http://g-shopper.blogspot.com/RULE OF LIFE: Pray always... Work for Others... Read the Scripturesennoreply@blogger.com (Cheryl)Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:35:15 PSTBlogger http://www.blogger.com1068125Religion & Spirituality/Christianitynoreply@blogger.comnoRULE OF LIFE: Pray always... Work for Others... Read the ScripturesRULE OF LIFE: Pray always... Work for Others... Read the Scriptureshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTheLifeOfABusyWoman/~3/xrb-J-66fY0/to-make-possible-true-inner-silence.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cheryl)Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:35:15 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192731319996436938.post-589179690954335207 To make possible true inner silence, practice: "Silence of the eyes, by seeking always the beauty and goodness of God everywhere, and closing them to the faults of others and to all that is sinful and disturbing to the soul. "Silence of the ears, by listening always to the voice of God and to the cry of the poor and the needy, and closing them to all other voices that come from 2012-02-06T08:35:15.502-05:000http://g-shopper.blogspot.com/2012/02/to-make-possible-true-inner-silence.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTheLifeOfABusyWoman/~3/pJskYnos2Ro/when-is-disciple-made.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cheryl)Sat, 04 Feb 2012 08:00:00 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192731319996436938.post-1695180580802447249 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.  And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles."   (Luke 6:12,13) I am pondering spiritual issues on this cold and dreary Saturday morning.  My bible study will soon start and I'm contemplating the aspects of discipling a group of young 2012-02-04T11:00:00.919-05:000http://g-shopper.blogspot.com/2012/02/when-is-disciple-made.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTheLifeOfABusyWoman/~3/ZWFi3YvXjIk/life-is-like-10-speed-bicycle.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cheryl)Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:48:00 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192731319996436938.post-6519386530364682915 Life is like a 10 speed bicycle.  Most of us have gears we don't use. -Charles Schulz2012-02-02T02:48:00.699-05:000http://g-shopper.blogspot.com/2012/02/life-is-like-10-speed-bicycle.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTheLifeOfABusyWoman/~3/6HiHfTkjnGw/my-thoughts-on-blessings-that-come-from.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cheryl)Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:40:47 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192731319996436938.post-2069699362622845469I notice when my heart is touched by a lectio encounter and I sense that God is summoning me into a new place --- I don't necessarily know what the 'new' revelation will be, it is more often an intuition. Sometimes it happens while I'm teaching and have expressed something in a new way.  I am surprised by my own words or someone may ask a probing question which breaks open the very point the 2012-02-01T07:40:47.980-05:000http://g-shopper.blogspot.com/2012/02/my-thoughts-on-blessings-that-come-from.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTheLifeOfABusyWoman/~3/2H2qeQ2NJUM/my-longings-lie-open-before-you-o-lord.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cheryl)Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:35:25 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192731319996436938.post-8402372739781876580 "My longings lie open before you, O Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you.” ~Ps. 38:9 So I lay myself out on the page…. “A journal can become a sacred place,” writes Magaret Feinberg. “Mere blank pages are transformed into a site where you can record the most intimate parts of your soul. A place where you can travel with your deepest thoughts and confessions. A place where you 2012-01-30T22:35:25.654-05:000http://g-shopper.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-longings-lie-open-before-you-o-lord.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTheLifeOfABusyWoman/~3/_-peX6mjz24/my-return.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cheryl)Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:39:28 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192731319996436938.post-2560369543452812650 I should have given some type of warning before taking such a long hiatus.  After a busy holiday season, several situations fell into my lap that needed round the clock attention.  I miss writing and thinking through life here and I've decided it's time to return with the following focus:  to dwell on scripture, continue to write out my thoughts, and grow in generosity (give away more than I 2012-01-30T07:39:28.996-05:000http://g-shopper.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-return.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTheLifeOfABusyWoman/~3/61bK2HaOim4/blogging-explained.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cheryl)Sun, 25 Dec 2011 23:47:00 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192731319996436938.post-5392881805691305742 "If the word inspiration is to have any meaning, it must mean that the writer ...is writing something that he does not wholly understand." --TS Elliot 2011-12-26T02:47:00.059-05:000http://g-shopper.blogspot.com/2011/12/blogging-explained.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTheLifeOfABusyWoman/~3/0-3-F1-amcE/rest.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cheryl)Sat, 24 Dec 2011 00:35:00 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192731319996436938.post-3378765149042885368 "He smiles gratitude and tallies the flax to my list.  There is only the sound of his pencil slow scratching out the math of my total.  