God's beauty

 To behold the beauty of the Lord: Psalm 27:4
So many times and in so many places we have the opportunity to behold the beauty of the Lords, if we are looking for it!
Yesterdays frost was as white and almost as thick as newly fallen snow. Everything, everywhere, as far as could be seen across the pond, the hills and valleys and mountains was white, glistening, shinning,  crisp. Freezing yet glorious and wrapped in a soft, white mist.
 All so beautiful. All so of God.
As I had prepared to go for my morning walk I found these words falling from my heart in prayer: 'Lord, show me your beauty today.'    And he did, in a far grander way than every expected.
God shows his beauty to us from frosty mornings, to a beautiful flower, breathtaking scenery, a tiny bird the smile of a baby and in  the face of the elderly.
Seek his beauty.Ask him to show it to you.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ,
Anne, servant of the Lord.

rain drops

He made water flow for you from flint rock. Deut 8:15
I watched the rain drops fall into the bird bath outside my window as they rippled to the edges  one after the other they fell, pods of life giving water, that rolled off the edge of the bird bath and  onto the ground below.
Rain drops full of nourishment, so small yet so vital to life.
Filled with the life giving, living waters of Jesus we too become ' pods of nourishment and life' spilling over into the lives of those God puts in our path day by day.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

God is love

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8
One of the most moving things that I have experienced of late was the first letter I received in the mail from my  granddaughter. It arrived  with big bold wording on the envelope in the script of a six year old child declaring it was for Nanna Ranse. I held it close to my chest, savoring this 'first' experience before opening it to see a letter of two lines which simply said' I hope you are feeling better, I love you very much'
How those words made me feel is indescribable but I know I went back to them many times through that day and the days that followed, I was so blessed by them and my thoughts went to God. Do we ever tell him we love him? Do we ever give him the words that cause him to hug them to his chest and savor them for hours and days?  Today I found myself humbling the song, 'I love you Lord and I lift my voice to worship you O my soul rejoice.'  Try it, it will lift your soul and your spirits and God will love it to.
Solly Ozrovech says: There is tremendous spiritual power in the mere act of confirming softly, 'Living Christ, I love you dearly.'
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

the cushion of God's love

The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7.

The clouds this morning were grey, tinged with the pink of the sunrise and sat low in the valley looking like they had fallen from the sky. Peeks of mountains poked through them and the whole scene emanated the quiet and stillness of the morning and a peace, a God filled peace was present.
 There are many places to find the deep peace of God. LB Cowman says in a reflection that there is a part of the sea known as 'the cushion of the sea.' and it lies beneath the surface that is agitated by storms and churned by the wind and it is so deep that it never stirs.
The peace of God is an eternal  calm  like this cushion of the sea, or the peaceful, God present peace of the valley. It lies deep in our hearts undisturbed by what is happening around and within us. This peace comes when we take God with us in the moments of our days and lives regardless of the storms within and without.

I like this quote from Pilgrim's Progress which says: ' Pilgrim was taken to a large upper room that faced the sunrise and the name of the room was peace.'
May the deep peace of God's love and presence be the cushion for you today.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Praising your name

I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and faithfulness. Ps 138:2.
Often I am lost for words when I walk in the morning.
There is just me
and those I take along in prayer
and God
 and as the last of the night stars fade into the day the rising sun comes over the mountain top and colours the day.
 It warms my heart, it stills me, it takes my breath away, it takes my words leaving me in awe and I want to take my shoes off ans slowly, quietly, beautifully a song comes to my heart.

The new day is created, new opportunities are opening up. I have sung, I have prayed, I have been in the presence of God and God knows my heart is blessed and I call it my morning prayer.

What is your experience of morning prayer?

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

your power, O God.

