God's Painted Sky

Some of you may have noticed that I have been off line for a couple of weeks.  My family and I spent 11 days south of the boarder in a sleepy little area just south of Cabo San Lucas.  I took a break from work, blogging, and drawing.  The weather was warm and we spent most of our time in the water.  Each evening I would walk down the beach and marvel at God's painted sky.  I decided to create a slide show with some of my favorite moments as captured by my Nikon d7000.   When I look at the shear beauty of the sky I can't help but marvel at just how creative God is. 

Question to ponder: How have you been impressed with God's creativity lately? 

Romans 1:20

 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities

his eternal power and divine nature

have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, 

so that people are without excuse.

Prison Walls

We all have our own personal prison walls that we struggle with, but God is bigger than the walls that attempt to confine.  God can grant favor in the face of diversity and bring beauty from ashes.  My prayer today is that I would seek God's presence in the dark places of my life, that I would allow him to work in those areas and that through him I will break free from the walls that confine.

Genesis 39:19-23

 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger.  Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.
   But while Joseph was there in the prison,  the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.  So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there.  The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

old is made new

1 Peter 1:23
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

Discarded

 

Discarded - Get rid of (someone or something) as no longer useful or desirable.  

 

I learn a-lot from my kids.  This Sunday I awoke to my 7 year old poking his finger into my side saying Dad it is morning.  I reluctantly pulled myself out of bed and walked fuzzily out to the living room.  Winter has begun to settle into Central Washington so the temp outside was a balmy 19F or -7C.  I decided that 19 degrees justified a fire thus I brought in a few mill ends and some real wood.  We use the mill ends as kindling as it is very dry and catches fire easily.  My son Ben immediately grabbed the mill ends and started building.  Long story short I ended up bringing about 200 pieces in and he constructed a small city of wood sculptures.  Ben's creativity reminded me that what I viewed as a worthless mill end, only good for starting a fire, he sees as building materials with endless possibilities.  His little brother soon woke up and joined in.  By the time my wife got up we had built and destroyed many interesting structures.   God impressed upon me that he sees us not as useless mill end, but as building materials with endless possibilities.  My prayer today is that I would be open to God's building project, that I would recognize the potential of the people he places in front of me, and that I would be willing to accept the tasks that he assigns.   

 

God tends to nudge me through very ordinary things in my day.  How has he nudged you lately?

Palm

Reading in Isaiah 49 today I found myself meditating on the promise we have in Jesus.  Isaiah a profit wrote about one that would come to restore the lost, not only Israel, but the Gentiles as well.  There is a specific line that stands out to me in this passage (49:16)  "See I engraved you on the palms of my hands.  The nail holes that would be worn by Jesus represent a permanent engraving as a reminder that he paid the price in full.  Isaiah wrote this scripture some 400 years prior to Jesus being born.  The word pictures found in Isaiah 49 are rich and point directly to the gospels of the new testament.

Isaiah 49:13-16
¹³ Shout for joy, you heavens;
   rejoice, you earth;
   burst into song, you mountains!
For the LORD comforts his people
   and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.
 ¹⁴ But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me,
   the Lord has forgotten me.”
 ¹⁵ “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
   and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
   I will not forget you!
¹⁶ See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
   your walls are ever before me.