Monthly Archives: April 2011

Day 11 of 100 days to a spiritual walk

I have been rushing around getting ready to travel to Germany…and to be honest, some of my spiritual walk went by the wayside.
Multiple calls to multiple places for multiple letters, certifications, papers, and policies…many of which were completely ignored during this travel period. Money, money, money…time, time, time.

As the months moved to weeks, I realized that I was not getting things done. As I’ve written before, I made other choices…sometimes bad, sometimes neutral, but not always choosing the choices that would move me ahead on the planning and packing for this trip to Germany, the move into the RV, and then the trip to Ohio.

Now I am in Germany. Early in the morning, I take Gabriel out for a walk in an almost pristine forest as the sun rises over the hill. Back home, I didn’t have time to just go walk, and worship God as the sun came up.

Now, I am in Germany. I sit and play with my grandson for as long as he’s happy(crying babies go back to their mommies!). Back home, I didn’t have time to just sit with Jim, and smile, and laugh, and bond.

Now, I am in Germany. I look over the villages, and just drink in the beauty of the landscape, and wonder at the talents of the people here. Back home, I would see things as I ‘flew’ by, on my way to get things done.

It may have taken 11 days to figure out my next step to a spiritual walk, but i think it is “Slow Down” and “Be Still”. Rest for my soul….I have found it. and it is in Jesus.

Thanks for joining me in this journey….
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi

100 Days to a Spiritual Walk – Day 1 – How to start?

Where do I begin a journey of steps towards my Spiritual walk, as mentioned on Day 100?

In the Princess Bride, Inigo Montoya, when having lost his way, cries out ““I am waiting for you, Vizzini. You told me to go back to the beginning. So I have. This is where I am, and this is where I’ll stay. I will not be moved.”

For me, to go back to the beginning is to go to Genesis 1 – In the Beginning…..

Genesis 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

There are Biblical scholars that believe that God designed the day to begin in the evening, and this writing is the statement of that plan.  I’m not a Biblical scholar.

I am a person that likes to watch TV at the end of the day.  I sometimes end up falling asleep with my night time prayers, snoring in tongues, and mixing in prayers for my family, and the nation, and the Celebrity Apprentices, or The Biggest Loser contestants.  When I try to sing myself to sleep with hymns, sometimes that last song from Dancing with the Stars crosses into my consciousness, making for very odd worship.

I have had sleep issues.  Almost every sleep study says to stop watching TV before bed.  It has to do with the light effecting our circadian rhythms.  Hmmmm,

In the beginning, God created the light and the darkness…night and day…wake and rest.  God created a rhythm for me.  I know that I am susceptible to S.A.D. when there isn’t enough sunlight, and is it so hard to imagine that the opposite is true?  Not to mention, what I put in my mind right before sleep seems to permeate my dreams!

So – Step One towards walking in the Spirit – Evenings are dedicated to beginning the next day!

If I am BEGINNING the next day…wouldn’t that be the first part of the day?  And to offer the first fruits of the day would be to spend the first part of the day with the Lord, right?  That’s for another day. One step at a time!

Today’s step is that I am going to enter into God’s rest in the evening – turn off the worldly lights as the sun goes down in my world, and fill my mind with the praises of Him.

Psalm 91 is all about dwelling in the Secret Place…if I am going to lean upon those promises, I ought to take the conditions seriously.

 

So – here’s some music to begin the next day with:

 

Thank you for joining me in this journey!
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi

The First 100 Days – Day 100 – what have I done?

Day 100

What were my goals?

  1. 100 days of moving challenge
  2. 100 days blog challenge
  3. 90 days Bible Reading
  4. multiple T-Tapp challenges
  5. 40 days of Fasting For Food

What have I done?

  • I did complete the Fasting for Food – though I raised very little money for Compassion through that project.
  • I did not complete any T-Tapp challenges, because of vertigo issues – though this did separate the vertigo issues from everything else.
  • I did not complete the 90 days Bible Reading – though I read parts of my Bible I had never really ‘read’ before, and I did read more in the first 100 days because of this challenge.
  • As obvious by the lack of blog posts, I did not complete the 100 blog challenge, though the eye problems from the vertigo were clarified because of my difficulty at the computer screen.
  • I did not complete the 100 days of moving challenge – though because of it, I am now able to walk more than a 5k (3.2 miles) in a little over an hour, and I am able to start handling stairs. This has prepared me for my trip to Germany.

While the goal of a challenge is to complete it, I’m not sure that is what God’s requirement is. Yes, we are to be like Paul:

Phil 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

I just don’t think that God means that we are to arrive there in our lifetime. I’m not sure it’s possible.
What kept me from completing my challenges? Trials, to be sure, but more honestly, temptations to do otherwise.

James 1:12 Blessed [is] the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

  • I did not choose to move when I could…and, honestly, if I could move to go to the bathroom or put something in my mouth, I could have moved for 10 minutes!
  • I did not choose to read the Bible or to listen to the Bible being read when I was too dizzy to focus… and honestly, I watched a lot of stupid TV while I sat trying to stay upright.
  • I did not choose to write short blogs, to share my experiences (which would have caused me to do some Bible study as well)…but I did keep up with email.

See, I can make excuses for not completing my challenges.

I know that God does not grant me salvation based on how good I do in challenges(THANK YOU JESUS!).
But I KNOW that I did not give my all to these challenges.
I KNOW that I treated my flesh before honoring God’s Spirit.

James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth [it] not, to him it is sin.

So, for me, there has been sin.
Thankfully, for me, Jesus takes care of that for me when I confess my sins. He is faithful to forgive me of my sins(Thank you LORD!) (1 John 2:1-2 with 1 John 1:9)
Thankfully, there is no condemnation!

Rom 8:1 [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

And the last two qualifiers are what lead me to my next goal…
walk NOT after the flesh, BUT AFTER THE SPIRIT!

When Jesus forgave the woman caught in adultery, he said: “Go, and sin no more.” (John 8:11)

I will be setting new goals for the next 100 days, and I will be trying to walk in the Spirit (Gal 5:25).

AND, I will continue to confess my sins, I owe that to my Savior.

James 5:16 Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

And, through James, I have a promise:

James 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

 

I will be working on a new signature set of challenges…but until then,
Thank you for joining me in this journey!

In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi

The First 100 Days – day 95 – One Day without shoes

Compassion is partner with TOMS One Day without Shoes.
Join Compassion, to make a statement for all that go without shoes.

You probably have heard about TOMS Shoes and how the company matches every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in poverty. But what you might not know is that TOMS Shoes is a partner of ours.TOMS has committed to donating 33,000 shoes to our program beneficiaries in Ethiopia and the Philippines – shoes the children can wear even with their school uniforms.

Why Shoes?

Many children in developing countries grow up barefoot. Whether at play, doing chores or going to school, these children are at risk:

  • A leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted diseases, which can penetrate the skin through bare feet. Wearing shoes can help prevent these diseases and the long-term physical and cognitive harm they cause.
  • Wearing shoes also prevents feet from getting cuts and sores. Not only are these injuries painful, they also are dangerous when wounds become infected.
  • Many times children can’t attend school barefoot because shoes are a required part of their uniform. If they don’t have shoes, they don’t go to school. If they don’t receive an education, they don’t have the opportunity to realize their potential.

    • – via www.toms.com

 

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

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  1. 100 days of moving challenge – day 95 – walked the dog!
  2. 100 days challenge- blog – check
  3. 90 days Bible Reading – Luke
  4. SpringFling T-Tapp – AL, OIP, HD