More Everyday Delights

I am already seeing a pattern in the way I visualize the world. The things my mind/eyes are drawn to are not always immediate delights. It's not a delight until God anoints it!
Short story...I facilitate a support group called Creative Expressions and tonight's project was to reflect and write about a photo following a sheet of questions. My photo is this beautiful young American Indian child. I feel somewhat vulnerable sharing this but here goes...

What are your first thoughts/initial reactions about this picture? She is old and childlike at the same time. "I don't want to grow up...this isn't who I was created to be. This is a mask someone else imposed upon me."

What are this person's emotions? Fearful of being lost and being someone you're not. There's no joy in this costume. Sad acquiescence.

Give this woman a voice...tell her story. I used to have friends and play and laugh but then I was literally picked up and placed in a foreign land. I was told how to act and how to look. I don't have anyone in my life who can hear me.

What ways can you personally relate with her? I too live in a foreign land. I am a child of God living in a sinful world. This world tells me how to look, what to do and how to be successful. I can't be who I was created to be for fear of abandonment.

How are you different? I have a voice...I know my Father and I know where to find Him. I am not a captive and I will never be abandoned.

The absolute DELIGHT of knowing your true identity...that you are a beloved child of God. We are aliens in this world. As a Christ-follower I often feel like that little girl looks. I just don't fit in - I don't belong here. There is a voice within my heart that calls me back to my true self, back to my true Father.

"For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household..." Ephesians 2:18-19

Precious Peep of the day is Tricia who has a beautiful heart.

Toes?

Toes? Really? The only thing better than getting a professional pedicure is being treated by your neighbor to a gals day out to get a pedicure. Now that's a delight! The pedicure is actually 2 weeks old today so this was an encore delight as I gazed upon the digits. Thank you Janet and thank You Lord for my dear friends.

"Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet." John 13:14


Precious Peeps: This is Janet attacking my lawn problem last summer. She, her husband Jeff and my other neighbor Reuban swooped in and saved the day!

Moon over our hearts

I can't wait to see what this new day unfolds...

I love walking through my days now with my camera in the holster ready to draw and shoot at a moment's notice. On day 2 of "Everyday Delights" I realized not all delights can be photographs and at the same time...not all days present delights. Some situations need to be processed through God's truth before they can delight.

My Sunday evening small group met this evening and there were some very difficult and deep life experiences discussed. What is the opposite of delight? Horror! How could I possible leave this group with a photo of delight? At the end of group we prayed which reassures us that God is in the midst, listening and beginning a new good work in our lives. I asked for the fullness of God's light to shine in our hearts and minds and to allow that light to disperse the darkness and lies. As I got up from my seat and turned around I saw the full moon shining down upon us. Thank You Jesus for the fullness of Your presence, Truth and light! Delight!

"The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." Matthew 4:16

"The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world." John 1:9

"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." John 12:46

"For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2Corinthians 4:6

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."1Peter 2:9

"...that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:19\

Precious Peeps...With some friends it doesn't matter how much time passes - they are in your heart, you love them and you pick up where you left off!

Everyday Delights

I realized I had stopped taking photos lately. Was life getting too drab to capture Kodak moments or have I been taking the beauty of life for granted? I think the latter. I want to re-energize my heart and mind toward gratitude & wonder for life's experience and to refresh my eyes to renew a creative focus of wonder. The answer...today, I'm starting a year long journey... "everyday delights" photo journal. Every day I will rejoice with praise as I document the beauty of creation, relationships, Truth and experience.

I brought my camera along today as I begin this new journey. It's only 4:00pm and I already can't decide which one photo I will choose. Hmmm...maybe I can do 2 or 3 a day. God is too grand and awesome to be limited to one delight a day!

My first entry is the delightful oasis, Caribou Coffee. It's just not about the coffee but the soft leather chair, the 'people watching' and the escape from the daily tasks. Thank You Lord for times of rest! "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Ps. 46:10

Some churches/cathedrals have beauty and honor to God pressed into every nook and cranny. I love stained glass, statues, vaulted architecture. I am reminded of the faith, gifts and passion for God that was released into the craftsmanship. May God be glorified throughout the earth! "I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever." Ps. 86:12.

The cranny I found today was a carving in the surrounds of the front entrance to SS Peter and Paul in Naperville. I attended a memorial service at the ministry center of the church and captured a number of photos outside. Within the service, I delighted in the humble, gracious, beautiful words from the deacon who was also the son of the deceased. Beautiful Scriptures, faith encouraged, brothers and sisters in Christ, the beautiful statue of Mary holding baby Jesus...DELIGHT! Thank You Jesus that we have a place in Your Kingdom for eternity. "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"" Rev 21:1-5

So why this photo? Why is this delightful to me? I love that the Holy Spirit dwells within His children and pours His power and presence into our hearts and minds and that we get the awesome privilege of pouring that right back out into His Kingdom. That is the fruit of the Spirit. Thank You Jesus that You did not leave us as orphans. "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty." Zech. 4:6 and "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Galatians 5:22-23

Precious Peeps...everyday they delight!! Isn't Kerrie's color scheme brilliant!

