Author Archives: Duana Cisney
Holy Spirit Cafe’
Requirements…
Do you have a lot of things pulling at your time? What does your calendar look like? Does every day have “just one more thing” on it to do? Sometimes our days can feel endless – task after task, errand after errand, chore after chore. Go here, get this, pick up this, go to this store, pay this bill… Then add a family to that and it can be a frenzy of activity!
Consider this:
“He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8
What would it be like to just stop? Stop running from here to there? Stop trying to prove ourselves or reinvent ourselves or trying to do or be something we’re just not? What if we could simply accept ourselves as we are? What if all that is truly required of us is to ‘do justice, and to love kindness and walk humbly with your God’?
Clothe Yourself With Compassion…
Colossians 3:12-14
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
“Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience”
That’s a lot to ask in today’s world! Just driving through traffic some days can make a person crazy!
Has there ever been a time when you have found yourself really mad at a friend or even a complete stranger? Maybe they did something that you just didn’t understand, or you wonder “what the heck did I do?!?” Those are the times when we have to remember that most of the time, when people might treat us bad or are rude, that they are experiencing something that has nothing to do with us. Those are the times that showing compassion, kindness and gentleness is exactly what that person needs.
Remember, you never know what’s really going on in someone’s life…
~Praying you have a great day!
Speak Intentionally…
In light of all the insults, slanders and slams floating around our world today, I thought this excerpt from my book Cross Words was appropriate… I invite you to speak with intention today…
“We have everyday common phrases that are interesting to me. Things like: “I love you to death”, or “That cake is to die for” or “School (or my job) is killing me”. I think we say such common phrases without thinking about how they will impact our spirit.
Consider this:
“Pleasant words are flowing honey, sweet to the taste and healing to the bones.” Proverbs 16:24
What if we really paid attention to our exact words and said what we mean, exactly? What if we said “I love you so much”, or “That is the best cake ever” or “School is just really hard right now”? Things that are bad wouldn’t really feel that bad because the words aren’t as strong. And, things that are good would feel so much better because the words are so much kinder. Words matter; make yours ‘sweet to the taste and healing to the bone’.
Praying for you many kind words this week…”
Once upon a time…
Those words have always excited me. It means a story is coming and I really like stories. I remember when I was young I used to ask my grandfather to tell me stories “about the olden days”. It didn’t matter whether they were made up or the retelling of some time in his childhood, I would listen with rapt attention even if I had heard them 100 times.
My children are like that. We sit around the table after supper and without fail, someone will say, “tell that story about…”. Usually they have heard it 100 times as well, but it never fails to amuse and incite lots of laughter. Especially the one about the time my husband didn’t tighten the bolts around the front tire of his bicycle before jumping off a ramp…but I’ll leave that for another time.
As a human race we are a narrative people. History has been passed down over the centuries through the telling and retelling of a story, a memory, a myth. Each telling adds a little here, leaves out a little there, depending on the time, audience, or environment. A good story is like a treasured recipe. It’s always basically the same with the ingredients shifted a little to create the flavor we want that day.
With a book now on shelves and my name on the cover, the writing bug has bitten deeply. I hope to use this space to share stories that season our lives. You are welcome and invited to complete the phrase: “Once upon a time…” in any way you see fit; here and in your life. It is, after all, your life; your story. What will come after “Once upon a time…”?
Holy Spirit Cafe 