Category: Yield

Posted on in Amazing Creations, Challenge, Faith, Music, Nature, Praise, Prayer, Spiritual discipline, Yield

Like Water

I have always liked flowing water. In Hinds’ Feet on High Places Hannah Hurnard wrote “The Water Song.”

Come, oh come! let us away - 
Lower, lower every day, 
Oh, what joy it is to race
Down to find the lowest place.
This the dearest law we know - 
"It is happy to go low."
Sweetest urge and sweetest will,
"Let us go down lower still."
Hear the summons night and day
Calling us to come away.
From the heights we leap and flow
To the alleys down below.
Always answering the call,
To the lowest place of all.
Sweetest urge and sweetest pain, 
To go low and rise again.

Later in the book she wrote. 
"From the heights we leap and go
to the valleys down below,
Always answering the call,
to the lowest place of all.

Why am I quoting this now? I have been following a few lessons from a musician on the app Insight Timer. She recently did a sabbatical with her cello and studied the qualities of water. She leads a meditation and then has about 15 minutes of water and cello music blended together. Hearing the first lesson I immediately thought of Hind’s Feet. The lesson about going low is throughout the book. The Shepherd calls us to humility. The way of water is the path of least resistance.

Towards the end of the book Hurnard writes, “(They) saw that the great waterfall quite close at hand was leaping down to the Valley too, with the tumultuous, joyful noise of many waters, singing as they poured themselves down over the rock lip:

For the heights we leap and flow
To the valleys down below.
Sweetest urge and sweetest will,
To go lower, lower still.

Such a wonderful image for the call upon our lives. If we are to serve well we must desire the humility of our Risen Lord. The Almighty calls us to go lower still, just as Jesus did when he came to earth for us.

Listening to the meditations on water with the cello presented by “The Wong Janice” is helping me as I serve Bob during his recovery. When I am tired I remind myself to go low, take the path of least resistance, be like water.

We have a dearth of water in Ohio right now. Some counties have been declared drought areas. The farmer’s tomatoes have tough skins. The garden soil in my back yard is cracked. This is unusual as a natural spring flows on the back edge of our property. Anyone trying to grow anything around here is needing to drag the hose around and provide water to the plants. Yards are brittle and dry. I am surprised there are not more fires along the roadways. While trying to be like water I am praying for water, pleading with the Lord to let it rain here. We occasionally have a one to two minute sprinkle, not nearly enough to saturate the ground. I realize some areas of the country are flooded. There is nothing here but sunny days and dry air for the last six weeks of so.

We choose to go lower, lower still.

 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross! Philippians 2:5-8 NIV

Posted on in Challenge, Collection of Quotes, Faith, Focus, Just do it, Listen, Praise, Prayer, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Surrender, Worship, Yield

Using the Lectio 365 App

Bob pointed out this meditation to me. I missed reading it on the day it actually posted, the feast day of Bernard of Clairvaux, August 20. Bernard was a Cistercian monk.

Bernard of Clairvaux died 1153

Writing about the importance of meditation, Bernard said that ‘our meditations on the Word who is the Bridegroom, on his glory, his elegance, power and majesty, become in a sense his way of speaking to us. And not only that, but when with eager minds we examine his rulings, the decrees from his own mouth; when we meditate on his law day and night, let us be assured that the Bridegroom is present, and that he speaks his message of happiness to us lest our trials should prove more than we can bear.’**

Sometimes, I approach the Bible in a utilitarian manner. I want to skim through it quickly to find something helpful which I can use, but Bernard reminds me that the Bible is primarily given for meditation and conversation with God, rather than information about him. In Lectio Divina , I read slowly, prayerfully, and with imagination as a conversation-starter with the Lord who has a ‘message of happiness’ for me today..

Do I study the Bible or pray the Bible?  Do I read the scriptures, or am I read by the scriptures? Do I attempt to master them, or do I allow them to master me?  How expectant am I as I open God’s word today?

*** Bernard of Clairvaux, Intimacy in Prayer: Wisdom from Bernard of Clairvaux (Pauline Books and Media: Kindle Edition).

Bob focused on the question “Do I study the Bible or pray the Bible?” How about you?

Is your Bible time for ‘finding something helpful you can use,’ or allowing conversation with God? Do you even read the scriptures or just occupy your meditation time with devotionals from other people.

