He Holds on to Us

‘He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things HOLD TOGETHER.’

Colossians 1:15-17

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God is amazing - how can we harbor doubt in our hearts when reasons for justifying our faith abound? Praise Him!

Fear on the Fringe

If you look in the bottom left corner of the first photo above, you will notice a bumble bee. Isn't he cute? To appreciate the title of this post you must first understand that I was about 8 inches away from the flower when I snapped that shot and have never been stung in all of my 27 years of life. My heart skipped a beat and remembering that bees are territorial, I promptly scurried accross the street to another bunch of blooming yellow daffies. Bee free as they be. All eyes on me as I stop traffic to flee the be. He was probably just friendly and I made him frown treating him like a leper. Ah well, I took my chances for a split second, didn't I?

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Haggai 2:5

‘According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!’

Take Flight

Oh, that my Jesus's heavenly charms

Might every bosom move!

Fly, sinners, fly into those arms

Of everlasting love.

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Jesus, The Name High Over All

by Charles Wesley

What of the Seed?

Luke 8: 11-18
Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light. For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad. Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.

"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them."
~ A. A. Milne

What passes for a weed and what passes for a flower is blurry to those who do not garden. If we look at our surroundings with an ignorant eye, we can better see things for what they are and grow our appreciation for our surroundings.

Yesterday Spring, Today Winter

The weather up here in Washington seems to turn on a dime...quite different from California.

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“It's snowing still," said Eeyore gloomily. "So it is." "And freezing." "Is it?" "Yes," said Eeyore. "However," he said, brightening up a little, "we haven't had an earthquake lately.”

~ A.A. Milne

A Spring Decree

Blushing petal'd faces 'pon branch 'pon branch:

Paper thin and pressed 'gainst wind, brings

Fluttered wave - conveys how brave

Your wint'ry will makes blooms behave.

Just yesterday you hid, light snow forbid

A ball for coming out. Lessons in doubt,

And cycled fortitude, bless'd all with pinky brood-

These reliant families in trees: A spring decree!

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Light of the Morning

The snow fell this morning in torrents, like rain from the sky, and settled upon everything like a dusting of ladies powder, and then vanished to reveal clear, sunny skies.

2 Samuel 23:4

And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises,

A morning without clouds,

Like the tender grass springing out of the earth,

By clear shining after rain.

Fly Me to the Moon

Isaiah 60
The Gentiles Bless Zion

1 Arise, shine;

For your light has come!

And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you...

...

8 “ Who are these who fly like a cloud,

And like doves to their roosts?

9 Surely the coastlands shall wait for Me;

And the ships of Tarshish will come first,

To bring your sons from afar,

Their silver and their gold with them,

To the name of the LORD your God,

And to the Holy One of Israel,

Because He has glorified you.

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I get such joy from looking up at a plane in flight, particularly when it's flying over my lake and its path is lined by snow capped mountains. I am reminded of the freedom and abundance both natural and man-made in this great nation. We can wine about our economy morning to night, but look around you and you will see, God has blessed us with so much.

Amen!

Stepping Stones

Romans 8
Free from Indwelling Sin

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,[a] who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

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I often feel, as we all do, that I do not know my own way and whether each step I take is the right kind, and in the right direction. I waver, sometimes I slip or trip, and it feels like I am stepping on stones instead of a cleared, flat path. Rather than questioning my place, and God's will for me as it relates to my own uncertainty, I remind myself that my decisions about where to place each foot ,and said foot's sometimes subsequent wobble, is not due to my own inability to walk by faith in Christ, but the fact that as a child of God I'm not of this world and its ways are not familiar to me. So...it's alright that I should hope and pray in earnest, ever-striving to do what God would have me do though I feel uncomfortable and out of place among the stoney-road jet-setters, skipping along without a care in the world for all their agility. This is not a race and my effort and dilligence will be rewarded. Where I am going, I will have wings and a God-given spirit which will soar above the rocky rubble, to forever praise His holy name.