How to Get it Nailed Down

I guess I'll tell you about the speech I did on Wed. It was so great to speak again. It was a step in the direction I would like to be going - helping adults, mostly younger ladies, learn some things I've learned through much difficult trial and error. I can do this through my blog, through my little booklets of "letters from God," and from speaking. This teaching was on studying and receiving the promises.

How To Use The Word You Hear

I. In the Bible. I showed how I underline and put notes at the top of my Bible. Not only can I find things, but it is a way to reinforce the fact I am getting, so I remember it.

II. I do studies, from large, to medium, to small, to smallest. Read and study the material, underline in pen, next time in yellow marker, next time in pink or blue (because it's darker.) Lastly, put the best of the best on cards. Then you will need a...

III. Card Box. You can use the metal ones used for recipes (mine used to have a lobster on it) or use a cardboard accordion one. My categories are: healing, my husband, my 3 children, family, prophecy, my ministry, the nation, general, and misc.

IV. Take notes. Even if you get sermon tapes at your church, take notes Sun. to get the 2 or 3 special features that apply to you. Take them home, put them on cards, underline them.

V. Prophecies. If you are at a church that believes in this and you get one prayed over you, write it down. It is special for you.

VI. You can take a tape and play it and write it down (this takes time, but is worth it,) or you can speak your favorite scriptures into a tape recorder. Listen to it, and next time, speak it out with the recorder.

VII. Get one idea a day from Scripture. Write it down. Memorize it, work it out, use it.

VIII. Make the stuff you read and hear your own. When you hear a challenge to it, use the Bible. Ask God to help you find truth. Be like the Bereans - Acts 17:11.

IX. Read the whole Bible some time in your life.

X. God will bring all of these studies together. Now speak it out. Read your cards out loud. Use them as part of your prayer time.

XI. It's fine to throw things out. You will have a huge paper trail. Keep the precious Scriptures, get rid of things you are done with. God will help you to do this. It's all in the Bible and He can give you fresh manna.

XII. You can even take quotes from favorite inspirational fiction.

Conclusion. To keep what you read and hear, get it from the material to your mind, then the long distance from your mind to your heart, then speak it out and live it out. Then the promises and changes will come.

(I didn't include my examples or Scriptures because of the space limitations, but I hope you enjoyed and can use ideas in the outline.)

Top O' The Mornin'

Happy Saint Patrick's Day. My daughter and I have red hair, fair skin and look the part. We are both one eighth Irish and proud of every bit of it. I love this day. I remember when I was in the first grade, we colored pictures of the day. One of them was called Patrick Potato. Here's how the poem went:

Patrick Potato was backed in his skin,
Brown without and white within.
When his overcoat burst with pride,
a bit of butter was placed inside.
And so our Betty ate him skin and all,
and that's how she grew so strong and tall. Anonymous

I can't believe I remember that from all these years, but I do.

I like to keep up the tradition by putting out my Irish maidens salt and pepper shakers. The larger statue I got later at Salvation Army for a few dollars. She has such a lovely face.

Tomorrow, I plan to wear my mint-green argyle sweater, shamrock earrings and pin, watch my grandson and give a speech at church. That will be a big treat for me since I haven't done that in some time.

I used to love to send Saint Patrick's Day cards, but it got too expensive. Here's a message usually found in them:

May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind by always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face
and rain fall soft upon your fields,
and until we meet again,
May the Lord hold you in the palm of His hand. An old Irish Blessing

Wear green and have a great day! Nancy

Daily Portion

I. "Give us this day our daily bread.." Matt. 6:11

We need physical provisions: food, shelter, clothes, jobs, companions, etc.

II. "So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart." Acts2:46

We need fellowship and communion with others.

III. Jesus said, "I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple..." Matt.26:55

Jesus speaks to us every day: teaching, correcting encouraging.

IV. The Bereans "searched the Scriptures daily." Acts 17:11

The provision of the Word.

(These first three things show God's daily supply.)

V. "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." Luke 9:23

Give up something of self and take on something given to you by the Lord on a daily basis.

VI. "I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Jesus our Lord, I die daily." I Cor. 15:31

Lay life down to desires and if need be to death, every day.

(The last two things are a daily sacrifice.)

In our daily supply, we get and give some away. In sacrifice, we give and get His life.

Panning For Gold

Most people love gold. But do they love it because it is shiny and sparkles in the sun, or because it is rare? If gold were as plentiful as rose petals or as common as rain would people put less stock in it? Snowflakes are lovely and intricate. So are flowers and sunsets. These are fragile, elusive and free. Even if you could hold them in your hand, it would be fleeting. Gold has weight and lasts virtually forever. Lesser metals like silver, copper and iron are weighty, too. Why is gold so prized?

Gold is the stuff of myth, of King Midas and of Saint Nicholas. They say that in heaven the streets are paved in gold. I wonder what we'll think then? Will we prize it as we do now? It will still be beautiful, but there will be Someone, a Presence, that far outshines the gold for beauty or the color for warmth. No, I believe earth is the place for our fascination with this substance that seems to absorb and then reflect the sun.

