House Guest of Peter

Walking with Jesus: To Peter's House
Mark 1:29-31; Peter's mother-in-law restored to serve

Meditation: Life before Death
You may find it odd that as soon as Peter's mother-in-law was healed she began to serve. But listen, as people of God who believe in Christ, we also believe in a life after death. Right? When life is hard, I have caught myself many times saying "Lord, just take me now". But as God's daughter here on this earth, shouldn't I also believe in a life before death! If I am a daughter of God, then I should believe that I am empowered by the Holy Spirit to make a difference in this life, in my world right now, rather than waiting until I get to Heaven. I should be looking forward to eternal life in the future but I should already be enjoying it right now.

There is this song I sang growing up and some of the words were "This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through..." but if that is our mindset than am I missing the mission that my Lord has for me right now?

So today I'm asking myself "What am I doing for Jesus today? Am I just content to wait for eternal life or am I looking to make a difference in the name of my Yahweh Rophe (The Lord who heals). Am I content to wait for my "new body" in Heaven or am I going to treat my body as a temple of God that it is here on earth?

Health Tip: 7 Ups for a New Day
* Wake Up-Begin the day with the Lord. It is His day. Rejoice in it.
* Dress Up-Put on a smile. It improves your looks. It says something about your attitude.
* Shut Up-Watch your tongue. Don't gossip. Say nice things. Learn to listen.
* Stand Up-Take a stand for what you believe. Resist evil. Do good.
* Look Up-Open your eyes to the Lord. After all, He is your only Savior.
* Reach Up-Spend time in prayer and Praise. (p-praise, r-repent, a-adoration, i-intercession, s-self, e-everyone)
* Lift up-Be available to help those in need-serving, supporting and sharing.

Keep Walking with Jesus.....

From the Beach to God's Church

It's time to leave the casual, relaxing and blissful beach. One last look at the beauty and the warm blue/turquoise waters. Can you hear the waves? I sure can. It's hard to leave a place that you love. A place where you are so relaxed and feel so free. But it is time to move on to the next stop.

Today's title is Walking with Jesus: To the Synagogue in Capernaum. Scripture is taken from Mark 1:21-27 (message) where is tells us how Jesus casted out an unclean spirit. I am praying that Jesus will cast out the unclean spirit of unhealthy for me and even though I know He could do it in an instant or it could be a process or He could choose not to do anything, I am believing that He will allow a process for me and am looking forward to the quiet walks with just my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The meditation is taken from Ps 51: 1-2, 6-7, 10-23....
1 Generous in love - God, give grace! Huge in mercy - wipe out my bad record. 2 Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry. 7 Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean, scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life.. 10 God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life. 11 Don't throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me. 12 Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails! 13 Give me a job teaching rebels your ways so the lost can find their way home.

Even though verse 8 and 9 was not in the meditation here is what they say....
8 Tune me in to foot-tapping songs, set these once-broken bones to dancing. 9 Don't look too close for blemishes, give me a clean bill of health.

Let me paraphrase. Tune me in to "step"-tapping songs, set this once-broken "body: to dancing, "yes river dancing". Don't look too close for blemishes, "GIVE ME A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH"!!!!

I promised Him today that I would "dance" again. Don't you just love it when God speaks through His Word to you personally. I do!!!

Keep Walking with Jesus.....

Three Days on the Beach!!!

Well, I finally got my new pedometer on Friday night. To set it you had to use a very tiny screwdriver which we didn't have at the house until Marc came home from the farm late Saturday afternoon. So I didn't start wearing it until Sunday. After wearing it Sunday, I don't think my original pedometer ever worked right!!! So today I am starting over with my three days of wearing it and getting a new average. Which means I get to camp at Three days on the Beach!!! My all time favorite place in the world.....

Walking on the Beach

Title for today is Walking with Jesus: Walking by the Sea of Galilee. Scripture is taken from Mark 1:19-20 (from the Message) where Jesus calls James and John to be followers. How Jesus was walking down the beach and saw the brothers. They were in their boats mending their fishnets. How right off, he made the offer to them and the text says "immediately" they left their dad, their boat and hired hands and followed. That is the kind of person I strive to be. That when Jesus calls, I know His voice and I immediately response.

The meditation is continued from yesterday's poem...I want to follow, Lord. But have You set me on the wrong way? Was I not meant for things other than plowing a path through the same old tasks that need to be done again? Was I not meant for more than pushing though the stubborn ground so that others could enjoy the fruits of new life? Was I not meant for bigger and better things than clinging to a plodding plow? When I follow You, Lord, is this the way? I will follow you , Lord--on this same day. I will follow because I know no other way. But more importantly--I ask You to follow me. When my eye strays to the greener in the nearby meadow, or when my ear longs for the laughter I think I hear from over the hill. Then I will depend on You to follow me, Lord. And set my hands anew on the plow, and give me the joy of knowing that my hand is exactly where You and I both want it to be. I WILL FOLLOW YOU, LORD.

