Capture a delight

 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him. Romans 15:13

What was the delight you captured on your hours walk today and brought home as a memory? I find I am seeing and savouring more detail. I see beauty like the deep purple clump of violets  gone wild in the grass near the walkway that I had only briefly seen in passing before but never pondered on the how or the why of their presence there. I captured the  bright, ever so bright red of the front of the King Parrots  chest, so brilliant red, and it matched the brilliance of his green back when he turned about. That memory was imprinted in me for the rest of my walk home. Ah such beauty from a wonderful creator. My gifts to bring home from my walk.

I read this quote: Watch windflowers dance in the breeze for a moment of pure joy.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                  The joy of the dancing windflowers.

The Lord-Shalom

 - -- so Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it The Lord - Shalom

Gideon discovered that he could find peace in the Lord. We know that fear paralyses us and it petrifies us and if we hold onto fear it will disrupt our life, in fact it could
change the course of our life. But we also know that God can dispel our fears because is he not the God of peace?

Have you built an altar, perhaps called a quiet place, a prayer space or a garden seat that you call The Lord - Shalom?    God's peace is there for us all if we take the time to be with him. In the garden, around my quiet space, I can look into the eye of a beautiful flower, dwell on the layer of its skirts and there is God, our creator, gently blowing in the wind, with peace.

In the middle of a pandemic search out that place where you find God and be with him in peace.

Jehovah-Shalom. The Lord is peace.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

Lockdown. - a curse or a blessing?

 Come away with me by yourself to a quiet place and rest awhile. Mark 6:31

   What are you doing during this period of being locked down? Besides doing a great catch up in and around the house. I have been spending time in the garden with roses to prune and flowers to smell. But I have had a great 'pull' in this period to go on a daily personal retreat. In the quiet and stillness making time to draw even nearer to God and looking deeper into his eyes in nature - and his voice in the  bird songs, now clear and joyful in a silent world. The one hour allowed outside for exercise I breathe in the clear, pollution free air full of the perfume of spring  to appreciate the outdoor beauty and picturing what God had in mind when he created the crested wood pigeon or the daffodil or the forget-me-not and why he put the trill in the tiny birds.   What are you doing during the lockdown?

A hymn by Getty called Holy Spirit backs my retreat: Holy Spirit, living Breath of God, breathe new life into my willing soul. Let the presence of the risen Lord come renew my heart and make me whole. Cause Your word to come alive in me; give me faith for what I cannot see, give me passion for your Purity; Holy Spirit breathe new life in me.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.  Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                        Have you ever watched a bee gathering pollen?

Sets the spirit ablaze with love.

 The sun when it appears, proclaims as it rises, what a marvellous instrument it is, the work of the most high. Sirach 43:2

This is a lovely reflection I read  sometime ago: 'As a new day shines over your place today remember God is reminding you of his glory - be in wonder of him. He is mighty and the perfecter of beauty.'

So much of our world is struggling in stress with climate change reactions and a deadly pandemic BUT God never fails us. These are times that we need to draw even closer to him, to pause and see there is good and hope in the beauty around us and in his faithfulness that never fails. No matter what our life might be like at the moment God will always make the sun to rise every day. Blessed are those who rise early enough each day to witness the sun rise on the creation of a new day. It sets the spirit ablaze with love for the creator.

May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                Morning glory.

Chubby balls of grey feathers.

 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within in me. Psalm 51:10

Has spring already arrived I found myself thinking as I stepped out the door into a balmy sort of morning and as I stood on the edge of the garden, with just me and God  I heard the call of a baby bird anxious for its breakfast being watched by its mother, one eye on the baby and one eye on the food gathering.  I marvelled at the increasing swell of the buds on the Japonica bush, some already bursting with delight  and the air is filled with the perfume of the wattle blossoms. From the bird bath came sounds of the joy of little finches bathing, splashing water all over while under the bird feeder were the sparrows, chubby balls of grey feathers always so happy, gathering crumbs and they, a pest to some, always bring me delight for they remind me of God's promise that he cares for us all, even the sparrows.

A few still moments at the front door with God sets the pace of the day. 

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                        Golden  Cootamundra wattle,

Memories are made of this.

