Proverbs 15-16

We humans will make our plans, and do as we will, some walking in righteousness, others living selfishly and godlessly.  But there is another factor involved in the equation: the LORD.  He is watching over our lives, and bringing about consequences to our actions.   The way of wisdom keeps the reality of the LORD’s sovereign presence in mind.  Failure to acknowledge his oversight leads to ruin.

LORD, help us to remember who is watching.

Proverbs 13-14

Stupidity comes naturally for humans.  We do not have to work at it.  But if we want further training, here are some helpful hints:

1. Train your ears not to listen to rebuke (13:1), to despise the word (13:13), and to ignore instruction (13: 8). Even when you seek wisdom, do it in vain, not expecting to put into practice what you learn (14:6). Believe everything you hear (14:18), but never let it change your ways.
2. Train your mouth to always be open (13:3), to breathe out lies (14:5,25), and to make fun of the idea of atonement for sins (14:9).
3. Train your body for violence (13:1), bringing shame and disgrace (13:5), tearing down your own house (14:1).

LORD, forgive us for acting stupid.  Give us the wisdom to listen and follow your truth.

“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.”

“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart.” ESV

Sadie:  Come on, Alison! It’s nothing that will hurt you.
Alison:  Sadie, I was told not to smoke it.
Sadie:  Who told you not to smoke it?
Alison:  My parents did, and if they find out I was here I’m dead!
Sadie:  Seriously? You are going to listen to them? Alison, it’s just a plant! What harm could it really do? Besides, you can’t trust your parents all the time.
Alison: They told me that it is dangerous.
Sadie:  I have been doing it for a long time and I’m still here! Look at me! I am living proof that its okay!
Alison:  Well…
Sadie:  Just try it one time. Trust me. I promise you that it is worth it.
Alison:  …Alright… I guess it won’t hurt to do it just this once.

Your Thoughts?

What do you think about this situation? Do you think it is fairly obvious that what Sadie is trying to get Alison to do is wrong? Well, she thinks it’s okay, and as far as Alison knows, Sadie was telling the truth and there was really nothing wrong with burning and inhaling the smoke from the “plant”.

The Truth.

Truthfully, we all think our wrong actions are right from time to time. The Lord, however, knows what is good; He knows what is right. This story didn’t have to be about drugs. It could have been about drinking, lies, sex, or anything else that has consequences. Any one of those topics have heartache as one of the side-effects, but the way of the Lord leads to heart-help.

And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God. - Luke 16:15 (NASB95)

“Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you
Rebuke a wise man and he will love you
Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still;
teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning”

It’s quite challenging cause not many of us are actually all that keen to be rebuked. But proverbs says a wise man loves rebuke. There is also room to grow in wisdom if you already consider yourself wise, or to grow in learning in you are righteous. We don’t cross a line and stop, be keep growing. let’s be moving towards greater wisdom and righteousness rather than back towards foolishness.

May you become the embodiment of success by having the determination to make fruit grow even on infertile land. To become the embodiment of success in anything, a combination of determination and love is required. Just as scientists nowadays try to grow things in a desert, in the same way, continue to give the water of love with the power of silence and become fruitful. With determination, you can ignite the lamp of hope in those who are hopeless.

See you at the event and I will share my secrets with you, whilst we make a difference together!

http://theulexperiment.eventbrite.co.uk

Take care

Deepak

http://www.DeepakLodhia.com

ps yes that’s Shyam my youngest in the picture enjoying his fruits!

“It is your thinking that leads to your suffering, and your thinking can also lead to peace of mind and a sense of fulfillment. What has occurred in the past is much less important than the way you react in the present. Think less, and enjoy more!” ~ Charlie Badenhop

There is no time like the present, I am presenting an amazing event for charity on the 20th of July-
I hope to see you at the event:http://theulexperiment.eventbrite.co.uk

Take care

Deepak

http://www.DeepakLodhia.com

Award Rules

1. Thank the person who has given you the award;
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog;
3. Link the person who nominated you for the award;
4. Mention seven things about you;
5. Nominate seven blogs of your choice;
6. Contact the bloggers to let them know you have nominated them.

Seven Things About Me

1. Determination to make a positive difference. A drop in the ocean; is a difference; and we should intend to create waves.

2. I Love to be with other’s with love in their hearts, with nature, with animals, or by myself.

3. I come from the south coast of Kent (England), but my heart pleads for another culture.

4. I want to write a book. (Many people say this, i’m sure)

5. I want to travel, and find the secrets of ancient civilizations.

7.  I have so much Wonder; Why do we do what we do? What is truth? I know it may be impossible to answer; but I love to ponder. 

