Kissed by his peace.

 God gives richly all things to enjoy. 1 Timothy 6:17

The real gift in God's beauty is to recognise the creator, the one who made all that is before our eyes in creation. If you stand at a scenic lookout looking  across vast green valleys to distant hills and high purple mountains, and then add a pastel pink and red and blue setting sun in the sky or look into the centre of a tiny, tiny Forget-me-not  you will be so enriched and much blessed if you see in it all the creator and not just the creation and you will be 'kissed' by his peace.

I read these lovely words somewhere recently; 'God sprinkles tiny hints of heaven on earth.' a sunset, the smell of the ocean, strains of music, a beautiful scene, the trill of a tiny bird, the laugh of the kookaburra, the sweet, deep perfume of the Daphne flower - all to give us a hint, a tiny taste of what's to come - mere glances and flashes of heaven.'

May the God of all creation bless us and keep us today and always.  Anne, servant of the Lord.

For-get-me-not

Turn your eyes upon Jesus.

 Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done and  his miracles. Psalm 104: 4

I recall sitting out side a house of prayer recently when I was on a retreat. The view was captivating. The green of the rural countryside, rolling hills, seed planted fields and roaming, grazing sheep in paddocks before me emanated peace. Suddenly I could hear a group of people from the prayer room beginning to sing, softly, gently, slowly: 'Turn your eyes upon Jesus', followed by 'Isn't he beautiful.' All in one spirit I joined in, as did others near by and the Spirit of God filled that place. Later I wrote in my journal: God is before me in the morning, dressed in all his wonderful, beautiful creation. Everywhere I look I can see him and I heard a still small voice whisper. 'As you sit looking at me, so am I looking at you. You see me in creation, so I see you in creation,' and there was a deep sense of oneness.

Take time, make time, to pause, stop and enjoy God's handiwork, his fingerprints and loving touches which abound in nature...…..turn your eyes upon Jesus and look full in his wonderful face.

Go well into the day, encounter the soft breeze of the Spirit across your face and walk humbly with Jesus by your side.         Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                                    Peace.

Applause for God

 An invitation to look at Gods wonder.     Altogether now - applause for God. Psalm 66: 1 (The Message.)

Take a good look at God's wonders they will take your breath away. I mean. just look at the tree decorated with the red and green of the King Parrots. Take a good look!  Take a good look at the first Jonquil to be in flower this winter, burst forth from its deep sleep to give us joy and resurrection hope. I mean take a good look.  God made such things, he made all his creation just for you and me.  Praise the Lord.

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

                                                          King Parrots decorations.

Sing to the Lord

 O for a thousand tongues to sing my great redeemers praise. TIS 210

What a way to wake up in the morning - with a hymn on your lips and in your heart. The morning  shrouded in fog was alive with a wonderful chorus that was completely in harmony with the paint brush in God's hand as he painted a loud magnificent dawn of bold red and gold and blue. - The chorus was magnificent.   A mass of Currawongs in harmony with each other, Crimson Rosellas 'pipping' a high and low note and the tiny trill of the darling Blue Wrens all just seemed to pull together a chorus of a thousand tongues singing praise to their great redeemer.  I joined in the chorus with:

                 My gracious Master and my God, assist me to proclaim. To spread throughout all the earth                        abroad, the honour of your name. (Charles Wesley) 

           Take these words into your day because such music in our ears is life and health and peace.

                                                    Anne, servant of the Lord.         

                                                 Tiny trill of the darling Blue Wrens.
   

Bird song

 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Psalm 105:6

Morning by morning I hear the beautiful song of a little bird sitting on a twig in the tree, head held back as if he is singing to heaven and he sings and sings and sings. Its as if he is singing morning praises to his creator, singing his little heart out. I think this little bird knows he belongs to God. When the psalmist says let everything that has breath, praise the Lord, he means everything, even the little birds. I wonder how diligent are we  at singing praises every morning to the Lord?

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

And he sings and he sings and he sings.

Gift of his love

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. TIS 768

From the sacred space I could touch the glorious bloom of the last rose of summer. In the stillness and the quiet as I pondered with God on the gift of this new day I marvelled at the acuteness of its colour and the beauty of its perfect formation. It was as if God had placed it within my sight in an otherwise bare winter garden as an offering, a gift, of his love through creation. Stillness and quiet are what invites God into our space to sit and to be with us and to show us his love.  My morning prayer rises with these words: Teach me your ways so that I may hear you in the silence, see you in the emptiness, touch you in the gifts of creation.

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

.

                                                       The last of the summer roses- a gift.

Looking for God moments.

