Lent. Communication.

Learning to use time wisely, I sometimes feel it is a waste if time to do little projects just because I want to do them.

Take the tray I plan to restore, for instance.

I have long wanted a larger tray and found one in a junk shop recently. It needs stripping down and repainting. Then I plan to create a collage with some old maps. I might even start today on my return from school.

Yet a little part of me feels guilty. I don't need to do it. Perhaps I should be using my time in other ways: good works of some kind, or dedicated prayer.

No. Working creatively - restoring a piece of junk, crocheting a baby toy, cooking or baking, colouring a doodle on a journal page - all these free my spirit to worship as I work.

It is not a waste of time, but an exercise in becoming more aware of God and his amazing creative presence in my life.

An awesome use of time. Pity I have to go to work in half an hour.

Time to get creative in the way I dress, perhaps....!

Lent. Listen.

How would I know what to do?
Listen.

Listen to his voice
whispering quietly in my heart.

Listen to his voice
murmuring in the morning wind.

Listen to his voice
Speaking in winter trees waiting
for spring.

Listen for the moment
to speak,
to act in obedience.

Listen to his voice
of encouragement.

Today. Today is the day.

Lent. Focus

Be still.
Find that space apart
to be with Jesus.

Let him
be the altar I
build my life upon.

Take time
to listen to his voice.
Hide his words in my heart.

Fasting from lies...

Taking part in a 'negativity fast' and learning to fast from lies and speak truth.

Here is a lie, from Ann Voskamp:

"By Grace, today I fast from the lie that my calling
isn't great enough because God isn't calling
for people great in skills, schooling, or spotlight -
He's calling those simply great in community,
in confession, in communion, in courage, great in Christ.
Today I will do ordinary things with extraordinarily great love.
We repent of wanting to be great
*instead of loving greater.*

‪#‎Day12‬ ‪#‎PeopleofTheCross‬ ‪#‎LentRepentRefresh‬   [ Free Printable Devotionals for ‪#‎40Days‬:http://bit.ly/TakeBackLentFreeDevotional ]

Some lies, from Matthew 3: 

Lie: I am what I DO.       

Truth: I AM WHAT I AM: A MUCHLOVED CHILD OF GOD.

Lie: I am what I HAVE    

Truth: I AM ENOUGH. I CAN BE MYSELF, WHOLLY AND COMPLETELY.

Lie: I am what I PRETEND to be.

Truth: I AM WHO I AM.

Repent, recognise lies, in an accountable relationship with good friends. #can'tdowithoutthem   And, in doing so, a reminder from Bob Rasmussen: 

A Place at the Table - a Lenten reflection

A Place at the Table - 40 days of Solidarity with the Poor, written by Chris Seay, is an intriguing book which helps us travel through Lent. Each of the 40 days of Lent has a daily reflection; Bible excerpts based on The Voice translation,with added emphasis from Chris; a prayer; and a cameo of someone else's life: someone who, unlike most in the more affluent parts of the world, lacks the basic essentials of life such as adequate food or clean drinking water.
Much of the 'fasting' Chris Seay suggests makes good sense for anyone trying to live a life which honours Jesus, yet an added emphasis on these disciplines during Lent gives an incentive to refocus and reevaluate. His tips for eating include putting away our phones; observing the natural colours of the food we eat; savouring flavours, taking time to enjoy each meal; smell before we eat; develop the art of great conversation; establish rituals which focus on others - perhaps praying for specific individuals; and remembering the poor, finding creative ways of bringing the poor to mind with both prayer and gifts. Much of the emphasis is also on practical help through Compassion International or Living Water International.
Lent, however, is not all about fasting but also feasting: each Sabbath day has readings designed to help us celebrate the risen Jesus. I, personally, find the idea of 'feasting' during an extended fast a little difficult - somehow, I lose focus - but acknowledge that it is part of a long heritage of the Church. I am conscious, too, of Jesus' admonition to remain cheerful while fasting!
I eagerly read each day's offering, starting off with good intentions to fast for the whole 40 days. Sadly, I did not manage to keep up my fast entirely, apart from a vow not to read any fiction during Lent, which was a real sacrifice. However, I continued with the readings: the focus on reflection and prayer inspired me throughout Lent and I celebrated Easter with added thought and prayer.
I'm writing this review at the end of Lent, but the book - as it suggests at the beginning - could be used for any 40 day period of fasting. I'll go through it again. And my thanks to the Woman Alive Book Club who sent me the book. I had no idea it would be so interesting and inspiring!

Nearing the end of Lent...some reflections

During Lent, I've subscribed to a couple of messaging services which have offered daily encouragement. One has been 40Acts - absolutely brilliant and inspiring. The other has been The Carbon Fast, a Tearfund initiative which encourages us to think about ways of saving energy and protecting the planet. Much of what has been suggested I do anyway: cycling or walking instead of using the car, turning off lights, turning the heat down or off, recycling...so when today's email arrived, encouraging me to avoid using the tumble dryer, I nearly didn't bother to read on. I am passionately against tumble dryers and am fortunate to be able to hang washing out to dry, or inside in a utility room. Not relevant, I thought - slightly smugly, I have to admit.
Then I read the post:
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, (wo)man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. (1 Timothy 6:6-12)

No matter how long we live, when we die we will leave all our possessions behind. So travel light! Jesus commanded us not to accumulate treasures on earth. We are warned that seeking to get rich leads to ‘all kinds of evil’. When profits take priority over people and planet, the result is ‘ruin and destruction’, as we can see in increasing environmental destruction. In what ways is it ‘great gain’ for us to live simply? How does your life fit with this verse?

