extended light

the horizon cracks early

light splinters, spills

evenings extend long

as the sun tarries

unwilling to retire

I am misled

by years of the equality

of African days and nights

unable to read the hours

dinners are late

as we too,unwilling

to miss a moment

soak in the fullness of time

rainless storm

rain threatened all afternoon

skies darkened in layers

the wind grew fierce

reversing waves, chasing

water away from shore

later, when stillness fell

sun blazed beneath the clouds

teach me to wait

for the promise of glory

sunset to sunset

from sunset to sunset

days slip fast away

pain steals my time

yet I pray no twinge

no gasp, no tear

is wasted

use this as You will, Lord

use this as You must

but let it not be in vain

If you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, 

God will make you nourishment for other people.

Oswald Chambers

psalm 22

psalm 22

colour streaks the end of day

lived hard, but well

marked by Your hand alone

who could deny the glory?

home where?

last night

as we drove 

towards our home

that isn't

home

but for a little while

a reminder of glory

filled the skies

as if He said

home here

home there

home only where I Am

and something settled

deep

new layers of

letting go

Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,

    and their words to all the world.

God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.

Psalm 19:4 NLT

 

Christmas glory

Christmas eve, Lake Malawi

the sun set glory blazing

in the Southern skies

a cross shining

like Bethlehem's star

as God once again

announced His coming

 

to the lake

Mid-August we left the comfort and routine 

of our secluded and peaceful Manitoba acreage.

We spent ten days of training and orientation 

in The Netherlands with two hundred others

from all corners of the world.

Then we moved on to Kabwe, Zambia 

for nine weeks of intensive discipleship training

living in community with many others on the mission’s base.

The beginning of November 

we finally arrived in Ntaja, Malawi

the spot we believe God has called us to serve.  

Our field leaders have had much time away 

which has made for a more difficult than usual 

period of settling in and adaptation.

From December 20 through January 5 

the Malawi base is shut down

so we have come to Lake Malawi 

to relax, rejoice, pray and prepare 

for the year ahead of us.  

We will have private time 

to connect with each other 

and seek closer communion with our Lord 

as we celebrate this Christmas season.

Day one has left us sun kissed, tired and thankful.

His glory surrounds us 

as He stirs the waters and paints the skies.

east to west

Malawi in the morning

and at day's end

there is glory

here

 Blessed be the name of the Lord 

from this time forth and forever

 From the rising of the sun 

to the going down of it 

and from east to west, 

the name of the Lord is to be praised!

The Lord is high above all nations,

and His glory above the heavens!

Psalm 113:2-4 Amplified

 

sun set, sun rise

the sun sets on another Manitoba day

and I soak in every taste of His glory

here, on Canadian soil

soon, and very soon

we will watch that same sun 

rise, to a new life

in eastern, sub-saharan Africa

wherever I awaken

I remain, secure

in the palm of His hand

even if I wander to the far 

edges of His fingertips

as the day ends

as the day begins

I am His, again

I can never escape from your Spirit!

    I can never get away from your presence!

If I go up to heaven, you are there;

    if I go down to the grave, you are there.

 If I ride the wings of the morning,

    if I dwell by the farthest oceans,

even there your hand will guide me,

    and your strength will support me.

Psalm 139:7-10 NLT

  

all His

The day is yours, and yours also the night;

    you established the sun and moon.

It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth;

    you made both summer and winter.

Psalm 74:16-17 NIV

praising Him in community with Deidra

 

All for His glory

The day between the rains dawned cool

the road through the park wore a cloak of fog, thickening

the only way to reach our destination

was through

so mile by mile we trusted

pressed in, moved on

and found the sun

After an afternoon of errands

goals accomplished

laughter, conversation and a meal shared

we turned for home

driving into the bright of the skies

as again clouds drew themselves close together

Back in the park

there was no fog to mask His beauty

how He picks colours

to blend into a perfection

all other artists

simply imitate

As we drove the last road home

I found myself

awed to a surrendering point

praying to remember

with all I speak, or write, or do

I am not the centre

this world is not of me, or for me

but always all and only

for His glory

Let the name of the Lord be praised,

both now and forevermore.

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,

 the name of the Lord is to be praised.

The Lord is exalted over all the nations,

 his glory above the heavens.

Psalm 113:2-4 NIV

walking with Emily and the broken redeemed

 

Pleasantly disturbed, again...

For some reason it feels like Friday.  I have been thinking Friday all morning.  It is, however, Thursday, and though my friend Duane stopped his weekly link-up long ago, I am feeling pleasantly disturbed.  So here, in no reasonable order are random thoughts fluttering through my head today.

