Lyli Dunbar's Blog, page 67

Doors (Thought-Provoking Thursday)

Photo Credit: Alex Gonzalez, via SXC

My husband and I have a tradition.  After Christmas, we drive around the neighborhood to see which neighbor is the last to take down the Christmas lights.  We head up the street and around the bend and back  on the other side carefully inspecting each house.  After five years of taking the same route, I’ve come to learn the layout.

There is the house with the orange door.  The house with the stone donkey in the yard.  The red and black feng shui house.  The people with the air boat.  The double garage house (my husband’s favorite).  The dudes with the 70′s garage band on Wednesday nights.  The sad-looking “beach shack” with a sandy yard instead of green grass.  And, the festive place with the Christmas display that stays lighted through April.

Each house tells a story.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the doors.  We’ve had some break-ins in the neighborhood.  So now, as we drive around the block, and I will sometimes say, “Nice door.  Robber could put a big brick through that pretty window though.”

Doors invite you in, but they also keep out the riffraff.  I like a nice locked door.  Behind it, I feel safe.

+++

Last night, I sat up in bed reading as my husband snored peacefully beside me.  I like to read a book on the life of Christ each year before Easter.  Similar to my drive around the neighborhood, I am on a journey.  I take it in slowly each year — following the road the Jesus walked.  Remembering.  Noting the details.  The cup filled with wrath.  The tears that turned to blood.  The road that my Savior walked alone for me.

Wiersbe’s Jesus in the Present Tense reminded me that Jesus is The Door.  I’d always thought of this Door as open, inviting me in to safe pasture.  But now I remember.  I remember that the Shepherd literally laid His body down in the entryway to the pasture each night to serve as a door — a door that protected the sheep from harm.

The wolves might stand outside and huff and puff, but they are not going to knock The Door down.

So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am The Door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:7-10, NASB).

Something to think about…

I am sharing “Doors” and joining like-minded sisters at Spiritual Sundays, Recommendation Saturday, Faith-Filled Friday, Essential Fridays, Thriving Thursday.

Looking for more thought-provoking posts? Check out the ones written by my blogging friends in today’s link up.

Have you written something thought-provoking, challenging, encouraging, or inspiring lately? Link it up here! For best results, write the title of your post in the name box.

As a courtesy, please link back to 3-D Lessons for Life in your post. Grab and share the Thought-Provoking Thursday button to spread the word. Use #ThoughtProvokingThursday to share your post and connect on Twitter.

Check back later to see what other GREAT posts have been linked up! Visit the post immediately before yours and leave an encouraging comment.

An InLinkz Link-up

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Change the Frequency

 Photo Credit:  Ira008, via Pixabay

My husband and I enjoy taking road trips together.  We like to hold hands and tell stories and explore new neighborhoods.  Sometimes, we drive in silence and just look up at blue sky and clouds.

When the space and silence gets long, my man will tell me to try to find something to listen to on the radio.  I will hit the scan button and roll through the stations — static, jazz, more static, classical, noisy static, salsa, rap, static.  I scan until I hit an oldies station.  Then, we sing along with rockers from our youth.  If we don’t know the words, we make them up, but I am always surprised at how my husband remembers all the lyrics to 70′s songs.

This doesn’t last for long though.  After a few minutes, we get tired of the static and the noise and the empty lyrics.  So, as we draw closer to home, I change the frequency once again and find a station that spills out songs of life.  The worship feeds our hunger for substance and meaning.

Last night, I was thinking about how my mind is like a radio.  Honestly, sometimes my thoughts are empty.  The old melodies I play are a cacophony of defeat.  I need to change the frequency of my thoughts.  I need to stop letting toxic people rent space in my head.

If I want to hold fast, I must learn to rule over the mental radio dial.  Skip past the static and stop listening to the empty lyrics.

I need to learn to sing a new tune.

 

Don’t tolerate people who try to run your life…
They’re a lot of hot air, that’s all they are.
They’re completely out of touch
with the source of life, Christ,
who puts us together in one piece,
whose very breath and blood flow through us.
He is the Head and we are the body.
We can grow up healthy in God
only as he nourishes us.
Colossians 2:19, MSG

Q4U:  How do you hold fast and tune in to Him in the midst of all the noise?

 

I am sharing “In His Grip” and joining like-minded sisters at Three-Word Wednesday, Words of Life Wednesdays, Tell His Story, A Little R and R, Testimony Tuesday, Soli Deo Gloria, Rich-Faith Rising, Sharing His Beauty, Playdates with God, and Hear it on Sunday: Use it on Monday.

