When You just don’t know how to start your prayer

 Many times  we feel like we just do not know what to pray to the Lord, besides our simple “Now I lay me down, “etc.   God is just  pleased  to hear from us!   We can just talk to Him. Or, just like David, when he penned the psalms , they were actually songs to God!

 Some were definitely prayers of praise, others of  supplication. For example, Psalm 6 is a psalm of supplication…you can hear the anguish in his voice as he pleads for God’s help. 

Psalm 6

1Psalm 

1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint;
heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.
3 My soul is in deep anguish.
How long, Lord, how long?
4 Turn, Lord, and deliver me;
save me because of your unfailing love.
5 Among the dead no one proclaims your name.
Who praises you from the grave?
6 I am worn out from my groaning.
All night long I flood my bed with weeping
and drench my couch with tears.
7 My eyes grow weak with sorrow;
they fail because of all my foes.
8 Away from me, all you who do evil,
for the Lord has heard my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;
the Lord accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;
they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.

Then, in contrast, psalm 8 is a psalm of praise.. listen how David sings about God’s glory. You might even recognize this song!

Psalm 8
1 Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
in the heavens.
2 Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
5 You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their feet:
7 all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
8 the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

We do not always have to have our Bibles before us when we pray. I have learned this wonderful song to sing each night before I start my evening prayer. It calms my spirit and prepares my heart for prayer.

Tuesday 4 What.. Where... How?

What.. Where...How?

Hosted by Annie!

 Hey, it's time for Tuesday 4 and I am so happy to see you back again.    

Let's ask ourselves some questions.

1. What was the worst date you ever went on? That would have to be  when I  did a blind date for a friend .  She  begged me to go   because otherwise  she'd  have no date because her college beau had no wheels. Lynn was in the military and he knew Id  be sociable   .. I was in college after all.  But he knew he could trust me.  Well, 

no problem not trusting me on this date.  The guy was beyond 

  horrible,  tall,  rotund,  ugly glasses,   and  stuck on himself. 

 Of  course,  as he was driver,  I was riding shotgun  as close to

 the door as possible. We went to the drive in of all things. Of course,

 the back seat was getting a bit  fogged over,   and I was  sitting up

 front  wishing my life completely away. I could tell he  was hating

 me, because  his evening wasn't exactly  fun.  But I couldn't stand

 talking to him.,  and the movie was  not my style..  rated r for  

 murder and mayhem.The door handle was  getting all my attention.

  I can't remember   but I think he kicked me to the curb  when we

 got back to the dorm.   I  was just glad it was OVER!

2. How was the nicest date you ever had?Lynn rarely took us out

  for  dinner..  we usually ate at my house  before going out. but 

one evening he did take me out for pizza, then a movie.That was 

 what I called a real date,  not just  cruising up and down William-

son Road, seeing who could  get a wheelie  fastest,  and then stop-

ping my the airport to park for  an hour.  I mean  that was all fun,

  but  having a real date  was  super  nice. I'm not sure but I think 

the movie was On Her Majesty's Secret Service.. Yeah, I'd say a 

Jame Bond date deserved   a pizza dinner!

3. Where did you grow up and how did you like it? Are you far 

away from there now?I have always lived in the same town

 except for the year I lived in Germany while Lynn served in 

 the Army.I grew up  at  the very edge of the postal code.  I

 mean the county line  started at the end of my street. So our   

neighborhood  sprang up  on  farmland  and we bought  our 

house when I was two.   And it was the second house built  in

 that section, so I grew up  watching the other homes  being 

built.  Sometimes,  we kids  played around on the building lots

  in red clay  that  my mom spanked me for bringing home on

 my clothing!   Well,  the spanking was for not minding her the

 first time.  Yeah,  I grew up in the spanking era.   Mom grew

 forsythia  bushes as a huge hedge between our house and the 

neighbors. They are beautiful,  but  mom, also, used  them as 

 my deterrent for  being  bad.  "Carolyn, go pick your switch!" 

