31 Days Seeking God - Day 1

The Nester has challenged us to pick a topic and write about it for 31 days. I may be, as is often the case, biting off more than I can chew. I may, as is also often the case, fizzle long before I reach the finish line.

Nevertheless, I am going to try to write, for 31 straight days, about Seeking God. It is something that has resided in my heart for as long as I can remember - this desire to know Him more. I've read the books and chased after things others told me would bring Him close.

In the end I have found it is all so simple and so complex. The more I know Him, the more there is to know. When I think I have attained, I find I have only begun.

This then is a "scratching of the surface" from a seeker who has so very far to go. I will never plumb the depths of the One who holds creation in His hands and sees every heart, but He invites me in - more than willing to reveal Himself.

Perhaps you would like to take the journey with me. It is only a beginning, for this particular journey takes a life-time.

My heart beats quickly as I write these words. I am so small and He is so big. I can only share with you what He has shown me. I welcome your thoughts. I have so much to learn

"I have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul's paradox of love."
 A.W. Tozer

Blessings,
Linda

I will draw heavily from Tozer's life- changing book, " The Pursuit of God" and from the Word.

Be sure to check out some of the other 31 Dayers. There is a wonderful variety of topics.

This is day one. 
 Day two - Chosen 
Day three - Seekers 
Day four - Predestination vs. Free Will
Day five - Simple Obedience
Day six - His Presence 
Day seven - Near to the Heart of God 
Day eight - Totally His
Day nine - Stepping Through the Veil 
Day ten - God Is Near
Day eleven - God Speaking 
Day twelve - The Eyes of Faith 
Days thirteen and fourteen- The Heavens Declare 
Day fifteen - A Right Relationship
Day sixteen - Intentions of the Heart
Day seventeen - Spirit of God....
Day eighteen - Rest 
Day nineteen - Pretense or Peace 
Day twenty - In Your Presence 
Day twenty-one - Prayer of Humility 
Day twenty-two - Looking Back
Day twenty-three - We Will Remember
Day twenty-four - In the Valley
Day twenty-five - With Us 
Day twenty-six - Immanuel 
Day twenty-seven  and twenty- eight - Seek Him 
Day twenty-nine - Through the Valley 
Day thirty - Pursuing Happiness
Day Thirty-One 

Built For the Valley

“We are not built for the mountains and the dawns and the aesthetic affinities, those are for moments of inspiration, that is all. We are built for the valley, for the ordinary stuff we are in, and that is where we have to prove our mettle.” Oswald Chambers

Several years ago, in the wake of Revival meetings, our church was on a spiritual “high” of sorts.  At choir practice our music minister gave us this gentle warning: “It is at these times we are vulnerable to the enemy’s desire to discourage us. When we come down from the place where everything has a special glow about it and where our spirits soared in the palpable presence of the Lord, we are apt to feel a bit low as we enter once again into the ‘ordinary’ of daily life.”........

Please join me at Laced With Grace today. We'll talk about living in the valley.
Thank you so much.

Blessings,
Linda

"Chasing Silhouettes" Emily's Book

This beautiful young woman is Emily. She is a wife, mother of four boys (two of whom are hers), artist and author of "Chasing Silhouettes: How to Help a Loved One Battling an Eating Disorder," available here. She is also one of the dearest people I know, with a passionate love for her Savior and others.

That love runs through the pages of her book - a book birthed out of the pain of her own suffering - as she reaches out to those with eating disorders.  

The book tells the story of her struggle with an eating disorder that nearly took her life. She has included stories from other people, each coming from different circumstances,  but all with the same terrible struggle.

 Family members and friends tell how living with someone with an eating disorder affects them and offer advice on how to react and what to say. No one escapes the pain. When a loved one suffers, we all suffer.

 Then there is the perspective from medical professionals. It is a comprehensive look at a problem faced by so many families. In a time where outward appearance seems to be everything, and the standard so skewed, it offers hope and sound, practical advice.

Emily has included a prayer at the end of every chapter - moving, heartbreaking words to a God who loves us just the way we are.

