On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. ~John 7:37-39
Hello, dear reader!!! I know it's been a couple of days since you've "heard" from me. I do apologize, but life has a way of doing that to me sometimes. :)
Monday is SHARE WHAT YOU LEARNED AT CHURCH day. I can't WAIT to hear what God spoke to your heart!!!!!! If you want to share the sermon's points and Scripture, that's awesome - but please make sure that you share what God placed in your heart from the sermon, too! :)
Yesterday's sermon was on marriage and mates. On waiting on God's best, on His wanting to give you the desires of your heart. Pastor Lane talked about the differences in the ways men and women think, and their emotions and needs being different. He summed up his sermon with these four questions we should ask ourselves:
- What do you like about your marriage?
- What do you DISLIKE about your marriage?
- What would you change about your mate?
- What would you be willing to change about yourself?
Aha! GOOD, thought-provoking questions, don't you think? And am I the ONLY woman whose answers would depend on what day you asked me them????? Seriously. There are some days when I KNOW I'm the most blessed woman on the planet, and other days when, well...!
I'm PLANNING on being able to really share with you tomorrow, barring unforseen circumstances. We were gone for twelve solid hours yesterday, and I've been gone most of the day today - and have to leave for auditions again in just over an hour - so I need to get a couple more things accomplished before I go. PHEW. :)
Please share with me! What did YOU get touched by yesterday? How are YOU doing??????
Don't forget! Tomorrow is HOW I AM DOING WITH MY GOALS day! :)
God BLESS you, dear reader. May His living water bathe your heart, and come bubbling forth from you!
3 comments:
Hi Lori - I did miss you and figured you dind't blog on the weekends. 12 hours is a long time to be away - be careful with your schedule because of the diabetes :).
I didn't find a church yesterday but have been reading a lot on the CWO.com webpage--tons of bloggers there and many writers.
Skating Toward
Self Control
Tamra Nashman , December 2007
Then Joshua asked them, “How long are you going
to wait before taking possession of the remaining
land the Lord, the God of your ancestors
has given to you?†Joshua 18:3
My mother used to always tell me to ‘never put off until tomorrow what you can accomplish today.’ I can always think of a hundred things that need to be done in the house and the yard alone. Our adorable little Chihuahua, Salsa, needs a bath. The paint is chipping on the old garage door, the Christmas tree lights need to go up, and the ornaments are buried beneath the Goodwill bags that are yet to be dropped off. And that is exactly my problem. I can always think of a multitude of other tasks in order to avoid the one thing I need to do the most. Yes, sadly it’s true. I am a procrastinator. There should be a 12 step program for people like me, who always want to put off until tomorrow the thing we need to do today. Procrastinator’s Anonymous. I could be the President.
I’m always telling my husband, ‘Look at everything I accomplished today!’ And he sits in wonder at the tasks that have been finished. I actually make lists in the evening before the next day and check them off one by one as I complete them. How could a person this organized be a procrastinator? Sounds impossible, doesn’t it? But it’s the one thing I don’t want to do that stands ominously in the way of my peace of mind and truest success. It’s the thing I most need to do that slips through my fingers day after day. And that thing I need to do, but don’t is what keeps me awake at night, haunts me during the day and makes me a certified member of PA whether I want to be or not.
I bet you’re laughing right now, because you see yourself in precisely the same light. There are numerous members of Procrastinators Anonymous. I’ve met many souls of similar persuasion whose closets are running over with clothes that are crying to be boxed up for Good Will, newspapers from years ago they’ve never read that should be in the recycle bin, documents that still have not been signed but are collecting dust instead on the corner of some desk with a broken drawer.
Procrastinators have a moral code they live by and rarely is it broken--never do today what can wait until tomorrow. Since I’m the rightful President of this club let me be the first to tell you this important truth; self control is the virtue which all true procrastinators lack; the one they need the most.
