Category Archives: SPIRITUAL INTEREST

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A Few Thoughts About Life

Here’s Life

EACH week I write a hodgepodge of thoughts I am thinking through. These get posted as tweets on Twitter and sometimes enlarged upon as posts on my N.L. Brumbaugh Facebook page. Here’s some from this week.

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I HAVE to admit to being a little discouraged. It is nothing major, thank goodness. Out of necessity for six months I have devoted most of my time and energy to a pressing family project. Other things are piling up and ignored. My writing, my friendships, my home, my family, all take a backseat. . . . . It is only for a season, but one gets weary, depleted. Yet I find reason to be thankful. Last night as I drove home, the moon was a giant orb hovering over the river, its shining radiance reflected on the face of the water. Beauty unfurled. Glorious.

WHEN we respond to the Light of Life, we are made new, our soul is redeemed, our life is transformed. We are given hope, a future, grace and deliverance, peace and joy. No longer do we walk alone. We walk in the light of the Christ life–in Spirit and joy. Our new birth is real.

LAYERS of fear, stress, and uncertainty can cause a great deal of anxiety to build in us. One way I curb its rising in me and minimize its influence over me is to simply say one word. I whisper the name “Jesus” prayerfully, over and over again. His name relaxes the tension.

LOVE, beauty, and meaning cannot be fully understood apart from God. They are intrinsically bound to a Source, from which they are known. We see beauty and are awed by it. The internalizing of beauty is a spiritual experience though we may not realize it as such. God gives to all.

I DESIRE God’s grace. I desire God’s peace. I desire God’s love. I desire God’s strengthening. I desire God’s hope. I desire God’s touch. I reach to God. He reaches back. God answers in ways that help me grow deeper in Him. He ministers in the quiet places. He affirms my desires.

SUFFERING is one part of life that frustrates us. We like peaches and cream, sugar and spice and everything nice. But life plays out different than that. Suffering is a teacher. “We know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:3) Though it is not pleasant, we learn special graces through the difficulty.

GOD bless you all.

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The Joy of Reading New-to-Me Books

A Few More Thoughts

I’ve read a few books lately. I can’t believe how good they’ve been. They’re fantastic! A friend across the states sent me five (FIVE !!!) books for my birthday. Every one of them was a read I couldn’t put down. This got in the way of housework, tax prep, daily writing, and other mundane tasks. But I managed.

And there are the books at my folks’ place. My mother liked reading. She collected books from Christian-based organizations. Dad likes books, too. Books, books, and more books. As I sorted them I stacked them according to author and subject matter. From these stacks I’ve selected a smattering of books to read in the evenings. The books are like treasure to me.

It’s the old writings I enjoy the most like Catherine Marshall with “To Live Again, “Julie,” “A Man Called Peter”; Ethyl Barrett with “Will the Real Phony Stand Up,” and “In His Steps,” by Charles M. Sheldon, plus a variety of old books including John and Elizabeth Sherrill with “They Speak with Other Tongues” and a few biographical writings and memoirs and various other Christian writings.

I relate to Catherine Marshall for her writing journey and admire her transparency as she expresses spiritual understandings and shares her unusual personal path. Her books encourage me. Besides being new to me, the old writings are untouched by the political correct (PC) filter, which I find refreshing. Their written expressions are candid and honest without the fear of negative labels that authors and public persons fear in today’s society.

The books my friend gave me will be the topic for my next blog post. They are every bit as good. Two are written by former lesbians converted to faith by the grace of God (like all of us). Their stories are fascinating, educational, and hopeful. Another is about the conversion story of a famous author.

In a way, I think I’m on a retreat of the mind. The joy it gives is simply divine. I love being challenged as I read. The stimulus of thought-provoking text and unpretentious writing is of great value in making me consider my own spiritual beliefs and other concerns in the faith community. A good book gives food for thought, whether you are in agreement or not.

More next week.