Morning bells

 Hold thou me up and I shall be safe. Psalm 119:117

I woke up this morning amidst God's love in what the local radio station called a 10-10 sunrise. It was glorious in colour and peace but I think what actually called me into the day was the tiny prayer bell I have hanging in my sacred space. Its soft metallic tinkling in the gentle breeze draws me to thoughts of God. I recall reading a very old  pocket book called' Morning Bells' and in it I read : The path is not easy, there are rough stones and we can stumble. How do we walk safely over such a rough path? My response. 'Its not my grip of Christ's hand but Christ's grip on me, that what stops us stumbling and keeps us on the path.' I hear the tinkling of the metallic bell and immediately I say, ' may today be in your strength Lord even though the path can be rough. hold thou me up.' 

I read this quote: Yes, I will uphold you, with my right hand: you are called and chosen in my sight to stand (unknown.

May our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.    Anne servant of the Lord.

                            

                                            Blue wrens on top of the prayer bell

Ah, the joy.

 Jesus said; 'These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and  and that your joy may be full. john 15;11

Some words are effervescent, they just bubble up in your mind and spill over into your feelings. Words like 'joy' give you a good feeling deep down in the soul. I mean, can you not experience something breathtaking and not get that sense of joy. Something of beauty and not get that sense of deep  joy. It's more than an a-hhh moment, its deeper than that. I sensed it  when  I was out walking and there in a rock wall was a beautiful violet, a survivor, a battler, a beauty, a pocket of joy. I read this lovely quote which said: 'Joy is happiness, spilling over, wearing wings! It can be a real indicator of the presence of God.'

May the God of life fill you with joy.    Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                       A battler, spilling over with joy.

I saw the face of God.

 The Lord has decided the number of the stars and called each one by name. Great and mighty is our Lord. Psalm 147:4-5

I saw it in the puddle of life giving water by the roadside. I saw it in the sky, night stars being tucked away behind soft pink clouds in the sunrise. I saw it as the sun shone through the crimson autumn leaf. I saw it in the currawong as he called his mates into dawn. I saw it in the single, crystal clear raindrop that hung from each leaf and blade of grass. I saw it in the soft blue, perfect formation of the bluebells that clutched the side of the road. I saw it! I saw the face of God and my  soul sang :  How great though art!

World famous musician Pablo Casals said: 'I find God in the smallest and in the largest things. I see God in colours and designs. No two things alike, no two voices the same.' 

  Where are you seeing God today?

As you bless me with light at sun's rising, shine on me now with love.     Anne, servant of the Lord.

Blue bells  beside the road side.

What is love?

For  God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. John 3:16

What is love I thought as I sat reflecting in my sacred space looking around at the winter flowers in the garden fresh from the frost with the sun glistening on  them like a myriad of shining crystals. The sight was something that stirred my soul, something more than just, 'that's nice.'  Or perhaps its seeing the delight of the flock of cockatoos enjoying the last of the acorns on the oak trees or perhaps its something that we give away and it becomes the best part of us. Or is it the drooping posy of wild flowers offered by the  sticky hand of a small child. All is love, given to us by the one who gives the greatest love - Jesus Christ.

May the God of love bless you and keep you always.            Anne, servant of the Lord 

A posy of wildflowers.

Fill my whole life, dear Lord

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea and all of them, singing. Revelations 5:11

 Its daybreak and the gap between the light and dark has thinned into a strip of increasing light and pastel  coloured hues, and thee trill of the Rufus Whistler in the Grevillia bush tells me that God is in the garden and I can feel the awe and wonder of it in this little birds song. I pause in the sacred space and give God my words of thanks for the gift of this whole new day -24 priceless hours - free of charge  - and offered only once. What a gift and before we part I ask God to wait yet another moment so I can count his treasures around me in the garden, and add my praise. 

May the peace of God fill your life every single day.    Anne, servant of the Lord.                                                       

                                                    God's treasures.

Its so true.

 For the Lord is good and his love  endures forever: his faithfulness continues through all generations. psalm 11.5

Its true that each day is an adventure that we haven't had before. Yesterday the trees were full of  the colours of the autumn glory and today they are empty branches. The soil in the pot that has held the sleeping daffodil bulbs over the summer has been cracked and the small, strong green  spikes of the daffodil leaves are poking through and the dew laden grass of yesterday is today covered in crisp white frost. There is so much to see and take in from the sacred space of the daily adventure and its good to just sit and be present, this moment, in the now, and Lord, ever present, may we see you and praise you in all your creation.

