I see you Lord

And all the peoples behold his glory. Psalm 97:6
Sometimes we feel we are looking into the eye of God. I have a beautiful book called 'A Tree full of Angels' by Macrina Wiederkehr and in one section she talks of a 'meditation pause' quoting Guigo, and it says: Until your heart is touched....
I look in awe at the buds on the prunus tree just getting ready to bust and some have already popped out of their little cocoons of cover, blushing a spot of cheeky pink.
I look in awe at the deep red of the flowering gum blossom, dressed like little ballerinas in tu-tu's.
And I saw them.....a tree full of angels, and my heart was touched and my silent whisper said, ' I see you Lord.'
Look about but just don't look about, look and see the Lord
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

shine your light

The gifts of God for the people of God. (APBA)
Early morning and the dark was  bathed in the soft moonlight from the moon high in the sky, so bright that it cast my shadow onto the footpath and a silver reflection on the dam in the paddock and all the objects  of the landscape, the cattle, the mountains, the trees, the fences,were illuminated so I could see what was there regardless of the dark. The breeze blew across my face, icy but refreshing and there was a mystery occurring because to the east the sun was rising in a brilliant display of pink, orange and gold and between the two was my breath taking prayer as the glory of the Lord shone all around. I didn't quite know which way to look to capture it all.
I reflected on the brightness of the moon which has no light of its own. The light it casts is from the suns reflection, like its bouncing off a mirror.
I reflect on our lives with Jesus, the Son, and wonder at his reflection that shines off us. He is our source of light.
May the light of Christ that reflects in your life, shine on all you meet.
Anne, servant of the Lord

a good measure pressed down

Give, and it will be given to you. A good  measure, pressed down and shaken together, running over, will be put in your lap, for the measure you give will be given back. Luke 6:38
I tried to find a definition of a blessing and it was hard to come up with something I felt met the
feeling but Luke gives it plain and clear in his Gospel. What drew me to blessings this morning was that they were in my heart when I got up. I was thinking they were like boomerangs.You give one  out and it comes back to you and the blessing then becomes yours, as well as theirs. Time and again I have gone into my day and assisted those less fortunate than myself, people who the world passes by, and they are so grateful and often say the time together is a real blessing but I go home feeling blessed by the privilege of having been with them. God can give us a cold wet morning, shrouded in mist, yet the beauty of it takes our breath away and becomes a blessing prayer of 'thank you Lord.'
Blessings are something we don't forget. They are powerful, collected and save in the soul.
May the blessings fall like the rain on you today.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

The blessing of a  surprised encounter

Prepared for anything

Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Mark 1:3

I was touched by the early morning,so still, so quiet with a magpie waking the dawn with a note perfect solo and I just sat and engaged.....God and me....a oneness. Its like the whole start of the day is on pause before it lunges into its business and strife.
 As I sat, over and over in my mind roll the words from Psalm 46:
Vocate et videte quomiam ego-somdeus. 'Be still and know that I am God.'
Do you know this is called the war psalm, said before soldiers engaged in battle?
I don't think there is a better way    of entering each new day than to be wrapped up in the love, protection and peace of God, prepared for anything.
Go well into this new day under the protective cover of your God.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

full but hungry

O Lord you light my fire, your face is all I see. (Song of Praise)
 Fresh, cold, snow on the mountains and an icy wind, the intensity of the winter season.
A night sky  full of stars, the deep colour of the rising sun and the softness of the sun set.
 Beauty of creation.
Uniqueness of every bird.
A special friend.
An elderly face.
A needy person.

Ron Lessin said:
Lord keep me full but hungry, Content but needy. Complete but never satisfied.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Behold the beauty of the Lord

in everything there is God

The light of the sun shines down on everything, and everything is filled with the glory of the Lord. Sirach 42:16
I like the word everything, in this passage. Nothing is excluded.
The sulpha crested cockatoos wake from their overnight camp in the eucalyptus trees down by the creek and together in full flight screech their way across the green, long valley towards the mountains  in pursuit of their food for the day. Its a perfect picture as they become part of the breathtaking panoramic view before me, a kaleidoscope of colour backed by the birds chorus and a rising sun.....and everything is filled with the Lord's glory. I was in conversation with an elderly lady  as she told me some of her life's story, a life that is sustained and fed by a God she has loved and depended on, and the look on her face, so full of character, so weathered with age and the experiences of life emanated everything about her   It is a face that tells in every wrinkle and the furrowed brow, experiences of sadness, of joy,of love,of fear,of child, of wife, of mother, of grandmother,of wars,of droughts.  Of life all lived. Its a face that says I have been and I still am, and everything is filled with the glory of the Lord.
Where is God for you today? will he be in the creation? in the sandy beach, the shell you pick up,the mountain, the mist, the flower you stop to smell, the face of a friend, the elderly, the dying?...........can you feel it? Can you see it?
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ,
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Precious water

Come into his presence singing Jesus is Lord, Jesus is Lord (Scripture in Song)
I woke up to the sound of rain falling on the dry leaves on the garden bed outside my window and my thoughts immediately went to God and how faithful he is. Rain ....life giving water....for us and for the earth and I thought of the life giving streams of water that flow through our lives from the love of Jesus and how we have the  wonderful opportunity, the unique opportunity to flow those streams of life giving water onto others and I found myself humming. 'Come into his presence singing Alleluia, Jesus is Lord. I reflected in my quiet time of the love of Jesus, of his faithfulness and of the people he already knows that we will encounter today and I felt equipped and ready. I also reflected on the saying:Those who sing, pray twice.  Keep singing and we are constantly praying. Keep singing and we are in his presence always. Keep singing!

