas money, spare change I found on the street, etc, would get divided among these envelopes.
As an adult, it’s not so easy, but if one has the income to manage it, it’s honestly the best way to go. In fact, financial advisors will tell you that if you can put 20% into savings and live off the remaining 70% of your income, you will be in a better position to retire in later years.
The change from saving as a child to saving as an adult carries with it quite a few more responsibilities in this issue of financial management. Your 10% charitable giving becomes eligible for tax returns, almost becoming a savings account of it’s own, minus the ability to earn interest. Your savings account will begin to earn interest the more it grows, adding more to the pot than just what you put in every pay cheque. This is one of the ways that your money can work for you.
The spending account is where child to adult experiences the biggest change! Now you have bills to pay, rent, transportation costs, groceries, etc. Your actual spendable cash is quite a bit smaller after all the bills are paid. But it begins with a disciplined attitude and behaviour toward how that pay cheque gets divided up before you start spending it. Developing a healthy financial foundation is key to the other two points in that first introductory article I wrote.
What percentage of your income goes to charitable giving now? What percentage goes to savings? What percentage are you living on?
https://www.facebook.com/notes/marilynn-dawson-author/household-finances-intro-to-the-basics/482300641862829
Psalm 34:6: “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
This passage of Scripture was timely this weekend, as I suffered another setback in my physical and emotional health. My nerves shot off almost as bad as if I’d experienced another nervous breakdown, on the way to church no less! I arrived unsure if I could function that morning, asking God for help and asking what to do. The worship songs that morning spoke of God being my Rock, being my fortress, being my song in the night season. As I put those lyrics up on the screen for everyone to see, I wanted to cry as my soul echoed the longing for those things to be true at that moment. Then the sermon came, and Pastor preached from this chapter in Psalms, pointing out four types of prayers.
One type of prayer he mentioned was “HELP!” and he used the verse above to illustrate that prayer type. There are those out there who teach that it is an insult to ask God for help, that He doesn’t help, He takes over, that asking for help implies the continued desire to do it ourselves and we need His help in the process. I’m not sure I agree with that assessment entirely. God expects us to live righteous and holy lives before Him, and expects us to be responsible with the brains, skills, and resources He’s given us. But the Holy Spirit was given as a help-meet, or as one who comes alongside according to the Greek for “Comforter” in the New Testament. So for God to willingly choose to come alongside us in this quest to live pleasing lives before Him, then He is not living our lives for us, but guiding us, teaching us, and empowering us to live that life that pleases God. So in that context, crying out for help is something God honours and expects from us, because He knows we can’t live this life on our own, try as we might. Elsewhere in Scripture, God says to call out to Him and He will answer.
So I got up this morning to reread this entire chapter for myself, in my private devotions. Once again verse 6 stood out to me as I found myself in prayer asking God to take over, because I keep failing, I can’t do it on my own. In my case, “this poor woman cried.”
It is a matter of faith and trust now, that I will see God answer that prayer as I seek healing from the hidden long-term damage to various parts of my body that control things the world would consider mental and emotional in nature. Medicine, whether natural or man-made, will only go so far. I need God to step in where I am failing, and make me whole.
Back in the spring, David asked if I’d be interested in writing a review of his latest book, “40 Days of Praise: A Hymn Devotional”. (paid link) to the left) I was still reading “Devotions From Genesis” by Nicole Vaughn, so I let him know that if I did do his study, it would be as one who did it each day rather than a quick scan through. He was ok with that, so a few months later, here we are.
Being of the musical persuasion in my worship and intimacy with Christ, I looked forward to this devotional, to see what songs he’d pick and what truths would be drawn from them. Many of the hymns David picked spoke of reaching the lost. There are many hymns in the ancient and modern hymnals that speak to a wide range of thoughts, doctrines and persuasions, but for David, the focus was largely on the concept of what drives us to fulfill the Great Commission. Hymns of consecration such as “Take My Life and Let it Be” were familiar to me, while hymns such as “Master, the Tempest is Raging” were new. I always find it so amazing how God inspired people down through the ages to speak to the timeless issues of dedication, conflict, the storms of life, etc. To see how these people wrote of the struggle and of how God spoke to and met them in that struggle is always a comfort and encouragement to me.
