Red Wednesday's Wisdom - CHG #11, Part Four

Act by Responding Verses Reacting
So, what one word did you identify as ensnaring you into becoming reactive?   For me, the word was pride, and it had to do with knowing some uncomfortable information that I knew the person I was listening to did not have.  Initially I reacted to what I heard, by saying, “Our lives are more intertwined to that situation you are describing than you know.”  Now that may not sound reactive to you, but the second it came out of my mouth, I had to humbly admit to myself that it was a “knee jerk,” prideful, reaction to information that only I was privy to.  If I could have deleted what I had said, I would have responded by simply continuing to listen with attentive ears and eyes, while remaining silent.  The confidentiality, that someone else had in me, could have been compromised and at risk as a result of my “know it all” pride, and that had the potential to create a lot of relational clutter.  Fortunately, a phone call distracted our conversation, and I was very thankful for the hand of God that put my mouth at a standstill and prevented any further conversation on that subject matter.  Hopefully, you can see from what I have just shared with you that our reacting can be hidden or subtle, and that is why we can often be deceived by our own character, unless we are willing to take personal responsibility for honestly looking at ourselves from the inside out. 

With addictions so rampant, I want to briefly address the clutter that builds up in individual lives, families, friendships, and the workplace as a result of them.

What is an Addiction?
Addiction = Reacting
Addiction = "Quick Fix"
Addiction = Excess
Addiction = Destructive Habits

Addictions are “stinkin thinkin.”  They are rooted in lie based thinking, which all of us have been addicted to at one time or another. Consequently, we all need God to heal us from our “stinkin thinkin” by renewing our thinking, and replacing the lies we believe in with the Truth of God’s Word and His Son, Jesus.

Addictions enslave us and they are representative of anything outside of God being our “Quick Fix.”  Think of how often we all react to wanting a “quick fix” that takes over, consumes, and can even destroys us.  It can be what we crave with respect to what we:

♥ Eat - sugars, fats, carbohydrates, junk food, artificial foods and preservatives
♥ Drink - sodas, caffeine, juices, diet drinks, alcohol
♥ Smoke  - cigarettes, cigars, marijuana, crack
♥ Medicate with – prescriptive and non prescriptive drugs, and over the counter remedies
♥ Look at or hear – TV, internet, movies, shows, magazines, books, music, radio 

We can often be deceived by thinking or believing that our craving will calm us, comfort us, or makes us feel better.  It may for a while, but eventually the desire becomes so great that we think we cannot live without it; that thinking directly affects our behavior, and it causes us to become increasingly more reactive and cluttered up by the craving.  Addictions make us BUSY: Being Under Satan’s Yoke!  We are wanting too much, moving too fast, and working too hard and long!

When I talk about ADD or addictions, I always refer to them as being symbolic of a squirrel.  Study a squirrel’s behavior, and you will see just how squirrelly they are as they scurry back and forth in scattered motion.  Realistically, they do have the ability to move slower and with purposefulness, which is reflective in their balanced tight rope skills on electrical lines, but that is not their preference.  Watching squirrels can give you insight into what it can look like and feel like to be living a life with ADD or addictions.  I know firsthand how it has looked and felt to be scattered, impulsive, confused, in constant motion, going somewhere, but really going nowhere. I know all too well the frustration, anger, distraction, and perfectionism.  I could go on and on with the symptoms.  But here is the hope - it is possible to overcome the clutter of ADD, addictions, stress, cancer, or whatever the disease or disorder is labeled as.  How does that happen?   It takes place when I make the decision to be attentive and respond to God’s call: I focus my attention on The God who heals.  God’s Son Jesus, is always standing in the gap for me and for you.  Look to Him for guidance, listen to Him for direction, and open yourself up to being rescued by Him, and then follow His lead, because He is coming for you!

