Stress

Mechanics:

a load, force, or system of forces producing a strain.

Physiology. a specific response by the body to a stimulus, as fear or pain, that disturbs or interferes with the normal physiological equilibrium of an organism.

physical, mental, or emotional strain or tension

Stress:
(noun)

(psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense; "he suffered from fatigue and emotional tension"; "stress is a vasoconstrictor" [syn: tension]

difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension; "she endured the stresses and strains of life"; "he presided over the economy during the period of the greatest stress and danger"- R.J.Samuelson



-Compliments of dictionary.com

A prayer for Afghanistan

Just finished “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini, also author of the Kite Runner. It talks about the plight of women throughout Afghanistan’s political journey and the hell they have fought to survive through. Wow! I think the combo of reading this book and working with abused women out here caused a lot of anger to surge up in me.

IT’S NOT FAIR!!

Globally, there has never been a people group (to my knowledge) that has been discriminated against more: women across the world seem to be exploited or under valued in most countries.

At the end of his book he refers the reader to www.Unrefugees.org, which I went to and read a real person’s story of what life can be like for an Afghan family. Horrid.

As I was reading Isaiah 35, it became a prayer, declaration, and prophecy for Afghanistan and those who have been treated poorly in this beautiful nation:

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad [I declare it!], the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing…

Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.”

The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting JOY shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain JOY & GLADNESS, and sorrow and sighing shall…what?….shall FLEE AWAY!

May it be so.

Planting

I (and Erin) planted my herb garden in pots this year: sage, rosemary, cilantro, peppermint, thyme, basil, and oregano! Mmm..

The middle picture is the remnant of making rhubarb lemonade...a refreshing treat.

Breaky with Funky

Erin had me over for a lovely breakfast yesterday. She has been blessing many people lately with her cooking expertise and her golf-course encouragement cards.

Continued or Extended Thought

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you. Psalm 19.

http://www.dictionary.com/ says that mediations means:

• continued or extended thought; reflection; contemplation.

I have always thought of this verse as a "DO NOT" verse. As in, "do not meditate on that which you lust for" etc.

Today I am hit with a sweet truth that this verse and its meaning unlocks some sweet goodies for God-seekers. I feel like this verse gives me permission to indulge in the treasures of God's Truth for his beloved daughters & sons. It grants us unsolicited permission to think about God's unconditional love for us...

...over and over and over.

Is this even allowed?! As I sat down at my desk at work I felt like I'd stumbled across a forbidden treasure: abundance!

I often have noticed that the meditations of my heart/mind run through thought patterns that include, "I lack" and "I want" and "if only" and "I wish" (yes, there are lots of them!)

Today I practiced meditating on phrases that start with "I have"

Psalm 42 states that each day God commands his steadfast love over us and that at night his song is being sung over me. As took a step of faith today and believed that his love was actually surrounding me throughout the day (over and over and over), I was humbled.

Gracious God & Friend, overwhelm us & show us the abundance that you have for us to live out of. Thanks.

Waffles for Breaky!

(cc)

Had a wonderful morning today. Dono and I have felt like we haven't talked since last weekend, so it felt like such a gift to spend the morning together. We had a tasty breakfast of waffles, strawberries, and white sauce. Whenever I make waffles I'm reminded of the days when I was little when my Uncle Harv & Aunt Sandra would invite me over and we'd make waffles for supper together. They introduced me to this "white sauce" and started calling me the waffle queen. Good memories.

Revelations 4:8

Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."

"..God has chosen that day and night living creatures are singing without ceasing, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord, who was, and is, and is to come." They are not singing, "Just, just, just" or "Great, great, great," nor "Loving, loving, loving" but "Holy, holy, holy" (Joy Dawson)

Why? When I find myself caught up in worshiping Him, I can understand this. But it blows me away that he would appoint certain creatures, to declare his holiness 24-7, or, perhaps these creatures cannot help themselves when they are around Him. There is something about this word "Holy" that is very significant about who He is. For some reason when I think of God being Holy, I feel like the separation between Him and I grows. I often relate to God more as a Father or friend. Hmmm...teach me Holy one about the significance of this part of your character.

A hankering for the east coast

I've been longing for another trek to the east coast. A trip which doesn't involve any access to the internet, cell phones, or TV. I keep expecting another 3 week trip with Dono this year, but unfortunately we do not have the excuse of "we're getting married" to convince our bosses to allow us that much time off again. As well we do not have $4500 to blow this year on a vacation!

"What a beautiful thing, God, to give thanks, to sing an anthem to you the High God (this next part is my fav) To announce your love each daybreak, sing your faithful presence all through the night" Psalm 92

Thank-you Jesus for letting me see the peaceful corners of the earth.

What does festoon mean?

By your words I can see where I'm going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path. I've committed myself and I'll never turn back from living by your righteous order. Everything's falling apart on me, God; put me together again with your Word.

Festoon me with your finest sayings, God...

Oh, how I love all you've revealed

Your words are so choice, so tasty..

Psalm 119