earthly treasures

For the beauty of the earth, for the beauty of the skies. for the love which from our birth, over and around us lies. Christ our God to you we raise, this our sacrifice of praise.(Tis 137)
These words came to me as I was looking at the very full buds on the Japonica bush 'bursting' in readiness to go on display and visible here and there are the jonquil bulbs with fat buds also in readiness in a bed of very highly perfumed violets and there, hidden on the north side of a fallen log is the moss growing in its own rugged and earthy bed. So much beauty at a glance, a treasury of expectation, of hope, of love, of surprise, of God.
(Sister Stan says ) The treasures of the earth are free and full of surprises.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

mossy log,earthly beauty

Holy delight

God himself is present (TIS 121)
 I loved to walk through the fallen autumn leaves kicking them with great delight  and there is something special and thought provoking about 'hearing' the leaves as they fall from the trees. Its like a kaleidoscope of soft gentle music. Early morning  has so many points of connection with God  that bring delight, refreshment and preparation for the day and the birds add their voice to that as the little Pee-wee dances on the ice in the birdbath. There is something of 'holy delight' in creation and the creator. (Sister Stanizlow says) Creation speaks to those who hear with their hearts..
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Cathedral grounds Goulburn

God's daily blessings

Morning by morning new mercies I see. ( Hymn: Morning has Broken)
Its that time of the year where God's beauty shines in a different way with crisp frost and the haunting beauty of trees shrouded in fog and a beauty in the sunrise and sunset that is rich in deep colours .We often hear complaints about the frost and fog and cold but I say rug up more and enjoy. See God 's beauty and creation in all things and greet God in all things.
This little prayer by Norman Grubb is a morning inspiration:
Good morning Lord.
I love you!
what are you up to today?
I want to be part of it!
Thank you God.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

vineyards in the morning morning fog and frost

The soul is on its knees

He was praying in a certain place and one of the disciples said to him. 'Lord, teach us to pray.'  Luke 11:1
There is something about winter: The bare trees in the morning fog
The deep red of the sunrise on a cold winters morning, The white as white crisp frost crunching underfoot and the transparent cobwebs washed with dew drops hanging on a fence, glistening  like a string of diamonds and among it all the last of the brilliance of colour of the passing autumn.
There is one thing I have learnt in my day to day life that where ever you are, whatever you see, Whatever you do, is all prayer on the breath. Victor Hugo said: Certain thoughts are prayers. They are moments when, whatever the attitude of the body the soul is on its knees.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ,
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Your love, O God

The great love of God O how lavishly given. (Hymn)
God's love comes in so many ways. In sight, in sound, in smell and it is indeed lavishly given. It is everywhere you look, IF you look, in so many shapes and forms. Have you seen God's love lately?
In the beauty and detail and colour of the birds.
In the perfume and detailed beauty of the flowers
In the glistening dew drops on a leaf
In the full detail of a butterfly
An elderly lady at the nursing home once asked me.'Can you smell God?' My answer might have been simple but it was genuine. 'Yes,' I replied, 'you only have to bend your knee to smell the perfume of a rose, or a tiny violet and there is the smell of God.'
What a wonderful God we have who lavishly gives his love, his great love, in so many ways.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ,
Anne, servant of the Lord.

A bouquet of God's love

Peace that only God can give

My peace I give to you. John 14:27
There is a peace in us, 'God's peace' that allows us to jump hurdles and ward off anxiety and sing a song even in hard times. Its a peace that carries us. A peace that sings in our soul.  A peace that says 'all is well or all will be well.'  It reminds me of the little bird that sat on a fragile twig that hung out over a great waterfall and despite the fragility of the twig, the chasm below and the roar of the waterfall he sat there and he sang and he sang. As we approach Pentecost we remember the words of Jesus: Peace  I leave with you;my peace I give to you. John 14:27

wings to soar

They will soar on wings like eagles. Isaiah 40:31
 I was watching a man flying overhead in a single seat machine being held up by a rainbow shaped canopy like an umbrella and as I stopped to watch a moment I thought, what a grand view he must have of the entire region he was flying over. He could see far to his left, far to his right, far ahead and certainly far below and I thought of the eagle that Isaiah refers to and how it soars with a vision that captures all about it.A vision that is clear and big. Sometimes, if we want to see things in proportion, if we want to see them more clearly,  we need to soar above them and we can do that through our growing and strengthening relationship with our Savior Jesus. He will 'give us wings' to soar above anything  so we have a clearer view of it, so it comes into perspective.
Grace an peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Filled to overflowing

O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing My Great Redeemers Praise (Hymn)
Even after years of early rising I am  still 'filled to overflowing' with the blessings of the mornings . The awaking of the morning with the night blind in the sky  going up and the daylight creeping in under it. The blessing of stillness and quiet: of fog and mist hovering in the valley: of a pastel sky wearing fringes of pink and blue: of a fading moon and a rising sun, and the peace and the quiet almost puts me on my knees as  I am riveted onto one spot in the presence God. ( Mary Oliver said: I look:  morning to night I am never done with looking. Looking I mean. Not just standing around, but standing around as though with your arms wide open.
May you feel the overwhelming blessings of God wherever it is that you stand with arms open wide.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Hills, lights and chickens.