When you read the Bible do you turn what you read into prayer? “Do I study the Bible or pray the Bible?” That is a leap from just doing a daily reading or covering a certain number of pages or chapters. Study , prayer, conversation and of course, yielding to the Word of God.

I do all and none of the above. I desire for every time of reading to be prayer time and conversation with God. I do not always succeed. Perhaps we can change our time for devotions into one or more of the actions Bernard calls us to try.

Be expectant as you open God’s word today!

Posted on in Aging, Challenge, Faith, Family, Humor, medical treatment, Prayer, Rest, Surrender, Thanks, Trust, Yield

What will I share this week?

This is a month of changes. My husband will undergo knee replacement surgery this month. We are thinking his years of playing catcher in baseball and then doing the breast stroke among others on swim teams for many, many years contributed to the destruction of the cushioning in his knee. He is walking the dog and riding his bike with bone on bone at this point. Two meniscus repairs did not help either! They took measurements through his CT scan to fit the replacement parts with more accuracy than was available in years prior to this event.

We will doing all of his recovery at home. It is somewhat amazing after watching the video in the surgeon’s office that they think this is so advanced and safe that I will be his caregiver! Watching the video we both realized this is no little thing they will be doing to him. They also informed us that he will be up and walking immediately after surgery. Yes, he will need a walker or crutches for stability, but he is expected to walk regularly the day of surgery and thereafter. None of this lollygagging around in bed!

Evidently the surgery has made huge advances in the last 20 years and our particular surgeon is extremely careful. Bob will even be using a nasal antibiotic before the surgery as well as antibacterial body wash, etc.

There is a new pain medication on the market called Journavx. “JOURNAVX is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with moderate-to-severe short-term (acute) pain.” Evidently if works through the peripheral nervous system which is outside your brain and spinal column. This is used instead of opioids. According to our surgeon patients are recovering faster and not having the side effects and addiction risk of opioids. If nothing else, this will be a grand experiment in the effects of as Bob calls it, “Better living through modern chemistry! “

He has nice legs, but not like hers!

We practiced Bob getting in and out of the car with the immobilizer brace on his leg. He has to wear this any time he is up and walking until Physical Therapy releases him from it. They warned us he might have to use the back seat for the ride home. Yep! It was way too difficult for him to maneuver into the front seat. Hopefully that will not become his usual place to ride in the car! He is already unhappy at being told he may not drive for 4 weeks. The surgery is on his right knee. He told one friend he is going to put the number for Uber in his phone. He is not good at just being at home. I figure by the time he gets in and out of the car for physical therapy and doctor appointments, a nap at home might sound good! The heat has been getting both of us down.

Equipped with a leg immobilizer, walker, crutches, cane, a list of medications and printed schedule for taking them, the electric ice machine, leg compression stockings, (oh my I will be busy, won’t I?) we are prayed up and almost ready. Wednesday August 27 at 7 AM is the big day! So many people who have had the same surgery speak of how nice it is to not be in pain anymore. We have been told that the first two weeks are the hardest. I will be rearranging my schedule to accommodate his needs. He had so often been my caregiver. After almost 55 years this is not a burden or unexpected. He is the love of my life and I want him as comfortable and healthy as possible. Of course, I might have to tie him to a chair at times to get him to rest, but then I might also have to chase him around the house with the threat of a fly swatter spanking to keep him moving. Just kidding. I think?!?

There was a saying that after forty you just patch, patch, patch. I think after seventy you just crumble. Thank God we have access to so many kinds of fixes!

Posted on in Amazing Creations, Challenge, Faith, Focus, Look, Nature, Praise, Prayer, Yield

Orange Sherbet

Yum. We have visited two different creamy whip places for orange sherbet mixed with vanilla ice cream. The place across town had the best. The local one called it creamsicle and the orange was mixed with vanilla. Not as tasty or refreshing. They also sell an orange/vanilla swirl. Across town is the most flavorful. Look far right. Yum!

Then there is my New Mexico rock that I think of as Orange Sherbet, actually called orange calcite. We bought it at a rock shop. I just love it! This morning as I looked out the window I realized it captures the brilliant orange of the nasturtiums.

