Sunday, July 25, 2021

Five Minute Friday: Order

 Sigh* Yes, order. So I have spent the last half an hour searching for a verse I know is either in Proverbs or Psalms; or somewhere in the Bible. Pretty sure it’s one of those, Psalms or Proverbs. Goes something like, “For where there is order, there is peace.” In my vague memory, the general gist was something like, if your home is in order, tidy, orderly, well managed; then there will be peace in the home. 

Order equals peace. 

I have a girl, like my daughter, who cleans and brings order into our chaotic home. Beds, laundry. Floors. Lunch or dinner when I can’t. The house will be in perfect order when she is finished. And I will breathe peace  Rugs are vacuumed. Clean tablecloth. No dirty dishes or fishing equipment on the counters or dining room table. I like when I come home after she’s worked, I walk in, house smells fresh. I feel at peace. Free to sit outside or take a nap. Rest for my soul. Released from the pressure of doing what was needed, but so challenging for me to accomplish.

 I love order, but it is difficult for me in my home, my family, my mind.  Maybe if  my thoughts were in order, I will have peace of mind. Jesus sends us His peace. And if I am quiet, open to hear and feel His presence I can expect His order and His peace. 

Ok, like the formatting on this disjointed piece. Can’t figure out how to fix it. Not in o

Monday, July 12, 2021

Five Minute Friday: Summer

 Psalm 74:17  
You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth;  you have made summer and winter.

Seasons. 
Spring and fall 
Summer and winter
God hems in the earth
Sets it’s boundaries 
Each season makes possible 
The one to follow. 
Winter snow enriches the soil 
Allowing glories of spring 
Cleansing rainstorms 
Enrich the fields
Introducing summer’s production of food and flowers. 
The existence of humans depend on the cycling seasons 
Autumn paints the hillsides then
sheds its exquisit foliage 
Creating a fertile compost to receive the winter’s crystal blanket. 
So it begins again. 

Wednesday, July 07, 2021

Five Minute Friday: Deserve

 Coming from an extremely Orthodox Church background growing up; we were taught fervently that we deserve nothing. We were completely void of any good and wretchedly sinful. And yet oddly, Galatians was the theme book. I embraced Jesus knowing I needed saving. But it wasn’t really about Jesus the person. The Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He definitely did the saving, yet our sin nature always present, with no hope of debt relieving grace. Hence the conundrum. At least from a young teens perspective  

 I remember the end of all my dad’s praying, “Almighty God forgive us for we are wretchedly sinful and unworthy, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”

Years later I encountered a nondenominational church whose  people used Jesus first name. A lot. I was stunned and taken aback  It felt strange to say it. Jesus. Even the third person of the trinity, His name was spoken OUT LOUD!  All very strange  Holy Spirit. And, I could get saved; in a personal way, by a holy but real person.

Honestly, I believe I came into “the saving knowledge of faith,” when I was a teenager, but never given tools or teaching on how to walk out the Christian life. 

Now, I understand I do not in anyway deserve salvation. But Jesus, first name; suffered on the cross, died, and rose for my salvation. AND, placed in me a new nature  His!  Of course sin is still a battle  I know the end and who wins. Sanctification is my journey not a destination  I. Am. Not still a wretch. I am an heir with Christ. My eternity is assured  my soul is set free.