Sunday Scripture

Time for another Sunday Scripture!  As previously mentioned, I'm using the Daily Grace Co. book Fix Your Focus, which is really not a Bible study as such, but more of a guide to help you fix your focus on God, His Word, prayer, gratitude, and spiritual growth, every week for 52 weeks.  I encourage you to follow along with us as we journal, look at Scripture, pray, and face the challenges of our weeks with our focus on Him.  I truly hope that others are finding this as helpful as I am.

This week's lesson was actually done by me the week of August 25,  but I am working ahead of you readers.  So here goes!

🌿 WEEK-AT-A-GLANCE CHECKLIST is further on in each week's section. But since I am working on Fix Your Focus all week long, I find it works best for me to do this checklist first. This checklist offers us four points:  

* To make a plan for reading our Bibles and praying.

* To add any upcoming events to our calendars.

* To jot down a to-do list of tasks that must be completed this week.

* To make a note of our top three priorities for this week.

This last point is one that I need to pay special attention to every week.  I've been finding it so helpful.  (The other three points are things that I'm consistently doing.) 

For this week, my top three priorities are:

1) Health -- walking, exercise, healthy eating, water/salt, early light, staycation day, research dental issues.

2) Homemaking -- a 7-day home reset, zone missions, decluttering.

3) Ministry -- SS lesson prep and teaching, blogging, make a meal for a new mom, note to friends, host ladies meeting at our cottage, share devotional, cleaning the church.

[If you are following along with our study, this is the place to make a Week-at-a-Glance checklist and/or priority list for yourself!]

🌿 The first actual prompt for each week is JOURNAL.  We are encouraged to take a few minutes to our fears, joys, worries, desires and stressors concerning the week ahead.  [If you are following along with us, take a moment in a journal or notebook to do just that.]. Here's what I wrote on Monday, breaking it down into the suggested categories:

Fears: No real fears going into this week.  

Joys: It's a joy to consider a simple but effective home reset, but as the week wore on it became evident I won't accomplish that this week or next.  Our Ladies of Grace meetings are always a joy, and it's been awhile since we've had one.  A staycation day at a museum will be a joy.

Worries: No real worries.  I try not to worry because Jesus says believers are not to worry.  

Desires: To glorify God in the events of this week.  I sincerely desire to do this 7-day reset of our home, as I think it would be so effective and a blessing.

Stressors: Time and energy constraints are the big ones.  If I find time for a walk, for example, there is something else important that ends up being left undone.  The home reset I so desired to do barely got started.  My hubby's diet for his skin condition has been a bit stressful also.  He's always hungry and I'm working hard to make sure he gets enough protein.

🌿 The next prompt is PRAYER. It was suggested that we use several prayer prompts to have a conversation with God about the week ahead.  [You can do the same.  Use the very same prompts for your own prayer.]

* Lord, You are ... in full control of every detail of this week.  You are aware of how stressed I am getting regarding time.  My times are in Your hand.  You are more than able to provide the time and energy for things that are truly important.

* Lord, I feel ... discouraged.  I try so hard to use my time wisely and make every moment count, but I feel I am constantly behind.

* Lord, help me with ... these feelings of discouragement.  Help me with meal planning to accommodate the diet.  Help me with figuring out a series of seven days that will work for a home reset.  

* Lord, forgive me for ... times when I get stressed about all I have to do and how far behind I seem to be.  Forgive me for the times when I allow people and circumstances to irritate me.  Forgive me for times when I am unwise in my use of time.

Make a note of four or five people you are praying for.  I listed  a young mom and her kids in a heartrending situation, and also a couple dealing with several difficult  life transitions.

🌿 The next section in this helpful guide is SCRIPTURE MEDITATION.  I chose to first meditate on this week's Scripture, Hebrews 13:8, using the SOAP method, and then answered several suggested questions.   [You can use your own preferred method to meditate on this verse, and answer the questions below for yourself.]

