Silent witness

All God's creatures have a place in the choir. (Christian song)
Its been my experience before and now I see it again. I went for a walk in the dementia wing of the nursing home with me little dog, to visit a friend but she was out with family, so I decided to go for a wander about.  One elderly  lady literally ran to catch up with me, and in a foreign language started calling the dog. She was overjoyed and danced around lifting the dogs front legs in a dancing motion. She stayed with us for about 5 minutes in this window of joy before wandering off.  A staff member then approached me. This delightful, very dark skinned young man bent to pat her and noticed the cross on her collar. He immediately pulled a cross from beneath the neck of his shirt and said 'I have one too! we both know God loves us.' A little dog, an old wooden cross on her collar and time on my hands and God's love made a difference and brought joy.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ,
Anne, servant of the Lord

Genna

Looking at God's love

For your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth Psalm 26:3
This morning had a real sense of 'come walk with me ' about it from the moment I stepped out the door. The ground was wet from an early morning shower of rain and the air was fresh. On the empty trees hung one or two remnants of the past autumn and a lone magpie on the fence was heralding in the morning. A gum tree close by was 'painted pink' with the light of the wintry sunrise and the sky was as a painting in progress by a master artist as its colours were caught up in the swirling formation of the wind driven clouds. I stopped and looked. One of those looks when you see right into what it is you are looking at and I realised I was looking at God's love. Take time today to look into God's love for it will carry you through the day......and beyond.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne,servant of the Lord

joy

For the joy of the Lord is your strength. Neh 8:10
You know how it feels when you round a corner, or come over the crest of a hill and there before you is the most stunning,breathtaking sunset,or breathtaking view or a kookaburras laugh breaks  the stillness of the morning or even  when you come across an unexpected family of 'roos' on the walking track, grazing and just 'being family' or recently for me its the sudden landing of the Red Robin on my picket fence. All the elements of pleasurable surprise. I was touched by these words in a recent conversation 'joy comes through surprise.' We have a God of surprises, who fills our heart and lives with joy. A God of surprises who meets us often when we least expect it.

Water dragon crossed my path on the lawn by the river.

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 the moment. The weak sunlight   pushing through the fog creating those moments of 'haunting beauty'. The Daphne at the front door, about to burst into a perfume that will take your memory back in time. A day ahead prayed in and over, full of challenges and promise and adventure and delights, hand in hand with Jesus. Robert Louis Stevenson said: 'The best things are the the nearest, the  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

Beautifully formed cones like candles in the fir tree.

your glorious light

God himself is present, let us now adore him (TIS 121)
There is something special in that thin space between night and day and we call it dawn because that is what it is, the dawning of a new day with new possibilities, new hopes and new opportunities and it is such a gift. And, its this special time of the day that God and I are one. I love hymn 121 . The verses are full of words that are so meaningful and sit beautifully on my heart. Its one of those hymns that keep coming to you hours and days after its been sung and its words put you in a place of prayer and meditation . (v3) 'Let your glorious light, Lord, permeating all things, reach my face and eyes to touch them: as the tender flowers open out their petals, to the sun their hearts unfolding, So may I, calm in joy, hold your rays from heaven, power within me working.'   
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ,
Anne, servant of the Lord

I see Jesus

Tend the flock of God........willingly. 1 Peter 5:2
I find the nearness of Jesus comes naturally when I just look at things in daily life.
I see a river and hear Jesus say: 'if you come to me you will not be thirsty.'
I see a paddock of sheep and hear Jesus say: 'I am the good shepherd.'
I take a slice of bread for my breakfast and hear Jesus say: 'I am the bread of life.'
I see a flock of topknot pigeons on the grass with the Grass Parrots,  Rosellas and King Parrots and I hear the melody of All things bright and beautiful, the Lord God made them all.
I see a small flowering plant growing through a crack in the wall and I know Jesus loves me.
I see the needy daily in my ministry and I want to sing: 'Jesus, O Jesus Come and fill our lives.' (TIS)
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

King Parrots

Ki

moments of stillness

Be still for the presence of the Lord is moving in this place. (Hymn)
'That stopped me in my tracks 'is a common saying among us  when we see something that takes our eye and catches our attention suddenly; that something that causes our soul to smile. Its often a sudden moment where stillness find us.
Sister Kennedy says: Such moments are in the smile of a child on a train, the budding of the cherry blossom at the gate, the sweet scent of the clematis in the garden, the look behind forgiving eyes, the fresh eggs left on the door step. But for me yesterday , it was the beautiful Robin Redbreast sitting on the Pickett fence just outside my study window; a moment when stillness found me.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

A winter visitor

God of all faithfulness

O perfect love. (TIS 603)
I was looking at the bare trees outside the window and noticing  the full ripe buds getting ready to burst open as spring approaches and yesterday when driving in the suburb I  noticed a tree dressed in pink blossoms, its buds impatient giving way to full bloom. What a faithful loving God who without fail produces the seasons of our year as he produces the seasons of our lives. I love the quote which I have used a few times now that  says: 'I said to the almond tree show me the things of God' and the almond tree blossomed. Sister Stan says: Gazing at the pale yellow buds of the camellia opened, I knew I was unconditionally loved.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

Encouragement for the day.

