by Sharon O | Sep 16, 2010 | Uncategorized
I thought of something the other day or maybe I heard it somewhere.
“Nurturing a tranquil soul.”
What a concept~ What an idea.
For the last year I have been off work and really have enjoyed being home.
The goal has been to slow down and enjoy the day~ slow down and enjoy the moments.
When I read ‘nurturing the tranquil soul’ it resonated with me so intensely.
We all should strive for a peaceful soul. Or a place of quiet inside.
It is hard work to slow down the pace of our fast moving world.
It is hard work to be still and be quiet.
Dictionary.com says:
Nurture: To support and encourage; to bring up; to promote development.
Tranquil: Free from commotion or tumult; free from or unaffected by disturbing emotions; serene: calm peaceful and quiet.
Does it feel like something you want?
Nurturing a tranquil soul.
That is not meaning you have to sit around in a yoga position humming.
It is nurturing a peace that passes all understanding deep inside inside your heart.
So that when something bad happens you grieve but you are not broken into pieces.
When something unexpected happens you are shocked but not knocked down.
John Eldredge says it is a sense of belonging… to oneself.
Just as we want to belong to a family we also want to belong to ourselves.
Have you ever met someone who is nice to get to know but as you get to know them it feels like they do not know themselves very well? It’s like they are not connected… not having an idea of what they are showing to others. They are sort of clueless.
I think nurture is a wonderful concept.
It is our ‘purpose’ to encourage others~ to promote others to do well and to be peaceful.
Be calm and quiet. The word tells us to be quick to hear and slow to speak. We find strength when we are quiet.
Helping others to nurture themselves helps them to move deeper into a sense of self and helping ourselves to do the same.
I ask you… how well do you nurture your heart or soul?
Is your hearts desire always way back there somewhere while you attend to other more important issues?
I ask you…
do you nurture yourself in the way you would nurture another?
If the answer is NO ask yourself why.
ARE you not as important as another? repeat the question:
are you not as important as another?
Remember to be tranquil is to be free… free from noise, commotion or disturbing emotions.
Are you free today? I pray that you can come to a place where nurturing a tranquil soul is normal for you.
by Sharon O | Sep 13, 2010 | Uncategorized
The Compassion team just returned from Guatemala and each person wrote blogs about their experience.
Today instead of me writing I am going to let them write.
Starting with /Ann Voscamp@AHolyExperience.com/
Be sure to have your sound on. Her site is beautiful and she is a powerfully gifted writer.
You might even need Kleenex nearby as you read the heart wrenching stories.
Then you can move on to Lisa-Jo (The Gypsy Mama) www.Thegypsymamma.com/
Next you can read:
http://amandajones.com/ Jones (Baby Bangs)Living Proof Ministries
After that you can read:
http://www.lindseynobles.com/
There are a few other bloggers who went with the team you can log into their sites I believe from the other sites.
Reading their last weeks accounts of everyday life in Guatemala will help you understand poverty and its face and put a name on your heart I hope to sponsor a child.
Sponsoring a child only costs $38.00 a month.
We pay more for coffee or frivolous lunches out or that fancy pair of must have shoes.
I encourage us all to think about missions. Not necessarily go to far away places. But if one cannot go then one can certainly sponsor a child who lives there. Finish your reading with the leader of the Guatemala group:
/www.ShaunGroves.com/
I encourage you to take the time to read these posts maybe even subscribe to them. Personally I subscribe to about 35 blogs. They encourage me to press forward and also it is like a devotional time on line along with my bible studies.
I would LOVE feeback if these links work and what you thought of them. I tried to click onto a few of them from my blog here and couldn’t get them to work please let me know if I did anything wrong with the addresses.
Today it was important to take a bit of a break and encourage us all to think beyond ourselves and to realize the world is not often the way we see it in our cozy neighborhoods and warm homes.
I pray that we can look beyond our own lives and SEE the lives of others.
by Sharon O | Sep 10, 2010 | Uncategorized
Continuing on the topic of soul sessions
our pastor was sharing how it is good for us to have healthy fear.
