Writing and Art From A Life Redeemed by Jesus Christ

There is an automatic relaxation response when you breathe deeply. While working this morning I saw a picture of the ocean and involuntarily took a deep breath and felt a flood of peacefulness pass across me. Relax my mind tells me. I comply by focusing momentarily on the moment. Literally taking a moment, to take in the moment. I have on purpose placed an object, a color, or a sound in my immediate atmosphere to cause me to focus on a positive, deep breath. To use these things to refocus my attention on the positive. My goal is to be mindful. To walk in peace, to relax. God's written word, the Bible has a similar effect on me. So I take time to rest in His word. Inwardly I breath in His breathe, His peace which passes understanding. Allowing His Spirit to renew my mind in His word. As I focus on His written Word, I breath deeply, feeling the cares of the moment slipping a way, until His way has pre-eminence in me. There are many ways to cause the Relax response.

Behold the Man, The Word Became Flesh  © 2005 Debbie Turner Chavers Well, it is that time again. Spring has sprung. Time to tend to the weeds in the garden. Weeding is something that I do not necessarily look forward to, although I love the appearance of the garden after the removal of weeds. There are so many spiritual lessons to be learned from the Lord of the harvest as you tend to a garden. I try to weed in intervals due to the physical exertion required. I have found that weeding spiritually has exertion involved also. Due diligence is required to take care of the little foxes that spoil our vines spiritually. Weeding is always easier after a rainfall. Spiritually, it is easier to see our own weeds as the rain of God's word and Spirit have drenched us and opened our eyes to His truth. The ground and our hearts become pliable and yield to the effort to remove offensive weeds. As I tended to the weeding in the garden, I noticed a new weed this week. The weed was quit