 Yeah, I heard that a time or  10. I was a slow learner.  I was 

an only child,  and most of the kids around us were older, so 

I was usually the one  they blamed when we got caught doing

 stuff.   "She did it!"  Oh, well, live and learn. But I loved  those 

years going up. It helped to toughen me up  which I would need

 later  as a teen. I won't go into that.  But  again, I loved  grow-

ing up in the 50's    That was a wonderful decade.  I loved grow-

ing up  in the 60's   whose music  cannot be topped.   So it was

  a grand youth..  I loved  it  scabby legs and all!

4.  What did kids do for fun and dates when you were young?

  We had very little for the youth   ...  I mean Lynn and I  didn't

 have a lot of money to spend on dates  so we usually just cruised 

back and forth from Lendy's  on Williamson Road to Lendy's  

on Franklin.   That was  pretty fun because Lynn's dad had bought

 him a new Plymouth Satellite  with  a  big engine, and  4 in the floor, 

 so  we  rumbled quite a bit  down the  avenue! Then we parked.  But 

 during the parking...  we  parked  out by the airport on a dirt lane. 

  There were other  cars, too,  and  it was wonderful  because it was 

on a ridge  above the runway and watching the planes land was a 

real treat.  We had the radio on  and we sang along on every song.  

Some of our school mates  went  out to a night club for  teens. They 

 were  drinking  and    well, I dont know,  but  I never darkened that

 door. In the summer we had  Lakeside. ... an amusement park a mile

 from my house.  It was quite something; buses from all over the east

 coast came there in the summer.  Lynn and I went there a lot.

.

Happy Homemaker Monday

 Hosted by Sandra ! 

♥ ♥ Weather ♥♥ 

I see below a general trend to colder weather.  And in an important way, I am glad. Hopefully, all these winter germs will be killed off! 

Mon

60.  45

tue

47. 37

Wed

43. 37

Thu

49. 35

Fri

43.  22

♥♥ As I look outside my window ♥♥ 
The sun is trying to  peek through  and it is warm enough  to  take a walk with just a sweater.   I have a lot to do today and I pray  the day is cheerful enough to keep me at it!!

♥♥  Right now I am ♥♥ 

While I was eating my breakfast earlier I was watching a bit of YouTube and I found an old movie I hadn't seen before and watched it.  It was probably  the saddest film I have ever seen. I blubbered at the end…  the film was  A Letter from an Unknown Woman with Joan Fontaine and Louis Jordan

♥♥ Thinking and pondering ♥♥ I am so excited ! I just purchased my first item off of Facebook marketplace.   I will share photo once it arrives  next week!  Maybe this week!!!

♥♥How am I feeling ♥♥ 

Not bad.  After I finish here I must start in on the dining room!

♥♥ On the breakfast plate ♥♥

Fruited Yogurt, and coffee,  followed later by  sausage  and French toast….all prepared by my sweetheart!  He loves to cook!  I am the most  fortunate  bride in town!

♥♥ On the dinner plate ♥♥

I really have no idea, but   it will be tasty,.  yes,, I will be the chef for dinner!!!

♥♥ What I'm wearing ♥♥ 

Olive green jeans and my off white turtle neck sweater!

♥♥ On my reading pile ♥♥ 

Mainly this week, only time for my Bible reading.  I am reading Genesis, Esther,  Mark, and almost finished Acts!

♥♥ On my TV this week ♥♥ 

Mostly  YouTube,  some Hallmark, and GAF.

♥♥ Creative Update ♥♥

My creativity this week revolves around creating my tea table  and  in spare time doing my daily sketching.  Here is  what I did last week.

Sorry if  any is a repeat!

♥♥ Looking around the house ♥♥

Several rooms need straightening….the dining room is a work in progress, the den needs  vacuuming, and the sunroom needs a complete redo.  Hopefully, these all will be addressed  by the weekend .  Nothing much on the calendar this week  except to prepare for the tea party next week!

♥♥A Favorite Vlog ♥♥

 It seems most of my favorite ones are taking  a January hiatus.   This  dear one   is still    posting , but not as regularly ,but this one from last week was amazing. I know you will love it!

