God's light shinning

Let my hands perform his bidding, let my feet run his ways. (Hymn, All for Jesus)

Often in my morning prayers are the words to Jesus, 'Where you lead I will go.' and again he led me to the nursing home with  a bunch of daphne and my little dog in hand, just to wander about and bring some joy to people.  As I went around those seated in the lounge room there were many wanting to smell the daphne and the responses flowed. One said ' What a blessing, I smelt the daphne and I saw my mother.'  Another, 'I smelt the daphne and was right back in my garden.'  The joy and delight that memories bring but I noticed one lady in a day bed, nothing moving except her eyes and I approached her with my little dog and sat her on this ladies knee and ever so slowly her feeble   hand  reached out and held her paw, she stroked the paw and I saw a faint smile break on the ladies face and for a moment she connected with me and the little dog and I heard a still quiet voice within say, ' Let your hands perform his bidding and your feet  run his  ways.'

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

                                                A moment of joy.

leaping faith

 God will always leave a witness. 1 Kings 11:36

In the sacred space the air is filled with the fragrance of God emanating from the glorious daphne bush and the clusters of violets and I am drawn to reflect on our loving God who wants us all to share his fragrance with others. Often we don't see the result of our evangelising  but recently I saw it  as I reflected on an elderly Christian lady who befriended a lonely lady at her home and brought Christ to her. When that lady went into a nursing home she took Jesus with her and recently when she passed away her closest friend there started to go to the chapel service to seek what her friend had. Here was faith 'leaping' from one person to another - where to next I ponder.

May God's fragrance  continue to fall from us all onto another, to another.  Anne, servant of the Lord

.                                                The fragrance of violets.

God's shadow

 For the joy of ear and eye, for the heart and minds delight, for the mystic harmony, linking sense to sound and sight. Christ our God to the we raise, this our sacrifice of praise. (TIS 137)

When looking down the valley on a crystal clear frosty morning there was one long, thin band of deep pink cloud fringing the  mountains and the reflection from it shone on the pockets of white snow in the valleys which changed them  to a soft marshmallow pink,  glistening  in the sun like a million crystals and I recall a quote from Gabriela Mistral: ' beauty.......is the shadow of God on the universe.' How wonderful O Lord are the works of your hands. What beauty to behold. You have created a divine song in our hearts from what our eye has seen and your presence fills the start of our day,

As you bless us with light at the suns rising, shine on us now with love.   Anne, servant of the Lord

Its the shadow of God.

Born anew

 I am the resurrection and the life says the Lord. John 14.

It feels unseasonably like spring.  The bulbs are up. The daffodils, the jonquils, the tulips, the snowdrops, all those that have seemingly died and laid  under the soil all winter now spring back to life in all their glory. How much I ponder this miracle of our creator God yet why do some doubt so much that we too will rest awhile in our seemingly death yet rise again in glory?  Oh, how much we can learn from nature, the miracle of nature, that tells us nothing really dies. Its no wonder we call the season of spring 'spring' because isn't that what it does, it springs nature back into life. 

                                                            Beautiful Creation.

Be with me-enjoy me.

 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 the we raise this our sacrifice of praise. TIS 137

When I came to the sacred place there was a wonderful collection of surprises waiting for me all covered in the perfume of the Daphne bush just outside the gate. There is the dancing heads of the Daffodils swaying in the gentle breeze, the endless flowering of the Grevilia bush, the numerous coloured  Cyclamens pushing their flower heads through their leaves ( how can that tiny pin head of a bud turn into  such a flower?) and the ever faithful Violets of every imaginable colour competing with the other fragrances of the garden. Oh what love God showers onto us and all of a sudden all that is before me becomes a prayer. What a display of God's Glory  which to some is 'a lovely garden' but to me its my cathedral filled with the wonders and mysteries of God. It was Noel Davis who wrote: ' Look around with your eyes and your heart, you will see and feel me everywhere. Be with me, enjoy me. Foster all that is good and share me.'

Mane Nobiscum Domine. Remain with us Lord.     Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                                    God's love.

Where I am there you are also.

' We love the place, O God, wherein thine honour dwells, the joy of thine abode all earthly joy excels. it is the house of prayer wherein thy servants meet and thou, O Lord, art there. (William Bullock)

The more I visit my sacred space the more I feel the presence of God waiting there for me. Its like his hand is on my empty seat and he is patting it and saying, 'Come, sit with me awhile.' That's the draw of the sacred space. Its such a peaceful quiet  shelter away from the pending tide of the daily rush and business. A place where one is enfolded in love. A place wherein all I look out and see  is of God because it is said of God: 'Where I am there you are also and there is nothing on earth that you are not in.' The flowers, the buds on the trees waiting to burst into spring blossom, the perfume of the Daphne floating in the air, the puppy on its morning walk with its person, the birds singing in the new day, the clear blue sky....the breaking of a new day, .there is ever so much of God's love to be seen. Where ever your sacred space is, that place you have created to spend special times with God, may you also be filled with his presence. May you also feel he is waiting there for you. May you pause awhile and thank God for all that is and all that will be.

