Saturday, September 27, 2014

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  

24 comments:

  1. 'Blessed are those whose strength is in You,
    who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.'

    That's me in this season of my life. My heart is set on pilgrimage. For me right now, it's about the journey.

    Lovely post. Visiting from Barbie's Weekend Brew.

    ~ Cassandra from Renaissance Women

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pilgrimage is such a powerful word, isn't it, Cassandra. There's purpose and courage laced up in each and every step. I'm glad you're here with us today.

      Sabbath refreshment to you ...

      Delete
  2. "and thank You for the imperfect loved ones who give those four walls meaningful life
    and a quirky beauty" - my thought, exactly. And I also thank the Lord for my imperfect love I give to my family day in and day out, the love that can only be perfected in His presence. Have a wonderful weekend. x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Imperfect. Yeah, that thread certainly wends it way through my life.

      Sigh.

      Praise God for redemption!

      Delete
  3. " Blessed are those who dwell in Your house;
    They are ever praising you" caught a vision of myself singing in my apartment - my right now home. Thanks for this. Isn't there a song inspired by this scripture? Do you know it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Lisha! It's going through my mind now even as we speak.

      Some songs just don't leave ... and they seem to come to life in the deepest part of night, whispering peace, rest, hope.

      Blessings as you do life in your 'right now home' ...

      Delete
  4. Well I just love that picture!! Many blessings to you, friend. xoxo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The swing broke ... with me on it ... a month or so after we took the picture.

      Thump.

      Sigh.

      But remembering that day when my husband captured that moment in time still makes me smile big.

      Hugs.

      Delete
  5. I love the joy that is reflected in your picture of you on the swing. That is a God moment for sure. I love the glimpses that God so willingly shares with us of His beauty and what is to come. May we all look with open eyes and hearts each day so we don't miss the gifts that are right before us. Happy Sunday!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joy captured.

      Yes it was! And I love that you were somehow able to glimpse the moment, Mary!

      Sabbath renewal to you, friend ...

      Delete
  6. The photo captured me. The word thrilled me and the prayer established the truth.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your kind words have caused my heart to soar. Thanks for hearing where I was coming from, Chris. God is good!

      I hope this weekend has brought you great joy ...

      Delete
  7. Awesome photo!

    Happy Sabbath, Friend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for wrapping up the weekend here, Lulu! Always good to have you pop in ...

      ;-}

      Delete
  8. I'm a bird addict, and, when I die, I hope that piles of them will surround me to head me to the clouds and then clouds and then angels to move me upward and upward. Made me smile just to see and read what you shared. Thank you MUCH!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Birds & angels ... I'm seeing the picture you're painting Cary Jo ... glorious!

      'Come quickly, Lord Jesus' is what I'm saying more and more ...

      Blessings as we launch into this new week, friend.

      Delete
  9. Look at you, Linda! You've got the joy of the Lord all over your face, girlfriend! I suppose it's all that time you're spending with your "quirky" and wonderful family, right? Sounds like we have two things in common - a "quirky family" and a tendency to overbake the bread! Enjoy being among your family, my friend and thanks for inspiring us with your childlike joy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The joy you see is laughter as I'm demanding my husband take the picture, quick! I do hate a photo shoot ...

      Just baking something is a cause for celebration around here. I like to blame it on my tempermental oven, but truth is, I've never been Betty Crocker.

      8-}

      Delete
  10. Hi Dear! Look at you on that swing! You go girl!!
    What a fun idea! I love fall, it's my favorite season and spending it feathering my nest with you sounds like perfection itself. Yay!!

    I know I'll enjoy 'dwelling in his house' with you and all your blog-friends. We'll swing back and forth with our daily life travels, and then be ready for a comfy rest...to do it all again :)
    Great to see you again, and I pray that all is well with you and your family,
    Ceil

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad your blogging vacation is over so you can join us here again, Ceil! So good to see you back in the saddle here ... and over at your place, writing up a storm.

      I hope this is a great week for you ...

      Delete
  11. I was going to comment on how much I love the picture because it made me smile but then I read an earlier post about the swing mishap and I admit, I'm giggling a bit because it is so something I would do!! Hoping you didn't get hurt, tho! Thanks for the smile and the beautiful words.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, it was a bit jarring. And I do miss my swing!

      But the picture stays with me forever. That is, the vision of me soaring semi-high ... and not the recollection of crashing to the ground and rearranging my spinal column! for an hour or so!

      ;-}

      Delete
  12. "a place near Your alter." I love that - just to be near Him. Oh, what JOY! Thank you, friend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow ... what a safe place to be.

      Friends ... be sure to check out June's 31 Days of Joy!

      Delete

Welcome to the table, friend!

This is where we gather and hang out. I'd love for you to pull up a chair and jump right into the conversation. Or simply say 'hello.'

l'll be dropping in to visit you sometime soon ...

Linda

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