People often ask me where I got my musical talent. I have vivid childhood memories of my father sitting at the piano, teaching me to play “Little Brown Jug.†It’s a short, simple song with no more then three chords, the lyrics portraying the life of a fellow more interested in his booze than his wife. My Dad, who never took a drop of liquor himself, sang this song like he was auditioning for American Idol, and it was interesting how he could take those same three chords and apply them to any hymn you’d ever want to sing. Ingenious. My mother, on the other hand, sang in the church choir--and everyone could pick her out, because she was the person who enthusiastically belted out every song on the same note, regardless of the key of the music.
This was my musical heritage. “Little Brown Jug,†however, didn’t get me very far in college when I needed to play a Beethoven Sonata or a Bach Fugue. My Mother’s monotone voice did little for me when it came to singing Operatic Arias, and German Art Songs. I had much to learn and the discipline of time and effort required was monumental. Each week, there was a new piano piece to perfect and a new art song to learn, and worst of all, I had to perform them in front of the Webster University music faculty and other students.
When time came for final exams, they usually entailed a recital performance as a large part of our final grade. I cleaned my dorm room. I cleaned it six times. I worked on my other non-pertinent classes--studied psychology, memorized history facts, volunteered in the lunchroom--anything at all to avoid facing the workload I knew I needed to attack.
What was wrong with me? When finally I got down to business and hit the practice room to prepare for my recital, I had only days left to complete the task. Now, unless one is a genius, it’s quite impossible to memorize twenty to thirty pages of music in just a few days. Needless to say, my performance was less than stellar, and my German Art Song, took on a familiar monotone, reminiscent of my mother’s glory days in the church choir.
I have to admit, it was an enlightening moment for this bonafide procrastinator. I had to weigh the consequences of my lack of discipline, and self-control. Like it or not, there is a painful price to pay for putting off until tomorrow what needs to be done today.
Paul addressed this particular issue in the second book of Timothy, the second chapter, starting at verse 5 when he says this; “Follow the Lord’s rules for doing his work, just as an athlete either follows the rules or is disqualified and wins no prize. The hardworking farmers are the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor.†When we can grasp the discipline of priority, and gain through God’s enablement the power to tackle those tasks that are most needful and necessary in our lives, we reap the benefits of that self control.
I honestly never gave myself license to procrastinate practice for another recital after the painful lesson I learned at Webster University. I decided the humiliation wasn’t worth dragging my heels. Of course, applying that precept to all the other areas of my life has been a challenge. Once a procrastinator...
If I knew how to defeat the demon of delay, I’d reveal the secret in my book. But, I know the One who is ready and able to help us prioritize our lives and who genuinely wants us to win the prize of purpose fulfilled. I now start each morning requesting God’s assistance in my quest to order my day and seek his collaboration in my effort to accomplish those tasks most needful. It’s amazing how simple the mission can be when the Lord puts his particular spin on it. What seemed daunting suddenly appears attainable. God has this miraculous way of turning mountains into molehills. Don’t you love that?
So, “How long are you going to wait before taking possession of the remaining land the Lord the God of your ancestors has given to you?†Well Lord, by your grace, I’ll get to it first thing tomorrow.
©2007, Tamra Nashman
That is one that has spoken to me greatly - its about procrastination which I think I mentioned to ya'll before.
I am happy to report tomorrow about goals :) heeh
love you and hope all of you on lori's blog are having a WONDERFUL day in spite of any unforeseen circumstances that the enemy likes to use to divert us from looking UP. Blessings,Karen
Lori, I learned something in church yesterday that wasn't in the sermon. It was between rehearsal and during Sunday School time. I never made it to Sunday School. Since you weren't here, I posted it on my blog and shared with More of Him Monday at "Sunshine on My Shoulders". I think I'll do it that way from now on. Post on my blog and give a link from her. You might want to look into a "Mr.Linky" like Kelli uses on her site for Show&Tell.
Still praying for low blood sugar and healed eyes.
Nancy
Sorry, should have been "give a link from HERE.
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