tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47201818842701960292024-02-06T22:06:38.584-06:00Nourishment for the Soula place to feed on wordsKel Rohlfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09103229343668393867noreply@blogger.comBlogger436125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720181884270196029.post-65820284378889519452014-02-06T21:45:00.004-06:002014-02-06T21:45:29.620-06:00Faithful Followers<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hello all- I noticed that you are still following me via email at this address and I've moved to <a href="http://www.kelrohlf.wordpress.com/">here</a>. To continue to get Nourishment for the Soul blog posts in your email box, please consider subscribing at the new site. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I am posting about once a week right now, so your email won't get flooded. I am also keeping a blog at my new business website called souldare. Click <a href="http://souldare.com/inspiration-blog">here</a> to check it out. Through <a href="http://www.souldare.com/"><b>souldare</b></a>, I offer adventures in discovering your created self through mixed-media art journaling workshops, with an emphasis on discovery collage.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">"Come, follow me!" (Jesus)</span></span></div>
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<br />Kel Rohlfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09103229343668393867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720181884270196029.post-884426668859010562014-02-04T09:12:00.000-06:002014-02-04T09:12:11.339-06:00A Journaling Adventure in FebruarySince I moved over to my new place, I have been focusing on my artist self. And for February, I invite you to join in for 28 Days of Being YOU! A journaling journey with options. You can jump in anytime by subscribing <a href="http://www.souldare.com/1/post/2014/01/souldare-28-days-of-being-you.html">here</a> and enjoy daily journal prompts in your email with links to a Mixed Media Mania option.<br />
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This is a FREE, FUN way to dialogue in your journal with God about the truth that each of us being<br />
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FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE!<br />
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If you have any questions and would like to receive the first few prompts, email me at kelrohlf@souldare.com<br />
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<br />Kel Rohlfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09103229343668393867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720181884270196029.post-55187466376386311772013-12-24T22:00:00.000-06:002013-12-24T22:00:24.014-06:00New Address<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">To continue feeding on words with Nourishment for the Soul...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">visit me at <a href="http://kelrohlf.wordpress.com/">kelrohlf.wordpress.com</a></span><br />
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Kel Rohlfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09103229343668393867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720181884270196029.post-89539623590949430052013-12-17T09:15:00.000-06:002013-12-17T09:17:28.158-06:00New Place to Feed on Words {& A Giveway & A Book Sale!}Hello all! If you haven't visited the new place yet, please do! And this week if you follow me by email or RSS feed you will receive a chance to win a FREE copy of my book: <i><a href="http://kelrohlf.wordpress.com/book/">Defining Moments: Overflowing with Living Words. </a></i><div>
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Click<a href="http://www.kelrohlf.wordpress.com/"> here</a> to go to the new place. Follow me via RSS feed OR subscribe via email AND leave a comment, then you will be added to the random drawing for the FREE copy to be announced Monday, December 23rd!</div>
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Kel Rohlfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09103229343668393867noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720181884270196029.post-86007875336361582762013-12-01T22:30:00.001-06:002013-12-01T22:30:40.258-06:00Move: To Go From One Place to Another <div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">If you are visiting today to feed on words, please click <a href="http://www.kelrohlf.wordpress.com/">here</a>. When you get to the new place, please follow Nourishment for the Soul by RSS feed or subscribe by email to receive posts directly to your inbox! Thanks for stopping by.</span></div>
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<br />Kel Rohlfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09103229343668393867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720181884270196029.post-76586788625715290342013-11-29T11:46:00.000-06:002013-12-01T22:32:19.412-06:00Thrilling Guest Thursday Reprise {and Moving Day}<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Philippians 1:3 NLT)</span></div>
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A little over a year ago, I made a commitment to blog on a regular basis. One of my favorite features has been Thrilling Guest Thursdays! I went back through the archives and gathered the first posts of each guest to thank them personally for sharing of themselves and their journeys with us here at Nourishment for the Soul. Some were one time visitors, who I hope will return again next year, and others have become regulars that we look forward to greeting in this place. Click on the guest name to revisit their words and their hearts. If you would like to find other posts from Thrilling Guest Thursday, just use the handy search gadget at the top right hand side of the blog and plug in "Thrilling Guest Thursday". </span><br />
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I am thankful for words and this place to feed on them, for readers, for comments, for guests, for blogger and for God giving us the ability to form friendships through words and common journeys. </span><br />
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Here's the guest list from 2012-2013:</span><br />
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<a href="http://nourishsoul.blogspot.com/2012/08/thrilling-guest-thursday-kelly-greer.html">Kelly Greer</a></span><br />
<a href="http://nourishsoul.blogspot.com/2012/09/thrilling-guest-thursday-lynn-d.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lynn D. Morrissey</span></a><br />
<a href="http://nourishsoul.blogspot.com/2012/09/thrilling-guest-thursday-urban-hermit.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Urban Hermit</span></a><br />
<a href="http://nourishsoul.blogspot.com/2012/09/thrilling-guest-thursday-juniper-gillian.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Juniper Gillian</span></a><br />
<a href="http://nourishsoul.blogspot.com/2012/10/thrilling-guest-thursday-rachelle-parezo.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rachelle Parezo</span></a><br />
<a href="http://nourishsoul.blogspot.com/2013/04/guest-poem-from-marijo-blair_11.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Marijo Blair</span></a><br />
<a href="http://nourishsoul.blogspot.com/2012/10/thrilling-guest-thursday-elizabeth-anne.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Elizabeth Anne May</span></a><br />
<a href="http://nourishsoul.blogspot.com/2012/11/thrilling-guest-thursday-jody-lee.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jody Lee Collins</span></a><br />
<a href="http://nourishsoul.blogspot.com/2013/05/thrilling-guest-thursday-jeannie-kelley.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jeanie Kelley</span></a><br />
<a href="http://nourishsoul.blogspot.com/2013/10/thrilling-guest-thursday-tracy-flori_3.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tracy Flori</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://nourishsoul.blogspot.com/2012/11/thrilling-guest-thursday-random-journal.html">Dawn Paoletta (Random Journal Day)</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.nourishsoul.blogspot.com/2013/11/thrilling-guest-tuesdaykaren-o-connor.html">Karen O'Connor</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have decided to move Nourishment for the Soul...you will now find me at <a href="http://kelrohlf.wordpress.com/">kelrohlf.wordpress.com</a>. I was ready for a new look and a new format. Please follow me over <a href="http://www.kelrohlf.wordpress.com/">there</a>. I will keep the archives up here for now. And I have transferred them to the new place, too. I am looking forward to seeing where God takes us this new church year, as Advent begins on Sunday. See you over at the new place, where we can continue the dialogue about words and the WORD! </span><br />
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<br />Kel Rohlfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09103229343668393867noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720181884270196029.post-37262159989800949642013-11-21T13:29:00.000-06:002013-11-21T20:52:49.714-06:00Thrilling Guest Thursday: Jeannie Kelley<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Take delight in the Lord, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">and he will give you your heart’s desires.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Please welcome my friend and fellow dreamer, <a href="http://jeaniekelley5.wordpress.com/">Jeanie Kelley</a>, as she contemplates her dreams, the lost ones and the ones hoped for. Brave woman!</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Here's Jeanie...</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">If money and time were not an issue, what would I want to do ? The problem is that it is an issue. It has and always will be. I will be plagued from now on,but that is not where I am at. Today I am day dreaming of what could have been.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">What could have been are the times of travel. I would love to visit Ireland, Scotland and Israel, but not in that order. To learn about the culture and to see some breath taking scenery. Since my favorite music is Celtic, I would like to see some of the places and towns that the music really brings out. Israel, for me, would be the best trip of all to see Jerusalem and The Mount of Olives.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Click <a href="http://jeaniekelley5.wordpress.com/2013/11/21/if-money-was-not-an-issue-4/">here</a> to see what else Jeanie dreams of...</span>Kel Rohlfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09103229343668393867noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720181884270196029.post-291124281248946512013-11-19T07:45:00.000-06:002013-11-21T20:45:34.636-06:00Thrilling Guest Tuesday:Karen O' Connor<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> praise him with strings and pipe!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Psalm 150:4 ESV)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A little surprise for you today. I would like to introduce a special guest and friend of Lynn D. Morrissey. Karen likes to dance, too. Enjoy her story. Please feel free to leave her a comment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Karen O'Connor is an award-winning author of 75+ books for
