Untethered: One More Gate to Heaven

The first leaves loose their moorings, sailing gracefully from above.

Slowly, they spiral and slightly tilt. 

Cast off from the tethers of elm or oak, pecan or maple, released in a brief and dazzling flight. Spread wide, kite-like, captured in a crosswind, they sweep back and forth. 

Occasionally lifted by an updraft, tossed in a swirl of crimson, mustard, and bronze ultimately falling as gravity draws them ever downward. Destined to assemble as a mosaic, carpeting vast spaces. 

In delight I revel in the glory of color cascading from the boughs and wonder at the bounty that has hung far overhead all summer long. Souls touched by such wonders whisper prayers, knowing the whole world is the house of God. 

“ The whole world is the house of God…

I can stop …long enough to see where I am…

I can flag one more gate to heaven, 

one more patch of ordinary earth with ladder marks on it, 

where the divine traffic is heavy…

instead of walking right past it… 

say a blessing before I move on to wherever I am due next.” 

  An Altar in the World, Barbara Taylor Brown

*  *   *

Linking with these communities of writers sharing thoughts on faith: Weekend Whispers, Still Saturday, Coffee for Your Heart

September Learning

September, a month traditionally associated with learning, did not disappoint.

School agers, educators, grad students, continuing ed adults, ballet, piano, even fall Bible study classes; nation wide, students of every phase and form, returned to endeavors of gathering knowledge. 

And then there are also those life long pursuits of deeper understanding and those serendipitous new ahas! that spark our daily lives.

Hence, this community of writers gathers over at Chatting at the Sky to rattle off what we’ve learned, some pearls of wisdom, or just plain whimsy that tickled our brains this month. Below, my notes on new wisdom and whimsy...

THE WISDOM:

I watched...

Seriously, with great admiration and learned the magnitude of courage, sacrifice, intellectual warfare, and God sustained determination that accompanied President LINCOLN’s passage of the thirteenth amendment that abolished slavery in our nation. I know this stunning movie  debuted last fall but its bound to be a classic worthy of every American’s attention.

I studied...

GIDEON, a moving Bible study that portrays human weakness as key designed to open something God has in mind specifically for you. Our weakness is meant to unleash the strength of God in our lives. Our weakness is the key God uses to unlock the door to His power. Gideon is written by Priscilla Shirer.

I read...

“...that when you pray, you are not starting the conversation from scratch, just remembering to plug back into a conversation that’s always in progress.” Anne Lamott, 

THE WHIMSY:

Husband taught me...

about Any List an app on our phones that allows us to share our grocery list. So honey does this mean you’re going to the grocery store?

Finally found the answer to...

Why God Made a Dog I promise, these photos and poem will make you smile.

And...
there was surprising personal learning that burst all around me during recent travels, and there was learning offered humbly through the stories of people whom I’m in prayer with, and there is learning that falls like rain as I walk in the morning.

This learning thing, its really very closely aligned with blessings. There is SO MUCH that comes our way that shapes our character, corrects our narrowness, expands our horizons, clarifies our insight; all that certainly qualifies as God’s good grace and blessing.
                                                              ~

Are curious about previous LEARNING posts? Just for grins here's the lists for July and August.

Renewed by the Spirit's Work

He saved us through a second birth,
renewed us by the Spirit's work...
Titus 3:5


Scarlet leaves of autumn,
flags of waning life, nutrition withheld from leafed out growth. Yet, the evergreen limbs of this southern shrub, unfurls a glorious autumn offering of new growth in wine-hued spires at its tips.

New growth can arrive in the autumn of life.

Second chances, deeper thought, revisited experience, new lenses through which to see ~

Renewed by the Spirit’s work,
Salvation arrives from God’s persistent encouragement for faith.







God's gifts unfurl through the seasons of life. My gratitude matures with living and the offer of His holy mercies year after year. I'm writing down those mercies with the Gratitude Community, so the the heart can be strengthened yet again: mentioned here #656 - 660.

~ quiet evenings at home
~ a life season of peace filled days
~ gratitude for God's warnings, for His unshakable pursuit of our hearts
~ gratitude for time, more time to grow in faith
~ for opportunities to humbly, gently encourage others to deeper faith

A Year of Drought

Like satin,

petals perfectly formed,
gently unfold,
layer by layer

in fragrant display of

buttery splendor
just in time
for autumn's reign.

Our region carries the burden of harsh drought scourged summers. Unrelenting heat burdens daily life and crushes the green right out of our landscapes. Hope hungry inhabitants scan nightly weather reports for a bit of a drizzle that might fall their way. Any plant species lacking the 'grit' of deep, water efficient roots literally become dust.

Then...wait for it [believe me, we do], fall gently begins. 108 chills to 90 and eventually 70 something. Occasional overcast days promise rain, somewhere. And. it. comes. Foliage revives, roots swell, and buds form offering up a final fall burst of green and bloom.

The wait rewarded, thirst quenched.

Is it not so for the heart rooted in Christ?

But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

whose confidence is in him.

He will be like a tree planted by the water

that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;

its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought

and never fails to bear fruit. ~ Jeremiah 17:7-8

Gratitude fills page after page, fills life day by day, fills prayer hour by hour:

636. half moon gleaming in October sky
637. acorns, all varieties littering woodland's floor, offering food storage for winter meals
638. Cardinal stark red against shaded green
640. fall air crisp each morning
648. heavy ground drenching rain
652. Monarch butterflies stop a moment during their transcontinental migration
655. overcast cloud cover and humid air soothes sun scorched land

Amen

{This post is dedicated with much admiration to my friend @Higher Choices.}