SWEET FELLOWSHIP: MEDITATION MONDAY

QUESTIONS:

1. Have you ever just called a sister to talk about what you learned from Sundays Bible class or sermon?


2. Have you ever sat down and written the Bible class teacher or preacher a letter of thanks?


3. Have you ever spent time in prayer thanking GOD for how He ministers to you through these Sunday lessons?


4. Have you ever just spent some time throughout the week meditating on what GOD put on your heart via lessons on Sunday?

A little bit of forethought on Sunday or early Monday can lead to the most hectic of Mondays being MEDITATION MONDAY!!!

.

We all have different ways of organizing our lives...mine is via a little notebook/journal book that I keep in my purse. They've been different sizes over the years. My current one is 4" x 7". I've had many because my working memory has proven to need help repeatedly over the years. I usually go through one of these every 2-3 months. My current book shows that I have been extra busy. Actually, it's because I took 45 pages of notes (back/front) at the Women of Faith conference. This book, I started on 8/15 and today, I am about 3/4 of the way through it. Here are some things that my current one includes:

• Inside cover has a new addition: a place to record the times when I call my mom, Kathleen and my sister-in-law, Sandi. Mom has alzheimers; it's a terrible disease. It can be overwhelming for the caretakers. She lives with my brother and his wife. My sister-in-law, Sandi, does the lions share of serving mom. I need to be more diligent expressing my thankfulness, connecting and being aware of how I can serve from long distance. I plan to talk more about mom next Sunday, on her birthday.


• Crystal's orientation info at Rochester College and names of new people we met
• lists of needs for setting her up in her dorm room
• sermon notes while in Michigan
• FAFSA rules
• notes on a book I was reading
• Rowan Univ. names/connections/guidelines for my new job
• notes from conversations/discussions on or off the phone to help me rememeber
• grocery lists
• bill reminders
• phone calls to make
  .

OH, GOD, YOU ARE AMAZING! Right this minute as I am thumbing through my little book, the next page has an address in it that I've been looking for and praying about for 3+ days...here I am sitting and typing about being a Transformed Mom: MEDITATION MONDAY and at first I thought..."oh, I'll just give a general summary list of what might be in a notebook"...but this little voice kept saying, "No! You need to go through your book so they get the idea of how random the entries might be."

.

Well, I did listen and right this minute GOD led me to my address AND you get to see how He worked, once again, through my randomness...Do I hear a "Glory!"????? Okay, so you get the idea of what might be in my book. More than anything, I hope you "get" that when you meditate on GOD, His will, and His word that He shows up in the details of your day! It's a big part of the SWEET FELLOWSHIP in the lives of christians. I've experienced it over and over again!

.

So, what are some things that I wrote down in my book yesterday? My notebook is right here for me to re-read as I head into my very full Monday. Here are 2 of my 4 lesson connections from yesterday that I want to think and pray about this week. I will add more things to my notebook from my Tuesday morning ladies class and Wednesday night HOW GOD DOES FAMILY CLASS.

.

1. Mary Lea, one of our elders wives, taught a very large group of our ladies in a packed fellowship hall. Some things I wrote down from her class that I will meditate on this week:

• HOW CANDY CAN REPRESENT OUR JOURNEY OF MOTHERHOOD: Mary Lea passed out 2 kinds of candy: Peppermint candy symbolized the contrasts of her motherhood experience (both sweet and not so sweet); Dove Chocolate symbolized the rich sweetness that occurred more and more as she let the Holy Spirit lead her from motherhood and on into grandmotherhood. She said, "This represents: I am loved and was given the Holy Spirit to help and comfort me in this life." (Reminds me of the song: "There's a sweet sweet Spirit in this place and I know that it's the Spirit of the LORD...")



• TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS starts with parental control slowly leading to more choice for a child (concept of giving them ROOTS and WINGS - lots of connections to different posts made recently including one on CHOICE). First example, she taught her kids to listen to the sermon by writing some words at the top of a paper and the kids made tally marks under a word every time they heard the preacher say that word...words like God, Christ, love, peace....at the end of the service they'd compare notes and see which word "won"...great discussion could follow later... Second example, as kids became older and began to sit with friends during services - in front of and within eye shot of parents, they got used to Mary Lea's throat clearing...important for family to be able to laugh their way through puberty...Third example, opening home to other children to let them see that they too can have a hope and a future...this trained her children to live the golden rule...always looking for someone else to bless...Debbie, a single mom and her daughter, Lauren, spent so much time with the Thompson's that Lauren often thought she was a Thompson...funny thing is she married someone from far away and guess what her last name is now? You guessed it - Thompson!


• FONDEST MEMORIES OF CHILDREN AS THEY LOOK BACK: These may not always be what parents expect. In their case, what parents thought might turn their kids off to church ended up being THE MEMORY! The 30 minute trip to church meant a minimum of 3 hours a week in the car together as family. Wonderful memories were made with singing, telling stories, laughing, connecting...


• GOD IS IN THE DETAILS OF EVERYTHING: When their young son Todd had a large tumor wrapped around his small intestine, it was surgically removed. They prayed fervently during the 4 days that it was being evaluated...all the while they experienced a peace that passes understanding. Doctor said, "I guess the LORD changed that tumor of your sons because this is not what I thought I took out of him...this is non-cancerous."


• "WINGS PART IS HARDER THAN ROOTS PART!"

2. Steve's sermon on James 4: Steve and I are so opposite, in personality and preferences. So, over the years we have found ourselves in some high level disagreements. We had one of those this week as we were preparing for our Wednesday class...what a great introduction to a sermon over James 4! When Steve asked me before church, this morning, what I remembered about our Wednesday conflict, I said, "I don't remember! ... You forgave me and I forgave you!" We have found that the more we practice following in JESUS footsteps and truly practice forgiveness...the better life is. In spite of mine and Steve's few differences, He is my kind of preacher! Yet, it's so easy for me to forget points he makes because his sermons are SOOOO full of good information AND application.

.

POINT: If you argue...do not sin!

APPLICATION: Have you done things in front of your kids that you need to pray that they will forget AND that you will never do again?

• Did you know that there were more than 10 commandments in the Old Testament? In fact, there are also 613 moral laws!

• Did you know that there are 108 verses in the little book of James? And, in fact, 58 of them are direct commands. Look at James 4...Steve talked about how they resemble the 10 commandments. I'm thinking, "How about the Be-Attitudes, too?"
  • 1. Submit to God (4:7)
  •2. Resist the Devil (4:7)
  •3. Draw near to God (4:8)
  •4. Cleanse your hands (4:8)
  •5. Purify your hearts (4:8)
  •6. REPENT: Be Miserable and mourn and weep (4:9)
  •7. Humble yourselves (4:10)
  •8. Do not speak against (4:11)
  •9. Say if the Lord wills (4:15)
  •10. If you know the right thing to do – DO IT! (4:17)
  
  


• STEVE'S SERMON CONNECTIONS WITH MARY LEA'S LESSON AND BLOG: 1. Daily pray for wisdom without doubting; 2. Say, "if the LORD wills..." God's not against our plans, He just wants to be in the midst of them to give us a hope and a future; 3. Worldliness is cancer!; 4. If you know the right thing to do, then do it!; 5. Make a CHOICE: Heaven vs. Hell, Earthly Wisdom vs. Wisdom from Above, Righteousness vs. Worldliness; 6. What verse has GOD laid on Your heart today?...it's not the preachers job it's the HOLY SPIRIT'S; 7. FORGIVENESS fills in the blanks for many things (see Steve's blog)..


• 
  

Well, I think we're full of things to meditate about:

1. Talk to God about these things!


2. Talk to your spouse or children about these things!


3. Talk to a sister about these things!
   

Now, that's SWEET FELLOWSHIP!

.

If , after all this, you're still looking for more to meditate on on Monday, I suggest you visit Patrick Mead's link and read his last Friday post - it's a keeper!

.