relax...

have you noticed that some folks have a difficult time just relaxing into Him? they say something like...

oh i know He loves me...

i know all about grace...

i know we don't have to do anything to earn His blessing...

and then go about holding themselves as if they are walking on thin ice with Him

so sad the energy they spend on tying themselves into knots

when all He is after is

that we relax

and learn to live

in the unforced rhythms

of

Grace

Himself

 

the law...

think of all the opportunities Jesus had to shun folks…

the 10 lepers – who were obviously leprous because of sin…

the woman at the well who had been married many times and was now living with her boyfriend…

the tax collector who took some for himself…

the woman taken in adultery [always wondered where was the man]…

the unclean woman with the issue of blood…

all the rowdies who were wine-bibbers…

to name a few…

all folks who were breaking ‘the law’…

He touched them…

loved on them…

wept and laughed and ate with them…

He healed them and encouraged them…

the only ones He castigated – and yet did not truly shun?...

the law keepers… 

 

watching...

have you ever watched a hunting dog in the field with his master?

Every sense alert…

eyes keen to any movement…

ears up and tuning in to sound as yet unheard by the hunter…

nose flared testing the air…

body ready to run…

 

waiting for the discovery…

the movement…

the sound…

the smell…

 

watchful…

ready…

 

kelly

 

be watchful
the Grace of God appears suddenly
it comes without warning
to an open heart
~rumi

in the night...

singing in the night…

because the dark can’t hold us…

singing…

not out of fear…

singing…

out of liberty…

of the spirit…

of the soul…

in the midst of the night…

in the midst of the pain…

in the midst of the tree boughs which do not support us…

singing…

because of grace…

free…

not bound…

singing…

in the night…



kelly

 

"Be like a bird who, pausing in her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, knowing she hath wings.    ~ Victor Hugo ~

it is...

this falls under the heading of 'never hurts to reiterate what we know'...


it is a kindness to give space for a hurting one to feel and express that hurt...


it is a kindness to give a hug...


it is a kindness to share some of the load...


it is a kindness to speak a gentle word of encouragement...


it is a kindness to not say, 'get your act together' to one who has stumbled...


it is a kindness


to be kind...


 

yes...

 

He said 'Yes' to Father...


... and we were in Him


... reckon it so

hope...

you may feel like a cut down tree…


you may feel as though your roots have grown old in the ground

… even that your stump has died


yet…


yet…



at the slightest whiff of water


… new buds of life will appear

… new shoots will be put forth

seeing...

just some thoughts this morning

we will 'see' what we expect to see... we will see darkness - sin - faults - dark things in the spiritual realm - hate - failings... whatever

or - we will see light - forgiveness - restitution - Holy Spirit - love - redemption - lifting ups

we will see what we expect to see - personally, i prefer to focus on Him and see and experience all that He is and is doing

♥

breath...

‎'today... if you will... hear His voice'
this morning, thoughts about the breath of God have been stirring in my inner parts
.
we are children of The Breath
The Ruwach
.
He breathes on us - He breathes in us
He has breathed into our nostrils His very life
His breath in us to quicken us
.
be still - and know
.
be still - and hear
.
The Ruwach
.

“Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.”

♥

the good news is...

God loves us - uncaused, unconditional, unending love -

God is not angry with us -

God does not keep a record of when we mess up -

God is neither emotionally detached from us nor disturbed with us

God is kind and caring – gentle and tender

God is joy without measure

God is love

without end

this which is...

I need the mystery
The whisper that comes in the quiet places
Of sunrises and dreams
Of roses and mourning

I need the mystery
That says there is something
More alive than life
Something stronger than death
Something greater than myself
And Nothing more profound than love

Don’t take this mystery
And rob it with regulations
Taking that which is truly holy
Binding it with cords that you can understand
Breaking the sacred down
Into so much less
Than what it truly is
Just so you can swallow it

Please don’t try to tell me that
Broken dreams and broken hearts
Are just a result of broken rules

To me that is not God
All that is -is man dressing up

If God resides in
Quotes and lines and letters
If God resides in
Religion and denomination and structures
If God resides in
Dogma and dictates and decrees
Then who, may I ask
Resides in the heavens?

No, you may not have this mystery
You may not put an accent on this voice
You do not get to determine
Where it comes from or where it goes

So drop to your knees in the beauty of it
While love crushes you with the weight of eternity
Light blinds you until you see
What you never thought possible
Until you are reborn every day into the mystery

-Amy Folk

living life...

the following is from my good friend, Chris Kimmell - enjoy...

