Even though we are schedule for some thunderstorms over the weekend, we got good sun today and can now start planning for summer. Looks like there is going to be a lot of this…
As the sun begins to warm you on the inside, let it shine outward so that others can see your beauty in kindness.
And if you enjoy Linda G Hill’s 1 Liner Wednesday, then come in and join the fun.
My task, which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel–it is, before all, to make you see.”
― Joseph Conrad, Lord Jim
How profound is the written word when by the mere use of it you can empower an individual to achieve wondrous things but in the same manner it can also destroy beyond any hope of ever rebuilding. In scripture, James chapter 3 reminds us that while the tongue is small, its small spark can create a great forest fire. Words have impact, good and bad. But then there are also words that I call transitional words, as in cause and effect words. One of these such words is one of the tiniest words in the English language and has immense impact regardless of which side of the fence it falls on. It is even used in mathematical equations.
And that word is “IF”. Examples: If the rain would fully stop and the sun would shine, the flood waters would abate faster. See, caused / effect. Or how about, if I would not eat that piece of chocolate mousse pie, it would help me lose the 10 pounds needed to fit in those jeans. Algebra uses if, excel uses if, people use if and God uses if. There is even a song called If.
But I come with one of my favorite verses in all scripture that resonates the power of the word “if”. Such a simple word, with a simple request, creating …power and peace.
II Chronicles 7:14 – if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Cause / effect: if…will humble, pray, seek and turn…then I will forgive and heal. Little tiny word, very powerful use.
The first hurdle to jump over – being humble. We live in a world where being humble is a negative concept without understanding the power in being humble. Next you have pray. Do we really understand the power in prayer and do we use it for even the small stuff therefore not using it much at all. Then there is seeking God, oh that’s heavy. The Israelites were terrified of him and knew that if you were to fully look on his face you would die. Then there is turn from you sin. That’s a hard one and while 95% of us have never done anything worthy of jail time, we still sin. But if we would, he would. Little tiny word, great big impact.
So I remind you today of God’s ever growing desire of love toward you and how easy and hard it is to ask for that love as it is given freely. If you ask Him, he will reach out and pull you close.
Try to you will keep the word if in your day to days doings. You would be surprised of the impact it would have. If your outgo is sour, you will reap sorrow. If your outgo is gentle, you will reap goodness. So I remind you to drop your if moments in kindness and let the effects spread out in gentle ripples wherever you go.
Kind words are a creative force, a power that concurs in the building up of all that is good, and energy that shows blessings upon the world. Lawrence G. Lovasik
In service today, Pastor Rob showed how parents, and today, mothers are innately equipped to follow His lead in care for our children like he is forever caring for us.
Deuteronomy 33:27 says ‘The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.’ How many times have we as Christians run back to His arms of safety. Don’t think I can count that high.
Mother’s are forever spreading their arms of protection. Think about how our arms fling out when we have to stop in car suddenly…even when our children are young adult…or older. I have even seen my daughter do it with me. Protectors or those we love.
Now I am fully aware that not all children got that protection or love, but remember, you have a father in heaven that does have that protection and love to even a greater scale than our mothers. After all, we mothers are human and make mistakes. But God does not make mistakes. Psalm 23 tells us over and over how much he loves. ‘The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.’ Although in our humanness, we may want something different, He provides us what we need. ‘He makes us lie down in green pastures, He leads us by still waters, He restore my soul.’ He provides calm and comfort for us in a chaotic world. He is our encouraging force that has no limit. And my favorite verse, ‘I will fear no evil, for you are with me.’ Can you name any of the times he protected you. How about your mom. Can you remember the times she stood between you and danger.
So this day I salute all mothers, all mothers….
We are all trying to protect the little ones we love. May you all understand the important role you serve and never forget…He’s got your back.
Life can be scary and overwhelming when those floodwaters of life seem to dump on top of your head and threaten to drown you. But I encourage you today to rise and stand tall. God has not forgotten you. Scripture tells us over and over that he is always there beside us. Deuteronomy 31:6 says ‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified…the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you.’Then all through Joshua, II Chronicles, Psalms, Isaiah and Hebrews, he reminds us over and over ‘I will never forsake you.’ Then there is a full page of reference notes of God saying how much he loves you- I Chronicles 17:13, ‘I will never take my love from you.’
Here in the midwest we are beginning to see the river start to go down. Second street in sections is dry and the chairs at the Le Claire Park band stand can be seen poking their backs out of the water, standing tall. I thought the picture below showed the resilience that nature shows us about their survival and if they can rise and stand tall, then we must as well. God always shows us small signs that he is with us every step, just look around.
These tulips are a testimony of survival as their street is still underwater and we should follow their lead, rise above the floodwaters of life and stand tall. God will be standing right next to us.
May you all have a calm and beautiful weekend. I know some parts of the nation are still having major issues of storms; my prayers for you is safety and feeling God’s peace. And in the midst of all storms, there is usually a moment when kindness will be needed. I remind you to always be kind when the helplessness of life can effect us all.
This week I have had several “situations” which were not meant to be hurtful but to a more fragile person, it could have been devastating. I am always aware of how powerful words are and how they can uplift or tear down and I push always to build up. We are all creations of a loving God who we, as a creation, sometime forget and walk away form that love, sometimes because of a harsh word from another. Today I read a post that needs reposting as it affirms God’s continual love for us and how he is forever encouraging us. I saw a picture on Pinterest the other day that really speaks to me…”What ever you are praying for…hold on. I am already on it and help is on the way.” Don’t let the discouragement of this world wilt your beautiful bloom but reach to the Son who loves you. Enjoy this post by Gracespeaker and be encourage for the love all around you. And as always, remember to be Kind.
Usually there is a beautiful sunset and clearing sky after a storm has passed but today I captured a few sunset shots between the afternoon front and the 10pm front heading our way. Just what we need, more rain.
You cant really see both sets of storm clouds with the brightness of the sun, so once that was gone, I tried again.
Even in the ugliness of the storm, nature can also be very beautiful.
Because we do have cloudy conditions all around us, heaven forbid the internet work enough to write and post, so this is short.
As the storms of life swirl around, you can chose to be kind so I remind you to always be kind.
Waters starting to recede.
Quiet Before the Storm
The quietness was eerie and deafening. The mist rolled over the glassy stillness of the sea as it waited the approach of the monster storm that had been forecasted. As the cloud approached, a gaping separation in the cloud appeared as it began to engulf the town like a huge mouth.
Twitter Tales #135 from Kat Myrman reminds me of the weather we are currently experiencing with the massive flood now ongoing. Weather can indeed be a monster in the making.
And I remind you that even in the midst of an oncoming and engulfing storm, you can still radiate kindness. Kindness can be as quiet as a mouse or the strength of a lion depending on what is needed. Always be kind.
While this post is strongly Christian inspired and maybe not really your thing, I do you will read on a little bit as we all need assurance that we are going in the right direction in our lives, that we are hoping to make a difference and last but not at all the least…that we are loved. While the word love is so vastly over used, it is still the most powerful word God created, after all God is love and he proved His love for us by giving us a part of himself, Jesus. Love is a noun and a verb. It shows up in the most unexpected places sometimes and in many unexpected ways.
It shows up in the beauty of a sunrise of the dainty fragrance or color of a flower.
I comes in the form of many works of art, from writing, to painting, to photography, to music and so many more.
In 1873, Fanny Crosby and her friend Phoebe P. Knapp combined Phoebe’s tune that she could not,get out of her head along with Fanny’s words and came up with the song Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine. Fanny was blind at a young age but never let it stop her form sharing the love she had for God and his wonderful love for us.
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O, what a foretaste of glory divine! Can you feel what that says. A foretaste of glory in being assured of Jesus’ love.
Heir of salvation, purchased of God, born of His spirit, washed in His blood. An heir is a person who receives items at the death of another. So we are heirs of salvation, purchased by God with Jesus’ blood. What do we need salvation of?? Think about that.
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love. Filled with His goodness, lost in His love. What an awesome thought, lost in His love. I think this pictures expresses that.
I have strong assurance of His love for me and I hope you do as well. Fill your selves with His love and let it flow from you to others with kindness reflecting God’s love for all.
This past winter was brutal for a large part of the US. We had a week of -30 temps with wind chills reaching -51. Crazy, right. It’s not like I live with Santa or anything. But with the temps that cold,the heating systems in the area really struggled and so did my indoor plants. I though I may loose my violets because they are so sensitive but as you can see below, they are doing well. My thumb is more brown than green.
I love the delicate flower in rich purple with the bright yellow…stamens? I think that is what they are called. See, brown thumb.
Regardless of thumb color, I am enjoying the flowers inside as well as out. Once I finish planting, I will show my outside flowers, that last week were brought inside due to threat of snow…in May!!
I am also enjoying my bird watching. I guess its a retirement thing as I never had time before to really enjoy them. Saw my first Gold Finches this week. Awesome beauties.
If you are wondering what the white stuff is all over the pole of the bird feeder…squirrel deterrent…Crisco shortening. They can’t climb the greasy pole.
As we enjoy the fun, warmth and the beauty of spring, lets remember to share the warmth, fun and beauty of kindness. Kindness is God love shining through our action, even if its just a smile. A smile is a frown turned upside down and a smile can turn your upside down mood back into a light mood of love. Always be kind.
For the Love of 