Day 17 of Writing It Out

The comfort I am seeking, I must give.
The support I am seeking, I must give.
The understanding I am seeking, I must give.
That which was a burden, I now see as an opportunity to give.
When that realization rested on me, gift from the Holy Spirit, I was set free.
I saw things differently, more clearly, more joyfully.

Indeed, what I seek, I have. I need only set it free in giving, in sharing with others.

Day 16 of Writing It Out

Well, ...now that I have admitted to my fear, it's time to put a strategy in place to overcome it. Oops, I put a strategy in place before I admitted a fear. The Holy Spirit has me "writing it out" for Lent. Look at God!!! Handling things before we recognize. That's why we're asked to praise God in all things. We don't know when God answers.

So, what am I saying? I'm saying that God is taking care of us even as we sink into our despair and think the "midnight hours" will not pass. God is PRESENT, leading and guiding.

I'm seeking peace. I notice it is coming through writing.

What have you noticed God doing in your life?

Day 15 of Writing It Out

Pastor Phil Ressler's 40 Things NOT to Give up for Lent:19.New Experiences https://www.greaterthings.today/40-things-not-to-give-up-for-lent19new-experiences/ asks the following reflection question: "What new experience have you been putting off out of fear?"

What came immediately to mind is researching and writing on a topic of interest for work and personal fulfillment. I have been avoiding all the baby steps necessary to get a proposal done. This "Writing It Out" exercise for Lent is an effort to break free and allow God to fully flow through my writing. As you can see, I've missed some days since Ash Wednesday and I'm okay with that. At first I stressed about it, but then I realized that the process is not about the goal. It's about the stretching and growing in God.

Well,...I named the fear. Now on to overcoming it.

Blessings.

Day 14 of Writing It Out

My Cups Runs Over with BLESSINGS from God. 
No matter what is happening in my life, I know that with God I am still in good shape. No matter how I view the day, situation, or circumstance, God keeps filling my cup. So much so, that I must sing God's praise. Even in the midnight hour, when I am pressed down, God keeps filling my cup. 

When I don't know that my cup is running over with God's goodness, that's the signal to stop doing what I'm doing and get somewhere and "sat" down, so I can connect with God.

Lent is offering me the opportunity to "sat" down; to step away from the routine that has blinded me to God's goodness.

How is Lent helping you?

The Lord is my light and my salvation;whom shall I fear?The Lord is the stronghold of my life;of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

Day 13 of Writing It Out

I return to my father's church this Sunday to preach for the first time in about 5 months. In addition to listening to the Holy Spirit while I preach, I will be looking to hear from my dad. What will that be like? Hearing from angel dad and the Holy Spirit?

How could I forget that my spirit lives in preaching?

It happens so easily. We drown in our busyness, pushing onward, determined to "minister" for the greater good. By doing so, we forgo the things that give us life. We sacrifice ourselves, but not in the right way.

By returning to writing and preaching, I'm returning to that which feeds my spirit. By feeding my spirit, I become more open to the Holy Spirit. By being more open to the Holy Spirit, I am better able to serve, the greater good.

Christ's Peace

Day 12 of Writing It Out

Pastor Phil Ressler of https://www.greaterthings.today/40-things-not-to-give-up-for-lent/ 
wrote today about FOCUS.

Do I need to focus? Am I all over the place, completing bites and pieces of things? YES!!

I appreciated the challenge to do ONE thing for 45 minutes. As I let that flow over me, I realized how freeing it is to focus on one thing at a time. It helps when faced with making decisions about what to say yes to and what to say no to. Too often in ministry we say yes to too many things and end up stressed out. Or we say yes too often and the result of our work is far from something that others can benefit from.

Focus. I'm saying yes to writing. I'm saying yes to focusing on what God wants me to share. I'm setting myself free in the words.

What are you setting yourself free in this Lenten Season?
Can focus help you?

Thank you Pastor Phil for the boost.

