This week in Sunday school, we discussed being silent before the Lord in order to hear His voice. This is something we might find difficult to do, depending on our situation - like if you have small children (or any children) or a job that takes up a lot of time.
We tried to do this for a brief amount of time in class, and some of us had a difficult time, while others didn't seem to mind at all. For me, it was difficult.
I find it difficult to turn off my mind or stop it from wandering. Usually one thought leads to another, and that one to another, and so on. Or, I'll hear a noise or talking or whatnot in the distance (in this case it was coming from the class next door to ours, and from the kids music program down the hall), and seem to focus on that - even if I pray and ask the Lord to help me refocus on Him. It's not an easy situation!
Here are some guidelines we discussed prior to doing this exercise in the class:
1. Prayer (5 minutes) - settling into quietness and stillness, trust God with "to-dos" or jot them down in a quick note.
2. Read through your Bible passage once (in our case we tried this exercise using Matthew 5:1-12), then read it again, this time more slowly.
3. Pay attention to verses that stand out to you.
4. In what ways are you feeling plessed?
5. In what ways have you experienced the truth of these verses lately?
6. How do these verses intersect with your life right now?
7. Are there ways in which these verses seem odd to you? (It is totally OK if they do)
8. Are there ways you sense God is telling you to change? How do you react to this?
9. What do the verses tell us about God?
As I said, I didn't find myself successful with the attempt of being silent before the Lord in class. Not only did I find the noise around me (from other classes) distracting, but I wasn't sitting in a comfortable chair either. To me, that is one of the big factors - the need to be comfortable before I can concentrate or focus. I'm the same way if I'm studying something too; I need a comfortable chair.
So, because this didn't work for me on Sunday, does that mean I won't try it again? Of course not! I will try this again and see how it works for me then - and of course, I'll make sure I have myself a nice, comfortable chair!
Have you tried being silent before the Lord? Have you heard him speak to you this way? I'd love to hear your experiences with it!
Showing posts with label focus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label focus. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
I Felt Free
I went to church this morning. Not much different than the Sundays in the past. I had decided over the summer that I would take a break from teaching Sunday school this year - I felt I need to get myself back in tune, in touch, with learning again.
Last week, one of the teachers (from the class I had helped with last year) sent me a message on facebook to let me know she felt overwhelmed. There is another young lady in with her, helping to teach, but the class is bigger by about five or six kids. I told her that we would look into finding another adult to go into the class with them for "crowd control". I should insert here that I am the Sunday school coordinator for the elementary ages, under the head of the "main" Sunday school coordinator.
So, this morning, I went to the class with them to see how things went and to help with the kids. It didn't seem to bad to me, but then not everyone was there either. Both ladies did great - one teaches one week, and the next they switch so that they are not teaching 2 weeks in a row.
Things went well, but I said I'd still go in and help until we could find someone else to be the third person. I talked with the main coordinator before church this morning, and said that it might be a good idea to see if we could get a man in the classroom - someone to be the male influence. So often (at least in our church) it seems that women are the Sunday school teachers (though there is one man who helps his wife in one class). I thought of someone we might ask. The other coordinator approached this man, and he agreed to help. He will be in there just to help out and be the male influence - the girls will continue to teach.
During church, I must say that I felt great. It had been a long time since I sat in a church service and could focus on what was being said. It had been a long time since I "felt" like while I was singing, that I was actually worshiping. It had been a long time since I felt I "got anything" from the sermon. It had been a long time since I wasn't focusing on me and my problems during service.
Today, I enjoyed the sermon. Today, I felt like God was whispering to me, letting me subtly know that I've probably been feeling the way I have (with regard to my walk) because I am not spending enough time with Him! Sure, I read my Bible everyday (though some days I might forget or not get a chance), and I pray (but in all honesty, my prayers have been short and infrequent). But in all reality, I don't spend as much time with Jesus as I need to.
I have been focused so long on me. I have been worrying about my problems, my situations, my lack of things (i.e. husband, children, job, finances) and I haven't been focused on Jesus and following Him, or being like Him. If I want things to change in myself, I need to take the focus off ME and put it back on JESUS, where it belongs.
