Come tarry with me.

And he walks with me and he talks with me and he tells me I am his own. And the joy we share as we tarry there, non other has ever known.( Christian song)
I  often  hear this song  when I have Elvis singing  gospel music  on the CD in the car but it rings quieter in my heart when I am out walking. The perfume of the dew laden grass, and the absolute delight of hearing the small voice of a blue wren tucked away amidst the dense growth of a bush and the melodious solo  of the black bird. Sounds and sights of summer often broken in this Christmas season by the perpetual harassing cry of the baby Galahs pestering their mothers for more food, and more food. I thank God for such sights and sounds.  I cherish this time of the day walking  with God,talking to God, every morning. What joy and what a privilege to be able to share it..  This Christmas I find I am thanking God more and more for Jesus. May your Christmas be one of joy as you 'tarry' with Jesus and may you be the light that shines for many, leading others to Emmanuel......the God who is with us......always.
God's peace and blessings for this precious season.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

sounds of  an Australian Christmas

The greatest gift

God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
Christmas is just around the corner and gift choosing is on our agenda as we shop with wish lists in our hand and I think, if I could give a gift to the world it would be that everyone knew the depth and meaning of this passage of scripture. Those precious words. That great love from God. That life changing  'living' that comes from a 'Christ filled life.'  Events in the world over the year have caused us shock, shame and horror. Sometimes we think can it get any worse, can it get even more evil from the  actions of those who 'live in the dark without the knowledge of Christ.'   Its a blessing to be able to stand in the cool freshness of the new day and feel the presence of God in the stillness. In all things he is with us even though at times it may not seem so. We cant change what is but we can make a difference. May each day be something we value and treasure. May we show love to all, Christ's love and may it be know to others by our words and actions.
Come Lord Jesus.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Peaceful morning walk

What a creator. What an artist

God created all kinds of birds. He blessed them all and told the birds to increase in number. Gen 1:21-22.
I woke up to the beautiful warbling of two magpies under the tree near my window. They were singing to their hearts content, wings spread as they were washing their black and white suits in the gently falling rain. Fussing about a short space away was the pair of pee-wee showing their two new offspring how to dance and sing in the rain. It was all such a picture of delight and enjoyment. And then, joyously , in the distance a kookaburra laughed, and he laughed and he laughed. And I laughed at the sight of the sulpha crested cockatoo swinging precariously on a branch that looked like it wouldn't hold his weight but he was full of fun as he bounced up and down causing the yellow rump finches to scatter in a flurry of yellow hues. What a mighty God we have. A God who created. A God who gave us and all creatures great and small his individual stamp of ownership. A God who loves all his creatures. As Christmas draws near we can reflect on what God has given us in the wonderful gifts of his creation and above all the wonderful gift of his Son, Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

What an artist. What a creator. What a God.

Advent

Its that time of the year when all the invitations come to us from family and friends.
Invitations to the pre Christmas parties
Invitations to school and university graduations
Invitations to end of year parties and celebrations
Invitation to holiday with family
Invitation to Christmas dinner.

But you know the best invitation comes from Jesus
'Come to me' he says in Mathew 11:28
'Come to me.'
 Now THAT is the best invitation we can ever get.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Come walk with me.

Seek O seek the Lord

Seek, O seek the Lord, while he is near. (TIS 464)
I love this quote from Mary Oliver: 'Hello, sun in my face.Hello, you who made the morning and spread it over the fields and into the face of the tulips'. It sort of beats just saying 'Good morning Lord.'  Oh, and did you see him smile at you today? I did, and it was for me in the glorious shape of the flower I call 'Grandma's bonnet.'
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne,servant of the Lord

Jogged awake.

Where were you while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy. Job 38:4-5

I like this saying by Annie Dillard. She says: 'If I am lucky I might be jogged awake by a bird call. This morning it was the wood duck.'  I  often wake up to the sounds of the early morning before I look the day in the face and today, in the distance was the melodious call of the blackbird, a solo artist singing its song to God from the top of the power line, the highest point it could find to sing its melody to everything with in ear shot.  How are we going to approach our day? with a song in our step that  sings to everyone within ear shot? A song that says I have joy, the joy of the Lord?

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ

Anne, servant of the Lord.

perhaps this one jogged you awake?

Those pockets of fear

And the peace of God which transcends all our powers of thought, will be a garrison to guard your hearts and minds in Christ. Phil. 4:7 (Waymouth)
There is something 'deep' about the wording of some texts that is so meaningful...the peace of God which transcends all our powers of thought.....Have you been in that place where the storms in your life are raging yet by the power of God there is an inner peace, a calm below it all?  A lady was telling me about the shock she had after visiting the doctor who told her she needed open heart surgery. 'Initially,' she said 'my mind was full of all sorts of thoughts and I felt like I was in utter turmoil. I had no where to take my thoughts and fears but to God and then, wave after wave of his deep peace filled all those pockets of fear in me.I felt a peace I had never felt before.' Sometimes the storms of our lives rage like a storm across the ocean but you know, under the  surging waves of a stormy ocean, there is calm at its depths.  I read these words on a street notice board: Storms draw something out of us that calm seas don't. (B.Hybels)
May you ride each wave of  life's storms in the deep, deep peace of Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

below the turmoil lies  a deep calm.