The nasturtiums are lovely this year. Sadly the ones that were to bloom red did not prosper as far as a bloom. Rabbit found they were tasty. The others have me cutting, smelling them and trying to capture the differences in photos. I just noticed a few are out of focus. Drats.

Look at the accent lines in the back of the flower. Blotches of dark orange like flames!

I used to have 2 photos from National Geographic that showed how we see a flower and how a bee sees the same flower. Wish there was a program to do that! Wait, there just might be one out there!

Common Dandelion in both lights
The pale peachy colors amaze me.
Solid petals and deep accent lines.
The variety is glorious!

Flowers to rocks to frozen desserts. What a wonderful world we inhabit. Just as the orange colors can be amazing so can the variety of ways to see life. I pray you yield your eyes to the Lord of all Glory. May that same Lord open your eyes to see the power of the Almighty in the universe and in your heart.

Posted on in Book quotes, Challenge, Faith, Listen, Music, Obedience, Praise, Prayer, Rest, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Surrender, Worship, Yield

A Full Stop

Approaching a stop light have you ever struggled to come to a full stop before the light changes? Maybe going a bit too fast or not paying attention to the signals? More and more people around here seem to think the light signals do not apply to them. They make no attempt to slow down or stop. The other day one vehicle nearly collided with me and other cars when it went blazing through an intersection. Several of us laid on our horns to voice our displeasure. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

The full stop I am most thinking of is the difficulty I have at times to turn off the flood of thoughts and just stop. Have you struggled with that? At our house we sometimes call it mind racing. Yesterday afternoon it felt like the torrential floods after the monster rain storms that have been occurring. We mostly see videos on the news. Yep, that was my brain.

Even my meditation and devotions were a struggle this morning. Turn it all loose, Molly. Open your hands. If I clutch topics and people in my hands, I know I am not free to receive what the Lord wants to place in my hands next!

So far the month of August has been very, very tiring. I know that is a large part of the problem. How I could think that my concern about a situation could ever change or effect it? Well, in clear, more sane moments I realize that is just nonsense. The Gospels tell me point blank Do Not Be Anxious.

 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:25-34 ESV

Anxiety mentioned five times in just a few verses. Brother Lawrence taught me that useless thoughts spoil everything. Paul in 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells me I am to take every thought captive to Jesus. I read that as I am to turn every thought over to Jesus. I am not to try to wrestle that thought, tie it up and deliver it to Jesus. Just give it to him, the One whose thoughts are not my thoughts, Whose ways are not my ways. (Isaiah 55:9 NIV)

And even this moment my concentration is shattered, splintered. Like the dog on “Up” I holler, “Squirrel!”

So I closed the blind over my office window next to my computer. I have experiential knowledge that the Lord God Almighty will meet me in the stillness. I choose even now to be still. One moment at a time.

There was another praise chorus that came to me years ago. It says, “Spirit of God within me, rise up. Spirit of God within me rise up. Take ascendancy over my body. Take ascendancy over my mind.”

Steve Green sang a song that asked, “You want to. Now Will you?”

I had to struggle to remember Isaiah 30:15 in the night. “In returning and rest I am saved, in quietness and TRUST shall be my strength.” And the zinger at the end, “But you would not.” Lord, I do not want to be one of those who would not.

All of that is still true this bright, sunny, hot and humid morning. It was true in the night. It will be true tonight and tomorrow. I need to cling to the source of my life and rest. Just rest in the truth that is my Lord. Even so, Lord, come.

I have decided that if there is a struggle today, I will require every thought to stop and state their business. If the business is not of God, I will require a toll of singing praise to the Lord God Almighty. If there is refusal to sing those praises, then the offender can simply turn out in the lane provided for dismissal. Nope, not welcome to come at this campground. Time for some rest.

Posted on in Aging, Art, Challenge, Faith, Focus, Memories, Music, Nature, Obedience, Praise, Prayer, Spiritual discipline, Surrender, Thanks, Yield

A Place

Grateful Living posted Thomas Merton wrote, “In a world of noise, confusion and conflict, it is necessary that there is a place of inner silence and peace; not the peace of mere relaxation but the peace of inner clarity and love.”