This week, your SW is to consider which one of the following enslavement issues has had a hold on you: the addictive personality, alcoholism, caffeine/sodas, depression, drug abuse, eating issues, pornography, smoking, sugar/substitutes, or other_______.  Of the 11 CHG’s that have been presented to you, which one is the one that will most help you to being set free from this hold?

For more than 2 years, I have been sharing my teaching with you in regards to “The 12 Clutter Healing Guidelines.”   In my next posting, we will be closing in on the 12th and final CHG.  Do you have an idea as to what that CHG might be?  Here is a clue; I have constantly been using it as I have shared these past couple years with you.

Red Wednesday's Wisdom - CHG #11, Part Three

Act by Responding Verses Reacting
I hope you gained a deeper insight about who you are, as you considered how you thought and felt about The Lord coming into your life, the factors that have caused you to feel grief, the root cause of why you have reacted rather than responded to life, and the change you wanted to make in an attempt to respond verses react to life.  

I can only reinforce what I have shared with you in the past as being my experience.  In my grief stricken desperation of loneliness due to my divorce, I initially reacted with yelling, clenched fists, and excessive drinking and smoking.  There was blaming, fighting, and a list that could go on and on, but here was the bottom line: I had come to the end of myself, and I wanted to be rescued.  I could no longer do life on my own.  So in the midst of my reacting to the pain and chaos, I also began the long journey of learning how to respond to my grief by making the one biggest change and decision that I have ever made, I turned to God.  Gradually, I came to accept His Son, Jesus, as my Lord (husband and guide) and Savior (He saves me from all kinds of disasters).   Over time, I can honestly say that my life became less complicated, less confusing, and less disorganized.  My path and direction became more clear and simplistic.  I learned that I was never forsaken or alone, and that I would always be loved and nurtured by God Himself, His Son Jesus, and His Holy Spirit.  God is the only One who can ultimately guide me, save me, and heal me in this life and the one to come.  And though I have always had a tendency to react to life, I am learning to respond to it.  With God’s help and direction, through His Holy Spirit and  His Holy Word, I am a work in process. 

CHG # 11, Act by Responding Verses Reacting, represents the spiritual force that drove me to develop The Clutter Class Curriculum.  It has been a very personal and heartfelt driving force in response to ADD, Addictions, and the hidden and secretive issues related to my divorce.  My passion and desire was to find healing and freedom from these very enslaving issues.  “The Twelve Clutter Healing Guidelines” came out of that desire to be healed and freed.  These guidelines are Holy Spirit inspired, and they are void of drugs being the first line of defense, as well as being the answers and approach to anything that builds up or piles up in our lives.

ADD, addictions, stress, whatever the dis-ease, it’s all clutter!  CHG #11 is about taking responsibility for what happens in my life.

The clutter of ADD:

1.      From a medical perspective, ADD stands for Attention Deficit Disorder, and since the 1970’s there has been much controversy regarding this disorder.

 

      What is a Deficit? 

 

Deficit = Lacking  

Deficit = Incomplete  

Deficit = Absence

Deficit = Shortage

2.      From a spiritual perspective, ADD stands for Accountability Deceivement Disorder. And when the Holy Spirit put these words on my heart, I was truly humbled.  It was a turning point for me and a whole new way of looking at me and others.  It meant that my focus was to be on me first, rather than on someone else.  I needed to pay attention, look, and listen to my own thoughts, feelings, and behavior, just like Micah 1:1-3 was teaching me to do, before addressing issues with another.  To this day, I am challenged to be responsible and honest about me.

Humility is the character, reflection, and Spirit of God, and it is that one word that began to change me and continues to change me.  Humility is the one word impetus for the clutter healing curriculum.  We are healed and freed when we are open to being humbled. Humility is God.

What is a Deceivement?

Deceivement = Ensnare

Deceivement = Snare

Deceivement = Misled

Deceivement = Lies

 Remember how our clutter is directly related to what we think, and therefore, what we believe?

