Saturday, March 30, 2013

Discipline of Silence


I was given a gift at the Moms in Prayer 2013 Southern California State Getaway.  I had been given this sort of gift before and was happy to receive it again.  What made this time different was how USA National Director Sharon Gamble set the stage and gave us a theme: SOAR

I’m passing this gift onto you!  What is it?  It’s a Discipline of Silence.  

A Discipline of Silence is being still and quite before the Lord.  Listening to God and not any other voice including the one in your head.

Before you read on make sure that you have at least a half of an hour ahead of you that is responsibility free.  If you don’t then come back when you do.

For the next half hour you are not to speak.  Not one word.  Do not text, answer your phone, click on links or start up any conversation at all.  Check your surroundings to make sure you do not have any blaring distractions.  Keep a pencil and paper handy, just in case there is something you might want to jot down, but do not use it as a substitute for talking.  When you feel your mind drifting, planning out your next meal, stop.  Come back to listening.  Everything else can wait.  You are now on an intimate listening date with your Daddy...

Consider the acronym SOAR:

S - Surrender (Isaiah 30:16)
O - Obey (Isaiah 30:21)
A - Adore (Isaiah 30:18... 40:26)
R - Rest (Isaiah 30:15)

Understand the imagery of an Eagle soaring:

Like an Eagle

Isaiah must have watched eagles closely to see the way they soar.  As birds go, eagles’ wings are big, but the muscles that make them flap aren’t.  Pound for pound, an eagle’s strength is no match for the strength of a hummingbird.  The strength of eagles is not in their flapping but in their soaring.  An eagle will perch high atop a canyon wall and wait for the thermals - warm wind currents that rise up from the canyon below.  When the rising wind is just right, the eagle will fold its wings to its sides, literally cast itself into the chasm and plummet into the abyss.  Isaiah would not have known this in his day, but God has equipped eagles with tiny sensors in their beaks to let the birds know when they have reached the optimal speed.  When this happens, the bird will spread its wings, catch the thermals, rise up into the sky and soar.  Isaiah didn’t know the mechanism, but he could see the effect.

This is a great picture of hoping in God.  Through no strength of our own, we cast ourselves upon God, fall into His mercy and soar on His promises.  Our strength comes from trusting and soaring, not flapping and working.

~ Ben Patterson

Meditate on these Scriptures and Listen:

Isaiah 30:15-18
This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
    in quietness and trust is your strength,
    but you would have none of it.

You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’
    Therefore you will flee!
You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’
    Therefore your pursuers will be swift!

A thousand will flee
    at the threat of one;
at the threat of five
    you will all flee away,
till you are left
    like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
    like a banner on a hill.”

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
    therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
    Blessed are all who wait for him!


Isaiah 40:31
But those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.


Shush...

Sunday, March 24, 2013

4 Traditions 4 Easter

4 Traditions...
Issue: Easter
In This Issue
Easter Basket
Rise Again
3 Parts can make a Whole
Follow the Ribbon
A Poem
2012 headshot
Michelle Fozounmayeh
A joy filled wife and mom that enjoys writing, praying, speaking at women events and being an Area Coordinator with the ministry Moms In Prayer International.





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iFinish Strong

iThank God for That

iFollow

iWork Out

iReminisce

iPray 4 Protection

iPray 4 Purity

iSmell a Stain

iEmbrace

iPraise

iLove Deep and Wide

iPray 4 Newness

iTeeter-Totter











hats
We live in a world where we wear many "hats".  Even though we all have many parts of ourselves trying to survive...
Many Parts of Me
(click link for "hats" script)

Traditions do not have to make our world even more hectic!  It's not about doing more... it's about doing less!  It's about doing what matters!
traditions
Greetings!

Throughout the years I have come to have a deep respect for the role family rituals and traditions have on the healthy state of our family.