I like to wear gold jewelry in winter when all outside is cold and gray. It burnishes against winter's hues of purple, forest, navy, and red. Just to wear a small amount of it pleases me more than to be decked in several less valued items.

Gold can be found in rushing streams. When you pan for gold, you stand in the force of life and scoop up a tray full of pebbles, water, and silt. You take the time to sift and search for the treasure.

Gold isn't always easy to see. Sometimes you have to get in the muck and feel around till you find it. Those who search for it may pan for many hours or days to find even one nugget. When they find it, they look in the same place again. Good things like that tend to cluster together. You must find the outcropping,the vein.

There's always the chance that what you found isn't gold at all but fool's gold. It is important to take it to a higher authority and see if it has any value. Many people are confused by this substance. They gather it for a long time before having its value tested.

This is the idea I want to explore for myself. What is real and what is false? In what ways can I be sure of the high quality and how avoid the other? In as many ways as possible, I want to go where life is and start panning. I want to keep scooping and searching, always taking my findings to the assayer. I will keep the precious few nuggets in my sack, cherishing them, using them and always seeking out more of that pure gold.

Quotes, The First Three

(First I'd like to say that my post for Scribblers was a mess this time. I had the hang of the paragraphing thing and then today, it all decided to go spastic. So, since it was a very long chapter and it wouldn't let me fix it, I'm just leaving it. Sorry, it doesn't look as nice as I would like it to look. Hope next time, the thing cooperates.) (As I was fixing this post, I noticed that a whole new set-up is in place. This is way over my head. I would like my old set-up back, but I don't even know what I did to get it this way. You have to laugh, don't you?)


QUOTES:

I have an envelope chock full of quotes. When I read non-fiction I take quotes; when I read even fiction something will catch my eye or my heart. I write down things I have seen on overpasses, bumper stickers, church marquis, radio, T.V., and movies. My Bible scriptures are all in a different place. These are what I call inspirational quotes.

Today, I'd like to share three with you. The first one comes from The Lord Of The Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Sam and Frodo are in the ruins of a place where their kings had statues. The enemies had marred them and one king's head was on the ground. A lovely spray of white flowers was on its head. Sam says, "Look,the king has got a crown." Frodo answers, "They can't conquer forever." I don't think that last quote made the movie, because I was looking for it and I just love it.

The next quote is from The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis. Aslan is in his country by a stream and a character named Jill is thirsty. She wants a drink but is afraid the lion will get her if she drinks. She says to him that she will just go and find another stream. He answers, "There is no other stream."

In Peace Like a River, Leif Enger says "Once touched by truth, a little thing like faith is easy."

These are three of my very favorite books. Which quote did you like best? Does it ring true for you? See you next time, Nancy

A Trade-Off

Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; but much increase comes by the strength of an ox. Proverbs 14:4 NKJ

I love that scripture because I like things neat and clean. Maybe one of the reasons I don't cook is I don't like messing up the kitchen, but I love to clean it up. So I can sympathize with the owner of the trough who wants it clean but look at all the money and provision that comes from an ox and a frankly messy barn.

In life, there is often a trade-off. I look out my window on the way to work and I see dirty, bedraggled snowmen, melting and looking shabby. But the melt also means that there is a warm spell and spring is in the air. Fresh snowmen look pretty, but that means there was fresh snow and winter is still very present.

Even in the Christian life, we think we can have it all - spiritual, material and smooth sailing. But if there's no wilderness experience, you never learn to fight. "He teaches my hands to make war," Psalm 18:34 NKJ. He helps us have peace in the battle so that as we fight against things that come against us, we can actually have it all. Most of all we have Him with us saying, "here we go, hold on, I'm in this with you.

The trade off is: we give Him our troubles, He gives us His presence, power, and ability. That's a pretty good deal.

Cliches

This morning, over coffee, I was doing one of my favorite things. I was sitting and thinking. My eye caught the tail of mosquito netting hanging on my buffet. That took me back. I thought of beds in tropical locations, completely covered with the filmy stuff. The tropics, night noises, tree frogs and crickets and rain on the roof.

Then I started thinking of other scenes: an old manor house, a glossy winding staircase, fog, the moors.

I then think of Spanish moss and weeping willow trees, flowy dresses and long shiny hair.

I'm having fun now. I see an old car driving down a lonely stretch of highway. I see a man with a trench coat and fedora.

I see safari hats, more gauze and I hear the trumpet of elephants.

I see two young men wearing frilly shirts and slicked back hair jumping here and there in a sword fight.

All of a sudden, it occurs to me that probably all of these things that give my heart a certain excitement are nothing more than a bunch of cliches.

They are probably found in movies I have seen or books read. The funny part is, these elements are not necessarily in my favorite movies. What they have is a feeling - a feeling that draws me in and I want to be there. The plot doesn't matter, the people don't matter just now. All I care about is to be taken away and just BE in one of these memorable scenes. I just want to linger, I just want to look around. Then something will happen and I'll pay attention, but I've already had my treat. Everything else is secondary.

You know, sometimes I think too much. But as I go over my list of cliches, I realize there was a time when I first saw or pictured these things. Oh the richness - that was glorious!