Tag Archives: God

Encircled…

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“Behind and before You encircle me and rest Your hand upon me. ” (Ps 139:5)

image via achildofgod2010.blogspot.com

Oh God you are my PROTECTOR.

“Behind and before You encircle me and rest Your hand upon me.”

image via marklabutis.wordpress.com

 

Oh God you are my STABILITY.

“Behind and before You encircle me and rest Your hand upon me.”

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Oh God you are my FOUNDATION.

“Behind and before You encircle me and rest Your hand upon me.”

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Oh God you are my SUPPORT.

“Behind and before You encircle me and rest Your hand upon me.”

Like the seamless garment Jesus wore upon the earth…

I am encircled in Your love. Clothed in Your presence.

“Such knowledge is beyond me, far too lofty for me to reach.” (Ps 139:6)

Will You Be My Valentine?…

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image via onehearthomes.com

Will you be my Valentine? Will you be my friend?….which is to say…

Will you let me give you my unconditional Love? Will you accept my peace for your tired and worn self?

Will you receive my mercy and forgiveness? Will you believe in my Love when everyone else has gone away or given up on you?

Will you be generous enough to take my love to others when they need you?

Will you be bread to the hungry, love to my needy, hope to my desolate?

Will you trust me to always companion you? Will you lay down your life for me?

image via willysamson.blogspot.com

Will you be my Valentine? Will you be my friend?

I listen to the invitation…I look within and find “yes” answers in my own February heart.

image via christart.co.uk

“Yes” because of dear friends who have graced my days with love.

Their hearts are plainly flesh and earthen, yet they touch me to Your goodness.

Their hearts are weak and wounded, yet they mend the torn in me.

Their hearts are tired and troubled, yet they’ve time to give me rest.

My friends are loving pathways leading home.

Home to where You are. Oh Lover of all hearts.

And so, I respond humbly, gratefully,

“You know everything.  You know I want to be Your Valentine.”

(Joyce Rupp)

“He said to him a third time, “Simon, son of  John do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” John 21:17

Chocolate covered twinkies and strawberry fudge from the kitchen of fromtheheartofj

 Happy Valentine’s Day!

Glimpses of God…

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image via fromtheheartofj

 There are so many ways to RECEIVE God’s LOVE…

Divine love notes fill our days.

Do we notice them?

image via fromtheheartofj

Do we ponder all those seemingly coincidences that catch our attention?…

Coincidences that really are “God-incidences”?…

Glimpses of God peeking through our everyday.

RECEIVE His LOVE and be transformed.

“Your love is before my eyes; I walk guided by your faithfulness.” Ps 26:3

Wrestling…

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Have you ever noticed the greatest blessings come after the darkness of faith?…

The darkness of a night wrestling with God?

image via wrestling-with-god.blogspot.com

Prideful, false self grapples with God…

as He forms us into our real identity…

Rescuing and reclaiming us as His child.

The night…the wrestling…and with the new dawn of light…

image via incourage.me

 

The Blessing.

In the wrestling…is the Becoming.

In the becoming…is the blessing.

Blessing given to then go forth and bless.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord.” Jer 17:7

Divine Appointment…

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“Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place where he prayed.”

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Where is your deserted place to pray? That place where you usher in the day? Wrapped in the holy hush of the new day?

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image via mooseyscountrygarden

image via 8rd.org

 Is it a prayer chair? …a nook in the garden?…on a threadbare carpet beside the bed?

Where is that place you greet the day?

That place that you bow your head and heart in humility in the truth…

image via thehourofrescue.wordpress.com

You are God…I am creature.

Where is that deserted place you pray that affirms you in love and purpose as you offer the gift of the new day to the Father?

May we know who we truly are in God in the gift of each morning and may we experience the deep abiding peace that comes from finding that deserted place ….

Which becomes our sacred place of divine appointment.

 

 

The Word…

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Lord, who can grasp all the wealth of just one of your Words?

What we understand is much less than what we leave behind…

image via en.wikipedia.org

Like thirsty people who drink from a fountain.

Your Word, Lord, has so many shades of meaning, just as those who study it have many points of view.

The Lord has colored His Word with many hues, so that each person who studies it can see in it what he loves.