For many years I worked as a Family Consultant with Once Upon A Family and picked up a few ideas.  Although traditions in our home have had seasons of success and seasons of rest or have had to be modified and/or changed to fit our family's needs, they still exist!  

Each issue of 4 Traditions features ideas I have gathered and/or created that you can use or modify to fit your family's needs.
Easter Basket
From the Heart...
One great way to celebrate Easter and to teach your children the virtues of giving, is to deliver Easter baskets to the elderly.  This is a family project that everyone can take part in.  You can make your own simple but beautiful baskets, by splattering pastel poster paint onto white construction paper.  Once the paint is dry, roll the paper into a cone shape and staple along the joined edges.  Attach a matching pastel ribbon as a handle, and fill your hand-made baskets with goodies.  Everyone will enjoy delivering these pieces of art to a local nursing home, when they see what pleasure it brings to the recipients.  Spending a little time with those who may not have anyone to share the holiday with will show your children how valuable family is.  
Rise Again
Planting Seeds...
In celebration of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ some families may enjoy planting seeds either for a garden, or just for some pretty flowers. Jesus talked about a seed needing to be planted and die so that it can rise again with multiplied life (John 12:24). This is a good object lesson you can use to teach your children about Easter.
Three Parts Can Make a Whole
Dissecting. . .
These days most egg hunts are with plastic eggs that open up to reveal little treasures like stickers and candy.  For this tradition you will need at last one real hard boiled egg per person. 
 
Each person gets to dissect their own egg.  Before you start the process of disassembling and observing explain that Jesus would use examples to explain things and this activity helps explain that three parts can make a whole.  A man can be a son to his parents, a husband to his wife and a father to his children and yet he is the same person with three different functions.  An egg also helps us see that three parts can make a whole. Hold up your egg and ask what they are looking at.  "An egg"  Yes, it is a whole egg, let's figure out this egg's internal structure!  As everyone peals their eggs ask them what they are removing from the egg.  "The Shell"  Yes it is used as the covering for the other parts.  Next have them try to peal the white away from the yoke.  Ask them what they just took off.  "The Egg White"  Yes, the white part of the egg has it's own structure and is even used separate from the other parts of the egg in many recipes.  Ask what is left?  "The Yoke"  Yes, crumble it up and see how it feels and reacts differently from the other two parts of the egg.  The ONE egg can serve three different functions.  
 
As they get to eat their mess and/or help mush it up to be made into an egg salad sandwich let them know that we worship ONE God.  This ONE God can be our heavenly Father, our savior Jesus Christ and can be spiritually active in our lives all at the same time.   End with quoting 2 Corinthians 13:14, "May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."
Follow the Ribbon
Bunny Bandits...
This is a simple tradition that doesn't take much preparation.  All you need to do is buy some narrow inexpensive ribbon from a local craft store. Choose a different color for each member of the family (15 to 25 yards per person, depending on how crazy you want this to be).  You can personalize this tradition by attaching a charm to the end of each ribbon; a soccer ball for Kevin, ballet slippers for Suzie, and a sewing thimble for grandma.  Once the kids are in bed, tie a ribbon to each of their hidden Easter baskets and wind them in and out of the furniture and the other ribbons until you can't see where they began.  Bring the ends with the charms to one central location (perhaps the kitchen table) as a place where your family can begin the entangled maze to find their baskets.  On Easter morning exclaim,  "The Bunny Bandits were at it again, trying to keep you from your basket so you can't pick up the eggs!  But they left a trail of where they hid your basket." Before you know it, everyone will be tangled in ribbon and laughter. 
A Poem about a little egg...

In closing here is a link to a poem about a seeker that found a treasure...

