Boiling Cold

I walked down to the river today and took this photo as I paused to let my Dog Gus get a drink.  The water seemed to be boiling as it forced it way down stream.   Standing next to the roar of the river reminded me that I server a powerful God, a God that will not be constrained by walls, a God that loved me even before I knew him, a God that washes me clean and leaves me white as snow.

Psalm 147:15-18

 ¹⁵He sends his command to the earth;
    his word runs swiftly.
¹⁶ He spreads the snow like wool
    and scatters the frost like ashes.
¹⁷ He hurls down his hail like pebbles.
    Who can withstand his icy blast?
¹⁸ He sends his word and melts them;
    he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.

Lead by Example

I really enjoy the playfulness of shadows.  I captured this image with my iPhone the other day when my boys and I were riding bikes along the river trail in Bend Or.  We have a tandem bike with a tag-along bike attached.  My 8 year old rides on the tandem with me and my 5 year old rides the tag-along.  It is quite the train, but it is comforting to know that my boys are right behind me as we ride through traffic.  Looking at this image made me consider the responsibility of leading and guiding my two boys in their faith.  While we are on the bike they have to trust me 100%.  If I make a wrong move we all go down.  My prayer today is that God would use me to lead my boys and that their hearts would be open to the love He has for them.

Hebrews 13:7-9
Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. ⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. ⁹ Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them.

Yield

In order to serve God we must first yield our hearts to him.  While walking my dog the other day I came across the pair of trees pictured above.  God impressed upon me that in order to follow him I must be willing to bend and conform to his ways.  I must be willing to cast away that which pulls me away from him.  It is my prayer today that God would reveal those things which distract my heart from being fully his and help me to loose the bonds that keep me from yielding to his will. 

Joshua 24:22-24

²² Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.”
“Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied.
²³ “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
²⁴ And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”

Stranger than fiction

Some things that show up in reality are simply stranger than fiction. I spotted this cloud last night at sunset just sort of hanging out all on it own. It remindes me of a Jellyfish. I turned 45 degrees to the South and the rest  of the sky looked like .

God's painted sky has followed me back from Mexico. I take this as a simple reminder that God's creativity is all around us, even in a cloud formation that appears unnatural. Maybe that is just his way of getting my attention.

How is God getting your attention today?

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?

In Focus

Today I am asking myself where my focus is, and consiquiently where it should be. In praying through it I feel as if God is telling me that I may be missing what is right in front of me. I am so busy trying to see what is off in the distance that I am missing opportunities that are clearly in sight. I am reminded today to slow down, look right, left, up, and down and let God work through me.

Mark 8:22-26
They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.  He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”
  He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”
  Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.  Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.”

Arise Shine

Fall light in the Pacific Northwest is amazing.  A special time each year when the colors begin to shift  to a rainbow of rust brought on by the cool kiss of October.   There is anticipation, with a sense of beginning and completion.

Isaiah 60
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.  See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.  Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Harvest

Early October is grape harvest in Pennsylvania.  I found myself jogging down a rural road just outside  the small town of North East Pennsylvania.  The air was cool, and literally saturated with the smell of concord grapes.  Tractors, harvesters, and semi trucks run around the clock in order to get the grapes to Welch's for immediate processing.  During a visit to the plant earlier in the day I learned that the first place the grapes go when they enter the gate is the inspection station.  They are checked for rot, disease, quality, and impurities.  If they do not make the grade, they are turned away.  The vineyard owner must be diligent during the entire growing process to insure they produce a quality product for the harvest. 

My prayer today is that when presented with opportunity, I would be diligent and purposeful in what I sow, for whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

Galatians:6:7-10

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.  Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.  Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Thankful

1 Timothy 1:12

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.

paddle wheel

I spotted this paddle wheel boat along the western shore of Lake Chautauqua in Mayville NY.  The boat is pulled up on shore and the wheel is sitting high and dry.  On land the vessel is incapable of fulfilling the purpose for which it was designed .  If engaged the wheel would only churn air creating nothing but a breeze.  Like the paddle wheel we are created by God for a unique purpose. It is my prayer today that God would grant me the faith, fortitude, and strength to hoist myself back into his presence when I find myself beached.  I pray that I would be ready and willing each time he chooses to use me as his vessel.

1 Peter 4:10-11
10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.

looking up

I snapped this photo on my phone while walking along the water front in Seattle over the weekend. I often find myself gazing up at the clouds. Not always the safest thing to do while walking, but I find I am drawn to it like a painting that draws your gaze and causes you to ponder the inspiration of the artist. God's creations are all around us and I never cease to be amazed by just how much he cares about even the smallest things in life. I am truly grateful for the creative ways he chooses to reach out to each of us. My prayer today is that I will never stop seeking his presence as I walk  through this life.

Acts 1:10-12 (NIV)
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”