Lani's Blog

OASIS

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Advent according to the dictionary means a coming into place, view or being; arrival, an arrival or coming especially one which is awaited.


Advent is also the 40 days preceding Christmas including the 4 Sundays.


As you can see my dear readers, we are well past Christmas. I did receive a wonderful present; clarity. Knowledge is good but now I need the “want to” to act on it.





In writing to my fellow travelers, I realized I have only completed one challenge here at WDC. It was a 30 day blog challenge in 2008. I have attempted a couple of classes in the New Horizons Academy but the “sandstorms” of overtime, husband, and my own poor time management skills torpedoed those efforts. There was a poetry journey not unlike this trip to Bethlehem that I tried. Again, the same issues plus I had another bout with depression.  I cannot let the sandstorms or the camels win again. Although “they say” the joy is in the journey the whole point of a trip is to reach a destination. It may be Valentines before I get there but onward and upward to Bethlehem.





1John 2:15-16


15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world





Since writing the above, I’ve been reading “Made to Crave, by Lysa Terkfurst. It is a book about learning to crave God instead of food; fixing the spiritual brokenness diets cannot. She makes the point Satan uses our cravings 3 ways to lure us away from God.


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Ms. Terkfurst uses 1John2:15-16 as her reference and defines her terms as:





1.          Cravings: trying to get our physical desires met outside of the will of God


2.          Lust of the eyes: trying to get our material desires met outside the will of God


3.          Boasting: trying to get our need for significance met outside of God.





Now, I do not believe Satan is under every rock or behind every tree, but I do believe in an enemy who hinders and harasses. If my walk is weak, my resolve to follow Jesus will be weak and I am easily lured away. I make my own choices.





With all that being said, am I trying to gain significance on the internet outside the will of God? I told you I was beginning to deal with narcissism. Is it better to pull the plug and fail another challenge or continue? Stopping the journey feels like breaking a promise to my fellow travelers and that can’t be good. So I will continue the Advent journey privately. This way I can keep my promise, finish the challenge and not drag another camel along.





If you are interested in continuing with me, send an e-mail and I will give you the passkey. 

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Lani