Shutters of the Heart…

Annecy, France image via fromtheheartofj

Annecy, France
image via fromtheheartofj

There is something sacred about the early morn…

the just waking up of the world as the sky stretches into the hello of the sun…

easing into colors of praise pinks, blues, and yellows.

The birds begin their hymns… their song joining in the symphony.

How often Lord have I insulated myself from the joy of arrival…

with curtains drawn and a hit to the snooze button?

The song of the new day knocks

May I be awake to answer this glory…

May my life be a part of this orchestra of grace each day anew.

Let the shutters of my heart be opened.

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Sand Storm of Purification…

imagesW9B4PZDQ

The desert…

The place of encounter…

Inner wrestling with Truth resplendent…

Stripped of the color of everyday…

The starkness…the silence…the heat…

The sand storm of purification in the rending of the heart…

Brings an oasis of grace…peace unshakeable…spirit renewed.

“Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God.” Joel 2:12-13

Blessings on your Lent. May your journey in the desert bring you ever deeper into the Heart of Jesus.

An Epic Poem to be Savored….

feet-up-resting-footstool

Official permission to slow down one’s life…

is like being given an epic poem yet to be savored.

Give thanks for those things in life that sloooooow down one’s steps….

for truly the mind and the heart soon follow. (I promise)

“Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ” James 1:2-3.

Rising to the Challenge…

image via from the heart of j

image via from the heart of j

In the much to do…in the little to do…

In the sufferings and sorrows…in the joys and laughter…

In the consolations…in the desolations…

In the can’t wait to do…in the can’t stand to do…

God has picked you!

Will you rise to the challenge?

His Grace is sufficient.

All is Grace.

Streams of Creativity…

image via from the heart of j

image via from the heart of j

Why is it that pain, trials, sufferings -be it emotional, physical, or spiritual- break open streams of creativity?

Could it be that the living water that seeps through the cracks of our humanity

saturates the dryness of hopelessness and brings resurrection…

again and again and again.

The current of new life erodes the deadness of discouragement and despair,

breaking down the banks of fear that have built up along the sides of the lack of peace.

Without the foundation of fear the living waters gently but forcefully flood the stagnant pool of suffering…

bringing movement and re-circulation and peace and ahhh…

oneness with Him who is living water and who re-hydrates the parched soul.

Living the Punctuation Marks…

image via luigibenozzi.com

image via luigibenozzi.com

If God’s presence is the present in the present, I must live the punctuation marks that delineate the day.

The completeness of the period…the confusion of the question…the what’s next of the comma…the connectedness of the colon…the passion of the exclamation point…the skipping ahead of the dash.

If not…

the busyness of my day only leads to run-on sentences and fragments.

His will is my WordPerfect that authors the poorly written novel of my life and edits those grammatical errors that hinder its meaning.

The present of His Presence in the punctuation of my present…

May this day I yield to the red pen and allow all that does not flow into His purposeful order be whited out.

May I live the Punctuation!

image via hellowordsolver.net

image via hellowordsolver.net

Brimming…

 

image via from the heart of j

image via from the heart of j

Her heart brimming with the Word of Life…

sees Him hidden in the ordinary…

and reads His love notes tucked into the day.

The story of her soul authored by His grace.

It’s the secret of her smile from within…

and her posture of Praise.

EXPECTANT…

The PRESENT of His PRESENCE in the PRESENT…

image via potteryinwaukesha.com

image via potteryinwaukesha.com

Clay in His hand…

malleable to His “grace is sufficient”…

in the newness of “this is the day the Lord has made”…

in the newness of this “year of favor of the Lord”.

Docile to the work of the Holy Spirit…

allowing the embrace of a trust in the “plans for welfare not for woe”…

and armed with “in the joy of the Lord is my strength…

Adventure begins…the PRESENT of His PRESENCE in the PRESENT.

Happy New Year 2014!

Hard Hatted, Steel Booted Disciples…

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People of faith shatter the horizons of those whose feet are grounded in the world…

Forever exploring and living out the newness of the day with all its accompanying grace, they rock the world of those holding on to earthly ways.

They are the front loaders, the bulldozers, the tractor trailer work trucks building the kingdom of God bit by bit.

They are the hard hatted, steel booted, fearless of dirt and sweat disciples of today work crew.

“…your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven…” Matt6:10

Laced Up Hiking Boots?…

image via curesearch.org

image via curesearch.org

There are times one is given a foreshadowing of life’s hill ahead…

It can be daunting.

But it’s not about how far you travel daily or even how quickly you journey.

It’s all about showing up each new day, with hiking boots laced up, ready to climb, step by step.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta says, “God does not require that we be successful, only that we be faithful.”

line“But he said to me, ‘ My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ I will rather boast most gladly of my weakness, in order that the power of Christ dwell with me.”  2 Co 12:9