children and adults, a popular speaker, and writing mentor for the Christian
Writers Guild. Karen was named Writer of the Year for 1997 by the San Diego
Christian Writers Guild, in 2002 she received the Special Recognition Award at
the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference for writing and mentoring, and in
2004 she accepted the International Reading Association Award for her article for
children in <i>Highlights </i>magazine on
Kurdish refugees.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">A Time to Dance!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Karen O'Connor</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The year I turned seventy I was determined to do one thing—if nothing else that entire year. Dance! So one night as my husband Charles and I watched a televised musical tribute to the great Ella Fitzgerald I suddenly felt young and carefree again. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"How High the Moon," "Dream a Little Dream of Me," and "The Man I Love," sung by such notables as Nancy Wilson and Natalie Cole, took me back to the 1950s when I was in high school and college and a devoted fan of jazz.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Right then I wanted to hold the man I love, dream a little dream with him, and gaze out the window at the moon high above. But it didn't seem to be the right time for such romantic activities. There I sat without make-up and dressed in my old sweats, hair askew, and eyes squinting through glasses that needed a good cleaning. I'd restored my house that day after weekend guests had gone—but I hadn't yet pulled myself together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Meanwhile, Charles was in the kitchen putting away food and dishes from dinner, scrubbing pots and pans, and commenting here and there on the music and the memories they evoked. "That was a great era. They don't write love songs like those anymore," he said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Suddenly I knew it was time––a time to dance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I looked at Charles and smiled. "Dance with me?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Now?" </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Mmm." I held out my arms and swayed to the music.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"But I'm in the middle of––"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>"I'm in the middle of something, too—of a longing––to dance."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>"Okay." He walked out from behind the half-wall that divided the kitchen from the living room and took me in his arms, a sopping dishtowel over one shoulder, and an apron around his waist.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I put my left arm on his shoulder––the one without the wet towel––and fit my right hand into his left one. He pulled me close, sweatshirt-to-sweatshirt, and danced me all over our new hardwood floor, just made for dancing. The faux flames in the faux fireplace licked the faux logs as we whirled and twirled in front of them, I in my Ugg boots and Charles in his. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In my mind, however, I was wearing silver strap stilettos and a close-fitting black dress with pearls around my neck, and Charles was clad in a navy blue suit with a white shirt and cuff links, black Ferragamo loafers and a smashing red and blue striped Robert Talbot silk tie.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>"We won't forget this night," I teased. "When one of us is gone the other will remember the time when we danced the night away just the way we were, and didn't care a hoot about it––as long as we were holding each other close."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>He nodded in agreement and smiled behind eyes wet with tears. I realized that for Charles too, it was a time for dancing. He just hadn't realized it until I held out my arms. And so we danced and danced––the year I turned seventy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; text-align: center;">Dance is the hidden language of the soul.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Martha Graham</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Excerpted from The Upside of Downsizing: 50 Ways to Create A Cozy Life by Karen O'Connor (Permission from Harvest House Publishers 2011).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Visit Karen on her website: <a href="http://www.karenoconnor.com/">www.karenoconnor.com</a></span></div>
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Kel Rohlfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09103229343668393867noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720181884270196029.post-24600840116298493302013-11-14T00:00:00.000-06:002013-11-14T00:00:06.202-06:00Thrilling Guest Thursday: Lynn D. Morrissey<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Let the name of the LORD be praised,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">both now and forevermore. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Psalm 113:2 NIV)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Please welcome, my friend and passionate lover of God, Lynn Morrissey. She waltzes through words with ease, always keeping us in step with the tune of God's gracious invitation to live life fully no matter which season we find ourselves embracing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Lynn D. Morrissey, is a Certified Journal Facilitator (CJF), founder of Heartsight Journaling, a ministry for reflective journal-writing, author of <i>Love Letters to God: Deeper Intimacy through Written Prayer </i>and other books, contributor to numerous bestsellers, an AWSA and CLASS speaker, and professional soloist. She and her beloved husband, Michael, have been married since 1975 and have a college-age daughter, Sheridan. They live in St. Louis, Missouri. You may contact Lynn at <a href="mailto:words@brick.net">words@brick.net</a>.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(Lynn D. Morrissey)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Autumn is the season of urgency, the season that beckons us
to behold breathtaking beauty and kaleidoscopic colors—<i>now</i>—before shifting winds and colder climes send leaves shimmying
from limbs. They dance with abandon in the breeze before falling to the ground,
where they’ll soon decay. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Autumn bespeaks glory, but especially glory that fleets. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Autumn proclaims, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> “Wake up. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Take note. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Time is short. <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Life</i> is short. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Live with gusto until a gust of wind blows you, too, to the
ground, to your place of final rest.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now that my husband Michael and I have begun dipping into a
decidedly autumnal decade, I have wondered if, like those vibrant falling
leaves, we are dancing too—shimmying and shimmering with glory, relishing every
magnificent moment, living colorfully and daringly; or are we clinging
tenaciously to the status quo and to stifling stagnation? Our time here, our
time together is evanescent. Are we making the most of our days? Like autumn’s glory, I want us to go out in
an audacious glow!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, that brings me to the apple orchard. Two autumns ago,
Michael and I were picking apples at a local orchard for luscious pie-baking
back home. This has become an annual ritual, and while we could probably buy
apples cheaper and certainly easier at the grocery, we love the thrill of
driving carefree along the Mississippi River to the orchard and wending our way
through a tangle of top-heavy trees, over-bent with bobbing crimson globes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This time, and I can’t explain it, a sudden urge swept over
me. I don’t know if it were the invigorating air, or the apples’ pungent scent,
or the rows of trees queued up like a line dance, but I <i>had</i> to enter in. I had to dance—<i>just</i>
<i>dance</i>, oblivious to how I looked,
unintimidated by who was looking, uninhibited by what I feared. I longed to
grab my partner’s hand and weave a waltz through a trellis of trees.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But Michael, my husband, by beloved life-partner through
thick and thin, just wouldn’t dance. He wouldn’t enter into the moment, because
he thought he couldn’t. And despite my coaxing, and my
“It-doesn’t-matter-whether-or-not-you-think-you-can-dance-or-who-might-be-watching”
plea, he was immovable. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mike <i>would.</i> <i>not. budge.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And it’s at that moment, that I knew this was more than an
invitation to dance. I was daring him to enter a reckless adventure, to kick up
his heels in delight, to abandon rules without thinking, to move without
knowing the steps, to risk looking foolish when people gawked, to live far away
from the guidelines and sidelines of life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But Michael said no. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then he was silent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And in that pregnant pause, that muted moment, I heard
soundless words crescendo like a clarion call from a buried heart-place: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I am your Partner.
