God Does the Work, All We Have to Do Is Ask, Revised 11/7/13

        I wrote this in July of 2011.  Many of you may not have read it, as most of you were not around, back then.  I updated it, along with the gratitudes.  Please let me know your response.

        Wishing you a great and grateful day, The Innkeeper

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        I'm grateful that areas in our lives needing improvement get better when we turn them over to God.  Progress does not occur by working harder, or thinking positively, despite what the self-help books proclaim.  Sorry,

An Antidote for Stress, Part II, Connecting with God 6/28/12

Image: "Woodland: The Edge of the Forest" by Tim Blessed
Copyrighted photo used by permission. 

Increasing My Conscious Contact of God's Will 
        I'm thankful that God is in control of my life, because I'm not. :)  Presently, I'm working through areas that are fraught with tension and fear.  I appreciate knowing some days, I will not take them one day at a time---I go through the difficult ones fifteen minutes at a time.  I try to be conscious of my relationship with my Higher Power.

        Using principles I've learned, I pray, that's talking to God.  I also meditate, which is listening to Him.  I ask for the ability to understand His will----hearing His voice.

"I call my sheep, they hear my voice and they follow me."            John 10:27

I keep myself still, freeing myself from distractions. I ask God to show me, through the orchestration of events of in my life, what He's trying to say to me, in what way is He nudging me.

        If I realize my life is going in the wrong direction, it doesn't help to run the opposite way, if I'm on the wrong bus.   My spiritual disciplines allow me to get off the bus of life, helping me and get my bearings, free from the distractions of busyness and the siren call of the world's temptations.

       This increases my conscious contact with the God of my understanding.  Praying for knowledge of His will and the power to care it out is known as Step 11, in recovery.

3.  I'm glad that I'm connected with a Power Greater than Myself who helps me overcome life's challenges.       Hey, thanks for dropping by and sharing your response to what I pen here. It's encouraging returning and reading your comments.
My Gratitudes for Today:
1. I'm still feel like

God Does the Work, All We Do Is Ask ............... 7/20/11

        Areas in our lives improve when we turn them over to God.  Progress is not a matter of working harder. Nor is it a result of thinking positively, despite what the self-help book proclaim.  Sorry, Oprah, Robert Schuller,Tony Robbins and Norman Vincent Peale. Our best efforts and thinking brought us to the state where we find ourselves.

        Life improves when we rely upon God.  We need His transforming power.  We get better when He works in the vulnerable areas of our lives.  He helps us transcend weaknesses.

     There's no humility in self-will.  How often we say, "I'll do this and I'll do that," without taking a moment to consider what God wants

Getting Through the Day (Staying intact & refreshed, while under pressure) .......... ...................3/26/11

    The following spiritual disciplines help us get through the day, especially those days with challenges and stress.

1.  Meditation.

    This exercise slows us down.  It helps us get away from the frenetic white noise of a busy life.  Meditation stills our mind.  It allows us to get perspective about the events transpiring in our day, the past week or month.

      Seeking God's will in the midst of all that confronts us, is what we attempt.  Praying for God's grace to carry out His will, not ours, our goal. This is Step 11 in recovery.  Spirituality is humbling, is healing, is rare.

     Meditating is connecting with a transcendent God.  Prayer is talking to Him.  Meditation is when we stop and listen to Him.  We were given one mouth and two ears because we were meant to use them in that proportion.  When we speak we only say what we know.  When we listen, we may learn something we didn't know before.  Listening requires humility.   When we open the ears of our heart we find direction.

"The mind of man plans his ways but the Lord directs his steps."  Proverbs 16:9