Reflections #13: When God Stirs Up Your Spirit

Thank you for joining us for Reflections, short meditations on scripture intersecting life

Ezra 1:1-5

In today’s podcast, we’re talking about the phrase “stirred up.”

Have you ever felt stirred up about something? Yesterday you weren’t the least bit bothered, but now all of the sudden it seems that a certain situation, person, or injustice is all you can think about.

Well in these verses, and many other places in the Old Testament, we see God stirring up people to do something, and it just may be that God is doing the same thing in your life.

To listen to the podcast, just click on the arrow below. You can also subscribe to the Only By Prayer podcast on iTunes.

Thanks for listening. What is God stirring up in your heart, in your life today? We’d love to hear about it in the comment section below.

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Plant an Indoor Herb Garden

I don’t know about you, but when I’m smack in the middle of blah winter months, I miss working in my herb garden and being surrounded by the aromas and visions of blooming herbs, flowers, and veggies. Winter days can be a bit dreary after the excitement and busyness of the holidays. Especially this year. We’ve had days and days of sub-zero temperatures and snow. It’s a real winter.

This morning I woke up and decided I couldn’t wait a minute longer for some greenery. I called around and found a nursery that had a few herb plants in stock. Perfect! I could see a little indoor herb garden springing to life in my mind already. I love herbs because they’re instant aromatherapy. I can’t help but smile when every time I walk by I catch a whiff of their sweet or spicy fragrance.

Growing Herbs Indoors

First of all, I need a planter for growing herbs indoors. For a while I’ve had my eye on a self-watering planter that I saw at the IKEA store that recently opened up near my home. I love the design of this. It’s in two pieces. The bottom is a separate reservoir with a wick that threads through two holes in the top part of the planter. The wick then dangles down into the reservoir and Voila! No worries about my plants drying up if we’re going to be gone for a week or so.

The planter looked big enough for two herb plants, so the next stop was to the local nursery to find my plants.

Choosing My Herbs

I walked in and wandered around taking my time soaking in the bursts of color and scent, enjoying the display of fairy gardens, succulent gardens, air plants, houseplants, and a small selection of herbs. I had been hoping (unrealistically) to find a lavender plant, but the herbs in stock were of the more culinary variety: basil, sage, oregano, parsley, and mint. I decided on basil and parsley.

Of course I couldn’t stop there. I also chose a pot of baby tears and a tiny purple blooming plant called campanula, because I really wanted a pop of color too. I could just picture them inside two bird cages I found last summer at a garage sale. One has been sitting empty on the shelf, and the other is filled with a few tired twine balls. Time to breathe some life into them.

I gathered my plants and materials, paid for them, and headed home.

Wow. The planter, which looked so big in the store, looks small next to the two healthy herbs. I really need a bigger planter, but I decide to use it anyway. I can replant them outside this spring. I pot up my herbs and water them and add just a bit of water to the reservoir. For now I’ll set this on the windowsill in my office. I love the life and aroma it adds while I’m working.

Indoor House Plants

Here’s pictures of the other plants too. The baby tears and campanula are happily perched in their bird cages in front of the large picture window in my living room. And a mini succulent plant I bought a few weeks ago at the botanical garden in St. Louis is on my desk in its happy green pot.

I think I have enough greenery now to get me through to planting season. How about you? Do you have any indoor plants or gardens? Share what you do to get your garden fix during the winter months.

Botanically Me,

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How to Use a Tea Press

One day I was in Goodwill looking through the kitchen supplies area when I saw a kitchen gadget I’d been wanting to buy for a long time—a tea press! I couldn’t believe it. I breathed a prayer of thanks to God and picked it up. It was a Bodum, a great brand. I had already purchased two glass Bodum teacups several years ago and loved them. I knew the quality of this would match the teacups.

Is a Tea Press and a French Coffee Press the Same Thing?

It may be that you are wondering how to use a tea press too. I recorded this short video to show you how simple it is. Incidentally, a tea press and a French coffee press do the same thing with one difference, so if you have a coffee press, you can use it to make your herb tea. The difference is that when you push the plunger down on the tea press, it stops the tea from steeping any longer. From what I understand, a French coffee press will allow the tea leaves to continue steeping, so you need to pour all of your tea out of the press at that point if you don’t want it any stronger. Also if you have already used your French press for coffee, be sure you wash it thoroughly so that the tea doesn’t taste like coffee.

In the video I mention nettles tea. Yes, this is the same plant that is known as stinging nettle (Urtica spp.). It is a nutritive herb and contains calcium, magnesium, and chlorophyll. It has a green, veggie flavor, but it’s an excellent base tea. You can blend it with other nutritive teas like oat straw, the mints, chamomile, rose, hibiscus, ginger, cinnamon, and so on. In the video, I also mention that it is excellent to add to soup bases. You can either make the tea ahead of time like I do in the video and use that as part of your broth base, or put a few teaspoons of dried nettle in a tea bag and let it steep in the soup while it’s cooking. Just remember to remove it when it’s done.

