Happy Monday everyone!
I hope this finds you well. I apologize for not getting the Friday Tasting Menu out last week its been a lot harder than I anticipated to send out these newsletters to you all since being back to work. However, I am actively trying to find the best rhythm/workflow to keep going.
I’m NOT giving up.
I’m grateful for the support and encouragement that I’ve received from each one of you. So, thank you.
That being said, this week’s short essay is about what keeps my cup filled. I’ve been asked in the past what it is that makes me act, work, speak and live the way that I do.
My answer is simple yet transformational: I’m a Christian.
Disclaimer: This doesn’t mean I’ve got it all figured out nor that I’m better than anyone. What I am sharing is that my encounter with God has radically transformed my life and purpose and how I practically approach everything that I do.
I want to share some insight into what keeps Christians going. While this isn’t an all-encompassing read, I’d like to call it a foundation for a Thought Full approach to spiritual disciplines that have personally made a difference for me.
Have great rest of the week. Happy Sandwiches! 🥪
🙇♂️Daily Devotional
A devotional is a time given to prayer, reading the Bible, singing a song of worship, meditation on God, or reading a reflection.
This has single-handedly changed my life. It orients my mind, heart, and body for the day. There is nothing like giving God the first hour of the day.
Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
Psalm 143:8
🙏Prayer
The Almighty and Holy God walked in the garden with Adam in the cool of the day. He wasn't distant from His creation, He was close.
We were made to be relational with our Creator. He has many names but the one Jesus used when teaching His disciples to pray was: Father. Think of being able to speak to The One who formed you in your mother's womb and to know that He hears, knows, and loves you.
It's difficult to wrap your head around. To this day I wrestle with this precious truth.
⛪️Congregating/Fellowship
No one is an island.
The Church is not a building. It is a people. Not a perfect people but a saved people from their sins. We are called to walk, serve, love, challenge, encourage, correct, teach one another in community as we follow Jesus.
Something special happens when believers gather together on a Sunday morning all around the world as one body to worship God.
🙌Worship
There is nothing that we can offer God that can suffice to thank Him for all that He has done, is doing, and will continue to do.
Worship is more than a song.
It is the posture of a heart seeking to lift high the name of God. It is seeing & proclaiming who God is.
📕Bible Reading
The Bible is nourishment for our souls.
It is how God has revealed Himself to mankind. The Word teaches us not only about who God is but also who we are and the narrative of redemptive history.
"...man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD."
Deuteronomy 8:3
🚶♂️Coram Deo
This is an incredible reality.
Coram Deo a Latin phrase translated "in the presence of God". It is the idea of living actively, thoughtfully, and intentionally before God. Adam and Eve walked with God, the Apostles walked with Jesus in the flesh, and we can walk today with the same God not only by our side but within us by the Holy Spirit.
Living by this truth will significantly impact your actions, conversations, thoughts, work ethic, attitude, demeanor, and everything between.
This grows your integrity and molds your character. God doesn’t dwell in temples and tents but walks alongside His children.