Today was a great day at church. I felt serenity. I felt some peace. Today, I felt free.
Last week, one of the teachers (from the class I had helped with last year) sent me a message on facebook to let me know she felt overwhelmed. There is another young lady in with her, helping to teach, but the class is bigger by about five or six kids. I told her that we would look into finding another adult to go into the class with them for "crowd control". I should insert here that I am the Sunday school coordinator for the elementary ages, under the head of the "main" Sunday school coordinator.
So, this morning, I went to the class with them to see how things went and to help with the kids. It didn't seem to bad to me, but then not everyone was there either. Both ladies did great - one teaches one week, and the next they switch so that they are not teaching 2 weeks in a row.
Things went well, but I said I'd still go in and help until we could find someone else to be the third person. I talked with the main coordinator before church this morning, and said that it might be a good idea to see if we could get a man in the classroom - someone to be the male influence. So often (at least in our church) it seems that women are the Sunday school teachers (though there is one man who helps his wife in one class). I thought of someone we might ask. The other coordinator approached this man, and he agreed to help. He will be in there just to help out and be the male influence - the girls will continue to teach.
During church, I must say that I felt great. It had been a long time since I sat in a church service and could focus on what was being said. It had been a long time since I "felt" like while I was singing, that I was actually worshiping. It had been a long time since I felt I "got anything" from the sermon. It had been a long time since I wasn't focusing on me and my problems during service.
Today, I enjoyed the sermon. Today, I felt like God was whispering to me, letting me subtly know that I've probably been feeling the way I have (with regard to my walk) because I am not spending enough time with Him! Sure, I read my Bible everyday (though some days I might forget or not get a chance), and I pray (but in all honesty, my prayers have been short and infrequent). But in all reality, I don't spend as much time with Jesus as I need to.
I have been focused so long on me. I have been worrying about my problems, my situations, my lack of things (i.e. husband, children, job, finances) and I haven't been focused on Jesus and following Him, or being like Him. If I want things to change in myself, I need to take the focus off ME and put it back on JESUS, where it belongs.
Today was a great day at church. I felt serenity. I felt some peace. Today, I felt free.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
A Change Is In The Air
Lately I've been trying to work on writing the novel I've been working on. I enjoy writing, but will admit that I have a lot to learn on many different levels. It's the same with blogging. There are so many hints, tips, and ideas on creating blog posts that attract not only readers, but also comments. I am trying to keep these things in mind now as I create my posts. Like my writing, I have a lot to learn with blogging.
I started out with this blog to be a place to talk about myself - somewhat of an online journal to record my thoughts and feelings and day to day activities. I decided that I also wanted to create posts that help others learn about Christianity, about Christ, and to learn - a somewhat mini Bible study lesson or what have you.
That worked - for awhile. Somewhere along the line, I lost focus and created fewer and fewer posts. I lost the readership I had (which is understandable), and my posts didn't seem to have the content I wanted. I look back now on some of my earlier posts and wish I were creating the same kinds of posts now. I guess I need to sit down and write some good quality posts to publish on my blogs.
A new year is within arm's reach, and with it I hope to rearrange the way I post here. There are lots of topics and ideas that I want to explore in my blog posts, and a few of my goals for posting include:
What do you look for in a blog? What type(s) of posts do you enjoy reading? What keeps you coming back to a particular blog you enjoy?
I started out with this blog to be a place to talk about myself - somewhat of an online journal to record my thoughts and feelings and day to day activities. I decided that I also wanted to create posts that help others learn about Christianity, about Christ, and to learn - a somewhat mini Bible study lesson or what have you.
That worked - for awhile. Somewhere along the line, I lost focus and created fewer and fewer posts. I lost the readership I had (which is understandable), and my posts didn't seem to have the content I wanted. I look back now on some of my earlier posts and wish I were creating the same kinds of posts now. I guess I need to sit down and write some good quality posts to publish on my blogs.
