Water of Life

As I was searching for path pictures for the previous post I came upon a photograph of Peyto Lake in Canada. I remember putting it on a list of things to see before we took that trip, It was one of those times in life where a picture of something cannot compare to seeing the size, beauty, and essence of it in real life. The expansive color of turquoise for the eyes along with the magnificent smell of the forest was enough to make me dizzy.

I think about heaven, when I will see in a high place the one face to face who is my River; the one whose Spirit washed me and swept me into the flow His love.
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And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Revelation 22:1

Where You Lead

I was listening to Carole King sing 'Where You Lead' and went down memory lane to some paths that have invited me. Several have been country roads such as these. I am a sucker for a road with a grass ridge down the center. I am driven to find where it leads. Lots of wildlife and wildflower encounters have happened on paths such as these.

Something draws me to the path less worn; the road less traveled. I want to discover what is around the bend. I love to be there by myself or perhaps with one other special person. Once in Colorado I was with a friend down such a byway close to Granby. A path beckoned to me after we had just seen a moose in the trees to the right. I found a path through tall grass on the left that led down to the lake. I only got a few steps into the tall grassy walls when I got a warning by the hair standing up on the back of my neck that I needed to stop, turn around, and get out into open space again. Perhaps that path did not have 'life' for me, but something dangerous, if my senses were warning me correctly.

I have found that the urgency to see so much more of the beauty of this planet is increasing as I age. I am not ready for the rocking chair, unless it is to rock a sweet grand baby. I still want to take chances and experience fully that which God has put in me to do and see. Much joy comes from quiet times alone with God. If those times come on a country worn path of life to which He has led me, or the top of a mountain, Lead Me On! Strengthen me, as I am filled with joy in your presence.
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You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.
Psalm 16:11

God Sees The Heart

It seems that God puts heart shapes in front of me no matter where I go. These happened to come in the forms of cactus, leaves, and deer prints. I think it's a message to remind me He sees the heart and is giving each beat of life to it, His home in me. It is pretty simple stuff, yet the very core of relationship with God. God wants to be ruler of your heart, not keeper of the rules. He sent his one and only Son as a babe to set us free.

I recently restudied a piece of work by Jeanne Guyon. In it she states:

For some reason men try to love God by forms and rules. Can you not see it is by these very forms and rules that you have lost so much of that love?...

The simplest can know Him, and in the deepest way, with no help from rituals or forms or theological instruction!
(Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ)
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God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us...
1 Jn. 4:16-17

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!

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