Tea and Tuesdays - A Time to Talk with God

Hello and welcome to another installment of Tea and Tuesdays.  For those of you following me – thank you.  I appreciate your time.  It was not your imagination that there was not a post last week for July 21.  I have begun another journey of learning and enlightenment by beginning my studies to obtain a Doctor of Ministry.  This journey will be interesting, fun, intense and, well, exciting.  I am off to a good start and need prayers (for those of you willing to pray for me).  I am asking God to enliven my study time and make reading, comprehension and recall easy.  I will have a lot of writing to do but nothing that God can’t help me do – thank you in advance for your prayers.

I have been talking with you over the last month about a relationship with God, specifically how to talk with Him.  Some can’t decide if talking to God is effective and actually working in their life.  Does talking to God change anything?  Am I wasting my time?  Does He hear me?  Will He answer?  When will He answer and just how will the answer come?  Most importantly, how will I know that God has answered by prayers, other than the millions of dollars or the husband arriving at my front door? (Smile a little bit – that was a joke!)

All of these are good questions and ones which I hope to help with – in time.  I want to talk to you now about taking the time to talk with God.  I believe some of the things which make prayer hard are connected to barriers in our lives.  Barriers like busyness, multitasking and distractions can block our ability to spend time with God.

As I write this I have had to slow myself way down to get this blog done.  Blogging is something that is important to me, a dream I have kept for some time.  You would not believe how many distractions, interruptions and emergencies that occur when it’s time to write.  I am imagining these occurrences will not differ when I begin writing for my school assignments and ultimately my dissertation.  I am also enjoying a great cup of tea named “Calm” as I write.  I am not one to drink Chamomile often but it is helpful today.

I suggest this: maybe the reason you have not been able to connect with God is you have not made time for Him.  I recently met and have made friends with a woman who prays each morning with God.  She has to restrain herself from praying too long so she can get to work or do some of the other things her day would demand.  I love her devotion to this task – she does not stray often from this activity and believes talking with Him is the beginning of any day in which she is alive.  I have had my struggles with being consistent in my time with God but have found freedom and assurance in what appears to others as “randomness”.  To God and me, it is our “appointments” which make our time together special. 

I want to encourage you: make time for God on your agenda.  Block out a space (like an appointment) in your schedule for you and invite God into this appointment.  It might seem awkward at first but keep trying.  Start small – you can always adjust the time later.  Give yourself a 5 or 10-minute slot at first and see what happens.

Your barrier to hearing God might be rooted in not having time for Him.  Try the exercise I mentioned above.  Bring only a few things to this time with Him, such as a Bible and/or a notebook.  You don’t need a lot of things.  Try this out for one or two weeks and see how it goes.  To establish it as a habit, other authors have stated it takes 3 weeks (21 days) to create a habit.  If you are feeling brave, try your experiment for three weeks and see what happens.

Let me know how your experiment is working.  I want to hear whether you found my suggestions helpful or if you still struggle to pray and meet with God.  Next week I will talk about another barrier to hearing God and having conversations with Him.

I would like to hear what your favorite teas are (if you have some).  I would be willing to try new ones.

Be blessed this week – take time to relax and enjoy the space you occupy.  See you next week! 

Conversation with God (Evening Edition) - God can use Friends as Answers to Prayers....

Hello and welcome to the conversation I am having with God.  Once I talk with God in the morning (or whenever) the conversation does not end there.  I may ask questions and inquire about things He and I have been talking about (well, more appropriately I have been talking about) for some time.  There are times when the answer to my question is immediate but not always.  Has this been your experience?  It surely has been mine.  I would love for each answer to be immediate.

I also have some amazing friends.  Currently I have friends I have known for a long time and friends that I just met.  These people are wonderful and often share special portions of their lives with me.  I appreciate that.  I appreciate the relationships I have.  I have had my share of bad ones.  I have encountered people who really did not want to be my friend.  That’s okay, because I have learned if a person is not interested in being my friend I do not need the relationship in my life.  I want the people that God sends to be in my life, supporting and loving me in ways God would approve.  It’s a blessing to have good people who surround you with love, seeking to know you.  These relationships matter most when times are hard or when facing challenges.  These relationships also matter because sometimes God uses them to bring the answers you are seeking.

