Rock of safety

My God and the rock of salvation. Psalm 89:26
Massive rocks line the beach beyond the sand as a barrier to potential danger. They are rocks that protect the community of houses beyond them from the force of storm erosion and rising swells. But when I look at these rocks I see more than that. I see solid rock that can't be moved.Solid rock that is protective. Rock that is unbreakable but even more than that I see God. The God David  relates to in his psalms when he says 'The Lord is my rock, my rock of safety.' and I want to burst into song with Rock of Ages Cleft for Me followed by ' On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all else is sinking sand.' And then I add my own words of  'Fastened to the rock of ages, I shall not be moved.'
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Rock of safety.

Messages of blessings

In you I trust, O my God. Psalm 25:2
I love it when I have a day at home. Whatever I do with it I encounter many blessings. Blessings of rest,of friends, of quiet walking and lazy reading. Its a time of 'catching up' with myself. It allows space to reflect and to garden. I stopped in a moment of awareness as I was gardening. It was striking....the deep,deep green of the moss growing through the cracks in the brick paving and as I turned over  the leafy mulch on the garden bed it exposed clustered tips of the new growth of spring bulbs, revealing their intention to burst out of the darkness into the daylight, into their full glory. And the buds on the Japonica bush are threatening to do likewise. The gifts from God. The hand of God, in the seasons of life. In the seasons of our life. Full of messages of blessings, reassurance and hope.
 Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord 

Some just cant wait to blossom

Climb into the lap of God

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10
This line from psalm  46 is well worth visiting time and time again. How often do we get caught in the business of life and self and forget what it is like to be in a place with just God.
I recall the silent retreat I was on recently at beautiful Galong where again I was struck by the 'deafening silence' amidst a group of people  who had come for the same reason, in fact almost ran to Galong from a busy life for the same reason, to be still and know God. When I reflect back on the retreat I realise how 'filled' the days were yet  I did very little except seek God in the stillness and the beauty of the place and in the peace of meditation. Its a feeling like  I had climbed into God's lap, snuggled in and stayed secure and warm in deep peace. I didn't want to go anywhere or do anything else except for the interludes of praise and worship. It reminded me of those winter days when you curl up in front of the fire, warm and snug with a good book. Retreats equip us for who we are  and what we are called to be in Christ. Without it we walk alone, running close on empty. Quiet, solitude, meditation, God and self.......what a mixture of ingredients...a recipe we all need to taste.
May today bring you some times of quiet and solitude.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

The peace of Galong.

Always there.

He who keeps you will not slumber. Psalm 121:3
'Where does God go when I go to sleep? ' a small child asked me. 'Does he go home to sleep? Can I invite him for a sleep over if I need him?' Sometimes we might feel that God is only with us when we are awake  but I assured this child that God is with us always.When we are awake and when we are asleep. I assured him that God is only a whisper away.
Timothy Dudley-Smith wrote: 'I lift up my eyes to the quiet hills with a prayer as I turn to sleep: by day, by night, through the dark and light, my shepherd will guard his sheep.'
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

By day and by night, always there

Come away

He went up on the mountain to pray. Matthew 6:46
Even when sitting in my room on the retreat at Galong I could see through the window the things of God. Everywhere on the lawn were the little blue wrens, scatty and busy. The sun rise just clipping the frame of the window enough to show the light breaking through the night darkness. Everything is still. Everything is quiet until a distant kookaburra laughs, and laughs.  It all puts a smile on my face as I acknowledge the presence of God. How blessed we are when  we step aside,take a break,  and recharge in a place where we see God more clearly and feel him so near away from the noises of daily life. If you haven't had the chance to experience the presence of God lately then set a goal to do it somewhere quiet, somewhere peaceful.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

The welcoming driveway  to Galong

Gather in the new day

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 shinning and the crispness of the frost on the ground. We miss the gift that it is , ready and waiting to be opened and lived. Indeed the unfinished  business from yesterday may well be with us  but what a shame to  allow  that to block out the sun (Son)on a new day.
Mary Jean  Iron says: 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 something rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may for it will not always be so.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

Sunrise over Alice Springs.

Holy is the Lord

Holy,  Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts: the earth is full of his glory. Isaiah 6:2-5
I often reflect on the Holiness of God and in one of his books Max Lucado says that 'God's Holiness silences human boasting.' When I think of the holiness of God I get a sense deep within of a stirring of the Spirit, not in a charismatic way but in a way that curls me up inside like I am wrapped in a blanket of God's love and held in his arms. I guess in some ways we call it humility. Lucado says that the one occasion that the Seraphim occurred in scripture  they endlessly sang   'Holy, Holy, Holy  is the Lord God Almighty.  In  Hebrew scripture repetition acts like a highlighter, a tool to emphasis.
God is not Holy....... He is not Holy, Holy......... He is Holy, Holy,Holy.
May we all find and cherish the Holiness of God.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

Holy, Holy, Holy

The wonder of God

He heard things which he couldn't put into words. 2 Cor.12:4
I passed a garden when I was out walking that was very drought effected and in the middle of a drooping bottlebrush shrub were the most magnificent  flowers,  soft orange in colour and in the brown bush  and on a twig sat a lovely Jenny Wren and just momentarily it sang its song.This verse from Corinthians draws my thoughts into  what it is  that we hear or saw and cant put into words. Things such as  magnificent scenery in a special place that takes our breath away , a perfect reflection on a pond,  the chorus of  morning birds when all else is asleep,and  time and history etched on the face of  the elderly, or the colour of autumn leaves,or the reaching out of hands to receive the sacrament. All of this causes a small  voice in our hearts to say 'Yes' and senses the presence of God  that cant be described. Matthew Henry said: The ground of our hope is Christ in this world but the evidence of our hope is Christ in the heart.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

a reflection on a pond

A spark or a fire?

(Jesus said)  A person takes a mustard seed, the smallest seed in the world, and plants it in the ground. After awhile it grows up and becomes the biggest of all plants. (Mark 4:11-32)
I wonder how often do we think of ourselves in the big picture of the kingdom? Do we wonder  about the impression we might make? Do we wonder about our gifts and abilities, after all they are God given.Do we see them as small with only a small impact?How sure are you that he can even  use the smallest of your gifts to proclaim the greatness of the Lord? What was it that Paul said to the Corinthians? He said that God chooses what the world considered weak, to shame the strong. Amando Nervo wrote a poem, a portion of which reads: I am only a spark, make me a fire. I am only a string make me a lyre. I am only an ant hill, make me a mountain. I am only a drop, make me a fountain.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

I am only a bud make me a flower