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

tissue thin spaces.

By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and the numberless stars by the breath of his mouth. He gathered waters of the sea as in a water skin. Psalm 33:6-7 (APBA)
What imagery!
I was telling the story of creation using the flannel graph. I laid the blue background for the sky and one by one added the yellow stars. I laid the blue of the sea, adding a wave or two and as I did this I had a real sense of creating. It was one of those 'thin places' experiences. A tissue thin space between earthly and heavenly things, and it was as powerful as when I read the story of creation. My thoughts went to the stars....by the breath of God's mouth....imagine God opening his mouth and a whole stream of stars coming forth and placing themselves in position where they landed.....some clustered like the milky way, some isolated on their own yet ever so bright and I think to myself 'what holds them up there?' My thoughts went to the sea. What contains it? This huge water skin laid down in the base of the ocean before the waters were gathered into it and I imagine the arms of God around a huge mass of water, squeezing it into the water skin, there to be contained.
What a mighty God. No wonder we keep coming back to him for there is nothing that he cant do. There is nothing he cant provide.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

Deep peace of the Aaronic blessing

The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24
I see this beautiful passage of scripture come true so many times in a day.
The sulfa crested cockatoos jostling for the food on the bird feeder.The sunrise, the unwrapping of a gift of a new day.A rainbow after rain.A friend willing to listen.
The stranger we encounter.
Blessings....... God's face shining on us.... bringing peace.
Treasure the blessings. They are the face of God.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

rise and shine

O for a heart to praise my God. TIS 568
Some people say 'why do you get up early? Frost on the ground and in the air, a chill that cuts right through you?' and I reply 'well its like this.' The still,  waters on the pond that mirrors every reed and bull rush as if they are growing upside down are just about to be disturbed as the first of the wood ducks emerge from within them. The rising sun clips every blade of frosted grass across the paddock as if I was looking through  a kaleidoscope, lighting them in a million, million clusters of crystal colours, breathtaking! and the drops of dew on the cobwebs that hang from the fence wire show a crafted  brilliance no human  could make and beneath the windowsill of a house I pass the tiny blue wrens are seeking their breakfast from a trapped insect and bolder still is the magpie who sits on the lamppost cherishing the taste of the moth he has acquired for his breakfast and Oh there is so much more to cherish and give thanks for. And I know that if I were to get up a minute later than I do for my morning walk all this would no longer be, it would have passed into activity and business. And you know, there is in each and every thing a prayer, a prayer in the ordinary. And now they come to the tree in front of my window again, the blue wrens, the willy wag tail and the red rump finches. All of this, that is why I get up early.
Mary Oliver writes: Every day I see or I hear something that more or less kills me with delight.....grow wise with such teachings as these, the untrimmable light of the world, the ocean's shine, the prayers that are made out of grass.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

I listen, I see

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 beautiful Camellia bush, which, by the way is a mass of the most beautifully formed flowers, white, with a blush of pink. The two magpies on the power pole, 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, valley and tree tops.
I read this from a poem by Mary Oliver:
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, servant of the Lord

Field of cobwebbs

voices of hope

All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small all things wise and wonderful The Lord God made them all. TIS 135
We only have to go down the channels of time in our minds to fall into step with this lovely old hymn and I don't know about you but I have never doubted God' great love of all he created. As I looked out the window from my office I was filled with wonder and joy at the activity in the  winter naked tree. First a flock of noisy sparrows arrived in a fluster of chatter, then came the red rumped finches full of twittering and business, then arrived the blue wrens,well,  we know about them showing off their colour and upright tails to say nothing of their brood. Then, the beautiful willy-wagtail, alone and doing a solo of his lovely call but the one that really took my breath away was the robin red-breast. Brilliant in colour and just silently sitting on a branch. When they arrive we know that winter is here. We had a lovely prayer in church yesterday which said: God our creator, help us to love all creatures as kin, all animals as partners on earth, all birds as messengers of praise, all tiny beings as expressions of your mysterious design and protect all creatures as voices of hope. (www.seasonsofcreation.com). My tree was certainly filled with messengers of praise and voices of hope  as was my heart.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

Put God in all things

Let your loveliness shine on us and bless the work we do. Psalm 90:17
As I enjoyed the encounter with God in my morning walk I was thinking how  people we come in contact with might see the presence of God through us and so see new possibilities in their days. I have a cleaning agency who provides me with a cleaner each week and I was somewhat frustrated that it was a different person each week and I didn't have the chance to get to know one person well but then I thought, perhaps this is a God's 'thing' because I reflect on the different people who have come to my home. They are mostly from  Africa or India and are trying to make a new life with us in our country. Inevitably and in their shyness they start a conversation with me about my home particularly my office and  ask me if I am Christian. 'Indeed I am,' comes my reply and its so lovely to see some of their shyness fade as they recognize a fellow traveler and declare 'so am I'. I may not see them again but we have both reached out and had a God encounter which had changed our day. I thought of the words of Emily Dickinson who sad.' We dwell in possibility.'   Sometimes we need to put God first in all things and as his loveliness shines on us he will bless the work we do.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

