GodandMe2theMax

Renuzit Duzit!

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable act of service. And don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed, by the renewing of your minds, that you can prove with is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

Drained. Have you been there? Are you there now? That's me. And I'm only Day three into an almost two week stint without my husband. Even so, this weekend, I had a great opportunity to be renewed emotionally and spiritually, but it's amazing how those highs go away just as quickly as they came. Saturday, I spent the day at my computer writing. It was my first day in months that I had nothing on my calendar. No commitments. No debate tournament. No, not even shopping on my agenda. It was just a day to chill. And chill I did! I felt like the weight of the world had been lifted, if only for a day. I spent the day working on music that was half finshed, writing new things, and putting pen to paper on some of those thoughts I just couldn't get out of my mind. It was amazing.

But then Sunday came. It started out pretty rough on the home front, but it turned out to be an great day as well. Once a quarter our church takes the 5th Sundsay to go out and do service projects within our community. We call it Engage Hope Here, and it's part of our missions endeavor. Well the cool thing about yesterday was that we had Engage Hope members all across the globe - Engage Hope Colombia, Engage Hope Tanzania, and then our church family spread throughout the community doing Engage Hope Here projects. My family spent the day at a nursing home, playing of all things, Yahtzee. I was so blessed to just hug on those old women, offer a smile, and just invest in them. Both Amber and Jacob went with me, and Amber took time to be sure these older women had a personal relationship with the Lord. My heart beat a little stronger watching her in action.

Then night came. And along with the night, very little sleep. How is it that you can have two amazing days, full of positive emotion, and then follow it up with being zapped like that? At best, I slept a little over four hours, and Monday morning began just as Sunday morning had, with a rough start. As I tried to re-charge myself today, I listened to some amazing Casting Crowns music, and I tried to stay positive. What's that verse in Romans 12 say, "By the renewing of your minds." Isn't that how we keep going? We have to renew, renew, renew! This was such a reminder to me today, as I tried to get "back on my A-Game" at work.

Are you there with me? Are you in a funk? Are you drained and zapped? Be sure to renew yourself. Spritually and physically. Renew your mind on the Word of God. Examine yourself to see if your motives and thoughts are in line with what God wants. Renew your mind by listening to Christian music. Just don't let yourself stay in the funk of exhaustion, even if you are tired. So when you get to that drained point, even if it's just the first day after being on a spiritual high, just remember that old commercial tag line, "Renuzit. Duzit." And start digging in to God's Word to be renewed.

 

---Beth Banfill

www.GodandMe2theMax.com

The Soul of a Writer

As you've noticed, I haven't been blogging much lately. In fact, I haven't been blogging at all. I miss it. But at the same time, I have been pursuing other passions like writing songs. Somehow, perhaps with my ADD brain, I'm not able to successfully manage both. If I blog, I don't have the creative energies for writing songs. If I write songs, I don't have the energy to blog. It's a double edged sword that I can't seem to balance. I usually write or blog as a result of my quiet time, and it seems to be one or the other, with the song writing winning out for months now. :)

I went to a Christian song writing conference this last weekend called Write About Jesus. One of the workshops was called "The Soul of a Writer." I listened intently as the clinician told of how his heart beat to write. He told us he writes a blog, just to write, but never publishes it. He said before he goes to bed every day, he will write at least one thing. Whether it's a silly poem, something nagging him, or just something about nothing. The bottom line is, God gave him an angst in his being to write. He isn't happy unless he is doing it. And you know what? It resonated with me.

For the first time, probably, I realized that although I'm not the most gifted writer, nor the most crafted poet, I love to put words together. I've been doing it my whole life, really, even without realizing it. In high school, I would daydream and write silly poems. I still remember the one I wrote about "Lorny Lish, the Fish." It was so good that I turned it into a children's book for my Child Lit class in college. As a pastor's wife, I was always trying to write silly songs for VBS or for the children's ministry or write funny skits for women's retreats. I never struggled writing papers for English. When my kids were in AWANA, I put the Bible verses to music to help them learn. I was always creating...and loving it. But yet, I never realized this is something special and unique that God created me to do...and not everyone has that urge to put pen to paper. In fact, most people do not. I realized I have to find a balance between blogging and song writing. I love sharing what God is teaching me through the blog. But at the same time, I can't just publish the words to all the songs I'm working on, for obvious reasons. I believe God is going to do some really amazing things with the music my friend Jennifer and I have been working on together. Oh how I wish I could share it all...but I cannot.

So, as I try to reconcile this angst within me, please pray for me. I miss blogging. And I so wish I could share with you all the words God is giving me in song. Maybe one day. But for now, please know that I'm not giving up. I'm just trying to find my way down the straight and narrow path God has for my life, without distraction.

Psalm 20:4-6 "May He give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all of your requests."