 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above coming from the Father of lights. James 1:17

It was Fanny Robinson who said: Flowers are the gems that children love, yet we all delight to see and they bring a thousand memories of bygone days to me.

How very true that is. I couldn't resist while out walking yesterday, stopping to smell a Jonquil, attracted by its vivid white  flower foremost, because   also I  knew that if  I stooped to smell it I would visit that comforting, safe, warm place of peace as a child sitting in the paddock surrounded by the clumps of Jonquils filling the air with God's perfume.  Its the same memory as walking under a trellis of Wisteria or passing by the Daphne bush at the back door. They transport us to places of comfort  and joy in our memories. Spring is full of memories from the gardens that embrace our life. Enjoy them all and what they offer.

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

                                         
                                    memories

All things bright and beautiful

 Each little flower that opens each little bird that sings, he made their glowing colours he made their tiny wings. (Cecil F Alexander)

I love to walk in the garden. I love to admire the gardens when I go out walking. Each and every flower is an inspiration of God's thoughts and creativity and every perfume is his aroma.

From tiny forget-me-nots to long nodding trumpets of the bright yellow daffodils. The Lord God made them all.  I don't think you could look at a flower and not give God a smile.

I mean - look at the pansies' faces, they look so happy and childlike.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                            Bright and beautiful.

Faith HOPE and love

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

Hope of the cold winter passing is the emergence of the green growth of the spring bulbs as they push their way through hard soil towards the sunlight and warmth and hope is the sweet perfume of the Daphne flowering at the front door, heralding Spring.

Hope is the bow in the sky full of colour and joy following the rain reminding us of God's covenant with his people. All these signs and more assure us that we can put our hope and trust in God. They fulfil our hope that God is  faithfully and loyally with us so why should we ever doubt when we don't see signs of hope for they too will come.

Grace and peace  from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, Servant of the Lord.

                                                Daphne - the hope of Spring.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ

 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all.(2Corinthians 13:13)

Charles Dickens said: 

How can we tell what coming people are aboard the ships that may be sailing to us now from the unknown seas.

What a different changing world we are living in, Everything 'Coved pandemic' consumes our lives and actions. Every day is different, unpredictable, uncertain, difficult and lived in caution and in many places, fear. One thing I am so grateful for is my faith, and I pray in yours,  is the strong presence of God in my daily life. In the valleys and the mountains God is there  stabilising my world with this lovely familiar blessing we call the grace.

Peace to those who are far off and peace to those who are near.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                        Peace.

 

Pray to the Lord of peace.

 Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. (The Lord's prayer)

For time immortal prayers have gone to God from all corners of the earth. Prayers of the faithful and in hope and trust we lay them before him. We know prayer makes a difference, we know prayer changes things but sometimes we can be in a place of doubt. I read this lovely fable which you may know:    'Tell me the weight of a snowflake.' a coal mouse asked the white dove. 'Nothing more than nothing.' came the answer.  'In that case I must tell you a marvellous story,' the coal mouse said. 'I sat on a branch of a fir tree, close to its trunk, when it began to snow. Since I had nothing else to do, I counted the snow flakes settling on the twigs and needles of my branch. The number was exactly 3,741,952. When the next snow flake dropped on the branch - nothing more than nothing, as you say - the branch broke off. The dove, an authority on the matter since Noah's time, thought about the story awhile and finally said to herself: 'Perhaps there is only one persons voice lacking for peace to come about in the world.'  

May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                                 fir tree - peace.

Joy and deight

 Behold what manner of love the Father  hath bestowed upon us. 1 John 3:1

I think it is fairly obvious that if 'the Father' had not bestowed his love on us and called us children of God  then the wonders of the world would be somewhat obscured. With his love, so much around us is given to us - freely.  I reflected on this as the day broke and along with it the chatter of 5 or 6 King Parrots filled the air with excitement as they landed and began feasting on the beautiful flowering native bush outside my window. The sight reminded me of the title of Macrina Wiederkehr's book, 'A tree full of Angels.'  How blessed are we to know the manner of the Fathers love even in the ordinary things of life.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the  Lord.

                                                            Ready for breakfast!

The glory of the rainbow is a splendid gift.

