April's Pondering

Happy Birthday Vision may our LOrd grant you a healthy and joyful year

Happy birthday my beloved Brother in Christ.  may our Lord continue to bless you abundently :) 

 

 

While sitting in a fellowship meeting at our church recently
listening to the band play, God started unfolding a picture before me, and I was deeply touched by what I saw..

In a fellowship meeting the band is made up of members of many different congregations, Many who have never played together before.

From the 1st note they were in perfect unison, and harmony in their praise to the Lord our God..

Listening I began to ponder, how to go about making my members an "instrument" to God,

First I would have to keep that instrument well oiled " walk in the Light" , clean and polished, "washed in the word" , and in good working order, "know how to walk humbly among God's children", .

Then I must practice,practice, practice,  to learn every Note of the Song of Moses and he Lamb perfectly, know the sign to start, and above all, to know to stick to the music and not try to "add" or "subtract " from how the master wrote it.

When I can do all these things, then and only then I will be ready to be a part when Christ Apostles will soon raise their hands, to conduct the most beautiful, and powerful song this world Has ever heard.

 Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members [as] instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members [as] instruments of righteousness unto God. 

 Isaiah 52:8 Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion. 

Revelation 15:3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous [are] thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true [are] thy ways, thou King of saints. 

While studying along in God's word, I started compiling verses on what was pleasing to God, and how to adjust my life to accomplish that purpose, I realize I hadn't even scratched the surface yet..still as I re-read this morning I started to note that the verses smoothly moved from one to the other though taken from old and new testament alike and started thinking about how much more smoothly my life will run as I learn to walk more and more in all his ways, I had to smile as I thought that living up to all of these would be a full time Job that LEFT no time for unkindness to others.
Pretty wise father we have.

Psalms 24:3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.




Psalms 34:12 What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.




Psalms 15: A Psalm of David.
1 LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.
3 He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.
4 In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.
5 He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor .taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.

Isiah 56:6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.
9 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:
11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.


Law of adding and subtracting

Colossians 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry

8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds

12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

2nd Peter 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.


1st Corinthians
Chapter 13
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

Psalms 71:9 Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.

Psalms 71:18 Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto [this] generation, [and] thy power to every one [that] is to come.

I ran across this in my daily readings. Being 60 now and having a fair degree of that Gray head :), I began to think of a lifetime of my father's loving mercies, looking back I can with thanksgiving and joy truly say that he has guided my path from my youth, he has not given me everything I wanted.. But he has so bountifully given me everything I needed.
Including the whippings I deserved from him, and am just as grateful for those as the happy times, for now I know I am a "son" . and because of him, when I would go astray he would make the corrections I needed to save my Life. not just in the natural but in HIM..
now my desire is indeed this. "until I have shewed thy strength unto [this] generation, [and] thy power to every one [that] is to come"
for there is NO God! like my God! and no greater Joy than to be a Child in his house.

Shortly after I planted my garden, my Great Granddaughter came to spend the weekend with us, and was naturally drawn to the newly turned soil. so to keep her from unearthing my seeds, I made her a small place of her own, and gave her two golden kernels of corn to plant in her little garden..



such pretty little golden kernels: she could have done so many things at this point, tossed them aside into shallow an unprofitable soil, chewed the kernels until they were forever damaged and would no longer grow...

but her GG (great grandma) had said, take these pretty gifts, and hide them in the dark soil



In perfect child like faith this is what she did, not demanding to know the why, or exactly how it all would work, understanding nothing of the need for fertile soil, for the concept of corn needing others of it's own kind to cross pollinate before it would bear fruit, not understanding the need for the Gentle rains that would fall upon it.. to cause it to become tall and strong and bear sweet fruit.



but trusting GG with all those things, she planted..



God gives us beautiful golden seeds, Of faith truth, mercy , love and says plant these deep in the fertile soil prepared for them! Now the choices are up to us, do we attempt to chew on them attempting to discern what they are, how they grow why we should plant such beautiful things in such dark surroundings ? do we demand to know all there is to know about how they will grow, and exactly what they will become, until the time of planting is long past and they are too damaged to bear fruit ?