New day, new possibilities,.

tincture our lives

Among us and before us Lord you stand. TIS 259
The winter is coming upon us quickly. The temperature has dropped and the morning walks have to step up a notch  and many of our morning greetings are about how cold it is! That's if you live where I live! BUT, Oh the beauty of the Lord. The sun as it rose was a ball of silver.Not red, not 'fiery' but silver, shrouded in fog and I could see the distant horizon through a pocket of fog showing a grey and florescent pink cloud bank of sun touched beauty and I thought on the prayer of the day we heard in worship yesterday and the line that read - 'Tincture our lives with your beauty and fill our potential beauty with your abundant life through Jesus of Nazareth.'  As you go out today see the beauty of the Lord in all things and be O so blessed knowing you are part of that beauty.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

shouts of joy

To behold the beauty of the Lord. Psalm 27:4
Its is so lovely, the autumn and there is a peace about it at times, especially when the fog is in and the air is still. There is a feel about it that's a mystery. A mystery of the beauty of God. The day breaking through the morning mist, naked autumn trees, beautiful in their nakedness, resting and waiting. It takes my breath away in the moment before the 'wow' comes and the 'thank you Lord' arrives.
I like the opening lines of Mary Oliver's poem 'Messenger.' (Paraphrased)
My work is loving the world...... let me keep my mind on what matter......, which is my work and learning to stand still and be astonished. The phoebe, the delphinium, the sheep in the pasture and the pasture. A mouth with which to give shouts of joy, to the moth, the wren, telling them over and over  how it is we live forever.
May there be many 'wow' moments in your days followed by 'thank you Lord'
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary beholding your power and glory, because your steadfast love is better than life and  my lips will praise you. Psalm 63:2-3
It is so true that many of the things we see about us actually preach to us. Today the blessings of an early morning fine drizzle of rain cutting through the first rays of sunlight like 'fairy dust,' and holding itself  in tiny rain drops that slide off a leaf and land on the dry earth. The rocky outcrops on the face of the mountains shines like a mirror and the pink and grey galah's sit on a slippery fence post grooming their freshly washed bodies and it seems the earth is crying out in joy and everywhere the glory of the Lord can be seen and I want to race out and tell everyone of the blessings of a faithful God.

Mother Teresa said: (a person) filled with joy preaches without preaching.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Enjoy God always

'.....can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?' John 3:12b
When I glimpsed the autumn tree in passing I found myself going back to look again as something had touched my soul, something put me momentarily on sacred ground. Although a rather insignificant tree the passage of the autumn tones is what touched me. There were green leaves,changing leaves, leaves in full colour and those already seasoned and fallen to the ground. They all spoke to me about life's journey. They spoke to me of the faith journey, of trusting God.They spoke of new life, maturity and dying. They spoke to me of God's glory and they took my breath away and gave me a glimpse of God, a window to God, a flash in a moment in a day that stayed with me as sacred moments do. Enjoy the beauty of the autumn, its so God given.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

The saints

....that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may  be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passes all understanding. Ephesians 3:17-19
I have a Christian friend who says to me in all seriousness, 'when I die, the final hymn at my funeral is to be 'When the Saints come marching in.'  She knows what it means to be a saint. Not someone perfect or worldly but someone who has had their sins forgiven and  they have been embraced and welcomed into the arms of Jesus. Today we hear of people being 'made' saints through good works and long life commitments but in reality, according to the bible we are all saints.How does that make you feel? For me, its not something that puts me on a pedestal in my mind, heaven forbid, but instead its something that puts me on my knees in humility before God.I read somewhere about  'Saints in circulation.' That's you and me and everyone who carries the forgiven love of Jesus into our communities, into our day, into our lives with that deep peace of knowing.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ,
Anne, servant of the Lord.

peace to you

He said. 'Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord for the Lord is about to pass by.' Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind, and after the wind the earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake, and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire and after the fire the sound of sheer silence - then there came a voice to him. 1 Kings 19:11-12
Its so still and quiet in the early morning, like an ocean before the tide comes roaring in and as I step out for a morning walk in this quiet, this silence with a 'good morning Lord' I know what it is  to experience his presence. I know what  it is to experience that ' sound of sheer silence' and then comes the still small voice as a tiny bird sings the sweetest song in the pre dawn darkness.
Sometimes ministry and life in general can be like splitting mountains and breaking rocks and a great whirl of wind and it can be about things that are not of God but God never passes us by and when we experience that sound of sheer silence we hear his voice. That beautiful whispering way he has of reaching us.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

layers of dust

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord. Jer 17:7
When I was in Israel I recall one of the tasks to do at the end of a days walking was to wash the dust off my feet. I wore good walking sandals and when I removed them I could see the marks of the straps on my feet  highlighted by a layer of dust. In many  places the dust is fine and as I put my foot down others beside me would gather the 'puff of dust' from my feet and likewise I from them.I thought of the disciples who had walked this country with Jesus and how they two must have had feet covered in dust at the end of a days walk and Jesus often referred to 'the dust' in his conversations.  Recently I heard a beautiful ancient blessing which said: 'May you always be covered in the dust of your Rabbi.'
My prayer for us all is that God's presence will be with us  -  always and praise the Lord - we cant wash that off!
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

