Wordless Wednesday: Matthew 4 4
August 15th, 2012
But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
Wordless Wednesday: John 4 13-14
August 1st, 2012
Jesus answered her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
John 4 13-14 (World English Bible)
Why Time Management Doesn’t Work
February 18th, 2012
I’m getting ready to re-vision my blog. By that I mean I’m going to take a short break to brainstorm some great ideas for future posts. I want to make this a place you can stop by to pick up handy tips and inspirational messages to help you in your day-to-day life, as well as catch a weekly laugh.
That being said, I don’t want to just leave you high and dry while I work up a new plan, so I’ll be re-posting some of the best from the last year. Enjoy!
Why Time Management Doesn’t Work
Like most people, I often complain about the amount of time I don’t have. I’ve tried a variety of time management strategies with different degrees of success. Yet all the complaining in the world and no number of time management tools ever seem to keep time from slipping through my fingers. I always wondered what I was doing wrong. Was I just lazy?
Then I read Joy Held’s May 9, 2011, Monday Meditation: Time and Herding Cats. It clicked. Maybe it will for you, too.
Monday Meditation: Time And Herding Cats
by Joy Held
“Time management” is an oxymoron. We can’t possibly manage time. It does what it wants regardless of our efforts to wrangle it into submission. It marches on no matter what. Trying to manage time is frustrating because it’s a little like herding cats or nailing Jello (trademark) to a tree. Time has a mind and a mission of its own. Time cannot be told what to do and it cannot be beat into submission. But time rules the world and we will continue to know frustration until we develop a different relationship with time.
***
Meditation and prayer often go hand in hand. When you need ideas on simple ways to pray you can find a good resource in my book Simply Prayer, available in print, for Kindle and Nook. Audio book version coming soon.
2 Quick And Easy Meditation Techniques For Busy Lives
February 8th, 2012
I’m getting ready to re-vision my blog. By that I mean I’m going to take a short break to brainstorm some great ideas for future posts. I want to make this a place you can stop by to pick up handy tips and inspirational messages to help you in your day-to-day life, as well as catch a weekly laugh.
That being said, I don’t want to just leave you high and dry while I work up a new plan, so I’ll be re-posting some of the best from the last year. Enjoy!
2 Quick And Easy Meditation Techniques For Busy Lives
I am one of those strange creatures called Mother who enjoys rocking her toddler to sleep — most of the time. There are times, like Sunday night (thanks daylight savings!), when it’s a real challenge. Those are the nights my little girl has a hard time relaxing. Those are also the nights I find myself struggling to stay calm.
Staying calm is essential in helping my toddler fall asleep because she’s an hsc. She picks up on my moods quickly, so if I start feeling antsy, thinking about the 101 other things that simply must be done before I go to bed, she gets even more restless. It’s taken me the better part of two years to figure out I can’t convince her to relax while my mind is busy chewing on my latest to-do list.
Thankfully, I’ve learned two meditation techniques that help me stay calm even when she’s determined to see how far my patience will go. (And they work in other stressful situations, too!)
Count on it — this is the easiest calming method I’ve found. Count to 120, then count backwards to 1. Repeat as needed. This is a great technique to use not just for calming little ones, but for keeping cool while waiting in long lines and in traffic jams.
Get focused — this one is a bit more difficult to maintain, but I think it has the best end result. Alternately concentrate on your breathing and bodily sensations. For example, while I’m rocking my daughter, I focus on the feel of her weight in my arms, the warmth of her body, the change in her breathing as she falls asleep. When she squirms or talks I focus on breathing deeply and letting my exhalations take away any stressful feelings building up in my thoughts. This works well for doctor visits and on the job, especially for office workers.
Meditation doesn’t need to be a long, drawn-out process of sitting cross-legged in absolute silence. It can happen anywhere at anytime.
What other techniques have you found useful?
