blessed life

' From the fullness of his grace ,we have all received one blessing after another.' John 1:16

I think the greatest blessing of all is knowing God and having Jesus in our lives. Life comes to life in that knowledge as we walk daily with him. From the toughest of days ,just to know he is there with us, is a blessing, to watching a new tight bud on a rose bush opening into a fragrance of beauty, colour and delight, a mystery, a wonder, a miracle, a blessing.

If there is something tough on your plate today, something you are anxious about, something you need God's blessing for then smell a roses, or look at the dense blossom of the prunes tree, or the bright face of a daffodil and know that God is with you and be blessed.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

peace to you

' The peace of God that passes all understanding......'  (APBA)
In the quiet,
     in the stillness
         as the new day was being made
          there was God
              and there was me
What peace
What a way to start a day
wrapped in the creators arms.

May your day be one of new beginnings
May your day be one of peace
May your day be where you find peace.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

' What ever you do,work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.' Col 3:23
I heard a chaplain in aged care asking a volunteer group if they could help out as they were desperate for helpers. 'We only help with the dying,' was their response. 'Are these people dying?' 'No,' the chaplain replied, 'but their souls are.' Immediately many of volunteers signed up to help.
There was something in this conversation that sounded like a parable in my ears, or is it a miracle?
Sometimes we are hesitant about asking for what it is we really need.Sometimes we have to spell it out as it is.For the sake of our brothers and sister. For the sake of Jesus.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

' Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? yet not one of them is forgotten in God's sight.But even the hairs of your head are all counted.Do not be afraid, you are of more value than many sparrows.' Luke 12:6-7.
I was walking across the paddocks enjoying the freshness of the afternoon listening to a flock of galas having a wonderful 'paty' on a patch of ground newly seeded and joining the 'party' was about twenty sparrows on a blackberry bush nearby. They had gathered on a branch all bunched up together , chatting, chasing one another in a mood of play, feathers ruffled and hopping in and out of a pool of water, splashing and singing. Some say the sparrow is a pest, a 'dime a dozen' bird that its not wanted, its destructive yet God counts it precious and whats  more, a blessing of hope and assurance are Jesus words when he talks about sparrows. He says, and get this, 'YOU are of more value than many sparrows.'
What a wonderful God we have. Welcome this day singing his praises.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord.
                                                                          Picture of a sparrow in the tomb garden. Jerusalem.

caught!

'For to this end Christ died and lived again so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.' Romans 14:9
A bit rough and ready, a few tats  and showing signs of having lived life in the fast lane, he said to me at a funeral interview. 'I'm not religious love,I don't do this God stuff, but if you ask me to say the Our Father, I 'm ready. I got caught out once and after that I made a pocket sized version of the Our Father and I carry it with me all the time just in case  I get asked to say it again. I know it by heart as well just in case I lost the pocket card.'
At the funeral of his mate I read this passage of scripture from Romans 14
'We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live we live to the Lord,and if we die we die to the Lord;so then,whether we live or whether we die we are the Lords.'
After the service, with hand on his chest  over his pocket with the card in it he said.'I'm hanging onto this!'  I had a strong sense that God has him well and truly in the palm of his hand.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne,servant of the Lord.

Dwell in the house of the Lord.

'One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord. Ps 27:4
Sometimes the best things in life are those things nearest to us.
The crispness of the morning frost letting us know we are alive!
The frozen dew drops on the tip of a leaf, hanging, suspended, paused, frozen in time.
The weak sun light pushing through the fog creating those moments of 'haunting beauty.'
The daphne at the front door,perfume filling the air and giving a sense that spring is on the way.
A day ahead prayed in and over, full of challenge and promise,an adventure, hand in hand with Jesus.
Robert Louis Stevenson said: The best things are the nearest" breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet,duties at hand, the path of God before you.'
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne,servant of the Lord.

regroup

' This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.' Psalm 118:24
How often do we get up of a morning and see nothing before us but the worries and issues of yesterday. We miss the glorious day with the sun shining and the crispness of the frost on the ground.
We miss the gift that it is, ready to be opened and lived. Indeed, the unfinished business from yesterday may well be with us but what a shame to allow that to blot out the sun(Son) on a new day.

' Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you,love you,savor you. Let me not pass by you in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may for it will not always be so.'  (Mary Jean Irion)
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord 

lamp posts

'You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lamp stand and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others so they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.' Matthew 5:14-16

I have a collection of family diaries dating from the 1700's through to the 1800's and their reading is just so interesting. I was reading about the gas lamp lighter and how, just after dark he would go from light post to light post lighting each lamp and the description was fascinating because the writer could not see the lamplighter in the dark, just each lamp lighting up a space in the dark as he passed by.

May we all think about our day ahead and where it is we may shine before others with the light of Christ.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ

Anne, servant of the Lord.

Jesus is Lord

' Let all the world in every corner sing,My God and King.' TIS 105
I can still hear the words of an elderly lady that sit on my heart following a service in an aged care facility. She said.'My husband and I were the organists for our local church and we practiced the hymns during the week ready for Sunday. He would play and sing 'Jesus is Lord,' and from the kitchen I would come in with 'of course he is, of course he is.' She beamed in reminiscing. I find such inspiration from the older people who hold so strong to faith and out walking  the following day confronted with a glorious sunset I found myself singing, Jesus is Lord (of course he is.)
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne,servant of the Lord.