To Meditate or Not Meditate Why Some Don’t Practice Meditation

To meditate or not meditate, that is the question.  NoTimeForMeditationMeditation has been a spiritual practice for centuries. Reducing stress, gaining focus and developing a deeper relationship with God are all benefits (read Loretta’s story). So, why would  anyone even question to   practice meditation with so many benefits?

 

The two reasons I believe that people don’t even try meditation are:

 

  1. It takes a commitment of time
  2. People are afraid of losing control

 

While every one of us is given a 24 hour day, everyone seems to be time poor. We’ve been taught that time is money, not to waste time, and somehow, if we are not busy or doing something we are unproductive.

 

The perception of sitting and “doing nothing” for 10-15 minutes, doesn’t put meditation on the priority list. I used to think that way too until I turned to meditation out of desperation. (You can listen to this story.)

 

The truth is, meditation is not doing nothing. It’s a powerful tool to silence the voices of anxiety, doubt, self-criticism and fear. Meditation quiets the mind and allows you to actually think more clearly. This quieting allows you to respond instead of reacting because of having more peace.

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God Loves Us Especially in Our Messes

God Loves Us Especially In Our MessesGod loves us especially in our messes. This whole mess business was inspired by a huge renovation project that is going on at my church and a lovely email I received from a Guided Life Ezine reader who shared her story of transformation to trust God in the midst of  her messes. (You’ll love her dialogue back and forth with God.)

Our church project involves getting a new pipe organ to be installed over the period of almost a year. The first step is renovating the front of the sanctuary.

The choir had a rare Sunday off from singing, so instead of sitting in the choir stalls, Robert and I sat in the congregation in our usual spot, pew two (I’ve heard the self-assigned pew is a Presbyterian thing).

Reaching up to the three or four story ceiling was scaffolding surrounding the area where the chambers hold the organ pipes. In our direct line of sight was a sign which read:

I was immediately struck with the thought; God loves us in our messes. After the sermon I took a picture of the sign and told my pastor that I was going to do a post  on this subject. He added the word, especially.  He said, “God loves us especially in our messes.”

As I mentioned, this mess subject made me think of a lovely email I received from Loretta. I asked her if I could share her story with you and she gave me an enthusiastic yes.

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Being Happy It is Not the Pursuit of Happiness

How Happy Are You

Being happy. Are you happy? I found that happiness has more to do with being than pursuing.

Perhaps the most profound example of happiness I’ve encountered was on a mission trip to Guatemala. I went with a group from my church to help build homes for mothers and their children. Three women had been abandoned by their husbands and were raising children on their own.

These homes were in the middle of the jungle and were made out of cinder blocks. The floors were not parquet or carpeted with plush frieze. The floors were made of dirt. There were bars installed on the windows to keep out bandits. Even a loaf of bread was worth stealing.

Every day we showed up to the work site and so did the women with their children. We were greeted with enthusiasm and big smiles. While we had an interpreter, we couldn’t communicate through language. We communicated through God’s pure love.

 They were proud of their new homes and kept the dirt floors immaculately clean. (I still don’t understand how dirt can be clean, but it can!)

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Pray for Our Troubled World

Pray for Our Troubled WorldIn my Guided Life Ezines I’ve mentioned many times that I watch very little television and rarely watch the news. It was hard to get away from the horrific events and senseless tragedy that transpired in Newtown, Connecticut with the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings.

A recent post I did was on how we are all connected. As the body, the Apostle Paul says,

“When one member suffers, all of the members share the suffering.”

As the body of Christ, we truly share in the suffering with these victims and their loved ones.

There is no way to comprehend why something so senseless can happen. This event confirms that we don’t know how long we will have here.

We need to make each day count in the way we love and do our part to make our world a better place by practicing love to the fullest. I Corinthians 13:4-8 says,

“Love endures long and is kind; love is not jealous; love is not out for display it is not conceited or unmannerly. It takes no pleasure in injustice but sides happily with truth. Love never fails.”

Truly, this act was the furthest thing from love.

My heart goes out to the victims and their families. There will be awful days ahead as loved ones have to pick up the pieces of shattered lives and struggle to put the pieces back together for a long time to come.

Join me in prayer for not only Newtown, but for our troubled world. I pray that if you have been affected by this tragedy or have other losses in your life, that you will find the peace and strength to carry on.

In God’s love,

Jackie Trottmann

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In my ezine, The Guided Life, I share my personal journey of how I continue to learn how to trust God. Many of my readers share their stories with me. It is such a blessing to hear how God is guiding their lives too! You can join the journey with me by filling in your name and primary email address.  Your information will never be shared. I look forward to sharing our journey together!

How to Have Hope With Glimpses of Heaven

Glimpses of Heaven

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Hope is what we cling to when everything around us can be falling apart. Having hope keeps us motivated to keep on keeping on. In the original Star Wars movie Princess Leia sends out her plea, “Help us Obi Wan Kenobi, you’re our only hope.” Obi Wan answers.

When we embrace hope our confidence increases. We believe that things will get better. Proverbs 13:12 says,

 

Hope deferred makes the heart sick.

 

There is the hope in the earthly realm and the ultimate hope of the heavenly realm. In Titus 1:2, the Apostle Paul wrote,

 

In hope of eternal life, which God, cannot lie; promised before the world began.

 

Most of us will ponder the question sometime in our lives – “Is this all there is?”