7. I feel so grateful that I have found my heart; to realize that we’re not just thought in the head; we can all make a difference, we can all start a journey, when the amazement of YOU is found. Our heart is like the universe, it goes on endlessly, but inwards, like the stars in the sky, if only we knew, it comes from inside.

My Seven Nominations

Nominating is so hard; but here are the 7 nominations:

1. http://elerimorgan.wordpress.com/

2. http://jbartellblog.wordpress.com/ 

3. http://thenecromancer.wordpress.com/ 

4.http://heartflow2013.wordpress.com/

5. http://lauralistardiaries.com/

6. http://mysticaltidbits.wordpress.com/

7. http://breathofgreenair.wordpress.com/

I wish I could nominate Miss Willow again; she has such a beautiful blog! Please, dont forget to check her out; you’ll be totally inspired: http://willowandreasson.wordpress.com!

All the happiness to you!!

Kirsty x

Now, you can’t leave a kid with only tunes from troubled teen-hood, can you? You’ve got to bring her up to date with your current “poems, prayers, and promises” (well, in a manner of speaking).

The next activity up for sharing was “a desired anthem”- the song we wish we could have heard in our late teens. As we shared our picks, we realized we were not only singing them to Ginny, but also to ourselves. It was salve to the heart . . . . Here’s a few tidbits from a few songs. Imagine getting to hear these lyrics sung to you as a young woman:

“Her face is a map of the world, is a map of the world. And you can see she’s a beautiful girl, she’s a beautiful girl. And everything around her is a silver pool of light. The people who surround her feel the benefit of it. It makes you calm. She holds you captivated in her palm. Suddenly I see, this is what I want to be . . .” from Suddenly I See by KT Tunstall.

“In the easy silence that you make for me, it’s okay when there’s nothing more to say to me, and the peaceful quiet you create for me, and the way you keep the world at bay for me . . . the way you keep the world at bay . . .” from Easy Silence by the Dixie Chicks.

“So sit down and write that letter, sign up and join the fight, sink in to all that matters, step out into the light . . . so many years from now long after we are gone these trees will spread their branches out and bless the dawn . . .” from Planting Trees by Andrew Peterson.

“Redemption comes in strange places, small spaces, calling out the best of who we are, and I want to add to the beauty to tell a better story; I want to shine with the light that’s burning up inside . . .” from Add to the Beauty by Sara Groves.

“This one’s for the girls who’ve ever had a broken heart who’ve wished upon a shooting star; you’re beautiful the way you are; this one’s for the girls who love without holding back, who dream with everything they have all around the world; this one’s for the girls,

yeah, this one’s for the girls . . .” from This One’s for the Girls by Martina McBride.

You get the picture . . . . what song would you have wanted to hear at age 18?

I prefer to believe that wisdom is knowing that we are love, and it’s the material things beyond those needed to live that are nothing.

Love,
Russ

Human knowledge can only go so far. A man can sit at the feet of the greatest teachers and thinkers the world has ever seen and still lack knowledge. Studying mathematics will show you how to deal with numbers, work out equations, and plot graphs, but it won’t teach you about Plato. Applying your mind to the study of history will teach you about people, nations, and economic growth and decline, but it won’t teach you about how photosynthesis works. You can study ancient Shakespearean works but still fail at teaching your son how to respect authority. Knowledge and wisdom are separate, but not exclusive. There is an incredible amount of information in this world. So much so that it is impossible to soak it all up. Look at your heroes and take a walk down your personal hall of fame. Scan the venerated portraits of those who’ve gone before you and pinpoint one person, one idol who you look up to the most. That person still had questions about the world and looked for answers that were never found. There’s things in this universe that will never be fully known. Knowledge is unable to be entirely harnessed. Sure, it’s supposed to be sought after and gained, but knowledge does not inherently equal wisdom.

I’ll say it again: Wisdom and knowledge are two different things.

Knowledge screams, “I know this!” Wisdom quietly says, “I’ll teach you the practical implications.” Knowledge says, “I fear God!” Wisdom says, “I’ll teach you how to live in that fear.”

I’ve often wondered what people mean when they say, “A wise man once said.” Do they really mean “a wise man,” or do they mean “a smart man”?

I memorized Psalm 1 in grade school. Thankfully, the passage has refused to divorce my memory. Psalm 1 gives color to the picture of wisdom. The man portrayed parts ways with evil and chooses to meditate on the law (read: instruction) of God. When Psalm 1 was written, the entirety of Scripture was bound up in the Torah. To us, meditating, studying, and memorizing the Torah sounds like a boring chore. Raise your hands if you’d like to memorize the measurements of the Ark of the Covenant. No takers? I thought so. yet the man in Psalm 1 does it anyway because he recognizes that even those words are the very words of God. That is an incredibly reverent view of Scripture. I admire that.

