Living it, living God’s word. Yes, 1 was prayer, 2 reading and studying God’s word….but 3 living it. YIKES so much harder.

That means going out past yourself. It means allowing the Holy Spirit to lead you instead of our ego and fears.

So with prayer and reading the Bible and then listening. I came up with my and hopefully God approved ideas for how to live His word.

To live it is to love. Embrace love. Show love even when you really want to thump them on the head. Just breath, show patience and laugh.

To live is to serve. The serving of others can be doing something really big, but most the time it is the small things, that make the greatest changes.

Getting up to get something for another at the table before they even know that they will need it. This humble act is usually not even noticed but it is the Holy Spirit using you to care for others.

Caring for orphans is large, but the big change came in the small things. Holding a child, pushing the wheelchair, blowing up balloons, cleaning the restrooms or raking the playground are all small things. It is the small acts of serves that are weaved into God’s greatness.

Ecclesiastes 4: 12

Though one may be overpowered,
    two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Easy as 1,2, 3 not really easy. Do-able yes. Pray, Read, Live….you can do this.

Remember also to laugh at the silly, it helps when things are hard. I personally think God puts silly in our lives to help us through the hard times. Sort of like an elephant in the garage.

So to live for God is to love, serve and laugh. Just my thoughts on the subject of easy as 1,2,3.

Last post was about praying, and today is the second part on reading/studying God’s word.

My husband diligently reads the Bible straight through and then starts a different study Bible. He reads God’s word and the commentaries at the bottom of each study Bible. He sometimes will pull out other Bibles and compare the commentaries.

Me, I am a bit haphazard. I love Bible studies. I will write the scripture and notes in a journal. Adding pictures and color to my notes. I will sometimes find an adult Bible coloring book to go with the current study I am doing.

I will do Bible studies with a group, with my husband or just with myself. I love the slow eating of the words, it is honey to my soul.

Jeremiah 15:16
Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became a delight to me and my heart’s delight, for I bear Your name, O LORD God of Hosts.

I remember my grandparents gave me my first Bible that I can remember. I still have it today. They loved me enough to want me to know God’s word. At that time I thought it was lame, but I kept it over the years.

In High School I had to study Job in my literature class before reading Moby Dick. All I could think of is how cruel God was to Job and his wife. I did not see the point, of course I did not see the point of Moby Dick either.

The second time I actually had to study the Bible was in College. I went to a Catholic college and we had to take two Bible classes. It was interesting and made me think of the Bible as a textbook on a strange history. I will be honest I really did not see God in that study.

The thing is that I believe God was using those times to get a crack in my disbelieve, and a Bible on my shelf, two Bibles. Then when my world was falling apart I had a book. Now I have many, what a wonderful comfort.

Do I believe in God’s living word? Yes. Do I believe it is important to read and study His words? Yes.

How you study is up to you, try different ways until you find your fit. Just find the time, daily if possible. It is so worth it.

Today’s devotional on YouVersion had a presenter Jenni Clayville, a minister at National Community Church in DC. She made a point of reminding people to 1 pray, 2 read, and 3 live it.

Yep, that is my thoughts also. So I thought I would look at Prayer today.

I love to pray or have conversations with God. While I am still laying in bed, mowing, driving, cooking, sitting on the porch and on my knees at night.

My husband prays intensely every morning while reading and studying the Bible. He has a very set time.

And there are times where we reach out to each other and pray together for people in need.

The point is not how we pray, it is that we pray. We were made by God, he seeks us. I imagine that in the garden, God would walk with Adam and Eve and just listen to them tell him about their day. Even though he knew everything. He enjoys being with us and hearing from us.

He wants to hear about our concerns, fears, praise, dreams, our life.

Pray on!

Today’s devotion from YouVersion was on love from 1 Corinthians 13:13. My favorite part of being a Christian is the loving. Loving as a verb. Doing love is so much harder than feeling love. We all go through ups and downs in a relationship where we do not feel love, but because we continue to do love, the feelings come back.

It was the love that called me to be a Christian, so I believe it is so important to try to show love and do love.

I know so many Christians forget to do the love part, so as they do hate and wear their Christian shirts I cringe. I even had a well meaning person in a Bible study class state that Christians use the love card too much. This was after I told him we should just keep loving a group of people. How can we use the love card too much? I know there is truth and love, but they are not cards to deal out.

I believe Jesus wants us to love so that we can show the truth. This is not easy, I mess it up daily. I get frustrated and snap or rush through and not stop and look for places to do love.

So I keep my faith and ask for forgiveness and then I go out and love. For Love is the greatest. Love >

Last night I woke up twice to loud siren and flashing lights. Both times were not real. I know it was caused by fear. Mostly fear caused by what is going on in the world.

While I am awake I can pray my fears away, I think. Or did I just shove them deeper into my being.

The Bible has so many verses on fear, but I will be honest. It is hard to get the deep down fear away. Faith over fear is the Christian catch phrase. I know if I die I will go to heaven, so why do I fear. I know that if people do not like me, it is okay, God loves me.

I know God provides what I need. I have seen it in my own life and through the lives of people I know. Yet, it is hard to tell my fears to be gone when your adrenaline is running high.

God stepped in again and provided me with support through a marvelous group of women whom I have come to love. As I listened I heard the same fears and answered prayers. That love overcomes the fears.

