Sunday, October 4, 2009

Day 2: 363 days left, 99 to go!

  • Personal Status:  Continuing to get over this lingering cold....but aside from all that, COMPLETELY & UTTERLY EXUBERANT TO GOD FOR WATCHING OVER OUR BROTHER KYLE last night when he had a major car accident & walked-away in one piece with no broken bones....PRAISE GOD!
  • Baby Status:  19 Weeks & 1 day along...
Being it's Sunday today...I have a few notes from this morning's gathering:
  •  One point talked about how we sometimes equate humility with giving up some of our own personal power....can I ever relate to that....Humility is constantly an issue in my life....or rather, pride is...the giving up of personal power.....but I was reminded this morning that Humility is making God greater in a situation, in my life, in the lives of others....and making me less....which is always needed....There are circumstances in my life that come to mind as I'm typing in which I know I have chosen to hold on to what I view as personal power rather than submit to God, give Him the glory and simply be humble....
  • Riley also talked about what you do when you're the most powerful person in the room...and how servanthood needs to be on the hearts & minds of leaders especially...he shared a great quote: "In great affairs men show themselves as they wish to be seen- in small affairs they show themselves as they are-"  Goes with a Bill Hybels book I read for camp leadership one year called, "Who You are When No One's Looking...is who you are"  True writing......
  • There was also a point made that as a parent, you can choose to invest in your kids or exerpt power, control & authority over them.....I'd like to hold on to that for when this baby comes....
READING:
  • Still reeling over the impact "The Shack" has had on me, and will continue to update yesterday's entry with what wisdom & appreciation for the writing I gleaned.....
  • Genesis Chapters 6-11:  Some interesting historical references in chapter 6 of Genesis...at one point God says that mortal man's days will eventually be, "a hundred and twenty years."  Verse 3  In the beginning of the Old Testament, men lived for hundreds of years and now it's noteworthy if someone lives to see 100.....I wonder what time of life this statement is referring to...there are also references to "...the Nephilim...They were the heroes of old, men of renown."  Verse 4  It says that the sons of God found beauty in the human women and married & had children with them....which seemingly created a race of supernatural heroes as in the Grecian tales!  Fascinating!
    • Then we come to the Flood....where God saw such wickedness in man on the earth that He decided to wipe it clean except for Noah & his family..."Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time and he walked with God."  Verse 9  "But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark-"  Verse 18  "You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male & female, to keep them alive with you."  Verse 19
    • Once the Flood had run its' course, God continually commands them to, "...be fruitful and increase in number..."  Chapter 8, Verse 17  and He gives them this promise along with the covenant of the rainbow in the sky..."As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease..."  Chapter 8, Verse 22  "I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and all the earth."  Chapter 9, Verse 13  incredibly humbling......
    • In Chapter 11, there is the telling of how the people tried to build a tower to reach to the heavens to make a name for themselves...but God chose to scatter them over all the earth and give them different languages...another fascinating event in history..... 
  • Matthew Chapters 3-4:  John the Baptist prepares the Way  I love how John warns the Pharisees, "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.  And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as ouf father.'  I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children of Abraham."  Chapter 3, Verses 8-10  None of us can cling to anything of this world for our salvation, redemption or to make us "good enough" in the eyes of God...whether we are born into the Jewish line of the descendants of Abraham, God's chosen people or not....we all must produce good fruit which comes from knowing God the Father and all must rely on Jesus to be saved...
    • John says to everyone, "I baptize you with water for repentance.  But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."  Chapter 3, Verse 11  John had such an authentic understanding of his place in the world and an awe of who Jesus was...
    • When Jesus asks John the Baptist to baptize Him...the scene described at the end of chapter 3, is even more real to me now that I've read "The Shack" and have another perspective of how it looked & felt..."As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water.  At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.  And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well please."  Verses 16-17  Reminds me of the line frequently used in "The Shack"..."I am especially fond of you..."  What an experience to witness...
    • In the end of chapter 4, it is the Calling of the First Disciples...which means SO much to me after watching the Nooma video "Dust"....when Jesus says to Peter & Andrew, "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."  Verse 19  there's a reason why they left their nets immediately to follow Him....in those times, it was an exceptional honor to be chosen by a rabbi to learn under them....only the very intelligent sons who were believed to have bright futures were chosen to study under a rabbi....and Jesus chose them....as He chooses each & every one of us ordinary people.....
  • Simple Abundance:  Homework  "There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm."  Willa Cather  Good meditation on working from home...."...if you no longer have a life at home you must lern to set limits."  So far, so good on that front...it's been a couple of days into this challenge....the house has remained clean & orderly and I've spent quality time with my husband & 2 roommates....but the setting limits part is great advice!
  • The Love Dare:   Love is not selfish  "We live in a world that is enamored with 'self'.  The culture around us teaches us to focus on our appearane, feelings, and personal desires as the top priority."  SO TRUE!!!  I'm constantly struggling with that....our world is all about, "YOU, the owner's manual"...."what is best for YOU"...and believing that we have rights to our own well-being....but this concept always leads me to selfishness....."If there were ever a word that basically means the opposite of love, it is selfishness."  And sadly, I am known for being a selfish person...wrapped-up in my own little world...not a good listener....always having my husband take care of me.....and always having something of myself to talk about....(which hopefully this blog is an outlet for so my friends, family & acquaintances are less bombarded by the world according to Michelle....instead of feeding that in myself.....)  One of the questions this chapter asks, "Do they see me as looking out for myself first?"  And my current answer would be YES......
    • "...but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves."  Philippians 2:3
    • Today's Dare says, "Whatever you put your time, energy, and money into will become more important to you.  It's hard to care for something you are not investing in."  I completely agree with this statement!  And I see the results of the people & things I don't invest as much time & energy into....those relationships & endeavors always weaken more than I would have wished......and one of my biggest downfalls in relationships is the intentionality of investing the time & energy specifically....I am supposed to buy something for Jay today to let him know that I am thinking of him....unfortunately, I have no access to cash of my own and finances are tight right now, so spending money on him today would not impress him....but I will come up with another idea that will cost me time & energy to show him I'm thinking of him....
    • UPDATE:  Okay, I believe I failed this dare....not sure where that leads me....I wasn't able to spend $$$ so I was going to make him dinner, but we as a family (roommate included) decided on communal pasta & meat-sauce for supper, what Jay was craving...and he makes the best meat-sauce....he just started making-it as soon as we got home......so.....I failed.......on to today's dare.....I guess?
  • A Tale of Two Cities:  Began reading....

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