Hello ladies:
This week read through Introduction part one and try the exercises at the end. Throughout the week you are welcome to blog as much as you like, but for sure try to put your thoughts down by Friday or Saturday at the latest so that we can get into discussion before Monday rolls around for the next assignment.
7 comments:
this is a test to see if this works now
Hi ladies,
Even after just the first taste, I think this is going to be a challenging study in some ways. Interesting to think about our Lord praying through these things we see written.
Hi ladies,
Finding it strangely encouraging reading Psalm 1 and having come out of a poisonous environment recently. It is encouraging and freeing to know these wrongdoings in the world are not on our shoulders to fix, they are not unnoticed by our God and He will deal with everything.
What a comfort that knowledge is Angela. It is interesting that since sin came into the world, we humans always seem to default to our control rather than God's. When I try to gain control all that happens is panic or frustration.
Kathy did say we could post as much as we want so here I am again.
I mentioned in my first successful post that I wanted to spend a lot of time this year going hard after God....on a daily basis . Well, until this a.m. the last day I wrote was Jan.3 so as you see, I have not been all that successful . This a.m. I decided to have at it ! I began by writing about this study and the background TK gives re learning to respond to what is spoken to us right from baby mode. I see the truth in that and what a simple straightforward way to bring us to respond to God in prayer .I really like this idea and it inspires me .This was the frame of mind I started with ,and I began to look back over the exercise with Psalm 116 and the parts I had written in my own words. At the time I did that , it really flowed but I was not conscious of it being anything more than putting it into my words. This time all that changed as I read my words and the psalmist's words and saw that this was not about words at all, but about stopping ,seeking , and searching my heart and responding to God's presence in my life and I know he is there big time . That is why the words flowed! It had worked just like TK said . Do you ever feel that you have been a sort of example case study ? I find that the Lord does that in my life . WOW!
This snuck (?) up on me , but was very clear and took me to a favourite scripture , Is.55:3 " Incline your ear and come to me ; hear that your soul may live ." In other words ,this was a "time out " or a 'solitude of being " time with the Lord . So, obviously this is where this study is taking me ...on a journey to realize more clearly how blessed I am and to delight in him consciously . I wrote a note to myself saying ,"Joyce, see whst happens when you intentionally sit down and play close attention to your God. HE IS PRESENT ! I wanted to put a bookmark in my bible at Is 55 so randomly picked a loose card out from the pages. This card "just happened " to be one I had written when I was speaking to the women out at Veurink's in the fall. The first thing that caught my eye was about half way down and it was a quote by Teresa of Avila ..." Settle yourself in solitude and you will come upon him in your heart "! This got my attention as it was exactly what had happened above ! It was as if God had enabled me to look into my heart when I looked at those words I had written , and touched his inner presence . With humility , awe, wonder and delight , I knew without any doubt what Tozer meant when he spoke of his / my soul looking inward and beholding Christ ,and meeting his gaze beholding me ! My thought is that it does not get any more powerful than that . I hesitated to write this message but it simply is so precious to me that I know it was not just for me only . One more time he has knocked my socks off !!Thanks be to God!
Joyce
Joyce, I thank the Lord for you and for how God speaks to you. Definately, I have learned that the only way to commune with God and to maintain that communion is to remain disciplined in schedulling quiet times alone with Him. I must admit that this does not happen to me each day---I tend to get the day going with work early and just send up quick requests. I need to sit, run or walk in solitude so that I can listen much more deeply to Him.
Hi Kathy,
I like those "remain disciplined" words! I often think that I lack discipline in many ways .I am thankful (understatement!)and amazed how God speaks to me when I give him my all and go hard after him. Sometimes I almost find the "connections" hard to believe .
There are times when I am just as amazed , that knowing this ,I let other things get in the way ! How can that be ?
Joyce
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