Ouch!! Double ouch. If you have known me for any length of time then you know that my job is doing the same old stuff everyday. And yes, I complaint about it alot. There are many days (okay every day) I ask myself why am I in this job. I really get so weary doing the same old same old each day. I often see "greener" jobs in the nearby meadows and I often hear the "laughter over the hill" and I long to feel that I am being useful. I am so sorry Lord for complaining about my job all the time. I pray that you would set my hands anew of the plow and that I would find the joy of knowing that my hand is exactly where You want me to be. I WILL FOLLOW YOU, LORD.......

Following

Today is called Walking with Jesus: To the Fishing Boats at the Sea of Galilee. The scripture is Mark 1:16-18 where Jesus calls Simon and Andrew.

The meditation starts out with Luke 9:42 which says Jesus said, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God". Those are difficult words for a well-intentioned but sometimes stumbling follower like me. The meditation also had this poem: I will follow You, Lord--put my hand to the plow, shape my will to the contour of the handles You have given me. Set my feet on the furrow, my eyes on the marker at the other end of the field. Set my heart to the task of turning the earth so that others can plant and water and harvest.

I grew up in the fields, planting and harvesting so this really made me reflect back on those times. It reminded me of how hard of a job that was but also how rewarding it was when the work was complete. I believe God is trying to tell me that even when this gets hard (and for anyone who has eating issues, you know what I'm talking about)that in the end it will be so rewarding and worth it all!!! Reminds me of my birth verse James 1:12...Blessed is the man who perseveres under trials because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.

YES, LORD, I WILL FOLLOW.....

Yesterday my step counter stopped working(go figure. So until I go shopping tomorrow I will not be able to know if I made my steps or not but I'll keep walking with Jesus with or without a step counter.........

Desert Heat

Today's devotional was called, Walking with Jesus: From the Jordan River into the Desert. The scripture was Mark 1:12-13. I read it out of the message Bible and the title of this passage was call "the test". I also say that if God is giving you a test and you don't pass it, that you will keep taking the same test over and over again. I'm so tired of this test, I want to make an A+ so that I can move on to the next level with God. How about you?

Speaking of tests, the grade I would have received yesterday would have been a D. At 10 p.m. last night I looked at my step counter and saw I had not made my goal. My soul was telling be to go walk on the treadmill but physically I was done. I am not going to beat myself up for not making my steps. I just have to come up with a better plan. As much as I don't like getting up early, I think that it would be a better plan for me to do that and get in my 2000 steps before I actually start my day. I never know what my day is going to bring and I really didn't like how it made me feel last night knowing that I didn't get my steps in. If I make the sacrifice and get up earlier, even just a half hour, then I won't have to think about it for the rest of the day. That's my plan......

Okay back to the meditation: Desert Heat. It talked about how the temptations provide a window for us to see the intense soul-searching, inner struggles of identify formation, surrender and commitment to God's will with which Jesus wrestled. For me, I have wrestled with being unhealthy for years. I read once that it takes a month or so to form a new habit so is these next 40 days gong to be my wilderness journey? The temptations that Jesus was faced with apply to us also. The "evil one" wanted Jesus to change stones into bread (focusing on physical need), gaining easy dominion over the world (focusing on ego-power need) and testing God (focusing on spiritual need). I too need to focus on my physical need by every time I want to eat asking myself if I'm really hungry or am I wanting to feed a deeper need and do I want just to stay in my warm bed or get up and get "stepping"? The ego-power need is one that I don't struggle with because I am way more comfortable being "behind the scenes". My spiritual need takes time and planning and there are someday where I struggle with this. So these next 40 days and nights will probably be a place that will be extremely hot, with a lack of water, and few places of shelter for me. A time when I will wrestle with physical, spiritual and emotional trials because the "evil one" doesn't want me to get out of this vicious cycle that I find myself in. I to must use scripture to get through and when I do, God will send angels to attended to me......

Keep walking....God didn't say this was going to be easy!!!

Walking Wet

Today's was entitled "Walking with Jesus: Into the Baptism Waters of the Jordan River. The scripture was Mark 1:9-11. The meditation talked about how we as Christians should be walking soaking wet in this world. That sometimes we are met with the chilling winds of injustice and intolerance. But that God has chosen each of us and it may not make sense to us, to walk wet in the world, to be so immersed in the waters of baptism that the water clings to me (us) like a soaked baptismal garment, to let the water drip off of us to sprinkle life on those who do not even know they are dry and dying but that is what we are called to do.