May the God of life bless you and keep you today and always.   Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                Empty branches.
.

O the wonder of being with God.

 All of life is sacred. All of life is holy. Rule of Benedict (RB66)

Going down  the Clyde Mountain gave me a roller coaster of visual treats. From within my car, my sacred space for the journey, I could see the wonderful variety of God's creation in tall eucalyptus trees reaching for the sky, their clusters of leaves on their tops seemingly brushing and sweeping the misty sky, and the tree ferns and lower scrub, rainforest like, are  havens for small living creatures, the echidna, the birds, the lizards, wildflowers  and the likes and I thought Oh how lovely it is to be with God in silence, in his beautiful space, taking in the moments and remembering the preciousness of life with joy and wonder and remembering to give thanks. Aristotle said; in all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous. For me, the something of the marvellous then and there was the abundant presence of God. 

Jehovah shalom - the Lord is peace.     Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                A variety of God's creation

God is never far away.

I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses and he walks with me and he talks with me and he tells me I am his own.  (Christian song.)

At every moment of every day God is saying I love you. I mean, look about you, do the  autumn trees in all their shapes and colours not bring you joy? Does the last rose of summer not still hold the fragrance of its beauty? Do the green tips of the leaves on the daffodils pushing through the soil not  give you hope and the glorious sunrises and sunsets of autumn do they not pull on the strings of your heart and transport you to a place of awe and wonder?  Where is God, we sometimes cry and I say look, look about you, wander through the garden, look towards the sky, there is God, scattered with love.

May the beauty of God fill your life every single day.      Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                        Covered with Love.

Shifting and changing.

Seek the Lord while he may be found. Isaiah 55:6

Everything that God does in creation  puts a smile on my face and sometimes the smile turns into laughter. I love to see him in all he creates and marvel at his creativity. If I take a walk in the garden or a park or a pine forest or the desert he is there shifting and changing colours and shapes. Its even more lovely when there is just 'he and me' and he whispers in my ear: 'look at this and turn your face here, and see that, there I am.'  Go for a deliberate walk with him. Go and see the love of God, and you know, it doesn't matter what sort of a day you are having, the love of God will bring you home with a smile on your face and a warmth in your heart.

May the God of life bless you and keep you today and always.   Anne, servant of the Lord. 

                                                    That put a smile on my face.

Oh, now that's a beauty

 To you my eyes are turned, O Lord, my Lord. Psalm 141:8

Oh, now that's a beauty, a wonderful gift from God that caught my eye as I rounded the corner of the garden path. This beautiful rose, a kaleidoscope of colours. It is so lovely that it took my breath away and I recall these words I had read just a few days ago:  'At every moment of every day God is saying to me through his creation, I love you' -  and I respond with,  and  I love you too. E.A.Guest writes 'Oh, the things than I call living aren't gold and  fame at all! Its fellowship and sunshine and its roses against the wall.'

Dear Lord, help us to be aware of your presence and love in our lives.  Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                              O the love of God.

Things to be seen and heard.

 I am always aware of the Lords presence; he is near and nothing can shake me. Psalm 16:8

There are things of God's creation to be seen and things of God's creation to be heard all around me as I pause in my sacred space and there, Oh so beautiful, is the Eastern Spinebill, that glorious little honey eater with his orange rusty coloured chest having a wonderful breakfast of nectar  in the ever flowering  Grevillia bush. Oh what a delight, food for the soul. A rich blessing, and I recall  the words of Noel Davis when he said:' The tiny bird singing in the old Banksia tree, the family of Wrens spilling joy through the garden. Lord meet me there.'

There are things of God's creation to be seen and things of God's creation to be heard if we pause and listen and look and yes indeed, the Lord will meet us there.

May the God of life bless you and keep you always.  Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                            Lord meet us here.

A real beauty!

 Come before him singing with joy. Ps100:1

I didn't see it yesterday, or the day before, but today it is there, visible from my sacred space, just displaying itself and standing head and shoulders above the others - a glorious, beautiful white Camelia with a fringe of pink  tipped skirts absolutely perfectly formed. A real beauty and I could just imagine its label.  Made by God.

Every day holds new experiences, sometimes something as simple as noticing the drifting clouds in the sky or a  flower on the Camelia bush.

