Visions of Poetry

Tuesday January 26 2016  ONE HOUR AND COUNTING

My disciplines must become a bit stricter.  My hours are so limited that anything out of the ordinary puts me behind schedule.  You may say, what schedule, after all, aren’t you retired?  Well yes, we are retired, but believe me, we do have schedules.  The only thing different, is that our schedule is different each day, so must be attended rigorously to accomplish all that needs accomplishing on each given day. 

Today, for example I received a phone call.  And we talked and talked and talked.  The friend that called me from Virginia is actually more like family than “just” a friend.  She is our daughter’s, birth mother.  Our family connected with her family 10 years ago this coming October.  It was an amazing reunion and God was in it all the way.  There is such a story to be told about those first few weeks and all the years since then, but I must leave that for another time.  Besides, I would want to have our daughter’s birth mother’s permission, before I shared her story publicly.  But I will say, it has been awesome!  We don’t talk frequently, but when we do it is sometimes for hours.  Hopefully we will be seeing her and her husband sometime later this year.

When I sat down to write my blog, before she called, I had set my timer for one hour.  That was the window of time I was allowing to write my blog.  Sometimes I spend way too much time writing and must curb it somewhat.  I’m not yet so good at curbing time.  Time just has a way of getting away from me.  Attention Deficit?  I doubt it.  Probably more like Attention Concentration Overload!  I guess that could be called ACO.  Once I start concentrating on one task I am quickly and totally absorbed and time no longer matters.  That is the part I must learn to reign in.

 

ATTENTION CONCENTRATION OVERLOAD

By Kathleen Martens

January 26, 2016

 

There may be a lot on my mind

But it is all in concise little places.

And when I become ensconced completely

My mind just continually races.

 

Then I go from one moment to the next,

Totally oblivious to all else around.

Perfect satisfaction and fulfillment

In my heart is always found.

 

I need not much to be happy,

Just a good thought to think about,

And I can take a few little words

And weave a story stout.

 

Or I just pick my brain a bit

And think of things I know,

And come up with a story or poem

About my life from long, long ago.

 

Whatever suits the occasion

Seems to race from my fingertips.

And if I can’t write it,

I speak it through my lips.

 

And all the while time is passing,

And totally unaware am I

So that is why I am reigning in

So I can say a quicker goodbye.

 

So that tells my story today!  I am concentrating on ALL that must be done for the entire day.  So you will be happy to know that I intend to write shorter blogs, more concise, and more to the point, if I actually have a point.  I love writing my blogs and sometimes just forget that it may seem like a daunting task for another to read. 

Perhaps tomorrow I’ll come up with something great.  I actually have 15 minutes left over but I will sign off for tonight.  Just wanted to check in with my faithful readers. 

Good night and God bless you!

P.S.  I have some good ideas brewing for some future blogs.  I also take suggestions about what my readers like to hear more of.  Please contact me if you have any ideas.

P.S.S.  My sister-in-law sent me an email that promises that I will learn something that I did not already know and also make me say to myself, how do “they” know that?  So, if I remember to do so, I will include one of those tidbits of fact (assuming it is fact) at the end of the next few blogs.  I have not verified any of these statements to be true or false.  If you know and have verification, please let me know.

“Glass takes one million years to decompose, which means it never wears out and can be recycled an infinite amount of times.”

Now actually, I would like to know how they “THINK” they know that!

 

 

Monday January 25 2016  A LONG DAY

I love long days.  It makes it seem like I had the opportunity to live a long time.  Sometimes by nightfall, the morning actually seems like yesterday.  If a day can be packed, we know how to do it extremely well.  Usually without intent.   It just seems everything takes longer than it used to.  Perhaps it does, due to the fact that it may take us longer to get it done.  I notice it is a lot more fun when we don’t rush, like I said yesterday, and I just enjoy stopping to “smell the roses” so to speak (in January in WISCONSIN).  In other words, I enjoy talking and shooting the breeze with anyone who wants company.  I just find people so fascinating and interesting.  The older I become, more and more things become more and more interesting.  I guess I am either curious or nosy.  But, it makes for an interesting life.