S= "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever."  (Hebrews 13:8)

O= Scofield titles Hebrews 13:1-9 "The changeless Christ."

Cross-references for "the same" "They shall perish, but Thou remainest; and they all shall become old as doth a garment, And as a vesture shall Thou fold them up, and they shall be changed; but Thou art the same and Thy years shall not fail."  (Hebrews 1:11-12)

 "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am."  (John 8:58)

In Revelation 1:4 John describes Jesus as "Him who is, and who was, and who is to come." 

And in Revelation 1:8 Jesus says of Himself, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

A= To help with my application of this verse, I answered the three questions from Fix your Focus:

* Reflect on what this verse tells you about who God is.

He is Jesus Christ.  He is changeless.  He is always the same:

* yesterday

* today

* forever.

* Think about what this verse tells you about who you are.

I am blessed to be a person who has a personal relationship with this almighty, unchangeable God..

* Throughout the week, consider how this verse should affect the way you live.

 It's an incredible blessing to know that Jesus is always the same.  He is consistent and can always be depended upon.  I can know that His Word will always be true and that He will always keep His promises.

One writer has broken it down this way:

 Yesterday - The day of the apostles

Today - The day of the writing of the letter to the Hebrews

Forever - Throughout eternity (this includes yesterday and today!).

" Christ the Immutable One is our sure anchor amid waves of suffering, affliction and uncertainty." -- Author Unknown 

"Jesus Christ is the same now as He was in times gone by. He is the same today as He was from old eternity. Before all worlds, He planned our salvation; He entered into covenant with His Father to undertake it. His delights were with the sons of men in prospect, and now today He is as steadfast to that covenant as ever. He will not lose those who were then given to Him, nor will He fail or be discouraged until every stipulation of that covenant shall be fulfilled. Whatever was in the heart of Christ before the stars began to shine, that same infinite love is there today." -- Charles Spurgeon 

Vernon C. Grounds noted in Our Daily Bread, "Change is the one certainty in our world. Henry Lyte’s melancholy line in his hymn “Abide With Me” is true: “Change and decay in all around I see.” But the hymn immediately adds, “O Thou who changest not, abide with me!”

"By faith in Jesus Christ we can have a relationship with the unchanging God, who says of Himself in Malachi 3:6, 'I am the Lord, I do not change.' We can depend on God to be the same forever, as the psalmist says (Psalm 102:27). Hebrews 13:8 adds this reassuring testimony: 'Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.' He is our firm foundation, who can give us confidence and security in this changing world."

P= "Lord, how very thankful I am that You are the same yesterday, and today, and forever.  I am incredibly blessed to have a personal relationship with You, the almighty, unchangeable God of the universe.  I praise You that every one of Your words is true from the beginning and that Your promises will always be kept.

    "I pray that You will help me every day to rest in Your unchanging truths and character.  You can always be trusted!  I thank and praise You for this  in Jesus' name, Amen."

🌿 GRATITUDE is the next prompt.  We were to reflect on the way God has shown His faithfulness to you over the past week and list five things we are thankful for.  [If you are following along with us, be sure to make your own list of five things!]. Here is my list:

1) Strength and energy for a very busy weekend.

2) The tremendous blessing of a baptism on Sunday in a beautiful lake.

3) The way God orchestrated every detail of that baptism to give the couple being baptized the desire of their heart at a location deeply meaningful to them.

4) Being able to chat with my young friend Rebekah, now living in another state, by phone.

5) A lovely staycation day at a quiet mountain lake.

🌿 SPIRITUAL GROWTH is the next prompt, and this week there's an emphasis on REST. We were make a plan to intentionally rest this week.  [And again, if you are following along, please think about this for yourself.]

We're trying to incorporate rest every week by making Monday a staycation day and also by spending Sunday afternoons at our camp whenever possible.