This week our SW is to think on the following scenario:

Consider the different reflexes that our body automatically makes.  They are the involuntary ones that we have no control over.  An example is the “knee jerk” reflex which is an automatic involuntary reaction to the tap of a hammer to our knee.  When we act by reacting, we are just like that “knee jerk” reflex.  We are reacting automatically without voluntarily thinking.  It is an example of walking in our flesh.  When we act by responding, we are consciously and voluntarily slowing down to think first and then act. It is an example of walking in the Spirit.

This week, think about that one word that stands out as being reactive in you.  Here are some examples of what is often shared: anger, rage, aggravation, yelling, silence, hurt, intimidation, fear, sarcasm, pride, criticalness, judgmental, disobedient, defensiveness, and unkindness.  Then ask God to help to you to become more attentive to being humble and more accountable to responding with humility.

Next week we will delve more into the clutter of addictions.

Red Wednesday's Wisdom - CHG #11, Part Two

Act by Responding Versus Reacting
For those of you who may not know, my brother Jeffrey was in a serious motorcycle accident, and on August 24, 2013, he went to be with the Lord.  For that reason, there has been a delay in my blog teaching.  I wanted and needed the time to grieve and process the many different emotions, thoughts, experiences, lessons, and connections that his death held for me.  

I have often expressed that I do not believe in coincidences, but I firmly believe in the God-incidences of life.  So, keeping that thought in mind, I want to honor my brother’s memory and our family’s love for him with the song that has accompanied CHG #11 since 1999.  It became popular in the early 90’s.  I have listened to this song hundreds of times, and without fail, I am moved to tears for the meaning it has in my life at that time I take it in, and that has happened once again. Please get yourself comfortable, sit back, and relax. And as you do, reflect on the verses from Micah 1:1-3, that support CHG #11. Focus your mind, ears, and eyes to the following lyrics, and then click here  for the angelic sound of Mike and the Mechanics, and their song, The Living Years.  After you have pondered upon the lyrics and music, consider how the last verse in Micah speaks to you about the Lord’s coming.

Every generation, blames the one before
And all of their frustrations, come beating on your door
I know that I’m a prisoner to all my father held so dear
I know that I’m a hostage to all his hopes and fears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years

No crumpled bits of paper
Filled with imperfect thoughts
Stilted conversations, I’m afraid that’s all we’ve got
You say you just don’t see it, he says its perfect sense
You just can’t get agreement, in this present tense
We all talk a different language, talking in defense

Say it loud (say it loud)
Say it clear (oh say it clear)
You can listen as well as you hear (as well as you hear)
It’s too late (it’s too late)
When we die (ooh when we die)
To admit we don’t see eye to eye (we don’t see eye to eye)

So we open up a quarrel
Between the present and the past
We only sacrifice the future
And it’s the bitterness that lasts
So don’t yield to the fortunes
Sometimes see is fate
It may have a new perspective on a different date
And if you don’t give up and don’t give in you may just be ok

(So say it say it say it loud)
Say it loud
Say it clear (oh oo say it clear)
You can listen as well as you hear (as well as you hear )
(Because it’s too late it’s too late)
It’s too late when we die (oh when we die)
To admit we don’t see eye to eye (we don’t see eye to eye)

Our SW from August 21, 2013 was to read Micah 1:1-3 in its entirety. Then we were to put CHG #11 into practice by paying attention, listening, and looking at what Micah 1:1-3 was telling us in light of the Lord’s coming.  When I examined these verses, in other words, paid attention to them, listened to them, and looked at them, I was first taken in by the title, Grief over Samaria and Jerusalem.  Grief  has certainly been the word to describe what I have gone through over this past month.  And as I gravitated to this word, I also felt a special closeness and identification with the Lord in terms of His character.  Like me, God’s Word was showing me that God has a history of grieving for the people He loves and has created. The exclamatory words – “Attention!”  “Look!”  “Listen!” are messages that come straight from God.  And in the context of these verses, God is grieving over His people who are also going to grieve as a result of their refusal to respond to Him by giving Him their attention, looking to Him for how to live, and listening to His words of wisdom, since after all, He is God.

