Prayer

For this weeks spiritual disipline we practiced prayer, I personally chose to practive Contemplative prayer. Like my previous post stated, I have a tendancy to have more of a one sided conversation with God. This allowed me to rest in His presence. Every morning this week I set my alarm for about ten minutes earlier. I laid in my bed and focused on each part of my body.
Monday: I prayed for guidence to use my body to serve others.
Tuesday: Allow my senses to worship you, through what I see, hear, smell, feel, and taste.
Wednesday: Let others see a light in me, teach me how to show my love for you.
Thursday: I gave thanks to God for my body. For my transplanted kidney, for the inner organs that were once so damaged, are healthy again. For my hips, that for a long time were so very painful are now pain free.
Friday: I simply focused on the word Peace.
Saturday: I thanked God for a day of rest, it was my Saturday off, and I simply rested in His name.
Sunday: I went rhough each day and pondered how God showed me exactly what I prayed for. I recounted the many times I stopped throughout the day to just say thanks God, something I feel I lack on sometimes.

God is good.

Take opportunities to rest in the glory of God this week, He will welcome it.

Blessings

"Our Father who art in Heaven...."

Prayer has been a part of my life as far as I can remember. I remember learning the Lord's prayer at a very early age, and also bed time prayers, "If I die before I wake I pray the Lord my soul to take..." but as a 22 year old, prayer has become such a bigger part of my life. Prayer has taken a role that is so much larger than a simple prayer I prayed as a child.
This week for class we have been focusing, as you can guess, prayer. This week hit me hard as I looked upon my prayer life. I will be honest in saying the many times I take the time to pray throughout the day are more requests to God than anything else. Many times I pray more if life is rough, then when life is good. I feel sometimes as if I have this check-list that I'm keeping God updated on. Once a request gets checked off, or answered then its off the list, never to be looked back upon. As we were discussing today in class, this was in the back of my mind, and I currently feel pretty guilty as I type this. Why is it that I pray more when life is tough, then when life is going well? I don't have a perfectly clear answer to this, but I know I will be trying hard to come to God in prayers of Thanksgiving more frequently because he has been so good to me.

Martin Luther says, in the excerpt from Praying in Faith "If you do not know or recognize your needs, or think you have none, then you are in the worst possible place. The greatest trouble we can ever know is thinking that we have no trouble for we have become hard-hearted and insensible to what is inside us." It's funny as I ponder many mornings at Kuyper College, when asked if there are any prayer requests, very few of us raise our hands to share. Are we becoming hard-hearted?

I agree whole heartedly on Martin Luthers thoughts on what to expect from prayer, he says, "Therefore you should confidently expect from God one of two things; either that your prayer will be granted, or, that if it is not granted, the granting of it would not be good for you."
I have seen this throughout my life. One example: soccer. Several years ago I prayed and prayed to just be able to get back on the soccer team. "It's my life God, I need to just get back in the game, to feel that rush." Yet, after several hip surgeries and a talk with my doctor, saying I would never play the game of soccer again, I didn't understand. Several years down the road, I realized, soccer was my life, it was becoming a "god". Just as Luther says, "that if it is not granted, the granting of it would not be good for you. God wanted to be number one in my life, not soccer. We all might not see the answer we want come out of a situation. A family member dies, a loss of a job, a dream shattered, but remember God knows what he is doing, he is in full control, we must learn to trust him in all outcomes.

Blessings

The Fourth Commandment

      For this week I chose my spiritual discipline to be Sabbath. I have had a few conversations with others on what it means to them to keep the Sabbath holy. We live in a world that avoids slowing down, we are constantly doing this or doing that, having our mind going and going its hard to just stop.
     Throughout the week I spent some time in thought on prayer on what my Sunday practices should look like. I wrote some thoughts down in my journal on what I would like to do to make sure Sunday is set a part from any other day in the week. Some of my thoughts were, limiting the amount of school work I do, maybe get to a point where I don't do any, taking a walk or a small nap to rest, avoid making a to-do list. This allowed me to ponder my thoughts and what God is asking me to do to keep the Sabbath special. I know the Sabbath and the practices people participate on the Sabbath are all different and we need to repsect what others believe is right or wrong. This allowed me to make a personal commitment to my Savior on how I will keep the Sabbath holy.
      Today I took a walk through the woods the length or our private drive with the dog. I spent time just basking on God's creation. I took my camera and took simple pictures of leaves, fallen trees, clouds, and of our property. I took the time to read through a devotional and replay the message I heard this morning at Church. Unfortunately with the scheduling of my week, I ended up working a little longer on my homework than I originally planned to, but I hope I can minimize the school work I do on Sundays in the future.
     I really notice the times where I treat the Sabbath like God intends us to do, verses the times I don't. This will be an on going challenge as I go through life to set a part a day to rest in the Lord.
        
    

"I spy God"

The last two weeks I have been practiving examination/ journaling for my spiritual discipline. This has allowed me, as with my discipline of silence, to take time out of my day to give to God. First week = fail. Yea, did not go so well, started out great for the first day and I realized how much I needed it. The rest, went down hill fast. But, there is hope! We had the opportunity to be able to continue on with this discipline for yet another week! Lets say this past week went so much better.

For examination, I took a few minutes before I went to bed or early in the morning to reflect on how God worked throughout my day. I feel sometimes I become a robot, so focused on habits and just getting though my day I forget to even reflect afterwards how my day even went. I sit down at the dinner table with the fam or talk on the phone with a friend, and I'm just like "yea my day went well." or "my classes were great." This allowed me to get away from "me" and focus on God. Like looking back and being in awe of the changing colors in the leaves and the fog over the fields on my way to school in the morning. The opportunity God gave me to share a little bit about my testimony to a total stranger at work.

As for the journaling aspect, I wrote down the answers to these several questions in my journal. For what moment today am I most grateful? When did I give and receive the most love today? When today did I have the deepest sense of connection with God, others and myself? It allowed me to reflect on the highs and the lows of each day. I also made a list of memories, of this past year. Times that brought me joy and the times that brought me sadness. The obstacles I overcame and the ones I'm still working on overcoming.

I challenge all who are reading my blog to take time out of their day and play, "I spy God"where did you spy God in your day?

Blessings.

We are Blessed

The three readings our class was assigned to read from the book Devotional Classics were all somewhat similar in my view, but yet touched in different aspects. Therefore, I'm going to answer a question at the end of each of the chapters for this blog.

In the final section, Augustine asks himself, "How long shall I go on saying 'Tomorrow, tomorrow'? Why not now? Why not make an end of my ugly sins at this moment?" How would you answer his question?

Well, honestly, I ask that same question myself sometimes. I believe the want to make an end to each of our sins is different for everyone. I believe there comes a time in each of our lives where the Holy Spirit knocks hard enough on our hearts to make us want to do something. It may be at some conference, or a worship night, maybe its sitting out in the woods during hunting season thinking about life when it hits you. We all need to come to a realization that this world we are living in, is not the best armor we have in fighting off what is right or wrong. We need to be able to arm ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, no longer will this world help us stand firmly.

In section 3 Teresa of Avila describes how reason, faith, memory, the will, and understanding work together to help us overcome our desire for sin. In your own words, explain what each of these cpacities does in its efforts to help us turn from sin.

Reason: Deep down in each of our souls,we have the ability to make rational decisions. Deep down we know its a fact that this world is like a little peep hole in a door to what the glories of Heaven will be like.

Faith: Faith is putting our trust out on the table, and allowing our soul to take a belief in the powers of what God is capable of doing.

Memory: Reminds us of what we have in the world, and the worldy things we dub so important are in fact nothing. It allows us to look back on the temptations we all  have dealt with, and how it may have felt so good at the time, in the end really doesn't make us feel so good.

Will: The will pushes the soul to give it all to God. To love our Lord. It shows us how we should not feel loved my worldly things, but how God gives life and love to everything, and will never leave us.

Understanding: Allows us to have an understanding that we will never have a better, loving, and everlasting friend than Jesus Christ. Who will stand by us through thick and thin, and as we journey down each road we take. 

Reflect on your baptism. What did it mean to you (or, if you were baptized as an infant, what has it meant to you)? According to this sermon, what does it mean to God?

I was baptized as a baby, at Immanuel CRC church. I treasure my baptism and the choice my parents made to promise to raise me up in a Christian home and support me in my faith. I also treasure the church's choice to love me and encourage me in my faith as well. My family and I are now members at Ada Bible where they strongly encourage adult baptism. As I met with the elders at Ada Bible when I was going through my membership course, they asked me what my baptism mean't to me and if I would be at all interested in getting baptized as an adult. I explained how I treasure my infant baptism, but I never would want to lose the significance of the choice my parents made to have me baptized. I have yet to be baptized as an adult, but I'm not opposed. As it explains in my earlier blog about my testimony and the many health struggles I have gone through. I feel it would be an incredible way to show how God has been faithful to me throughout my journey and to remind myself of the promise I made to Him as well.

John Chrysostom says, " What the cross is to Christ, baptism is to us. Christi died in the flesh; we have died to sin. Both are deaths and both are real." What I got out of what John is saying, is our baptism is a knowing that God has forgiven us as sinners. Being baptized to me is striving to live a life pleasing to God. Its living a new life and changing certain habits.