So yes, great encouragement to live simply. Lent has been a time of lifestyle evaluation and reflection, of heightened sensitivity - not that I've always been able to do anything about it - to the needs of the world. But the verse caught my eye for other reasons.

A Bible study group I attend has been looking at the theme of A Generous God. We've thought about these verses from Timothy frequently over the last six weeks. I've always focused on the beginning of the passage but today, as I come to the end of studying Ephesians with Good Morning Girls, the 'fight' caught my eye.

Ephesians 6:13-18 says, in the Message: Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

It's been so encouraging and helpful doing this study with a group of others. Just the other day, as we struggled to REALLY understand what 'rightrousness' was all about, Rose posted this definition: virtue, honour, justice, integrity, honesty, purity, faithfulness, uprightness, blamelessness..

Wow. I'd love it if my life looked like that!

Lent..40Acts

40Acts is a wonderful Lenten initiative. Inspiring - and depressing, as I 'fail' at so many acts of generosity. I try to build many of them into my life anyway, often unsuccessfully.  But it is inspiring to read others' attempts at living more generously - Jeff Doucette, for example.

Too many blogs...

I read too many blogs, sometimes.

My home page on facebook is filled with too many updates.

I deliberately don't have a large number of 'friends' but I do subscribe to a number of inspirational blogs and groups.

Today, many of these updates spoke to me:

As I go through a study of Ephesians with Good Morning Girls, updating posts onto a tiny facebook group of a few local friends I meet with once a month for breakfast, this morning's reading was Ephesians 4:17-19 The Message says: And so I insist—and God backs me up on this—that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. They've refused for so long to deal with God that they've lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. They can't think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion.

This talks about what the 'others' do - and I shouldn't, by inference. No going along with the crowd...

This mornings 'act' from 40Acts was to make myself uncomfortable: People often say ‘I don’t want to be rich, I just want to be comfortable’. Comfort has become a trophy; a prize to strive for. Well, let’s turn that on it’s head. Be uncomfortable today. Don’t hog that seat on the train, give it to someone else; whether they’re pregnant/elderly or not. If you know your neighbour is struggling to find work, offer to split your pay-check with them. Go out of your way, do hard things and leave your comfort zone.

'No going along with the crowd'.

Then, on facebook, these little notes from God:

Stephen Furtick: The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else's highlight reel. - after a weekend struggling with just this issue. A friend had boasted - and yes, it was out and out boasting - on facebook - about her children. Almost designed to hurt others whose children are not as apparently marvellous as hers.  And, much as I struggled and reminded myself about verses such as 'boast in the Lord', I found myself going down under the weight of Comparison and Envy and Insecurity.

Proverbs 31 Ministries: Sometimes hope arrives in big things. Sometimes it trickles in with small things. But always ... always ... it comes from the hand of God. Look for it and thank Him, no matter how big or small it may be. ♥

Lent

I started this blog during Lent. I pledged to jot down an daily reflection which I emailed to a couple of friends, to hold me accountable. Then I found I LIKED doing it, wanted to reread what I had discovered about God, and Jesus, and living a going-towards-holy-while-still-set-apart life.

I started reading the blogs of others also living  g oing-towards-holy-while-still-set-apart lives and discovered Bonnie at Faith Barista. I love her writing. She has a weekly 'challenge' to reflect on a particular aspect of the Christian life.

This week was to share how I visualise Jesus. I really didn't know what I could write - my visual imagination is very limited. I've never been an artist, rubbish at drawing, can't even decorate my home tastefully. Words and actions do it for me. I decided I didn't have anything to offer this particular week - sorry, Bonnie.

 But what inspired me this morning was a blogpost from We Are That Family about a girl called Charity. A reminder that we all need charity: we all need to experience Jesus - his charity, aka LOVE:
"I am broken. I am angry. I am orphaned, needing to be adopted by God. God used Charity’s pain to heal a part of me. “Jesus brings about my own healing by bringing me into someone else’s.” -Kisses from Katy"

It's Lent again. A time particularly for charity.
This year, I've given myself a tall challenge. No sweets: biscuits, chocolate, cake, dessert - except on weekly feast days. (Very Anglican/Catholic.) I need to lose a little weight, so this is not just a spiritual goal. No reading fiction, either. Definitely a spiritual goal, because reading is my favourite of all things to do - even better than a cappuchino. And I've signed up for 40Acts - do Lent generously, an Anglican initiative which emails me every day with a different suggestion. Yesterday it was to cross a social divide of some kind - initiate a contact with someone I wouldn't normally connect with. Today it is to share my skills.

This is so inspiring that I'm going to have to keep notes and connections on this blog once again...(though should probably begin pinterest...!)

So, by rising to a challenge as well as practising self-denial, I can begin to live more of a Jesus life: to know His love by opening myself up to his healing. Yes, practising acts of kindness is always a good thing - but can be empty deeds if I do not also admit my own neediness.

A humbling thought, but by involving myself in this way I know I will be able to visualise Jesus more easily.

Through others.