A new year is within arm's reach, and with it I hope to rearrange the way I post here. There are lots of topics and ideas that I want to explore in my blog posts, and a few of my goals for posting include:
* Thought provoking postsI won't promise that I will post every day, but I will try to post at least two or three times a week (maybe more), to be more consistant. I will try not to have extremely lengthy posts as I do sometimes now (which could come from big gaps between posts and feeling the need to fill in every detail since the previous post). And, I will try to have my posts more Christ-centered as opposed to me-centered - though that might creep in from time to time as well.
* Bible based posts
* Mini Bible studies
* Character studies
* Spiritual growth discussions
* Topics posted on specific days (i.e. Mondays might be a character study, Wednesday might be about praying or Saturday might be about missionaries)
What do you look for in a blog? What type(s) of posts do you enjoy reading? What keeps you coming back to a particular blog you enjoy?
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Seriously Though...What Is Wrong With Me?
I'm feeling the struggle again tonight (and last night)...that spiritual battle that seems to be prevalent in me lately - or for the last I don't know how long.
What is it that Paul sahys - I don't do what I should do and I do what I shouldn't do...or something to that effect. That really seems to be what I am struggling with. I know I should be reading my Bible. I know I should be praying more often than I do. But it feels like my motivation is severely lacking.
In all honesty, these feelings seem to hit me most when I'm feeling tired and/or stressed. I feel so busy with school work, that it's like everything else gets put on the back burner. When I'm not doing school work I just want to relax and not do much of anything. I do know that I need to get some energy, and that means that dreaded "e" word - exercise. That would help in a lot of areas I think. If I had the energy, I'd feel like doing more.
I do realize (as I believe I've stated in previous posts) that I am placing things ahead of God - school, relaxation, hobbies. I also realize that is wrong. I need to prioritize things with God being at the top of the list. I often hear stories that when people put God first in their lives, then everything else seems to fall into place. I just wish I could see that in my own life. But, in order to see that, I need to actually do it.
I feel like I'm on a backward walk in my spiritual life. Several years ago I had been doing great - reading the Bible every day, studing it, praying, going to a Bible study, never missed church, helped out in various kids ministries at church. It seems like somewhere along the line I started taking two steps back for every step forward.
I'm taking a break this year from all my ministries (except the knitting thing, though that hasn't been happening much this semester either) because I feel that since I've been home from Korea, my focus needs to be on getting myself back on track. How can I teach others to read the Bible or pray if I'm not doing it myself? Besides, this year I don't have much in the way of free time because of school so I am limited in what I can do or even in joining some kind of Bible study.
However, I don't think a lot has happened for my walk to improve. Don't get me wrong, I've had improvements. But then something happens and I'm right back where I was before - not spending time with God.
I will continue trudging on. I won't give up on my walk. I just feel right now like I need a huge rest in order to start on the journey again. So, if you can, please pray that I will find motivation to pray and spend time with God, get the rest I need, and at least get back to where I was on my walk a few years ago (and even surpass that).
It's hard to explain what I'm thinking, or wanting to say...but God knows what I'm meaning.
What is it that Paul sahys - I don't do what I should do and I do what I shouldn't do...or something to that effect. That really seems to be what I am struggling with. I know I should be reading my Bible. I know I should be praying more often than I do. But it feels like my motivation is severely lacking.
In all honesty, these feelings seem to hit me most when I'm feeling tired and/or stressed. I feel so busy with school work, that it's like everything else gets put on the back burner. When I'm not doing school work I just want to relax and not do much of anything. I do know that I need to get some energy, and that means that dreaded "e" word - exercise. That would help in a lot of areas I think. If I had the energy, I'd feel like doing more.
I do realize (as I believe I've stated in previous posts) that I am placing things ahead of God - school, relaxation, hobbies. I also realize that is wrong. I need to prioritize things with God being at the top of the list. I often hear stories that when people put God first in their lives, then everything else seems to fall into place. I just wish I could see that in my own life. But, in order to see that, I need to actually do it.
I feel like I'm on a backward walk in my spiritual life. Several years ago I had been doing great - reading the Bible every day, studing it, praying, going to a Bible study, never missed church, helped out in various kids ministries at church. It seems like somewhere along the line I started taking two steps back for every step forward.