Hand made by God

O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. Psalm 104:24
I find it hard to decide what is my favourite season of the year. Perhaps the autumn and spring as they bring about such profound, noticeable change with colour, glory, beauty and many 'Ah', moments of wonder and joy. A kaleidoscope of shifting colours in autumn and an air of beauty and incense in spring where everything comes to life daily from dormant to bud to colour.   I find I can  look at all of God's creation , ' the shape, the beauty, the perfection, the imperfection, the colour, the perfume, the variety, the size and say to myself,  ' God you made that.' Phillip Keller wrote: Whenever I am afield or outdoors, there steals over me the acute consciousness that I am confronted on every hand by the superb workmanship of my Father. It is as if every tree, rock, river, flower, mountain, bird, or blade of grass had stamped upon it the indelible label, 'made by God.' Pop outside a moment and look about you. There is God's handiwork.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord

Yes, he even made these.

Everlasting God

The Lord is the everlasting God,the creator of the ends of the earth. Isaiah 40:28b
I wandered in the garden, as the song goes, 'while the dew was still on the roses.' I wandered among the mysteries of God. Among the incense of new roses, the brilliant coloured sweet peas and  fresh new mown grass, all to the melody of the garden birds and I thought of  this verse by Jane Armitage:
O thou who gave us eyes to see and love the sight so fair. Give us grace to seek out thee and see thee everywhere.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne,servant of the Lord

shine Jesus shine

warm gifts from God

I will sing forever of your love O Lord. (psalm 46)
        my peace be upon you forever
Its only a small thing, rather insignificantly sitting on my kitchen bench but it holds memories that make me smile every time I pass it. Its a small white jug that was given to me some time ago, full of violets and today it holds the memory of yesterdays walk, a  bunch of sweet smelling Jasmine that I plucked from its vine that was growing as one in an oak tree by the path I walked. When I saw it there dressed in yellow and white and flanked by green I found myself having a conversation with God for the rest of  my walk, about the beauty of his creation especially in unexpected pockets of almost hidden delight. In my conversation I reflected on the words of  Mary Oliver. ' Love for the earth and love for you are having such a long conversation in my heart.' 
Go slowly, slowly enough to not miss what God has put in your path today so its memory stays tomorrow and the next tomorrow and the next as a warm gift from God .

never was before.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Where can I go to meet with God. Psalm 42
I find I cant walk past the roses in all their glory without marveling at their beauty and colour. It seems every day the bush is not as it was yesterday. My walk may take me past a tree, a summer wattle about to burst into fragrant, pale yellow miniature balls of aroma far more obviously ready to burst open today than it looked yesterday and the mother magpie, a lone gatherer yesterday now has two persistent squawking babies fussing around her to be fed. Frederick Beuchner said: If you think you are seeing the same show all over again seven times a week, you're crazy. Every morning you wake up to  something that in all eternity never was before and will never be the same again.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

now they were not there yesterday!

remove your sandals

Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. Exodus 3:5
There is a quote by Elizabeth Barrett Browning which says:' Earth's crammed with heaven and every common bush afire with God; but only who sees takes off  his  shoes. The rest sit around and pluck blackberries!.'How often I see a brilliant, colour filled, 'stop in your tracks' sun rise and know that God is powerfully present. I look at the laughing kookaburra and know that God lives in all creatures. I smell the air filled perfume of the first  flush of roses on a cool evening and know that God is walking in the garden. It seems there is no space where God is not and we are one. God fills our every day spaces and when we see it,when we feel the oneness,  we know we are on holy ground. We know we are in the presence of God.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne,servant of the Lord.

Take off your shoes for you are on Holy Ground.

stay awake

Lord, lord, open to us. Matthew 25:11
It is so interesting to note that when we slow down we see more. When we are more aware we see more. The tiny little things that otherwise we miss. Its a bit like an awakening. An awakening to the things of creation which are of course, the things of God. When on retreat I noticed something that in the rush of daily life I would have missed. It was an intricate, most perfectly constructed mud nest of a tiny God made creature, perfectly crafted on the side of a brick wall. Who lives there I wondered. I don't know, but God does....and its owner. It was a delight, a blessing, to see what could have otherwise been missed.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

The home of one of God's creatures.