Road to Jericho

All we need is love

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also most love one another. John 13:34
We look at the world and its great need for love. We look at one another and our great need for love. Words of caring and love can go such a long way to changing lives and giving people hope. I have a person in the community  who lives alone and is socially isolated and each nigh she calls me and we have a chat about her day and it enables her to have someone to say good night to. Small acts of love can change a persons life.  I heard this story recently: A six year old boy was sad because his friends at school teased him about all his red freckles on his face and he shared with his grandmother his sadness Grandmother put her hand under his chin and turned his face to look at her and as they looked into each others eyes she said to the boy ' I think you have the most beautiful freckles, and I love them.' The boy stared at his grandmothers face with affection and placed his small hand on her cheek and after a pause said.' And I love your wrinkles too.' It doesn't take much to change a persons life.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Faith that lives in others

I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that first lived in your mother Eunice, and now I am sure lives in you. 2 Timothy 1:5
There is an add on the television that sends a message out about our life style and how children copy us. It shows a child in his toy car going to MacDonald and ordering fast food and a child lying on the couch with a soft drink and chips. Children will copy the behavior of the adults and I cant help but think how that applies to all ways of life. Its up to us to set the examples the children will follow. Two of my grandchildren came to visit, one 5 the other 7 and they were sitting in my lounge room looking through some of my treasures from Jerusalem. The 5 year old had the Hebrew prayer book and the traditional  reading stylus and said he was reading about God 'in a different voice.' The 7 year old commented that when she grew up she was going to be a children s minister like her Sunday School teacher at church. Its hard to explain the feeling this gives to see the grandchildren living a life that is God centered and how remnants of our lives brush of onto others and so the light of Christ continues to shine.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

sign him with the mark of the cross to show he is one of Christs own

Have you seen God today

One day Jesus was praying.......when he had finished one of his disciples said to him. ' Lord, teach us to pray.' Luke 11:1
One of the greatest most powerful, most humbling experiences we can have with God  is those occasions when we find ourselves and him alone together and he says 'here is a gift for you.' Those moments can come in a flash: When I see a tree of brilliant autumn colour - and there is just me and God. or when I see the fog weaving its way through valley and trees - and there is just me and God. And recently after the rain the tiny brown spotted frogs on my pathway - and there is just me and God. Gifts from God as he stands there with me handing them out one by one. Gifts that linger and stay with you in memory.  I love these gifts. Its like having something special in your pocket, you put your hand  it in and pull it out again being blessed every time by God's presence.  When we are gifted with an awareness of God's presence in prayer we savor every moment of it, we let God hold us and carry us, as a sea holds and carries the boat.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ

Anne, servant of the Lord.

Treasure the moments

Our Father in Heaven Hallowed be thy name. (The prayer that Jesus taught us)
In all my years of Christian faith, and that is all my life, I am still so in awe of our God and the communications we have through prayer. So many forms of prayer, so many openings to the prayer conversations together and so much trust in him 'who keeps us from falling'  No one knows me or you like he does. I was so touched by the fresh feel of the morning with the soft tinges of pink on the horizon, a valley of soft mist, that it sets of a spontaneous conversation with God, I love it when that happens.  I have some favourite introductions to some prayers and  some have been with me all my life. Do you have some favourite words with God as well? I like the powerful words from our confirmation service: 'Defend O Lord, this thy child with thy heavenly grace; that she/he may continue thine forever......' and I have. And this one( O how rich the collects are)  A great opening to prayer, a collect that puts us on our knees every time we say it: Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known and from whom no secrets are hidden (Collect of Purity) Prayers for all occasions, special prayers that travel with us through life, holding us up, carrying us.  Treasure the moments.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

even a tree stump is a place of prayer.

strong roots

As you are being rooted and grounded in love. Ephesians 3:17
When we look at an old gum tree standing strong and firm in the earth, well grounded and held up by strong roots and when we see ships tightly tethered and anchored at the wharf because the forecast is predicting storms, and when we see homes being built we see they are laid on a strong foundation but what of us? What gives us our anchor, our foundation, our deep roots that allows us to survive the battering of storms in our lives?  Sooner or later stressful situations will enter all our lives, some such a storm that they will strike like an earthquake. Its a 'wobbly world' and at times an  unsafe society but we know where our refuge is, our port, our strength to stay strong. Its in our Lord and Saviour, the risen Lord Jesus Christ. You know, in the bible there are 365 'fear nots' or the equivalent. - one for every day of the year - God given.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