May the God of life bless you and keep you today and always.   Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                White with pink skirts.

The shape of a leaf.

 Come let us ring out our joy to the Lord; hail the rock of our salvation. Psalm 95:1

The leaves are turning, autumn is here, and there is a different bird song  in the air as the Crow adds his voice to the bird choir and there below my feet in the sacred space  two  tiny ants struggle with a crumb, a feast they have found to take home to their friends, and I shift my feet slightly so as to not disturb their path. Such sightings leave me in awe of an incredible God who creates such small but highly intelligent creatures, and then my eyes are drawn to the lovely pink of the Japanese wind flowers their long, slender stems swaying quietly in the breeze, another gift for today - a memory that goes with me.

I read a lovely quote (anon) which said. 'Enjoy something good and beautiful today, even if its just the shape of a leaf.'

May the peace of God fill your life every single day.    Anne, servant of the Lord.  

                                                                      The shape of a leaf.

                                                

                                               

Its yours!

 The great love of God Oh how lavishly given - the pearl of great price and the treasure of heaven. (TIS 164)

The words of this lovely hymn came to my mind when my eyes were drawn to pearl like drops of precious water hanging on the leaves of a tree in the garden as the rain softly fell in the early morning. Life giving, life sustaining, drops of rain. I love it when my eyes settle on an image about me and there flows a bible verse or words of a song such as this  -  all because I looked at a pearl shaped rain drop on a bush  that reminded me of the great love that God has for us all.  'It is yours it is ours O how lavishly given, the pearl of great price and the treasure of heaven.' 

Show us Lord your love. Open our eyes. Show us your love.             Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                    pearl like drops of water.

Surprise us Lord, surprise us!

May my prayer be like incense before you. Psalm 141:2

Early morning dew was still on the pure white flowers of the gardenia bush, its beautiful rich perfume rising from the pot at my feet and settling into my sacred space. I took a deep breath and inhaled the perfume it was offering and held it in for as long as I could. I wanted to catch it, hold it, and keep it forever.   It was the perfume of God and my prayer of thanks lingered long. Macrina Wiederkehr  would say: ' Surprise us with small joys and pieces of beauty to savor through the day.'  And to God I say: ' let me take it in, let me live with it for the moment, let it become an imprint on my heart and mind and soul. May it fill my day.

Mane Nobiscum Domine - remain with us Lord.    Anne, servant of the Lord.

Be present Lord.

 Great are the works of the Lord, to be pondered by all who delight in them. Psalm 111

The hue of day break in its soft pink and pastel blue light falls softly across the folding dark of night and my sacred space comes into being and I 'feel' that thin space between dark and light, stillness and peaceful quiet where there is only self and God, where you and God are all in all, and my heart stirs   with love for the Lord because I have,  in the moment, recognised who the creator of such beauty and quiet is. I wonder what it is that stirs your heart as you recognise the presence of the Lord in the moment?

As you bless me with light at the suns rising, shine on me now with love.  Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                the colour of day break.

                                            

Touched by the sun.

 My eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. (Julia Ward Howe 1819-1910)

From my sacred space I could see the sun falling on a closed flower and as if in slow motion it slowly opened its petal skirts to its fullness. Touched by the sun it flourished and immediately my  prayerful thoughts were: ' Ah, yes, Son of God, light of the world, fall on us so we too can open to our full potential.'

As you bless me with light at the suns rising, shine on me now with love.   Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                Light of the world fall on us.

A morning love song

 Morning has broken, like a new morning. Blackbird has spoken like the first bird. Praise for the singing, praise for the morning. Praise them for springing fresh from the world (Hymn)

A  few words from Macrina Wiederkehr crossed my mind as I woke up today. -'soft light of a new day - light born from earth's turning - a new light streams out of the darkness' and I could not help but think of the faithfulness of God, how day after day, night after night, day rolls into night and night into day. And there, again I hear it, the faithfulness of the birds singing their morning song of love.  I love the way God just brings on a new day with singing and that 'pull' of the spirit within me moves me to the sacred space, to be in his presence, to enjoy this wonderful gift of a new day  and  the silence wrapped in the bird songs.

Lord, you bless us with light at the sun's rising, shine on us now with love.   Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                           And the night turns to day.

Its raining, raining, raining.

