A "Tea and Tuesdays" Word about Choices

One of my first choices today was what tea to drink.  I am a coffee and tea drinker.  I have used tea and continue to use it for medicinal purposes and for pleasure, because I love the taste of it.  Some of the flavors I love are passion fruit, hot cinnamon spice and Russian tea.  My choice today is Russian tea.

Russian tea is a combination of sugar, tang and cloves (to name of few of the ingredients).  I create this tea from a recipe each year and give it away as gifts for the holiday.  This year I have continued to drink the tea because of its flavor and because it is packed with vitamin C.  I sometimes add ginger which can help to settle an upset stomach.  As I write this blog I sip on a nice hot cup of Russian tea.

I am wondering about the choices we make.  Are we bound by our choices?  Can our choices define us?  Is there a way to make the wisest choices at all times?  Or does that matter to you (that you make wise decisions)?  It matters to me.

The answers to those questions vary as much as there are people on the earth.  We are asked to make choices all the time – what will I wear today?  How will I respond to an irritating co-worker (or family member)?  What will I choose to do?

Joshua 24:15b “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord”

The scripture above is famous for topics such as this, where choices are involved.  Joshua was leader of the nation of Israel.  He was next in line to lead after Moses retired his position.  Through Joshua’s leadership the people of Israel claimed some of the Promised Land and conquered many of the peoples who had inhabited these lands previously.  The people had a choice, all along the way to victory, to either do as God directed or go their own way.  At this point in the journey the choice is still the same – God’s way or their way.  Joshua preempted their decision with a declaration of what he planned to do.  In his declaration he makes it clear that as for him and those that belong to him, he will choose God’s way.

Some of our choices are so small we don’t realize we have made a choice, we just do it.  Brushing my teeth, taking a shower and combing my hair – those are all choices, because I could choose differently.  The results might be shocking but again it is a choice I can make. 

Other choices are bigger: Whom do I marry?  Do I quit my job, even though I don’t have another job to go to?  You get the picture and understand the difference.  We can make some pretty big choices in life that change where we can end up.  Sometimes we make permanent decisions based on temporary situations.  Sometimes we choose and it ends well, other times not so well. 

   

I recognize the need for choices, I just don’t always like the choices I have to make.  It might be easy to say “pray and wait for God to show you the way” but there are those times when the answer I need from God does not appear to come as soon as I need it, so I have to choose, all the time hoping I have made the right choice.

I am in the midst of making a major choice, and asking God to show me the way.  The most important thing to me now is that I do as God would want me to do.  I wait, I try to hear His voice or observe what is going on around me that may lead me or give me clues.  I pray more.  And I wait.  Wait for what?  I wait for God to show me more so that the decision becomes clearer.  It is not a cut-and-dry process.  It is not as precise as I would like it to be.  The thing I know is even if I choose wrong I have attempted to do all that I know to do.  The desired outcome is getting me to the right place.  The right place, for me, is a choice that demonstrates my allegiance to God in all I do.

How do you go about making your decisions?  How do you choose? 

I would love to hear from you, sharing with me how you make the choices you make in your life. 

Thank you for listening and in advance for sharing!  Enjoy your holiday week and weekend!

A Little Bit about the Beginning....

At the beginning of this week I started a blog that is now a week old.  I was very excited to launch this endeavor and to invite you to join me on this journey.  After one week I am still excited and not weary from the schedule I have had to keep to post each day.  Now comes the time to set expectations.

I want to express my gratitude – thank you for viewing, reading and commenting on my blog.  This is a new endeavor for me and I have enjoyed doing it.  It has not been a chore but a calling.  It is the fulfillment of something I have wanted to do for some time.  In all actuality it only took a few minutes to set up (Thank you Gail E. Dudley) but has taken some time in the late hours to write.  This blog should be considered “Under Construction” so thank you for excusing my mistakes, missed words and just “downright not making sense”!  I made a commitment and I kept it.  Thank you again for your patience and for “excusing the dust” of new construction.

My goal is to provide excellence and accuracy.  I will be sharing thoughts and topics that interest me.  I hope they will also interest you and you will decide to follow my progress.  You are free to comment and leave encouraging words (I receive those very well).  There may be times when you don’t agree with a position I have given – that’s okay too.  You can leave your comments and we will dialogue from there.  I will be posting through Facebook initially, and then through other avenues (such as email and Pinterest) that I will share with you later.  You can always ask me to add you to my email list.