 The glory of the Lord appeared in the clouds. Ex 16:10

 Sometimes I go looking for God in moments of wonder and sometimes they just come to me unexpectantly. There are so many new moments of wonder to be grateful for all day and every day, just those fresh drops of rain on a dusty leaf, a verge of wildflowers, the sun shining through on a winters day, the birds in morning song  to say nothing of an unexpected gift, a conversation or the smile of a passer by. Recently while in the remote outback I went out with my camera  'to catch the sun set' and I was well rewarded but as the sunset evolved it became  far less of a sunset to catch but the deepening presence, wonder and awe  of God as 'the glory of the Lord appeared in the clouds.'

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.    Anne, servant of the Lord.

Pukatja/Ernabella SA

Daily blessings

 The gifts of God for the people of God. (APBA.)

Gifts are wonderful things full of surprises and there are no greater gifts than those showered on us by God. From the sacred space my morning is filled with gifts. There is the sun shining through the autumn trees at day break. The dew glistening on the grass, the last rose of summer opening, the Rosellas bathing in the birdbath with sheer joy, and the Rufus Whistler whistling, now that's a gift! and of cause the gift of being alive and loved by God as this new day breaks.  We are so blessed when we are open to the gifts from God, daily. What gifts I wonder have you received today?

May the peace of God( and his gifts) fill your life every single day.     Anne, servant of the Lord.

Now there's a gift!

Breath taking God

See the streams of living water, springing from eternal love. TIS 446

I was in awe  of the beauty of the autumn trees along the path way. Glorious in shifting colours, dressed for autumn were the trees as they prepared themselves for winter rest. They were so colourful that they took my breath away. Every leaf seemed to emanate the handywork of God and I was left with a song in my heart: Glorious things of you are spoken.

I wonder how often we get so accustomed to the things about us that we fail to see God, fail to stop in awe and wonder, fail to see his creation?

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

                                                                Glorious things

Well of living water.

 Plant your roots in Christ and let him be the foundation for your life. Col 2:7

There is something ancient, knowledgeable and  a mystery about the roots of the trees that stand above the sands in the river  bed. They look so strong having mastered many a storm and through drought their roots reach deep, deep down to the well of water in the depth of the earth. As I meditate on these roots I am drawn to think of the words of Christ as one who spoke of being the 'well of living water.'  The one who holds us firm in a storm and the one who is there in the times of  drought in our spiritual lives.

(annon) 'Like the deep roots of a plant drawing support and nourishment from the ground, your faith in God provides an anchor for the rest of your life.'

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

                                                An anchor for life.

Silence and solitude

 This is the day which the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm118:24

There is something about a rainy day. The only sound that can be heard other than the rain falling gently on the roof is the magpie singing its beautiful song. In this lovely day the yellowing autumn leaves on the tree seem even brighter in colour and there is a graceful stillness about it.  I love to just sit and soak it all in for there is God displaying his day. Ann Rennie says: 'Can we savour silence and solitude as wells of spiritual refreshment?  

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

                                                    Sit awhile with me.

There is beauty.

 One God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all and is present in all. Ephesians 4:6

Something of beauty catches my eye as I pass along the garden path. A glorious perfectly formed rose. I pause and look, I catch its perfume  and reflect. How do you see the things of beauty? Wonder and amazement or common place? Look, look long enough that you become a part of it so that the fine line between you and its creator become one. Look deeply - there is beauty, there is beauty going deeper and deeper and deeper  among its petals - there is God.

Easter. Has it been a common place experience  for you or one full of wonder and amazement?

Alleluia Christ is risen.          Anne servant of the Lord.

                                              Created by God.

Creation announces the Divine

 O God, you are my God; At dawn I seek you: for you my soul is thirsting. Ps 63:2-3

The early morning sky was a vast dome of soft blue, perfectly curved and cloud free, it was as if God was stretching his hand out over the day, sweeping away the night and the more I looked at it from the sacred space the richer the blessing was. The Rufus Whistler was singing his beautiful song and an early yellow autumn leaf fell silently to the ground from the laden tree. Quiet, still, blessed as I watched creation announce the Divine. I thought to myself, not a thousand soft goose down feathers on my bed would stop me from missing this early morning time of the day with the Lord.  I wonder. Have you ever returned from a time with God unblessed?

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

                                                A single autumn leaf fell to the ground. 

Oh wow!

 Be surprised and full of wonder. Isaiah 29:9

Friedrich Buecher said: ' 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.' 

Sometimes we can be so busy hurrying through our days, our diaries, that we fail to see what's in our day and days blur into weeks and years in our lives and we miss the ordinary yet life giving joys.  Slow down, notice the brilliant red of the flowering gum full of the light of the sun or the pastel pink and blue of the sunset, the first call of the morning birds and say to the Lord: Thank you for the ordinary gifts of every day, evoking in me wonder and surprise.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.   Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                                Red flowering gum

Shafts of sunbeams.

