Balance
It was back to school for me, this past Thursday, for the Fall semester. The first day back is always a mixture of joy and overwhelmingness, at the same time, for me. It is a joy because I get to see me classmates, that I haven’t seen all Summer, for the first time. There are lots of hugs and smiles and joy in that. Then there is going to class and going over the syllabus and coming face to face with all that will need to be done or is expected of me this semester. This inevitably overwhelms me, every time. I am learning, however, to simply take a deep breath and remind myself of the truth that every semester I am overwhelmed; yet, every semester I manage to get the work done, one week at a time, and it always gets done well. So I am seeking to be free (from stress and overwhelmingness) in this area of my life, with God’s help.
But what I want to focus on here and/or share with you today is something that one of my professors said in class on Thursday. In this particular class, we will be studying the book of Exodus for the semester and, as part of that, we will be looking at the “Sabbath.” He touched on principles of living the Sabbath, by describing it as living a balanced life and he said:
Have fun, rest, eat well, breath deeply everyday
and everything will be ok!
I love that! It seems so simple, yet so profound at the same time! Why do we (I) make life so complicated or harder than it really is or needs to be? I am not sure, but I do know that I am going to make an effort to remember the above words and live the above words, that I heard from my professor on Thursday.
I want to leave you with a powerful Scripture that I read this morning. It touched and encouraged my heart and I hope it will touch and encourage yours as well:
“…You’re my servant, serving on my side. I’ve picked you. I haven’t dropped you. Don’t panic. I’m with you. There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you. I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.”
(Isaiah 41:9-10, MSG)
God has a loving, firm grip on you, my dear friend. Rest in that and go out there and live your life, today, to the fullest, enjoying every moment of it, knowing that God is in complete control and He loves you! Everything truly is going to be alright, everythings going to work out by the power of His Love.
Always Pray & Don’t Give Up
This little book is a profound demonstration of God’s power and of true faith in action. It is a guidebook for learning how to pray Scripture, filled with eighty-nine weekly Prayer Sheets for your marriage — eighty-nine pages of power that will change your life and the lives of all those around you, as you too learn to always pray and not give Up!
Testimonials
“Praying Scripture is the most powerful and effective way to pray for your marriage. It can be a daunting task to search out all the passages that apply, though. In this book, Tammy has done the hard work for us in compiling a beautiful arrangement of God's attributes along with verses to pray for myself, as a wife, and verses to pray over my husband and marriage. The Lord has used many of these passages to bear fruit in my own life and marriage."
Mariel Davenport , Author
Knowing God Through His Names
A Housewife Desperate for God
“Tammy Rentsch is passionate about prayer. She prays faithfully and frequently. She is also committed to loving her spouse enough to pray for their marriage. Read this book and you will be equipped and encouraged to pray consistently and powerfully for your marriage with the Scriptures as your guide.”
Brian D. Russell
Professor of Biblical Studies
Dean, School of Urban Ministries
Asbury Theological Seminary