Leaning in the Whirlwind

'His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of His feet ... the Lord is good,

 a refuge in times of trouble, He cares for those who trust in Him'

~  Nahum 1:3-7  ~

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From this week's journaling ...

Whirlwinds leave us reeling, unfocused, unsettled, strained.  Everything is upended, uprooted, out of sorts.  We are left to find a new normal, a stable reality.  We want to make some sense of it all, for out of kilter we feel.

No wonder I feel the way I do right about now.  

Exhausted.  Sad.  Frazzled.  Done.

So here I am now.  Processing the farewells, aiming to leave well, to grieve thoroughly, to appreciate the remaining moments I have with those I care so deeply for.  To understand the stress of the whole house-selling process, to give myself grace, to thank my husband for sitting with my tears, for holding me gently while I weep.

That You, Lord, never change and are rock solid and sure is such a wellspring of strength right now. Because 'when all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.'

May these quiet times together, this conversation back and forth, this sustenance, these moments tucked somewhere near the beginning of the day revitalize and stable me, strengthen and re-calibrate me.

You are in the whirlwind,

 yet You are never shaken.

I am leaning into You.

/   /   /

'As we continue the seasonal dance from one month to another, may we be willing to release our tight hold on familiar and grab on to something new.  May we carry our questions with us even as we gather up all the hope we can find for the days to come.'

~  Emily Freeman  ~

/   /   /

THE TRANSITION JOURNEY ~ AN UNEXPECTED SERIES

In Which This Is All So Very Bittersweet

Dear Linda  : :  Answering Your Questions About the Transition

For Sale . . . Our Much-Loved Haven

The Getting-the-House-Ready-to-Sell Whirlwind

Leaning in the Whirlwind

The Sheer Joy of Kindred Spirit Companionship

Honoring My Clients As I Close Up Shop

3 Things I Loved Most About House Church

Choosing Light-Hearted Responses

Moving On

In Which I Keep on Journaling My Conversations with God

'Could it be that no one receives the peace of God without giving thanks to God?  Is thankfulness really but the deep, contented breath of peacefulness?  Is this why God asks us to give thanks even when things look a failure?

Authentic thanks is always for all things, because our God is a God kneading all things into a bread that sustains . . . to bring the sacrifice of thanksgiving means to sacrifice our understanding of what is beneficial and thank God for everything because He is benevolent.  A sacrifice of thanks lays down our perspective and raises hands in praise anyways - always.

A sacrifice is, by definition, not an easy thing - but it is a sacred thing.

There is this: we give thanks to God not because of how we feel but because of who He is.

He who is grateful for little is given much laughter . . . and it's counting the ways He loves, this is what multiplies joy.'
~ Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts Devotional: Reflections on Finding Everyday Graces

Thank You, Lord, for the movement of the seasons.

Always going forward.

  

I can't wait to see what You're going to do. 

I sit back with eyes wide open, faith strong and solid, 

 sometimes tinged with fear, those whiffs of anxiety coming to call.
Yet still ringed with joy.

  

For You are good, You answer prayer, 

You care about those I love and our endless neediness.

So, I give You this day, these last days of March, the unfolding future . . .

 I release my fears and concerns and all those I love into Your keeping.

For, if it is possible, You love them even more than I, 

and You have all power to affect change in their lives,

 to give wisdom and courage and direction,
to bring healing in all the ways that matter. 

You understand the need for hope and faith multiplied.

Where would we go without Jesus?
Who would we be without You, Lord?

These questions have no imaginable answers.

None.

:   :   :

You'll discover random bits and pieces of my journaling right here.

Sabbath's most refreshing blessings to you, to yours, my friend. 

The Valentine's Post

'So this is my prayer:

that your love will flourish 
and that you will not only love much but well.

Learn to love appropriately.

You need to use your head and test your feelings
so that your love is sincere and intelligent, 
not sentimental gush.

Live a lover's life, circumspect and exemplary,
 a life Jesus will be proud of:

bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all,
getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.'
~ Philippians 1 {The Message}

O God, You have taught us to keep all Your commandments

 by loving You and our neighbor:

Grant us the grace of Your Holy Spirit,

 that we may be devoted to You with our whole heart,

and united to one another with pure affection;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

 who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

~ The Book of Common Prayer

Love well.

Dwell * autumn nesting delights

Oh Beloved Shelterer of our Hearts ~

 

How we praise You! 

 

You have been so very faithful!

 

You've drawn us close to Your loving self and shielded our weary souls in the middle

of the ups and downs that have caught us off guard and left us reeling.

 

Keep on nesting us in the protective shadow of Your strengthening wings.  Give us

the powerful protection we crave even as we emerge to do battle with the enemy, to share

Your Kingdom-spreading love, to live lives worthy of the holy calling You've placed on us.

 

We glory in that sacred dwelling place, the sweet strong refuge that is Your heart.

 

Give us strength to live out that treasured truth as we make our way through

the twists and turns in the road that are sure to lie ahead.

 

And our souls will overflow with gratitude.

 

By Your Grace ~

Amen

 

  

 

 

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

 

I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'

 

Surely He will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence.

 

He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge;

His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart ...

 

If you make the Most High your dwelling - even the Lord, who is my refuge -

then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.

 

For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;

they will lift you in in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone ...

 

'Because He loves Me,' says the Lord, ' I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges My name.

 

He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;

 

I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.'

Psalm 91: 1-4, 9-12, 14-16

 

 

//

 

I invite you to share your prayerful thoughts ... and in doing so, you'll put yourself in the the running

for one of the two giveaways of Myquillyn Smith's book, THE NESTING PLACE. 

 

Click here for the details of the giveaway and the links to all the series' posts.

 

Sabbath's purest, kindest blessings to you, dear reader.

 

//

 

image creators & hosts of Creekside Ministries

dwelling with Barbie  .  Lisha  .  Courtney

Wildflowers * autumn nesting delights

A voice says, 'Shout!'


I said, 'what shall I shout?'


'These people are nothing but grass, their love fragile as wildflowers.


The grass withers, the wildflowers fade, if God so much as puffs on them.


Aren't these people just so much grass?


True, the grass withers and the wildflowers fade, but our God's Word stands firm and forever.'
- Isaiah 40 {The Message}

Oh Dear God ~

 

In many ways our lives are so very fragile.  The very next breath we breathe just might be our last.  That's a little unsettling.  To say the least.

 

But when all is said and done, we know deep within our hearts that our birth days, our death days, and every hour sandwiched in between our arrival and departure from this planet are completely in Your most wise and capable hands.  And although we sure would like to call the shots and control the timetable of each second that defines our existence here on this earth, the span of our years is completely out of our control.

 

That, too, can be more than a little unsettling.

 

We are Yours.  And when that peace-laden truth finally settles in afresh to our oft' worried, anxious hearts and minds, we, with faltering lips, can only pray, 'Thy will be done.'

 

Give us a strengthening grace to live that prayer out moment by moment, with a holy joy that just can't be explained ... or taken away.  Especially when loss and grief threaten to overwhelm. 

 

For Jesus sake.  For Your glory.

 

Amen

 

 In honor and memory of my parents' three loved ones

who've passed away in the last few weeks.

 

Come quickly, oh blessed Comforter, come.

 

//

 

Leave a prayerful thought on this post and you'll put yourself in the the running

for one of the two giveaways of Myquillyn Smith's book, THE NESTING PLACE. 

 

Click here for the details of the giveaway and the links to all the series' posts.

 

 Sabbath's purest, kindest blessings to you, to yours.

 

//

 

>     nesting with Barbie & Lisha & Courtney     <

Housewarming * autumn nesting delights

'How lovely is Your dwelling place,
O Lord Almighty!

My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young -
a place near Your altar,
O Lord Almighty, my King and my God.

Blessed are those who dwell in Your house;
they are ever praising You.

Blessed are those whose strength is in You,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.'
~   Psalm 84:1 - 5   ~

Dear Lord ~

You've given us just the faintest glimpse of our someday heavenly home.  When we think deeply about all Your promises, we know that nothing on earth can hold even the dimmest candle-glow to the majestic glories above, the awesome wonders that You are busy preparing for those who love You.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Til then, Lord, we live for You right here.  We are grateful for a place to lay our heads
that's safe and warm.  We say the sincerest grace over a too-hot bowl of fragrant soup
and the warm, slightly overcooked bread that comes out of our own ovens. 

We experience a kind of sacred joy in the dailyness of the creative, simple pleasures of homekeeping ...
and thank You for the imperfect loved ones who give those four walls meaningful life
and a quirky beauty.  And we offer all these bountiful graces back up to You
with all the praise that's deep within.

Warm these temporary earthly dwellings and our awaiting hearts with your merciful love, Lord. 
And we will be forever grateful.

In Jesus Name,
Amen

 

*

 

There's no better way to kick off this little autumn nesting delights house party than inviting

our Creator God to be amazingly active in our conversations back and forth!  I can't help but believe that He's going to invite us to something deeper and more substantial along the way ...

 

Sign up to get every post over here.

 

Jump into the conversation each and every day and you'll put yourself in the the running for one of the two giveaways of Myquillyn Smith's book, THE NESTING PLACE!   

 

Check out the giveaway details and each day of the series over there. 

 

/ /

   sharing this Housewarming with
   Barbie  .  Sandra  .  Lisha  .  Janis  .  Courtney  

Living Wide-Eyed

 'No one lights a lamp, then hides it in a drawer. 

 

It's put on a lamp stand so those entering the room have light to see where they're going.

 

Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. 

 

If you live wide-eyed in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light.

 

If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar.

 

Keep your eyes open, your lamp burning, so you don't get musty and murky. 

 

Keep your life as well-lighted as your best-lighted room.'

Luke 11 {The Message}

 

 

 

Precious Lord ~

It's so easy for us to get blase or nonchalant when it comes to our faith.  And truth be told, there are more times than we'd care to admit that we've lost that wide-eyed childhood wonder at Your amazing salvation and wondrous daily presence. 