Will you dance with </i>Me?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And I knew.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I knew that I had been sitting on the sidelines—at first,
because God had called me there, away from a fruitful ministry, when it made
absolutely no sense to me. I had obeyed; but at that moment in the orchard, I
realized that I had stayed too long—longer than God had intended—and the
sidelines had become barricades to growth, adventure, and joy. God had been
calling me back into life’s dance some time before, and I was waiting like a
wilting wallflower in the shadows. At this moment, He was extending His hand
like a lifeline, beckoning me back onto the dance floor before autumn faded to
winter. It was time to act <i>now</i>, or
miss this opportunity forever.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I also decided to extend the opportunity to Michael one more
time, and wrote this poem for him that Christmas.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="338" src="http://www.ownapainting.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/JohnSingerSargent-CarnationLilyLilyRose1-924x784.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A0PDoS0HSYRSuGAAJ0aJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTIyMG10MmNmBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1nBG9pZANjNmQ1MDBhZmE1YmQ4MjU0ZjgzZTRiODM5NjBlZTdiZQRncG9zAzIEaXQDYmluZw--?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3Djohn%2Bsinger%2Bsargent%2Blilies%26fr%3Dyfp-t-900%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D2&w=924&h=784&imgurl=www.ownapainting.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F06%2FJohnSingerSargent-CarnationLilyLilyRose1-924x784.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ownapainting.com%2Ffloral-186%2Fcarnation-lily-lily-rose-john-singer-sargent-706422%2F&size=314.8KB&name=Floral+Art+%7C+Carnation%2C+Lily%2C+Lily%2C+Rose+%7C+Oil+Painting+Reproduction&p=john+singer+sargent+lilies&oid=c6d500afa5bd8254f83e4b83960ee7be&fr2=&fr=yfp-t-900&tt=Floral+Art+%7C+Carnation%2C+Lily%2C+Lily%2C+Rose+%7C+Oil+Painting+Reproduction&b=0&ni=21&no=2&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=12ru6vp7p&sigb=13o1glq49&sigi=134rd6ovf&.crumb=fC/dpNywvWz&fr=yfp-t-900">source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Last Dance</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“I don’t dance in apple orchards,” you say,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">with a straight face, then a smile,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">but all the while, my hand extends to yours.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Come,” I say, “please dance.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But you won’t bend.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> “I don’t dance in
apple orchards,” you stress.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And then, you wink.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But dare I ask again?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I know that you are resolute,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and I know that life will end</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">in an absolute blink, in the time it takes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">for these apples, weighty with August’s wine,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">to loosen from limp stems in a gust of ruthless wind</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and fall and bruise and roll and roil </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">into bubbling decay.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“I don’t dance,” you say.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But if not <i>now, </i>then
when?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And if not here, between these choreographed rows of</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">red-lanterned trees, festooned for plein-air dance </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(like Sargent’s lanterned garden all aglow with twilight), </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">then where?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The painter highlights the evanescent hour,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and daily, feverishly dances transient light onto canvas,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">knowing magic soon will end.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Is it possible to compress beauty?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He does.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We <i>must.</i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I dare to ask again:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Will you thrust yourself into my arms</span></div>
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<span lang="FR"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and commence this
pas de deux?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Don’t fret about the steps. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let the magic lead . . .</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All life’s a dance</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">begging you to enter in, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">to move in its embrace.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Take your cue:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Trace how the apples dance from breeze-swayed boughs,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">before they fall.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They whisper,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> “Now. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Please, now. <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Please now</i>.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">To what dance is God beckoning you to join Him</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">—</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>now</i>—before it’s too late?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Copyright 2013. Lynn D. Morrissey. All Rights Reserved.)</span><br />
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Kel Rohlfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09103229343668393867noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720181884270196029.post-1715478968039212662013-11-07T09:46:00.000-06:002013-11-07T09:48:26.011-06:00Thrilling Guest Thursday: Tracy Flori<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(1 Thessalonians 5:18 Amplified Bible)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Please welcome, my friend and superb life coach, Tracy Flori! She has some wonderful insights regarding the value of gratitude. </span><br />
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<img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vGR6qvDwD1A/UkwriQQfW6I/AAAAAAAALX0/tpF-DZY2blI/s320/IMG_8120.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tracy Flori is a professional coach, speaker and trainer. She is the founder of TrueWay LLC, (<a href="http://truewaycoaching.com/">truewaycoaching.com</a>) a life and leadership coaching organization. Tracy is professionally trained to administer and debrief various behavioral temperament and emotional intelligence assessments. Her passion is equipping leaders, teams and families with understanding and skills to advance their lives.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She can be reached by emailing, tracy@truewaycoaching.com.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Please visit Tracy at her newly launched <a href="http://truewaycoaching.com/" target="_blank">website</a>, which is chock full of inspiration and free resources to advance your life, your family and your walk with God.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />And now, here are her timely thoughts as we contemplate God's goodness this month:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Gratitude:
The Transforming Power of Being Thankful</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Gratitude, if
practiced consistently, can transform lives.<b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><b>Gratitude may be the single strongest predictor of life satisfaction</b>.
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: large;">Gratitude
turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect
timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past,
brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow." -- Melody
Beattie<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I wasn’t
always a grateful person myself. Years ago I could be described as a
perfectionist with high expectations. I was frequently disappointed in life,
always looking at how things could be different or better. I wasn’t approaching
life with an attitude of gratitude. Then my world was suddenly turned upside
down with a tragic family situation that changed everything. The things I used
to take for granted were now a daily reminder of what I almost lost. It took
years to accept living from a new normal, but God delivered, healed and
redeemed the darkest period of my life. I don’t take anything for granted
anymore. I don’t see life the same way. I look at everything through a lens of
gratitude now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">What does gratitude look like for you?