I thank God that in spite of my sometimes broken will, against the wisdom of the world that too often claims me, against the desires and dreams that too often hold me--God allows me (us) to have a heart that is a "river of living water" as He promised.

The health tip for the day talks about how water is life-sustaining: whether it is the water of baptism that signals the changing of lives or drinking water that refreshes and hydrates the body. It asks the question "How much water do you need every day?" To keep hydrated you should take your body weight in pounds and divide by 2 and that is how many ounces you should drink every day. If you are in dry climates or very active you should drink more. I don't know about you but it seems to me that if I try to drink that much water I will never get anything done except going to pee......hum....that may get my extra 2000 steps in each day!!!!

I did get my steps in yesterday but it was hard. I was on the treadmill at 9:30 last night counting my steps!!!

Keep Walking with Jesus......

From Nazareth to the Jordan River

I spent the last 3 days logging my daily steps. At the end of each of these days, I would think to myself "Are you kidding me!!! That's all the steps I made today!!" It was a real eye opening experience to see how many actual steps I made. I won't share how many but there is lots of room for improvement!!! So now that I know my average, I have added 2000 steps to that total and that will be my goal each day for the next week. The one thing that I know about these 2000 extra steps is the fact that I will have to "plan" on getting them in each day. So now my chose is what do I give up? What in my daily routine doesn't need to be there? I'm at a fork in the road and depending on which way I go will determine if I am successful on getting healthy. I could take the road that is easy and not make any changes or I could take the road that will be very challenging and run the race that God has called me to run. God didn't say that it would be easy but He did say that in the end it sure would be worth it!!.

Today in my Bible study the scripture was from Mark 1:2-7 called Walking with Jesus: From Nazareth to hear John the Baptist at the Jordan River. (Someday Sandy, we will go there and walk that path!!!) The meditation was called "ON A MISSION". It talked about this young pastor in a small congregation and how he set out a calculated plan designed to increase attendance and enlarge the membership. Planned all these "programs" but all his planing didn't work. One Sunday a gritty old farmer joined the church. His gruff, crude speech irritated and embarrassed the pastor. The pastor even wished that the old farmer would find another congregation to attend. During this time the old farmer would pick up people and children in his broken-down van and take them to church. As the months passed the church became full of new faces. And in his deepest moments of reflection, the pastor knew that the old farmer was making it happen. This old farmer who was unqualified by worlds standards, unkempt, loud and irritating. One day the pastor ask the old farmer, "how do you do it?" and the old farmer was puzzled. He said "I don't know, I just know I must do it....

As I start this season of my life, I also know that I must do it. I have tried all the "programs" and none have worked so I am going back to the basic. Duh!!! Something as simple as adding steps to my day, keeping my focus on Walking with Jesus.

Turning Plan into Action

I know it has been forever since I have blogged. I'm always finding a reason not to get moving. Reasons like "I don't feel good", "It is still dark", "It's too hot" "Mom had surgery and is in the hospital so that takes up my time", "I just don't want to today", "It's to hard", "I can't" and the list could go on and on.

The following is a couple of paragraphs from the Bible study He Speaks to Me that I am currently doing. It said "God considers preparing for worship important. He speaks to those who follow His instructions. This doesn't mean that He gives us a specific plan for worship or a picture of exactly how that worship should look, as He did in the building of the tabernacle. Instead, He instructs us in how to plan for opportunities to worship Him. Of course we have to turn that planning into action. After the birth of her second child, my friend Shundria took up running with aspirations to run a marathon. To prepare, she joined a group and worked with a trainer. He gave them a running schedule, but Shundria had to implement it. Just as God gave Israel a plan to follow, God gives us a plan. But we must prepare ourselves to complete it" OUCH!!!

So I asked myself "Whats your plan, Marilyn? Are you just thinking about it or actually doing it? Then God reminded me that God has a purpose for this temple of mine but I have to do my part...duh.

So a couple of weeks ago my precious friend Amber emailed me this program called America on the move and wouldn't you know it that yesterday I received it in the mail a day after the Bible study. The first 6-weeks book is called Walking with Jesus. Is that not cool. The goal of the program is to increase your activity level by 2000 steps a day, to consume 100 fewer calories a day and to eat three servings of low-fat dairy a day. It also incorporates an inspiring spiritual dimension. The programs wants me to work on my physical health goals but it also allows me to be inspired by daily Scripture readings and meditations to follow the routes from the Bible. For me today is day 1. That just means that I wear this thing to count my steps. I do this for 3 days. Then I will average my steps to determine my basline steps and then add 2000 steps to that and that will be my goal of steps each day.

NO MORE EXCUSES, MARILYN. IT IS TIME TO TURN THE PLAN INTO ACTION......

***The following post will be some of my own words and some words from the book I am following***