Remember my post about where daughters go to die? I shared it with a new friend. She is quite talented with poetry, photography and music. She took my barely understandable tune on staff paper and sent me an audio file through messages where she sang it back to me. (Ain’t technology grand?”) I mean it. This was unthinkable a decade ago! She was at the farm in Adams County at the time. There are cicadas and crickets in the background. I am absolutely delighted. I played it often these past few days to keep myself centered in surrender and the Presence of God.

When she returned home she sent me an audio file with the piano added.

I am trying to learn how to upload these so each of you can hear it. Not making much progress with Sound Cloud which WordPress says I should use. Grrr – old dog, new tricks. I finally found another way to convert it.

And the piano chords? Well, only the singing loaded so far. On to other writing and stay tuned for updates!

Thank you, Joan. Sincerely, thank you!!

Posted on in Aging, Book quotes, Challenge, Faith, Memories, Obedience, Prayer, Rest, Trust, Yield

The Daughter’s Tombstone

Years ago, after I dropped my son off at nursery school I drove around enjoying some quiet with God. I wound up in a cemetery I had never been to before. I had been praising and singing a good part of the morning. I came up the steep curved driveway and much to my surprise there was this huge tombstone with a simple word daughters.

photo taken more than 45 years ago

I had been studying William Law and the idea of dying to self. I was struck with the idea that this is the place where daughters come to die. As a daughter of the King of kings, the will of God is more important than my will. I was at the place in my walk where I realized that obedience to the King is more important than what I want in any given situation.

That same morning I heard a worship chorus. It goes, “Total surrender brings total power, Spirit of Christ in me, totally yielded to Thee every hour, until Thy will I see. Death to my passions and every desire, living wholly for Thee, have Your own way Spirit of Love, totally flow through me.”

Recently, I drove to the same cemetery and the headstone is terribly discolored.

photo August 3, 2025

I decided to return and try and clean it. Online it said to use vinegar water with maybe a drop of dish soap in it and a soft brush. My husband went with me. We took a gallon of water and scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed. It did look better when we were finished, but still discolored.

August 4, 2025 Prior to second scrubbing

Recently, we’ve had some family trouble. With all the stress, I was having difficulty concentrating on writing, so I decided to return to the cemetery and scrub some more. This time I took a baking soda solution, another internet idea. On the way there I remembered the chorus about total surrender. It was so fitting because in this family situation I have no influence and no control over the outcome. Once there as I got my supplies out of the car and climbed a little hill to the headstone, I began singing the chorus. I was reminded once again that this place of surrender to God is the healthiest and happiest place for me to be.

I will go back tomorrow take another photo and see how the daughter’s grave is looking. In the meanwhile I will do my best to stayed yielded to God my Father and Mother.

For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:
In returning and rest you shall be saved;
    in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.
But you refused Isaiah 30:15 NRSVUE

And Samuel said,

“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
    as in obedience to the voice of the Lord?
Surely, to obey is better than sacrifice
    and to heed than the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22 NRSVUE

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you.” John 14:15-17 NRSVUE

After second scrubbing
Posted on in Faith, Focus, Journal, Praise, Prayer, Rest, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Surrender, Thanks, Worship, Yield

At Times My Own Notes Confuse Me

The image above is by Joshua Sortino.

I would not knowingly use what someone else wrote and claim it as my own. My notes below from June 9 may be my writing or that of someone else. Where it says From Lectio I am quoting Lectio 365 Daily Devotional.

25-6-9

From Lectio of same date. “Holy Spirit, reshape the pattern of my life. I offer you my story again today: all that is old, all that is new, all that is broken, all that is whole. Give me a glad and generous heart to receive your word.”

Many decades ago the Father asked me if I am willing to teach even if it is one woman by the well. Yes, Lord all these years later I am still willing even if it only touches one woman or one man.

I have started work on a second book. The title of this one will have to do with relationship with God. I am trying to put my experiences in words. So hard to SAY what can seem so UNSAYBLE!

Relationship is not going through the motions of religion. True relationship is more like a river flowing through the desert of life. A river that offers refreshing water, gently sloping banks to rest upon.

True relationship offers new vistas towards the mundane things of life, giving us new impetus for growth and flourishing. This is a differing sort of thing than religion offers. Seek and you will find (Matthew 7:7b). Seek the Presence of the Holy and your eyes will be opened, your heart softened, your ears enabled to hear the voice behind you saying, “Turn to the left or turn to the right.” (Isaiah 30:21) Relationship offers you mother love and father care. Going beyond that to indwelling assurance of an accompanied life. Never alone, always companioned.

Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent John 17:3 NIV 

If you are taking a Sabbath rest I pray these ideas give you something to ponder and use as you wait upon the Lord.

Posted on in Amazing Creations, Beagle, Challenge, Faith, Focus, Humor, Nature, Praise, Prayer, Thanks, Yield

Summertime

Not liking the humidity this summer, we still need to walk this feisty beagle 4 times a day. The only time she will pee in the yard on her own is if she did not go out the night before because of thunder and is desperate in the morning. Then we simply tie her out early as her only option. Maybe we should get hard heart-ed and make this a new practice!

I was complaining to my neighbor about having to walk this dog. Then I began to notice the evening sky. I would have missed these sights had I not taken Lucky outdoors.

“The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent.” – Psalm 104:2

The snapdragons have kept me entertained as the other plants bloom and wane. This guy was an extremely busy bee!

He is in
He is out
Exploring for more bounty
Take a rest little fellow!!

Year before last I bought a Mallow shrub. It did not survive the winter. Sadly, I could not locate teh receipt to return it for a refund. Last autumn, I bought another mallow and kept the receipt just in case. It survived the winter and is starting to amuse us with saucer-sized flowers. What a strange delight.

Enjoy your summer, whatever the weather where you abide! Keep your eyes open for those treasures in plain sight!!

Posted on in Collection of Quotes, Faith, Praise, Prayer, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Surrender, Trust, Writing Life, Yield

Every Moment Holy Volume III

Are you familiar with a liturgy? One online sight says, “Liturgies help provide language for hard to articulate thoughts and feelings, and ways to respond accordingly. They are a dynamic form of prayer—acting as a dialogue between you and God, and all those participating. As you read a liturgy the words form you personally and alongside others.”

Douglas Kaine McKelvey has written and collected volumes of liturgies for every occasion imaginable. I first read this portion through the daily quote you can get through the Every Moment Holy app at https://www.everymomentholy.com/

Lord, I confess that all these words I love and lay before you were never mine, but always yours; truth itself is never mine but always yours.

Your truth is in every word and yet always beyond words, and so I ask, when I have finished writing that all I have said or tried to say, may gesture at last beyond itself towards you, that you will bring me and my readers to the brink of language itself, and beyond that brink into the wordless mystery of your true and loving presence. from Liturgy of Labor and Vocation, a Liturgy before Writing, by Malcolm Guite

Malcolm Guite is a living poet, author, professor and Anglican Priest. He has YouTube videos and has written at least seven books. How had I never heard of him before this? He sums up my heart beautifully.

I keep devotionals and liturgy books to help me focus upon my Lord and my King. There are innumerable things in life to distract us from the Kingdom. Any aide that works towards keeping my focus is valuable in the long run.

The EMH books are published through Rabbit Room Press. My first volume of Every Moment Holy was a gift from my friends Dan and Betty Cooksey. I do not own every volume but the selections in this volume drew my heart. This version of Every Moment Holy uses the work of over sixty authors, poets and songwriters and seven artists worked the accompanying prints. The Foreword alone is inspiring!

Here is information taken from the Rabbit Room Website https://www.rabbitroom.com/

Rabbit Room Press publishes works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry that embody the mission of the Rabbit Room—cultivating stories that nourish Christ-centered communities for the life of the world. We believe in creating books that are beautiful both inside and out, books not limited to any specific genre or market but which adhere to a basic belief in the value of creative writing and storytelling. A well-written and well-made book can help to shape the world around it, and Rabbit Room Press is dedicated to creating such books and putting them into readers’ hands. When author, singer, and songwriter, Andrew Peterson, visited the Oxford home of C. S. Lewis in 2006, he returned to Nashville with a conviction that community nourishes good and lasting artistic work—and that creative work nourishes community. Soon afterward, the Rabbit Room was born with the mission to create and curate stories, music, and works of art to nourish the life of Christ-centered communities for the life of the world. 

If you are looking for fresh and even ancient inspiration in everything from changing diapers, to making coffee, preparing for death or welcoming a new child these collections have you covered. You can even find them used at some book sellers.