The Pause

I am painfully aware of the PAUSE in my gratitude relationship with God:

• I pray earnestly, especially when facing a difficult situation.
• I go through whatever it is, with God's help and direction.
• I pause.
• Then I remember to thank God for his help.

I must eliminate the PAUSE and thank him immediately. Then, I will be on the road to cultivating a grateful heart.

I plan to work on it.

Friends: you're allowed to ask me, "How's your pause coming along?"

Some practical suggestions:

• Keep a Gratitude Journal.
• Start each day thanking God for something.
• End each day thanking God for five things that occurred that day.
• Thank God in advance for answering your prayer.

How is your pause doing? 

 

 

Here is a sample of the lyrics from "Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart" by Don Moen: 

Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

 

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"
Let the poor say, "I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us"

 

 Give thanks...

Grandma Goes to Camp!

This past weekend, I crossed something off my Bucket List:

I participated in BOW - Becoming an Outdoors Woman.

Sponsored by the Arizona Wildlife Organization, this was a two-day event where 100 women learned various skills to help them navigate the outdoors. It is a program first begun in Wisconsin that now is offered around the country.

BOW is designed for women of all shapes, sizes, ages, and athletic ability--or non-ability, in my case. The goal is to give women knowledge and skills that enable them to enjoy the outdoors and feel confident doing various activities.

For some strange reason, I chose Rappelling.....never so scared in my life!

 

"I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me."

Classes are taught by volunteers and cover such topics as: Archery, Rappelling, Kayaking, Paddle Boarding, Camping, Fly Fishing, Firearm Safety, Horsemanship (or would that be "horsewomanship"?), Photography, Campsite Cooking, etc.

Arizona runs three such events a year:

September & April - Prescott, AZ - Friendly Pines Campground
January - Saguaro Lake Ranch, Mesa, AZ

Check out their website for more info. Click here.

If there's one there, I will find it! This is more my style.

Getaways

The lazy, hazy days of summer are gone and we're into our structured September. Though there's something sad about saying goodbye to summer, it's good to get back into harness. School does that to families.

Now might be the time to plan a mental/spiritual health day for yourself--a day where you restore your energies and focus on the priorities in your life. A day where you seek God's direction or wisdom.

In Phoenix, there are two very nice retreat centers which offer beautiful natural settings for just such a day:

• Franciscan Renewal Center
• Canaan in the Desert

Now that the weather promises to cool a bit (in Arizona), we finally can engage in some outdoor activities. Arizona friends: consider taking a half a day to visit one of these centers. If you're not in Phoenix, find a beautiful park in your area.

Once a year I walk through the prayer garden at Canaan in the Desert and feel a sense of renewal as I'm led through the events of Jesus' death and resurrection. It's a moving yet uplifting experience.

Closer to home, is the prayer hill at Christ's Church of the Valley--my home church. It's an easy walk up a trail that is marked with stations of the Lord's Prayer. Atop the hill is a cross and an opened tomb.

A word of caution:  Arizona is home to lots of creepy crawlies, some deadly. Stay on the trails or in the open--keep your eyes open when praying!


(From the devotional, Live Your Highlights.)