(no title)

Sacred Pause-Place

Do you have One? That is, “a Sacred Pause-Place? Does it have a Voice? How do you know when it’s yours? Is it a high dollar car? Does it obey red and green or need a foot pedal because it’s color blind? Or, is it just a Desolate Place?

“The people follow the example of the Lord setting apart space for divine services as He did for the Tabernacle (Exodus 27:9-19). Jesus taught in the synagogue (Luke 4:15-16) and at the Temple (Matthew 21:12-13). The people gathered in open fields, hillsides, and near the sea.” (Matthew 14:13-21).

“Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.” Matthew‬ ‭14‬:‭13‬-‭21‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Q What had Jesus heard that made him withdraw and go to a desolate place by Himself?

A“But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod, so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given. and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭14‬:‭6‬-‭9‬, ‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Q What happen to Jesus after this? Did he have a Pause? Place?

A “Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; … he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.” Matthew‬ ‭14‬:‭15‬, ‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Q How did Jesus get off that mountain and find another boat to get him safely re-united with his disciplines.

A “Very early in the morning he came to his disciples, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified and said, “It’s a ghost!” They were so frightened they screamed. Just then Jesus spoke to them, “Be encouraged! It’s me. Don’t be afraid.”
Matthew‬ ‭14‬:‭25‬-‭27‬ ‭CEB‬‬

Are we beginning to ID our Sacred Pause-Place!

*As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. Psalm* 42:1

I have my “Sacred Space-Place”. Do you? If not, think about these words from the Psalmist:

“Be still, and know that I am God”! (Ps 46:10) You might ask me ‘why’ is ‘Be and know’? My answer, “I, God, will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”.
—Psalm 46:10 (NRSVUE)

What’s your favorite?

My favorite, Who is the leader of all the school supplies? The ruler📏📐

An Abundance of Love

“And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered;

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
—Mark 12:30 (NIV) And, Jesus added a second;

The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭12‬:‭31‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Vine in vine in fence thriving together

I would like to ask, “how does one do all this loving?“ Don’t forget to add the following to your equation;

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
—Galatians 6:2 (NIV)

I’ve tried to answer my own question and I was reminded of a song written by Bill and Gloria Gaither.

“When I pause in the hush of his holy presence
When I’m so still I can hear each whispered word
When I pause to pray I enter His cathedral”

We thrive together when we enter His Cathedral!

A flower and 🐝 friend

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it: for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters. (Psalm 24:1-2)

A few days ago my sister and niece were visiting the magical little cottage town of Blowing Rock NC. (That’s my thoughts when I think of Blowing Rock) They saw and experienced many magical moments of Joy and Hope! I love the photos they shared and the Hope and Joy I saw and felt in each one.

A flower and 🐝 making friends. A little purple cottage gift shop, “Take Heart”, sharing their Christian faith by offering gifts that shines a light on Hope. I spotted their purpose browsing through their shop via FB and google! A gift that read;

“Hope is the light that guides us through the unknown!”☀️

“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“ The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control,” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭22‬, 23 NLT‬‬

“Let your light so shine before [others], that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

You (O Lord) are majestic and holy. Your glory fills me with wonder. You do amazing things. Exodus 15:11b NIrV

Amazing things Our Lord does and the Holy Spirit produces fruit in our lives to shine for Jesus and do amazing things! A Bee and a flower! A little purple cottage in a mountain town that shines from the inside out inviting visitors to step inside.

How do we tell, show and shine our gifts to invite others to step inside and share?

By sharing our gifts helps Hope and Joy to integrate into the world! A Bee and a flower! A little purple gift shop! And you and me! 🙌

Be strong and courageous;

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ ‭(ESV)‬‬

And, I might add whatever you hear!

Luke 8:17 and Luke 12:2-3 These verses explicitly state that nothing concealed will not be revealed, and nothing secret will not be known.

For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. “Luke 8:17 (NIV)

“Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.” Luke 12:2-3 (ESV)

Behind this lush summer greenery you will find neighbor’s trash bends and side of a garage. The lush and green as viewed now will disappear as fall and winter approaches and you will see in full view the trash cans being on daily duty. As well as hear the valuable use of the cans being used.

I thought to myself I have just left reading the morning political views and watching a bit as well. Confused how there could be grown professional adults reading, seeing and hearing the same cries for help and say they read, saw, and heard two very different things! Could that be possible?

What about me? my family?, my friends? and my enemies? Could we be deceived and believe a lie? Tell a lie?

Joshua chapter 9 describes how the people of Gibeon deceived the people of Israel. “They wanted the Israelites to believe they lived far away from the land of Canaan, and therefore posed no threat to Israel. In fact they lived nearby.”