🌿 Lastly is a GOSPEL-CENTERED AFFIRMATION: 

There is nothing and no one as reliable as Jesus; He never changes.

We can take this comforting, encouraging thought into the coming week as we seek to live every day to God's glory.

And there's the Sunday Scripture for this week!

Finding energy for the Hodgepodge

 

It's Wednesday again -- and time for the Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond, where Joyce writes the questions and bloggers provide the answers!  I'm summoning up the energy to join is again this week, so here we go ...

1. What gives you energy? What takes it away? 

Cool, brisk weather gives me energy.  Hot, humid weather absolutely saps my energy.

2. How often do you shop for clothes? What accessory do you always wear? 

I shop for clothes as seldom as possible.  When I need something specific, when a clothing item wears out and must be replaced, when I lose weight ...  Whenever possible I shop at a thrift store or by catalog.  An accessory I almost always wear: earrings.  (Occasionally I forget.)

 Above and below, some of the handmade earrings in my collection.

3. What's something free that you feel grateful for? 

Fresh air!  I am also grateful for being blessed to live in what still, in spite of all its problems, feels like the freest country on earth.  When one thinks that in some countries people are being jailed for their thoughts or even praying inside their own head, it makes one appreciate the freedoms that we still have here.

4. Breakfast, lunch, dinner...which meal of the day do you enjoy most? What's your go-to comfort food? 

We intermittent fast so don't eat breakfast in the morning, but foods like bacon, eggs, pancakes, etc. are still favorites of mine any time of day, and breakfast is our favorite meal to eat out.  I guess probably breakfast foods would be my most-favored comfort food, but another might be macaroni and cheese.  I find baked potatoes very comforting also.  And chocolate pudding.

5. This week the world remembers the tragic events of 9/11. Do you mark the day in any way? 

I don't really mark the day, but I do remember it, and sometime during the day I will think about where I was and the people I was with when we got the news.  And that we all sat down and spent time in prayer for the situation.

 How do historical events shape your perspective on your personal challenges?

Now that is a thought-provoking question.  I think they help me to look at the big picture, especially when I consider that people have died to secure the freedoms that I have.  They remind me too that with God's help, people have overcome much greater difficulties than the things that may be a personal challenge for me.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

It was so chilly this morning here!  31º which is quite unusual for early September.   We have been in a severe drought here too, which makes us wonder how the fall foliage will be affected.

Photo is from a previous year.

There's the Hodgepodge for this week!

Sunday Scripture

 

Time for another Sunday Scripture!  As I explained several weeks ago, I've made some changes in  my Sunday posts,  using the Daily Grace Co. book Fix Your Focus, which is really not a Bible study as such, but more of a guide to help you fix your focus on God, His Word, prayer, gratitude, and spiritual growth, every week for 52 weeks.  I encourage you to follow along with us as we journal, look at Scripture, pray, and face the challenges of our weeks with our focus on Him.  I truly hope that others are finding this as helpful as I am.

This week's lesson was actually done by me the week of August 18,  but I am working ahead of you readers.  So here goes!

🌿 WEEK-AT-A-GLANCE CHECKLIST is further on in each week's section. But since I am working on Fix Your Focus all week long, I find it works best for me to do this checklist first. This checklist offers us four points:  

* To make a plan for reading our Bibles and praying.

* To add any upcoming events to our calendars.

* To jot down a to-do list of tasks that must be completed this week.

* To make a note of our top three priorities for this week.

This last point is one that I need to pay special attention to every week.  I've been finding it so helpful.  (The other three points are things that I'm consistently doing.) 

) Ministry -- at TWNE, blogging, Sunday School lesson prep, food for Sunday's fellowship meal; clean the church.

2) Health -- exercise, walking, crafting, rest and relaxation, research health issues.

3) Community --  Bristol Old-Home Day, Dinner on the Bridge event Saturday evening.

[If you are following along with our study, this is the place to make a Week-at-a-Glance checklist and/or priority list for yourself!]

