Make room for CLOUDS in your schedule

"A BEAR! a bear I see a bear!"
"No! I see a turtle", my sister corrected me.
"Oh wait sis,...I think it kinda looks like a dragon"

Patches of puffy white clouds would decorate across the big blue sky.  And my sister and I would lay on the sidewalk in our front yard and stair up at the clouds, creating whatever picture we could make them out to be.

Time passed...  In high school, I would be driving to class as the sun was stretching its rays through the morning clouds and I would enjoy the view.  Beautiful, beautiful!

time passed... in college, while I was working at a bank, we were in some down time and I glanced out the window and soaked in the breathe taking sight of the clouds floating across.  I got out some paper and started to sketch the clouds and realized that I had started getting so caught up with life, that I forgot to stop and "smell the roses" or in this case, admire the clouds and their glorious display like I did as a child.



marker sketch of clouds oustide the window at work 2002

 There are so many things to take care of.... all day long, all month long, all year long... it never ends,.... and it doesn't get any slower or less challenging, so we must MUST MAKE ROOM FOR CLOUDS IN OUR SCHEDULES.  God says to be still and know that HE is God.  Take on this challenge and praise your Maker for making beautiful things like clouds, for creating giant fish to display His majesty, for molding the structure of tiny ants to reveal His wisdom.. 

Take on this challenge.  And you know that you would have been still long enough when you can say that you saw the clouds shift from a bear to a frog.

Let's Talk about GOD

I was thinking about this today... isn't it strange how we talk about some things or people in public, but when we are home with that person they are different than we displayed them to be toward the world before us. 

Its hard for me to make an analogy of this idea so I'll just get right to the point. 

I have noticed that it is easy to have discussion about the Lord, and His Word, and what we believe as a child of God (this isn't a bad thing to discuss), but what is it like when you go home, seclude yourself, find a hiding place where its just you and the LORD...the conversations you have with HIM, the peace you feel, the pleadings, the tears, the anger, the joy afterwards... the experience you really have with HIM...the REAL HIM, I wonder...if we shared the REAL story of who He is, ...would the want for Him be even more so..  Instead we get too caught up talking about Him like He's a political figure that is some stranger in a foreign land that we can pray to...

church in Seirgev Pasad, Russia

Instead, He is the one:
who listens
who answers
who comforts
who gives peace
who brings justice
who never leaves you
who never gives up on you
who LOVES you
who Redeemed you by His blood
who keeps His promises...
.....

That is a God worth talking about...that is the GOD ALMIGHTY that came to me in my stubbornness and pride..and pursued me...  He's not a documented fairy tale that I simply enjoy talking about.  I could do the same with Santa Clause, little mermaid, Hercules, etc.  interesting stories...

I'm talking about a REAL GOD, ...and REAL RELATIONSHIP... a REAL LOVE

I encourage everyone to keep on seeking Him, keep on discussing His word, continue to seek out your doctrinal standing, but ... most of all... share the story of a REAL LOVE you found. 

What are your thoughts.. share with me.

The Moon at Sunrise

All bundled up, I step out into the icy dawn. I look over to my right and there is a scissor-tailed mockingbird staring at me from the guardrail, (How beautiful God). My breath dancing in the cold air(How beautiful God), I scurry over to my car where the frost has decorated my windows (how beautiful God).

I make my way to starbucks for some white chocolate mocha and pumpkin bread, make my order, the lady at the drive through is so cheerful, a good spirit about her, that it reminds me that good manners go a long way and make peoples days (How beautiful God).

So I'm on my way back home, and I'm listening to a song about God's Mercy.  Driving the opposite direction of the sunrise, I glance up to the sky to scout out anymore beautiful birds or pretty clouds...and low and behold, I see the graceful face of the moon, the full moon, BIG in the sky....at sunrise (HOW BEAUTIFUL GOD).  Then I think of what our Creator says of Mercy...  Each morning His mercies are made new... meaning ... it never ends.  The moon starts to quietly fade out and the glory of the sun makes its entrances into the new created day.

HOW BEAUTIFUL GOD is with His creation and to show that His mercies are new each day, not just yesterday or today, but for each NEW DAY.  So as you wake up in the morning...just think...God has brought a new day..the old is passed. 

I leave you with a song and a scripture of mercy and hope.  ENJOY



The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
  his mercies never come to an end;
 they are new every morning;
  great is your faithfulness.
 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
  “therefore I will hope in him.”
(Lamentations 3:22-24 ESV)

A parking lot of Sinners

As I pull up to the entry
your morning sun beams in
my car upon my face
and warms my heart within

breathing in this fresh new day
I glance in the mirror to see
my smiling reflection
because of what God has become to me

See, I'm no different from
the people in this place
a parking lot of sinners
saved by grace

Redeemed is what we are
by the Blood of the Jesus
a sinner who's debt is paid
paid in full, no fuss

yep, you got it right
I am a sinner
a sinner redeemed
come to our pot-lock dinner

Come and you will see,
that i'm no different than you
a sinner I am
but have been made anew!

Come dine with us sinners
sinners redeemed
we have good cassarole
even moreso ...bread of life is what you need.

Understand there are no holier-than-thous
by own effort sinners at best
Recieve His love, be redeemed,
a sinner redeemed, and will find rest.

I get out of my car,
YOUR warmth joys my soul
I open the door to the building
a bunch of sinners sitting in a row

I smile at them,
They smile at me
we know we are all sinners,
but we know we've been set free

We sing a song of redeeming love
That came from God's Son
I look around the room full of sinners
beaming joy; singing of redemtion

We finish our time of encouragement
our time of digging in HIS words he left us
disperse to our cars
and kids run to the church bus

I shut my car door, breath in
turn the key to my car and smile
of my time with these sinners
saved by grace, and all the while

....there are other parking lots of sinners
...maybe not all sinners redeemed
...I a sinner go to Wal-Mart
...and I see
...a parking lot of sinners
---some redeemed
...but what about the sinner who doesn't know..
they don't know that what this sinner (ME) has found is hope.
... so I must go and share this hope to other sinners JUST LIKE ME

-by Jamie Cook
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins."
(Romans 3:23-25 ESV)