SAY

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--SAY

Five minutes to free write about it 

-------------------------------------------------

What can I say?

It did snow, but it's hardly THE big snow that the forecasters said was coming and that triggered a frenzy of frantic shoppers trying to stock up in anticipation.  I heard say that they did a good job of emptying shelves at the local grocery stores.  That's just hearsay, though, as I am still in the middle of the No Spend January challenge and did not visit any of them myself.

Although I was a little disappointed not to wake up to the sight of the winter wonderland I was expecting, it was still a pretty view, and probably a relief to the folks who have to be out and about.

Here are some pictures I took from my balcony.

PATTERN

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--PATTERN

Five minutes to free write about it 

-------------------------------------------------

Though I did not enter the new year with any resolutions, I did join a couple of January challenges that have totally altered the pattern of my day-to-day life.

The first challenge is "No Spend January," and this has been a big pattern changer for sure. My freezer and pantry were well stocked, so I won't be going hungry any time soon, but no more same old same old that I usually eat because it's easy and doesn't take long to put on a plate. Once I ran out of those items, I had to start substituting others, which meant being creative as well. The result is much more variety, and probably a healthier, more balanced diet that will help me get rid of a few extra pounds.

The second challenge is a 30 day challenge called Do It For A Day by Mark Batterson which is a book on making or breaking a habit in 30 days. I started it because I wanted to break myself of a bad habit I've struggled with for years, but then decided it might be fun to make a habit as well. 

I picked a walking challenge to help me get into the habit of regular walking even if it's mostly just indoors. My goal is to walk 1,000,000 steps (approximately 500 miles) by my birthday at the end of September, and I'm using a free app called million steps which adds a lttle extra motivation by rewarding you with a small Amazon gift card when you complete the challenge.

The third challenge, and the most meaningful one is a spiritual one. Every year my church starts out the year with 21 days of prayer and fasting (doesn't have to be from food). This year we are learning how to pray through the psalms. Every morning at 7:00 there's an interactive devotional on Facebook led by one of the pastors. You can watch a replay at any time, but to be able to interact you need to watch it live. 

This, more than anything, has really changed the pattern of my day-to-day life and taught me a lot about trusting the Lord. For starters, I'm getting up much earlier than I normally would so I can be ready at 7:00. And it's practically doubling--even sometimes tripling--my usual morning quiet time, which is where the part about trusting the Lord has been coming in. 

Instead of trying to be in control of my day my way, I'm having to trust Him to enable me to get everything done I need to in much less time than what I normally have and am always  overwhelmed at not having enough of. Amazingly, as I trust Him to order my steps and orchestrate my time, and become more sensitive and obedient to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, I've been able to accomplish a lot more with a lot less stress. 

I'm probably over my five minutes by now (I wasn't timing myself), so I'll stop here, but since the word prompt was pattern, here are a couple of pictures I took today of things I thought had interesting patterns.

The first picture at the top of the post is a Berry Hibiscus tea bag. These other two are the sunlight reflecting on a Kleenex box near the window. One taken directly of the box, and the other one through the back of my computer chair.

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2023

 

TURN

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--TURN

Five minutes to free write about it 

-------------------------------------------------

Several days ago I was taking my recyclables to the dumpster and planning to drive them there. However, it was a nice day out, and my back did not feel too bad, so I decided to walk instead. 

The dumpster is at the back of our parking lot and there are several ways to get there. I started one way, but felt a little prompt to turn around and take the steps instead. I listened and made the turn, and was rewarded by a lovely, uplifting surprise.

Some of the rocks bordering the sides of the stairway had been painted and inscribed with encouraging slogans. 

My favorite, and the first one that caught my eye--a bright pink one that said, "You are as strong as this rock."

I know in my own strength I am not, but it reminded me that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and who is the solid rock on which I stand (Philippians 4:13, 2 Samuel 22:2).

That led to a mini photo shoot and a moment of gratitude for the prompt that led me to take that turn.

On my way back from the dumpster I thought of a Scripture that also uses the word TURN -- Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." -- Isaiah 30:21, NIV

NO ONE NEED BE LEFT BEHIND

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--LEFT

Five minutes to free write about it 

-------------------------------------------------

The first thought that popped into my mind when I saw this week's prompt was "left behind." 

I thought of the 1995 bestseller by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins about Earth's final days following the Rapture when all true believers in Jesus Christ have been taken to Heaven, leaving only the nonbelievers behind to face God's judgment on a rebellious world (1 Thessalonians 4:17, Revelation 6-16).  What a terrible time that will be.

The good news is that no one need be left behind, "for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16, Romans 6:23). It is a gift that can only be received by faith. There is nothing you can do to earn it (Ephesians 2:8-9), and as much as it is not God's will for anyone to perish, He will not impose His will on you or force you to accept it. The choice is yours.