There are several books written by people who have died and gone to heaven and returned to tell their story. Two books I’ve read personally are:

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A Story of How We are All Connected – Church at the Diner

We are All Connected - Church at the DinerThis is a story of how we are all connected. This supernatural encounter happened at a local diner. Robert and I sing in our church choir, and we had a rare Sunday off. We decided to skip church and sleep in. Robert suggested we go out for breakfast at one of our favorite places, Spencer’s Grill. Little did I know that I would experience church that morning sitting on a bar stool instead of a pew.

Ten years ago I lived in a little rental house. My neighbor’s wife died of cancer. She owned a bookstore that focused on spirituality. After she passed, her husband had a yard sale. A huge part of what he was selling off were hundreds of books and audio tapes. I made out like a bandit, buying up books and cassettes (remember those?) for just a few dollars. One book I purchased was A Course in Miracles.

I was fascinated by this 600 plus page book because I had heard so many spiritual teachers quote from its text. After acquiring it, I dove right in eager to devour the message. But, to be honest, it didn’t resonate with me. I found it extremely difficult to comprehend. Ten years later, however, I have picked it up again. Since I’ve learned the power of practicing to be still, its message is speaking to me in a profound way.

As of this writing, I am not quite half way through the book. But summing up what I’ve learned is that we have two choices to make. We can choose fear or we can choose love and that we are all connected. When we choose love, we can also be healed from past hurts and experience wholeness. Healing always produces harmony. I am reminded of 1 John 4:16-21:

 

So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. The commandment we have is this; those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

 

I had just read about healing, harmony and how we are all connected when the lesson came to life at Spencer’s.

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Thanksgiving – Making Giving Thanks and Giving a Spiritual Practice

Thanksgiving and Giving Thanks

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Thanksgiving and giving thanks is not just something we can do during a given season. Giving thanks is a worthwhile, spiritual practice.  When we approach each day with thanksgiving and gratitude, our hearts and souls feel lighter. When we ask God to help us to be more giving, we can open up our true potential and increase the positive impact we can make on the world.

 

There are two parts to this word, however, thanks and giving. The word thanks is a noun and giving is a verb. Giving requires action.

 

We live in challenging times. Since Robert lost his job, we have had to make some huge adjustments and micro manage our purchases. It seems that every time we go to the grocery store the prices have gone up. We feel like commodity brokers when it comes to filling up our tanks with gasoline!  Will we time the market right when we have to fill up? The prices vary substantially from one moment to the next. We are always trying to fill up our tanks when the prices are the lowest. It’s kind of become a game, but not one I want to play forever! Which brings me back to the giving part of thanksgiving.

 

It’s natural and common to pray for more finances. It’s also easy to say, “I’d give more if I had more to give.” But that statement goes out the window when you read the passage from Mark, Chapter 12 and verses 41-44:

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With Age Comes Wisdom Well not Always

Color Your Life Any Color You WantI usually find myself saying that with age comes wisdom. It makes perfect sense when you consider all of the life experiences we have to learn from. Well, that saying was just blown away by a five-year-old! 

 

Robert and I took a road trip to meet the gentleman that has helped me with all of my websites and technical knowledge. It was a real joy to meet him and his wife in person. I had been working with him for three years through e-mails and phone conversations. As part of our trip, we visited Robert’s son and two grandchildren.

 

Our visit was filled with fun activities like a trip to the zoo, botanical garden, history Museum, playing on playgrounds and coloring in coloring books.

 

Helen is five years old and was my coloring partner.

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Where the Spirit of the Lord is There is Freedom – Every Day is Independence Day

Let us Celebrate our Freedom in Christ JesusWe usually think of July 4th as Independence Day. But as Christians, every day is Independence Day because, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

When we learn to trust God and the Spirit dwells within us, we are free. Free from fear, anxiety, addictions, doubt and limitations. We are released from anything that will restrain us. Because of this freedom, we can attract what we want into our lives and be the best that God intended us to be. In the words of Jesus, Mark 10:27, “And Jesus looking upon them said, with men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”

Being our best and trusting in God means ultimately letting go and letting God lead us and guide us. Self help books, courses, seminars and reading inspiring material (I do my best to inspire and encourage!) are all good in feeding our soul, but our freedom comes when we cast our burdens on the One who came to save us. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

As Americans, we are blessed to live in a country where we can enjoy our freedom. We are free to work, worship, learn and live. Let us be mindful of our spiritual independence and freedom. May we live in the spirit to make each moment count and bask in our unbridled freedom to be all that God intended us to be.

Living Water – Inspirational Bible Verses to Refresh Your Soul

Living Water .

Being thirsty is an awful feeling. What a relief to drink a wonderful glass of cold water when you feel parched. It may come as a surprise that water is referenced 482 times in the Bible. Without water we couldn’t live. Without living water, our soul can’t thrive.

“But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14

I equate being thirsty to searching and not being satisfied. So many people are searching for love, happiness, fulfillment, success, security, and peace. The process is exhausting. The problem is searching for other things to satisfy that thirst. The results may work, but only temporarily. Ultimately, our souls cry out. Jesus said, “Those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty.” Through Him, we never need to thirst again.

If your soul is parched and you need the healing power and satisfaction of living water, renew your commitment to draw closer to your Creator. Take time to be still and allow Christ’s peace and presence to refresh your dried up places. Enjoy the peace and satisfaction that only God’s love can bring.

Inspirational Bible Verses to Refresh your Soul

1) “But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
– John 4:14

2) Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.
– Proverbs 19:20

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