If there was one thing about this devotional that caused some dismay, it was the lack of intentional Scripture reading accompanying each hymn. Various devotionals did reference Scripture, but some only alluded to it with no reference that could be looked up and read as part of the day’s session. To that end, this is a devotional best reserved for those who have been journeying in the faith awhile and who would rather spend time reflecting on God’s inspiration to others than on what God might say directly from the Scriptures. For the solid Christian, the ability to do their own study on this matter is not out of the question, but for the new, young, or struggling Christian, it would be better to pick this devotional up at a later time on deeper spiritual footing.
There were no other concerns with this devotional at all, and I ended up journalling about how Day 25 touched me already. Feel free to read that in earlier blog posts here.
Thank you for this copy of your devotional David, and may God use it to bless others as it blessed me.
Do you like contests? Songdove Books will be holding a contest starting Monday August 5th!
https://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/giveaways/
There are two steps to this contest:
1) Like the author page on Facebook and
2) Share your best High School Graduation Memory!
The winner of the contest after August 19th will receive a PDF copy of “Mom’s Little Black Book: Godly Advice for the High School Graduate”.
A free sample of this book is available on the Facebook Author page under the cover photo. Also under the cover photo is a row of tabs with a number at the end of it. Click that number to view other tabs on this page. The blue tab is the second location where you can enter the current contest.
Be sure to spread the word! Whether you enter at the giveaway link above, or at the story contest tab on the author page, your entry will be counted only once.
I look forward to reading your entries!
Thank you to Soaring Eagle Publicity for helping spread the word about this contest!
Some of us wake up with dreams, others with songs going through our minds. This morning, I woke up with what seemed to be an uncharacteristic memory and song going through mine. Years ago I’d watched the movie, “Titanic”. I don’t agree with one set of scenes being in the movie and haven’t been able to watch it again since because of those scenes. But two other sets of scenes began playing in my mind this morning, and the final song that the movie is so known for was playing in the background.
The first scene was of the young girl on the makeshift raft, letting go of her new boyfriend’s hands as he slips below the waves and dies. The second scene is of that same girl as an elderly woman, tossing her heart-shaped locket into the ocean as her tour boat sails over the place where the accident happened so many years earlier.
I’ve heard some say that there is a reason why you wake up with the thoughts, feelings, or songs that you do. Being as I have entered a time of physical rest and healing, and due to how the reality of that need was brought to everyone’s awareness, I have often felt more like the young girl on the raft. Laying there, all she could do was wait for the rescue boats to arrive. She couldn’t save herself or improve her situation on her own. She had to lay there and wait.
It isn’t easy for someone like myself to just lay there and wait. Doers, fixit’s, go-getters, self-motivators. . . we all have trouble when it comes to being told that a) we don’t have and won’t get the answers before being required to move on. b) we are in a holding pattern and are not permitted out of it even if we wanted to and any attempt at doing so makes the current situation worse. c) all our best efforts, improvisations, and at times even our know-how, fail to move us forward because when we finally admit it, it’s out of our control.
This past weekend has felt a bit like the waves under my raft getting stronger and more active. When my current health issues surfaced, I actually wondered if there was any hope in the situation at all! Up until this point, I’d never experienced what it was like to have no hope. Even now as I admit this, as a long-standing born-again Christian it seems sacriligious to admit to entering that place of hopelessness. But for a moment there, I did.
In the days and weeks that have passed, glimmers of hope have begun shining through. Some stronger than others and some only flickering, but they are there. The goal now is to do what God brings my way to do, to rest in between times, and to lift my eyes from the waves around me and onto His face. Those last two items are alot easier said than done, but they are doable. . . Maybe someone out there needed to hear this, needed to know that someone else identifies with them and their struggle. I can see other rafts in the waves around me. Are you on one of them?
“Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God You are higher than any other, Our God is healer, awesome in power, Our God, Our God” – Chris Tomlin
It’s no secret to my regular readers, that music is the sure-fire way for God to speak to me, encourage me, and for myself to reach out to God in lyrical expression that might struggle any other way.
The lyrics above were sung twice this past week, once at a mid-week church prayer meeting, and again Sunday morning. Sunday morning I was unable to sing due to being the one putting the words on the screen. Whenever I sing while doing that, I inevitably miss a slide, so I can’t sing and do slides at the same time. However on the Wednesday evening previous, those words left my lungs in the manner of a thirsty soul longing to touch the heart of God!
