Faith that lives in others

I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that first lived in your mother Eunice, and now I am sure lives in you. 2 Timothy 1:5
There is an add on the television that sends a message out about our life style and how children copy us. It shows a child in his toy car going to MacDonald and ordering fast food and a child lying on the couch with a soft drink and chips. Children will copy the behavior of the adults and I cant help but think how that applies to all ways of life. Its up to us to set the examples the children will follow. Two of my grandchildren came to visit, one 5 the other 7 and they were sitting in my lounge room looking through some of my treasures from Jerusalem. The 5 year old had the Hebrew prayer book and the traditional  reading stylus and said he was reading about God 'in a different voice.' The 7 year old commented that when she grew up she was going to be a children s minister like her Sunday School teacher at church. Its hard to explain the feeling this gives to see the grandchildren living a life that is God centered and how remnants of our lives brush of onto others and so the light of Christ continues to shine.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

sign him with the mark of the cross to show he is one of Christs own

Have you seen God today

One day Jesus was praying.......when he had finished one of his disciples said to him. ' Lord, teach us to pray.' Luke 11:1
One of the greatest most powerful, most humbling experiences we can have with God  is those occasions when we find ourselves and him alone together and he says 'here is a gift for you.' Those moments can come in a flash: When I see a tree of brilliant autumn colour - and there is just me and God. or when I see the fog weaving its way through valley and trees - and there is just me and God. And recently after the rain the tiny brown spotted frogs on my pathway - and there is just me and God. Gifts from God as he stands there with me handing them out one by one. Gifts that linger and stay with you in memory.  I love these gifts. Its like having something special in your pocket, you put your hand  it in and pull it out again being blessed every time by God's presence.  When we are gifted with an awareness of God's presence in prayer we savor every moment of it, we let God hold us and carry us, as a sea holds and carries the boat.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ

Anne, servant of the Lord.

Treasure the moments

Our Father in Heaven Hallowed be thy name. (The prayer that Jesus taught us)
In all my years of Christian faith, and that is all my life, I am still so in awe of our God and the communications we have through prayer. So many forms of prayer, so many openings to the prayer conversations together and so much trust in him 'who keeps us from falling'  No one knows me or you like he does. I was so touched by the fresh feel of the morning with the soft tinges of pink on the horizon, a valley of soft mist, that it sets of a spontaneous conversation with God, I love it when that happens.  I have some favourite introductions to some prayers and  some have been with me all my life. Do you have some favourite words with God as well? I like the powerful words from our confirmation service: 'Defend O Lord, this thy child with thy heavenly grace; that she/he may continue thine forever......' and I have. And this one( O how rich the collects are)  A great opening to prayer, a collect that puts us on our knees every time we say it: Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known and from whom no secrets are hidden (Collect of Purity) Prayers for all occasions, special prayers that travel with us through life, holding us up, carrying us.  Treasure the moments.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

even a tree stump is a place of prayer.

strong roots

As you are being rooted and grounded in love. Ephesians 3:17
When we look at an old gum tree standing strong and firm in the earth, well grounded and held up by strong roots and when we see ships tightly tethered and anchored at the wharf because the forecast is predicting storms, and when we see homes being built we see they are laid on a strong foundation but what of us? What gives us our anchor, our foundation, our deep roots that allows us to survive the battering of storms in our lives?  Sooner or later stressful situations will enter all our lives, some such a storm that they will strike like an earthquake. Its a 'wobbly world' and at times an  unsafe society but we know where our refuge is, our port, our strength to stay strong. Its in our Lord and Saviour, the risen Lord Jesus Christ. You know, in the bible there are 365 'fear nots' or the equivalent. - one for every day of the year - God given.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

Divine presence

I love thy place O God wherein thy honour dwells. (Hymn)
It is so easy in this very busy world to 'go and do'  in our name and not in the name of Jesus. At times we may well know that what we do we do in Christian love and service but sometimes that sense of 'God awareness' just might be hidden below the surface of our busy lives. At times there is also a sense of having to reconnect, to remember that in every life we meet and touch that God is present. Those among us who exercise service ministry with  the lost, the isolated, the disadvantaged and those on all areas of the edges of society know deeply that God is as present in them as in us and that is where our passion comes from. That recognition  and respect that we are all God's children.
Joyce Rupp has these words to say about God awareness: 'I hope that I constantly remember that God dwells within others as well as myself and that should pave a way of how I see and treat others.'
And she offers this prayer. 'Dear God. I love the deep feeling of  connectedness and humility I feel when I place my hand over my heart and say - God dwells in here - thank you God.' Try that now, place your hand over your heart and feel God's presence, it will stay with you as a morning blessing.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Purpose

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. (APBA)
Easter has been. We have again lived the journey through Holy Week. We have carried the cross for Christ,washed feet, prayed in the garden,feasted at the Passover,  wept at the cross and been raises up again with the loud hallelujah's of Easter morning as we sing praises to the risen Christ. After that journey are you ready to go into the world refreshed, affirmed and with hope to love and serve the Lord?  Go gently, don't rush away from the Easter experience, let it sit awhile with you.Mary Oliver says:  Around me the  trees stir in their leaves and call out 'stay awhile.' The light flows from their branches. And they call again.'Its simple' they say,' and you too have come into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled with light, and to shine.'
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

Walking with God

Enoch walked with God;then he was no more, because God took him. Genesis 5:24
I read this quote by Rabindranath Tagor.  'For many years at great cost, I traveled through many countries, saw the high mountains and the oceans. The only things I didn't see were the sparkling dew drops in the grass just outside my door.' Any walk we take implies that step by step we are making progress and that also applies to our walk with God. We need a certain moral fitness and harmony with God to progress in our walk with him. Each day when I walk, morning and evening I could see the flow of the valley to the foot of the mountains and the mountain tops and it can be a blessing but oh how much more a blessing when the walk starts to bring real gems of delight to my spirit. Its when I take in the 'smaller' things that I know I am walking with God. Things like the little shadow that runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.
Monitor your walk with God and watch your progress into a deeper awareness of him by your side.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.