May Soul Care

So in April I started reading the Book of Acts and I'm about two weeks behind schedule. No problem...I'll finish it up in the coming days but I want to allow myself time for reading so I am going to take a different approach for May. I will do 31 Days of Soul Care. Here's a sneak peek at the beginning of the month in my Faith Planner. It's not finished yet.

I'd like to invite you along for the May Soul Care event. I'll create it as an event over on Facebook and I'd love for you to join in. Obviously our ideas won't all be the same and you don't have to do one a day...you can do one or two a week! The goal is to select some things that make your soul "sing" or perhaps try some new things that you aren't quite sure about!  Expand your spiritual self through these ideas and find joy in life!

I'm currently working on a list of ideas, short simple things or longer projects...anything goes....I'd love for you to share ideas here or over on the Facebook page.

Here are some of my ideas so far....all subject to change once I start putting them on the calendar...

1. Spend some time one day listening and singing along to some favorite songs. Who knows I might even dance along!

2. Paint a picture on canvas. (or in an art journal)

3. Go somewhere in nature. Quiet and alone. Spend 30 minutes just reflecting on the beauty.

4. Take a bubble bath

5. Write some favorite quotes in my common place book

6. Go to a new place

7. Do something unexpected and nice for a friend.

8. Play in the water

Hugs! I hope you will join me for May Soul Care and share your soul inspiring ideas.

Acts, April, and Conversations with God

Acts, which is sometimes called The Acts of the Apostles, tells about the founding of the Christian church after the death of Jesus. It is the fifth book of the new testament and is the focus of my scripture study for April. Some may find it odd timing to study Acts, one might think it more appropriate AFTER Easter, but what can I say?  Where He leads I will follow and something just called for me to read Acts.

I've finished Chapter 4 and so far there are a few things that jumped out at me.

#1 Choosing an apostle to replace Judas. Two men were nominated: Joseph, called Barsabbas and Mathias. Lots were cast by the eleven and Mathias was selected. I wonder what characteristics the eleven were looking for, what called to them from this man? And I wonder what became of Joseph (Barsabbas) Sometimes when we are overlooked for something: a job, a relationship, an opportunity, we wonder why. Did he?  Perhaps upon further reading I will discover the answer.

#2 The Holy Spirit In Acts we read more about the Holy Spirit and how it touched the apostles. This is one of the aspects of God that sometimes we struggle to understand. I sort of visualize it as God's whispers, the messenger that relates to our soul in such a way that we can "feel" God's presence.

#3 The Rejected Stone:  Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and explained to the rulers and elders about the healing of the lame man. He emphasized to them that the miracle was preformed not by mere humans but in the name of Jesus Christ. He says, "the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone."  Two things here, whenever you feel rejected muse a bit on the rejection of Jesus, by His own people. AND second when you do this realize the important role this "rejected one" played. What honor to be rejected and go on to be the cornerstone of salvation. EVERY rejection leads us some place else. Find the path.

I hope as Easter approaches you are filled with the light and love of our Savior.  Hugs to all of you.

2017: Conversations, Listening, and Finding Joy

My previous post talked about the two different creative avenues I will use this year to explore God's Word. I've used a designated planner format the last two years and started to feel like I wanted a change. Now just NINE days into January and I'm missing the orderly-ness of the planner version. I liked having a weekly focus and I liked how it kept me on track (sort of). So I decided to set up a mini planner/journal that I hope will fulfill the need for order and "planning".

This is a little planner I already had, so I am repurposing it for this years Faith Journal. I won't be doing the art part of my "faith art journaling" in it but I will use it to guide my weeks and my studies. I think I will set it up just one month at a time until I can find a format I like. I feel like God is nudging me a bit to move forward in my spiritual growth and I hope to discover what it is that He is leading me to.

I wanted to share with you a great site I discovered recently and I plan on using some of the topic Bible reading plans in 2017.   The site is rachelwojo.com and she has some pretty awesome reading plans.

Here's the plan for January. She has some great books and workbooks to go along with her studies also. You simply must check out her site.

Hugs everyone. I'll try to set up my planner/journal and have it ready to share in a later post!

Psalms, Journaling Bibles and 2017

This year I decided to step away for a bit from my planner version of faith art journaling. It has served me well the last few years but I wanted to experience God's words and my conversations with him in a different way.

I picked up this book a little before Christmas and decided to use it as my "kick off" for 2017. It is the entire book of Psalms with additional room for journaling and art work. It also includes some pages to color for those that prefer that format.

 

I spent some time reading and meditating on Psalm 1, several days in fact before I felt ready to actually put pen, marker and pencil to the page. The margins are also lined so you can write your thoughts and journal if you prefer that to drawing.

