The Timeless Tide

This is the beach at Longboat Key, Fl.  The whole island is too beautiful to take in -
Watching the water wash up onto the beach was so relaxing -  I wanted to collect shells and sit and stare at the never ending tide with it's waves moving in and then back out.  How like eternity - only God could make something so beautiful and renewing to my spirit!    I could have stayed there for hours -  Maybe in heaven there will be a beach for me to sit on, even close enough to the water to have the waves wash up around me  and over me - I would like that. . . do you think when the meek inherit the earth such things will be included, such things as our desires for the simple timeless stuff?

Imagination over memory

In about 11 days I'll be 70.  I love the idea of this new era of my life.   I read these words recently, "One of the best things about aging is being able to watch imagination overtake memory".   I'm beginning to image some wonderful things for these beautiful years.
 I didn't bake this cake from memory, but I did imagine how it would look finished. 
 I can't remember the name of every person in every church that Gerald ever pastored, but I can close my eyes and see their smiles and I can reach out my heart and imagine  their spirit.  I thought the other day how awesome it would  be in heaven to see all those people from all those churches together, making up the body of Christ that I have known  through the years. 
 I can't recite the scriptures that I've poured into my soul through the years, but I can imagine how it has built a relationship between me and Jesus that is second to none. 
 I can't remember all the things that my parents told me through the years, but I can imagine them looking over the banisters of heaven and saying, "Look at that, she did remember!"  
 I can't remember all the grammar that I studied in school, but in my imagination I can see a book that God will allow me to write. 
 I can't remember all the art lessons that I ever took, but somehow when I paint my imagination takes over about mid-way and the fun kicks in.
  I can't remember meals that I cooked last week,  but when I get the  skillet out ~ imagination takes over and low and behold we've got something good to eat.  I used to say  I had Gerald trained - when he got hungry he was just to go get in the car.  I'm trying to break that habit.
I'm going to let my imagination run wild for awhile and just see what I can get into ~ I bet you can do that too.  Let's surprise ourselves with the joy of being a child again - a child in the Fathers' House, where there are no limits and no doubts,  just full imagination  ahead.  Let the fun begin!
paulette

Re-Purpose

Sunday I read about the pitbulls that had been raised to fight.  The football player who owned them had a purpose and that purpose was not good.  When he was arrested and charged, he was fined 1 million dollars for the rehabilitation of these dogs.  Only two had to be put down and the others are being re-purposed.  There was the cutest picture of an adorable little guy snuggling with a young boy - this pitbull is now a therapy dog, assisting children with reading disabilities.  Talk about re-purpose!!!
For the last few weeks my friend Carol and I have been planning, gathering and repurposing found objects to use for a fun workshop at our annual women's retreat.  The title is "Necessity, the Mother of Invention".  I wish all my buddies could be here in this kitchen with us as we scrub off labels, remove tags, glue stray strands, paint, staple and a meriad of other task to re-purpose these mis-used treasures.  The whole purpose of our work is to teach other women how to take their circumstances,caused by  this economy that we're all adjusting to and re-purpose our lives.
It really  doesn't matter how mistreated we have been in the past, if we can bring our broken, bent and scratched-up souls to the Master, He can take all that we're not and repurpose us to become all that He dreamed we could be. 
I want Him to "Re-Purpose" me today.  I want to give Him  all my scratched, dented and warped stuff and let him sand it, re-weave it, paint it and staple some of the parts that can handle some more holes, into a repurposed, useful object.  Loved and whole again. 
I wrote in my journal this week, "Brokeness brings the Breakthrough".  I guess another way to say all that I've said is, the breakthrough that we all long for comes from yielding our brokeness to God and letting Him "Re-Purpose" us into His Purpose, which was the plan all along.
My day is calling and it won't happen if I don't get out of this gown and into my get-going duds.
Happy Re-Purposing to you today
Paulette

My family and our Seasons

July 14, 2010

Last night we were watching the news and we heard a thud at the front door where upon when opened, there was a very large box beaten severely by UPS, but seeing my name on the tag - I couldn't wait to dig into it. . .  Truly I expected to go chasing after that truck to say whatever the contents - it had to have broken pieces!  As I ripped away the tape I discovered three large gift wrapped boxes - they too where smashed in.  I ripped the pretty paper off them and then to my surprise, after relieving the contents from  tons of packing material, there were dishes.  Dishes with my funny little deco scheme of roosters/chickens.  My daughter-in-law, Joy had sent me an early b'day present.  Would you believe???!!!   Not one piece had a trace of so much as a scratch.  Maybe turning 70 in September will be pretty much the same - I've felt a little smashed lately, but I have to tell you - I'm not broken and this Season called "Senior" is just what it is. . . you don't get here without some rough rides and honey,  in the last 10 years I've ridden in not a few moving trucks and re-organized my life to fit the day too many times to be amused.  Through it all I found that my box  has stayed in tack and I can do this!  While I'm re-arranging my packaging for this Season,  our grandchildren are sailing into new Seasons of their own:

 Jack, our 10 year old won his first Iron-man trophy - he is our natural athlete, who knows where his talent will take him?! 

