Have you ever been in a discussion or debate or project and thought “what do I bring to the table”? What about where the opinion you bring comes from? Let’s ask some questions about this. Faith in Motion: Love yourself enough to ask yourself the questions I pose. Bring your discovery to God in prayer and ask Him what He would have you do with the information you gathered.
One of the hardest things about the time we are given is navigating a good balance of our use of that time. My priorities are my relationships: first, my vertical relationship with God, and then the horizontal relationships with the people in my life. I like to believe they blend together and that I bring my #1 relationship into all the others. But I know that sometimes they get upside down because I'm not diligent and paying attention. I don't spend much time with television or news or movies, etc., and the majority of my time online is in conversation with people. I try to be sure that what I listen to is profitable for enhancing my faith and/or my relationships, but for sure I fail at times. I believe we have to keep our relationship with God as a constant mindset so it can infuse into everything we do and say. But I confess that I can become easily distracted and wander into the world far too often. Thanks for the reminder to think about whether my mindset about God is influencing all the other areas of my life on a daily basis. That's certainly my desire. Thanks for doing these walks even on the blustery, wet days! That sure is a beautiful area.
Such interesting thoughts you have brought to the group this week. I often wonder what I bring to the table at my job and at home as well. I have always been one to sit in the back row and just listen rather than offer my thoughts or opinions. I think I do this because for most of the years of my life I have been considered an insignificant part of the family. When we carry that with us it is hard to offer up yourself. My sister and I are as different as night and day, which means there are many actions and ideas that we do not see eye to eye on. A lifetime of this has made me wary of stepping forward. Thankfully, with the support of a partner who is a true gift from above I know that is not a truth in my life any longer.
Social Media offers a false sense of perfection in which many perceive as truth. Many people in my family spend all day on platforms like Facebook. I find myself moving farther and farther away from this, I don't watch main stream media and limit my time on social media mainly because it causes my anxiety to go off the chart.
I think we all bring the quality of our truth to the table, some people are loud and overbearing and some are quiet and reserved. In the plan of our life we all have an important offering that we offer in our own way, we just have to be opening to the sharing.
Nov 22, 2023·edited Nov 22, 2023Liked by Donny Mac
What beautiful scenery to begin the day with. You certainly brought a lot to think about to our table today. On the subject of comparisons to and the approval of others I find it is becoming more and more difficult to block that out. Competition is so prevalent in our society. Social media, podcasters, retailers, entertainment and news industries, sports, experts in health, beauty, spiritualism, life coaches all compete for our time and money. There are so many proclamations of “wisdom and truth” out there we should be the wisest, smartest and healthiest people ever. Lol I feel it is important to have facts, along with faith, in order to make informed decisions in life. The important thing is to have a reliable, trusted source for the facts which is void of opinions. In our world that is a challenge to find. Just as I go to the Bible for truth I must try to find truth in what is happening around me.
Do I spend enough time with God in my daily life? Absolutely not. I know that and work on that daily. I have quiet time each morning but often find myself being distracted. My screen time notifications often shock and disappoint me. My moral compass that guides my decisions is firmly rooted in the word of God. I have tried throughout my life to write His words on my heart. Whenever I come to the table, my foundation in God’s word comes with me. Lately I have been concentrating on a much needed refresher course on prayer and my relationship with God. Your prayer walks have been a big part of that focusing process. As we here in the US get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving, I am thankful for you and what you bring to our table each week. Your faith shines in your walk! Continued blessings on your journey.
Ok you got me to thinking. I don’t do anything to please anyone. I can be intimidating by others but usually I step back and try to figure out why I chickened out and not do what I really wanted to do. I wanted to do a craft fair here in my local small town. I looked at the building to do it in only to be told how great some other person was that did them all the time. I was a whimp and backed off. The areas I’m not persuaded are who I listen to about God. My time in the morning is spent listening to a pastor who follows God’s word and see how God want it in my life. I share with my friends and limit podcasts and we don’t listen to the news. I’ve chosen who I’ll vote for and stay away from opinions. I guess the reason I didn’t do the craft fair was I wanted it to be successful but I let someone compare and was discouraged. I need to be more bold. One thing I do bring to the table is support. If I believe in something or someone I will share all the positives about that person. I take friendship seriously and will stick like crazy glue. Just because I don’t see them often doesn’t mean my friendship isn’t there.
