Be still

There has been a spinning

a swirling

a rumble of noise;

a lack of breath

and a need to find a place of stillness.

There are articles to write

grass to cut

books to read and review

laundry, cleaning. flowers to water

friends to feed and pray for

a sermon to prepare

and a hunger to simply worship.

I hear His call

His invitation to stillness.

With all the faith I can gather

I will turn from the whirlwind

into His arms.

Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth! Psalm 46:10 Amplified

Reaping what was sown

We have flowers like this that we can not name or identify growing in the beds around our house. We planted both seed mixes and single flower seeds, but obviously did not keep accurate records of what went into the soil. If we knew what we had planted we could plant again those flowers we have most enjoyed and not those that have not grown well or we didn't find appealing.

I sense God teaching a lesson here, for in His law of sowing and reaping, we will always receive what we have planted. If we do not pay attention to what we are sowing, the harvest will surprise us, and not always in pleasant ways.

What seeds are you scattering today?

Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he'll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life. Galatians 6:7-8 The Message

Imperfect Prose - New tenants

The old barn

once home to horses, cattle

kids of prairie blood,

serves us

as garden shed, storage space

and garage against winter wind

in this land where vehicles are "plugged in"

at night when temperatures

go down

to numbers unmentionable,

the walls are holding life

again

strokable

with deep purrs that praise their Creator

content simply to be

stretched out in joy

and warmed by the sun.

Let everything that has breath and every breath of life praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) Psalm 150:6 Amplified

Stop by Emily's In the Hush of the Moon for more Imperfect Prose

Random pleasant and disturbed

"There are things that I must accomplish this week, but it's just a jumble. I feel like I've taken a prescription medication belonging to someone else."

So said Cassandra Frear at the MoonBoat Cafe on Monday and every part of my random brain resonated with her words. The feeling has shadowed me through the week, like mist or an echo.

Have you been there? When whatever you happen to be doing the thought fills your mind that you should be somewhere else, yet you can't quite remember where? When you start to think you might need a road map to keep track of your scattered thoughts? When you are doing nothing and everything all at once?

I suppose that Thursday is a good place to be now, where random, pleasant and disturbed is called forth.

You have read many words about my mosquito issues, so I feel I must share a praise worthy report. I received this delightful metal sculpture from a dear friend on my birthday earlier this month, and Rick mounted it on the wall beside the back door.

A few days later, we noticed that our yard and surrounding area were filling with huge, real dragonflies, flying about like mini-helipcopters, as if they were coming to worship the image of their god. Not only are they interesting creatures to watch.. they eat, yes, eat.. mosquitoes, as many as they can find! The mosquito population has all but disappeared.

God and His wonderous ways have triumphed once again! Eating mosquitoes enables female dragonflies to lay their eggs which in turn creates more dragonflies that will eventually eat more mosquitoes. Eating up mosquitos, eating up mosquitoes....

Wow.. anyone remember this song from the early days of MTV?

"Fish heads, fish heads, roly-poly fish heads. Fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yummmm!"

Okay.. now I AM disturbed...

think I'd best free you to go explore other strange but pleasant posts at Duane_Scott's Scribing the Journey

Word Filled Wednesday - Faithful

To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless 2 Samuel 22:26 NIV

Come join us at Internet Cafe Devotions for more Word images!

One Word Carnival - Laughter

I was having a bit of brain freeze thinking about this week's word "laughter" so I did what I have learned to do when I feel stuck. When journaling this morning, I asked the Lord what He would like to share.

Not just giggles that scratch the surface; more than mere chuckles; but deep, soul restoring laughter; like living water flowing from your very core - this comes from fullness of joy - joy in Me.

Come let Me open the joy gate. Step into Me where mere happiness grows thin and pale. For here, in Me, even in pain, even in mourning, joy will find you.

And your lips curl upward at the corners.

And your mouth opens.

And the sound comes

a tremble that builds upon itself

and becomes a roar.

Waves crashing upon the shores of sorrow.

Waterfalls of rain pouring hard upon your thirsty soul.

Step into Me for a drenching.

Be refreshed in My peace

Stop by at Bridget Chumbley's for more words on laughter!

Stages

It's been a hot and sticky day. My thoughts have been scattered, lazy and unfocused.

I feel like I am in a time between storms. Moving through seasons. Stages.

I am like all three of these lily flowers growing on the same plant.

Part of me is like the flower on the lower left, fresh and fully open, petals clean and bright. It is my moment of being in perfect unity with what my Lord wills, a "now" time.

Another part of me is like the bloom on the right, still beautiful, but a bit weary and ragged, bearing pollen stains that speak of the passing of time and glory that fades.

And then there is the bud in the center, the promise of glory still to come. This is the part of me that has not yet unfolded, a mystery that only God knows.

What comfort we can take that He knows all times and seasons. He has a plan that we only see a glimpse of. But He is for us, and His plans are good indeed.

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV