Here is the word of God our church is considering this week.
reality blog
Settling In
In prayer over the last several weeks I have felt that 2020 is revealing a process of transition in me. I feel like January, February and March were a time of REALIZATION. I sense April, May and June will be about SETTLING IN. I think July and August and September will be about LAUNCHING. October, November and December will be ACCOMPLISHING months.
Settling in is turning into a time of incorporating the pandemic rhythm into my everyday schedule and practicing those things which God has shown me to do.
PRAYER:
I am settling into a rhythm of prayer and reading the word: Morning, Noon and Night. I am discovering my morning prayer time tends to extend well beyond the boundaries of the hour, while my noon time prayer tends to hover somewhere around 30- 45 minutes. My night time session has yet to find its most comfortable space between 8 P.M. or just before bed around 10. It seems that this night time regimen is the one most affected by the needs of the family.
WRITING:
I am very excited that writing and blogging have become part of my everyday routine. I am managing between 2 and 3 hours everyday.
This week I blogged everyday. Kept up with a reading schedule and finished three poems.
In addition I wrote several short pieces in answer to several challenges.
The projects list for my book is ready for Monday when I am launching into a big week of editing.
WORK AROUND THE VICARAGE:
The weather has broken and we have begun the gardening in earnest. We are calling this year’s garden “The Victory Garden”. I have planted 23 pea plants 18 carrots, and 26 spinach plants. Inside I have 4 Romaine lettuce plants, 2 celery, 4 tomatoes, 5 peppers and 3 strawberries
So many other things are happening at The Vicarage too. I feel like each of us are settling into what is to come.
More updates to come…..
DDITW…Well Ok This Actually Came Out Good!
Here is another episode of “Don’t Do It This Way” With Amanda Lillie. She calls it “Without a recipe”, but as one of her watchers I find myself often shouting at the screen, “No! Don’t do it!”
This time however the results were not that bad. We ate all the dip.
Tune in on Monday at 3P.M. Eastern time for the next DDITW or as Amanda calls it “Without a Recipe”.
Keep Calm and Pray On!
Cornerstone Church is currently in a series on the subject of prayer. Watch with us!
The Wall Pt. 4/ The Dark Valley and The Silver River
This is our most recent prayer meeting at The Wall. There were several prophetic words in this one. Pray through with us!
Amanda and The Children’s Live Stream
As ministers, we have all had to learn new ways of doing our jobs during this pandemic. As we can no longer meet at church we are learning to do distance church. This effects every area of life and every church is learning new and creative ways to keep their congregants connected during this time of non-gathering. It has been challenging and rewarding work.
If you have been following “Notes”, you know one of the things Amanda has done to connect her kids and families is a Facebook live show called “Without a Recipe”. I call it “Don’t Do It This Way With Amanda”. But whatever it might be called it is fun. Here is the way Amanda is keeping her kids connected to the faith life of church. Every Friday she does one of these children’s lessons.
Is your community doing similar things?
DDITW With Amanda( Ice Cream Sundaes)
It is time for another episode of “Don’t Do It This Way” or as Amanda calls it “Without A Recipe”. This is one of the ways Amanda is keeping our congregation connected during the pandemic.
This was Amanda’s birthday addition. She made ice cream sundaes this week. While she was doing this, I was home making her cakes. I made her two favorite cakes (lemon and carrot) as a consolation for not being able to go to Pennsylvania (which was the plan pre-Covid-19).
The Time Things Take
I have slowed my life down dramatically over the course of the last six weeks. I feel like I am just hitting my stride. I know those two statements sound diametrically opposed. You may even be thinking that both of them cannot be true at the same time, but I am discovering they can. I am discovering both statements ARE becoming true of me at the same time.
I have slowed down and somehow I feel more effective than I have ever been before.
A friend and I had virtual coffee together the other day and he hit the nail on the head for me.
He said, ” I am learning to give things the time they actually take rather than trying to squeeze them into the time I have.”
THAT IS SO POWERFUL!
I think my new level of effectiveness comes from slowing down. In slowing down I am letting things take the time they take rather than trying to rush through them to get them done in the time I have. Rushing so that I can get a lot of things done poorly is not better than doing a few things well.
I have said to most of the people I have spoken with during this time, “As we walk into the future I don’t want to return to old habits. I want to build off of the things I have learned during this time.”
WHAT HABITS DO YOU WANT TO WALK WITH INTO THE FUTURE?
The Wall Pt. 3/ Renovation
This week we during our “Wall Prayer Meeting”, we prayed for many needs in our church body. But we also prayed for renovation of the church and for the opening of Ancient Wells of power.
I believe prayer is something done out of time. That means prayer is not bound to a moment the power of it can be accessed at any time. So let me encourage you to put this video on and join us for an hour of prayer today. Pray for your own personal needs. Hear the devotional thoughts and pray the prayers for the universal church which God puts in your heart.
LAUNCHING IN 5,4,3,2…. | Notes From the Vicarage
The Bridge Artistic Network has just officially been LAUNCHED as a FACEBOOK Group! It is for artist of every ilk and all ages. We all remember what it felt like starting out…and we know what it feels like being where we are…COME JOIN THE COMMUNITY AND ENGAGE IN CONVERSATION…And Help each other to GROW AND…
— Read on notesfromthevicarage.com/2020/04/23/launching-in-5432/
Notes From the Vicarage 