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He has hidden many treasures in His Word, so that each of us is enriched as we meditate on it.

image via burlesonisd.net

The Word of God is a tree of life that from all its parts offers you fruit that is blessed.

image via colonialchurch.org

It is like that rock that is open in the dessert, which from all its parts give forth a spiritual drink.

(Ephraim the Syriac, Deacon from the 4th century)

“Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path.” Ps 119: 105

Have a blessed Sunday.

A Silly for Saturday #2…..

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image via fromtheheartofj

This REALLY tickled me…I may be royalty because I am a child of God…but I don’t think this would go over well with hubby!

Frank A. Clark (1911-1991) is best known for his one panel, one liner sermon, newspaper cartoons entitled “The Country Parson”.  He evangelized thousands of loyal readers with his faith based humor. He once said…

“I think the next best thing to solving a problem is finding some humor in it.”

Oh yes…if I had my way….

image via fromtheheartofj

It’s said that cupcakes are “God’s apology for muffins”.

Unfortunately, medically, my cupcake days are over…that is unless someone has a really good recipe for gluten free, grain free, sugar free, dairy free cupcakes! (goodbye desserts, pastas, cheeses, homemade breads, grits, gravies, Captain Crunch, and pizza, etc…sigh, sigh, sigh and a tear or two) It’s said when life hands you a lemon, make lemonade…and I agree with Mr. Clark.  Why not find a bit of humor in the tough stuff? I still love cupcakes..a lot…but now I really love baking them for others.  And the wackier and more colorful the better. Cupcakes really DO make people smile…and that is so much sweeter than any double chocolate, swirled icing, marshmallow creme filled cupcake.

“So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold new things have come.” 2 Cor 5:17

The Canvas of the Kingdom…

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image via photographersdirect.com

Henry Moore was and English sculptor and artist.  He is best known for his abstractions of the human figure, particularly the mother and child, and reclining figures.  It has been said that many of Moore’s sculptures, that include hollow spaces and rolling curves, were inspired by the landscape hills of his birthplace of Yorkshire.  He created many public works of art around the world. Although he became quite wealthy from the sales of his work, he lived very frugally and before he died he created the Henry Moore Foundation (still in existence today) to support the education and promotion of the arts.

image via obit-mag.com

 “The secret of life is to have a task, something that you devote your entire life to, something to bring everything to, every minute of the day, for the rest of your life.  And the important thing is, it must be something you can’t possibly do.”

Henry Moore (1898-1986)

What is your life task? What is that which you devote your entire life to? What is your passion? What is that which your heart cannot ignore?

What is that which you can’t possibly do?

Could it be,” You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all  your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment.  The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt 22:37-39) ?

For surely this radical love is impossible without the love of God infused through grace within us.

And it is in that flow of God’s grace we discover that life task, that life devotion, that passion, that mission of the heart.

By surrendering our total selves heart, soul, and mind, to Him who is love…

We become His artists of all kinds, in all walks of life, splashing forth up on the canvas of the Kingdom our own unique color and brush work.

image via dreamstime.com

 Blessings on your weekend!

Just a Grain of Sand?!….

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Professor Gary Greenberg who holds a PHD in Biomedical Research from the University College in London recently spent 5 years searching the globe for sand grains to photo. Using tiny accupuncture needles he sought to to find and arrange the most perfect specimens. Once found, he magnified them 250x real life.

What did he find?….The photos will amaze you!

Each grain of sand….a tiny treasure…

Each grain of sand….a true work of art.

Each grain of sand…an infusion of God’s creative genius.

Each grain of sand….unique and original.

“For you make me jubilant, Lord, by your deeds; at the works of your hands I shout for joy.  How great are your works, Lord! How profound your purpose!” Ps 92: 5-6

Heavenly Father, how great and wonderful are your works. If just one grain of sand bespeaks your artistry in ways unsurpassed, how much greater the beauty of the human person. Each a tiny treasure; Each a true work of art; Each an infusion of Your creative genius; Each unique and original. Give me eyes to see beyond the flesh to the magnificent work of art in each person that crosses my path. Magnify my vision to detect the glorious reflection of You in those I  meet. Through Christ, Our Lord Amen.