Kirsten and Jeorge are  a German couple   who moved to  Britain   and they share  about their life  enjoying   what Britain has to offer.  Now Kirsten  learned  English years ago in University in England.   You will love her  style!  Precious couple!!!  Lots of their posts are  travelling all around Britain  and you will love those!!!!!!

♥♥ To Do List ♥ ♥

• Continue this week working on decor and guest bags for the tea party, get the table settings ready, and make sure I have all ingredients
•  some daily reading
• Allergy shot and Bible study
• Do some laundry
• Work on the sunroom and kitchen cleaning

• Attend a ladies Bible Study at church
• take my correspondence ..send out several birthday and get well cards 

♥ ♥ From the camera ♥ ♥

Amanda sent this photo to me  last week.  it was taken  about 15 years ago.  Love it,  dont think I ever saw it before!

I am tying to purchase this sconce off Marketplace  never did that be fore  Hard to teach an old dog new tricks!

♥ ♥ Devotional ♥ ♥

When you are sick, you call the doctor. When your pipes spring a leak, you call the plumber. If your lights don’t work, you call the electrician. Who do you call when you have spiritual needs? In James 5:14 we are told to call “the elders of the church.” We can certainly pray by ourselves when we are facing trouble. This is what verse 13 tells us to do. But sometimes our problems are so great that we need the prayer support of others. The specific example James gives is that of illness. The fact that the elders must be called may indicate that the one who needs prayer is too sick to go to them. Verse 15 shows that prayer can make a difference in such circumstances. We pray for the sick because God is able to “raise them up.” James also says that God will forgive in response to prayer, indicating that sickness is sometimes a consequence of divine discipline. But his conditional language makes it clear that sickness is not always a sign of divine judgment. In addition to prayer, the elders are to anoint with oil. This act symbolizes the role of the Spirit in healing. It is God who saves and raises up. The oil has no inherent healing power. Indeed, James does not even say what kind of oil should be used, nor does he prescribe a particular form of prayer except to say that they should do so “in the name of the Lord” (v. 14). Humility is a prerequisite to effective prayer. Those who pray in the manner James prescribes should confess their sins to each other and pray for one another. Far from being an empty ritual, prayer for others is “powerful and effective” (v. 16).  Like Elijah, the great prayer warriors in the church’s history have only been ordinary people who believed in the power of prayer. This same power is available to you today. Pray with Us “Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all” (1 Chron. 29:11).

The Last Word on Abiding

For the past 2 Sundays I have been  explaining   the truths from John chapter 13-14, setting the stage for what John has to say   continuing   the concept of abiding,  but now using the metaphorical  vine scriptures.   

In short, abiding in the vine means receiving and believing and trusting in the words of Jesus. It means receiving the love of Jesus for the Father and for his people and the joy that Jesus has in the Father and in us. But let’s take it further and  see what Pastor John Piper   has to say about this in-depth concept that the beloved Disciple John spoke of in his texts- the book of John chapter 15. 

Friday's Fave Five

 Hosted by Susanne!

This has been a so-so weak,  but I am trying hard to be positive. 

Sunday  was  a lovely day,   I always enjoy church.  I love our pastor and the people a re  very friendly.  Lynn and I are finding our niche, and   church is a joy. We are  really  excited about Sunday night teaching on Praying the Word from which I had  been using  the concepts  in some of my weekly posts..  I am hopeful to start  in the Ladie's  Bible Duty this next week.  The weather was terrible last week.   Everyone it seems in our age bracket are very faithful to attend and participate in the church offerings   which is  really a  marvelous    thing but one we  have to  get  back into the groove of doing.  So many things are offered,  I do not want to burn out,  but  to really feel a part of things  I think we need to try to do our best  and not  look at  attending as a chore but as a n opportunity for fun and fellowship, as well as,  learning!

Monday, I call my fun day..    I slept in   till 10:30,  then  just took my time  organizing my day.  I had several phone calls to make to rearrange some  things on the calendar.Then I just watched  quite a bit of  tv and   did some reading..  I was determined to just do my thing, not much on Monday....and Lynn  cooperated. 