I spent this afternoon wandering a bookstore. It wasn’t a small bookstore; it was one of those monster bookstore malls with multiple levels, and a media department. It is easy to spend several hours walking such a place. Going from one section to the other; spying a title that catches my eye, and reading the jackets. While wandering, I often watch people and try to imagine what is on their mind.

I stopped in the “pets” section as I am lover of those furry domesticated animals that many people decide to cohabitate with. I happened to be standing in front of the dog books when an elderly gentleman walked up and stood beside me. He appeared to be in his mid to late seventies, with a slight pudgy build. He grabbed a book on dog breeds so I asked him what kind of dog he had or did he want to get one. The man turned toward me and I watched the smile envelope his face as the joy filled up inside him. He began to explain to me how he had three dogs and one had just showed up several months ago. He wasn’t sure what type of dog it was but he was proud of his dogs. He told me stories of his dogs and how he was slowly taming the apparently feral dog that had showed up on his three acres of woods. The smile never left his face while he talked to me. I say as he talked to me because I never said another thing for quite some time until he asked me about my dogs. I responded that I had a bloodhound and he was off again speaking of his encounter with a bloodhound many years before. I was experiencing great joy watching this man’s joy grow. He had someone to talk to who was listening to him. He had been lonely and for nearly an hour he had someone who was listening to him that cared.

We parted ways and I ventured into the “children’s” section and looked at picture books. I noticed another elderly person, this time a woman. She was sitting at a small children’s table with her knees tucked up under her chin. A little girl ran up to her and gave the woman a book. The woman opened the book and read a few pages to the girl and then the girl took the book and ran away just as quickly as she came. I loved the sharing of smiles and laughter they shared with each other. I went on browsing when I heard more footsteps running to the woman. This time a boy and he handed her a book and again the same exchange of reading and laughter ensued. The boy left and a few minutes later a third, and then a fourth child all greeted her with a book, a few pages read, and then giggles and laughter. I asked the woman “Are those your grandchildren?” “Oh, goodness no.” she replied. “My two grandkids are over there in the “teen” section.”

What amazing ministry I experienced in just living life. I did not need to inform these people of Jesus. They already knew Him. I could see that in their eyes and in the love they expressed. Jesus used me to show the man that someone really did care about him. That someone was actually willing to carve out a portion of their day, just for him to tell whatever dog story he cared to tell. Jesus showed him that even a total stranger is not always a “total stranger”.

Jesus then ministered to me through another. Jesus let me see that He was there in the woman who would share love and laughter with kids she never knew. Jesus allowed me to share in their joy as they shared with each other.

Often sharing Jesus means His name doesn’t even have to be uttered. We sometimes forget that we can share Jesus in a smile or just word to the cashier that is trying to recognize every customer as they enter and leave. Every time, sharing Jesus is in just living life.

with us...

just want to share where my heart is this morning...



He is not afraid of our darkness - He does not ever stand across the street and yell at us to turn on the light, take a bath and clean up and then He will come visit us


He has willingly crossed the street. He has willingly joined us in our darkest places - in our deepest hurts - in the midst of our rejections - right there - right here - with us - in us


right there - right here - He is Himself - light, life, love, grace, peace - with us - in us


David wrote - and maybe sang - about Father restoring his soul. that's what He does. He restores. He gathers together all our parts and makes us whole


that is what He does


that is Who He is

greater...

greater is He Who is in you...

greater... than the storms hurled at you

greater... than the fear that grips you in the gut

greater... than the loss of relationships

greater... than your painful childhood

greater... than the mountains blocking your way

greater... than the little irritations of the day

greater... than the person who tears you down

greater... than the darkness

greater... than the wilderness

greater... than confusion

greater... than the silence

greater... than the prison

greater...