This child's stalks of corn are tall and strong now, soon she will get the 1st taste of the fruits of her labors, soon that child like faith she exercised in the planting, will be rewarded.



I would always walk in such faith, not demanding to know the beginning from the end, to let it be enough that the father said, Plant these here. and I will show you the sweet abundent fruit they will bring into your life.

Help me Lord to walk from day to day in simple child like faith, forever knowing the Joy and excitement of the sweet harvest of all the beautiful things you have given me..



Amen

As I read along in God's word this morning. I began to ponder faith and fear.
In one place it says : 1Pe 1:17
And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear

yet in another place paul says : Heb 3:18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? 19
So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

then Paul goes on to say :
Chapter 4:1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

Belief says: God will take me through the wilderness and sustain me. with no shadow of doubt, by him and through him I will make it !

So what do I fear? and when does the fear get in the way of faith, and vice versa, what is that point where fear overlaps and interferes  with my faith ?

I know and understand that I should fear Anything that says , I can't make it, anything that draws my attention from the goal that is before me.. anything that changes my purpose from things above to things of this life.

Yet fear is a powerful thing, While spending my sojourning here in fear, lest I fall short, where are the brakes that will stop me from crossing over and treading on the faith that God Is in control and that in him I CAN! ?

must consider this fine line a lot closer. must start being more aware, weighing what is Godly fear, and what is Lack of faith ... I must



Thankfully the tree of life is not only in the middle of the road, for those who are going straight on their way, but also on each side.. there for God's children to grab hold of when they draw too near to falling in the ditch ..

Revelation 22:1-5
1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Lead me gently on Father, Thank you for Your power to keep me as I journey along the way.

the recent discussion in Christianity, concerning the need for church fellowship, has brought to mind. A poem I wrote long ago.
the church was in a bit of turmoil, I was hurting and fell asleep pondering God's will in the matter.
I was given this dream :



One night as I knelt down to pray
a vision I came to see.

I envisioned the body of Christ as one
and the finger of that body was me.

I stretched and strained with all my might
the throne of God to find.

yet I found I couldn't quite make it
for I was leaving you behind.

then slowly turning I bid you come
the throne together to seek.

then transported by his loving hand
we were at the savior's feet.

crying abba father forgive us
and in loving kindness renew.

each and every delicate part
as only You can do..

My neighbors are not really big on Mowing I'm thinking, for most of the year their yard looks for all the world like the African jungles.. totally un-kept.
AAAAhhhhhh but Then spring comes, and all the random foliage comes alive in a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes, the scene is absolutely breathtaking..for a moment.. just a moment. you are sure it has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth.
But alas, just as quickly as all the beauty appeared, It's gone. and once again the yard appears simply un-kept.

I was thinking that the same is so with the things of this life. fame, honor, riches, beauty, look so appealing .. for a moment but how quickly they too fade Just like the flowers in my neighbors yard. 

Thankfully there is, as an Old song puts it, A city where the roses never fade.. where Joy, peace, Love, and all perfection dwells for all of eternity. .Ahhhhhh sweet New Jerusalem, which is above. as a wayfaring pilgrim. making my way home. there is no time to search out fame, riches.........
all I need is waiting for me at home.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me

Sitting in the still of the night, pondering the things of God, my grandson came home from work and we started to chat, somehow the conversation turned to power, then to Idols, He was shaking his head and declared that he could not understand how the people of days gone by could have worshipped their images that they had made of wood and gold.

I smiles and reminded him that we have no reason be amazed, that mankind today is no better, instead of wood and stone, today the idols come in plastic, with screens, joy sticks, and remote controls.. E.T.C.

Now just as there is no sin in the stump of a tree, or in Gold (it was even used to line the temple of God). It is when we take these things, shape them and elevate them to a place of worship, placing them above, or on equal terms with our God, and we start seeking from them power and Knowledge that is not of God. that Sin enters in.