That got my attention because as a child living in a home that often brought fear to the surface I was intrigued by his comment ‘healthy’ fear.
The example he shared was about his little daughter and how they often would tell her to not touch the stove… it is hot… it will burn. Over and over the voice repeating to her ‘NO don’t touch’. Then in a split second the day came when she did. The door was left open and she reached in to touch the bright hot surface.
She learned in an instant through pain and tears and cold water the cause and effect of the warning. Don’t touch the stove it will burn you~ don’t touch~ it will hurt you .
Then he continued to say ‘we do the same’ thing with God.
God will say, “NO don’t do that” in many different ways as a protection for us so we will not be hurt. It is our choice if we reach out and touch it and when it hurts us the truth becomes a reality we can grasp because we experienced it. What God was saying was true.
Just as pastors little daughter became more respectful of the oven when the door was open.
We become more respectful of the warnings of God.
Pastors little daughter probably walked by that stove every hour touching the cold outside frame and not understanding ‘it is hot~ it will hurt you.’ Only when the ‘heat’ hurt her did she grasp the truth and it became a lesson for her to learn from.
Pastor was saying: Healthy fear is prevention so harm cannot take place.
I ask you today…
what has brought a healthy fear to you.
Does the fear of God keep you from sinning?
Do you feel protected because of his warnings?
Just as a parent would run to their child and warn them if they were in the street God runs to us in protection for our safety. He sets guidelines and rules for us so that we can stay safe.
Have you ever had a police officer follow you as you were driving?
I tend to grip the wheel tighter as the anxiety rises for me to perform well.
It is the presence of the car and the uniform and the badge where respect and protection come from. The whole time they are driving behind you it is a test to see if you follow the rules and heed the warning. You have a healthy fear for him for you know that he has the power to site you for doing wrong.
Healthy fear is good in many areas of our lives.
Exodus 20:20 tells us: Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid.
God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you
to keep you from sinning.”
I pray that we can stay thankful that we have a God who cares so much
that he is willing to test us to see if we sin or not.
Is he following behind you today?
by Sharon O | Sep 7, 2010 | Uncategorized
Our Pastor has been teaching a series called soul sessions.
It has been thought provoking and interesting.
The question he asked last week was this:
What distortions do you have about God?
I had to stop and think about that question:
Always looking for the meanings of words I found these to match what he was asking from dictionary.com.
Distortion: a change in perception so that it does not correspond to reality.
The disguising of the meaning of unconscious thoughts so that they may appear
in consciousness as in dreams.
My answers to his question were these:
That He would not love me even though I know He does and
That He would leave me even though I know he won’t.
It is my belief that our distortions about God are based on our core beliefs about ourselves
from the world we grew up in. I believe those distortions are a reflection of what we experienced and perhaps were taught in a conscious way or an unconscious way.
The lessons we learned through other lessons given by those in authority.
(These are only my thoughts not verified by a professional in any way).
In my case: abandonment was a big issue when I was growing up.
The message that I was not important was loud and clear.
When a parent leaves it sends the message deep into the core
of the belief system of the child.
I know in my heart without a shadow of a doubt~
that God loves me…
but if I couldn’t be loved by my parent why would God want to.
I know in my heart without a shadow of a doubt~
that God will never leave me…
but I also know that because my own parent did…
it could be possible for God to do the same.
Now in saying all that without the intense meeting with God I had as a teenager…
the ability to doubt and to question would be much stronger.
(the story is here on this blog ~ march 21st entry)
God answered my prayer in such an intense way there was no choice but to believe.
There was no way I could not. The sureness of my new belief system was fortified
by the answer to my prayer. He knew I would need something so dramatic and so meaningful in order for me to believe in Him.
When the questions come… does God love me enough.
The word will tell me…”I have loved you with an everlasting love.”
When the questions come…will God leave me.
The word tells me… “I will never leave you or forsake you.”
Pastor said, “Love defines your relationship with God”…
if your parent didn’t love you enough is it possible to know God will?