 

Let’s hold fast together in 2014.

The post Change the Frequency appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

Purposeful

…holding fast the Word of life,

so that in the day of Christ

I will have reason to glory

because I did not run in vain

nor toil in vain.

Philippians 2:16, NASB

 

I am sharing “Purposeful” with like-minded sisters at

 

Photo Credit:  Rodolfo Belloli, via SXC

The post Purposeful appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

The Path

Photo Credit: Marianna Jones,  via Pixabay

Sometimes, I don’t want to walk the path that God has laid out for me.  I forget that my life is not my own.  I forget that I was bought with a price.  I forget how dark my sin is and how merciful my God is.

Sometimes, rather than rejoice that He chose me as His minister of mercy, I rebel.  I see problems, not potential.  I am looking with earthy eyes, rather than seeking His divine directive.

Sometimes, I think I am better than my brother.  I see his sin, but I forget my own.

Sometimes, I am a lot like Jonah.

 

 

I am joining like-minded sisters at She Reads Truth today and sharing a reflection on Jonah Chapters 3-4.

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Lessons Learned in 3-D: March Madness

 

I don’t watch college basketball, but I am a Florida girl and a Miami Heat fan.  March has been a little mad around our house because the Heat are in a bit of slump.  I can relate — sometimes in life I just get weary and forget to stick to the game plan.   This month, God is reminding me to get back to basics.  The basics will help get me through.

One of my “basics” is to keep a journal, and I love doing this post at the end of the month with Emily because I look back and remember and see the beauty in those pages even when it’s been a hard month.

Here are 10 lessons I learned this month:

1.  Going for a drive along the beach with your husband on a Sunday afternoon after a very stressful week is an excellent decision that will renew your spirit.  (The laundry can wait.)

2.  In the battle between Five Guys and Burger Fi, the Dunbars declare Five Guys the winner.   (We did like the fries at Burger Fi though).

2.  Getting your hair cut and highlighted will help you to feel lighter and more carefree.  (I love the new me!)

3.  HGTV will keep you company if your husband is away.  (“Married Me” had forgotten how much I love watching this station when I was still single!)

4.  I need to invite my friends over to sit in my backyard more often.  (Thank you, Barby and Ivette for a sweet afternoon.)

5.  Thirteen years go by very quickly.  I can’t believe my best friend’s baby girl is a teenager.  (Wasn’t she born just a second ago?)

6.  Hugs are a healing balm for your weary husband.

7. There is such a thing as a white sink that you can keep clean with little hassle (Hallelujah for the new sink!)

8.  I thought I was going to watch Dancing with the Stars this season to root for DJ, but now I am also pulling for the girl with the 2 prosthetic legs.

9.  If you take a risk and wax poetic for a She Reads Truth linkup, you might get the most page views on your blog ever.  (Imagine my surprise!)

10.  Making a vow not to buy more books until you’ve read all the ones in your ginormous unread pile is really hard when two of your favorite bloggers publish new books (I am coveting Love Idol and Spiritual Misfit.)

Q4U:  What did you learn in March?

I’m sharing “March Madness” and linking up with Emily and Elizabeth.

The post Lessons Learned in 3-D: March Madness appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

Lighten the Load (Thought-Provoking Thursday)

Photo Credit:  Damien Moorhouse, via SXC

Tonight at the midweek service, the sermon was about storms.  At one point, we turned in our Bibles to Acts 27 where Paul is on a ship that is in peril.  The waves are threatening to thrash the boat into the rocks, so some of the sailors try to jump into a lifeboat to escape to safety.  Paul warns the seamen that if they abandon ship all will be lost.  So, they lighten the load and cut the lifeboats loose.

This really defies all reason, right?  I would be the first one in the lifeboat.  Get me off of the ship and on to dry land.

But the fact is that God had promised Paul that He would make it to Rome.  He didn’t say it would be on a smooth ocean though.

I’ve been thinking about those lifeboats all night long.  I’ve been thinking about how I try to escape the storm on vessels manned by self-sufficiency.

I need to lighten the load.

How about you?

Something to think about…

 

I am sharing “Lighten the Load” and joining like-minded sisters at Three-Word Wednesday, Spiritual Sundays, Recommendation Saturday, Faith-Filled Friday, Essential Fridays,Thriving Thursday.

Looking for more thought-provoking posts? Check out the ones written by my blogging friends in today’s link up.

Have you written something thought-provoking, challenging, encouraging, or inspiring lately? Link it up here! For best results, write the title of your post in the name box.