Hearing God Word By Word
January 19th, 2012
There are a multitude of ways to study scripture. One of my favorites is to choose a favorite verse and meditate on it word by word. With each word added to the sentence a new layer of meaning is revealed. Let me show you what I mean using Psalm 46: 10, Be still, and know that I am God.
Be…
We spend so much time doing, we sometimes forget what it means to be. The sense of being is to rest in the hand of God. In this one word, we can feel God’s call to stop and enjoy being alive.
Be still…
Not only does God call us to enjoy the simple fact that we’re alive, but to enjoy time just doing nothing. There’s also the subtle reminder to listen to God, to others, to ourselves.
Be still, and…
From a call to quiet listening, God is adding something. What, we do not know and perhaps that is the point. We cannot see all God has planned for us. All we can see is this moment, but we can rest our hopes on God’s love of us.
Be still, and know…
At some point, the promise God has made will be fulfilled. We can know what was previously unknown.
You get the idea. It’s a simple way to find new meaning in scriptures you’ve read and heard a thousand times.
What different methods do you use to gain new understanding in God’s Word?
Finding Peace While Bailing Bath Water
August 23rd, 2011
Welcome to Spirit Wednesday where we take a look at all things spiritual from meditation to prayer to cleaning the house. Yes, even house work can be a spiritual experience… if you choose to see it that way.
For the last week our sewer lines have been backing up whenever we use water, be it a toilet flush, a mini load of laundry or a shower. We’ve been reduced to begging to use someone else’s washer and taking showers that amount to spit baths.
I could complain, but I’m not. Bailing out the tub every night so my daughter’s bath routine remains, more or less, intact takes its toll on my bad back, but I actually enjoy it.
I suppose that sounds wierd. Let me try to explain. As I bail the water into the large bucket and toss the used liquid into the yard, I think about our ancestors who had to do this all the time. They didn’t have faucets or drains. If they wanted hot water it had to be heated by fire. Entire families would use a single bath to get clean, starting with the babies and ending with the men.
As for toilets, a bush was your best friend. Later came outhouses. The closest I’ve come to that is a port-a-potty, which I think most of us will agree are to be avoided except in cases of extreme desparation.
Anyway, I’ve discovered a peace from bailing bath water, a connection to our collective past and to those who still do not have our society’s advantages. I am thankful for what I have even when it means I must be slightly inconvienced.
When have you found a way to accept, if not enjoyed, an inconvience?
Are Labyrinth’s Just For Churches?
July 21st, 2011
Are labyrinth’s just for churches? Absolutely not!
For years I dreamed of having my own personal labyrinth, but we either rented where we lived or, after we bought our house, there was never enough money. I often discussed my dream with my Dear Husband. At one point I asked him if he thought we might be able to squeeze a small labyrinth into our backyard. He said, “Maybe.” I left it at that.
Several weeks after that conversation, the lawn was in desperate need of being mowed. DH went out to mow it and rake the clippings. I thought nothing about it when he mentioned wanting to try something. He’s notorious for having new ideas he wants to try and mowing in a different way was no exception.
Imagine my surprise and delight when I looked out my office window that evening and saw a grass clippings labyrinth taking shape.
Our first grass backyard labyrinth.
When I went to the back door to get a closer look, he opened the door, planted a big kiss on me and said, “Happy Mother’s Day.”
Since that day he’s worked out how to actually mow the labyrinth into the lawn.
DH putting finishing touches to our 6 circuit backyard labyrinth
We continue to make plans on how to make the labyrinth more permanent, always taking into consideration possibly selling the house in the future. Not everyone wants a labyrinth in their backyard.
Creating your own walking labyrinth isn’t impossible. You can create it from a vague idea, as DH did, or with specific instructions.
The Labyrinth Company offers a variety of walking labyrinth options, including permanent and portable options, as well as finger labyrinths in many styles. You can also find labyrinth products and instructions from the Labyrinth Society.
The possibilities are limited only by your determination.