🌿 The first actual prompt for each week is JOURNAL.  We are encouraged to take a few minutes to journal about our fears, joys, worries, desires and stressors concerning the week ahead.  [If you are following along with us, take a moment in a journal or notebook to do just that.]. Here's what I wrote on Monday, breaking it down into the suggested categories:

Fears: No real fears going into this week.  

Joys: Blogging is a joy.  I find joy in my Etsy shop when I can find the time.  Our staycation days have been joyous.  It will be a joy to serve at TWNE on Friday and a joy to see friends baptized on Sunday.

Worries: Not really worries.  Concerns, certainly, about the psoriasis, though many areas do seem to be healing.

Desires: To glorify God this week.  To make contact with Rebekah.  To be a blessing to fellow believers.  To be a light at some community events.  To craft each day.  To work on writing projects.

Stressors: Meeting new people is always a bit stressful for me.  A time frame to get the Inn reset will be stressful.  Finding time to prepare food for Sunday, with a busy Friday/Saturday in the offing.  And then just time, energy and aging limitations are ongoing stressors.

🌿 The next prompt is PRAYER. It was suggested that we use several prayer prompts to have a conversation with God about the week ahead.  [You can do the same.  Use the very same prompts for your own prayer.]

* Lord, You are ... in full control of every aspect of this week.  You are aware of its time constraints and the limits of my energy.  You are aware of my character flaws and are able to help me overcome them.  You are able to give me the strength and the energy I need to do tiring tasks.  You are able to guide me in using time wisely.

* Lord, I feel ... behind already, and it's only Wednesday!  I feel a little overwhelmed looking at Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, as those are going to be busy days.

* Lord, help me with ... wise use of time.  Help me with decluttering and downsizing.  Help me with meal planning as it's a challenge cooking for this diet.  Help me with the busy upcoming weekend.  Help me with my cleaning tasks on Friday, to be efficient in getting everything done.

* Lord, forgive me for ... times when I fail to trust You.  Anytime I try to accomplish things in my own strength.  Attitudes not pleasing to You.  The many times when I speak before thinking.

Make a note of four or five people you are praying for.  I listed friends dealing with family difficulties, a couple adjusting to several large life changes, an older widow friend who needs wisdom and encouragement.

🌿 The next section in this helpful guide is SCRIPTURE MEDITATION.  I chose to first meditate on this week's Scripture, Micah 7:18, using the SOAP method, and then answered several suggested questions.   [You can use your own preferred method to meditate on this verse, and answer the questions below for yourself.]

S= "Who is a God like Thee, who pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?  He retaineth not his anger forever, because He delighteth in mercy."  (Micah 7:18)

O = ESV reads: "Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of His inheritance?  He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in steadfast love."

Scofield titles verses 7-20 of Micah 7 "Submission to the LORD; ascription of praise."

Cross-reference for "who is a God like unto Thee" -- "Who is like unto Thee, O LORD, among the gods?  Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?"  (Exodus 15:11)

One writer commented, "The answer to this rhetorical question is, of course, 'No one!'  Micah then proceeds to glory in the boundless mercy and undeserved grace of God.  A holy God pardoning unholy people.!"

Of this phrase ("who is a God like unto Thee") Scofield points out, "Here is a play on the prophet's name, which means 'Who is like the LORD?'."

Cross-references for "pardoning iniquity" -- "I, even I, am He, who blotteth out Thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins."  (Isaiah 43:25)

"And [Moses] said, If now I have found grace in Thy sight, O LORD, let my LORD, I pray Thee, go among us; for it is a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Thine inheritance."  (Exodus 34:9)

Cross-reference for "remnant of his heritage -- "Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been like Sodom, and we should have been like Gomorrah."  (Isaiah 1:9)

Cross-reference for "He does not retain His anger" -- "He will not always chide; neither will He keep His anger forever."  (Psalm 103:9)

Concerning the phrase "because He delighteth in mercy", one writer suggests,  "Develop the discipline of pausing to ponder terms of explanation like because. Why doesn't God hold fast His anger forever ('Retain' in English ~ to keep in mind or memory!)? His unchanging love trumps His righteous anger! These words should prompt us to grateful worship of such an undeserved (gracious) truth!