I'm taking a break this year from all my ministries (except the knitting thing, though that hasn't been happening much this semester either) because I feel that since I've been home from Korea, my focus needs to be on getting myself back on track. How can I teach others to read the Bible or pray if I'm not doing it myself? Besides, this year I don't have much in the way of free time because of school so I am limited in what I can do or even in joining some kind of Bible study.
However, I don't think a lot has happened for my walk to improve. Don't get me wrong, I've had improvements. But then something happens and I'm right back where I was before - not spending time with God.
I will continue trudging on. I won't give up on my walk. I just feel right now like I need a huge rest in order to start on the journey again. So, if you can, please pray that I will find motivation to pray and spend time with God, get the rest I need, and at least get back to where I was on my walk a few years ago (and even surpass that).
It's hard to explain what I'm thinking, or wanting to say...but God knows what I'm meaning.
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Jumbled Up, Mixed Up Feelings
It's hard to describe the way I'm feeling right at this moment. It feels like a whole lot of things all smooshed together and I can't put my finger on any one feeling.
I feel a little bored. I was working on some knitting a little while ago and I messed up - very noticeable too. I'm working on a scarf for an exchange pal and I have to send it out by the first of next month so I need to get cracking on it. This mistake really puts a hinderance on things because the pattern isn't very easy to pick up again. I will wait until tomorrow to try again - right now I'm too frustrated with it.
I started reading after the knitting. The other day I began reading "Kingdom Come" by Tim Lahaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. This is the final book in the Left Behind series. I could only read a few pages and felt - I don't know, almost agitated or restless or something. I can't seem to focus on the reading.
I had a nap earlier on, only for about half an hour when I got a phone call. It wasn't enough of a nap to take away the tired feeling, though it did help a lot. I didn't want to sleep too late anyway or else it would interfere with my sleep tonight. I don't feel totally tired at the moment, but I'm sure if I went to bed now it might not take too long to get back to sleep - though I could be wrong.
Maybe what I'm feeling is the Lord nudging me to spend a little time with Him. I've neglected this the last few days/nights and I have that whole "I'm such a bad Christian" feeling. You know the one I mean...the one where you feel so inadequate and can't seem to do anything right because you're not working on your relationship with Jesus. I know I'm not perfect; I know I struggle from time to time with being a "good" Christian. I feel so lazy in my walk, yet I long to have a wonderfully close relationship with the Lord...but yet at the same time I don't do what I ought to do (kind of like what Paul says). I guess I just need to get off my butt and make the effort. It's not the Lord who is lacking in this area - it's me.
I think what I'll do is listen to some Christian music, do a little praying, and read a chapter in my Bible. That should help.
I feel a little bored. I was working on some knitting a little while ago and I messed up - very noticeable too. I'm working on a scarf for an exchange pal and I have to send it out by the first of next month so I need to get cracking on it. This mistake really puts a hinderance on things because the pattern isn't very easy to pick up again. I will wait until tomorrow to try again - right now I'm too frustrated with it.
I started reading after the knitting. The other day I began reading "Kingdom Come" by Tim Lahaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. This is the final book in the Left Behind series. I could only read a few pages and felt - I don't know, almost agitated or restless or something. I can't seem to focus on the reading.
I had a nap earlier on, only for about half an hour when I got a phone call. It wasn't enough of a nap to take away the tired feeling, though it did help a lot. I didn't want to sleep too late anyway or else it would interfere with my sleep tonight. I don't feel totally tired at the moment, but I'm sure if I went to bed now it might not take too long to get back to sleep - though I could be wrong.
Maybe what I'm feeling is the Lord nudging me to spend a little time with Him. I've neglected this the last few days/nights and I have that whole "I'm such a bad Christian" feeling. You know the one I mean...the one where you feel so inadequate and can't seem to do anything right because you're not working on your relationship with Jesus. I know I'm not perfect; I know I struggle from time to time with being a "good" Christian. I feel so lazy in my walk, yet I long to have a wonderfully close relationship with the Lord...but yet at the same time I don't do what I ought to do (kind of like what Paul says). I guess I just need to get off my butt and make the effort. It's not the Lord who is lacking in this area - it's me.
