Chapter Seven Comments

Chapter Seven is Lovely Thoughts - Here are our comments:

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I am enjoying the study on Lovely thoughts this week. The idea of lovely being "toward a deep and moving affection" was so useful. I always read that word as thinking on things beautiful, not bad in itself, but being moved to affection makes much more sense. 

The quote by Brian Tracy, “The value of a relationship is in direct proportion to the time that you invest in the relationship.” was also good food for thought. 

The study on pure thoughts last week was also a blessing. Being crushed isn’t very pleasant, yet the refining work of His Holy Spirit is precious beyond measure. James 1:2-4!!  Eileen

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I had the thought, there is so much UNLOVELY in today's world -- that it takes deliberate effort and time to pull the lovely into your days and thoughts . . .

The quote at the beginning: "...thinking determines life."  is so very true.  I tell Monica when we're trying to get Math done, "stay on the Math path" -- like you're walking a puppy on a leash (your mind being the puppy) and you just need to keep PULLING it back...pull it back...

I've always loved the story of the woman washing Jesus' feet . . . her abandonment and spontaneity, her lavish love . . . He was her "soul-satisfying treasure."  "She could see both where she had been and where she was" -- and that was why she wept . . . . beautiful!

And the flash of the rainbow was amazing.  Love that thought!                                  Hope

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This was an encouraging chapter for me these last week.  There are number of paragraphs that stood out to me.  Movement toward things that are worthy of affection is a very powerful definition.  If something is true, honest, just, and pure it will move us toward things that are worthy of affection.
The first paragraph speaks so much like what is happening in peoples lives today.  It is considered wrong if you don't accept everyone's point of view.  I am so glad that healthy and holy thinking began in the beginning and Paul wrote this verse we are studying. Many times when you hear a great story you are encouraged to do or think lovely thoughts. (bottom of Pg 70)  On the top of Pg 71 one was so good "to meditate on the love of God, His mercy, my forgiven sin and the love that binds sinners to the Savior.  Creates lovely thoughts.  I was blessed by the quote and desiring to be more like the candle:

"A candle is a lovely thing:
It makes not noise at all,
But softly gives itself away"
Blessings, Cathy

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 The things that are worthy of affection, let my mind dwell on these things. There are so many beautiful stories in the Bible and in this world, yet in our own lives and in the news particularly we seem to focus on the ugly and depressing things like what we didn’t get to do or what bad is happening. I think one of the most beautiful things about the Bible is that all of if even the stuff spoken in the midst of

darkness points always to the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In every story there is the promise of Jesus Christ. The way Joseph forgave his brothers, Boaz taking and providing for Ruth, and one of my favorites, the way people come to Jesus on behalf of someone else (like we do in prayer), often a child or servant, and Jesus helps them.

Yes, there is beauty in a night sky full of stars, but there is also beauty in the face of someone who is sick yet who trusts

God to walk with them through it. There is beauty in the face of a peacefully sleeping child, and also in the face of a child who has repented of their wrong and seeking to now do the right thing. When we look for it, beauty is everywhere.

Given

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I loved this paragraph: "Sometimes lovely is common like the beauty of creation, or more intense and complex like a broken prostitute delivered from herself, or deeply moving like faith and creativity in the face of personal adversity.  Lovely is whatever draws us into that sense of prosphiles, of being drawn toward something worthy of a strong sense of affection; something that reveals the loveliness and magnificence of a great Creator. When God looks at the redeemed, He sees the loveliness of Jesus."  So much of life is in how we "see" it how we interpret it we need to look at life through the lovely lense of Jesus Christ - He changes everything!  He puts possibility and hope into every dark scene.  There is so much in our world that is dark and ugly and evil, but even though I am more aware of this now than ever before this past year has been a year of joy for me because of the miracle changes in Anna - it has changed the way I view life, it has given me confidence to pray strong prayers and to have faith for marvelous answers.  Lovely thoughts - this is where I want to dwell!   Patti

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