Today started out sunny and clear and cold.  It ended with snow, icy roads and A MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURE!  It was so icy that Dave slid right past the road we were supposed to turn on to take us into the area where we live.  Our area is quite hilly in some places and we were coming down a steep hill.  He put the right turn blinker on quite early to signal his intent.  The car following behind us kept a considerable distance, which was a good thing.  As we slipped by the turn Dave said, “Well I guess I won’t be turning here”.  We went down to the next stop sign and had better luck since it was on flat ground.  We were very close to home and very thankful for that.  Icy, slick roads are not fun to drive on.  We cancelled our evening out.

Now it is almost bedtime and I again have an early departure scheduled for morning.  However, it will depend upon the roads if I go out.  After a snow storm the plows are usually out most of the night and the roads are passable in the morning after being plowed and salted.  Unless it is an emergency I will cancel appointments if the roads are dangerous.  My first appointment tomorrow is at the gym at 7:45 a.m. and then I plan to leave from there for a 10:30 a.m. haircut.  I have an appointment every four weeks to keep my hair short enough for my liking.  I have no desire, and no time to spend on primping in front of a mirror to “make” a hairstyle.  Wash and wear is my motto. 

When appointments are necessary it seems they come in waves.  This is appointment week! 

 

ANOTHER APPOINTMENT

By Kathleen Martens

January 25, 2016

 

Appointments come, appointments go,

And it seems they are so slow.

Things to do that must be done,

And most of them are not fun.

 

I would much rather stay at home,

And I never mind being alone.

But my hair becomes quite shaggy

Without the gym my arms are saggy.

 

My physical comes but once a year

But my hubby who is so dear

Must go twice as many times as me

So of course I must oversee!

 

And then there is the worst of all

When I must on the dentist call.

So twice a year I trudge on down

And must go all the way to town.

 

And then the mammogram’s a must,

So my chest I can thrust

And be squeezed almost to death,

That I can barely catch my breath.

 

And oh I mustn’t forget my feet!

My trusty friends who pavement meet.

And then I am referred to another

For custom orthopedics like no other. 

 

And then my eyes I must tend

Because they are my very best friends.

And I have my cataracts checked,

And complain about all my specks.

 

But those floaters keep floating by

Though the doctor cannot spy.

Another appointment to buy new glasses

Which will hide my “beautiful” lashes.

 

Then the pharmacy sends emails.

Pick up my prescriptions I must not fail!

And into town again I drive

Where 6,000 persons now there thrive.

 

So the traffic isn’t too bad!

But going so many places makes me sad.

I would rather not leave my house,

Where it’s just me and my spouse!

 

But to the grocer’s I must attend,

And with crowds I must fend.

I stock my larder twice a week,

Because some things just won’t keep.

 

Another day a Costco trip,

Just another calendar blip.

Where I stock up on sundry things,

And into the house I must bring

 

And then there’s taxes to comply,

And that date is coming nigh.

Once a year is enough of that!

To make the government nice and fat!!!

 

And then I must remember my range,

Every 5,000 miles an oil change.

My little Soul needs loving care,

So to the dealer, I take her there.

 

And these appointments are but of few

Of all the rest left to do.

The unexpected that rear their head,

And probably will until I am dead.

 

And the appointments written about in my poem don’t even include those caused by our water-loss.  And what makes it worse is that they are here at the house and we must live our lives around those appointments!

Before I think of another appointment I think I’ll go to bed.

Good night and God bless you!

 

Part 8:

8 Keys to Finding God’s Will for Your Life

8) Take a look at your circumstances.

God often clearly demonstrates His plan for our lives by lining up circumstances in obvious ways. And He also shows us what His will is NOT for us to do in that same way. It is not His will for you to take the job that is not offered to you. If you are 5’ 6” tall and weigh 125 lbs., it is not likely that God has created you to play professional football.

Over the years, I have discovered that God is pretty good at opening and closing doors. He even did that for the Apostle Paul and his entourage in Acts. Take a look at this passage:

Acts 16:6-10

6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.

7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.

8 So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.

9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”

10 Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.

So, even Paul had to face closed doors in his ministry. God often uses closed doors to show us clearly what He does NOT want us to do. And He also uses open doors at times to show us what He DOES want us to do. Of course, this does not mean that every open door is definitely God’s plan, but it does help to give you some basic direction.