Divine presence

I love thy place O God wherein thy honour dwells. (Hymn)
It is so easy in this very busy world to 'go and do'  in our name and not in the name of Jesus. At times we may well know that what we do we do in Christian love and service but sometimes that sense of 'God awareness' just might be hidden below the surface of our busy lives. At times there is also a sense of having to reconnect, to remember that in every life we meet and touch that God is present. Those among us who exercise service ministry with  the lost, the isolated, the disadvantaged and those on all areas of the edges of society know deeply that God is as present in them as in us and that is where our passion comes from. That recognition  and respect that we are all God's children.
Joyce Rupp has these words to say about God awareness: 'I hope that I constantly remember that God dwells within others as well as myself and that should pave a way of how I see and treat others.'
And she offers this prayer. 'Dear God. I love the deep feeling of  connectedness and humility I feel when I place my hand over my heart and say - God dwells in here - thank you God.' Try that now, place your hand over your heart and feel God's presence, it will stay with you as a morning blessing.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Purpose

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. (APBA)
Easter has been. We have again lived the journey through Holy Week. We have carried the cross for Christ,washed feet, prayed in the garden,feasted at the Passover,  wept at the cross and been raises up again with the loud hallelujah's of Easter morning as we sing praises to the risen Christ. After that journey are you ready to go into the world refreshed, affirmed and with hope to love and serve the Lord?  Go gently, don't rush away from the Easter experience, let it sit awhile with you.Mary Oliver says:  Around me the  trees stir in their leaves and call out 'stay awhile.' The light flows from their branches. And they call again.'Its simple' they say,' and you too have come into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled with light, and to shine.'
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

Walking with God

Enoch walked with God;then he was no more, because God took him. Genesis 5:24
I read this quote by Rabindranath Tagor.  'For many years at great cost, I traveled through many countries, saw the high mountains and the oceans. The only things I didn't see were the sparkling dew drops in the grass just outside my door.' Any walk we take implies that step by step we are making progress and that also applies to our walk with God. We need a certain moral fitness and harmony with God to progress in our walk with him. Each day when I walk, morning and evening I could see the flow of the valley to the foot of the mountains and the mountain tops and it can be a blessing but oh how much more a blessing when the walk starts to bring real gems of delight to my spirit. Its when I take in the 'smaller' things that I know I am walking with God. Things like the little shadow that runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.
Monitor your walk with God and watch your progress into a deeper awareness of him by your side.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Holy week

'Fight the good fight with all your might, Christ is thy strength, and Christ thy right' (TIS 594)
In the Christian life there is a somber feel about this particular week as we journey  with Christ towards the cross and I think particularly of Good Friday. I wonder about the world that surrounded Jesus at that time. A harsh condemning world that saw no way of ridding itself of Jesus other than to destroy him. His only hope of the love of God being kept alive was through a few faithful disciples. What an amazing job they did at the expense of their own lives.  I can recall a time in my life where Holy Week and especially the most holy day of this week, Good Friday were sacred. There was no shops open, there was no hype in preparations to go away for the long weekend, there was no football matches or horse racing. There was a quiet in the community.  In many ways we are few, the followers of Christ, and we need to keep up a vigilance for Him. We need to be more and more out in the world, visible, our voices being heard and our actions being seen.
As a society the significant  Christian festivals were granted as   holidays because they were holy-days. They were granted so society could have a day from work to go to church.
Blessings for your journey this Holy Week.
Anne, servant of the Lord

Inside the church of the Holy Sepulcher the sight of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus in Jerusalem.

Growing love

(Paul writes) May the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow  more and more and become as great as our love for him. Thessalonians 3:12
What a blessing it is to know how God works in our lives. Sometimes we may think its an age, a maturity thing that causes us to grow in love for other people,but not so. Paul says, ' may the Lord make your love  one another and all people grow

. Our love for others comes from the fact that Jesus first loved us and at any age that can motivate us by the power of his Spirit to love others. In our day to day life we touch so many people, often on the edge of society and somehow there is a greater understanding within our selves, a greater understanding of who we are when we know that what we do comes from the Lord.
I think of my love of the elderly and those who are isolated and alone, those with disabilities and my love of all who society passes by, the persons unseen and unlovable.
Who has the Lord made you love?
In the musical Les Miserables there is line. 'To love another person is to touch the face of God.'
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Glorious things of God are spoken

The Lord has done great things for us and we are glad. Psalm 126:3
Think on these things and be blessed:
 The hand of God as he creates each new day from the autumn morning sunrise to the glorious sunset, - skies of breathtaking  colour and beauty. (did you see the glorious sunset last night?) Those soft rays of the first light coming over the horizon touching the mountains and shifting their dark brooding colours into shades of grey and  soft blue and as the morning light travels across the valley all creation stirs into life, orchestrated by the warbling of the magpies. Magnificent! Our God is a mighty God. He reigns.  Lucardo says:
You have been sprinkled with forgiveness. You have been spattered with grace
You have been dusted with kindness, you have been immersed in it
You are submerged in mercy. you are the minnow in the ocean of God's mercy - let it change you.
Blessings for this moment, this day, this week, this life.

Morning has broken

Anne, servant of the Lord.

