by tracycpoetry

Grace Works

“… Until we let the Christ who consorted with hookers and crooks to be our truth, the false, fraudulent self motivated by cowardice and fear will continue to distance us from abiding restful union.” – from Brennan Manning’s writing, The Furious Longing of God. (Read it and weep…. Seriously! Reading or listening to this book will likely bring tears to your eyes as your heart grasps grace).

Have you ever tried to earn God’s favor? I know i have! So I’m lovingly saying this to both of us: STOP IT!!! (And, yes. That was intentionally bold, in italics, and all caps!). Let’s just rest. It’s time you and I stop working so hard for the unfailing love we’ve always had from our Maker God. Grace works so we don’t have to.

by tracycpoetry

Is Your God Too Small?

The more I seek to know God – I mean really know Him as He is not how I want Him to be – the less He seems to fit in all the man-made definitions of diety that religion and culture provide.

If I can fit God into my own understanding – perhaps my God is too small. I’m learning that God speaks through a lot more than just church and shows up a lot of places that we think He shouldn’t.

by tracycpoetry

The Gift of Emptiness

Perhaps some of the emptiness from which we spend much of our lives trying to escape is actually God calling.

Emptiness… it may not be such a bad thing after all.

Perhaps it’s time to seek being HIS more than we seek being happy.

Recommended viewing:

Ragamuffin – the movie based on the life of Rich Mullins

Rich Mullins: a Ragamuffin’s Legacy

Recommended reading:

The Ragamuffin Gospel – by Brennan Manning

by tracycpoetry

Attack Anxiety

Recommended Reading:

Be Anxious for Nothing by Max Lucado

Oh, and this:

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” – The Apostle Paul, The Bible (Philippians‬ ‭4:6-8‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

by tracycpoetry

Striving for First Place

It’s time to refocus and give God first place rather than exhausting ourselves trying to get there. Peace flows much more easily when we give God His job back.

“I’m not interested in crowd approval. And do you know why? Because I know you and your crowds. I know that love, especially God’s love, is not on your working agenda. I came with the authority of my Father, and you either dismiss me or avoid me. If another came, acting self-important, you would welcome him with open arms. How do you expect to get anywhere with God when you spend all your time jockeying for position with each other, ranking your rivals and ignoring God?” -Jesus, John‬ ‭5:41-44‬‬ MSG (The Message – Bible Paraphrase)

by tracycpoetry

Decisions…

Yesterday I finally joined most of the rest of the civilized world by subscribing to Netflix. I’m not a big TV watcher. Give me a book over a movie and a chapter over a show, please. I would rather have a high definition life than a high definition screen.

But I also have had a nearly 5 decade pattern of chronic disorganization. So I had to see what this “Tidy Up” business with Marie Kondo is all about.

And, like a “few” others – I’m officially hooked. On the show. Whether I get hooked on the actual process of tidying up remains to me seen. (Side note: My cat was relieved to learn she still “sparks joy” so she will not be returned to the wild).

I did glean one main observation from my mini binge watch last night. The people in the shows were not slobs or hoarders. They were simply normal good people who really did not want to make a decision about their stuff. Or maybe not so much about their stuff but about the parts of their lives that stuff represents.

So let’s determine not to let fear keep us from making decisions. It may be in our physical surroundings or it may be in our heads… but eventually that indecision will become clutter blocking our pathway forward.