Turning 60

I’m turning 60. That alone should be enough said. If you’re younger or older than that it is of no consequence.  You are either not at that pivot point or you’ve surmounted it. At any rate, I am there and experiencing mixed emotions. 

I have more wrinkles than energy. I also have more wisdom. I have aches and pains where I used to have muscle. I also love harder. I say things like “the kids these days” and “when I was that age”. I’m also able to laugh at myself for sounding like my parents and my grandparents. 

I’m less tolerant of drama, attention grabbing, and system twisting while finding myself more merciful toward those attempting to cope during a rough time in our world. 

I strive less to wait on God. I am more patient. I have learned to stand on His promises rather than run after my own desires.  I still want what I want when I want it, but have learned to ask first and be ok with ‘not right now’. 

I have idiosyncrasies that at one time would have made me blush but now I don’t even notice. I have lost my grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, friends, my sister, a beloved stepmom and husband; but my sweet parents are both very much alive and healthy and I've gained inexplicable love with Roy. 

My hearing is going south but my spiritual ears are more attuned. I’ve found quiet time is a good thing. In fact I crave it. Time to meditate on the Word of God; how I can give more, love more and become more like the Holy Spirit that hovers over me. Time to look back over the years; to laugh and cry and give thanks to the One who got me through so many situations. Time to ponder the future; to dreambuild with Papa God and set my eyes on where he is taking me.

I feel old(er) today. But still and yet God has a plan for me. I’ve not finished the race, in fact have not even gotten to the sprint yet. I’ve lived more years than I have left but I’ve learned to live with abandonment; I say yes and no at will, dance even though I don’t look the same in reality as I do in my mind’s eye, sing at the top of my lungs & wear make up as I please (oh yes, I understand those women who paint their faces & draw in their eyebrows and lips). 

I preach to whoever will listen, wax eloquent over global issues, read the news & tell whoever is with me how they (whoever they are) should fix whatever I don’t agree with. I am no longer too concerned with being politically correct because I have learned relevance is in the eyes of the beholder. What I DO care about is that I do not grieve the Holy Spirit, that anyone can tell I love Jesus just by my countenance, my words and my actions. 

So, 60 is creeping up & will be upon me next week. In MY mirror I see a young girl brimming with hopes and dreams. I see beauty the Lord created me with. I see Eve with her Adam trying to save a nation and bring revival to a world in need. I see a teacher, a preacher, a prophet, a missionary and a lover of life all encased in the wrinkles of a good, full and incredibly happy woman.

Happy Birthday to me.

God's Ninja Warriors

Roy & I have been watching Ninja Warriors. It’s very exciting but no, it’s doesn’t share a significant message or promote anything Spirit Filled but something hit me last night as we watched the US vs JAPAN teams battle for the title. There are 3 separate stages of obstacle courses in which individuals must endure physical challenges that demand upper body strength, balance & focus. One of them is the Cliffhanger; this is the most grueling addition to Stage 3. It consists of 6 bars, 2 drops and 1 of the bars being ½” long.  Hebrews 12:12 “strengthen the hands which hang down and the feeble knees and make straight the path for your feet so that what is lame may not be dislocated but rather healed”. The player had to have a deft grip to make it across; at times having to hold on by the fingertips of one hand while reaching for the next ledge. That is how it is in life as well. But God. We can draw on His strength.

As they came into the final session the US team was winning but Japan was catching up. Each player had an intense look of hope and determination on their faces.  It was down to the final warrior & we were on the edge of our seats. It was up to one guy to get the furthest through the heart-racing obstacle course so the US could win the coveted “Ninja Warrior” title. As he faced each new challenging set he would stop, kneel down and gather his wits, his strength & shake off the pain & weariness trying to distract him; he purposed in his heart he could do this. And he did. The US won and there was great rejoicing among the men.

As the athlete knelt (though I don’t know that he was praying), the Lord took me to Matthew 6:33 'But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.' (NKJ) Another version says, 'and he will give them to you if you give him first place in your life and live as he wants you to.' (TLB) 

The these and the thems the Lord is speaking of is the things we worry over.. the need for food, clothing, money … but don’t go there. He went on to say, 'Stop & seek My guidance. I will direct your path if you acknowledge me first. Seek me first and draw on My strength'.

Paul says, 'In a race everyone runs, but only one gets the prize' so we should 'run with patience (endurance, persistence) the race set before us' (Hebrews 12) & 'not aimlessly as if beating the air' (1Cor 9:26).  Jesus says in John 4:34, 'My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.'

The enemy comes to lie, steal and destroy. He wants to turn our heads to shift our concentration. I, being a sanguine and a feeler have allowed myself to get caught up in other people’s drama and sufferings creating chaos in my life. I personally cannot stay focused if my eyes are moving this way and that. However, there are still those moments I get caught up in worldly worry or running after things that don’t matter; leading me to a place that isn’t pertinent to my call. 

Each time I’m happy to report, He reigns me in and reminds me that in the race we are running there can be no distractions. The only way I can control this is to stop…and seek Him. The One Who directs my path. The One Who loves me most. The One Whom I will spend eternity with. I have to stop DOING long enough to BE. BE in His presence & in His perfect will.

