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Like every self-respecting fox, I have a bolt hole. I run to a Royal Horticultural Society garden not far away called Hyde Hall. It’s peaceful, windy, beautiful and as you breathe the purer air there, you soak in peace and the a little more strength than you came in with.
I avoid people like the plague – they usually want to fix you, not listen. Then of course there are the traditional resorts of a hot bath, plenty of chocolate, a decent drink………
Currently I can’t really do any of the above except the chocolate, so I am eating plenty!!!
good question .i use to call people and complain and complain and on and on.then i got the word to stop complaining .now i get on the net and visit sites like this one and get my faith built back up and go on and do the next right thing.but am working on not complaining.enjoy this site.
I believe that probably just about everyone has their bruises from life..and if you have had even just the smallest connection with churches or ministry I’m even more sure that most everyone has been bruised there. I know personally there was a time that I was wounded so deeply through the church and ministry that i thought thats it who needs this.. I’ll just be this quiet believer live my life according to His word and just stay safely away from all of it. Slowly God revealed to me thats not His plan for our life either.. I believe the biggest lesson I learned is the importance of pressing in even when discouraged and beaten down and feeling the need to throw in the towel or to go lick our wounds. Sometimes we decide to escape too soon and miss what God has planned for us. So I now press into more of God through His word or maybe worship music or a walk in nature to press into Gods presence in just seeking His face not for solutions or answers but just to seek Him, because truly that is what God wants most from us and that is to seek Him just for the reason of desiring to draw into Him not for any wants but just to be with Him, even in the start when we feel unable to feel His presence I urge you to Press in press in press in that your only desire and request is just to be in His presence. He will begin to restore your heart your soul and your spirit without even you even requesting anything from Him. Many of us quit to soon in seeking His presence His leading, the “greatness He has in store for us” If Jesus had to retreat away from the crowds from life and the”church” to spend time with the Father how much more must we need to seek out the Father. I recommend a book Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza . It had a life changing effect on me of faith. Its truly a story of God and faith.
blessings to all.
I go to a local bar and shoot pool with a bunch of old friends whove embraced pain so tightly they are truly in a Big time wrestling match just to survive.Then I remember there is hope and frreedom, that the government isnt run by conspirators and christians arent just hypocrites and these people are really lost in the labrynth of there own pain.Then Ithink how long its been and how far Ive come,then I look where Im at and question how far have I come?
Shalom,
Hugh
Amen, Kathy! I agree!The Lord has been teaching me the lesson of pressing in. Just do it!
Today for me, it is old hymns. They may sound old and hokey, but there’s a lot of wisdom in some of those old hymns. And I have distinct memories of singing them eons ago with family…and it reminds me that I’m not alone. This struggle with our imperfect selves and bodies is ages old. My great-grandmother sang that old hymn, and she wasn’t the first. Someone else sang it before her. And there is comfort in the continuity of our struggle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO4uIyz_d90
a good book. sometimes i just like to lie in bed, read, and space out. that’s comfort for me – the freedom to think.
ha! I am 5 minutes away from opening a beer and watching ESPN
i stay away from people for a while. also, sunday church service is my weekly cleansing bath of sorts. i usually emerge with a better perspective on things
I like to head off and do some fishing or get on my Harley and ride. Or of it is something really big, I just need some quiet time to rest, sleep, pray, read and rest some more.
When my day is not going so well, I have to ask myself some questions. I really need to get some orientation. Sometimes those questions can help me turn the day around really quickly. I’ll ask, is God trying to thwart something in my life, is the enemy invading an area or standing against me, or maybe, has some sin crept in? I guarantee you are not having a crapping day just because.
Once I get an answer, I can act accordingly. If God is trying to thwart something, I submit or align myself depending on the case and movement of the Lord, if the enemy is standing against me or my family, I stand in my authority and get brothers around me to help or if sin has crept in, I repent and speak the truth.
I find most of the time when my day is not going well, is when my intimacy with God is lacking. It almost inevitably moves me toward sanctuary with God.
My sanctuaries are: Folk Music, A Waterfall, Movie Theatre, Snuggling with my Wife… or whatever I can do to get before the Lord!
Thanks for a good thought. I want us all to get before the Lord. He’s a cool cat!
http://www.thesailorsfamily.com
http://www.newwildernessadventures.com
Rebekah used to retreat to “Narnia” when we worked at the group home.
I have to get alone in a room or in the words for some prayer.