Joy, A Good Start for the Day

This is the day that the Lord had made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

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Today’s comforting point in Jesus Calling devotion is regardless of your circumstances, you can still have joy. We get confused thinking joy and happiness are the same thing or come from the same feelings, they are not. Joy comes from inside where God allows it to grow for we find joy in His Presence.

Our day can be dark and gloomy surrounded by pain, loss, illness, depression and fear but if we lean on His everlasting arms we can find Joy as we search for it in hidden places. I encourage you today, knowing he creates each day, that he reminds us to be glad and rejoice in it. Somewhere the warmth of His Presence will shine on you and the gloom will soon turn to brightness. Reach out to Him and he will scoop you up in His arms and carry you to a brighter place.

Remember the kindness He has shown you and show it to others. It may be the one thing that cracks that person’s gloom and allows the light of Joy to shine through.

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Let Joy brighten your day and you brighten others.

Sparks and Wrinkles, Macro Monday

We have all seen the sparkle in a babies eyes but puppies have them too, an honest show of happiness and love.

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But they also have cute wrinkles inside their ears.

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I know this is kind of stretching the idea about macro but because her cuteness is anything but macro and I had to share.

May I always be as deserving as the the love and devotion I have been shown in all the dogs I own…or may own.

Hoping you Monday was good and that your Tuesday will be even better. Share a kind smile as you go and reflect your light inside.

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Small Beauty, Monday Windows

The appreciation of beauty even in small things gives us a chance to enjoy the artist vision, whether it be man or God. I have been doing the windows of my church and today’s focus is on a couple of the single smaller windows whose color are just as vibrant and beautiful. These windows face a courtyard on the side of the church.

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I do apologize for the crooked pictures as I was making sure I had the camera straight with me instead of the slant to the floor which makes them look crooked. But their beauty still shows through. I will do better with the big windows left to show.

In this fun and wonderful medium of blogosphere, if that is such a word, we are gifted with sharing the pictures and words of beauty that move us. What a wonderful thing to be able to do. I will never be able to go across the “pond” but am so grateful for all the photographers who do or live there and share their work for all of us to enjoy.

As an always reminders to me as to anyone who may read my post, remember the most beautiful things to share is love and kindness. Many of the notes I share are beautiful pictures with gentle words expressing the importance of always being kind. I am a firm believer that the smallest act of kindness can shatter a dark gloomy day so I always close with reminders of kindness. Maybe if we spread enough kindness it will begin to take hold and change the world for the good it can do.

Never forget the power of kindness.

Behind the Pulpit, Lines & Squares

Our church is a wonderful mix of traditional antique windows and more modern architecture. In the 60s a tornado came through and ripped off the steeple crashing it through the roof behind the pulpit. Since the old world architecture can not be exactly duplicated very well or cost effectively, we opted a different route. We removed the steeple permanently and revised the pulpit area. Fortunately for us, the pipes of the organ, which us behind the screen of the cross, were not damaged beyond repair. Today this is the look which goes greatly with out style of worship combining traditional with a more contemporary sound.

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It is not really what our churches look like but how they make us feel and how we can feel His presence. Looks are only secondary to how we feel.

As you go through your day, remember the importance of kindness and how it makes you feel and spread that feeling to others, who then will spread it and so on. Its a ripple effect.

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Yep, It’s Time

I am fully aware that is just mid-October but if you have lots to prepare for and many things that needs to get made you have to prepare and get ready ahead of time so when it time, you are ready. What in the world am I talking about…

IMG_20191019_124418 — Decorating for Christmas

This year I am able to decorate some outside, so new toys. Yea! I had house repairs made which included fixing my outside energy source so, let’s let our light shine. Last year I was not able to walk much due to surgery on my feet, and the sunroom remained closed off all winter long because the fireplace had issues. The fireplace got fixed this summer, the junk in the room was dealt with and now to reorganize that room which will take time. But cute stuff goes early, so we buy early. Added more pieces to my village, added a table tree to my woodland theme for the bathroom…cant wait to get started organizing everything so that by the middle of November the trees (3 large, 2 small) can start going up. Takes time to do all that but it is my favorite time of year to decorate the house.

As we think about the coming light season, remember the inner light Christ has given you and to let it shine reflecting His love for everyone. You don’t need a season for that; that’s and everyday thing. Have a great week.

kindness radiating — Radiate God’s LOVE.

Lines of a Circle; lines&squares

I don’t care much for the recognized day of Halloween because my Christian beliefs and for a certain experience I had. But I saw this web coming into church today and webs can be quite beautiful with water droplets clinging to them, so I thought I would share with Lines & Squares for Becky’s challenge and give the photo a touch of dark creepy light play on it.

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These are the types pictures where I wish I had a better camera. It really was a quite elegant web.

Even in things we don’t understand, there is usually a touch of God’s creative beauty, kindness and love in things that have breathe of life in them. Remember the creator’s kindness shared with us and share likewise.

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Reminder for Your Day

Just a reminder to myself as well as anyone else who may do the same thing, if you have laid something at the foot of the cross, leave it there. Don’t go back by and pick it up. I promise that God is strong enough, wise enough and happy to take on any concern you have. Give it to Him and leave it with Him. Go gently and kindly through your day knowing He has you in the palm of His hand. Jesus Calling, as well as God himself reminds us to keep our focused on Him and to trust Him for what ever your day brings you.

I wish you encouragement for this day and may you feel His ever presence surround you with peace for anything you face. Have a blessed day.

And always remember to be kind as He has been kind to us.

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Migration of the Monarch

It’s October and the time when the Monarch Butterflies head to Mexico or southern California. We don’t see a lot of them in my neck of the woods of Iowa but the smattering few that do happen by are quite beautiful. I saw several of them yesterday swooping around my dianthus so I was able to snap a few shots.

While the butterfly is a fragile creature, it has the fortitude to fly hundreds of miles to warmer climates for winter. Yet it is easily crushed with unkind acts. People seem stronger than butterflies but in reality they are just as fragile on the inside as the strongest butterfly, so always be kind. Let you kindness open the beautiful wings of warmth of the butterflies that are in side of us, so that the warmth grows to others.

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gentleness — All creatures understand the fragility and beauty of kindness, and the necessity for its use.

A Moon Haiku

How bright your light shines

In the darkest evening sky

Your light shows His love

My small camera can not show the beauty I saw as the moon rose yesterday with a clear sky after several days of rain. The ‘man in the moon’ was easily seen. It was a welcome sight.

Never forget the love God has for you. He even shows you in his night light. Enjoy its beauty and spread His love by being kind.

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Thoughts to Start Your Day

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20b

Today’s devotion from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young was right on for me. ‘My Presence with you is both a promise and a protection.’

What an awesome reminder. As humans we tend to forget that and get wrapped up in our own self pity and despair, or ride that train of pride and self will forgetting who got us where we are or who has us protected in his hands. ‘The way to stay on the path of life is to keep your focus on Me.’ Awareness of God’s presence has always been our best protection whether on the mountain top of great things or deep in the valley of fear. Never let go of His hand.

Where ever you are in your life journey, remember His presence and try to reflect the grace, love and kindness he has bestowed on you to others. Its a way to make you feel even better than you are making others feel.

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