Creative Life – Page 34 – Rebekah Lyn Books

Receivers and Transmitters

Dear Onisha,

I’ve just had an epiphany and I wanted to write and tell you about it. I ran into a young woman I can’t say where. I’d met her casually before. We started a conversation. We both enjoyed it, I like to listen (most of the time), and she seemed to need to talk. She was so funny that I’d love to see her as a stand-up comedian or a blogger. Do you ever meet people you just know could write if they wanted to? I mentioned that we had a blog-site, but warned her that we were Christians. She hesitated. “But we’re nice,” I said. So then she started talking about nice people versus not nice people. She likes nice ones, as do we. We went on talking for another thirty minutes.

As we each went on our way I wanted to know that the Master had been there with us. Suddenly I had that wonderful sense of knowing that God sometimes bestows on us. The thought: My dear child, I heard and I have answered. It is finished, came into my head. I was so thrilled I wanted to sing and dance. Wow! No begging. No figuring things out. No fasting. No prayer list. Done.

Years ago, when I first became a Christian. Someone taught me that above all I was supposed to be an intercessor. I read books about it and learned the protocols for being effective, but I was always surprised if I heard any results of my prayers. I always figured I just wasn’t doing it right, or I wasn’t trying hard enough.

Perhaps it doesn’t demand, “trying”. Maybe God has another way. Could it happen like this–the spirit in us, which is filled with the Spirit of Christ, is a transmitter/receiver that takes in impressions and discernments, and sends quick, silent prayers to God. He then sees to everything–the healings, deliverances, and the continued poring out of awareness and His love. Could it be that praying doesn’t always have hard work?

Love,

DiVoran

Dear DiVoran,

I love your epiphany!! Why do we keep beating ourselves up because we aren’t serving God in exactly the same way as someone else, especially someone we admire? He created us to be unique. Do you think maybe he uses some people to fast and pray without ceasing, and then uses someone like you who is a wonderful listener and accepts people freely to carry out His mission? (I thank Onisha for this wonderfully encouraging compliment).

I am sure at least half of the people attending church feel the same way you and I have felt. It’s so wonderful to learn we just have TO BE and God will take care of the rest.

Love,

Onisha

The Master says:

My Dear Child,

Watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I do the praying in you and for you. I keep you present before God. Trust me

Matthew 11:29, Romans 8:26, and John 14:1

Easy Does It~ Staying Healthy and Deep Thinking

Kind of looks like a charismatic meeting doesn’t it?

Brenda Ueland, in If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit (I read elsewhere that she meant the Spirit of Christ) tells about walking five miles a day and how that is the most productive time of her writing day both in staying healthy and in deep thinking.

Most days I walk two miles. Do you like to walk? I love it, but when summertime comes, it’s too hot to exercise out of doors. I get up early to do it anyhow, but it’s still too hot. In the summer, biting flies love to sting the backs of legs, so I stick to the neighborhood. On rainy days, cold, or too hot afternoons I walk the mall. Sometimes I exercise in place to videos.

Yesterday I missed my morning walk, so in the afternoon when Bill said he was going to the fitness center, I said lightly, “Maybe I should go too.” I didn’t like my alternatives.

Bill was a bit surprised as I had made the statement at one time that I would rather go to the bad place than to the fitness center. I thought of tough jocks and sexy young girls, of the noise of machines, and TVs. Last time I was there, about sixteen years ago, the “trainer” had shown me around and questioned me. I felt I could never measure up.

“You don’t have to do anything, just look around, and see if you think you want to be there.” Bill said. I answered, “Let’s go.”

Bill got me talking with one of the bright young things at the desk. I asked questions and they took their time with me. They were firm, but good humored-in other words I felt liked. They gave me a schedule of classes and I asked questions. Did I have to talk to a trainer? No? Good.

Then I went and found Bill. He was through, except for the treadmill. He showed me how to run that scary machine, but I felt awkward and scared. He was patient and I eventually got to the place where I thought I might be able to get used to it. When I asked if he’d show me how to do the skiing one, he took me over there. Stepping on and off is tricky. The man next to us got a good laugh out of my heebie jeebies, but I soon felt I could use the machine all right. I signed up. Now, I’m thinking about the Zumba class. Should I or shouldn’t I. It has great salsa music or so I hear. I can always take my earplugs to tone it down. Spinning might be fun too. I can ride a bike as well as anybody.

Habakkuk 2:2

“And the LORD answered me, and said, ‘Write the vision, and make it plain upon tablets, that he may run that reads it.’”

Let’s all run, walk, or dance, writer and messenger alike, after all, writers are messengers, and a healthy messenger is a strong messenger. But take it easy and pray through to find the best way for yourself so that it doesn’t overwhelm you. Don’t forget to consider Zumba or Spinning.

