The presence of the Lord

Be still for the presence of the Lord is moving in this place. (Christian song)
 I find this new suburb I live in quite an amazing place and such a new experience. I can go several days without seeing what I call an' Aussie'. There are many Indian people, Thai,Chinese, Sudanese and  Italian, it is so multicultural but what I love is they are not afraid to express who they are and it seems they bring their God with them. I see in some gardens a Buddha, in another a dragon, another little tea houses lit with candles and over doorways various symbols of peace and protection but this is the bit I like best, more and more I am seeing Christian symbols. On one front door hangs a cross, in another window hangs a cross and on another door is a sign which says'Praise the Lord'. For some reason it gives me goosebumps as we all live together, a community of faith, however that is expressed, and among it all our Lord and God is standing tall.. And me, how is my home identified? I have a Celtic cross hanging in my front window and in Hebrew on a plaque on my porch are the words 'Shalom'. Whats that bible verse about not hiding your light under a bushel?

The gift we can give

'We have not ceased praying for you.' Col 1:9
I marveled at the amount of people who were in the shopping mall. Some with Christmas trees in their shopping trolley and many with trolleys full of toys and food all getting ready to celebrate Christmas as they know it and are thinking about what gifts to give to what family member or friend and I found myself thinking about gift giving.
One of the greatest gifts I have received, and in hindsight given, I experienced again last week.
An older person I care for was going off to the hospital to see his specialist after having had tests for cancer. He was off to 'hear the outcome' of the tests and he was anxious, somewhat distressed and as he got into the community car he grabbed my arm and said, 'You know I am not religious but please pray for me I am so scared' I assured him  I would light a candle and pray. While the outcome of his visit was not good news he seemed to never the less be brighter.' Just knowing you were praying for me,' he said,' made such a difference. I felt the anxiety go and a peace arrived in its place.'
What a gift we both received that day.Never underestimate the power of prayer, its a wonderful gift

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

God's creatures

' All things bright and beautiful all creatures great and small.' (Hymn)
I am amazed. How long has God been with  me on this earth? 6 score years and more and still I see his glory in so many new ways. I was sitting at my desk after having had a lovely walk in the morning, the fields fresh from new rain and here comes a wood pigeon, one I call a top knot, and he sits on the bird feeder, one eye cautiously watching me as he eats the seed provided for him. His colours on his grey wings are turquoise and scarlet, shimmering in the soft sun light and on his head (well really, God has such a sense of humour) there is the neatest, tidiest strands of fine feathers standing upright as if lathered with bryl cream. You know, sometimes it doesn't matter how rough things might get God can always produce something that puts a smile on your face. Its like he says,'here, look who I have asked to visit you this morning to bring you joy and pleasure.'

What has God shown you today of his love for you? Did it come in the way of a lovely bird, a special animal, a friend or simply but profoundly the gift of this new day?
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

solid ground

' The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge'. 
 2 Samuel 22.2
It stands on the side of the mountain through all weather, torrential rain, fierce sun, gale force winds and storms, this massive granite outcrop that  occupies a large portion of its space solid, firm, unbreakable, strong and despite its massive presence I use to climb this mountain as a child and sit for hours on a large outcrop pondering the valley below  with a great sense of peace. I suspect that its crevices and 'spaces' are places for shelter and safety for the animals and birds that call the  rock their home. I get the impression that if it were to rain forever, and all the soil was washed from the mountain that it

 would still be standing, solid and firm, unmovable and steadfast.
God is our rock. When he occupies a large portion of our space or when we climb and crawl onto his lap he becomes a solid place of refuge. When all else falls away he is still there, strong, firm, permanent. Steadfast and everlasting are the words the scriptures use.
The Sunday School song said it all I think: 'The wise man built his house upon the rock.'
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

