Last night was yet another in my overpacked life of schedules and meetings and stuff. But, it’s also one of times I can spend some time talking about God, and prayer, and just focus on Him in a way that I can’t seem to do otherwise.

We had an UNBound meeting. Holly is praying and feels called to take the Beauty Within Seminar on a more regional, possibly national level. It’s exciting to be a part of anything like that. We’ve been meeting for a few months. Sometimes is turns into a shoutfest of excitement, because we have so many ideas to share. But last night, Holly had a schedule, and we stayed focused, and got a lot accomplished. But our accomplishment may not be what you are thinking. What Holly said at the end was that God has called her and she believes the group, to soak Him in, wait on His perfect timing. Grow in Him. Pray. She believes that we must not allow anticipation turn into anxiety, and I think she sensed we were heading in that direction. I love when she basically gave us permission to relax in God. I mean really if you think about it, what other way is there to live? It’s hard when world standard and norm is fast passed, panicked, paranoid. Psalm 23 isn’t meant to bring comfort in an ideal situation, or at least in only an ideal situation. God was fully aware that our times of extreme stress and just life would cause us to contemplate everything.

It was Megan’s birthday, so we had some dip and cake and hung out. Then Mark had a basketball game, to see if both Chapel Grove teams would be playing each other for the championship. They won, and they are. I came up with a nick name for Mark’s team. Their jerseys are navy blue, and some of them are old-so I call them “Old Navy.” Get it???

Chloe got home way to late, and we had to get her an outfit ready for team hat day, only to find out it was ACC team hat day, so we had to start all over again this morning. I was so tired. I am so tired.

At our meeting last night Holly asked us all to list our prayers, so that we can lift one another up. Several of us talked about the feeling of “overwhelmed.” I am right there. One of the only things that stuck in my mind during the Tony Evans series we watched at church a few years back was finding strength in God. When God calls us to do anything, we will have power give to us by the Holy Spirit to do it. We will some how be able. When we do things in our own power, that’s a different story. God may call you to many things, and you will be able to do them. But it’s when we (I) add in my own plan and agenda, even though it may be good, that I begin to suffer. I read this yesterday morning, and said “MHM”
Genesis 11 1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As men moved eastward, [a] they found a plain in Shinar [b] and settled there.
3 They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 6 The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”
I love when Holly said “How’s your quiet time? How’s your Bible study time?” Mine has suffered, and it’s not what I want it to be. At fault of ME. Notice in verse 3 “they said to each other.” They were consulting themselves and one another, but not God. When we loose our time of God speaking to us, when we fail to keep the lines of constant communication going-we will plan things or do things that may be good, just not best. We don’t need to settle for anything less than best when it comes to what God wants.
I want to encourage you today, spend time with God. To hear from Him. To talk to Him. Meagan brought up Psalm 42 last night. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2042;&version=31; I loved that in that passage, David is pouring out His honest feelings to the One who knows anyway. That’s freedom. To be completely ME, completely honest, spiritual nakedness.
I’ve got a lot to think about, to pray about, to LISTEN about. Do you?