A Closing Thought:

The next time you begin to ponder God’s plan for your life, I would encourage you to mull over the above eight keys. Use these principles to help you to hone in on His plan. And when you seek His will earnestly, you will find it!

http://www.biblestudytools.com/blogs/chris-russell/8-keys-to-knowing-god-s-will-for-your-life.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Sabbath January 24 2016  CONNECT WITH PEOPLE

“We desire to be a church where it is easy to make friends and establish relationships that enrich our lives and nurture our faith.  It is in sharing the life we have in Christ with other people by serving them with our unique talents and abilities, and by receiving from them in return, that we find true joy.”

Week three of quoting a part of our Sunday morning bulletin.  Next Sunday is the last sermon in the series.  The first sermon was “Come as You Are”, last week’s message was “Connect with God, today’s topic was Connect with People, and next week’s will be “Contend for more of God’s Presence”.  All messages are or will be available at:  http://www.citychurchonline.org

There was so much in the message that I could not begin to discuss the points without leaving too many pertinent details out.  I will, however, write a poem about some of the key topics.

 

CONNECT WITH PEOPLE

By Kathleen Martens

January 24, 2016

 

God has placed His children

In the church body with a plan.

He has purpose for each talent,

For each woman, for and each man.

 

To create a healthy body

He designed a job for each soul,

So the Church has what’s needed,

Each purposed to make it whole.

 

And because we work together

There is a reason WHY we need each other.

Before offering God your praise

Go and forgive your brother.

 

Confess your sins to the body

So your spirit can be healed.

That you will have the strength to stand

Knowing it is God who is your shield.

 

So that when before God you come

And words of love employ,

The God of all the universe

Will then receive the purest joy.

 

WHY we need each other

Is if our spiritual fire wanes,

Our brothers can step in,

Lest our burning is doused by rain.

 

And encourage you to thirst

For a deep, spiritual connection. 

So your heart will remember

The deep longing of your affection.

 

WHEN we need each other

Are the times when we sin

Confess your sins to your brothers

And your fire they’ll help tend.

 

And WHEN you are afraid

Your fire can go out.

The brethren will walk with you,

Encouraging you not to doubt.

 

So whatever it is God calls you to do

You will not stop and fall asleep,

The body of believers surround you

So on the righteous road you’ll keep.

 

Because when you are lulled to sleep

Your spiritual life will fall,

Being too busy is one reason

You fail to give God a call.

 

And the longer you ignore God

The farther from Him you become,

So the Church body rallies around

Lest you forget God’s Son.

 

So even if your fire dies down

And your connection seems so remote,

Sometimes the word of a caring brother

Is all it takes to rekindle your smoke.

 

And your fire once again will burn,

For it is God who fans the flames.

When Jesus breathes into your life

You are able to refocus your aims.

 

Though we sometimes are overwhelmed

And our life seems to fall down,

When you are part of a healthy body

Your spiritual life once again is found.

 

What we must remember to do

Is function in the part God has designed,

So the body will be healthy and whole

As it daily is refined.

 

And know that God has great things

For each of his beloveds to do.

His plan for each one is perfect

And each day He gives us is new.

 

And know God desires for us to connect

To the worshipers who around us pray.

So at times we may be the one

Who helps another get through their day.

 

I had a lot of remembering to do to write the above poem.  I hope it makes some sense without you having heard the message.

Had a wonderful afternoon, CONNECTING with a family in our church body.  It was such a joy to have them as guests in our home.  The food was delicious (even if I do say so myself),  the conversation delightful, and their children were absolutely wonderful.  The best part however, was sharing from what God has given us through His Word.  David S. (guest) read scriptures from his journal which he has penned from THE MESSAGE BIBLE (I had never heard of that translation), his wife read beautiful entries from David S’s journal and I shared several poems from my blog.  The scriptures David S. read were written with such eloquence.  I loved the translation.  I could still tell what the scripture was, but it was spoken in a very simple elegance.  Easy to listen to.  Easy to read.  I’ll have to see if I can find that translation online and read some from it.  I didn’t want the afternoon to end, but it did.  I loved the sound of life in the house while they were here.  And when the sound of silence comes over the house, I love that sound also.  And so it is now.

Dave is downstairs in his den watching football.  The sound does not travel to where I am.  I hear no noise from traffic and the snow seems to muffle all other sounds.  Earlier, when I began writing I could hear the owls hooting across the woods to one another, but they too are silent now.  Perhaps they captured their dinner and have gone home to eat.

