Passing through the Rivers

But now, this is what the Lord says--he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel; "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.   When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not burned; the flames will not set you ablaze..."

Isaiah 43:1-2

Thy Word is a Lamp to my feet

 

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Psalms 119:105

Out of the Deep Waters

Then the channels of the sea were seen.  
The foundations of the world were uncovered, 
At the rebuke of the Lord, 
At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.  
He sent from above, He took me, 
He drew me out of many waters.
He reached down from on high and took hold of me; 
He drew me out of deep waters.

2 Samuel 22:16-17

"I am with you always...'

 

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Matthew 28:19-20

Jesus the Good Shepherd

 

"I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father, and I lay down My life for the sheep.  And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd."

John 10:11-16

In the Woods

 In the woods we return to reason and faith.  The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man.

Renewal of Spring

Spring is here and nature has a rebirth and renewal of new growth, bright colors and perfect skies.

 'Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God--what is good and acceptable and perfect.'

Romans 12:2

Wisdom of Trees

 

Listen to the wisdom of trees...

For trees know 

that you can be still and grow..

at the same time.

Muse from a mystic

Find Rest

 

"Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden light.

Matthew 11:28-30

Enlighten My Darkness

 

For you will light my lamp;
The Lord my God will 
enlighten my darkness,
For by You I can run
against a troop,
And by my God I can leap
over a wall.
As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the Lord is
proven;
He is a shield o all who
trust in Him.
Psalms 18:28-30

World Without End

Ephesians 3:21 NKJ

 To Him be glory in the

church by Christ Jesus throughout

all ages, world without end.

Amen

The Wellspring of Life

Do not let them depart from your sight;

Keep them in the midst of your heart.

For they are life to those who find them

And health to all their body.

Watch over your heart with all diligence,

For from it flow the springs of life.

Proverbs 4:21-23

Heart of my Own Heart

 

But now your kingdom shall not endure.  The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.

1 Samuel 13:14

For He Shall Give His angels Charge Over You...

Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.

In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,

The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

Psalms 91:9-13

Secret Place of the Most High

 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."

Psalms 91:1

Let the Rivers clap their hands

 Let the rivers clap their hands; let the mountains sing together for joy before the Lord.

Psalm 98:8-9

The Sea cannot sink a ship

 An entire sea of water can't sink a ship unless it gets inside the ship.  Similarly, the negativity of the world can't put you down unless you allow it to get inside of you.

Unknown

In Peace I will Lie down

 In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.

Psalm 4:8

The Bread of Life

 

And Jesus said to them; "I am the bread of life  He who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who  believes in me shall never thirst."

John 6:35

Splendor is the Sun

 The pride of the higher realm is the clear vault of the sky,
as glorious to behold as the sight of the heavens.
The sun, when it appears, proclaims as it rises
what a marvelous instrument it is, the work of the Most High.

Ecclesiasticus 43:1-2

Be thou my vision

 

Be Thou My Vision

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that thou art;
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my Wisdom, and thou my true Word;

I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord;

Thou my great Father, and I thy true son,

Thou in me dwelling and I with thee one.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise;

Thou mine inheritance, now and always;

Thou and thou only, first in my heart,

High King of heaven, my treasure thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won,

May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's Sun!

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,

Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Ancient Celtic Hymn is a traditional Irish ballad melody  translated by St. Dallan, a 6th century Celtic monk, poet.

The Wild Flower's Song

 

The Wild Flower's Song

As I wandered the forest,
The green leaves among,
I heard aa Wild flower
Singing a song.

I slept in the earth

In the silent night,

murmur'd my fears

And I felt delight.

In the morning I went
As rosy as morn,
To seek for new joy;
But Oh! met with scorn.

~William Blake

Flowers of the Forest

 

To see a World in a Grain of sand

And a Heaven in a Wild flower,

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand

And Eternity in an hours.

~William Blake

The Sun will rise

"Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise."

~Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

Allow hope for a brighter day to be a motivating force in your darkest moments.  Remind yourself that the sun will rise tomorrow and that we have the opportunity to celebrate the new beginning that each day brings.  Each new sunrise brings hope.

