You're Invited!

As promised, I have an invitation for you all! Well, maybe just the ladies...or maybe not...up to you.

BUT...before you get the invitation, you have to read my backstory, and it's kinda long. I know. Thank you, in advance.

Yesterday I told you about being given a book which I was not interested in reading at the time. I think it was 1999 or 2000; so about 10 years ago. At that time I was very focused on my "spiritual growth". I was reading everything Joyce Meyer had written to date, watching three or four preaching broadcasts a day, studying my Bible, listening to old Kenneth Copeland tapes (yes, tapes!), and spending as much time as I could in prayer and worship. I held to the philosophy that I didn't have time for anything that wasn't going to "build up my 'spirit man'".       **Remember that thought; we'll come back to that in a moment.**

I did, in fact, spend the next several years building up that spirit [wo]man; she got to be quite strong, as a matter of fact. I have no regrets for having invested in my own spiritual growth. It is that inner strength of faith that has, to a large extent, kept my family together and kept me sane (well, mostly)! I have also spent a fair amount of time, money, and energy taking care of the outer me. Oh my goodness how much time, money, and energy I have spent on washing, clothing, painting, trimming, shaving, moisturizing, tanning, toning, exercising, feeding, and resting that outer woman!! Recently, I have begun to devote even more time to taking care of my body...not a bad thing to do, since I've only got one.

Here comes another BUT...what about that third part of me? I will try to be brief here. What? I will!

We are not merely humans with spirits. We are triune beings; there are three parts to each of us. We are a spirit; we are eternal beings, created in the image of God. We live in a body; our body is the suit we wear in order to live on this planet. It will NOT last forever. We also have a soul. This is where it gets fun...our soul has three parts: our mind, our will, and our emotions. Keeping it simple, we connect our earthly bodies to our eternal spirits with our souls. We cannot experience any understanding of God, or experience His love (or any of the Fruit of the Spirit) without our minds, our wills, and our emotions. Our souls are VITAL to our existence!!

And yet, how often do we feed and nurture them? It seems to me that we do quite the opposite! We shut our minds off and "veg out"; we admit we have no "willpower"; and we "repress" our emotions so that we do not have to deal with unpleasantries.  Do I exaggerate? I don't think so. At least I will admit to you that this is what I have done. I have taken such tender loving care of two parts of myself and completely ignored the third!

Here is where we bring back that thought from earlier, and counter it with a new thought. I would like to propose that we can not truly grow in our spirits or bodies without truly growing in our souls. But don't take my word for it: 3 John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. It is this soul prosperity that I am after. I want to think, feel, and choose prosperously. I want to learn to recognize what I am thinking, feeling, or choosing at any given moment, instead of knowing what I "should" think, what I "should" feel, or what I "should" choose. In other words, I want to think, feel, and choose from a place of my own authenticity.

Enter my journey of self discovery and my dust covered book.

 

The book has dated readings for each day of the year, devotional-style. While the author does not recommend waiting until January 1 to begin reading, she does suggest that one start by completing January and February first and then skipping ahead to the appropriate day. The six Simple Abundance  principles and how they work are explaned in January and then February is devoted to "excavating your authentic self". This is probably where I should place a disclaimer: This book is not specifically a Christian book. While I do think the author is a Christian, she has chosen to write from a more inclusive point of view. Again, this isn't a "spiritual" growth journey; it is a soul nurturing journey.
 
If you are like I was 10 years ago, you will not at all be interested in coming along with me. However, if you find yourself at a place in life where you are unsure of what you would buy, where you would go, or what you would do if you had 10 days without having to worry about taking care of another human being, or paying a bill, or cooking a meal...then meet me back here on September 1st.
 
You can check Simple Abundance out from your local library or purchase it here. Either way, you can embark on your very own journey to soul prosperity! I hope to see you here.