WHAT DO YOU GET WHEN ...

...you engage in conversation with the only one who can deeply heal your soul...

This week we Jogged through the story of the woman who showed up at the well to get water at the same time that Jesus arrived there ... it wasn't a chance meeting.

As we jogged/studdied Hez noted two key points: 1. Jesus still reached out to people even when he was physically tired and hungry & 2. Jesus can show up unexpectedly in our circumstances at any time

We would invite you to read  the same story and make your own notes .... Use biblegateway.com or youversion.com. Then look for the book called John. It's in the New Testment . Find chapter 4 and engage with verses 7-32.

Listen, Obey & Do the Right Thing

When my kids were young I used to tell them to listen, obey & do what is right. Did they always respond how I hoped? Frankly, no they didn't.  Did I give up and throw in the towel? Frankly, sometimes I wondered if I was  getting through. Did I ever question my focus? Frankly, yes, as parents we do go through times of wondering  if our strategies  are sufficient or effective. Yet I knew that God's patience with me was what I had to have with them. I knew that in God's desire to grow and strengthen me that he has to keep me focused and true so I persisted. I wanted to use God's strategy for his children as a template to raise my kids. They say hindsight is 20/20, so do I regret my persistence in telling them to listen, obey & do what is right? Frankly, no I don't.  My kids are in their 20's now and they are incredible adults who I am very proud of. Are they perfect? Frankly, no nor am I, yet God continues to journey & be patient with us in all things.

BALANCING LIFE

Listening ... Hearing .... Learning ...  Action. We studied the short passage about two sisters, Mary & Martha from Luke 10:38-42.  We dialogued about how we can/could/should live a balanced life in the hurry & scurry of it all. At the end of the study we all agreed to write out the following prayer from our study book and tape it somewhere that we will read it daily...

 

 "Lord in the midst of life's many tasks, teach me to listen to your Word before I act upon it, and show me that your Word is the essential wellspring of all my service."

Spring has sprung & now it's June

A sprung spring, however, is not void of activity ... The MC Joggers have jogged through some personal highs and lows yet we continued forward in our study. In the bible story of the woman who was healed of a hemorrage (story found in Mark 5:25-34) we see a woman who became her own health care advocate and acted in faith.  Dr Oz has been encouraging women & men to follow the same lines of health care as Jesus encouraged. We cannot count on and wait for someone else to step in & assist when we have a need. Rather our responsibility is to step it up ourselves, especially when it comes to health care matters. We can opt to stay a victim or we can step into the stream of life and advocate for ourselves... requesting help, tests, appointments and asking to be put on cancellation lists. No one else is going to do this for us. One of the women in our church family was in pain a few months ago yet she chose to step up her game. She became persistent in seeking health care attention and today she is well because of her determination to nip something in the bud. We need to encourage one another to be bold and strong, to lift one another in prayer, to walk along side each other, and know that God is with us.

JOG PRAYER 4 2DAY

"Healing Lord, place your healing hand upon me today and lift from my life all that prevents me from serving you and your church with all my heart". S.J.Binz

As you contemplate this prayer ..."Simply relax & imagine the healing hand of Jesus lifting you up. Do nothing. Say nothing. Just believe in the desire of Jesus to make you whole".S.J.Binz

June 20th ... Spring has Sprung

My neighbours 1st bloom

One of the days I wait for every year is March 20th, the first day of spring ... another is June 20th, the longest day of the year ....another is December 21st, because I know March 20th is is just around the corner. Yuppers, there's nothing like the change of the seasons until you live on the equator which I happened to do for a few years. In Singapore, I watched the shadows move less then a foot throughout the year, but oddly enough the foliage on the plants & tress still grew, died & fell. It was amazing to experience seasons in such a different way. The latitude that we find ourselves living on may cause us to notice the differences in the effect of the equinox cycle, yet no matter where we live, we will always experience life, death & everything in between and we need to know where we find our strength to make it through every day.

PERSISTENT HOPE

When I search the word 'persistent' on dictionary.com on my BB it states "persisting, esp. in spite of opposition, obstacles, discouragement, etc; lasting or enduring tenaciously; & constantly repeated. Then I search the word 'hope' on my BB You Version Bible (NLT version selected) & it comes up with 167 hits. Next I choose the hit of Hebrews 6:19 to understand that God gives us hope that is a strong & trustworthy anchor for our souls. Hmmm ... put these together & we can understand how to personally respond to Psalm 27:14 ...'Be strong, & let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord'.

In our JOG study two weeks ago we read about Anna the prophet & herald. One of the questions was "What can Anna teach me about persistent hope? What value can I find in the words of the Psalmist 27:14" We came up with some of the following as our answers ... persistent hope needs persistent; worship, prayer, fasting or focus, personal sacrifice, feasting on scripture, longing, keeping head/heart/mind aware of living in the world not of the world & sharp to spiritual matters, etc, etc.

That's what we've been talking about what about you?

TRUST

One of our key questions last night was "Who do you view as a model of trust". Hmmmm. I had to contemplate this one. Trust means truth & integrity, relationship through communication, confidence, reliance & dependence. I trust lots of people but who is a MODEL of trust? As I said before.... hmmmm. That's a loaded question. I get moved here and there with responsibilities for this and that and I have met thousands of people through the years from all over the world. Trust is something I hold dearly to, giving priority to God.So finally I came up with a small handful of people in my life that I see model trust in their lives & living. I am thankful for who they are and that God has put them on my path.

How about you?