Morning Glory

I've been watching these Morning Glory flowers trailing up fences and wrapped around sturdy plants. In the early hours they untwist their flower…
to beautify the morning. 

I wanted pictures.

The first morning I grabbed the camera, I was too late. The sun’s first rays were shinning and the flowers had folded back there delicate skin in retreat.

I made a note to get out earlier next time.

Morning number two found me looking hopefully out the window. No sun yet. But there had been rain. The ground was wet and when I found the flowers they were bruised and torn from the pounding drops. 

                                                                                        

Patience enables us to wait for the best.  

I waited yet another morning.

On that third morning there was no sun and there was no rain. 

Morning Glory flowers definitively beautify the morning, but patience beautifies the soul.

In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.-Ps 5:3

Direction

Sometimes God’s direction comes at the last minute.

Looking...straining to see, and then, suddenly…  Light dawns and makes manifest what was there all along.

 But we must be in tune with Him! For just like a silvery web is nearly invisible, and feathery light, his direction can be walked through almost unnoticed or brushed aside ever so slightly.

He could string up iron fences so we’re sure to go the right way, but He wants us to willingly follow His paths of righteousness. He desires that our steps be careful ones, and our eyes always be bathed in the Light of his Face which brings His perfect will into light.

       Don’t  be fearful that you’ll miss the way if you truly have a desire to follow Him.

He has given us eyes for looking. Keep your gaze on the Son who, when focused upon, brings other things into focus at just the right time

In His Light

This week we painted walls. 

Gallons of colors…moose moose, raspberry wine, churchhill hotel brown, cream in my coffee…

We joked at the names as paint was rolled out on fresh walls and splattered back onto our smiles.

The color of anything depends on the type of light sent to our eyes.

In His Light alone, we see the colors of life as they were meant to be… both light and dark.

Are things seeming dismal and gray? Maybe you have the wrong light reflecting off your eyes.

"Let there be Light" He said, and the beauty of His creation was exposed to our eyes. 

In His Light we still can see that beauty.

"For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."

-2 Cor. 4:6

One Step At A Time

It was the hardest run of my life.

3 miles.

Worse then the 13.1 I would run soon after…even the 26.2 that would come later still.

I had only started running a short while before when my friend suggested an upcoming half-marathon. My brother and I liked the thought, but that wasn’t enough to carry us those 27,667 steps to the finish line.

The realization was dawning, and I felt completely defeated with the thought- “I can’t even run 3miles let alone 13miles!

I cried, gave up… then Paula came up behind me, put her hands on my back and pushed me up the hill.

You've come this far…you can go a little further.

 And that’s when I won my marathon. 

Countless miles have vanished under my feet since that day more then 7 years ago.

 But I never want to forget how hard it was and how easy it became when I decided to take ONE STEP AT A TIME.  

Grateful Rhythms

We were sitting around on a Monday night; a colorful handful of us. 

Brothers were on guitar, sister playing violin, others on bongos…still some just sitting taking it in.

The rhythm, it got to all of us. I looked around and couldn’t help but smile.

One was hitting the knee, another tapping the foot, still another, rocking gently.

It’s true; rhythms have a way of getting to us and producing a response.

There are many Rhythms to fall in line with.

 But the rhythm we decide to follow in our hearts will produce the action that others around us will see.

So choose carefully!

This morning I chose a grateful heart to be my rhythm… 

  I'm already so full with things to wonder at...and it's only been a few minutes!

sun rays filtered through trees 

Lillie's that survived my donkey's munchies

Dragonfly resting beside me

Sing a grateful song today!

 Let the rhythm of it completely grab your heart and your actions.