 

To me this Psalm speaks of following not only the path of the Godly but following the path God has set before us. We often are arrogant enough to believe we KNOW the path we should walk. We do not. Not really. We need to be humble and seek that which God sets before us. Sometimes it's a rough path but in the end we arrive at the exact spot God wants us to be while learning some valuable lessons along the route.

 

After buying this book I also received a Creative Journaling Bible as a Christmas gift. I have played around with a journaling Bible for a couple years but always hesitate because of "marking" inside the Bible. I've come to realize that spending time in God's word is good regardless of the way we do so.

 

 

There are a lot of creative journaling Bibles out there. This is the one I have, bought at Sam's Club.

 

 

I decided to start by doing Psalms 1 since I had already worked with that in the Psalms book I have, It was interesting to compare the two versions of the Psalms. The Psalms book is the Holy Bible-New Living Translation where as the creative Bible is Modern English Version.

What stood out to me was the idea that God knows us, better than we know ourselves and by following the righteous path he sets before us we are following him in the best way possible. I hope you have enjoyed the sneak peak into my faith art journaling this year. A different format but still on the quest for a deeper, more meaningful, spiritual relationship with God.

Hugs to each of you and I hope some of you might be inspired to join me on this creative endeavor and enjoy your conversations with God through a different media.

Living in Your Heart or Your Head

 

This morning as I headed out for a brisk walk/run I didn't know I needed to do some serious musing. I didn't know that God was going to bring into my life an experience that would bring clarity. Life has been complicated lately and it's easy for anxiety and stress to take its toll. As I looked up at the spacious blue sky filled with white clouds, it lifted me. My heart lightened and I knew there was a message here from God. The language of the soul is so often found in the wonder of God's creation. 

I started to ponder whether I am living in my heart or my head.

Living in your head is stressful. It creates versions of events and of the possible future that may or may not be accurate. Living in your head makes you think you are all knowing. When,in fact, most of what we conjure up are sheer fabrications that bring us to the brink of frustration and freeze our hearts with anxiety.

Living in your heart is a joyous experience. Now don't confuse this with being ruled only by emotion. That's not what I mean by living in your heart. Living in your heart creates an environment that allows faith, hope, and peace to fill your inner being. It fills you with a calm sense of knowing there is meaning in the universe.

At one point, I noted a plane's dark trail marring the seamless white backdrop created by the clouds. In life we experience dark trails that spread across the whiteness of our days. The beauty disrupted by so many human issues that cannot be avoided. As I walked I continued to watch that dark trail and reflect on it. While this is a "thinking" process it certainly felt more like a "heart" process because it came to me that over time the dark trail left by the plane was slowly dissolving and the white clouds gradually overtook it, sealing back together in seamless white beauty.

Life is like that. The blemishes of life fade and are overcome with other things. Sometimes its difficult to wait for that to happen. Yet if we can wait in our hearts instead of our heads we will save ourselves a whole lot of grief.

 

Hugs to each of you and may all your caterpillars become butterflies!

Awake My Soul

The Lost Self

 

Fragments of self
Discovered in books,
In ocean waves
In hooka bars
In sunsets and summer days.

Pieces of soul
Tucked neatly
Into songs
Into road trips
Into stories collected.

Puzzle pieces
Claimed in victory
In conversations
Tears and laughter
Journeys of self.

Random keys
Unlocking inner doors
Dreams and drama
Moonlight and madness
Dancing across the stage of life.

Archive of Self
Soul files
Stored in the pages of life
Blow off the dust
Open the file.

 

The image above "Awake my soul" reminded me of this poem that I wrote back in 2010. A poem about finding the lost pieces of self, claiming them like puzzle pieces. In turn I linked it to the message for today in The Upper Room devotional. A little piece about how sometimes we are too hard on ourselves when we are searching for a deeper relationship with God. How we can't just "find God one day" and then have this deep meaningful understanding of faith and God and all that goes with it. It makes sense. A relationship with God is just like any other relationship, it deepens over time. Through reading, searching, praying and musing the relationship grows.

 

 

 

 

'And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."  Hebrew 11:6 

 

Hugs to each of you. May you grow in your relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. May you seek each as is needed in your life, may you find your lost self and know that God sends a map for you to follow.

 

 

Finding God in the Strangest Places

I frequently find meaningful tidbits and perspectives outside the traditional Christian teachings. I've explored other religions, practices, theology, and random insights. One time someone questioned the exploration as perhaps "dangerous" in that when we stray from our beliefs we might somehow become entangled in the "other". I've never immersed myself so far in a "practice" or "study" that I felt threatened at all. But then I've never "dabbled" in anything satanic or "dark" either. I stick to the light, the motivational, the teachings that promote the development of self and spirit.