<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Some may
define it as…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Being
thankful <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Counting your
blessings<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Appreciating
simple pleasures<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Pausing to
recognize beauty<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Being aware
on a continuous basis of how much you have been given<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">For me gratitude
is a natural outflow of thanks from my heart for the astonishing daily grace
and love of God in my life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">In the Bible it states, “In everything
give thanks, for this is the will of God…concerning you”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">As children
we are taught to say thank you out of respect. We seem to understand, as
children, that the good things we are blessed with are because we are dependent
on a <b>gracious giver</b>. I experienced
this as a child. However, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">as I grew up
and become more self-sufficient, I often forgot to say thank you like I did
when I was kid. As adults we often miss the opportunities to express gratitude.
Even our thanksgiving holiday seems to be more focused on football games and
being the first at the mall than on being thankful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">A client
shared with me this week about a loss of something in her life. It seemed
insignificant to her, almost a burden at times, but when it was no longer
there, it was clear to her how much she missed it. It is often in the loss of
something that we finally realize how much it means to us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">What keeps us from seeing things from
a grateful heart?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Disappointments-
I can’t believe this happened<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Pride- I’m
pretty happy with what I did<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Forgetfulness-
Just not thinking about it<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Entitlement
mentality- I deserve more<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Complaining-
My life is a mess and it will never get better<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Burdens –
This is too heavy a load for me<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">How do we
recover a sense of gratitude and the ability to appreciate the gifts of God in
our lives? We do it by remembering the benefits of being grateful and practicing
being thankful. When I intentionally focus on applying this mind set to my life
I am almost always happier and more optimistic. And it seems to be almost
immediate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">What are the benefits to being
grateful?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It is widely
known that people who live from a position of gratitude tend to be more:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Generous<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Optimistic<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Organized<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Considerate<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Helpful<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Happy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Purposeful<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Peaceful<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Is there room in your life for more
gratitude? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Don’t miss
the wonder of God’s blessings and presence all around you. Observe all there is
to be grateful for by pausing to journal, practice, and share gratitude.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Journal Gratitude<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">A great place
to start is with a gratitude journal. A few years ago, Ann Voskamp wrote a
book, <i>One Thousand Gifts</i>. In it she invited her readers to embrace everyday
blessings and focus on the transforming discipline of recording God's gifts in
our lives. She challenged us to write a list of 1000 things we are grateful
for. Will you take the challenge? Buy a journal and start focusing on your
gifts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Practice Gratitude<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">To experience
the greatest benefits, gratitude must be a consistent part of our lives.
Practice being thankful for someone, someplace or something in your life every
day. Recall everyday pleasures, people you care for and places you love as a
gift from God. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">If you need a
visual reminder for this then make one. In the bible God often encouraged his
people to make visual reminders so they wouldn’t forget his blessings. It could
be a picture, the background on your laptop, a piece of jewelry or just a
reminder on your phones to pause and look for the good. Be creative. Live from
a position of thankfulness in every situation and you will add value to your
life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Share Gratitude <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Add value to
others lives by cultivating a culture of gratitude. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">People who
have supported and invested in us deserve our thanks. Speak a word of appreciation.
Send a thank you note; give a hug or a smile or the gift of time. You can be
creative in expressing your gratitude. Don’t hold back. Your actions can
cultivate a culture of grateful people who will never be the same.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Gratitude has
the transforming power to change lives, yours and the people around you. This
year don’t let the Thanksgiving Holiday be your only expression of gratitude.
Choose today to live a life of gratitude and watch the amazing things that will
happen. Instead of waiting for something to be grateful for, ask yourself:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">What’s one thing I can do today to
experience and express more gratitude?<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tracy will be sharing her thoughts and insights with a group of international students tomorrow during a Thanksgiving dinner and program to help the students better understand the history of our American celebration. She hopes to challenge them to cultivate gratitude in their lives. Please pray for her talk to impact lives for the Kingdom of God. Thanks-Kel</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here is a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXDMoiEkyuQ">link</a> to a video on Gratitude that she will be sharing with the students.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After viewing the video, consider this question:</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">At the end of your life what will your
legacy of gratitude look like?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Copyright 2013. All Rights Reserved. Tracy Flori.</span></div>
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Kel Rohlfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09103229343668393867noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720181884270196029.post-69062313363900828092013-11-01T12:00:00.000-05:002013-11-04T20:06:58.939-06:00Weary: Lacking Strength, Energy, or Freshness Because of a Need for Rest <div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> so that I know how to comfort the weary.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Morning by morning he wakens me</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> and opens my understanding to his will.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Isaiah 50:4 NLT)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixaW8szgCcK8X-XZJw_N7aRd79i5B8jkjs_1HjycLugQUbk3QeOw1sBD0NkGmx8eNy8A2_TPbLAXpl0Opaa3aWZxC9OPIRBpBeTPp5e52oSGIXIJwDBMUcr9DXWSVjW_U3I6LssSspPg4/s1600/IMG_1506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixaW8szgCcK8X-XZJw_N7aRd79i5B8jkjs_1HjycLugQUbk3QeOw1sBD0NkGmx8eNy8A2_TPbLAXpl0Opaa3aWZxC9OPIRBpBeTPp5e52oSGIXIJwDBMUcr9DXWSVjW_U3I6LssSspPg4/s400/IMG_1506.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Just as a tree drops its leaves to rest for the winter, from time to time we need to shed a few things in order to rest and renew ourselves. Each month this year, I have been listening to hear the voice of the Shepherd.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For November, Jesus is calling me to rest. To lie down in the green pastures of silence and solitude. To be led in paths for His name's sake. To have Him prepare a table before me. So that I may return with mercy and goodness at my heels, and fresh words for the weary.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stay tuned for a brand new series in December . . .</span></div>
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<i><span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">Advent{ures}:The Favor of God</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I really enjoyed putting together and participating in the <i><a href="http://www.nourishsoul.blogspot.com/p/31-days-of-quiet.html">31 Days of Quiet</a></i> series. I will leave the <a href="http://www.nourishsoul.blogspot.com/p/31-days-of-quiet.html">page</a> up in November, in case, you'd like to revisit some of the "ways to wake up your quiet time." I hope you have been refreshed. That was my intention. I see the posts and Pam Farrel's ideas as a great resource to infuse life into our devotional time with God, because we do get weary and stuck some times. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Please visit on <i>Thrilling Guest Thursdays</i> in November, as I have a few of my favorite guests lined up to feed your soul with their lovely words!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For this mini sabbatical, I will be resting, reading and relying on the Holy Spirit to rejuvenate and realign my focus as we near the new year, which liturgically speaking begins with Advent. See you in December! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Linking with <a href="http://www.findingheaventoday.com/2013/11/when-only-thing-you-have-to-offer-is.html">Soli Deo Gloria Party</a>!</span></div>
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Kel Rohlfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09103229343668393867noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720181884270196029.post-47963662934569293582013-11-01T07:35:00.000-05:002013-11-01T07:35:49.359-05:00Remember: To Think Of Again<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> for they have been from of old.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> according to your steadfast love remember me,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Psalm 25:6-7 ESV)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On this 31st Day of Quiet, I had the pleasure of returning to "my garden," our local botanical gardens, which I joined back in February. I have enjoyed going every so often alone or with a companion to see the seasonal garb. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today was an unseasonably warm, yet rainy day. I put on my walking shoes, carried the umbrella and strolled with my camera phone to my favorite haunts. The Victorian garden, the English woods, the Japanese pond and surrounding foliage. And just before I left, a stop at the small Chinese secret garden to sit in the gazebo. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I take photos to remember. The palette of autumn colors were so rich and varied. For our last day together, I will share the colors I captured and some of the textures, too! Enjoy the quiet and remember to mark the goodness of God in your lives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I also want to thank Pam Farrel again for giving me persmission to share generously from her book: <i>30Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time. </i>In the last chapter, she reminds us that the Israelites built altars to recall God's goodness and faithfulness in their lives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And here are some ideas for us to mark our journey to pass on a legacy of faith:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Consider a yearly tradition of writing a Christmas or Thanksgiving poem.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Make a heirloom gift such as a quilt or...a piece of furniture to commemorate an event...</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Plant a tree...</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Create a tangible marker like a fountain or a verse etched in wet cement.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She leaves us with this question:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>What can you make that could become a remembrance of your walk with Christ?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">©Pam Farrel from 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time (IVP).
