Lectio Divinia

Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

-Philippians 4:4-7

I’ve written before about Lectio Divinia here and about how much I enjoy it.  For a quick recap, you read a section of scripture four times focusing on different parts.  Here are the four steps:

• Listen
• Word/Phrase
• Invitation
• Response

This morning as I was chatting with some ladies, we ended on the passage above and I thought it was fitting that God would tie this right into my 31 days series.  Here’s what spoke to my heart on the three active steps.

• The word/phrase that stuck out was guard.  I was reminded about how God goes before us and is behind us.  He really has us covered and I can trust in that.
• The invitation that I felt prompted by was say it again.  This kind of put me on edge because I knew that the meaning I was pulling from the phrase is a little different than the context, but it resonated with my heart.  The way I took it was that God is inviting me to say His word again.  To speak out truth over myself, my family, and others.
• My response to God was one filled with thankfulness.  I am so thankful that He doesn’t leave, that He hears all of our cares, and that He gives good gifts.  Asher was sitting on my lap smiling away during this one and I just thought it was a fitting picture to have about rejoicing and casting our cares on the Almighty.

So, that’s where I’m at today. Soaking in this word!

What sticks out to you from the passage above?

Becoming the Beloved

So.  There’s this thing that I did a few years ago and well I saw it pop up again and thought…let’s go for it again! The goal: write every day for the 31 days of October.  Plus, I recently got chosen to join in on a writing course (I am pumped!) so I thought this would be a good opportunity to add accountability and fun to writing.

I’m diving in with my expectations open and my heart willing to explore all different avenues.  I’m anticipating that you might find mini devotionals, pictures, quotes, scripture, life updates, and heart thoughts throughout the month.  I suspect that each day will bring a bit of a surprise along this journey.  I want to bring my heart deeper into an intimate knowing that I am the beloved of God.  This is something that I’m pretty good at knowing in my head, but getting it to my heart is a whole other story.  And so it begins!

p.s. Maybe you’re wondering why I picked a sprinkle doughnut for a button picture? Well, check back for a future post on that little topic later this week!

Beloved: dearly loved, a much loved person