sometimes I am up, sometimes I am down

Let us offer a sacrifice of praise continually. Hebrews 13:15
I think when times are good and all is well, then that's easy. When times are hard and no one seems to understand the load we are carrying, then that is hard.I was reading in 'Streams in the Desert' about a missionary who was stumbling through the dirty alleys in a city when a voice called from an open doorway, 'who's there honey?' As the missionary struck a match to see, he caught a vision of earthly want and suffering, of saintly trust and peace,calm eyes set in a black face that lay on a tattered bed, this freezing cold night. She had had no supper,no dinner,no breakfast. She seemed to have nothing at all except rheumatism and faith in God.
How exiled from all that is nice, is that,yet her favorite song ran: Nobody knows the trouble I see, no body knows but Jesus. No body knows the trouble I see, sing glory Hallelu. Sometimes I am up, sometimes I am down, sometimes I am level on the ground, sometimes the glory shines all around. Sing glory Hallelu. and so the song goes on, nobody knows the work I do, the grief I have, until the last verse. Nobody knows the JOYS I have Nobody knows but JESUS. Isn't it comforting and reassuring to know that when we are up, when all is well, or when we are down or when we are flat on the ground. JESUS KNOWS.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

there's a light upon the mountain.

There is an old hymn that comes to mind every time I see the morning sun  tip the mountain top. Its goes like this: 'There's a light upon the mountain and the day is at the spring when our eyes shall see the beauty and the glory of the King.'
There are so many morning walks that are wrapped in the words of that hymn, not just because I like the tune or because its a life long hymn that hasn't faded with time but because that light shouts out through the receding dark of the night that the Lord Jesus Christ is there, right there, visible and strong   The imagery is so applicable to our life as we reflect on the light of Christ that is there, right at the top, the end of any darkness we may experience in the tough times in our lives. The key to seeing the light through the darkness is to keep our eyes firmly fixed on Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

God's power

(Lotz) God created:
Atoms and angels and ants,
crocodiles and chiggers and clouds,
elephants eagles and electrons,
orchids and onions and octopuses,
frogs and feathers and sea foam,
diamonds and dust and dinosaurs,
raindrops and sweat drops,and me and you

.All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made that was made. John 1:3

The greatness of his power to create and design and form and mold and make and build and arrange defies the limits of our imagination. And since he created everything, there is nothing beyond his power to fix or mend or heal or restore. Put this in context  in our own lives and us it to encourage others.

Grace and peace from the Lords Jesus Christ.
Anne,servant of the Lord.

follow the leader

When he has brought out his own,he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. John 10:4
I recall walking in the pre dawn light one morning along my old walking track past the vineyards consumed in thoughts of God as I walked the boundary of the vineyard. I was suddenly startled by a mob of sheep wandering among the vines. Startled because that is not usually where the sheep are and I paused awhile to watch them, just quietly grazing in the dark, following the leader.
I couldn't help but thing of our ministries,very much on the boundary,quite often finding us where least expected, sometimes in places of darkness, just 'grazing.' BUT following the leader.I continued my walk quietly singing.

Lead us heavenly Father lead us, o'er the worlds tempestuous sea: guard us, guide us, keep us feed us, for we have no help but thee, yet possessing every blessing if our God our Father be. (TIS 580)
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ,
Anne, servant of the Lord.

 You are the light of the world. Matthew 5:14
I don't know about you but there is something that resonates deep within me when I hear these words. Its almost like God saying 'I am affirming again in you to BE  light to the world, yes, you.' Now  there is our brief as Christians, there are our orders, there is our confirmation of who we are to be.
Two things struck me deeply during the service on Sunday. One was the prayer for the day:' Faithful God, you have appointed US as your witness to be a light that shines in the world; let us not hide the bright hope you have given us but tell everyone of your love.'  There it is again, our brief, our orders.
The second thing that struck me was verse two of hymn 603 (TIS):
Millions believe the law of life is cunning,within a world of cruelty and greed:
how can they know God's charity and justice,if helping hands have never reached their need?
Now we have it. A brief and a direction to take it to.  Let your light shine.

Nazareth Village. Israel

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

The little things

All things bright and beautiful all creatures great and small. (Hymn)
Sometimes its the little things that brighten our day and bring joy. How easy it is to be consumed by events around us and within our sphere of work or ministry, or personal life events. How easy it is to 'forget' a sense of joy.
However  my day looks, or how I might  feel, I try to start it on a positive note that is God filled and that might come in the smell of the dew on the tinder dry grass in the paddocks as I open my front door very early in the morning or a small sparrow in the bird feeder among the bottle brush as I open the blinds on the new day, or the smell of a perfumed flower in the garden and today, for the forth day in a row its been the family of blue wrens in my garden flitting about in the wet rose bush and plum tree having a shower after the morning watering then lining up in  a row of five on the wooden garden seat to shake of the surplice water, happy, refreshed, and singing.  I think they start their day with a sense of joy also!

Take the time, take in the moment and savor it for it will set your heart for the day.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

This reading from Sunday is one that sinks deep into my heart. It says what the Lord requires of us all who follow in his footsteps but somehow it carries weight that goes beyond a' heart feeling' to a deep connection with God himself. Do you feel that?  Its one of those passages that gives me goosebumps.

I truly feel that if we are 'faith filled' then Micah's words will be 'the pattern' of our lives.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.