 But since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory. Luke  9:28

Its raining, raining, raining and the crickets are singing and from thick dark clouds above  the  lightening flashes and the thunder rolls until it reaches its peak and then crack, it reveals itself above my head . Heavy rain falls  from the gutter edge onto the thirsty garden and the birds are silent, tucked up tight in the trees - heads hidden in feathers.  I love a wet day. I love a thunderstorm as it awakens me to God's glory in such a different way and I wonder, what are the things that awaken you to God's glory?

May the God of life bless you and keep you today and always.         Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                The lightening flashes.

To our full potential

 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing. Revelations 5:11

I read these lines: At the end of my life I hope I have used up every single bit of the talents God gave me.  Now that would be a life well lived! I was reflecting on this as I was looking at the fuchsia bush flowering in all its glory in parts and declining in other parts, and the dead flowers and I thought wow, you, having been  created by God, have used all your talents bringing glory and joy from your first bud to your last declining bloom, growing to your full potential and flourishing. 

The prayers fell from my lips into the sacred space. 'Dear Lord, may we flourish and bloom as your creations. Give us our full potential to bring joy and your glory to others.'

Jehovah-shalom. The Lord is peace.  Anne. Servant of the Lord

                                                    Full potential.

And look, just look over there.

 May you be blessed by the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. Ps115:15

Oh how lovely it is to look about and see the presence of God. The trees with their large branches that he made for the birds to come and dwell in. The shapes, and the colours of all that is growing around about us and at my feet in the sacred space are pots of bright red Petunias, pink and purple Fuchsias and mixed colours of Impatiens and I ponder how can it be said there is no God?   And look, just look over there, sitting on the tip of a leaf  is a raindrop just hanging there after the early morning rain shower. What we see about us brings great joy and blessings but the true blessing is recognising the maker.

May the peace of God fill your life every single day.    Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                Trees for the birds to rest in.

The echoes are calling.

 O God, you are my God; at dawn I seek you; for you my soul is thirsty - I have come before you in the sanctuary to behold your strength and glory. Psalm 63:2-3

One of my favourite poets is Henry Kendal and his beautiful poem. ' Bellbirds.'  ' By channels of coolness the echoes are calling, and down the dim gorges I hear the creek falling..........and softer than slumber and sweeter than singing, the notes of the bellbirds are running and ringing.' O the words of this poem have me sitting in the bush, just near a creek  and hearing the Bellbirds, such peace. To me I see Henry Kendal writing this poem from his sacred space and there the blessings of this poem flowed. And I reflect on  what happens when we spend time in our sacred space. Do words and sights of blessings flow? Is what you see and hear gifts from God? Do you glance or really see the beauty about you as God's glory? Did you hear the first call of the birds this morning and sense a blessing? Did you have a sense of peace and come away feeling ready to embrace the day?  Sacred space. Sacred moments. Sacred presence.

May the God of life bless you and keep you today and always.     Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                            By channels of coolness.

Watch and Listen.

 Great are the works of the Lord to be pondered by all who delight in them. Psalm 111

The words of C. Johnston say: ' Sitting in the morning sun I watch and listen, not just with my eyes and ears but also with my heart and soul as windows into the sacred presence.'  And I can see that sacred presence all around me in the beautiful creation of the birds and garden flowers, the glorious hydrangeas, the fuchsias, the roses and the bright red grevillea bush loaded with bees and a wattle bird so noisy as it protects and feeds from  its nectar  crop, and I think how God has sown such beauty for us to enjoy. Not to rush past but to sit and watch and listen and my  thoughts say, 'as God sowed such beauty may we also sow beauty.'

Mane Nobiscum Domine - Remain with us Lord.               Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                        The delight of the wattle bird.

A 2025 Mantra

 Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. Philippians 4:4-7

It is so special to have a sacred space, a place to meet with God one on one. At the moment the sacred space is surrounded with the beauty of a colourful garden, a delight to look at and be in. 'Rejoice and again I say rejoice'. Rejoice at the beauty of your surroundings, rejoice at God's creation - I mean, can you keep the smile off your face when the kookaburra laughs or more so when its baby tries to laugh as well! Or the  wonder of seeing a glorious flower growing and forming from the dirt of the earth? Above all rejoice at the birth of Jesus, at his goodness in all we have which is so much more than many and rejoice at his graciousness to us at welcoming us as children of God.

A mantra for this New Year. Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.'

Blessings.   Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                         Rejoice at such beauty.