' Hide me in the shadow of your wings.' Psalm 17:8b
Its interesting how some things in life have an impact that  remains with you forever. I am so glad I grew up in an age where it was the norm for children to go to Sunday School and it was expected that you would learn to quote scripture verses that became embedded in your memory and journeyed with you through life. So many times over the years those embedded scripture verses have been  my salvation, my peace,my encouragement, my strength. Verses like ' I lift up my eyes unto the hills from where comes my strength.' (Ps 121)  'Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Ps 119:105)'  and another favorite 'hide me in the shadow of your wings.' Every verse came to me with a picture attached to it in my mind and this one in particular always reminded me of God's love and his protection like a mother hen who shelters her chicks under her wings.  As a child when  I fed my hens and chickens in the home yard I would see this lovely image of little chickens running to hide under their mothers wings and somehow I felt  safe, I felt warm and fuzzy inside. And  throughout  life when I see a hen or chicken this verse comes into my mind.  What are the verses that have embedded themselves into your mind and life?
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

God calling

Fill my whole life, O Lord my God. TIS 596
As a child I grew more and more fascinated in people who worked and devoted their life for God. I loved to see pictures in mission magazines of missionaries working for God and when they visited our parish I was in awe of them. As I grew up this fascination  grew with me and people like Mother Teresa became my hero who I admired, respected and saw as one who gave her life totally in service to Christ. (Of course my father was a priest and was well up in my books also) What an inspiration these people were and so many more keep coming into my life. I read in a little book called 'God Calling' a simple phrase that said. 'God's calling......FOR ME.' We can always draw inspiration from people around us  who live extraordinary lives of love and service, who spark the best in us. When we hear of Christians exemplifying God's best in their love for others,their service and their character.......learn their song.......and sing it, calling out to God,Lord, let me leave a legacy of love.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

strong upholding hands

Hold thou me up and I shall be safe Psalm 119:117
I woke up this morning amidst  God's love in what the local radio would call a 10-10 sunrise brought into beauty even more by the clear crisp frosty air. It was glorious in colour and peace but I think the thing that actually called me into the day was the tiny prayer bell that hangs outside my window. Its soft metallic tinkling in the gentle breeze draws me to thoughts of God. I recall reading a very old pocket book called 'morning bells' and in it I read: 'the path is not easy, there are rough stones and we can stumble. How do we walk safely over such a rough path?' My response to that reflection was: Its not my grip of Christs hand but Christ's grip on me. That's what stops us stumbling and keeps us on the path. I hear the tinkle of the metallic bell and immediately I say, 'may today be in your strength Lord even though at times the path may be rough. Hold me up.
(unknown)  Yes, I will uphold you with my own right hand. You are called and chosen in my sight to stand.
Grace and peace and strength from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

hidden things revealed

Look at what is before your eyes. 2 Corinthians 10:7
Outside a window that looks onto my garden are two tall trees that are shedding their leaves for winter.  There is not much room in that space but they conceal the wall behind them. Now, as they shed their leaves I can see the pattern of the brick work in the wall and hanging there in the sight of my eye is a wall decoration of a family of blue wrens and something inside me says, Ah, yes!. I quote Mary Oliver who also sees beyond the obvious. She says: 'The woods are acres of sticks - when the leaves fall the striptease is over, things stand mute and revealed. Everywhere skies extend, vistas deepen, walls become windows, doors open.'  It reminds me of our  relationship with God. It is so wonderful to be able to see  beyond the word, that word 'God'  and see what he has to reveal to us. As I look beyond the falling leaves to the family of blue wrens I see beyond what is in front of me.
Take the journey, look beyond the obvious and be blessed.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

