Auld Lang Syne

PONDERS AND WONDERS: An amazing year comes to an end, funny how by the end of the year I am always ready for the New Year to begin. I take time to cherish the wonderful amazing ways God has made Himself known, I take time to check and clean out my heart....better to start fresh in every area.....but this year has been a magnificent year. God has seriously touched and changed me this year. Each year I say that....but this year seems deeper, my soul is quieter, more at peace, more contented, more expectant.....so as the New Years song goes, should old acquaintance be forgot???? Well He is more than an acquaintance, more than a friend, more than a husband and lover....HE IS my stronghold, my fortress, my King and Lord....Dear Jesus I thank you for your sweet love and mercy....may the New Year be filled with MORE MORE and MORE of YOU and Less, less, less of me.....love you Jesus

A hollow reed...God's instrument

PONDERS AND WONDERS: It has been such a long time since I took time to sit and capture all that God is up to in my life. This Sabbath Day....a good day to return to the keyboard :) This past year I have been focused on Sabbath Rest...not just taking it easy on Sunday....however entering the state of being where all things are viewed and experienced through His rest....a long year of practice and exercise, I have made progress with more to come.
However today, I want to talk abour the past couple of weeks. Recently a friend sent me this wonderful devotional....here is the snippet that has been my focus to ponder:

"This is one of our fears of quiet; if we stop and listen, we will hear this emptiness. . .But this emptiness has nothing at all to do with our value or our worth. All life has emptiness at its core; it is the quiet hollow reed through which the wind of God blows and makes the music that is our life. Without that emptiness, we are clogged and unable to give birth to music, love, and kindness." Wayne Muller

A hollow reed...as I have devoted my self to this meditation God has given me so many opportunities to witness the serious effect of clogging...I have a friend who had to have Heart ByPass this week....when the surgeon came out, he was so excited to explain that the right side of the heart had been depleted for quite a while from blood supply. He did not know if they could even find a place to bypass the clog..but they did and he said it was remarkable "As soon as the heart began to beat with the new open vessel the depleted area of the heart began to come back to life and fill out"
Funny how the key to fullness is emptiness. The more I forgive, the more forgiveness that can flow to me and from me, the more I praise the more praise that can fill and flow.....a new life of fluidity....FILL and FLOW until EMPTY....WOW what a wonderful journey....thank you Jesus for the wonderful place of hearing your wind blow.
love ya Jesus.

The Beginning

PONDERS AND WONDERS: Today I traveled home from Birmingham to the Bay....it was a long and reflective journey both physically and in my being. Just 10 days ago I made the same journey, same road, same trees, same car, same whining dog (hahahaha), and yet today it seems like a lifetime has passed. I am different!
I witnessed God this week capture people with His incredible love. Fresh awareness that He is the only true source of Love. My miserable sad sorry selfish self is incapable of setting me aside to love another....HOWEVER with the incredible indwelling of the Holy Spirit, I find myself overcome by HIMSELF! I am humbled and overcome by the magnitude of His love, the effect of His love on others and the ever deepening desire to dive deeper still!
Today was a beginning of a new chapter....a chapter of deeper love, deeper abandonment to the will of God, a deeper level of recognition of how deep and wide is the love of God....I pray for a new beginning for all those involved, the participants, the supporters, the onlookers...all the starfish that were touched by the hand of a loving God.....ooooooo my Lord, you are SO incredible, ALPHA and OMEGA....there are no words to describe your majesty only the beating of my heart and the taking in of breath...for which you are totally responsible.....such LOVE,

Harmony

PONDERS AND WONDERS: Today I had the incredible opportunity to see a glimpse of scripture fullfilled. How good it is when brothers dwell together in unity, or in another translation Harmony. SO looking at the work harmony, it means when people all sing a note...VERTICAL...that together it sounds like one note in differnt tones....cool isnt that what unity and harmony really means.
That not matter the race, gender, generation or denomination we can compliment another, dwell together and vertically seek the Lord....I saw that today as the Stirring of the soils took place in Birmingham.
People brought their dirt....stirred it together as a symbol....from different states, cultures, races, and generations....how wonderful it will be when we every tribe and tounge bow in worship...unitl then today was a sweet opportunity to experience Heaven on Earth...
thank you JESUS....it was so cool...love you

