HIDDEN SPRINGS 3

Hi Everyone,

In the last couple of weeks, I have talked about the hidden spring of Worship and the hidden spring of Bible reading.

Today I want to talk about the 'hidden spring' of creativity.  

I read online last year a little list of mental health points.  It discussed various feelings of down, and among them was 'feeling empty'.  On that afternoon that was actually how I felt.  It said, if you feel empty, do something creative.  

Now, this is a bit of a new/old thing for me.  It's old because I suspect I have always loved to be creative, but now new because I have discovered a new area in which to be creative.

It all started last year during our lockdown period when I had the opportunity to do an online watercolour painting course.  I had never done watercolour painting, but I do love art.  With a few nerves and a lot of excitement, I started out.  

Why am I calling this a 'hidden spring'?  Because this creative outlet brings no pressure with it. It

doesn't have to be perfect, it's not going to get graded and I can just 'play around'. With that comes a lot of joy and delight.  

There is so much that HAS TO BE DONE, we all need to step back and do something fun that doesn't have to be done.  

When trying to relax and refuel it is easy to collapse in front of a screen, whether it is the TV or our devices.  And there are definitely times for that. But if that's all we do we can often come away feeling flat.

To actually DO something just for the fun of it is rejuvenating. 

So whether it's art, gardening, making something, cooking something different, sewing, composing or writing, photography, or whatever; find time to 'play around' and activate the creative side of your soul.

Remember that mental health tip, about when we feel empty, to do something creative?  Well, that afternoon that is just what I did and I found it so satisfying.

I have a couple of questions for you.  

• When was the last time you tried something new?
• Do you have a creative outlet in your life, just for the fun of it?

"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."  1 Corinthians 10:31

Until next time,

with love,

Lynda xx

HIDDEN SPRINGS 2

 Hi everyone,

I hope you have had a good week. For myself, it was really about getting back into the swing of work and getting things put in place for this year.  However, yesterday we had a visit from old friends.  These friends go way back to before I met Jeff, and we have crossed paths occasionally over the years.  

We've heard it said so many times that the test of true friendship is that you pick up right where you left, no matter how long it has been. Well, yesterday proved to be a case in point!  

It was so good to see you, Karen & Michael!  

Last week I talked about the 'well of worship'.  

Today I want to talk about the 'Well of The Word'... Specifically the Scriptures.

One of the things I appreciate about my home is that water is on tap... inside the house.  I don't have to go to a well outside, up the street or across town.  I know that is the norm for many people in the world still today.  It was certainly normal for people in Bible Times.  

In my mind, that would be a laborious task and I'm always in awe of Rebecca who watered all those camels at the well for this stranger, who turned out to become her servant! (Genesis 24)

When it comes to creating Scripture reading habits, sometimes it can feel a bit laborious.  It shouldn't, we have the Bible on tap, in print and on our phones. It's already freely at our disposal.  We don't have to go anywhere to access it.. and yet for many of us, daily attention to The Word is a difficult habit to cultivate.

Let me share a very practical piece of advice. Get a reading plan.  The value of this is twofold.  

1.  You don't have to make the decision of, "what should I read today".  The plan tells you!

2.  You find yourself reading all of the Scriptures, not just the favourite bits!  It is so important that we get the 'broad brush' of Scripture because any stand-alone passage is best understood in the big picture.

I imagine this process to be like letting the bucket down into the well.  

Now a couple of practical tips...

If I miss a day, I don't try and play catch up, unless I want to!  This is not about ticking boxes, it's about nourishing our souls.  The reason for this is that it makes the discipline harder if we feel the need to catch up.  Remember His mercies are new EVERY MORNING.  Each new day is a fresh start, so don't drag yesterdays lapse into today.

I know that many of you read the Scriptures from your phone, following a reading plan. But for those who prefer paper, I have the reading plan stuck in the front of my Bible so it's always there.  I lose things easily, so don't want to sabotage the habit by having to find something important that I've lost!

Finally, a word of encouragement.  Many times I have come to a passage and thought, 'this is going to be boring!' only to find that The Holy Spirit breathes on it in such a way, that even that boring bit was just what I needed to hear on that day!

Let me encourage you to dig that second well of daily reading of Scripture. It will sustain, nurture and instruct you. Drink deeply and consistently from it and you will flourish!

Until next time,

much love,

Lynda xx

HIDDEN SPRINGS

Hi Everyone,

I'm back after a really great break enjoying family visits over Christmas.  One truly delightful moment was when I had one grandchild on my knee while watching a video about The Roman Colosseum
being built.   I pointed out how clever the builders were as this was built so long ago, "these are really old", I said.  "Older than you gran?" came back the innocent reply!

Classic!  I hope that puts a smile on your face ;)

                                                        Now to "Hidden Springs"      

"Therefore, with joy, you will draw water from the wells of salvation." Isaiah 12:3

Wells are critically important, especially in dry and arid places.  Who would have thought that fresh water can come from underground, but it does.

The promise stated above says that we will joyously draw from wells of salvation.  There are so many places of grace within our salvation, but I want to talk about just one today.

THE WELL OF WORSHIP

The other day I found myself feeling overwhelmed and anxious.  There was some pressure situation that I felt ill-equipped to handle.  A knot had formed in my stomach, and I began to feel myself going into 'flight' mode.

I knew what to do.  I put on some worship music and allowed it to wash through my soul as I cleaned up the kitchen.  Faith and confidence began to rise from deep within me, just like water rising up from a well.  By the time I had done my clean up in the kitchen, fear and anxiety were gone, and I was ready to face what a short while ago, I wanted to run from!