I saw them as through the veil

He leads me by still waters. Psalm 23
The tree outside my window is again momentarily full of delightful flashing, moving colours of the Red Rump Finches, the Willy Wagtails, and the bright Rosellas all playfully chatting among the yellow glory of the autumn leaves and I recall having seen the Red Robin there when the snow is on the mountains. Such brief moments, moments that cause me to take a breath and hold it, moments  that  I call pauses with God.  These pauses are all around us. God moments that take away our breath and leave us with a sense of knowing, of having connected, of having experienced something deep. Mary Oliver puts it this way after she had seen a flock of Snow Geese flying overhead: I held my breath, as we do sometimes to stop time when something wonderful has touched us. She goes on later in her poem to say: Maybe I will see them again one day, somewhere, maybe I wont. It doesn't matter. What matters is that, when I saw them, I saw them as through the veil, secretly, joyfully, clearly.
Grace and peace be with you.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

An Echidna passing by my door step.

your making stuff, O Father

What has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. Phil. 1:12
How lovely it is to be able to look back on life and say that God has refined us in such a way that we have advanced the gospel, his work here on earth. Though nowhere fully refined yet its is a work in progress. I remember in Turkey looking at a very large pottery pot with a crack in its side and  flowers in it, old dying flowers and new growth at its base. I  was profoundly touched by the thought of  the one who molds our lives. I like this prayer (anon) Here, O my father, is your making stuff. Set your wheel going, let it whir and play the chips in me, the stones in me, the straw, the sand. Cast them out with fine separating hand and make a vessel of your yielding clay.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

Yet we believe.

Blessed are those who have not seen yet believe. John 20::29
What is it that causes us to believe in the risen Christ though we have not seen him? Some of the disciples saw the risen Christ and went to tell Thomas but he didn't believe because he hadn't seen him for himself. It can only be described as a mystery this faith we hold.   Paul says.' Its no longer I who live but Christ lives in me.' (Galatians 2:20) That's the key. Christ lives in me.  Lucardo says:  'The mystery in a nut shell is just this: Christ is in you.' Its like he moves into us and then we become like him and little by little a new us begins to emerge. By the grace of God he claimed us as his.  To be able to see through the eyes of Christ, the need to care for the poor, the lonely and the unwanted, to see them like us. To be able to see through the eyes of Christ where the world needs 'the Christian standards.' To be able to see through the eyes of Christ the beauty his Father created in the making of the world and all it holds.To be able to see through the eyes of Christ that what it is all about is love, unconditional love then we know that Jesus has 'moved in' and we are no longer the same.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Ephesus where Paul preached the risen Christ.

He is risen. Alleluia

He is not here: for he has been raised. Matthew 28:6 (and also above the empty tomb in the garden in Jerusalem)
God has done what he promised. He said I will never leave you, I will rise again, and he said that this promise was for you and your children.
So much of the Easter story recorded in Matthew jumps out at me. Lines like, 'he is going ahead of you' and this one, 'suddenly Jesus met them and said greetings!'
So many times in life and ministry I realise, often  in hind sight that Jesus has gone before me. He has either smoothed the waters or prepared the path way and I only have to see a stunning view, a beautiful flower, a breath taking sun rise, or sun set, a needy person or an elderly face and I hear the words of Jesus, 'greetings!' Ask yourself today, 'have you seen the risen Lord? and when did he last go before you? In a very troubled world may we see the risen Christ more and more.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

written on the wall inside the tomb

heavenly things

...........can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things. John 3:12b
When I glimpsed the autumn trees in passing I found myself going back to look again. Something touched my soul. Something put me momentarily on sacred ground. Though rather ordinary trees the passing of autumn tones is what touched me.Masses of green leaves.Masses of changing leaves and then those in full colour.
 It spoke to me of our journey of faith.It spoke to me of the journey of our lives.It spoke to me of God's glory and it took my breath away. It gave me a glimpse of God, a window to God, a flash in a moment, in a day. We can behold the Glory of the Lord in so many ways if we take that second look. Larson says: May countless blessings chase and overtake you and may you notice when they do.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

Taking risks for Christ.

Has not the Lord gone ahead of you? and does he not say 'I am sending you? (Judges 4:14-6:14)
How much of what we do for the Lord is often seen by others as 'outside the box.' Sometimes openly questioned even by those 'inside the box' so to say.Much of the work we do  is with the isolated and lonely in our communities and I truly believe that all those we serve are God sent. Several of the people I care for in the community have issues with hoarding in their homes and no one in the community seems to want to help them. I believe strongly that when our church program was  asked to help these people that they were God sent to us for this purpose. Do you believe that with much of what you do ?Charles E Cowman says this: God has guided the heroes and saints of all ages to do things which the common sense of the community has regarded as ridiculous and mad. Have you ever taken any risks for Christ?
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

National Deacons Conference in Perth  2014. ALL risk takers for Christ!