Beckon us to gaze at You with a loving adoration that comes from hearts overflowing with gratitude. 

In Jesus Name ~ Amen.

 

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/   2012 photo 

 

/   joining Lisha in community

 

The People-Pleasers' Prayer

'So we make it our goal

to please HIM,

 

whether we are at home in the body or away from it.'

2 Corinthians 5:9

 

*

 

Lord, we admit that we're endlessly pulled back and forth by everyone's opinions, expectations, and demands.   We've become way too concerned about what everyone else thinks of us. 

 

 

People-pleasing seems to run in our blood ... and we're exhausted from dancing to everyone else's tune. 

 

 

Forgive us from keeping our eyes on everyone else but You.  Help us to clearly focus on what You ask of us.  Give us a joyful satisfaction in our obedience to the direction that You give.  And bid all that noisy clamor from the sidelines far from us. 

 

 

We yearn to live lightly, to walk freely.  And when all is said and done, it's Your 'well done' we're really longing for.

 

 

In Jesus' Name ~

Amen.

 

 

/   image creator   /

 

/   celebrating Sabbath with Lisha   /

 

*

 

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Fresh Strength

 

'God doesn't come and go. 

God lasts.

 

He's Creator of all you can see or imagine.

 

He doesn't get tired out, doesn't pause to catch His breath.

 

And He knows everything, inside and out.

 

He energizes those who get tired,

 

gives fresh strength to dropouts.

 

For even young people tire and drop out,

 

young folk in their prime stumble and fall.

 

But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.

 

They spread their wings and soar like eagles,

 

They run and don't get tired,

 

they walk and don't lag behind'

- Isaiah 40 {The Message}.

 



 

Far Less Tripping & Stumbling

 

 

 

'I am like a luxuriant fruit tree.

Everything you need is to be found in Me.

 

If you want to live well,

make sure you understand all of this.

If you know what's good for you,

you'll learn this inside and out.

God's paths get you where you want to go.

Right-living people walk them easily;

wrong-living people are always tripping and stumbling.'

      ~      Hosea 14:8 -9 {The Message}      ~

 

 



Pathway Lingering

'The path of right-living people is level.

The Leveler evens the road for the right-living.

 

We're in no hurry, God. 

We're content to linger in the path sign-posted with Your decisions.

Who You are and what You've done

are all we'll ever want.

 

Through the night my soul longs for You.

Deep from within me my spirit reaches out to You.'
 

Isaiah 26:7-9 {The Message}

 

 

 

 

Priceless, We Are . . .

'Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny,

can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. 

And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. 

So don't be afraid;

you are more valuable to Him than a whole flock of sparrows.'

- Matthew 10:29-31 {NLT}



On Church Politics . . .

Church politicking in full gear with the power hungry jostling for position and influence?

Business meetings rapidly going downhill into destructive posturing and maneuvering?

Hidden agendas jumping out right and left, hindering the unifying work of the Spirit?

Weary of the whole thing and longing for the power of sacred worship and a deep soul connection defined by a pure servantheartedness?

Looks like you're not the only one ...

'I can't stand your religious meetings.

I'm fed up with your conferences and conventions.

 

I want nothing to do with your religion projects,

your pretentious slogans and goals.

I'm sick of your fund-raising schemes,

Your public relations and image making.

 

I've had all I can take of your noisy ego-music.

When was the last time you sang to Me?

 

Do you know what I want?

I want justice - oceans of it.

I want fairness - rivers of it.

That's what I want.  That's all I want.'

- Amos 5:21-24 {The Message}

 

 

 

 

 

Adirondack Sabbath Sunset

'From the rising of the sun ...

 


unto the going down of the same ...

 

the Lord's name is to be praised.'

- Psalm 113:33.

 Photos taken overlooking Lake Pleasant on a winter retreat

at Camp of the Woods in Speculator, New York

February 2013

 



The Signposts, The Pace, The Rhythms

 

May God, our very own God, continue to be with us just as He was with our ancestors -

may He never give up and walk out on us. 

 

May He keep us centered and devoted to Him, following the life path He has cleared, watching the signposts, walking at the pace and rhythms He laid down for our ancestors.

~ 1 Kings 8 {The Message} ~

 

 

* photo by Virginia Bailey Photography

 



King Solomon Meets Miss Piggy

 

'Like a gold ring in a pig's snout

is a beautiful face on an empty head'

- Proverbs 11:22 {The Message}.

 

Oh how wise, that man Solomon, son of David, king of Israel ...

 

Thanks to the oh-so-talented Jessica for the shot above of this lovely porker!

You can follow my dear niece's adventure in Macedonia right here ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

31 Days of Awesome Relationships : : Day 28 : : The Gardener

'I am the true vine, and My Father is the Gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful'

- John 15:1. 

. . .  photo by my niece, Jessica Nguyen Davidson,

in Macedonia with the Peace Corps . . .

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