The people of Samaria and Jerusalem are no different than you or I.  We have also chosen to not trust God or obey Him at times.  Eventually, and sometimes sooner, and sometimes later, we face the consequences of our choices.  If you are a parent, you know all too well the heartache and grief that you deal with when faced with a teen or adult child that continues to choose the path of destruction or the young child that consistently and defiantly disobeys you.  That’s how God feels about each and every one of us.  Destructive and painful life styles can be avoided or changed, but for whatever the reason – for whatever the thinking might be, the focus is on self rather than God.  And the motive is to get what I want rather than what I need. 

“The Lord is coming!” (Micah 1:3) 

Oh my goodness, the vast reality of what those four words entail!  The Lord’s coming has, and always will be, about God being a patient, compassionate, and loving Judge.  God is a judge that cares so much for us that He will confront us with our destructive, cluttered- up, sinful living that can cause not only physical death but eternal death as well.  God is a Judge who offers an escape route to rescue us, if only we would choose to return to Him and live out the dream and purpose He has for us.   But, there are those of us who will react to this message with rejection, as portrayed in the song, The Living Years.  Though it is about a relationship between a father and his son, it could be representative of any relationship that reacts to not accepting or considering what is being said , and thus the clutter begins – blaming, frustrations, bondage, silence, disagreements, defensiveness, quarreling, bitterness. and anger.

CHG #11 is telling us that our clutter will lessen if we respond to life rather than react to it.   How do we do that?  I will make it simple. It is in Micah, and it is in the lyrics to The Living Years. It all boils down to just one word.  LISTEN.  Listen to God’s Word and listen to those He has sent to you on His behalf, and then finally, listen to one another.

It is my prayer that you will respond to this week’s SW rather than react to it by rejecting it. I ask the Holy Spirit help you in being able to honestly evaluate how you are thinking and feeling in regards to this week’s teaching.

In one word:
Identify what causes you to grieve.
What sets you off to react rather than respond?
What change can you make to start responding?

Red Wednesday's Wisdom - CHG #11, Part One

Act by Responding Versus Reacting
I hope that as you considered this past week’s SW, you became more aware of those areas in your life that could be indicative of how you may have a tendency to live with extreme thinking, feelings, and behaviors.  Extreme living can really put one’s body into a state of disequilibrium, and ultimately, it can play havoc with your health - mentally, materially, emotionally, situationally, spiritually, physically, or relationally.  By engaging in some self examination, I hope you were led to seek the Lord’s help because He will always show you how to make  changes that will be less destructive to you while blessing you with a healthier lifestyle.

CHG #11 says: Act by Responding verses Reacting

As a nurse and a believer in the healing relationship of Jesus Christ, CHG #11 has continuously been the driving force that has inspired me to develop a healing model that is representative of The Clutter Class Curriculum. Over the past 14 years, I have devoted much of my life to developing this healing model and curriculum.  My motivation has stemmed from a very personal and heartfelt longing to be healed and freed from the extreme living that I have experienced in my own life since childhood.  Many of the issues that I have faced have been a revolving door of anger, anxiety, multiple addictions, sexual identity, ADD, and ultimately, what is just downright sin.  The Clutter Class Curriculum is a healing model that does not negate the traditional medical and nursing models, but it is an adjunctive health model that is spiritually rooted and inspired by The God of the Bible and His Word.

Drugs are too often seen as the first line of defense, especially when it comes to the emotional, psychological, and behavioral issues that are so common in our culture today.  “The Twelve Clutter Healing Guidelines” are the alternative first choice to drug therapy.  These guidelines are the answers and approach to anything that builds up or piles up in our lives, be it called ADD, addictions, stress, sin, or dis-ease.  IT’S ALL CLUTTER!