Well, I will capture some extra sleep if I turn in now.  Tomorrow is a very early day again.  I think the alarm will ring at 5:00 a.m.  I like waking up naturally so I will go and get my beauty sleep.  I keep hoping it will help (to make me beautiful, that is).  Just in case you want to know, it hasn’t worked yet!

Good night and may God’s blessings be with each of you tonight and for the entire week!

 

Part 7:

8 Keys to Finding God’s Will for Your Life

 7) Listen to your heart.

In addition to listening to the Spirit, I also recommend listening to your heart. To understand my point here, consider the following passage:

Psalms 37:4-5

4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. (NKJV)

I love this passage, because it shows me that, when I am walking with the Lord, He will actually let me do many really cool things that I actually love to do! When you are close to Him, He actually begins to shape your desires so that you desire the things that He has already called you to do.

So then, His plan actually becomes a super-exciting adventure. I always have the most fun in life when I am doing God’s will. And that is because He shapes my “wanter” to want to do the things for which He has actually created me.

 

http://www.biblestudytools.com/blogs/chris-russell/8-keys-to-knowing-god-s-will-for-your-life.html

 

 

 

Saturday January 23 2016  REMEMBER TO GIVE THANKS

 

Oh my!  What a list of things to do.  I am going from one task to the next slowly and gently.  I have long ago decided that when I retired I was going to quit rushing.  I lived like that for so long that it is a difficult habit to break, but I’m making progress.  I love not rushing.  I do everything, evenly, methodically, with concentration and much enjoyment.  Everything from cleaning vegetables, cutting up huge heads of Broccoli and Cauliflower into clean, bite size pieces.  There is actually an art to it. 

I see food as art.  The beauty of it just amazes me.  I find the creative detail that God designed in food to be absolutely, amazingly beautiful!  Yes, even fresh broccoli and cauliflower.  My broccoli is air drying before I mix it with the cauliflower to create a wonderful salad.  The broccoli and cauliflower salad is probably something most everyone in our society, who attends pot lucks, have made or at least tasted.  It is one of my favorites.  I have the red onion chopped fine and the raw sunflower seeds and craisins in their jars standing at attention waiting to be added to the vegetables in a few moments.  I use Veganaise which is a vegetarian substitute for mayonnaise.  It has healthy oils in it and is delicious.  It is made with grapeseed oil.

Next on my agenda is to prepare my pomegranate by deseeding it so I can make it into a salad tomorrow.  My pomegranate salad recipe was given to me by my friends Lana and Tim.  Tim is one of the most excellent creators of delicious foods. Over the years his recipes (most of them originally his) have become tried and true staples on our table.  Back to the pomegranate.  Just in case you don’t know it, not only are pomegranates a work of art unto themselves, but it is a work of art to deseed them without causing damage to each little seed.  I just went into my kitchen and dug out the instruction pamphlet on how to “do it properly”.  I took a picture that you can enlarge so that you can see how to deseed a pomegranate. Over the years I have revised the instructions on how to deseed a pomegranate to better suit me. For starters I don’t cut into the seeds themselves, but just barely cut off the top.  I also cut a small portion of the bottom off.  I do score it on the ridges of seeds and in the valley of the seeds on the outside of the peel.  I cut a little niche out of the center top that is open so my thumb can grab hold and pull it apart as it breaks into several sections.  I deseed section by section.  Use your thumb to gently push against the direction the seed grows.  It takes 12 to 15 minutes for me to do an entire large pomegranate. 

Okay, here is the recipie for POMEGRANATE SALAD

1 large pomegranate deseeded

1 very large or two normal sized honey crisp apples (my favorite).  It is best to use a firm, tart apple.

Cut the apple into little cubes. Green apples like pippin or granny smith can be peeled or left unpeeled.

4 large stalks of celery diced very small

Gently mix the above three ingredients together in a bowl and douse liberally with a favorite balsamic vinegar.  I use Raspberry Balsimic or Fig Balsamic. 

Refrigerate

It lasts several days in a refrigerated closed container. 

WHEN SERVING, GARNISH WITH WALNUTS.  THE FLAVOR IS WONDERFUL WITH THE NUTS.

I love to eat the salad plain or served on top of a green salad.  It is also a favorite on my morning yogurt.

