April 17.
Spring
Was called for almost a month ago.
Flowers
And Showers
Are supposed to be our lot now.
But
I Am
In the storehouses of the snow.
This place
Says, “no”
To the new.
Old
Wineskins
Die hard,
Even in the temples which worship new growth.
When
The Mystery gets used to what was
Spring
Cannot find its Space.
But
I Am
Not
Staying in the storehouses of the snow,
Insists
“Wine flow,
In
Daffodils
And lilacs.
Survive.
Crack
Those old
Casks and finally
Burst Forth!”
This post is in response to The Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Seasons.
Life is always changing:
We grow.
We learn.
We laugh.
We play.
We pray.
We dance life’s dance.
And sometimes we fall.
Some of life we walk with others.
Some of it we walk alone.
But one thing we can surely know is that life like the seasons is all about change.
“As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease.” Genesis 8:22
The Daily Post has challenged us to show our audiences what is going on RIGHT NOW.
Click what is underlined above to see the world of nowishness around the globe.
It is a season of highs and lows. Christmas pagents. Christmas banquets. Christmas sermons. Christmas prayer circles. Tonight I have a Christmas funeral and then tomorrow I will preach Christmas Eve.
Christmas at its heart is about coming home. It’s about coming in, out of the cold of the world, and finding our place around the hearth of God.
The message of Christmas is that there is a place in the kingdom of God for everyone. God has a purpose, a plan for all people. That plan involves our gifts, talents, abilities, opportunities AND our weaknesses, failings, disabilities and trials.
The Christmas message tells us that God sent His only Son to Earth to give everyone an opportunity to find a place in His kingdom, to give everyone the chance to fulfill the plan of God for their lives, to help everyone come back home to God where they belong. All we are asked to do is believe that God wants to help us. We are asked to start making room for Him in our lives so that He can work out His plan and purpose to bring us Home.
So what say you this Christmas? Will you make some room for Jesus in your heart. Will you let Him bring you home where you belong?
Philippians 4:4-8 reads, Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
I shouldn’t shocking anyone out there when I declare no one’s life is perfect. The world is broken and even the best lives experience trouble. In the end life isn’t about what happens to us. It’s about how we choose to view what happens to us.
We can approach life with chronic anxiety, anger or negativity and that is what life will be filled with, or we can choose to approach life with hope, faith and thankfulness and that is what life will be filled with.
In this world two forces are always at work. Good and evil. God and the Devil. Light and Dark. Some day that will change and the Good God who is Light will defeat once and for all the darkness, but winning over the darkness is His job not yours. Your job is to be thankful
Thankfulness is a conscious decision to recognize the work of God in our lives.
Today is a day we in America set aside to be thankful. Take some time to rest and thank God for His work in your life. It may not change your circumstances, but it will change how you look at them and in the end that is what you are called by God to do.
Happy Thanks giving! JE
There aren’t many leaves left on the trees but a few resilient crab apples cling to their branches. The cardinals love these.
Check out leaves around the world at FESTIVAL OF LEAVES WEEK #10
Another week of leaves. Now there are more on the ground than in the trees. Find more leaves at FESTIVAL OF LEAVES 2015
In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Treat.”
Well Trick or Treat has come and gone. While I don’t celebrate Halloween I do have to say it’s never the wrong time for a treat!
A whole table of seasonal treats!
I am looking forward to the treat of Thanksgiving. It’s not just the food but the family and the quiet that settles on us after a good dinner.
Until then I imagine I will treat myself daily to my favorite treat of all…good coffee.
This week I am joining in on Jennifer’s One Word Photo Challenge. Check out her blog when you are done here to see other bloggers who met her challenge.
This week our challenge word is SUMMER
Boston Harbor, Massachusetts
Walden Pond
Nothing says summer like snocones
Well this was taken with my phone and it’s not really clear but it is vibrant. I love the oranges this year. Some years they just don’t pop as well and if you were really close to this tree you would see it isn’t really orange but spots of yellow and red that from a distance blend to look orange.
Check out other leaves and autumn-scapes at FESTIVAL OF LEAVES
Lillie-Put 