Midweek Motivation
with the exception of Afternoon Pick Me Up, (c) Victoria Gaines
Starting Your Day Out Right
Scripture, Short Devotion
It is of the LORD’s mercies
that we are not consumed,
because his compassions fail not.
They are new every morning:
great is thy faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23
Somehow all the cares of this world crowd out thoughts of withdrawing and drawing near to God for even a few moments many days. How very grateful I am for a God whose lovingkindness endures forever and whose mercies are new every morning!
Do you need a fresh start today, too? Won’t you join me in my new effort to look for Him? He promises that if we seek Him, we will find Him. I will seek Him early in the morning, alone and undisturbed. I will seek His face and ask Him to do the choosing for me this day.
Is Your House in Order?
Cleaning, parenting, marriage, organization tips, etc.
Some of the tasks I most dislike are those which can actually be done in very little time. I have a tendency to make small tasks, like unloading or loading the dishwasher, monumental in my mind. A quick fix for this is a tip my mother-in-law gave me:
One day, take a timer with you as you go around doing all of those little chores that have become “big deals” in your head. Time yourself to see how little time each actually takes. I was surprised to find that unloading the dishwasher can take me less than two minutes most days! I could easily spend ten times that just talking myself into doing it. Next time, I was able to remind myself how little time it would actually take.
Afternoon Pick Me Up
How to Pursue a Creative Idea
By Victoria Gaines
I’m taking a few moments each afternoon with Alice Bass, author of The Creative Life: A Workbook for Unearthing the Christian Imagination. Alice addresses seven ways we can analyze an idea to determine if it’s worth pursuing. If it is, she says, our creativity will bring us closer to the heart of God.
Sound good? I’ve summarized her excellent advice:
1. Dig into the Word. “Feed your creative life with the Bread of Life. Memorize Scripture. Read it out loud, taste it, hear it, see it, experience it.”
2. Worship God: “…worship Him for His character, not just for what He has done for you, but for who He is. Turn your imagination toward the Source of creativity.”
3. Pray: “Meditate on God’s Word and make your requests known to Him.”
4. Look for the fruit: “What is your creative life producing? What is your idea producing?” Guard against ideas that seem to produce immorality, anxiety, lust, envy, selfish ambition—etc, in us, or anyone else. Invite the Holy Spirit to purify motives/ideas. Pray for the Lord to “infuse” our creativity with the fruit of His Spirit.
5. Say no: “If you are not ready to move forward, do not be afraid to say no.” Invite God into where we are right now and ask that He make us willing to follow His lead.
6. Pretend to be your best friend: “Write down your idea and then walk away. Two days later look at it again and evaluate the idea as your best friend.”
7. Test the spirits: “If you are unsure where your ideas are coming from, ask God.” Are you trying to please everyone else or Him? If your desire is to please God, He will lead you.
~ Alice Bass, author of The Creative Life: A Workbook for Unearthing the Christian Imagination
This workbook reminds me that creativity doesn’t make my life more spiritual or holy. It only points me to the spiritual. I’m reminded of how little I really know about myself or the mind of God. Ah, but don’t you love Romans 8:27? “And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (ESV).
The year is young! May it be filled with all sorts of creative ideas and pursuits that bring glory to our Maker. I leave you with a beautiful quote from Alice Bass:
“When we respond with imagination, we are reaching out and grabbing the hand of God, who is leading us to a deeper and richer life—a life where Christ reigns in beauty, fear is banished, and we are transformed into the full expression of our Lord and Savior.”
And all the King’s writers said, amen!
May it be so.
What’s For Dinner?
Seafood Fettuccine
Ingredients
- 6 oz. fettuccine
- 1/4 C butter
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 8 oz. imitation crab legs, cut in bite-size pieces
- 1 C half and half
- 1/8 tsp. pepper
- 1/2 C Parmesan cheese
Preparation~
Cook and drain fettuccine before beginning sauce and keep warm. Heat butter and garlic in skillet until garlic is lightly browned. Add sea legs, half & half, and pepper. Heat about 3 minutes or until mixture begins to bubble, stirring occasionally. Add Parmesan cheese; stir for one minute. Remove from heat. Toss sauce with pasta and serve immediately.
A Restful Night’s Sleep
Scripture for a restful sleep
He shall cover thee with his feathers,
and under his wings shalt thou trust:
his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
Psalm 91:4
As I am tucking my daughters into bed at night, the weight of this responsibility of parenting sometimes bears down hard on my shoulders and my heart. How could God have ever entrusted these precious gifts to us? I begin to think, laughingly, that my husband and I alone are responsible for their protection and care. It is little wonder that the worries quickly begin to mount. It does me well to remember that while I may tuck them in under my arms, and at night under their quilts, that ultimately it is the Lord, Himself, who covers them over with His wings and protects them. And as I pull the quilt up to my own nose, it does me well to remember that it is the Lord, Himself, covering me over and protecting me, too.