So, if you’ve ever wondered what people do with those hard, red, beautiful fruits, now you know at least one delicious recipe.  Pomegranates come into season in November and you may be able to buy them through January, if you are lucky.  I buy them by the flat. I wrap them in newspaper and put them in the bottom crisper of the fridge.  They last for weeks that way.  But check the wrapped pomegranates often.  Sometimes a part of them will soften and is not good, but usually there is a portion of it that is still fresh and beautiful.

Well, enough of food.  That is where my mind is today.  As I write Dave is dusting the living room.  He didn’t get it done yesterday, nor the vacuuming.  But, we will have it done by bedtime.  Slowly and deliberately, from one task to the next, in peaceful quiet, we will finish.  What a great place to work!

 

REMEMBER TO GIVE THANKS

By Kathleen Martens

January 23, 2016

 

Never take for granted

God’s beautiful food.

Just its beauty and its touch

Puts me in a great mood.

 

Pause to take a look

Of the intricacy of its plan,

It is so amazing

It could never be designed by man.

 

Take for instance a raspberry’s

Tiny liquid cells.

Each one full of juice,

Our hunger pains to quell.

 

We can thank God

For bananas, apples and grapes.

The original fast foods,

For both man and apes.

 

And the list is endless

Of foods God has designed.

He gave such bounty to the world,

Because He’s loving and so kind.

 

So never forget to say thank you,

With a prayer of grace.

When you sit down to partake

At your home place.

 

There are many who do not have

What we expect each day.

So if you are one of the blessed

Remember to give thanks today.

 

My kitchen beckons me!

Have a great day today.  God bless you!

 

Part 6:

8 Keys to Finding God’s Will For Your Life

6) Listen to God’s Spirit.  I experienced a major turning point in my own prayer life when I learned simply to shut up while I was praying. That may sound odd to you, and it seemed odd to me at first.

You see, I used to do all the talking when I prayed to God. But then, several years ago, I read Bill Hybel’s book, Too Busy Not to Pray. That book completely changed the way I approached God through prayer. Since reading that book, I have added a significant component to my prayer life: listening. I take time to listen to what God might have to say to me.

Practically, the way I go about this is to bring a notepad with me when I sit down to pray. Then I write at the top of several pages things like the following:

• “What is the next step in my career?”
• “What is the next step in my ministry?”
• “What is the next step for my family?”
• “What is the next step for my marriage?”
• “What is the next step in my education?”
• “What is the next step in my finances?”

During my prayer time, I meditate on questions such as the above. Often, God will start flooding my heart with ideas and information regarding one or more of those questions. I write as fast as I can as He speaks to my heart. What a glorious experience that is to sense His Spirit on me, guiding my thoughts and words.

Through experiences like this, He has shown me many times with great clarity what His will is for my life. I long for those experiences when He speaks to me like that. Those times are truly life changing.

John 10:27

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

http://www.biblestudytools.com/blogs/chris-russell/8-keys-to-knowing-god-s-will-for-your-life.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday January 21 2016  WHO NEEDS A PARTY?

Good evening one and all.  This will be just a quick check in time for those of you who read daily.  All is well.  It’s been a long, extremely busy day, and I’m about out of gas.  So a brief rundown of a few things from today.  There was much accomplished today in my Geek Squad session.  I could not have had a better person to help me.  She was efficient and quite an expert at what she did.  She worked on four computers, hooked my laptop to enable it to print on one of my printers, correlated my email addresses to work together between computers so I didn’t have to delete everything four times over, set up my blog administration page to be accessible from another computer, tuned up, cleaned out, fixed, added to and took away from, and made everything work as it should.  She was also patient enough to explain things to me, show me how to work certain steps, and just gave me a boost of self-confidence when working with all these computers.  Each computer has a work of its own to do.  Two computers are used for photography only.  My desk top computer was used for the business office work.  My lap top is for traveling and working on my blog. 

When you deal with computer equipment and camera equipment, technology changes so rapidly that when you buy new cameras you must be certain that the computer will support the new technology of the camera.  Sometimes it will not, thus the reason I bought my first MAC.  Over the years I had several digital cameras and then it happened again, thus another Mac, this time bigger, better and way more costly (not to mention the cost of the cameras).  And now again it has happened.  However, not with my professional equipment.  The personal use camera I purchased last year for my trip is technically beyond my last MAC’s technological capacity.  I still have it.  It still works but only with my professional cameras purchased at the time the computer was purchased.  I love those cameras but they are too big and too heavy for me to handle any more.  So I purchase a small red camera, only to find out I then had to buy a new computer.  I chose an HP.  BAD CHOICE ON MY PART.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the HP for writing and surfing, and emailing.  But because it is a laptop with a movable screen it cannot be used to work on photos because of the variance of distorting the light on the photo.  So now I will need a stationary screen with MAC innards.  There is nothing like a MAC for photo processing.  Everything only works with its own generation.  And unfortunately, the computer lives in dog years.  Each generation is not very long to aid in the sale of more equipment to the gullible public.

