September Memories

Brilliance and creativity arrive on my screen throughout the month. Some really talented folks creating gorgeous posts and some really smart folks sharing their expertise. Here are a few that lit up my heart this September.

~ Got inspired to transition the house to fall decor after watching these home tours, "Finding Fall Home Tours",  inspired by BHG. Which home is your favorite?
http://jeanneoliverdesigns.com/blog/2015/09/18/finding-fall-home-tour-with-better-homes-and-gardens/

~  Prose that reads as poetry. A beautifully written post honoring September memories.  http://ripplespeak.com/2015/09/september-singing/

~ Thought I was Word Wise, not so much. Confounded hard word usage article that husband and I used to test-ourselves. Yeah. Missed nearly half of these.
http://mentalfloss.com/article/65217/20-word-usage-mistakes-even-smart-people-make

~ Sang loudly in the car, with this song by Jordan Feliz. Favorite verse,"YOU WILL BE CHANGED!"

~ Getting past seasons of chaos; who doesn't need insight on that from time to time. Thoughts shared by Seth Haines.
http://sethhaines.com/recovery-room/4669/

~ Read these words on intercessory prayer;  pondered them for days and imagined God dispatching angels in a collective response of His will and the believer's faith.

Gathering the beautiful, the inspired, the faith filled...punctuates my days with encouragement and blessings. What shined brightly for you in September?

Jars of Clay

Wandering among the results of a potter’s wheel brings to heart thoughts and meditations on God’s words. Words proclaim God’s people created from clay; as varied in shape, size, form, hues, and glazes as the pottery stacked in the artist’s yard. God’s people as fragile, as prone to chipping and susceptible to damage as every vessel made from earth’s malleable substance. Like earthenware, we are strengthened by a kiln. Through the kiln of life’s struggles and pain our Lord fashions our character, reveals our spiritual gifts, and builds our faith. We are God’s creation. We are made and remade for His purposes and His glory. And as such we are filled. Here, this is where we diverge from the ordinary, empty vessels found in a potter’s yard. Our divine creator filled us with the gift, the treasure of His Holy Spirit. No empty vessel are we. No. Fallible, breakable, yes; but treasured beyond understanding, blessed and gifted beyond deserving. Designed to serve our Lord and equipped to do so by the abiding power of the Holy Spirit. 

I bring the camera to my eye and strive to frame the large number and variety of pottery in the viewfinder, praising all the while that I am among God’s multitude of wonderfully made people. 

~

And yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand. Is. 64: 7-9 NLT

~

18 The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, 2 “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” 3 So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. 4 But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over. 5 Then the Lord gave me this message: 6 “O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand. Jeremiah 18: 1-6

~

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. 2 Corinthians 4:6-8 NLT

The Bounty of the Lord: Gratitude

“Come, though font of every blessing,

tune my heart to sing thy grace;

streams of mercy, never ceasing,

call for songs of loudest praise.”

Nettleton

~

Quiet, deep attention these recent days. 

Quiet attention to God's streaming grace 

across the decades. 

Quiet attention as I walk, 

as I remember, as I bow.

Blessings past and present, 

so abundant every year. 

These, lifted in humble praise 

on the eve of the 60th birthday:

Tears in remembrance of God’s moments of powerful presence

Husbands joy as oncologists reports good health, hands held in shared prayer

Daughter’s shared gaze over the heads of beautiful grandsons

Toddler grandson’s volunteered hugs

Husband’s constant goodness

Father’s aging voice still placing long distance calls

Gratitude for those sent by the Lord to inspire and encourage my faith

Parents, family; the legacy

Health granted across these many decades

Amen, amen.

Lisa

Precious in God's Sight

God’s expansive love is chronicled across hundreds of pages of the sacred testaments. To search the scriptures for expressions of that love astounds and humbles the reader. One must bow before account after account of God’s unceasing passion for His people. 

Similarly, in the course of our own life their is merit in taking pause, considering the journey traveled thus far. To search the years. To record in the margins for memory’s emphasis the showering of God’s love on our own living, in all its varied appearances, whether whispered or announced, whether dimly noticed or tangibly extended. With this intent, to search what has been lived, is to uncover and trace the complex tapestry that is His artful weaving of love and divine works on our behalf. 

Unfold the cloth of your life. Search the fabric closely, thread by thread, through seasons, across decades. Where were the colors heightened or subdued due to the Creator’s keen eye? Where was torn cloth mended by His eternal love? Where was the pattern altered by the Master weaver’s plan? Where were the threads strengthened by God’s grace? 

Rejoice! Allow this evidence of God's loving intercession to strengthen you and deepen your faith.

Sing Out

The splendor of winter color in burnt orange berries and graying brown bark is striking against crisp blue skies. I marvel at the Creator's multi-purposed plan to offer His people a cold weather visual feast as well as one of real sustenance. May your weekend provide opportunities that reveal the feast that is His creation.

  

I Will Tell of All Your Wonders

I will praise you,  
 O Lord, 

with all my heart;

I will tell of all your wonders.

Psalm 9:1

There are more lovely photo praises to be enjoyed here:

SUNDAY , & here...

Stop and be refreshed!

Stand Up! Sing His Holy Name!

Our Pastor stepped to the pulpit to declare, "He is Risen!" and we rose to sing our joy as Easter people. 

My heart burst with it's own silent internal refrain,

"Stand up,

Stand up,

 

Sing!

Sing his holy name!"

Jubilant choir voices rang with a royal decree announcing the King of Kings. Our sanctuary, filled with hundreds of voices, joined the choir and song reverberated from loft to alter, up through the balconies, with the music of His people's praise. My heart swelled with the Holy Spirit's presence in this place and continued it's silent worshipful refrain, 

"Stand up,

Stand up,

Sing! Sing his holy name!"

Join me and journey across the web to share with others the experiences from this Easter Week at

God-Incidences  and

Fall Purple, Disguises, Shapes, and Choice ~ Photo hunt

Camera on hand, cool winds rustling leaves everywhere, fall colors shimmering in the sunlight.  The season offers a brilliant welcome for a day of seeking pictures for this week’s Scavenger Hunt Sunday.

Purple mums nested among red ones in the crisp shade of a shrub row made a lovely contrast in color. I envision pairing theses lovely blooms with phrases of bountiful thanks.

It was not until I wandered close to the water’s edge that I realized the protrusions topside extended to a submerged root structure. Shaded water and drowned leaves disguised the presence of a long fallen majestic tree.

The hanging fish wind chime swinging from a friend’s porch caught my ear and my lense.  Modifying the light accented the various shapes and created an edgy deep water feel.

The final choice reflects a photo of the fragile beauty seen in spent blooms of autumn. The rose lingers past its prime but its classic form and muted coloration gives a sense of remembrance and romance.