Allow me to indulge and share an experience I had this morning during church worship. During our first song I had a very clear vision of being in the heavens with God and He was throwing out sparkling white strands of fabric around me as I twirled. As I was twirling in His hand being wrapped in His strands I thought..."but God, I'm blinded now?" As we continued to sing I realized that the white strands were now flowing out of me and into the world and even just landing on the ground to accumulate. It brought to mind the thoughts of daily manna. How awesome to think of our daily worship as our daily bread...hmmm. Interestingly, the third song of the day was one I had never heard before and included the phrase: "blinded by the grace of God" and that was exactly the experience I had in the earlier vision. He wraps us up in His presence and His glory. Beautiful! Praise God!

The Story of Everything

We're in the midst of a great 6-week teaching series at Community Christian Church...The Story of Everything. This series explores the foundations of Christianity and discusses "what we believe" including the topics: God, Sin, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Church, Eternity. I was asked to create a series of Calligraphy pieces to coincide with the teaching. There is a short description for each piece which follows the Story/chapter for the series. Here goes...

Chapter One: God.
The story begins with the main character ELOHIM moving within the plot of creation. This Hebrew name for God signifies omnipotent power and the plurality of persons in the Godhead: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. All three in one were at work, all three in one "so loved the world" before, during and after creation. The action of the story, an amazing love, compelled them to proceed. In this chapter the Word, the truth, the light is unveiled and woven into the fabric of creation.

Chapter Two: Sin.
Man's terminal condition on the earth was sin. His sinful nature is tethered in bondage to the earthly realm and there are no exceptions, "all have sinned". But...God changed the trajectory of this story when He revealed His love through the incarnated character, Christ the Savior. Love triumphs as the blood of Christ is brutally shed for man.

Chapter Three: Jesus
There was so much action in Chapter two that time must be spent unpacking the mystery and fullness of this sacrificial event. This character Jesus is called the Son of Man...He is the only begotten son of the Most High. Let there be no mistake. The Son of Man is depicted here with a coat of many colors...He is too amazing to describe in words...He is the light and as the light He is a spectrum of all colors good and true. Out of this true light, empowered by love, emerges the action of incarnation...His union with our human world. His love drove Him toward a cross where death and resurrection provided the atonement to reunite man with God. His love continues to press into time as we shall all be restored...all made new.
Chapter Four: The Spirit
Just when we think the story has ended and Jesus leaves this earth to be at the Father's side, a new unexpected plot twist energizes man as he receives Christ's presence within as the Holy Spirit descends like tongues of fire. Explosive power. Explosive power within each man who believes. Man becomes a new character, with a new heart and the Spirit within to begin a new life, abiding in Christ. This Spirit of power and love and joy and peace and wisdom cannot be confined but spills out into this world as we seek to do His will.

Chapter Five: The Church.
Our next chapter unveils God's plot to seek a bride. The bride of Christ is introduced as a character of characters. Every beloved, individual man with unique design and gifts is united with another and with another. Each man becomes part of a whole, beautiful design called the church. God's dream of His relationship with man has taken a new shape. He exhibits patience in this relationship as He is not willing to let any be lost. The church will continue to grow in depth and beauty until He says it is finished. This beautiful being is sent out into the world on a daily basis to minister to the lost...to be His hands on this earth until the day approaches.

Chapter Six: Never Ending Story
Oh Glory...the wedding bells chime as the bride emerges into the embrace of the most magnificent Husband. Who could have guessed the ending to this story was just the beginning...a new beginning with a new heaven, a new earth. Glory emerging! The beginning and the end has a name...He is the Alpha and the Omega. Glory, Glory Glory! There are no longer human words or images to describe the vision...just Glory forever and ever, Glory!

ascent continues-10

I am consistently awed by God’s presence and revelation during our quiet times together. (If you’re just joining me, I’m documenting a pilgrimage I’m experiencing as I work the Beth Moore Bible Study Psalms of Ascent. I daily walk down to the basement and lay down humbly before the Father. I call this self-abasement.)

This morning I spent the majority of the time crying. I feel so unworthy of God’s grace and presence…why would our amazing God want to spend time with me and bless me so abundantly. Modeled from a previous vision, I have been placing my hands upon God’s feet. This morning His feet turned 90 degrees and asked me to face the same direction. I turned and saw the sun rise in the east. Attached to the sun, and looking like a hot air balloon, was a mattress with a mystery person upon the bed. Watch the sun (the Son) rise and raise the sick with Him. Keep your eyes upon Jesus and watch Him do the work of healing. God spoke the words to me…"I anoint you with the gift of healing…guard your gift…keep your eyes on Jesus". I immediately dismissed this as “wishful thinking” but God repeated His words. I receive that Lord! Lord, all I can do is humbly submit to You each day and use my Spirit-led heart and hands to minister wherever You place me. Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.”