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Dog Daze

So, we have a puppy now in my home. My sister found five abandoned puppies and my son took one. We think she is a lab/border collie mix. She is probably 10-12 weeks old, and a handful.

Our schedules are all off kilter. She is like having a newborn in the house. We are getting up during the night to take her outside for bathroom breaks. Last night, she did much better almost made it through the night. Yay!

My writing time has suffered, however. I like to write early in the morning. It take the 4:00 hour and work on hymns, book reviews, etc. Today I don’t know how many times I got up to stop her barking a cat, retrieve my shoe, wondering why she was quiet, finding a toy to redirect her away from a cat or my shoe.

I am trying to stay on schedule, but be aware I am still here. If I am later than normal or miss a week, blame it on Abigail. She won’t be a puppy forever and life will resume to a new normal and new schedules. Until then life will be a bit of a walking daze.

All for One

Angela

Posted on by Angela

Things on the Desk

The desk where I do my writing is actually a small dining table. I have it pushed against a wall. My house has an open floor plan, so I am central to living, kitchen and dining areas. It got me thinking though about the kinds of things we keep on our desk. If you have a desk, take a moment to look at what your desk holds.  

I don’t mean the normal desk things like staplers, pens and pencils, tape dispenser, and the like. Of course, even those things can disclose personality. What I am thinking of is what could a person gather about you with the things on your desk? My home desk looks different from my work desk, but there are similarities. Both have sticky notes on the monitor; things I don’t want to forget or want to have at hand. My home desk has paperweights, an electric pencil sharpener (I use colored pencils for Bible study, and I even have real pencils), I have a large glass candle holder full of pens and pencils and highlighters. There is a Bible and a hymnal. Several journals. I have a few fidget things and stress toys. Right now, I have a menu planner marked for the coming week. It is incomplete. I also have a spiral binder with tabs which contain projects taken from my notebooks or that need to be typed into various folders in my computer. Recipes, writings, etc. There are a few other things crammed in, but this is basically my home workspace. 

My point in this exercise is that who we are is sometimes identified by what we surround ourselves with. By looking at the contents of our desk we can see where our time and energy is focused. It gives us the opportunity to make adjustments to our priorities. If we look at our desk and see an overflow of bills, maybe we need to consider our spending habits or work on budgeting. Sometimes our desk reveals what we enjoy.  An abundance of cards, stamps and pens could reveal you send cards to those you are thinking of or those who are sick or struggling. A desk covered with everything, but desk related items could mean you don’t use a desk at all. It is only a piece of furniture that is now a catch -all for all the clutter you don’t know what to do with.  

What are you surrounding yourself with? When you look at your workspace, home, or work, what stands out as a priority? The Bible tells us the from the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks (see Matthew 12:34). I think this is true not only in our speech, which is a big clue to our heart, but also in our workspace. What is important to us is what we keep close. Pictures of family, bible verses, inspirational quotes, things that build us up and those which visit our space reveal what is inside, what is important. Obscene pictures, insulting language, divisive posters, etc. also reveal what is inside. We are talking about a heart issue more than an organizational problem.  

I know you are probably thinking it is only a workspace but take a moment to look at your space either at home or at work. See if what I am saying is true. What does that space reveal about you? What does your desk or workspace say about you? Does it reveal your identity in Christ? Or does it reveal a life lived for the flesh? Maybe somewhere in between?  

I am not here to condemn; that is not my job. I only want you to think about what you identify yourself with and how you want to align your life. We want to be individuals who give our all for one. Who give everything we have to God. This means we are a work in progress, and it involves every aspect of our life from the company we keep to the insignificant little things like what we keep on our desk at work or home. Everything we say or do reflects who we are in Jesus. The changes may be gradual, such as replacing one item that may be inappropriate with something that is encouraging and uplifting. Maybe your whole workspace needs an overhaul. You decide.   

Maybe the time has come for you to decide for Christ. It’s time to follow Him. Put the things of the world behind and accept His gift of salvation. He loves you so much He died on a cross for your sins, and he alone can change you from the inside out. His identity in you is the only way the things on the desk make any difference.  

All for One 

Angela 

Posted on by Angela

A View of August

If you have visited All for One, you know it is a small blog. It is only a couple of months old. I am still learning to blog and finding it is more than just putting thoughts and words on a screen. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes.

I have however, been amazed and humbled how far these words have reached. So, I want to say a very sincere and quick thank you. If you have been watching and reading, thank you. If you have dropped by and lingered long enough to read a post, thank you. I hope you stick around there is more to come. We are just getting started.

August is shaping up with back to school. Parents rejoice and children mourn. There is planning involved in the new school year. Teachers and administrators alike plan events and lessons. Classrooms are decorated and everything is cleaned and ready for the return of the students. Parents and kids hit the malls and stores buying school clothes and supplies. There is an excitement in the air ready for school to begin.

I am getting ready also. I am not going back to school. Those days ended for me a while back. My son is grown so I do not have to fight the crowds for school supplies. But I am working on content. Planning what I want to bring to you in August. Since school is beginning. I thought we would get back to basics. I have been toying with the idea of a theme for each month. August will be the first month I really dig in and try it out.  If it works wonderful. If not, well at least I gave it a try.

