It’s been a good Friday…
Rocks (All Over The World)
I have recently read a book about rocks – how they are formed, what they are made of, what their significance is in their environments…
Amongst my various collections is a sizeable hoard of rocks.
Some are polished, bought from bowls of multicoloured stones.
A large portion are those I have picked up from beaches, neighbourhood walks, or random driveways.
There are some that are reminders of my years in England – mostly found on beaches, although I am not sure now which beaches…
I don’t know what their origin stories are.
What they’re made of, or how they got to where I found them.
Just that they caught my eye.
All different materials, wildly different colours (the speckly round one at the front shows up as pink/green/bluish grey when wet) – all beautiful.
Some others 😀
The big flat black one is vaguely Australia-shaped, although hard to see here.
When we think of rock, we think of something that is durable. Long lasting, sitting in the landscape, regardless of what the world of humans is doing.
And although it is shaped and polished by the weather, rock does tend to move to a longer timeline than we do.
Easter is nearly here.
The world is furiously turning. Burning. Never standing still.
And I am glad that we can place our feet on the eternal Rock, to Whom we can run when the mountains shake.
❤
Dressing For A Purpose
It’s been a resting kind of day.
Yesterday, I had an appointment in Brisbane.
With trains, transfers, and walking, it was a nearly four hour round trip. All for a ten minute meeting that could have been done on the phone.
Enjoyed the travelling, though.
Today was OK first thing in the morning, but the tiredness caught up with me.
Rested. Read. Drank coffee (and tea).
This was part of my reading the other day –
“Your strength, God, is the king’s strength.
Helped, he’s hollering Hosannas.
You gave him exactly what he wanted;
you didn’t hold back.
You filled his arms with gifts;
you gave him a right royal welcome.
He wanted a good life; you gave it to him,
and then made it a long life as a bonus.
You lifted him high and bright as a cumulus cloud,
then dressed him in rainbow colours.
You pile blessings on him;
you make him glad when you smile.
Is it any wonder the king loves God?
that he’s sticking with the Best?”
– Psalm 21:1-7 (MSG)
There are the clothes that we put on every day.
And there are the clothes we are given when we need them.
Long journeys? Strength needed?
Seems I’m dressed for whatever the day brings!
❤
All The Colour In The Mess
I went to a Women’s Creative Day at church this afternoon.
There were three tables to choose from – I chose painting.
We had a canvas board, paints and brushes, and painted what we felt God was giving us to create…
I had something I was going to do – right up until I picked up my pencil to sketch. Then it changed, and I ended up with lots of bright colours.
Paint palettes can be serendipitously beautiful 🙂
Generally, I will sketch an idea.
Think about it a bit.
Sketch a bit more.
More thinking…
Sometimes, I even start painting.
Today, it was a “slap some paint on the canvas” sort of day – not that I didn’t do some sort of planning. I tried to do the best I could with what I had (I forgot my “other” glasses, so it was a bit of a blur 😆 ) And I only dipped the paintbrush in my coffee once!
Gloriously messy, bright, and fun 😀
It’s helpful to let loose sometimes. I like to be more precise, but that can easily veer into perfectionism, which then translates to procrastination.
My painting is not finished.
But it’s certainly started!
It’s taking shape. Exuberant. Needs some more light, I think.
I will be happy for today, and work on it tomorrow.
A bit like life, really.
❤
Also – we saw a steam train today.
Yay!
Slowing Down To Fast
It’s been a good day.
I took the 7.25am bus into town, got a (yummy) coffee-and-hazelnut croissant. Browsed the Handmade Markets (which I’d thought were on last Saturday), then sat with my cappucino, chatting with a lady who was also waiting for the library to open. Shopping after, then home (all before lunch).
That’s the sort of morning I want to be having more often!
Picked up a little duck tea strainer in my travels.
Here it is, providing a lovely cup of hibiscus tea.
🙂
Also – here is the cabinet I was faced with this morning.
Reckon I’ll be back.
Today was a day of good food…
Our church has been talking about fasting lately.
It’s a discipline that I haven’t done regularly for quite a while, but one I’m enjoying getting back in to.
I’m not doing long stretches of fasting – I take medication that needs to be taken with food – but I’m using the time to stop, still, and focus on God.
That encompasses prayer, Bible reading, sometimes other reading or writing.
The last time, I was praying and I felt God was saying to me, “Have a sleep”.
Not what I was expecting.
But a persistent thought.
So, I had a nap.
It was lovely!
