Seeking “God-Moments”

"Blessed are those to whom Easter is not a hunt... but a find;

not a greeting... but a proclamation;

not an outward fashion... but inward grace;

not a day... but an eternity."

- Author Unknown

The next two weekends will be filled with a burst of spring activities; shopping for the perfect Easter outfit, haircuts for the kids, preparation for the Easter brunch, community Easter egg hunts, freshening up the house for out of town guests, practice for the Easter program at church, and of course, Spring Break activities.

Beware:  Busyness once again lurks in the shadows - ready to attack and steal our peace.

Remember:  Daily time spent with God can fill us with peace, patience, perseverance and help us through each day. His presence will give us perspective!

Sometimes I feel like my mind is like a broken record, replaying the same words over and over again ...

“avoid BUSYNESS, seek PEACE, seek HIM”

“avoid BUSYNESS, seek PEACE, seek HIM”

“avoid BUSYNESS, seek PEACE, seek HIM”

The fact is, these reminders keep pounding in my head because I still have not learned to listen to God’s promptings. Always good intentions ... but in my human-ness, I always fall short ...

I wake up and rush to get ready for work, missing the beautiful morning sunrise. I’m on the go, running my errands, can’t be late – missing the fresh scent of flowers along the path. I have my head buried in paperwork, eyes focused on the computer, TV making noise in the background, but I do not take time to sit on the patio and enjoy the afternoon sunshine.

God provides beautiful works of art, if we choose to open our eyes. God provides magical moments, if we choose to open our hearts. God provides inspiring, encouraging and loving words in scripture, if we choose to open our minds. As I was writing this, I got to thinking about the Bible verse about the “lilies of the field.” Check out this version of the passage which is taken from The Message Bible.

Matthew 6:27 - 33 (MSG)

27-29 "Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

30-33 "If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

Sounds so reassuring ... like a wonderful, relaxing, peace-filled plan. God’s beautiful plan.

How about we give it a try? Would love to hear how you plan to enjoy some God-moments this weekend. Post your comments below.

 
 
It’s Friday, Let’s Sparkle ... action required ... In the midst of all the spring celebrations, there are people we may need to pray for, offer an invitation to, or take action to help out. Ask God to open your eyes to their needs. Ask Him to open your heart to reach out and love them. And ask the Holy Spirit to fill your mind with the words to tell them the reason you have hope, love, joy and peace.


“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” - Romans 5:8


Grace & Peace, Donna Weaver

Conversations with God

But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob,
and He who formed you, O Israel:
Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name; you are mine.

- Isaiah 43:1

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Today is a day when we all thinking about “chocolates, flowers, greeting cards, gifts, candlelight dinners, hugs, and kisses." Whether you are married, single, young or old, someone special comes to mind when we say the words “I LOVE YOU.”

Words are such an important part of our everyday life. We use them to express how we feel and to offer words of encouragement, comfort, and hope to others. Times likes Valentine’s Day we can find just the right words on Valentine cards, listening to TV commercials or even printed on tiny little candies.

Did you know.... Sweethearts, the small heart-shaped candies got their start in 1902. The New England Confectionery Company, or Necco, produces approximately 100,000 pounds of hearts per day from late February through mid-January of the following year. These sweet treats sell out in about six weeks.

Each conversation heart is printed with a special message. Many of the original sayings, like “Be Good,” “Be True” and “Kiss Me,” are still printed today, but in the 1990’s Necco decided to update some of the sayings to include “Call Me,” “Fax Me,” and “Email Me.” This year, one in 80 candy hearts will say, “Tweet Me.” Each year Necco receives hundreds of suggestions for new sayings. I got to thinking about the words on these little candies and thought to myself, wouldn’t it be cool to have a box of Christian conversation hearts that could include words such as “God Cares,” “U R Mine,” “Fear Not,” “Seek Him,” or “Pray 2 Day.”

Even though the candy company may update their sayings, we can count on God’s word being the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

How we choose our words is important because just as words can be loving and encouraging, they can also tear others down and be hurtful. Sometimes communication can be difficult, but the Bible gives us many verses on how to speak to others in a Christ-like way. In Paul’s words from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 he tells believers “Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up.”

Here are some other verses that speak about our “words”....

“An anxious heart weighs a man down,

but a kind word cheers him up.”
– Proverbs 12:25

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,

but only what is helpful for building others up according to
their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

– Ephesians 4:29

“One who loves a pure heart

and who speaks with grace will have the king for a friend.”

– Proverbs 22:11

“She speaks with wisdom,

and faithful instruction is on her tongue.”

– Proverbs 31:26

One scripture verse that I use as a prayer every day is Psalm 19:14, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” I have learned that my words are a reflection of what is stored in my heart. If I stuff things like bitterness, anger, worry and frustration in to my heart, the words that come out of my mouth become filled with sarcasm, impatience, and hate. Keeping God’s word in my heart helps me with the daily battle over my words. 

Let God be your one true Valentine this year. Send Him a message... if you were writing your own conversation heart to give to God, what would it say? I think my heart would say “I M YOURS.”

Happy Hearts Day.  "Sparkle" surprises on Friday... have a great week!
God’s Peace, Donna Weaver

“God is so big He can cover the whole world with His love,

and so small He can curl up inside your heart.”

- June Masters Bacher