While reading it, even though I don't suffer from an eating disorder, I found wisdom for my own life. We all have battles we must fight. It is so encouraging to know there is hope.

For more information please visit www.emilywierenga.com

Blessings,
Linda

Stairs

 The old house cradled three staircases within its century old walls. Two twisted their way from basement to first floor and then on to the second floor. One hid behind the kitchen door - a secret passage to the bedroom with slanted ceiling and lace-covered canopy. The one where rock and roll blared from the radio, teenage feet danced across wooden floors and Ambush perfume scented the air.

The main staircase had its beginning in the foyer. It disappeared from sight around a curve eight stairs up - stairs that received a glorious makeover when my parents restored the old house. The light colored wood gleamed when sunlight peeked through the little window panes on either side of the front door. Colorful stenciled flowers graced the white face of every single step. Steps that echo with the sounds of prom shoes awkwardly clicking on  wood, of white satin wedding shoes softly leaving home, of a little boy who arrived late and brought joy. 

They were also the scene of one of the funniest moments of our childhood. Mom was giving the grand tour to one of her friends. My little sister and I were playing downstairs. Before climbing to the second floor, the thoughtful visitor slipped off her shoes - walking quietly behind Mom in stockinged feet. After leading the way through the bedrooms, Mom graciously stepped aside to let her friend go first. 

She put one stockinged foot on the first stair and slowly descended. All went well until she reached the curve and her feet went out from under her. She landed on her bottom and began bouncing down the steps.

My little sister and I sensed something exciting was afoot when we heard the "OOHH!!  OOHH!!" echoing through the foyer. Mom stood frozen on the top step, hand pressed to her heart. Every time the poor woman's bottom hit a step, Mom would hoot - "OOHH!" - keeping perfect time.

We crouched  in the hallway, laughing so hard we couldn't move or speak.

Fortunately Mom's friend was well padded, and all was well.

I'm linking to Amber's blog. She is an amazing writer and has given us a prompt. This is my humble offering.

Blessings,
Linda

Drummer Boy

I have a friend who has a gift for giving gifts. She has an uncanny ability to find the perfect gift for every person on every occasion. There is no disappointment when her beautifully wrapped packages are opened.  There is simply joy in being known.

We have a grandson who has been given a gift. It would seem it was knit into the fabric of his being long before he drew his first breath. He didn't discover the gift right away. It was hidden somewhere, waiting for the right moment. A wonderful surprise.

He opened it the day someone placed a set of drumsticks in his hands. He was just a little boy, but the gift was evident to those who know about such things. It was the perfect gift - not one to be stuck in the back of a closet or given away to the local thrift store. Everything about it fit.

The years, as years are wont to do, flew by, and the drummer is no longer a little boy. He is teetering on the edge of adulthood - facing decisions that will affect the rest of his life.

We got to spend time with him this past week. His schedule is packed full - school, college entrance exams, worship band, basketball - and those decisions.Of one thing he is certain. He holds the gift close to his heart and then offers it back to the Giver, with gratitude. "I have been given a gift. I want to use it for Him."

We experience great joy when the gift we've given is appreciated. I like to imagine the Giver of gifts laughing with joy as the gift, long treasured, is given with open heart by His children, to be used for His purposes. 

Blessings,
Linda

A Few Days Off

I'm going to take a few days off. I'll see you soon.

Blessings,
Linda

Mystery

I love a good mystery. You will find them standing in neat rows on my bookshelves - the cozy mysteries - not a big fan of blood and gore.What could be better on a gloomy, chilly afternoon than to curl up with a cup of tea and Agatha?

I also love puzzles, and the two go hand in hand it seems to me. Slowly and carefully the pieces come together until the picture begins to take shape. I hope you won't be shocked when I tell you I sometimes cheat. It's true. Sometimes I look at the back of the book! Shocking, I know.

My excuse is, I want to see how the mystery is plotted out through the pages. However, more often I just don't want my favorite character to be the bad guy or, worse yet, get bumped off. If everything looks okay, I can continue reading - happy in the knowledge that he or she didn't do it or is safe.

