Eat of God's Bread Daily

The exhortaion for today, the spiritual application of yesterday's practical one is to eat of God's Bread- daily.  Eat of it till the Word becomes a part of you, till it makes up the fibers of your sinew and muscles of your heart.

"Man shall not live by bread alone

but by every word that comes from the Father in heaven." 

-Matthew 4:4

Surround yourself with it.

Memorize it.

In a practical sense place index cards above your kitchen sink and bathroom mirror.  Have your bible handy by your favorite chair.  Read the Word together after dinner while everyone surrounds the table.

And dear blogger-reader- read it for yourself.  Do not depend on receiving your daily spiritual manna from what you read on blogs.  Grab the Book and read it to yourself.

Meditate on it.  Pray the Holy Spirit to reveal new, fresh revelation of it.

Jesus said that we are kept alive by its daily consumption.  Are you full or hungry?

Joining with other Word seekers at



Getting OLDER

Painting verbal pictures today with The Gypsy Mama- for five minutes- five minutes only for some writing.

Today's prompt is OLDER.

Go.Older is a word that I have been thinking about all year.  I have completed four decades of my life and am entering the fifth.  Wow.  That sounds old to me!

If by strenngth I would live until I am 80, then that makes me completely, perfectly middle-aged right now. 

Funny, if you have already reached this halmark you understand exactly- that age is relative.  When I was a teen and my parents were in their 40's I thought that was OLD.  Today I see healthy people in their 60's living full, satisfying lives and I think "that's NOT so old!"  Or vivacious seniors in their 70's that add new meaning to "elderly".  I see mothers with toddlers and am surprised at how young they look themselves.

It has been a deep year for me in which I have been pondering about the things of life.  What I have done and where do I want to go?  What else would I like to do in this so very grand adventure?

It has been a turning of chapters for me.  That is a good thing for I love to grab hold of a new book.  But I have to admit sometimes it is hard to put that novel that so touched me back on the book shelf after eading the last page.  Someties I want to take myself and just hang out and live in its world.  I did though, put it on the bookshelf, knowing that I can always take a visit again. 

I pick up the new book and see there are no words in it yet; I have to write them every day.


For other 'blurps" on OLDER visit

Make Room for Unexpected Happenings

Is your life so jammed that you have no room for unexpected happenings?

Yesterday you were exhorted to clean out your cupboards and pantry.  Throw away the spoiled, organize the food stuff still waiting to be eaten, and plan for its use.

Purposeful living is just like that too.  Periodically we need to throw away those things that jam up the flow of good, simple living.  Maybe it is your schedule that is jammed.   Maybe it is unrealistic expectations.   Maybe it is your attitude.

Today I want you to be aware of having margin in your life.  Do you remember the lined notebook paper that you used in school?  There was a red line at the left side and a blue one at the right that showed you where to begin and end your writing sentences so that you would have margin around your paper.  We need that same margin in our lives.  Think of a bumper zone where that little bit of cushion prevents bang-ups.

Now I know that with school beginning most of our lives at this time of year get so busy we feel in a whirl wind.  School lessons, chauferring, piano lessons, soccer games.  Some of us have needy toddlers and babies, constant dirty dishes, doctor's appointments, and a multitude of other activities beckoning our presence. 

Try- just try- to schedule if you can some time when you and your family does not have anything to do.  You will be most pleasantly surprised how that time will get filled up, and it certainly will.  Maybe with a spontaneous stroll with your husband or child that you do not usually get one on one time with.


I also need to remind myself about my expectations.  Having expectations so high for myself and others does not allow room for mess-ups and even failures.  We are all human and bound to disappoint one another many times this side of heaven.  Allow some room for falls to be done gracefully so that they (or you) can get back up.  Nothing stifles and smothers like judgement.
 
And lastly for today allow some room in your attitude that there is always more to learn and more wisdom to be gained.  No one likes a know-it-all.  Keep the humble attitude that there is always more room to grow.  Like Paul who professed, "Not that I have already obtained...or been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus as took old of me....I press on....all of us who are mature should take such a view of things."  -Philippians 3:12-15 (in part) NIV
 
Dear sister make room in your life for unexpected happenings and see what good things await you.
 
