We are almost out of JULY which means we’ve passed the middle point of the year. Ya… I just said that.

June into July is midway…. and it’s gone.

It’s funny how living in our fast paced, technology driven world causes us to run, go, do like on fast forward. It’s odd because the truth is we only have so much time in this world and yet…. we are speeding through it.

I have often said especially when winter is coming, “Why are we running faster to do do do and go go go because the holidays are coming, when the earth is dying back, going dormant, and hibernating?

I do tend to do WAY less in the winter because of this noticed truth. But now here I am in summer and I feel overwhelm and busy creeping on my heels. It seems like a good time to reflect and sort my thoughts. I love writing because it slows me down and takes me away from zip lining through the internet webs trying to see all the things.

I recently read an article about unbusy.

BECOMING UNBUSY: LIVING SLOW + SIMPLE

https://becomingunbusy.com/

Just let me disclose that I am terrible at slow down. I love technology and information. My phone is a window into another world, but I have been noticing a call to come to the quiet, come to the slow more.

I want to slow my mind down

I want to slow my day down

I want to slow my way down

Some of the best ways I can do that:

• Set my phone down and walk away
• Be with people and be present to what is in that moment
• Sit on the porch

Another way I have slowed life down is through hand washing dishes. I have been hand washing my dishes instead of using the dishwasher for about 2 months. I have found time to let my mind wander. It’s amazing what can be found when your mind is given a little space to incorporate and assimilate all the tiny pieces of information it takes in during the day.

Another way I think might help is to declutter. I am pretty efficient in the way that I keep up with my home, but I move a lot of clutter around. It may be time to unburden myself from things and let a good bit of them go to the trash and the donation place.

How do you slow down?

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Took a little walk with my daughter and the grandkids. We enjoyed a walk through a garden and read about birds, flowers, and trees that were there. Then we found this great mural to take photos in front of.

E – loves the colors

S – is so cute with her joyful self

Baby B and his momma – he keeps her on her toes with his little go go self.

This was a great way to slow the day down for a few hours.

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I am still working on some edits but I am almost done — go check out the promos of the studies on the STUDIES AND FREEBIES PAGE

https://sunday2monday.blog/studiesandfreebies/

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Every once in a while, I like to listen to something that is a bunch of facts about what is going on.

This particular talk is facts about how the agenda of left leaning politics have worked very hard to bring their thoughts to the church and have worked to shift the culture from Biblical standards to something, anything more left leaning. It is interesting to hear the connections and where and what they are using such as curriculum, money, and influential teachers to move closer to that goal. It’s always interesting as to what they don’t want to touch.

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I watched Josh Furrow preach today and he was speaking on the Fear of the Lord.

 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom:
and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Proverbs 9:10

He brought out a point that I thought was really interesting through a question, “Do you fear something that has no real power over you?” This question led me to a thought process that went something like this (internal brain monologue)

Thought: Do you fear something that has no real power over you?

Me: No, I don’t.

Thought: So, if you are to fear the Lord then that would mean that you believe that He has power over you, right?

Me: Yes.

Thought: So, what does that mean about how people live in fear rather than to walk in God’s ways?

Me: That they fear opinion, defamation, cancel culture, and opposition more than God.

Thought: How do you rate when it comes to that?

I am not going to tell you my answer but will instead allow each of you to answer for yourself.

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Other interesting Sunday evening thoughts:

I was listening to a clip about glory. Did you know that there are only a few places in scripture that it says that man has glory and can glory? Most the time glory is reserved for the Lord. Moses asked to see the glory of the Lord.

Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”

Exodus 33:18

So, God put him in a cleft of a rock and shielded his eyes from seeing until He passed by.

God’s glory is magnificent, and we are given just a bit.

Proverbs 14:28 The glory of a king is his people

Proverbs 17:6 The glory of children is their father

Proverbs 20:29 The glory of young men is their strength

1 Cor 11:7 The woman is the glory of man

That is just a few examples but the one that is most intriguing to me is from Proverbs 19

Good sense makes one slow to anger,
and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

Proverbs 19:11

I can only think of Jesus who said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do!”

Thanks for Listening,

Starla