Go duck Go!

 God created.........all kinds of birds. He blessed them all.........told the birds to increase in number. Gen 1: 21-22 (Paraphrased) 

Yesterday coming out of the crematorium I held up all the traffic as two very concerned adult ducks escorted six of their babies across the road. The fussing of the parents and their concern for the safety of their little ones was a wonder to see. This little family of ducks had crossed two major roads without harm. As I watched them arrive in the safety of the scrub I let out a sigh of relief and whispered 'God was looking after you all.'  Gen 1:21-22 came to mind: God created all kinds of birds.He blessed them all and told the birds to increase in number. 

May you find a God moment in your day today.    Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                Up you go little ones!

Star bright

 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 still recall one of  the most precious Christmas gift I have received from anyone when I remember some years ago one of the small children at church  came up to me at the greeting of the peace and putting her small hand in mine she placed a tiny red star there and said.' This is for you, to remind you that Christmas is coming.' She was all of four years old.  It reminded me of the Wise Men and the guiding star they were given and the star that shone so bright for the shepherds just over Bethlehem. Its amazing the impact of something as simple as a star given at the right time can have!

                                                    The door into the chapel on shepherds field

Morning blessings

 May the mind of Christ my Saviour live in me from day to day. TIS 609

As I sat in the sacred space I found myself saying to God the lovely word I had read  that come to mind now and then, these words: : God  Catch me off guard,  surprise me with some blessing, and you know what that blessing was this morning? It was the tiny garden heroes, the butterflies in the sweet smelling Buddleia bush and the busy bees in the flowering ground covers, tiny tiny legs laden with pollen, their treasure for the day. How wonderful it is to see God in the big and the small. How wonderful that what we see draws our thoughts to God. 

            May the peace of God fill your life every single day.  Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                           The Buddleia bush - a delight for the butterflies.

The morning mystery.

 In the morning Lord, you hear my voice. In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3

I love the mystery of the morning. The space between night and day and in the quiet and stillness the blackbird is calling. I love the increasing chorus of the bird calls, the morning choir. I love the dew laden grass and how it falls softly on the roses. I love the time of just me and God. I love the mystery of the morning. What do you love about the morning?

May the peace of Christ fill your life every single day.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                 The glory of sunrise.

Joy and delight

 Lord how various are your works, in wisdom you have made them all and the earth is full of your creatures. Psalm 104:1

I so often think - If you don't sit with it you miss it. The holistic value of 'just being' is so precious. I was watching a family of  Starlings bathing in the bird bath, all of them in together, about nine in all and they were having the time of their life, splashing, jumping, singing. The babies, new to life, taking great delight in it all then off they would fly, stumble and try again. It all brought a smile to my face and in my heart and I knew that inner smile would be with me all day and I would not have missed it for the world -  for the joy in my soul. The image  reminded me of the words of Noel Davis when he said the family of wrens were spilling joy all throughout the garden 

May the peace of God fill your life every single day. - Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                Splashing, jumping, singing

regular daily appointment

The hand of the Lord God fell upon me there. Ezek 8:3

In the Jewish tradition the home itself is called the 'Mikdash meyat ' a little sanctuary where God can dwell.  I feel that, I sense that and it extends into the garden where the 'special' sacred space is among the  shimmering colours of the flower display, the birds sing and perfume fills the air and its here I invite the Lord to meet me . Its like a regular daily appointment  and it has the same feeling  I had as a child when I came home from school and would sit with my mum or dad and tell them all about my day, the ups and downs, the laughter and joy and it made me feel warm inside.  Sacred spaces, quiet spaces, pauses and reflection, places of peace, love and healing  - this is the makdash meyat, the sanctuary where God can dwell.

May the peace of God fill your life every single day.    Anne, servant of the Lord.

A sacred space.

O so beautiful a song

 Morning has broken like the first morning, blackbird has spoken like the first bird. Praise for the singing.. TIS 156

There is never anything more pleasing to my ear than the sound early morning and evening of the song of the blackbird. It is so melodious, so pure, so beautiful and every time I hear it breaking into the silent dawn or peaceful evening I am riveted to the spot, just listening and enjoying O so beautiful a song. It's call draws me to God our wonderful creator who made everything for our joy and delight, even the plain blackbird with the beautiful song. As Joyce Rupp says: The thin veil moments of sheer surprise when not only eye( and ear)  but heart is kissed.

May the peace of God fill your hearts every single day.   Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                    Morning and evening the blackbird sings.

Miracles, everyone of them.

 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see our God.  TIS 448.