God's world

'The earth is the Lords and everything in it.' Psalm 24:1
A glorious walk in the freshness of the morning and what a start to the day.   I saw in front of me  several black swans walking along the road as they head for a morning swim in the pond, occasionally browsing on the verge for a taste of breakfast and a carpet of pink and grey of the Galahs already feasting on new sown seed. The cheeky peewee breaks the silence and is already busy with his day and the trill of the blue wrens and the colour of the wild flowers just make it all so lovely .To capture it I reflect on   the words of Henry Gariepy: 'Wildflowers were dancing in the breeze, a moment  of   pure   joy and  songs of all sorts form in my heart. Oh the delight of little things that trickle into the moment.'                                                                                           Taste and see, for the Lord is Good.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

sing a new song

He put a new song in my mouth. Psalm 40:3
When I step out side for the morning walk my heart sings at the joy of freedom, and beauty in all there is about me in my world.  The sun rises with memorable colour and a peaceful presence and the song my heart sings to the Lord  is one of gratitude and blessings at the dawning of the new day full of potential and hope.
But I pause to reflect on the 100 and 1000's of people effected by the Typhoon in the Philippines and I think how can they sing a new song today, in fact will their hearts ever sing again and what will that new song look like?
I love this song sung by Celtic Thunder which I think helps the questions I have asked and certainly sustains me when I feel challenged in life. The song refers to' the home land' and I can relate it to God and his love of us. It goes like this: ' You are the voice, you are the song,the song ever singing in me and you are the heart ever true........ the voice ever calling me home to you.'
God is our refuge, our ever present help and we will always sing a song to him while he lives in us even though it may take our hearts awhile to compose it.

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

Listen long

You turn my wailing into dancing;you removed the sackcloth and clothed me with joy. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever. Ps 30:11,12
Daily pressures, rush,anxiety and clamoring to see an end to the amount of jobs we think we need to do leaves us very little space for the sacred, those moments that refresh us, connect us and calm us but Oh when we find them what joy, what healing, what strength.
I have taken to  almost sitting in my new garden which is flourishing and there I hear the voice of God. There I see his face among the blossoms and the blooms, there I experience his perfume, there I touch his hand, there I feel the breath of the Spirit on the wind.  Where is your sacred space? Where do you off load, let down and just be, in the precious company of God?
I read this quote(not sure of the author) It said: ' I listen long for silent songs playing in hidden places.'
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

portion of my new garden

loving kindness

'I have loved you with an everlasting love. I have drawn you with loving kindness' says the Lord. Jeremiah 31:3
 Imagine this. The Lord sitting at a rough wooden table,or in a garden, or on a rock ledge overlooking the sea of Galilee  reflecting, contemplating, imagining YOU. He has a sketch book on his lap and a pencil in his hand and he is drawing, drawing you with loving kindness and he puts into it feelings of hope. Hope that you will be his child. Hope that you will love him. Hope that your life will be full. Hope that you will talk of him, to many others and show his love.Hope that life will be journeyed together in its fullness.
I shared this loving kindness and  hope with an elderly terminally ill  man last week, sharing with him the greatness of God's creation in him and simply asked he picture God with a sketch pad and pencil, drawing him with love.
Mother Teresa said: We are also pencils in the hand of God. Let him create  something wonderful with your life as you serve him.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Giving thanks

 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Psalm 100:1
I spent what seemed like time indefinite, in the presence of the Lord. Not with my head in a book of prayers, though that is nice at times. Not with my head in a book of meditations,  that is nice also, but I sat creating my own prayers and my own meditation in communion with God just surveying all around and all before me with my heart and eyes fixed on creation and God's beauty. For all I saw and heard and felt was of God.
Mountain tops poked out of low cloud, valleys swept with mist that settled in pockets of still and undulating hills. The sea, quiet, gently rolling onto the thousands of grains of sand, washed white and covered with treasures from the sea: shells,fragments of coloured glass,drift wood and polished stones and as if for my pure joy God sends a sea eagle to hover and cruise before my eyes. Each and every presence was a God moment and a 'bell of mindfulnessEden. NSW
' and my heart shouted for joy to the Lord.
Thank you God for moments of stillness and quiet.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

God's gift

The heavens are telling the Glory of God and the  firmament proclaims his handiwork. Ps 19:1
Sometimes when I am out walking its a matter of what will I look at first. Sometimes I almost pivot on the spot as God sends magical moments from the east, the west, the north and the south, moments of awe, of pure delight that roll on and on through the day.
I had my back to the view of the sea when I was alerted to turn around and there was this rainbow, the bow not fully visible but it was like an arm of God reaching from the heavens to the sea and it took my breath away. The colour, the beauty,the brightness, the awe. There were no words except a breath of prayer, 'Thank you Lord.'
Steiner Rice says: Everything that's wonderful is but a rich reward given to us lovingly by a gracious generous Lord.

