Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Joy, Joy, Joy

Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.  Psalm 51:12

My joy isn't in the past.  My joy isn't in the future.  My joy is in the here and now.  No one can take my joy from me without my permission.  Now, I ask you, why would any of us allow someone else the power to take away our joy?!!   God restores us and teaches us to abide in Him.  This is at the core of joy.  God never lets us out of His sight and He always has great things to teach us when we will be still and quiet long enough to hear Him.
Those times you come to visit and haven't read a recent post, remember I'm not gone far and I will be back!  There are days at a time I don't sit down to the computer, and even those days you are in my thoughts and prayers.  I hope you are at peace and that you have joy overflowing.  If you aren't feeling joyful right now, ask God to "restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me."  And He will!!  Trust Him!  Remember the song, "I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart to stay." "I've got the love of Jesus, love of Jesus down in my heart, down in my heart to stay."
Have a wonderful day! Love, Nan

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Rest in Thee, O Lord

Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee, O Lord.
Augustine

With God all things are possible. Matthew 19:26

Though my mind has not been at rest of late, hence, the absence of Nan's Calendar for the past several days, I continue to rest in the Lord.  Does that sound like a contradiction of terms?  I feel every word in that first sentence is absolute truth in my mind.  I know that the thoughts and concerns I've experienced lately are temporary and I won't always feel as I do right now.  Sometimes the mind and the spirit do not move in perfect unison.  Why am I sharing this with you, you may wonder.  I share this with you because I'm real and I'm not perfect.  I don't always have perfect thoughts.  Things don't always go as I would rather they go.  It's not about me sharing vivid details with you here, but rather keeping in touch even though I don't currently feel hugely inspired to write.
I've heard it said, "you can't give what you don't have."  I still have love in my heart and I want to share that love even in the midst of thoughts that are cloudy.  My purpose in writing Nan's Calendar has always been to uplift, inspire and encourage.  I'm stepping beyond myself as I sit here and draw my thoughts to you and away from self.
I wonder how you felt when you've visited this site and didn't find a new message awaiting you.  I hope you've prayed for me.  I think you must have, because I sense an energy that has pulled me here to the computer.  This has not been an easy message to write, but I didn't want anyone to think I have abandoned my station.  I remain steadfast in faith and continue to thirst for communion with the Lord.  I will drink deeply of the Living Water He has provided to quench my thirst.
I continue to pray for you and all that concerns you and your loved ones.
Take care and enjoy this beautiful day.  Love, Nan

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Spiritual milk and a rose!!!

What do spiritual milk and a rose have in common?????  Read on and you will know!

1 Corinthians 3:1-2
Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly - mere infants in Christ.  I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it.  Indeed, you are still not ready...... (written by the apostle Paul)

Hebrews 5:11-14
We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn.  In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again.  You need milk, not solid food!   Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.  But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil..... (this author did not identify himself in this book, but some believe it was Paul, while others believe it may have been Luke, Apollos or Barnabas)

1 Peter 2:1-3
Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.  Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (written by the apostle Peter)

It's easy to discern what these scriptures all have in common, right!  It's spiritual milk!  We need frequent feedings of God's truths to sustain us each day.  Every single one of us is in need of either spiritual milk or in need of God's bread of life, depending on our stage of development.  I know a very special lady I will call my Michelle who has continually been fed spiritual milk and now she is partaking of the most wonderful, healthiest food ever prepared!  She is being nourished by the bread of life!  I am so happy for her and her progress.  My Michelle and I have never met in person (yet), but I am bursting at the seams for joy for her and how far she has come since "meeting" a number of years ago.  Because she is hungry for frequent feedings of God's truths, she is growing in leaps and bounds!  She is very intelligent, caring, loving, funny, and she is beautiful.  She is like a magnificent rose that I have "watched" grow from a bare root rose whose root system has stretched and reached for the Living Water for nourishment and has been given all the nutrients to not only survive, but to thrive in any condition.  Her beautiful green leaves grew and one day I saw a tiny rosebud and now her true colors are showing.  She is blossoming before my eyes and what a sight to behold!  Her fragrance is sweet to the senses by the way she lives her life.  Right, I'm not with her every day to witness the way she lives her life, but I know her by her words.  I feel the presence of the Holy Spirit glowing inside of her as she shares her thoughts with me.  She didn't get to where she is overnight nor did I nor will you.  We are all a work in progress.  God isn't finished with us yet.  We still have more growing to do and there are more roses to come!

Where are you in your spiritual development?  Are you still in need of spiritual milk or have you moved on to solid food?  Either way, make sure you have frequent feedings.  Take care and remember I love you!  Nan


Monday, May 9, 2011

Bring on the music

Perhaps if words are mind to mind, music is soul to soul.
Sheila Walsh

I love the music I hear in church.  It isn't only the lyrics I love.  It is truly the music itself.  I have attended a lot of churches over the years and I know when my spirit leaps in my chest from experiencing soul stirring music.  One thing I treasure about the location of my Sunday School class is its proximity to the choir room.  It's a big church and I've never been in the choir room, but as we have our class, we can hear the choir rehearsing and sometimes, as we are involved in a very profound part of the lesson, we hear what sounds like a choir of angels singing above our heads and the music is breathtaking.  So, before we even enter the sanctuary to prepare for the sermon, we have had the pleasure of a "preview" of the wonderful music we will hear for a second time in the sanctuary.
Music prepares our soul for God to speak to us and music releases whatever is inside of us, whether we are full of grief or joy.  I thank God for the gift of music.  If you haven't listened to some beautiful music lately, do yourself a favor and allow yourself the quiet time to experience God through soothing, relaxing, music.  As well, music can be invigorating and very stimulating, prompting us to become motivated and activated.    There are so many amazing types of music that I can't recommend one over the other.  Some prefer classical while others prefer jazz.  As nimble fingers float across the keys of a piano, peace and joy float through the spirit, lifting it.  When the spirit is lifted higher than the ego, amazing things happen!

Let us come before Him (God) with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song.  Psalm 95:2

Make beautiful music a part of your day today!  Love, Nan