Pastor also said, “Hope is found in your view of God…
the survival of your soul is dependent on your opinion of God in the moment.”
A crisis of Faith is a moment in time where you have to put your faith to the test.
For example when my mother in law found out she had terminal cancer she said, “well we will do the best we can and then leave it up to God.” She had a deep love for God so her soul was settled with the fact that she would see Him one day and it would be good. Because of her opinion of God and who He was she fought her cancer without becoming bitter or angry.
Her soul was settled and it had a profound effect on those who were with her throughout the process.
Pastor continued to talk about the survival techniques we learned growing up.
I could so relate to this since my own journey was full of hard and difficult places
my survival technique was to wall off anything or anyone to keep more hurt away.
Only when God touched me and met me through a prayer from my heart
could I truly believe and trust Him.
Soul sessions are all about discovering who we are as a person.
Our Pastor said, “Hope is always found in your view of God.”
I challenge you to explore the distorted thoughts and views you might have about Him.
Write them down and pray about them.
If you don’t know what they are ask Him to reveal them to you.
Then find scripture to counter balance your thoughts and beliefs.
Is a distorted view of who He is… hurting you in your relationship?
I pray we all search our hearts for what is holding us back from accepting a real relationship with a real and loving God.
Our hope is found in our view of God. I pray it be a positive one.
by Sharon O | Sep 6, 2010 | Uncategorized
I was reading a magazine and came upon something wonderful. Thinking about this blog as I often do it seemed like a writing that I could share and since it was a ‘picture’ for sale in a magazine there shouldn’t be any copyright issues.
For the readers of this blog I hope for you to reflect on this writing.
Life is not a race-but indeed a journey.
Be honest~work hard~be choosy~say “thank you”~ “I love you”~and
“great job” to someone each day.
Go to church~take time for prayer.
The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh.
Let your hand shake mean more than pen and paper. Love your life and what you’ve been given~it is not accidental~search for your purpose and do it as best as you can. Dreaming does matter~it allows you to become that which you aspire to be.
Laugh often~appreciate the little things in life and enjoy them~some of the best things in life really are free. Do not worry~less wrinkles are more becoming.
Forgive~it frees the soul.
Take time for yourself~plan for longevity.
Recognize the special people you’ve been blessed to know.
Live for today~enjoy the moment.
by Sharon O | Sep 5, 2010 | Uncategorized
I wanted to bring up something I saw today at Target. It bothered my heart and my grandma radar was in shock as I walked by the little girls department the age range was little girls ages 4-7. There was a section of clothes that totally rocked my grandma world. On the rack was a very short black mini skirt with black lace leggings to go with it. I mean this skirt was short and black and very ‘revealing’ with black lace leggings for a little girl who is going to be running and playing at recess on swings and teeter toter’s. For a little girl who is under age 5 and totally innocent to what she is wearing or trying to look like. Am I over reacting or just old fashioned or is it really way out of line for some parents to purchase this and let their child wear it in public? It reminded me of the show toddlers and tiaras. I really dislike that show. The show is about little toddlers who are at a tender innocent age and still babies made up to dress as if they are 16 with makeup and fancy outfits and the parents are expecting them to perform. The little girls cry and whine because they don’t want to have their pictures taken or the makeup on or the scratchy dress. It is the parent who sitting there telling them they have to perform it feels like a form of exploitation. It is the parent who has the problem or sick dream. Good grief the first time I saw a preview of that show it almost made me nauseous. What is the message we are sending our little girls? Little girls who are precious and beautiful and innocent. I just spent time with my grand daughters this weekend and I want them to grow up slowly and with the knowledge that they do not have to do or wear anything to make them more pretty or more precious. They do not have to perform or pretend they are valued. They are loved and valued for who they are just because they are my grand daughters. Lord God I pray we do not send a ‘wrong’ message to our little girls. Help them to know they are precious no matter what they wear.
by Sharon O | Sep 1, 2010 | Uncategorized
The other day as I was skimming my emails and face book
I stopped at a quote of John Eldredge.