 I have set my bow in the cloud and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Genesis 9:13

When the rain stops the rainbow shows it is finished and  if you look for the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow you will never find it because the gift is not at the end of the rainbow but the rainbow itself. Its a  gift of  atmospheric beauty, the colours of the bow, and of God's promise to us to never flood the earth again. That's the treasure to be found in a  rainbow and the joy when seeing one.

I love this passage of scripture from Sirach 43:11 Look at the rainbow and praise him who made it: it is exceedingly beautiful in its brightness - it encircles the sky with its glorious arc - the hands of the most high have stretched it out.

                                            A splendid gift

He is here

 God is with you. 1 Samuel 10: 7

I suspect , in a corona virus ridden world, and in our own personal world, there well may be a few cries going up, 'Where is God?'

It is so easy to lose hold of the fact that God is with us in all things and at other times there is a great unquestionable  sense of his awareness. Think of your day, the ups and downs, the blessings and curses and pray today to hold onto what Samuel knew, - 'that God is with me.'

George Macdonald said: Few delights can equal the mere presence of one whom we trust utterly.

Jehovah - Shalom. The Lord is peace

Anne, servant of the Lord

                          Prophet  Samuels tomb and national park Israel.

Dark is not darkness at all

 And your right hand shall hold me fast. If I say surly the darkness shall cover me and the light around me become night even the darkness is not dark to you; The night is as bright as the day for the darkness is as light to you. psalm 139: 10-12

 These are some thoughts I shared with an elderly lady who was full of anxiety and darkness was overtaking her.  I said: How often have you been scared of the dark? I can recall as a child running down a dark corridor to my bedroom where there was a light on. I can recall waking up in the night terrified of the dark and hiding under the bedclothes frantically pleading with God to be under the bedclothes with me. I was scared stiff!!  Then as I grew older and God filled my life more and more I felt such fears leaving me. Even when I was doing a mine rescue at Coober Pedy and I would be  down a very, very deep mine shaft to rescue a fallen miner, sure I was scared of the dark but not terrified, because I had learnt to reach out for God's hand in times of need.

When fear and uncertainty creeps into the 'dark of life' stretch out your hand to God and feel his light filtering through to your fingertips, filtering through the darkness.

 Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                     Hold out your hand and feel his light filtering through.

Touching lives with love

 There is no one like you to help.  2 Chronicles 14:11

One way we are known as Christians is by our actions and how we live out our lives and that  brings to mind the saying that actions speak greater than words.  I read of this conversation after a person, a passer by,  helped an older man pick up his  spilt bag of groceries from the pavement.  He said: 'You must have been a cub scout ' and laughingly came the reply, 'No, just a Christian.' 

Well we could pray daily: Heavenly Father, help me this day to use what you have given me to touch  another life  with your love.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord

Christian love.

A curious feeling

(Jesus said)  I will never leave you nor forsake you. Hebrews 13:5

Faith is a fascinating thing. Its not a sense, or a sight, or a reason, but simply taking God at his word. Its an absolute belief and trust that God is with us at all times. I read this little yet profound story which said: After a long and trying march over Antarctic mountains and glaciers a South Pole  explorer said to his leader. 'I had a curious feeling on the march that there was another person with us.'

God never leaves us nor forsakes us.

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                     Even in the wilderness he is with us - (the road to Jericho) 

Forged by life

 Here is my servant, whom I uphold.........a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench. Isaiah 24:1-3 (paraphrased)

There is something so peaceful about looking across a valley with rows and rows of regimented grape vines. Its a picture perfect scene and even the mist seems to be suspended in the air and I reflected on an elderly lady  I had visited recently.  She is a person of faith, forged by life and living with aging issues, failing strength and health. To look on her one would thing she may well be suffering yet her smile, when she lifts her arthritic neck is radiant and her eyes are alive.  She is an inspiration.  As I continued to ponder the vineyard I realised that like grapes there is a process to go through in life. Its a 'crushing' process, a refining process and the strength of faith is in the fact that even while we are being crushed, we are still being used, and we are still 'hanging in there 'with God and its then I see the strength of the elderly lady.

There is a profound saying which says:  It is the crushed grape that yields the wine.

