PAUSES... Week 5

Pentecost is getting closer 

There are

50 Days & Words 

between 

Resurrection Sunday & Pentecost

this week we're in the 5th week 

so there's 2 weeks after this

Fifth Week of Eastertide Day 29: Desert* -                Matthew 4:1 Day 30: Transformed -       2 Corinthians 3:18  Day 31: Devout -                Luke 2:25 Day 32: Dwell -                  Ephesians 3:16-17 Day 33: Guide -                 Isaiah 58:11 Day 34: Responsibility -    Acts 6:3-4 Day 35: Encouragement - Acts 4:36

* most versions use "wilderness"
DESERT found in CSV; DRB, GW, GNT, NAB, WNT in Matthew 4:1
from Day 29

" .. Is the Holy Spirit leading you into the "DESERT"?..." "... the DESERT is the training ground of the Holy Spirit for those who wantto be faithful, effective, and competent in the rest of their lives." The suggested Daily Practice (which this book has each day) has this for day 29: "Carve out a DESERT moment of solitude.Allow it to be a time when you can simply be alone with God & yourself. ..."

Since last week I wrote that I was looking forward to the One Words chosen (and they were very good), I quickly looked through this week's One Word Pauses and I thought, perhaps not as good as the ones from last week, until I started to look at them and their verses. Clearly, each One Word Pause is drawing us closer to a Pentecostal moment and empowering us.

from Day 30

"As people of faith, we constantly face the challenge of being credible to the people around us. In fact, it could be the greatest challenge facing us at the present moment of history. ... " "... Is there any evidence that the Holy Spirit is TRANSFORMING our self- centered lives into a greater likeness of Christ? ..." "... Constantly, we need to remind ourselves that  the Holy Spirit is the great TRANSFORMER We cannot stay the same." ... "... a process of TRANSFORMATION that causes us  to reflect the glory of Jesus ..."

{actually the entire devotional from that beginning line above to James 2:17 is transformative for me}
It reiterates that the reason for the "Daily Practice" at the end of each day after the meditation of the devotional are there to open our lives more widely to the TRANSFORMINGgrace of the Spirit."
WOW!Powerful words!
"Holy Spirit, make me like Jesus."
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So again, I look for a connection between the One Words and begin to see how they do.
I could go on like above for each day this week
stating what stands out
and I'd love to
but
since I'm not the author
I really can't (copyright, etc.)
But I have to take a risk with the following part because it's that good
and taken from Ephesians 3:17-19 for day 32 DWELL
"Ask the Holy Spirit to help you hear Jesus saying these words to you"

"I want to come and DWELL in your life. Through you I want to touch the lives of those around you. Be willing to let go of your own agendas and plans that so often keep you from living and acting in and through me. Let yourself be led, strengthened, and renewed by my own Spirit living in your inner being. As you do, you "may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and how long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God"

Spend time alone & in the silence
🕊allow the Holy Spirit to help you hear those words from Jesus💓
as you sense and know that
Christ DWELLS in you.
allow Him to 
GUIDE
you
Be
DEVOUT
TRANSFORMED
ENCOURAGED
&
"See each of your daily 
RESPONSIBILITIES
as an opportunity for you to live
in the power of the Holy Spirit"
🙏

"Learn My Unforced RHYTHMS of Grace ~ Jesus"

Maybe I spoke too soon when I wrote"Out of Rhythm"
because I do believe that I am learning still
"Unforced RHYTHMS of Grace"
I had another YV plan in draft, but chose the youth longer one 
when I wrote that blog post & I should have chosen this 7 day one first:
"FIND YOUR RHYTHM: RETURN TO HEALTHY, NOT TO NORMAL"

(perhaps this is for the younger generations also)

provided by an initiative of Christian Vision (CV)a global Christian charity with evangelism at its heart calledyesHEis

Although I have not completed this short 7 day plan, each day has a theme with "simple, practical and healthy habits" so that we can "live the deep and meaningful life God intended" which means that it helps us develop a RHTHM that is more "intentional, balanced & healthy."

Right on the first day, they inspired me to continue with hopes to develop a more healthy RHYTHM with these words and perhaps you'll recognize some of it from the Scripture verses found in The Message of Matthew 11:29b-30:

[image credit]

"Find & Explore Healthy Rhythms (day 1) "Your life has a rhythm. Whether you know it or not, your daily practices and habits create a rhythm. Your rhythm is the beat of your life & determines how you ultimately live. The question is, is your current rhythm intentional, balanced and healthy? Jesus invites each of us to learn His unforced rhythms of grace. He promised that He wouldn’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on us. Rather, a life kept in company with Him is a life lived freely & lightly. The problem is, life seems more stressed, fast-paced & tiring than what Jesus promises. It is as though the pressure to do more, post more & be more is stronger than our desire to learn His unforced rhythms of grace. It is as though we’ve got our wires crossed & priorities a little mixed up. If you were honest with yourself, would you say you are thriving or surviving? Does your life feel full of meaning & depth? If not, maybe it is time to slow down, trust God & begin to learn His unforced rhythms of grace. Maybe it is time to find your rhythm, explore healthy habits & commit to keeping company with Jesus. Today, spend time contemplating your current rhythm & your current life pace. List out your current practices & habits and imagine what a more intentional and healthy rhythm could look like. A healthy rhythm isn’t about reaching perfection quickly. It is about committing to growth over time with Jesus by your side."  ...

{I'm sure that I should not share the entire first day (so I did leave out some) but my hope is that maybe it will capture you as it did me so that you consider doing this plan too.}
In other words, even without having completed this, I highly recommend.If only it had a prayer each day I'd guarantee my 5⭐️ rating
so I'm sharing this verse image prayer

[image credit: YV] 
3 John 1:2

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As I mentioned above, each day has a different focus (outlined below):

Day 2 - SOUL       Spiritual Health Day 3 - MIND        Mental Health Day 4 - BODY       Physical Health Day 5 - HEART     Emotional Health Day 6 - FRIENDS Relational Health Day 7 - OTHERS  Community Health

Clearly, this is an all-inclusive package deal!
Each daily devotional with accompanying scriptures give you 
simple practices to embrace to learn & grow in 
God's 
"... unforced RHYTHMS of Grace ..."
{of course, this could be expanded on, but the devotionals are brief/concise}
As an example, I will just enumerate the 3 simple practices given for Day 2 for our SOUL (Spiritual Health)

"Read the Bible Daily" ... "Regular Prayer - a foundational habit ..." "Attend Church ..." "While each of these practices may seem rudimentary,  they are pivotal to a sustainable and healthy spiritual life."

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Once again, I am sharing the Verses of  "FOCUS ..." by C.C. Reaves for the 
One Word this week:
RHYTHM

"... Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."   Matthew 11:29b-30 MSG

As we continue to learn together
and grow in Christ Jesus
intentionally
in all these areas
to become healthy and balanced
living freely and full with
less weight
as
Jesus
invites us to rest
 & take His yoke upon us
so that we become less weary
and less burdened
because
His yoke is easy
🙏