Gateways to Joy

Y esterday a friend and I discussed the highs and lows of our quiet time and our Christian walk over the phone.  We meet like this regularly just to lend support and encouragement to each other— an ear.  "Oh and how are you doing?"  She asked With much attitude, and wanting her to pick up on it so that she would back-off I said, "Fine.  I'm fine." I knew she wasn't really asking about my well-being, but rather about a specific situation that I am going through. "Um-hum."  She replied. "Okay, ok.  I'll tell you the truth!  My quiet time is going great!  God and I are having good conversations ... the intimacy is really good ... but my mind still tries to take me back.  It keeps wanting to drudge up all of those old memories and thoughts." She had sooo much to say.  I sat and listened. After a while though, my mind began to drift to the book of Romans and the conflict of our two natures ....

Today—Saturday was busy for me.  My husband and I got up and took our oldest daughter {16} to the bank to cash her first ever "pay check."  This was very exciting for me.  You mothers can relate to that I'm sure.  The first anything—a good anything anyway, with our children is a celebration!   So I made a big deal out of that.  After we left the bank we came home for her to get ready for work. When I got back home I had to turn right around and leave again.  My three son's had haircut appointments.  So I rushed and got them over there, late. Once we got back home I was elated to know that I didn't have anything to do for a few hours—finally we could get some cleaning done!  And that's what we did, the kids and we started to clean. I told my oldest son to get the lawn mower and start on the grass.  The girls had to get their room clean.  And the other two boys were in their room cleaning....

T oday we will continue looking at how Jesus 'let go' of His ways, and submitted to the will of His Father to bring salvation to mankind.  We're continuing our Walk With Him Wednesday participating with Ann Voskamp and community over at A Holy Experience. " 'Jesus went beyond the ancient tradition, says Chuck Swindoll, after the blessing, He passed to His disciples the broken fragments of bread and told them, 'Take, eat; this is My body.'  The bread was now not just a reminder of 'the swiftness of God's deliverance' from Egyptian bondage; it was linked definitively to Jesus, the Bread of Life, and His impending death. Jesus had given a new significance to the Passover bread, superseding the ancient meaning with the concept that His brokenness, His death, would secure salvation for all time.  Just as the Passover signified, 'the greatest redemptive event' of the Old Testament and looked forward to 'the coming of the Messianic a...

A s  some of you know if you read my post yesterday, I was suffering from, "the sin of ingratitude."   After pondering on my life's work, I decided that I wasn't where I wanted to be, and what I've done and accomplished just isn't enough.  Somewhere along the way in my journey called "living" I realized that I'd let my life be "interrupted."  Or had I? "Why Lord?" Why haven't you allowed me to accomplish ...? Wallowing just isn't my thing (anymore) so I knew I couldn't stay in that frame of mind. Although I sort of felt like I was right?  Why did everything always seem to come so hard for me?  Why did I have to struggle—fight and plea for my portion?  Why? "Don't wallow Ang.  Don't do it"... I couldn't focus on the lie and allow it to consume me.  I had to fight and fight hard because my mind told me, "I had a "right" to be angry, and that I was right"  An internal...