Having said that, I am trying not to cheat because the truth is, it takes all the "zing" out of the mystery when I already know all the answers.

Beth Moore said something this morning (via video) that resonated deeply in this mystery lovers heart. She was talking about our attempts to figure out the scriptures - and in the process figure out the mind of God. There are mysteries hidden in the pages of my Bible I long to unravel. Sometimes things just don't add up, and I want to make them come out right. I'm afraid it will all fall apart if I don't get it all set in order - everything neatly tied up.

"You can study scripture the rest of your life and never have it figured out," she said. 

My obsessive-compulsive little self sighed deeply and relaxed. It's alright if I don't figure it all out. It was never meant to be that way. I read the words, and truth is revealed. I turn the page and the mystery continues. It is unending - for He is infinite. I will never plumb the depths of the mystery of who He is.

It doesn't make me sad. It makes me smile. Not every mystery must be solved - not in the here and now anyway. My God is so rich, so deep, so wide, so high - I can never reduce Him to my own limited understanding.

But He gives me enough - yes, more than enough. He calls me to seek and find, and He is there. He repeats the invitation and there is more. On and on it goes until one day everything will be revealed. For now, He gives me all I need - and so much more.

 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law."
Deuteronomy 29:29

"Then the Angel I saw astride sea and land lifted his right hand to Heaven and swore by the One Living Forever and Ever, who created Heaven and everything in it, earth and everything in it, sea and everything in it, that time was up—that when the seventh Angel blew his trumpet, which he was about to do, the Mystery of God, all the plans he had revealed to his servants, the prophets, would be completed."
Rev. 10:5-7

Blessings,
Linda 

The picture is Patricia's. You can read her beautiful posts and see her amazing pictures here.

Dreaming Dreams

"Will you pray?" It was a dream she whispered months ago, one she faithfully took before the One who places those very dreams in our hearts.  He has a miraculous way of making dreams come true, when our hearts are yielded to Him.

This Spring the whisper of a dream will take form in the shape of a retreat. My dear friend Deidra has gathered an amazing group of women to come together to encourage you to dream big - to share with others the dreams the Father has planted in your hearts, the ones you've hidden deep not daring to imagine they could really come true.

Just go here to find out all the details: http://jumpingtandem-ne.com/

Blessings,
Linda

Don't Worry

 “Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? If fussing can’t even do that, why fuss at all? Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don’t fuss with their appearance—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. If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?

Luke 12:25-28 (MSG)

linking to my dear friends Sandy and Deidra today:





We are getting abundant rain today, and we are so grateful for the way He cares for us.

Blessings,
Linda

A Letter to Me

Remember the way you rolled your eyes whenever your Mom said she still felt like a teenager in her heart? You shouldn't have done that. The day will come when you too will look in the mirror and wonder who that older lady is.

Setting that aside, there are a few really important things I want to say to you.

 Please stop trying so hard to be like everyone else. You know, the "everyone elses" who are so pretty and popular and never seem at a loss for the right words. I wish I could get you to see that skinny legs and curly hair are not the end of the world. The "flip"won't always be the most popular hairstyle.

 And feeling awkward and uncomfortable while everyone else has a great time at the party isn't the worst thing that can happen to you.

Another thing, don't try so hard to please everyone. I promise you, if you can get this one right you'll save yourself so much heartache. You won't be ruined forever if everyone doesn't think you're perfect. You're not, but neither is anyone else. It will be alright. You don't have to compromise who you are to fit in.

You might want to try to get your head out of the clouds - just a little anyway. It's lovely to dream but a dash of practical common sense is worth its weight in gold. You should take off the rose colored glasses occasionally. It might keep you from running hard into reality and getting them knocked off that nose you've never really liked. 

If there was only one thing I could tell you it would be - don't hold the gift lightly. I know there is hardly a time in your life you can remember not knowing Jesus. It is easy to take for granted the priceless treasure you hold when it has become so familiar. I'm afraid it will take a bit of living, a bit of stumbling around and even falling down, before you understand its full worth.

