Sunlight in the Spirit

Morning Sunlight Through My Bedroom Window

This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you,
that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
1 John 1:5

Isn't it amazing what sunshine does to the spirit? I can't even imagine what it might be like in heaven with the light of God's glory shining all the time!

I missed part of the early morning light this morning, though. One of the shades in the front bedroom broke, so we replaced the shades yesterday with blinds and moved the shade from the other window to our bedroom since one of our shades had torn. I had intended to get up a little earlier this morning since I have a class to teach this afternoon and wanted to get as much into the morning as possible. I usually just wake up at about the same time each morning, but when My Beloved awoke me this morning, however, it was an hour later than I'd planned. The shade we put in our bedroom was room-darkening. Ugh! There's not much worse to me than a room-darkening shade in my bedroom. I love to awaken to morning sunlight, and the glistening dusting of snow put an extra spring in my bounce this morning--which I needed to get exercises taken care of. I need all the motivation I can to tend to that part of my morning.

So exercises are done, and it's time to get ready for an afternoon jaunt out into this wonderful sunshine! I do hope your day and spirit are bright with heavenly sunlight!

 I am learning more each day the truths of this hymn:

Heavenly Sunlight

Henry Zelley, 1899

Walking in sunlight all of my journey;

Over the mountains, through the deep vale;

Jesus has said, "I'll never forsake thee,"

Promise divine that never can fail.

Shadows around me, shadows above me,

Never conceal my Savior and Guide;

He is the Light, in Him is no darkness;

Ever I'm walking close by His side.

Heavenly sunlight, heavenly sunlight,

Flooding my soul with glory divine:

Hallelujah! I am rejoicing,

Singing His praises, Jesus is mine!

Cosmetic Surgery and Our Identity

I was just over at the CCEF (Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation) site looking at some resources and came upon this video clip with CCEF counselor Julie Lowe. It speaks to how women often view themselves and seek to validate themselves. Thought I'd share it today.

Fellowship In the Cemetery

Precious Gifts by Gay Talbot Boassy

The temperature was a bit warmer yesterday, so a friend and I met for a walk. A walk always lends itself to good fellowship, especially a walk in the cemetery. By the time we finished, our bodies were tired, but our spirits were refreshed.

We talked about many things--children and husbands and homes and churches and ministry opportunities and drawing closer to God and aching legs... and heaven. We got to wondering if we would have the same personalities and basically be the same person there as here. Except, of course, we wouldn't sin and our legs wouldn't ache!

Do people in heaven think about the people they left on earth like a newly widowed friend at church thinks about her husband, or anyone who has lost a loved one to death? Would he be sad that she's sad and lonely? Sadness in heaven? I do wonder sometimes what's going on up there--or out there. Wherever it is, it's glorious, if for no other reason than Jesus Christ Our Savior is there.

A walk in the cemetery--a place that draws us to think on eternal things. My widowed friend's husband is buried there. I thought of him yesterday. I thought of Ella. I saw her last evening. She is understandably lonely after 61 years of marriage. Only God's grace can be the balm for a saddened heart. Dear God, please comfort dear Ella and put your loving arms around her.

Spurgeon's yesterday Evening Meditation converges with our thoughts:

"And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them,
'Come up hither.'"—Revelation 11:12

"WITHOUT considering these words in their prophetical connection, let us regard them as the invitation of our great Forerunner to His sanctified people. In due time there shall be heard "a great voice from heaven" to every believer, saying, "Come up hither." This should be to the saints the subject of joyful anticipation. Instead of dreading the time when we shall leave this world to go unto the Father, we should be panting for the hour of our emancipation. Our song should be—

"My heart is with Him on His throne,

And ill can brook delay;
Each moment listening for the voice,
'Rise up and come away.'"
"We are not called down to the grave, but up to the skies. Our heaven-born spirits should long for their native air. Yet should the celestial summons be the object of patient waiting. Our God knows best when to bid us "Come up thither." We must not wish to antedate the period of our departure. I know that strong love will make us cry,

"O Lord of Hosts, the waves divide,

And land us all in heaven;"
but patience must have her perfect work. God ordains with accurate wisdom the most fitting time for the redeemed to abide below. Surely, if there could be regrets in heaven, the saints might mourn that they did not live longer here to do more good. Oh, for more sheaves for my Lord's garner! more jewels for His crown! But how, unless there be more work? True, there is the other side of it, that, living so briefly, our sins are the fewer; but oh! when we are fully serving God, and He is giving us to scatter precious seed, and reap a hundredfold, we would even say it is well for us to abide where we are. Whether our Master shall say "go," or "stay," let us be equally well pleased so long as He indulges us with His presence."