CHG #11 is about taking responsibility.  It’s about each of us learning how to respond rather than react to the stimuli that tends to set us off.  When “The Twelve Clutter Healing Guidelines” are implemented, God’s healing and freedom will be experienced.

Let’s examine CHG #11, and see what this CHG implies as being the basic cause of clutter when this guideline is not applied. 

♥ My clutter builds up when I do not act by responding.  In other words, I need to slow myself down to think before I speak or act. (CHG #1)

♥ My clutter builds up when I react.  When I am impulsive or reactive it is because I do not slow down to think before I speak or do. (CHG #1)

Therefore, when I act by responding versus reacting, I lessen my clutter and this brings healing to me.

The Scripture to support CHG #11 is from Micah1:1-3, “Attention!...Listen!...Look!  The Lord is coming!”

What does Micah 1:1-3 imply as being the root cause of my clutter?

♥ My clutter builds up when I am inattentive.  Inattentiveness is often due to being distracted.  There is a need to establish focus, and this goes back to applying CHG #9.  Inattentiveness can also be due to trying to do more than one thing at a time.  Multitasking has no biblical backing at all and goes back to applying CHG #1.

♥ My clutter builds up when I do not listen.  Not listening was addressed in CHG #8.  Both  CHG #8 and CHG #11 are based on Scriptures that emphasize our need to listen with an exclamation mark! God’s Word reinforces just how much our not listening creates our clutter.

♥ My clutter builds up when I am not looking.  Not looking implies that I am not looking at what I need to be looking at.  It can be the need to have direct eye contact with another or to honestly evaluate what I am being blind to seeing.

♥ My clutter builds up when I ignore the Lord’s warnings.  Unfortunately, we can deceive ourselves into believing that we are the gods of our lives instead of God.

Therefore, when I am attentive, listen, and look, while also applying these actions to the Lord’s coming, my clutter will be lessened and this will bring healing to me.

This week, your SW is to go to Micah 1:1-3 and read these 2 verses in their entirety.  Begin to put CHG #11 into practice by paying attention, listening and looking at what Micah 1:1-3 is telling you in light of the Lord’s coming.

Red Wednesday's Wisdom - CHG #10, Part Five

Become Rooted and Balanced in God's STEM
Space
Time
Energy
Money

As I reflected back to the posts from April 25, 2013 and May 30, 2013, I was flooded with example after example of the deep rooted healing that has blossomed and brought balance into my life as a result of planting that desirable seed of healing.  Because Jeremiah 29:11 was the Scripture that represented that healing seed, I have also consistently witnessed the reinforcement that comes from believing that God does know the plans He has for me, and far better than I do.  Those plans have repeatedly provided me with the promise of a hope and a future.  This past year has been a real testimony to the healing that has come to me on so many levels.  In the June 20, 2012 post, I identified my clutter category as “situational.”  It was related to all the outside chores of owning my home and caring for the pool and major landscaping and yard work that came with it.  Here are some examples of the healing that resulted in my being rooted in God’s STEM: 

SPACE:  Healing has come as a result of my living space being greatly reduced.  I went from a 4 bedroom home to a 2 bedroom condo.  There is minimal indoor up keep, and even though I still have a pool, in addition to tennis courts and a golf course at my disposal, there are no outdoor chores involving me. I get to enjoy the amenities without the burden of being care taker.  There was a time when this space was needed, but no longer, and I have truly appreciated the simplicity of having less.

TIME:  With less space to care for, it has enabled me to enjoy so much more time in loving my family and friends.  We have all been blessed with longer periods of time to be together as we have been more available to nurture and care for one another.   In this mix I have also given myself permission to take more time to relax, watch a movie, take golf lessons, or even nap. 

ENERGY:  I have more energy because I am no longer overwhelmed by all the work that my living space required of me, especially after working my Home Touched Business all day.  I also have more energy because I recognized the boundaries that I needed to implement so that my time was spent in relationships that filled me with love rather than robbed me of love. 

