Intimate Delight

"Sound Bible exposition is an imperative must in the Church of the Living God. Without it no church can be a New Testament church in any strict meaning of the term. But exposition may be carried on in such way as to leave the hearers devoid of any true spiritual nourishment whatever. For it is not mere words that nourish the soul, but God Himself, and  unless and until the hearers find God in personal experience they are not the better for having heard the truth. The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts. " 

A.W. Tozer, "The Pursuit of God," p 9-10. Emphasis mine.

We can fall into several errors towards the Word.

• Devalue it's place in our life and base our "faith" totally on emotion, others words, and experience
• Become focused on a didactic knowledge of the Word and fail to be spiritually nourished by it

The Word of God is meant to

• Be a conversation with God
• Introduce us to God
• Nourish us
• Assist in our transformation into His image
• Provide a pattern for life
• Wash and cleans us
• Correct us
• Reprove us
• Teach us 
• Train us in righteousness
• Equip us for every good work to which He calls
• Give us great peace
• Keep us from stumbling and being offended as we surrender to the Lord of the Word

We must avoid either neglecting the Word or treating the Word like an academic subject. We need to approach the Word expecting to hear from the God of the Word. We need to learn to practice conversational/relational reading of the Word. As we do our "Bible study" truly will become an intimate delight.

May your Bible study bring you great intimacy and delight, may you be nourished, fed, changed by the time you spend with God interacting with His message to you.


Choosing Joy!
©2011 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

RAINY SUNDAY

Last night I prayed I would not be awaken by shaking....funny thing is at 04:44 I came WIDE AWAKE....sure there was a

in my bedroom.   I am using a new ap  - Textfree. It's great. I chose a stateside number and now I can text my folks and the kids FREE - and they can text back. I wasn't sure it was needed - we DO have Skype and Facebook....but thought it would be fun to try. The kids really like being able to text...it's that sort of society. So....since the iPad is always chirping at me, I wanted distinct sound to go off when I received a text. I chose a mooing cow....and at 04:44 I discovered I'd forgotten to turn off the volume on the ipad. LOL

Today was the first day back to RE (Sunday School) for the fall. Everyone enjoyed their new classes....from Stacia to myself.

I volunteered in our services 3 & 4 year old ministry today. I started the day teaching an adult class on parenting and then moved to loving on the younger set.

I was very proud of Zander who chose to stay in the service and sit with Ch and Jenn R rather than come play in the nursery!

It's been raining all day.....and I really do enjoy the sound of rain. I also love snuggling up at home.  We decided to grab some lunch and then head home to spend the day "inside".

The Lakeview Grille is on base. It overlooks the lake and is a great spot to sit and visit. It's usually quite quiet. We wanted quiet today - or at least I did. LOL I love their gourmet garlic chicken pizza. I'm lucky Jared does too - we manage to finish a pizza off between the two of us. LOL 

We stopped by the Post Office and discovered several school texts had arrived. Stacia was the most excited. While the rest of us worked on lesson plans, printed out lapbook material etc...she worked on explode the code. She wants to finish the book she's on so she can start the next ones.  I discovered a grievous gap in her education. 

"I'm thinking of something that is sent in the mail. A person writes a message on paper and puts in an envelope with a stamp on it."

She thought. "A package email?" (We usually get packages when we stop at the post office. Most our mail comes MPS...no stamps).

No. 

"A newsletter." 

"Warm."  ::grin::  

Arielle visited with friends outside. 

The younger two romped around a bit outside. 

Jared and I stayed focused on school. 

Mike Skyped. We miss him. 

I worked on a few SMALL conference projects. 

And we shook - at least a couple of times this afternoon - 5.9 and 4.9. 

I AM going to try to keep the blog up a bit more regularly once again. I've slowed down for several reasons - TIME, a few intense things to work through which I didn't feel should be shared, Facebook seduction....but I've realized anew this is a Family Keepsake and I need to give it more time than the quick bursts of "socializing" on Facebook. 

Choosing Joy!

©2011 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Shake, Shake Shake

Michael is gone.