Eden. NSW

R&R

' Be still and know that I am God.' Ps 46:10
A retreat is so refreshing, centering and gives us a dose of  holistic  soul medicine. I have had four days away in stillness and quiet, with a   dash of good company, a glorious view that captured all the moods of the ocean, multiple blessings from all of creation from a God who said, 'did you like the song  of that  special bird?' well, just listen to this one. Did you like that beautiful flower that came from a plain leafed succulent, well, look at this one, and what of that whale waving its flipper then its gigantic tail, teaching its baby  to do likewise?' (the echo of its 'splash' reaching my ears on shore in a backdrop of a  bright yellow sunrise casting a golden pathway across the sea from the  horizon to the sandy shore.) Did you like that? And into my mind came the song, Be still for the presence of the Lord is moving in this place.
 Oh what sacred ground to sit and be in communion with God. O what soul moments.
Margaret Geunther wrote: Its easy to forget that God is a God of surprises, an intrepid escape artist and master of disguises.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

How sweet the name

'How sweet the name of  Jesus sounds in a believers ear. It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds and drives away his fears.' (John Newton)
This is one of the most asked for hymns from the older people in the nursing home. It brings a true sense of peace that goes deep, deep into the soul, and I think of all the names that come to mind that are encompassed in the name Jesus and I can come up with: redeemer, saviour, friend, master, comforter, healer....
Lee Self says:
I try to encompass all your names but they slip from my grasp.
When I hold nothing, I hold you.
When I hold you, I hold everything.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

Early Christian symbols. Israel

steeped in prayer

'O Lord, three things I pray: to see thee more clearly, to love thee more dearly, to follow thee more clearly day by day.' (Prayer of St Richard of Chichester)
Recently while reading I was struck by how meaningful this prayer is for our daily living and I was thinking of the various ministries we all have through our daily life and with this prayer in mind I reflect on the words of C.T. Studd.
'Some want to live within the sound of church and chapel bell.
I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.
 May our hearts and  lives always reflect this prayer, for Jesus.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

Credo Cafe in a back lane of Melbourne behind  a church on a main street. The cafe is a place for street people and the homeless. The sign on the wall reads: We are not human beings trying to be spiritual, we are spiritual beings trying to be human

My cathedral

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, 'Sit here while I go yonder and pray.' Matthew 26:36
The world around us is so full of  wonderful places to pray. I look out my study window and I see rolling green hills, a  pond of water graced with wood ducks and an occasional black swan and a glorious pair of  Rosellas  feeding at the bird feeder and immediately it all becomes a prayer.  I spend time in my garden, a very new garden, a place of growing beauty, colour, fragrance and solace and immediately it becomes a prayer, a place of connection and I think of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, a place of prayer for him and get a sense of why he went to such a place to pray.
Steiner Rice says: My garden beautifies my yard and adds fragrance to the air, but its also my cathedral and my quiet place of prayer. So little do we realize that the glory and the power of him who made the universe lies hidden in a flower.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Garden of Gethsemane. Holy Land

Salvation

'Salvation is through a door. Jesus said:'I am the door' Luke 13:22
The imagery in my mind still holds clear from my pilgrimage to the Holy Land a couple of years ago. We visited the ruins of St Peter's house and saw a doorway that was like two doors set in the one. There was the original door and carved within that was a smaller door said to be for security and safety, your escape route into your home where you could be saved from pursuing evil . Jesus used such images from daily life to convey his message and so he said, looking at such a door, 'I am the door and its through me you are saved.' (paraphrased) Even after a life time of faith and belief I am still in awe of God's grace for us by giving Jesus, our door to salvation.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