Creator of all.

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. Psalm 8:1
I will never forget the look of the sky in the outback. Stars in magnitude and beauty like I had never experienced. Far removed from any 'street lights' or other dimming influences, the stars were all on display in their masses, their clusters and their patterns. What a magnificent sight. It left me just gazing in silence at the wonder of our amazing God, the creator of such beauty and magnitude.
Do you recall when you last saw the stars and experienced that moment of awe and amazement that led you to see beyond the stars to their creator. So much in life has these moments of wonder if we can just see deep into them to their maker.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

The wonder of a sunrise

come and see!

The first thing Andrew did was to find Simon and he said to him, 'We have found the Lord.' John 1:14
When the grandchildren visit and we share a meal together I always suggest we thank Jesus for our food before we eat by using a simple grace. Yesterday, I heard that my 5 year old grandson requests everyone in his class at pre school to not start eating their lunch until he says 'the special words to Jesus.' His father suggested that perhaps not all the children will know about Jesus. His reply was. 'Yes they will because there is a church right next door to the pre school and anyway, I can tell them.'
What an absolute, humbling and delightful thing it is to know that you have enabled someone to 'see Jesus.'Eric Fellman said: Lord, let my life show you to someone today.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

unused gifts

There came to him a woman having an alabaster  box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head. Matthew 26:7
Most of us that have something that's very precious don't use it. How many items do you have that you perceive to be precious and you never use them? I can think of several in my home, items such as the fine bone china cup saucer and plate that was given to me as a gift when I was only 10 and all these years later I have never used it but admired its place in the china cabinet along with other 'precious'  items.I wonder if it is truly honouring the giver to not use such gifts?  Many a 'gift' we have comes from God. Gifts he gave us freely to use, not store  away. Bring them out, use them for his glory and enjoy the benefit of using and sharing  something precious that will also bring joy and delight  to others.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

refreshment to the soul

Sir, give me this water that I may never be thirsty. John 4:15
I like this saying. 'I wasn't thinking of music but it began to rain!' How true is that. When we have been waiting and waiting for it to rain and it finally comes, its like music to the ears.It brings refreshment to the soul, it lifts our spirits. No wonder Jesus used the imagery of water, -  living water, when he invited people to come and be refreshed in body, mind and soul - and grow. I have also heard it said that gentle falling rain is like a ministry. Helen T Allison says this:
One little unshed raindrop
may think itself too small
yet somewhere a thirsty flower
awaits its fall.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Home garden

Pause with God

Withdraw to deserted places and pray. 5:16
I cant seem to walk past the pond without stopping awhile to look at its mysteries and hear its sounds, I just stand and look and momentarily not a sound passes from me to the bulrushes, the frogs, the birds and the ducks except a thought of thanks to God for a new day, for his beauty in creation and for a pause of stillness and reflection. I come away feeling a refreshment of my soul and a slight skip in my step and though I have felt the great benefit of a pause with God I reflect on how he deserves some sacred space in our day.  While its such a privilege to spend time with God, he to wants to spend time with us.

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

One does what one can

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God's sight. Luke 12:6
Its amazing how everything has its role in God's world, even the humble sparrow. Seen to be a pest by many a garden lover and totally banned in Western Australia this little creature of no real beauty still has a place among .  It always brings a smile to my face when I see it, especially since it was the only bird I saw in the 'Tomb Garden' in Jerusalem. It says something to us that everything is of worth to God even the most plain of us all. Every thing has a place. I love this story, no, its a parable.(author unknown.) It was a chilly overcast day when a horseman spied a little sparrow lying on its back in the middle of the road. Reigning in his mount he looked down and inquired of the creature.'Why are you lying upside down like that?' I heard the heavens are going to fall in today,' replied the bird. The horseman laughed. ' I suppose your spindly legs can hold up the heavens?'  'One does what one can' said the little sparrow.' Isn't that so true. Each of us no matter how small or how ordinary we think we are we all have a place in God's world and for God, we do what we can.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Tomb Garden Jerusalem

See it to believe it?

All of us are here in the presence of God Acts 10:33
There is that old saying, 'You have to see it to believe it.' but with a faith in the everlasting presence of the Lord with us, we don't go along with that saying. Many a time I have felt the presence of God with me and especially when out walking, or when in  a 'sticky situation' when I don't know to turn to the left or the right and yes, every night when I say my prayers and turn the light out I know I sleep in the company of God's protection.  Thomas Kimber said: After a long trying march over perilous Antarctic mountains and glaciers, a South Pole explorer said to his leader. 'I had a curious feeling on the march that there was someone else with us.'
No, we don't have to see to believe it. Just know that the presence of God is with us always.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Wonders never cease.