MONEY:   First of all, there is no price tag that can be put on one’s health. Having said that, I am so grateful for the Home Touched Business that God has actually grown in this past year and has richly blessed, even in the midst of my “Get a ways” to Valpo.   Though I have had some very high medical expenses, I can tell you that God has provided me with every penny that I have ever needed.  My health has greatly improved over this past year, and I devote most of it to prayer and to the changes that God has brought to me as they relate to how I have used His STEM.  I am the best that I have been since being diagnosed 2 years ago with 2 rare cancers.  And get this.  In order to make my travels more comfortable, I was presented with the opportunity to buy a “like new” used SUV through one of my friends.  What a great buy and investment it has been. 

I could go on and on, but hopefully you get the picture of how less clutter does bring greater healing when the clutter healing guidelines are applied.

“I am the Lord and I do not change.  That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed.” Malachi 3:6.  When I reflect on these words that are the Scriptures for CHG #10, I am so thankful for what God has done for me.  In truth, left to our own ways, without God, we will destroy ourselves.  It is not God who destroys us.  He came to us in human form out of a desire to show His love for us, not to destroy us, but to save us from ourselves. Open the Life Recovery Bible to Malachi 3:6 and you see that this verse comes under the chapter heading:  A Call to Repentance.  Read on and you learn that God is pleading with people just like you and me who are in denial about how they are living.  They scorn God’s laws and they fail to obey Him.  God’s plea is simple, “Return to me and I will return to you.” 

I have said it so many times and in so many different ways, and I will continue to say it:

                                               Your Greatest Clutter is Spiritual

Without God you are doomed for destruction in this life and for eternity.  It is not my message.  It is God’s message.  He loves you and He wants a relationship with you in this life and for all of eternity. There is no more important message than this one.

 

God and His Word is the fulcrum for leveraging balance in our lives. Think about the shape of a fulcrum.  It’s like a triangle, and in the spiritual realm, that triangle is represented by the Trinity being Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Here are some SW questions to ponder upon: 

What weight or load are you continuing to carry? 

What pressure or effort are you feeling or experiencing?

How is the life style of extreme living exhausting you of all of your resources and putting you out of balance. 

Who or what has been your fulcrum outside of God and His Word, and how has it been working for you?

Keep in mind:  The fulcrum does not stay in one place, it moves to where it is needed to give balance.  My life depends on God to be my fulcrum with all the highs and lows.  He is the Only One that can balance the weight and pressure of what I face.  He is the everyday example in my life that I constantly go to for support!  My balance is dependent upon me to ask God for His support in all I do.   I need to daily seek His face in every moment of every day. Since everything is His: His Space, His Time, His Energy, and His Money, I need to learn from Him on how to use it and balance it.

Let’s get rooted in believing the following: God owns it all!

We are not on this earth to be the focus.  We are on this earth because God is to be our focus.  He is the focal point, the fulcrum. We have confused all that God has given us as being the “why” for why we are here.  Consequently, we erroneously focus on wanting to accumulate more.  God has given to us what we have so that we can ultimately glorify Him.  He has told us to go out in the world and make disciples of all nations. How can we do that if the focus is us and not on Him?  Over thousands of years we have lost our focus on why we were even born. Make the decision that God and His Word are your fulcrum, your support, and your focal point, and then marvel at how your life gets balanced out.
 

This week I specifically pray for any of us who deal with the addictive patterns of extreme living.  I ask the Lord to please free us from our extreme thinking, feeling, and living that causes us to get so out of balance that we are like a rubber band that is being pulled at from both ends and is about to break.

We will be talking more about this need for balance when I introduce you to the next CHG.  It’s CHG #11 and it  says: Act by Responding verses Reacting.

Red Wednesday's Wisdom - CHG #10, Part Four

Become Rooted and Balanced in God's STEM
Space
Time
Energy
Money

What has it been like for you as you have been approached by temptations, trials, and troubles?  Was it with an acknowledgement of God’s Joy, and a desire to endure them with patience?

