moment by moment

'Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun. However many years we may live, let us enjoy them all.' Ecclesiastes. 11:7-8
What is time? I hear the children say the day has gone too quick, I hear older people say time passes to quickly, I hear colleagues say time goes fast and I find myself saying, 'where has the time gone?'
So easy for time to speed past us, so easy for the day to come and go 'in a flash' so easy to find ourselves saying, 'its nearly Christmas again, so soon!'
How does God mean us to handle the business and pace of life in this modern and fast world?
I often think that being aware of God in life,being aware of God in the moment and pausing enough in the business to say, look at that thing of beauty and meet God there. Somehow that slows down the sense of living 'fast pace.'Balance, I guess is the key. Balance between living life and living God.
Amelia Barr said: 'Time is a precious gift from God;so precious that he only gives it to us moment by moment.'
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne.
Servant of the Lord.

blessed life

' From the fullness of his grace ,we have all received one blessing after another.' John 1:16

I think the greatest blessing of all is knowing God and having Jesus in our lives. Life comes to life in that knowledge as we walk daily with him. From the toughest of days ,just to know he is there with us, is a blessing, to watching a new tight bud on a rose bush opening into a fragrance of beauty, colour and delight, a mystery, a wonder, a miracle, a blessing.

If there is something tough on your plate today, something you are anxious about, something you need God's blessing for then smell a roses, or look at the dense blossom of the prunes tree, or the bright face of a daffodil and know that God is with you and be blessed.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

peace to you

' The peace of God that passes all understanding......'  (APBA)
In the quiet,
     in the stillness
         as the new day was being made
          there was God
              and there was me
What peace
What a way to start a day
wrapped in the creators arms.

May your day be one of new beginnings
May your day be one of peace
May your day be where you find peace.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

' What ever you do,work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.' Col 3:23
I heard a chaplain in aged care asking a volunteer group if they could help out as they were desperate for helpers. 'We only help with the dying,' was their response. 'Are these people dying?' 'No,' the chaplain replied, 'but their souls are.' Immediately many of volunteers signed up to help.
There was something in this conversation that sounded like a parable in my ears, or is it a miracle?
Sometimes we are hesitant about asking for what it is we really need.Sometimes we have to spell it out as it is.For the sake of our brothers and sister. For the sake of Jesus.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

' Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? yet not one of them is forgotten in God's sight.But even the hairs of your head are all counted.Do not be afraid, you are of more value than many sparrows.' Luke 12:6-7.
I was walking across the paddocks enjoying the freshness of the afternoon listening to a flock of galas having a wonderful 'paty' on a patch of ground newly seeded and joining the 'party' was about twenty sparrows on a blackberry bush nearby. They had gathered on a branch all bunched up together , chatting, chasing one another in a mood of play, feathers ruffled and hopping in and out of a pool of water, splashing and singing. Some say the sparrow is a pest, a 'dime a dozen' bird that its not wanted, its destructive yet God counts it precious and whats  more, a blessing of hope and assurance are Jesus words when he talks about sparrows. He says, and get this, 'YOU are of more value than many sparrows.'
What a wonderful God we have. Welcome this day singing his praises.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord.
                                                                          Picture of a sparrow in the tomb garden. Jerusalem.

caught!

'For to this end Christ died and lived again so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.' Romans 14:9
A bit rough and ready, a few tats  and showing signs of having lived life in the fast lane, he said to me at a funeral interview. 'I'm not religious love,I don't do this God stuff, but if you ask me to say the Our Father, I 'm ready. I got caught out once and after that I made a pocket sized version of the Our Father and I carry it with me all the time just in case  I get asked to say it again. I know it by heart as well just in case I lost the pocket card.'
At the funeral of his mate I read this passage of scripture from Romans 14
'We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live we live to the Lord,and if we die we die to the Lord;so then,whether we live or whether we die we are the Lords.'
After the service, with hand on his chest  over his pocket with the card in it he said.'I'm hanging onto this!'  I had a strong sense that God has him well and truly in the palm of his hand.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne,servant of the Lord.

Dwell in the house of the Lord.

