This last week or so I have finally been feeling normal.
No major illnesses. No rashes except a slight one that doesn’t want to leave.
I am amazed that WELLNESS felt so good.
We have had a really bad year so far and I am trusting and hoping and praying the rest of it will be nice and peaceful.
How about you?
Is your life going ok?
Thanking God for a little break.
Blessing God for being faithful.
Believing God for good things and healing.
Our Pastor taught on Nehemiah this last Sunday.
I have to admit it is not a book I readily rush to in the old Testament. Not sure why I love the stories of the old prophets and teachers in some ways it is more interesting than the new Testament.
My favorite part would be the Psalms. 
One year when our children were younger I did an in depth study on Israel and the Minor Prophets and it was the BEST Bible study I ever experienced. I learned more in that year than I did my whole ‘life’ as a Christian.
In Nehemiah God teaches about the concept of advocate ~ anytime there is an injustice there needs to be an advocate in place to protect the one or ones ‘in crisis’.
Advocate means: one that defends or maintains a cause or proposal of safety. Or one that supports or promotes the interest of another.
Pastor said: to be a person of refuge is about collaboration.(which basically means the act of working together on a joint project.)
Also a to be a person of refuge is to be in close proximity. (One has to be close to walk alongside someone else. It can’t be done through distance or miles.)
Pastor also said: to be a person of refuge is about filling in the gaps and helping one to rebuild what was perhaps broken or unsafe.
Pastor also said: to be a person of refuge is to be a person of courage when perhaps the one ‘being helped’ is not that strong.
Pastor also said: to be a person of refuge for another is about a lifestyle of open hands and open hearts.
To be an advocate for someone is to put your own opinions on the sidelines and to think solely of the one you are advocating for.
It is a place of strength and purpose and I suppose a place of power and control in some sense.
I have a sister who I have to do all business and social services calls for. I have to pay her bills and keep her in line with appointments and assessments. I can say I am her advocate. I am her voice and I help her to stay safe and in a controlled environment.
My husband is becoming his dad’s advocate. Speaking for him when he sometimes cannot.
Who in your life are you advocating for?
A child ~ A grand child ~ A coworker ~ Someone elderly ~
Someone at your church or volunteer position?
Are you opening your hand and heart to help one another?
It is a challenge for us all to look beyond our ‘self’ and see and experience those who ‘need’ someone to come alongside them.
Following up from the last writing Jesus was an advocate for women.
He gave value and voice to them and walked alongside them
as they learned they had purpose.
I think it is a challenge for us all.
Are you a place of refuge and advocate to anyone today?
If you are not…I challenge you to ask yourself why.
Perhaps there is someone who needs you to be their advocate and place of refuge.
Just a little ‘something to think about.’
I often think of the times when Jesus met with the women of the bible.
He had a soft spot for them… not in a bad way…
of course not… but in a way to give them honor and self worth.
Mary and Martha both loved him in their own ways and he allowed them to be individual and unique for they each had a purpose and relationship with him.
He met the woman at the well and spoke to her perhaps for the first time like she had value and hope. He told her the truth about her life and then said ‘go and sin no more.’
As if to say to her, “I believe you can change.”
Then there was the woman who came to him near the end of his life who poured the expensive perfume on his feet and washed them with her own tears and hair. He allowed her to give knowing it was from her heart. He allowed her time of ‘worship’ for him for he knew it was important to her and I believe he knew what the ‘perfume’ represented for his life. His death was near.
Remember the disciples were angry and not understanding the ‘cost’ of the giving of her valued gift?
He drew them to him because he was full of gentleness and love.
I understand that. I am drawn to someone who is gentle and kind.
I want to spend time with them.
A wonderful man by the name of Bruce Marchiano wrote a book called:
Jesus, the man who loved women.
Bruce portrayed Jesus in a movie and he learned to know Jesus through the process of making that movie. I loved the way he showed Jesus with compassion and laughter and love. It is a ‘unique’ style of acting and a wonderful example of ‘who’ our ‘Lord’ is and perhaps could have been. I don’t think he was always serious and grumpy as some portray him. I think he enjoyed life. I also think he was fun to be with as well as challenging. The movie is called, ‘The Gospel according to Matthew’ and it won’t disappoint you if you ever want to purchase it.
You can find it on the website: Bruce Marchiano ministries.
He started out as an actor and became a believer. He thought he could do the role and never let it ‘sink’ into his heart. But God had other plans for him. Now Bruce is a man who serves God on missions and is a dynamic voice for those who need to hear the Gospel. I really like him and I really like what he stands for. Click onto the link for more information. I have heard him speak and he is truly a man who loves Jesus. This is my next book to read for the summer and I am suggesting ‘others’ to read it too. Perhaps you are a woman who needs to know your value and worth ‘through the eyes of Jesus’.
http://www.brucemarchiano.com/about/bruces-story
Through indepth and dramatic exploring of Jesus’ encounters and relationships with women two thousand years ago, a revelation of his heart for women is revealed – the intimate depth of his love, compassion, respect, tenderness, hope and promise for… you, his precious and most cherished one.
“Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option” ~ Unknown
I have placed this on my facebook page and I really think it has value in processing.
Sometimes we give and give and then all of a sudden we realize that in the big picture of life, it is better to let go.
Don’t do anymore. Be quiet.
This is a good reminder for us all.
Don’t give more of yourself than is necessary or needed.
Someone will always have a need and sometimes it is better to step back and say ‘no’.
It is not good for me to do this and it is not healthy for my bleeding heart to continue to give in such a way that I am make myself less than what I am.
It is like a draining of emotional and spiritual ’emptiness’.
In a new holy boldness…
I pray for someone who needs to read this little thought for the day.
You are valuable. You are loved. You are special.
Don’t ever let anyone tell you different.
In the summer our courtyard which used to be just a piece of grass with no personality comes alive with flowers and beauty.
It is too hot most of the afternoon and into some of the evening, but in the early morning it is wonderful to have breakfast or just a cup of coffee and a little conversation.
It is quiet. It is private. It is peaceful. I find it refreshing to sit out and listen to the birds as the wind blows.
My best friend and I had a vision. We kept talking courtyard as a little space for flowers and an extension of the back yard but a bit different than the yard itself.
After the vision became a reality then my husband and my brother in law laid the bricks and stone and we then purchased the trees and plants and created a ‘private’ place where no one can see unless they know it is there.
My dad made me a metal gate that we use to separate the dogs from courtyard. I would prefer they are not allowed to hang out in there, they have a big back yard that is shaded just for them.
The courtyard was a dream and a vision. The flowers will become big and beautiful and we even brought in blueberries this year and a strawberry pot. Integrating flowers and fruit.
This summer we will have lots of fun with children making memories of roasting marshmallows in the fire pit or just listening to the angel fountain as the water bubbles up and down.
Our courtyard is a wonderful gift we gave to ourselves.
I hope you have a ‘special place’ to enjoy with your family and friends summertime is so different than fall and winter. The evenings are often warm enough to sit out way after dark till the night skies are full of stars and darkness.
~ Our courtyard ~
A place of angels and roses and remembering that Life is all about being together.
Our courtyard … A place of relaxation and rest and peace and family.
It holds many memories for us as we move into another summer.
Simplicity
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