I'm listening Lord. I see you.

' Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord.' Isaiah 2:3

Several things have caught my eye these past few days.

The bright blue of the stately Dutch Iris .

The raindrops, clusters of them, on the Camellia bush, which by the way is flowering prolifically with soft pink blooms.

The two magpies on the power line, warbling, singing to each other about the coming day.

And the sunset last night that burst, literally burst from the grey clouds, in a blaze of gold, showering fine dust rays of gold across the mountains , tree tops and valleys.

I read this from Mary Oliver's poems:

It doesn't have to be the blue iris, it can be weeds in a vacant lot, or a few small stones, just pay attention, then patch a few words together and don't try to make them elaborate, it isn't a contest, but a doorway, into thanks, and a silence in which another doorway may speak.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne

HIS friends

' Kneels at the feet of his friends, silently washing their feet.........Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love, show us how to serve the neighbours we have in you..........' (Christian song)

We model Christ as Christians and when I got up today with the line of this song running through my head I reflected on the past week to see, if in fact I had knelt at the feet of HIS friends and washed their feet.

Then I thought of the lady at a funeral who wept uncontrollably on my shoulder.

I thought of the child at school, calling loudly, 'God's teacher, can we have our God's class soon?'

I thought of the elderly lady at the supermarket who couldn't carry her shopping to her car.

I thought of the journey with a dying lady.

I thought of you all and your days work and I thought how God's love is shared, I thought of all the feet of HIS friends that will be washed.

The 'I's' are not about the 'me' but about the Christ within me.

Servant ministry is about serving and isnt it wonderful to be a server of the Lord.

Go forth with God's blessings.......and serve. Wash all the feet you can, in the name of Christ.

Anne

The richness of God

'The blessings of the Lord makes a person rich........Proverbs 10:22

You know, its that time of the year again. The Daphne is just out and there is no way I can walk past it and not stop to have a smell of those beautiful richly perfumed blossoms. Its like meeting with God every time I take in the aroma and everything else falls into oblivion.

What a sacred moment. Its one we want to visit again and again, just to be in his presence.

What makes you rich in life? Where do you meet God and have that sense of space where there is just you and him?

Seek it out and pause often.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne

Jesus in the fun times

' The master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.....' John 2:9

We are in the middle of confrontation with soccer every time we turn on the radio or TV or talk to someone who is a fan so its topical.

A small boy said to his mother as she was putting him to bed.' Mum, can Jesus play soccer with me?' Quick thinking mum said, ' Jesus could play soccer with you.'

How often do we imagine Jesus with us in the good, the ordinary and fun times?

Sometimes the things of life that concern us or trouble us are the only times we tend to ask Jesus to be with us BUT we know from biblical stories that Jesus had lots of fun, he must have, because he went to dinners and parties and banquets.

I think we have to remember to enjoy Jesus in our lives. He died, but he also lives.Look out for him in the fun times today.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne

Brother, let me be your servant.

A Roman officer said to Jesus: 'my servant is sick in bed at home unable to move and is suffering' Matthew 8:6

When I read this passage many names of people went through my mind.

I thought of the chaplain to a hospital with 100's to care for, often called at night.

I thought of the deacon at the drop in centre for the very disadvantaged in the community.

For a friend who cares for many in the community in the disability sector,through her love and care.

An older friend who despite her own difficulty visits and 'sups' with some elderly isolated.

The carer who cares for those less fortunate.

Yesterday at the group at church for those with disability a young man , with a disability himself,came for the first time. What a blessing he was, what a breath of fresh air as he chattered and served the one in the wheel chair and those with no speech, and all of us!.......He gave us all 'life.'

There is an anonymous saying:

The measure of greatness

is not the number of servants you have but the number of people you serve.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne

Go forth with Christs blessings

' I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord.' John 1:23

One lone Currawong heralded in the dawn of this new morning, breaking the silence with his call and and I thought of John the Baptist heralding in Christ, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way of the Lord.'

I wondered in my quiet time this morning in unseen unison with each other, how many of us are readying ourselves to 'prepare the way of the Lord' as we think and prayed about our day ahead.

You know, we wear the name Christian not because of what we are or who we are or where we are but because of whose we are. (Rick Ezell)

So, go forth in boldness and faith.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne

God is present.

'Be still for the presence of the Lord, the Holy one is here.' Christian song.

Scattered, thick grey clouds dotted the evening sky and each one was surrounded and backed by a blaze of red. It was like someone had drawn with a red florescent texter around the clouds and then started to softly colour the grey areas.

I thought of God.

I thought of those coming into his presence with a grey cloud hanging over them and how his light can brighten them and become part of them.

I thought of a disabled, wheel chair bound lady I have organised a team to visit who until now has had no friends for years and has been house bound most of her days. She said her life is like a nothing but we now bring for her hope, friendship and love, in the name of Christ.

Whenn I looked at that sunset I couldn't help but reflect on how the love and presence of God can be so transforming.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne

Emmaus walks

' Shine your love on us each dawn and gladden our days.' Liturgy of the Hours.

I sleep with an open window and an open curtain as I love to experience the night and the quiet and watch as God tucks away the stars and brings on the light, often in a kaleidoscope of colour, and I can feel my heart catching his fire for another day.

Each day has its pockets of 'Emmaus walks.' Those precious moments when God comes alongside and blesses us with his presence. Its like a brief moment in heaven, walking hand in hand with God.

It may be in the face of an elderly person
it may be as the sun tips the mountain top
As the sunsets
As you stoop and smell a flower
As the dew glistens in the cobweb strung along the fence.

The door of our cathedral through the autumn trees, almost stripped of their colour set my heart on fire as I reflected on the words Jesus: 'Knock and the door will be opened, seek and you will find.' (Luke 11:9)

Look tonight into your heart and see the Emmaus walks of today.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne