What am I awake for?

On Fridays around these parts we stop, drop, and write.

For fun, for love of the sound of words, for play, for delight, for joy and celebration at the art of communication.

For only five short, bold, beautiful minutes. Unscripted and unedited. We just write without worrying if it’s just right or not.

Won’t you join us?

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Most important: comment and encourage the person who linked up before you.
OK, are you ready? Give me your best five minutes on:

STOP
Awake…

What Am I awake for? What do I do that can be called "productive"? How do I spend my awake moments for God? There are times when I brood over my "troubles" and then force myself to think: They are nothing compared to others. I have everything and people that I love near me healthy and well and happy. Then why cant I be grateful and move on. Somedays that pep talk: We are in a better place than others: doesn't work.

I sometimes whine and pour out the "blah" on God just because I want to and I cant do it anywhere else.

So at the end of the day tired and moody, thinking I don't achieve much, I retire to bed setting that alarm for the millionth time , only to wake up once more to another day. (Usually, with my boys screaming for breakfast. Like I don't feed them).

In that groggy moment.. walking down the stairs half eye open.. thinking what do I have for breakfast...thinking will I have your peace, joy, fulfillment for this new day... I hear a voice

.......

Be still .... and know that I am God.(Ps 46:10)

STOP

Roar moment through waiting

The first Friday of the new year.
And I am looking forward to writing every Friday for this year!

For only five short, bold, beautiful minutes. Let your mind and your words and your heart fly free; wild – no editing, no over thinking.

Won’t you join the FMF team?

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – don’t edit; don’t second-guess.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Must: leave a comment for the person who linked up before you – encouraging them in their writing!
OK, are you ready? Give your best five minutes on:

Roar…

GO

I truly believe Lisa Jo gets her word from God meant for each and everyone of us. This holiday season I have been reading the mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers.It sets the scene in Ancient Rome during the time of the apostles and Christians in hiding. And specially of one character that changes the way you will see your Christian life. Not saying anymore but I leave it to you to read it for yourself and be touched.Shaken.Jolted.

The last Five Minute Friday of the year being OPEN touched on my theme for the year of of a OPEN MOUTH to proclaim God's Words and tell people about it as He leads me. With this ROAR it emphasizes even more on the importance and assures me that this is what God really wants me to do. I was gearing towards quieter ways of doing this. You know, through my behavior, words and how I make decisions and conduct myself for those to see and cause a change in their hearts.

Well, so much for me planning what I needed to do. Waiting on Him for more guidance and clarity doesnt mean we need to fill in that WAITING TIME with our own agenda.
A post that my Mum send this morning and I happened to read it said:There are things God is seeking to teach us about ourselves in those “blank spaces” (waiting time)where we are to be seeking Him rather than acting. Much like a person thinking he is doing the butterfly larvae a favor by cutting it free of its cocoon, we often move in to, literally, “make the kill” (do our “good” for us, deed). God has things in us and in those we are seeking to help, that He is seeking to deal with by giving us (and them) the “blank spaces”. Our natural devotion to the Lord and compassion for people are not the criteria for service to the Lord. That is to come only from Him and it is “always” worth the wait!

Picture:(Lion waiting for the ROAR moment.)
Yet again coincidentally, I am reading along with Mom's Tool Box this month The Book of Acts(Acts in 28 days), giving me the tools and wisdom during this seeking time.

So I guess I need to ponder more or rather wait on Him to lead me to what kind of a ROAR moment HE is gearing me towards.
In waiting I seek that ROAR moment HE has planned for me.

STOP

Open

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Most important: visit, comment, encourage the person before you.
This is what Five Minute Fridays are all about!Dive in!

GO

A New Year to start fresh and full of possibilities. Feels like a new school year! New books and a new bag... There is much to thank God for this past year.His provision, His gentle touch, His love and peace.
In this time where people make resolutions, I usually stay away from it, since I know there isn't any point. My resolution was always to not make any! I definitely keep that one!

But my heart moves to make one. A prayer rather. That God opens my mouth to someone about His love and grace. I want to do big things for the Lord. But I fail to see the things He has put in my path. OPEN my eyes to those You put in my path. Give me the courage to OPEN my mouth and pray for someone who isn't a believer.

During this holiday I have been reading Francine Rivers The Mark of the Lion series. I just finished the second book and cried through the last chapter. Hadassah, the main character who is a Christian in the Roman world breaks from her fear of speaking of her Lord.God breaks her free of "fear" in the gladiators arena moments before she is attacked by lions.

Thankfully, I am not living in world where Christians are persecuted for speaking of the Lord. So what stops me from opening my mouth? Its easy to speak to fellow brothers and sisters. Encouraging and teaching them come much easier. But what about those who don't know Him? What about the parents in Benjamin's school? my neighbors? My work place?

My prayer for this year is that I will be able to reflect His love in my life by the things I do and say. I pray for wisdom. I pray for courage to OPEN my mouth when I feel the Spirit nudging me to pray for someone or say a word to someone.

OPEN MY MOUTH LORD.. LET YOUR FRAGRANCE SEEP OUT...

GO

Real Connection

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Most important: visit, comment, encourage the person before you.
OK, are you ready? Give me your best five minutes on Connected.

GO
Being connected to someone is every humans natural need. Especially for us women, maintaining that connection with someone or most times with a group of people is vitally important.Over the years I have made my groups of connections and they range from long distance friends that you could call one day and pick up from where we left a year ago when we visited, to friends that you are constantly in touch and share everyday moments.

The key to growing these God given relationships is to stay connected and put in the effort to talk more often, make a small gift, send over an extra meal. Its so easy and I have often chosen to email or text message something rather than pick up the phone and talk. Technology's curse, I must blame someone!