'Test all things; hold fast what is good." 1 Thessalonians 5:21

There are many good spiritual thoughts, ideas, teachings, stories, quotations, and beliefs outside the defined range of Christianity. What I find most interesting is the ones that draw me the most do not negate my beliefs about God but rather uplift, broaden, and deepen them. I spend a lot of time with Native American beliefs because I find them so compelling. The ties to nature and the interconnectedness of all things are in accord with my personal spiritual beliefs.

What is life?
It is the flash of a firefly in the night.
It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime.
It is the little shadow which runs across
the grass and loses itself in the sunset.

Crowfoot, Blackfoot warrior and orator 1830 - 1890

 

Just found that little gem and was drawn to it. It reminded me of something I wrote in my little art journal several months ago.

 

When you think about the miracle of creation,

Think not of the great mountains but

of the tiny dragonfly.

How small and yet perfect in design

Crafted by God's hand

With an eye for detail.

 

 

Life is found in everything. All of the "little" things that pass by us often without notice. The firefly, the buffalo, the shadow....or even my dragonfly. Each a tiny miracle in themselves. God too is found in everything if we but pause to notice and appreciate. It is the weariness of this world that blinds us to the joy of life and also perhaps to God's messages.  As we seek we shall find.

 

"Wise men and women are always learning, always listening for fresh insights." Proverbs 18:15

 

 

As we grow in our spiritual life, as our soul connects with God we can "see" things that we have never even noticed before. We will see meaning in lots of aspects of life that have evaded us before.

At some point we will be the little shadow that runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.  

 

Hugs to you! I hope you will take a bit of time to think of a quotation, a concept, a poem or symbol that "speaks" to you. Reflect on it and see how fits into your life. God gives us insight in "strange" places and through "strange" sources.

 

 





 



Snowflake Philosophy

 

A year or so ago I wrote a musing called "snowflake philosophy" and since we are supposed to get MORE snow I thought it might be a good time to revisit the musing. I have a copy of the original somewhere but I'm musing about it from memory here tonight.

 

I proposed two basic premises to my snowflake philosophy. Neither are particularly original. First that like snowflakes each of us is unique. Not a new thought for sure! The important thing to ask though is "why" is each of us unique? What purpose does the uniqueness serve?

 

For the second part, let's think for a moment about snowflakes. Each one tiny, delicate, fragile and unique. Yet together they are not tiny, delicate or fragile. They are quite powerful. Think avalanche! That's a pretty strong force made up of millions and millions of little flakes of snow.

 

 

The accumulated force of all those tiny snowflakes can be destructive or beautiful.

 

 

The last piece of snowflake philosophy is to apply it to yourself in relation to the world and to others.

You are unique like a snowflake. What is the purpose of your uniqueness? God didn't just throw you together for the heck of it. There is a reason you have the specific combination of gifts and talents that you have. To me my spiritual quest is to understand the path God has set before me and travel it with humility and love.

 

 

So snowflake philosophy says simply that you need to discover the reason you are you. That along the snowy path there is a special journey God has in mind for you. Second, it reminds us that "together" like snowflakes we have the power to do many things. Why are we each unique? Like a puzzle our uniqueness fits together with others to create a powerful force. We complement each other, we blend together, each bringing something important to the "blizzard." Each of us, tiny, delicate, fragile, softly falling into the snow banks of life. Together we create a force as strong as an avalanche.

 

"It's all God's children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns

 

And all the powers of darkness
Tremble at what they've just heard
'Cause all the powers of darkness
Can't drown out a single word"

 

Lyrics: He Reigns

 

Hugs to you.  Stay warm and safe during the expected storm. I hope that during the snowfall that you will take some time to muse about your snowy path and reflect on what you bring to the "blizzard" of life.  

 

Questions to muse:

 

1. What do I bring to the blizzard?

2. How does it fit with the other "snowflakes" in my life?

 

 

 

Finding Beauty in Imperfections

 

Sometimes a phrase, idea, quotation or topic just seems to "pop into my head". Often it is at unexpected times so I can't really just sit down and blog at that exact moment. When it happens though I have learned to jot down quickly a few words or notes, so when I have a chance I can muse a bit about this little tidbit that has crept into my mind or sometimes totally invaded my life. Which is what I call it when an idea, song lyric, or phrase gets caught in my mind and refuses to leave until I address it. Over a week ago I thought "finding beauty in imperfections". That's it....there was no earth shattering thing happening at the time...just this little phrase.  I didn't really know what this musing would be about but simply that it would present itself again.

