by Sharon O | Aug 18, 2010 | Uncategorized
Continuing about the Sunday service…
Scotty the Scottish preacher spoke on Psalm 19… I love the psalms so I immediately jumped into it with a desire to listen to what he had to share.
Psalm 19: The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run its course.
It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.
The Law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.
The Statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.
The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
They are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.
By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
Who can discern his errors? forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant also from the willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Scotty said if you read it and break it down it repeats itself with different meanings telling us about God’s word …. How God is constantly revealing Himself to us as He delights in showing us ‘His Glory.’ He said all of creation is constantly communicating to us without sound or voice.
Look up and see the Glory of the Lord…Look at the skies… feel the wind… touch a babies face… see the beauty of a rose. God is all around us… waiting for us to listen.
In the beginning was God…In the beginning was God… In the beginning…
Do we need a new beginning to see Him?
by Sharon O | Aug 16, 2010 | Uncategorized
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzfPHnoT0-0
The morning was not our usual…
we woke up late and went to the second service instead of the first.
I felt unsettled because of the change.
The music was quieter…
The atmosphere different…
We had a guest speaker who was incredible in his teaching and his Scottish accent was wonderful to listen to.
He shared the word so intensely and so detailed.
It was a LOVE story…
a teaching of words so precise they cut into ones soul.
The Spirit was in the room…
one could sense the quiet movement of hearts repenting and prayerful petitions.
As I stood in the room I could feel my own heart calming down into a worshipful place.
The song began…
OH HOW HE LOVES US…
I sang with everyone else till my throat tightened and the tears welled up in my eyes.
The song was one of LOVE… His love for us…
He died for us.
DIED…because of his LOVE for us.
He is jealous for you… the singers sing… God wants us to ‘rest in Him’ and Him alone…
I hear a quiet whisper;
You shall love the Lord your God will all your heart soul and mind….
He is jealous for you….
loves like a hurricane… I am like a tree…
bending beneath the waves of his mercy…
That speaks of power, glory and might a
Gentle Love from a MIGHTY power.
Oh HOW He loves us so… Oh how HE loves us.
It was awesome… it was healing…
I wanted to cry…
and I knew there was deep work taking place within my heart.
The whispering continued;
{I know your heart has been deeply hurt but remember the Father loves you}.
Oh HOW He Loves us so…
my friends~
I hope you leave this post and remember those three words…
HE LOVES YOU… OH how HE LOVES YOU.
by Sharon O | Aug 14, 2010 | Uncategorized
Continuing from my last writing…
The serenity prayer had an original writing that was more detailed than the short version.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen
Then there was another FULL original copy of the Serenity Prayer
by Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)
God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardships as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with you forever in the next.
Amen.
The other edited version:
O God and Heavenly Father,
Grant to us the serenity of mind to accept that which cannot be changed; the courage to change that which can be changed, and the wisdom to know the one from the other, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Reinhold Niebuhr’s daughter, Elisabeth Sifton, wrote a book about her father’s famous serenity prayer entitled, The Serenity Prayer: Faith and Politics in Times of Peace and War.
The prayer has been printed on small cards and given out to soldiers on the battle field and also in alcoholics anonymous groups.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I think we all can say this prayer as we deal with life’s many difficulties.
Many times there are things we cannot change, people we cannot change or circumstances we have no control over.
Through that process we are asking…Lord God…
give us wisdom…
as we realize and accept what can be changed and what cannot.
Help us to ‘let go’ as we know the difference…
and be at peace with it.
by Sharon O | Aug 11, 2010 | Uncategorized
Yesterday …
I attended a care conference for Mary.
It is not too different than a ‘parent teacher’ meeting when your children are in school. Only the ‘child’ I was receiving a report on is my sister who is 57 and living in an assisted living home.
She is doing well the report said and she is following all the rules. She has aged a lot I see it in her face and in her countenance. She is not the youthful sister I once knew. Her facial features are different and her eyes lack the spark I once knew and have been familiar with. The face without makeup shows wrinkles and scars and she looks much older than her age.
I grieve the old Mary.
She was fun and funny and deep and light hearted and when we shared matters of our hearts it was sweet and real.
She was also a deeply rooted alcoholic. So the funny person who I remember came out of the ‘bottle’… and now that she is no longer there in the same ‘atmosphere’ she is different.
Because I am her power of attorney it places me into a parental role.
I pay her bills and go to all doctor appointments and attend all legal meetings that have to do with her ongoing care. I take her shopping and do other errands and I am her younger sister.
I have been ‘her voice’ for many years and I am noticing now she has one of her own and can say what she wants.
There was a time she could not.
I remind her often in a joking way about when we saved her life.
She doesn’t remember most of it the story is written back in February of this year on this blog site. She doesn’t remember grieving for her husband and she doesn’t remember our grieving for her.
When I see her and look deep into her eyes … I see a ‘person’ wanting a different life and not really being able to find it. My visits with her are not as often as they should be and it is always ‘after the fact’ that my husband and I realize how we should have invited her to go with us to the beach or other family activities.
When her husband died unexpectedly she became a widow and it
changed her life forever and the life they had together ended.
She is alone except for her two daughters who often don’t agree with me on her ‘needed ongoing care.’ For as long as I remember I have been her advocate fighting for her to be safe and in the family and around the family.
When she lived in Arkansas ‘we’ were the ones who brought her home to Oregon.
When she was dying I was the one who insisted the doctor assign her to hospice.
My intention was always to keep her in the family loop and in the family concerns.
Yesterday I attended a care conference. Letting me know that others besides myself care for her and care for her well being. It was a nice meeting and I know there will be many more.
It is a story of sisters who are growing old together and as I see her change and become more healthy and able to take care of herself it shows me how she might not always live in this facility.
Lord God please give me strength in this process of letting go and taking charge as this prayer reminds me:
God give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
The courage to change the things I can and
The wisdom to know the difference.
by Sharon O | Aug 10, 2010 | Uncategorized
I sit in the quiet
and I stare at this blank writing page…
this space that normally would voice my thoughts and prayers.
I am numb… and I am feeling…
all at the same time.
I am empty… yet very full…
My stomach in knots throughout the day as
feelings that are foreign to me…
rise to the surface like a dormant volcano
ready to blow its hot and fiery fury.
Sadness has walked with me and also fatigue
my spirit beaten down.
Like David in the psalms…
I wait for the Lord to remove the heaviness that shrouds my heart.
Grief has placed a cover over me like a blanket on a cold day.
There is hope
around the corner but I can’t see it today or feel it…
There is healing too…
but today all I see or feel or react to
is the desire to retreat and rest and reflect on
what I know to be true.
That God will not give me anything I cannot deal with
and if I feel I cannot… HE will give me the strength I need if I ask.
Continuing about the Sunday service…