Yet, God told Joshua knowing a trap had been set for the people;

1) be strong and courageous, 2) keep the law of Moses, divide the land among the people, and 3) study and meditate on the word of God continually.

Can we believe the same today;

“For the word of God will never fail.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭37‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A time for Thoughtful Thoughts

The Lord waits to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.
—Isaiah 30:18 (NRSVU)

Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other. Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.
—Psalm 85:10-11 (NRSVUE)

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
—‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭7‬ ‭(NKJV)‬‬

Come and sit awhile and have and share a thoughtful thought about the artist and creator that took your brokenness and make your beauty shine again.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DL7FKY2Mthz/?igsh=MTl1eng4Y2RheXh5eA==

Love 💛🌟

Luke 21:25-28 (ESV)

“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

I will love the light for it shows me the way; yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars.
—Og Mandino, The Greatest Secret in the World

“perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18) “suggests that experiencing God’s perfect love eliminates fear. This love, often associated with God’s unconditional love for humanity, creates a sense of security and trust that counteracts the effects of fear. It’s not just any love, but a love that is complete, perfect, and transformative.”

My golden doodle, Peaches, often teaches me many things. One very important lesson she has taught me slow down, stop and smell the new summer flowers.

“…straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Grandma’s Sewing Machine

In this sewing machine lives many stories. I imagine many of you will have one like this or similar that tells a different story.

Pearl is around 💯 years old! Many clothes, curtains and button holes. She lived in NC on the Albermarke Sound for many years. She was the property of a Christian lady named:

Virginia Collin’s Patrick, her tombstone in the graveyard of a little community church reads; “Patrick, Virginia Collins (b.4 Jul 1875 – d. 16 Aug 1946)”

Yes, Virginia has her name on a stain glass window in the church and remembered for her work in starting the church and her life of service to the needy spiritually, as well as home sewn clothes and her farm grown food among other attributes.

A beautiful story and a life well lived and honorably shared. Since Virginia’s life shared here is about her sewing machine I would like to share another story well before hers and when I hear a story about clothes sewn I think it appropriate to share Dorcas aka Tabitha! What do you think about Dorcas?

“Dorcas (Greek: Δορκάς, romanized: Dorkás), or Tabitha (Imperial Aramaic: טביתא/ܛܒܝܬܐ, romanized: Ṭaḇīṯā, lit.‘(female) gazelle’), was an early disciple of Jesus mentioned in the (Acts 9:36–43. She lived in the port city of Joppa, today absorbed by Tel Aviv. Acts describes her as being known for her “good works and acts of mercy”, sewing clothes for the poor. When she died, the widows of her community mourned her and sent urgently for Peter(Acts 9:38), who was in nearby Lydda. As evidence of her charity, they showed him some of the clothes she had sewn, and according to the biblical account he raised her from the dead.”

Let us sew beautiful clothes and sow seeds of kindness, “good works and acts of mercy”. And, don’t forget the “Pearl of Great Price.” (Matthew 13:45-46)

Jars of clay!

We have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.
—2 Corinthians 4:7 (NRSVUE)

2 Corinthians 4:7 reads, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”.

“This verse uses the metaphor of “jars of clay” to represent humans, while the “treasure” is the gospel of Jesus Christ and the light of God’s glory. The verse emphasizes that the extraordinary power and impact of the gospel are not due to human abilities, but rather to God’s power working through seemingly ordinary and fragile vessels.” (AI notes )

I love the way AI has clarified God as the potter and we are the clay.

Yet you, LORD, are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand. (Isaiah 64:8 NIV)

This leaves me asking myself the questions.

What has my failures and successes taught me about myself? And/or others? How does my faith shine as a light of God’s glory? Do I understand our calling of and how to be a clay jar?

Christmas Tree Peppers

Show pride in their personality that is so often quoted and repeated by gardeners strolling by and singing their praise; “Christmas Tree Peppers attracts bees when they bloom and songbirds when they fruit.”

Christmas Tree Peppers and Bees, NC garden

🐝🐝🐝 may be depicted as diligent workers, loyal and devoted, and a source of both nourishment (honey) and potential threat (stings).

My nephew from NC sent me this little video of his garden where his Christmas Tree Pepper and a free flying Bee met for a “show and tell” video in my imagination!

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,…” (Colossians 3:23 ESV) and vs 24 “knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

John 9 vs 4; “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”

Songbirds love singing and so refreshing to be a bloom beneath their wings in my thoughts. I think the Psalmist agrees with me. Don’t you?

“I remembered my songs in the night. My heart meditated and my spirit searched.” (Psalm 77:6)