Spurgeon's This Evening's Meditation

Daily Details

 “In His wisdom God gives to each of us a limited, finite number of hours a year in which to achieve our goals, both material and spiritual. He gives us these hours in sequence, day by day, month by month. If they are wasted, however, they are neither repeatable nor refundable. He gives the same amount to the rich and to the poor, to the young and to the old. Whatever successes we may achieve in this life will come from the purpose to which we put God’s priceless gift—time.”

Leon, A. Danco, Ph.D. as quoted in
Feminism: mystique or mistake? by Diane Passno

Sunday Ponderings

My ponderings come from a statement I heard today about our need to obey when God calls us to do something. Examples were given of Moses and Abraham and Noah, and how their obedience showed their faith. So, the explanation went, our obedience also shows our faith when we follow through with what God calls us to do and when we obey His Word.

I totally agree about obeying Scripture. But wait a minute. God spoke directly to Moses and Abraham and Noah--they heard God's voice and they knew it was God calling to them and telling them what to do. They didn't have the written word. We do today--and all that is in it we should obey. It's the extra-biblical "calling" from God that often leads people where they should not go and to do what they should not do. It's sort of a "sense" that God is telling them this or that.

I was listening to an acquaintance recently as she told me how she had followed through with doing something she knew God had "told" her to do and how it majorly blew up in her face. Now she's blaming God because he sent her into such a volatile situation. Did he? As I listened to her, it was apparent that what she stepped into was of her own inclination, but she so clearly "heard" God telling her to do it.

What this gal didn't realize is that she was hearing herself talking to herself. We are our own strongest counselors. If we tell ourselves specific truth from God's Word, it will lead us in pursuit of God's paths, and that's good counsel. But we should be cautious that we may merely be talking ourselves into pursuit of our own inclinations down our own paths, and that's not necessarily good counsel--even if we think we heard it from God, and even if it doesn't blow up in our face.

Painting ~ The Shortening Winter's Day by Joseph Farquharson

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Today I reflect on simple thoughts and simple pleasures. My leads are somewhat similar to others in The Simple Woman's Daybook group, yet a bit different as well.

A picture to share...  
My quiet place in the bedroom where I'm posting today.

 

Outside my window...

Click here to go there

trees asleep on the hillside not far away, soaking up the drizzly rain, awaiting the spring. 

Noticing the sound of...

gently falling rain and cheerful, singing birds. 

Thankful for...

my husband who is going to put up a shelf for me today so I can watch Quieting a Noisy Soul DVDs while I exercise on the treadmill. The idea is to watch each 30-minute presentation every day for 5 days. It's a 24-week program. Looking forward to getting started! 

Looking to the ways of my household...

It might seem like a small thing, but it sure de-cluttered and simplified a storage area--I received a couple of scarf hangers this week that I had ordered from Organizeit.com. Each hanger has ten 1-inch holes. Ahhh! Now my scarves are at my fingertips! No more digging around. They'll hang in my coat closet. To order one yourself, just click on the picture. 




This coming week I hope to... 

finish the baby quilt that I've been stuck on, trying to decide what quilting design to use. A quilting friend gave me an idea that I think I'll go with. Will show you the final picture soon. (I hope!)

Thinking...

that I'm so happy to have dropped below a benchmark in my weight! Now for another five pounds and a new summer skirt! 

From the kitchen....

Sharing a delicious salmon recipe I tried this week. My Beloved says it's restaurant-grade. I cut the recipe in half for the two of us.
 
Parmesan-Baked Salmon
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp graded Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)
4 salmon fillets (1 lb, skin removed)
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup Ritz cracker crumbs

Preheat oven to 400*F. Mix mayo, cheese and pepper until well blended; set aside.
Place salmon on foil-lined shallow baking pan. Drizzle evenly with lemon juice. Top with cheese mixture; spread to evenly cover salmon. Sprinkle with cracker crumb.
Bake 12-15 min. or until salmon flakes easily with fork.
Makes 4 servings.  From Food & Family, Winter 2007 

Currently reading.... 

Finishing Has Christianity Failed You? by Ravi Zacharias (reading slowly and pondering). It's a book I'd like pass along to a young friend of ours who, in her intellectual pursuits, has decided that believing in God is irrational since she can't wrap her mortal mind around Him. I have a sense, however, that her decision is borne more out of a grave disappointment in God in not meeting her expectations of what she thinks He should be like. We mortals tend to be like that.