' I am with you always.' Matt 28:20
It is such a wonderful thing to know that God is always with us. That is where his peace comes from.
 I woke up in the night and through my uncovered window I saw a sky of stars and immediately came to mind one of my favorite hymns: '  I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder, thy power throughout the universe displayed.'   (How great thou art)
Jesus said:' I am with you always.' Not I will be, not I might be, not perhaps, but I AM with you always. How blessed are we when our thoughts immediately go to God, in the day and in the night. How blessed are we to really know his presence.
I recall this old  verse: (author unknown)
 O Jesus, make thy self to me
 a living bright reality!
more present to faith's vision keen
than any outward vision seen.
May you know deep in your heart the words of Jesus:' I am with you always.'
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

strength and blessings

'Better is the end of things than the beginning.' Ecc 7:80
How true.
A rose starts as a bud and grows to an open flower filled with perfume, incense that brings joy to the heart.
A sunrise, rich in colours fades to a glorious day that holds potential for multiple blessings.
A delicious meal, wonderful to smell coking, to wait in anticipation, but the memory lies in the enjoyment of the finished product
A new found faith, rich with potential, grows and blossoms into service for the Lord.
Better is the end of things than the beginning
God's only intention is to strengthen and bless us. May you be richly  strengthened and blessed through

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

deeper and sweeter

'But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever.' Ps 52:8

 I love forests. I loved riding my horse through the pine forest as a child, I loved exploring Sherwood Forest in Nottingham and I love to just sit in the stillness and quiet of a forest, smack bang in the middle of nature a oneness with God and  God's creation.
We all know the saying 'I cant see the forest for the trees.' I can be tough when life throws up a barrier of stress or overwhelming life circumstances, hectic work schedules or far to fast a pace of life making it so easy to lose that sense of the oneness of God in the mix of his creation. Making it hard to see God through the density of life issues.
This is a lovely prayer verse from the Hebridean Altars.

Keep within me
a stillness
deeper and sweeter
than a forest's
in mid winter.

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

angel dust

' May the Lord bless his people with peace. Psalm 29:11
I am often lost for words when I look to the west of an evening, just on sun set and see the hills and valley covered in what looks like a fine dust in the soft evening light that seems to be full of stillness and peace. It seems to fall from heaven and its breath taking. I like to call it 'angel dust' as I am sure it has come from heaven to sprinkle the earth for our joy and  pleasure. Have you seen it?
I read this prayer by Frederick Buechner:
' Lord, catch me off guard today. Surprise me with some moment of beauty or pain so that at least for the moment I may be startled into seeing that you are here in all your splendour, always and everywhere, barely hidden,beneath, beyond, within this life I breathe.'
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

upholding

' Hold thou me up and I shall be safe.' Ps 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 outside my window. 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, it is not my grip of Christ's hand but Christ's  grip of me, that's what stops us stumbling and keeps us on the path.
I hear the tinkle 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.'
Yes, I will uphold you
with my own right hand;
you are called and chosen
in my sight to stand. (unknown)

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

a drop in the ocean

'Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you;bind them around your neck,write them on the tablet of your heart so you will find favour and good repute in the sight of God and of people.'
There was a boy standing on the beach amongst hundreds of star fish that were being washed up by the tide. One by one he was throwing them back into the sea. An old man came past and said to the boy. 'You will never make a difference, there are too many.' The boy kept throwing them back,one by one and again the old man said. 'you will never do it, you will never make a difference.'
The boy picked up a star fish and threw it into the sea and looking straight at the old man said; 'See, I did make a difference to that one.

Think of your day, of your week. Who has God placed before you and remember to focus on the one before you in the moment.

Mother Teresa said:
So I begin....I begin.
I picked  up one person. Maybe if I hadn't picked up that one person I wouldn't have picked up 42,000.
The whole work is only a drop in the ocean but if I don't put one drop in the ocean will be one drop less.

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

Blessed assurance

' Jesus, all beauty,heavenly and earthly,in you is wondrously found to be;  none can be nearer,fairer or dearer than you,my saviour are to me.'
 Sometimes we look for assurance of the presence of God. We know he is there but we just need that little confirmation, an Ahaaa occasion. Its a bit like having someone sleeping near us at night, we know they are there  but are assured by their gentle breathing. Sometimes the presence of God will come through nature, for me its specifically the blue wrens. Sometimes it will be a beautiful view across the countryside, over the ocean or through the stark arid desert. Sometimes it will be in the quite and stillness and sometimes we can't miss it when God reaches his hand  through the clouds at sunrise, and spreads his fingers and blesses us with his presence in soft light mingled with morning mist.
Heading to work today with challenges?
perhaps facing surgery
perhaps in the labour ward
perhaps fare welling a soldier for overseas service
perhaps feeling anxious or alone
perhaps just needing reassurance.

Look about  a moment,it only takes a second for the light of Christ to reveal himself anew.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne,servant of the Lord.

The glory of God

' The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.' Ps 19:1

It is so amazing how God works when we are aware of his presence in our every day life.

I sense this and feel it often and on one particular occasion I remember being in a rural setting where kangaroos and birds of many varieties were in abundance and as I sat on a granite outcrop at dawn, half way up a hill,I surveyed a panorama of deep blue rolling mountains,distant ones snow capped,green hills and rabbits almost at my feet and God graced me with a brier bush full of blue wrens.
I wrote in my note book: Today I have been blessed at the start of the day with a chorus of kookaburras and I have been amongst God's treasures. For me he opened the lid of his treasure chest and let a few come out,just for me and as I was thanking him in a breathtaking response he gave me one more of his treasures, a beautiful purple orchid,so nice, so delicate amidst the granite and brier.

 I thought of the all powerful,mighty God who created rugged mountains, who can also create in contrast, a delicate, breathtaking,beautiful orchid. Little do we realise sometimes that the glory and the power of he who made the universe lies hidden in a flower.
Today when you look at God's mighty, awesome creation, pause at a beautiful flower and see God's love and a message from him, just for you.

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

And my heart sang

'O Lord in the morning you hear my voice:in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.' Psalm 5:3

Its a wonderful thing when your thoughts go straight to the Lord when you get up of a morning.
I was waking down the street heading for the walking track and as I stepped out I heard myself say, 'Good Morning Lord' and at that very moment a Magpie gave the most beautiful solo of an opening rich warble. He was then joined by  the melodious singing of the Blackbird and, not to be outdone, I heard the distant laughing of the Kookaburra. To cap the Lord's reply, two beautiful Rosella's skimmed the top of my head, flying in perfect formation.

And my heart sang
and my soul soared.

What a wonderful reassurance of the presence of God. And I knew, I knew deep within that he would hear my morning petitions and that I would go into the day with the expectation that whatever was to be,was his will. And when doubt or worry crossed my path I only had to reflect back on the encounter of the morning to receive the blessing again and again of his presence.

Today, start with God and he will stay with you.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne,servant of the Lord.

And he walks with me and he talks with me

'Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying: this is the way,walk in it.' Isaiah 30:21

Sometimes I have a discussion with myself when I am out walking. Will I go this walkway to the open walking track,will I go that way via some streets and lanes or will I just take the direct path that will get me to where I am going, the aim of the walk to be with God, to walk with him in the freshness of the early morning even before the sun has kissed the capeweed into flower so the rest of the day I will walk in the light of this first God encounter.
So often when I deliberate about the path to take I think of this passage from Isaiah because I often answer myself with ,'walk this way.'

On occassions I have been preparing for a funeral and the family have requested the passage from John's gospel chapter 14 1-6 but add, please leave out verse 6 where Jesus says,  'I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.' I decline that request, of course.

The inner voice that our ears hear is the voice of God, directing,guiding, leading along the right path, the right way, to him.
Live  the walk of life regardless of its valleys and mountains. Remain close to the one who walks with you.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne,servant of the Lord.

Ever present God

'God is our strength and ever present help in trouble.' Ps 46:1
I read this line of psalm 46 and always want to to leave the last three words off. I know he is our ever present help when we are in trouble but he is also  'ever'present'

A Religious Education teacher  told a young boy in distress that no matter where you go, God is always there with you. There is no place he is not. If you are an astronaut and fly to outer space in a space ship, God is with you. If you are an ocean explorer, in a submarine on the ocean floor God is with you, if you are a mountain climber, hanging off a sheer drop in the Snowdonia Mountains in Wales, God is with you,and if you are a small boy in distress, God is with you. Every move you make, every breath you take, God is with you.

I shared this same profound thought with a heroin addict at the hospital as she was struggling through the dark valley, the mist and hallucinations to 'come clean.' She was doing well. The dark valleys were still dark but the light at the end of the valley was shinning brighter and getting closer
Its quite profound when we stop, I mean really stop and reflect and actually think of the closeness of God and realise that no matter where, no matter what situation or event, God is there, ever present,
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord

If you want to ......

Mathew 8:2-3 (A leper said to Jesus) 'If you want to , you can make me clean.' Jesus reached out and touched him. 'I do want to' he answered. 'Be clean' At once the man was healed.

Lonely, often in tears,separated from family who live interstate, now immobile. This is a lovely Christian lady who I pastorally care for in the nursing home. Yesterday I greeted her in her room with the first blooms of the Daphne, a cup of tea for each of us and a few bars of her favourite chocolate. Her whole facial expression changed from feeling miserable and crying to joy and smiling. Over our cuppa I shared Psalm 121 and the love of God who will not let us go, who travels life journey with us , who is with us now and for ever more.
The tears of misery turned to tears of comfort and peace.
I reflect on the God given ministries we all  have and how we use them and I know I would not have it any other way.I also reflect on the words of Elie Wiesel: 'Our lives no longer belong to us alone, they belong to all who need us desperately.'
Proclaiming the Lords work by love and action is so life giving that from our hearts we want to glorify God until our last breath.
"Je veux crier l Evangile toute ma vie' I would shout the gospel all my life!

May God's blessings be yours,
and well may it befall you.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

To love and serve the Lord

Jesus said, 'Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again,but those who drink of the water that I give them will never be thirsty.' John 4:13
I was looking at the pond of clear crystal water embedded in the paddock and surrounded by long stems of dry grass all gently swaying in the wind, and so it was for as far as my eye could see. But on the edge of the pond were turfs of green grass obviously close enough to the water to be fed with the life giving water.  As I looked I thought this is a modern day parable.Central to life is the living water that refreshes us so we can move out into the barren dry land where others are searching for that living water, or need to be refreshed, taking with us 'drops' of the great pond  we know so well to quench the thirst of those who are not close to the pond of crystal clear water.
Who might you be taking 'drops' of the life giving water to today as you go out into the world 'to love and serve the Lord?'
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne,servant of the Lord

fight and hope

' May you, with all God's people, have the power to understand the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ's love.' Eph 3:19

When I read this text of rich words said by St Paul I thought of all of you who are desperately fighting bush fires and  working to  bring hope to the hopeless and comfort to the brokenhearted, support to the tired and exhausted, water to the thirsty and while it breaks our hearts to see such devastation of property, homes, lives and our animals, to experience this darkness in our days we know that God is with us.

 I love the closing prayer of the Iona Community Daily Office:
In work and worship     GOD IS WITH US
Gathered and scattered GOD IS WITH US
Now and always           GOD IS WITH US.

And I use these words to say:
In the heat and ash     GOD IS WITH US
In the loss and heartache  GOD IS WITH US
In the fight and hope  GOD IS WITH US
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

God's love

'All things bright and beautiful.....the Lord God made them all.' TIS 135

Did you see God smile for you today?

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne,servant of the Lord