As a courtesy, please link back to 3-D Lessons for Life in your post. Grab and share the Thought-Provoking Thursday button to spread the word. Use #ThoughtProvokingThursday to share your post and connect on Twitter.

Check back later to see what other GREAT posts have been linked up! Visit the post immediately before yours and leave an encouraging comment.

An InLinkz Link-up

The post Lighten the Load (Thought-Provoking Thursday) appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

In His Grip

Photo Credit: Simeon Eichmann, via SXC

Some days, I feel like I can’t hold fast.  Dark waters surround me, and I grow fearful.  My grip is not strong enough, and the fingers of my soul start slipping.

Just when I think I am going to drift off into the mire, I feel the tug.  He’s pulling me back.   You see, my God is holding me firmly in His mighty grasp.  He strengthens me when I am too weak to go on.  He seizes me and pulls me out of the mire.  He settles me on a firm foundation.

He will never let me go.   There is not a chance that I am going to slip away from His protective care.

Whatever you are facing today, God will keep you.

In His grip is the safest place to be.

Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Where can I flee from Your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, You are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, You are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me,

Your right hand will hold me fast.

Psalms 139:7-10, NIV

Q4U:  How has God held you fast and strengthened you during a dark season?

I am sharing “In His Grip” and joining like-minded sisters at Words of Life Wednesdays, Tell His Story, A Little R and R, Testimony Tuesday, Soli Deo Gloria, Rich-Faith Rising, Sharing His Beauty, Playdates with God, and Hear it on Sunday: Use it on Monday.

 

Let’s hold fast together in 2014.

The post In His Grip appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

Before Dawn

Very early in the morning,

while it was still dark,

Jesus got up,

left the house

and went off to a solitary place,

where He prayed.

Mark 1:35, NIV

 

I am sharing “Before Dawn” with like-minded sisters at

 

Photo Credit:  Vivek Chugh, SXC

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Lessons Learned in 3-D: Mindfulness

 

Years ago, I read a question in a book that caught me off guard.  I’ve thought about it often since.  Where does your mind go when you are at rest?”  Are my thoughts filled with what is good and true and life-giving?  Or, am I worried and anxious or whiny and bitter?   This week, I was reminded of how important it is to be mindful to renew my mind by washing it with the water of the Word.

Here are 5 things I learned this week about mediating on Scripture:  

1.  Early this week, I read Joshua 1:8 — this Scripture provides the road map to success.  (And who doesn’t want to be successful?)

Keep this Book of the Law
always on your lips;
meditate on it day and night,
so that you may be careful to do
everything written in it.
Then you will be prosperous and successful.

2  Tinuviel’s post at The Crumbs From His Table nudged my spirit.  What is the meditation of my heart?  She explains:

The meditation of my heart is the mental rut worn deep by repeated travel, the pattern of thought I steep in my soul until I take on its character as my own.

 

3.  I’ve started to realize that God speaks in the silence.  The problem is that I am often too distracted to be still and listen.  Joan at The Beauty of His Grip shared the spiritual practice of “Silence and Solitude” on her blog this week, and this really resonated with me.  I need to be quiet and perk my ears up.

4.  I did a little Googling and came across an old article by John Piper where He reminded me why it’s important to mediate on Scripture.  God’s Word should be my delight.  Am I delighting in God’s Word more than anything today?  Ouch.  This is convicting.

5.  Want to spend some time meditating on the work of Christ on the cross in preparation for Easter?   Starting March 30th, I am going to be leading a 4-week Good Morning Girls study online in a private Facebook group.  Let me know if you’d like to join my friends to dig into the Word together.  I have room for a couple of more members.  (Ladies only please.  Sorry, fellas!)

 

Q4U:  What did you learn this week?  Do you regularly meditate on God’s Word?

I am sharing “Mindfulness” and joining like-minded sisters this weekend at Saturday Linky Love, The Weekend Brew, Whatever is Lovely, and The Friday Five.  

The post Lessons Learned in 3-D: Mindfulness appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

A 3-Fold Prayer to Freedom

Yesterday, I was driving on the turnpike and my mind started making a mental list of all the concerns that are weighing down on my spirit right now.  We are in a valley season at our house – everywhere my husband and I look in our circle of influence we see a hurting friend or a critical need.  I am tired.  Sometimes, the cares of this life will make you weary.

But, God sees me.  He knows my need.  So, there in my car, His grace met me…

I am so honored to be sharing over at Missional Women today.   To read the rest of this post, head on over here.

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