Ever present God

'God is our strength and ever present help in trouble.' Ps 46:1
I read this line of psalm 46 and always want to to leave the last three words off. I know he is our ever present help when we are in trouble but he is also  'ever'present'

A Religious Education teacher  told a young boy in distress that no matter where you go, God is always there with you. There is no place he is not. If you are an astronaut and fly to outer space in a space ship, God is with you. If you are an ocean explorer, in a submarine on the ocean floor God is with you, if you are a mountain climber, hanging off a sheer drop in the Snowdonia Mountains in Wales, God is with you,and if you are a small boy in distress, God is with you. Every move you make, every breath you take, God is with you.

I shared this same profound thought with a heroin addict at the hospital as she was struggling through the dark valley, the mist and hallucinations to 'come clean.' She was doing well. The dark valleys were still dark but the light at the end of the valley was shinning brighter and getting closer
Its quite profound when we stop, I mean really stop and reflect and actually think of the closeness of God and realise that no matter where, no matter what situation or event, God is there, ever present,
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord

If you want to ......

Mathew 8:2-3 (A leper said to Jesus) 'If you want to , you can make me clean.' Jesus reached out and touched him. 'I do want to' he answered. 'Be clean' At once the man was healed.

Lonely, often in tears,separated from family who live interstate, now immobile. This is a lovely Christian lady who I pastorally care for in the nursing home. Yesterday I greeted her in her room with the first blooms of the Daphne, a cup of tea for each of us and a few bars of her favourite chocolate. Her whole facial expression changed from feeling miserable and crying to joy and smiling. Over our cuppa I shared Psalm 121 and the love of God who will not let us go, who travels life journey with us , who is with us now and for ever more.
The tears of misery turned to tears of comfort and peace.
I reflect on the God given ministries we all  have and how we use them and I know I would not have it any other way.I also reflect on the words of Elie Wiesel: 'Our lives no longer belong to us alone, they belong to all who need us desperately.'
Proclaiming the Lords work by love and action is so life giving that from our hearts we want to glorify God until our last breath.
"Je veux crier l Evangile toute ma vie' I would shout the gospel all my life!

May God's blessings be yours,
and well may it befall you.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

To love and serve the Lord

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 the 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 turfs of green grass obviously close enough to the water to be fed with the life giving water.  As I looked I thought this is a modern day parable.Central to life is the living water that refreshes us so we can move out into the barren dry land where others are searching for that living water, or need to be refreshed, taking with us 'drops' of the great pond  we know so well to quench the thirst of those who are not close to the pond of crystal clear water.
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?'
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne,servant of the Lord

fight and hope

' May you, with all God's people, have the power to understand the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ's love.' Eph 3:19

When I read this text of rich words said by St Paul I thought of all of you who are desperately fighting bush fires and  working to  bring hope to the hopeless and comfort to the brokenhearted, support to the tired and exhausted, water to the thirsty and while it breaks our hearts to see such devastation of property, homes, lives and our animals, to experience this darkness in our days we know that God is with us.

 I love the closing prayer of the Iona Community Daily Office:
In work and worship     GOD IS WITH US
Gathered and scattered GOD IS WITH US
Now and always           GOD IS WITH US.

And I use these words to say:
In the heat and ash     GOD IS WITH US
In the loss and heartache  GOD IS WITH US
In the fight and hope  GOD IS WITH US
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

God's love

'All things bright and beautiful.....the Lord God made them all.' TIS 135

Did you see God smile for you today?

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne,servant of the Lord

And the little birds sang a big song

'Forth in your name O Lord I go, my daily labour to pursue.' TIS 571
Stepping out the back gate as the sun was rising and the ground fresh from a fall of morning rain I was confronted by the sights and smells of the new day:
The freshness from the early morning shower of rain.
The smell of dusty ground 'dressed' in rain spots.
The green, green  hills
The small yellow clusters of native flowers brightening the verge
The paddock full of wild oats with small birds singing a big song.......its all a prayer.
and I remembered this poem:
'When forth I go upon my way a thousand joys are mine, the clusters of dark violets, the wreaths of the wild vine.'
Even when facing the unknown challenges of a day all is possible when we take with us our morning prayers grounded in quiet times with God.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne,servant of the Lord

Building the kingdom

'At the works of your hands I sing for joy.' Ps 92:4
Attitude and purpose  has a lot to do with how we go about our daily  life, how we do things, how we see things, especially how we see our relationship with God and our journey as followers of Jesus.
I read this  profound saying: 'Two stone cutters were asked what they were doing. The first said, 'I'm cutting this dammed stone into blocks.' The second replied, 'I'm on a team building a cathedral.' (anon)
How do you approach your daily life?