For more devotional books by Pam <a href="http://www.love-wise.com/">www.Love-wise.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> To read all the post in the 31 Days of Quiet series, click <a href="http://www.nourishsoul.blogspot.com/p/31-days-of-quiet.html">here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Special thanks to <a href="http://www.thenester.com/">the Nester</a> for hosting the 31 Days of Challenge this year!</span></div>
Kel Rohlfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09103229343668393867noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720181884270196029.post-87176340448974616182013-10-30T17:01:00.000-05:002013-10-30T17:01:06.577-05:00Sabbath: A Time for Rest<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Return, O my soul, to your rest;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Psalm 116:7 ESV)</span></div>
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<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What comes to mind when you think of the Sabbath? Do you think of God resting on the seventh day? Do you think of going to church to worship God with other believers? Do you think of resting from work? Words like Sabbath, worship, quiet time and rest, raise expectations that we and others have placed on them.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To be honest I never thought of having a quiet time on a Sunday, because I practice other ways of worshiping God on that day, such as Bible classes, praying together and corporate worship services. Some Sundays, I would like to define rest literally and stay in bed. </span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I often take an extra Sabbath on Mondays, since most Sundays are full with church and family gatherings. To me Sabbath is a time to cease regular work and just be with God; no agenda driving the day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In <i>30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time</i>, Pam Farrel surprised me with actual ideas of how to have a quiet time on a Sunday, as well as ways to incorporate the sermon experience into your daily devotions:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sunday can be a challenging day to have quiet times. Often in the rush of getting to church, we forget to meet with God! </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Try getting . . . early to church. Sit quietly in the pew and pray that God will meet you and the others who come. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bring a small gift of encouragement or a card telling one of the ministries at church that you appreciate them and are praying for them.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sermons can become a springboard for personal devotions.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Use sermon notes for quiet times to review how God might want you to apply the sermon to your everyday life.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">During the sermon write down questions about topics you'd like to learn more about or thoughts you'd like to consider in a deeper manner at a later quiet time.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Use the prayer list...to pray for others in your church. Or pray through the church's calendar.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Use traditional liturgies and prayers...</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Allow Jesus to pastor you each Sunday as you connect to him.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">©Pam Farrel from 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time (IVP).
For more devotional books by Pam www.Love-wise.com</span></div>
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Kel Rohlfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09103229343668393867noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720181884270196029.post-54319159115963851472013-10-29T22:11:00.001-05:002013-10-30T14:30:07.472-05:00Sense: To Be Aware Of; Comprehend<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">the things freely given us by God.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(1 Corinthians 2:11-12 ESV)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We perceive the world around us with the five senses: sight, touch, hearing, taste and smell. Carving pumpkins is one of those activities where all five senses can be engaged. The smell of the pumpkin when you slice open it's lid. The feel of the ooey, gooey "guts" cold in your hand. The sound of giggles, as we witness each other's creative attempt at various faces. Tasting the roasted pumpkin seeds harvested from the "guts." And the delight of watching the candle light up each face once the sun goes down.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">God gave us our senses to engage with His creation. He gave us his Spirit to help us comprehend the things freely given to us, especially the spiritual truths in the Word and in nature. A favorite book that I used to read to my kids around this time of year was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Pumpkin-Patch-Parable-Special/dp/1400308461"><i>The Pumpkin Patch Parable </i>by Liz Curtis Higgs</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In <i>30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time</i>, Pam Farrel asks us to engage with the Bible using our five senses:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Look through the Bible and note the smells, like Jesus being called the "Rose of Sharon."</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gather up a few treats from the Song of Solomon...listen to a recording of Hebrew music while you eat.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Watch a travel video of the Holy Land...</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hang a nail from you Christmas-tree branches as a reminder of his death on the cross. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You might try incorporating a traditional Jewish holiday into your family traditions. Attend a Passover Seder or set up palm booths ... and celebrate Purim and read the story of Esther.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Use color to rev up your quiet-time experience. Use colored pencils to mark verses so you can find them more readily. </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">©Pam Farrel from 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time (IVP).
For more devotional books by Pam <a href="http://www.love-wise.com/">www.Love-wise.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Adding color to my quiet times has taken on various forms over the past several years. First, I found the book <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Praying-Color-Drawing-God--Portable-Active/dp/1612613535/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1383101746&sr=1-1&keywords=praying+in+color+by+sybil+macbeth">Praying in Color </a></i>that encourages you to doodle and color while you pray, giving you focus. Some may think doodling is distracting, but it actually helps me to concentrate. Then after the coloring is done, the image gets imprinted in my memory. When I see the image it reminds me to pray for the person or situation I was concentrating on at that time.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A prayer doodle using a Sharpie pen and watercolor pencils.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As I have become more interested in mixed-media art and collage, I have been incorporating those practices into my devotional time. The joy of creating and playing with color and texture gives me a more tactile remembrance of my time with God. You could even incorporate Scriptures or a word that describes your relationship with God into your art work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Another resource, I just found at a women's conference, is <i>You are Loved! A Doodle Devotion </i>by Marsha Baker. You can get the journal and read more about her doodling philosophy at <i><a href="http://www.blessinks.com/">Blessinks: Drawing People to Christ</a></i></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A page from the doodle devotional workbook.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I would love to hear the creative ways</span></div>
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Kel Rohlfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09103229343668393867noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720181884270196029.post-54767049521302940352013-10-28T20:24:00.003-05:002013-10-28T20:33:41.593-05:00Germinate: To Come Into Being<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Now the parable is this: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I love how God's Word is full of metaphors, symbols and object lessons. One of the most common themes of the Scriptures is the idea of germination; the ability of God to bring into being that which did not exist. After He created the earth and all its inhabitants, He breathed life into a man made of soil. He formed a woman out of this same man. And then He invited them to "be fruitful and multiply." When they failed to believe God's goodness, He sent them out of the garden, yet the ability to bear children and to cultivate plants remained part of their lives. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And in the midst of the curses, God promised a seed, an off shoot who would defeat the serpent. The promise perennially appeared in the lives of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, as God expanded their understanding that the seed would come from their lineage. And the root of Jesse, one of the household of David would come to bring light and salvation to all nations. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One little seed gave His life to multiply grace across the world, germinated by the Holy Spirit in our hearts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In <i>30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time</i>, Pam Farrel harvests spiritual object lessons from her every day life:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Quiet times are a great time for object lessons. Howard Hendricks in his book </i>Living by the<b> </b>Book <i>points out that everyday items can be used as bridges of application. When Jesus taught a parable--consider this fig tree . . . a man was sowing a seed . . . a woman lost a coin--he was using mundane objects to capture our imaginations and communicate great truths.</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the simple, God's wisdom can be profound. Ask God to use the everyday to connect you to his heart. Every day.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">©Pam Farrel from 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time (IVP).