I have been going through a lot in the past couple months, and without the ability to lift my voice in harmony to my King, it’s been like travelling through a dry, dusty desert! The pent up longing to fly into my Father’s arms in song was so strong that I’m sure others around me thought I was singing way too loudly! Sunday morning when I couldn’t sing, tears threatened so bad that at one point I thought I’d lose sight of my computer monitor for the tears welling up.
I need God to be my healer right now. I need to affirm my Heavenly Father as greater and stronger than what I’m going through. My God is a strong tower to those who run to Him, and I ran to Him Wednesday night!!! There is something about lifting one’s voice in harmony with brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ that just can’t be matched in any other circumstance. Sometimes I think I should pick up the keyboard on permanent loan, and begin teaching myself to play piano so I can do more than split my attention between finger-picking a melody and singing along with it in the confines of my own home.
But I digress. God met me as I threw my arms in the air and belted those lyrics above! God met me and nothing beats His touch when you feel it. . .
Truly our God IS greater, stronger, higher than any other, awesome in power, AND. . .my healer. . .
Finances. Every person alive has to deal with them, from nickels earned selling lemonaide at age 7, to wages earned at a part-time job during high school, to savings, bills, and raising a family. There is already much out there written by many people on managing various aspects of the financial picture. I’m even seeing pins showing up on Pinterest lately where average people are starting to share cost-cutting measures they have successfully implemented in their homes and businesses.
Why the sudden interest in saving a penny? The cost of living is going up but wages are not keeping pace. In fact, for many people, not only are costs rising and wages lowering, but jobs are nolonger stable either. The question arises then, how does a parent, how does a family care-giver still manage to pay the bills, put food on the table, maintain house and home, and ensure they can get from point A to point B?
First there are the basics which should be taught no matter where a person comes from in the financial ladder of life.
1) When you get paid, unless it’s only a few cents, divide the amount into three parts:
A) 10% charity
B) 10% savings
C) Spending.
Starting this habit early in life is a wise thing for parents to instill in their children. The child will get used to planning and budgeting the remaining 20% and carry that habit into adult life.
2) Learn to tell the difference between wants and needs. A need is something that absolutely can NOT be done without! When we look around the globe, basic needs consist of decent food, shelter, safe drinking water, shoes and adequate clothing, and a means of transportation. What many in modern cultures get mixed up on however, is the difference between healthy food basics and edible extras, the difference between decent shelter and the dream home, the difference between water and pop or that daily coffee habit, the difference between decent and extravagent clothing, and the difference between decent transportation and grown-up expensive toys.
For example: In the cracker isle at the store, cookies do not qualify as whole-wheat crackers! They should not be listed on the grocery list. On the MLS housing listings, a 5 bedroom 3 bath 4 car garage house does not qualify as adequate housing for a young family of 3. It shouldn’t even be considered due to the overkill on the mortgaging situation and the effort needed to maintain the place. Just like groceries and housing, clothing is another area where people have a hard time telling the difference between needs and wants. Decent clothing is dependent on the season and the purpose. A suit makes sense for that conference, but no sense for that construction job. It isn’t necessary to have 20 pairs of shoes in the closet when in reality, 5 will do the job just fine. I could go on.
When a person begins to tell the difference between needs and wants, budgeting becomes much easier to manage and stick to.
3) Learn how to create a household budget and stick to it! Doing this requires the knowledge of what is coming into the home in earnings, and requires knowledge of what is going out of the home in expenditures. It is a sad observation that most families aren’t sure of one or both lists in their own homes. Once you know how much comes in every month on average, and have made a list of what goes out every month on average, it is possible to draft a budget incorporating points 1 and 2 above, and learn the steps to maintain it.
Budgets change over time as income and needs change. Budgets also change as affordability of those needs change. So it is important to revisit your budget every so often to be sure you are staying within it and that it is covering all the bases adequately.
Once these three basics are in active use in the home, when the cost of living rises, it’s much easier to address and deal with.
In my book, “Mom’s Little Black Book: Godly Advice for the High School Graduate”, there is a section on Groceries, and a section on Finances. Each of them contains a sample budget sheet aimed at teaching the young adult how to begin this road for themselves.
I’m available Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm to help anyone with any of these three points, or to help you get started if these were never taught to you in the past. At only $.50/minute, obtaining household financial advice shouldn’t break the bank or be a hardship. Many people offering financial advice do so at outragious rates, figuring that such information is worth the pretty penny. But this author feels otherwise. Feel free to call: 1-888-MY-ETHER ext. 05040235