I am keeping the 2^nd generation MAC I purchased because all the photos that have done the last few years for my own family were done on the cameras that work with it.  I still need to process my own photos.  Remember the cliché “the cobbler’s children have no shoes”?  Well, the photographer’s children have no photos.  Oh they were taken but have not yet processed.  I always had to put my personal work on the back burner due to the deadlines I had for professional work.  Oh, I am so glad that is now over!

Just in case I haven’t told you, I AM TRULY RETIRED NOW!  I finished the final wedding work.  It is packaged ready to be delivered.  NOW I AM READY FOR A PARTY!  When you work from your home no one really believes you worked at all.  You never had to go to work and you already “stayed at home”.  There is a saying I heard once that pertained to me quite nicely: “If you own your own business you only have to work half a day.  And you even get to decide which half.  You can choose to work from 12:00 noon to 12:00 midnight, or from 12:00  midnight to 12:00 noon.”  It wasn’t quite true for me.  I often worked 16 hours a day during wedding season.  But I am FINISHED, DONE, CAPOOT!  AND I AM GLAD!  SO BRING ON THE PARTY!!!  But alas, no one really knows that I am now truly retired.  I take that back.  One dear friend sent me a retirement card a while back.  It made my heart smile.  I didn’t yet feel retired then, but I do now.

 

WHO NEEDS A PARTY?

By Kathleen Martens

January 21, 2016

 

To work so hard and never go to work

Perhaps because my job I shirked?

Not so. Not so at all

Because I was really always on call.

 

I worked from morning until evening dark.

Only then did I come in from the park.

Photos taken in the earliest of light,

And in the studio when it was night.

 

And then consultations for weddings next year

With unending couples that constantly appeared.

Finally when others were tucked in bed,

Post production accomplished after I was fed.

 

Until 2:00 a.m. I labored for hours,

Correcting faces and bouquets of flowers.

Designing albums with precision care,

So with family they could be shared.

 

Senior portraits and babies, done all in one day

What mattered was, who wanted to pay.

I pulled and pushed props all around

And even drove clients all over town.

 

Exciting and interesting rolled all into one,

Because to me, it was exceedingly fun.

To capture moments of ecstasy, full of joy

For future generations of girls and boys.

 

The stress was high, the hours were long,

But I knew, I was where I belonged.

Behind the camera I always hid

Simply because I loved what I did!

 

Now it is over, and put on the shelf

And I have discovered a very new self.

What once was my heart’s desire

Has now kindled an even greater fire.

 

The clock no longer ticks demanding of me

The ticking now says “HEY, YOU ARE FREE”.

And that’s how I feel deep in my heart

That each and every morning a new life I start!

 

And besides, who needs a party?

 

Guess what?  I’m going to be able to get to bed on time.  Since I woke up at 5:00 a.m. this morning I think I am ready.

 

Good night and God bless you!

 

 

 

Wednesday January 20 2016  A QUIET DAY

Well, if you read yesterday’s blog you will know I wrote about talking too much.  I have been accused of that.  Well, today I was quiet all day…well mostly that is.  Probably because I was alone.  It was a wonderful day.  No gym time, and that is my favorite day of the week.  Spent time with the Lord this morning and wrote my poem for today, made lunch for Dave when he returned home from his work out, and then he left again, and the house was full of quiet.  Mostly because I wasn’t talking.