I think what I'll do is listen to some Christian music, do a little praying, and read a chapter in my Bible. That should help.
Lord, help me to focus on you. Please forgive me for my neglect
in our relationship. Help me to build on your foundation in my life.
Amen.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
I Wonder Why...
This semester seems to be more difficult for me. I can't seem to get my focus or motivation up, and when I do, it doesn't last very long. The only thing I can think of that is causing this would be the fact that I only had four days of vacation over the Christmas break. The rest of the time (2 1/2 weeks) I worked.
Today in Sunday school the pastor (he teaches the class) asked if we needed any prayer and I had mentioned this fact to him, about not being able to focus, and he prayed for me. That was good. Also, we went over the Armor of God and he had mentioned at one point that we should pray before things happen during our day - if we have a meeting to go to, if we are going to meet up with someone, if we have school work to do, if there is a lot of work to get done, or anything at all. He said it's a good idea to pray in the morning (or before you face the particular situation) and ask for God to help guide your steps along the way.
Tonight before I tackled some of my homework (which I had been struggling to do all afternoon), I prayed for God to help me focus on what I needed to do. It worked. I got my article read and am ready to do the one page "report" on it. It's not due until Tuesday though, so I might wait until tomorrow to work at it. I also need to find some research on Gender Separation in classrooms for my group presentation this coming Wednesday.
My group met last week to figure out what we were going to do for our presentation. We've figured out how we're going to go about presenting (mostly involve the class and have them present what they find out from info we give them) and who is going to do what part. For my part, I am in charge of the scenarios. We are going to present two different scenarios and have them come up with ideas of what they would do or not do if they were faced with that particular situation, and why. So, what I'd like is to have some info to contribute somewhat (give facts or something, i.e. 'studies show that...').
We have another group meeting tomorrow afternoon and I found some articles on the subject, but I don't know if they will work with the scenarios. I'm just afraid that the others in the group are going to think that I'm not doing anything (with regard to research and doing my part well enough). It just seems like I'm the only one struggling with this. And the fact that I can't focus just makes things feel worse...so, I am going to pray about it again.
Dear Lord,
I pray that you will help me to focus on my studies. Please help me to stop procrastinating and to get some motivation. Help me to do my work as though I'm doing it to present to you and not my professor and fellow classmates. In Jesus name, amen.
Today in Sunday school the pastor (he teaches the class) asked if we needed any prayer and I had mentioned this fact to him, about not being able to focus, and he prayed for me. That was good. Also, we went over the Armor of God and he had mentioned at one point that we should pray before things happen during our day - if we have a meeting to go to, if we are going to meet up with someone, if we have school work to do, if there is a lot of work to get done, or anything at all. He said it's a good idea to pray in the morning (or before you face the particular situation) and ask for God to help guide your steps along the way.
Tonight before I tackled some of my homework (which I had been struggling to do all afternoon), I prayed for God to help me focus on what I needed to do. It worked. I got my article read and am ready to do the one page "report" on it. It's not due until Tuesday though, so I might wait until tomorrow to work at it. I also need to find some research on Gender Separation in classrooms for my group presentation this coming Wednesday.
My group met last week to figure out what we were going to do for our presentation. We've figured out how we're going to go about presenting (mostly involve the class and have them present what they find out from info we give them) and who is going to do what part. For my part, I am in charge of the scenarios. We are going to present two different scenarios and have them come up with ideas of what they would do or not do if they were faced with that particular situation, and why. So, what I'd like is to have some info to contribute somewhat (give facts or something, i.e. 'studies show that...').
We have another group meeting tomorrow afternoon and I found some articles on the subject, but I don't know if they will work with the scenarios. I'm just afraid that the others in the group are going to think that I'm not doing anything (with regard to research and doing my part well enough). It just seems like I'm the only one struggling with this. And the fact that I can't focus just makes things feel worse...so, I am going to pray about it again.
Dear Lord,
I pray that you will help me to focus on my studies. Please help me to stop procrastinating and to get some motivation. Help me to do my work as though I'm doing it to present to you and not my professor and fellow classmates. In Jesus name, amen.
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