Loving God, we thank you for this world of wonder and delight. (Thanksgiving 5 APBA)
Many a time we all come to a place where we look about at all the wonders within our sight -  be it walking on the beach and discovering shells of all variety and beauty, sitting trying to count the many grains of sand, wondering at the life the  sea creatures might have. Or if it is sitting in our garden admiring its beauty, watching the butterflies and birds and marveling at their creation and creator. Or maybe its leaning on a fence and pondering the view across the paddock to the distant hills as the sun sets marveling at that beautiful phenomenon and reflecting on the day passing  What ever it is -
(As Gariepy says ) as we look about us we will find that wonders never cease as long as we never cease to wonder. and William Wordsworth invites us to 'let nature be your teacher, she has a world of ready wealth and our hearts and minds to bless.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

it gives off joy and memory.

Glorious things of you are spoken. (Christian hymn) 
Many things give us joy in life if we can just see God in all. Today held a special blessing as I looked onto it and saw the many new blooms of the roses in their second flush for the season each arrayed in its own glorious colour and wearing a perfume that gives off joy and memory. But the blessing that even topped that was just beyond the leaves of the heavenly perfumed roses. It presented first as the tiniest splash of blue - two tone blue-deep and light - and as I looked a little head became visible and a trill rose from deep within its tiny mouth. No words, just a sweet trill - glorious, lovely,special - and there it was in full view, a  blue wren gathering the blessings of his day from among the rose leaves . I thought, no matter what may be on our heart when we get up, nothing could dispel the blessings of God given for us at its start. Even if it was a fleeting blessing, it will remain  regardless of the days events.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Create in me a new and contrite heart (Ash Wednesday Collect0
On Ash Wednesday the symbolism as you walked into the church was a purple cloth draped on the floor below the sanctuary. Two large branches forming the shape of a cross, burnt to their core by the recent bush fires in our area, lay on the  cloth. It was powerful.  I always marvel at the country side after a bush fire, devastated, destruction, black, yet   within weeks, even days if there has been a drop of rain, new shoots will begin to grow from what seems to have been something  very dead - bush fires turn trees into ashes but rain on them brings new growth. (This so reminds me of Christ the living water.) Is 61:3 talks of beauty from ashes.....'To give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning'  I looked at those burnt tree branches  and something deep within my being, something deep within my soul said something about God, something about us being in the power of God, something about our own new growth, something about a God who holds us close and has the power to restore.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

Best preacher that ever was.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.  (TIS 768)
It doesn't matter how many years of morning walks I have and it doesn't matter the mood I might be in  when I take them I still cant hold back the  daily greeting to the Lord.  While everything outside seems to remain the same yet every day it brings new joy and a deeper vision and understanding of creation, of life, of God. I can look down the valley to the mountains as if I have never seen that view before and it will greet me anew with its beauty. I can hear the ducks and frogs in the pond as if it were for  the first time and God's glory manifests itself in the changing colours of the sky as the sun rise takes center stage.
Mary Oliver says it like this: Hello, sun in my face. Hello, you who makes the morning and spreads it over the fields - best preacher that ever was.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Hello, you who made the morning.

sink the roots deep

But those who drink of the living water I will give them will never be thirsty. John 4:14
I came across a lovely symbolic display in the front garden of a home I walk past and it immediately brought to mind a  biblical reflection of living water and various other texts relating to 'holding onto Jesus and living in him.' and it reminded me of some words I read by Sara Orne Jewett which said:
'A good healthy tree growing out of a bare rock, out of some crack that holds its roots and it keeps its green top in the worst heat, the driest summer - and you lay your ear to the ground and you hear a little stream running.' How true it is that if we have the living waters Jesus offers us flowing through us then as Julian or Norwich says: 'All will be well. All manner of things will be well.'
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of he Lord

only by the grace of a little stream below.

all together

Isaiah 65:25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together.
 How wonderful it would be if this were the case today - the lamb and the wolf together - living in harmony and peace. So much of the worlds dilemma is because people have no vision they can not envision living in harmony and peace with each other but how that could change if people are at peace deep within their bodies and their communion with God was rich. Its then we can see the worth and value in all and the beauty and grace of God and his creation. I caught a glimpse of what this  could look like when I was visiting the optometrist a few days ago. The two lovely young men on the welcome desk were obviously of the alternate life style, the optometrist who saw me was from the middle east and traditionally dressed, the lass who fitted my glasses was from India and the other lass who took my next booking was from Italy. As I was on my way to work via this appointment I was clerically dressed and the optometrist was so interested in what I did on a daily basis. I walked away from that place with a skip in my step as I said to God. 'Now that is how your world should be -  everyone living in harmony and how can I help it be so?
Grace to you and peace
Anne,servant of the Lord

peace

we are the Lord's

This morning and often read this passage of scripture from Paul to the Thessalonians.

