Deep Thoughts and Little Happenings

I've been thinking about freedom a lot lately.  I don't know if it's because we're coming up on July 4th and America's celebration of freedom or if it's because of where the LORD's been leading me in His Word.  Probably both.  Either way, freedom is the topic I cannot seem to quit mulling over and seeking to better understand.  So... That means my current Deep Thoughts are about freedom.  I would love your company on this journey, so I will be writing as I learn more about what it means to walk in the Freedom that comes with being a Christ follower. I'll start with a quick thumbnail sketch of how freedom has been given before I share the things I'm beginning to grab hold of concerning spiritual freedom.  This is a meaty topic, so I'm going to break it down into bite-size pieces and allow time to chew it up and let it digest...I require a lot of chew time!!!  Anyway, here goes.....

Good Morning!  It's been a while because I've been learning in order to share.  Ugh! That's hard to do and fills me with anxiety if I'm not alert.  I feel the need to write the next thing and struggle when I have no next thing to write! That being said, I think I'm beginning to get a feel for what I'm supposed to be learning from this new lesson.  So, without further ado... There are some very specific positions and motions that work best and achieve the best desired result with the least amount of effort when swimming freestyle.  Today I'm going to share what I'm learning about extending our reach.  In the pool, I should extend my arm to its max length and then reach forward an additional six inches by extending my arm from the shoulder.  This will cause my body to pivot with each stroke.  I will catch the water and pull it back toward my belly button and then out again by my hip before fully extending it behin...

Good Morning!  I'm hoping you're curious, so I won't delay. Swimming requires all of my body parts...those visible and those not visible...it's a total body workout.  Swimming requires all parts of me to work together to complete the strokes and propel me from start to finish of each lap I swim.  There is a specified movement or job for each part of me.  Some parts are seen and some are hidden, but all are needed. Imagine my legs trying to do the work of my arms while I'm swimming the front crawl.  Hilarious, right?!  And disastrous too!  I would be standing up and gasping for air in very short order if I tried to swim legs first.  Not only is it impossible for legs to move in the same way as arms, but I'd be swimming backwards and blind. The same is true in the body of Christ.  Christ's body, the church,  is just like the body of a swimmer.  Each part has a specified purpose...

Good Morning!  I'm so thankful for how wonderfully we're made and that my body breathes on its own.  That is an amazing gift from our Creator.  Don't you agree? Yes, swimming is what has me thinking about breathing, and there are four very specific things I've begun to notice about breathing while swimming. One: As a swimmer, I exhale through my nose and inhale through my mouth.    Two: I cannot inhale completely unless I exhale completely. Three: I can (and should) exhale while under the water, but I must inhale above the water.  What?!  My mouth cannot be in the water when I inhale.  No brainer, right?! Four: I cannot exhale and inhale at the same time.  Those are two separate actions. Okay, stay with me.  Inhaling through my mouth allows me to take in more air in less time.  Inhaling is what I'm drawing into my life. Exhaling through my nose is a lot less forceful ...

I'm ready to dive right in, so let's do it! I don't see it happening while I swim, but I know swimming has made my heart and lungs stronger.  It works in tandem with my eating habits to regulate my blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol.  Plus, it has made a difference in my appearance.  It's strengthened, tightened, and toned my muscles which has reshaped me.  It's even helped my posture. I intentionally swim three days a week because I want the benefits of swimming.  The same is true for me spiritually.  I intentionally practice the ways the LORD teaches us to live because I want the benefits that come to those who do.   I want all the benefits of swimming, so I learn all I can about the different strokes and their specific techniques.  The benefits come when I intentionally practice what I learn.  I want all the benefits of the LORD, so I learn all I can about...

Good Morning!  Again, I'm eager to share, so I'm going to jump right in (yes, another pun). I've chosen to be a swimmer.  I'm standing in the pool.  I can see the black line running from where I am to where I want to be.  Standing there doesn't get me where I want to be.  Knowing I must follow the line won't get me there.  I must act! I can walk or swim, but I have to act --- move!  Walking is slower, but it's forward progress.  Swimming is easier.  When I'm submerged in the water, I become buoyant.  I won't go so far as to say weightless, but you get what I mean...I'm not carrying my own weight when submerged in the water. Swimming takes discipline and requires work.  I know no other way to put it.  I have to get there before I can swim and once in the water I must use my muscles and the techniques I've learned in order to swim. Spiritual lesson?  I can say I'm a follower of Jesus all I want, but until I...