It felt so profound to me I just had to write it down and do more thinking about it.
I have read it several times and each time I grasp a new meaning.
John said: Changes in our lives often bring grief and loss. May we embrace and mourn our changes today. Let us not refuse them and lose what God has in store for us.
Changes… none of us like them.
I certainly don’t my routine is pretty much the same day in and day out and my ‘diet’ often is too. The saying ‘creature of habit’ is me. Furniture stays the same year after year, decorations stay the same for each season with very little variations. It is security for me to know that ‘the same’ is here and now and in the room with me.
When something changes it does bring a sense of loss and perhaps grief.
Jobs can change. Friendships come and go. Relationships move in and out of surface talk and deep sharing depending on the time and season.
Children grow up to become adults.
Life is full of changes.
When he said, “Let us embrace and mourn” the picture of a huge hug and a weeping for the night comes to my mind… it is cleansing and restoring.
We say good bye to yesterdays pain and sorrow and we welcome today.
We learn to live in today and look forward to tomorrow. As John says “let us not refuse the changes ahead for us” we might be joyfully surprised by what God has planned.
Today may we live in the now and not worry about anything else.
May we welcome with open arms the changes that might be ahead for us and be willing to accept them even before they come. I pray that we will not miss the blessing that might be around the corner just waiting to be experienced because we refused to change.
by Sharon O | Aug 30, 2010 | Uncategorized
Yesterday in church our music pastor moved from behind his guitar to a teaching position.
He did an awesome job.
I am always excited when God’s gifts are used in different ways.
Our church is not locked into a box of ‘this is your job and this is mine’.
Gifts are used in many ways and this guy behind a guitar became an awesome pastor teacher on Sunday morning.
He began by telling us how Jesus wants to be with us in the seasons of life when we feel overwhelmed and fearful while facing the storms ahead.
We all have them.
Financial storms, health storms, marriage storms, teenage storms, lost jobs or lost homes.
The list goes on and on and in the midst of these life changing storms Jesus wants to walk alongside us and hold us up through the process.
He began to read Mark 4:35-39
That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples,”Why are you so afraid? Do you have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Then the music pastor teacher began to break it down verse by verse.
First of all don’t miss the fact that Jesus said,
“LET US GO over to the other side.”
He meant let us go together~you are not alone.
Second point a squall is no small wave… it is large~ it is scary~
it is overwhelming~ it is has the power to knock us over.
Third point swamped is really washing the entire boat full of water
leaving the men holding on tightly for their safety.
Fourth point they became irritated that Jesus was sleeping
while they were potentially going to loose their lives.
When they woke him I wonder if they said to each other,
“who is going to wake him up?”~ did they draw straws? did they choose by number guess ~ how did they decide or did they all run to him and tell him to wake up in the midst of their panic?
The music pastor teacher said, “They woke him up with the question we all ask…throughout different times of our lives. Do you care? Do you care Jesus that we could die? Do you care Jesus that our life is at risk? Do you care Jesus that I lost my job or my marriage or my friendship? Do you care…..???
They didn’t ask him if he could stop the raging winds and water…
they asked him if he cared.
They didn’t ask him to help them.
They asked him if he cared~it’s a very important question to sit with.
Then the music pastor teacher continued and said, “Jesus didn’t answer their question.”
He just stood up and rebuked the wind and water and told them to stop.
Rebuke means: to express sharp stern disapproval of; reprimand. admonish.
Jesus with a sharp stern reprimanding voice said ‘Quiet’ and the winds and the waves obeyed him.
No wonder the disciples were terrified.
Would you feel totally calm if someone you were with was able to speak a word and the wind and the rains obeyed them? Wouldn’t you feel like you didn’t really know the person? would you question who they are to have so much power? Would you still ask them if they cared?
The music pastor teacher continued to say, “when you face the storms of your life you have to remember he won’t let you drown. Remember he said let us go to the other side.” That means he never had any intention of leaving you alone. The journey is yours and his together.
Our AWE should be in the power and glory and beauty of a Holy God who chooses to walk alongside unholy broken people.
