Meteorologists tell us that every cloud contains a weather message. God sculpts all types of clouds as messengers of hope from Him to help us weather the storms in life.I have been exploring clouds for a possible book proposal and want to share with you over a series of posts some of the lessons I have discovered by becoming a Cloud Chaser. Join me: Become a child once again and capture the wonder as a cloud chaser. God’s canvas shows us surprises every day if we just take the time to look up, look inward, and look beyond our ordinary day-to-day drudgery. I am fascinated about clouds. God really outdid Himself when He added them to His sky. Today I want to share some amazing features about clouds. Hopefully you too will get excited about clouds and come along with me discovering their daily messages.1. “Clouds and cloud shapes are the greatest free show on earth, It doesn’t cost a penny to look up and feast your eyes on the view.” John Day.2. A cloud is a collection of millions of … [Read more...]
Almighty God – Lectio Divina
Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic.The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.He makes Lebanon leap like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox.The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning.The voice of the Lord shakes the desert; the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever.The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.Psalm 29Wide-lightening (Photo credit: Wikipedia)The God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the … [Read more...]
The Self-Rejection Trap – Henri Nouwen Quote
“Over the years, I have come to realize that the greatest trap in our life is not success, popularity, or power, but self-rejection. Success, popularity, and power can indeed present a great temptation, but their seductive quality often comes from the way they are part of the much larger temptation to self-rejection. When we have come to believe in the voices that call us worthless and unlovable, then success, popularity, and power are easily perceived as attractive solutions. The real trap, however, is self-rejection. As soon as someone accuses me or criticizes me, as soon as I am rejected, left alone, or abandoned, I find myself thinking, "Well, that proves once again that I am a nobody." ... [My dark side says,] I am no good... I deserve to be pushed aside, forgotten, rejected, and abandoned. Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the "Beloved." Being the Beloved constitutes the core truth of our existence.”― … [Read more...]
How to Become a Cloud Chaser
Do you remember how when we were children we would watch clouds with an intense interest and imagination? We would rest on our backs on the cool grass on a warm summer day and examined God’s blue pallet. “Look, there is a giraffe.”“Over there, a speeding car.”“And if I squeeze my eyes till they are almost close, I think I see a marshmallow being stretched apart by two gorillas.”Meteorologists tell us that every cloud contains a weather message. God sculpts all types of clouds as messengers of hope from Him to help us weather the storms in life.I love looking up each day and seeking what God is telling me in his heaven. You see, I am a cloud chaser.· Cloud chasing involves looking up. This physical act of raising the chin lifts the spirit and provides a momentary pause by focusing on new possibilities instead of our problems.· Cloud chasing invites us to look inward and to indentify what is churning within our hearts. · Cloud chasing reminds us to look beyond our … [Read more...]
My Utmost Prayer
Patty Wysong has created a fun meme where once a week bloggers posted on the letter of the week. Check out the details here. It is called A2Z: Take 2. A2Z as she challenges bloggers to write a post each week going through the alphabet. Take 2 since this is the second time she has used this meme. Anyone can join in and you don’t have to always participate. This fun meme has now progressed to the letter U and that leads me to think about the word:UTMOSTUtmost is not a word I have thought about much. Utmost does not rank high on my vocabulary list.Daily I read Oswald Chambers well known devotional, My Utmost of His Highest. I study this classic each year and continue to find gems I never noticed before or words that warm my heart in new ways.Chambers coined the phrase, “My Utmost for His Highest” and used it in his writings and talks so much, when his wife compiled his thoughts into daily devotionals; she knew it had to be the title.Utmost? What is my utmost? Why is this word calling … [Read more...]
God’s Spirit is Right Alongside – Lectio Divina
The moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. Romans 8: 26-28 (The Message)God's Spirit is right alongsideCome Holy Spirit. Come.You are our Helper. Our Companion. Our Light in our darkest moments.You are our Guide. Our Protector. The barely Noticeable Nudge on our shoulders and Quiet Whisper in our heart.You are the Soothing Breeze refreshing our soul. And You stay right alongside us always helping us along.When I am tired – You lift me up.When I don’t know how to pray – You pray for me.When I can’t even find the words – You connect me to the Word.When only my tears flow and … [Read more...]
God’s Delight – Quote of the Week
God made the world for the delight of human beings-- if we could see His goodness everywhere, His concern for us, His awareness of our needs: the phone call we've waited for, the ride we are offered, the letter in the mail, just the little things He does for us throughout the day. As we remember and notice His love for us, we just begin to fall in love with Him because He is so busy with us -- you just can't resist Him. I believe there's no such thing as luck in life, it's God's love, it's His." — Mother Teresa (A Simple Path: Mother Teresa) … [Read more...]
Five Lessons about Discernment
Each January I record in my journal a list of spiritual hopes, dreams and goals for the upcoming year. Then throughout the year I try to reread this entry and reflect on what is holding true, what is growing deeper within me, and what died on the vine and disappeared.Many times ideas on the list come from my ego driven self-centeredness. On January 1 this year I actually read a quote from Tozer that echoed this confession: “What a pity when we plan only the things we can do by ourselves.”So true. I wrote this quote in my journal. But it is the two next entries that have driven my year and shaped my plans.Right after I read and recorded that quote, I wrote “Lord I want to be open to God-sized dreams and impossibilities this year.” (Watch what you pray for, right?)Then I wrote one word. A word that dripped from my pen uninvited by my ego. A word that has continued to surprised me this year and has pursued me by popping up in unexpected places.Discernment.I pause this May morning and … [Read more...]