A door way to safety and security. Holy Land

Abba father

Then Jesus answered and said to them. 'Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do;for whatever he does, the Son also does in like manner.' John 5:19
I was thinking how my oldest son works in the same profession  his father did, how he admired his commitment and work and chose to follow in his footsteps and somehow that thought raised a connection for me with our Heavenly Father and how God invites us to be involved with him, to follow his way of life after all, as a Father he loves us and wants us to be involved in his work and so with eyes wide open we need to watch and see where he is working so we can be a partner in it with him.
One of my favorite spiritual songs is  ' Abba Father let me be, yours and yours alone.......never let my heart grow cold, never let met go.'
May you see God at work around you, may it be evident through  what you do that others will see the love of Jesus and want to ask 'Who is it you work for?'
May you be blessed in your daily work. May the light of Christ shine through you.
Anne, servant of the Lord

Covenant care day hospice

freedom

' I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' Matthew 25:35b-36
How blessed are we to be in a position to take this text and apply it in our daily lives.  I was talking to a man at the day hospice and he was sharing appreciation to me about being there.
 'you know.'  he said.' When I was found

I was cold and wore no socks on my feet because I couldn't reach down to put them on. I was lonely and isolated, a prisoner in my own home since the diagnosis of a life threatening illness. I shut myself away. Now I can have socks on, now I am no longer lonely and now I am no longer a prisoner in my own home.'
There is a Celtic prayer which says:
You who work by Christ's side and share his great love,You who touch with his hands and feel with his heart, his blessing yours, his joy to the end,Take it, hold it, you are his friend.
May your day be full of blessings.
Anne, servant of the Lord
  (Covenant Care is a community initiative operating out of Holy Covenant Jamison ACT. It offers a day with a difference for older people with a life threatening illness who are cared for at home by an elderly husband or wife.)

Thank you

1 Chronicles 16:8 'O give thanks to the Lord.'
And I want to shout, 'I do, I do.'
Thank you for life
Thank you for the beauty of spring
Thank you for the sound of the frogs in the pond
Thank you for the sound of the dawn, silence
The sound of dawn waking, the warbling magpies
Thank you for family and friends,for dogs and cats
For humility to serve you among those who need a companion for the journey, those who society abandons
Thank you for the love of Jesus in our lives.

May our thanks fill the quiet spaces of our day
May it be the last word on our breath before sleep.

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

A lamp at our feet

'Thy word is a lantern unto my feet: and a light unto my paths.' Psalm 119:105
These words are in the front of my  King James bible that I was given by my parents at my confirmation by Bishop Burgman and they became a valued part of my life journey.
Several things have cropped up in the past little while that cause me to think it would be nice to know what will happen, what will be the outcome,what the future will hold, but then I refocus and know within my heart and soul that the future lies in God's hands, always has,always will, and it is in him we put our trust. It is in him we depend. It is on his shoulders we lean. Its into his arms we run, its his lap we sit in, for today, for always for whatever life holds, day by day.

scroll and lamp. Nazareth village

God isn't going to let you see the distant scene so you might as well quit looking for it.
He promised a lamp unto our feet not a crystal ball into the future
We do not need to know what will happen tomorrow
we only need to know he leads us .
How is that for reassurance, comfort and stability!(Lucado)

May the peace of Christ be with you.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

holding together

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. John 3:36

How many times have we heard it said, or said it ourselves that we don't know how we would manage in the trials of life if we didn't have Jesus. I know if I didn't have Jesus, I would fall apart because Jesus is what holds me together.  This became even more a reality for me after I read a profound story about a navy helicopter pilot who said 'As complex as these helicopters are their whirling rotors are held in place by one simple hexagonal nut, and guess what that nut is called? Smiling he said, 'Its called a Jesus nut.'

Blessed are they who place themselves in the hands of Jesus. He will place himself in their hands. (Anon)