How much is TOO much information??

We live in the Modern Age.  So many discoveries have been made we have to wonder if there are even any left to discover?  We can know what is going on across the globe in the blink of an eye and we are constantly reminded the the world wants nothing to do with the God of Christianity. 
On a seemingly smaller scale, we live our day to day lives connected to the internet and usually the media, where we are inundated with stories, news and what is happening all over the globe.
While there are certainly positives and advantages to our current state there can also be major negatives.  So the question is, how much is too much?  TMI- Are we getting Too Much Information? 

Here are a few thoughts on how these women deal with it in their lives...

Brandice:
I'm not sure if I am the best person to write on this subject!
I often am asking the Lord to clean out my mind, give me focus, and help me manage my time more efficiently.
Have you ever walked into a room and stood there trying to remember what it was you went in there for? I try to stay focused on a task at hand but my mind wanders to something else that needs to be done and I end up forgetting my original errand! When I find it hard to stay focused I wonder if my mind is too full or too empty!
Like Paul says in Romans 7, "I want to do what is right... but I do the very thing I hate! ...I love God's law with all my heart! But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind."
Oh Paul! Sin IS at war with my mind! Sin takes away my focus. Then I get behind in my daily chores and jobs, leaving less time for my family and less time for God.
Continuing on in Romans 8 Paul simply reminds us, "If the Holy Spirit controls your mind there is life and peace."

Kay
Priorities! A life long, almost daily, search for which ones are God's and which are mine. Then there's those days when I live in the tyranny of the urgent. I hate that. I'm forever in a quest for the perfect schedule, knowing there is no such thing. The rest and the peace and the productivity lies in hearing the Lord and being obedient. That very often is not looking like what I think that it should. Listening to a hurting friend, sharing a wonder-filled moment with your kids or grand kids in the floor or backyard, remembering that people are more important than things Always to God! HIS ways truly are not ours! The jury is still out on how much time is actually "saved" using this convenience we call computer; because somehow it makes us think we are multi-tasking wonders. I'm pretty sure that's a deception. I have come to this, though, God is interested in our every moment not because we are His worker bees but because we are His children! If we make connecting with HIM our 1st and primary necessity in life, the rest WILL work out. He just does it! As we seek to say yes to Him and move out in faith, He moves on our behalf even if it's in the redemption of where we misunderstood His direction! What a God!!! Nuff said.

Barbara
Ephesians 6:10 to 18 come to mind (praying for the Armor of God). If we do this early each day and give the day to him with all our problems, appointments, thoughts and etc. To have him fill our cup fresh with his spirit, to do what He wants us to do for the day. He will give us his power his wisdom, & understanding. I try to remember to ask him about everything. The world tries to keep our minds too busy to spend with the Lord. So I talk to Him all the time in my head about everything. When I do not, is when I get off track. I ask the Holy Spirit to remind me when I get too busy. When someone comes to mind I say a quick prayer for that person. This helps me. I also try to pray in the spirit as well. 
Hope this did not sound like a sermon. It is how I strive to do each day.
I forgot the most important: Pray for the whole family, cover them with the blood of Jesus, and the favor of God for all.  This might seem like a lot to do everyday but really you can do it with in 10 minutes or less.  And you can fit it in while you are driving or in the shower.  If we keep our mind's focused on Jesus then prayer will become as natural as breathing.

Jill
The song that keeps coming in my head when I think of this topic is, "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face.  And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace."
I chose the topic this week because I am not turning my eyes upon Jesus enough.  I have struggled with my focus.  Sometimes I wish I could just turn it all off and go back to a simpler time. BUT, I know that the Lord has chosen me to live in the exact moment of time for His purpose.  My job is to find a healthy balance between what I allow in so that what comes out of me will glorify Him.  (I'm sure a vacation would help too :)
God has equipped us for where we are...we just need our eyes on Him more than they are on the world.




Thanks to all of the ladies who took the time to share.  Let's encourage each other in the Lord and let His name be glorified!!