Jehovah - shalom. The Lord is peace

Anne, servant of the Lord

'Peace'

Their trill lifts my heart

Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. (TIS454)

At times we only need a thought for it to be a prayer. Sometimes we only need a thought for it to be a meditation or a reflection. Sometimes words don't come but the trying is all of the above.  Stopping momentarily as if caught by surprise is one of the beautiful images I have of connecting with God, Deliberately I have grown native plants to try and encourage small birds into my garden and as they grow and flower I am more and more rewarded. Just working from my office, glancing out the window and there in the flowering Grevilia is a tiny honeyeater and he has brought along the family. The sight catches my breath, their trill lifts my heart.  Its a prayer. Its a meditation. Its a reflection.

The smallest of gifts in the running in life can be the greatest blessings.

Jehovah - shalom.

The Lord is peace.

Anne, servant of the lord.

                                            A surprise - a blessings when out walking.

God unchanging

Wind, wind blow on me, wind wind set me free, wind wind the Father sent, the blessed Holy Spirit (New Harvest 226) 

I was watching people flying kites on the hills of the arboretum and there was great delight and   joy  as the kites rose high and dipped low, dancing on the wind, until the wind stopped and the kite plummeted to the ground only to be picked up   and tossed sky wards again. As I watched it reminded me so much of life. The soaring and dancing, the dipping and falling and then I thought of God how he is there for us in whatever life throws at us be it joy, dancing,  feeling low or in crisis His love is unfailing, unchanging and always present, never dependant on which way the wind is blowing. Ever present, ever loving, ever unchanging God. May the wind of the Holy Spirit blow on you today.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                Kites in the wind

Comfort for you and for me.

 Your rod and your staff they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

Many of our days can be floored with little fractures of despair or worry. They can pull us down, distract us from enjoyment, take us away from our trust in God. We often cant avoid the issues in our days but we don't have to go them alone. God is with us always, even in the fractured bits. Now that's a great comfort.

That's a nice word, comfort.

 It gives me an image of being wrapped in a warm blanket and  held tight. Mecrina Wiederkehr says ; Between the cracks of daily life I find you waiting........you slip into my life like day and night, like stars and sunshine. I know that you are God.

Jehovah - shalom. The Lord is peace.

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                    God's love in the cracks.

Secrets of a happy life

 The cheerful heart has a continual feast. Proverbs 15:15

We are never poor when our heart has a continual feast: 

The company of good friends around a picnic table sharing chocolate, sharing the beauty of nature, sharing life. Walking at sunrise, catching the 'making of the day., the fog, the mist, the colour. Walking a winters day, in the rain smelling the fresh earth and stepping in puddles. The blessings from God, the stranger we meet along the way, Godly encounters, our life, his comfort  and love.

I read this from Iris Murdock: One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats.(and I just saw another from my window, as a tiny blue flower on a spindly stem waved its joy in the breeze)

                                                    A morning 'feast;'

Today, tomorrow and every day.

 I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Jeramiah 31:3

Indeed, God does love us with an everlasting love and he shows that in so many ways; so many uncountable ways. As my eyes fall on the opening of each new day I am compelled to say 'thank you Lord,'  what a gift. So often we can be complacent about 'the gift of a new day' - almost take it for granted, as a given. But when we truly see it for what it is then our desire is to use it wisely in love for one another  and to the service of the Lord.  Jimmy Carter said: We should live our lives as though Christ was coming this afternoon. 

Thank you Lord for the gift of this new day.

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                               Not just another day.

Love letters from God

 God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him may not perish  but may have eternal life. John 3:16

What's a blessings? There is so much wrapped up in that word blessing. I can 'feel' it now in the quiet and still of the morning. I can 'hear' it in the trill coming from the tiny birds, little notes falling  and rising on the morning mist and  in the has been, once was, lingering beauty of the last rose of summer and its that little pond of peace, heavenly peace, that's deep in my soul, my whole being. I think I would call a blessing  love.  Peter Kreeft said: The whole world is a love letter from God:  I would say, every blessing is a love letter from God.

Jehovah - shalom. The Lord is peace.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                What's a blessings?

A splendour all around.