A thought from my Quiet Time.... 

"... so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10). This is my desire for the coming year as I'm learning that I don't always think correctly about who God really is. Result: a noisy soul that I want Him to calm. I think that would be another aspect of pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in the process.  

Reflecting creativity, in His image…

Pulled together some things from home to take to our church's Book Nook for a Christian American Heritage look. Tweaked it during the week, and now it's all ready for February browsing. I enjoy this ministry of providing resources for strengthening faith, family, and evangelism. 

I'm learning....

to use EQ6--quilt design software. I'm taking a course online at Quilt University. They have lots of different types of quilting classes that last from 4-6 weeks. New classes open every weekend from January through October. Check it out here.






You may also enjoy reading what other simple women are saying and doing these days. Just click here to go to The Simple Woman's Daybook site. I'll be posting my journal on Saturdays. Do stop by again.

Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends

I spent most of the day yesterday refurbishing The Book Nook at church for February. Thought I'd share a book recommendation that I included for 'Love Month'. At first glance it might not seem like a love book, but it most definitely is--when you consider true biblical love that extends to all our relationships.

Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends by Sarah, Steven, and Grace Mally (ages 12-22) is a book I truly enjoyed reading. The book is filled with anecdotes of how the Mally siblings have become best friends by being willing to think of one another. Each of the authors contributes to each chapter as they take a look at the same situations from different perspectives. Each shares times of annoyances--being annoyed and being the one who is annoying. They talk about how to see situations from each other's viewpoint and how to talk with each other about what bothers them. It's all about encouraging and edifying one another in biblical love. They talk about having a family ministry and working together. Throughout the book are Q&As and check-ups to see how you're doing with your own relationships.

Brothers and sisters are some of the most important relationships we have or ever will have. Friends come and go. We tend to spend far too much attention on friends to the neglect of family. God has put us in our particular families to do exactly what the Mallys emphasize, but so often we see greener grass in someone else's yard.

To find out more about the Mallys, just click on their book.

First Thoughts at Sunrise

Snow-Draped Trees at Sunrise

"For Christians, the beginning of the day should not be burdened and haunted by various kinds of concerns that they face during the day. The Lord stands above the new day, for God has made it. All restlessness, all impurity, all worry and anxiety flee before him. Therefore, in the early morning hours of the day, may our many thoughts and our many idle words be silent and may the first word and the first thought belong to the one to whom our whole life belongs." 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer ~ Life Together: A Discussion of Christian Fellowship

Photograph~ Snow-Draped Trees at Sunrise b Norbert  Rosing

can be purchased allposters.com.

Taking Away Is Also In Love

It's been a rather down day. My mind isn't pondering much today except that I'm missing my family. So I'm reminding myself with these words from Job and J.R. Miller......

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. ~ Job 1:21

"There is immeasurable comfort in this truth for all who are called to give back again the gifts which God has bestowed upon them. God is a giving God, but He is also a God who sometimes takes away, and, in taking away, He is not changed in His character nor in His feeling toward us, His children. He loves us just as truly and as tenderly when He takes away the things or the beings we love as He did when He gave them into our hands. They were sent to us in love, and for our good they came with their blessing for our life. Then the taking away is also in love, and has good and a blessing in it."

J.R. Miller ~ Words of Comfort: Love in Taking Away 

The Good and the Bad of the Day

My hurting friend came to visit this evening. I hope the time spent together was an encouragement to her. We shared tea and recent sewing projects and talked a little of how things are going. Don't you sometimes wish you could just make things all better for someone?

I spent some time in a waiting room today, having my blood pressure raised by an inane talk show. I stayed outside until the last minute so I wouldn't have to listen any longer than necessary. What irritates me the most is how these shows shape women's thinking. Some celebrity mother of four talking about how women can do it all--have children, a partner??, a career, and on and on.  And how she just looooves her job, and how she told the kids that she's important, too, and she needs to do things that she likes. Most of these celebrities turn their children over to nannies, and they call that being a mother? Do they think we think they do their own cooking and grocery shopping, too? Which is what I did on the way home. As I was waiting in the check-out lane, a headline on a magazine caught my eye--(Some celebrity) uses (another celebrity's) nanny.  Who's really caring for the children? The children probably don't even know themselves. Except for the unusually high blood pressure reading, I got a good report. The inane talk show didn''t.

Painting: Five O'Clock Tea ~ Mary Cassatt