Psalm 91:4

Hanna

This verse, actually the whole chapter of Psalm 91 speaks so much of our proclamation of faith and comfort for our family and knowing how much He truly loves us. We have embarked on a journey that only our Heavenly Father can guide us along. Our oldest son, Eli has recently been diagnosed with having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), more specifically, Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Specified Otherwise (PDD-NOS). As a special educator and being a mom now, I always had my suspicions early on when Eli was about 12 months old, but his symptoms were mild and did not fit into the classic definition of ASD. So, we waited. Since the diagnosis, we’ve started this journey to understand each of our children and the special gifts that each of them possess and how they can help to bless Him and others with faith that God is helping us throughout the journey no matter what the challenges we may face along the way. Since starting early intervention along with speech and OT therapies, Eli has made such great progress. We know that it is because of God’s grace and love for us. Despite the challenges we have faced or will face in the future, I know and believe that we will be alright and all our children will be great and will always remember that God has a special plan for each of them.

 

Brandice

Ps 91:4," He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you can hide. His truth will be your shield and protection."

This paints a lovely picture for me with my childhood memories. We used to raise a few chickens. Some of the hens would get broody and start sitting on eggs, others we stole from the nest and put in an incubator. It was exciting to come home and try to guess how many baby chicks would have hatched out. Though it was easy to peek into the incubator to see how many new chicks we had, it was another story with the hen.
The mama hen made her nest around her with high sides, almost like a bowl half buried in the ground. She could puff up her feathers and make herself bigger to hold more chicks. We would bring the mama hen our incubator chicks and she would take them under her, keeping them warm and protecting them. It was hard to see actually how many she had under her. I don't even think she knew-- we laughed because she thought they were all hers! And she acted like it by going after any person or other chicken who may come by her nest. It wasn't until they were bigger when you could see a swarm of chicks moving under her.
To think of God's truth - the truth being that he loves us and accepts us as this mama hen "loved" and accepted any chick, whether hers or not - that truth is the protecting shield to us! And nothing can take away God's love for us, not angels or demons, or life or death, lowest depths or highest heights. (Romans 8) In God's love, we are safe- we are loved and accepted no matter who we are. It doesn't matter where we were born- what we have done. God's love covers us and we become his children and he begins to feed us and teach us. All we have to do is make a decision to crawl into God's nest and stay by his side.

Marishell

Psalm 91:4
I used to spend my summers playing ball as a teenager. The ball field complex in Landstuhl, Germany, was always my favorite location. Behind the outfield fence was a scenic view of large rolling grassy hills edged with pine trees. In particular behind center field I could actually visualize a giant, comfortable chair as the hills rolled into a valley. The chair was in fact so huge that I envisioned God sitting there and taking in my softball game. (My crazy imagination pictured Him as tall as the Empire State building so you could imagine that chair beyond center field was large enough for His bottom!) I would imagine Him sitting in that comfy chair and watching me and cheering me on as I played softball. When the game was over, I found myself sitting on His lap and enjoying His company. That scene of us in the chair has faithfully resurfaced over the years. I have found myself climbing up in God’s lap countless times amidst the storms of life to which “He has covered me with his feathers and under His wings I have found refuge.” At one point it finally occurred to me that God wanted me in His lap on a daily basis. And of course it isn’t uncommon that I now find myself climbing in His lap as a timid and tired daughter, but after we hang out, I find myself encouraged and emboldened to get back in action in His kingdom. God isn’t going anywhere and I could depend on Him to always be with me, to always be a shield and wall of defense against the harshness of life. 2 Timothy 2:13 declares that “God is faithful and will remain faithful because he cannot deny himself”. Wow…how cool is that…God cannot deny who He is!

Jill

This whole chapter brings such a peace.  David's writings are filled with passion and love for his creator but he went through so many valley's and mountain tops in his life.  God used him in a mighty way.  Not just to share with the world his Psalms but to partake in the lineage of Christ.  David had many victories in his life and he also had much pain and suffering.  He felt guilt and anguish.  He felt loss.  But he also felt God's presence and shares that in this Psalm.

If you look closely, God's covering comes to those who dwell in him (v.1).  Do you feel like you dwell in the Lord?  I know that a lot of the time I feel like I am in mire and the muck of this world and it can be hard to put one foot in front of the other.   But, if I spend that time in God's word and let it cover me, let it pour the soothing balm over my spirit, then I can be refreshed.  This comes by believing what it says.  And notice that it says in v.15 that God will be with him (David) in trouble.  God knows there will be trouble but he promises to be with us too.  To cover us with his "feathers" and under his "wings" we will find refuge.  I want him to be my refuge.  I want to cry out to one that can lead and guide me through this dark world and give my life purpose and yes, peace.  

Thank you Lord for your peace!