' Paul  thought he brought something of significance to people in his role in the rough and tumble of life.'  (Bishop Brain) I believe in our ministries and daily life as Christians we too bring something of great significance to others and for that you are thought of often.

Paul says: We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers,constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know brothers and sisters beloved by God that he has chosen you because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only,but also  in power and in the Holy Spirit......Thessalonians 1:2-4a

What wonderful words of encouragements. What wonderful words of support, what wonderful words of affirmation and how humbling they are. In all we do and in all we are, we are the Lords, and we are in the prayers of those who know and encourage us.
Grace to you and peace
Anne, servant of the Lord

little packets of gold

A sower sows the word. Mark 4:14
I see a farmer planting seed in the paddock and I think about that seed, that little packet of gold, so tiny yet it  has the potential to bring such value not only to the farmer but to  many others as well. It is  indeed a real treasure and  right now, right at this moment you have 'a little packet of gold' a real treasure, hidden within you and its  called the word of God and it can be so powerful once sown and planted into the lives of other so much so it can change their life. No, not change it, but save it.
I wonder what you are going to do today with the treasure you are holding, that precious word of God? Step out into the world and sow it.
With God's love and blessings of the Lord
Anne, servant

little packets of gold sown in faith and trust produced life sustaining results

little dolls of gold

'Lord I lift your name on high. Lord I want to sing your praises.'(Christian song)
I caught up with such glorious delights in the early morning walk, - A very busy purpose filled willy wagtail investigating every corner of an old wooden fence in pursuit of his breakfast and then a cluster of bright yellow rump finches which Mary Oliver would describe as 'little dolls of gold.' And camouflaged in the greenest of grass flourishing like no other around it ,n a water course, was a family of fluorescent green grass parrots and I looked (As Mary Oliver says:)  ' not just standing around looking but standing around as though with your arms open.'
I could not help but think about the glorious delights that are all around us and so often we do not see unless we stop and look and I mean truly  look.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

The blue wrens home

rescued with love

Jesus said: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you. John 13:34
There are so many ways we can go about our day and our daily work. Its how we do it, how we see people, how we see our life that makes the difference. One of the ministries I am involved in is' nursing people  back into life' Through life's difficulties, trauma and misfortune some people find themselves in a very deep, dark hole and they need someone to come along side and offer a hand to climb out of it -   not to just climb out but to know where to plant their feet once out, to be strong with what life holds for them. Just adding that extra layer called 'love' can make a world of difference.
I read this quote from Joan Chittister: If I cook dinner, that's ordinary. If I put a flower on the table when I serve it, that's divine.
May we serve Christ and all who cross our path with that added dimension of love,
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

For I am his and he is mine

For I am his, and he is mine. Here in the power of God I stand. (Christian Song)
I can stand on the top of the hill and look across the valley to the mountains at sunset and be in absolute awe of the beauty and oneness of God's creation and something in me, this little dot on top of the hill, says you belong and I feel it, I feel I belong and am part of all before and around me. In all of this creation there is you and you belong and you are important and without you, what you see before you is incomplete.I read this lovely poem by Michael Quoist:
A symphony needs each note, a book needs each word. A house needs each brick, the ocean needs each drop of water, the harvest needs each grain of wheat.
The whole of humanity needs you, as and where you are - you are unique - no one can take your place.
Just pause a moment and read that again and be blessed.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne,servant of the Lord.

Go little boats

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1
This would have to be one of the biblical verses that are familiar in the heart of us all and we no doubt have used it in so many contexts but it struck me another way when I was looking at some yachts  just sitting  on the water, sails down, not looking at all adventurous or capable of going anywhere. What a different story though when the sails go up and the boat is maned and the wind carries it out on a journey. Somehow, the Hebrews verse came to mind and I thought of this little prayer I had read somewhere: May the wind of the Holy Spirit fill your sails and take you to a new, inspired place.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

