Monthly Archives: June 2011

100 Spiritual Walking Steps – Step 7- Feel the Rain

I like to think of myself as someone that shares her walk with the Lord, and invites others to join me in the journey.
In that regard, I have some preconceived ideas about what I should write about, and what should be referenced.
The thing is, I live in the world, even though I choose to not be OF the world, and there are some songs IN the World that have really struck a chord with me lately, pun intended.

Step 6’s was “The Rose”
Step 7’s is “Unwritten”
First verse:

I am unwritten,
can’t read my mind, I’m undefined
I’m just beginning, the pen’s in my hand,
ending unplanned

Theologically – this is not true, if you believe in a divine plan from the beginning of the earth. I am not writing to discuss the theological aspects of predestination and election. IF one is so interested in that discussion, Wikipedia has a general article on Predestination(Calvinism). Since I am a mix of Arminianism and Calvinism, I have the challenge with believing that all things are preordained, and at the very same time, I have free will in every aspect of my life.

While I believe that all things are known to God from the beginning…Acts 15:18…I also belive that I am responsible for my own choices…Joshua 24:15 and I choose LIFE in Jesus Christ.

2 Cor 3:2-3 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.
You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

I am a letter…written on the tablet of my heart…sharing what Jesus has done in my life.
Today, at this moment, everything that has past is past, and written down in the Lamb’s book of life.

Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Yesterday, every moment that is past, is already written down.
Now, I can focus on that…but the beauty of living in Jesus’s Love is that He doesn’t choose to remember the bad:

Ps 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, [so] far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

So, with that under my belt, I can lay yesterday, last night, this morning, at the feet of Jesus, and look forward, not bound by the baggage of guilt and condemnation.
But what about the song?
The rest is still unwritten!

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

It has been so long since I felt rain on my skin…I had forgotten how refreshing that was.  I can see a child dancing in the puddles, smiling up at the rain.  That child was me.

I have been told many times, in many ways, that I have a book to write. The book is about my life..and the lessons I’ve learned through trail, trauma, tragedy, and tribulation. It’s not written.  This is a physical example of how I have held back the words, kept them unspoken…and that is not what Jesus, The Word of God, would want from me.

I have spent many years living my life the way other people have told me to.
I have spent many years of NOT drenching myself in the words unspoken.
Here are the lyrics that struck me:

I break tradition,
sometimes my tries,
are outside the lines
We’ve been conditioned to not make mistakes,
but I can’t live that way

I am not the typical Christian, Mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend. I don’t do things the way others do. I am different, but, that’s not so bad!

1 Peter 2:9 But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

The “Peculiar” designation goes back to Deuteronomy 14:2 and Deuteronomy 26:18

There is a Voice inside me that tells me which way to go – and I need to allow that Voice to drench me with Words unspoken – and feel the rain of HIS grace and mercy fall upon me.
I’ve been hiding behind a dirty window – looking back at all my mistakes – and I haven’t always been able to see the Light of the Son shine into my being.
No one can do this for me…I need to open my arms up wide…and embrace what God has put before me…and choose wisely the path on which I tread. My future is still unwritten, but I desire to have my life be written boldly, clearly, and decisively in the Lamb’s book of life.

I pray that each one that reads this will take all that is past this moment, put it in Jesus’s hands, under His blood, and put it up on a shelf…or better yet, let Him carry it…and then, listen for His voice.

Is 30:21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This [is] the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

Ps 37:23 The steps of a [good] man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

credits – AZ Lyrics

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.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or ‘like’ me! Or follow me with the RSS feed.


 

 

  1. Weight Watchers – week 3…starting over
  2. 100 Spiritual Steps- blog – CHECK
  3. Chronological Bible reading…starting in the NT
  4. 50 days T-Tapp – AL, OIP, HD- gotta start!

100 Spiritual Walking Steps – Step 6

Since I am not a professional writer, nor are these posts supposed to have an order. I’m just going to list them in the order in which I receive them…I am not prioritizing…other than step 1. Step 1 is knowing the need for a Savior – and nothing else I write will make any sense unless you either admit that you need a Savior, or you actually have the Savior, Jesus Christ, dwelling within you.

The other day, I sent out one of those email forwards that is cute, and says stuff. It was about a woman named Rose.

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.

She said, “Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?”
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze.

“Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked.
She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids…”
“No seriously,” I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this “time machine” as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.

Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, “I’m sorry I’m so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I’ll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.”

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began,
“We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.
There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success.
You have to laugh and find humor every day.
You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.
We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it!

There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.
If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets.

The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.”

She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Rose.”
She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year’s end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s never too late to be all you can possibly be.

These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.

REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.
We make a Living by what we get; We make a Life by what we give.
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
“Good friends are like stars……….You don’t always see them, but you know they are always there

No regrets?
feeling free to dress up?
Have I lost my dreams?
Am I just lying around growing older?
I was wracking my brain to remember the song “The Rose”

Here are some lyrics that really hit me:
It’s the heart afraid of breaking
that never learns to dance
It’s the dream afraid of waking
that never takes the chance
It’s the one who won’t be taken
who cannot seem to give
and the soul afraid of dying
that never learns to live

I have been living my life by fear. These past months have all been about facing my fears…and taking down those giants.
I wanted to call this step Fear Not, but I have so many steps that will be dealing with facing fear…so I think this Step will be No Regrets.

Each evening, when I come before the Lord, I give an accounting of my day – just like the son’s of God in Job 1:6. My desire is to hear Him say “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” Matt 25:23
I’m not all about the ruling over many things…I’m all about hearing “Well Done, good and faithful servant…enter thou into the JOY of THY LORD!”

If my accounts are short, I can enter with clean hands, and a pure heart…and rejoice in the presence of the Lord.
If my accounts are longer, then I need to do some cleaning work…but, by God’s grace, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses me from all sin…

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

I want to live each day with no regrets…That I have done all that I could do for me, for Jesus, for Jim and for whomever God brings into my life for that day. By abiding in Him, it is possible. And by humbling myself before Him, even my mistakes are tools for my good. Thank you Jesus!

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.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or ‘like’ me! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

  1. Weight Watchers – week 3…starting over
  2. 100 Spiritual Steps- blog – CHECK
  3. Chronological Bible reading…starting in the NT
  4. 50 days T-Tapp – AL, OIP, HD- gotta start!

100 Spiritual Walking Steps – who cares what day it is?

The last five days have been rough.
Somehow, something has happened to my left foot…and I am VERY slowed down.
Somehow, our plans have been delayed because of the fire incident…and knocked us off plan mentally.
Somehow, my energy levels have been in the tank…and I haven’t been able to do the things necessary for us to be ready to move for vacation.
Somehow, Jim’s job sent him to NYC, and both ways the planes were delayed, and now it’s Thursday.
We were SUPPOSED to turn in our keys on Saturday – apartment all done, and trailer ready to roll.
Two wonderful friends have been working very hard to get the apartment clean…but there are things that we women cannot get done – moving heavy furniture out, and making decisions about Jim’s piles in the office.
My left foot is in a boot, immobilized, for the most part. And the off balance walking is messing with my hips, draining more energy from me.
I have cysts on the bones in my left foot(I don’t know what kind), a collapsed dome(whatever that is) and something called vascular necrosis…yipppee!
Gabe has crystals in his urine…and the vet wants me to give him food that he is allergic to, in order to potentially eliminate the crystals…

Feel the whirlwind? What day is it? Who cares about the date, the day, or even where it is on the calendar. Who is in charge?

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.

Evening and morning were the first day.
God created the days.

Job 38:1-2 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who [is] this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

While I believe that we can ask God questions…there is a line beyond which we should not go.  Reading the rest of God’s discourse to Job can really put a person in their place.

I am not in charge of the time.
I did not choose to have the box burn up in the trailer – and we were not responsible.
I did not choose to have Jim fly to NYC, taking days off of his availability.
I did not choose to have cysts on my ankle, and induce horrible nerve pain as they grew.
I did not choose to have FMS or CFS that limits my energy.

What I have chosen is to honor God with my life, by following Jesus Christ as my Savior through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
That means I need to choose to:

James 1:2-4 count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Knowing [this], that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
But let patience have [her] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

I’ve been working on LOVE(1 Cor 13) for many many years. The first definition, or qualification of love is….PATIENCE.

Everything is going to happen as God has planned.
What I’m in charge of is MY ATTITUDE, and MY RESPONSE.

So – What day is it?
THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE, I WILL REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!

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.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or ‘like’ me! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

 

 

  1. Weight Watchers – day 4
  2. 100 Spiritual Steps- blog – CHECK
  3. Chronological Bible reading…
  4. 50 days T-Tapp – AL, OIP, HD- gotta start!