***
If you’re interested in learning more about labyrinths and how to use them for prayer and meditation, check out my book Simply Prayer, available in print, for Kindle and Nook. Audio book version coming soon.
Why Time Management Doesn’t Work
June 22nd, 2011
Like most people, I often complain about the amount of time I don’t have. I’ve tried a variety of time management strategies with different degrees of success. Yet all the complaining in the world and no number of time management tools ever seem to keep time from slipping through my fingers. I always wondered what I was doing wrong. Was I just lazy?
Then I read Joy Held’s May 9, 2011, Monday Meditation: Time and Herding Cats. It clicked. Maybe it will for you, too.
Monday Meditation: Time And Herding Cats
by Joy Held
“Time management” is an oxymoron. We can’t possibly manage time. It does what it wants regardless of our efforts to wrangle it into submission. It marches on no matter what. Trying to manage time is frustrating because it’s a little like herding cats or nailing Jello (trademark) to a tree. Time has a mind and a mission of its own. Time cannot be told what to do and it cannot be beat into submission. But time rules the world and we will continue to know frustration until we develop a different relationship with time.
***
Meditation and prayer often go hand in hand. When you need ideas on simple ways to pray you can find a good resource in my book Simply Prayer, available in print, for Kindle and Nook. Audio book version coming soon.
The Benefits of Meditation
May 25th, 2011
Although I’ve always thought meditating on a regular basis was a good idea, it wasn’t until I read the following article that I understood just how beneficial it could be.
Apparently, meditating at least 30 minutes per day can alter the brain, creating higher density in gray matter where it counts (i.e. the area controlling memory, empathy, sense of self) and lower density in regions that affect how we deal with things like anxiety and stress.
All in all, even if there are no other changes within the brain than being able to cope with stress better, doing some form of daily meditation is worth the extra 30 minutes per day we need to squeeze into our already packed schedules.
How Meditation May Change the Brain
Over the December holidays, my husband went on a 10-day silent meditation retreat. Not my idea of fun, but he came back rejuvenated and energetic.
He said the experience was so transformational that he has committed to meditating for two hours daily, one hour in the morning and one in the evening, until the end of March. He’s running an experiment to determine whether and how meditation actually improves the quality of his life.
I’ll admit I’m a skeptic.
But now, scientists say that meditators like my husband may be benefiting from changes in their brains. Read the rest of the post.
2 Quick And Easy Meditation Techniques For Busy Lives
March 16th, 2011
I am one of those strange creatures called Mother who enjoys rocking her toddler to sleep — most of the time. There are times, like Sunday night (thanks daylight savings!), when it’s a real challenge. Those are the nights my little girl has a hard time relaxing. Those are also the nights I find myself struggling to stay calm.
Staying calm is essential in helping my toddler fall asleep because she’s an hsc. She picks up on my moods quickly, so if I start feeling antsy, thinking about the 101 other things that simply must be done before I go to bed, she gets even more restless. It’s taken me the better part of two years to figure out I can’t convince her to relax while my mind is busy chewing on my latest to-do list.
Thankfully, I’ve learned two meditation techniques that help me stay calm even when she’s determined to see how far my patience will go. (And they work in other stressful situations, too!)
Count on it — this is the easiest calming method I’ve found. Count to 120, then count backwards to 1. Repeat as needed. This is a great technique to use not just for calming little ones, but for keeping cool while waiting in long lines and in traffic jams.
Get focused — this one is a bit more difficult to maintain, but I think it has the best end result. Alternately concentrate on your breathing and bodily sensations. For example, while I’m rocking my daughter, I focus on the feel of her weight in my arms, the warmth of her body, the change in her breathing as she falls asleep. When she squirms or talks I focus on breathing deeply and letting my exhalations take away any stressful feelings building up in my thoughts. This works well for doctor visits and on the job, especially for office workers.
Meditation doesn’t need to be a long, drawn-out process of sitting cross-legged in absolute silence. It can happen anywhere at anytime.
What other techniques have you found useful?