Then the music pastor teacher said, “Who ever holds your AWE holds your faith.”
So can I ask you who holds your faith today? do you run to Jesus and ask him if he cares?
I pray your awe will be found in the knowing that your storm is not faced alone.
That you have a savior who has the power to walk with you through it till you get to the other side.
May we face our storms hand in hand with the Lord who heals us through the process.
We must remember ‘we are not alone.’
by Sharon O | Aug 28, 2010 | Uncategorized
We went to the beach yesterday and we were immediately thrilled to notice a gaggle of geese there. We have
never seen Canadian geese at the beach… there had to have been close to 40 or more…it was
such a treat.
I often stop and listen to them as they fly across the sky.
It is so amazing to me that they can fly and honk and stay on course following one leader who occasionally will honk an encouragement sound to the ones following behind. Soon several will be lifting their sky sounds as if they are saying to one another ‘come on you can make it’.
I think we are not that different.
We head into new directions for ourselves and we encourage others to do the same. We cheer each other on as we say:
Be faithful. Be encouraged. Stay strong. Hang in there.
These are all words of encouragement to keep pressing forward in the right direction~ towards the goal~the right final ending place.
Whether that be a new job, a new hobby, a new weight loss, a new look or new attitude.
We encourage each other in the process when we say to one another…
‘I believe in you~you can do it~others have done it and you can too.’
Yesterday as we watched these geese on the beach
I was feeling both thankful and blessed that they found a resting place where we could enjoy them. Some were sleeping and some were walking around flapping their wings and stretching them out. I was just as excited to watch them as I was in watching our grand children playing. The geese were resting in the sun and surf and just hanging out as if they knew once back into flight they must focus and not become weary in the process.
May we do the same as we journey into the directions of our lives.
Each of us have a task, a focus and a destination that we are heading towards.
Help us to not grow weary in the process and realize a new day is coming as we encourage each other to press forward and not give up.
by Sharon O | Aug 25, 2010 | Uncategorized
Our pastor has been teaching a series called soul sessions.
It has been challenging.
He was sharing the other morning how subtle things can be for us
and how we can have our souls affected by something in a way we don’t fully recognize.
It is sneaky. It is disguised as something perhaps good… yet very bad for us.
For example… the boss wants you to volunteer for over time. You say: I need the money so you compromise time from family and home for money that won’t be here for very long.
Pastor says something that is toxic to us is anything capable of causing sickness or death.
Using my example: working over time is not bad in itself but is it creating life in a relationship or building souls? He said toxic things can be consuming to us – consuming the life out of us.
I have seen people so involved in things that it removes the potential for relationship. In their process of doing they forget how to live which is where our focus really should be.
To be so consumed by what you might gain for the wrong reason is a sad situation.
The focus needs to be on relationships and asking questions of ourselves and others, “how is your day going and how is your soul feeling?”
When we demolish every thought that might be hurtful or unkind and not edifying to a relationship we take hold of the toxic potential and stop it before it even begins.
Have you ever seen something toxic?
Remember the oil spill pictures on TV and all the ‘death’ it brought to the ocean?
We can be that way too. We can bring death to relationships by allowing the thick gooey layer of toxic behavior take hold and wrap itself around something that was once a positive and beautiful thing.
Have you ever met someone who appeared to be ‘nice’ and then as you begin to talk to them out of their mouths comes words that are negative, offensive and critical. You walk away from them feeling ‘dumped on’ as the debris of their hearts sit near your soul. It is hurtful.
I pray that we learn to take every thought captive before we say anything.
Our Pastor says our souls are always eavesdropping in every conversation.
When our children were little every time the phone rang they would ‘eavesdrop’ on the conversation. They would drop everything they were doing so they could stop and listen. The picture in my mind of our souls leaning over and pressing in to hear every word is impressive to me. I remember saying to our children…”go find something to do”… they would reply …”but I want to listen.”
Our souls are doing the same.
May our challenge be to remember that we can give life or give death…
it is all a matter of choice.
