May 31, 2007

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  What a day…what a week!  Well, I’m “hitting the ground running”, as they say!  Today I vacuumed, did laundry, got 3 days worth of clothes ready to wear for me and my DH, prepared food for our weekend, all because, we’re off to a show tomorrow for 3 days selling “de’ bubbles”, and “de’ coins”, and I’m working at getting everything organized and out the door, packed, and stacked in the van!  Hey, does anyone really know how heavy soap can be?!!  I consider it my weight training program!!  We are getting “a little help from my friends”!  Well, my dear, sweet sister and her DH are coming over in the morning to help get it all packed!  We lost our main helper to the California sun, and we really appreciate their help….I love you Sis!!  Anyway, I’m going to be pretty busy for the next 3 days, and I wanted to let everyone know from the bottom of my heart, that I’ve so appreciated all of your caring and sweet comments!  I know I haven’t been as faithful as I ought, and I’ve wanted so much to get around to all of you this past week, but alas, life does throw us curves every now and then…but, I’m hoping to start checking in with you all between now and Monday, providing I’m not too extremely tired!  Once I get back Monday, I’m going to start my “rounds” to see how you’re all doing!  So in the words of a dear Xangan friend, ”please, don’t give up on me!” 
  
  Ian and Tim are working long and hard out in California.  I know they are taping and then editing church member’s and leader’s testimonies for a film about the church.  They seem to be having a good time … I got a call from Ian asking me how I made my spaghetti sauce, so I think I need to get a little book of his favorite recipes together and send them out there to them!  They said they had a little recreation night and went with the youth group to play Putt-Putt … actually, Black Light Putt-Putt!  I’ve never heard of such a thing!  Now, I’m all too familiar with black lights from my teenage years, but not at a Putt-Putt golf course!  That’s one of my favorite things to do, and I’m glad he found a place there where they could play … he’s pretty good at it too!  He said the weather has been wonderful the whole time they’ve been there!  I’m also, still waiting on that DVD of pictures from their trip, that my son was supposed to have sent already, {Yo, Ian! That’s a hint, Sweetie! } … but they’re not here yet!  I’m anxious to see them, and fill you all in on their journey from Indiana to California!  So, again, a lesson in patience!  But you’ll be the first to know once I get them!  In the meantime, I’m going to tell you all now to have a wonderful weekend, be ever so blessed, and walk in the joy of the LORD, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!
  
  Love & Hugs,
  Deborah  <><
  
  
   

  

  
   I’m going to leave you with a short devotional that spoke to my heart about the things I ask God for in my life … we ask for things that bring richness to the flesh, but how often do we ask for things that bring richness to the soul?  Read on and let me know what your thoughts are on this! 
  
  
   Chocolate, Ice Cream, and Lean Souls ~
  Ever wonder what life would be like without dark chocolate? Okay, so maybe you don’t even like dark chocolate. How about ice cream? What would life be like without Dairy Queen? Life would be one, big meaningless journey to find some culinary delight that could in some way parallel a Blizzard. You see ice cream adds richness to life. Okay, so maybe you don’t like ice cream. What adds richness to your life? How about walks in the park, picturesque sunsets, a great book, three-day weekends, or a long talk with a friend? Whatever it is, imagine life without those things. Of course, you would conclude that life is kind of dull.

  Well, lately I’ve been pondering a deeper thought than ice cream … I know what brings richness to my flesh, but what is it that brings richness to my soul?  And, what defines “richness” in spirit versus “leanness” of spirit?

  I first began thinking about this recently when I came across a scripture that refers to the children of Israel. The good ‘ol Children of Israel are a steady reminder of the perils of human nature. They were constantly fighting just to stay focused on that Promised Land. It seems they had short-term memory problems, too, as one day they could trot across the dried-up Red Sea, then turn around the next day and question God’s very existence!  Seems like the scriptures have a pattern of stating “they remembered not…”.  Psalms 106:12 states, “Then believed they his words; they sang his praise.”  Then the next verse reads…”They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel.”  How soon they seemed to forget God and make their own plan for their lives. (Sounds like human nature to me.)  The passage goes on, “And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul” (Psalms 106:15).  This is the verse that sticks out in my brain, because it can be viewed in a couple of different ways.

  One way to look at it may be that God gave them something they were asking for; perhaps they wanted to enjoy some of the pleasures of Egypt.  In other words, they wanted something that maybe wasn’t best for them, but God gave it to them anyway. Or, perhaps their request was for deliverance or something.  They were notorious for calling on God, seeking Him in times of distress, then quickly forgetting Him when things looked brighter.  So, perhaps this “request” was one of those times of distress when they were desperate for help and called on God to come through.  So, God gave them their request because He was seeing their true heart at that particular time.

  Whatever the case, the outcome was still the same … they were granted their request, but in exchange they had “leanness” in their soul.  In other words, God is not a pushover Father; He may give in to a request, but He has enough wisdom to understand that we need something far greater than whatever it is we may be pleading with Him about at that moment.

  What we need is a “richness”, or “fatness” in our soul.  I’ve discovered richness at times when I opened the Word of God and a scripture was exactly what I needed for my situation, or I felt that surge of peace when my world seemed to be collapsing all around me, or I shared my faith with someone who was hungry to hear about God.  Something in the deepest part of me cries out for these flavorful moments in my spiritual walk.  This kind of fulfillment is something I only find in God’s presence.

  This is precisely what the woman at the well needed.  She went to the well that day desiring water, but needing living water. Jesus told her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing into everlasting life” (John 4:13-14, NKJV).  She jumped on that, and immediately asked Jesus to give her this water so she would not have to keep coming to the well again and again.  But by the time she finished talking with Jesus that day, she left her waterpot behind and went and told everyone that Jesus had read her mail.  She had a true encounter with the Lord, and He knew exactly how to touch her lean spirit with the richness of His love.

  So, imagine for a moment what life would be like without the “ice cream of the spirit”. 

  This richness comes not in simple church attendance, but those special moments alone with God, peace that passes understanding and faith that moves mountains. Without these, instead of living water, I would have just plain well water that leaves me thirsty again and again.

  So, if I’m asking God for something, He may grant my plea, but I’d rather Him say no, if it means I’ll have no richness in my spirit.  Simply stated, I don’t want to be a lean Christian.  I mean, I can live without ice cream in my flesh, but in my spiritual walk, I just have to have it!   
  
  
  
  

  

  • 10:15 pm
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