Let me know if you use a tea press and what type of tea you like to make in it. Have fun experimenting!

Enjoy!

Botanically me,

How To Use a Tea Press from Jane VanOsdol on Vimeo.

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New Year, New Habit: James Bible Reading Plan

Welcome to OnlyBy Prayer’s week-long Bible reading plan to kick off New Year’s! Thank you for joining us. This week (Monday-Friday) we will read the book of James and then discuss our reading. It’s a simple plan, but it will help us start the New Year on a good note.

Mary and I will add our thoughts on each day’s reading under the heading for that day. Please add your thoughts each day in the comment section. Feel free to respond to what other people have written as well. Ready? Let’s get started.

January 8, Day 1: Read James 1:1-27

Mary’s Thoughts!

We have been scattered so we can gather! Gather in at school, at work, across nations, towns and workplaces. God calls us to gather his people. While we are walking out our faith, we will experience trials. These trials contain gifts, blessings and that we must open our hands to receive (James 1:7, 12, 21). Some works of God in us will only be completed through trials. Trials are tailor made to benefit us not destroy us. This doesn’t mean the circumstances of our trials are good, but that God can work them to bring us good.

Good from suffering. Good from pain. Good from desperate hurt. Hang on and hold out your hands.

To thrive and gather through our trials we need wisdom, patience, love and faith. Ask God for these things and hold out your hands to receive them (holding out your hands day upon day upon week is an act of faith!).

Believe. Seek. Receive. Repeat.

God is good!

Jane’s Thoughts!

I am focusing on James 1:5-8. What stood out to me is that I don’t want to be a double-minded woman. A double-minded person constantly waffles back and forth between trusting God and then not trusting God. I want to have a steady faith that God will do what is best for me and His purposes. Part of trust is realizing that this can be different than what I think is best. Once I ask, I need to 1) trust and then 2) be content with whatever God’s answer is: yes, no, or wait.

Sometimes I think that this issue is too trivial or I am too trivial to come before God for help. That is wrong. That is the enemy’s thinking, not God’s. The enemy plants the thoughts “Who are you to come before God? You’re not important enough,” or “You can handle that issue on your own. Don’t bother God with it.” Both are wrong. Nothing or no one is too small (or too big) for God to handle. He wants us to come to Him. He values each one of us so much that He sent Jesus to die for our sin.

Don’t let the enemy rob you of taking your concerns before God and seeking His wisdom and help. He will answer.

January 9, Day 2: Read James 2:1-26

Mary’s Thoughts!

Partiality is always under-girded by a lack of mercy. Partiality shows a lack of wholeness. We don’t whole-ly love others because we don’t whole-ly love or trust God, who is the God of mercy and grace. Souls of others are won by mercy and grace. No one has ever come to Christ through the condemnation and scorn of another.

Faith is for EVERYONE. So what am I doing to get it to everyone? The poor, the dirty, the sick, the homeless … in Jesus own words the CHOSEN. Chosen by God to inherit His grace and peace and love. So what am I doing to get this good news to EVERYONE?

Because believing requires doing. working. giving. sacrificing.

There can be works without faith, but there can be no faith without works.

So what will I do?

Believe. Seek. Share. Repeat.

January 10, Day 3: Read James 3:1-18

Mary’s Thoughts!

The hardest thing to tame on earth is not and eagle, a lion or a bear; man can tame all these things. The un-tameable creature is the tongue. So powerful and potentially destructive only God can tame it. And we need him to. Why? Because our words direct our actions and ultimately our destiny.

How does God tame the tongue? Through His Word.

His Word can change our words.

Jesus is the Word. In the beginning was the word. The word was God and the word was with God. If we want a changed life, we must have changed words. Remember, God used words to create. We have the choice to use our words to create or destroy. The more I am in the word, the more his word will be in me, creating, remaking, healing, restoring.

“Go and I will be with your mouth, and I will teach you what to say.” Exodus 4:12

Amen.

January 12, Day 5: Read James 5:1-20

Mary’s Thoughts!

Why do our riches, gifts and talents get rusted and moth-eaten? Because of lack of use. The other day my husband told me he was rusty at his guitar playing. It had been a while since he had strummed his 6-string. He was rusty and it was hard to get going again. Same thing with our gifts and talents. We try to save them for ourselves but when we do that, we end up losing them. We must use ’em or lose ’em. Our clothes get moth eaten and our food gets moldy while the world shivers and starves.

Convicted.

We have a choice according to James 5, we can fatten our hearts or establish them. We are so afraid of suffering. A little pain, a little sacrifice so we store everything up for ourselves. What about Job? Have we suffered as much as Job? For most of us, not even close. He suffered much and was able to endure. I can too.

I can endure not having another dress, another gourmet meal, another Starbucks. I can give a little so another can be warmed and be filled.

Amen.

