REVIEW of ANYTHING by Jennie Allen

Borrowed this book from a friend. “Anything” by Jennie Allen. I’ve never read any of Ms. Allen’s work before. However, my friend insisted, “She’s amazing!” 

Read the entire book in two days. Intend to go back now and do the study part which I skipped the first time through. Ms. Allen IS Amazing! Very easy read, very engaging and quite moving! 

Made a few notes in a notebook—ordinarily write in the margins, but it’s not my book—and will have to use the notebook to write study notes and questions. Will probably have to buy my own copy of “Anything” so I can transfer my thoughts into the appropriate places…

THAT’S how much I enjoyed this book!

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Don't Worry! Be Happy!

Yes. Yes I am.

I’m a worrier.

I can’t help it. It’s as imbedded in my DNA as the color of my eyes and the size of my feet. I worry about my kids and my kid’s kids. I worry about my husband and his health. I worry if he still finds me attractive. And, I worry about the amount of time he spends on freeways—the man gets lost coming out of the bedroom in the morning! 

I worry about the gray in my hair and the hair on my chin. I worry about the amount of time I spend on the computer. I worry about Karma and whether or not I should be worried about it.

I worry about the bacteria in yogurt. Scientists say it’s good for us, but that’s like saying snakes are good for gardens. Sure, they keep the vermin population under control but they also make me scream like a banshee and wet myself when I find one crawling across my feet as I weed the tomatoes. That’s not good for anyone. We plan to eat those tomatoes!

Can you believe I once worried myself into a therapist’s chair. She asked, “Can you tell me what it is you’re so very worried about?” An hour later I was still listing my fears. She told me I needed many more sessions to learn to face my terrors. Suddenly, I began to worry that therapy might actually work! If she cured me of all my anxiety…who would I be then?

So, yes. I'm a worrier.

Yet, God doesn’t want us to worry!

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

~Philippians 4:6-7

 

The Bible tells us to go to God in prayer; to take everything to him and he will grant us the peace which surpasses all understanding. How wonderful it is to know that I truly have nothing to worry about. God is in control. He’s got my back.

Does that mean I can stop worrying? You bet! 

Does it mean I WILL stop worrying? Probably not. I’m human, I’m a type “A” personality (I like to be in control of everything) and let’s face it, down deep I must enjoy worrying or I wouldn’t do it.

The good news is…despite my control issues…God takes my anxieties—sometimes wrenching them from my embrace with a crane and a tire tool—and he fixes all that’s broken in my life, including me, whether I want him to or not. 

God is just that good to me! 

He stops the worry in me despite myself.

  

It's hard, sometimes, but I AM learning to take everything to God in prayer. What happens to it from there is out of my control and none of my concern. Thank God for that!

He can do the same for you…unless, of course, you don’t want him to…if you enjoy the worry, the stress, the anxiety and pain you can certainly keep it… 

No? I didn’t think so. 

Don’t worry! Be happy!

Making Time For God

“These words which I command you today shall be in your heart.”

~Deuteronomy 6:6

“You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

~Deuteronomy 6:8-9

I heard on the news yesterday morning that the new Google Watch (a mini computer with all the same features of your larger tablet) is about to hit the market. They are available for pre-order as of today. One woman interviewed for the report said, “Personally, I think it’s kind of silly. It’s just another way of reminding yourself how much money you have to blow.” I couldn’t agree with her more. As a culture, we seem to be constantly reminding ourselves and others of our wealth, our positions, our place in society.

Wouldn’t it be better to remind ourselves of who we are in HIS KINGDOM?

Did you know that Orthodox Jewish men and women sometimes wrap themselves up in the Word of God, quite literally. They do this to remind themselves of His promises to them and of their commitment to Him. They bind themselves with Phylacteries, more often called Tefillin, small leather boxes in which they hide slips of paper inscribed with very specific scripture from the Torah. Traditionally, these Tefillin are strapped to the left arm and/or around the head with leather straps. Ordinarily, they’re worn during morning prayers and are meant to focus the mind and heart on service and devotion to God.

Even as a non-Jew I can certainly respect and appreciate this ritual. I have rituals of my own I use to focus my attention on Him. I listen to worship songs; I read devotional books. And, even though I’m not a Catholic, I often use a rosary—or prayer beads—to help me remember my many blessings and all the things I need to be grateful for.

And, I’m not alone.