Its a glorious feeling to be able to unload my heart,to spill out my gratitude in thanks to you O God. Morning noon and night I want the whole world to know of your love. Psalm 92:1-2 (Psalms Now)
 A lady I visit in the community is constantly searching for Jesus. She has a hard life, a lonely life and longs to walk with Jesus as her companion. 'I use to know him' she said 'as a child I knew him but then he went away.I know I have you to help me now but where is Jesus?'  I told her about the story in the bible of the two who were walking on the road to Emmaus after Jesus had left them and how this stranger came alongside and through conversation and journey and an invitation to supper  Jesus was revealed. This psalm ends by saying: help us, those of us who love you O God to prove to our disjointed world that you are in our midst. Marcina Wiederkehr  would say: May your work this day be your love made visible;may you breathe upon the wounds of those with whom you work;may your voice this day be a voice of encouragement;may your life be an answer to someones prayer;may the lamp of your life  shine upon all you meet  this day;may the Spirit touch your spirit in this morning pause and your day be blessed.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

earthly treasures

For the beauty of the earth, for the beauty of the skies. for the love which from our birth, over and around us lies. Christ our God to you we raise, this our sacrifice of praise.(Tis 137)
These words came to me as I was looking at the very full buds on the Japonica bush 'bursting' in readiness to go on display and visible here and there are the jonquil bulbs with fat buds also in readiness in a bed of very highly perfumed violets and there, hidden on the north side of a fallen log is the moss growing in its own rugged and earthy bed. So much beauty at a glance, a treasury of expectation, of hope, of love, of surprise, of God.
(Sister Stan says ) The treasures of the earth are free and full of surprises.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

mossy log,earthly beauty

Holy delight

God himself is present (TIS 121)
 I loved to walk through the fallen autumn leaves kicking them with great delight  and there is something special and thought provoking about 'hearing' the leaves as they fall from the trees. Its like a kaleidoscope of soft gentle music. Early morning  has so many points of connection with God  that bring delight, refreshment and preparation for the day and the birds add their voice to that as the little Pee-wee dances on the ice in the birdbath. There is something of 'holy delight' in creation and the creator. (Sister Stanizlow says) Creation speaks to those who hear with their hearts..
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Cathedral grounds Goulburn

God's daily blessings

Morning by morning new mercies I see. ( Hymn: Morning has Broken)
Its that time of the year where God's beauty shines in a different way with crisp frost and the haunting beauty of trees shrouded in fog and a beauty in the sunrise and sunset that is rich in deep colours .We often hear complaints about the frost and fog and cold but I say rug up more and enjoy. See God 's beauty and creation in all things and greet God in all things.
This little prayer by Norman Grubb is a morning inspiration:
Good morning Lord.
I love you!
what are you up to today?
I want to be part of it!
Thank you God.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

vineyards in the morning morning fog and frost

The soul is on its knees

He was praying in a certain place and one of the disciples said to him. 'Lord, teach us to pray.'  Luke 11:1
There is something about winter: The bare trees in the morning fog
The deep red of the sunrise on a cold winters morning, The white as white crisp frost crunching underfoot and the transparent cobwebs washed with dew drops hanging on a fence, glistening  like a string of diamonds and among it all the last of the brilliance of colour of the passing autumn.
There is one thing I have learnt in my day to day life that where ever you are, whatever you see, Whatever you do, is all prayer on the breath. Victor Hugo said: Certain thoughts are prayers. They are moments when, whatever the attitude of the body the soul is on its knees.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ,
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Your love, O God

The great love of God O how lavishly given. (Hymn)
God's love comes in so many ways. In sight, in sound, in smell and it is indeed lavishly given. It is everywhere you look, IF you look, in so many shapes and forms. Have you seen God's love lately?
In the beauty and detail and colour of the birds.
In the perfume and detailed beauty of the flowers
In the glistening dew drops on a leaf
In the full detail of a butterfly
An elderly lady at the nursing home once asked me.'Can you smell God?' My answer might have been simple but it was genuine. 'Yes,' I replied, 'you only have to bend your knee to smell the perfume of a rose, or a tiny violet and there is the smell of God.'
What a wonderful God we have who lavishly gives his love, his great love, in so many ways.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ,
Anne, servant of the Lord.

