Multitude Mondays

Multitude Mondays


Today I am thankful for yesterday’s reminders
of the beauty of being in Your outdoor sanctuary….
the sway of pines against sky, magic sway
and song….oh let me hear the sigh of
Your wind in those trees in my soul
forever more….

Thankful for a carpet of pine needles, more
grand than any berber or import rug you can name.

Fall coloring foliage, nature’s surrender summoning
strength for what is to come…. yet the pine remains itself
all year.

Cool whisperings in the air of solstice rest,
winter’s deep ponderings.

She rests from her labor.

What a treasure to be reminded once again,
how I need this quiet, this filling up of
my soul; this rest that satisfies,
lingers deep for when I need it next.

As we walked from tree to tree looking up I said, “Do you think when we are in Heaven we will remember our times on earth? Or will we be so overwhelmed with everything we won’t give it another thought.” She said, “I don’t think we will give it a fleeting thought.” I said, “I don’t know, maybe little glimmers of things.” Then I said, “No, you’re probably right.”

The gratitude list goes on…..
67. Cool solitude of the mountains
68. Going away for the day
69. Coming back home
70. Pine trees and their gentle sway
71. Appreciation of all these things
72. Fresh unpolluted air
73. God’s blueprint of nature
74. Red cliffs against electric sky
75. Escape from the sound of cars
76. Sharing these with like minded people

Join Ann here for more gratitude:
holy experience

Why church?


‘I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the House of the Lord”’(Psalm 122:2). Why do we go to the House of the Lord? We go ‘to give thanks to the Name of the Lord’(Psalm 122:4). We seek His mercy for our past sins: ‘Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us!’(Psalm 123:3). We seek His help for our future temptations: ‘Our help is in the Name of the Lord…’(Psalm 124:8). As we receive mercy and help from the Lord, we worship Him: ‘Blessed be the Lord’(Psalm 124:6). In our worship, we ‘look to the Lord our God’, drawing encouragement from His Word: ‘The Lord is on our side’- In Him we have the victory (Psalm 123:2; Psalm 124:1-5). Rejoicing in God’s blessing, we pray for others: ‘May they prosper who love You’(Psalm 122:6).

So often we leave church with the same burdens we had when we came in. This should never be. We turn and greet the person behind us, shake their hand, maybe a hug and smile, maybe give our name. All the while our hearts are aching. God never intended that. “And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Acts 2:42

I attended a prayer service last night and it was really a blessing. Just getting together to talk to God, lift each other up. That is when it gets real, and sometimes that can be scary. Emotions show up, and tears….but after all is said and done, burdens lifted, hearts lightened, strangers grow closer. Real change happens from the inside out…..

Today I am thankful for the circle of prayer that reaches around the world. Heads bowed, hands clasped….in homes, churches, battlefields, sporting events, commuting cars, hospitals, in hearts and heads. He keeps them all in His bowl of gold.

“And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” Rev. 5:8

Thankful for the promises of God today, my gratitude list grows:

57. All our needs will be met. Phil. 4:19

58. We will have enough Grace to do whatever He asks. 2 Cor. 12:9

59. Blessings are ours through the promise of Abraham and the redemptive work on the cross. Genesis 22:18

60. We have deliverance from ALL temptation. 1 Cor. 10:13

61. We have victory over death itself. Acts 2:32

62. If we keep trusting Him, ultimately everything will work out for our good. Romans 8:28

63. We never have to be alone. John 14:26

64. Peace in every circumstance. Phil 4:7

65. Assurance that our prayers are heard. 1 John 5:14

66. With God there is always hope. Heb. 6:19

Continue counting your blessings with Ann here:
holy experience

Our first sanctuary


For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them. Psalm 139:13-16

Astonishing images from inside the womb produced by new technology show babies apparently smiling and crying. Traditionally, doctors have assumed infants made facial expressions, such as smiling, only after birth by copying their mother.

Looks as if this one is sharing a joke with Mom.