There are some things which are just "right". We should not shake when Michael is gone. There are shaking parts of the day and sleeping parts of the day. It is plain rude for the shaking parts to intrude on the sleeping parts of the day.

This is how our morning went.

4:26 a.m. a LONG 6.3.....did I say it was long? Long enough for me to wake up, figure out what it was, wonder if it would quit, try to remember where Mike left the NEO folder,  and realize we were still shaking. Not particularly violent this time though.... a lot of swaying. I like that better than the jarring ones. Nonetheless, I reached over and grabbed the ipad to check Facebook.

Why?

I suppose to confirm I was not crazy and was in fact shaking in my sleep.....and also, with Michael gone, I knew he wouldn't be recalled, (duh) but if there WERE a tsunami warning  there would be loud speakers declaring this on the base. I could rely on  friends to post helpful tidbits such as,  "do not go to the ocean," and "tsunami coming - run for the base". ::snort::  I realize I have a fun imagination, but I wasn't simply being fanciful...I did hear something on the public loud speakers out here in Oriase.

But THEN we kept having them. I wonder why it's been silent for nearly a month and then so many so close together. Ah well....this is the norm and the stillness worries me more than an occasional swaying.

For those at home wondering....if they say Iwate-ken  or Sanriku Oki or Aomori or Misawa-Shi - those will be felt by US....if they are over about 4...usually.  The numbers on the right in the above chart are the Japanese system....the others are the international numbers.

This is a time lapse map that is plain ole fun to visit when we're "busy".  You can get a feel for it by going to the site and when it loads clicking 12 or 24 hours and watching. This shows we DID have 6 over 5 between around 4:30 and 7:30 a.m. and one smaller one at 10:16 a.m. To find us....see the main island the most northern label is "morioka" and we're about 1/4 in north...

The older three kids are down actually in this area today on a mission trip.  I had wondered how the young ones would respond to waking up early to take them to the bus....that was solved by the shaking. ::grin::


Choosing Joy!
©2011 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

No Photos...

...just words.

Sermon on the mount - surprised at how much I'm learning - thought I KNEW this one. ::snort::

School - lots of it.

Laundry hung - forgot to bring in tonight. Oops.

Found discussion questions for "Grace Based Parenting". Downloaded, thought some more about our upcoming Sunday School class.

House cleaning - a fair bit.

Recharge, reflect, restructure...the process has moved to family life.  We're contemplating some changes.....chore time AFTER school before the mad dash to roam the hood with the pack.  I will say, "NO," to guilt at needing help. They do  NOT have to help me because I'm too busy with "ministry". Learning life skills is MINISTRY...to me and to them in the future as they learn work ethics and livings skills to be productive adults. Somehow I've lost sight of this in the last two years. I so badly wanted to "prove" the kids would not suffer by "my schedule," that I took over all their chores and left them with much more free time than our kids usually have. LOL

Started reading a family read aloud tonight - Cat of Bubastes by GA Henty.

Spent two hours on women's ministry projects. Today was regional - focused on the upcoming conference.

Cooked dinner - such as it was.

Akiko san is sick and cancelled.....but that is o.k.

Spent the "saved" hour and a half surfing for fun lapbook resources for Zander and Stacia.

Several dear friends from the past have been on my mind and in my prayers a lot today....

Time to rest.....

Choosing Joy!
©2011 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

We're Finding Our Stride

I'm not sure WHY it seemed like a great idea to start a NEW year of school the same week we started a NEW month (monthly meetings), kicked off Monday night Bible study, and Tuesday a.m. Bible study. 


In a strange sense it was wise. If we can maintain a full week of school THIS week, we should be able to maintain the pace any week. We're on track. 


We're studying ancient Egypt and the kids  really like the change of pace from the 21st century.

Today was an admin day.

I renewed vehicle registrations.

I filled out 3 pages of paperwork for the girls. ::grin::

I ran to the chapel to sign some unexpected paperwork.

I ran by the BX for a few more school supplies.