Looking back over some of my own trying and specific trials, I’d have to say that initially my behavior was not very reflective of God’s Joy or His presence in my life, until I gained some new insight.  As I looked at CHG #10 in relationship to the personal trials that I was facing, I realized that if I wanted to grow deeper in my communion with God and others, then I needed to recognize that when my feelings get all stirred up, especially with irritation, impulsiveness, frustration, defensiveness, and anger, I need to acknowledge that those feelings as red flags for me.  In other words, they are a warning to stop!  They are not just a warning to slow down or move forward with caution.  If I ignore those red flag feelings, then I can become emotionally imbalanced and that effects how I handle the space, time, energy, and money that God has graciously given to me to use.  If I choose to not heed those red flags, I run the risk of not modeling the patience and love that conveys God’s Joy in my life.  I can become disrespectful for how I treat and use what is on loan to me, which includes everybody and everything.  When I react rather than respond, which is CHG #11, I have a tendency to cut others off. I speak louder and I become more argumentative, abrupt, and impatient. When I recognize those red flags and stop to think rather than react, I am better prepared to experience the balance that comes from being patient and a willingness to endure, which means that I will be called to bear, stand, suffer, tolerate, sustain, or undergo, the temptation, trial, or trouble I face.

In my past, I often equated joy with how happy I was.  What I have discovered, is that it is hard to be happy when you are sad or grieving.  But, I can be joyful when I am sad or grieving.  I can have Joy even when I do not feel happy.
What is Joy?
Joy = Rejoicing
Joy = Well being
Joy = The source or cause of my delight
Joy is what lives in me.  It comes from within me.

Who is Joy?
Joy = Christ

What is Happy?
Happy = Luck
Happy = Chance Happenings
Happy is what exists outside of me.  It comes from that which surrounds me.
 
It used to be that when I wanted to wish someone well, I would say, Good luck!”  Now I say, “Blessings!”  Life is not about some chance happening, it is purposeful, and blessings come from an intentional God, not some lucky charm.  So whatever you are going through, peace or storms, highs or lows, jubilation or sorrow, count it all joy, because your joy is not by chance happenings. Your joy is secure in Christ.  Philippians 4:4 says, “Always be full of joy in the Lord.  I say it again – rejoice!”

When it comes to the symbolism that represents CHG #10, think of a long stemmed red rose, and its roots reaching deep into the ground.  If you go back to the April 25, 2012 posting, you will see the rose diagram that I provided for you.  I talked about the STEM being the acronym for space, time, energy, and money.  This week, your SW is to think about yourself as that rose and to see how God uses its symbolism to speak to you about how you have grown in relationship to the seed you wanted to plant.  If you need some reminding about that seed, go to your notes or journaling for the May 30, 2012 posting.  Look at the SW and the one word you circled to be the seed you wanted to plant:  healing, hope, love, or truth. 

In addition, here is the Scripture that backs up CHG #10.  “I am the Lord and I do not change.  That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed.” Malachi 3:6.  We have talked about how God is constant and He is our anchor.  We on the other hand are changing all the time. This week go to your Bible and look up Malachi 3:6 and reflect on the meaning that this Scripture has for you, and in the process, I pray you enjoy the journey and see the blessings. 

Red, White, and Blue Wisdom

As we celebrate the birthday of our country, I pray that you have a blessed and safe 4^th of July.  I was compelled to share some of our forefather’s quotes that were in a 4^th of July ad in the Fort Myers, FL News Press, sponsored by Hobby Lobby, Hemispheres, and Mardel Stores. They are so reflective of CHG #10.

George Washington – “It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly implore His protection and favor.”

John Adams – “…Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people…”

James Madison – “Before any man can be considered as a member of civil society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the Universe.”

Thomas Jefferson – “And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are a gift of God?”

John Quincy Adams – “Is it not that in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior?”

God – “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”  2 Chronicles 7:14