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne,servant of the Lord.                                                  photo: Brisbane Cathedral.

presence and presents

'My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Where can I go and meet with God?' Ps 42:2
Spring is the time when God surrounds us with his smile. Glorious colours of the blossoms and the flowers. Deep green grass and breathtaking sunsets and sunrise. Creation 'shouts' before our eyes, it 'shouts' the smiling face of God in all its glory. His presence is such a present. What a treasured gift.
Its not so much a case of taste and see for the Lord is good. Its more about look and see, feel and see, smell and see, touch and see, for the Lord is good.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne,servant of the Lord.                                                            
 photo:God in all his glory. Sunset last night.

curse or salvation

' The kingdom of heaven  may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field, but while everyone was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds amongst the wheat then went away.' Matt 13:24-25

I looked across the paddock at the mix of colours in the grass and admired the deep purple of the Patterson's Curse or Salvation Jane as some know it by. Its a lovely purple colour, some paler than others and its clumps of growth are scattered amongst the wild oats. Such a pretty flower but so dangerous to animals if they eat it, such a curse to farmers trying to grow a crop. It can totally destroy good farm land, yet it is so attractive.  In a modern day parable I would relate the Patterson's Curse to the things in our lives that bring destruction. They look good, they look attractive, they are tempting but they take us right away from all that is good. They prevent our growth, they take us away from the life that  God  planted us into. As a farmer digs out the Patterson Curse to keep his crops healthy and weed free, so to we should dig out those things in life that stop us from sowing good in our lives. Patterson's curse is just that, a curse, it isn't Salvation Jane. The wrong in our lives is a curse, it isn't Salvation.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne

photo is across the farms of West Macgregor ACT

God, always there

'I lift up my eyes to the hills, from where will my help come?,My help comes from the Lord.' Psalm 121:1
So often when out walking my eyes always lift to the hills. Its like I have scanned all else about me and admired the creation of God from the tiniest purple wildflower in a field of grass to seeking a bird whose call I am unfamiliar with and always my eyes lift to the hills. .Although God is all around me its like that's the place he is sitting . Sometimes the hills are so clear in the fresh morning, sometimes they are covered with mist and sometimes they cant be seen for the storm clouds yet they are always there. Its like God, good days he is right there with us, so clearly seen, other days amidst a haze he is hard to see  and some days, when the storm rages he seems so far away and yet..............he is there.
Clear, foggy or stormy days in our lives. God is still there in the sunshine and behind the clouds, as solid as a mountain. Remember that every time you lift your eyes to the hills.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

.Photo: the hills around the Sea of Galilee

What can I say/

'How good it is to give thanks to you, O Lord.' Ps 92:1
Sometimes we forget to say 'thank you' to God. Sometimes our prayers are all about our needs and our wants and the 'thank you' can become lost from our thinking.
I stepped out my front door of a morning to be confronted with green rolling hills, a running creek, grazing cattle and the only sound is that of the waking birds, Peace, quiet and filled with the presence of God. That's how the morning is and my first words are, 'Thank you God.' I was talking to a couple from a refugee family and they are living a life of uncertainty, fear, anxiety and threat yet they too are able, amidst their turmoil, out of their great love for God  to say 'Thank you God.'
Lourdes Ruiz Arthur wrote:

'What can I say as I live each day, What can I say to you,my God? all I can think is 'thank you .'
And for you and I, what can we say each and every day? 'thank you God.'
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

never alone

' He who keeps you will not slumber.' Psalm 121:3
'Where does God go when I go to sleep?' the small child asked me. ' Does he go home to sleep? Can I invite him for a sleep over if I need him?'
Sometimes we might feel that God is only with us when we are awake but I assured this child that God is with us always, when we are awake and when we are asleep, that he is only a whisper away anytime we need him.

Timothy Dudley-Smith wrote:

'I lift up my eyes to the quiet hills, with a prayer as I turn to sleep; by day, by night, through the dark and light, my shepherd will guard his sheep.'

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

Faith and hope

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

Just a small group of about 8 people gathered for the morning prayers at the Day Hospice.Such a special time and what an expression of faith, of hope, was there with them.
I drew the service to a close after saying the Lords Prayer together when one  elderly man  present said, 'Can I sing that for you all?'  We sat, we listened to this magnificent, strong voice singing word for word of the Lords Prayer and the Spirit of God swept over the room and came to meet with each of us. No one moved after that, no one wanted to leave that space.

'Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen,'
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord

' The Great love of God O how lavishly given.'  (TIS 164)
That love is so lavished on us.
In the quiet of the morning I felt it to be almost sacred. There is a holiness about the early morning that is only heard and seen by those who venture into that space. A space occupied by the sunrise bathed in silent hues breaking into the new day,the stirring and first call of the birds, (it was a Willi Wagtail this morning) the quietness of half a dozen ducks as they take flight across the pond, their image reflected in the stillness of the water and all in a haze of morning mist like the Spirit hovering And as I enter into this holiness I whisper, 'Come, dear Lord and meet me in the morning and lets plan OUR day together.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Thank you God

