WATCH!

So, here is the second installment of my crazy morning praise and worship.

Here is what I saw:

Day Moon
Big-handled coffee mug
UFO? or Star Trek badge
Eyebrow
Soaring bird
Sperm
Pegasus
Needle
Dragon


We carry the reward of praise and worship in our hearts. He imparts his beauty to us in his manifest presence...whether we are in a building or outside with hands lifted high to the heavens. There is a responsive, holy synergism, and we cannot help but fall in love with Him!

From a song I wrote in 2000
copyright
SOAR IN BEAUTY

PLACE IN OUR HANDS A HARP AND BOWL.
THAT IS ALL WE NEED.
TELL US WHAT TO TELL YOU, LORD;
SO THAT WE MAY INTERCEDE.

WE ARE LOVESICK.
WE ARE AWESTRUCK;
AND WE LONG TO SOAR IN BEAUTY!

LET PROPHETIC WIND BLOW THROUGH US,
AND STOKE THE FIRES OF PRAYER;
SO THAT DAY AND NIGHT WE WILL NOT STOP
TIL JUSTICE FILLS THE AIR!

YOU SINGERS AND GATEKEEPERS,
CHOIRS WALKING ON THE WALL~
REMOVE THE STONES, PREPARE THE WAY
FOR THE GLORY OF IT ALL!

WE ARE LOVESICK.
WE ARE AWESTRUCK;
AND WE LONG TO SOAR IN BEAUTY!

~~~~~~

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven...

Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back~~whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!' "
Mark 13:32, 35-37

In an Instant

This morning around 8:00 I felt the Holy Spirit nudge to go outside. Upon doing so, I raced back inside the house to get my camera. For the next 15 minutes I had the most incredible, fast-paced cloud show of my entire life. The clouds were moving so quickly that I was spinning to take it all in. The high winds resulted in curves and loops of clouds that had my mouth open in awe the duration of the shoot. I shot 50 pictures, and could have done many more, but for the speed of the formations. I took the liberty of changing some color to help you see what I saw. Perhaps you will see something different. Let me know!

Here is what I saw:

Shepherd's hook
Man's ribs
Stalactites
Bearded Santa with hood
Crashing wave
Day moon
Tie-dye

I will post another cloud show after this one to include more of the fascinating shapes the heavens revealed in the span of just a few minutes this morning. God's firmament in sunrises and sunsets can be so healing. Letting ourselves be taken up into that beauty can delight our hearts and bind our wounds. We can realize in those times that we are truly precious children of God.
~~~~~~~~

Suddenly, in an instant,
the Lord Almighty will come.
Isaiah 29:5b-6a

Hurry and Flurry

The days are slipping away before Christmas, and so much yet to accomplish. Even with the bad economy, the threat of very cold weather in a few days has gotten everyone out to get the shopping done. Navigating out in the crowds and finding a place to park can sometimes be overwhelming. Other times it can be exhilarating, especially for the bargain hunter in me!

The pictures above were taken in Macy's in New York at Christmas. I remember the hoards of people sifting through crowded aisles and stuffed displays. I still have the two blouses I got marked down to ten bucks. I remember the beautiful decorations and the frazzled clerks. I remember most of all the crazy pace and being carried along in the swift current of people.

I also remember talking briefly to a young woman while I was in Central Park. She told me she loved living in the hurry and flurry of NYC, but sometimes she just had to get out of the city. I have been to NYC twice, and know that I couldn't live there. The pace is grueling and the song is right...the city that never sleeps. I gotta sleep, and gotta get away from the madding crowds. Though I live in a Metroplex, I have the calling of the wild to escape to the country and the wildlife.

I have found the key to holiday shopping is in looking at my expectations and preparations. If I have gone out being flexible and rested, I can remember and accomplish most things on my list. It depends on whether my introvert side has reached its limits. Yes, I said introvert. I can only be around lots of people for just so long. Then I run home to get re-energized.

The Holy Spirit has shown me that in the middle of chaos I can go home. I need to remember whose I am and repeat...BE STILL! It works even in a crowded room to slip away to Papa and breathe deeply. It works in a stressful checkout line to reach out and smile at someone or talk to a stranger. It works to give somebody each year a gift that doesn't expect one. It works to go get a tag off an Angel Tree. It works to spend an evening during the rush season with just one other couple eating a healthy meal together and playing a game afterwards. It works making cookies and putting sprinkles on top of frosting with your grandchildren. It works to keep it simple.

Though Jesus talked to thousands on hillsides, He knew he had to get away to spend time with the Father. He knew how to spot the one in the crowd that needed a healing touch or a bit of conversation. And He certainly knew how to get together enough food or wine for a big crowd. HA! HA! He knew the BE STILL balance that comes with being the servant to others but taking oneself back to the Father for restoration.

~~~~~
That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus...sick, demon-possessed...the whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases...

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Mark 1:32-35

Gorgeous Moon

Last night's moon was gorgeous in size and color. A friend (the same one who gives me a 'heads up' on sunsets) had called to tell me to run outside to see it. The stunning brightness and color was due to it being so close to the Earth in its orbit. My picture does not do it justice, but I am happy to have not missed it and only heard about it on the news.

I was thinking if watching such an extraordinary moon is thrilling, what will it be like when there is no need for the moon when in the eternal presence of the LIGHT. Oh, JESUS!

~~~~

I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its light.
Rev. 21:22-23

Risky Business

These two pictures were taken in New Mexico. The trail through small openings of tons of rock into the inner canyon was quite nerve wracking. Then the scaling of the wall to get to the top and look down upon all the formations was literally exhausting. Also, I began to worry about how to get back down, when I let myself go to those fearful thoughts. A flash flood, bobcat, snake, or fall could have killed us. Sounds like my mind was flooded with fear, and that it was not fun. I am reporting where my mind reverted to bunny trail invitations to be afraid. But the overall experience of conquering the canyon and getting the pictures from the top was something God-given (and husband-encouraged) that gave me desires to hike to high places again. We have had wonderful trips hiking to unbelievable places because we spread our wings.

Who knows but God all the near misses each of us goes through in life. I know I am grateful for the things I DIDN'T have to do. It is so important to try new things and get victories upon which to build more courage and become productive. God has helped me overcome my fears so that I could experience the wonders of life's adventure
~~~~~~~~

Helen Keller said:

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding is no safer in the long run than exposure.

~~~~~~

a song I wrote about courage

IN THE SPIRIT
copyright 2000

You did not give me a spirit of fear,
but of Power, and Love, and a Sound Mind.
When I am walking in the Spirit, it's clear;
Power and Love and a Sound Mind.

Lord, You have the Power.
Teach me how to Love.
Restore me to a Sound Mind.
You're the One I'm in need of...

Chorus (You did not...)

Lord, when I am fearful
I can face the wave.
Just let your Love wash over me;
give me the courage to be brave.

Chorus