Day 11 of Writing It Out

I'm missing days of blogging during Lent. I noticed it when I received an email from someone who stated that they look forward to my posts and I hadn't posted for a few days. Ooops. My Bad. Sorry to leave you hanging.

What do you know about grief?

I think Lent is a great season to process grief. It invites you to look deep into yourself and come face to face with that which gets in the way of your relationship with God, self and others. By doing this, those of us who are grieving various things get the opportunity to analyze the grief--get to the source of it, then work on how to continue living in Christ. I don't think there are easy answers to grief. I do believe that it helps to know that one is grieving.

What do you know about grief?

I have discovered that grief can hide in your body. Your sleep, appetite, moods, ability to think are all affected by grief. Knowing this, I am working to set up things that will help me identify when I am "actively" grieving so I can be a better caretaker of myself. Lately, I've been coloring in a book that also has a weekly Scripture reflection. This has been so helpful.

What do you know about grief? I know that it offers me ANOTHER opportunity to draw nigh unto God and rest.

Day 10 of Writing It Out

I'm coloring to relax my mind and process the various things that I'm responsible for. The above image is last week's meditation. What do you see?

How does what you see make you feel?
I was able to find peace. I calmed down and was better able to hear God speaking to me.

My Lenten Journey is reminding me that what I give up and/or take on these 40 days is not about success. It's about obedience to God. It's about surrender to our God. Surrendering is not about success or failure, it's about doing what God asks.

Does what you see in the above picture ask you to do anything for the common good?

May God be glorified.

Day 9 of Writing It Out

I do some of my best writing when I write a sermon. Here is a peak into something I wrote. http://blogs.luc.edu/ips/playing-dress-up-a-lenten-reflection-by-dr-timone-davis/

Day 8 of Writing It Out

I went to see "I Am Not Your Negro" today and thought how prophetic James Baldwin was. And then I thought about the narratives I had been told as I was growing up. The narratives that left out all the important details of the struggles of Black people in my own family.  My maternal grandparents were from Birmingham AL. They were there until the early 1940s. When I learned of Birmingham's history, I asked my grandmother about life then. She wouldn't talk. When I asked my mom about growing up in Birmingham, she said, "You've seen the pictures."

Without the narratives we don't get the entire story. Things don't make sense like we hope. We look for answers. We look for the story.

Writing It Out is helping me tell a story. Someone needs to hear what I have to say. And you know what, I need to say it. I don't know the value my narrative, but I have discovered that I don't need to. What I need to do is be obedient to God.

9 days into our Lenten Journey --I'm preparing myself for another change.

May you allow your Lenten Journey help you share your narrative. We need to talk with one another.

Day 7 of Writing It Out

We set out to do great things. We have the best of intentions. We tell ourselves that we will be open. Then someone attacks us. They dive in with a kill strike. And defense has us forgetting our intentions.

The crazy thing is, the attack is full of alternative facts. There is no truth in the attack. So why go on the defense? We don't like to hurt. Defense is like a shield surrounding us so we can't be pierced.
Yet, Lent asks that we allow ourselves to be pierced. To be pierced with the needs of the rejected, the homeless, the naked, the hungry, the immigrant (not the ones from slave ships), the outcast, the marginalized. Who are these people? They differ for each of us. Each of us defines marginalized in a different way. The work of Lent is that we reach beyond people's attacks and offer --peace.

Day 6 of Writing It Out

I am resting today. Finally you would say. After the rough night last night, midnight hour, God brought JOY in the morning. Isn't that what God does? Help us see grace through the pain.

What do you bring to your Lenten Journey? Are you bringing your whole self? Are you open to the movement of the Holy Spirit? Will you allow God to move you through?

I am embracing what the Holy Spirit has asked of me, write it out. Put it in writing timone, and then you will see.

Day 5 of Writing It Out

What am I feeling? I'm feeling that it is too much. Yet, my faith in God tells me that God has not brought me to anything that cannot be handled with God.  But it feels horrible.

today was to be a day of relaxation. I didn't happen. There were tears. Harsh words were spoken to me that hurt a great deal. Yet, God didn't bring me to this without giving me a way through it.