Nov 22, 2023·edited Nov 22, 2023Liked by Donny Mac
Donny, I've asked myself many times, what can or do I bring to a conversation? While you were walking and talking against the beautiful backdrop of the mountains and lake, the word "idols" came to mind. Idols can be social media, TV, movies, etc., and the like.
Like you said, the question we should ask ourselves, is how much time do we spend with God against how much time do we spend watching TV, on social media, listening to podcasts, etc. I think some podcasts, etc. can be good depending on what the content is based on. We need to be careful about that. Some can be helpful, but nothing compares to God's Word and quiet time alone with Him. The question to ask, is what you're watching or listening to based on the God's Truth (His Word) or not? I need to be in solitude, silent, listening, meditating on His Word to draw close to Him to know His will for me. That's what I trust and base my faith on, but like anyone else, I'm human and can get off track and should spend more alone time with God just communing with him. When that happens, God usually points to something that brings me back to Him.
When I mentioned the word "idols" above, I was brought to a verse, Habakkuk 1:11 (NIV) - "Then they sweep past like the wind and go on - guilty people, whose own strength is their god." The Babylonians were known for worshiping their own pagan gods. The essence of idolatry is self made to get what we want instead of looking to Jesus/God to serve Him. There are going to be "idols" or pagan things in this crazy world we live in, as these "idols" are there only for self-glory; whereas, the aim of faith in God is His glory. What I hope to bring to the table is anything within His will that gives God all the glory, honor, and praise.
Thank you for this prayer walk. This has been something the Lord has been stirring for a few years.
Where your heart is, there shall you treasure be also.
Aaah, my favourite place and time is close with the Lord. Alas, the power of the peince of the air continually throws worldly distractions of little or no eternal value.
It helps to set an alarm 3 or 4 times a day, to deliberately draw me back to Jesus as a reminder... to listen, to praying continually. It is necessary to try to be honest and ask myself if I am really listening to what He is saying to me.
That takes discipline.
There are some podcasts that simply read the word. That fills my soul, as long as I truly engage.
This human mind is so easily distracted.
Thank you for this Donny. An excellent reminder to about the outward. With my believing friends it is easy to continually bring His truth, love, grace etc., to the table. Those that are not in the fold, I do tend to give opinions, focus on distractions, or even truth of whats going on, but leave Yeshua out of it. The most important one.
Wretched soul I am... as Paul said. Nonetheless, ever thankful He is changing us from glory to glory.
On another note I was thinking about going to Bby Mtn for our 20th Anniversary yesterday! You can almost see our place from their. You gotta pop in one day. Peter would love to meet you. You could warm up after a walk and share a table. Blessings.
It’s so true about building your relationship with God is far better than wasting your time with other things that don’t matter. I am guilty about that. But I am trying. Like doing my Spiritual Warfare and Bible before I pick up the phone (Where I waste most of my time)
Donny I have been slacking off lately but I read your post weekly. This fast few months were nail biting crazy fundraising , feeding my community my weekly volunteer at our food pantry the list could go on that I am involved with plus going through health issues with my husband. His fine he just don’t like that his life will slow down a bit. We just got back from both our appointments and he didn’t like that he had to go back and get radiation treatment for his prostate cancer. It’s a preventative treatment for 8 weeks and we will be going back next February the same time I have my quarterly procedure. Like I told my husband God is with us and He will make sure to get us to the other side of what we are facing right now.He is faithful. He is good. What is thrown at us is a little detour and we are grateful that he continues to gifted us our daily breath. Like you said we should ask ourselves how much time we spend with God? I know I speak to him daily , our TV barely used unless our grandkids are here and we do watch DVD movies as we have two screens TV in our living room. I am online most days are in AM and evening after 9:00 AM I am gone to see my clients then off serve my community. I have this written and read them daily “ Let us : fix our eyes on Jesus!” Hebrews 12:2
His reflections reminded me of Jesus' conversation with Martha and Mary:
"the Lord replied: — Martha, Martha, you are agitated and worried about many things, but only one is necessary! Mary chose the best of all (...)" Luke 10:41-42
I'm similar to Marta, I get "distracted" easily and I'm attracted to many things!