Enter by the Narrow Gate

 "Enter by the narrow gate.  For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  for the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

Matthew 7:13-14

Spot the Moment the Grass turns Green

 

"I have been thinking about the change of the seasons.  I don't want to miss spring this year.  I want to be there on the spot the moment the grass turns green."

~Annie Dillard

Do Not Conformed to this World

 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God--what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:2

The Highest of the Mountains

 

It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it.

Isaiah 2:2

In the Beginning

 

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.  And god said "Let there be light,"  and there was light.  And God saw that the light was good.  And God separated the light from the darkness.  God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.  and there was evening and there was morning, the first day. ...

Genesis 1:1-31

Grasping for the Wind

 

I have seen all the works that 
are done under the sun; and 
indeed, all is vanity and grasping 
for the wind.

What is crooked cannot be 

made straight.
And what is lacking cannot 

be numbered.

I communed with my heart,
saying, "Look, I have attained 

greatness, and have gained
more wisdom than all who were 

before me in Jerusalem.  My heart
has understood great wisdom
and knowledge."

And I set my heart to know
wisdom and to know madness
and folly.  I perceived that this
also is grasping for the wind.

For in much wisdom is
much grief.
And he who increases
knowledge increases
sorrow.

Ecclesiastes 1:16-18

Nothing New Under the Sun

 

That which has been is what will be.
That which is done is what will be done,
And there is nothing new under the sun.

Is there anything of which it may be said,

"See, this is new'?

It has already been in ancient times before us.

There is no remembrance of former things,

that are to come

By those who will come after.

 Ecclesiastes 1:9-11

Savor Each Day

 This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, 
to think, to enjoy, to love."

~~Marcus Aurelius

Lift up your eyes

 "Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!

And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together."

John 4:35-36

Yours is the Day and also the Night

The day is yours, and yours also the night;
you established the sun and moon.
It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth'
you made both summer and winter.

psalms74:16-17

From Heaven the Lord looks down

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people he chose for his inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down
and sees all mankind;
from his dwelling place he watches
all who live on earth--
he who forms the hearts of all,
who considers everything they do.

No king is saved by the size of his army;

no warrior escapes by his great strength.

A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;

despite all its great strength it cannot save.

But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,

on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

to deliver them from death

and keep them alive in famine.

We wait in hope for the LORD;

he is our help and our shield.

In him our hearts rejoice,

for we trust in his holy name.

My your unfailing love be with us, LORD,

even as we put our hope in you.

The Grass Withers, the flower fades

 

The Voice said, "Cry out!"  And he said, "What shall I cry?" 

"All flesh is grass,
And all its loveliness is like
the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
Because the breath of the 
Lord blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God 
stands forever."

Isaiah 40:6-8

The World can Create Trouble

 

"The World can create trouble in peace, but God can create peace in trouble."

~Thomas Watson

A Refuge for the Oppressed

 

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, 

a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Psalms 9:9-10

Live Salty

"You are the salt of the earth.  But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot."

Matthew  5:13

Letting Go to Move Forward

 

"We know that our loved one has died.  Do we recognize that in that death a part of us has died, too!  The part of us that lived in our relationship to that person alive in the world has died.  The part of us that lived in expectation of a future on earth together has died.  The part of us that enjoyed the commonality of shared memories has died.  This is a lot to lose...  We have to let go and then in the spaces where those deaths have occurred, new life will spring.  Some of the new life may be our new relationship with our lost love."  ~Martha Hickman  

"At every point in the human journey we find that we have to let go in order to move forward; and letting go means dying a little.  In the process we are being created anew, awakened afresh to the source of our being."  ~Kathleen Fischer

My journal of grief for my daughter Crystal involves a part of me dying.  I have turned to the spirit of her creativity in her art work to help move forward.  My new relationship is with her as an artist and her legacy of writing notes and cards for the people she loved.  I have continued that legacy with  my Card Ministry "Crystal Expressions."  I joined multiple groups "Cards of Kindness, Cards for Cool Kids, Small Acts Big Change, Braid Missions, Smiles for Seniors, etc. to share her passion for coloring and designing cards.  It gives me comfort sharing her artwork with others.

I have opened my hand and heart to relinquish and to receive.

Angels are Near

 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

Psalm 91:11