Talk to God

At Gethsemane, Jesus went off alone and knelt down and prayed. 'Father if you will, take this cup of suffering away from me. Not my will, however, but your will be done.' Luke 22. 41-42
One of our images of the Easter events is the picture of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He is kneeling alone in deep earnest prayer and he must have been experiencing such inner anxiety in his suffering and confusion. One minute he is asking God to take away his suffering and the next he is submitting to God's will. Its really hard to find peace when something is on our minds. Its really hard to find peace when we have to submit to something we know is right but would rather not have to go through with it. When something is on our mind we have a habit of tossing it about on our beds at night and sleep seems far off. William Barclay tells this story: A pianist said of Chopin's nocturne in C sharp minor: ' All is trouble, until the person in the piece talks with God. Then peace comes.'  The same thing is true of Jesus. He went into the Garden of Gethsemane  in the dark; he came out in the light -because he talked with God. He went into Gethsemane in agony; he came out with peace in his soul - because he talked to God. The same thing is true for us if we talk to God.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

Garden of Gethsemane

This is God

I will sing forever of your love, O Lord. Psalm 89
What is God? Who is God? So many times people try to answer this question. Its a question that is wrestled with, tossed about, and attempts are made to discern it but you know, for me its a simple as Martin Fisher quotes: 'If you don't know what's meant by God, watch a forsythia branch or a lettuce leaf sprout' and I love the quote (anon) I said to the almond tree: 'Speak to me of God' and the almond tree blossomed. That's God. There is God
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

Sunbeams

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.  TIS 768
There is no way you can go outside an the early morning such as today as the sun breaks through the night, and  not  be in awe of God. The morning is rich in sunrise colour, the earth so fresh from rain and falling from the sky are rays like star dust falling to earth in multiple soft colours. Adeline Cullen Ray says: 'Whenever I see sunbeams coming through the clouds, it always looks to me like God shining Himself down onto us.The thing about sunbeams is they're always there, even though we can't see them.'Same with God.' May we always praise God in wonder over the way he brings our days into the present, arranging the stars and moon to pass and the sun and light to arrive.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

Keep us Lord

Those who have died believing in Christ will rise to life.....and so will always be with the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 4: 16-17

I think of the elderly I visit at home.
I think of the disability group of a Sunday afternoon
I think of the person behind the shop counter
I think of the man and his dog, homeless, sitting on the street at the local shops
I think of my family and friends
I think of my colleagues and work mates
All the people I engage with in my daily life and I think of those profound words that have stayed with me ever since I first read them. Words of power 'We are entrusted with the words of life.'
Lord, keep me in a sure and confident faith, and let me help others find it.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

Colour is Joy

For each perfect gift divine, to our race so freely given, graces all of your design, flowers of earth and buds of heaven. TIS 137
How 'deeply' do you look at God's creation? I mean, really pause and look deeply, in wonder,at the shape, the design and most of all the colour. We can miss so much in the business of life, brushing past the most beautiful of creations without really seeing it. I make a real point of a garden morning walk in particular, reflecting deeply on it's beauty and its 'fullness of God's gifts. Its a lovely place to be 'God filled ' and I marvel at all the colours he must have had on his painting palette. How big must the options of colours been. Imagine it, dobs of blue, red,green,purple,yellow, black, pink and many many more in all their various shades and him dipping his brush in and painting a rose,sweet peas,lavender,violets, blossoms, autumn leaves. To me when I think about colour I think about joy. Its a rich blessing from God to brighten our day and give us pleasure. It never ceases to amaze me  that our mighty God, in all his majesty and power and dominion can think of such small things as our pleasure and enjoyment. Next time you look at God's created colour, enjoy the moment and breath it in deeply.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

offer to fetch.

I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you. John 14:18
I was reflecting on a pastoral visit I had with an elderly housebound couple that I had visited in their own home. They were very isolated from society, an elderly man caring for his wife for the past 20 years following her debilitating stroke and both were reaching out for some connection, just that human presence,  that human touch.Someone to journey with spiritually into the ending phases of their life. I thought of many people whose paths we tread as we bring Christ's love in friendship to the isolated and housebound. I found myself answering my own question of how to minister to these people and a small verse from a poem by Jean Harris came to mind:
Offer to fetch, Offer to carry. Offer to lend a hand. Offer to listen. Offer to stay. Offer time.......
to understand.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

O what a gift.

The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. Proverbs 4:18
I just love to go to those places of solitude where you can sit and ponder and reflect and view the day or plan its path with God. Somehow when I do that everything that weighs heavily or everything that need discernment, or everything that needs righting, or everything that needs God's love just seems to fall into perspective. Right outside my front door as I look onto the hill some distance away I can see a seat. It is just placed there for walkers to sit and rest awhile and some locals even sit there with their cup of tea in hand and survey all they can see  and what a view. Its absolutely magnificent, right across the valley and onto the mountain range and beyond and is coloured with the seasons and  with the reflection of the rising sun in the east or a full blown glorious sunset in the west.
Rob Sagendorph said: Climb up some hill at sunrise. Everybody needs perspective once in awhile, and you will find it there.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

people of the way

Follow, follow I will follow Jesus anywhere, everywhere I will follow on. (Sunday School song)
I keep coming back to the old songs that have stuck with us all our Christian lives. The old faithfuls that we still know word for word but they come to mind more so when they become a living thing in our daily life. I visited the Trash and Treasure markets after church yesterday as I sometimes do, not to purchase anything but to just mingle. I paused to look at a stall that had paintings on it. Armature paintings but there was something about them besides the fact that some were of blue wrens!! The stall holder spoke in a thick European accent. 'You must be a person who is on the way?' I thought he meant on the way home from church but no, he followed that up with,' On the way, on the journey, you know,  following Jesus.' The next ten minutes was spent sharing faith and the love of Jesus with this stranger and I came away rich in blessings and a purchase of two hand painted pictures of blue wrens under my arm. I love to linger and loiter with intent.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

There are many places we can loiter with intent.