For more devotional books by Pam www.Love-wise.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">What seed of truth has God been </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">establishing in your heart this year?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To read more posts in the <i>31 Days of Quiet</i> Series click <a href="http://www.nourishsoul.blogspot.com/p/31-days-of-quiet.html">here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Linking up with the <a href="http://www.findingheaventoday.com/2013/10/wisdom-from-cher-and-soli-deo-gloria.html">Soli Deo Gloria Party</a>.</span></div>
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Kel Rohlfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09103229343668393867noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720181884270196029.post-75624346001438854692013-10-27T19:15:00.000-05:002013-10-27T19:15:37.138-05:00Give: To Enter Wholeheartedly<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">we have all received, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">grace upon grace.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(John 1:16 ESV)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It may seem a bit early to be thinking about Christmas, but the giving and receiving season will be here before we know it. I love gifts. And I love giving them. Finding that special something that expresses my love to my family and friends brings me great joy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I really like the idea from <i>3o Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time</i>, where Pam Farrel invites us to consider what gift we could give to God as the season approaches and into the next year:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Each year at Christmas I like to take a quiet time and consider what gift I'd like to give God in the next year. Sometimes it's a monetary donation to an organization that will help the Bible get integrated into people's lives. Sometimes it's a spiritual commitment that will help the Bible get better applied to my own heart.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here is a list of specific ideas, Pam suggests:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Send a gift to the person who led you to Christ or discipled you.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Send a gift to the church(es) that have helped you grow.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Thank a school teacher.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Send a gift to a helping ministry like a crisis pregnancy clinic, a battered woman's shelter, a rescue mission...</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Send Bibles to places and peoples in need.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Send a kid to camp. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">©Pam Farrel from 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time (IVP).
For more devotional books by Pam www.Love-wise.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>What gift will you give God this Christmas?</i></span></div>
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Kel Rohlfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09103229343668393867noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720181884270196029.post-57086296172048152292013-10-26T20:03:00.001-05:002013-10-26T20:03:23.986-05:00Cultivate: To Foster the Growth Of<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Revelation 7:9-12 ESV)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I was a little girl, one of my favorite parts of Vacation Bible School was the featured missionary. I remember after meeting a missionary from Africa, who brought items from her country to touch and pass around, promising God that I would go to Africa for him when I grew up. As a single young person, I thought I would become a full-time missionary. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As a grown woman, I have learned that I can be a part of missions through prayer and support. In <i>30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time</i>, Pam Farrel challenges us to find ways to expand our global perspective on the kingdom of God. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Make friends with a missionary, writing to him or her may enrich your quiet times . . .visit churches from other cultures . . .if you can't find a church of a different culture in your area, then you can be equally inspired by books. </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here are links to the resources she mentions:</span></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jerusalem-Irian-Jaya-Biographical-Christian/dp/0310239370/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382835192&sr=1-1&keywords=from+jerusalem+to+irian+jaya"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya: A Biographical History of Christian Missions</span></a></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Arapesh-Zuni-Book-Bibleless-Peoples/dp/0938978071/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382835362&sr=1-1&keywords=from+arapesh+to+zuni">From Arapesh to Zuni: A Book of Bibleless People</a> </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">©Pam Farrel from 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time (IVP).
For more devotional books by Pam www.Love-wise.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">How do you maintain a kingdom perspective </span></div>
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Kel Rohlfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09103229343668393867noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720181884270196029.post-61429531282267807982013-10-25T20:57:00.000-05:002013-10-26T20:03:59.266-05:00Splurge: To Spend Extravagantly<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a wo</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">man came up to Jesus with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. (Matthew 26:6-10),</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">How often have you stolen away with Jesus for some extended time? Does it feel extravagant? Does the enemy, whisper, "Why waste such precious time?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jesus is honored by our time and our devotion to Him. Why not plan to spend a whole morning, afternoon, day or even a weekend retreat with Him?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pam Farrell share several creative ways to splurge on your time with Jesus, but I want to highlight her reason behind the extravagance:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I know these can't be everyday quiet-time experiences, but I find that if I have a few of these sprinkled throughout the year, I keep a better perspective on life as a whole. Maybe it is because these are special events that slow down my pace and my thoughts. I regain clarity and composure as I draw into God's presence for a longer period of time.</i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">©Pam Farrel from 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time (IVP). For more devotional books by Pam www.Love-wise.com</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">What are some ways you enjoy splurging </span></div>
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Kel Rohlfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09103229343668393867noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720181884270196029.post-63139742589295842022013-10-24T17:16:00.002-05:002013-10-24T17:16:24.645-05:00Thrilling Guest Thursday: Jeanie Kelley<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Behold, I stand at the door and knock; </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">if anyone hears My voice and opens the door,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Revelation 3:20 NASB)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Join me today, as my friend, Jeanie Kelley shares the hard questions she hopes to ask Jesus when she meets Him in person. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Have you ever heard of the question raised at a dinner party? If you could sit down with anyone in history, dead or alive, who would it be and why? Someone you could pick their brain. Some may say Elvis or someone like Caesar. Now for me, the one person I would love to sit down and fellowship or have a meal with would be Jesus Christ. He would definitely be the one I would be grateful to talk to.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>The reason would be, for me, I would ask what has happened to my dad when he passed away. I know he went peacefully, but is he in Heaven? I would love to tell Jesus to tell Dad hi for me and that I miss him so much. This would be the first question I would have.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Click <a href="http://jeaniekelley5.wordpress.com/2013/10/21/dinner-with-jesus/">here</a> to find out what other questions Jeanie would like to ask Jesus.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jeanie's blog post made me think, wouldn't it be interesting to have a dinner party to share Jesus with others. Something to think about. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Who would you invite?</span></div>