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

The presence of God.

Made by God.

 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. Genesis 1-2

What detail. What incredible handiwork. What a creator. They were my thoughts as I lightly touched the delicate, perfect flower head of the blooms on the daphne bush, its perfume holding on my fingers. If one were to create the world and all that is in it in 7 days you would be inclined to think that it was a rushed job, things thrown together, tossed here and there but not so. The beauty of the smallest flower, the painted back of the lady bird with its red coating and black spots and the tiniest of legs, the colours of the birds and shapes of the animals, that's no rushed job. When you look in the mirror this morning you will see your image. Pause and look, that was no rushed job either, what you see is as precious in the sight of God as all of his creation made by God.

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

                                                        Its perfume holds on my fingers

Its colour, its perfume.

 'All is silent, in the still and soundless air I fervently bow to my Almighty God.' (Bing Xin. China)

One thing was on my mind when I came to meet with God this morning. It was the words of the beautiful hymn, 'Glorious things of thee are spoken.' and I had this image in mind of the beautiful, stunning bright yellow of the wattle trees coming into bloom that line some of our roadways and dot the bushland around us.. Bright, cheerful yellow balls of fluffy wattle blooms that hold a perfume which send me right back to childhood memories. Somethings in God's creation can put us on our knees with their colour, their beauty, their perfume, their memories and I thought of these words from the Iona Community: The turn of the leaf in the morning sun and the catch in our throat drives us to our knees and into prayer.

May the God of life bless you and keep you today and always.   Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                        Beauty in colour.

Cover the day with prayer

 Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath! Psalm 116:2

Every day is a prayer. All day is a prayer. I wonder do you see it like that? To wake up with a prayer on your lips of thanking God for the gift of a new day. To gaze out the window at a snow white frost while  holding a steaming hot cup of tea warming the hands and thanking God for the beauty  you behold.  To be blessed by two beautiful Rosellas on the garden path  and pause in the sacred space to lay the day before God and all those he will put in your path path today who may need your help. Francis de Sales said: Sprinkle a seasoning of short prayers on our daily living. If you see something beautiful, thank God for it. If you are aware of someone's need, ask God to help - you can toss up prayers all day!

May the God of life, bless you and keep you today and always.    Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                                   Morning delight

Hold hands with God

 In your presence is the fullness of joy and from your right hand flow delights for evermore . Ps 16:11

Oh the stillness. Oh the quiet. Oh the peace. Oh the beauty of it all in the sacred space as the stars fade from sight and the thin veil of light heralds the day, a day untouched, new and fresh showered with rays of the rising sun breaking through the trees and almost falling at my feet to the rhythm of the tinkling bell of a tiny bird waking and all I see and feel descends as a yearning in my heart, to heaven, to thank God for the gift of this new day.  All of it is a morning prayer and I am blessed richly before the day has even begun and my closing prayer to God is this: 'You have blessed me with light at the suns rising, shine on me now with love.'   May we all find that sacred space in the morning where we sit and hold hands with God all be it just for a little while.

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

In your presence is joy.

Surprise me God.

Let us ask ourselves today; are we open to 'God's surprises'?  Pope Francis 

God is often referred to as the God of surprises and he never fails to live up to that description. All around us in our day there are things that cause us to say, 'that was of God, or that is of God.' Yesterday I was taken by surprise when the end of the day seemed to pause between that thin veil of light and dark as God put on a magnificent spectacle in the sun set.  A spectacle of intense colour and beauty that caused such an intake of my breath, stopping me in my tracks in moments of awe and wonder. It was indeed a moment of nourishment.

May the God of life bless you and keep you today and always.     Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                    A moment of nourishment

A morning mystery

 Praise God the great creator (TIS  165)

The mystery of a winters morning with the ground frost white and glittering in places like a million jewels as its kissed by the rays of the rising sun and the mystery deepens as a thick fog embraces the eucalyptus trees, white ghost gums, living up to their name. What a gift that called me to bless the Lord in thanks for showering the opening of the day with a thousand blessings. As I looked into this days beginnings I recalled the words I read by A. Spanger: ' When you start  to make a habit of blessings God, you will discover that daily life can begin to feel like Christmas morning.'

Mane Nobiscum Domine - remain with us Lord.       Anne, servant of the Lord.

