by Cathy Baker | Faith |
Are you a creature of habit?
Confession: I use the same coffee mug for my morning brew (it’s 10 years old), enjoy almond butter toast every day by 7:30 a.m. and I use purple pens only for poetry. I also have the propensity to stick with the same routine when it comes to spending time with my Maker.
The good thing about habits is that they provide predictability.
The bad thing about habits is that they provide predictability.
On the one hand certainty brings stability, which inherently leads to comfort. We know what to expect and when to expect it. (I feel comforted already.)
On the other hand some things can become so ordinary, so predictable, that its uniqueness wanders and wanes—including our time with God—if we’re brutally honest with ourselves. (My comfort level is quickly dwindling.)
Time with God can look different for everyone, as well it should. As for me, I’ve done the same thing for many years (surprise!), including journaling, reading His Word, praying aloud, and studying. In recent years, however, I’ve sensed a need to kick predictability to the proverbial curb by trying fresh ways to connect with my heavenly Father, such as:
- Taking a walk around my backyard, thanking Him for even the slightest hint of creative handiwork.
- Singing to Him.
- Journaling with instrumental music playing in background.
- Releasing the “doing” part of the time (studying, journaling, etc.) and simply “receiving” what He reveals to me in His Word.
Most recently, I signed up with Christ Notes to receive a randomly selected daily verse. I write it in my journal along with answers to the following questions:
- What word or phrase speaks to me?
- What do I need to hear today?
- How do I respond?
You may want to give it a try! It’s not what I’ll use every day, but varying my time with God breathes life in to the routine and renews an appreciation for the fact that He didn’t create us to be robots, but rather, His children.
And children are rarely predictable.
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be
called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world
does not know us is that it did not know him. 1 John 3:1
How about you? Have you tried something new during your quiet time? Please share in the comment section!
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
Welcome, friend.
I hope
you’ll pull up a chair and make yourself comfy while I’ll pour us a
cuppa tea. Imaginary tea, after all, is always special.
I’m asking God to STIR us, awakening us to His Word that we might allow it to STEEP deeply into
our souls. As we take a moment to SIP on one word this week, my prayer is that it will move us to the point of action.
So, how was your holiday weekend?
Ours was great! Bucky’s BBQ, time with the family, and an opportunity to attend our former church, where Brian played drums for their patriotic music service. Old Glory surged through my veins, exposing a gap in gratefulness of the heart—both as a citizen of the United States and more importantly, a primary citizen of heaven.
Heavenly Father,
Open our eyes and stir our convictions as You reveal places of ungratefulness in our lives. Those places lacking honor for the sacrifices made on our behalf.
Places blinded by busyness, selfishness, and ignorance.
Amen.
Father, will you steep Your Word deeply into our soul?
Make sure you don’t take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good…Hebrews 13:16 The Message
Is there one particular word from the above scripture you feel
led to “sip” on, to meditate on, throughout this week?
———————————–
My word this week is “you.” This tells me it’s my responsibility to see—really see—people, things, and circumstances with fresh, appreciative eyes.
Before
we bring our time to a close, consider one tangible way to “pour”
out His truth in response to the word(s) we’ve chosen above.
Thanks for stopping by today at Sharing Life Together…One Sip At A Time. Would you consider joining in the conversation by leaving your “word” in the comment box? Blessings!
He
does not delight in the strength of the horse; He does not take
pleasure in the legs of a man. The LORD favors those who fear Him, Those
who wait for His lovingkindness. – See more at:
http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Delight,-God-Expressing#sthash.MnlQbRF6.dpuf
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him,
so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
OK, I just caught the typo in the above graphic and it sent shivers down my spine but then I realized it’s hopefully probably intentional to get the point across that there’s no room for perfectionism when doing Morning Pages.
In
this post a couple weeks back, I issued a challenge of sorts to see who might be interested in giving Morning Pages a try—and then I realized my end date fell on a holiday week. Lesson learned but I still received some great feedback:
I noticed several themes when writing my pages. I’ve had to address some issues and pray about others. I realized I felt overwhelmed at times. Some needs as well as dreams surfaced as I put pen to paper. I enjoy writing my pages and plan to continue. Thank you for sharing this exercise with me.
It’s been very freeing. The mornings I’ve done this, it’s cleared my mind and I’ve been able to focus easier. I tried it a couple of evenings as well and found it helped quiet my mind for sleep. Thanks again for the challenge!
Tammie Fickas:
I
found it just as hard to make time for the morning pages as I do for
any journaling. That’s just me, though. Journaling has always been hard
for me. However, I found that when I did get the Morning Pages done it
really helped with getting my thoughts out of my head. Began to see
things more clearly in some things that I’ve ben struggling with for a
while.