Thank you God for providing me with a perfect place to spend the first precious months of my life, a Holy Sanctuary specially designed by You. Thank you also for taking an interest in me long before I even knew You.

Continuing the Multitude Monday counting of blessings, today I am counting memories.

41. Sharing prayers with my Mom by the fireside when I was having some very difficult times. Hands held, her voice I still hear.

42. Summer trips to Yosemite

43. Setting up camp together so many times

44. The big red tent

45. The Coleman stove

46. The first cup of coffee, carried to meadow’s edge

47. Coveting the first warm rays of the sun

48. Hot showers after muscle-aching hikes

49. Food that tasted better than it ever did at home

50. Watching deer quietly and them watching us

51. Laying in the sleeping bag hearing the first bird sounds of the day

52. The sound of tent pegs, squeaking restroom door slams

53. The magical echo off vertical granite walls

54. Changing light of late afternoon, the drawing in of evening

55. Warm fronts, cold backs by the campfire

56. So sad to leave

Count your blessings along with Ann at “Holy Experience”
holy experience

I was seeking that quiet place of peace this morning, but I couldn’t find it. The peace that makes you feel like everything will be okay….that assurance in the heart that makes the soul, spirit and mind quiet down. I thought maybe I could find it if I layed down for a bit….I prayed, He heard. The 23rd Psalm came to my mind in the quiet, the one that always calms….

The Lord is my Shepherd,
How many times He has saved me from my own recklessness and stupidity. Kept me safe from wandering over the cliff in the dark, like a lost scared sheep.
I shall not want,
He has given me everything I could possibly want, all wrapped up in Him.
He maketh me to lay down in green pastures,
So many times I have felt scared, lost, alone, hopeless.
Then that peace that passes all understanding seeps into my soul, the dawn bringing hope again.
He leadeth me beside still waters.
Where I can drink my fill
He restoreth my soul.
So I can get up again and face life, even when I would rather get back in bed.
He leadeth me in the path of righteousness for His names sake.
Somehow I get the strength to do His will even when I want to do my own, sometimes His will is just to keep going
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
Yes I have been there…..sick, deciding it would be better not to eat, how do I get back into the land of the living….Mom and Dad’s anxious prayers, then a miracle healing….And then a few years later new husband suddenly gone; honeymoon not even over yet, gone to Heaven where I couldn’t find him, couldn’t talk to him, my life seemingly over.
I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.
You were with me then and now.
Thy rod and they staff they comfort me.
Disciplining me when I get out of line, and guiding me back to the safety of the fold, even going out of your way to look for me when I am out of Your sight.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overfloweth.
You have made me royalty, a daughter of the King!
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
From my first breath to my last, Your presence will never leave me, until I see You face to face in Heaven, where I will live with you for all eternity.

Keeping the gratitude list going….

31. The prayers of friends and family that keep me going.

32. Little niece has liked school this year and comes out smiling and happy.

33. Unwavering love

34. Eyes to read with

35. Having the money to pay bills

36. Iced tea with a bit of cranberry juice on a warm day

37. Homegrown tomatoes

38. September and relief from the heat is in sight, somewhere….(important in Arizona)

39. Good teachers and aides that care.

40. Always God, who knows me inside and out and still wants to be my Father.

Count your blessing with Ann here:
holy experience

Multitude Monday (one day late)

holy experience

The list continues, due to labor day and driving back from San Diego no chance to blog on Monday!

11. Happy reunions with old friends.

12. A few days off! Gazing at the ocean once more, hearing and feeling it’s magic!

13. Calls from home (glad you’re home safe, and we are all okay)

14. Sometimes I forget God, but He never forgets me 🙂

15. Being able to clean house…..dust bunnies beware!

16. There is always another good book to start.

17. Thankful for every little thing, my Mom taught me that!

18. Pets that curl up beside you!

19. Hugs from little arms

20. Good food, had alot of that in San Diego.