May our hearts and minds continue to birl away from self and move through the currents of this world, carried by His Word, to the eternal embrace of our Saviour, Christ Jesus.

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Who We Really Are



We were blessed this past week with a wonderful trip to the mountains of New Mexico! What a treat, after so many years, to leave the heat of South Texas and get to see autumn. I walked some beautiful paths, found a prayer labyrinth and experienced some much needed solitude and silence. My mountain walking companions, Ruby and Oso, led every path and seemed to enjoy all the new scents and sights. We almost didn’t come back! 😉  

The whisper of the breeze thru the pines and enjoying the vistas together was a perfect backdrop to beautiful moments spent in His Word. One of the passages, that is in a devotional I’m doing online with some friends right now, was in a new translation (perhaps new to me?) and it’s called The Passion Translation. I enjoy using different Bible versions, just to help me “listen” better and I don’t skim over familiar phrases….like this one:   

For I know that nothing good lives within the flesh of my fallen humanity. The longings to do what is right are within me, but will-power is not enough to accomplish it.  My lofty desires to do what is good are dashed when I do the things I want to avoid.  So if my behavior contradicts my desires to do good, I must conclude that it’s not my true identity doing it, but the unwelcome intruder of sin hindering me from being who I really am.
Romans 7:18-20

Perhaps it was sitting where I was, away from the hustle and the bustle, but this resonated differently for me that day. So, I’d like to share a brief prayer I wrote in response to this resonating. I pray it  for us all as we seek to live out who we really are in Christ.


Sweet Father,
Help us remember who we are ~ Who we belong to. It is a struggle sometimes in the ugliness of the world, but oh God in heaven, help us to turn to You ~ to be like Jesus to this world.

~ not in judging others, for He did not come to condemn. 
 John 3:17
~ not snippy or spiteful, but as Jesus, Who is the Word of Grace.
   Ephesians 4:29
~ not vengeful or angry, for Jesus called us to love one another, to forgive as we are forgiven – freely. John 13:34-35
~ not haughty or “holier than thou”, because Jesus washed the  
   disciples feet … Oh, let us wash feet! John 13:12

Help us walk humbly, honoured in the foot steps of Whom we walk and trusting the Maker of our Path.
~ Selah



Sunday, July 8, 2018

How We Hear....


You guessed it! Whitewing are cooing, flowers are blooming and all is peaceful out back…just sitting back and hearing God’s creation amazes me every time.
 Sitting out here always has me thinking about “how” we hear.  Cuz “what” we are hearing is important, yes… but the “how” determines the “what”, the depth of our hearing. Guess, as I sit in the calm of our garden, this all really amplifies the contrast of the world outside our fence. The world is soooo noisy, it is easy to go thru the day and only hear the clatter and clutter of things. It becomes “what” we hear and can form a wall that dampens the whispers of God to our soul.
He is God, He doesn’t have to yell, He speaks to us in so many unique ways! Nature, literature, people and places ~ the list is endless ~ He is always speaking to us, no doubt, but can we hear? Are we listening?

One of my favourite verses is….
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace, as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13

Just love this! It was written by the apostle Paul, yes…but since all Scripture is inspired by God, then that means that God wrote this, and all the rest, to us! For me, when I read this word with that in mind, it is like God is saying….

May the God of Hope (that’s Me, Your Holy Father and Friend, btw)
fill you with all ( it all belongs to Me, so yeah I can do that!)
Joy and Peace (whatcha get when you hang out with Me)
as you trust in Him, (you can do that…trust Me, lean on Me, I got this!)
so that (here comes the good part!)
you may overflow (no skimping on things for my kids!)
with Hope ( that’s Me!)
by the power of the Holy Spirit. (You’re not in this life alone, I will never leave you or forsake you! I will always, always love you…come on kid, lean in, trust Me)

That’s my prayer for us all ~ that we will learn to lean in and “hear” God speaking His love over our souls. That each one will seek and find the unique way that God is speaking to us…


Wait…Listen…Do you hear that? ♥


Thursday, June 21, 2018

He Reaches


So, I went out to feed the birds yesterday afternoon, after the rain. It was beautiful! Whitewing cooing, rain drops collecting on the leaves and slowly dripping into the puddles the sparrows were drinking out of. I just love watching how God provides for His created.


It was then, just as I stepped under the edge of the outdoor roof, I noticed rain drops on a bamboo leaf….but the bamboo is over 20 feet way?! But oh, this branch was reaching all the way from the labyrinth to the place I stood. Such a life picture, right? God does that…He reaches out and reigns right where we are!

Like life, when I think I’m too far, or there’s a storm coming thru my life, He reaches down and reigns all over the situation. He pours out His Peace, washes away the worries and stills my soul. He is there to celebrate with us in the Joys of life He brings. He heals our sorrows in the paths of prayer…
 


All this is for your sake;
and as God's grace reaches
more and more people,
they will offer to the glory of God
more prayers of thanksgiving.
For this reason we never become discouraged.
Even though our physical being
is gradually decaying,
yet our spiritual being
is renewed day after day.
II Corinthians 4:15 & 16

 
He reaches, He always reaches…all we need to do is reach back and take hold of His promises and trust in the reign.



Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Weeds



“One person’s weed, is another’s flower.” was the first thing that came to mind this morning, as I entered the labyrinth at St. Stephen’s . It is always so peaceful, as it looks out over Ft. Worth…all the city’s hustle and bustle doesn’t make it up the hill. Just the cool morning breeze and doves cooing filled that space this morning. Space all we (or least, I) seem to do is fill it up!

I walked, thanking God again for this particular space…up on the hill, in the nook of the old church, a space set aside to walk with Him. I know He is with us everywhere, but all to often, the clutter of life gets in the way of quiet, one-on-one time. (More accurately, I allow it)

Spring time has sprung here, too! Recent rains have blooms everywhere…even a few weeds. I admit, more often than not, I feel like the weed ~ out of place, trying to bloom where I don’t belong. But, this morning, in those quiet steps, God reminded me just Who our Gardener is ! 😊 If our path seems to “wander”, Who do we think allowed it? And, I may see a weed, but God sees His blooms coming up right where HE put them.

Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:6

I left the labyrinth today thinking, we need to watch Who we are allowing to define the world around us, ‘cuz weeds are just flowers we haven’t met yet!