Wood ticks.  While I am happy to report I have not noticed a singe mosquito yet this year, wood ticks have made their presence known. Just thinking of them makes the crawly feelings begin and I find myself scratching, swatting, checking and rechecking every inch of myself for invaders before they have a chance to take a bite and burrow in.

Rick was out taking pictures of a unusual cloudy sky the other night and couldn't resist snapping a few shots of Faith.  I was thrilled that her beautiful blue eyes were visible without the typical camera red-eye glare.

But what's that at the top corner of her eye?  I didn't recall Faith having a beauty mark.  She doesn't!  Upon closer examination, the spot was indeed a wood tick getting ready to grab hold. Here come those creepy sensations again....  I know that God has a reason for all things.  I'd be quite willing to listen to His explanation for creating these noxious pests.

Our garden tractor needs repairs but the grass is not willing to wait. So this morning, instead of my usual cycling or video aerobics workout I walked in circles with the power push mower.  Around and around and around, longing for the 54" cut of the tractor but not able to imagine how one could push such a thing.  I trod and pushed until I ran out of gas, using quads and hamstrings, triceps and pectoral muscles.  I could have used the time to sing, or pray or ponder a solution to world hunger, but instead I seem to have spent the ninety minutes numb brained, thinking of nothing at all.  Perhaps the synapses needed the rest.

Every day there has been the scent of smoking stubble drifting by as farmers burn their fields before cultivating and planting.  This is an effective and natural technique that never fails to frighten me.  No matter how safe they try to be, man can not control the changing directions of the wind and fire has a life of its own. Disturbing indeed, but the smoke and ash in the air help create stunning sunsets.

Duane Scott who first dreamed up Pleasantly Disturbed Thursdays is graduating from nursing school.  I applaud his efforts and his ability to continue writing, loving, and giving God glory through his time of studying.  He has even redirected some of his excess creativity into painting.  Stop by a give him a shout at his site Scribing The Journey.  You might want to mention squirrels, one of his disturbing pleasures.

This is not a squirrel.  If you thought it was, you might have already started celebrating Thursday a bit too early.
 

Sunset to sunrise

The sun sets to end a year

Tonight we gather 

to laugh, weep, pray 

and rejoice in all that He has done

In the morning the sun will rise

the dawn of another year

May we live each new moment

to bring glory to His name

 

Obedience's reward

In the middle of work at the computer

I felt a nudge to start dinner heating

It seemed a bit early, but I didn't argue

This is the sight that met my eyes

as I looked out the kitchen window

Day's end streaking the sky

What else might we be missing

in our slowness to hear

reluctance to listen?

This evening's lesson learned -

He always rewards obedience



But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22 NLT

 

Time flies and other flies...

These are the days when the sun begins to rise late and set early, unfolding colours that God seems to have created new for the occassion.  Summer days were long and lazy and felt like they would last forever.

Yet time flies.

In fact the days and weeks bleed into each other.  The blur leaves me a bit edgy, as if I've missed much, almost as if some sort of madness has crept in.

picture from Dr. Bug site http://www.drbug.ca/insects/cluster_flies.php

What has crept in for sure is a constant stream of cluster flies.  I never knew about them before, never wanted to know and truly wish I never needed to know. As annoying as these little demons are, I'm relieved to learn there are not a sign of an unclean home.  That helps chase away the sense of shame that was beginning to descend.

After vigorous swatting escapades that left me with streaked, slimed windows, we have taken to sucking them off the windows with a vacuum hose.  This is cleaner indeed!

I have been enjoying the warm and sunny days as Summer tries to linger, but perhaps I am ready for the colder temperatures to settle in, bringing an end, at least until Spring, to mosquitos, grasshoppers and these pesky flies.

Glorious skies

Suddenly, the glory of the God of Israel

appeared from the east.

The sound of his coming

was like the roar of rushing waters,

and the whole landscape shone with his glory.

Ezekiel 43:2 NLT

We spent the weekend resting and connecting with friends in one of our nearby Provincial parks where the beauty that is His glory was evident in all that surrounded us.  How can one not praise His name?



Stop by Internet Cafe Devotions to soak in more of His Word

Change is evident

For the duration of the long winter the view from our windows was static; snow blanketed everything and our lives appeared in black and white.  The months from October to May at times seem endless.  The mind holds on and remembers what the heart sometimes forgets;  Spring does come again.  Colour returns.

Though damp from rain, the grass is turning green.  The falling sun sets the sky ablaze.  It won't be long before the first wild flowers appear, johnny jump-ups pushing their way into the light of a new season.

My heartbeat quickens as I rejoice in all He has created to surround us, as I take in the beauty of each moment.  I open windows to the scent of new and breathe Him.

He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down.

 Psalm 104:19 NIV