There is nothing of this life that cannot be made into an idol, even in the churches of God these dangers lie, Take the serpent that God had Moses make and raise up in the wilderness.. Simply intended to be a symbol of Christ being lifted up for us.. Was later worshipped by the children of Israel

To their hurt.

Today it seems to be the cross, they are worn everywhere, and we spend much time speaking of God's death on the cross for us. Many have begun to worship a dead redeemer. Not a risen Lord! Thus neglecting to show the world the Great power of God, the hope of us all.

Yes the price he paid for us on that cross is worthy of thanksgiving and Humble appreciation not to be forgotten or spurned. But he is not dead !, he is Risen ! For had he not arose the cross would have all been in vain.

Why do we insist on declaring to the world with our symbols and carved images a dead Christ instead of A risen Lord !!.

He's alive !!!!!!!! He reigns in power and Glory..

The only Image God seeks of us is that we show the world his power, in a changed and righteous life.

He has so much to give us, he wants to give us wisdom, when we are strong enough to worship God, not the Wisdom. He wants to give us Power, but not until we are strong enough to worship the giver and serve him with it, and not use it for self exaltation, a source of vain pride..

So much he has for us. So far we have to go to be worthy !

Father in your great power, continue to Change our Lives, to mirror you and give you the Glory and Honor you deserve.

Footnote:

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A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars intersecting each other at a 90° angle, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run diagonally, the design is technically termed a saltire.

The cross is one of the most ancient human symbols, and is used by many religions, most notably Christianity. It is frequently a representation of the division of the world into four elements (or cardinal points), or alternately as the union of the concepts of divinity, the vertical line, and the world, the horizontal line (Koch, 1955).

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Springtime: pollen covers the earth like a soft green blanket, more than can be numbered, all seeking life. That chance to grow straight and strong, to tower to the skies and assure their place in the heavens.

So many, all searching, yet because of wind, rain, animals, and improper soil. Only a couple will find just the right atmosphere in which to spring up, must less to be able to grow into the heavens.

Man is quite the same, a multitude in number, all seeking answers to the secrets of life,

Moved about by the winds of change, their earth (this flesh) not properly prepared to receive the light and rain needed to grow, adversity and interference of life sweeping them too and fro never settling long enough to take root.

So many searching, so few finding, failing to hear the whisper of God's voice saying I'm here, walk this way ! Stubbornly they lie there in infertile ground always seeking but never finding the source of life.

Let us daily work this earth we call our flesh so that when the seeds of God's light and mercy comes our way. We will be ready to receive it with Joy.

Make in it deep furrows of love

Water it daily with the spirit of God

Break up the stony places for the seed to take root

Welcome the light of his word into your heart to grow that seed strait and strong.

Then become that 1 living tree in a million who has found favor and grace to take it's place in the heavens,

Hello little journal, haven't posted to you in awhile, been busy with the affairs of this life. and for that I ask the Lord's forgiveness. and at the same time I praise him, for showing me how beautifully he can care for me in all area's of my life..

Thus my thoughts for the day... there's an old song that goes
"who am I Lord, What have ever done, to deserve even 1 of the blessings you've shown.

