I’m a stickler when it comes to maximizing my time, sometimes to a fault. Lists leading to further lists, setting my timer when cleaning, and monitoring my TV intake unite to rein in my minutes. Of course, one call to keep the grandsweets and all this merrily flies out the proverbial window.
I share the above to say I value your time as much as I do my own. With this in mind, I’m trying a new format this summer by posting on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Tuesdays will be focused on tea but in a NEW way! Introducing Sharing Life Together…One Sip At A Time. Each Tuesday, you’re invited to join me at the tea table where I’ll share a verse we can “sip” on throughout the day. As a Bible teacher, I’m the first to encourage spending time studying the Word in depth but meditating on morsels of scripture is also a vital part of our spiritual growth. (Check out my post from 2012, Spiritual Pre-Mastication.)
Thursdays will include posts on serendipitous moments, photography, guest posts, God-glimpses, etc.
It was exciting to win an award for this blog at The Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference a few weeks back. However, my delight comes in staying connected with friends, making new ones, and hopefully encouraging the hearts of all those who stop by for a whiff of Christ here at Fragrant Ink.
I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. Psalm 119:15
It’s no surprise that Alicia Silverstone’s video of pre-chewing her 10 month old’s son’s food, known as pre-mastication, went viral last week. For most of us, the thought of transferring food from our mouth to our child’s, like a mother bird, makes us cringe a bit.
Many of us would never consider trying it. Yet, when it comes to our spiritual walk, we may find it quite tempting.
One indication that we may be practicing pre-mastication is when we find ourselves depending on a pastor’s sermon as our mainstay of spiritual food. After all, he’s done the chewing — praying, studying, preparing — throughout the week. Surely showing up once a week, opening our mouths Bibles and swallowing listening is sufficient.
What if we depended on one meal a week to sustain our physical bodies? We’d survive, but lack strength and endurance to accomplish all God has planned for us.
So how can we avoid spiritual pre-mastication?
Study the Word for ourselves. Local Christian bookstores offer a plethora of studies. When we spend time going deeper in the Word’s meaning, truth is transferred from the head to the heart, it’s digested, and lives change.
Consider taking notes on Sunday mornings. Engaging two senses instead of one increases the likelihood of our being able to recall the truths heard — not only that day, but throughout the week and beyond.
Meditate and memorize the Word. Meditating doesn’t require a sandy beach, loose fitting clothes, or music playing softly in the background. We choose one verse a day. Write it down. Keep it with us throughout the day and re-visit it often, asking the Lord what He would have to teach us through it. When we meditate, we memorize, and when we practice these disciplines, we’re digesting the living and active Word of God into our very being.
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. John 14:26 ESV
Cathy Baker
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