Shirlee Abbott

Closet Power

Posted on July 29, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

Posted in other | Tagged James 5:16, prayer closet, Superman | Comments Off

Cleaning the Prayer Closet

Posted on July 28, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

Lord God, I’ve crowded too much stuff into my prayer closet. Show me what to throw away, what to give away and what to share with you.

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Housecleaning for God

Posted on July 27, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

1 Corinthians 3:16 (NIV)
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?

You are a sanctuary for the Spirit. Take a long look at yourself.

Is your sanctuary dirty and cluttered? Covered with the gritty grime of our culture? With a few old grudges stashed away for safe keeping?

Is it time to dust the dark corners of your soul?

Posted in other | Tagged 1 Corinthians 3:16, cleaning | 2 Comments

God’s Housekeeping

Posted on July 26, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

The Levites were housekeepers of God’s Sanctuary. The Sons of Korah left a record of their Levitical joy in sanctuary-keeping.

Psalm 84:10 (NIV)
Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

Better one day dusting God’s house than a thousand relaxing in the mansions of the wicked.

Posted in other | Tagged housekeeping, Levites, Psalm 84:10, Sons of Korah | Comments Off

Cleaning Up

Posted on July 25, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

When did you last dust?

I dust every week
Dust? It’s a protective covering for fine furniture
What’s the point? It will just get dusty again

I dusted the sanctuary Saturday. The men have been fixing the water damage, patching the plaster, spackling and painting. A gritty haze of white rested on every horizontal surface.

It made me wonder about young Samuel, dedicated before his birth to service in God’s sanctuary.

1 Samuel 2:18 (MSG)
Samuel, a boy dressed in a priestly linen tunic, served God.

Did dusting the sacred furniture fall to him? A child with a dust rag?

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Good Job?

Posted on July 22, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

Posted in other | Tagged Colossians 3:23, good | Comments Off

Good Job!

Posted on July 21, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

I am good with words, mediocre with cooking and bad at rocket science. How about you?

Good at a few things
Mediocre with many things
There’s a ton of stuff I couldn’t and shouldn’t ever do

There are some teachers who are not good at teaching. There are some police officers who shouldn’t be policing. There are some politicians who aren’t good leaders.

Maybe it is time to stop declaring, “You can be anything you want to be.” Maybe it’s time to ask, “Are you good at what you do?”

Are you putting the talent God has given you to good use?

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Restoring My Soul

Posted on July 14, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

Hope you take a few days this summer to do likewise. See you in a week.

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Gang Lives Matter

Posted on July 13, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

I read that there are 2,000 gang-related homicides in our nation each year. In some large cities, almost half of the murders are gang-related.

Those lives matter. Shame on us for looking the other way.

Lord God, may our young people find their identity in you, not in gangs. Let your Spirit blow through the gang culture, turning even the hardest hearts toward you. Replace violence with love, death with abundant life.

Posted in other | Tagged gangs, homicides, prayer | 1 Comment

Upfront or After-the-Fact?

Posted on July 12, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

Posted in other | Tagged 2 Chronicles 7:14, prayer for the nation, Your will be done | Comments Off