Setting the All-Things-New into Motion

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2

Lent begins today. Forty days ahead to prepare our hearts for Resurrection Day. The day when Jesus overcame sin and death for us--the day the earth shook and the stone rolled away--the day Jesus set all-things-new-pattern into motion. 

So, how do I prepare my heart in these next forty days? I've thought on this a lot lately. How do I honor the sacrifice Jesus made--laying aside his deity, his life? What hard sacrifice can I offer Him? Not something temporal so that at the end of forty days I gorge myself with chocolate and potato chips, but rather, what old pattern does God want to shake out new so that I might transform more into His likeness? What would truly cause me to desire Him more?

For me, it starts with solace. Intentionally closing out the world long enough to be still and bask in God's presence, to actually shut my mouth and open my ears to His heart whispers. Not just once in forty days. Not just once a week, but at least once a day. That's easy on the slow, snowed-in days, but not on the hectic, scheduled, everyone-demanding-me days. Those days will take supernatural intervention and discipline. 

Next, it's words. Words move me more than any other form of communication. More than personal touch, quality time, acts of service,  or material gifts. When I read the written word, my heart and mind have time to synchronize. I can read and reread until my heart finally feels what my mind understands. I need to sacrifice time to read God's word and the words of His saints to fill my heart and mind with the Good News and to start the renewal process; to  transform my mind into His likeness; to put away the old ways of thinking, stop believing the lies my mind whispers and believe the Truth of how God sees me and those around me. 

Writing words is another way I plan to prepare my heart this Lenten season. As powerful as words are to read, writing down encouraging words I hear in God's heart whispers allows my eyes to see what God's saying. It allows me to remember, revisit, reread and encourage my heart over and over again. So, over the course of the next forty days, God's calling me back to journaling His private whispers.

A fellow writer, Karen Ehman, has another great writing idea on her blog today. She's challenged her readers to write one encouraging note to a different person every day. The power of words goes beyond our own hearts and can be used to honor, encourage and lift up those in our lives we hold dear, but somehow never take time to tell them just how much they mean to us. I can't promise 40 different notes, but I will consciously sit down and send out notes.

Finally, God is calling me back to my writing passion. It's been a hard sacrifice over the past ten months as we prepped and sold our home and then  moved and built onto our new home. What I thought would take only three months has now taken almost a year to complete. I knew writing would take a back seat, but it's now time to discipline myself again, with God's help, and move forward into the calling of encouraging the hearts of those who grace not only this space, but also those God's called me to write for so many years ago. It's time to write down God's words and complete the work.

Like Paul, let's not conform to this world any longer. Rather than giving up the temporal only to gorge ourselves with it again in a few short weeks, let's seek God for what He really wants to change in us. Let's let God renew our minds, start the -all-things-new process in us so that at the end of forty days we're closer to being transformed into Jesus' likeness. 

May God truly have is way in us all these next forty days!

Dawn

Rainy Days and Mondays

"I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint." Jeremiah 31:25

I need a rainy day, now and then, when heaven pours down buckets of cool, refreshing rain under overcast skies. It's days like these when my mind relinquishes its normal scatter-brained push and pauses to hear the sleepy, pitter patter rhythm outside my window.

On these rainy days, when my "to do" list is blank, I slow down and enjoy a few simple pleasures: an hour more sleep under fuzzy warm blankets,  long, hot sips of pumpkin spiced coffee, extended quiet time curled up in my comfy chair, the new book aroma, the glide of my pen across blank pages, or simply an afternoon nap under Mom's hand-sewn quilt.

The rains fall and wash over my soul reminding my spirit who God created me to be. It's days like these when I can reflect on what God's done, focus on what He's doing now, and ask Him where He's leading me.

It's in the peace and quiet - the nothingness - where I hear God whisper and feel Him draw nearer. (Okay, in all honesty, it's in the nothingness where I'm left speechless, my mind declutters enough to hear God speak, and I lean in closer to Him).

Today is one of those days.

What kind of day refreshes you? What simple pleasures satisfy your heart? {I love it when you share your thoughts, so please don't be shy}.

Father,
Thank-you  for slow, rainy days and empty "to do" lists that serve to draw us closer to you.
Amen

Pausing for Thanksgiving: Be Still

Today's blog is written by Renee Rowell, blogger and She Speaks graduate.

"Be still, and know that I am God."

Psalm 46:10 

What a wonderful time of year. The onset of autumn with its peaceful, amber glow as the leaves change color and the earth settles into rest from summer's heat. The cool, crisp air carries the familiar fragrances of woody pine cones, falling leaves and the occasional scent of burning wood as fireplaces are lit. The anticipation of family, friends, fellowship and feasting begins to excite and stir the heart.

Ahhhh....simple pleasures.

It’s not long before this quiet reverie is interrupted by the hustle and bustle ritual of what we think it takes to enjoy these simple pleasures:

Prepare the guest list. Check it twice. Make sure no one is left out. Buy the turkey and all the trimmings. Gather all the recipes. Check the pantry to be sure it's stocked. Clean the house to such a sheen that it would make Martha Stewart proud. Carefully place all the decorations so the house looks like the cover of the holiday issue of Southern Living.

Then, there are the questions: Where is that tablecloth...the one that I purchased at last year’s end-of-the-season sale and kept in a safe place to use this year? Will there be enough food? How many days does the turkey need to thaw? Is the guestroom warm enough?

But amid the waves of stress and emotion the gentle voice of the Father reminds us to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10).

 Being still is a three-part process:

• Pause (a temporary stop)-reflect on God's goodness in your life
• Breathe (to pause and rest before continuing)-take a deep breath, and let your spirit rest
• Be thankful (participate in thankfulness)-call a friend and tell them how much they mean to you. Write a letter to loved ones who cannot be with you during the holidays. Tell your family how much you love them.

Being still requires little effort and brings everything else into perspective, and peace will rule the day.

May your Thanksgiving be filled with many pleasant and peaceful pauses and heartfelt thanks for simple pleasures.

Renee Rowell
Life Outside the Margins

Renee Rowell, lives in Elgin, SC with her husband David and their youngest son. Their eldest son is serving overseas in the U. S. Airforce. For the past twenty-five years she and David have served shoulder-to-shoulder in worship ministry and presently minister at The Church of the Harvest in Lexington, SC. Renee's current projects are blogging at Life Outside the Margins and authoring a book, Loving Like Jesus Loves: Strengthening Your Heart for the Extra Mile. Renee welcomes visitors to her blog or facebook page.