Trey & Mallory began their trip home to OKC after a year in Eugene, Ore. via bikes.  Trey tells me the sights are too marvelous to take in.  He and Mallory were married 2 years on 7/11.  This is a Season of discovery for them as they believe God for the impossible. 

 My Season doesn't include a bicycle and certainly not biking, swimming and running with Jack.   I can still  keep stride with Gerald and that's no mean feat!

Now McKenzie and Mat are in a delightful Season called Engagement.  They've set their date,  the wedding place is secured, the dress has been bought ~ We are all full of plans, what a happy time!

Seasons ~ We are where we are by design, there are no oops with God.  Seeing my life and the lives of those I love from this pinnacle called "70" - there is a pattern, because there is a Designer.  I'm so thankful today that each Season  has it's delights and it's smashings.  My prayer is that I'll remember to see it from God's Season and that's called "Eternity".  paulette

Who wants control?

July 10, 2010
We have a challenge here at 6100 Longmeadow ~ Suzy is into Routine, and every afternoon about 3pm she gets a little cookie (doggie biscuit).  She holds it in her mouth as long as she can stand it then she hides it and protects it with her life.  You dare not touch it should you cherish your hand :~). . . then after about 3 hours of such serious endeavor she calls me (she talks very clearly, although she has selective hearing) and wants me to hold the cookie while she takes small bites - the only problem being, she doesn't want to drop it in my hand - she does and she doesn't.  She wants to eat her cake and have it too.  Every day it's the same, she is so predictable, she's a Routine Dog. 
We laugh at her, but I know  what this is all about; it's called CONTROL and we all suffer with it, well, at least I know a couple of humans  who do.
We want God to have control, but oh, it's so hard to relinquish control.  We want to be in charge, yet we take charge.   We pray prayers that tell God what He's supposed to do and when, and dare I mention that we say, "Are we there yet?"
I don't want to manage God, yet sometimes I ask,  are we through yet?  can I go now?  has it  been long enough all ready???   I even add polite words like; please and thank you.
I do know that God will not be put in a box - I tried to manage Him that way when I first started out to follow Him - well, needless to say, He broke all my boxes!  In fact I broke myself trying to box Him up.  Thank God for freedom today. . . but I must hasten to say, He's not done yet, or was that, "Am I  there yet?"

 "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day"

"Faith is embracing the uncertainties of Life.  It is chasing the lions that cross our paths.  It is recognizing a divine appointment when you see one.
Embrace relational uncertainty - it's called Romance.  embrace spiritual uncertainty - it's called Mystery.  Embrace occupational uncertainity - it's called Destiny.  Embrace emotional uncertainty - it's called JOY~  Embrace intellectual uncertainty - it's called Revelation."    (Mark Batterman)

I want to laugh today, be surprised and feel passionate about life.  I want God to be God with all His mystery and I want to celebrate being a human being - a Christian in the making.  I want all of Him and I want Him to have all of me.

Do I want to have my cake and eat it too, yes I guess I do.  I'm  pretty hard wired, but at the same time, I choose to have a teachable spirit.  I tell you truly - I need God in my life every moment of every day, how 'bout you?   paulette

1/2 Learning; 1/2 Unlearning

Years ago I read Leo Buscaglia and was shocked by his words that unlearning was as important as  learning.  I had learned a lot of things that needed to be deleted in my brain, for instance:

• be afraid, be very afraid!
• you can't do that!
• who do you think you are?

• this is the way we've always done it
• God is angry at you
• don't take risks, be safe
• don't be silly
• trust is risky business

You can see that I've been on a very long UNLEARNING curve. . . I'm not there yet, but I'm gaining ground!
I remember the first time I viewed a film about paradigm shifts - it blew my mind!  How do I get out of this box that I've built for myself?  God was turning on the light all along, do I love Him or what?!  He is so patient with me.