A=  To help with my application of this verse, I answered the three questions from Fix your Focus:

* Reflect on what this verse tells you about who God is.

He is a God who pardons iniquity and passes over transgression of the remnant of His heritage.  He is a God who does not retain His anger forever, a God who delights in mercy.

* Think about what this verse tells you about who you are.

I am a recipient, a beneficiary of the boundless mercy and grace of God, though I am completely undeserving.

* Throughout the week, consider how this verse should affect the way you live.

 I should live a life of thankful obedience to the One who has shown me such grace and mercy.  I should praise Him daily that He is a God who pardons iniquity, passes over transgressions, and delights in mercy.

As we think of Israel as God's inheritance, heritage, or possession, we're reminded that today believers are also God's possession.  Paul declared in Titus 2:14 that Jesus "gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds"  Am I living daily like I belong to Him? Can others see that I am His possession by my words and deeds?

Warren Wiersbe says, "The better we know the character of God, the more we can trust Him for the future. The better we know the promises and covenants of God, the more peace we will have in our hearts when things fall apart. When Micah wrote this confession of his faith, the future seemed hopeless; yet he had hope because he knew God and fully trusted Him. No matter how dark the day, the light of God’s promises is still shining. No matter how confusing and frightening our circumstances, the character of God remains the same. You have every reason to trust Him!”.

P= "Lord,I am so thankful that You are a God who pardons iniquity and delights in mercy.  What a blessing it is to be Your child and a beneficiary of Your love and grace!

"I pray that You will help me to live a life of thankful obedience to You each day.  Help me to live daily as one who belongs to You.  Help others to see by my words and deeds that I am Your possession.  I thank You for how You will work , in Jesus' name, Amen."

🌿 GRATITUDE is the next prompt.  We were to reflect on the way God has shown His faithfulness to us over the past week and list five things we are thankful for.  [If you are following along with us, be sure to make your own list of five things!]. Here is my list:

1) Wonderful fellowship with our friends over Sunday lunch at our camp,

2)  Strength for an unexpected day of cleaning and laundry at my volunteer job.

3) A delightful cookout with my hubby's flag wave friends on the Saturday.  Opportunities to get to know more people.

4) Strength and energy to clean the church on Saturday.

5) Time in God's creation at the Flume Gorge on Monday.

🌿 SPIRITUAL GROWTH is the next prompt, and this week there's an emphasis on SERVING. We were to consider how we could serve others with our available resources this week.  [And again, if you are following along, please think about this for yourself.]

I can serve the church family with a clean and orderly building and some good food for the fellowship dinner -- using resources of time, energy and groceries.  I can serve by cleaning at my volunteer job with time, energy, and homemade cleaning supplies.

🌿 Lastly is a GOSPEL-CENTERED AFFIRMATION: 

No other love compares to God's faithful love.

We can take this affirmation as a great encouragement as we go into the coming week!

And that's this week's Sunday Scripture...

September goals

 

How in the world is it five days into September already?  Yesterday I finally remembered that I should be setting a few goals for the month.  So here goes:

* Post in this blog as often as possible
* Post in my Christmas blog as often as possible
* Continue planning for family birthday gifts and crafting any handmade ones
* Continue reading through the One-Year Chronological Bible
*  Continue with the book Fix Your Focus for my Sunday Scripture series
* Continue studying and preparing for my ladies' Sunday School class
* Finish up the wonderful Daily Grace Co. study of Habakkuk, Even If (this is intended to be a 3-week study; it has taken me months since I only work on it on Saturdays -- and not every Saturday at that)
* Continue stocking my Etsy shop and continue selling vintage items
* Write at least 4 encouraging notes to friends and family
* Keep up with Flylady's zones of the week
* Help and encourage my local daughter as I'm able
* Plan meals with a greater emphasis on healthy eating
* Attend a ladies' retreat and our monthly Ladies of Grace meeting
* Spend quality time at our little camp; plan some staycation time
* Get to bed by 8:30 each night we are at home
* Drink enough water each day
* Resume the habit of getting outdoors for the morning light
* Walk and/or exercise at least 4 times each week
* Help with our church's outreach at the local outdoor market
* Possibly meet up with friends for breakfast
* Enjoy a couple of staycation days in the White Mountains with other friends
* Spend time at my volunteer job
* Find time for a 7-day home reset

HEALTHY HABITS FOR SEPTEMBER:  Drink more water/get more sleep/exercise daily/intermittent fasting/limit carbs/get morning light

As usual, all of this should be more than enough to keep me out of trouble this month!

Hodgepodge for September 3

 

 It's Wednesday again -- and time for the Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond, where Joyce writes the questions and bloggers provide the answers!  Here we go ...

 1. Next Sunday is Grandparent's Day. Share a favorite memory, photo, recipe, or something you learned from a grandparent. 

My paternal grandfather died when my dad was 10, so I never knew him.  My maternal grandfather died when I was 4, so although I have some memories of  him they are not very clear.  My dad's mother was a lovely lady, but we only saw her a few times a year as she didn't live nearby and was often working.

My maternal grandmother lived next door to us was a completely amazing woman.  She was the matriarch of a large family and successfully ran a farm and business after her husband died. I know I was greatly impacted by her love of beauty and her creative bent.  She also had a beautiful singing voice, and I loved it when she would sing in the car or around the house.  I learned many things from her, but probably the things that stayed with me most were her adventurous spirit in cooking and baking and her love of holidays and  seasonal decorating, especially for Christmas.  She was very hospitable also, which has surely impacted me.  I think that I also inherited my camera-phobic tendencies from her.  Here are a few posts where I've shared more about her:

 From Gram's Corner Cupboard

Christmas on the Farm

Thanksgiving at Gram's

My Grandmother's Best Cookie-baking Advice 

In fact, memories of this dear lady are sprinkled throughout my blog like chocolate chips in a cookie!  That is her in her kitchen, below.

2. What's a quote from a book (besides The Bible) that has stayed with you? 

I know it's been quoted to death, but probably the Anne of Green Gables quote that "tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet."  I'm incredibly grateful for that every day.

3. What's your number one food pet peeve? 

I am trying to think.  Most everything that comes to mind would surely qualify as a first-world problem.

4. What's one thing about you that is still the same as it was when you were young? 

My eyes.  They may be the only thing about me that hasn't changed very much.  I am second from left in this 1950s photo.

5. September is National Preparedness Month...does your family have an emergency plan? Do you have some sort of preparedness kit you keep on hand? If so, tell us one thing that's kept there. 

Not a plan as such.  We do have emergency food supplies and extra non-perishables on hand, and we try to keep extras of first-aid basics and common OTC medications.  Anytime a serious weather event is imminent we try to keep our vehicles' gas tanks full and to have some jugs of drinking water available.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Oh goodness ... so many random thoughts are crowding my brain today that I'm not sure I can isolate just one.  Well, here's a thought: I am longing to try this 7-day Home Reset.  The problem is finding 7 uneventful days in a row!  Maybe later in September!

A paper coaster from my grandmother

And there's the Hodgepodge for this week!

Sunday Scripture

 Time for another Sunday Scripture!  As I explained several weeks ago, I've made some changes in  my Sunday posts,  using the Daily Grace Co. book Fix Your Focus, which is really not a Bible study as such, but more of a guide to help you fix your focus on God, His Word, prayer, gratitude, and spiritual growth, every week for 52 weeks.  I encourage you to follow along with us as we journal, look at Scripture, pray, and face the challenges of our weeks with our focus on Him.  I truly hope that others are finding this as helpful as I am.