 
All 4 HIM,
 

MICHELLE FOZOUNMAYEH
My Blog 

Sunday, March 3, 2013

iRest


March/2013
iPray eVotionals
Greetings!

iPray eVotionals exhorts those who pray.  It's the glass of water held out around each month's turn for the runners who can use a quick and easy quench in order to finish strong.  

iRest
(Approximate reading time: 7 Minutes)  
iDon't Sleep
It's sort of an oxymoron for me to be writing about rest.  If, in the evenings, I fall asleep within a little pocket of time then I could be good for most of the night.  If not, then I literally watch my sleepy time slip away and the sun come up.  That's right, I battle with insomnia.  

During sleepless nights I sometimes pray and ask God why, when it seems to me that there is no reason for it, sleep evades me?

When I ask that question I'm prepared for an answer that tells me about keeping a schedule, eating right, exercising or living a healthy lifestyle.  I could also accept an acknowledgment that my mind tends to run wild at the exact moment I want to rest; working out the details of the projects I'm currently working on.

What I'm not prepared for is the answer I recently got.  Because of it, this sometimes sleepless girl has a word of encouragement for you.  It starts with this statement:  Ask and you shall receive.
Rest and Sleep

"Why can't I sleep!?!?"

Psalm 62:1 & 2  explains rest as an assurance, "My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken."  I want to believe that I do rest in the Lord and it has nothing to do with sleeplessness.

Enter King David.

Can you fall asleep when you are concerned about something happening in your life?  It can be extremely difficult to rest well when life's pressures come in hard or during times of trouble.  Think about curling up and falling into a deep sleep while at the same time you were being pursued by an army of men attempting to kill you.  King David had every reason in the physical world to experience sleepless nights. His son Absalom had organized a rebellion against him and wanted to see him dead.

According to Psalm 3:6, there were tens of thousands drawn up against him on every side...and yet he slept. "I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me."  Psalm 3:5

How?

David cried out to God and trusted Him for protection. The Lord heard him and answered, allowing him to slumber safely.

The prideful part of me wants to resist the truth that there is sort of connection between being "rest assured" and falling asleep.  I am very assured in my God; I know a lot about His salvation, comfort, authority and his ability to be in control.  I cry out to him all the time!  I know that my ability to sleep is a separate issue all together.  Right?

Time to be humbled with the help of this year's cold and flu season.
iRest in my Knowledge
Floating Viruses have had their way with me this cold and flu season, because of it I have been humbled big time.  There has always been an inner pride of mine of my ability to dodge the Virus bullet.  My positive outlook, vitamins and wellness techniques can redirect anything coming my way.  When I feel a little something coming on it rarely, if ever, comes to full fruition in my body and in my life!  I haven't made a practice of proclaiming this self-pride, but God knows my deepest thoughts.  He knows what pops into my head before it makes the pop!

Knowledge Hoard

I start to feel it in my ears,
Bioflavonoids, my dear.

My throat gets scratchy,
Vitamin and herbs to matchy.

Pain in the bum,
Gimme some Tums.

Start it before it starts,
Neurological wellness charts.

Something keeping me up,
Alka-Seltzer Plus in a cup.

Juggling tons of crap,
Keep it up with an app.

I feel a sharp pain,
Tylenol will sustain.

Nose wants to run,
Will it to be done.

Cough cough cough,
Grab cough drops.

Is that low blood sugar I feel?
A banana until the next meal.

Body getting weak,
An hour of extra sleep.

Kids feel ill,
Flintstone pill.

Killing the germs I hope,
Sanitize, Lysol, Clorox and soap.

See others are sick,
Stay away and offer a fix.

When all else fails to work,
I realize I'm a big jerk.

As I rest in these things,
I replace my mighty King.

Better when I first pray,
The other stuff just aids.

I stop, as a knowledge hoard!
Because God, you are Lord!

-Michelle Fozounmayeh
2-23-2013

None of these things are bad.  It's where I place my hope that's bad.  When my heart places hope in wellness knowledge over my God I am replacing Him as first in my life.  It's a struggle I hate to admit, but I must face it because no doubt this fault is not isolated to health issues.  It spurs out onto other parts of my life.  I rely on my knowledge in marriage, raising kids, praying and so much more when really it's out of my control like it was for Job in the Bible.

