Fruitful Words

How many of you use Google reader to keep track of your blog reading? Or some other reader?

• How many blogs do you track?
• Are they in the same category or varied? What are the categories?

I wonder what my blog reading choices reveal about me. What do they reveal about you?

This could be an interesting meme. You know the drill. Answer the questions. Tag a few people with the info here. Link back.

Jesus might say one of the following:

1. The Father and I are One.
2. Greatness? Humble servant, always obedient.
3. I always do the Father’s will.
4. My life, for yours, for eternity.

Saint Augustine could be quoted as saying:

1. Desire what I know God desires.

The Westminster Larger Catechism says:

1. Glorify God and enjoy him forever.

Somethings I say:

1. Don’t let fear make your decisions.
2. Walk with your eyes forward. Ouch! (I added the ouch to make it 6 words.)
3. Do not make decisions at night.

Wondering what I’m doing? The other day, Theresa from Stitches of Grace sent me this meme. I keep thinking about it. Even in my dreams.

I’ve written 2 other posts about it. One is what others say is their 6 word philosophy. The other one is my reply.

Writing my reply has given me perspective on life. Upon further contemplation, I think I have a ways to go. I’m still so self-centered. In reality my life does not always match up to my philosophy: Joyful Hope, Patient Affliction, Faithful Prayer.

I don’t want to be a complainer with hope. I don’t want to be bitter about my afflictions. I don’t want to be feckless in prayer. It is EASY to do the don’ts.

I want to live an uncommon life of being joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.

Father God, fill me with Your Spirit’s joy, patience and faithfulness. Help me to remember that life on Earth is an ongoing task that is sometimes hard, therefore, requiring hope and prayer. Give me Your power to live life in obedience and to live life well. Amen.

I’ve been reading the answers people have been leaving to this meme. It’s causing me to think some more; AND the opportunity to investigate blogs outside my norm.

Since I’m the curious sort, I investigated to see how far back this meme goes. Looks like about 11 generations. Heidi (who lives in the Netherlands) is the first person mentioned. Heidi has 2 blogs and I wasn’t able to find the original post. Her blogs are as follows: Celebrate the Seasons, Needle Necessities. She is also part of a group blog titled Creative Home Life.

1. Heidi from the Netherlands tagged Rhondi at Rose Colored Glasses. Rhondi’s answer is . . . Laughed, cried, worked, played, loved, prayed. Rhondi tagged Deb of Posted From Home.
2. Deb’s six words are: Live Life With a grateful heart. Deb of Posted From Home tagged Tara from Days Missed on a Hammock.
3. Tara’s philosophy is . . . Make Lemonade Out of Life’s Lemons. Tara from Days Missed on a Hammock tagged Oliver Rain.
4. Oliver Rain’s answer is . . . Everything Works Out in the End. Oliver Rain tagged My Cakies.
5. My Cakies lives by the following philosophy . . . Enjoy God & Make Him Known. (Side note Look here for a beautiful felt crown for a princess. Can you tell I’m a princess at heart?) My Cakies tagged Jenny at Babyfingers.
6. Jenny’s answer is . . . Exit your comfort zone everyday. Jenny from Babyfingers tagged Julie at the Knotted Apron Strings.
7. Julie’s contribution is “Do the Math . . . Count Your Blessings.” Julie at Knotted Apron Strings tagged Theresa from Knitting Non Pareil.
8. Theresa’s answer is . . . Learn to love who you are. Theresa from Knitting NonPareil tagged Theresa from Stitches of Grace.
9. Theresa’s 6 words philosophy is . . . . Seek first the kingdom of God. Theresa from Stitches of Grace tagged me. My answer is Joyful Hope. Patient Affliction. Faithful Prayer. So far none of those I’ve tagged have responded.
10. Theresa also tagged Amy from Journaling Back to Joy. Her 3 people have answered. Teresa, The Virginia Queen Bee’s Answer: When I am weak, then I am strong. Perri’s, My Life in Bits & Pieces wrote: God’s in control, I’m at peace. Michelle at Happy Mom 777 also said: Seek first the Kingdom of God.

This was fun researching. So many wonderful projects, photos, thoughts and recipes to look at. Have a looksee and tell me what struck your eye. Either on the blogs or about the 6 word summaries.

Also let me know if we can go back further than Heidi. Thanks.

Coming up with my Philosophy of Life took some thinking. What is my philosophy of life? What truths do I follow consciously or unconsciously?