Day 5 -- writing. I hope to move this writing on the blog to writing an academic proposal. Cause God is having me writing it out. It's in the writing that I am finding my way through.

Day 4 of Writing It Out

The day is waning and I am in the house not feeling well. I am weighed down by the things of my life. The strain has caused me to fall ill, with interesting symptoms. I didn't butt press enough yet. I worked instead of resting.  By midday, I couldn't think clearly and was forced to rest. In the midst of this rest I realized that I had not yet written anything today.

What is the point of this honesty? Why bear myself to the public? Freedom. Freedom to love God in my weakness. To be made strong by God's grace and mercy. This is the purpose of honesty. To let you know that God is with us even in our despair. God stays with us in our lowest moments.

Here I am LORD, giving my woes to You for I know that you will bring me joy so that all will know Your LOVE for us.

Day 3 of Writing It Out

For the last couple of days I have been watching PBS' American Masters Inspiring Women production featuring Maya Angelou.

"You must have someplace that no one can take you beyond." Maya Angelou

Do you know that about yourself? Do you know that there must be a stopping place in your life? No matter what is offered, you must know when to say no.

The above statement by Dr. Angelou has me thinking, what do I need to stop?  What do I need to say no to?

I hear my Dad saying from heaven, "You need to do some butt pressing." For those of you that don't know what butt pressing is, it is sitting still, resting, relaxing, taking sabbath, NOT doing. I often struggle with this part. Today, I can't do anything else at this point. I have been really really busy this week and have not taken time to rejuvenate.

So, I am beginning my butt pressing time.  I pray that I am open to the Holy Spirit who lovingly leads me.

Day 2 of Writing It Out

Have you ever started something and wondered, "What happens at the end?"
That was my initial question this morning as I sat to write. As soon as that thought was out, I wanted to retrieve it. Thinking about the outcome of this daily writing takes away from the journey; takes away from all that I have in now.

I have said it on many occasions that my creativity is with words and yet, I denied myself the many opportunities to write the words I have been given. Like the question I already posed, I trapped myself in the outcome before even starting. I devalued the words before I even allowed them to flow.

Are you doing that in your life as well? Stopping before beginning? Judging the work before it is even done?

Perhaps like me, you will allow this Lenten Season to be the time you allow your creativity out the box. Perhaps you will open yourself to the Holy Spirit in a way that has you saying yes to now, not worrying about the end.

Blessings

Day 1 of Writing It Out

As I was journaling this morning, I wondered what the Holy Spirit meant when She said write everyday during Lent. Did she mean blog everyday? Did She mean write in my journal everyday? Did She mean write academically everyday? That hasn't been made clear just yet. So here I am blogging 2 days in a row.

Ash Wednesday. How am I going to get my ashes? I wanted to get them early enough in the day so I could let the world know that I am a sinner. That's why we get the ashes right? To speak boldly about our sinfulness to all that see us? When I pulled into the parking lot of the cathedral I thought, I have just enough time to get ashes. So I began with a Liturgy of the Word service that asked me to look deep into myself and admit my faults and then be strong for the journey ahead.

Strength for the journey. I CANNOT face what is before me without God. I just can't. I am facing many things that I have wanted to just go away, but God has not done that for me. So, here I am seeking strength for the journey. The mark of ashes from burnt palms on my forehead says I am committing to do my part on this journey. The ashes say that I am aware of the hard road ahead, but with Jesus, ALL things are possible.

As I commit to writing everyday, I realize that I am committing to blogging everyday. I may journal as well, but the Holy Spirit is calling me to public writing that may serve someone else. Perhaps we may enter into dialogue. Perhaps you will be moved to comment. As you read what I am writing, may you allow yourself the freedom to be in God and do what God asks. That is really what Lent is all about, disciplining ourselves in such a way that we attune ourselves to God.

Blessings.