Prayer

I was blessed and delighted to read this prayer from Lectio 365. No note is made of the author, but I think we can all pray it!

I dedicate the coming week to Jesus:  

Thank you, Jesus, for your faithful and sacrificial friendship. Help me this week to be a faithful and sacrificial friend like you.  

Thank you, Father, for loving me with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind. Inspire me this week to love you more with all of mine.   

Thank you, Holy Spirit, for listening to my many thoughts and words and dreams. Still my soul this week to listen much more carefully to yours.

I say, yes, Lord. And Amen.

We are said to be made in the image of God. I had never thought about God loving me with heart, soul, and mind. That stuns me to awe and silence.

The Trinity our faithful and sacrificial friends.

Still me Holy Spirit to listen more carefully to every thing You tell me.

How will you interact with the Trinity this week?

Winter Abounds in Wonders

O God, your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as you? You are the God of great wonders! You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations. Psalm 77:13–14 (NLT)

I was not quite awake as I poured my coffee. Remembered there were snow flurries last night when I took the dog out. Flipped on porch light and looked at deck to see how much snow we received? Yikes!! The four inches that remained from the last storm is still there. This was not new snow but shook me up for a brief minute. No, I was not awake before but startled to reality now! Negligible snow in the night .

I do not remember the last time that snow lingered like this in our town. I just saw a forecast that calls for 1-3 inches of new snow tomorrow!

Our God of great wonders has blessed us with unusual weather this winter. I pray you can enjoy it?

We took a ride in the Sunday sunshine and Bob took photos of the snow and shadows. We knew a few older houses in downtown Batavia that would form icicles from the second story to the ground. Indeed, they did!

Our son took a vacation to Hocking Hills in the midst of this winter mayhem. Perhaps you are familiar with Old Man’s Cave?

photo by Jeff Dutina
photo by Jeff Dutina
photo by Jeff Dutina

Beauty from the Lord our God is every place we turn. Praying you will discover treasures in plain sight for yourself today!

Amy Carmichael

I am still delighting in her devotional The Edges of His ways.

Luke 4:30: Jesus passing through the midst of them went His way

Our new month will bring us joys, for the Lord of joy is with us; it will also bring us sorrows, for sorrows are part of life. It may bring things which would “throw us down” if they could. But they need not ever do that, for it is possible for us to do just what our Master did when, passing through the midst of them, He went His way.
As, by His grace, we go on in quietness, we shall find those words we know so well come true: “My Presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.” Exodus 33:14

His Presence is always with us. He gives us rest. We need to stay in quietness and that is a serious challenge in this increasingly raucous world! Stay in quietness, trust, participate in His Presence, go on your way.

A new challenge for February. We will, with God’s help.

During Our Arctic Lock In

A friend sent me this and I thought you would enjoy it! “Douglas Florian is one of my favorite children’s poets.  Here is his poem called “Cabin Fever”

I've done the wash.
I've swept the floor
I've fed the cat
And fixed the door.

I've read three books
and last week's news,
and for the fourth time
polished the shoes.
It seems like years
since I've had fun.
I look outside
For signs of sun.

I bite my nails.
I crawl the walls.
For lack of space
I pace the halls.

My mother warned me
of cabin fever.
I was a fool 
to not believe her.

Sound familiar? They say we might return to more temperature in the Ohio valley soon. I am liking the stay-at-homeness, but will also relish  he release to come and go as we please. 

We are having a laminate floor installed in teh sewing/sitting room this week. That ought to tear this up, dirty things up and take time to put together again!