A bouquet of God's love

Peace that only God can give

My peace I give to you. John 14:27
There is a peace in us, 'God's peace' that allows us to jump hurdles and ward off anxiety and sing a song even in hard times. Its a peace that carries us. A peace that sings in our soul.  A peace that says 'all is well or all will be well.'  It reminds me of the little bird that sat on a fragile twig that hung out over a great waterfall and despite the fragility of the twig, the chasm below and the roar of the waterfall he sat there and he sang and he sang. As we approach Pentecost we remember the words of Jesus: Peace  I leave with you;my peace I give to you. John 14:27

wings to soar

They will soar on wings like eagles. Isaiah 40:31
 I was watching a man flying overhead in a single seat machine being held up by a rainbow shaped canopy like an umbrella and as I stopped to watch a moment I thought, what a grand view he must have of the entire region he was flying over. He could see far to his left, far to his right, far ahead and certainly far below and I thought of the eagle that Isaiah refers to and how it soars with a vision that captures all about it.A vision that is clear and big. Sometimes, if we want to see things in proportion, if we want to see them more clearly,  we need to soar above them and we can do that through our growing and strengthening relationship with our Savior Jesus. He will 'give us wings' to soar above anything  so we have a clearer view of it, so it comes into perspective.
Grace an peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Filled to overflowing

O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing My Great Redeemers Praise (Hymn)
Even after years of early rising I am  still 'filled to overflowing' with the blessings of the mornings . The awaking of the morning with the night blind in the sky  going up and the daylight creeping in under it. The blessing of stillness and quiet: of fog and mist hovering in the valley: of a pastel sky wearing fringes of pink and blue: of a fading moon and a rising sun, and the peace and the quiet almost puts me on my knees as  I am riveted onto one spot in the presence God. ( Mary Oliver said: I look:  morning to night I am never done with looking. Looking I mean. Not just standing around, but standing around as though with your arms wide open.
May you feel the overwhelming blessings of God wherever it is that you stand with arms open wide.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Hills, lights and chickens.

' Hide me in the shadow of your wings.' Psalm 17:8b
Its interesting how some things in life have an impact that  remains with you forever. I am so glad I grew up in an age where it was the norm for children to go to Sunday School and it was expected that you would learn to quote scripture verses that became embedded in your memory and journeyed with you through life. So many times over the years those embedded scripture verses have been  my salvation, my peace,my encouragement, my strength. Verses like ' I lift up my eyes unto the hills from where comes my strength.' (Ps 121)  'Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Ps 119:105)'  and another favorite 'hide me in the shadow of your wings.' Every verse came to me with a picture attached to it in my mind and this one in particular always reminded me of God's love and his protection like a mother hen who shelters her chicks under her wings.  As a child when  I fed my hens and chickens in the home yard I would see this lovely image of little chickens running to hide under their mothers wings and somehow I felt  safe, I felt warm and fuzzy inside. And  throughout  life when I see a hen or chicken this verse comes into my mind.  What are the verses that have embedded themselves into your mind and life?
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

God calling

Fill my whole life, O Lord my God. TIS 596
As a child I grew more and more fascinated in people who worked and devoted their life for God. I loved to see pictures in mission magazines of missionaries working for God and when they visited our parish I was in awe of them. As I grew up this fascination  grew with me and people like Mother Teresa became my hero who I admired, respected and saw as one who gave her life totally in service to Christ. (Of course my father was a priest and was well up in my books also) What an inspiration these people were and so many more keep coming into my life. I read in a little book called 'God Calling' a simple phrase that said. 'God's calling......FOR ME.' We can always draw inspiration from people around us  who live extraordinary lives of love and service, who spark the best in us. When we hear of Christians exemplifying God's best in their love for others,their service and their character.......learn their song.......and sing it, calling out to God,Lord, let me leave a legacy of love.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

strong upholding hands

Hold thou me up and I shall be safe Psalm 119:117
I woke up this morning amidst  God's love in what the local radio would call a 10-10 sunrise brought into beauty even more by the clear crisp frosty air. It was glorious in colour and peace but I think the thing that actually called me into the day was the tiny prayer bell that hangs outside my window. Its soft metallic tinkling in the gentle breeze draws me to thoughts of God. I recall reading a very old pocket book called 'morning bells' and in it I read: 'the path is not easy, there are rough stones and we can stumble. How do we walk safely over such a rough path?' My response to that reflection was: Its not my grip of Christs hand but Christ's grip on me. That's what stops us stumbling and keeps us on the path. I hear the tinkle of the metallic bell and immediately I say, 'may today be in your strength Lord even though at times the path may be rough. Hold me up.
(unknown)  Yes, I will uphold you with my own right hand. You are called and chosen in my sight to stand.
Grace and peace and strength from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.