December Fades

Short days
follow crisp winds;
reflections on the soul's waters
bring shadows of memory,
lights of discovery,
and clarified goals...
December fades into the winter paths
of January...
leaving behind the celebration
of the Christmas glory.

Sacrifice of Praise

I was thinking about those verses in the Scriptures that speak of the act of praising God. Offering up a sacrifice of praise seems to invite the Spirit of God into our circumstance. My meager understanding was enough to pull a few words out of my spirit and through the keyboard of the computer. May He bring you to a place of praise for your benefit as well as for His glory.



The sacrifice of praise
arose from the ashes;
scenting the offering's remnants.
Joy had come in the morning;
growing from the bile grown in
the gardens of self-seeking...
Act of will and sound of weeping
coming together to offer
the sacrifice of praise
until the emotion caught up
with the act of faith.

Discovery

I'm learning,
leaning,
enjoying the view...
knowing that I can depend
upon the strength of your tender mercies...

I'm rejoicing in sorrows;
releasing my burdens into the hands
of One who knows that my frame is...dust...

You've known my ways
and see past the blinders I cling to;
even when I run into walls
by refusing to take them off...

You've treasured my voice
as I've come before you in pained entreaty...
drawing me to Your heart
as I look for Your face in the melee of circumstance.

You've held me close
and listened patiently
as myopia shaded Your hand from my view...
knowing that I would be rewarded for
my longing for Your truth to be made known to me...

Psalm 19:1

"The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork."

I've taken it to heart to study the clouds as of late. The crisp edges and the darker corners of these vaporous formations enthrall me. They rise up to the heavens; bringing our gaze upwards towards the One who created thm as a nartural part of human existence.

Clouds have been instruments of divine guidance(way back in Genesis), rorschach tests between human psyche unwilling to leak the contents of their soul to mortal agents, and wonderful distractions. The unreachable canvas of the sky holds its' majestic inhabitants in parading costume. They are not usually controlled by human interventions(i.e. cloud seeding).

I imagine while I am watching the clouds that God has an extrordinary sense of beauty and its' importance to the human psyche. I can further imagine that their temporal beauty is only outdone by the eternal beauty that rests beyond our sight. I cannot imagine the beauty of heaven. Mercy does not permit me to gaze upon realms of glory while my body is still among the material of earth. Watching the clouds gives me a miniscule taste of that glory; and for the moment I am satisfied.

Enjoy the clouds and linger to send up a prayer for His presence in your life. Mentally send your concerns on the air in the middle of those vaporous creations; allowing His hand to reach where mortal reasoning cannot...

...and then have a cup o'joy
and a fresh taste of the bread of heaven...

Lynne

Saturday's Child

"Saturday's Child works hard for a living"
-Mother Goose nursery rhyme

This title is the first thing that popped into my head this morning. I'm going to take a wild leap and write my post about it. Mother Goose is hardly the highest expression of literary merit; but it still has a treasured place as a memento of childhood. I can imagine mothers everywhere sitting down with their children and reading them a nursery rhyme before bedtime or naptime. Language has a wonderful way of connecting people at heart level.

I am thinking of myself as a Saturday's child at the moment. I am going to be working hard to help support my family in the years to come. What a joy this is going to be; aside from the lost time with those I am working to support. Standing at the foot of the cross in supplication for mercy and grace each day; I am going to offer up my efforts to the Lord and ask Him to bless them. Money goes fast and there are needs that a paycheck cannot meet. I am a Saturday's child in the respect that I am going to be working hard for a living; yet I have a heavenly Father that is intimately concerned with the unfolding of my days. I am going to trust Him to "supply all my needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus" and rest in His faithfulness to do just that. ("And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus". Philippians 4:19).

This is the day that He has made for His glory. My joy will come as I offer up my day to Him as an act of worship. The invitation is given for Him to take my tiny hand and lead me where He wants me to go; and be who He wants me to be for today. Saturday's child works hard for a living...but sees that work as an opportunity to step into destiny's footprints. Praising Him will be part of that walk; as He will inhabit those praises(Psalm 22:3 NKJV)and bring me into His presence.

My prayer for you today will be for Him to inhabit your praises. Enjoy the work that you find to do and rejoice in it; redeeming the time for His glory.


Have a cup o'joy
and a fresh taste of the bread of heaven...

Lynne

Reaching

Stretching up towards Heaven's shores;
my rumbling spirit leads me on
towards the reward of His sustaining joy.
Captured by grace;
my longing draws me towards
the hem of His garment;
My hands raised and stretching themselves
past normal expression;
full expectation of His hand reaching down
to meet me in my need...
Stretching up towards Heaven's shores;
my hunger propels me on...
setting my eyes on those tasks that
warm the Father's heart.

Mental Deposits

I have a writer's imagination. My thought processes jump into the fanciful and sublime and then back to the practical. Daydreaming is a plethora of material; as the pictures play like a movie in my head. In short, I have something brewing in my spirit. It isn't complete; but then again it will never be this side of Glory. It is as if the Lord is doodling in my mind. Rest assured I mean no disrespect to the Most High; I simply lack adequate ability to express what I see in my mind's eye. I need much help from the Lord in this respect; and figure that He can supply the words to match my mental images.

His Word draws me into the feast of the Spirit. He has what I need to survive and hopefully thrive as I follow Him into this adventure of writing. Do I ever hope to publish someday? I will confess that I do have that hope; but it is not the ultimate test of artistic expression. I shall write as I sense Him leading me to write; and that alone is justification for the act.

In concluding this brief expository adventure(and thanks for hanging in there with me, by the way...), Let me express the joy that He gives as He allows me to share what He gives me with you. Come on back and share your mental deposits with me as you are able. His joy is expanded among us as we share in His goodness.


Have a cup o'joy
and a fresh taste of the bread of heaven...

Lynne