Foot print of the Holy

Glorify the Lord with me;let us exalt his name together. Psalm 34:3
I came home from my walk with  four dandelion heads in my hand, you know, the 'fluffy tops.' I couldn't help but  bend down and pick them as my mind flooded with childhood memories of sitting in the paddock with friends...half hidden  in lush  spring grass, making daisy chains and blowing the heads of the dandelions. I introduced my youngest grandson into picking dandelions and blowing the heads off as he called 'whats the time Mr Wolf' and we delighted in watching the tiny parachutes of seeds float through the air. I thought, God is so good. In all the events of life he still draws us back to times of joy, love, peace and harmony and its an awakening, a revival of his presence in all the moments of life. To quote Richard Foster: 'God wants us to be present where we are. He invites us to see and to hear what is around us and through it all, to discern the foot print of the Holy.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

What a God

May the Lord bless you and keep you. (Aaronic blessing
I always say that some things have to remain a mystery and one of those mysteries is the magnitude of a God who can know us and love us all individually and separately. Not just us here and now but those gone before us and those yet to come. What a God.  His love is such that he wants to constantly shower us with his blessings. You only have to look at your own life, and life and creation  about you.  We know ourselves when we love and care for someone we want to express that by giving a gift, sometimes just the gift of ourselves.God displays his love and power around us and among us, he is a lavish giver. Look at your life, look about you,there is no end to his love. In every season of the year God colours his world with love.  Springtime  to me is  one massive bouquet from God, given in love.
 Blessing upon blessing as the love of God shines on you.
Anne, servant of the Lord

A bouquet of God's love 

its simple yet hard

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with with all your soul and with all your mind and  love your neighbour as yourself. Matthew 22:37-39
I had thoughts from Sundays sermon going through my mind and found myself reflecting on it often and deeply. A young priest was preaching on this passage of scripture and in among a wonderful sermon were these words.' Love your neighbour as yourself....its that simple and its that hard.' Among the many connections we have with people, this is what we are called to do by Jesus.  I can be constantly reminded of the command from Jesus,  on how it is to love my neighbour as self when I work among the 4 houses I declutter every week. When I visit  the  isolated and house bound, too fearful to leave their front gate. When I gather with the group of people with disability or when I am at the day respite we run at church.   Again came profound words from the sermon.  'Its messy, its hard, yet wonderful and beautiful.' When we can see that then we truly  know that we love the Lord our God and our neighbour as ourself.
Go in peace to Love and serve the Lord.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Covenant Care Day Respite.

How is your world?

Show me the faithful love of the Lord. 1 Samuel 20:14
It fascinates me how we  often see things differently. Some people see a rose bush as a bush of thorns with flowers and others see it as a bush of flowers, with thorns. Some people hear wind chimes as an irritating noise; others hear them as beautiful music.I can think of a frail aged person lying in a nursing home bed or a child with a disabled body, both struggling with daily life, and see them as the dwelling place of God, as it is with you or me.
I was given 3 most beautiful red roses yesterday, filled with a deep perfume that took over the space in my office. They were delicately crafted by the master, perfumed for pleasure and enjoyment and sharing with others. I have a small cast iron bell that hangs in the garden outside my window and it only takes a gentle breeze for it to give off the most delicate, perfectly tuned ring. As I watch the morning come or the day depart this little bell just adds to my reflective thoughts.  Some of my dearest 'flock' are the elderly, some of my greatest joy comes from the disabled.
How we see the world is how we respond to it.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

God calling  in the tiny bell

resurrections and epiphanies

For the joy of the Lord is your strength.. Neh 8:10
I just love the resurrection of the garden in spring. The transformation of a drab space into moments of wonder as week by week the plants come to life in colour, bloom and perfume. I stood in wonder yesterday at the  Dutch Iris in the garden. They were a yellow like I hadn't seen before, so bright and I couldn't help but think what a happy colour yellow is.It makes you smile.I love to wander about the garden being amazed by each new burst of blessing. Its like coming out of darkness into light. Like being asleep and waking up. Its like individual moments of resurrections and epiphanies that bring joy to our hearts, and a closeness to God. (Stanislow says) Joy comes in little whispers, in unexpected glimpses of mystery.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord

Joy in abundance even for the bee.

Can you count the stars?

He took him outside and said, 'Look up at the sky and count the stars - if indeed you can count them.' Genesis 15:5
 God never does anything small. Have you noticed that? ( L.B.Cowman says) When he made the oceans he made them so deep that we cant fathom them. When he made the mountains he made them so large that no one can measure or weigh them. When he makes flowers and scatters them he makes multi millions of them.' When God does something for us it is something that is love filled, it leaves us in awe and wonder and  amazement. As you read that I can almost see your heads nodding in agreement because your thoughts have gone to what he has done, out of grace, in your life, your ministry...... and its in abundance.
Grace and peace ( in abundance) from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

wide, wide as the ocean, deep deep as the sea is Jesus love for me.

Rooted and grounded in love

How deep the Fathers love for us, how vast beyond all measure. (Christian song)
I sat in the dry  river bed around Alice Springs and  looked at this most amazing eucalyptus tree standing firmly rooted in the river bed  that was just a dry and arid dust bowl yet the tree was flourishing, there was no sign of withering. Its roots were well above the ground yet they must have also been very deep down into the sandy bed where it had a  supply of water and gained its strength to hold on, obviously so rooted in place that it stood tall, strong and grounded. As I looked at it I thought of how we are anchored to God. We can either have shallow roots that struggle to find water, the living water, or we can send our roots deep down, well into his love where we find strength, security and life. When our roots are well established in Christ we also wont wither as we are rooted, strengthened and established in his love.
John of the Cross said. Well and good if all things change, O Lord God, provided I am rooted in you.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ
Anne, servant of the Lord.

Rooted and grounded.