I plan to post here once a week on Tuesdays.  My blogs will begin as a bible study of sorts which we will share over tea.  I have become a tea-lover, even making my own tea to share.  Our conversations will be called “Tea and Tuesdays”, and will include a topic for that day.

See you Tuesday June 30 for “Tea and Tuesdays”.  Have a blessed week!!

A Little Bit about Searching and Knowing....

We have spent the week talking about Psalm 139 and the implications this psalm could have on our life if we apply the principles.  It is a lot to consider.  It takes time to digest what you read in the Bible.  It takes time to digest, comprehend and decide.  Decide to embrace the principles to one’s life.  Decide to change – yes, that’s the word.  Change.  I also have a better word (or at least, a favorite word of mine).  Transform!  We must make the decision to transform.  It is an unspoken expectation that if one decides to apply the principles of the Bible to one’s life a transformation can occur.  I use the word “can” because there are minute choices that have to made all through the process.  The gift of “free will” makes it necessary to continue to make choices all along the journey, because at any time you can choose to walk off the path.

As I complete my survey of Psalm 139 I end with the last two verses:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24

As King David completes his time honoring God he has said many things.  We have only touched on a few of them this week.  There is something in the last two verses that I don’t want to miss – the choice David made to submit himself to God.  David asks God to search him and know him.  It is one thing to search for something.  Once you have found it the job is done.  It’s another thing to search for it, find it and then know what has been found.  In this passage the word know is to be understood as something deeper than recognition.  That is to say, I can know I have found a button but another thing to know what item of clothing that button came from and where it should be placed.  David is asking God to search him out, find the things within him and know what they are.

This request of God involves a huge decision – the decision to begin to change the way you live, the way you think.  When you make such request and submit to God’s way, the odds are you will come out changed.  Different.  Transformed.

I have one question – only one – are you ready to make this choice and ask God to search you and know you?  I would love to hear your answers!!

Have a great day and a wonderful evening!  See you tomorrow.

A Little Bit about the Days....

“All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16

There are a certain number of days that we have on this earth.  We hear the adage often - an audible declaration to do the best you can with the days you have left.  People seem to recognize that you only live for so long and those days should not be squandered but used wisely. 

Have you ever thought about the days you have left?  How will it all end?  When will it happen?  Will I know this is it?  Not to be morbid, but I have thought of these things in passing as well as spent a few minutes pondering these questions.  I am not in any way obsessed with my end, but I have wondered what would happen.  I have found a place of peace with it all, deciding in the end to leave all these heavy questions (and their answers) to God.  In the meantime I plan to live a full life and trust God each day.

I find comfort in knowing that God knows my days.  He knew me at the beginning (we talked about this yesterday and the day before) and He knows me now.  He also knows me when the curtain of my life is coming down.  He will be there at the end.  What does that say about the God?  What does it say about who we are to Him? 

If you have not guessed, I am still making a plea for us to love what God has created.  Our self-image affects everything we do, from what we choose to wear to who we choose to marry.  It affects what types of jobs we work and how well we do those jobs.  Think about this:  if God has numbered my days and watches over them (from beginning to end) that seems to be a big deal to Him.  Shouldn’t it be a big deal to me?  We get caught up in the number (quantity).  God is caught up in the quality (the purpose He has given you).

Recently I was able to attend a class that featured Dr. Charles Kraft.  For those of you who do not know him, he is a Christian writer and speaker who lectures and teaches us about the authority we have in God.  He specializes in teaching others the skill of helping others heal through deep healing.  Dr. Kraft’s teachings are beginning to change my life and the way I see who I am in God (among other things).  In one of his lectures he spoke of the lack of self-love he had for himself.  He told us he struggled with this for years.  He began to work his way through his lack of love for himself in many ways, one of them being the mirror exercise.  He asked us as students do we ever look at ourselves in the mirror?  When we see ourselves do we talk to ourselves?  What kind of things do we say to the image we see in the mirror?  His mirror exercise (as I call it) is to look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself “I love you”.  You don’t realize how hard this is until you try it.

People, including you, have underestimated the importance of your life.  Your life is significant and cannot be reduced to a number.  I hope to live a long time, but if I don’t live to 100 what did I do with the 99 years I had?  God created you with specific things for you to do while you are here.  Only He knows how much time you have to do what you are created to do.  Isn’t it time for you to get busy?  Are you ready to start reaching your potential and do what you were created to do?  Can we start the journey to loving who you are and knowing that you have worth?  You can, if you will. 