It is such a miracle to see the rose bush gather its new fresh green leave, sprout tight buds ready to burst into colour and then open, open into the most beautifully formed, petal upon petal rose, breath-taking in formation, breath-taking in colour and packed with a perfume that momentarily sends you to heaven and back! Oh only God can create such beauty and delight from almost naught. Miracles, every one of them. Thich Nhat Hanh says: 'Around us, life bursts forth with miracles - a glass of water, a ray of sunshine, a leaf, a caterpillar, a flower, laughter, rain drops - miracles everywhere.'  Do you see it like that? Do you have time to stop and see God's miracles? They are happening right before our eyes.  As Joyce Rupp would say: ' Its a trip, a spiritual adventure uniting self with hidden beauty, with the our creator.'

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

Petal upon petal

Holding on.

I will draw water from the wells of salvation. Isa 12:3 

It was in great wonder that I stood and looked at the massive Eucalyptus trees in the very dry, sandy Todd River bed and wondered when they had last drunk from the deep waters. Their trunks were well above the sand and their massive exposed roots held them together, stopping them from toppling over yet when I put my ear to their trunk I could hear the rushing of water going up and into every branch, nourishing the entire tree from deep, deep down in the earth. Oh it reminded me so much of how our deep roots go into the love of Christ who nourishes us with the living water of Jesus. Even in times of spiritual dryness, that living water is still there holding us up.  If our roots are well imbedded in Christ we can stand strong in all circumstances.

May the peace of God fill your life every single day.   Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                                    Deep rooted.

The Lord God made it all.

For the beauty of the earth, for the beauty of the skies, for the love which from our  birth over and around us lies.  TIS 137

  Wander around outside and you wont go far before God's beauty is revealed in the greenest of green grass, the abundance of new growth on  the trees and flowers of every kind and colour flourishing in the garden beds and fields and  its an absolute wonder to sit in the sacred space and be filled with the love of God all around me. The Aquilegia's, grandmothers bonnets, are yellow and purple and blue, their heads nodding in the gentle breeze and  the forget-me-nots  are making a final hurrah  reminding me that we are never  forgotten. But God's glory doesn't stop there. The night sky holds so much mystery and wonder and beauty of its own. Psalm 65 tells us to look at the heavens and see the works of your (God's) fingers. Today, deliberately take in the beauty of the earth and tonight the beauty of the skies and be touched by the blessings.

May the beauty  of God fill your life every single day. Anne, servant of the Lord.

The beauty of the night sky.

Wonder and mystery

For the beauty of the earth, for the beauty of the skies, for the love from which our birth over and around us lies. Lord of all, to the we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise.(Christian hymn)

The gardens are full of wonder and mystery. There is colour and shape among the great variety of flowers, there is perfume, there are bees, there are butterflies, there are thousands of raindrops, tiny baubles bursting with life giving water and the bird bath is full much  to the delight of the Rosellas, the Finches and the very busy Willy Wagtail. Birdsongs echo from the tree top and in their pauses there is silence and I am filled with wonder at the mystery. It all reminds me of Louis Armstrong's song: What a Wonderful World. 'When  we are filled with wonder it is as if we have encountered the world in all its beauty and mystery for the very first time.' (Sharon Blackie.)

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

Created by God .

A green sprig

The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. Psalm 23

It can't be said that our countryside is dry at the moment and its hard to imagine a summer drought as we have had so much rain. When I reflect on this I think of our spirit and how it can have, at times, seasons of life giving water and seasons of dry, maybe just a little, maybe more and perhaps the dry for some is harder to deal with. I read this quote: To every person who has longed to see a green sprig on a barren branch he (Jesus) says, ' Follow me, I want you to see what I can do.'  

Stay strong in the Lord in all circumstances and may the peace of God fill your life every single day.

Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                 God's blessing.

Glorious things of you are spoken.

 May the Lord rejoice in his glorious works. Psalm 104

We always get so much joy and delight from God's glorious works especially when we have our 'spiritual eyes on' and we rejoice. But how often do we think of God as rejoicing at his glorious works be they the creation of ourselves or the wonderful world we live in. Recently home from a wonderful retreat in Alice Springs gave me a greater opportunity to stop and gaze in wonder at God's glorious works and share my delight with him and thank him for what he has created from the most delicate, perfect wild flowers and every shape and design of the gum nuts, to the magnificent desert landscape. Indeed, may the Lord rejoice in his glorious works. May he shout it from the mountain tops to the ocean and may we praise him for it  knowing he created all for our delight.

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

                                                Made by God.

As a river flows so may your peace flow.