It's a miracle Christ in Me

PONDERS AND WONDERS: The WOW of GOD is again upon me. I always pray that I will NEVER lose the AWE and WONDER of who He is and how He dwells within me. So a couple of weeks ago, I was suppose to go and get my Right Eye zapped ( haha enhanced after my lasix surgery 18 months ago) LONG story short....the Dr. told me the LEFT eye needed done, when he described what needed done, I really felt like God was saying NO. Ok so even though all the evidence said YES, the Dr. said no problem...God had a different word and it seemed to be NO....OK so fast forward...
Today when I went to the Dr. for a rechedk...my eyes were blurry....he checked the Left eye, that he put a contact in since I refused the surgery.....well...the vision in the eye was perfect...YEP PERFECT....OK...so he said "the Good Lord sure protected you"...."I am so thankful I did not touch that eye" Then he stopped, looked me in the eye and said "Did God tell you that the other day?" I replied yes, he went out and told the nurse mark my chart no contact left eye...and told her the Lord had done it...
So here I sit, wondering and pondering how many times has the Lord given me the UGH in my gut, that I have ignored, how many times have i faced things unnecessarily because my ears and heart were not tuned to His still small voice. WOW and the miracle of CHRIST IN ME....He indwells me....protects me and makes HIMSELF known through the everyday miracle of events like today.
Here I am again, with eyes full of wonder, pondering in my heart...BE IT UNTO ME AS YOU HAVE SAID....love ya Lord

Burnt Popcorn

PONDERS AND WONDERS: I got up this AM, the sun is shining, sweet sea breeze, humidity is less than 70%, and the aroma of burnt popcorn greeted me! I sure did not expect that, last evening I over popped a mini bag, threw the popcorn down the disposal, threw away the bag and started over. NO problem. Until this AM.
I am acutely aware of the aroma this AM, and the scripture from 2 Corinthians 2 :15-17 came barreling into my mind and heart. "For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance of life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not peddlers of God's word like so many; but in Christ we speak as persons of sincerity, as persons sent from God and standing in His presence." I can chew on this word for a LONG time and it will always have flavor!
First I am the aroma of Christ to God among......so I am thinking today, am I the lasting fragrance...as I smell the burnt popcorn, I think about what do people smell when I am gone from them. Even though I would prefer NOT to smell like burnt popcorn, I would sure like to have the staying smell power!! I would love to leave a refreshing sweet breeze of love, mercy and compassion, so that when people get up in the AM, they will remember with fondness that Christ was among them.
Of course to do that, means that I need to be STANDING IN HIS PRESENCE. That is the difference between being the long smell of burnt popcorn, or the sweet smell of Him. The longer I am in His presence, the longer He and His aroma rubs off on me, then I carry it out. Sounds so simple, however in the busy of life I am challenged to stay and stand long enough to be saturated with His aroma. Sure I run in get a little "Febreeze", run out, but that has no LINGERING effect.....to be totally SOAKED in HIS presence, so that my entire being gives off the sweet aroma of God!
WOW, I am going to go and SOAK for awhile.....love you Lord, di

New Growth

PONDERS AND WONDERS: today the PNEUMA website had a face lift....springing into the busy summer season. As I watched Kenny methodically and carefully create, change and give the site exactly what it needed I was so reminded of my Heavenly Abba. He gives me exactly what I need, even though I do not know it...He sees the final picture, just like Kenny. He tweaks me, moves me, gives me the right amount of information (even when I am craving more) because the final product must clearly display His glory and bring others to know Christ.

In today's world that is changing at the pace of lightning, God reminds that He is never changing and always the same. Although my vision may expand or be limited He is the same. His love, compassion, forgiveness, discipline and grace are the mirrors through which others will view Him if I so allow.