Tuesday, I slept in as well,  knowing that  I would be up all night  that night. I really dont remember much about Tuesday except it was a cold dark rainy day.  At 2   I started my prep.  We mixed up my  prep juice. (BLEH)! and  I read  and  just passed the next for hours  fleetingly knowing the next 12 hours  would be  ferocious and they were!  I started drinking the cold mixture  every 30 minutes  til 9:30  and  I daresay I  visited the bathroom about 40 times    until 1am when I drank the rest of the mixture   and started over  drinking my bit  a bit every 30 minutes.  I really got to know the bathroom  well  about 80 times over all,,    and I was  exhausted. OH, how I wanted to sleep,  but  at 6 I had to get  dressed and in the car by 6:20 am to go to the hospital.   I was the first one of the day,  thank you Lord.  There is my praise!   Everything went well I thought.  But  when I spoke to the doctor there were more polyps and one He was unable to extract... so I come back in 6 months  for yet another  colonoscopy !  Not what I wanted to hear. I pray I forget how  horrid  this prep was. The procedure is a cinch.  At least I get to sleep!  Another praise  Thank you, Lord!

I wasn't worth  much   the rest of Wednesday,   I did write in my journal under gratitude.  Thank you, Lord for my wonderful husband.  He takes such  loving care of me....God bless Him and keep him!!!  I am also thankful   that medicine has progressed where we have  the opportunity, as  icky as it is, to be tested to keep us in go repair and good  health!

Thursday, I did some catch up, I had some  correspondence to catch up on..  I  wrote  several cards to send out, and I did some calling, as well.I did miss my allergy shot and Bible Study   which are my Wednesday activities.  I really hate to miss the Bible Study.  It is  very  deep and intensive and I love it..  I hate to see what all I missed!  But it  was  great to get my to do list accomplished and I am thankful  to feel well and in good spirits.  I am taking  the poor news from the doctor in my stride.  One thing is God  never tells us to worry,  but to  trust Him in all things. SO I am trusting Him for  the  testing results of those pesky polyps and  the outcome of what  may come of the next colonoscopy  this spring!Resting in His hands is the very best place to be!!!

Today I just returned from Walmart where I shopped for Valentine goodies and ingredients for a Tea Party I am hosting early Feb. I really need to stay on task to get the house cleaned and the decor that I have in mind accomplished.   I used to host tea parties  pretty often and  as I am feeling better in my arthritis and am  more able to  get around I think this tea party is going to give me a jolt of  joyful enthusiasm and vitality I am very excited about it.  I found some cute things at the store today to create some  darling  favors and decor ideas. One thing I will do in a while is  go on line and find vintage valentines  to print out   cut and  glue on tag board to stand up  on our table and   perhaps   glue to  doilies.   I cut some and made standup   valentines to  decorate the mantel last year  and I have a great idea for using them  on the mantel this year.  Time to  really take down winter!!! Just writing about is getting me all excited!  But really those vintage  cards you can find are just like the ones we  sent back in the 50s and I think they were the best!

Praying the Spirit

 https://www.todayintheword.org/issues/daily-devotional-2023/people-of-prayer/daily-devotional/praying-with-the-spirit/

For today’s  prayer post.   The above link says it best.  praying in the Spirit!

Tuesday 4. Home Sweet Home

 Hosted by Annie!

a 1939 Living Room

 Welcome once again to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4
where we hope you will stretch your mind, your imagination and your friendships online by sharing a bit of yourself with others.

This week the subject is Your Home .

1. What kind of home do you have and does it need repair or improvements this year? We live in a modified English Tudor home built in 1935.  We have something to do most every year. This year we have to purchase and install new air conditioning.

2. How do you accessorize your home inside and out?    Plants, art, books, wall hangings, maybe music in the background? I enjoy paintings and gallery walls. I collect themed paintings from places we have been. In the living room  I have a gallery wall of Scottish paintings of the animals we saw there. I like for the decor to be meaningful!

3. What objects reside on your coffee table? Night stand? Side tables? Kitchen/Dining table?    No coffee table, Night stand is mainly medications and personal use items like tissues, etc. side tables, lamps, books, decorative items, candles, etc.Dining Table, I keep it set  by the seasons. Right now it is undone awaiting a Valentine theme.