Though in a strange language I enjoy Matthew Henry’s commentary:
There is scarcely any sin against which our Lord Jesus more warns his disciples, than disquieting, distracting; distrustful cares about the things of this life. This often ensnares the poor as much as the love of wealth does the rich. But there is a carefulness about temporal things which is a duty, though we must not carry these lawful cares too far. Seek first the kingdom of God, and make religion your business: say not that this is the way to starve; no, it is the way to be well provided for, even in this world. The conclusion of the whole matter is, that it is the will and command of the Lord Jesus, that by daily prayers we may get strength to bear us up under our daily troubles, and to arm us against the temptations that attend them, and then let none of these things move us. Happy are those who take the Lord for their God, and make full proof of it by trusting themselves wholly to his wise disposal. Let thy Spirit convince us of sin in the want of this disposition, and take away the worldliness of our hearts.

'Seek first the Kingdom'. 'His Kingdom come, His will be done'. 

What does His Kingdom consist of but love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, & self-control?  A place where all forgiveness reigns. We are citizens of God's kingdom and can no longer think and act like citizens of the world. As I seek first His Kingdom I become a representative of God's kingdom; an ambassador in a foreign land. Seeking His Kingdom first we find ourselves under the reign of God-past, present and future where He is in charge of all things, sovereign in Heaven and in our will. 

We are then able to run the race with God leading .. and win. Eternity.

Kahn Academy

https://www.khanacademy.org/
 

WHAT: Khan Academy is a non-profit educational organization created in 2006 by educator Salman Khan to provide "a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere." Its website features thousands of educational resources, including a personalized learning dashboard, over 100,000 practice problems, and over 6,000 micro lectures via video tutorials stored on YouTube teaching mathematics, history, healthcare, medicine, finance, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, cosmology, American civics, art history, economics, and computer science. All resources are available for free to anyone around the world. Khan Academy reaches about 10 million students per month and has delivered over 440 million lessons.

WHO: Anyone can use Khan Academy, and you don't even have to sign up, although there are some benefits to creating a username and password. For starters, the site will remember which videos you've watched, reward you with badges for making progress, and help you track your learning. Additionally, it can point you toward practice exercises that test your knowledge of things you've learned.

 

Enrolled users can also access a "coaching" feature. Coaches are guides for learners, whether a parent, teacher, tutor, or study buddy. A coach can see a learner's progress and suggest other lessons the learner should watch. Coaches and learners must mutually agree to the relationship, so there's no worry that some unknown person will be able to see what you're learning. 

Another neat feature is goal-setting, although it's still in beta. Both learners and coaches can set up goals for a learner, such as watch five consecutive videos or learn five new skills. Establishing custom goals, however, is by far the most interesting option, not because of the goals themselves (you basically just pick specific videos or video series you want to complete), but due to the way the selections are displayed. The possible options look like stars on a star map, with lines drawn between them to show relationships, giving you greater visibility into how subjects connect. For example, the mathematical topic "variance" branches down into "standard deviation" and "exploring standard deviation," which also both connect to two more topics: "Z scores" and "empirical rule." You can pan around the star map and zoom in and out to explore all the topics in a much more engaging way than scrolling through a bullet list. Because the goal feature is still in beta, custom goal content comprises math only. I can't wait for this area to expand. 

Non-native English speakers and hard-of-hearing or deaf learners will be happy to know that you can turn on English transcriptions or subtitles with one click. Subtitles in other languages also appear, but their completeness and quality varies video to video and language to language—it's all supported by YouTube and Amara, which relies on crowd-sourced contributions to improve. And leveraging those existing technologies is the right approach to take, especially for a non-profit organization. It lets the people who run Khan Academy focus on what matters: content.

HOW: Students can make use of their extensive library of content, including interactive challenges, assessments, and videos from any computer with access to the web. All learning is online video based learning. What makes video-based learning unique is that the learner can go at his or her own pace, re-watch videos or pause them to think through an idea, and fit it in when it's most convenient. Khan Academy just gets it, keeping the actual videos frills-free and the material approachable. If you are a student, parent, or just a life-long learner, Khan Academy will become a household name. The site has been expanding rapidly, but 

has shown vast improvements in the last year alone.  Khan's content is phenomenal, and that is what matters.

WHAT IS TAUGHT: The subject matter taught at Khan Academy varies widely and is expanding all the time. When the site started, it focused on economics, math, and some of the sciences. But now you'll find prep material for standardized, art history courses, content to learn how to computer animation, as well as explanations of current affairs, like a thorough explanation of the Greek debt crisis or the Geithner Plan. 

For the most part, the content is aimed at upper grade school and college-level students. But the beauty of free online learning is that anyone can attempt to learn, and indeed nothing restricts a user of any age or background from working through any of the material.

WHERE: As for where it is an online learning device, therefore at any time you are capable of logging on and the only requirement is of course stable internet and any type of computer, tablet phone, ect..