There is a time coming when we will start to unpack the notion of “how can I know my purpose”.  We will have fun with that!

Have a blessed day and wonderful evening – until tomorrow!

A Little Bit About Self Love (Part 2)

Hello –

I have spent the day ruminating on self love.  This is a deep subject though I did not think it would be so deep. 

We are exploring Psalm 139 and digging out some of the treasures that lie within.  I really like this psalm for several reasons.  I have found a good foundation here for learning to love what God created.  Most of us want to know where it all began for us and how we got here.  Reading this psalm is not going to tell you how your mom and dad met, but it does say that regardless of how it all began God was right there watching over you in minute detail.  He loved what was being created so much that He was right there when the miracle began – the miracle of you.  You are worth watching over.  You are worth loving.  God loves you (right now, I know I sound like the angel on “Touched by an Angel” – if you don’t know what that program is please google it).  In all seriousness – God loves you!

Self love begins with acknowledging your worth.  You have value.  You mean something, first and foremost to God.  David wants you to know that when no one else was there, God was there.  He was the only one that could watch you form in your mother’s womb.  In the midst of the great strides we are making in modern medicine we are only able to take small images of a baby as he grows.  We are not able to (nor could I imagine a woman being able to lie down long enough) for doctors to be able to watch a fetus grown 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for nine months. 

David closes this part of the psalm (because this is not the end) with a declaration of love for God and himself.  He praised God for the awesome work He did – in making him (David).  He gave God all honor for making such a wonderful creation.

Reflecting on these words caused me to think clearer about how I feel about myself.  My confession to you yesterday was I did not always love myself.  The truth of the matter is that I have struggled to love myself for years.  It was a journey to learn to love me.  It took time and patience with myself.  I had to be willing to dig into the recesses of my soul to pull out the ugly stuff I believed about me.  I thought I was the lowest of the low and the ugliest thing living.  Real talk!

I want to encourage, inspire and reassure you.  The work you do to learn to love yourself is a worthy task.  David tells us why we should love ourselves – because God first loved us.  God first saw what He created and cared enough to watch over its development.  God loves you.  You should love yourself.  I know this may seem hard and almost illogical, maybe a waste of time.  Don’t allow yourself to reason past this moment – consider it.  Embrace it.  Loving yourself is key to the joy you are looking for.

I am not talking about a kind of love that is prideful and allows you to be full of yourself.  That kind of love is not beneficial or glorifying to God.  I am talking about a love of oneself allowing you to see purpose to your life based on God’s desires for you.  I am talking about a love of oneself which brings joy and peace, comfort and strength, urging you to love others the way you are loved by God. 

There is no assignment tonight and no need to jot down any further information.  I ask you to search yourself and find love – love within your soul and spirit directed at you.  Ask yourself the questions necessary to find out how healthy your love is when directed toward you.

Have a great night and a wonderful day – see you tomorrow!

A Little Bit About Self Love (Part 1)

This is the first part of a two-part message.  Part 2 will be released tomorrow.

I love myself.  Today.  Yesterday and in my past, love was not what I felt about myself. 

Let’s start a conversation about self-love.  I am just going to ask this question without hesitation – do you love yourself?  Ponder this before you answer.  Think about it carefully. 

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:14

King David is still speaking to God.  At this point in Psalm 139 David has shared what He thinks about God’s proximity to him at the beginning of his life and beyond.  When you read this psalm you come to know that David believes no one knows him like God does.  God knows his thoughts and knows where he is going (and where he has been).  God knows his thoughts so well that He knows what David will say before he says it.  David believes there is no where he can go that God is not there (“Where can I go from your Spirit?  Where can I flee from your presence?” Psalm 139:7).  These questions are rhetorical, but if a response is needed it would be “there is not a place where you can go that God is not there”.  David says “for you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”  I like how the Message Bible handles this passage, “Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb”.

Self love can be defined simply as a love for self which helps to facilitate a healthy outlook on the life one lives.  Self love involves a deliberate approach to understanding who you are and who you are not – both sides of that equation are equally important.  Self love helps one define how to treat others and the expectations of other’s treatment of you. 

