Found on Brighton: June 2019

Tuesday, June 25, 2019

L is for Lens

Ever since I began this journey of selecting a word to guide me through the year, I have resonated with how Ali Edwards says that her word of the year is like a lens that helps her focus. So for my "L" word in our Living Your Word A-Z Inspiration Challenge, I chose the word Lens.

My word for 2019 is sacred. This year, more than any other, I feel like my word truly is acting as a lens. Much like the lenses on my camera give me a wide or zoomed in perspective, my word sacred is guiding my perspective on life in a number of areas. I started out the year with a desire to study Scripture and other resources on how God views our physical body. And so, I began to make some changes to make my body healthier in order to strive to live a wholly sacred life - body, mind, heart, and soul. I have made some big changes this year - I have eliminated most sugars and processed foods, I have increased my vegetable intake, I am cooking more and healthier, and most recently, I gave up caffeine and diet soda. The weight is coming off slower than I'd like but, overall, making these changes have not been as difficult as I had imagined they would be. I think, in part, that is due to the perspective change of using my word sacred as the lens by which I have focused on these changes. As Valerie said a few months ago, you have to know your why, and then your why helps you determine how you live.

I really feel like the challenge we have designed is helping me live out my word more fully this year.

Join Our Inspirational Facebook Group: Living Your Word of the Year

Bernice Hopper, Valerie Sjodin and I facilitate a Facebook group about Living your Word of the Year. In it we share insights through blog posts and connect with other like-hearted and like-minded people who want to live out a word focus throughout the year. We offer participants a bi-weekly A-Z Inspiration to help prompt reflection and creativity. as well as other inspirational ways to connect with your word of the year. If you would like to connect with others in creative ways about living your word throughout the year, explore new ideas, record thoughts, prayers, and events, you are invited to join our Facebook group.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/203309083575277/

Please use #livingyourword2019 on social media.

Check out the other blogs:
Bernice: www.newlycreative.com
Valerie: www.valeriesjodin.com/blog

Sunday, June 2, 2019

J & K ~ A Joyful Journey to Keep My Word in Focus

A Joyful Journey to Keep My Word in Focus

My word for 2019 is sacred. I am on a journey this year that is a continuation of a journey I have been on for the past 31 years - becoming a sacred vessel to be used by God for His purpose and His glory. Being sacred is about being formed in Christ-likeness with our whole being - heart, mind, soul and body. For years now I have adopted Robert Mulholland's definition of spiritual formation as somewhat of a guideline for my life. His definition is: Spiritual formation is the process of being formed in the image of Christ for the sake of others.

Process reminds me that life is a journey. Growing in maturity in life and Christ-likeness is a life-long journey. A journey of growing and changing and moving toward wholeness.

Being formed in the image of Christ reminds me that my whole being is being transformed by interaction with the Spirit, and I have a responsibility to be ever-growing in practices that enable me to die to my false self and continually grow into the new self that I am in Christ.

For the sake of others reminds me that I do not live for myself but for Christ who lived a life of love and sacrifice for the sake of others.

Picking my word for this year aligned with these reminders and is helping me "be formed" as I try to live in a manner of sacredness, continually offering my life for God's purpose and glory.

Our Living Your Word group is using A-Z words to help us focus on living out our word for the year. (You can find info about the group at the end of this post.) Quite by accident, my words for J and K ended up being connected. I was working on a blog post for my J word - joyful - while at the same time I was starting to determine my K word and work on my art journal page. I guess it's not too surprising that my words are connected since this is after-all a journey.

It actually began back in January when I read a quote in a blog post for a health challenge I was participating in.

"Impatience stems from an anxious heart. And anxiety is the adversary of wholeness." ~Alisa Keaton

So as I thought about this quote a passage from Philippians 4 came to mind. I dug into the passage a bit and then decided to memorize it. I've been doing so ever since, which is no small feat for me. I have always struggled with memorizing verses, let alone a passage. But I really wanted this passage to be one that helped me keep my mind focused on prayer and gratitude and the peace of God that results from it.

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-7 NRSV

Since January I have come back to this passage repeatedly to study and reflect on. Here are some of my study notes and thoughts n this passage.

You can faintly see a map hidden under the gesso on the background of this page. As I turned the page to think about a word for "k", I noticed that the reverse side of the map had the word "anchor" on it. I thought about how an anchor keeps a boat securely in place. God's Word and prayer serve as anchors to keep our faith securely in place. One of the threads that appeared for me in the Philippians 4 passage was that the way to keep anxiety or worry at bay is to keep at prayer. It's so simple, yet I always seem to forget. Prayer and staying in God's Word keep me secure in Him.

"You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you." Isaiah 26:3

Prayer in Philippians 4 and a mind that is steadfast - stayed on, kept focused on God results in the peace of God - perfect peace - shalom shalom. God's perfect peace is whole, complete, sacred.