Only So Many Hours

Lately I’m seeing how much God wants me to let my spirit meld into his. I’m seeing that he won’t punish me, hurt me, or give me more than I can handle. I’m seeing that His will is my true will and my true will is His will. God is love, nothing else, nothing less.

It hasn’t always been like this. At one time, I so wanted to impress God, and other people, with my spirituality that I became a one-person counseling machine. I was a stay-at-home mom. The phone rang so many times during the day while the kids were at school and Bill was at work, that I couldn’t do much else than keep up with the household, talk on the phone, and answer the doorbell. Here’s a sample of my projects at the time. There was the woman whose husband beat her, another was a married woman who wanted to have an affair, then I felt responsible to talk a woman out of killing her aged husband because he was driving her nuts. Of course such “clients,” often threaten either directly or indirectly to kill themselves. I stayed available because I certainly didn’t want that to happen on my watch. It was so bad I couldn’t even go for a walk without taking a backpack of other people problems onto the trail with me.

One day, I was tired of fighting it and asked for help. The Spirit of Christ brought ideas and people to my aid. I got an answering machine and when people learned I wasn’t available at the exact moment of an emotional crisis, they stopped calling. In the book, When Helping You is Hurting Me, Rene Berry says, “They’ll find another fool, they found you, didn’t they?” Yes to both. My “clients” moved on and so did I.

Most of my life, I’ve known I was called to be a writer. Now I began to write for myself. That meant giving up doing the writing other people asked me to do for them. I started living a more normal life. I told the Lord he was in charge of all my personal contacts. I began to wait for him to lead instead of selecting my own purgatory. Soon I slowed down from an unnecessary and counter-productive pace. I’ve discovered that God makes and presents wonderful plans.

Sweet invitations and delightful conversations happen in which our Lord takes His part. He gives me love pats every day. Love pats are good things that happen, which otherwise might be called coincidences. I’m getting more writing and painting done than I ever have, but I’m not a recluse or a hermit. All that counseling without qualifications did me good though. I learned a lot. What could have been better for a budding writer? He was guiding me through all that to get me to go where He really wanted me to go.

Here’s a paraphrase of Matthew 11:30 personalized (taken from The Message)

Beloved,

Walk with Me and watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill fitting on you. Keep company with Me, and you’ll learn how to live freely and lightly.

Writing Life~Using Prompts for Inspiration

Do you ever sit down to write or to paint — and draw a blank—no thoughts, no feelings, no imagination about what you can do with the precious minutes you have set aside to practice your arts?

Do you ever sit down to write or to paint — and draw a blank—no thoughts, no feelings, no imagination about what you can do with the precious minutes you have set aside to practice your arts? Or have you ever needed to prepare a meal and tried to think of something that sounded good to eat — and failed?

I’ve been cooking meals for more years than most people have been alive. I do get jaded sometimes. When that happens, I pick up a cookbook or look at the Internet for an idea. When it comes, I do something similar to what I’ve found, but I never use the exact recipe.

This morning I had time for my quiet time, but I didn’t know what to do, so I took out my pack of Healing Scriptures from New Creation Gifts (www.newcreationgifts.org) and selected the first card on the pile. I wanted to paint or draw a small picture for the day, too, so I brought out a mat and drew a frame with it in my journal/sketchbook. I read the scripture reference and looked into my Message Bible to see how it was translated there. I also have cards from The Artist’s Muse that give suggestions for an art project. Since I had no preconceived ideas, I used the top one.

That card suggested drawing a tree like no tree you’d never seen. It said use a word and some numbers. I wrote EASTER up the trunk and wrote numbers in the shape of fronds. Then came a sea and a beach. Starting with the verse on the card, I read several others. It was a kind of wandering, where one scripture reminded me of another one. Then I saw my tree again and the water that washed up behind it reminded me of one of my favorite scriptures. By the time I’d finished I had a satisfying (to me, at least) page in my journal/sketchbook.

Here’s the tree and water, and here’s what I wrote, thinking and hoping that my Heavenly Father was guiding me.

Writing prompt tree. — DiVoran Lites~Artist

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Dearly Beloved, (personalizing the scriptures as if my Abba were speaking to me.)

I am always the same. I never change. I am always drawing you into a sure thing, as I am teaching you to follow me, and to trust me.

You are a tree planted by water. Your roots never die because they have gone into my Spirit and are sustained by my waters. Your leaves will never wither or dry up. You will constantly bear fruit for me at the right time and in the right way even when you may not believe you are capable of bearing fruit. You succeed in everything you do. (I would debate that last, but I feel that the Lord wants me to accept it).

The scriptures came from Hebrews 13 and Psalm 1.

And by the way, I’m re-reading a wonderful book you might like by Richard J. Foster. He’s a Quaker minister and he has written many high quality books that can help us in our spiritual walk. This one is Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home.