Being knowledgeable about things is not wrong, but none of it is worthy of my deepest hope and trust. I can know everything there is about sky diving, but when a parachute fails, it fails.  The only thing sufficient to give me the right sort of relief is resting in my God and my King as Lord over my life and my household.

My downfall revealed!  Am I "rest assured" in other things, like my personal know-how and the need to control my hours with that know-how, more than I am in my God?  How quick am I to cry out to the Lord in the big things as well as the little things?

I am asking God to rescue me from my sleepless nights.  He is asking me to make Him first in everything.  There is a connection that I can no longer pretend to ignore.

"The Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, powerful, and awe-inspiring God.  He never plays favorites and never takes a bribe."
Deuteronomy 10:17
Hope in God Alone

"Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
For God is the King of all the earth;
sing praises with a psalm!"
Psalm 47:6 & 7

The prideful Michelle says, "I praise God all the time and always go to him first.  I keep the Sabbath!"

The humbled Michelle says, "I am faulty.  I struggle with letting go and putting my trust and hope in God at such a level that I can lie down and sleep the way King David did.

Guess what, it physically hurts to be humbled.  After having pride pruned, it's time to stop and rest.  Take a break, a breather.  Calm down... in my spirit and in my heart.  Clearing my mind of all things except one.  Hope in One God!  Praising Him and Him alone for being Lord over all.

The word "hope" often has a wavering or uncertain sound. For example, one might hope to go on vacation or to get a job done right.  The word "hope" in the Bible does not leave room for doubt.  When disaster came to Job, he only looked to God as Lord over it all.  He couldn't even find complete comfort and vision from his closest friends.  As prophets continued to reveal more of God's plan, the shape of the hoped-for future became ever so clear.  The Lord's commitment to His people, His faithfulness to His promises and His unfailing trustworthiness came to fruition in Christ Jesus.  Psalm 71:14 puts it this way, "But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more."

Hope in God should never leave room for doubt.  He works our present transformation in everything, even in insomnia, if we are willing to accept the answers.  Hoping in Him means that we never need to be overcome by disappointment and uncertain circumstances.  God is faithful and in control, when we believe this in every way it brings true rest of not only our heart, soul and mind... but should also supernaturally manifest in our physical body here and now.

Beyond the here and now, His future return will bring both the resurrection of the body and full expression of eternal glory in Heaven.   No room for doubt!
iRest Assured
It's not about me sleeping! It's about God, whose love for us cannot be measured. It's about giving Him our praise and thanksgiving no matter what; respecting in awe the One who remains faithful. 

In what ways do you need to pause before the Lord and be real?  Is there an area where you long for God's protection or provision so you can rest? Is your hope in God giving you peace in all areas of your live?  Like David, are you willing to cry out to the Lord and trust Him in an even deeper way so you can lie down in peace? 
iPray...

iPray... That you are able to ask and humbly accept the answers you are not prepared for.

iPray... That your knowledge in Christ Jesus will far out way any other knowledge you have gained here on earth.

iPray...  That you will pour out your heart before Him and let the assurance of answered prayer strengthen and encourage you and bring you peace.

iPray... That you will be able to lie down and sleep in peace for God alone is your safety. (From Psalm 4:8)

iPray... That God's Spirit will go with you, and give you rest.  (From Exodus 33:14)

iPray... For you my dear sibling in Christ Jesus, that God will be your everything!

In Jesus Name amen!

All for HIM,
Michelle Fozounmayeh 
In This Issue
iDon't Sleep
Rest and Sleep
iRest in my Knowledge
Hope in God Alone
iRest Assured
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2012 headshot
Michelle Fozounmayeh



Michelle Fozounmayeh
A joy filled wife and mom that enjoys writing, praying, speaking at women events and being an Area Coordinator with the ministry Moms In Prayer International.


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