The communion of friendship as we prayed together was my answered prayer after my sirens of fear. God gave us others to remind us that it really is faith over fear. Our lives crossed for a reason.

Last night Gerald and I watched a movie, Kong Skull Island, I think that is the name. It made me think of a something I heard once. The major reason we lost the war in Vietnam or was it Korea, yikes my mind is going. Anyway the major reason was that people in power wanted data. Things that can be measured. Results. But what was really happening could not be measured. We tend to measure what can be measured. But, miss the truly important stuff that is unmeasurable.

I always become frustrated when I have to make goals for the school year that are measurable. Really, how do you compare or measure smiles, the small light flickering on a student that is seeing something for the first time. Oh wait kids hold that for a second while I count your smiles and write down the data. NO. So I create goals that are measurable and shallow.

I am so glad that Christ came so that we can move from only the Mosaic Laws which are measurable, to the unmeasurable faith and love of Jesus. We do not earn our redemption, we accept the gift. After which our hearts change and we share the message through love and serving others. God does not want the data, the measurable. Doing more that is measurable does not always lead to good works. Slow down, do the unmeasurable.

Our works throughout our day should be done with love. It does not matter the job you have. Do it well, and sometimes it is the unmeasurable that matters the most.

Not sure why that song runs through my mind on Mondays. I only know a small part of the song.

It’s just another manic Monday
I wish it was Sunday
‘Cause that’s my fun day
My I don’t have to run day
It’s just another manic Monday

Yes, it is a flash back to many decades ago, the Bangles. Funny how some songs just keep coming back to us.

It is not like I have that much to do, summer break.

And when the school year is going, I love my Mondays.

Maybe Mondays would be less manic if more people really took their Sunday as the true pause day.

Pause and look and say it is good. God wants us to pause, to enjoy what we have. To see all He has given us. We are meant to pause through each and every day. Pause for just a bit, sit back and look, listen, smell and touch the moment. Appreciate who is with us, or the fact no one is with us. Appreciate the coffee or any drink. If there is food really taste it, be thankful for it.

Pause and see that it is good, if you look for good you will find it. We tend to find what we are looking for. So be careful with what you are looking for. Search for the smiles, the laughter, the gifts from God.

Don’t let the manic into your pauses.

Have a most wonderful day everyday. Know you are loved. Smile just in case someone is looking for a smile or needs a smile.

Today my Pastor Doug told the congregation he was taking a leave of absence due to a couple of issues one of which is exhaustion. Then he went on with a sermon on Most horrible awful day for Jesus from Matthew 14. Jesus started the day with news about John the Baptist being beheaded. Doug explained the progression of the day and how even Jesus need some time of quiet with God.

Hmm sound like the year of 2020 is a most horrible awful year. We have had a pandemic, riots and been quarantined. Many people losing their jobs. Many people isolated with no contacts other than through technology. I recipe for a horrible awful year.

The good thing is that the ads and news started to talk about our heroes, the doctors, nurses, first responders and truck drivers. . but….

Minister, pastors, and all those who serve the church communities are also heroes. They are not in the front working, they are on their knees praying, on the phones praying, standing in the parking lots praying. They organize the community to provide food, masks and other serves. These heroes are just as exhausted as the other heroes. They get calls all night and all day for prayers and comfort.

So I ask that we all take the time to pray for the spiritual heroes the pastors, ministers, priest and others. Feed them as they have fed us during this time of confusion. Love them as they have loved us. Serve them as they have served us.

Todays devotion from YouVersion, gave a story of a man explaining what shadows were to a child. He told the child it is when an object blocks the light. Hmm… I like that.

Shadows…. sins…. blocking of light. God’s light is blocked by sins we commit and that others have committed. But God, who pursues us, forgives the sin so we can see the light. We must give up our sins to God, ask for forgiveness and to forgive others.

In the recent days I have seen the affect of sin on our city. I also see the light coming through individuals who wish to heal others. The reaching out and stating the sin and asking for forgiveness is never easy. The shadow is huge and some find it is easier to live in darkness then to stand in the light.

I pray that I do not allow my sins to become a shadow that I want to live under. I pray that we all decide to learn and forgive. To forgive is not to forget, it is to move closer to what God wants of all of us.

This morning the air had such a lovely perfume, aroma. It was sweet from the white flowers blooming mixed with the smell of fresh earth and wet grass. Oh, I had to just sit back with my eyes closed and enjoy the gift. Every once in awhile bringing the aroma of coffee to my lips.

I am convinced that God speaks through the different aromas that he send my way daily. A whiff of wine makes me think of my sister and her joy of food and fine wines. She has a lovely blog about travel and food. But it is the essence of wine that brings her to me. https://www.lunchandluggage.com/

Where as the smell of gas, metal and exhaust makes me think of my brother who has a love of cars.

I have a collection of soaps from different places I have stayed. My favorite came from the time we were in Jamaica. When I pick up that soap and take a deep breath I can relive that week. I know strange habit of collecting soaps from different places. I am not talking about buying soap and keeping it. It is the soap I used, the hotel soap. I am sad that so many places are stopping the use of bar soap and going with the liquid dispensers.

So the perfume of the woods this morning made me think of the aroma of God. He is reminding me…that He is always surrounding me with His love.