And when I woke up, something that had been frazzling my nerves seemed to have unraveled, and I could start on a path to sorting that thing out. I’m still figuring out each step as I go, but I don’t feel bound up by it now.
Every day has the potential to be an adventure!
And every fast has the potential to bring about breakthrough.
The best bit, though, is the stillness, and peace with God.
Surely a good day – every time!
Not On Me
Following on from the musings of yesterday –
a bit of balance in my thinking, and a reminder of where to focus…
❤
Laying The Table
What sort of tables do you have around your house?
A handy prop for a quiet cup of coffee?
Or maybe a quick stop for a chat, between one place and the next.
Maybe you have a lot of tables, but they are all empty.
…or maybe they are cluttered with all the things still to do.
We don’t have a dining table, and haven’t really used one for years.
When people come to eat (and talk) the kitchen island holds the communal dishes, and the lounge area becomes the dining (and talking) area.
There are many “tables” in the world that I will probably never get invited to.
Global, political, financial spaces – closed to the people who are most affected by the decisions made there.
Sealed doors, only opened to the privileged. Not enough chairs. Blinkered vision.
It can be overwhelming when you look at how much there is to do in the world. At the injustice that sees the most vulnerable take on the burden from the most influential. And at how little changes from decade to decade.
Still, I can sit down at the table with others for a coffee, or a meal.
I can pull up a chair, listen, and stay aware.
And I can give where I’m able to locally, and learn, pray and give to help others who do the things I can’t.
We are now in the middle of the season of Lent, the period in many Christian churches that leads up to Easter, and I have been reading Tearfund‘s Lent devotional series.
I will finish with a quote from their recent magazine…
“This Lent, may we overturn the tables of injustice, refusing to settle for exclusive chairs and seats of power. Instead, let us join together in circles in the dirt, creating space where everyone belongs. Because at God’s table, we are all welcome.”
Breaking Through
There’s a weed by our front door that’s been growing for a little while.
We should probably do something about that before the house inspection next week.
The ground, this world over, has been hard and dry lately.
Most of it is out of my hands, although I can do what I can do, especially on my little patch of earth.
One thing that I feel is important is to keep track of what’s happening around the world. And to pay attention to what is true, rather than be distracted by the racket.
Another thing, for me this year, is to get a bit of order into my surroundings, which is what I’ve been doing today.
Yay!
That way, I’m not menaced by a sea of miscellany, and can use what I have effectively.
Double yay!
😀
It’s been a good day in my world.
The hard, dry soil is still at the door.
But it’s good to know that life still breaks through!
(and just wanted to add another random YouTube suggestion 🙂 )
Can I Have A Word?
At this end of the year, I do a bit of a change-and-tidy – sorting out the remains of the previous year, setting up the new year in whatever way seems best.
One of the things I do is pray over a “word” for the year. It’s not in a weird way -just asking God what He wants me to focus on. Sometimes the word is clear, sometimes a bit maybe/maybe not.
This last Sunday we broke up into little groups, to be prayed over by older/wiser couples in the church. We were asked to briefly explain what we wanted prayer for, and had a bit of time to ponder that before the groups got together.
I was pretty set to ask for clarity for the new year…maybe healing – all the good stuff!
And then, I felt the word “challenge” drop down in my spirit.
That’s one of those words, really.
You can decide that you must have heard wrong, and pretend it never happened.
That never goes well.
Or you can take a deep breath, and go for it.
So, I asked for prayer, and there was good feedback to ponder on. Some things aligned with what I already knew would be in focus this year. Some I’m still thinking about. I was excited, if a bit unsure of details…
Monday morning, I woke up feeling like I’d been hit by a truck.
This was not the challenge I was looking for!! 😆
No, I don’t subscribe to magical thinking. The most likely scenario is that I’ve been doing a bit too much overall, and it’s caught up with me.
Made me laugh, though! 😀
I’m not sure how the challenge is supposed to look. I feel it will be a “good” challenge.
There are steps I’m taking while I’m waiting for some things to coalesce – just one thing, then the next, then the next. One foot after the other.
I know there is something to do with writing, and have some ideas about that. There are other creative pursuits to…pursue 🙂
And all wrapped up with rest times, meditation, prayer…
I will be using my art room more effectively, and at different times of the day.
To that end, I have obtained a duck.
A pastel lit, resting duck, by which to dream.
Behold – the duck!
May your year be restful,
and may you find your own pastel duck to dream by.
❤
1000 Fields of Roses 