Spend some time reflecting on how you feel about yourself.  On a self-love scale, where 1 is “I don’t love myself at all” and 10 is “I love myself so much others are sick of me” how would you rate yourself.  I will share with you where I rate myself tomorrow.

Have a great day and wonderful night – see you tomorrow. 

A Little Bit About Boundaries.....

Boundaries – I often don’t like them.  They can keep me from getting in trouble and should receive my gratitude but instead are abhorred and unwanted.  Boundaries appear to hinder and distract me from what I really want.  What I really want is often (always) not good for me.

Case in point – Ice Cream.  I LOVE ice cream.  Ice cream loves me (because it hangs around longer than I would like, attaching itself to hips and thighs and other places that don’t need help to grow!)  Ice cream, for as long as I can remember, has been one of my great loves.  I have loved peach ice cream, and chocolate ice cream, and strawberry ice cream and sometime Neapolitan ice cream (a combination of vanilla, strawberry and chocolate).  Ice cream and I have a long intense history.  We have shared many secrets together.  I have one secret to share with you.  There was a time when a half gallon of ice cream was not safe in my freezer.  That was then – now, I occasionally have ice cream that is bought in small quantities and gone soon so not to leave much damage in its wake.  Now, my mantra is “all things in moderation”.  Moderation = boundary.  I can’t eat all the ice cream in the world.  It’s not good for me.  Boundary set and maintained (but please keep praying for me).

As I study and read through this psalm I found a nice tidbit tucked into the midst of this passage: “You hem me in – behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me” Psalm 139:5 (NIV)

All sorts of pictures come to mind but the first one is a picture of a mother or father walking behind a toddler.  They walk just far enough behind her to grab her if she stumbles to fall or place a hand on her head if she tries to go in a direction her parent does not want her to go.  It is such a sweet picture and indicative of the role a parent plays in the life of the child.  Parents are here to teach and train as well as protect from unforeseen events.  All children come with a desire to explore because they are in learning mode.  In learning mode they want to see, touch, smell and taste everything.  It is the way they begin their learning process.  As they mature they become more discriminating about what they place in their mouths or even where they place their hands, but initially everything goes to the mouth.  Everything must be touched and explored for feel and texture.  Does it make a sound?  Are the colors attractive?  Children come to this world wanting to know it all.

At some point they think they know it all and start to explore beyond the smaller boundary in front of them.  As I continue to envision the toddler I see him walking, taking one step after another.  He hears the sounds around him – they are not familiar but they are intriguing.  He keeps walking, taking one step after another.  What he does not realize is that he is getting too close to the street.  The sounds that he hears are cars passing on this street going one way and then another way.  What he does not know is that he is too small to see all that is in front of him.  He has no clue the danger because he has not had to face it nor could his mind comprehend what an accident would mean to him or his parents or his extended family.  All he knows is that the sounds are interesting and the path in front of him is unfamiliar but exciting.  He has to go further, and as he takes the steps he takes he feels a hand on his head.  One hand that has stopped him in his tracks and turned him in a way to leads him on another course.  He can be easily distracted by other colors he sees on the new path.  He can also see familiar faces as Grandma is calling and waving for him to come her way.  The crisis has been avoided, and he never knew his life might have been in danger.

The scene I have just described plays out more times than we know.  For the parents reading this post you may have done the exact thing that helped to save your child from danger.  It was necessary for you to set the boundaries and to watch out for your child because they are in need of our guidance, our foresight and our vision.  In some instances children are saved from horrific situations because a parent has kept them away from it.  Parents are to be applauded for the efforts they take to keep their children protected from harm.

My story makes sense as it applies to parents and their children.  I am sure most of you would agree.  We could insert God into the scenario I gave earlier.  God is a parent – and we are His children.  God has a vantage point that we don’t, much like a parent having a different vantage point as it concerns her child.  The vantage point we have affords us to see across the street when our children can only see what’s in front of them.  God’s vantage point allows Him to see, well, everything.  He can see the end as we stand at the beginning.  He can see and He knows about the dangers that are just around the corner or right in front of us that we have not seen.  He knows all and He sees all.  If we understand this about God we should trust in His judgment, His ways and His will.  Sounds good, right?

Unfortunately, we don’t always trust God’s ways, His will or His judgment.  We resist the boundaries He lays before us.  If God says we must wait for something the first thing out of my mouth is “Why??  I don’t want to wait!”  Boundaries have purpose.  Boundaries can save.  Boundaries can be an excellent way to show love. 