 There was a splendour all around like the bow in a cloud on a rainy day.. Ezekiel 1:27-28

The carpet of leaves on the ground were thick and colourful and full of moisture from the recent rain and silently some fading leaves were still falling without any ceremony but there was a  look of a dance about them. and looking at them was like a sudden gift. I read this quote from T.C.Clark which said: 'Lord, give me joy in the common things.' 

May you find joy today in the ordinary, the common things.

May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                                A carpet of leaves.

Reconciliation

This is my Son the Beloved; listen to him.  Mark 9:7

Tjukarpa  palya Jesunya is the name on the New Testament I have in the language of the Pitjantjatjara people of the far north west of South Australia. In English it reads : This man Jesus is good. The ancient peoples in that area still speak their native language and they have added new  words and actions that they value from our language, words like Jesus. Their timeless stories of creation blend with ours and fit in likeness and they have a very deep and rich spirituality.  For them and for us, surly  the name of Jesus must be at the point of reconciliation.

I like this line from the Prayer for Reconciliation from APBA. Lord God, bring us together as one, different in  culture, but given new life in Jesus Christ, together as your body, your church, your people. 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                Lord God, bring us  together as one.

Light is sweet

 Light is sweet; how pleasant to see a new day dawning. Ecclesiastes 11:7

A new day is magical. Its a miracle really and God does it for us day after day after day. and I always pray that I never take this gift for granted. And  so I love to pause and take it in with what it has to  offer and the potential it holds. I was thinking these thoughts, or are they prayers? as I watch the early sun beams run across the lawn and catch a shimmering, dew laden cobweb in its path and it glistened and sparkled  like a diamond necklace. What delight in such a simple image, what magic in its creation.

Lord give me an open heart to find you everywhere, to glimpse the heavens unfold in a bud, and to experience eternity in the smallest act of love (Mother Teresa)

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                             cobwebs glistening like diamond necklaces.

.

Held in a sacred space.

 Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. John 1:29

I was listening to the beautiful piece of music  'All in the April Evening' being sung by the Glasgow Orpheus Choir and though I have heard it and sung along with it for many years of my life I still come to one line that holds me in a sacred space. Its one of those sacred spaces you don't want to leave. It says:

'I saw the sheep with the lambs and thought on the Lamb of God.'

Do you have a sacred space that holds you?

May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                               Dwell on the Lamb of God.

Holding the branch with spindly legs

 Their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord. Psalm 112:7

Regardless of our age God just keeps on giving and giving and I see that so much in creation. I marvel that during a storm with the wind blowing enough to shake the trees wildly even the tiniest of birds, with their spindly little legs can hold onto a branch and sleep and not fall off. I saw the wonder of God's creation when I learnt that when  a bird settles on a branch to sleep it bends its little knees and clutches the branch with its claws and in that movement the tendons in its legs form a lock and the bird is secured to the branch. I mean really, only God could create such a mechanism  of safety for the birds. I am reminded of how we, in a storm of life or as we lay down to sleep can bend our knees before God and be secure in his love and safety. 

May the Lord of Peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                            A little bird on a twig

To behold the beauty of the Lord. Psalm 27:4 

So many times and in so many places we have the opportunity to behold the beauty of the Lord if we are looking for it. Yesterdays frost was as white and almost as thick as newly fallen snow. Everything was glistening, sparkling, crisp white. The bird bath water was frozen including the fallen leaves that lay in it.

All so beautiful, all so of God and as I looked I found these words falling from my heart in prayer. 'Lord show me your beauty today.' And he did, in a far grander way than ever expected. God shows his beauty to us from frosty mornings, to a beautiful flower, breath-taking scenery,  and wistful mist to a tiny bird, the smile of a baby and in the face of the elderly.

Watch out for his beauty in this new day. What have you seen of it already?

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                            Colourful leaves in the bird bath.

The cushion of God's love.

