Themes

I love it how at times God seems to teach us in 'themes'... you can trace His hand as His Spirit is at work in the lives of people around us and in our own life.

Just read this Daily Devotional, reminding me to keep trusting God and pursuing Him. It's based on Psalm 9 - which God really used to encourage me on Sunday morning through a great sermon about suffering.

A HOT Relationship

A friend shared with me a phrase he came up with a few years ago - 'For a HOT relationship you need Honesty, Openness and Trust'. He also suggested adding 'Courage, endurance and a thick skin' now that he's been married for a few years. I like it. He's a top bloke, and she's a top 'gal. I'm pretty sure they have a HOT relationship.

Leaning Hard

What do you when you can't sleep in the middle of the night? Eat a bread roll with butter and read for a bit.

More in Swindoll's book about Moses. He quotes one of my favourite verses Proverbs 3:5-6 and writes this:

'The before part, in verse 5, urges us to 'trust in the Lord'. That suggests relying on Him, letting Him take the lead, and yielding the steering wheel of our lives. The verse also notes that we are to do this with all of our hearts. This is not something done half-heartedly, reluctantly, or with reservations. It's an all-out, go-for-broke proposition.

At that point, however, Solomon adds a warning: 'Be careful not to lean on your own understanding.' In other words, don't rely on crutches of your own making. Don't attempt to limp along on your own strength. Instead lean hard. And while leaning, fully 'acknowledge Him'. That work 'acknowledge' includes the meaning 'to recognise'. In all your ways recognise Him.

Now comes the after part. His part. 'He will make your paths straight.'

My stronghold

How could I have got it so wrong?!

'I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart. I will tell of your wonders. The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.' Psalm 9

Fresh Direction

'Dpn't keep on yanking on those loose strings of your life, thinking your own plan is best. Bring the whole tangled knot to Him. Bring Him your failures, your false starts, and your well-intenioned crusades that landed you on the backside of a lonely desert. Let Him sort through the details of your life, and give you fresh direction.

No one unties knots like the Lord.'

'Lord, I am willing,
I am willing to receive what You give,
I am willing to lack what You withhold,
I am willing to relinquish what You take,
I am willing to suffer what You require.'

Moses - A Man of Selfless Dedication by Charles R Swindoll (p129)

Failure - an outstanding instructor

Reading about Moses in a Chuck Swindwoll book. I really love his writing.

He quotes Hudson Taylor (p17): 'It doesn't matter how great the pressure is; what really matters is where the pressure lies. Whether it comes between you and God or presses you nearer His heart.'

Later on he writes (p107), 'We simply cannot stand the thought of failure. Yet who ever said you and I have to succeed at everything we attempt? That's an artificial standard set up by men, not by God. As we've already seen, failure, though a painful pedagogue, can be an outstanding instructor.'

What a painful instructor failure can be at times!!

TomTom

I scored Dad's old iphone recently, complete with various apps he used, including the 'TomTom' GPS thingy.

Overall it's been excellent - had to visit an older friend who's like my grandma in hospital today, so used the TomTom to navigate there, then discovered she had been moved (thanks to the hospital for not telling us!!!). So had to use it again to get to Longueville - only thing I know about Longueville is that we had a work team building day at the Bowling Club there a few years ago. Thankfully the TomTom was able to guide me there.

The only thing that is rather off-putting is when it needs to recalculate the route. Every now and again it would tell me to turn back even though I thought I'd followed the directions I'd been given. Wondering whether it's when you go too quickly and it needs time to catch up or something (though not sure how you slow down on main roads without getting run up the back of), I can't figure it out, it was rather confusing, especially when it directed through some back streets near our place - I ended up going in circles for a bit. Had no idea where I was so just laughed and kept trusting it would eventually help me get home, otherwise would have resorted to the good old street directory.

Speaking of confusion, I also felt a bit upset when I arrived to visit my friend and she asked me who I was, whether I was the physiotherapist or something. When I told her it was me it was like the light-bulb went on, but she's definitely losing it a bit. Getting old is so sad!

And now I have half a day to get all the work I was hoping to start a few hours ago done...