Lori Roeleveld:
One
way Morning Pages helps me is that it’s like a mind-purge. It’s like a
mental defragmenter that dissolves the thought clogs that keep me from a
free flow of ideas. It’s also a free form of therapy as it reflects
back to me my own thinking in a way that confronts me with my daily
truth. When I see myself write something over and over, it forces me to
either face it or do something about it.
Like Lori, Morning Pages highlighted for me the need for a mind-purge. Debris from days past floated in my head much like orbital objects with no place to land. But once the nonsensical thoughts descended on the page, they disintegrated, readying my mind for the day ahead. I plan to do Morning Pages two mornings a week, at least for now.
Thanks to everyone for participating and especially for sharing your feedback. Lori Roeleveld is the winner of the Starbucks gift card. (Thanks
Random Name Picker) A cup of coffee (or tea!) is on its way for you to enjoy while writing away.
Several requested we do this again in a few months so stay tuned!
Happy 4th, my friends.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
In celebration of all you summer-lovers out there here are three diverse ways to soak up the season for all it’s worth. Enjoy!
What I appreciate most about Ginger
Harrington’s recent post, 21 Ways to Refresh Your Spiritual Routine,
is how each suggestion is simple, making them both doable and
refreshing, especially during busy this season. Here are three of those
ways:
- Declutter your mind and schedule
- Make a new playlist of worship songs—and really worship when you listen
- Take a prayer walk
To read the post in its entirety, please visit Ginger’s delightful (and insightful!) site, Ginger’s Corner…Where the Spiritual Meets the Practical.
Who wants to spend the day cleaning when summer fun awaits? Better yet, who wants to spend the day cleaning? It’s one of those things that must be done, but doing so in a timely manner can add hours to our day. That’s why I’m all about checklists. Thank you, Tips Bulletin!
Super Fast Sorbet in a Ziploc Bag!
I plan to try this idea, especially since Honey Mangoes are in season (and Piper loves them!) If you beat me to it, let me know what you think. Thanks, Fresh 180°.
So, what might spiritual routines, cleaning house, and super fast sorbet have in common? At first glance, not much at all, but each has the potential to offer their own type of refreshment and who couldn’t use some of that this season?
“Love is the greatest refreshment in life.” -Pablo Piccaso
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
Welcome!
Thanks for stopping by. Pull up a chair, make yourself comfy, and I’ll pour us a cuppa tea.
I wish
we could physically sit across such a table together, but since most of
us cannot, I created a summer tea time on Tuesday’s just for us.
We’ll begin by asking God to stir us, awakening us to today’s takeaway. My prayer is that He will take today’s scripture and steep it deeply into our souls as we take a moment to ponder on, sip on, one word from the verse throughout out the week, moving us toward one particular action.
Today’s tea time is all about friendships. You know…the friend who quietly alerts you to the grits wedged tightly between your teeth (two guesses as to my favorite time to meet!) Most importantly, the kind of friend who boldly but lovingly speaks truth. These are the friendships I want surrounding me, and I’m thankful many of them do. One such friend for me is Becky. When I spend time with her, my spirit hits a “reset” button of sorts. I leave with a clearer understanding of God, of my role in the big scheme of things and perhaps more importantly, what my role is not. Thank you, Beck.
So, how about you? Does someone come to mind? Who are those friends for you?
Heavenly Father,
You created meaningful connections with us in mind, knowing how desperately we’d need one another.
And on those days when truth pierces like a sword, leaving us breathless, we can choose to trust. For the wounds of a true friend is motivated by their love for us, by truth, and for Your ultimate glorification. (Prov. 27:6) May our friendships cast a clear reflection of your grace and mercy to those around us. Thank You for our friends, Father.
Amen.
This week’s verse we pray will steep richly and deeply
into our hearts and minds:
A friend loves at all times.
Proverbs 17:17
Let’s choose one word from the above verse to “sip” on throughout this week, asking the Lord to show us why this word or
phrase stands out to us at this particular time.
———————————–
I choose the word “all.” Come misspoken words, unintentional neglect, grit-laden teeth, misunderstandings or miles between us, I am to love—at all times—and I fail miserably. Please forgive me.
Before we bring our time to a close, let’s consider one tangible way to “pour” out His truth in response to the word(s) we’ve chosen above.
Thank you for sharing a tea table with me today at Sharing Life Together…One Sip At A Time.
Would you consider joining in the conversation by leaving your “word” or in the comment box? Blessings to you, my friend!