I have a friend who collects angel figurines. When she needs to focus upon the Lord, she pulls them down from the shelf and places them near herself while she prays. She calls them her, “Cheering Section”.

I have another friend who has an entire room in her house dedicated to prayer. In this room there is a library of Bibles, devotional helps, prayer books and journals. In her prayer room, my friend Gladys, has a collection of “prayer blankets”—quilts and shawls that she can wrap herself up with so she can: “feel God’s arms around me”. She has Christian prayer themed posters and pictures on the walls and a massive CD collection of worship music, lectures and audio Bible study lessons to keep her entirely focused on Him. She spends at least two hours a day, in her prayer room, with the Lord. 

 

          I don’t think it’s necessary for all of us to go that far. Even though I love the idea of her prayer room, I have neither the extra room in my house for it or the time to use it. It wouldn't work for me...but, it does work for her.

 

         What I do think is necessary for all of us is to find something or some way to focus on God—every day—even if it’s just for a few minutes a day; to find a way to remind ourselves of His promises to us and our commitment to Him.

 

          I DO realize that's hard to do. I don’t know about you but, I’m so busy some days it makes my head spin. I can’t always find a whole hour to sit and pray or read my Bible or study. Between taking the grandkids back and forth to school, helping with homework, cleaning, cooking and all the other things I do that go along with being a stay-at-home-Grammy, and just trying to breathe…there’s not always a lot of time for anything else.

 

Yet, there’s always time for the things you put first and if anyone deserves to be first in our lives, it’s God.

In my schedule, I try to carve out a few minutes for Him every day. It's not always a lot, but I make sure to give Him at least 15 minutes of my time each day. Can you do the same? Can you do more?

If you can manage a full hour, fabulous! You’re a better engineer of time that I could ever be. But, if you're like me and can only do a half an hour, 20 minutes or even just 10 minutes a day...that's okay. Do what you can. Use what tools you need. Put yourself alone with Him however and whenever it works best for you. Spend some time in His Word. Spend some time in conversation with Him. Thank Him for your many blessings and share your concerns with Him. Get to know the Lord as a friend, as a care-taker…as your Father.

God asks of us to keep His Words in our hearts, to keep them before our eyes and on our minds. We can bind ourselves up with them literally with Tefillin… or, we can read them. Meditate on them. Learn them.

LIVE THEM

It's your choice to make.

It IS a Good Friday!

 

It’s Good Friday. So many of my Christian brothers and sisters spend this day in mourning for the death of Jesus. I did the same, for years. I felt compelled to do so…to remind myself of all the suffering he went through—the torture and the pain…the heartbreak—on my behalf. It saddened and depressed me more than I could ever say. I was wracked with guilt and shame and… embarrassment. I was embarrassed that Jesus went through all he had for me. For ME! Oh the sting of that knowledge in my heart of hearts. For me…a sinner so filthy and unworthy…he suffered so much. It was a burden of guilt I could hardly bear.

Each year, as Good Friday rolled around, I became more and more depressed and more and more sullen. I’m sure I was a joy to be around. Marinating in my shame, even on Easter—the celebration of his resurrection—I could be a sour unpleasant bit of company. I began to dislike the whole idea of Easter.

Then, everything changed.

A friendly cashier at the local supermarket, one with a resounding message of joy, changed it all for me. She reminded me of just how great God is! She made me realize that YES, Jesus suffered. It was awful and it was unbearable and, YES it was horrible but that facet of the story—as important as it is—is not the end of the story!

We shouldn’t forget what Jesus was willing to endure for us. We shouldn’t forget that horrible day. But, we shouldn’t dwell on it either! 

Jesus rose from the dead. 

HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD! 

That’s the part on which we should dwell! That’s the part that matters most. Our God is so great, he’s so incredibly beyond compare that he did something no other being on earth or in heaven could ever duplicate or recreate…he brought his Son, Jesus our Lord and Savior back from death and into the light again.

JESUS LIVES because our God is so great!

I no longer mourn the death of Jesus. Instead, I celebrate the resurrection! I won’t forget what Jesus went through for me. But, I won’t make it the center of my focus ever again. That is so unworthy of his sacrifice. He died that we might live and live abundantly. He suffered that we might gain heaven. There’s nothing but joy in that for me!

Every time I think of THIS part of the Easter story all I can think of is...

How Great Though Art!