I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses (Spiritual Song)
I think there is nothing nicer than the peace of a quiet garden in its full glory and especially in the cool of the day. Its so full of 'God.' God in the beauty. God in his ongoing creation. God in the colour. God in the perfume.God in the wet dew hanging on every leaf and petal. God in the birds that also delight in meeting him there and enjoying his creation. I never see a seat in a garden as empty thought it might appear to be, its more a waiting space with its own atmosphere around it. A space waiting for your next visit, your next chat with God, Its like God is waiting there for you. How precious is such a space, such a seat and at times I find myself looking through the window onto the garden at the seat and a voice within me says, ' I'm coming Lord, I'm coming.
F. Frankfort Moore says: I think if ever a mortal heard the voice of God, it wold be in a garden at the cool of the day.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ,
Anne, servant of the Lord

Come Lord Jesus

Withdraw to deserted places and pray. Luke 5:16

In the early light of morning I bid you come, Lord, and we meet the day together. You show me the way I should go, and I follow. You walk before me, making my way smooth, steering my course, inspiring courage. (Eaton/Brummett)

It could well have been the start of Autumn today. The air was fresh, the dew lay wet on the grass and a thick fog hung low across the farm flats. The sun was up and there was no real hint of the forecaster  heat for today. Peace wrapped itself in all I could see and feel and there was a presence in it all like someone had been here before me and were still lingering. These special morning experiences are ground zero. They are where God touches the earth and comes to give strength for the day, warmth for the spirit  and encouragement for life and I so often find myself wrapping a mantra around my heart. "Lord take my words, take me, shine your love through what I am, through what I do.'
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

keep up the talk.

Tell me the old old story of Jesus and his love. (hymn)
I have a picture in my mind when I recall this song I learnt in Sunday School. Its a picture of Jesus sitting on a hillside around the sea of Galilee  with followers and interested, curios people sitting and standing before him just listening as he tells the stories. Stories of fishing for people, of loving one another, of how the lesser is the greater, the richer the poorer, the needy needing our help. Here he was sowing seeds of love, telling the story and isn't it wonderful when we have the opportunity to carry that on, to share the old old stories. My 5 year old  grandson called me second day after he started school, full of excitement. 'Guess what.' he said,' I learnt a song at school and I want to sing it to you' and he proceeded to sing 'My God is so big, so strong and so mighty.' Here it was , this small child's voice coming through the phone, telling me the old old story with great excitement. I  was at a clients house helping her sort out her home full of years of hoarding and as we were chatting she stopped working  and just looked at me. 'What' I asked. She said ' You know, seriously I want your God to come into my life.' Here it was again....tell me the old old story. It just does not go away does it! As long as we live and do we tell the old old story.

Sea of Galilee from the probable site of the sermon on the mount. 

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

God's simple surprises.

O worship the  King all-glorious above and gratefully sing his power and his love.....the earth with its store of wonders untold. (TIS 133)
The morning is so fresh with new rain leaving large full drops of water hanging off every leaf and blade of grass and its exhilarating to walk among it breathing in the freshness and to  be filled with joy just at the simplicity of what it is. Lots of things can bring joy  and renewed spirit through their simplicity but we miss it every time if we are not in tune with what God puts around us. I love a stroll on special walks where I am surprised by every day things that cause me to stop and ponder and wonder at God's crafting and handy work be it a rock wallaby, fury and upright looking at me with the same sense of wonder, an abandoned home of the blue wrens in the bare branches of a hawthorn thicket or  the perfume from wet eucalyptus trees filling the air with their own freshness. John  Burroughs says: '

To be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a birds nest or wildflower in spring - these are some of the rewards of the simple life.'  How lovely to have moments of simplicity in such a busy world. Take them into your day and savor them and mull them over in the pauses of your day and call them worship.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Close, how close to God?

The Lord spoke to Elijah...'Go out and stand before me on top of the mountain...' The Lord sent a furious wind, but the Lord was not in the wind. Then there was an earthquake but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After that there was fire but the Lord was not in the fire and after the fire there was a soft whispering of a voice and when Elijah heard it he hid his face. 1 Kings 19:11-15
When have you felt so overcome that all you could do was stop and stay in that space as your heart fell to its knees? Sometimes its such an overwhelming feeling that we don't know how long we lingered with it. Some will smell a perfumed rose and linger awhile in that space. Others will see a paddock full of wildflowers and linger in that space awhile where time means nothing. Its a rich time where there is such a thin space between you and God and every time there is that experience of being on our knees before God something new stirs within us. I have a lovely CD of  just music with sounds of creation backing it and every time it plays ' Be still and know that I am God' my whole being stops and my heart falls to its knees and I am renewed. Michael Cabot said: Whenever beauty overwhelms us, whenever wonder silences our chattering hopes and worries we are close to worship.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Walk with him and talk with him

'I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses. And I walk with him and I talk with him and he tells me I am his own' (Gospel song)
I always want to linger and stay awhile when I take that morning walk. Peace, quiet and God fills every silent space that gradually is blessed by the morning chorus of the birds and frogs from down at the pond  and  I am enriched by the row of magpies in black and white suits lining the fence and warbling in such harmony as if they were in a grand opera..  Its these treasures, these prayers that enrich my day. Mary Oliver says. 'When I am among the trees they give of such hints of gladness, I would almost say that they save me, and daily.' Likewise the treasures of the morning walk are my saving grace. A time spent with God is life giving, life saving,sustaining and  strength for the day.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

What we see.