 In the morning you will see the Glory of the Lord   Exodus 16:7

Pre dawn darkness suddenly shot with rays of light, shafts of sunbeams lighting up the Eucalyptus tree like the burning bush, brilliant orange and yellow hue's.  It was just a sunrise, just a tree  - but I knew it was God and on the beath of prayer I whispered 'Good morning Lord.'

Macrina Wiederkehr said: You slip into my life  like the night and day, like stars and sunrise - I know that you are God.

Lord, as you bless us with light at the suns rising, shine on us now with Love.    Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                Good morning Lord.

'Here I am'

Love divine, all love excelling, joy of heaven to earth come down. ( Charles Wesley hymn)

God lavishes his love on us. Go outside, you can see it - creation in all its glory and what joy to hear nothing else but the beautiful melodious song of the magpies, sitting on the branch of the gum tree, head held high and singing with such joy and down closer to the ground the bees are busy in the grevillea gathering their harvest for the day from the brilliant red blossoms, produce for our enjoyment and there is a mass of butterflies on the magenta blooms of the Buddleia bush and from among the twigs and flowers God says 'here I am.'.  What love God has for us that he can create such as this for you and me. They are all miraculous detail of God's creation - daily gifts. What will you thank God for today?

May God's blessing be upon us and remain with us always.      Anne, servant of the Lord.

Miraculous creation.

Walk and talk.

 I come to the garden alone, while  the dew is still on the roses and the voice I hear falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses. And he walks with me and he talks to me and he tells me I am his own and the joy we share as we tarry there non other has ever known. (Hymn. Austin Miles)

I love strolling through the garden early in the morning with a cup of tea in hand, just alone, just listening to the morning song of the birds, a beautiful chorus of different calls and I feel the freshness of the air and gaining warmth of the sun just up and still ,O so still and quiet , and looking behind me I can see my footprints in the dew laden grass and then I am reminded I am never alone,  be it in the garden in the still of the morning, or in a busy Mall or entrenched in the daily grind, we are never alone. Whenever I see my footprints or my shadow for that matter, I know Jesus walks with me. Our sacred spaces are so valuable to us, especially in the early morning and the quiet for its here that Jesus walks with us(or sits with us) and talks to us and joy is shared.

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

.                                                Dance, dance wherever you may be.

In the storm

 'I am with you always. Matthew  28:20

We know that God is every where, in all places and in  all times but sometimes we forget this so keep this one posted on your wall - the wall of your kitchen, the wall of your office, the wall of your heart and read it often, so often that it becomes a way of life, an imprint on heart and mind and a breath of the wind  of the Spirit within and pull it out in full force when the storms are raging.

Lucado puts this in powerful context, ( I am with you always)  right into our every day lives, in fact into every minute of our every day lives.

'A storm on the Sea of Galilee was a kin to a sumo wrestlers belly flop in a kiddies pool. The northern valley acted like a wind tunnel compressing and hosing squalls onto the lake. Waves as tall as 10 feet were common. Yet from the centre of the storm the unwavering Jesus shouts - 'I am.'    In ICU, on the battle  fields, in the boardroom,  the prison cell or in the maternity ward. Wherever your storm, 'I am.'

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

   

A stormy sea.           

                                    

God at play

Dance then, wherever you may be. I am the lord of the dance said he and I'll lead you all, wherever you may be and I'll lead you all in the dance said he. (Sydney Carter - hymn)

If there was ever a time to be caught off guard by God its when the wind suddenly blows. This particular day the wind came out of nowhere and really stirred up everything around the sacred space, tossing old gathered leaves around, bending tree tops low - it was as if God was playing and this came to mind:

The windblown tree tops bow to the ground as if kissing the earth,

 and the birds 'fly sideways' as the wild wind gathers pace, tossing spent leaves, tuffs of dry grass and a  discarded birds nest in a swirl then dumping them 'thud' to the ground where they lay again.

Waiting - Waiting for the next playful wind and the 'flying sideways birds' navigate a bumpy landing around the spent leaves, the dry tuffs of grass and the discarded bird nest - to rest before the next playful gust of wind comes to play again. - What a joy it is to see God at play. Moments spent in the sacred space are a blessing for the day.

May God smile on everything you do - God go with you - God love you.    Anne Servant of the Lord.

                                                  A gift from the 'flying sideways 'bird.

Stand and see

O sing a new song to the Lord. Psalm 96

The glow of the rising sun casts colours of pink across the branches of the white river gum outside my window and on a single branch the magpie sings his morning song. What a delight to wake up to such a kaleidoscope of colours and a chorus of song, in the still, otherwise quite morning. And God is there, God is in it, it is God wrapped in light.  Its times like these that nourish our inner lives and strengthen our faith.

Mary Oliver said: Sometimes I only need to stand where I am to be blessed. 

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

                                                     Pink hues in the snow gum.