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Kel Rohlfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09103229343668393867noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720181884270196029.post-81382653010748336572013-10-23T22:11:00.003-05:002013-10-23T22:42:50.411-05:00Still: Uttering No Sound; Quiet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Silence is praise to you,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Zion-dwelling God,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And also obedience.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> You hear the prayer in it all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Psalm 65:1 <i>The Message</i>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am restless. A cold snap in the weather caught me unawares. I miss sitting out on our front porch. To go for a walk seems like a huge effort; to find socks, a coat, a hat and gloves appears insurmountable. I sit in the front room staring out at the empty porch swing, wondering how a little cold weather holds me hostage. My mind wanders and focus eludes me. The sunlight peeps through the window. I need some sunshine. I need some warmth. I want to be outdoors in the solitude and silence of a good walk with God.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I grab my phone, a travel mug with coffee, a book and a pen. I rummage through the closet to find gloves and a warm coat. Walking to the park, my mental block begins to thaw. My soul warms up to God. We just walk together. I try to read, but He just wants to be with me. Uttering no sound, being quiet together, moving through the cold, sunny day is enough.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Enough to bring me back to peace, back to some mental clarity and the ideas for a class I'm teaching on Friday begin to flow, just like the blood coursing through my body and the oxygen filling my lungs. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Solitude affords me the opportunity to be present to the moment. To listen and soak in God's love. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In <i>30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time</i>, Pam Farrel reminds us that we have to carve out time to be still and know God:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Enjoying quiet is a lost art. Many of miss God in the everyday, but when things are still, when we take time in the quietness of nature--or in the quietness of our souls--our hearts will begin to tune into thoughts of God. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If it's been a while since you stopped to smell the roses, do just that. Begin your journey in solitude by a walk in a garden or park. find a grassy knoll and lay on your back...and watch clouds, noting their shapes. then just pray through your thoughts as they come, even if they seem jumbled and random. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It may feel strange at first to rest in the Lord, but one day of R and R with God can give you back months of clarity and productivity.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">©Pam Farrel from 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time (IVP).
For more devotional books by Pam www.Love-wise.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">What is keeping you from being still?</span></div>
<br />Kel Rohlfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09103229343668393867noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720181884270196029.post-83086716410440034942013-10-22T14:00:00.001-05:002013-10-22T14:20:25.776-05:00Record: To Give Evidence Of<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Moses recorded their starting places according </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">to their journeys by the command of the Lord, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">and these are their journeys according to their starting places.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Numbers 33: 2 NASB)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Apparently God cares about keeping records. I found the above Scripture fascinating. In a quick concordance search, I found this repeating phrase: "These are the records of the generations of..." </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After each entry would be a person's name, like Noah, etc. Several times in Israel's history, these records were important reminders of God's faithfulness and direction for the nation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today's idea for waking up our quiet time is to create a "Miracle Scrapbook." If you are visual person, you may love this idea. But other ways to record God's miracles in your life are readily available. Like using a digital journal on your phone to take photos, type notes and record God's daily faithfulness or the old-fashioned journal, where you can list your blessings or keep track of answered prayers. You could also use a voice recorder on your phone to have a verbal record of God's praiseworthy deeds in your life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am a visual person, so scrapbooking, doodling and journaling the journey appeal to me. I have shelves of scrapbooks, so I am not sure I will go to the effort of making a special one for miracles. Come to think of it, if I just go back and look at my current scrapbooks and journals, I could find plenty of everyday and once in a lifetime miracles that give evidence of God's grace in our lives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you don't want to or don't feel like making a visual reminder, why not just look at some old photos and thank God in person for the miracle of your life </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">with your voice or in your heart</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's a couple reasons that Pam Farrel keeps a miracle scrapbook:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Someday we'd have children, and I didn't want them to think because we were in ministry we were paid to be good. (I wanted them to know there was a time when were "good for nothing!") I began to keep evidence of answered prayer. For example, the grocery bags that held two weeks of free groceries we received when we were broke...Whenever my faith becomes weary and I'm not sure if God can see me...through a crisis or challenge, I pull out that miracle scrapbook. I am reminded that while the obstacles might have changed or grown, God hasn't changed, and he is able to handle the challenge.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">By recording anchor points in your marriage or family, you strengthen the faith of everyone in that family. By spending your quiet times cataloging God's provision for you, your heartstring to him is also strengthened.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">©Pam Farrel from 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time (IVP).
For more devotional books by Pam www.Love-wise.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">How do you record God's faithfulness to you?</span></div>
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Linking up with <a href="http://www.findingheaventoday.com/2013/10/is-jesus-at-home-and-soli-deo-gloria.html">Soli Deo Gloria Party</a>.</div>
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To read more of the posts from 31 Days of Quiet, click <a href="http://www.nourishsoul.blogspot.com/p/31-days-of-quiet.html">here</a>.</div>
Kel Rohlfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09103229343668393867noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720181884270196029.post-61721353879732227102013-10-21T16:54:00.001-05:002013-10-21T16:54:41.549-05:00Motivate: To Inspire a Response<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">. . . just say the word . . .</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Matthew 8:8 NIV)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What motivates me, most likely, is different than what motivates you. When I am weary, I need to take a nap in the middle of the day. When I feel depleted of ideas, I need to go and play in my art room. When I feel bored with my quiet time, I need to seek God's presence with creativity and variety. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Another thing that energizes me is definitions! If I'm experiencing a dry time with God, I ask for a word. Just one word to keep me moving towards God. Sometimes the word brings much joy, like <b><i>desire</i></b>, my <a href="http://nourishsoul.blogspot.com/2013/01/desire-strong-intention-or-aim.html">One Word</a> for the year. Or they can be convicting, like today, while I was reading <i>Jesus Calling: </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">"To live in My Presence consistently, you must expose and expel your <i><b>rebellious</b></i> tendencies."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ouch! And further into the reading, God exposed and thankfully helped me to expel some <b><i>resentment</i></b>. God brings these words to mind for my well-being and wholeness, and for that I am ever grateful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In <i>30 Ways Wake up Your Quiet Time</i>, Pam Farrel shares some clever ways to use a slogan or catchy phrase to jolt your quiet time:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>We're a T-shirt society. Give us a slogan, cause or catchy saying and we'll wear it on our back. I listen to sermons frequently. Yet only a few stick out in my mind. One was a series Jill Briscoe did for leaders. Every day in every message Jill would use the Nike commercial slogan and say, </i>Just Do It! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Now in ministry when I am so exhausted...I feel I can't go on, I hear a gentle reminder, </i>Just do it...<i>On those days I don't feel like having my quiet time I hear </i>Just do it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pam made her own T-shirt to illustrate a talk she gave on perseverance:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>On the front it has a cross. On the back: </i>He went the distance for me, I can live this moment for him! <i>I know that perseverance is a complex subject. There are hundreds of verses on the topic, but when I am dead tired what keeps me motivated is that saying, that word picture of all Jesus did on the cross for me. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She invites us to create our own slogan to inspire our devotion to God:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Try it! See if you can create an internal motivating saying for one of these spiritual disciplines: prayer, fasting, worship, Bible study or holiness. Think of how it might fit on a ...T-shirt.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">©Pam Farrel from 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time (IVP).