Meditate on this

Jesus said: I am the light of the world. Who ever follows me will never walk in darkness but will  have the light of life (John 8:12)
So many times I feel so humbly blessed because  of living a life that is Christ centered. Fall in a hole, and He picks you up, Exciting times and He fills you with joy. Something missing in your day and He fills it. Needing to talk to someone and He is there. Something  I read stuck in my mind this morning as I watched the day rising from the night, as the light covered the darkness, and it was this, and I think no more need be said, just meditate on this:
'Follow the light you have
and pray for more. (George MacLeod)
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

Light in the darkness

nudging and guiding

Guide me O my great redeemer, pilgrim through this barren land.I am weak but thou art mighty
hold me with thy powerful hand. (TIS 569)
I was  sitting on my front porch watching the farmer in the near by paddocks moving the cattle. He was behind them slowly nudging them in the direction he was wanting them to go, avoiding rocky outcrops and the fragile  banks of the creek and various other hazards and spots of danger. Suddenly I had  a deeper sense of the movement of Christ in our lives, how he gently nudges and  guides us and he does it 'from behind.' I read these lovely  Celtic words of wisdom:  My dearest Lord, be thou a bright flame before me, be thou a gentle guiding star above me, be thou a smooth path beneath me, be thou a kindly shepherd behind me, today and ever more. (St Columba)
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Now I see

Matthew 13:16   But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear.
I look at the pond now and reflect on what it was. A stagnating pool of muddy water that came and went and a cluster of wood ducks calling it home and I look at it now, three years later and see, with the human touch how it has changed. Bulrushes and bird loving grasses cluster at its shores, its always full and flushes clean its waters when refreshing rain falls. It is home for a variety of birds,wood ducks and water fowls proudly strutting the grass surrounds showing of their babies and an occasional turtle will venture out and sun bake and frogs are the chorus beneath it all  . It reminds me so much of our lives and our ministries and where we have come from over the years and how with nurturing by God's love we are where we are today and those we befriend in the name of Christ, are where they are today.Epicurus said: Remember what you have now was once among the things you only hoped for.  I  read this lovely prayer: May God bless your heart that you may be a well spring of life for others and may God bless your hands and feet that you may attend to his business during your times on earth - your life matters deeply to him.

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

Empowered by God

'Your peaceful presence, giving strength, is everywhere.' (Benedictine Nuns Hymn)
There is an African proverb which reads like this: if you think you are too small to make a difference, - try sleeping with a mosquito.
We are empowers  by God to make a difference in the world we live in. In our own space of living and working.  There are so  many people we come in contact with and so many people we 'rub off on' that provide a wonderful space to show God's love. I remember an elderly lady in the nursing home  once asked me can you 'smell God' after she went into the chapel to pray because she could sense something different in that 'God space.' . Can others sense something difference  when they come across our space, our presence?   We are empowered by God to do the work of God.
Meister Eckhart said: What is the good if Mary gave birth to the Son of God 2000 years ago if I do not Give birth to the Son of God today - God is always needing to be born.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

God speakes

Spirit of the living God fall afresh on me.  (Sacred song)
I love that oneness, that connection, that God moment when I am out walking and something catches my eye (or is it my Spirit?) and I stop in awe and wonder. Sometimes these 'God moments' spring up expectantly and other times I can see them coming such as watching a sunset or sunrise creeping into the sky, subtle at first with a hint of colour and then grows into a spectacular arena of colour that  speaks to me of God's love; an almost overwhelming love that makes my knees weak and my soul rise up in song!
Joan  Chittester says: Station stops in your day, stops to reflect, stops to see the sacred, stops to enjoy the presence of the moment - station stops - sacred moments - refueling places of God's love that refresh us  and connect us with the one who walks with us always - Jesus Christ.

Sacred pause - spirit filling- God's love

New Year

Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old, I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the   wilderness and rivers in the desert. Is. 43: 18-19
A New Year,-  new beginnings, new opportunities - as we walk right into it, ready to embrace all it offers and throws at us. May your prayers move heaven and earth and may you remember  that everywhere you place your feet, God's kingdom comes to earth. Go humbly and boldly forward with your  hand firmly gripped in Gods.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Travellers

Ring, bells,ring,ring! Sing, choirs,sing,sing,sing! When he comes, when he comes, who will make him welcome. TIS 283
They will all travel in the next day or so. - Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, the wise men - people returning home to be counted -   all heading in the same direction and we too have been caught up in the expectation  and travel with them. Mary and Joseph are travelling to Bethlehem to 'be counted' unaware that their baby Jesus would be born there. The shepherds will be travelling because of an encounter with a whole host of heavenly angels on a hillside in the night and the wise men who will be actually travelling to worship a long expected king, bringing gifts. What are we thinking as we are travelling towards the celebration of Christmas that marks the birth of our Saviour and King, Jesus. As we grapple with the tinsel to go on the tree, the crowds at the shops and the last minute gift buying amid it all are we travelling to celebrate Jesus birth -  are we remembering why we want to celebrate?
Journey ends;where afar Bethlehem shines, like a star, stable door stands ajar. (TIS 283)

