“T” – A to Z Challenge

 

I’ve developed a twitch in my left eye. It is kind of bothersome and annoys me when I need to focus on something. I’m sure the twitch will go away as soon as my more relaxing schedule settles in…at least, I’m praying that will happen.

 

tIt’s so amazing how our bodies know when we are on overload and that our bodies are capable of telling us that we are. Some develop twitches. Some become ill. Some require extra sleep. Some just stop. Regardless of how your body tells you that it’s had enough, we can all agree that when its time, we need to stop and consider how to relieve the stress in our lives and get some rest!

 

Our bodies were not made to continue endlessly at the alarming rate this world tells us we should go. God provided one day per week for us to rejuvenate, refresh and re-energize our minds, body and soul. That day is called Sabbath.

 

Through the years, we as Christians have allowed our day of Sabbath to dwindle and die with busy lives seven days a week. I don’t have any statistics or medical research to back up this statement, but I believe we this is why there is so much chronic pain and depression.

 

I found a blog that shared seven facts about Sabbath called Sabbath Truth. I found them to be quite interesting and will need to study up on this with great thought. I won’t say I agree with the entire blog post, but there are some intriguing ideas. I loved the first fact about Sabbath given in this post.

 

Sabbath establishes God’s sovereignty. God created for six days and on the seventh, He rested. Now we all know that God didn’t need to rest for He has all power and ability to do anything at any time, but He set a precedence for all of mankind. Work and toil for six days and on the seventh, rest.

 

On a personal level, as we observe the Sabbath, we establish God’s sovereignty in our lives. As we remove these “work” obstacles from our lives, we are able to spend more time with God. We set God above all else and He becomes Sovereign Lord of our lives.

 

I don’t even know how this is possible in our world today. Satan has such a hold over this world that this seems like an impossibility, and yet, there has to be a way. So my prayer over the next few months is going to ask God to show me what Sabbath looks like for me. How can I develop this day as a day of rest, a day to keep holy and a day to lift God to the throne of sovereignty in my life? These are thought-provoking ideas that I believe must be addressed. And to be honest, I’m excited to be able to work it out.

 

This twitch in my eye needs to go away and I believe I’ve just come up with the solution to this problem. Sabbath.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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“S” – A to Z Challenge

 

I’ve been sick for a few days. It has hit hard and the fever has been fierce. I finally feel better this afternoon.

 

sI woke up this morning at my usual time. The 5:00 am alarm went off and I headed to my office. But before I could even write my Scripture for the day, I was out. I woke up around 8:00 am and it’s been go, go, go since. This is first chance I’ve had to come back to my office and get some writing done.

 

Now you all know how much I love music, so I thought I would talk about singing for the letter “s” in this A to Z Challenge.

 

I know many people who have pretty remarkable voices. I enjoy listening to someone who is able to sing beautifully and who are willing to use their voice to glorify God.

 

But I must admit, there is nothing more beautiful than hearing one of my grandchildren sing a little song for me. Or when I catch my husband (who doesn’t sing at all by the way) humming a few bars of a song.

 

In my earlier years, singing was the most important thing to me. My voice was an instrument that needed to be exercised, cared for and used daily for it to be at its best. I was committed to doing whatever needed to have a beautiful voice.

 

As the years have passed, singing is still important. But what has changed is that I don’t spend an hour a day working toward having a beautiful voice. I’d rather be studying God’s Word or writing a blog post. So this once beautiful, well-coiffed voice is now ordinary. I’m okay with that. And with this voice, I still sing, sing, sing praises to my God and King.

 

I imagine King David had a naturally beautiful voice. I imagine that his voice was one that others stopped to listen to. I imagine that his voice could be heard over the other voices singing. But I also imagine that King David’s voice was His gift from God in order to sing praises to God.

 

We see glimpses into this idea from Scripture. Psalm 104:33 (NIV) shares these words of David. “I will sing to the Lord all my life: I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.”

 

Psalm 96 is dedicated to singing. “Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.” (Psalm 96:1-2 – NIV)

 

And if this isn’t enough, there are plenty more. Take a look at Psalm 9:11, or Psalm 30:4, or Psalm 33:1-3, or Psalm 47:6, or Psalm 68:4, or Psalm 81:1-2, or Psalm 95:1, or Psalm 98:1, or Psalm 149:1.

