The aroma of God

 Beauty from brokenness, hope for despair, Lord in the suffering, this is our prayer. (TIS690)

Ah yes, the glorious roses have come into bud and bloom again amidst a garden full of countless 'God miracles' and their sweet aroma, the aroma of God, fills my sacred space where there is quietness of the soul, peace reigns, and conversations are had with God. Its here I reflect on the broken world, God's world, our world. Oh, if only this beautiful aroma of God could fill our world. If only it could waft over Israel, Gaza, Russia, Ukraine, Africa and all the other troubled places ,what peace it could bring, what multitudes it could put  on their knees.

 Take our broken world into your sacred space with God and pray like never before that God's aroma will cover the earth.

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

God's beauty

Awakening

 Then their eyes were open and they recognized him. Luke 24:31

Sometimes I wonder if we are a bit like the disciples who were walking along the Emmaus road and were startled to find their companion was the risen Lord Jesus Christ and likewise the disciples on the Sea of Galilee when Jesus walked towards them on the water and as for us, we can be startled also when we recognize the Lord is with us and this is often a wave of recognition for me and particularly I sense this from my sacred space where I am surrounded by the beauty of creation and colour in my garden. It is there I see him and there is almost a 'thin space' between us in this real awakening.

Friedrich Buechner said: Lord, catch me off guard today. Surprise me with some moment of beauty so at least for the moment I may be startled into seeing that you are here in all your splendor, always and everywhere, barely hidden, beneath, beyond, within this life I breathe.  Where is it that the Lord catches you unawares?

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

Here in all your splendor.

As they open we are blessed.

 All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above, then thank the Lord, Oh thank the lord, for all his love. Hymn by Matthias Claudius.

You can almost see the full buds on the plants in the garden  bursting to come forth with their colour, shape and beauty. They are little unknown pockets of beautiful colour and perfection, a mystery to us  until they burst and open and we are blessed. The sacred space is  just where I want to be these sunny mornings surrounded by God in all his creation and I believe that anything which  brings such joy and delight is surely from the Lord. I mean, just imagine the size of his painting pallet. Imagine the variety of colours on it. Imagine his thinking as he raises the paint brush to begin these delights for you and for me and I can almost hear him saying: 'This one is for you, your favourite colour and shape.' 

Oh thank the Lord, Oh thank the Lord for all his love.    Anne, servant of the Lord

Made by God.

Astonish me again!

 So we have come to know and to believe the love God has for us. 1 John 4:16

It is such a delight to be in the sacred space, in the warm sun of early morning, where the garden is alive, as Annie Rennie would say, 'with small wonders and ordinary joys.'  You can feel the love and presence of  God and his work  and as I gently touch the petals of the variety of flowers and encourage the new buds of the yet to bloom roses I silently whisper, 'God, you continue  to astonish me.' Oh, may we never see the things about us as common place and ordinary, but open the eyes of our heart, our mind, our spirit to see you God, in all things.

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

God's beauty.

Gold, silver and grey.

This is my fathers world  (Thanksgiving hymn)

 I came over the rise of the hill and there before my eyes as far as I could see were fields of brilliant, golden canola, coming to life with the creative spark of God, even more brilliant  in colour by the sky shrouded in silver and grey rain clouds - the contrast was amazing and reminded me in a strange way of the Sunday school song, 'Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee.' It was Maltbie Badcock who said: 'This is my fathers world, he shines in all that's fair, in the rustling grass I hear him pass and he will speak to you everywhere.' - even in the golden canola!

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

                             

                                                    Gold, silver and grey

The creators presence.

He made everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:11 

I could feel the presence of the creator as I stood amongst the gardens of pure delight. The daffodils, the tulips of every colour, and the boarders of pansies, their 'faces' smiling back at me, the brilliant yellow of the 'broom bush' and trees dressed in fresh green new shoots amidst pink and white blossoms and such a variety of other beauties. It was a kaleidoscope of colour and I  felt surrounded by miracles. And the blackbirds melody surrounded this lovely sacred space and my heart also sang, O, God, O Lord, you are so beautiful, your face is all I see.' 

 In truth we gaze but do not see - when you look around you, what do you really see?   

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

Pink and white blossoms

Presence and presents

 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God Where can I go and meet with God? Psalm 42:2

Spring is the time when God surrounds us with his smile. Glorious colours of the blossoms and the flowers, deep green grass and breathtaking sunrises and sun sets. Creation shouts before our eyes, it 'shouts' the smiling face of God in all its glory. His presence is such a present. What a treasured gift. Its not so much a case of 'taste and see that the Lord is good'. Its more about look and see, feel and see, touch and see, smell the spring air and see, for the Lord is good.

For the gift of this new day, dear Lord, we give you thanks.     Anne, servant of the Lord

Glorious things of you are spoken.

