Author: casualchef

3.9.21
[[Reposted and some updates on 4.12.21 as I turn these into individual blog posts]]
Revelations 21:1-5
Think of a time in your life that was marked by suffering. How can you use that experience as a story of hope and encouragement to help others?
A couple of occasions have had suffering for me, but not as I believe the Revelations passage is referring too. I think it is important to define suffering though. Suffering is to ” undergo, endure or submit too” something. It also means to “allow, permit, put up with, tolerate”. The bible uses both versions. My belief is that this part of the 40 Days is referring too the first, based upon the Revelations passage as John was writing to people who were experiencing death due to their belief. People who were in mourning, crying and pain.
I have been LUCKY… Suffering for me as been things like Bankruptcy in 2009/2010. A love one being brutally beaten, near death, so I suffered for her, but she was really the one who had the damage done.
My suffering has been mostly of the “undergo, endure or submit too” kind. 2009/2010 was a brutal period for me. The economy had a major downturn (recession) and I lost a business in it and had to file Chap7 BK. Personally that was a huge blow to my confidence and ego. IT took me until 2013/2014 to finally get a real job again. I had been maintaining my video gaming event company after the BK, but that was really working it to lose less money… I had a lease, I could not get get out of it, so I worked it full time to minimize the damage, but that left me without being able to get a real job, and, honestly, was not in the right headspace to get one anyway. I was depressed, defeated. For someone who is so confident in them self, I was broken.
I had to find a way out of it. I am a self starter, it took some time, but I got back in the job market, found a job at an HVAC/Chimney company, took their service department over, more then doubled their chimney division sales in 90ish days, and then was off and running again. I had HOPE. I knew I could do it, I just had to Go Do It.

3.8.21
[[Reposted and some updates on 4.12.21 as I turn these into individual blog posts]]
What is one way your perspective on faith has shifted during your journaling on this topic?:
I need to allow God to work in and around me. Have Faith that He will guide me.

Identify an area in your life which you could apply something you learned about faith:
I can apply something daily! and all of it! I often tell God “I got this”, I need to allow Him to tell me, “He has this”

Which aspect of Faith (prayer, doubt, tradition) are you committed to work on right now:
Prayer. Through prayer, I will gain the additional Faith I need, learn to Wait better and be more Patient. Prayer will stifle Doubt and allow me to seek His word.

PRACTICE INTENTIONALITY
The section asks to set aside 15-30 mins a day to read scripture and pray and to log it. I will start with Psalms and Proverbs. Read 1 or 2 per day of each and Pray in a more dedicated way.

4.12.21 Practice Intentionality: I get on board with this end of March as I started a Prayer Journal

3.7.21
[[Reposted and some updates on 4.12.21 as I turn these into individual blog posts]]
Matthew 6:1-2
Share with God the tension you feel between knowing what to do and actually doing it:
Knowing what to do and then actually doing it, I am an expert on the “not doing”. That is not to say I act in opposition, or do the wrong thing, I do what I “feel” and “know” is right, but I do not properly Wait for the next step. God points me in a direction and I say “I got this” and then reason/think/brain my way through the next steps… on a journey of 1000 miles, even a degree or two puts you in a pretty different place. That is ME. So I go the right direction, but I end up a degree or two off… so I do not end up where God has called, or wanted me to be, because I have not been Faithful enough, Waited or been Patient enough to allow Him to give me the nest step, and the next and the next. I know and believe I am not far off… he does not allow me to stray too far, but just far enough that when I get there I KNOW I am not where He wanted.
I look at my goals and dreams and I can see where I did not hit them, and why. In 2008-2010 I was on a solid path with a small business to get some financial goals done. The economy crashed, and I am def not saying it crashed me because I was not Faithful, but I could have easily weathered that crash a lot better than I did. Why didnt I make it through better? A few small things different and I would have, but I did not. 2010 I filed bankruptcy and on paper lost about 1.25M, actual cash in bank, 80-100K, but the businesses were worth a lot more, had I weathered the storm better. I did not listen. I thought I knew better. I thought I had it figured out. He CLEARLY told me I did not… I pushed forward anyway in 2008 and 2009 and 2010 was the fruits of that, a bankruptcy.

3.6.21
[[Reposted and some updates on 4.12.21 as I turn these into individual blog posts]]
Ephesians 1:4-5
How have you been able to break through stereotypes because of your confidence in who God made you to be?:
Not sure I have broke stereotypes. People see my confidence in what I do and naturally believe in me, allow me to lead. I demonstrate knowledge and confidence in that knowledge, make decisions, and that has allowed me to show what God has given me, my skills, my passion, my desire, and allows me to build trust and confidence in others. To lead when it is needed. People trust that my decisions are sound and right.

