Quiet Time

Everyone needs a little quiet time.  Nay likes to hide behind chairs, tables, under the bed and in corners in order to get quiet time.  Zeke is very content to lay by my side for his quiet time.  "Quiet time" is what I call time that you have space and peace.

When I get in the car, for my 50 minute drive to work, I really love to listen to a book on audio. Sometimes, it's kind of odd.  When a man reads a bpok and he tries to sound like a girl when the female characters speak it makes me laugh.  Once I listened to this lady who was a professional puppeteer.  The voices were comical and cartoon like, I couldn't make it through the book~  Usually, some of the readers grow on me and I enjoy it.

I also like to listen to music.  Loudly.  There's something about a song that can uplift the soul, change your emotions, or just encourage. 

There are also moments where I like "quiet time".  It is time that I reflect and meditate.  There is truly something about "quiet" that allows you to hear God.  "Being still" truly allows you to seek God.  It's a time where I may sit and empty my mind of all things and wait.  Once you can find that moment..not necessarily in prayer or in reading...but just in stillness, it is an experience that allows you hear God....not audibly, but yet hear Him.

For me it is usually a message of love and one of encouragement, because my God knows that's what this girl needs.  I find that quiet time is never enough, never truly appreciated, but once I sit and do it....it can change the course of the rest of my day.

Quiet time for my puppies are different.  For Nay, in her old age, it is often.  For Zeke, it is rare...usually after complete exhaustion (even as I type this he's chewing a bone while Nay is knocked out!).  For me..I guess I am kind of like Nay...the older I get the more I realize I need it.  May God help me to "be still".

Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God..."

Do you call yourself a Christian?  I do.  I think there are people though, who have not grasped what being a true Christian means.  You see, a lot of people in the world watch Christians and wait for them to "trip up".  What these people are missing is that being a christian is not about "who I am" but it is "about who HE IS". 

You see, if I were really perfect, I wouldn't need Christ.   I need Christ because I am a sinner.  And I need Christ because I fail. When things are tough, and I worry, I need Christ to make me strong.  When I am at my lowest and not the person I should be, Christ is there to convict me and make me better.

I ask you not to look at who you think I am, or even who you think I SHOULD BE, because while here on earth I will never be what I should be and I will only cause room for you to doubt.  I ask that you look at who HE IS. It is by HIM that I call myself a christian.  I am humbled to be called a child of God and I am grateful that He loves me, not matter who I am and no matter what I do.  I pray God gives me a love for others...as He loves me.

Earthquake in Japan

It has been a while since I've blogged.  I have attempted several this evening but it just doesn't seem right that I can blog about anything without even mentioning what is going on in Japan today. 

My family lives in Japan, but it is southern Japan and so far it seems they are safe.  My mom still has 3 sisters living.  One of them lives here with her husband.  The other two still live in Japan with their families.   My aunt here has been trying to get through but it seems the phones are so busy we cannot.  It seems though that all is okay.

Yesterday evening, as I thought about what was happening it made me sick to my stomach.  I could see the cars trying to out drive the tsunami.  I saw a man in his house, floating in the water...waving a white towel in hope of rescue.  It saddens me to see how terribly frightening it all must've been.  It saddens me to see the lives that were lost in this disaster.

I pray for these families and for Japan that they might recover.  I have no doubt they will.  I have seen Hiroshima today....more than 60 years after the atomic bomb.  It is one of the largest cities I have ever been to.  I believe that the Japanese are tough people, strong and determined to succeed.

On the other hand, I hope that through this they might find God.  Nothing brings us to our knees more than experiencing life's tragedies.  Whether it be losing a loved one to natural causes or losing a loved one to an earthquake disaster, we must consider eternity. 

I pray that the rescuers will find survivors, I pray that the survivors will be safe during the aftermath of nuclear power plants, tsunamis, and after shocks.  I pray that God will offer mercy and grace to those that remain, and I pray that the people of Japan will see it.

Have you considered eternity?