God's song.

May God's song over your life drown out every lesser voice. (Paraphrased Zephaniah 3:17 a call to rejoice)
 I looked at the thick fog of the dark morning dawn as the mysteries of the day were revealed: bare branches of a fallen tree punched holes in the fog and a magpie, on its lonely branch sang in the coming of the  new day and all else is blotted out. But there, beneath my window, the fog hidden honey eater is among the branches of the flowering Gravilia - I know he is there for the branches are joyfully bouncing up and down as he gathers the nectar. Even in the fog, there is beauty and a sense of the hidden yet to be revealed. Sometimes we can only see partly through its  darkness. It is so important, as I once read, to remember that darkness, in fact, is the beginning of light.
Be watchful and thankful today, Jesus is with you.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

Sing through the fog little magpie.

coloured feathers

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us. Selah. Psalm 66:1
I have heard it said that in the dark times will there also be singing? Yes there will be singing, about the dark times and, I say, can you see God's glory shinning in the dark times and I say yes, you can see God's glory shinning in the dark times and it revealed itself just yesterday when I was putting a lovely coloured feather from a Crimson Rosella into one of the journals for a grandchild and I wrote: the colours of this feather are just so beautiful but you need to take it out into the light to see its true colours. God's glory is still revealed in this dark world. it shines through you and me in acts of kindness and care and in the colours of the feather but the true light can only be seen through the light of Christ, that burns within us.

beautiful in the light

surprise me Lord.

You are called to freedom, brothers and sisters.  Galatians 5:13
Regardless of how the world is, regardless of how our lives are and our every day situations, the sun will always rise. Some days it might be dimmed and other days it can be a magnificent - one almighty 'hello' from God expressed in red and orange and blue. Its like God is saying, 'fear not, here I am yet again, right here with you.' How can one not be taken by surprise and drawn into wonder but such a sight, such a message. I read this saying by Frederick Buechner. Lord, catch me off guard today. Surprise me with some moment of beauty or pain so 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.
May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord

Polish your light

What God said to Moses he said to you. 'My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. Exodus 33:14
When I have walked early in the pre dawn light  I always loved to look across the fields to the mountains still shrouded in night and here and there dotted  in the valleys and nooks  were lights. Lights from peoples homes, bright, shinning, evident in the dark and I would go on my way humming the song from Sunday School deeply embedded in my spirit - 'This little light of mine, I'm going to make it shine, make it shine, make it shine - in this world of darkness so we must shine, you in your small corner and I in mine.'  Somehow that song has raised its head a lot lately  and it comes with a challenge, the challenge of working out a shining light in this worlds darkness. So many people  sit in pockets of darkness, not pockets of light.  Now more than ever is the time to polish the light, get it shining, get it visible and get it known. Mother Teresa said: We are not just in this world to exist. We are not just passing through. Each of us was given the ability to do something wonderful.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Shine a light in the darkness

.

Its there but you cant see it.

I will never leave you nor forsake you. Joshua 1:5
In the darkness its always hard to find something unless you know exactly where it is. You can't see it yet you know its there. It's like the sands in the deep ocean floor that you know are there but you can't see them. The stars in the day sky. - they are still there but you cant see them. The sun behind the dark storm clouds - it's there, but you can't see it. The baby bird in its egg shell - its there but you can't see it. In the flower in the bulb -its there but you can't see it either. So to with God. It doesn't matter how hidden we might feel he is, he is still there. In dark days, in storms, in troubled times or when we close our eyes to sleep  he is still there with us and all we need to know is we only have to reach out our hand and he will hold it.
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

The flower in the bulb

Oh, tell me about it.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth.  Mat 6:19
The seed pods of last years flowers, held over in a paper bag are brown and shriveling and I thought to myself if I don't plant those seeds they will die. They will never grow, they will never blossom, its time to get them out and scatter them. Now there's a parable in daily life. Its like all the treasure of faith that we hold in ourselves. Keep it within and it will die. Scatter it about, share it and it will grow and blossom. Its like the beautiful cup and saucer in the china cabinet that was given to me when I was 10 as a thank you for helping with Sunday School Classes. There it has sat all those years, never taken out, never used, never shared. Indeed treasured but only in my heart and next time I have a visitor I will get it out, and it  can use  and a conversation will start something like: What a nice cup and saucer,  where did that come from?' Oh,' I would say,' that came from a gift from the church.' Oh, tell me about it.' and before long you are on a conversation journey about faith.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

Don't keep treasures only in your heart.

Keep our spirit fresh

Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me. (New Harvest 173)
A field of grass with its seed laden tops can move me as deeply as a vibrant coloured  rainbow arcing the sky or a tiny delicate orchid sheltering near a rock to say nothing of looking into the eyes of a beloved pet or catching the flight of a massive eagle soaring gracefully in the sky.They are all things that bring on a pause and momentarily take your breath away yet leave you with something, a something that is thoughtful,lingering, a 'deeper real,' and its warm and fuzzy and I call that a blessings and its a blessing that lingers. That I say, can only be of God and may he keep our spirit fresh and focused.

They bring on a pause

Gems of our faith

The King of love my shepherd is. (TIS 145)
More and more we look to a source of comfort and grounding in troubled times and the words of this beautiful hymn have been a great source of comfort. So much of the words of the Christian life journey hold  comfort and deep peace, gems of our faith, the very words that keep us walking side by side with Jesus through the ups and downs of life. They are words with a warmth and give us a  sense of being cared for,  held, brought back, saved,loved, hugged. Picture this thought; you can't see Jesus but he is right now beside you, gentle yet strong,his staff and rod in his hand.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Words of the Christian  journey

Spirit of the living God.

Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. Matt 5:8
We really know so little about God and all his creation but I do know that his Spirit moves through it all, not just us. Experiences in life bring the 'thin space' between God and us and creation into a oneness and creation connects with us in a deep, spiritual way if we are looking to see. On the Victorian Police Face Book Page is a story by a lady who had to drive down the highway past the site of that dreadful accident where four police officers lost their lives. She was anxious and nervous and as she came to the place of where the accident had been four beautiful large white butterflies flew gracefully in front of her windows shield as if in slow motion and after a few moments they flew off.   Was it something special? Was it something to do with God?  Oh yes! Indeed it is because the Blue Wren tells me so.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

The Lord God made them(us) all.