The mystery of  the morning

Beauty and brightness

 Praise God from whom all blessings flow. TIS 768

Just a few days ago God put on a magnificent spectacle. It had been raining, the air was clear, the sun came out and there it was a stunning, bright coloured rainbow in all its glory emanating God's love and promises. A perfect arc across the sky. What a wonderful creative God we have who blesses us in so many ways. The daily office reading from Sirach  34 last night said: 'Look at the rainbow, and praise him who made it; it is exceedingly beautiful in its brightness. It encircles the sky with its glorious arc, the hands of the most high have stretched it out.' 

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

God's beauty

The Lord is here.

 I am always aware of the Lords presence; he is near and nothing can shake me . Psalm 16:8

There are things to be seen and things to be heard all around us if we attune our eyes and ears, if we are in a state of awareness, otherwise they become lost so much so that at times we completely miss them.

Noel Davis said it well when he wrote: ' The tiny bird singing in the old banksia tree, the family of wrens spilling joy through the garden. Lord meet me there.'  

Unaware of our surroundings, rushing into the day, so much can be missed.

Mane Nobiscum Domine - Remain with us Lord.       Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                    Not just a clump of weeds.

Shalom, the Lord is peace

 My peace I give 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 and 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. In all our ups and downs of life remember the words of Jesus: 'Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. ' John 14:27

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

God's peace at the close of day.

Pods of living water

 He made water flow for you from the flint rock. Deut 8:15

I was watching the raindrops fall into the birdbath. As they rippled to the edge one after the other, they fell, pods of life giving water that rolled off the edge and onto the garden below. Raindrops full of nourishment, so small yet so vital to life.

Filled with thelife giving, living waters of Jesus we too become pods of nourishment that spill over into those God puts in our path day by day. May those pods of nourishment overflow and strengthen. May not one drop go to waste.

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

                                                        Life giving water.

Sing ye birds.

 My voice you will hear in the morning,  O Lord will I direct my prayers to you and I will look up. Psalm 5: 3

I love to go outside before turning in for the night and just look with wonder and awe at the night sky. In the cold crisp frosty night the moon illuminates everything on earth and the stars are radiant and shinning in their millions upon millions - and all is still - silent. What an incredible creator we have - the magnitude of his creation, but there is more. I read these words: 'In the vastness of the stary night how easy to see the workings of God! But teach me, Oh teach me to see it in all the small things that abide around us' Things like the naked tree stretching long arms upwards and in its branches the magpies warbling every so beautifully and in harmony and a touch of the golden  sun rays hitting just one spot on the frosty lawn reminding me of the pearl of great price. Listening to the Magpies I am reminded of the words of  William Wordsworth . ' Then sing, ye birds, sing, sing, sing a joyous song.' Ah how God lavishes his love on us, showering us with his presence. Don't miss it. Don't just look up for God but seek him everywhere, come face to face with him.

Mane Nobiscum Domine. Remain with us Lord.             Anne, servant of the Lord

                                                Early Morning.

Constant companion

The Lord is my constant companion......he touches me with eternal joy.( Psalm 23 from Psalms Now)

Our companionship with God,  can be so refreshing and enlightening,  He draws us into his world of wonder and delight and what's so amazing about it is that we don't have to travel the world to find it. Its right there and all we have to do is step outside. This morning it was in his voice as the 3 magpies on the fence were warbling and breaking notes of a morning song, serenading one another for our joy.  It was in the ground, coloured different every morning, that is today dressed in glistening frosty white as  the winter sun walked across it. and its  in the fragrance of the wet autumn leaves mulching  the earth.    William Wordsworth wrote, ' Its the harvest of a quiet eye.'   

May the faith that gives us hope. May the love that shows the way. May the peace that cheers the heart, be yours today (Unknown)

Anne, Servant of the Lord

Morning has broken

Heaven on earth

 All creatures if our God and King. (TIS 100)

I recall lifting a garden pot from its resting place to be taken by surprise and delight at a tiny little brown,   frog, its eyes wide open and looking  at me just as surprised.  I love it when we find the tiny creatures in their world, living their life, their way, like the tiny frog and a black and orange beetle burrowing in the vegetable garden soil.  I read these words that were said to be written on  ancient papyrus. They are said to be the words of Jesus Christ. ' God is down here with us in the world, not away up there .'  When we look, when we seek, when we see, may we do so with real delight as we see  what God sees. 

Mane Nobiscum Domine - Remain with us Lord.         Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                    A tiny brown frog.

A single leaf

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

From the sacred space.

In the stillness, in the quiet - peace as a single leaf twists in the gentle breeze and spirals graciously, like a ballerina to the ground, where it rests on a carpet of colour.

A few moments of awareness with God and your entireday can change. 

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

                                                            Gently falling.