So, what do I mean by back to basics? Well in Times Like These, I want to cover some basic Christian doctrines. will try to cover doctrines without my Southern Baptist paradigm, but my Baptist roots run deep. I want to take the view of whatever doctrine we are studying as close to the bible as possible, so we are getting truth and not opinion. In Third Verse Devotions, we will look at some old hymns like Are you Washed in the Blood, At the Cross, and others. If you have a favorite hymn you would like to explore, just let me know and I will be happy to include it in Third Verse Devotions. In Angela’s Bookshelf, I hope to have more material up. Maybe not all reviews but other articles and posts.

So, there it is a quick overview of what I hope for in August, a Back-to-Basics kickoff. You don’t want to miss anything that is coming, so be sure to hit the like and subscribe button.  Also leave me a comment and let me know what you are most looking forward to in August. I’m looking forward to seeing you throughout August as we get Back to Basics.

Angela

Posted on by Angela

Family Matters

Mordecai and Esther were part of the Jewish exiles in Persia (modern day Iran). Their family had been living in Exile since the time of Nebuchadnezzar. They had grown up in exile and had never seen Israel or Jerusalem. They would have understood the customs and laws of the Jewish people as well as the people of the land they inhabited.

When Esther was young her parents died. We aren’t told how. Mordecai, her cousin was older and her took her in and raised her as his daughter. Maybe this is something like your experience. Maybe you were raised by a grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, a family member who loved you and took you in when you needed a place to live. Let’s look at how they cared for each other in difficult times.

Summary of Esther chapter 1-2:4

A little background

The Persian king Ahasuerus had deposed and exiled his queen, Vashti.  Sometime after, the king regretted his decision. The advisors proposed to have all the beautiful young women brought into the harem from all the corners of the kingdom. The one who pleased the king should be the new queen. The king thought this was a terrific idea. So, girls perhaps as young as fourteen were taken from their parents from all over the kingdom and brought to the harem in the king’s palace. The girls had a year of beauty treatments preparing them for their night with the king. If the king never called for them by name again, they would live the rest of their days as a widow in the king’s harem.

Mordecai cares about Esther

Esther was part of the gathering. We are told that “the young woman was beautiful of form and face” (Esther 2:7 NASB). When the guards came round, she was selected and taken to the harem. Mordecai, being a father to Esther, would have been worried about her welfare. There was nothing he could do. He couldn’t rescue her. Her fate was sealed. He could not change it, but he could let her know he was there. He walked back and forth every day in front of the courtyard of the harem to learn how Esther was and what was happening to her.” (Esther 2:11 NASB) He showed up. He couldn’t change her future, but he could let her know he was there, and he cared about her.

It is often hard for us as parents to let our children experience difficult times. We protect them when they are small, but as they grow, they must learn how to handle challenges on their own and that becomes difficult. We still want to protect them instead of letting them learn and grow and mature as they work out their own problems.  Sometimes the only thing we can do as parents is let our kids walk through the tough times and let them know we are there, and we care. Sometimes the fault is our own and we must pay the consequences and develop some thick skin to deal with the fallout. Esther did not do anything wrong. She was a pretty girl caught in a king’s awful plan with no way out.

Esther cares for Mordecai

After Esther becomes Queen, she and Mordecai still have a close bond. She has not revealed to her husband, the king that she is Jewish. Mordecai had instructed her not to when she was first taken into the harem. Things are changing, however. A new enemy is on the scene in the form of Haman. He talks the king into destroying this group of people who are opposed to his kingdom. He doesn’t really come out and say who they are, just that they are opposed to the kingdom and need to be destroyed. The king trusts Haman and allows him to write in his name whatever needs to be done giving him his own ring to seal the deal. So, the decree is posted throughout the kingdom allowing the Jewish people to be exterminated.

Mordecai reads the decree, tears his clothes, dresses in sackcloth and ashes, a sign of deep mourning. News of Mordecai’s behavior reaches Esther. To comfort him she sends to him a change of clothes. Her servant returns and tells her he refuses them. Esther is beside herself and sends the servant back with instructions to try to get him to eat and change and find out what is wrong. She, in the harem, is not aware of Haman’s plot. All she knows is that Mordecai, her father, is grieving and she cannot go to him herself. She wants to end his grief.

When someone we love is hurting, the first thing we want to do is ease their hurt. It doesn’t matter if it is a parent, a child, or a family member we are close to and who has always been there for us. We don’t want to see our loved ones grieving or suffering. Sometimes their grief is a disease that we can’t take away. Other times it is a problem that we can’t fix for them. All we can do is pray and love them and let them know that we are there to support them. Esther cared for Mordecai the best way she knew how at this point. Sometimes we must get more involved into the matter. We may need to help with nursing care. We may need to help with housing. We may need to talk to an attorney. Mordecai asked Esther to go to the king on the behalf of her people. After all the years of keeping her heritage silent, it was now time to reveal her identity. This was not a simple fix for Esther. To go before the king uninvited could mean death without his extending mercy. Understandably, Esther was hesitant. Yet, out of love for Mordecai and her people she prepared through prayer and fasting and went to the king. She took a risk with her life to save the lives of many. We may not be asked to put our lives on the line for those we love, but we may be asked to do hard things that seem impossible for us to defend and care for those we love.

The relationship between Esther and Mordecai gives us a model for our own families. They teach us a respect for authority. How to love each other through difficult times. How to properly stand up for each other. It doesn’t mean life is easy, just the opposite. Life is hard and it requires hard things to do the right thing. Yet where our family is concerned, doing the right thing is what matters for our family.