The author of Psalm 139 (King David) said in verse 5, as he is still speaking to God, that God has provided a fence that surrounds him.  He also said that God placed His hand on David, a sign of ownership, love and guidance.  I see a beautiful picture of God putting His hand on my head – I love that image.  There have been times in my life when I begged God to put His hand on me and lead the way.  Then there are other times when the invitation from me to God has not been an open one, because I thought I knew the right way.  Of course, I was wrong.

I want to encourage you today – let God lead you.  Let God surround you with His boundaries for your life.  Allow Him to set the stage for what happens.  I like this saying that I hear sometimes – “trust Him when you can’t trace Him”.  When God sets boundaries He wants you to keep them until He changes them.  Time may pass between the first instruction and the next one, but God has not forgotten you or where you are.  He knows where He left you, in fact He is there too.  He just wants to see if you will stand and wait for Him to show you the next move.  He wants to see if you will allow Him to tell you when it’s safe to cross the road.

Have a blessed day and evening – it’s always a pleasure to share time with you.  Until tomorrow….

A Little Bit About Identity......

Psalm 139:1 says “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me”. 

Today’s post will be a short one as I submit Day 2 of the inaugural week.  It has been a pleasure introducing myself to you and beginning this journey.  I am really enjoying sharing time and some of my thoughts with you.

A question – Who are you?  Other questions can follow, such as – Where do you live?  Who are your parents?  Do you have siblings?  What is your favorite color?  How would you describe yourself?

If you had to describe yourself in one word what would that word be?  My answers to this last question can be varied but today my answer is this word:  Known!

The writer of Psalm 139 was King David, who was King of Israel.  He has authored many of psalms we love and enjoy.  In Psalm 139 he is speaking to God when he says “…You have searched me and YOU KNOW ME”. 

What does it mean to be known?  It can mean you are understood, appreciated, loved, hated, or any of a myriad of other things.  The sum of God’s word teaches that in spite of knowing us God loves us. 

I want to encourage you to spend time pondering on what it means to be known by God and loved by God.  In the midst of the puzzling question of identity this is serious business.

Do this for me – first answer the question “if you had to describe yourself in one word what would that word be?”  Write this word down.  Now write down the reasons why you believe this word describes you.  It matters not whether this word is positive or negative – what I want you to explore is the reasons why this word, in your opinion, describes you.

Store your answers away somewhere - we will come back to it.  We will also explore how we see ourselves and spend time talking about what we should see that maybe we don’t.

Talk with you tomorrow!

A Little Bit about Things.....

Hello – and Welcome to Psalm 139 Designed!  My Name is DJuana Drew and I have the privilege of sharing my thoughts with you.  I don’t take this lightly so thank you for taking the time to check me out.

I have great hopes for how this blog will turn out.  I hope that you will decide to follow my posts and the journey I travel.

A little bit about me…...

I was born in Pine Bluff Arkansas and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.  After graduating from college I moved to Bartlesville Oklahoma.  I had a great four years there and made some good friends but this was not my final destination.  I moved to Columbus Ohio in 1992 after a layoff cut my time in Bartlesville short.  Ohio has been my home for more than 22 years.

I love to read and work with my hands, so I like to make jewelry, crocheting and cooking (not necessarily in that order).  I also have a heart that loves people and I am interested in what they have to say.  I am a passionate teacher, pastoral counselor and listener by vocation (not necessarily in that order either).

A little bit about the title of this blog……. I am a Christian and have been since the age of 12.  One of my favorite scripture passages is Psalm 139.  In this passage David (the author of this psalm) is speaking about his beginnings.  More importantly he is speaking about (and to) the One who was there at the beginning – God.  He begins this passage speaking to God and acknowledging how well God knows him – better than he knows himself.  My heart resonates with this passage because I take great comfort in being known by God.  I have spent a good part of my life wanting someone to know me – someone, anyone, to get me.  I find comfort in knowing that God knows me better than I know myself.  This fact gives meaning to how and why I am here.

 

A bit more about the blog….I plan to challenge you.  I plan to deal with issues that are relevant to living the life we live today.  We may not agree.  We may agree.  Only time will tell.  In the meantime we will have a great conversation!

This week will be the inaugural week for the blog, so look for daily posts this week only.  After this week concludes, I will see you on a weekly basis.

Let’s spend some time together as I share my thoughts with you…..see you soon…..