... is He

... Who is in you

just a small thing...

quite insignificant in size… lacking any beauty. nonetheless, it was fighting with all its might to be free.

as i was getting my coffee this morning, my eye was drawn by a fluttering in among the wood pile just a few feet from my window. the movement would stop for a second or two and begin again. i was pretty sure it was a moth ensnared in a spider web - but it could have been a bit of leaf.

if it was a moth - it was of no import. but i felt a twinge.

did some other things. back to the window. still fluttering. still fighting. must be a moth. more twinge.

yet other things needed my attention. i argued against the twinge - ‘it’s just a moth - not even a pretty one - not like a butterfly or dragonfly. just… a… moth.’

finally went back to the window to see if it was still there - sure enough it was - still fighting.

no more arguing with the twinge. went outside. got a twig and broke the web from the wood. got the moth - also got the spider. moth was trying to get free - spider was trying to wrap it more in it’s web - I was determined to set the moth free.

guess who won that battle? got the spider separated from the moth - then was able to get the little creature out of the web.

it sat on my fingers for a moment - then flew away.

it was created to fly - it was being hindered unto death.

i think that’s why the not-letting-go twinge. in the scheme of things, i’m just a small thing… lacking any real beauty… insignificant as the world judges.

but… He is teaching me to fly - and i must do so - no matter the struggle.

choice...

choose... decide... make up your mind... resolve and settle it once and for all
we have been given a wonderful tool - a 'decider'. we can use it for all sorts of situations and circumstances in our lives.


will we have another piece of chocolate... will we sell our belongings and go to the other side of the world to help AIDs orphans. and all sorts of inbetweens.


the other day, after reading a comment from a friend, i got to thinking about a passage in the Old Testament - actually, two passages - and only a snippet from each. they both speak of choice. they speak of life... and who we will serve.

then, a third passage followed hard on the heels of the first two - this one in the New Testament. about not living as others have dictated.


"... I have set before you life and death... choose life that you may live" - there is a quality of living we are given the opportunity to choose.

"... choose who you will serve..." - there is servitude involved in our choice.

"... do not be conformed..." - that tells me i can make a choice as to whether i will shape myself to someone else's demands.

we can choose - i choose life. we can choose to not be in servitude to that which binds, and stifles, and controls - i choose life. we can choose not to be conformed to their patterns - i choose life.

we can choose, decide, make up our minds to be bent and pushed and shaped into someone's mold. if we do, in my seeing and experience, we have chosen death. we have chosen to serve that person/thing/institution, etc, in the fashion of their choosing. and that results in death to whom we are meant to be.

even if we have chosen that which brings death and servitude and conforming - we can choose again - for life. and in the very choosing, we will begin to be set free - transformed - renewed. in our minds - in our walks - in our lives.

and we will find that good, acceptable, perfect desire for us. we will find and know His desire for us - we will find, and walk in - that person He desires us to be.

here... now...

“ Sometimes the urgency of our hunger blinds us to the fact that we are already at the feast. To accept this can change everything: we are always home, never exiled. Although our minds constantly insist on seeing walls of separation, in reality most of the walls are mere veils. In every moment, everywhere, we are not even inches away from the divine presence.”

John O'Donohue

only a pittance

he was just a tiny thing. lying very still. blank eyes.

'... not worth much more than a penny at most... '

it was raining... cold... miserable out. i watched it for a bit from the window. he had flown into the window from the birdfeeder and had landed on the ground.

it was just a sparrow. there are millions of them. not too smart sometimes.

'... and yet, not one falls to the ground without your Father... '

my heart would not let me just leave it there, so i went out in the rain, gently scooped him up and cupped him in my hands and ducked into the open garage.

do you ever just 'know'... sometimes... that you are being made particularly aware of Father's heart? that His heart really does take notice of... and that, in some incredible way, He is even 'with'... something so insignificant as a little sparrow.

i held the little thing in my warm hands and thanked Father that He knew the little one had fallen... that He was with the little one.

i prayed and stroked the softer-than-soft feathers for a minute or two. then he moved, blinked, moved again - then flew out of my hand and off to a tree.

'... are you not worth more than many tiny birds... and yet Father knows... and is with you... '

breathing...

Jesus said... 'My father goes on working, and so do I'. (John 5)

"The relationship between Jesus and the Father is so intimate it is like breathing. God offers this same intimacy to you and me, breathing love into us, and with this breath inspiring us to breathe love into others. 'It is good for you that I'm going,' Jesus said, 'because if I go, I can send you my Spirit, my breath'."

~ Henri Nouwen

a time...

there comes a time, in one's life...

maybe...

when the light begins to break through...

when reality begins to dawn...

that He resides with you...

that He dwells within you.

there is no need to 'ask' Him to draw nigh...

He is nigh.

He can get no closer.

no closer than your breath...

no closer than your heartbeat.

He is with you.

He is in you.

it is in you... that He lives, and breathes, and has His being.

it is in Him... that you live, and breathe, and have your being.

there comes a time, in one's life...

maybe...

when one knows...

that He sees...

that He knows...

that He is here.

right here.

in the very midst.

always.

without fail.