 

4.  Do you like your kitchen organized and with counters cleared off or do you prefer to have  the things you use often out on counters?  I do have some appliances out like the air fryer, toaster, coffee maker and electric tea kettle.  I keep the blender, cuisinart, coffee grinder items in the pantry. I usually have to get Lynn to take them out for me as they are up high. We keep the counter clean, dishes washed after every meal,  and generally everything in its place.    

above : a 1940's Kitchen.

More about Praying the Bible Book and How it Jumpstarts our Communication with God

Last Thursday I shared  about  A Different Way to Pray  and  I am  also, taking a class at church about the book, Praying the Bible  by Donald Whitney.  Such a lovely book,  very easy to read  and  full of  wonderful  ways to jumpstart your praying life. I  went to  a new  corporate prayer time yesterday morning at church  and found I was the only lady there.  I felt a bit intimidated and when it was my turn to pray    I felt like I was stumbling around a bit.  Even though I have prayed in large group settings  of mixed couples for years. I guess it was because I didn't know  any of the fellows., except my husband. Anyway, I think it is sad that  often times  women in church just do not get involved in corporate prayer and  it is  even sadder because  women  have issues  and,  also,  usually are  more  engaged in Bible Study  than men and   have the gentility to pray so well.  But I think it is lack of confidence.  Well, this book   really  helps you to grow in that confidence because you will be praying   the Word back to God,  the more you do it,  say, every morning in your devotional time,  the more  developed your  prayer becomes.  I am looking at some reviews on the book  from the Amazon site..

“If you are looking for a book to teach you not only to pray but also to invigorate your intimacy with God through prayer, this is the one. I highly recommend this book written by a man who has instructed thousands of people about spiritual disciplines in academic circles and in church settings. My soul has been nourished as I have sat under Whitney’s teaching, especially on the topic of prayer. You and I need this book. You will be blessed in more than one way.

”“Prayer and Scripture intake are both essential for spiritual devotion, like the left and right wings of a plane. Prayer is the Christian’s duty. It should also be the Christian’s delight. Praying the Bible will teach you to take in the joy of Scripture-led prayer.”

and this review by a well k known  Women's  group leader..

“My walk with the Lord has often been strengthened and encouraged by Don Whitney’s writing. Now he reminds us of the value of using Scripture as a prompt and basis for our prayers. This is a particularly helpful tool for those of us who often struggle to know what and how to pray or whose minds tend to wander during private prayer. This book will surely help many refresh their time with the Lord.”
―Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, author; Founder, Revive Our Hearts and True Woman

I am not getting anything for promoting this book,  I just feel that  this  short, easy tor read book is  a must have  for everyone who truly wants to pray well,  what is one God's heart and in His Wil. When you pray  His Word back to Him,   you  are  really  learning so much yourself  about who He really is.. His character, His Will,,His powerful love for  each of us.  I cannot recommend it enough!  I am not selling it,  but really you can get a used  like new copy for under 5 dollars  at Amazon.  I think it is a great resource  to teach us how to pray much more effectively!

Happy Homemaker Monday

Hosted by Sandra!

Good morning!  I slept in today.  This is the week I have been dreading  for a couple of months. I was supposed to have my colonoscopy in November and I was all set for it, then the appointment got moved to this Wednesday! So now I just want to get it behind me,. I don’t dread the procedure, but it is tomorrow…the dreaded prep! On a lovely note, though, this is yet another spring- like week. I have noticed that the forsythia is budding so I need to cut some to bring in and push open.

The Weather:::

 

Monday - Partly cloudy, 45/31

Tuesday - sunny, 52/34

Wednesday -  rain, 40/37

Thursday - Partly cloudy, 43/30

Friday - cloudy, 41/29

As I look outside my window:::

I am enjoying watching the bird feeder   out the window beside me.  So far this morning I have seen sirens,  a sparrow or two,  chickadees and  a lovely  male cardinal.  He was huge!  Oh, and the pesky squirrel keeps leaping   from the sunroom roof down onto the feeder scaring the birds off  for a time.  Lynn    gets pretty  grisly when  he sees  the squirrels because make such a mess of it all! We have tried everything to  keep them off.... bought all the contraptions a various feeders and  used the grease  and baby oil, the slick do hicky on the pole, the  squirrel free feeders.  Nothing helps!  