This week's lesson was actually done by me the week of August 11,  but I am working ahead of you readers.  So here goes!

🌿 WEEK-AT-A-GLANCE CHECKLIST is further on in each week's section. But since I am working on Fix Your Focus all week long, I find it works best for me to do this checklist first. This checklist offers us four points:  

* To make a plan for reading our Bibles and praying.

* To add any upcoming events to our calendars.

* To add any upcoming events to our calendars.

* To jot down a to-do list of tasks that must be completed this week.

* To make a note of our top three priorities for this week.

This last point is one that I need to pay special attention to every week.  I've been finding it so helpful.  (The other three points are things that I'm consistently doing.) 

For this week, my top three priorities are:

1) Hospitality -- having another couple over for lunch after church on Sunday.

2) Outreach --  spending time with a grieving young friend; attending a cookout at the home of Steve's flag wave friends.

3) Ministry --  Work on Sunday School and blog posts; serve at my volunteer job on Friday.

I also added Etsy as a fourth priority -- to prep and send any orders; to list at least 5 items.

[If you are following along with our study, this is the place to make a Week-at-a-Glance checklist and/or priority list for yourself!]

🌿 The first actual prompt for each week is JOURNAL.  We are encouraged to take a few minutes to journal about our fears, joys, worries, desires and stressors concerning the week ahead.  [If you are following along with us, take a moment in a journal or notebook to do just that.]. Here's what I wrote on Monday, breaking it down into the suggested categories:

Fears: No real fears going into this week.  

Joys: We're staying at our camp due to hot weather this week, and I plan to fit some crafting into every evening.  Working on Etsy is a joy when I have the time.  Teaching, studying, and blogging are joys.  Hospitality, especially at our camp, is a joy.  We plan a staycation day on Monday which will be a joy.

Worries: I try not to worry.  I do have concerns for my husband's health.  It's vastly improved, but there's one persistent problem area.  There are other situations I'm concerned about as well.

Desires: As always, that God would be glorified in the events of the week.  We desire to be a good testimony to those not-yet-believing friends we spend time with this week.  To be a blessing to family and church family this week.  To do some crafting every day, to work on Etsy each day.  To savor our staycation day and nights spent at our cottage.

Stressors: Always the limitations of aging, time, and energy.  The extreme heat.

🌿 The next prompt is PRAYER. It was suggested that we use several prayer prompts to have a conversation with God about the week ahead.  [You can do the same.  Use the very same prompts for your own prayer.]

* Lord, You are ... in full control of every aspect of this week.   You are aware of all that it will hold and also of my limitations and time constraints.  You are the great Physician and able to heal Steve's psoriasis and give us wisdom about it.  You are so good and kind to allow us to live in this beautiful state and to provide this cottage to retreat to.

* Lord, I feel ... as if the week is slipping away.  It's already Wednesday as I write this!  I feel somewhat concerned about Steve's psoriasis.  Most areas are smoothing out nicely, but his lower legs, where it all started, continue to be a problem.  I feel blessed, so blessed to have our cottage to get away to in such hot weather.  I feel thankful for the cool breeze coming through the window right now.  

* Lord, help me with ... using my time wisely this week.  Help me with my attitudes, which can so easily get out of hand.  Help me with my work at TWNE, church, and home, to accomplish all that's necessary.

* Lord, forgive me for ... times when my words, tone of voice, or attitudes are not pleasing to you.  Times when I tend to act in my own strength.

Make a note of four or five people you are praying for.  I listed an older widow; a couple coping with some large life changes;  a young couple seeking God's direction for housing.

