I had a post planned for tonight, on another topic…
but I think I’ll just share this instead.
🙂
Song For The Evening
Open The Windows
This appeared in my messages today…
Life can be hard, can’t it?
Even when it’s wonderful, too.
Sometimes the temptation to give up, just for a bit, overwhelms. Take the time, rest, do the thing you’ve been putting off because there’s no time or you don’t feel you deserve it
And remember that life is big, there’s more to find, and we’re not alone in this big wide universe.
This reminds me of a quote by Martin Luther King –
“…the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
That’s not to say that we don’t do all we can to promote justice and bring about change, nor did he mean it as such. With everything that has been going on this year, and before, it’s good to remember that God is still in control, and that evil will ultimately not triumph… even though it looks like that’s what’s happening.
“Little children, you can be certain that you belong to God and have conquered them,for the One who is living in you is far greater than the one who is in the world.”
– 1 John 4:4
It’s not magical thinking, or giving up the responsibility of fighting for good. I’m not going to tell you that everything will go right and nothing bad will ever touch you. I’m just saying that you don’t have to do it all alone, and everything is not on your shoulders.
Open the windows.
Let light in!
August Storm, Appearing
This afternoon a storm came up unexpectedly – at least I didn’t expect it! I was reading on the patio in intermittent sun when suddenly the day seemed to drop into darkness. I looked up into deep grey clouds rolling in fast, closely followed by thunder and rain.
Here’s a snippet 🙂
This whole year has felt a bit like that…
Fires, pandemic isolation, not to mention all the individual challenges we’ve each had to face so far. Sometimes it all gets a bit overwhelming, and the storm descends while we’re still unprepared.
I’ve noticed the songs YouTube recommends to me often have a “let’s get through this” theme lately. We’re all walking into each day, wondering what will happen. The creative people of the world are sharing those thoughts in song.
We’re prone to being taken unawares by the eccentricities of nature, whether flood, fire or global health crisis. For all the great strides science and medicine have made in the last century or so (and I’m grateful for what’s available!) we seem to forget that we don’t completely control this world – and sooner or later we have to come to terms with that.
I believe that God holds my life in His hands, and that helps when everything is uncertain. It doesn’t guarantee a life free from challenge or pain, but it does provide help and comfort when the clouds descend…
“My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.”
– Psalm 73:26
Back To Base
Looks like we may be heading back in to another period of lockdown – how stringent remains to be seen. Back to staying home and being careful when getting groceries and other necessities…
The other day it was very windy. I had to weight the bases of the airers I was putting the washing on, so they didn’t tip over or blow away.
(I like big books, and I cannot lie! 😀 )
It got me thinking again about the challenges of isolation, and things learned so far. I like my own company, and regularly have to spend time by myself to regenerate. Isolation has not really been a hardship in that way, although I still enjoy talking to other people.
One of the things I’ve had to rediscover is my “base” – where I get my strength from. For me, that’s God. Spending time, learning more. Whether the night is darker than normal, or there’s rainbows and unicorns galore, I still have to rely on that basic core, to avoid meltdown when it’s hard.
I don’t know when things are going to be “normal”, or even if that will happen. I just know that I have to stick close to the One who keeps me in all weather – even if it’s blowing a gale and everything’s toppling!
During my reading this morning I came across this –
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”
– Jeremiah 17:7-8
Find your base.
Get planted.
Flourish!
The Word, Refreshed
The other day I finally got around to fixing my Bible cover – it’s getting a bit old, and the lovely fresh coating on the covers has become a crumbling mess around the edges. This means that a Bible study session tends to leave me looking like I’ve contracted some weird disease that has fluorescent pink spots as its only symptom…
Thankfully, I have also had some random ribbons kicking about the house for some time. Why not use them to keep the pink from shedding?
Voila! 🙂
At the same time, I’ve also been reading through my old Bible, which I unearthed a little while back. I retired it some years ago… it’s been around the world a few times, dropped in the bath at least twice, and has bits hanging off it. It also has notes and underlinings from years past, so I’ve been reminding myself of those times. It’s still quite sturdy…
…though crinkly!