 

Originally I thought that perhaps it related to the fact that as humans none of us is perfect, that the pressure of trying to be might actually drive us away from our spiritual selves. I wondered what bible verse might relate. I had no idea. Then this little image caught my eye.   

 

 

There can't be anything more beautiful than that. In our imperfections we provide God with opportunities to be in our lives. For His power to flow into the world via our weaknesses.

 

Perhaps it's like a symbiotic relationship.

Symbiotic relationships include those associations in which one organism lives on another or where one partner lives inside the other . I know it sounds a little weird but I am thinking abut God residing inside each of us. His grace; his kindness and favor, unearned, yet given freely.  

 

Imperfections are judgment calls. What one calls imperfect, another may find quite beautiful. As humans, however we are imperfect and always will be. That is the nature of humanity. Our spiritual self can through God's grace reach a different level. In doing so it is God's strength revealed through us.  That's not a mandate to wallow in your imperfections or mistakes but rather a path to revealing the you God wants you to become.

 

 

 

No one is perfect. We will stumble, we will fall, we will need to start over again. We aren't pencils so we don't have erasers but we have something even better. We have God's grace and the forgiveness of sins. It's like a fresh start without the smudges left from an eraser!

 

 

Hugs to you all, imperfections are beautiful.

I feel a tad "unfinished", like there is something else I need to say or discover or think about this musing. Who knows perhaps it will come to me and we will have part two about the beauty of imperfections.

Musings, Spiritual and Religious

A few years back I asked a coworker of mine whether she was spiritual or religious. She is a pastor's wife so I was pretty sure of the answer I would get and she didn't fail me. She stated that she was both. At that time I told her I was probably more spiritual than "religious" although then and now I am Methodist. I still think that statement is probably correct as I continue to muse and sort out, where does spiritual end and where does religion begin and can you really have one without the other?

Let's look at some definitions. 

Spiritual: of, relating to, or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things. Can also be used referring to religion and many use it as one and the same: as in.... of or relating to religion or religious belief

Religion: a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.

Religious: relating to or believing in a religion.

Spiritual but not religious (SBNR) is a popular phrase and initials used to self-identify a life stance  of spirituality that rejects traditional organized religion as the sole or most valuable means of furthering spiritual growth. The term is used world-wide, but is most prominent in the United States where one study reports that as many as 33% of people identify as spiritual but not religious.

If you are interested in reading more about spiritual but not religious take a look at  this CNN article written by Linda Mercadante. Good News about the Spiritual but not Religious  Linda Mercadante, is professor of theology at The Methodist Theological School and the founder of Healthy Beliefs-Healthy Spirit.  

The following are my thoughts and musings as of today. Who knows by next week I may have some other ideas. Musings are never set in concrete and are fluid and able to transform or reach different levels.

Thinking about the venn diagram above. I do believe that you can have religion without spirituality. Religion is following a doctrine set up under a specific name. I am not suggesting that there was never prayer, thought, history, etc behind any particular religion. Simply that religions are formed around a core set of beliefs that members believe and follow (or try to). As such, depending on the religion, it may include aspects of spirituality or not. We can all think of religions (or some would say cults) that fit the "definition" of religion but do not seek spirituality.

In turn, I think it is possible to be "spiritual" without religion if you view religion as a predetermined and set group of beliefs that people of the religion adhere to. Being spiritual might include some of those beliefs but not all or may pull from beliefs from a variety of belief systems without rigidly adhering to all of them. Some refer to this as the "salad bar" approach. Take what you like, ignore what you don't. I don't really feel that way about it, but that's material for a whole other post.

Then we have the overlap where religious and spiritual merge. I see this as an area where someone uses the framework of religion to strengthen, support, guide and perhaps even question their spiritual beliefs. In todays world quite honestly there are fewer and fewer members of religions that follow the guidelines of their faith in totality and without question. I believe that where the two are married (religious and spiritual) we have the strongest possibility of traveling the path God wants for us. God provides free will for a reason and if we fail to ever question "religion" then don't we run the risk of being like the Pharisees and scribes?

'Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you—but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long,    (Matthew 23 1-29)

 

I think perhaps this quotation speaks to the issue. When we become too tied up by "religion" that we actually grow further away from Christ,

 

Remember we are all different and have so much to learn from each other (even those with different beliefs) Perhaps it is best said in Romans:

"As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind."  (Romans 14 1-23)

Hugs, love and acceptance to all.....This musing is hard work but I share it with you so that perhaps you will get some tiny gem out of it that may help you on your journey in some small way.