Even birds and animals have much they could teach you....All of them know that the Lord's hand made them. Job 12:7-9
There is something about that first step out the door. Its like meeting God face to face. He is there in the trees, the parched earth and the wisp of mist in the valley, even in the thunder rumbling around the mountains.

He is there on the pond, in the ducks and swallows and the perfume of the rain soaked lavender on the nature strip.  I read this poem that says it all: I see his blood upon the rose and in the stars the glory of his eyes. His body gleams amid eternal snows, his tears fall from the skies. I see his face in every flower. The thunder and the singing of the birds  are but his voice and cavern by his power. Rocks are his written words. All pathways by his feet are worn. His strong heart stirs the ever beating sea. His crown of thorns is twined in every thorn. His cross in every tree.(Joseph Plunkett)
What we see is more than what we see and sometimes we may need to sharpen our vision.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Share God's love

'O the love of Jesus, it washes white as snow.' (Spiritual song)
Sometimes God just knocks harder on the door of our heart to get our attention and other times he just flows through our heart and thoughts like a cool refreshing river on a hot day. His river was flowing this morning as I walked in the fresh early morning and I thought of his love. His love for you and for me . His never ending, never changing love. I reflected on the person in yesterday who said she was not loved by God. 'How can he love me' she said. 'Look at me living in the gutters of homelessness, begging for a dollar here and there just to get something to eat. At McDonald's they call me 'the lost cause.'  As we chattered I said to her.' God loves everyone of us, including you. He dose not look at who we are as much as  who we can be with him, with his love. There is one song that sits on my heart and I know it was written there long ago and its never been forgotten, The words are this': Something beautiful, something good, all my confusion he understood. All I had to offer him was brokenness and strife but he made something beautiful of my life. She asked me to write the words on the back of the McDonald's receipt so she could take them with her. She may have a long hard road to another way of life but hopefully she will find the Jesus who loves her as a travelling companion..

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Ownership

You heard the true message......you believed in Christ, and God put his stamp of ownership on you. Ephesians 1:13

Sometimes I wonder what makes us different from many others. What is it that people see when they look at us and watch as we live day from day. I had a meeting with a community service person yesterday to review what we were doing for a client, to coordinate our program, and she said to me. ' I can see in you a passion and a love, not just for what you do for our disadvantaged people, but in whose name you do it for.'  Ancient generals put an ownership stamp such as a tattoo on their soldiers,An ancient writer told Christians to use the symbol of a dove,( the symbol of the Holy Spirit and of hope) for their ownership stamp and Paul likened ownership stamps to 'Gods gift of the Spirit' to us. Giving us his Spirit was our ownership stamp. How clearly do you think others around us see that stamp of ownership in us? How does it reveal itself through you and me? Victor Hugo said: Let us be like a bird, for a moment perched on a frail branch while he sings: Though he feels it bend, yet he sings his song knowing that he has wings.

the first fruits

'May the foot of God walk with you and his hand hold you tight' (TIS 779)
There is something magical about the time of the day when the sun filters through the night sky and breaks into light. Stepping out the door for the first time in a new day is like my feet touching the newness, the ' not walked on until now' path of the new day and as  God comes alongside I discover
the offerings of the day that would have otherwise been missed. Offerings and events that give joy and blessings and the days strength, like the magpies kicking in the tanbark, the different shades of glory crossing the sky as the sun rises over the mountain, the birds calling in the new day and that delightful sound of a baby kookaburra trying to learn his laugh.  The wonderful morning gifts, of time with God is  new every morning are the most powerful pearls of great price to deposit in our heart and mind as we venture into the rest of the day, into the unknown.I love these words of St Patrick's lorica: Christ be with me. Christ within me. Christ behind me. Christ before me. Christ beside me.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

living water

Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift. Revelations 22:17
I watched the fallen  rain water gushing down the water course and into the pond and fill it with new life. The patches of unwanted debris and stagnant water were swept away and replaced by fresh,life giving water. When the pond was refreshed  with this surge of clear water and became still again  the baby wood ducks came out from the long tall reeds in formation behind their mother and I laughed at their antics of trying to go 'heads down tails up.' There was quacking with delight and the dragonflies hovered over the waters looking for food. Swallows, Willie wag tails and wrens all chattered together in excitement at how the water had renewed life on their pond and even the mud wasps were visibly collecting fresh mud to build  their homes and O it all reminded me of the words Jesus said about living water and new life.
Eleonora Duse said:  If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things in nature  have a message that you understand, rejoice for your soul is alive.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord