Lent - A Time of Reflection, Repentance, and Renewal

The time flies, but I am sure that I am not telling you anything new. I can't belive that Easter is only 40 days away - can you? Spring has not sprung over here, so it is hard to believe that it is suppose to be around the corner.

That being said, today is the day that lent started. I have never done this time of reflection and repentance before, but I thought this would be a good year to start this tradition. And I wanted to include the kids in this, at least my two oldest.

What I read about this special time is that it is a reflective time of repentance and renewal. A time of examining ourselves and to make that conscious decision to turn away from things that are not glorifying God in any way. The suggestions go from adding something that pleases God, to removing something that distracts from God, or even takes His place. This is a time to grow in our relationship with Jesus.

For myself, I decided to add a daily devotional time and a prayer for a person that I felt I needed to pray for. I have not been very consistent with my devotionals over the past year and a half, and I feel the need to bring that good habit back into my life. After all, when I do spend special time with God and in His word, I feel so much better. So I recommit my life to more prayer.

The idea of removing something distracting was a bit harder. Finally, I decided to stay away from cheating. I am sure you are shocked now, but yes, I cheat. I dislike to claim that I am Vegan when fish is part of my diet, but unfortunately, lately, I have also had alot of dairy intake. And I felt convicted to change that. So no more cheese or ice cream for the next 40 days. Of course, I am doing that with the hope to slip back into the habit of being a full Vegan once again. 

My kids decided to stay away from candy and snacks - which I think at their age, is very appropriate, AND it was alone their choice. Coqui will do a 40 day devotional on his own. I hope that will lead to some great discussions between the two of us. Of course, we will include some of the bible stories involving Easter and the time before and after, in our school schedule.

What I want for them to take away from this experience is the feeling of grace and forgiveness. I want them to understand that we are all sinners and that we all need our loving God to forgive us, to show us mercy and grace. Eventually, I want to introduce them to the idea of salvation. (Romans 5:19 "For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.")

I am looking forward to the special time with God and with my children. I am praying for many blessings for us and for others that we are praying for. I am praying for further healing for myself and for a life that is filled with love rather than war. I want to commit my life to loving others, spreading the good news, and to being a light in this world. 

How about you, are you following the tradition of lent? What are you doing? 

Finally, here is a Prayer for the time of Lent:
Psalm 51:3-17 (NIV)

³ For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.
⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth,
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
⁶ Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins
    and blot out all my iniquity.

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
    so that sinners will turn back to you.
¹⁴ Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
    you who are God my Savior,
    and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
¹⁵ Open my lips, Lord,
    and my mouth will declare your praise.
¹⁶ You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
¹⁷ My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart
    you, God, will not despise.

Taking Time

I receive a daily email with a devotional. Sometimes, it strikes me as totally relevant to my life right now, other times, I have to admit, I only glance at it and then erase it.... 
Today's writing was just a good reminder to enjoy life with less haste and more relaxation. So the following words are NOT from me, I have simply copy and pasted them from Pastor Allen from Apostle Paul Ministries in California.

"To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven." ( Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV )
The funny thing is that the message at church was the same one: patience and listening to God's timing not ours. It is hard to have patience. I admit that I can have all the patience in the world with the kids and most other things, but put me behind a wheel and I turn into a very pushy driver....... So I was reminded to slow down to enjoy the nice things about life, and to practice patience - simple and yet so hard to do. 

Then the pastor shared this poem - very powerful words: 

                     TAKING TIME
      Take time to think...It is the source of power.

      Take time to play...It is the secret of perpetual youth.

      Take time to read...It is the fountain of wisdom.

      Take time to pray...It is the greatest power on Earth.

      Take time to love and be loved...It is a God-given privilege.

      Take time to be friendly...It is the road to happiness.

      Take time to laugh...It is the music of the soul.

      Take time to give...It is too short a day to be selfish.

      Take time to work...It is the price of success.

      Take time to do charity...It is the key to Heaven.
                                        Author Unknown

BE BLESSED.

A Garden For Everyone

Good morning everyone,
I hope you have a blessed Sunday. I wanted to share this devotional that I received yesterday - it's awesome!

The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.  You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.  
(Isaiah 58:11 NIV)
Though this is a great verse that immediately became a part of my declarations, I am excited about what follows now. I don't have a green thumb - even though my favorite color is green, and my favorite season is spring - I tend to 'kill' most plants that are under my care.
That's why I am so excited about this type of garden that God wants us to plant anywhere or at anytime of the year - it doesn't have to be spring.  And God is meeting us wherever we are, so I hope you will enjoy this special
garden as much as I did when I read it yesterday. 
Here are the instructions for planting it:

Plant Three Rows Of Peas  -  For The Garden Of Your Daily Living:
     1. PEACE Of Mind
     2. PEACE Of Heart
     3. PEACE Of Soul

Plant Four Rows Of Squash:
     1. Squash gossip
     2. Squash indifference
     3. Squash grumbling
     4. Squash selfishness

Plant Four Rows Of Lettuce;
     1. Lettuce be faithful
     2. Lettuce be kind
     3. Lettuce be patient
     4. Lettuce really love one another

Now No Garden Should Be Without Turnips - so Plant 3 Rows Of Turnips;
     1. Turnip for meetings
     2. Turnip for service
     3. Turnip to help one another

Finally, Your Garden Must Have Thyme;
     1. Thyme for each other
     2. Thyme for family
     3. Thyme for friends
     4. Thyme for prayer
 
Water Freely With Patience and Cultivate With LOVE.

