Flume!

-









Summer is here! Remember when you were a kid and you actually had a summer break?  I envy my teacher friends at this time.  My two youngest sons are currently on the mainland spending time with family for the summer.  My oldest teenage son is left behind to discover his own summer adventures before starting high school.  My husband is deep into the rigors of training and studies at the Honolulu police academy.   And me?  Well I've been blessed to get a little time off, been able to get in some bonding time with my oldest before he starts high school. One of our favorite things to do together is go hiking.  Living in Hawaii, going on a hike that includes waterfalls is a must.   On our last hike, I added a new word to my vocabulary--flume.    A flume is a man made channel of water used to transport materials from one location to another like logs or mining materials.  Apparently, flume is also the name of an Australian electronic dj.  Nevertheless, flumes were important back in the early days of  'old Hawaii' in areas for irrigation and providing vegetation for a community,  transporting water  and materials to remote places.   And today in Hawaii, these flumes are converted to recreational rides for tourist industry.   'Come and tube the flume!' as the website advertises.
I like to think of the Christian life like these flumes.  First, we must receive our power from a higher source and continue to receive daily.  Next, our blessings can flow, passing on, by sharing our love, our story, our testimonies.  This is essential for the spiritual growth not only for your self but for the whole Christian community.

 I just completed the Life's Healing choices study with my small group from church.  This was an 8 step or 8 choice journey to recovery.  I recently recall the seventh choice in which we are asked to reserve a daily time with God for self examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will.   It was an important choice for me because it also provided me with the tools for preventing relapse.   This has been by greatest fear, this time around with my sobriety.  I didn't realize it at the time, but my relapse was alcohol.  Even though it had been years since I quit using ecstasy and all those drugs that came with the rave scene,  I relapsed into another addiction with alcohol.  That's why its important more than ever, not lose the good habit of daily evaluation, meditation and prayer.  During these times, it is a time to perform the first function of the flume.   That is to receive the power from my higher source and really listening for God's voice.
The eighth choice is to yield myself to God and bring the good news that I've learned and share it with others.  Hmm, kinda like I'm doing now. 

  We will be getting ready to start up a Celebrate Recovery at our church.   AND getting ready to buy a permanent home here in Hawaii as first time home buyers.  AND next month I celebrate my sobriety 2 year birthday.  A lot of exciting changes on the way.
During all of these exciting and sometimes stressful changes, its easy to get overwhelmed and fall back into those unhealthy patterns.  I must not forget to practice those choices I've made in my Healing Choices study.
Wherever you are in your journey with God, I invite you to daily receive. 
If you have not yet accepted Christ into your heart, this is the first step.  You don't have to carry those hurts, hang ups and bad habits on your own.  Jesus says, come with me and I will recover your life. You can ask Christ in to your life by simply saying this prayer:  Jesus, I am a sinner.  I'm sorry for my sins. I believe you died on the cross for me so I can be forgiven.  I want to live a better spirit filled life.  Please send your Spirit to help me.  Amen.
As a physician, I'm in a unique position to witness others at their most vulnerable moments.  There are so many others who are hurting with so much spiritual need.  When I was deep in my addiction I could not understand how I was still loved by my God.  If I see people like that everyday, I know there is someone reading this now who needs to hear these words. 

 If you already have accepted Jesus, its never to late to receive Him again. 
And like a God -made flume, crafted by Him and for him, you too, can receive his love and grace to carry it on to others. 

God has so much for you!   If you are only to receive it.  You can start today!   And TUBE the FLUME!  Thank you for reading.  A little video to motivate your meditation time....



Sober for 715 days, hopeful believer for another day more. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Crooked spine, crooked path

-
Image
  Today I went for a brisk 45 minute walk.  And that was the hardest thing for me to do. You might be wondering why.   Why would a  measly brisk 45 minute walk be such a big deal for this woman whos’ run marathons and 10 Ks and sprint triathlons before?  Well it all started in 2012. I was driving home from work in Orange County on the 5 rush hour traffic.  It was about a couple weeks after I ran the Huntington Beach half marathon, the one they have on super bowl Sunday every year.   It was stop and go traffic. Then suddenly, as my foot came off the gas, a lightening bolt pain shot me right in the ARSE!  or  right buttock that is.  Thereafter I would always have this tender spot or pain in the very crook of my right hamstring. Nothing severe enough to keep me from running , just a nuisance like that little kink you got in the back that tightens up every once in awhile.  I’ve got one of those too. On my right upper back, scapula to ...
Read more

Stay focused

-
Image
  It is interesting how some words of advice just stick with you. I wonder if my brother would be surprised that I still remember the words of advice he gave to me that seem to pop in my head as I read the verse above. My brother, Steve who is eight years my senior,  ha ha, ‘my senior’. That sounds so old. Anyway, my brother who is eight years older than me once told me right before I was about to go to college, to ‘STAY FOCUSED’.   He was an athlete and this was very appropriate advice for him to give.  He would know. He played baseball his whole life, first baseman  and would’ve gone professional if it wasn’t for a devastating injury during college.   On the other hand I was a horrible athlete , well in the beginning and before I found my love for endurance sports that is.  When I was in junior high, I was very awkward. I was made fun of a lot. I was a nerd! My athletic skills were nil to none  so my dear brother must have felt sorry for me and ...
Read more

Be still

-
Image
  Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. -Psalm 46:10 I have this sense of urgency, but I feel like God is working on me still, preparing me for something more.  I don’t know what that is, yet, but I’m to be still and do the work I have set before me.  My mind is never still.  In the stillness, I will praise God and worship him , glorify him with the work set before me.  The year is almost half way done and Ive been without social media. Although I do feel disconnected from those I know, I do feel more connected with my Lord. Have I gotten anywhere with my book? It is definitely slow going, but I will say I am further along then I was last year.  And even more then I was yesterday.   So I guess that’s something.  Instead of scrolling, I’ve just been filling my head with bible reading and studying.  I do watch YouTube, but mostly Christian topics appear on my feed.  S...
Read more