What is hurry in this world that has let the world go on ahead? On my way down the lane I notice collections of women in the long waving grasses of the pasture, their black aprons blowing too in the breeze.  A line of men parallel the fence, leaning on the 2011-12-24T03:35:00.869-05:000http://g-shopper.blogspot.com/2011/12/rest.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTheLifeOfABusyWoman/~3/dKc0YYCuXi4/blog-post_23.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cheryl)Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:49:00 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192731319996436938.post-2252976951232164566 2011-12-23T03:49:00.170-05:000http://g-shopper.blogspot.com/2011/12/blog-post_23.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTheLifeOfABusyWoman/~3/mwGLwPTvpKc/welcoming-nest.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cheryl)Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:02:01 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192731319996436938.post-24448261470088358 A nest is a home prepared from everyday fragments: twigs, dry grasses, pebbles, mud, feathers, and many other little bits of very ordinary things.  During this Advent season, I am reminded that instead of preparing a nest that will welcome an egg and future life, I am getting a Christ-home ready within my life.  I am trying to prepare a dwelling place for the Lord, a warm, well hollowed, 2011-12-22T01:02:01.947-05:000http://g-shopper.blogspot.com/2011/12/welcoming-nest.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTheLifeOfABusyWoman/~3/LKSczvNKcbs/blog-post.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cheryl)Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:37:00 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192731319996436938.post-9021831491422932472 2011-12-21T03:37:00.095-05:000http://g-shopper.blogspot.com/2011/12/blog-post.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTheLifeOfABusyWoman/~3/vmlacz5gy9o/am-i-ready-to-admit-that-mask-is.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cheryl)Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:32:00 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192731319996436938.post-1301867671148225202 "Am I ready to admit that the mask is a disguise put on to cover up the insecure self? And the amour - a shield to protect the vulnerable self?  Am I ready to reveive a new self, based not on what I can achieve, but on what I am willing to receive?" --Esther de Waal.2011-12-19T03:32:00.078-05:000http://g-shopper.blogspot.com/2011/12/am-i-ready-to-admit-that-mask-is.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTheLifeOfABusyWoman/~3/15BYsoniZr4/he-says-it-quietly.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cheryl)Fri, 16 Dec 2011 22:18:00 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192731319996436938.post-5690123495685747153 He says it quietly ...then looks up, searches me, eyes beseeching. 'Do you really like it?' I don't know why it is so hard to believe that our work is any good.  Why is it so hard to believe?  Because we don't believe we are any good. But what if God does? -Ann Voskamp, Holy Experience blog2011-12-17T01:18:00.416-05:000http://g-shopper.blogspot.com/2011/12/he-says-it-quietly.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTheLifeOfABusyWoman/~3/ASOBesaHXCw/dietrich-bonhoeffer-theologian-who-was.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cheryl)Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:47:09 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192731319996436938.post-5768548427535330491 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, theologian who was martyred by the Nazi's during WW2, wrote these words on what it means to live in community.  Bonhoeffer reminds us we are the body of Christ and to one another a connected community. "The Christian needs another Christian who speaks God's Word to him.  He needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged, for by himself he 2011-12-16T08:47:09.805-05:000http://g-shopper.blogspot.com/2011/12/dietrich-bonhoeffer-theologian-who-was.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTheLifeOfABusyWoman/~3/PjzxwPwkpCg/in-all-things.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cheryl)Thu, 15 Dec 2011 01:16:01 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192731319996436938.post-8506415910787371351 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute 2011-12-15T04:16:01.850-05:000http://g-shopper.blogspot.com/2011/12/in-all-things.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTheLifeOfABusyWoman/~3/MBJiSOBlUlw/only-if-you-lose-your-life-for-my-sake.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cheryl)Wed, 14 Dec 2011 04:08:50 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192731319996436938.post-3861971285551777093 "Only if you lose your life for my sake will you find it." Jesus was talking about those vulnerable times in our lives, those moments when we are asked to shed our armor and to risk relationships.  He asks us to open ourselves to risk trying something new  -so that-  how we have been blessed can be shared.   But being vulnerable does not mean being weak and allowing anyone or anything to hurt2011-12-14T07:08:50.457-05:000http://g-shopper.blogspot.com/2011/12/only-if-you-lose-your-life-for-my-sake.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTheLifeOfABusyWoman/~3/uo6PduY9Ido/on-one-of-my-retreat-days-this-past.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cheryl)Tue, 13 Dec 2011 05:53:24 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192731319996436938.post-7255395578389248039On one of my retreat days this past fall, I stooped to pick up a fallen leaf.  I was walking along a path - heart deep into reflection - when the leaf suddenly symbolized all that I had been wrestling with.  