Scripture may not give us all the answers we need in life, but it teaches us how to glorify God with our lives. The Bible lacks in teaching us how to balance our checkbooks and submit our taxes, but it instead focuses handling finances with integrity and submitting your taxes with honesty. A person that yearns after the heart of God through Scripture is wise. Scripture should be the very basis for wisdom in our lives because everything that we learn and teach in this world should be seen through the lens of a biblical worldview. In my own personal life, that’s one of my most passionate desires. My hearts screams and rends itself to be biblically wise. In the midst of this, I’ve been praying through James 1:5-8, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.  For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways (ESV).” In my journey to find wisdom, I’m continually pointed back to the satisfying substance of Scripture. Before I can even begin to gain wisdom, I need to make a home in my heart for God’s word to soak in and take root. This is wisdom.

Benjamin Franklin

I decided to begin this blog in response to God’s call upon my life, not just in being a Christian mother myself, but also in following His will as I share and discuss various issues and topics of life that may pertain to those of a Christian mother and of her family.

Cover of Mother

God alone is my inspiration as He has blessed me in so many ways. I just have to share them with other mothers too. In so doing, I hope and trust that you too will share with me in adding your comments to whatever is discussed here. Life is so much better when it is shared with others. Ever heard the saying that, “No man (woman) is an island?” Well, it is absolutely true!

As this blog grows, you may want to suggest various topics of discussion and ask for needed prayer for whatever is going on in your life. I’d love to hear from you. I certainly do covet your prayers and support as God leads me in this path of sharing biblical wisdom and truths with you. Being a mother this day in time is hard enough as it is, but with the help of  the Holy Spirit living and working in you, nothing is impossible when He is present in your life.  When we strive to obey God and live out our lives among others, such as our peers, our children, and our spouses, it can become even more difficult because Satan wishes to make us miserable in our quest to live for God. We need all the help we can get, whether it be in prayer, building up one another, or in giving to one another with our time, money, and energies.

May the Lord bless you today, and everyday. And may He help you carry the load of motherhood to greater heights–all in His name.

“Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death.”  

Psalm 13:3, NIV

God is the sole developer of light.  He creates it and then assigns it to whom ever He chooses.  He is the proprietor and the sole creator of its properties.  Without Him actively bestowing light on us we would have no access to its power or its benefits .  He holds the exclusive patent.

As Adam’s progeny we have experienced a light moratorium.  We have been cut off from its many benefits.  Illumination, understanding and wisdom are just some of the essences of light.  When we have it, we are astounded that we lived without it, and we are amazed at the ignorance of our past days.

“The unfolding of your words gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple.”

Psalm 119:30, NIV

Darkened by our sin, we struggle throughout our blinded lives, unable to understand or grasp what is our real purpose.  Meaning completely eludes us.  However, we are directed by the Psalmist to open our hearts to the gracious gift of light.  It illuminates us, giving us a sense of what is real and how life unfolds.  That word “understanding” from our text is critical .  No matter how stupid and pathetic we have become, the Word of God penetrates our fog and gives us a sense of what is true, and what is real.

Let it unfold, let it open up in your understanding.  Like an umbrella on a foggy and rainy day, when it opens it will cover you.  Notice that the source of ‘lit-up’ truth emanates from the “words”.  Place yourself in His Word, let it pour over you and let it bring you to the the place of joyful acceptance.

The verse speaks of being “simple”.  That actually is a pretty descriptive of our condition, and reveals much of human history and “so-called” progress.  The word means “naive”.  History opened up shows people to be amazingly compliant and susceptible to dictators and men with power.  We seem to follow leaders with sinister and strange purposes and agendas. History shows it over and over.  We just can’t grasp what is true and what is real.

Jesus has come as the “Good Shepherd”. He stands at the door, and rings our doorbell. Those of us who are being led into His Grace and Truth are finding light.  He is revealing to us a definitive understanding of truth.  And we need truth desperately. Let Him lead you, today.

%“Glory in Christ and you can bask in His light forever.”   Woodrow Kroll

“If you have only a little ray of light, show out distinctly that you are for Him.”   G.V. Wigram

*

ybic, Bryan

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-Imani

It is difficult to convey the gravitas of this day and this meeting in a post, but I will try. We, the Cántaro Azul team, rose early, still groggy from the previous late night of reading, eyes sore from hours staring at computer screens while collaboratively working on documents for our project.