Calling, calling to sit and be.

(Psalm 26:8).O lord, I love the house where you dwell, the place where your glory dwells. ......where the morning mist hovers, almost kissing the earth and the sacred space was calling, calling to sit, to be, to take in some moments with you the creator of it all as the new day was coming to light, waking, singing, full of the bird chorus and waving daffodils.  For the gift of this new day Lord, we give you thanks.

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

                                                       Where the morning mist hovers.
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 The Lord said: 'Come away by yourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.'  Mark 6 :31

The song of the morning rose in joy from within the golden wattle trees as the honey eaters and thornbills shared the feast of golden balls together and its in these treasured moments I feel I am one with creation and I reflect on how 'there is no time like spring, where life's  alive in everything.' as the poet Christina Rossetti would say. As I reflect on the rising of spring from a very cold winter, I feel blessed, blessed by a God who gave us the four seasons to enjoy and to see his handy work in them all: the beauty, the shapes and the  colour and sounds. What a wonderful creator God, what imagination far beyond our thoughts that season after season after season God gives us such joy and blessings. To get the true blessings we need to look and see about us, pause awhile, and be present to what God has created for us. 

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

                                                The beauty of the wattle.

Fluttering and dancing

My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. Psalm 28:7

  Out in the garden and behold I see a patch of golden daffodils that take my breath away and the words of William Wordsworth came into my mind: ' And then my heart with pleasure fills and dances with the daffodils.'  I look at their long yellow trumpets and skirts of perfect yellow petals and the happy little buds that are yet to turn into flowers and O how they bless me!  And I think about the day ahead and it doesn't matter whether a day is good or bad, what matters is what we do with it, so today Lord, make us grateful for every minute of the day and open our inner eyes to see your love in the beauty around us and especially in the yellow daffodils 'fluttering and dancing in the breeze' 

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

                                                        Golden, yellow daffodils.

Eyes to the right. Eyes to the left.

 O Lord, you light my fire, your face is all I seek and when your eyes are on this child your grace abounds in me. (Christian Song)

On the Camelia bush is  the most beautiful, the most glorious, the most perfectly formed flower of the deepest, deepest red and I sensed God's presence in every petal of its creation and as I turn my face to see its glory there is the most wonderful blessing. As Annie Rennie would say.' It lets the sparks of heaven into our hearts.' 

Look, don't just pass by the beauty about us, and see the face of God, his creation, his beauty - its a true refreshment that lifts our hearts in a troubled world.

May the love of God be always with us.       Anne, servant of the Lord

                                              Glorious things of you are spoken

A taste of heaven.

 Great are the works of the Lord to be pondered by all who delight in them. Psalm 111

I just have to say it again. The perfume filling the air from the flowers in the garden is just heavenly and I can feel the love and presence of their creator all around. I stepped out into the moonlit night before settling down for the evening and the perfume from the flowers was 'a taste of heaven.' Rich, deep perfume rising from the daphne and the violets and I wished I could put that smell onto paper so we can all enjoy God's love this way. O, the night air - its just bursting with fragrance. I read these words from Willkie Au. 'We experience a taste of heaven in moments of profound love, beauty, joy and peace in God's presence - swept away into another world.' and that's how it feels in the garden, 'swept away into another world, a world of love, beauty, joy and peace in God's presence.

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

                                                            'Little violets'

Is it spring?

 There are moments when we glimpse something of the glory of God (Chris Monaghan) 

Is it spring? No, not yet, despite the fact that as I rounded the corner on the garden path there were flowering daffodils - bright, happy yellow, with long trumpets almost heralding in a spring and I can't walk past them without  smiling. I pause and admire. As I approach the front gate  the air is filled with the perfume of spring flowers - God's fragrance, and I know the presence of God is there in the violets, the daphne and the jonquils, and it all smacks of the glory of God. Life is full of rush, of having to 'be' somewhere, of no time to stop, no time to pause.  We all know the lovely 'stilling words' of psalm 46:10. Be still and know that I am God. Without quiet we do not know God. Without stillness we don't have time for God. Without the pauses we don't see the glory of God.

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

                                    

                                            Jonquils in the garden

Their throats full of song.

 Praise God from whom all blessings flow, praise God all creatures here below, praise God above , you heavenly hosts, praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.  (Doxology. TIS 768)

What a special blessing it is to feel the oneness of creation, of all that is about you, and see it in the light of God's love.    I thought these thoughts as I watched from my sacred space  a line of  black ants seemingly on a mission, as they crossed back and forth on the garden path and that beautiful first bloom of the daphne bush bursting with perfume, the perfume of God, and the tiny little birds, throats full of song, taking a bath in the bird bath, splashing around, playing, with such delight. To think that we are all a part of the thoughts and creativity of a loving God  who made the ants, the flowers, the birds and yes, you and me, puts me in silent prayer of awe and gratitude and there I stay in the sacred space, still, quiet, feeling the oneness of it all.