I'm not attached to social networks, I use them, but I don't stay online for a long time and I'm increasingly distancing myself from them.
I'm quite careful with podcasts and news, but I'm a cinephile, I love cinema, I love literature and music, certainly the hours dedicated to this are greater than those I dedicate to God.
Which is regrettable!
So, as my pastor says: I pray and ask that the Lord continues to find a place to reveal himself in the cracks of my being and lead me more and more towards his throne of grace.
That's where I want to be, in the same place that Mary was, at the feet of Jesus, so that I can enjoy what's really important!
Donny this is my first prayer walk with you and “What Do You Bring to the Table” hit straight to the heart. I have always thought that I had a strong faith in God, but it wasn’t until just recently that God gave me that push and opened my eyes and my heart. I had never watched a podcast in my life until I felt the strange push to watch this podcast from an actor I was watching on Heartland. My life has totally changed. Graham’s podcast with you and Jesse brought me to tears. I always told myself I didn’t know how to pray, but I always knew he was there. I have spent the past two months praying and learning and listening. I have only watched the news a couple of times and I very seldom watch tv anymore. I have spent the past two weeks totally alone dog sitting for my daughter. It has given me that time alone with God, in silence to hear HIM speak to me. So what do I bring to the Table? I bring what the Lord leads me to bring not what others think I should bring. Kindness and Love. Thank you so very much Donny for Gods words coming through you. God Bless 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💕
One of the hardest things about the time we are given is navigating a good balance of our use of that time. My priorities are my relationships: first, my vertical relationship with God, and then the horizontal relationships with the people in my life. I like to believe they blend together and that I bring my #1 relationship into all the others. But I know that sometimes they get upside down because I'm not diligent and paying attention. I don't spend much time with television or news or movies, etc., and the majority of my time online is in conversation with people. I try to be sure that what I listen to is profitable for enhancing my faith and/or my relationships, but for sure I fail at times. I believe we have to keep our relationship with God as a constant mindset so it can infuse into everything we do and say. But I confess that I can become easily distracted and wander into the world far too often. Thanks for the reminder to think about whether my mindset about God is influencing all the other areas of my life on a daily basis. That's certainly my desire. Thanks for doing these walks even on the blustery, wet days! That sure is a beautiful area.
Such interesting thoughts you have brought to the group this week. I often wonder what I bring to the table at my job and at home as well. I have always been one to sit in the back row and just listen rather than offer my thoughts or opinions. I think I do this because for most of the years of my life I have been considered an insignificant part of the family. When we carry that with us it is hard to offer up yourself. My sister and I are as different as night and day, which means there are many actions and ideas that we do not see eye to eye on. A lifetime of this has made me wary of stepping forward. Thankfully, with the support of a partner who is a true gift from above I know that is not a truth in my life any longer.
Social Media offers a false sense of perfection in which many perceive as truth. Many people in my family spend all day on platforms like Facebook. I find myself moving farther and farther away from this, I don't watch main stream media and limit my time on social media mainly because it causes my anxiety to go off the chart.
I think we all bring the quality of our truth to the table, some people are loud and overbearing and some are quiet and reserved. In the plan of our life we all have an important offering that we offer in our own way, we just have to be opening to the sharing.
What beautiful scenery to begin the day with. You certainly brought a lot to think about to our table today. On the subject of comparisons to and the approval of others I find it is becoming more and more difficult to block that out. Competition is so prevalent in our society. Social media, podcasters, retailers, entertainment and news industries, sports, experts in health, beauty, spiritualism, life coaches all compete for our time and money. There are so many proclamations of “wisdom and truth” out there we should be the wisest, smartest and healthiest people ever. Lol I feel it is important to have facts, along with faith, in order to make informed decisions in life. The important thing is to have a reliable, trusted source for the facts which is void of opinions. In our world that is a challenge to find. Just as I go to the Bible for truth I must try to find truth in what is happening around me.