 

David loved to sing praises to God. And so should we! It doesn’t matter if you have a good voice or not, God delights in hearing us sing to Him. So today, let’s sing to the maker of heavens and earth. Let’s make music to glorify the Name of Jesus. Let’s sing, sing, sing!

 

“Sing, Sing, Sing”

 

Chorus:

We will sing, sing, sing
And make music with the heavens
We will sing, sing, sing
Grateful that You hear us
When we shout your praise
Lift high the name of Jesus

 

What’s not to love about You?
Heaven and earth adore You
Kings and kingdoms bow down
Son of God, You are the One
You are the One we’re living for

 

You are the love that frees us
You are the light that leads us
Like a fire burning
Son of God, You are the one
You are the one we’re living for

(Chorus)[i]

 

If you’d like to listen to Sing, Sing, Sing, click here.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

 

[i] “Sing, Sing, Sing,” Words and Music by Chris Tomlin, Jesse Reeves, Matt Gilder and Daniel Carson, WorshipTogether.com, Six Steps Music, Vamos Publishing, Shadow Rock Music, 2008.

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“R” – A to Z Challenge

 

It’s hard to believe, but today is our last class day in Women’s Bible Connection at Rocky. I have loved getting to know this group of ladies, learning beautiful truths from God’s Word and finding encouragement from both God and the ladies.

 

rAnd as WBC comes to an end, a summer of respite is just around the corner.

 

I look forward to these few weeks of a non-structured schedule, especially this year. I have a full season under my belt for women’s ministry. There have been some great victories and a few disappointments, but all-in-all, the year has been extremely rewarding and uplifting.

 

Yes, respite will be good for me. Time to reflect. Time to create. Time to be in God’s presence. I’m looking forward to the slower pace of summer.

 

So what about you? Have you been running on empty for a while? Are you in need of a time of respite? If so, I pray that you will take the time over the next few months to determine what is important in your world and what can be removed. There is nothing worse than feeling overwhelmed or under-energized. Respite just might do you some good!

 

Jesus felt the burden of His day-to-day life and needed to find a time to rest. Over and over in Scripture we see Jesus removing Himself from the crowds and His disciples to spend time with His Heavenly Father. If it was that important to Jesus, I’m sure you can see the value for your own life.

 

Maybe you can’t take a whole summer to draw closer to God, but you can take a few moments each day to get away from the struggles of the day. Remember the slogan from that Calgon commercial from years ago? “Take me away!” That’s what you need. A get away with God.

 

King David understood respite. Psalm 16:11 reassures us that there is fullness of joy in God’s presence. And Psalm 95:2 (NIV) reminds us that we are to “come before Him with thanksgiving.” And Psalm 100:2 (NIV) says that we are to “come before Him with joyful songs.”

 

If you are looking for joy in your life, I believe you know where to look. And as you find fullness of joy in God’s presence, you will be able to come before Him with thanksgiving and with joyful songs.

 

If you need a time of respite today, I pray that you will take that important step toward God. He’s waiting patiently for you to come to Him.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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“Q” – A to Z Challenge

Today let’s talk about quotes. Here are a few that I really like:

 

 

“Your smile is your logo, your personality is your business card, how you leave others feeling after having an experience with you becomes your trademark.”

-Jay Danzie

 

 

“Since God knows no impossibility, everything he calls you to is possible.”

-Eric Johnson

 

 

“Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its trouble, it empties today of its strength.”

-Corrie ten Boom

 

 

“Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.”

-Margaret Dyreng Nadauld

 

 

“What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?”

-Anonymous

 

Now those are words worth quoting!

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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“P” – A to Z Challenge

 

pY’all know how much I love Pinterest. And since I’m still not feeling up-to-par, I’m going to share some of my newest, favorite verses of Scripture from Pinterest. I pray that you will find encouragement from these pieces of art.

 

 

 

Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Psalm 125

Psalm 1611

Psalm 5110

Isaiah 263

Isaiah 408

Isaiah 4031

Romans 122

Colossians 42

1 John 318

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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