In the Beginning....

I love God's creation...from the heavens to the earth. To think He spoke the universe into existence, His own "big bang", and within the first five days the earth's seas were teeming with fish and the sky full of birds! Man hadn't yet made the scene and there was alot going on without him. Perfectly I might add. So much color, complexity, and organization on the micro and macro level. God is the master architect ...and I get to be a part of His plan every day. Hallelujah !   Loving photography and music my slide show celebrates His creation, a dim replica of the "real" thing...but enjoyable.

Beauty of Nature

Beautiful places......

Gone Astray

I was straying when Christ found me

In the night so dark and cold;

Tenderly His arm went around me,

And He bore me to His fold.

With His nail-scarred hand He bro't me

To the shelter of His love;

Of His grace and will He taught me,

And of heav'nly rest above

Tho' the night be dark around me

I am safe, for He is near;

Never shall my foes confound me,

While the Savior's voice I hear

(Hymn-Hiding Place)

In the middle of last night I let Biskit and Cookie out front to potty as I do every night. It is a routine. Every night.  I usually go sit down and try not to wake up too much while they do “their thing”. They ALWAYS come back in when they are done and together we stumble back to bed.

So trustworthy, such good and obedient dogs.

  Last night after a lengthy time they had not come back inside.  I scanned the yard from my front window to see if they were dawdling around as they sometimes do, taking their good old time sniffing and peeing. No doggies in sight. I waited a bit longer and still nothing. Muttering under my breath in frustration, (Mike was asleep), I put on my clothes, wrapped a blanket around me to keep warm and went outside to round them up. Gone. No dogs in sight. I was afraid, worried and angry at the same time. Being in the dead of night, I couldn’t call for them, so I began walking down the street. Fuming. In the distance some five or six houses away I saw two white creatures milling about obviously oblivious that they have wandered far from the allowable boundaries of their home.  I can't believe it. They had NEVER strayed like this. Ever. I quickly approached them. Startled, they saw me coming and began running back, knowing they are BUSTED. We arrived home, me not saying a word until we entered the house. “Bad dogs”, I yell.  They ran to the kitchen for a treat- I was flabbergasted. No more going out front without supervision. No longer trustworthy! I gave them a sermon on how I  provide for them, keep them safe, take them on special walks to the park, feed them wholesome food, keep them healthy, play with them, love them daily. How could they blow me off for some new night smells. I can't believe it!! They have had a taste of disobedient freedom and it has gone to their brains. I feared they will try it again…they have partaken of the forbidden fruit.  I was furious.

  Then, as I lay in my bed steaming, wide awake from the midnight excursion, the Lord brought  to mind images of MY straying everyday. Getting sidetracked with the "smells" of  my hobbies, phone calls, TV, books, little “life deserts”. Even asking for a special blessing.  Oblivious. He finds me straying just a house away , sometimes the other side of town or another time zone!   Dawdling in other people's yards…just enjoying myself with my freedom of choice. I am not doing anything bad, but I am not focused on my Lord and what He has for me that is always SO much better than what I choose for myself. Believe it or not. Oh how He loves me, protects me, provides for me, cares for me, desires the best for me, is gracious to me. He died for me that I may partake of  His love, His Kingdom living, right here, right now.

  Why do I stray? What night smells distract me that I end up in a foreign land…far from the true source of the goodness and love Jesus lavishes on me? What makes disobedience (SIN) feel so good, so normal?  Why? Why?

   Before falling asleep, I thanked Him for using my life stuff, including my precious doggies, to remind me of my tendency, like a sheep, to go astray. 

Jesus sought me when a stranger,

Wand’ring from the fold of God;

He to rescue me from danger

Interposed His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor

Daily I’m constrained to be!

Let Thy goodness like a fetter

Bind my wand’ring heart to Thee;

Never let me wander from Thee,

Never leave the God I love;

Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,

Seal it for Thy courts above.

(Hymn-Fount of Blessing) 

The Cross

The Cross. Where I must come to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus who sets me free from death, the penalty for my sin. I find my inheritance and identity in Him. Such an amazing fact, yet so difficult to grasp. So contrary to my earthly thinking. The Gospel...that God in His loving kindness took hold of me for His own before the foundations of the world. The Cross, where sin meets love, where love covers a multitude of sin, where I die to self that I may be born again. A new creation reconciled to God. The Cross. 

Worship

The beauty of nature never fails to inspire me to worship the Lord. His handiwork is found in the details of everything I observe, touch, taste, hear and feel. Amazing. I gaze at landscapes and feel peace seep into the cracks of my being, take root there, and grow silently. My busy mind becomes quiet as my senses feast on His creation. I feel His holiness surround me, His Spirit move within me and I bow down and give thanks.

My desire..