'One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord. Ps 27:4
Sometimes the best things in life are those things nearest to us.
The crispness of the morning frost letting us know we are alive!
The frozen dew drops on the tip of a leaf, hanging, suspended, paused, frozen in time.
The weak sun light pushing through the fog creating those moments of 'haunting beauty.'
The daphne at the front door,perfume filling the air and giving a sense that spring is on the way.
A day ahead prayed in and over, full of challenge and promise,an adventure, hand in hand with Jesus.
Robert Louis Stevenson said: The best things are the nearest" breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet,duties at hand, the path of God before you.'
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne,servant of the Lord.

regroup

' This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.' Psalm 118:24
How often do we get up of a morning and see nothing before us but the worries and issues of yesterday. We miss the glorious day with the sun shining and the crispness of the frost on the ground.
We miss the gift that it is, ready to be opened and lived. Indeed, the unfinished business from yesterday may well be with us but what a shame to allow that to blot out the sun(Son) on a new day.

' Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you,love you,savor you. Let me not pass by you in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may for it will not always be so.'  (Mary Jean Irion)
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord 

lamp posts

'You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lamp stand and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others so they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.' Matthew 5:14-16

I have a collection of family diaries dating from the 1700's through to the 1800's and their reading is just so interesting. I was reading about the gas lamp lighter and how, just after dark he would go from light post to light post lighting each lamp and the description was fascinating because the writer could not see the lamplighter in the dark, just each lamp lighting up a space in the dark as he passed by.

May we all think about our day ahead and where it is we may shine before others with the light of Christ.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ

Anne, servant of the Lord.

Jesus is Lord

' Let all the world in every corner sing,My God and King.' TIS 105
I can still hear the words of an elderly lady that sit on my heart following a service in an aged care facility. She said.'My husband and I were the organists for our local church and we practiced the hymns during the week ready for Sunday. He would play and sing 'Jesus is Lord,' and from the kitchen I would come in with 'of course he is, of course he is.' She beamed in reminiscing. I find such inspiration from the older people who hold so strong to faith and out walking  the following day confronted with a glorious sunset I found myself singing, Jesus is Lord (of course he is.)
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne,servant of the Lord.

A living God in our daily life

' ..........hold fast to him and serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.' Joshua 22:5
I recall reading a story of a family on a train trip. The child was enjoying going from one seat to another looking through the windows at life going by and talking to the various passangers and many wondered who he belonged to when the train started merging into darknes as it entered a tunnel. The child ran and threw himself into the arms of a young man and then it was known who his father was.

  I wonder do those looking on at our life , those we share the highs and lows with, those we reach out to each day  know who our Father is by our actions and reactions and then I though for personal self isnt it so comforting to know that when anxieties  of life creep up on us, we can run into the open arms of Jesus, remembering they are forever open and around us, ready to hold us. Safe, comforted and secure.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

solid rock

'The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!  Ps 18:46

I was watching a fox crossing the paddock, cautious about his surroundings, cautious about the dangers about him but living his life and suddenly something wasn't right. He stopped, looked about and ran for his life, his safety, into a nearby crop of rocks. I thought of our Christian lives and how, through all the dangers and perils of our lives we can always run for shelter, comfort, and safety when our world is shaken and seemingly falling apart. We can run to the solid rock, our Lord. I see this so many times with people I spend my day with. People who are broken, frightened and confused, buried in the 'muck' of their life, yet God is central, he is the rock they seek, the rock they retreat too,the rock that enables them to survive.Thank God, we have a living God, solid as a rock!
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord

side by side with Jesus

'Tend the flock of God....willingly.' 1Peter 5:2
I find it comes automatically when I just look at things in daily life.
I see a vineyard and hear Jesus say, 'I am the vine.'
I see a river and hear Jesus say,' If you come to me you will not thirst.'
I see a paddock of sheep and hear Jesus say, 'I am the Good Shepherd.'
I reach for a piece of bread and hear Jesus say, " I am the bread of life.'
I see the needy, the lonely and the struggling and I hear Jesus say. 'tend my flock.' and I want to sing, 'Jesus, O Jesus come and fill our lives.'
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

God of the poor.

'Beauty from brokenness, hope from despair.........bread for the children, justice, joy, peace. Sunrise to sunset, your kingdom increase.' (Graham Kendrick song)

She looked absolutely in despair. All around her in her home was clutter, mess and chaos and amidst it all emerged two little dogs, coats matted,in knots, shivering yet much loved. How can I help was the first question as she lovingly cuddled one small animal. She was reluctant to make suggestions but said she usually has the dogs coats clipped but was struggling to save from her pension. We rang the dog groomer and the next day there was two beautifully clipped and cleaned dogs sporting their new woolen jumpers. Now, what next I asked her and through a prayer she asked did God send me to her home.

Lord, your kingdom increase.