3.5.21
[[Reposted and some updates on 4.12.21 as I turn these into individual blog posts]]
Psalm 139:7-12
The keys to this section are “Faith is the answer” and “Pray your way out”
How do you respond to the love God expresses in this verse?:
Staying in Gods love, remaining Faithful and practicing Waiting and Patients. By doing these God shows us Love and Grace.

4.12.21 So much more to say on this one now. I think I will redo the 40 Days in a couple of weeks and really expand on these as I do them again.

3.4.21
[[Reposted and some updates on 4.12.21 as I turn these into individual blog posts]]
Philippians 4:6
Beginning with a prayer of Thanksgiving for what God has already done in your life, make your requests known to Him in this space, believing that He regards those who honestly seek him:
I have listed my prayer requests in the book. I do not think I will do so here.
That said Prayer is powerful. I have prayed for years and years, long before I wert to Church, not as regular as I should, not as committed as I should, but prayed.
I do believe my Prayer connection to God is strong. Even though I do not pray as often/as much as I should, I know that when I do, it is powerful in its response. I need to double down on this. I need to surrender myself to His Faith and dig deep into prayer.

4.12.21 I have started a Prayer Journal at the advice of my Pastor. So I list most of the things I praying about and who for in that daily as I pray. ALSO my beautiful friend PS gave me some scented oils to use depending on the situation, so I journal when I use those also.

3.3.21
[[Reposted and some updates on 4.12.21 as I turn these into individual blog posts]]
Hebrews 11
Reflect on a time in your life when you acted in Faith. Is there an area in your life right now where you could use some Faith?:
I dont know that I have ever truly acted in Faith. Not directly. I have always believed. I have always known God is Good. I have prayed and things have happened. But I have never truly surrendered to Faith. As explained in previous posts, God points me in a direction, I go that direction, but then instead of waiting for Him to show me the next step, I reason it out and I take the next steps.
I need to Trust in God for the next steps. I need to have Faith that he is there with me. I need to surrender to Faith, put it into practice in my life.

3.2.21
[[Reposted and some updates on 4.12.21 as I turn these into individual blog posts]]
What is one way your perspective on Hope has shifted during your time journaling on this topic?
I need to believe in Gods’s timing for me. I need to put into practice Waiting, Patients, Anticipation and Grace.

Identify an area of your life which you could apply something you learned about Hope?
All of them… Waiting and being Patient are big areas of reflection for me. I tend to hear God’s word, face myself in the direction he wants me to go and then not listen and just reason the way through it. I need to Stop and Listen along the way.

Which aspect of Hope (Waiting, Patients, Anticipation, Grace) are you committed to working on right now?
All of them need work to be sure. Grace is the one I will focus on right now. “Go and Do” make a difference in peoples lives by Showing Love and Helping My Neighour.

3.1.21
[[Reposted and some updates on 4.12.21 as I turn these into individual blog posts]]
John 10:10
¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

How can you live out Grace today?:
At Church on Sunday (2.28) we studied the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). It seems to tie directly into this… (timely huh?)
How I can live with Grace today? Open my heart to others, even those I may have hardened it too. Practice Grace with others.
Love your neighbour is how you show God love.
Love is Action.
At the end of the Good Samaritan story, Jesus says “Go and do likewise”, take care of your Neighbour! Go and Do!
Pastor said, Push past loving in your heart and do something about the situation.
Go and Do.
So I can show Grace, by working to Love My Neighbour, Go and Do. Love is Action.

2.28.21
[[Reposted and some updates on 4.12.21 as I turn these into individual blog posts]]
Genesis 22:1-14 (Parts of the Story of Abraham)
Reflect on a specific time when God provided something in your life:
So like Hope, Waiting and Patients, not sure I can name a specific instance. I have not lived my life in this way, this thought process, again I have Believed always, but I have always Believed more in a “He has given me gift/abilities/skills, to use as I need or want” when in reality, He has given me these to use for His Kingdom. So while I have used these skills and abilities, I have not specifically used them for Him, but for what I believes was right.
So this entire process is me looking at the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How of who I am, what I have been Blessed with, and how to now refocus what I have been given.
I have always known where my abilities have come from, but again, I did not consider them in that way… I did not consider them for a specific purpose, or view my Blessing from a specific angle or light. I know what he wants of me, but have always approached it from a “He has given me a path (not a step by step one, but more of a direction) and left it to me to walk that path”
Have I been wrong in that interpretation? Someone Close to me (PS) would say that I probably have been wrong, or I should have been more focused on the Path and asking about the “How and Why” of it for clarity.
I need to Focus more on His Word, His Direction, and move He has asked.