 
Linking today with

Massages and Smiles

Last night as part of my husband and my Valentine celebration night out, we went to see the Chinese masseuses (is that the plural?).

Now if you have never had the pleasure of receiving a massage, I feel for you! My husband and I receive a massage regularly by the same woman. But a visit to the Chinese people, well, that is a special treat. Now if you are what I call a "martyr"Christian and do not "believe" in such "self pleasures" then please do not comment to me on the sin of self indulgence. Not only is a massage one of life's great joys but considered a commodity to physical and mental health by my husband and I.

So we walked the mall briskly with determination to find our pleasure makers. Soon we find the Chinese man (unusually large in stature for a Chinese man, thus I nick-named him the Chinese man with the big hands) smiling brightly to us. "You like a massa-?" Ireply, "Is there just one of you tonight?" See, I had envisioned my husband and I relaxing side by side. Well, table beside table. He looks at me blankly and I can tell that I am not being understood. I point to my husband and I and say, "Two of us." He looks out into the mall in search of what I understand to be his partner. "Bathroom." I continue trying to communicate about hitting certain problems areas, but pointing to the areas is enough. Past experience in my attempts to engage him in small talk proved no more fruition except toothy smiles on his part. So with the three of us understanding that the "two" of us want a 45 minute massage, my husband lies down.

I have mentioned this Chinese man with the big hands before on Facebook. I have been his visitor a few times having been left with a spectacular experience of relaxation. This time I sacrificed my own satisfaction and "let" my husband go to him. He has chronic neck and back problems and I wanted him to experience a body massage with the big strong hands making my husband's physique into pliable putty! I was in no less hands as I was lying at the table next to him getting massaged by a Chinese woman.




Situated in a small store site at our local mall the dimly lighted massage place is still enticing. Yet, one wonders at first how relaxing the experience can be with mall shoppers bustling about yards away. Kids yelling, adults yelling occasionally for that matter. But soon the soothing music being played and as the massaging strokes begin I DO relax and I think that I even enter that Alpha state of complete relaxation. Her hands work like a therapeutic machine in waves and strokes moving over every muscle, even in muscles that I did not know I had. I will not go into more of a pictured description except to say that I could almost feel liquid endorphins flowing through my body. You have to try it.



After 45 minutes my husband and I stood feeling almost as though in another world. We were completely relaxed and gave a big smile and "Thank you" to our two attendants. After all I realized they understood THAT.





So my pondering points for today?





ENJOY the good things life offers.





ENJOY them with the ONE you Love.





And always SMILE- it is the universal welcome and endorphin giver.

The Love Dare

The new movie "Fireproof" has been sweeping through the Christian community as fast as the flames that the main character (as a fireman) wrestles to put out...Even while viewing this movie I thought, "That book he is using must be available." Sure enough, I visited my local Christian book store and "The Love Dare" was even on sale.

So with curiosity I made the purchase determing to put the book to good use un my marraige. The was in January. (?) I am stuck on Day 5. The "dare" for that day is to ask my husband to tell me 3 things that he finds irritating about me ("Love is not rude.")....I am afraid that he will begin to ennumerate those things that annoy him and that he will not be able to stop! You see, I have not had trouble thus far with the other dares: calling him just to ask how he is or withholding any negative words from our conversations. Why this one?

Well, after much contemplation, (It is 6 weeks after I have begun the book.) I realize that I am extremely sensitive to my husband's remarks. I could tell you that he only gives me constructive instruction for the betterment of my being...but his words are not always delivered as such; nor received from me as such most of the time! To ask him to audibly voice my faults has me posing shy. I want to be a sweet, wise, godly wife; making known my faults and quirks seems to mar my self-image. As if I am hiding the faults anyway?

I think that PRIDE is trying to mask my faults. Any change that I can make will only help our relationship. I do love him and must be willing to adapt myself to him. (Ephesians 5:22) So today (you can hold me accountable) I will ask him, purposing to have a humble, listening heart.

Are any of you on "The Love Dare" journey? Please share your encouragements and testimonies with us. May the Lord ever-increase our love for our husbands and their love for us.