 The peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

The sky with its tinge of  pink of the dawn sunrise has now changed to a clear sky of blue. Its quiet and all I can see of movement are a few random autumn leaves still hanging onto the trees suddenly deciding to let go and on the ground are the beautiful Crimson Rosellas having breakfast. The whole scene emanated  the quiet and stillness of the morning and a peace, a God filled peace was present.         There are many places to find the deep peace of God. L.B.Cowman  says that there is a part of the sea known as 'the cushion of the sea' and it lies beneath the surface that is agitated by storms and churned by the wind and it is so deep that it never stirs. The peace of God is an eternal calm like this cushion of the sea, or the  peaceful 'God present' in  the new day. It lies deep in our heart undisturbed by what is happening around and within us. It goes beyond the storms in our lives. I like this quote from Pilgrims Progress which says: 'Pilgrim was taken to a large upper room that faced the sunrise and the name of the room was peace.'

May the deep peace of God's love and presence be the cushion for you today.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                A quiet breakfast.

Wide wide as the ocean

 As the water fills the sea, the earth will be filled with an awareness of the glory of the Lord. Habakkuk 2:14

On a recent trip to the South Coast I spent some time just looking at the ocean. Its vastness and seemingly never ending space and I recalled some statistics I had read which said: There is approximately 326 million, trillion gallons of water on the earth and 98% of that is in the ocean. Habakkuk the prophet compares God's glory to water that fills the sea. That's one heck of a lot of God's glory!

How often do you  think about the glory of the Lord  and try and take in its magnitude, its richness, its blessings. Next time you walk on the beach or paddle in the sea, reflect on Habakkuk' words and try and grasp some sense of the magnitude of the glory of the Lord.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                            Seemingly never ending like the Lord's glory

Just to be.

 How lovely is your dwelling place O God.  Psalm 84:1

Just sit with these thoughts for a moment in gentle meditation.

As the morning sun shines its light on the dew of the morning so may your light shine on us Lord.

May it warm our hearts, brighten our thoughts and lift us into the new day. As the sun shines  your love through the colours of the last of the autumn leaves may we know your love as light and colour in our lives. As the gentle breeze crosses our face may we be reminded of the breath of your Spirit within us.

May your love always abide deep within.

Jehovah - shalom. The Lord is peace.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                            

                                            Morning Glory

Glory Lord and Honour

 Sing praises to the Lord for he has done gloriously. Isaiah 12:5

Autumn is such a glorious time to see God right before our eyes. Magnificent autumn leaves -  multiple hues, hanging, falling, blowing in the wind, carpeting the ground and glorious sunrises and sun sets that paint the sky in breath-taking colours and bring the day onto its knees in stillness and quiet, but have you taken your sight of God's glory a step further? Have you seen God's glory in a single rain drop? Tiny drops of creation and as the sunshine's through they become a kaleidoscope of crystal colours, bubbles packed with God's beauty.

What a mighty and magnificent God we have.  Take the time to take many pauses in your day and see for yourself his glory right there beside you.

Grace and peace from the lord Jesus Christ

Anne, servant of the Lord.

     Shine Jesus Shine

 For your steadfast love is before my eyes. Psalm 26:3

The flow of the autumn mist was like a whisper on the breeze as it lifted to give way to light and clear and bright of the new day and never more glorious were the colours of autumn.  It is such a special time when we pause and take in the sights around us,  not only take them in for their beauty but for the footprint of God that has created for our pleasure.  As little sanctuary's of God we need this fuel for the day - these times when the Lord's presence is marvellously before us. Stop, pause, see and give thanks.

Jehovah-shalom, the Lord is peace.

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                God's love

One could say its just Autumn

I said to myself, 'Come now, I will take a test of pleasure; enjoy yourself.' Ecclesiastes 2:1

This time of the year brings with it different sights and sounds. Red, yellow and crimson carpets cover the ground where the last of the autumn trees have shaken their fading leaves and playful gusts of wind can be seen chasing so many down the gutter of the road. Its a playful season is autumn but the sound that catches my ear is that of the acorns tumbling down the tree, bouncing off the branches sounding far more like a rock falling than a tiny acorn, there to lie with hundreds of others on the ground to be crunched and cracked playfully under my feet. One could say it just autumn, just another season but to me its God. Its God with his paint pallet out and he is painting and playing.  How do you see God in the season of autumn?

Jehovah - shalom. The Lord is peace.

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                    Autumn and acorn trees.

Drops of living water

 Jesus said: Everyone who  drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I give them will never be thirsty. John 4:13

I was looking at a large pond of clear crystal water embedded in the paddock and surrounded by long stems of dry grass all gently swaying in the wind, and so it was for as far as my eye could see. But on the edge of the pond were tuffs of green grass obviously close enough to the water to be fed by it. As I looked I thought this is a modern day parable. Central to  our Christian  life is the living water offered by Jesus that sustains us  so we can move out  into the barren dry land where others are searching for that life giving water, or need to be refreshed, taking with us 'drops' from the great pond we know so well, to quench the thirst of others. Who might you be taking 'drops' of the life giving water to today as you go out into the world to 'love and serve the Lord?'

Jehovah - shalom- the Lord is peace.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                Long stems of dry grass

Fill your cup

 Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

My delight as always is in the early morning and today was no exception. God's peace was still in the making of the day and even the birds were still respecting that!  I could see shadowed by some trees the pink cloud  with a ting of red and I waited for the  morning to explode into the colour of an autumn sunrise and I was not disappointed.

Layer upon layer of red and orange and grey and blue that kept coming and coming like a tide to the shore and it rebounded across the sky in a repetition of colourful episodes. Breath taking, mind centring, God focusing and blessings in every layer as God showered the morning with his presence. My cup had been filled. The Lord is in his house. How has your cup been filled ready for the day?

Jehovah - shalom. The Lord is peace.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                      A new day dawning shadowed by the trees.

Just simply this.

 Glorify the Lord with me: let us exalt his name together. Ps 34:3

Sometimes a simple statement is all that is needed. These words from a song by Chris Rice says it all.

'Teach us to count our days. Teach us to make our days count.'

Go well into this beautiful autumn day with grace and peace and make a difference.

Blessings

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                Autumn leaves.

Easter

 On the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb. They found the stone had been rolled away but when they went in they did not find a body. He had risen! Luke 24 (Paraphrased.)

What a glorious autumn morning. The golden sunlight crept across the last of the dark of night bringing light to a new day. Everywhere I looked the golden fingers of light brought colour and life to a dark earth. It filtered through the changing colours of the autumn leaves creating a kaleidoscope of morning glory and a subtle mist rose from the dew laden grass and there was calm, and stillness and peace. I thought of the first line of a poem I had penned.....' soft soft the morning mist did rise.....' What lovely gifts from God at the break of a new day, every one of them and I reflect on Holy Week and the great love of God that rose on Easter day.

May your Easter  be blessed with new beginnings. May your life be refreshed by the Easter experience and may God's peace be with you.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

https://comewalkwithme-reflections.blogspot.com

                                                    The Tomb Garden Jerusalem.

Reflect on this.

 What should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah? Matthew 27:22

These words spoken by Pilate have really sat with me over the years. Many years ago I had a profound experience when these words of Jesus were not just the words of Pilate but were also words I asked of my self. It was a personal  experience  of previously 'unnoticed ' words suddenly leaping off the page at me and sitting in my mind in meditation and reflection 'What should I do with Jesus' no longer words I heard Pilate saying but I found myself asking the same question. This Friday we will stand before the cross  bearing the body of Jesus and we will pause, and we will reflect and as you do so, ask the question Pilate asked but ask it of yourself. What should I do with Jesus?

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Anne, servant of the Lord

                                        In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jerusalem. 

Solid Joy.

Glorious things of you are spoken, solid joy and lasting treasure none but Zion's children know. TIS 446

I can vouch for that:

The dawn of morning, fog ridden and silent - and a magpie sings. The blaze of fiery red in the sunrise, glowing behind ghost like trees - silhouetting, shadowing, illuminating. 

 Deep blue mountains, contours clear and weaving, tips touched and painted pink by the rising sun. Autumn leaves, a kaleidoscope of colours - hanging, falling, carpeting the ground transforming beauty as the day breaks and there is a sense of God is here, in the stillness, in the quiet.

Glorious things that speak of God. Solid joy and lasting treasures.

Peace.

Anne, servant of the Lord                                                                        

                                            The dawn of morning.

