God's Word Will Never Become Obsolete

Oh, how I love all you’ve revealed; I reverently ponder it all the day long. Your commands give me an edge on my enemies;
they never become obsolete. Psalm 119:97-98

The Word of God never needs an update!

I love when the Lord reveals His majesty through the beauty of nature! It's difficult to miss the connection to His creative spirit when I am running through a grove of trees in the middle of the forest. Nothing can clear my mind quicker and allow me to focus on the greatness of our God than moving through a quiet piece of the woods.

This physical setting brings to the forefront of my thinking, the enormity of our God and the complexities of His working in and through every situation in my life. Sometimes the Lord reveals His purposes...and other times He does not. I cherish the times when He does unveil His reasons, however, in those times that He remains silent and seemingly unwilling to explain His decisions, I must trust Him all the more. Those are the seasons of my life when following Him translates into the tangible faith of the scriptures. They are the times when I must believe without seeing. I must cling to His word and His promises and know that I have prayed...and He has heard. I must stand up...and when I fall back down...stand up again. As the verse above says...I must know that His words will "never be obsolete". I must breathe in and breathe out and stand firm on His promises.

Father God~

You are the beginning of all things. You are the end of all things. You have spoken us into being and we are Your children. May You continue to reveal your perfect will into our hearts so that we may accomplish Your purposes through our lives each day. Equip and empower us to carry through with Your plans with awe and reverence.

Praise be to the mighty name of Jesus!
Amen 

Keep A Steady Gaze....God Is Always Up To Something Good

Psalm 119:83(MSG)
There's smoke in my eyes--they burn and water, but I keep a steady gaze on the instructions You post.


Hiding behind this tree, I had a rare chance to observe wildlife
and the beauty of God's creation today. 

 

 
 
 
                                             What a beautiful morning here in the Ozarks! 
We have an overgrown field complete with a pond and lots of thickets next to our house.  It provides a constant source of nature viewing pleasures.  Today, as I sat in our office staring out over the water where we often see wildlife sneaking out for a cool drink, I got a rare chance to see some new fawns interacting with her Mama!

I grabbed my camera and sprinted out to this hiding spot behind the tree and kept a very "steady gaze".  It definitely paid off to keep the camera in focus and not move a muscle!  I got to partake in some rare interactions between this doe and her new babies!  What a treat!   

She could hear me, however, she never could find me.

Mama knew I was there.  She kept looking for me, but never did spot me.  Each time the shutter clicked, I could see her freeze and listen, but my hiding place was secure.









Cleaning her little one and giving some words of wisdom.

Here she's stopping to clean the water off her sweetheart and perhaps whisper some motherly
advice about not going to far into the water. 

I think she sees me here, but doesn't seem to sense
that there is any danger, so she continues
her breakfast...as does her fawn.

I'm pretty sure that she saw me at this point, but barely breathing and holding my position steady, she went on to finish eating.  As you can see, I caught her fawn eating, too.  After this shot, I snuck away undetected to allow them to finish their morning drink! 








Most Wonderful Creator,
Thank you for this incredible gift today!  I know that I am surrounded by Your beauty...help me to keep a steady focus on You, so that I can forever see the world through Your lens.
In Christ's name,
Amen
 

He Will Lead You Right Down The Middle

Psalm 136:14(MSG)
Led Israel right through the middle, His love never quits.

The crackling flames of the fire sent warmth jetting through my entire body as our family sat gathered around the brightly glowing pit.  We watched the luminous moon as it hung highlighted by the stars that danced in the sky over our heads.  We listened intently to the sounds of night.  The water from the lake gently lapped at the edge of the bank making a gentle whooshing sound against the back drop of the Circadian music.  Knowing that summer's end was fast approaching made this evening all the more special.  Suddenly, my daughter, looking off in the distance, pointed towards the dark.  She said she saw something moving and thought it was a dog.  We all strained our eyes to try to focus in the inky blackness that was night. 

Then, slowly, one by one we could see them coming "right down the middle" of the hill heading for the water's edge.  They moved silently...effortlessly across the grass until they met with the cool crisp water.  They stopped and drank before they began what was probably their nightly walk along the gently sloping bank of the lake.  We all sat motionless, understanding that this was a rare treat.  There were three deer that had meandered right in front of us, seemingly in their own little world, on this beautiful night. 

It's such an important part of family life to create memories of closeness.  Times like sharing the simplicity of a quiet hour in front of a warm fire in the middle of a dark night will be engraved forever in our hearts and minds.  It is so like God to show up right in the middle of it all and remind us of just how great and enormously creative and loving He is! 

Lord,
Thank you for these quiet times that You bless us with.  Help us to to slow down and open our eyes and acknowledge the gifts You have placed before us.  I am so very thankful tonight for my family and the beauty of life.  Thank you for showing up and leading us right through the middle of our toughest battles!  Your love truly NEVER QUITS!
Amen

Wonderful Works

Psalm 139:14(NIV)


Beauty in the mountains!

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;  your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Nothing like a good nature walk to remind me of the creativity of the Creator!  His works are incomparable to anything that we could come up with on our own, that is for sure.  Strolling through the woods and marshes this past week allowed me to take it all in.  The smells, sounds, the feel of the warm gentle breeze, and sights were a real treat to experience.  

I'm going to keep my eyes open this week for more of His works.  I will be traveling to Joplin tomorrow to work in the clean up effort there.  The goal is to prayerfully deliver hope through action to those who most certainly must feel overwhelmed and exhausted.  I know that it will be challenging to see the destruction and loss that these people are experiencing, but I believe that through the power of Christ and the perseverance of each one of us doing what we can to help, they will overcome!

Praying for the people of Joplin and once again praising God for the miracles that have taken place there.