There should be much fruit in your garden, after all "We Reap What We Sow."  Therefore "Happy Gardening," everyone.
Amen.

Devotional: Bring It To Jesus

Moment In The Word

Greetings

TODAY'S VERSE TODAY'S VERSE "So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." Hebrew 4:14-16 (NLT)

TODAY'S THOUGHT Sometimes you need a helping hand. You need someone who understands what you are going through and can help you navigate difficult times. Jesus is that intercessor. He is God with all the power and wisdom we need, yet because of His volunteer time spent on earth in human form, He knows exactly what we are going through. He knows all our limitations, frailty, emotions and how to work with them and live a victorious life. He can guide us down the same path of faith, strength, hope and love that He took. So let's do what the author of Hebrews suggests. Let's come boldly to our gracious God and ask Him for the help we need today. We will find Him gracious, compassionate and able to help us when we need it the most.

TODAY'S PRAYER Dear Jesus, I come to You because You know all about me. You know my situation. You know my thoughts, my frustrations and my desires. You know my needs. I come to You because You are endlessly compassionate toward me and I know that You will help me when I need it the most. I give You this day with all of its challenges, struggles and complexities. In Jesus' name. AMEN

TODAY'S AFFIRMATION & MEDITATION -I come boldly to Jesus with all my needs Jesus is near. As you meditate, see Him inviting you to come to Him. As you draw close you can sense that He cares. You know in your heart that He understands you. He accepts you. He loves you. There is an affinity in your soul with Him and you can feel a joy build inside you. See yourself coming boldly to Him, because He asks you to. Affirm, "I come boldly to Jesus with all my needs."

**********************************************************************************************************************************
These are NOT my words. 
It comes from my daily devotional (ron@calvaryop.org   •   http://www.layministry.com) and it just hit home when I read it, and I felt the need to pass it along to all of you. Most of our days, it is hard to comprehend who God is, what He does for us, and how MUCH He loves us. What a comfort to know that He understands us! At least it is to me. How many times have I gotten frustrated because humans failed to understand me, or at least tried. Now I can lean on my Savior with the peace that at least One hears my cries and has the ability to give me happiness. 
Thank you, Lord. Amen.

Friday thoughts

Today is Friday - have you noticed?

I have. My week was crazy. I don't mean crazy as in crazy busy, I mean crazy as to the emotions our family has been through this week. Some weeks just pass by and nothing really happens (besides daily craziness in a house with two young-ems) , and some weeks seem to provide us with an abundance of action and emotion. This was one of those weeks.

We started a co-op on Monday. So from now on, Coqui is taking place in a Spanish class, and starting next week also an Art class. It's done in the same house, by the same teacher. We are only about four families that come to this co-op, but we all have  little ones, so it will be crazy enough. This is very exciting for me... as I have been looking for a support group and/or co-op for a while.

Tuesday we went on a pool adventure, but it turned out to be disastrous. It was too hot, for me, no shade, the big pool too scary for my little girl, and the little opened late; it was dirty and the kids just didn't behave as desired. By the time we got back home, I was just done with my day.... unfortunately the day was not over. Coqui gave me a hard time with school, he didn't listen and both kids did NOT take a nap. The kids kept complaining about everything, were all whiny, and it was just not pretty.
By Wednesday, I felt so unappreciated that I was ready for a vacation. Thank goodness for friends, who talked to me. They invited us for play dates and it was much easier to deal with the kids that way. They could have fun and run around crazy, getting rid of some of their energy which leads to less bottled-up emotions for them. I went running and could release some of my emotions that way. I even went running two days in a row, because I felt like that helps me to energize myself for the day, but also liberates some of my frustrations.
Today I feel much better, have more energy to face the rest of the week.

So what brought me to write this all down?
Well, feeling overwhelmed like I did this week, I also felt very far away from God. I KNOW that God is all around me, walks me through the day and only gives me trials that I can deal with. I know that. But I just did not feel it this week. I am sure you know what I mean.We walk in God's presence but we are not really aware of it, or rather Him. So today, I want to conscientiously return to His presence; I want to make the deliberate choice of focusing on Him and simply converse with Him.

Amen.