And it took 12 tries:

1. God loves me. Live like it.
2. First things first. Forget the rest.
3. Weary but still hanging in there.
4. Live life on purpose every day.
5. Forgetting is easy, forgiving is hard. (At 50, forgetting is a natural talent.)
6. Friends are treasures. Tell them often.
7. Loving God. Loving others. Loving myself.
8. Life is hard. Deal with it.
9. I love being mom, auntie, sister.
10. Breathe. Eat. Read. Walk. Think. Talk.
11. Forgive often. Pray always. Love now.
12. Joyful Hope, Patient Affliction, Faithful Prayer.

I choose #12 as my 6 word philosophy of life.

It comes from Romans 12:12: Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. This has been my on-again, off-again verse for the year for many years. It gives me proper perspective on how to handle life. It also reminds me that life here on earth is short, has a purpose, and is preparation for a greater forever destiny - Heaven. Most importantly it reminds me that Someone (God) is in control, has the answers and power and wants to share both with those who ask and obey.

This meme was brought to you by . . . . Theresa from Stitches of Grace . She tagged 3 people (me, Lynette and Amy) for this meme.

Memes have rules. Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you. Done.
2. Post the rules. Done.
3. Share a 6 word philosophy of life. Done.
4. Tag 3 other people. I’ll tag 6 because in RSVPing there is usually a 50% chance of a No: Lori, Doodah, RunningShoes, Jenny, Alanna, Can’t Backspace. It would be awesome if either Catlady or Duker left their 6 word philosophy in the comment section.

Be warned. This is not as easy as it looks. Be sure to let me know if you do participate.

11 observations while in my 5oth birthday present - a hot air balloon ride on Saturday, April 19, 2008, Napa Valley, CA.

1. I’m terrified of heights. When walking across the highest suspension bridge in the world located in Canon City, Colorado . . . . atop an aqua duct in France . . . . while navigating the catwalk in many castles in England, I was sacred white and legless. BUT NOT in a hot air balloon at 1000 feet. My son was sure I’d claw gouges into his arm from fear.
2. Obey the signs. Except when following the instructions are not in our best interest. There was a HUGE Land Here sign carved into a grassy field. It was tempting to land there. But the pilot wasn’t able to navigate the air currents just right so that we could land safely. He assessed the situation and decided to make a new plan. We liked that better because we got to fly 20-30 minutes longer.
3. Unseen air currents do the unexpected. So it was necessary for the pilot to carefully watch how the balloons in front and behind him were flying. He also asked for help from those on the ground. Our pilot was surrounded with help before, behind, and underneath. And of course in the basket with us was a simple instrument panel.
   
4. My glasses stayed on my face. For some reason I thought my glasses would have this urge to leap off my face. Never happened.
5. It was noisier in the balloon than I thought. The release of the gas made for a noisy, heated time. The taller people were advised to wear a hat in order to protect their head from the heat.
6. It was colder than I expected. The guide told us to NOT over-dress because the heat from the balloon would be sufficient. At the last minute I decided to grab my gloves and winter jacket. Good move - I used both as it was still nippy even with the heat descending upon our heads.
7. Our pilot was a pro. Evidently Bob is one of the best pilots around. In the winter, Bob flies air balloons in Switzerland. A lot of those trips are 2-3 hours and come with food and wine to consume during the ride. We had our champagne breakfast after the ride. I was glad of this - that way my sista could join us.
8. The time zoomed by. We were in the air for 1 hr 20 minutes and flew 7 miles. The mileage was a personal record for Bob. It didn’t seem like I was standing for that long of a time.
9. Trouble in, trouble out. I am not the most elegant, graceful or limber of people. I had to have a huge push from behind in order to get over the side of the basket. The side came to the top of my ribcage. I wasn’t too embarrassed - I am getting used to it by now.
10. Doing something new is a bonding experience. This flight and the rest of the day (thanks to my daughter’s ideas) will rank as one of the best birthday presents. Now whenever I see/hear/think about a hot air balloon, I will always think about that day. There will not be any competing memories.
11. Hurray for my 51 Things List. I’ve wanted to go on a hot air balloon for awhile, but I don’t always remember what I want to do. This list is a great way to remember and then to decide which things in life I’ll do during this year I turned 50. This list includes Habits and Events.

I am very grateful to my sista, son and daughter for their respective parts in making this day so special. It was WORTH the wait.

Have you ever been in a hot air balloon? Tell us about your experience.

In 6 weeks about 50 women from church will be going to Women’s Retreat 2008 in the Tahoe area. In order to receive the most impact there and long term, I’m going to journal/assess 4 areas.

I’ll assess my relationships, the challenges/problems in my life, the Retreat experience and my follow up/accountability plan.