Don't be deceived, as I once was, into believing that there are many paths to God, or that we get to Heaven by being good. That's the biggest deception of them all.

Although we were created to have fellowship with God, Adam and Eve's sin caused us to be born with a sinful nature. The Bible tells us that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," and that "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 3:23, 6:23a). Because of sin there is a great gulf that separates us from God and there is no way we can cross it through our own efforts. There is only one path across, and that is through Jesus Christ (John 14:6).

Jesus stands at the door of your heart knocking and waiting for you to answer (Revelation 3:20). I implore you to open the door before it is too late. You are not promised tomorrow or even the next moment. Accept His invitation to enter your life, forgive you of your sins, and make you a new creation.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. -- Romans 3:23-24

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. -- Romans 6:23

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. -- Ephesians 2:8-9

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. -- John 14:6

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. -- Revelation 3:20

By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. . . . The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. -- 2 Peter 3:7, 9)

After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with thm in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. -- 1 Thessalonians 4:17

-------------

Photo credit: Anny Akter

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Whereas I don't normally enjoy getting stuck in traffic backups, I was very thankful for this one. It gave me a chance to take a couple of quick shots through the car window of some Canada geese swimming in a pond. 

So often I see something while on the road that I'd love to capture but can't pull over to do it, and trying to take pictures while driving seems too big of a risk. 

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

P.S. This upbeat little song--You Keep On Blessing Me--has been running through my mind ever since I first heard it a few days ago. Hope it blesses you as much as it has me.

Enjoy!

CHANGING SEASONS

What a difference a couple of days can make.

The leaves on the beautiful red tree I posted a picture of just days ago have now mostly blown off and turned into a thick red carpet with a few flecks of gold from the one tree next to it that has hardly lost any of its leaves at all. 

RESULTS

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--RESULTS

Five minutes to free write about it 

-------------------------------------------------

This week's prompt reminded me that we reap what we sow, and my current frustrations are the result of the many poor choices I made in my younger years. 

Sadly, I can't turn back the clock. 

Some of the poor choices, however, resulted in unexpected blessings, such as my salvation experience and my relocating to this beautiful area I live in now. I would rather focus on those things that give me cause to rejoice instead.

Many of my blog and FB friends dedicate the month of November to writing about their blessings and post one thing they are thankful for each day. I wish I had remembered to do the same, but November 1st came and went, and I forgot. Now we are already past the middle of the month and five minutes is not long enough to start listing them all, but I will give you three.

The picture at the top of the page is of a beautiful maple tree outside our library that caught my attention. Maple trees line many of the streets in my neck of the woods and are a spectacular sight to behold. Usually by now the winds will have blown the leaves off of them, but that did not happen this year. The temperature has been unseasonably warm as well, which is blessing number three.

MAINTAIN

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--MAINTAIN

Five minutes to free write about it 

-------------------------------------------------

"Things that are well-maintained last longer" is a truth I've seen proved in my 23-year-old car and the original appliances (except for a dishwasher that had to be replaced a few years ago) that are still in top working form in the apartment I've lived in for almost 20 years now.

Sadly the opposite is also true. 

Though I've always been careful to maintain things like my car, I have not done the same for my body and am now reaping the consequences of that very poor choice.

I am not an exercise person, but I did love ballroom dancing and that managed to keep my back relatively straight despite the long hours I spent hunched over my word processor. When I became a Christian, however, I was under the misguided notion that I had to give it up, so I did.

Now I have kyphosis and other back issues due to compressed nerves and have been going for physical therapy for what seems like forever. I know the kyphosis cannot be reversed, but had high hopes the other issues could be, so I've been diligently doing all my stretches and exercises even when I didn't feel like it. 

Though there has been some improvement it's looking more and more as though all I'm doing is maintaining it rather than continuing to move forward, and my motivation to keep spending so much time each day on my routine is starting to wane. But then came this week's very timely FMF prompt and our hostess Kate's post, which ended with this thought that encouraged me to keep on keeping on--"sometimes I have high hopes and unreasonable expectations, but I'm learning that the opportunity to maintain is no small thing" (Kate Motaung).

CHANGING SEASONS

This post was written for Five Minute Friday 

Word prompt--SEASON

Five minutes to free write about it 

-------------------------------------------------

Interesting the timing of this week's prompt as I have been giving much thought lately to changing seasons--especially the many seasons I have seen come and go during the course of my life. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 sums it up well (BSB):

1To everything there is a season,

and a time for every purpose under heaven:

2a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to break down and a time to build,

4a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

6a time to search and a time to count as lost,

a time to keep and a time to discard,

7a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

The prompt also nudges me to post some pictures of the view from my window. The spectacular colors are what make fall my favorite season, and I feel so blessed to be able to enjoy them without even having to leave my apartment to do so.

But alas, when I went down to my car this morning, the unexpected icicles on the windshield were a reminder that the seasons are about to change, and my least favorite one is on its way.