That song has reached deep into my being as of late. 
I have always been Grateful to God for he has brought me through so many things, walked with me, talked with me.. allowed me to drink of his sweet spirit, shown me the Light of his truth, allowed me "for my good" to take long looks in the mirror at how far I still needed to go, to walk in his perfect will, yet at the same time carrying the re-assurance that in him, I could make it.
yet in spite of all of that, there is an area of my life I never completely turned over to him, but continued to feel it was something I should take care of myself, that I was somehow "saving him trouble" by being frugle and wise with my finances and taking care of all the difficulties that arose there.
God has shown me otherwise lately. he has shown me he wants Every part of my life, He knows how to care for me in all things..
I live on a fixed, small, income. and I have about $200.00 out there that I cannot recieve credit for that I have paid on my medical bills.. I fretted, I lost my Cool, and let the wrong spirit take control of me on occasion. for which I was always immediately Sooooooo sorry.
then the day came that I Finally realized it was well past time I invited my Lord deeply into this area of my life as well,
I gave it all to him, Determined to leave it there, my prayer was. Lord you have taken such good care of me.. I know you can handle this as well.. I give it up Lord !!!, I give it to you, if the money is gone, it's gone, and I know you can take up any needs I may have. and care for me..
since that prayer,, the money still has not appeared. But my Savior has used the opportunity to show me what HE can do, above all that I tried and failed to accomplish. 
I recieved a farely decent return on my income tax, and just at the right time, I recieved my phone bill.. it was just at seven dollars, yep I said $7.00. I recieved the bill for my vehicle insurance, it had dropped from $135.00  $89.00. 
didn't take me long to conclude that God indeed take care of the needs of this life, Far FAR better than I ever could. 
now my desire is to NEVER forget these lessons he is teaching me.. to Plant them deeply in my very being. 

now don't any of you out there get pias on me and turn up your nose and go, Yep I could have told ya that :)
I know how it is still our nature to fight and struggle with things like this * Chuckles.
thankfully he does teach us, though it take us awhile to get it..that he ment what he said in his sermon on the mount ..


" Behold the lilies of the field, they toil not neither do they spin, yet even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these"

and "You are of more value than Many sparrows"

Thank you Father for supplying my needs so well.. yet more importantly.. Thank you for teaching me more and more each day the depths of your love, of your desire to give good gifts to your children, that you Want to supply all our needs according to your ritches in Glory,, If we will Just LET GO
and place you in control..

Teach me More Lord. Plant it deep.

8 O give thanks unto the LORD, call upon His name; make known His doings among the peoples. 9 Sing unto Him, sing praises unto Him; speak ye of all His marvellous works. 10 Glory ye in His holy name; let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. 11 Seek ye the LORD and His strength; seek His face continually. 12 Remember His marvellous works that He hath done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth; 13 O ye seed of Israel His servant, ye children of Jacob, His chosen ones. 14 He is the LORD our God; His judgments are in all the earth. 15 Remember His covenant for ever, the word which He commanded to a thousand generations; 16 [The covenant] which He made with Abraham, and His oath unto Isaac; 17 And He established it unto Jacob for a statute, to Israel for an everlasting covenant; 18 Saying: 'Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance.' 19 When ye were but a few men in number, yea, very few, and sojourners in it, 20 And when they went about from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people, 21 He suffered no man to do them wrong, yea, for their sake He reproved kings: 22 'Touch not Mine anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm.' {P}

23 Sing unto the LORD, all the earth; proclaim His salvation from day to day. 24 Declare His glory among the nations, His marvellous works among all the peoples. 25 For great is the LORD, and highly to be praised; He also is to be feared above all gods. 26 For all the gods of the peoples are things of nought; but the LORD made the heavens. 27 Honour and majesty are before Him; strength and gladness are in His place. 28 Ascribe unto the LORD, ye kindreds of the peoples, ascribe unto the LORD glory and strength. 29 Ascribe unto the LORD the glory due unto His name; bring an offering, and come before Him; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. 30 Tremble before Him, all the earth; the world also is established that it cannot be moved. 31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; and let them say among the nations: 'The LORD reigneth.' 32 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; let the field exult, and all that is therein; 33 Then shall the trees of the wood sing for joy, before the LORD, for He is come to judge the earth. 34 O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good; for His mercy endureth for ever. 35 And say ye: 'Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks unto Thy holy name, that we may triumph in Thy praise.' 36 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting even to everlasting. And all the people said: 'Amen,' and praised the LORD. {P}

Oh dear Lord, I Know that you are raising up a Kingdom of priest to serve in your presence who  are rightous and Holy and clean, Yet I know in my heart I am not yet ready to put my Hand to your great work.. to bring my praise to you in the Beauty  of Holiness. 
Yet Lord I know that you are clensing me.. Purify every part of me.. Scrub me, that I can be clean, purge my Heart with your truth seering from me all Unrightousness, That I may give you  Praise that will be Holly acceptable in your sight, and that YOU so richly deserve..