The closest safe water kiosk to San Cristobal is in a federal land reserve called La Albarrada (L.A.). This land, established within the community of Maria Auxiliadora, is used for organic farming (the fruits and vegetables are sold at affordable prices to the residents), conferences, leadership and youth workshops, aquaculture, and community building meetings. The kiosk was installed in partnership with the United Nations and World Health Organization as a way to promote safe water consumption in the area, which despite relatively high incomes suffers from one of the highest occurrence of childhood mortality from water borne illness in the country.

Upon arrival at the meeting space in L.A., we shifted the chairs into a circular formation, instead of in rows all facing the screen in front. The committee consisted of six men and three women, each of whom worked at L.A. in some capacity – Julia* serves as the secretary for the Committee and is the cook for the grounds, Rosa is the President and is a local doctor, Diego is a groundskeeper and serves as the Treasurer. To get started, each person introduced themselves and their title and role within the group. The atmosphere was relaxed as the Cántaro Azul team began their presentation, which was about a funding plan to buy a tricycle to improve delivery and service of the safe water garrafones, the ubiquitous blue jugs for water here. Makeda presented on the health aspects of safe water and Veronica discussed the quantitative aspects of the kiosk and trends for sales of the water.

By the time we asked for commentary, however, the tone had changed – people were now starting to point fingers, tempers stirred, wild hand gestures abound. Suddenly, the socio-economic stratifications that were before rendered invisible by the appearance of a unified committee became apparent. The lines were clearly drawn – the doctora and administrative staff versus the cook and service and maintenance oriented workers. The different positions within the committee and varying degrees of power resulted in vast gaps in levels of information that each person came in with and left palpable tensions drifting around the room. I tried to pay attention to who was not speaking and why that might be, but found that taking notes, paying attention to what was being said (the speed of Spanish was just exceeding my comprehension) and how it was said, and processing the moment was a difficult balance.

Finally, an older man with a command of the situation and respect from the members on the committee spoke. He conveyed the need for the team to move past these divisions, because clean water is for the health of all in the community, not just the few here debating. Protecting and treating drinking water is the lifeblood of a community – everyone is put at risk if the people here do not do their jobs. Delivering clean water is delivering life, he said. This is our responsibility.

People shifted uncomfortably in their seats. This is now one and a half hours in, and Ale, the Fundación Cántaro Azul field director here, added that winning confidence and gaining the trust of the community is critical if the committee wants to be more than just a safe water kiosk, but evolve into a center for community based health and nutrition. The question of capacity, responsibility, and delegation is inherently connected to hierarchy issues within the committee.

Without provocation, several members began abdicating their leadership roles. The Cántaro Azul team and I exchanged silent, panicked glances. Ale finally interjected and pointed out that the purpose of this meeting was not for people to abandon their responsibilities, but rather address and determine how to overcome their challenges. People grudgingly agreed and proceeded. Being present for these visceral, personal commentaries made me feel like I was bearing witness to a clandestine clash of minds, the combustions of personalities creating cracks in any faint hope for progress.

By now, three hours had passed and it was time for the committee to confer about the tricycle plan. We stepped outside to make space for open debate among the members. Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. Then thirty. I was more anxious than I let on – what if the committee was dissolving as we exchanged small talk? What if the members were serious about stepping down?

When we re-entered the room, we were surprised and relieved to hear that the committee had agreed on the three month plan for buying the tricycle. Later in the week, we would also find that the members had settled their differences and everyone had agreed to re-affirm their responsibility to the committee and community. I do not expect that this is the end of the challenges that the group faces, but rather that by acknowledging difficulties and barriers to communication the group will be better equipped to confront and overcome in the future.

To intentionally mis-appropriate a quote from Robert Bresson, I see our roles as development practitioners not to ‘fix’ things but rather to “make visible what, without [us], might perhaps have never been seen.” Reading various recent policy documents and statements by NGOs/non-profits/government organizations reminds me of just how romanticized development policy remains today; to me, it reflects the great distance between Washington, DC and other loci for development expertise and the developing world that these public servants intend to serve. I do not mean to disparage the good people who could certainly be making more money working in the private sector; I admire and respect people who dedicate their lives to the complex task of alleviating poverty, hunger, ill health, education disparities, and environmental degradation. However, without field experience to supplement abstract policy-making processes, many practitioners are alienated from the micro-interactions that constitute real progress, improved health and wellbeing, and community building.

*All names were changed out of respect for the privacy of the people on the Committee