Very neatly eaten out of the leaf was a hole, thumbprint size.  The tiny chomp marks of a caterpillar could be easily seen.  My worn spirit looked long at that leaf.  I said to myself, 'I 2011-12-13T08:53:24.892-05:000http://g-shopper.blogspot.com/2011/12/on-one-of-my-retreat-days-this-past.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTheLifeOfABusyWoman/~3/qSQgwTC8Zs8/difficult-times.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cheryl)Thu, 08 Dec 2011 04:01:22 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192731319996436938.post-4670112678312360152  "Not all ministries are easy or fruitful. God has called some of you to labor in tough places.  I believe that some day when you get to heaven God will say, 'Well done good and faithful servant.  You had a tough call.  I want you to meet another one who had a tough call.  Come here and let me introduce you to Jeremiah." --Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek Community Church 2011-12-08T07:01:22.985-05:000http://g-shopper.blogspot.com/2011/12/difficult-times.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTheLifeOfABusyWoman/~3/MZbNEEdiyUc/how-to-compost-your-failures.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cheryl)Fri, 02 Dec 2011 05:40:39 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192731319996436938.post-7181179737603572013 My compliments to Michael Hyatt at Intentional Leadership for posting a great article from Mary DeMuth on dealing with failure.  I repost it here… "I lamented that I’d let weeds take over my flowerbeds. I didn’t have garbage can space, and my composter died in a windstorm, so I was left with a pile of uprooted weeds. They screamed failure to me.  That is, until God whispered, “You can compost2011-12-02T08:40:39.208-05:000http://g-shopper.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-compost-your-failures.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTheLifeOfABusyWoman/~3/S67P4MGvORg/black-friday-shopping-with-my-girls.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cheryl)Fri, 02 Dec 2011 07:22:05 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192731319996436938.post-3690753179642449775 We arrived at Target around 10:30p - the line was already wrapped half way around the building :)  We huddled together wrapped in a blanket because we were SO COLD!!   Now this is fun!!!  2011-12-02T10:22:05.808-05:000http://g-shopper.blogspot.com/2011/11/black-friday-shopping-with-my-girls.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTheLifeOfABusyWoman/~3/mem-d2oAaF0/there-is-no-event-so-commonplace-but.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cheryl)Fri, 18 Nov 2011 04:12:50 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192731319996436938.post-4009914868676044657 "There is no event so commonplace but that God is present within it, always hiddenly, always leaving you room to recognize Him or not... Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the    HOLY and hidden art of it, 2011-11-18T07:12:50.456-05:000http://g-shopper.blogspot.com/2011/11/there-is-no-event-so-commonplace-but.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTheLifeOfABusyWoman/~3/Kg7ObmYZz78/victory-of-prayer.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cheryl)Thu, 17 Nov 2011 04:00:32 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192731319996436938.post-2458231712515391876 The knowledge that victory comes from the Lord humbles us to the place of prayer.  It is not magnificent schemes, finances or great plans that give us victory.  It is the Lord!  Without Him we can do nothing.  Pride will make us ignore God and do it alone.  Humility will acknowledge that even in the least of things we need to involve God. -Simon Mbevi2011-11-17T07:00:32.896-05:000http://g-shopper.blogspot.com/2011/11/victory-of-prayer.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTheLifeOfABusyWoman/~3/Vcy_vrzD8Ag/peace.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cheryl)Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:37:00 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192731319996436938.post-808351823578458635 It may be that when we no longer know what to dowe have come to our real work,and that when we no longer know which way to gowe have come to our real journey.The mind that is not baffled is not employed.The impeded stream is the one that sings. --Wendell Berry Barry's words found me yesterday and they became a breath of fresh air to my soul.  I am weary, but I have heard His call to 2011-11-15T03:37:00.122-05:000http://g-shopper.blogspot.com/2011/11/peace.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTheLifeOfABusyWoman/~3/KxPkHhm0J-Y/ask-where-good-way-is-and-walk-in-it.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cheryl)Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:01:25 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192731319996436938.post-484479903833714062 "Ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls."   Jeremiah 6:162011-11-14T08:01:25.025-05:000http://g-shopper.blogspot.com/2011/11/ask-where-good-way-is-and-walk-in-it.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTheLifeOfABusyWoman/~3/1Zxe_-lGClM/i-was-once-young-and-now-i-am-old-but.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cheryl)Wed, 09 Nov 2011 22:20:00 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192731319996436938.post-1881770518679135924 "I was once young and now I am old, but not once have I been witness to God's failure to supply my need when first I had given for the furtherance of His work.  He has never failed in His promise, so I cannot fail in my service to him." -William Carey, (1761-1834, Baptist missionary to India2011-11-10T01:20:00.464-05:000http://g-shopper.blogspot.com/2011/11/i-was-once-young-and-now-i-am-old-but.htmlnonadult