1. Assess my relationships. This will be in 3 areas: (a) God, (b) myself, (c) others. I will take the time to ask and honestly answer the following two questions in the three areas. (i) How’s my giving? (ii) How’s my receiving? I am purposefully making them broad categories so I don’t go into this pondering time with preconceived notions.
2. Assess the challenges/problems in my life. Again, I will do 3 things. (a) Look at what’s not working in my life. (b) Look at what’s working. (c) Brainstorm and pray (by myself or with a friend) about what to do next.
3. Assess the Retreat experience. (a) What are the golden nuggets of info that have impacted me? (b) What will I continue to do at home or start once I’m home? (c) These are some of my ideas from past retreats: include pampering in daily life; have planned meals instead of chaotic snacks; implement a flexible, fun schedule and follow it; more time in Nature; have more silent time.
4. Assess my follow up/accountability plan. Without such a plan, all my gold nuggets will turn into dust and puff away with the wind. Therefore, I will answer the following questions. (a) Who will I share my insights with? (b) What do I want her to do with/for me? (c) When will I talk to her?

I will also take time to create an evaluation card for my life. Every three months I will look at that card to see how I am doing. I will share these results with my accountability person.

So what’s your plan to make retreat more meaningful?

“I never wear a watch because I always know it’s now - and now is when you should do it.” Steve Mariucci, San Francisco 49ers Head Coach

I have so many items on my to-do list that are NOW  items. Instead of trying to do them all today, my question to myself is . . . .

. . . . What 2 things will make the most impact by their completion?

Sigh of relief - only 2 things. That is my promise to myself.

I need to make 2 phone calls. I don’t like making phone calls. Silly, isn’t it?

What 2 things would most impact your life? If you share, I’ll be praying for you.

______________________________________________________________________

P.S. I never wear a watch either, but that’s cuz I’m allergic to metal.

Do you ever wonder if you are on the right path? Doing God’s will? Last week I wrote a paper for my New Testament class about women and how Jesus interacted with them. While writing this post on a small portiion of that paper, God showed me that answer.

Jesus consistently ignored tradition by speaking seriously with women: by teaching them and by allowing them to participate in ministry with Him.

For instance, Jesus ignored tradition by allowing and commending Mary for her choice to sit at his feet as a disciple. In fact, Scripture records Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus in three different places.  This was not a conventional or even accepted practice for women.

Martha, Mary’s sister fulfilled her required domestic duties and yet Jesus did not commend her for this choice. 

“Martha needed to be reminded of the priority of word over bread. (Matthew 4:4). Luke’s story of Jesus in the home of Martha and Mary puts him solidly on the side of recognition of the full personhood of women, with the right to options for her own life. In socializing with both sisters and in defending Mary’s right to a role then commonly denied a Jewish woman, Jesus was following his far reaching principle of human liberation.”

Evelyn & Frank Stagg, Women in the World of Jesus, page 119

I am grateful that I have options for my life. It is also a bit scary. And it carries with it the weight of responsibility. Time and again this week (when I wasn’t feverish about paper-writing), I ruminated on how to live my life. What to seek first in every moment. 

Several times I asked myself:  “Is it really worth the life of our Lord, what [I'm] doing? (by David Lowes Watson)

All this thinking and writing has given me an answer. From God to me. Yes, at this time in my life, I am doing the worthy. I am sitting at the feet of my Lord, learning. And it’s okay. Jesus said so.

“Thank you, Lord, for this reminder of where You want me at this time in my life. Help me to consistently choose the options that are worthy. . . .

• Not safe . . . .
• Not conventional . . . .
• Not society’s plan . . . .

Unless That’s Your Will for ME.”

How about you, sister? Are you where God wants you?

I woke up with this thought, “Seek first the kingdom of God.“

My New Testament prof told us “the kingdom of God is wherever God’s will is being done.”

So my to-do list is down to one main principle - doing God’s will. Still hard to figure out what to do at times.

Maybe pondering the following question will help . . . “Is it really worth the life of our Lord, what we’re doing? (by David Lowes Watson)

“If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s .” Joseph Campbell

As you know I’ve been mulling over procrastination, balanced living, the best me, God’s will.

I woke up feeling overwhelmed and missing God. So this morning I did something I used to always do:  During my morning devotional time I looked for personal answers instead of reading the Bible for intellectual or theological answers.

So just for today, I will . . .

• Concentrate on today’s issues - not tomorrow’s b/c I don’t really know what will happen tomorrow.
• Question - what am I doing/not doing that will lead me to danger? What will I do/not do so that doesn’t happen?
• Think on who God is - Bigger than anything - instead of what I fear.

Nothing earth shattering here, but life-changing if/when I consistently apply Biblical principals to me life.

What did you get from your morning time with God?