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

                                                     Daphne - The perfume of God.

It passed my ear like a soft whisper.

 Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise. (A portion of St Patrick's prayer)

My sacred space had shifted to beautiful Galong Monastery for a few days retreat but was by no means absent of the beauty and creative activity of God that is seen from the sacred space at home, in fact in the quiet and silence of the country side God was ever so present even in the tiniest of the wildflowers in the grass.

Of a morning I ventured outside where the darkness of dawn was ablaze with the glorious fire of a red sunrise and God's  presence was every where across the countryside, and as a  gentle breeze passed my ear it was like a soft whisper saying, ' bless you today as you savour these simple, generous blessings.'

It doesn't matter where we are God is there also because 'to God belongs the east and west and wherever you turn, there is the face of God.' ( The Qur'an Surah2 quote)

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

                                                Dawn ablaze with a glorious sunrise.

God has been here.

 All creation come praise the name of the lord. praise his name alone. the glory of god is greater than heaven and earth. psalm 148:13

I was watching from my sacred space, a  spiderweb, hanging on the wire of the fence and shining like a thousand diamonds as the sun just fell on the frost that was embracing it. I thought, what a great God we have who creates so many things of beauty for us to enjoy, even a delicate frosty cobweb! And the  grass was white, O, so white, with thick frost and the air was fresh and clear and I could imagine God, with his paint palate just delighting in giving us that beautiful, cloud free blue sky on this winters morning. Everywhere I look are the fingerprints of God. I read this quote by Rabindranath Tagore: ' Do not say it is morning and dismiss it  with a name of yesterday. See it for the first time as a newborn child that has no name.' 

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

Frost covered web like a million diamonds.

Turn your sight to the rising sun

 For God alone my soul waits in silence. Psalm 62:1

The quiet and the stillness of the early morning where not a sound is heard and the light of day is just on the horizon, I wait, I wait in the sacred space and its here as day breaks that I see things  emerge in their  shape and colour and get that sense of being one with the creating day. I am always filled with peace and abundant blessings at God's invitation to be a part of this curtain raising on a new day and as I turn my sight to the rising sun so to I turn my sight to God and his blessing on my day ahead. 

 Where have you turned you sight to see God in the morning light?

I see things emerge  in their  shape and colour.

Morning bells

 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 station called a 10-10 sunrise. It was glorious in colour and peace but I think what actually called me into the day was the tiny prayer bell I have hanging in my sacred space. 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. 'Its not my grip of Christ's hand but Christ's grip on me, that what stops us stumbling and keeps us on the path.' I hear the tinkling of the metallic bell and immediately I say, ' may today be in your strength Lord even though the path can be rough. hold thou me up.' 

I read this quote: Yes, I will uphold you, with my right hand: you are called and chosen in my sight to stand (unknown.

May our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.    Anne servant of the Lord.

                            

                                            Blue wrens on top of the prayer bell

Ah, the joy.

 Jesus said; 'These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and  and that your joy may be full. john 15;11

Some words are effervescent, they just bubble up in your mind and spill over into your feelings. Words like 'joy' give you a good feeling deep down in the soul. I mean, can you not experience something breathtaking and not get that sense of joy. Something of beauty and not get that sense of deep  joy. It's more than an a-hhh moment, its deeper than that. I sensed it  when  I was out walking and there in a rock wall was a beautiful violet, a survivor, a battler, a beauty, a pocket of joy. I read this lovely quote which said: 'Joy is happiness, spilling over, wearing wings! It can be a real indicator of the presence of God.'

May the God of life fill you with joy.    Anne, servant of the Lord.

                                                       A battler, spilling over with joy.

I saw the face of God.

 The Lord has decided the number of the stars and called each one by name. Great and mighty is our Lord. Psalm 147:4-5

I saw it in the puddle of life giving water by the roadside. I saw it in the sky, night stars being tucked away behind soft pink clouds in the sunrise. I saw it as the sun shone through the crimson autumn leaf. I saw it in the currawong as he called his mates into dawn. I saw it in the single, crystal clear raindrop that hung from each leaf and blade of grass. I saw it in the soft blue, perfect formation of the bluebells that clutched the side of the road. I saw it! I saw the face of God and my  soul sang :  How great though art!

World famous musician Pablo Casals said: 'I find God in the smallest and in the largest things. I see God in colours and designs. No two things alike, no two voices the same.' 

  Where are you seeing God today?

As you bless me with light at sun's rising, shine on me now with love.     Anne, servant of the Lord.

Blue bells  beside the road side.