'The joy of Jerusalem was heard far away.' Nehemiah 12:43
I go to bed at night with a view out the window, in the darkness, of a galaxy of stars shining in their millions .As I walk in the morning I see the furthermost mountain 'tipped by the sunrise' of a new day and two bright red and blue Rosella's fly so close over my head that I feel the rush of air in my hair  as they pass.And as I watch the glorious, breath taking sunset at the close of day, magnificent in its brilliant hues I take all of the day into account and no matter what it has presented me with, nothing can take away the wonderful blessings of God's goodness of rest at night under the stars and the 'gems, the jewels' given at the open and close of each day and its all God, all his blessings,all his love.
The Abbot of Greve wrote:
'Lord, may I be wakeful at sunrise to begin a new day for you, cheerful at sunset for having done my work for you,thankful at moonrise and under starshine for the beauty of the universe and may I add what little may be in me to your great world.'
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

Behold my God

'So faith comes from what is heard.' Romans 10:17
On the bookshelf I have some very new books and some very old and amongst the old is my grandmothers leather bible, worn from years of handling and reading the tissue thin pages and as I hold it in my hands I have a sense of her faith, I have a sense of her comfort and strenght in life received from the words on  its pages. It was given to her by her husband who later died in the great war. Her bible was a place to go to for comfort ,peace and strength, it was from those pages she nourished her strength and such faith in the family rubbed off on us all. Its such examples of a life lived in faith that give us faith and we see through the lives of others that despite what life delivers to us, through a strong faith we endure.
There are many scribbled notes on the inside page of her bible but one that stands out for me is this:
'Following Jesus every day, every day, nothing can harm me, he leads the way.' 
Think a moment on who influenced your Christian life, who introduced you to the life sustaining, life giving saviour, Jesus Christ.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord

He speaks to me everywhere

'...how precious is your unfailing love , O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.' Psalm 36: 6

Quietness was all that could be heard in the early morning (Yes, you can hear quietness) as I watched the ducks glide across the misty pond  to  a perfect landing, their mirrored reflection  making it hard to tell which was the real image. The sun shone weakly in its early rising and the frost was still crisp and stiff under foot. A flock of 'top knot pigions' were stretching their wings and fluffing their feathers in their waking amidst the sticks of a bare wild fruit tree and then the silence broke gently as the blue wrens rose from their nest to the top branches of the blackberry bush checking out that all was well with their delightful song and I remembered the words of Maltbie Badcock(1885-1901)
'This is my Father's world, he shines in all that's fair;in the rustling grass I hear him pass, he speaks to me everywhere.'
What a glorious way to start a day. Keep your hearts and minds focused on God and he will speak to you everywhere.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

for-get-me-not

'Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me.' Ps 31:2

There is always two sides to life-the good and the bad but how good it is when looking back on life to see that there is good, despite the bad and this is where we count our blessings.
There in a pot I had planted to take to my new home  a  prickly raspberry bush and there at its base was a small forget-me-not in flower, not deliberately planted, it just came with the soil. I couldn't help but smile when I saw it a reminder of my previous home and life there, some good, some tough.
Forget not the hardships in life but smile at the good, the blessings. As I looked at this tiny forget-me-not I also thought that through all of life Jesus too would say, for-get-me-not.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne,servant of the Lord.

God of ligt

'Listen,I am standing at the door,knocking;If you hear my voice and open the door I will come to you.......' Rev 3:20
Sometimes the 'matters' of life consume us and sometimes its hard to see where God is in it all. I have at times hear myself say to God 'Show me where you are, give me a sign, show me the 'things that are of God.'   The past year life has tossed me about like a cork on the ocean in my homlessness and its been hard to see an end to it and at times I would ask 'what more can be thrown at me?' but I never lost sight of God, he was there and all I had to do was call on him and just sit with him. Patches of difficulties in our lives can  really test us but 'hanging in there with Jesus by our side' makes it manageable and then we come out of the dark and into the light and God reveals himself in all his fullness, for me God has shown himself in my new home, my new location, surrounded by rural outlooks and blue wrens, the things of God.. What is it for you? Has God drawn you from your dark moments into his light?   Keep knocking, and the door will be open to you.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne Servant of the Lord.

whatever is true, whatever is noble....

'Great is your love, reaching to the heavens, your faithfulness reaches to the skies.' Psalm37:10
  I stood at the tomb of St John, in Turkey and for a moment the connections were made right down the centuries as time stood still. Here was a tomb, perfect in its preservation  amidst a city of ruin and excavation.Not only a tomb but  a symbol of the great love of God. A symbol  that said to me that despite the destruction about us in our life and in our world, no matter how life pans out God is, God will be, and God endures. John left his mark for Christ for all to see, for all to know, a mark that spoke of determination to tell the world that Jesus Christ is Lord.
I wonder, in the name of Jesus Christ, what marks we will leave on the world that will endure for generation to generation not as a mark of greatness but as a mark of loyalty, faithfulness and perseverance to our saviour Jesus Christ.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, Servant of the Lord.