A pool of heavenly peace

 '.....be filled with the Glory of the Lord.' Numbers 14:21

 We have a prayer line in the prayer book which says that we 'give thanks for the gift of this new day' but to me I like an older version which says: 'O thou to whom I owe the gift of this day's life - give me the spirit to use it as I ought. '  And I think, even in tough times like those we can experience in daily life we can always give thanks for the new day and I want to add to that a little prayer thought which says - 'create a little pool of heavenly peace within my heart - regardless.'

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                And the new day dawned.

Angel dust

 May  the Lord bless his people with peace. Ps 29:11

Sometimes there are no words when I look to the west in the evening just on sunset and the countryside is lit with a golden light and filtering through it is what looks like fine dust of gold falling from heaven. I call that 'angel dust' sprinkling the earth for our joy and pleasure. Have you seen it?

I read this prayer by Frederick Buechner.:

Lord catch me off guard today. Surprise me with some moment of beauty  so that at least for the moment I may be startled into seeing that you are here in all your splendour, always and everywhere, beauty hidden, beneath,beyond, within this life I breathe.'

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                            Golden light

God, dressed in autumn

 May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Numbers 6:26

The autumn arrives  in that layer of  mist and fog that gives of a sense of stillness and haunting beauty. It weaves its way through the half naked trees of changing colours and tip toes through the carpet of fallen leave on the ground. There is a sense of change in the air and I can't help but say to God. ' you caused this morning glory to appear.' And then there comes the most beautiful sound, the sound of a lone magpie, paused on the fence, warbling a  beautiful song full of joy and happiness. All else is still and quiet, just this beauty and song to the dawning day - to God.

The peace of the Lord  be always with you.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                        God's autumn glory.

A living sacrament

 For the beauty of the earth for the beauty of the skies TIS137

If we look to the left or to the right there is always something of beauty to see . It might be a glorious hue painted sunset or sunrise, it might be the changing leaves of autumn, it might be a for-get-me-not amidst a bed of weeds, it might be the still waters of a river pond - Lord,let the beauty of the earth be a sacrament  to  me of your beauty and holiness that speaks of a loveliness that doesn't fade.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                        For the beauty of the skies.

A lenten reflection

 When ever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. Mark 11:25

I wonder when it was the last time that someone said ' I forgive you, ' or you asked of someone their forgiveness? It has a profound impact on us holistically when we can forgive or when we are forgiven. It lifts a weight of our shoulders and restores life. Lent is a time when I always focus more on this 'forgiveness' which we find so hard to do yet look at what Christ went through to forgive us. Perhaps its easier to not offend than to seek forgiveness? I don't know and that's for you to ponder, but this I do know as Mark Twain said:  Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

 

                                                Forgive them.

Love dominates

 Listen to me ! For I have excellent things to tell you.  Proverbs 8:16 (NL)

I suspect, despite some frustrated people that during this pandemic there has been more love shown in our world than we may have seen before. Sometimes when times are difficult it can bring out the best in people and love dominates even in the smallest of ways.

This  simple but lovely quote comes to mind: This little flower - its the dearest, for the message  that it brings - love is not getting, but giving.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

 

                                                   Such love.

And it all speaks of God

 Holy, holy,holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory. Isaiah 6:4

Our world is full of such exciting things that speak of God. The tiny bird with its metallic call like a tinkling bell. The beautiful single flower that ambushes us in the most unexpected places.   The honey eater drinking honey in the Bottle Brush oblivious of his surroundings as he delights in the nectar. Tiny busy ants and scurrying lizards around the garden rocks and the perfume in flowers of every kind...........an endless feast of things that speak of God and I haven't even left the garden as yet. 

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in all ways.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                            Ambushed by love

And I called it God

 I will be like the dew of Israel. (Hosea 14:15)

I can see a change of season is coming as I look at the fresh dew lingering on the roses. Fresh on their leaves and  in their petals  and I stay in the garden awhile reflecting on their beauty, their perfume and call it 'God.' Such a prayer, such a moment with God ,such a start to the day. And it comes to mind the lovely words of that song: I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses......and he walks with me and he talks with me and he tells me I am his own.....' (Austin Miles)  

May you also find time and space to linger  awhile with God in the early morning while the dew is still on the roses.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                   The great love of God O how lavishly given.