I'm excited about sharing today's swim lesson, so without delay... There is nothing like being underwater.  The water is totally clear and I can see clearly (when wearing my goggles), but still only for a limited distance.  When I submerge at one end of the pool, I cannot see the other end of the pool.  I know it's down there, but I cannot see it. So how do I get there without losing my way in a world that is the same pale blue in every direction?  I follow a black tile line.  It's three one inch tiles wide and runs in a straight line to where I want to go.  It begins and ends about 18" out from each end and gives me a clear path from where I am to where I want to go. I must keep my goggled eyes on that line.  If I don't, I will zigzag all over the place.  I will be bumping into other swimmers, the lane dividers or the wall. The same is true for my spiritual journey.  I know where I w...

Good Morning!  I'm going to jump right in. (Pool humor intended.) Turbulence is defined as a violent or unsteady movement of air or water, or some other fluid. Sometimes while I'm swimming I get a lot of turbulence from other swimmers.  Not all swimmers are concentrating on the same goals.  And some swimmers create more turbulence the longer they swim...I'm guessing because they're getting tired. Anyway, a swimmer who is kicking in and out of the water instead of under the water, or one who is thrashing the water with his arms instead of cutting into it, creates turbulence.  It's not just a gentle movement of water around them. What that means for swimmers in the other lanes (me) is a much more difficult swim.  I'm pushed and pulled according to the direction of the swimmer creating the turbulence.  Compensating becomes difficult.  Weaknesses in my stroke become more pronounced and I grow tired much more ...

Good Morning! I'm going to be doing something different for a while...until I'm not. I have been going to the pool for 2 years now.  I was there because I needed the exercise and what I had been doing was hard on the joints.  My therapist and doctors kept telling me to swim and I have an indoor pool available at no extra cost, so I went.  I only walked my laps in the beginning because I didn't really know how to swim.  I previously swam for play and never for long periods of time without interruption. I wanted to learn though, so I began to go online and learn technique and came up with a practice routine that worked.  I would walk 3/4 of the lap and swim the other 1/4.  As I got better, I would swim 1/2 and 1/2.  You get the picture.  Soon I was swimming my entire time, but constantly struggling with breath control. The idea for this blog series began when I learned something that not only drastically changed my t...

Our son is a Chief Quartermaster (QMC) in the navy, and part of his job is to make sure their ship safely navigates while at sea.  Some of the hardest times to do that is when navigating restricted waters -- when a ship is within 2nm of shoal water or land. Safe speed must be used in restricted waters and Line of Position has to be taken no more than every 3 minutes versus every 3-15 minutes as done while piloting open waters. I know that was a lot of technical stuff that is tough to understand, but this is what I get from that.  When the ship is in danger of collision, it must slow it's speed and make sure of where it is in relationship to everything else more often than when it's in open water. The same is true for Christians navigating through this life.  We are citizens of heaven, but we are not in heaven.  We are in restricted waters.  We must be continually checking our position in relationship to the One who knows the w...

I grew up in south Georgia and I spent a lot of time on Jekyll Island.  My grandfather grew up there on the island where his father was the island gamekeeper.  As a result, Grandpa knew the island in a way few do, and one of the things he used to say was, "Be careful going off down those coon trails." I'm a fraidy cat, so I was never out of shouting distance from Grandpa.  In fact, I don't remember a time when I couldn't see at least a glimpse of his shirt.  Anyway, our Scott recently said something that reminded of those times with Grandpa.  He was checking the accuracy of a compass and said, "It's not off by much, but after a while I'd be a long way from where I'd want to be."  The same is true when I know the Word of God but allow my understanding to reshape it so it's easier to follow...or when instead of walking by the Spirit, I go a more interesting or eas...