Right now I am::: 
Indulging myself enjoying watching one of my favorite YouTube programs, the British real estate show, Location,  Location, Location with Kirstie and Phil whom I absolutely love. Let me know in the comment if you enjoy Kirstie and Phil. I think  they are so wonderful because they have been paired on various shows all on YouTube from their young adult to middle age.  This program I am watching they are young.  

 

Thinking and pondering:::

I must be careful with me time.. I have invited  several friends over  mid February for a valentine tea  and I  have  grand ideas for it, but  they do require planning, shopping and, of course,  preparation.  So once this    little event is over  this week, I must hup to, and start getting things checked off my list!

On my bedside table:::

That has always been  a problem  well  since   I started having  all these  dreaded  health complications.. I do take  quite a bit of medication,,   but it isn't so much the meds as  it is the supplements... vitamin 2x daily  for my eyes,  vitamin 2 x daily  for my arthritis, 

pain relievers, etc.. I keep  two boxes on the table  one for  meds,  one for   supplements...  tissues,  eye drops,  2 kinds, my watch,  sometimes my ear rings,  my glass of water,   it is all usually  a flurry of  stuff. For me it is almost impossible to keep it not all contained.It doesn't work to  keep  things in the  drawer...  too much trouble to dig through for the evening  doses  then the morning doses.  Such a bother!

 

On my tv today::

I have already   told you  how much I enjoy Youtube.  much more than a regular tv. So many of my regular bloggers haven’t resumed   programming  after the holidays  so I have discovered a few new ones!

 

Listening to:::
Now I am in the kitchen at the  main computer and  Lynn has the radio   talk shows  playing,  I am trying to ignore them as much as possible!

 

 On the lunch plate:::

 I am so pleased to  remember that I have half a  delicious  cheese burger  left over in the fridge,  so that and a salad  will  suffice for me.

On the dinner::

Since I am  trying not to eat too much today,  a  can of  Progresso  vegetable soup   and a few crackers will sustain me.  I may indulge in a small  dish of ice cream for  dessert!

On my reading pile:::

Lately, I have    not been reading so much  but I am trying to keep up with my  daily bible reading.  I am a day behind  so  I will  do that as s soon as  I finish this post!

On my to do list:::

• Enjoy my day today
• I am thinking I may go to the start up  of a ladies Bible study  at church in the morning.  I hope I feel up to it
• Prep  for  you know what
• early morning  procedure  and probably sleep rest of the day. I doubt I get much sleep tomorrow night
• Hope to go shopping for some specialty items for my tea
• Dine out  with our special  friends

 

Sketchbook project  and My simple pleasure::: 

These two definitely go together, In my  free time I love to just sketch in my book. I watch the YouTube channel  Sketchbook Skool  which  teaches how to  negotiate your  book.  I have to sketch daily  and  so I am learning  to sketch  everything.  the things on the wall,   my lunch p late,  the  items on the table beside me,  the birds at the feeder.. It is  fun,  freeing and  just makes me feel great!

 

  Looking around the house:::  Eck,  it's ok!

 

From the camera:::

Devotional or prayer:::

 I am copying this from the Gospel Coalition    post I received today and it is  a real  thought provocative  devotional!

"One of the most striking evidences of sinful human nature lies in the universal propensity for downward drift. In other words, it takes thought, resolve, energy, and effort to bring about reform. In the grace of God, sometimes human beings display such virtues. But where such virtues are absent, the drift is invariably toward compromise, comfort, indiscipline, sliding disobedience, and decay that advances, sometimes at a crawl and sometimes at a gallop, across generations.

People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated."

  I believe this article   means   that  to be holy and godly, it takes   thought,  resolve, energy, and effort...  as    written above.   Let us be  very mindful if we begin to drift!!!