Tag Archives: Faith

Hushed…

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image via fromtheheartofj

“In their distress they cried to the Lord, who brought them out of their peril, hushed the storm to a murmur; the waves of the sea were stilled.  They rejoiced that the sea grew calm, that God brought them to the harbor they longed for.  Let them thank the Lord for such kindness, such wondrous deeds for mere mortal. Let them praise him in the assembly of the people, give thanks in the council of the elders…Whoever is wise will take note of these things, will ponder the merciful deeds of the Lord.”  Ps 107: 28-32,43

I’ve heard some say….”The weatherman was wrong again!”, “The media just hyped up Isaac!”…

Are we of such little faith that we no longer believe that in God all things are possible? I choose to give thanks for God’s calming of the storm, His hushing the harshness, and although our brothers and sisters in Louisiana and Mississippi are contending with some flooding issues…it could have been so much worse. Our prayers and assistance continue to reach out to them. But let us be like the “wise” taking “note of these things” and pondering “the merciful deeds of the Lord” while giving thanks in everything!

P.S.  Thank you for all your prayers!

Hurricane Isaac and the Shopping Cart Shuffle…

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Hurricane Watch notifications awaken us this morning. Residents of the Gulf Coast….Be prepared, Isaac has his eye on you.

image via AccuWeather.com

 

 Two to three days away people go into automatic hurricane pilot mode. Response team trailers and electric company bucket trucks from neighboring states beginning to arrive, parked in hotel lots.

image via davegerry.wordpress.com

Walmart  filled with those looking to beat the crowds.  Water, sandwich stuff, bread, charcoal, drinks, paper products, matches, batteries, tarps, oh yes a new rake –check, check check. Beer for the hubby? That will have to wait until after 1pm – the blue laws !

 In the busy-ness of the shopping cart shuffle thoughts turn to Jesus rebuking the storm…turning the anxiousness of the apostles into peace. As I so easily pick up supplies, prayers are lifted up for our brothers and sisters in Haiti and Cuba who have already borne the brunt of Isaac.

image via en.wikipedia.org

Prayers are lifted up for all those whose hearts are still broken from the devestation of Katrina…lives forever changed… the impact of these emotions a deja-vu as Isaac aims for the Gulf Coast, expected to strike on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Grocery store intercession…the power of prayer in the midst of the shuffle.

Here where Southern hospitality reigns neighbors and friends are checking on neighbors and friends in a “what can I do to help you prepare?” kind of way. But we are NOT putting out the welcome mat for you Isaac! Our windows will be shuttered and we will all be inside..

image via blog.nolo.com

Worshippers gathering in Churches this Sunday all over the Gulf Coast will be lifting up fervent prayers…interceding for those already affected…believing in miracles….and thanking God for His presence with us.

Please join us in prayer.

Abundant blessings to you this Sunday, From the Heart of J

To..Be…Continued…

Bus Stop Living?…

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image via rotepix.com

Waiting at the bus stop?…

Ipod tuned up high to the “when I do…then I’ll be…”  “if only I was….then I could…”etc, etc, etc?

Tinted sunglasses obscuring the vision of the “here and now”?

Will grown soft in the sitting and the waiting?

Bus Stop Living.

Friend, your daily ride just passed you by…the bus of the present blessings that make up the adventure of today.

image via iamlikeatree.blogspot.com

It’s not too late to catch it…

Celebrate the present moment.  Savor its gifts hidden within. Live this day’s treasures in gratitude to the giver of all good gifts!

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Ps 118:24

Through the Lens…

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image via fromtheheartofj

I used to think the dark was very dark…until I learned that in the dark was light…sometimes beginning only like a shadow – other times as a little spark far off in the distance.  Yes, there is light in the dark and I think more often than not we are walking in that little glimmer of light in the dark…more often than walking in the light, void of the dark.  I used to think I walked in clarity….with “sometimes episodes” of blurry, but came to understand that mostly I walk in blurry, but in the clarity within the blurry.  Life is a paradox.  We live in mystery.  We live in faith.

“At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face.  At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.” 1 Co 13:12

Slipping and Sliding…

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image via larneson.blogspot.com

Slipping and sliding through life…

The rush of the path,

Cushioned by the flow of water…

Until all dries up…

Painful the burn of the journey…when all comes to a standstill.

Oh dehydrated soul

Whose busy-ness of self has forgotten the Source.

Thirst for the living water…

that immerses, that saturates, that floods.

Float back into the current of grace.

Again…Slipping and Sliding through life.

“A clean heart create for me, God;  renew in me a steadfast spirit.  Do not drive me from your presence, nor take from me your Holy Spirit.  Restore my joy in your salvation; sustain in me a willing spirit.” Ps 51: 12-14

Confidence…

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The Word of God is NOT chained….(2 Tim 9:9)

image via whydidyouwearthat.com

 

Not in you…not even in the darkest recesses of your heart…

Not in your neighbor…not even in the toughest hardness of their hearts…

Not in that hopeless situation…not in that unanswered prayer…not in that battle of good vs. evil…

image via drinkfromthedeep.org

 

The Word of God is NOT chained.

What confidence should flood our hearts in the knowing and the living…

image via inkhouse.net

The Word is always victorious!

“Indeed the Word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.” Heb 4:12

Patchwork Post…

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image via kaboodle.com

Patchwork Post…

End of the year shuffle…graduations…traveling guests…days at beach…sunburns and sweet ice tea…friends…heart to heart talks…good news/bad news…joys and trials…laughs and tears…summer heat and barefoot…being grateful…being humbled…to do lists…bucket lists…books that inspire…”Word”s that convict…kaleidoscope skies…sleepy saturdays…zumba and park runs…prayer and presence…dogs and lemonade…stray kittens…going fast…going slow…family…taking deep breaths…inhaling/exhaling…joy in the eyes….laughter in the voice…fresh peaches…juicy tomatoes…flowers galore…fresh cut grass…the smell of jasmine…whirlwind days…everything’s connected…all is Grace…

the Stuff of “Life”…

Busy but Beautiful…

Bountiful and Blessed…

A “Gallimaufry”… (isn’t that a fun word?!)

image via copyediting.com

 

“I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will declare all your wondrous deeds.  I will delight and rejoice in you; I will sing hymns to your name, Most High. ” Ps 9:2-3

I’m knee deep in the “gallimaufry” of life…but promise to be back soon! From the Heart of J!

image via zazzle.com

 

Today…

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Today I must walk…

image via embarq.org

 

Today I must pray..

image via jeffstreet.org

 

Today I must give my heart away.

image via flickr.com

 

With Jesus in me, I walk to the blind, trusting that He has seen what I’ll find.

He speaks to the heart.  I speak to the mind. Together we walk as I learn to be kind.

Not my place to judge but my place to care, to show the unwanted that Jesus is there.

image via stmichael.org

 

Lord help me to listen more than to talk, to whisper your love and continue the walk.

(written by a friend Bridget Hannahan)

“But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another” 1 John 1:7