While I can dream and pray about having friends where I can just walk across the street and have a coffee with, God would ask me what I did with the friends He put in my path that require a 20 minute drive. Have I prayed for them? Have I helped them to the best of my ability?

Continued connections require love, prayer and effort.

My five minutes are up! What about you?

STOP

Colors of Love

Five minutes of unedited writing. Here I am once again linking with Lisa Jo over at Gypsy Mama for what we call around the Blogosphere "Five Minute Friday"
Check it out. I am hooked on FMW.

GO

As I read December 7th Devotional from "A Jesus Advent Celebration" by Ann Voskamp on A Holy Experience with my family this evening(We are a few days behind), it was so apt with the topic of this weeks Five Minute Friday: Color

I look forward to writing this piece in only five minutes every Friday. I even sometimes keep on refreshing my page on Gypsy Mama until the word for the week comes online.

Somehow this Friday, I was swamped with household chores, engagements and family needs that it took me until Saturday evening to sit down to write my five minutes worth.

The devotion was on Josephs coat of many colors and him forgiving his brothers.It ended with "Today, dress your heart in the colors of love". Jesus being the lamb of God, with His robe dripping with blood and because of Him, we are forgiven. "He has given us the most shimmering love gift of all, a robe of righteousness" (Quoted from the devotion)

A colored robe also symbolized to me the "Set apart by God" aspect. We may look different among the crowd wearing this multicolored coat, standing out ... representing our relationship with God,staying near His presence, dwelling on His word and carrying out His great commission :Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:19-20)

But, we are not alone. He promises us this one thing , at the end of verse 20:And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Have you dressed your heart in colors of love?

STOP

Reading through Luke with Mom's Toolbox

With Mom's Toolbox, I completed reading Proverbs , every day for the past one month. Using her SOAP devotional format, it made it easier to focus, apply and pray specifically. So, I decided to follow her on the next read too. This month we are following the readings from the gospel of Luke.

From doing a devotion (The One Year Women's Friendship Devotional)together with a friend living in the U.S, last week we both had doubts and uncertainties as to how we celebrate Christmas, what are our family traditions, being caught in the frenzy of consumerism. All the frenzy part didn't apply to us as our cultures were different.But this really got me thinking two things:

1. What Christmas really meant to me?
2. What traditions (non consumer related)can I instill in my family and carry it on for years to come?

Reading Luke, this week felt like I was in the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth, moving with Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, witnessing those things that astonished Mary and how she pondered over it and kept in her heart. It has never been this rich and vivid to me, compared to the million times I have read these parts.

As embarrassed I am to admit, but for many years even after I became a Christian , my knowledge of the Bible was from the Jesus movies and Ten Commandments. My mom and brother had a good laugh each time I said something from the Bible but was actually from the movie!They did enjoy rubbing it in my face, way too many times.

So for the first time, I didn't have images from the movie as I read, but images of emotions and God's working in the lives of these four individuals(Elizabeth/Zechariah and Joseph/Mary) and the characters around them.

Two things that stood out to me in Luke 1 was;

1.God showed favor on Mary, Elizabeth and Zechariah.(1:6,25,28)
2.They were filled with the Holy Spirit and sang to the Lord.(1:41,67)

Prayer: Show favor on me and fill me with the Holy Spirit.

From Luke 2:

A. Several verses says how Mary and Joseph:
1. Marveled at what was said about Him,
2. Treasured up all these things and pondered them in their heart(1:19,33,47,51)

Imagine the emotions running through them as God fulfills one promise after the other, assures them that God is in control and that this Baby is truly the Son of God, Christ Himself.

B. The prophesies of Simeon and Anna (affirming God's plan and strengthening Mary and Joseph for what is yet to come.)

C. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.(1:52).A prayer that I pray over my children, that they grow in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and men.

Tired

On Fridays around these parts we stop, drop, and write.

For fun, for love of the sound of words, for play, for delight, for joy and celebration at the art of communication.

For only five short, bold, beautiful minutes. Unscripted and unedited. We just write without worrying if it’s just right or not.


1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Most importantly: leave a comment for the person who linked up before you – encouraging them in their writing!
OK, are you ready?

TIRED

GO

Tired me? No Way!I am indeed super MOM. I have to keep us to that title a few moms have given me. Shouldn't disappoint the fans. Okay, which 100 points list am I going to conquer today? Alright, coffee first! Looked at the time 9 am. Great start! Chose a Latte Macchiato in my Senseo machine and waited for it to pour into my cup.... It feels like I have woken up and somehow feel time has passed. I checked the time and it was 9:20 am. I slept standing near the coffee machine for 20 minutes. Super MOM, indeed!

Who am I trying to fool here? Who am I trying to prove to?

I drank my coffee and kept the timer on my phone for 20 minutes and had a wonderful power nap.

Having that power nap, I was fresh to get to my tasks for the days. I broke down that 100 points task to realistic , prioritized , do-able tasks. Set time to it and went about doing them.

PHYSICAL TIREDNESS LEADS TO UNPRODUCTIVITY AND FRUSTRATION.

When you are praying hard for something for a long time, there comes a time when our mind feels like it's shrinking in that one prayer area in the brain and this overwhelming kind of feeling sets in. It's like when you are in the gym exercising(not that I go to the gym), and then rest after a workout, this muscle pain and tiredness creeps on you. Just like that when a prayer was answered and I stopped to savor the moment this tiredness(in a good way) crept in. My arms ached.My brain was becoming numb.

It took a while to fall asleep that night. But I felt so refreshed and as if I slept so deep and long.

WAITING ON THE LORD CAN MAKE ONE WEARY, BUT WAITING IN PRAYER REAPS ANSWERS AND PEACEFUL REST.

STOP