Today I was reading "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day" and once again I was blasted out of my seat by Batterson reminding me of the story told of Jesus healing the crippled man by the pool ~

This man made an assumption that may have cost him thirty eight years!  He only had one category for healing.  He assumed, based on an ancient superstition, that he had to be the first one into the pool of Bethesda when the water was stirred in order to be healed.  In a sense, he was imprisoned by what he knew.  But Jesus uninstalled that mistaken belief with one sentence: "Stand up, pick up your sleeping mat, and walk!"   Now, here is what you need to see.  Jesus didn't just set this man free physically, He set him free cognitively.  Faith is unlearning the senseless worries and misguided beliefs that keep us captive.  It is far more complex than simply modifying behavior.  Faith involves synaptogenesis.  Faith is rewiring the human brain ~ Mark Batterson

Gerald looked at me and said - hey - he didn't have to go to the pool and I said - hey - he didn't need anyone to get him to get him there. . . Batterson goes on to say:

          Neurologically speaking, that is what we do when we study Scripture. 
         We are literally upgrading our minds by downloading the mind of Christ ~ mb

I have believed for a long time that the "washing of the Word" is a daily ritual that cleanses the mind, but reading Batterson's words made me realize that it's not just washed, but changed by the unlearning of stuff that doesn't need to be stuck in my brain - in it's place is the eternal, unchanging truth of God.  Now that's learning to let God be God.  I'm busy unlearning all the junk that Satan has put on me from early childhood and learning that:

God is Who He says He is
God can do what He says He can do
I am who God says I am
I can do all things through Christ
God's Word is alive and active in me   (Beth Moore's statements of faith)

Well all this to say, I'm a life-long student, a child in the Father's house and I will never arrive at a point in time when I know all that I need to know and I'll always be letting go what I don't need to know. 
 I want to stop whining about there being no one to get me to the pool and I want to stop thinking that the only way to be healed is by being in the pool!  I'm diving straight into the Word of God!  It's time for a change - not a political one, but a heart change.

"Change my heart O God, make is ever new.  Change my heart O God, may I be like You!"
Paulette

Obedient Ingredient

June 26, 2010

"The Obedient Ingredient"

You may worry about me when you begin to read this blog, but wait until the end to catch my drift.  Each morning in our worship time, I'm the designated reader and after we've each had our private time of reading the Word, I read aloud from a book that we feel would stretch us and move us to a deeper level with God - so that to tell you, we are reading "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day" by Mark Batterson.  This book was recommended to me by my lifetime friend, pastor Jim Hill.  Strange title, but it's biblical, wouldn't you know.  If you want to check it out it's found in 2nd Samuel 23: 20 & 21.  Benaiah was a lion chaser.  I know about lion chasers - I've lived with one for a very long time, but there again you know my history so I don't have to be redundant.

This morning I was reading about God being four dimensional and I am three dimensional which means I can only be in one place at a time.  I can't travel into the past or into the future because, in one dimension, time is linear.   He talked about Planck length (I'm clueless on this one) and quantum mechanics - duh. . . but I got it!!!  God is all around us all the time - he is not bound by limitations as we are.  So knowing what my limits are and knowing that I cannot fathom God's limitlessness - I wanted to know - how to I get to God? It is very simple:

Faith gives us the dimensional freedom to overcome our human limitations by exiting space/time via prayer. . . I can do this!

Now back to you wondering where in the world I'm going with this obedient ingredient thing ~ I love to cook and when I watch TV I find myself always going to the "Food" channel or "Cook" channel.  There is a wonderful chef on the "Cook" channel named Roger Mookie, I hope I spelled his name correctly, anyway he bases everything that he cooks on any given show by what he calls, the obedient ingredient.   So I was thinking this morning when I read this passage, hey, this thing called "Prayer" is the obedient ingredient that takes me from my 3 dimension self into a beautiful thing called "Faith" thereby I find myself in the Presence of God my Father.  Knowing Him through prayer and by faith believing the impossible I see my circumstances in a different light or should I say in a different dimension - God comes to where I am and by faith I see life through His eyes.  You may ask if I'm a Lion Chaser and I'd have to say, I signed up, but I'm  scared spit less. . . maybe that is where faith comes in.  I'll have to let God go with me into the pit, because, if He doesn't go, I'm surely not going. . . and I don't like snowy days or lions,  but He shows up for those as well. 

The bottom line:  If you want God to be with you when you fall into a pit, you must use the obedient ingredient.  That's my story and I'm sticking by it!  Paulette woods