Saturday, November 16, 2013

The Tree Five Minute Friday prompt

The tree has roots that go down deep. At least the trees that I am familiar with here in western Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is an amazing place to live. Four seasons, unique in beauty; unique in unpleasantness. Here where I have spent more than half my life, two separate time periods, but thirty plus of my fifty-five years. Several trees have impacted my life. In five minutes how can I tell the stories. The perfect maple, shaded dog runs, enticed young boys to test their nerve; glowed golden yellow every autumn.  Japanese Cherry or some such sort, planted on Fathers Day. Grew to beauty and bloomed in legendary correlation to good years and better years.  My half mile driveway is lined part way with walnut and hickory nut trunks and leaves. Winter snow paints the thin brown arms stretched high. Summer sun casts shadows and illuminates wild dancing daisies. 
A tree reminds us that a firm grounding, solid soil, and abundant rain bring forth life, beauty, comforting shade, the perfect playground for the timid and the brave. 
A savior hung upon a tree, bled and died, that all who believed could have a life of beauty, spiritual comfort. Laughter and joy. An eternal relationship with the living God. 
Be deeply grounded in the Words of Life. Drink in the Rain of the Holy Spirit. Put down deep roots in solid ground. 
I will treasure and enjoy my backyard monuments to the tree of Life where my Jesus died that I might live. 

Saturday, November 09, 2013

Truth


The whole truth is that I love my life. I do not always like it. And the truth about that is I don't often LIKE it. Sitting here listening to to the dishwasher hum (I'm blessed with a pretty quiet one), musing over my amazing grandchildren, three beautiful baby, girls, four rowdy, boys, one in the belly, and at least one more in then planning stages. Across my kitchen and through the double doorway and into our version of a sunroom, a corner of a fingerprint decorated window I catch a glimpse of the woods behind the rail fence, the fence that in the past kept the live in grandboys corralled. Morning sun plays with the dying green of summer. Fallen leaves decorate the wood pile. Such a small frame, such a huge picture of the beauty of creation and the landscape of my life. So often I see the limit of the frame and miss the depth and breadth of the truth. I KNOW what magnificent lies above and behind in front and around the corner of the tiny frame of the sunroom window. I cant see it at the moment.
But absolutely most definitely, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the truth is; I know it is there.
And absolutely, most definitely, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the truth is; Jesus has provided me with life abundant. Life blessed. Life eternal. Life beautiful. The life I love.

 

 

 
 
 
 



Saturday, November 02, 2013

Grace: Five Minute Friday Prompt

Grace
http://lisajobaker.cm/2013/11/five-minute-friday-grace/#comment-125552

Unmerited, undeserving, unending, unwavering...Grace of God.
For the moment. For this very second, which feels oppressive.
Feelings, which inhabit the moment we exist in; right now.
Who we think we are
Believe we are
Apart from Grace.
I am copying the format.
oops
Grace says, we are not who we think we are. 
We are who He died to recreate us to become.
because of Grace.
And feelings, are just 
Passing through to mess with
Who we really are.
New creature.
Perfect in the eyes of the Father
Brother/sister to the Prince of Peace.
Possessing the Power of a Spirit Holy...
More than conquerors
Overcomers
Moms; force behind the next generation.
Redeemed from the foolish words and deeds
That spring off our tongue, 
up from feeling driven heart of flesh
When we forget about Grace.
Hallelujah
Grace never forgets me.