Over the years my Bible reading has waxed and waned. There are times when I’ve read it voraciously, jumping from one text to the next, remembering some other verse that relates to the one I’m reading and finding that.
There are other times where I hardly read it at all… whether through busyness, or illness where I find it hard to concentrate. When that happens, it can be hard to get back into it. The best thing at that point is to just do it! Push through the resistance and read – I find that the more I read, the more I want to! 🙂
The other thing is to write down what I hear from God, both to remember it later, and to clarify in my own mind what I’ve heard. I used to write straight into my Bible, but haven’t done that with the ones I use now. I have a little book I write in, with day and date for each entry.
At the moment I’m reading Jeremiah.
If you want to ease into Bible reading, have a look at the Psalms, or the Gospel of John. Proverbs is good too. Find a translation you can easily read and dive on in!
Many, many years ago I was a glass engraver. One of the ways I “wrote down” some verses was on a glass, which we now use for Communion while we have church at home.
It’s very hard to get a legible photo… there are three verses engraved on the sides –
“The Lord you God is with you,
He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17
“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
The wild animals honour me,
the jackals and the owls,
because I provide water in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen ”
Isaiah 43:18-20
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8
It’s been fun looking back at the promises and revelations from former years. Looking ahead is good…but looking back can also inform our future – whether the past is good or bad. Use the lessons learned to move forward, into growth and harvest.
❤
Getting Up Again
After a long afternoon yesterday, my Babe and I are taking it easy today. Not sure that I would have believed, twenty (or even ten!) years ago, that unexpected exertion on one day would lead to exhaustion the next, but…here we are!
Came across this just now 🙂
I’m not one to advocate ignoring troubles for the sake of pretending to be joyful. I prefer to look at what’s happening, decide what I can do about it, and remind myself of what’s good in my life in the process.
So, rejoice!
Even in the midst…
And if your day is just that much harder right now, and you need some roses…
“So no wonder we don’t give up. For even though our outer person gradually wears out, our inner being is renewed every single day.” 2 Corinthians 4:16 (TPT)
Rattle!
(and live…)
He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”
– Ezekiel 37:3
“Yahweh, you are my soul’s celebration.
How could I ever forget the miracles of kindness
you’ve done for me?
You kissed my heart with forgiveness, in spite of all I’ve done.
You’ve healed me inside and out from every disease.
You’ve rescued me from hell and saved my life.
You’ve crowned me with love and mercy.
You satisfy my every desire with good things.
You’ve supercharged my life so that I soar again
like a flying eagle in the sky!”
– Psalm 103:2-5
I Rest My Soul…
Peter spoke up and said, “But Lord, where would we go? No one but you gives us the revelation of eternal life.
(John 6:68)
Rising, Green
This week I watched a Songs of Praise that was filmed for Easter, in Jerusalem. Most of the songs were ones I’ve sung (or heard) many times, but there was also a hymn that I’ve not come across (this is from an earlier show – couldn’t find the one from Jerusalem).
Christ’s death and resurrection is the centrepiece of Easter, and we sing a variety of hymns telling the story. This one reminded me of the wonder of resurrection – the world right now is weary, and it feels like any new life might be tired and colourless, straining to break clear of the dirt…
And yet, every year, new growth shoots from the ground, green and vibrant, ready to become mature and fulfill what it was made for.
Love has come again.
And Love has brought new, green, growing life – every day, whenever we need it!
Blessing, Across The World
A while back I posted about “The Blessing”, sung by churches across the UK. I’ve just been listening to other versions from around the world, for a bit of an international morning! 🙂
From the Arab world
to Nigeria and South Africa…
…a change of pace in Ireland
then back to the blessing in Australia!
And finally – be blessed in Hebrew…
Lots of different languages and cultures, but all family ❤
I may never meet these people in this life, but I'll see them in the next!
All the more reason to sing with them now…
Or even dance! 😀
1000 Fields of Roses 