Whatever He Says

I want to offer him A virgin heart each morning A blank page On which the Master's hand May write a loving lesson A love note I want to lay it down A sacrificial offering A pure heart And yet I come to him With heart already cluttered A half heart I want to live for him In action as in discourse A true life To really put him first And give to him unflinching A whole heart This poem birthed itself this morning as I was thinking about the fact that a whole month has gone by since I began my quest to develop three key habits: A daily Sacred Hour A good night's sleep each night A weekly Sabbath--celebrating it as a day of true rest Results? Well, not perfection, I am afraid, but I'm not giving up. My daily Sacred Hour has sometimes been a Sacred Half Hour, but I have had many whole hours and it has been so good. The hour goes by so fast, and I love to have unhurried time with God. I do struggle to get to bed on time, being by nature more of a night owl, but I am trying, because...

Matthew 6:25 (New International Version) 25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear ... or, about what you will write! It is so easy in my relationship with God for a shift to happen so that instead of what comes out of me here being the fruit of my time with him, my time with him can very easily become a means to the end of having something to write. I have practiced The Sacred Hour this week. The first time, I found that as I quietened my soul before God, my thoughts began popping and I instinctively and automatically reached for pen and journal to capture them. There is nothing wrong with journalling, but suddenly I was writing, not listening for his whisper. Matthew Kelly in his book, The Rhythm of Life , warns about this. He says that as soon as you begin to pray you will feel an itch, or remember a load of laundry that needs to be put in the dryer, or you will be uncomfortable in the position ...

Isaiah 26:8 (New International Version) 8 Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. In this time between times--between the crazy crunch of Christmas and the unfolding of a new year, I quiet my heart before the One who lives outside of time. This verse from Isaiah captures and expresses my heart's longing for the year to come. His name and renown is the desire of my heart. I wrote on Saturday of Matthew Kelly’s rule of the Sacred Hour and how I wanted to build that into my life. One reader left a comment that she would love a Sacred Ten Minutes ! God knows where we are in our lives. I remember how I cherished moments when Mr. Dressup or The Friendly Giant were on when our children were small. They were my sacred moments back then. Now I have no good reason why I could not have a Sacred Hour and if I don't, I have to be honest and say that I have chosen other things instead that are literally worth less. I...

Saturday morning and it is raining hard, tapping on skylights and cascading from gutters. The hills are shrouded in a curtain of mist. It is the perfect morning to cocoon. I enjoy the quiet of the house; a stillness unbroken from the inside by even the hum of dryer or distant chatter of a program on T.V.. Yesterday children and grandchildren filled the house. Shreds of wrapping paper and empty boxes surrounded the Christmas tree. Carols played on the stereo in the background, mixing with the sound of children's voices, laughter and play, and the murmur of conversation. It was a wonderful day. But I cherish the post-celebration hush that descends. It is a time to reflect; to ponder the old and listen for the new. As I washed Brussels sprouts and rolled out pastry while preparing for our family Christmas dinner, I listened to an audio book by author and speaker Matthew Kelly. I heard him speak at the Lead Like Jesus conference I attended in October and found him a dynamic speaker so ...