Jane’s Thoughts

When are we to pray? All the time. When we are suffering … when we are cheerful … when we are sick …. James 5:16 tells us prayer is powerful: “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. “

My Spirit-fille Life Bible makes these points about prayer:

Prayer is empowered by the Holy Spirit. It is God’s power infused in our prayer. So this means that this is relationship-based prayer. We have to be Christ followers before we can be filled with the Holy Spirit.
This type of prayer should be the norm for all believers, not just pastors, or apostles. or prophets.
Our prayers when energized by the power of the Holy Spirit, cause things to happen. Amazing!
We can always plant a prayer in another person’s life.

Let’s be prayer planters today!

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Start a New Healthy Habit in 2018

Ready or not, 2018 has arrived! I don’t know about you, but for me 2017 went by in a blur. It was an eventful year with a bucket list trip of my husband’s realized, our first grandchild born, and the loss of my mom. I was stretched in many ways last year.

But that’s now in the past, and this fresh year is waiting, ready to be realized, explored, and developed. Have you set any goals? I’ve always set goals, but haven’t been very good at sticking with them. Over the last few years, I’ve been challenged to live into and lean into my goals, to bring as many of them to reality as possible — because nobody else is going to do it for me! I’m responsible for the direction of my life and what I achieve.

This year I’d like to encourage you to start a new healthy habit. Let’s talk through a few points that will help make this goal stick.

Which Goal Should I Pick?

I like to set goals in different areas, like spiritual, physical, “soulful,” and work. For our purposes, let’s just choose one. After you complete the process, you can then go on to create as many other goals as you would like. Where to start?

Start in the area where you have the greatest need.

Perhaps you feel like your spiritual life has been stagnant and could use a boost, so you can start there. Or maybe your health has taken a beating and you need to make some changes in this area (physical). It could be you’ve realized that you are always last on the priority list, so you need to build some time in your life to do things that feed your soul ( your mind, mood, will, emotions), or perhaps you want to set a goal that focuses on the work you do (this could be your own business, your home with your kids and spouse, your job, or your volunteer work).

Brainstorm ideas and pick one. Now schedule it. Actually write it in your planner/add it to your online calendar. Until you make room for it, it won’t actually happen. If you like, there are some downloadable fun habit tracker worksheets where you check or color in a circle each time you do the new habit. Do whatever motivates and works for you.

Inspiration

Need some inspiration? Start here:

Soul Goal:

Choose your one word for the year. I love this goal, because its so simple yet it can touch every area of your life. One word simply means that you choose one word to focus on that seems to apply to you at this phase of your life. For example, my one word for 2018 is consistent because I need to focus on being consistent in some areas of my life, like work. As you think about it, usually one word pops into your mind.

Physical Goal:

To help support my health, this year I have decided to drink at least one cup of herbal tea each day, and I want to try my own blends (including the one at the right). Herbal tea was actually the go-to medicine for people before the advent of modern medicine, and herbal teas contain wonderful properties that support health.

Here’s the recipe to my blend if you’d like to try it:

Happiness Tea

1 tsp. Hibiscus
1 tsp. Rooibos
1 tsp. Rosehips
1 tsp. Gogi berries.

Pour 2 cups just-boiled water over the top and steep for 15 minutes. Sweeten as desired.

Spiritual Goal:

To encourage my spiritual growth, this year I want to add 30 minutes of prayer to my devotional time in the morning. I’m keeping a prayer notebook to record all my requests and insights too.

Work Goal:

This year I have set the goal to be consistent (there’s that one word) in posting one blog a week.

Now it’s your turn.

What’s one new healthy habit that you can start this year? Let me know what you’re thinking, and I’ll be cheering you on as I work through my goal too!

Botanically me,

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Follow Along Advent Readings, Day 7

Today is our final day of discussing A Painted Advent devotional. Thanks so much for joining us. I hope during this final week of Christmas preparations that you are able to steal away for some quiet moments with our Savior.

Today’s painting is all about the molding, shaping, forming, and creating process—God to us.

As I look at this picture, I am reminded that painful times and hard circumstances do more to shape us into who we are than do the easy, joyous times of life.

I know that has certainly been true in my own life. God used the terrible pain of losing a child to develop in me strength and trust. He used a years-long illness in my mother to develop resilience and empathy and sacrificial love.

Lifeline of Hope

In the readings for today, 1 Peter 1:5 jumps out to me. It says, “Who are kept (emphasis mine) by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

This is a lifeline of hope to us when we are in the middle of the God-shaping-us process.

I’m not sure about you, but it’s hard to just look at the painting for today. The first word that popped into my mind when I saw it was pain. God knows that, and so this verse is a comfort. What it says to me is that in the midst, He is keeping us from losing ourselves: our hope, our salvation, our faith. It’s a promise to preserve us through this difficult time so that we emerge stronger and more like Jesus. And that’s what the shaping process is all about.

Jesus Is the Standard

Jesus is the standard of perfection that we are being molded to. The process starts here, now on earth, but it won’t be completed until we get to heaven. While it’s difficult to feel like a piece of clay or wood smack in the middle of a work session by the Creator, remember to hang on to God and look for the blessing. It will be there in the form of a stronger person who more closely resembles the Savior.

What spoke to you today? Share your thoughts below.

Merry Christmas!

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