blue mist and dew dampened grass

Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go. Matthew 8:19
O the joy, the pure delight of the freshness of the morning full of God's love. That hint of Autumn hovers over the hills, the colour of blue mist and dew dampened grass smells of fresh cut hay and a wonderful chorus from a dozen or more magpies goes up from the height of the tallest eucalyptus. Its true whats said, 'that once God is in your heart, he is everywhere.'
I was reading some poems by Mary Oliver and this one resonated with me  this morning:

Oh, feed me this day, Holy Spirit, with
 the fragrance of the fields and the
 freshness of the oceans which you have
 made, and help me to hear and to hold
 in all dearness those exciting and wonderful
words of our Lord Jesus, saying:
Follow me.

Image of God's love.

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

rich or poor?

One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor;yet has great wealth. Proverbs 13:7
You would think I had been given a million dollars as I looked at the country side outside my front door. Try and describe God's love and no amount of human wealth can match its value or its worth.What a daily gift I have had put before me. The soft mist on the surrounding hills that are graced with a sweeping pink colour of the promise of the sun rising. The stillness of the pond with a few wood ducks grazing the reeds, 'talking' in soft noises to each other as if sharing the same joy of the quiet that I am. The long sweep of the valley dotted with black cows and bales of new mown  hay. I can smell it from here! The rays of early sun shining on the ears of the wild oat grass making each to look like a wealth of gold. And a family of kookaburras  laughing, filling the quiet countryside with joy.Its all so special, so much so that I could lose myself in the moment and just stand and gaze in wonder. Every where I looked was God's love, wrapped in the presence, gifts greater than any money can buy, gifts of the richness of God's love.

                             ' Find a beautiful place and lose yourself in it.'

and the bluebells on the roadside.

                               '

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

Following the path

You will show me the path of life......psalm 16
There is a great peace about the morning as the early mist still lingers on the hills and the cows are grazing silently among the kangaroos.The path in the dry grass is wearing into its identity  and its as I take each step I reflect with God on the way my day might go.There is a great 'soul' joy deep within when you know the way you lead each day is to bring glory to God and 'life' to those you care for. Each Monday as I help gather a group of people into the day hospice  in the church for 'a day with a difference' I reflect on how we live life in order to  model   Jesus and to me its as much about doing than saying. I always hope that how I live life and what I do with my 'God given life' will help others to seek out the God I serve.I read this story  which said: A teacher took a student into the woods one night with just the light of his torch to show the path. At one point the teacher turned the torch off without explanation. 'What is the matter?' asked the student. 'The torch has gone out.' the teacher answered and continued to walk on.  'But,' shouted the student. 'Will you leave me in the dark?' 'No, I will not,' said the teacher.' I will leave you to follow me, searching for the light.'
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

no escape

Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend the heavens you are there, if I make my bed in She-ol you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle at  the farthest  limits of the sea, even there your hand shall leave me and your right hand shall hold me fact. Psalm  139: 7-10  
I look at he mountains with their peaks reaching into the morning sky, their base surrounded in a sea of cloud like islands in an ocean.
I look into the distance at a farm house light on a hill, shining in that space between night and day.
I look at a jet, just a dot in the sky, more visible because of its vapour
I look at a large flock of  colourful grass parrots feeding bu the side of the road.
I think of observatories and their powerful telescopes that reaches far far into space.
I think of us all and the days ahead and the people we will meet: the frail aged, those in prison, the sick and lonely, the disabled, the lost, the stranger we pause to talk to on the street.
I think of our special places of relaxation and rest: a beach, the bush, a park, the garden.
To ask where is God's Spirit, is like asking a fish, where is the water. (Lucado)
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Wadi Rum desert in Jordan

Give God the Glory

Anything you did for the least of my people you did for me. Matthew 24.40
It goes deep, very deep that sense of knowing that you and God are doing something together, in unity. That what you are doing is almost out of your hands, because its God working through you. I had that experience this week and the profound sense of the presence and action of God is still with me three days later and I can not help but tell people of the great power of God in our lives and give him all the Glory. It was a seemingly huge task of journeying with a lady through the maze of National Disability Insurance Services and trying to find a suitable, safe home for her for the rest of her life.Its seemed a huge task yet out of nowhere through a few words to the right people and this lady is now set in a safe environment in a new home for life.Someone once asked the question: What is the sign of the saved? their degree, their scholarship? their willingness to go to foreign lands? their ability to amass an audience and preach? Their skillful pens and hope filled volumes? No. The sign of the saved is their love of the least for when we do good things for others we are doing good things for God who gets the glory.  For any in God's service that should kindle the fire in your heart.What an immense privilege we have that's wrapped in God's blessings, the privilege of being able to serve the least of his people.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

God's presence.

My Father's world

' If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation.' 2 Corinthians 5:17
I wonder at how you can have an unlimited imagination.God has been creating since time immemorial  yet I cease to see any two sunrises the same, any flower the same, any mountain the same and I suspect if you were to put  grains of sand under a microscope and view them they would all be very different. Even the little sparrow in the garden is different to his brothers and sisters. We have a remarkable, wonderful, awe inspiring God with an unlimited imagination and creativity and in saying that he has created us so individually we can all serve him with the gifts of imagination and creativity that he has given us.  I like this hymn written by Maltbie Babcock with imagination and creativity:
This is my Fathers world, and to my listening ears, all nature sings and around me rings, the music of the spheres. This is my Fathers world, I rest me in the thought, of rocks and trees, of skies and seas, his hands and wonders wrought.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ

.
Anne, servant of the Lord

Blind yet I see

(Jesus said) Whoever does not take up his cross and follow in my steps is not fit to be my disciple. Matthew 10.38
It's interesting how we react to situations of our life. Sometimes issues come our way that could be burdens and handicaps to our daily living and we could bury our head in the sand and shut the world out or we could put one foot before the other and move on. I had been reflecting on a story I read many years ago about Helen Keller. What a remarkable lady  who had a ministry of encouragement among many world wide including the remote tribal Aboriginal people of Western Australia. I was reflecting on her life because she was such an influence in my childhood in my desire to work with Aboriginal people or to simply make something of my life. She had an incredible way with people and for a lady born in the 1800's that was quite remarkable. One of her many quotes said:'life is either a daring adventure or nothing.'   I guess the most remarkable thing about her was that she was deaf and blind. To quote her: 'I thank God for my handicaps, for through them I have found myself, my work and my God.'

 Western Desert SA

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