It was a busier than normal morning, so my dawn ponderings never came to be,

Instead as the smell of the sweet savor of my 1st cup of coffee filled my nostrils

I began to ponder the brew a bit closer, it is so smooth to the palate going down, yet there is a slight touch of bitterness in the taste giving it that unique individuality that is all it's own..

I started to think of how often we quote and remember the smooth, encouraging words of our Lord, and all his promises to us,

"I will never leave thee nor forsake thee"

"No greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends"

"Come to me all that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest"

Yet we fight against and sometimes get offended in Christ when we taste the bitter herbs of life, we forget to be thankful for those things in our life that, though a Bit bitter at the time, Grow in us that unique relationship we have with him

Those things that teach us that he is faithful, and always there, that teach us patience and perseverance.

We are shown that things in the old testament are shadows of things to come, and that we must indeed eat the bitter with the sweet. That the things we go through not only strengthen, but teach us a deeper appreciation of what God can, and does do in our lives. That our "bitter herbs" teaches us patience, we fail to realize that patience when perfected brings us peace..

May we not complain about the bitter herbs of life but be exercised in them, that we may Grow stronger in our Lord and his peace..

Hebrews chapter 8 verse 5

Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things , as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

 

Exodus 12/8 8And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

James 1/ 2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

3Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

4But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing

The night was pleasant, not too hot, not to cold, making it appealing to sit outside and enjoy the fresh night air, not long after I sat down, the moon slipped up over the top of the trees, It was so full and bright, a burst of gleaming silver in the black night,

We know that the moon is Reflected light from the sun, Yet is shines so brightly in it's fullness one can walk cautiously, by it's light . Though one must remain diligent, for depth perception is not clear yet, and the deceiving shadows can cause one to stumble. however it is enough to lead one towards the perfect light, of the sun, that is rushing to meet the traveler, Just over the horizon.

And I began to ponder, How well do I reflect the Light of our Lord, for one must confess that they have no Light in themselves, but shine forth only as much as we allow Our father to reflect his love and mercies through us to a dark and struggling world. Is there enough light in me to lead the weary traveler toward the perfect light, in relative safety? Is my Lord allowed to shine fully in me, lessening the dangers to one who may be following my light toward our savior, or am I dim, filled with many deceptive shadows, and dangerous pitfalls in their path.

Dear Lord, allow me to shine forth in your fullness, that I may not be a cause to stumble for any that I meet along the way..

I was privileged to rise earlier than normal this morning, I love it when I am up in time to hear the Morning song of the birds.
for some who have never had the honor of experiencing this, I will try to describe, to some degree, the indescribable..
while it is yet night, and Just a tiny amount of light starts to turn the darkness into Gray, the birds come awake.
the sound is not like any other you will hear throughout the day, there is no chatter among themselves, but a United chorus of song that encompasses all the species. quite like a choir singing, in perfect unison, Praises to the Creator who is bringing another day upon the earth. I am inclined to want to sing with them, but do not want to interrupt the beauty of their melody. 

the dawn broke clear and still, as if a sabbath of rest had been declared, to give peace to the area that had suffered so much turmoil of wind and storms.

a time for the earth to break from all it's labors and to Be still, and Know that he is God..
It was easy to be engulfed in the Peace and reverence of it all. 
Thank you Lord for your rejuvenating times of Rest.

March 1, 2007, 9:17 AM

Storms of adversity:

As I woke this morning, and made my way to my favorite chair outside, I wondered what the day would have to tell me, I try to always see things of God in all the things around me, there was a threat of pending storms, and the sky was already whirling with dark gray and black clouds, churning violently in the sky, not having any instant thoughts on it all, I whispered my love to the creator, made my request for myself and his children, and sit quietly awaiting to see what would unfold.