 In time you will see it for what it is and it will drive you to your knees in gratitude. All that teenage angst that followed you right into adulthood will begin to fall away. It's an on-going process, but you will learn to see who you are through His eyes. So much better than those rose colored glasses.

 Oh, and the happily ever after with the high school sweetheart? Well....it wasn't "happily ever after", but it is "ever after" made deeper and richer by all those things the little dreamer never saw coming.

Emily, whose 2nd book has just been released, has asked us to write letters to our teen-aged selves. That's because her book "Graceful" is written to teenage girls. Emily is a gifted writer. She has a heart for girls and a desire to share the message of grace. It changes lives.

also linking to my other Emily at imperfect prose

Blessings,
Linda

Waiting

Busy tapping keys these days. The word count grows (23,454 to be exact), and the minutes trickle into the past.

I am thinking about His presence, the way He never moves. Once invited to take up residence in a heart, He enters with a promise to stay - forever.

Some days He luxuriates in the space provided. More often He is jostled and pushed aside by a myriad of things demanding first place. He graciously accepts apologies.

He waits. He has brought a lovely bouquet to the table, set a place - and He waits. He has a great many things He would like to share, but He waits.

When the dust of activity settles and the clamor stills, He is there. Just the mention of His name - a whisper; He is there. He hasn't moved. I take my seat and marvel at His presence. He gently smiles and says, "I've been waiting."

Blessings,
Linda

Miracle Worker (a poem)

Before I wake, He's walking in the garden
Scattering seeds and dressing little flowers.
He spins the earth from darkness into daylight
And forms the clouds to bring a morning shower.

All through the day, He's walking close beside me
Protecting, guiding, giving grace to bear;
Forgiving, filling, carrying my burdens
Reminding me He knows my every care.

At close of day, when sunlight turns to darkness
He calls the moon and all the dancing stars
He never sleeps, He's ever watching, listening
And drawing near to every longing heart.

He's working miracles, but all the while He's listening
He hears His children when they call His name
And though a million voices intermingle
He hears each one, for no two are the same.

Blessings,
Linda

Five Minute Friday: Graceful

Five Minute Friday time (Don't the weeks slip by quickly?). Today Lisa-Jo has chosen graceful:

start:

I wanted to be a ballerina from the time I was a tiny girl, but any talent was buried beneath a heavy load of timidity. My shyness prevented me from being brave enough to step foot into a classroom. So I danced for my family, danced my way through my teens - unseen in the family room. I'd put on records (I'm old enough to remember those) and dance my way around the big sofa.

Any dreams of ballet have long since disappeared. Oh, I still dance in my heart when I watch the graceful ballerinas pirouette and leap into the arms of their strong partners, but only in my heart. These days graceful has taken on new meaning.

I long to speak in ways that encourage and glorify God. I long to write words that speak grace and love. I pray for wisdom to speak gracefully. I have traded dreams of toe-shoes for dreams of sheaves of paper filled with grace.

stop:

To participate in Five Minute Friday just click here and go to Lisa-Jo's. Or perhaps you'd just like to sit for a few minutes and read the graceful words.

Blessings,
Linda

Picture: Another picture from Patricia - whose grace and love bless.

A Glass Half-full

I have always been a girl who sees the glass half-full - a dreamer, spinning hope and happiness. I'm older now, and life has knocked hard causing some of the precious liquid to spill from the glass. For long seasons I hold steady, but inevitably they come - those days when it is hard not to focus on the empty part.

I wake and before I can take a deep breath the fog rolls in, blotting out even the tiniest ray of sunlight. "I cannot do this for another day," I whisper to Him. I'm not even sure what the "this" is. It is a nebulous compilation of the dull repetition of daily life, the doctor appointments I am weary to death of, a debilitating  feeling of mediocrity, a fear that I will one day stand before a pile of wood, hay and stubble that has turned to ashes.

I carry the folding chair out onto the front porch, along with my Bible and Bible study book. A breeze causes the branches of the oaks to dance in the sunlight. A hummingbird soars in for a drink. I bow my head and am overwhelmed by a palpable sense of His presence in this quiet place.The tears come.