Manger Square Bethlehem 

A star

' How beautiful on the mountain are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, 'Your God reigns.' Isa 52:7
I think I have already received the most treasured Christmas present for this year. One of the children at church walked up to me during the greeting of the peace and placing  her small hand in mine she looked up  and as she passed a small red star into my hand  she said. 'This is for you, to remind you that Christmas is coming.' She is all of four years old!  I read this saying today: Christmas is a gift from God that we can not keep unless we give it to someone else.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

" The word became flesh and dwelt among us" Plaque in the church of the Nativity Bethlehem 

ordinary to extraordinary!

While Shepherds watched their flock by night. (Christmas Carol)
I remember standing in shepherds field outside  Bethlehem and picturing a scene of the shepherds and their sheep on what was an ordinary night for them but God chose to make it an extraordinary night. Lucado says( paraphrased) : The sheep were ordinary. Some fat, some scrawny. Some with barrel bellies. Some with twiggy legs. Common animals.They were simply sheep - lumpy, sleeping silhouettes on a hillside. And the shepherds. Peasants they were, nameless in the Christmas story, probably wearing the only clothes they had and smelling like sheep.. Had God not chosen to make this night extraordinary then the sheep and shepherds would have slept the night away. BUT, 'God dances amidst the common and that night he did a waltz!' Silent sheep woke with curiosity and shepherds rubbed their eyes at the sight of angels and the night was no longer ordinary.  So often I reflect on how the angels came to bring good news  to the common peasant shepherds, alone in the dark, sleeping in the open and I think of the ministry of many of us among the isolated,disconnected, living in the  darkness of their situation  and how that ministry is often described as 'of angels.' The angels came to the shepherds in the night because that is when the light is best seen and is most needed.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ,
Anne, servant of the Lord

Entrance to the chapel on Shepherds Field.

Advent angels

O come, O dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by your advent here. TIS 265
Scattered around the seats of the congregation are the angels from the Christmas story. Angles proclaiming the coming of the Christ, the king, the saviour. They remind us that something is about to happen, they carry with their presence a message. When I go out for an evening walk at this time of the year I absolutely delight in seeing what people have put around their homes that proclaim Christmas is coming. The lights that cover the roof of homes, the lights in the gardens and the sight of the Christmas tree lit up in the front room of homes or the view of it through open doors. We do lots of things to proclaim the coming of Christmas that generate that expectation, that waiting, that knowing that something is coming, something is about to happen. During Advent may we reflect on the great gift it is to us all to have the Saviour Jesus Christ in our hearts and in our lives and may we always be prepared for that second coming.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

Touch a flower

O Lord our God, your greatness is seen in all the world. Psalm 8:1
I always feel that oneness with God and all creation when I stop and touch a flower and raise its stem to my face and smell its perfume of sheer delight. Its a heaven sent blessing.  I read these lovely thoughts by a Vietnamese monk, an apostle of peace......isn't that lovely.... an apostle of peace. He writes: When I touch a flower, I touch the sun yet I do not get burned! When I touch a flower I touch a cloud flying to the sky. If you really touch a flower deeply, you touch the whole cosmos. ( Thich Nhat Hanh)
 Countless  'God connections ' and blessings are right at our finger tips anytime, any day, anywhere, just smell a  flower, just breath deeply the fresh clean  air, just listen to the bird singing.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Give thanks

O Lord how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your possessions. Psalm 104:24
Take a look at everything that is in your field of vision and reflect. God made it all and what strikes me is that he is still making,creating and being extravagant.
Every new sunrise...every new day....the fresh shower of rain that transforms the dry and dusty roadside to yellows, blues and pinks of the wild flowers.The single bud on the rose bush alongside yesterdays full bloom, the tiny babies in the bird nest,
Constant, faithful, creating God.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

powerful yet graceful.

I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Exodus 19:4
I was watching the baby sea eagle flying ever so gracefully back and forth on the sea breeze and the text from Exodus came to mind and I found myself thinking of all the times God has carried each one of us through the ups and downs of life. Just like he carried the Israelite's through the exodus, so he carries us. Each and every one of us who are true believers are  to him a 'treasured possession.'
Michael Joncas wrote: And God will raise you up on eagles' wings, bear you on the breath of dawn, make you shine like the sun, and hold you in the palm of his hand.'

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