I contemplated the power of the whirling storms, the differences in the voices of the thunders, and their different messages of warnings, thinking of the seven thunders of revelations. This was a fleeting thought however and soon my thoughts turned in a different direction, for the sun had now topped the horizon , Blood red in color, it's sacrifice to bring light in the midst of the whirling clouds of adversity struggling against it, as I watched my thoughts turned to our Lords sacrifice , That the light of life and truth might shine forth in the darkness.

Remembering the new storm of controversy over whether they had found the tomb of Jesus and his family, I smiled and quietly shook my head..

I thought of all the times before, and the times that will yet come, when the violent storm clouds will gather themselves together to fight against the Light, yet,.. like the dawn, In spite of all the violence and strength with which they pushes against it,, the light comes, the darkness fades,

And soon, as always, the storms will scatter, giving way to the perfect light..

The sun is shining in it's full brightness now, storm clouds have abated once again, and I go forward in my day completely at peace, knowing that the Light of God's sacrifice and the Glory of his resurrection, will never be quenched… Our God reigns !

Wind

I awoke this morning to the sound of the wind howling around my house and through the trees outside,

Now most discribe this as a plantive sound, but to me it is the sound of strength and power, a voice in the trees calling out, Change is coming, Change is coming.

observing all he fallen limbs in my yard it was easy to see that the winds shakings had done it's other Job, to Clean the things that were dead or dyeing, from his creations, making room for the new Growth strength and growth, that he would add to take it's place. Thinking how good it was that the trees were so deeply rooted that they could withstand the pruning they so needed to grow stronger..

so it is with us, are we ready to fact the strong winds that blow in our lives, that shake from us all the things of this flesh we need to be removed so that the new stronger things of God have room to multiply and grow strong.

Unlike that tree, sometimes we are not deeply rooted enough to stand strong, Running instead from the grooming of God we need..... holding on to the things that stunt our growth, and can eventually take over and weaken the whole tree..

May our Lord Deeply root each of us in him, and in all he has for us. so we can bare for him, fruits, that are pleasing in his sight

 Rain 

saturday :

I woke to the melody of rain dancing on my rooftop, it was the weekend and the house was quiet and still, so I snuggled down a bit deeper and pulled the covers around me a little tighter, and began to let my thoughts dance around uninhibitedly with the rain outside.

I could imagine the earth drinking greedily of the sweet  waters, picture the leaves bursting forth,almost overnight, the beauty of the budding buttercups as they burst into bloom and even anticipating the smell of fresh mown grass..

then I found myself smiling as I thought of the sweet rains that our God sends to us, or as an old hymn put's it "showers of blessings", refreshing drinks of his sweet presence and spirit, to sustain us as we walk through this life, giving us strength to grow stronger each day..

as I snuggled there, in complete contentment and peace feeling God's love wrapped around me, as snugly as my blanket, I knew it was going to be  a good day .

dawn

woke up to the smell of fresh brewed coffee, now there's no way one can stay in bed after that smell !! so I slid out of bed and tucked myeslf into my warmest robe and slippers (the mornings are still pretty cool), poured me a biggggg cup of java and went outside to my favorite table to sit and see what the morning would have to offer .

in the midst of the dark gray gathering clouds was a small ribbon of gold, framed in the color of burgandy wine, it shone sooo bold and bright in the midst of the dark clouds , as I enjoyed the scene, I started to worder which was going to win, the gathering clouds, or the morning sun, shortly I got my answer when the eastern sky burst into a mountain of pure Gold..with all the smaller fluffy gray and white clouds all marching towards the light..it just took my breath away, all the birds were chattering non stop in the excitement of it all as well..

it was here that I started to ponder how often we take so many things for granted, and found myself so thankful that I still had the strength to be out and about, my eyesight to see all the beauty that had unfolded before me, my hearing so I might share the excitement with the neighborhood birds, and the Mind, still capable of comprehending the awsomeness of it all.. and storeing it away in my heart and mind as a beautiful memory. Yep !!!  I have sooooooo much to be thankful for..