paravanes:meditations

"..I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." --Ephesians 3:14-19, NIV A few years ago, I attended a women's retreat during which we broke into small groups after lunch and took turns praying for each other. I'd joined a table of women I didn't know before attending the retreat. The session leader took us to this passage in Ephesians and instructed us to find a partner at our table and for each partner team to take turns praying for each other by inserting

One of the advantages of living as an adult is the option of choosing your outlook! Whose outlook am I choosing? Why? The world's outlook -- not the beautiful and orderly physical world created by God, but the fallen world system of twisted values and highly-energized, no holds barred self-promotion--leaves me a day late and a dollar short all of the time. In the world's viewpoint, there is always something "wrong with me": too short, too fat, too skinny, too light, too dark, too-this and too-that. Not smart enough, not connected enough, not feared or respected enough, not productive enough, not good enough. In God's outlook, those saved through faith in Christ always have enough and always are enough. Where I fall short, God fills in for me and makes up my losses. My only shortcoming is failing to see, recognize, and obey this truth. When I EXIT GOD'S OUTLOOK, I am getting into EGO and I am getting into trouble. In ego, I have to make everything ha