These chapters once again reminded me how loving and caring our God is. He is with us in times of trouble, in times of temptation, and in times of difficulty. Titus 3: 3-8 says, "At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

Blessings

"Temptation is the fire that brings up the scum of the heart" -William Shakespeare

The devotional this week that really caught my eye and made me think, was of excerpts from the book "The Imitation of Christ". This chapter focused on the temptations we face on a day to day basis. What are the temptations in your life? Eating an extra piece of chocolate cake when you know you are counting calories? Is it the temptation to have sexual relations out of marriage? The temptation to jump into a group of gossipy ladies because you know you have some juicy details? Whatever each of us are dealing with, we ALL have temptations, and we ALL know we can't run away from them. They will follow us wherever we go.

Have you ever fallen into those temptations? Many times it feels good, doesn't it? But how about afterward? Do you feel regret? Did that chocolate cake really not taste that great, as you now have to walk an extra couple miles to burn it off? What about sexual relations? Did it bring you pleasure, but are you now filled with pain? Knowing you gave something away you can never get back.

I have had my own tempations, ones I've fallen into, and the ones I deal with throughout the week. I've had the feeling of regret after I eat so much cookie dough that I feel just plain yuck! How many times have I fallen into the gossip world? Honestly, probably way too many to count. I know I ask God many times throughout the day for forgiveness, but why do I keep doing some of the things I do? Why do I keep falling into temptation? Thomas Kempis says, "Peace is not found by escaping temptations, but by being tried by them. We will have discovered peace when we have been tried and come through the trial of temptation." We should not pray asking for a life free of temptations, but a life of overcoming temptations. Through these temptations I learn I need a better understanding of my need for God's help. I can't do this on my own no matter how strong and solid I think I am.

Conrinthians 10: 12-13 says "So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fdall. No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it."

As each of us deals with our own temptations, I pray that you and I will find peace in God. I pray we don't get frustrated through this process because it will take time, but I hope we all will get to a point where we can say we no longer have the same alluring power, and that the temptations have become more subtle. Remember the Holy Spirit is with us through times of temptation, by guiding, strengthening, and encouraging us.

Blessings.

Silence

Like I stated in my previous post, this week I practiced silence as my spiritual discipline. Biggest eye opener, I in fact did not have silence in my daily life. My silence consisted of when I slept. My spiritual discipline handbook explained silence asks for two things: patience and waiting. Two things I am not very good at.

I set a ten minute time increment each day to “check out” from life, to focus on God, to marvel in His creation, and simply rest in the presence of God. These times consisted of turning of the radio in my car on my way to school. (I lost count on how many times I reached for the dial to turn it back on) I sat in my deer blind (not with my bow or any distractions, just merely enjoying God’s creation. Taking a walk at dusk down our drive and marveling at the sunset were just some of the ways I allowed silence into my life. Was it hard? Oh yea! I had to concentrate on not allowing “my life issues” to come into my thoughts, to avoid trying to solve problems or plan the rest of my day.  As the week went on, it became a little easier to welcome silence into my life; in fact I realized how much I need it.

It was shocking to look over my day and looks back at the many conversations I was involved in, I could remember who I had it with, but not always what we talked about. The many songs that came on the radio, I couldn’t remember the ones I heard. My days start to melt together and already it’s the weekend, silence for me splits it up.  Silence brings a sense of peace in my life. It’s a time to rejuvenate, a time to be open to what God has to say, and it’s a time where I can take a step out of my day and give to the Lord.

I’m going to end this post with a quote from the book. “Lean into God, trusting that being with him will in silence will loosen your rootedness in the world and plant you by streams of living water. It can form your life, even if it doesn’t solve your life.” (Calhoun) It was hard to give up trying to solve my current problems or analyzing what happened in the day as I’m sitting there in silence, it still is, but it’s getting easier as I trust in God for peace and rest in Him.

Henri Noumen says, "We engage in the spiritual disciplines, in order to prevent the world from filling our lives to such an extent that there is no place left to listen."

Oh Boy. This week my spiritual discipline has been, silence. I will blog more about that in my next blog. But to set the stage we are reading Devotional Classics, a book compiled of many excerpts from well known Christian authors. This week as a class have been diving into "removing the false self." I have learned to take a step back and look at myself as a whole. What is it that defines me? What are things in my life that are preventing me from just listening? It has been a real eye opener to me how much I go through my day to day living by just simply living.

I confess that when I pray, its to say thanks, and then requests to God. There is never a time I just sit in peace, in solitude and am open to just listening. In the book of first kings 19: 9-13 God could have spoken to Elijah in the violent wind, the earthquake, or the fire, but instead chose to speak in a still small voice. I smile to myself when I read these vereses, because I think back to my day, to my week, did I ever give God a chance to even be heard? I learned I need solitude in my life. I need time set aside to sit in utter peace, being willing and open to allow God to speak to me.