I recently had an amazing experience which could only have been orchestrated by God.  My sister and I went to a place for breakfast.  This place was not one of our usual restaurants.  Upon entering to be seated we passed by a couple of ladies sitting in a group room talking.  The thing which first drew my attention was books displayed on a table at the front of the room.  Moments later the thing which kept my attention was the conversation with these wonderful ladies – conversations that encouraged, confirmed and will change my life forever.  God put in place a plan for us to meet these women.  One of the blessings is God used them to confirm His word to us and vice versa.  God has answered my prayer, not by speaking it to me in the midst of my time with Him, but through the voices of other sisters who were also seeking answers from Him.  God is amazing!

God answers prayers and has various ways to answer them.  I would love to shout this from a tall building, but writing in this blog will have to suffice.  I believe many of the misconceptions about answered prayer begin with doubt in God’s ability and/or willingness to answer our prayers.  You may also but unsure about how God will answer your prayer.  It will take faith to trust in God’s ways – that will be a topic for another day.  Please hear this – God is not tied to ways, means, persons, places or things.  He is a Creator – and as Creator He is creative! 

Do you pray?  Have you prayed for something and are still awaiting an answer?  How do you feel about waiting for your answer?  Personally, it is hard to wait at times.  I want to encourage you – don’t give up waiting.  God will answer your prayers.  You may need to be open to how He answers as well as when He answers.  He has His own timetable.  He has a plan.  He is willing.  He is able to answer.

Share with me your struggles with prayer – let’s talk about it.  Have a great evening and a wonderful rest of your week!  Oh yes, my tea – I had Echinacea tea today.  I am starting to feel run down and tired so I decided to drink a tea that would boost my immune system.  Echinacea usually does the trick.  Thank you for your time.  Don’t forget to let me know how your prayer time with God is going. 

Tea and Tuesdays - A Conversation with Jesus

The tea I am drinking today is called Bengal Spice.  It is a nice blend of cloves, cinnamon and other spices that give it a bold and smooth flavor.  I was introduced to this tea years ago but it has become a part of my regular collection of teas I try to always have on hand.  I added a little honey to the tea and it tastes great.  I have tried to drink tea without honey and for some teas it works (we will talk about one next week).  As a general rule I do need a small bit of honey to go with any cup of tea.

Our Tea and Tuesdays conversation is about a conversation – one with Jesus.  I often talk with Jesus, literally having an ongoing conversation with Him.  I ask Him questions about a myriad of things:  “what am I wearing today?”  “Why do people have a hard time driving in the rain?”  “Is this the end?”  I am sure He becomes quite amused with the randomness of what goes on in my mind and then comes out as a question to Him.  I have fun with it – spending time wondering how He would respond if He were sitting right across from me.  What would His facial expressions be?  Would He be tickled at some of the things that I think and say?  I am tickled at myself (many times) so wouldn’t it make sense that He would be tickled too?  Could we share a joke together and have a great laugh? 

Interesting notions, aren’t they? These notions may not be beyond the scope of possibility.  Yes, God is that serious God that made creation.  Yes, He is the same God that had to throw the devil from heaven along with his co-conspirators.  Yes, He is also the same God that created me, and He created you.  I have a sense of humor and love to laugh.  I don’t do it as often as I would like but I do laugh and love having fun.  Surely, if God created me (with my sense of humor) He has to have one too.  I believe He does.  The question here is – do you take the time to have fun with God as well as bring to Him the “heavy” things of life? 

God delights in His creation.  He delights in you and in me.  He loves every single thing about you and knows what makes you cry and what makes you laugh.  He wants you to experience joy and peace in the knowledge of Him and how He takes care of you.  Surely He also wants that joy to be expressed in laughter, taking note of the little things that happen in your life.  The Bible says that God knows the very number of hairs on your head.  If He is that intimately interested in you He delights in who you are.  He knows the good and the bad about you and remains madly in love with you.

This discussion speaks of one possible aspect of our relationship with God.  Some of us will never see God this way – and that’s okay, to a certain extent.  I want to introduce you to a relationship with God that you can enjoy.  I want you to feel free to bring Him the serious things and share the joys of living the life you live today and each day of your life.  I don’t want your time with God to become trivial or boring.  So just consider this – share with God something that makes you smile.  Allow Him to hear from you when tears don’t lead the conversation.  Let me hear what your experience was as you shared good news with God – we will talk about another type of conversation with God later.  Have a great week and let me hear from you. 

Did you notice that I used "God" and "Jesus" to describe the same person - observant, aren't you?  We will talk...

Be blessed!

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!