 Jesus said: I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. John 14:27

It can be so hard to look at the daily news with so much trauma, distress, hardship, death and destruction in our beautiful world. Man against man and nature against climate change. Where do you find peace, that peace that Jesus offers? I get a great sense of  it when I sit reflecting, in the sacred place, just me, God and quiet, the birds and the beauty of the spring garden - God's glory abounding in all my senses and I find my cup is full for the day. Remember that song which goes, 'Peace is flowing like a river, flowing out through you and me.'  If we have that deep peace of Christ we can bring so much peace through him not just to ourselves but also to others.

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.    Anne, servant of the Lord

Blossoms fall like confetti

The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field, the wind blows over it and it is gone. Ps 103:15-16

What a picture the whole of  the spring countryside is. The wattle by the road side seems more yellow than ever and the pink  blossoms are shedding their flowers, falling like confetti, leaving a floral artwork across the ground and as for the sacred space, well what a place to sit and be with God in a garden of spring colours, perfume and delight  backed by a chorus of  birds singing their morning songs. An elderly lady said to me recently, ' I look more deeply and with more delight every season. I pause taking it all in, the sights, the colour and think to myself enjoy, reflect, smell, stay awhile for I may not be here to enjoy it when it comes around again.'   Just like the flowers, our life is short but oh so much richer if we  stay awhile with God and pause and reflect.

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

God's love.

A place to snuggle into

 Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 17:8-9

Its interesting to observe in the bird life how its often the male that is charged with the responsibility of looking after the babies. I think of the blue wren as an example, keeping watch over a flighty clutch of babies, trying to keep them safe from harm while at the same time learning how to live in a big world and I think how like our Heavenly Father nurturing and caring for us and keeping us safe. I love the image of keeping us under the shadow of his wings, a place we can run too when we are in need of protection and shelter or simply comfort, a place to snuggle into and with that image I also reflected on a family of ducks I see at the lake who keep their babies close by so any signs of danger or any need for comfort they just go for the shelter of 'under the wings' of the parent. May we stay close enough to God to be well within reach of  his comfort and shelter.

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.   Anne, servant of the Lord.

Clear image.

 As water reflects the face, so one's life reflects the heart .Proverbs 27:19

There is nothing more stunning than seeing a beautiful reflection in still water. Sometimes it difficult when looking at  a reflection to see which is the real and which is the reflection.  In a beautiful way we can also look at ourselves and see what our heart reflects about us in the eyes of those looking on. Does it reflect the life and love of Jesus? -  Reflect on this for a moment - Imagine looking into a pool of still water and not seeing the reflection of your face instead you see the face of Jesus looking back at you! 

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

By still waters

Thankful under the beauty of the stars and moon for all of God's creation. (Celtic Liturgy) 

I guess for me the sacred space at night holds great awe and wonder topped with the air filled fragrance of the garden, as I pause before turning in to be, as the Celtic liturgy says, thankful under the beauty of the stars and moon for all of God's creation.' How long is it since you paused to take in the floating clouds across the night sky, like ships in the night, or the silver so distant, yet so close moon, or the countless millions of stars glittering in the velvet sky like little lights punching through holes of darkness?  Its in the gazing of the vastness of the universe that the magnitude and awe of God is seen  and my final night prayer goes up in praise: Let your Glory Lord fall in this space - let your fragrance rest in this space.

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

In stillness and quiet I find my rest

Side swept by loveliness

 So that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. Romans 15:32

I recall  a drive down a country road taking a day of respite from work and refreshing with a 'spiritual journey' where just God and I in the car set off to see his wonders in creation. At one stage I came to a stop and pausing in moment to look on the flowers growing on the side of the road and as Joyce Rupp would say, 'I was side swept by their loveliness.' With nothing except me and them, all other thoughts had left my mind now filled with beauty and a kaleidoscope of colour - A God moment. Did I go home refreshed? Indeed I did.  Going for a drive or a walk does wonders for the spirit.

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

                                                Roadside blessings

A stilling prayer

 Let us enlist our lives in continuous celebration of God's goodness and greatness. Psalm 145 (Psalms Now. L.E.Brandt)

The sacred space is again bathed in morning light with the coming of spring. Its soft, its peaceful, its quiet except for the joy of the twittering song of  little birds that are also enjoying the change of season, such happy little things like balls of feathers on tiny stick legs. As for the spring flowers and blossoms, well they are just packed with love from God, full of colour and incense. If we stop long enough, I mean really stop long enough, we can feel the power of God holding it all together around  us He is present. He is there. He is all in all.  I often use this quote from Colin Arquhart as a stilling prayer at the day hospice.

The light of God surrounds me. The love of God enfolds me; The power of God protects me. Where I am - God is. 

Jehovah - Shalom. The Lord is peace.  Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                               Where I am God is.