the dew descends

"I will be like the dew..."

"When all nature is at rest, not a leaf moving, then at evening the dew comes down...

...no eye to see the pearly drops descending, no ear to hear them falling on the verdant grass...

...so does the Spirit come to you who believe.
When the heart is at rest in Jesus-unseen, unheard by all the world-the Spirit comes, and softly fills the believing soul, quickening all, renewing all within."

 "If I go away I will send Him unto you".

"Dear little ones, whom God hath chosen out of this world, you are like Gideon's fleece, the Lord will fill you with dew when all around is dry. 
You are His vineyard of  red wine; He says, I will water it every moment-silently, unfelt, unseen but surly."

"A calm hour with God is worth  a whole lifetime with man"-Robert .M.M

Excerpt from a letter written by Robert Murray M'Cheyne 

Spring Storm

The spring winds blow hard. I watch the trees bend to and fro; nearly it seems, to their breaking point.  

Last year’s stubborn leaves, brown and lifeless, fight to hold on against the force.

But the wind is stronger. 

The rain falls in torrents.

 The rivers swell until they can not hold another drop. They surge and scatter the fallen limbs and brush that have collected on their banks.    

                

As I watch this spring storm Hebrews 12: 26-29 comes to mind. “Shake everything that can be shaken…may only what cannot be shaken remain.”

I embrace the wind that tugs free selfishness and pride. 

I welcome it...because I have complete faith in the God who sends it. 

"He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses. Ps. 135:7"

flourishing Christian

My sister's lilac bush was covered in tight blooms last week.

We have a bush too...but it hasn't bloomed in years.

Why do some bloom and some don't?

Light! "But if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." 1John 1:17

Pruning!  "He takes away every branch that does not bear fruit in me. He prunes every branch that bears fruit so that it will bear more fruit." John 15:2

Nutrition! "The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time." Ps. 145:15

Moisture! "let us draw near yo God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed in pure water." Heb. 10:22

 

We need all of these elements to be active in order to produce a flourishing bush, or a flourishing Christian. 

It's not about the Blooms...

This morning I was admiring the beautiful blooms around me, wishing I too was covered in beauty; recklessly filling every branch with color for my Lord.

Surely this is what pleases you Lord, such a dance of brightness, such vibrant life being displayed. 

But it seems my blooms don’t come out all at once.

So I wonder why.

 He speaks to me…

In a heartbeat my thoughts fall in line. He makes things so clear…

He makes things so easy.

It’s not about the blooms, but the fruit. You have a longing for more blooms….

I have a longing for more fruit.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,"

Gal 5:22

Blooms please the eye, fruit nourishes the body.

skiing lesson

The bunny slopes were closed for the season. 

My brother confidently shrugged; who needs bunny slopes…we can do it!

We were in New York with Ashley at the Holliday Valley ski resort attempting our first try at skiing.

 Ashley would be in the Lodge, Daniel and I we’re on our own. After showing us how to ‘pizza’ she sent us off to the lift

Daniel found a fairly easily slope for our first trip down. I tumbled down the entire slope; all Daniel could do was laugh at me and tell me to keep my legs far apart and turned slightly. 

We finally made it to the bottom. On our way up the second time we ran into a group of friends who were also skiing there. Daniel suggested I join them and he would go back to check on Ashley.  My head nodded, and I heard my voice say “Sure”, but inwardly I was getting very uncomfortable. 

The idea of leaving the comfort of someone familiar, at the same level of experience and starting off with someone I didn’t know…who’s ability far exceeded mine…

But there he went, and here they were, beckoning me to come along. So I went.

The lady that took me on was named Nancy. She led me to an even harder slope then I had been on the first time. She began to show me how to ski.  

We both came to the conclusion that I was holding back, afraid of falling or losing control. She yelled out, “Its ok if you knock your teeth out, I’ll take you to the dentist!” 

 I begin to go against the safety that my mind was trying to preserve. That’s when I started skiing.

If I had stayed with Daniel the whole time, I would have never gotten as far as I did or had near as much fun.

It is so GOOD when God takes you out of your comfort zone, and calls you to go down that second hill with someone else.

 You will make much more progress.

We have a tendency to stay with people who are like us, who will ‘cuddle’ us so to speak.  I saw first hand the liberty that came from discomfort. 

It was so freeing in the end!