Do I spend enough time with God in my daily life? Absolutely not. I know that and work on that daily. I have quiet time each morning but often find myself being distracted. My screen time notifications often shock and disappoint me. My moral compass that guides my decisions is firmly rooted in the word of God. I have tried throughout my life to write His words on my heart. Whenever I come to the table, my foundation in God’s word comes with me. Lately I have been concentrating on a much needed refresher course on prayer and my relationship with God. Your prayer walks have been a big part of that focusing process. As we here in the US get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving, I am thankful for you and what you bring to our table each week. Your faith shines in your walk! Continued blessings on your journey.
🙂🙏🏼
Ok you got me to thinking. I don’t do anything to please anyone. I can be intimidating by others but usually I step back and try to figure out why I chickened out and not do what I really wanted to do. I wanted to do a craft fair here in my local small town. I looked at the building to do it in only to be told how great some other person was that did them all the time. I was a whimp and backed off. The areas I’m not persuaded are who I listen to about God. My time in the morning is spent listening to a pastor who follows God’s word and see how God want it in my life. I share with my friends and limit podcasts and we don’t listen to the news. I’ve chosen who I’ll vote for and stay away from opinions. I guess the reason I didn’t do the craft fair was I wanted it to be successful but I let someone compare and was discouraged. I need to be more bold. One thing I do bring to the table is support. If I believe in something or someone I will share all the positives about that person. I take friendship seriously and will stick like crazy glue. Just because I don’t see them often doesn’t mean my friendship isn’t there.
I ask myself this question a lot.
Covid, the long Melbourne lockdowns, had a huge lasting impact on me.
Within the last few months I have cut back on social media as I found I was getting in my head too much and not in a good way.
To bring more to this world, I know I need to work on myself and then I can move forward in what I can bring.
Thank you for this podcast Donny.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful walk. The scenery was stunning.
Donny, I've asked myself many times, what can or do I bring to a conversation? While you were walking and talking against the beautiful backdrop of the mountains and lake, the word "idols" came to mind. Idols can be social media, TV, movies, etc., and the like.
Like you said, the question we should ask ourselves, is how much time do we spend with God against how much time do we spend watching TV, on social media, listening to podcasts, etc. I think some podcasts, etc. can be good depending on what the content is based on. We need to be careful about that. Some can be helpful, but nothing compares to God's Word and quiet time alone with Him. The question to ask, is what you're watching or listening to based on the God's Truth (His Word) or not? I need to be in solitude, silent, listening, meditating on His Word to draw close to Him to know His will for me. That's what I trust and base my faith on, but like anyone else, I'm human and can get off track and should spend more alone time with God just communing with him. When that happens, God usually points to something that brings me back to Him.
When I mentioned the word "idols" above, I was brought to a verse, Habakkuk 1:11 (NIV) - "Then they sweep past like the wind and go on - guilty people, whose own strength is their god." The Babylonians were known for worshiping their own pagan gods. The essence of idolatry is self made to get what we want instead of looking to Jesus/God to serve Him. There are going to be "idols" or pagan things in this crazy world we live in, as these "idols" are there only for self-glory; whereas, the aim of faith in God is His glory. What I hope to bring to the table is anything within His will that gives God all the glory, honor, and praise.
Thank you for this prayer walk. This has been something the Lord has been stirring for a few years.
Where your heart is, there shall you treasure be also.
Aaah, my favourite place and time is close with the Lord. Alas, the power of the peince of the air continually throws worldly distractions of little or no eternal value.
It helps to set an alarm 3 or 4 times a day, to deliberately draw me back to Jesus as a reminder... to listen, to praying continually. It is necessary to try to be honest and ask myself if I am really listening to what He is saying to me.
That takes discipline.
There are some podcasts that simply read the word. That fills my soul, as long as I truly engage.
This human mind is so easily distracted.