I ran by the commissary - for real food. I caved and bought Halibut and began to think a move to AK wouldn't be terrible. LOL

We did another full day of school (to include a couple of booklets for our science lapbook).

I made hair appointments.

I made an orthodontist appointment.

I made a follow up appointment for Nolan and found out I have to wait until Friday to make a follow up for myself.

I Skyped about regional conference. I emailed about regional conference. I read and was BLESSED by workshop descriptions from workshop presenters.

I continued to hunt for biographies of Homer and Virgil.

We went to the beach for a couple of hours. The day was beautiful and I know the colder weather will soon be here. The beach always carries a touch of melancholy since the tsunami and all the damage...but we went.

Jared found a DARLING little glass float here the last time he was here....

Watching Jared search among the rocky places 

  

and the trash...reminds me that life is like this....often we find treasure as we navigate the rockiest most unpleasant of spots. 

Today I just fond an old traditional geta.

Though really, I found my treasure in renewing my commitment to choose joy, to be willing to be willing, to allow God to be God....and to trust that He will be manifested. Surrender. 

I made a chicken dinner at the request of Zander and Stacia. 

I inputted a big PWOC library order. Amazon keeps freezing when I try to check out. 

The timing between Japan and SC are just not right and I don't think I can stay up to wait to hear from Michael......hopefully we'll connect early tomorrow a.m. 

I'm going to go read a bit....

Choosing Joy!
©2011 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Granola (Newest Favorite, still tweaking)

Preheat oven to 350*.


Combine and mix to incorporate (I usually heat it all up a bit)
1/3 C Olive Oil (Coconut is good too)
1/3 C Water
1/3 - 1/2 C Honey or Maple Syrup (not sweet - add more if you like sweet)
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 T Vanilla (originally called for 2 tsp vanilla and no almond)
1 tsp Almond
 1/2 tsp Salt (I leave this out as the cashews I can buy are salted)

In a large bowl mix
3 C Oats
1 1/2 C Flakes (Bran, Barley, Quinoa)
1 1/2 C Flour
1 C Nuts (Cashews are my choice)
1/2 C Almonds (or seeds like pumpkin, sunflower etc)
1/2 C Small Seeds (flax, sesame)
1/2 C Oat Bran, Wheat Bran, Flax Meal or Wheat Germ (opt)

Pour and mix wet ingredients into dry.  Spread onto a large jelly roll pan, make it even.  Bake 35-40 min - stir every 15 min, done when it's lightly toasted. 

1 - 1 1/4 C Dried Fruit (I use Craisens...Raisins, currants, apricots, blueberries....) mixed in when granola is cool.

Store in air tight container. Use within 2 weeks. 


Notes: 
For peanut butter granola, use 2/3 C peanut butter instead of the water and increase the salt to a heaping 1/4 tsp.

Adapted from, "What the Bible Says About Healthy Living Cookbook".


Choosing Joy!
©2011 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

My Heavenly Hug

As is often the case when I have something "big" to do (travels, retreat, etc)....I woke up this a.m. and decided to clean my work space (not really a desk as it's the top of a baker's rack in the kitchen)....to the right of the baker's rack is a wire heart.....it often holds things like photos, cards, library notices, bills, letters .... I purchased it years ago and it serves a dual purpose. It has reminded me for years "It's the HEART stupid" or "Intimacy".....


As I've been planning a local Fall Rally and Coordinating a Regional Conference it was cluttered. I decided to pare it down - the rally cry of SIMPLIFY ringing in my ears....un-distracted obedience....keep it simple but meaningful....As I removed the clutter look what I found. 

You might not be able to see, but it's RED (a color I like), it has a crown at the top and the message is so perfect, profound and simple.  The theme I'm living life by these past few months is KINGDOM....and there it is on my heart. 

I love it when God speaks so clearly.  I removed the clutter from my heart and I found His voice....Keep Calm, Carry On....it summarizes His voice to me in the past weeks.....and so I'll leave it just like that as long as I can. 

BTW prayers for our local Fall Rally which kicks off this evening are appreciated. Regional Conference is in November. 

Choosing Joy!
©2011 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...