🌿 The next section in this helpful guide is SCRIPTURE MEDITATION.  I chose to first meditate on this week's Scripture, Ecclesiastes 12:13, using the SOAP method, and then answered several suggested questions.   [You can use your own preferred method to meditate on this verse, and answer the questions below for yourself.]

S= "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man."  (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

O= The ESV reads "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."

Cross-references for "fear God" "That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged."  (Deuteronomy 6:2)

 "And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and serve the LorD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul."  (Deuteronomy 10:12)

Note concerning "fear God" -- "The 'fear of the LORD is an Old Testament expression meaning reverential trust, including the hatred of evil." -- C.I. Scofield

Henrietta Mears wrote, "To'fear the Lord' means to recognize His holiness and to realize how great He is and how unworthy we are to have His love."

A= To help with my application of this verse, I answered the three questions from Fix your Focus:

* Reflect on what this verse tells you about who God is.

He is to be feared -- that is, we are to be in reverential awe of Him.  His commands are to be kept.

* Think about what this verse tells you about who you are.

As a part of mankind, my "whole duty" is to fear God, and keep His commandments.

* Throughout the week, consider how this verse should affect the way you live.

 I should live my life in reverential trust of God, loving the things that He loves and hating the things that He hates.  I should live life in obedience to His Word.

One writer has said, "The bottom line is this: We are to fear God and obey him, knowing that he will evaluate everything in our lives. God sovereignly disposes our lives here below, 'under the sun' and he sovereignly judges our lives when we stand before him."

"Fearing God and obeying Him is not option #2, but is requirement #1, and is to be the very end for every man. This is why we were made.." -- Warren Wiersbe

“The remarkable thing about fearing God is that, when you fear God, you fear nothing else; whereas, if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.” -- Oswald Chambers

David McCasland noted in Our Daily Bread, "The multiple times Solomon used the word vanity (or meaningless) in Ecclesiastes may indicate his disillusionment about life. This once-wise king who had it all, lost it all, and pondered it all, ended the book with this final conclusion: 'Fear God and keep His commandments' (12:13). Those are six words worth heeding."

William Barrick wrote, "You were not made to chase success, to accumulate knowledge, to indulge pleasures or to escape death. You were made to fear your Creator, to walk with Him in His truth and to glorify and enjoy Him forever. Solomon, at the end of his life, cuts through the fog of everything else and says: 'This is the purpose of your existence'.."

P= "Lord, how I praise You for the clarity of Your Word .  In this verse we see so clearly, distilled into six words, the duty of man -- to fear and obey You, to walk in Your truth and to glorify You.  We see that it is not an option, but a requirement.

    "I pray that You will help me to live each day of my life in reverential trust of You and in obedience to Your Word.  Help me to love the things that You love and to hate the things that You hate. I thank You for the strength that You will give!   In Jesus' name, Amen."

🌿 GRATITUDE is the next prompt.  We were to reflect on the way God has shown His faithfulness to you over the past week and list five things we are thankful for.  [If you are following along with us, be sure to make your own list of five things!]. Here is my list:

1) Getting out for a walk several days last week.

2) A lovely staycation day on the Monday, with all that we hoped for.

3) Time and energy to clean the church.

4) The blessing of hosting a cottage prayer meeting at our camp.

5) Seeing God work in the lives of friends to move them to another state.  Giving us the emotional strength to say goodbye to people who have become so dear to us.

🌿 SPIRITUAL GROWTH is the next prompt, and this week there's an emphasis on FELLOWSHIP. We were to plan a time to fellowship with friends this week.  [And again, if you are following along, please think about this for yourself.]

We did just that, inviting friends over for lunch after church on Sunday.

🌿 Lastly is a GOSPEL-CENTERED AFFIRMATION: 

The purpose of my life is to glorify God and live in the ways He instructs.

We can take this challenging thought into the coming week as we seek to glorify God and walk in His ways every day.

And there's the Sunday Scripture for this week!