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

'be still for the presence of the Lord is moving in this place.'(Spiritual Song)

Pre dawn is such a blessed time. Deep in the fading darkness comes signs and sounds of light and life.  It is the tiny opening  in the curtain of my room that says the day is coming. Its the sounds of the birds waking and calling, checking on each other, that says the day is coming. Its the first step outside the door into the crisp morning frost waiting to be thawed that says the day is coming. Its the quarter moon aligned with two bright stars fading into light that says the day is coming and then slowly the wonder turns to awe as the sky turns lighter, the colours change to pink and gold to bright orange and all is alive with light that says the day has come. Be still for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One is here.
Blessed be your day.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

sacred in the ordinary

Great is our God and greatly to be praised in the city of our God Ps 48
There is a lady in the bank who is facinated with my work. She has never before had conversation with a clergy person so every time I go in she asks more about my life and work in a very genuine and interested way. I was telling her yesterday of my ministry amongst the house bound elderly and those society tends to forget. As I left the bank her parting words stayed with me.'Look after yourself in all aspects, we need you, the world needs the likes of you.' What encouragement, what affirmation, what a blessing, what a God.
Psalms now says: 'Consider with me the greatness of my God. Measure his judgements;embrace his eternal love, stand tall in your faith, courageous in your committment, for he is truly a great God.'
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Jerusalem from the city wall with the temple standing out amidst daily life.

ring the bells

Sun and moon bow down before him, lost in wonder time and space. (Hymn)

I am always stopped in my tracks when I see a sun setting in the west  and a full moon high in the sky in the north east all at the same time. 'How', I say to God, 'can you suspend them both there in the sky at once.' Its a real 'God moment' to see these two great icons of the sky bathing in each others glory and I want to shout out 'Look at the sky, look at what God is doing, look at its beauty and mystery.'.
I recall  a story about St Francis of Assisi who was 'awe struck' by the full moon, huge and luminous bathing the countryside with its radiance. There was no one in sight to share this 'God moment' with him so he ran to the bell tower and rang the bell. People came running anxiously wanting to know what was wrong. Francis called from the top of the tower, 'lift your eyes, my friends and look at the moon.'
 Can you relate to the actions of St Francis? There are many a God moment when I want to ring a bell for others to come running to see the mystery and wonder of God's at work.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord..

only a rose

'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see their God.' (Hymn)
I was taking a service at the local nursing home and I asked this group of faithful  older followers of Jesus   if they thought they were Saints and in my mind has stayed the firm 'no' of one beautiful lady. 'I am not good enough.' she said.
 I remember once taking a bunch of roses to this service and asking them did anyone want one. They looked at the beauty  of the rose and all said 'yes'. Holding up my rose I broke of the petals one by one until there was the bare bud, then I broke the stem in half and said.'Now, does anyone want this rose, withered, broken and flowerless?' 'No' came the firm response.and in the silence that followed I said,' But God does.'
Even in our brokenness, our sense of failure and being not good enough God wants us. He wants us as we are and all we have to do is believe.

Next time you look at a rose or  a beautiful creation of God, be affirmed God loves you for who you are, a believer, a saint.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

 '.........and who is my neighbour' Luke 10 29

We all know the saying  sometimes we cant' see the trees for the woods.  Well sometimes we cant see Christ for looking also.
In a busy, frantic moment in the day when all seemed to be getting away from me and I was focused on achieving, a woman wanted to disrupt me.Just a moment, was my response on several occassions.  She is a lady with a disabilty, profoundly stooped over and rearly sees more than what is on the ground below her stoop.
Finaly I stopped to hear what it was she wanted .'I just want to say that I pray for you every day.' she said.  Suddenly my world stopped as I was overwhelmed with this rich blessing from God. It was as if Christ himself spoke the words.
                                                                                                                             
 Neighbourlinees: a sacred gift in a torn world.(S.Kennedy)

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

Candle warmth

' .......for the glory of God is its light, and the lamp is its lamb.' Rev 21:23
I had an opportunity to walk a labrynth yesterday. It was just on dark and in the centre of the labrynth was a  lit candle in a glass vase. (What is it about a burning candle that draws us into a 'something?' )As I walked the labrynth towards the candle I had a true sense of being drawn to the light and the source of all light, Jesus Christ. The closer I walked to it the more I felt the weight and load of life fall off. I came out of the Labrynth refreshed, renewed and very aware of the Spirit of God surrounding me.

'Gazing at the flickering candle I knew I was unconditionally loved.'

Weather it is a labrynth,a candle, a beach walk, a granit rock seat with a mountain view, a garden seat or a quiet chapel, its that stepping aside from life, just for a moment and being drawn to Jesus, the life giver, the load carrier that renews us and gives us new life.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.