As PNEUMA moves into summer we will have so many opportunities to be the love, hands, feet and heart of JESUS...yet the truth is....TODAY I have those same opportunities...moment by moment, Lord keep me open to see, let me not be asleep when you ask me to stay awake with you...most of all keep me near that I may Hear, See and Respond to you,

As we begin the New Growth started in our lives from last summers RAIN....may I be open to all you are, have and desire for me and the world around me...love you Abba

is vs have

PONDERS AND WONDERS: This AM as I sat and celebrated time with Jesus!! I became more acutely aware of a truth, known to me but now like BAM....so God IS LOVE, God IS PEACE, He IS IS IS IS IS....because He lives within me, I have those characters that are HIS...but the reality is they are NOT ME!!! Sounds so simple, yet how I long and desire that when people meet me....it IS LOVE, IS PEACE...that who HE IS...would be WHO I AM.....that all the me can be snuffed out, and the aroma of CHRIST would be the sweetness to fill and bring love to the world. Is vs Have....I guess I never truly pondered all that means....except today to know HE IS I AM.....Father thank you for this time today....Lord may ALL you IS...be all I BE!! love ya

And they will know we are Christians by our LOVE

PONDERS AND WONDERS: Today as I ponder the upcoming inauguration of President Obama, I reflect on our wonderful Celebrate America Ball last evening....the words of an old folk song,....

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord, we are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord and we pray that all unity will one day be restored....and they'll know we are Christians by our Love by our love and they'll know we are Christians by our love.

I wonder what it would look like, that in unity there would be no more discord, no more agendas, no more blinders and turning of heads, no more NO MORE NO MORE......Jesus prayed in John 17 that we would be one as He and the Father, Lord may this be the beginning of the answer to Your prayer....starting with ME.

New Year to Dance

PONDERS AND WONDERS: WOW what a wonderful holiday season.....I traveled to DuBois to spend Christmas with my sons and parents and of course got to see the grandchildren!! It was wonderful, of course the underlying remembrance of Neill's soon departure to Iraq was always beneath our conversations. We celebrated with peace, joy and laughter as the boys traded sunglasses, football jabs and of course mom got to wear the "Cool" glasses as well. Spiritually it was an incredible holiday.
It began Christmas Eve at St. Rose...as the Choir sang Emmanuel, Father Sebastian walked up the aisle with baby Jesus lifted high over his head....we sang until we knew the heavens and the congregation were one....it was a tremendous God thing....I felt like I truly was celebrating the birth of my King in heaven....even now as I reflect, the moment is still so sweet. The service was full of all the awe and wonder of Christ, but Father's strong words reminding us that this time of year is that we are prepared for His coming AGAIN, not just to celebrate a birth of 2000 years ago, but are we as the virgins with oil in our lamps and ready...I am reminded of a wonderul old song by Newsong, fingerprints and noses...about children plastered to the window watching and waiting for JESUS....as children...that seemed to be the theme of the entire holiday.....that I would be as a child...in my belief, in my worship, in the awe and wonder not only of Him, but of all creation....
Following our time at the lake, I went to Jeanne's....WOW what an amazing finale to the 11 days. We bundled up and faced the wind to take sandwiches and socks to the homeless, and they were thankfully all snuggled in a shelter warm, because we found NO ONE on the streets....it was a challenge to some to realize that the time was perfectly spent, laughing, praying and celebrating the fact that there was room in the inn that night....reminded me how the plans of God are so different than my own. I then went to a wonderful Catholic Church in the hill district...it sure felt like St. Rose, same hymnals, same warm spirit..and Challenged by the Priest....we were challenged to believe and worship without limit....WOW NO LIMITS on belief or worship...well what about the big IF IF IF....or the WHO's....or the THE THE THE...simply believe and worship with no limit...then I remembered Houston....everyone worhipped in the rain that afternoon...NO LIMITS only LOVE....yep I guess that is the New Year's challenge...to DANCE in the RAIN, to LOVE and WORSHIP without LIMITS...to truly believe that HE is coming again and live like today is the Day.
I was reminded of how presumptous I can be about tomorrow. As I took Neill into my arms to say Good-bye, I thought this could be the last time I see him....as I cried in the car on the way home, I asked the Lord to let every hug this year be one without the presumption that again I will have tomorrow....that I will not only live like I am dying...but in the realization that we ALL are.....a new year Lord to Dance, Sing, Worship and truly BELIEVE....thanks Lord I sure LOVE YOU BIG