While Dave was absent I worked hard and long all afternoon and finished just in time to make dinner.  I will tell you briefly about my project.  I am trying to be quick with this blog because I must be in bed in 45 minutes in order to get up very early in the morning and be out of here to exercise so I can be back before 9:00 a.m.  The gym time takes about two and a half hours round trip.  I want to try to get there a little after 6:00 a.m.  But back to my project.  I have a craft room dedicated to the artistic side of me.  That artistic side is also very cluttery, especially when I am too busy to do art projects.  That’s when the room becomes piled with things that shouldn’t be piled there as well as all the scraps and tools left out because of doing everything in a hurry and not putting everything back.  So, today was organize and clean day.  Piece by piece I touched everything on my three tables which I have laid out into a “U” shape.  My walls are covered with supplies and I even have things on the windowsills.   I took some pictures AFTER I organized.  I wish I had taken some before shots but I didn’t think about it.  Maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t.  It certainly looks a lot better in there.  I didn’t go through the shelves or closet.  That will be in a future project.  Right now it is usable.

Sunday we have a family coming over for the afternoon and they have two children who will probably want to do some art projects.  I couldn’t let them walk into my mess.  This family is a very artistic family and I think they will enjoy the space.

The reason I must be back by 9:00 a.m. tomorrow morning is that I have the Geek squad lady coming.  Originally it was for 8:00 a.m. but it changed to 9:00 a.m.  I also must correct a statement I wrote yesterday that the person on the phone told me in regards to time.  He told me the $50.00 covered up to 4 hours.  Well I was informed on the phone by the lady that it only covers 90 minutes.  I think I did a bit more than talk after I found that out.  She rearranged her schedule so she could give me more time and it will be for the $50.00 amount.  If that was what I was quoted then she said she would honor it. 

After she leaves, Dave and I must leave to do the shopping for Sunday’s food.  I plan to make my food on Friday and clean on Saturday.  Cleaning is something that must be done.  Especially dusting and putting a few things away. 

So, as you can see, I have been busy, I will be busy, and I’m looking forward to every moment of it.  After all, I get to cook.  I haven’t been doing much of that because we are trying to eat up all our soup.  That will take us a long time.  We just finished the soup from 2013 and 2014.  Now we have started on 2015 and we still have two freezers full.  And guess what I am making for Sunday?  SOUP OF COURSE!  That is why I am making it on Friday so it can steep in the fridge and meld its flavors.  I am making Barley Chili with sour dough bread (and maybe some cornbread) and a couple of kinds of salads.  Salads are my favorite.  I haven’t thought about dessert yet.  We don’t usually eat dessert.  I may just serve a pomegranate salad over yogurt.  It is delicious!  Especially with walnuts.

I will transcribe my poem from my journal and then sign off.  Wish I had more time to talk about God but my time is ticking.  I think it actually takes more time for me to transcribe a poem to the blog than it does to write it on the computer as I type my blog.  Today’s poem is relevant to what happened during my time with the Lord.

 

TO THE QUIET PRESENCE

By Kathleen Martens

January 20, 2016

 

To be ensconced in the sound of silence

Creates an interlude of peace,

Comforting the tired heart

So new vitality will be released.

 

Such a sweet and gentle place to go,

But so often it’s impossible to wait.

There is always so much we must do

As we hurry, so as not to be late.

 

But we must learn to stop and listen

To the needs of our soul.

To be replenished in God’s presence

Should be our greatest goal.

 

Beside still water our shepherd leads

As we lie down in green pastures to rest.

He leads us in paths of righteousness,

For He is the one who loves us best.

 

Listen, and take time to hear His voice

That your Spirit will be restored.

He calls your name, and beckons “Come,

To the quiet presence of your Lord.”

 

And that is what I did this morning and we had a grand time. 

Good night and God bless you.

 

BELOW PLEASE READ PART FOUR OF:

8 Keys to Finding God’s Will For Your Life

4) Seek godly input.

One key component to finding God’s will is to seek the input of godly advisors in your life. If you don’t currently have 3-4 godly mentors, then I would highly recommend that you seek them out right away.

Think of it this way: you should understand that you are basically a composite of the five people you spend the most time with. So, then, it is vital that you choose those five people well. If you choose to surround yourself with godly advisors, they will be instrumental in helping you discern God’s plan for your life. But if you surround yourself with people who are far from God, your hope of finding His best for your life will be greatly diminished.

Proverbs 11:14

Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

The church is designed to help you greatly with this. I would encourage you to be in church every single time the doors are opened. The more you involve yourself with a community of believers, the greater your chances will be of finding godly men and women who can help you discern God’s will.

http://www.biblestudytools.com/blogs/chris-russell/8-keys-to-knowing-god-s-will-for-your-life.html