Ancient Paths

The Lord proclaims:  Stop at the crossroads and look around; ask for the ancient paths.  Where is the good way?  Then walk in it and find a resting place for yourselves.

~Jeremiah 6:16 CEB
  Though God's paths are ancient, they are also timeless.

Mine is the Sunlight

" Morning Has Broken"

(3rd Stanza)

Mine is the sunlight,
Mine is the morning,
Born of the one light
Eden saw play,
Praise with elation,
Praise every morning,
God's re-creation
Of the new day!

Sweet the Rain's New Fall

 

"Morning Has Broken"

(1st and 2nd Stanza)

Morning has broken
Like the first morning,
Blackbird has spoken
Like the first bird.
Praise for the singing!
Praise for the morning!
Praise for them, springing
Fresh from the Word!

Sweet the rain's new fall

Sunlit from Heaven,

Like the first dewfall

On the first grass.

Praise for the sweetness

Of the wet garden,

Sprung in completeness

Where his feet pass.

Bunessan

Bunessan is a Gaelic tune that was first published in Lachlan Macbean's Songs and Hymns of the Gael (1888) as a setting for Mary Macdonald's carol "Child in the Manger."  The tune is named after Macdonald's birthplace on the Isle of Mull, Scotland.

Child in the Manger

Author: Mary Macdonald (1789-1872)

Translator:  L. Macbean (1888)

Child in the manger,

Infant of Mary;

Outcast and stranger,

Lord of all;

Child who inherits

All our transgressions,

All our demerits

On Him fall.

Once the most holy

Child of Salvation

Gently and lowly

Lived below'

Now as our glorious

Mighty Redeemer,

See Him victorious

O'er each foe.

Prophets foretold Him

Infant of wonder;

Angels behold Him

On His throne;

Worthy our Savior

Of all our praises;

Happy forever

Are His own.

Morning has Broken

 

"Morning has broken" is the title of a Christian hymn first published in 1931.  It has words by English author Eleanor Farjeon and was inspired by the village of Alfriston in East Sussex, then set to a traditional Scottish Gaelic tune, "Bunessan".  It was recorded by English pop musician and folk singer Cat Stevens in 1971.

Things that Cannot be Seen

 

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched-they must be felt with the heart."

~Helen Keller

A Snapshot Stops A Moment

" A good snapshot stops a moment from running away."

~Eudora Welty

Faith is the Bird that Feels the Light

 Faith,
is the bird
that feels the light
And sings
when the dawn
is still dark.

~Rabindranath Tagore

God Whispers to Us

 

"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."

~C.S. Lewis

I Believe

 

"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen; not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."

~C.S. Lewis

Courage, Dear Heart

 "Courage, Dear Heart."

~C.S. Lewis from The Voyage of The Dawn Treader

Peace in the Storm

 

Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.  Though the rain comes in torrent's and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it is built on bedrock.

~Matthew 7:24-25

My Hope is in You

 

Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior; and my hope is in you.

~Psalm 25:5 NIV

The Blessing of Tears

 

The psalmist said, 

"You number my wanderings; 

Put my tears into Your bottle; 

Are they not in Your book?

When I cry out to You, 

Then my enemies will turn back; 

This I know, because God is for me.

In God (I will praise His word),

In the Lord (I will praise His word),

In God I have put my trust;

I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?"

~Psalm 56:8-9-11

"When we have walked through pain and grief, we may be the only ones able to see clearly another person walking the same path -- and there our tears can meet.  Truly, tears can be God's blessing for this life."  ~Eleanor Cowles (Upper Room)

"Remain in My Love"

 

Jesus said, "As the Father loved me, I too have loved you.  Remain in my love."

~John 15:9 CEB

"Do Not be Afraid"

 The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.  ~Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV

Prayer:  Loving God, thank you for carrying and holding us.  When we have fallen, when we are broken, when we can no longer move you call, "Do Not be afraid."  In every situation of our lives help us to res in you.  Amen

~Steven Scheid (Upper Room)

Where Has the Light Gone?

 

"Where?  Where has it gone, that light, that spark, that love that looked into mine?  What has it to do with that cold clay?  It's here, here, here in my heart.  She's in me, around me.  Nothing in that clay."

~Anzia Yezierska

Faith Not Fear

 Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

~Joshua 1:9 NIV

The Earth is My Sister

 

The earth is my sister.  I love her daily grace, her silent daring, and how loved I am.  How we admire the strength in each other,  all that we have lost, all that we have suffered, all that we know.  We are stunned by this beauty, and I do not forget, what she is to me, what I am to her.

~Susan Griffith

Lifting Away Sorrow

 It is the person, whom we want, not the grief.  "May I hold my grief lightly in my hand so it can lift away from me.  My connection to the one I have lost is inviolate; it cannot be broken,"

~Martha Hickman

Hope is the Thing with Feathers

 Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.

~Emily Dickinson

Love Many Things

 The best way to know God is to love many things.

~Vincent Van Gogh

Rhythmic Moments

 The little crab hiding at the foot of a tree.  Rhythmic moments of a walk in June 2012 captures a wonderful moment.  

Filling the Empty Space

 In filling the empty space from the love one I have lost, Life has giving me an opportunity to share the artistic and creative work of Crystal's color pencil drawings and coloring.  I now have a card ministry called "Crystal Expressions" which is a collection of her artwork used in handcrafted cards.  I use Crystal's art to bring smiles to seniors, hospitalized kids, foster children and those who are lonely, isolated and suffering.  These cards were mailed to "Small Acts Big Change" to be distributed to nursing homes and assistant living facilities.  The spirit of Crystal's art lives on and is enjoyed by the elderly and children across the United States, Canada, Scotland, Holland, Germany, France and England.  These are the places where her art has been shared to bring encouragement and a smile.

Little Girl on the Swing

 Love the moment, and the energy of that moment will spread beyond all boundaries.

~Corita Kent

photograph Crystal Michelle Fallin, age 3, Palm Coast, Florida 1987