Thank you for this Donny. An excellent reminder to about the outward. With my believing friends it is easy to continually bring His truth, love, grace etc., to the table. Those that are not in the fold, I do tend to give opinions, focus on distractions, or even truth of whats going on, but leave Yeshua out of it. The most important one.
Wretched soul I am... as Paul said. Nonetheless, ever thankful He is changing us from glory to glory.
On another note I was thinking about going to Bby Mtn for our 20th Anniversary yesterday! You can almost see our place from their. You gotta pop in one day. Peter would love to meet you. You could warm up after a walk and share a table. Blessings.
I'd be happy to pop in and meet You and Peter. 🙂
Wonderful.
I hope you may know how to find us.
Otherwise no idea how to give info without it being public.
Do you know Terri Clark? Her brother and sister in law live down the road. Like minded. 🙏🏼
you could always DM on instagram or Email info@donnymac.com the team will get it to me.
It’s so true about building your relationship with God is far better than wasting your time with other things that don’t matter. I am guilty about that. But I am trying. Like doing my Spiritual Warfare and Bible before I pick up the phone (Where I waste most of my time)
I so appreciate you! God Bless you Donny!
Reminds me of a current worship song with the words
"There's nothing better than You, nothing better than You, Lord"
❤️
Donny I have been slacking off lately but I read your post weekly. This fast few months were nail biting crazy fundraising , feeding my community my weekly volunteer at our food pantry the list could go on that I am involved with plus going through health issues with my husband. His fine he just don’t like that his life will slow down a bit. We just got back from both our appointments and he didn’t like that he had to go back and get radiation treatment for his prostate cancer. It’s a preventative treatment for 8 weeks and we will be going back next February the same time I have my quarterly procedure. Like I told my husband God is with us and He will make sure to get us to the other side of what we are facing right now.He is faithful. He is good. What is thrown at us is a little detour and we are grateful that he continues to gifted us our daily breath. Like you said we should ask ourselves how much time we spend with God? I know I speak to him daily , our TV barely used unless our grandkids are here and we do watch DVD movies as we have two screens TV in our living room. I am online most days are in AM and evening after 9:00 AM I am gone to see my clients then off serve my community. I have this written and read them daily “ Let us : fix our eyes on Jesus!” Hebrews 12:2
His reflections reminded me of Jesus' conversation with Martha and Mary:
"the Lord replied: — Martha, Martha, you are agitated and worried about many things, but only one is necessary! Mary chose the best of all (...)" Luke 10:41-42
I'm similar to Marta, I get "distracted" easily and I'm attracted to many things!
I'm not attached to social networks, I use them, but I don't stay online for a long time and I'm increasingly distancing myself from them.
I'm quite careful with podcasts and news, but I'm a cinephile, I love cinema, I love literature and music, certainly the hours dedicated to this are greater than those I dedicate to God.
Which is regrettable!
So, as my pastor says: I pray and ask that the Lord continues to find a place to reveal himself in the cracks of my being and lead me more and more towards his throne of grace.
That's where I want to be, in the same place that Mary was, at the feet of Jesus, so that I can enjoy what's really important!
Thank you for the walk and reflections.
Thank you Donny for your prayer walk
You're welcome. thank you for being here.
Donny this is my first prayer walk with you and “What Do You Bring to the Table” hit straight to the heart. I have always thought that I had a strong faith in God, but it wasn’t until just recently that God gave me that push and opened my eyes and my heart. I had never watched a podcast in my life until I felt the strange push to watch this podcast from an actor I was watching on Heartland. My life has totally changed. Graham’s podcast with you and Jesse brought me to tears. I always told myself I didn’t know how to pray, but I always knew he was there. I have spent the past two months praying and learning and listening. I have only watched the news a couple of times and I very seldom watch tv anymore. I have spent the past two weeks totally alone dog sitting for my daughter. It has given me that time alone with God, in silence to hear HIM speak to me. So what do I bring to the Table? I bring what the Lord leads me to bring not what others think I should bring. Kindness and Love. Thank you so very much Donny for Gods words coming through you. God Bless 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💕