Hand made by God

O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. Psalm 104:24
I find it hard to decide what is my favourite season of the year. Perhaps the autumn and spring as they bring about such profound, noticeable change with colour, glory, beauty and many 'Ah', moments of wonder and joy. A kaleidoscope of shifting colours in autumn and an air of beauty and incense in spring where everything comes to life daily from dormant to bud to colour.   I find I can  look at all of God's creation , ' the shape, the beauty, the perfection, the imperfection, the colour, the perfume, the variety, the size and say to myself,  ' God you made that.' Phillip Keller wrote: Whenever I am afield or outdoors, there steals over me the acute consciousness that I am confronted on every hand by the superb workmanship of my Father. It is as if every tree, rock, river, flower, mountain, bird, or blade of grass had stamped upon it the indelible label, 'made by God.' Pop outside a moment and look about you. There is God's handiwork.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

Yes, he even made these.

Everlasting God

The Lord is the everlasting God,the creator of the ends of the earth. Isaiah 40:28b
I wandered in the garden, as the song goes, 'while the dew was still on the roses.' I wandered among the mysteries of God. Among the incense of new roses, the brilliant coloured sweet peas and  fresh new mown grass, all to the melody of the garden birds and I thought of  this verse by Jane Armitage:
O thou who gave us eyes to see and love the sight so fair. Give us grace to seek out thee and see thee everywhere.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne,servant of the Lord

shine Jesus shine

warm gifts from God

I will sing forever of your love O Lord. (psalm 46)
        my peace be upon you forever
Its only a small thing, rather insignificantly sitting on my kitchen bench but it holds memories that make me smile every time I pass it. Its a small white jug that was given to me some time ago, full of violets and today it holds the memory of yesterdays walk, a  bunch of sweet smelling Jasmine that I plucked from its vine that was growing as one in an oak tree by the path I walked. When I saw it there dressed in yellow and white and flanked by green I found myself having a conversation with God for the rest of  my walk, about the beauty of his creation especially in unexpected pockets of almost hidden delight. In my conversation I reflected on the words of  Mary Oliver. ' Love for the earth and love for you are having such a long conversation in my heart.' 
Go slowly, slowly enough to not miss what God has put in your path today so its memory stays tomorrow and the next tomorrow and the next as a warm gift from God .

never was before.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Where can I go to meet with God. Psalm 42
I find I cant walk past the roses in all their glory without marveling at their beauty and colour. It seems every day the bush is not as it was yesterday. My walk may take me past a tree, a summer wattle about to burst into fragrant, pale yellow miniature balls of aroma far more obviously ready to burst open today than it looked yesterday and the mother magpie, a lone gatherer yesterday now has two persistent squawking babies fussing around her to be fed. Frederick Beuchner said: If you think you are seeing the same show all over again seven times a week, you're crazy. Every morning you wake up to  something that in all eternity never was before and will never be the same again.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

now they were not there yesterday!

remove your sandals

Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. Exodus 3:5
There is a quote by Elizabeth Barrett Browning which says:' Earth's crammed with heaven and every common bush afire with God; but only who sees takes off  his  shoes. The rest sit around and pluck blackberries!.'How often I see a brilliant, colour filled, 'stop in your tracks' sun rise and know that God is powerfully present. I look at the laughing kookaburra and know that God lives in all creatures. I smell the air filled perfume of the first  flush of roses on a cool evening and know that God is walking in the garden. It seems there is no space where God is not and we are one. God fills our every day spaces and when we see it,when we feel the oneness,  we know we are on holy ground. We know we are in the presence of God.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne,servant of the Lord.

Take off your shoes for you are on Holy Ground.

stay awake

Lord, lord, open to us. Matthew 25:11
It is so interesting to note that when we slow down we see more. When we are more aware we see more. The tiny little things that otherwise we miss. Its a bit like an awakening. An awakening to the things of creation which are of course, the things of God. When on retreat I noticed something that in the rush of daily life I would have missed. It was an intricate, most perfectly constructed mud nest of a tiny God made creature, perfectly crafted on the side of a brick wall. Who lives there I wondered. I don't know, but God does....and its owner. It was a delight, a blessing, to see what could have otherwise been missed.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

The home of one of God's creatures.

Foot print of the Holy

Glorify the Lord with me;let us exalt his name together. Psalm 34:3
I came home from my walk with  four dandelion heads in my hand, you know, the 'fluffy tops.' I couldn't help but  bend down and pick them as my mind flooded with childhood memories of sitting in the paddock with friends...half hidden  in lush  spring grass, making daisy chains and blowing the heads of the dandelions. I introduced my youngest grandson into picking dandelions and blowing the heads off as he called 'whats the time Mr Wolf' and we delighted in watching the tiny parachutes of seeds float through the air. I thought, God is so good. In all the events of life he still draws us back to times of joy, love, peace and harmony and its an awakening, a revival of his presence in all the moments of life. To quote Richard Foster: 'God wants us to be present where we are. He invites us to see and to hear what is around us and through it all, to discern the foot print of the Holy.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

What a God

May the Lord bless you and keep you. (Aaronic blessing
I always say that some things have to remain a mystery and one of those mysteries is the magnitude of a God who can know us and love us all individually and separately. Not just us here and now but those gone before us and those yet to come. What a God.  His love is such that he wants to constantly shower us with his blessings. You only have to look at your own life, and life and creation  about you.  We know ourselves when we love and care for someone we want to express that by giving a gift, sometimes just the gift of ourselves.God displays his love and power around us and among us, he is a lavish giver. Look at your life, look about you,there is no end to his love. In every season of the year God colours his world with love.  Springtime  to me is  one massive bouquet from God, given in love.
 Blessing upon blessing as the love of God shines on you.
Anne, servant of the Lord

A bouquet of God's love