Our grandson, Brendon, recently came for his summer sleepover.  H e had a loose tooth.  Very loose.  Dangling by one thread of gum tissue loose.  Very painful.  Struggling to talk, eat, drink, and brush his teeth painful.  Unfortunately, he couldn't forget the pain and blood of loosing his other teeth.  His fear of causing that pain to return kept him from pulling this tooth or allowing us to pull it for him. Meanwhile, Grandpa and I watched his misery.  It was sad and frustrating.  We knew pulling that tooth would bring relief.  We wanted his ongoing pain and misery to stop! I came to understand a spiritual truth while watching Brendon's struggle.  My fear of allowing the Holy Spirit to lead me in a new direction makes about as much sense to my heavenly Father as Brendon keeping that tooth does to us. Walking away f...

We've just enjoyed nine days with one of George's U.K. cousins and her husband.  Because none of us knew the others existed prior to last year, we spent a lot of time telling stories, sharing pictures, and just getting to know one another. Something we began to realize very early on was our words do not have the same meanings.  We are citizens of different countries and what means one thing in the U.K. means another in the U.S.A..  One such word is piddling.  Did you know that when we say someone is piddling (going slower than necessary), they hear bathroom talk?  I call our evening meal supper.  Hazel calls the evening meal tea.  They go on holiday and we go on vacation.  Their cars have a boot and ours have a trunk. Anyway, this got me to thinking.  Through faith in Jesus Christ, I'm a citizen of heaven, but I'm living in a foreign land.  How much of what I hear from the LORD's Word is mixed up by where I live and my understanding ...

Children are delighted by dandelions.  They love to pick the yellow flowers and take them to loved ones as tokens of their affections.  I’ve had small bouquets of those little flowers in my house on numerous occasions thanks to my children and grandchildren.  I loved receiving that spontaneous gesture of love, and proudly displayed them in little vases.  Bonus: Picking the blooms will prevent them from going to seed. Many a child has enjoyed those stems of fluffy  “wishes” that we know are future dandelions. Root hairs are what I call those tiny roots that run off the main root of a dandelion.  You can pull the dandelion and its big long root, but there are oodles of little root hairs still in the ground.  Underground, those root hairs get busy.  Soon, new dandelions are sprouting up in your yard again. George and I had words on Saturday evening.  Well, it was more me than George.  Yes, the topic was silly, but...

I’ve just experienced an amazing weekend, and the LORD used it to continue the process of opening my eyes. I spent all day Saturday at the Park Valley Church Women’s Refresh Conference.   The keynote speaker was Lisa Harper, and the topic was Grace. Lisa's final session was entitled Launched, and  she used the verses in Mark 10:45-52 to point out three truths.   1.   Jesus had a specific mission statement, and He never forgot His mission.   What was that mission?   Serve the Father! 2.   The blind man did nothing but sit on the curb all day until He asked Jesus to give him the ability to see. 3.  Jesus opened his eyes, and i mmediately after receiving his sight, the man began to follow Jesus. Sounds sort of ho-hum, right?!   Jesus healed the man and the man stopped sitting on the curb and started following Jesus.     But… The LORD had already prepared my heart to hear...

Shalom is a Hebrew word that means peace and can be used to mean both hello and goodbye.   Ho-Hum!   Yawn, Yawn!   Peace is an overused word today.   We all laugh when Sandra Bullock says, “And world peace,” during her interview in Miss Congeniality.   It’s a joke! Well, I’ve been learning something new about Shalom.   It started about 18 months ago with what is referred to as the LORD’s prayer (Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 11:2-4).   I got no further than… Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven .   How is His will done in heaven?   Immediately!   Without question! Willingly!   With a joyful heart! You get the picture.   That’s when I began to realize something about myself.   When I struggle to obey what His Word says is right, it is because I do not trust Him.   And when I do not trust Him, I do not have Shalom because I am at war with Him.   I have become His enemy because I am against Him and His wa...

Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10B I’m not sure all blenders are alike, so I’ll tell you a little about mine.   It has several options, but there are two that grabbed my attention this morning. First is the pulse button .   When I press pulse, a light is on, but nothing happens until I press one of the blending options (stir, chop, mix, puree or liquefy).   Additionally, I have to keep pressing that option or the blender stops until I press it again. Second is the crush ice button .    When I press crush ice, the blender begins a start and stop pattern until I press the off button. This morning, I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing until my kitchen and I were doused with iced coffee.  Yep!  You guessed it...I removed the lid while the crush ice button was on! All too often, my focus is on my own agenda, and it takes a mess to get my attention.  Today...