For more devotional books by Pam www.Love-wise.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">I would love to hear any great slogans you come up with! Share with us in the comments!</span></div>
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Kel Rohlfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09103229343668393867noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720181884270196029.post-7208020369330019812013-10-20T20:49:00.003-05:002013-10-20T20:49:40.098-05:00Fast: To Abstain From<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This is the kind of fast day I’m after:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> to break the chains of injustice,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> get rid of exploitation in the workplace,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> free the oppressed,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> cancel debts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">What I’m interested in seeing you do is:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> sharing your food with the hungry,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> inviting the homeless poor into your homes,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> being available to your own families.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Do this and the lights will turn on,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> and your lives will turn around at once.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Your righteousness will pave your way.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> The God of glory will secure your passage.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Then when you pray, God will answer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Isaiah 58:6-9 The Message)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Spiritual fasting is often associated with abstaining from food. When I found this passage from Isaiah, I was amazed to note that the kind of fast that pleases God is the one that abstains from sin and selfishness. And instead embraces justice, compassion, service and practical presence in the lives of those in need. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In <i>30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time</i>, Pam Farrel points out another benefit of fasting:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>The most encouraging benefit of fasting is sometimes overlooked because it is so simple: fasting changes our pace, our focus and our hearts so we have fewer distractions. <b>A fast gives us quality time with God.</b></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She goes on to list Scriptures that define situations that called for fasting: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Times of mourning (Matthew 9:14-15), times of decision (1 Kings 21:12), consecration to God (2 Chronicles 20:3), repentance (Jonah 3:5), intercession (Esther 4:16), overcome sin (Isaiah 58:6)</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Before fasting, please pray and ask God what kind of fast that He wants from you. If you have never participated in a food fast before, please read up on the practice or ask someone who has experience to share some tips and guidelines. Each person's physical capability to fast differs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pam reminds us that fasting means taking a break from the routine, in order to connect with God: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i> Anytime you break the routine and give God the time, he is faithful to meet you there. Give up something to gain more.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">©Pam Farrel from 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time (IVP).
For more devotional books by Pam <a href="http://www.love-wise.com/">www.Love-wise.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">What will you do this week to gain more time with God?</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>Kel Rohlfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09103229343668393867noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720181884270196029.post-19159819817328592102013-10-19T15:32:00.000-05:002013-10-19T15:35:04.581-05:00Refresh: To Give Someone More Of<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The grass withers and the flowers fall,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">but the word of our God stands forever.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Isaiah 40:8 NIV)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Trees are ever changing their outward appearance season after season. Tiny buds to full, verdant foliage, to multi-colored leaves that drop to the ground, to bare branches; each version of a tree gives me something to appreciate. The hope of new life in the spring, the shade of summer, the rich palette of autumn and the stark, clear view of the winter sky. When I embrace the offering of each season in perspective, I am refreshed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Trees also remind me that summer does not last forever; seasons fade, but the Word of the Lord remains constant.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pam Farrel encourages us to change it up with our Bible versions:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sometimes when we read and reread passages, they become such familiar territory that we don't see the word afresh. But God's Word is alive! We need to find ways to heart hear the words of Scripture as if we were reading them for the first time. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One way to do this is to read a different translation or to read a variety of translations to gain a different perspective on the same passage.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">©Pam Farrel from 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time (IVP).
For more devotional books by Pam <a href="http://www.love-wise.com/">www.Love-wise.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">With <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/">biblegateway.com </a>comparing translations has become so much easier. Here are some samples of a favorite verse</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> about rest. (Matthew 11:28)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Come to me, all who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(GOD'S WORD Translation)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(KJV)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(The Message, Matthew 11:28-30)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">To peruse all of the <i>31 Days of Quiet</i> posts thus far, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">clicketh <a href="http://nourishsoul.blogspot.com/p/31-days-of-quiet.html">here</a>!</span></div>
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Kel Rohlfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09103229343668393867noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720181884270196029.post-82395439572550711232013-10-18T12:42:00.002-05:002013-10-18T12:43:06.682-05:00Promise: Reason to Expect Something<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">God’s way is perfect.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">All the Lord’s promises prove true.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">(Psalm 18:30 NLT)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The first promise besides "that whosever believeth in Him shall have everlasting life" that I "claimed" in my youth was from the book of Hebrews. I found the promise in the Gideon's Bible, when I went to Buffalo for my Air Force physical. It was my first time away from home, my first physical as a teen-aged girl and I was embarking on the adventure of my life. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I had known Jesus from Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. He was my Savior, but I was just beginning to understand that He wanted to be the Lord of my life. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After graduation, on the advice of some mentors from church I met with the Air Force recruiter.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My youth leaders taught me to seek His will through prayer and Scriptures. So when I found the Gideon's Bible in my hotel room, I came across a page with topics, like loneliness. Under that topic, I looked up verses on trust.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As I read the words from Hebrews 13:5b, I experienced the personal promise of Jesus that He would never leave nor forsake me. And time after time, as I left home for basic training and being stationed in the Philippines, I would rehearse that promise in my heart.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The other life long promise He gave me that night in the hotel was a directive and a promise: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Trust in the Lord with all your heart</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And do not lean on your own understanding.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In all your ways acknowledge Him,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And He will make your paths straight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Proverbs 3:5,6 NASB)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Whenever I was lonely for home or afraid for my future, God would bring this promise back to mind. A mere two years after God gave the promise to me, I would be surprised that someone else knew this promise as well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was stationed in Del Rio, Texas at Laughlin AFB during the spring of 1986, and I was dating this handsome fellow. And I was praying hard to know if it was God's will for us to become a married couple. One day he left for a trip, and I borrowed his car. He left a note encouraging me that we would trust God together and at the end he wrote, Proverbs 3:5,6! (I had never told him that it was my guiding promise!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We were engaged by May of that year and exchanged vows on October 18, 1986. (Twenty-seven years ago today.) God keeps his promises.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What promise has God made to you? Have you ever written it on a 3x5 card, like Pam Farrel suggests in her book, <i>30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time? </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's a creative way her family shared promises one year:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>One Christmas my mother gave every daughter and daughter-in-law in the family the same quiet time book and journal. When we saw each other throughout the year, we shared promises that we had gleaned from God for our own lives--and each other's.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Creating your own Bible promise book can help you navigate the pain of grief...or loss. God knows what your pain is and His Word can be a healing balm.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">©Pam Farrel from 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time (IVP).
For more devotional books by Pam www.Love-wise.com</span></div>
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Kel Rohlfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09103229343668393867noreply@blogger.com4