He gently reminds me of words I copied into a notebook only days ago:

"It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it. The motive is everything.
 Let a man sanctify the Lord God in his heart and he can thereafter do no common act... For such a man, living itself will be sacramental and the whole world a sanctuary."
A.W. Tozer

I close my eyes, acknowledging truth - truth He has been gently pressing into my heart. Those seasons, when the glass tilts alarmingly in the wrong direction, come when self  looms large. It is self who cries out for approval, for a day with dreams and desires fulfilled, for significance in the things I do. The "why" is me when it ought to be Him.

He is forever doing things in ways that seem backward to my needy self. The mystery is - the "backward" is the very thing I've been longing for. When I give everything back to Him, even when my heart says, "I don't want to..." or "I want..." the glass steadies. He takes the mundane and converts it into heavenly. He takes the small and lifts it up - in His way, in His time. He replaces fear with incomprehensible peace. He counts every small act done with a heart toward Him as gold.

He offers a glass filled to overflowing and says, "Come drink."

Linking to Emily's imperfect prose today.

Blessings,
Linda

picture from my sweet friend Patricia 

My Treasure

 I walked around yesterday in search of inspiration. Surely there was something I could write about - something significant and inspiring. Hadn't I learned anything in the past few days? Didn't anyone do anything special or say something profound? Wasn't there a perfect analogy hidden somewhere - anywhere?

I sat in silence ....waiting.....listening.....reading scripture.......nothing.

"I am just empty," I said to my boring little self.

Of course there was the day when we had to take Dad to the E.R. It looked as though he was having trouble with his heart - again. We held our collective breathe as we drove to meet the ambulance at the hospital. We prayed that even at ninety-two there were still miracles. We sat as they ran the usual tests. Waiting - it's such a difficult discipline.

The doctor was smiling when he returned. All was well with his heart. We relaxed, joked with the nurse, laughed at Dad's quirky sense of humor. We waved good-bye to possible heartache, and walked through the sliding doors into sunshine. One more day of grace.

Two days later it was our son's turn to lay on a hospital bed. We prayed for the surgeon who would replace the torn a.c.l. Forty year old sons still fit nicely inside a mother's heart. All went well. In no time at all we were sitting in his family room watching movies while he rested - giving thanks.

Yesterday, we nearly got t-boned at a busy intersection. Somehow, with traffic whizzing all around us, we were safe.

I saw a blue moon the other night. I stepped out onto the patio. The wind made the branches of the giant oaks dance. Against a backdrop of darkened sky and wispy clouds He hung the moon. Just like that. And it was magnificent.

My sweet husband made a holder for the hummingbird feeder the other day. We watched from the kitchen window, and they came. Swiftly darting in for a drink. Little miracles doing impossible things.

 

My crown of thorns plant is hidden away in the guest room. I don't often visit - only to bring an occasional drink of water. I was amazed when I walked in yesterday. I have never seen it so full of bloomd. I stood and looked and wondered. It nearly died when we were in the apartment, but I couldn't bring myself to throw it away. Look at what I would have missed.

While I walked around looking for inspiration, I talked to the Father, and it occurs to me He was right there listening. Just as He was in that E.R., the hospital room, the car and every place I went. If I am looking, I see evidence of His divine touch everywhere I go. They may not be big, sparkly miracles, but they are miracles nonetheless.

So....I don't have anything BIG to share, but such as I have I give you. And just between you and me, I think I have great treasure.

blessing,

Linda

Hear Us

"Lord, hear our cry;  Come heal our land
Breath life into these dry and thirsty souls.
Lord, hear our prayer;  Forgive our sin
And as we call on your name
Would you make this a place
For your glory to dwell.

Open the blind eyes
Unlock the deaf ears
Come to your people
As we draw near
Hear us from heaven
Touch our generation
We are your people
Crying out in desperation."

Jared Anderson

linking to my friends Sandy and Deidra

 



Blessings,
Linda

We're singing this in church this weekend.