Gateways to Joy

I'm sure many of you are familiar with this writing by A poor Methodist woman, eighteenth century. I found it in Elisabeth Elliot's book 'Gateway to Joy: reflections that draw us nearer to God.' There are several writings that I read that I wanted to share.  Things that slow us down to see the beauty in life.  This sums up how I feel at times when washing dishes by candlelight.  I do that sometimes to quite my soul and see the beauty around me, even though at times there is chaos around me like now for instances. Kids are quarreling... need I say more.  So I still away.  Yes.  I get still and fly faraway in my mind. This is what I read: "I do not know when I have had happier times in my soul, than when I have been sitting at work, with nothing before me but a candle and a white cloth, and hearing no sound but that of my own breath, with God in my soul and heaven in my eye...  I rejoice in being exactly what I am, a creature c...

Lessons of grace, wisdom and patience's learned from Queen Ester: Stop- Before trying to rightly handle a wrong situation, Esther paused.  She didn't rush headlong into just any course of action. Wait- Time is a precious asset which cannot be bought.  Waiting gave Esther time to gather the facts {Esther 4:5} Consult- Waiting also meant important time for Esther to seek counsel from her wise cousin Mordecai {Verses 12-14} Pray- Waiting gave Esther time to fast and pray about her task and how she would approach the king {Verse 16} Decide- Time, counsel, and prayer moved Esther to choose a plan of action and move forward with the triumphant attitude of "If I perish, I perish!" {Verse 16} Act- Before she asked for what she wanted, Esther prepared a special dinner for King Ahasuerus and Haman to test the waters and assess the king's frame of mind. {5:4-5} Adjust- Discerning and sensitive to the situation, Esther wisely waited and prepared yet another din...

Y esterday while enjoying a long country drive through long rolling hills ... having good conversation with my husband, and us soaking up the brightly beaming sunshine, my thoughts went to obedience vs. sacrifice.  Ocean of waves rolled through my thoughts on the subject, in between my breaks of talks" Awe, what a nice topic to blog about,"  I thought as I looked far into the horizon... wind hitting my face. Once I was home, immediately upon walking through the door, I saw my 17 year-old son lying on the couch in a peculiar way.   "What's wrong with you? "  I ask him. "I'm weak." "Have you eaten?" " No ma'am,"   he says. Right after those words left his mouth, my 11 year-old daughter called out,  "Mom!  Look at my finger!  I think it's broken." Following her cry, came the lamentation of my two younger daughters Krishtiana 10 and Kennlie seven,   "Mom can we come out of our rooms yet?" Sniffle...

P ain.  Many of us despise it—find it despicable and do our best to avoid it.  Have you ever stopped to think, to conclude  that pain is not your enemy, and very well could be your gift? I know it sounds crazy, but what does pain do, what is it for?  It alerts us to problems or potential problems.  It tells us to check out a situation, to dig deeper and go further.  If there is no pain, how would we know to seek out the care of a medical professional?  If there is no pain, what would make us draw nearer to God? My hope this morning is to encourage those of you who are experiencing pain now, and for those who will come to experience it in the future to remember, " There is always purpose beyond our pain."  I f you take nothing else away from this blog today please carry that with you close to your heart.  And even more so remember that this is particularly true of pain when you are a child of the Alm...

M y first gateway to joy experience and my first encounter with Elisabeth Elliot are two different experiences which I will share with you next week.  Today, I would like to share with you why I added "s" to "gateway," and why I wanted to start this link up.   I added the "s" to gateway because it has been my experience that God uses many "gateways" to lead us to points in our lives of where He wants us to be.  As I shared with you in yesterday's post : God purposely led the children of Isreal "by the way of the wilderness."   His gateways are always meant to direct us and get us onto His path by whatever means He deems necessary. The other reason I added the "s" is because I didn't know if legally I could use "Gateway to joy."   Gateways may not even be legal as it is still so closely named to "Gateway to Joy."   I will just wait and see what happens.  If the name changes you know why. ...

I count blessings.  Gifts.  Each day I wake spying out in wonderment what gift the Lord will reveal to me today.  This ... the looking—the longing, the wondering, is how I stay satisfied.  Content.  Happy. It is through the looking ...  the changing of the lenses on my perspective of life that  I am able to see the heavenly Fathers most ordinary and unexpected gifts.  His ways.  In this way of living I learn to find His joy.  My passions.  Gratitude.  Gratitude even for my very existence in life, and for having the sort of relationship with the Almight Creator that teaches me truth ... truth about life & living.     I wish I could tell you that the searching and penning of blessings {gifts} originated with me, but it didn't.  Another soul—a mother, who has just as many children as I {she has half-a-dozen} is teacher.  She's my Canadian friend ... wife to Farm...

`G o to the ant, o sluggard, observe her ways and be wise, which having no chief, officer or ruler prepares her food in the summer and gathers her provisions in the harvest." ~ Proverbs 6:6 Well!  I must say, "I am a bit offend that the Lord chose to call me a sluggard?" "No Lord.  I am not a sluggard.  I am a tired woman," is my answer to Him.  I've changed my supplements.   I am anemic.  I am getting older...plus I have Sickle Cell traits which I am told by the doctor can keep one a bit more tired.  This tiredness of mine, though, comes and goes. And I am most assured that it is tied more into my diet of eating the wrong things more than anything else.  My body is a body that doesn't do well without wholefoods and lots and lots of raw veggies and fruits.  Plus I've slacked up on my juicing too....  Anyway... these are my excuses when God "shows me myself." Lazy?  Admittedly we are no ants over here, bu...

T his week has brought some surprising developments as it pertains to my husband and my blog.  He's been visiting everyday.  This week he's been a DIHH (do it himself husband).   Get this: not only has he visited, but he's been coming back sharing how MY WRITING is helping him SPIRITUALLY!  This is BIG sisters!  What a blessing!  His praise of my blog and writing has meant so much to me.  It's reeled me in some more y'all. Experiencing that got me to thinking about today's topic post: The practice of marriage.  Praise and interest in what our spouse is doing  seems fitting for discussion today. Taking an interest in the things our spouse is involved in or in things that are important to them sends a message way better than just the proclamation that comes from our mouth.  Doing—putting forth an effort to do says,  "I love you."   Doing is our proclamation in action....

M arriage: a covenant between a man and a woman that binds them together for life.  Today we will discuss, "The Practice of Marriage," as it causes us to Walk Closer to Him.  The practice of marriage is a practice of FULLY and COMPLETELY giving of oneself for the other—even when you may not want to.  It's a life long practice . Marriage teaches us to love the "seemingly" unlovable sometimes.  The same qualities that Christ uses with us—His bridegroom we must use with our spouse, and they with us. It's a union that's only released through death. It's the coming together of two to become one. "It's the worse of times.  It's the best of times ." In the practice of marriage, we laugh and we cry.  We love and we hate.  We learn how flawed and sin-ravished "we" are. On the surface it seems like a most "ordinary" experience, but it is the most HOLY of experiences.  For in marriage we practice: Livin...