Let me encourage you to dig or re-dig those wells of salvation.  And one of those is worship, and by worship, I mean songs of praise and thanksgiving (because worship is a much broader thing than simply music.)  

I will talk about another well next week... stay tuned!  xo

SIGNS OF NEGLECT!

Ever played 'Jenga'?  I remember playing it as a group exercise at some training once. When it was my turn to pull out a log, I felt so overwhelmed and cranky I had a strong urge to pull a log out without thought, bringing the whole tower down!  

My reaction really surprised me, and I felt it was a bit of a lightbulb moment.

What turns a normally enthusiastic team player into someone that wants to sabotage the whole activity?

"Don’t stare at me because I am dark—

    the sun has darkened my skin.

My brothers were angry with me;

    they forced me to care for their vineyards,

    so I couldn’t care for myself—my own vineyard."  (Song of Songs 1:6 NLT)

If someone could have seen past my good manners, and into my soul that day at Jenga, they would have seen my soul was 'dark'.  

I suspect a lot of our feelings of overwhelm and cranky come about because like the writer of this verse, we have been so busy caring for the affairs of others, we have neglected our own.  

When we begin to hear our inner voice scream, 'no!' while we are verbally saying, 'yes'.

    When we have to fight the urge to give up or to sabotage...

        When we stop caring about people we should care about ...

Then its time to ask ourselves the question, "Have I neglected my own vineyard?"

Could it be that we have neglected our own soul, our own health, our own family, our own home?  Are we so busy taking care of business for others that our own lives are in a state of neglect?

We've all heard about the brilliant plumber, whose own home has leaky taps or blocked drains!

I found myself feeling this sense of overwhelm, and it began to show up in feeling unwell.  I politely extracted myself from planned activities that day for rest and gave attention to my soul, my home and my family.

The result?  My soul lightened up a bit, my urge to hide from responsibilities eased, and feeling physically better!

We are told to work for six days and rest on the seventh.  That isn't just an old fashioned religious rule, it's great self-care.  Maybe we don't need that big holiday, that TV binge session, or whatever it is we run to or wish for.  

Maybe what we need to do is take that regular time off and take care of our own souls and our own business!

It is a posture of faith and humility as by the actions we are admitting, "I'm not God, I'm not indispensable, and the world will not end if I take a break and give some care to my own 'vineyard'.  

In that way, we can sustain a fruitful life, keep loving - and become much easier to live with!

Until next time, 

Love, Lynda x

SONS OR SERVANTS?

One of the things I remember and love about my father is that he has a habit of taking the scenic route.  He loves to show us the world.  

A treasured memory I have was of an evening in Gibraltar, early in our time there.  I was about six or seven.  There was a storm raging, and dad invited me to stand on the verandah to watch it.  The thunder rolled and the lightning flashed, the wind raged.

    I've loved storms ever since.

Another time was when we were on a family holiday at the beach.  Dad and I decided to climb up a cliff.  It was precarious, to say the least.  Rocks were at the bottom, and the cliff was not really there for climbing.  As we were climbing up mum was watching on, worried.  I was thinking, "I can't give up or dad will be on his own."  He was thinking, "I can't stop, or Lynda will be on her own"

    I think wisdom got the better of us both in the end.

When I was two, we moved to Singapore from England.  When I was four, we moved back.  I still remember chattering to dad pretty much non stop through the night on that flight! 

I think those experiences with dad mean that I love to 'be on a journey with God', sometimes even out on a limb.  

Your experiences with your dad will most likely be very different.  I hope they are good.  But whatever your experience with your earthly dad, God is the perfect Dad.  He doesn't get it wrong.

Why am I telling you this?

Because sometimes when we are following and serving God we get bogged down with the sense of duty.  We forget that before we are His servants we are His children.  We forget that our first call is to love and enjoy Him forever.  

When we start from this place, this place of rest, our labouring is not so ... laborious!  Our serving Him becomes an extension of our journey with Him, rather than stuff we do for Him. It comes from a place of love and delight.

I love what Jesus said to the seventy-two disciples after they came back from a successful missions trip... "When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!” But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”  (Luke 10:17,20 - NLT)

So I have entitled this 'son or servant?'  The answer is both.  It just the order it comes in that matters, the serving flows from the loving.

A HAPPY STUMBLE

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to my new blog.  I hope that you will find it a source of rich encouragement.  Feel free to comment - I want to hear from you as well!  If there are some questions concerning faith and life you would like me to comment on, shoot me an email.  I'll do my best!

I've titled this first post, "A Happy Stumble".  That is because today I determined that I was going to cross off some tasks, including creating this new blog!  In order to turn it from a frustrating and exhausting stumble, I made a few choices.  Hopefully, these ideas will help you to 'stumble' along - happily!

1.  I decided that I was going to be OK with being clueless!  I can't learn anything new if I hold onto the illusion that I know what I'm doing!

2.  I decided that even though it feels like I'm wasting time... I'm not.  It takes time to learn new things, and time spent learning new things is always time well spent.

3.  I had a shortlist of what I wanted to achieve today.  If I nail that shortlist, then I've won!

4.  Connected to my shortlist was giving myself permission to put off till tomorrow a lot of other things.  

5.  I have my favourite kind of music playing and make a nice cup of tea as I go along.

6.  Last, but certainly not least, I listen to my soul.  I find that this stumbling along learning new skills and then writing creates a deep sense of satisfaction in me, so I know I'm working within my God-given giftings.  

I hope this encourages you to step out and, and if necessary, stumble along - happily!

Much love,

Lynda xx