A Morning with the Lord

Sunrise…

A Morning with the Lord…

I have always loved the mornings. For me there is no sweeter, quieter, peaceful, more focused, time. When my household arises….it is another matter 🙂 🙂

Like most of you, I’ve been at home…although it was pre-planned. As essential personnel, soon, I’ll be out of this hiatus and back serving.

The world is fighting a pandemic. The proportions of which I struggle to wrap my head around. Much less my heart…

My heart feels for all right now…and the more I see, the more I realize I seem to always be one layer away from weeping.

Mornings….

This morning God woke me at 3:27am…a bit random, or maybe not 🙂

It is in Him that I find my solace. There are times that I do not know what to say…so I just soak.

 I got to praying. And repentance was on my heart. I know most of us think this as a negative word….as if we have done something wrong.

And we may have.

But it such a love word because it gives us the opportunity to make a different decision and choose Him in whatever area He highlights.

As I was talking with the Lord….these words came out of me that just gave me the sweetest release…

“God, I repent for choosing myself over You.”

Oftentimes we go down a checklist of ‘things’ to repent for…but truthfully, this one may be at the root of them all.

God, we repent for choosing ourselves over You.

So….before your day gets busy and other noises creep in….I ask you to think about, and acknowledge, where you have chosen yourself, your ideas, your preferences etc, over God. And repent.

May those words bless you like they blessed me.

Blessings always.

JC

 

Soul Detox 1

a moment of solitude…

It was my second climb up Crowders Mountain for the year. But it was a solo trip this time. The day had no sun making a showing and lots of grey clouds, but they in no way reflected my mood. Just some me time, God time…..actually ‘time’ wasn’t even a factor 🙂 I have come to realize that waiting for someone to do the things that I like to do might keep me waiting forever, or worse yet, give me an excuse not to do it at all….so I packed my backpack, camera and tripod in tow, and headed out.

Craig Groeschel’s ‘Soul Detox’ is at the top of my reading queue and this was one of the reasons I made this trip. A soul detox captivated my mind 😉 Detox by definition is a process or period of time in which one abstains from or rids the body of toxic or unhealthy substances. Many of us detox our bodies, or if we don’t, we need to. It’s almost like a good ‘spring cleaning’. Giving our bodies a chance to reset and reboot.

my perch for the day…

A soul detox is a chance to get rid of soul pollutants. Negative emotions, negative thoughts, negative language, negative people and negative perspectives. Thoughts and feelings that go unchecked which cause anger, bitterness and resentment. Television shows that add nothing to your personal growth. People that drain you…who always have something negative going on. Busyness; never a moment to be still and reflect; to check in with your self and evaluate. To see if you’ve lost yourself in this thing called life.

 A few weeks ago I was speaking to someone who was about to retire after 30 years. I asked her what was she going to do and she said “Find myself. I have lost myself over the years”. I didn’t want that. I wanted to learn to have all of me present in the moment.

view from 1700ft….

Have you ever felt like you’ve lost your zeal, or as my partner at work puts it, being in a ‘rut’? Our soul is the essence of who we are. It is what makes us sing, dance, laugh, smile, love, glow, give, care, share, press on, keep hope alive, dream, our eyes sparkle…..

It doesn’t require a lot. Just taking a day or two to see how being around certain people make you feel, how listening to certain music makes you feel, how engaging in certain conversations make you feel. Do you feel positive and inspired, do you feel motivated, do you feel energized, do you feel closer to God? If not, Unplug.

Rest, walk, run, pray, swim, read, journal, cry, wonder, turn the TV off, turn off electronics, enjoy nature, take a vacation or a ‘stay’cation, make a gratitude list, date yourself, no more secrets, find accountability, surround yourself with positivity, embrace change and just be…..

 Blessings always.

JC

just be….