continuing to prepare

We are halfway into 2014

the year for which I was given 

the OneWord

prepare

I wrote about it here

as the year began

saying:

There is work to be done, but not in our own power.  

Only in Him can we accomplish anything.  

I am still learning to relax into the work He has already done

the work He is doing and

and the work yet for us to do

the first half of the year

the preparation was heart

and spirit deep

while we were learning to wait

now the pace has quickened

near frantic it seems

until I stop to breathe in Him

remembering to release

the small and the big details

as we pack things for storage

visit the medical clinic

presenting first one

then the other

arm for injections

vaccines to prepare our bodies

I make lists

of things yet to be done

and ponder the pain pricks

of farewells soon to come

the heart deep work will begin anew

on foreign soil

as this year ends and another begins

His Kingdom come

His will be done

in Canada

in Africa

in us all

 
Linking up and checking in at The Grove at Velvet Ashes

 

face up - face down

often, in quiet moments of rest

not quite sleeping

the Lord shows me 

pictures, seemingly insignificant

but I have learned to look

and see, and ask

yesterday morning, not yet wanting

to rise for the day

not sure if eyes were open

or closed, I saw an image

in a small square

the green felt of a gaming table 

with two hands of cards 

dealt face up

I didn't notice 

the value of each card

so some moments later

I closed my eyes, 

wishing to revisit

the scene

I saw the same table

two hands of cards

this time, face down

I asked God what He was showing me

sometimes I let you see

sometimes you just have to trust me

no other sermon

could have held more truth

as He set the rhythm, unforced

for my Sunday

linking with Kelli to the rhythm He sets

 

how then?

How, then, can they call on the one 

they have not believed in? 

And how can they believe in the one 

of whom they have not heard? 

And how can they hear 

without someone preaching to them? 

And how can anyone preach 

unless they are sent? 

As it is written: 

“How beautiful are the feet 

of those who bring good news!”

Romans 10:14-15 NIV

we have listened

we have heard

we have chosen to obey

willing to be the feet 

and so, we'll go

joining Lisha and the give me grace community

 

lower still

Come, oh come! let us away--

Lower, lower every day, 

Oh, what joy it is to race

Down to find the lowest place. 

This the dearest law we know--

"It is happy to go low."

Sweetest urge and sweetest will,

"Let us go down lower still."

Hear the summons night and day

Calling us to come away.

Hannah Hurnard - The Water Song

Hinds Feet on High Places

lower still

strip pride away

till I can in stillness sit 

beside my Lord

simple, humble

no thought of self

but all of Him

seeking that still spot with Sandy

 

below the waves

what if I let go

dropped the reins

took my hands off the wheel

stopped fighting to row or swim against the current

and allowed God to take me downstream?

what if?

could I catch my breath

ease into the flow, relax into His hand?

how much energy am I wasting

trying to keep my head above the water?

while Jesus whispers, again and again

come with me, deeper

even below the waves

I'm here to hold you

and keep you safe

and just when you think

there is no air

breathe in Me

I have been writing here

through a scattering of thunderstorms

blowing in and out, shifting light and dark

and then a rainbow, as if He is saying

remember My promises

all of them

breathing in the whitespace with Bonnie

 

break out

I feel like

the colour pushing

against the green

anxious for the break out

curled in tight, hidden

fed by the roots

but thirsty for light

there is pain mingled 

joy in the waiting 

then reaching

the deep 

breathing stretch

toward new life

Meanwhile, friends, wait patiently for the Master’s Arrival. 

You see farmers do this all the time, 

waiting for their valuable crops to mature, 

patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. 

Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. 

The Master could arrive at any time.

James 5:7-8 The Message

walking with Emily imperfect but beloved

 

drunk on fragrance

shaped by wind

winters that last too long

summers that start too late

the nanking cherry trees are alive 

with the most delicate of pink blooms

wild limbs extended

like my own thoughts

reaching out in all directions 

at once, seeking to settle, focus

drunk on the fragrance of life

open to rest, but mind consumed

with filing every glimpse away

to remember, later

in a foreign land, when my heart

thirsts for a taste of home

breathing in unforced rhythm with Kelli