Divine Conversations

"If we have a wonderful sense of the divine it is because we live amid such awesome magnificence...While the distinction between spirit and matter is valid, no one can separate the two;  no one can draw a line between them.  Spirit and matter are not two different realms of reality, two different layers of the universe.  One and the same reality will be material or spiritual depending on how we approach it.  (Regardless) of where we immerse ourselves in the stream of reality, we can touch the spiritual source of all that is natural." ~ (from Earth Prayers)

The beauty of the trees,

the softness of the air,

the fragrance of the grass,

speaks to me.

The summit of the mountains,

the thunder of the sky,

the rhythm of the sea,

speaks to me.

The faintness of the stars,

the freshness of the morning,

the dewdrop on the flower,

speaks to me.

The strength of fire,

the taste of salmon,

the trail of the sun,

and the lite that never goes away,

they speak to me.

And my heart soars.

(Chief Dan George)

 

On Happiness

"We tend to think we won't be happier until big things in our lives change, but research contradicts that," says Joseph Renny, author of Change Anything. "...the fastest way to increase your level of happiness is to spend time with a friend, offer service to someone else, take a walk or simply sit and ponder five things you're grateful for. All of these create an immediate shift in your mental state."

Yes

I've made the decision to keep on blogging ~ with a twist.  When God gave me the word "imagine" for 2012, I didn't know where He was taking me.  I still don't have a Biblical verse to hang my hat on, just a simple word.  But that word is loaded with possibilities and I think that's the whole point.

I have been yearning for a change ~ changes are coming down my track like a freight train ~ and the year has just begun!!!  There is much to share already but first, I feel compelled to create a new blog.  Groovy Tuesday - Groovin' for God has served me (and Him) well, but I feel His urge to move on to a fresh blog, a clean sheet of paper.  And so on Monday, I will be writing elsewhere on a new blog, and will post its location here if you care to take this new journey with me.

I consider it pure joy to have had the privilege to speak through Groovy Tuesday and it remains to be seen if Groovy has finished its work, or whether posts will pop up from time to time.

~ but first, I must go skiing for a few days to breathe the cold air, view the amazing scenery and soak in the incredible handiwork of God.  His creation inspires me.





 

Imagine ~ In the Light

Hooray!  Winter solstice.  Today is the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere! Hooray!  That means the daylight will slowly be lengthening.  Hooray!

Imagine a day with no light.  Imagine perpetual darkness.  Imagine being eternally lost.  Or imagine, instead, His unending Light. 





 

Groove On

My husband and I spent the afternoon listening to rock classics on Pandora radio, and breaking into impromptu, spontaneous dancing.  Boy, it sure brought back many, many memories and it was fun to get a groove going in our living room.  Not that it was planned, but it sure was appropriate to take a blast to the past since he is celebrating his birthday today.  So honey, you're only as old as you want to be today.  I suggest you shake them hips and keep the groove on!

Happy Birthday to my Main Squeeze and Life Dance Partner!  Love you!!!

(groovin' at Halloween)

24 Hour Beauty

Night shots at the beach ~ priceless.

I Heart

Last night it was 73 degrees at 9:30pm.  Today it's spectacularly warm (90?), clear, sunny and Sunday!  Wow, this is what I'm talkin' about ~ the most beautiful time of the year in one of the most beautiful places on the planet.  I heart it here.  Time to get outside and play!

It's All Good

Joy despite circumstances ~ so hooray for yesterday and today and most likely the next couple of tomorrows that bring rain and cooler temps.  I know I'm whining a bit here, but our summer came so late that I'm just not ready to see it leave.  I must admit that the rain cleanses the air and brightens nature's palette, and that our precipitation comes in the form of water not snow.  So it's all good.

I got a haircut this week and it is delightful to feel the cool air on my neck.  It won't be so delightful when skiing but that's what neck warmers are for.  So it's all good.

We need a new roof, which was scheduled for tomorrow, but the unexpected weather has delayed installation.  Thanks to my husband's generous application of tar, there are no leaks like we had from an unexpected downpour late last spring.  So it's all good.

The rain reminds me that shorter days are ahead.  Daylight savings time will soon end and we will be both getting out of bed and eating dinner in the dark.  With it, however, comes my favorite day of the year ~ Winter Solstice.  Given my aversion to lack of sunlight, it may seem counter-intuitive that the shortest day of the year is my favorite, however, with this day comes the gradual but glorious lengthening and increasing of daylight.  It's all good.

Supernatural Responses to the Unexpected

My word this year is joy (despite circumstances). Joy is easy when things are going well...as I planned...as I hoped...as an unexpected surprise.  Joy is more difficult for me when life gets a little rough around the edges or downright nasty.  A friend's husband died Sunday.  We prefer the euphemism "passed over" or "passed away" because it refers to a transition from this life to the next, but the fact remains that for those of us "left behind," this person is gone to us.  She's an unexpected widow at 61.  Who knew?  Who ever fully knows what the next moment will hold?  So I take comfort in the following words ~

When many things seems to be going wrong, trust Me.  When your life feels increasingly out of control, thank Me.  These are supernatural responses, and they can lift you above your circumstances.  If you do what come naturally in the face of difficulties, you may fall prey to negativism....(Therefore) affirm your trust in Me, regardless of how you feel.  Thank Me for everything, though this seems unnatural ~ even irrational....If you choose supernatural responses...trusting and thanking Me ~ you will experience My unfathomable Peace.  (from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, Oct 3)

Autumn Pleasures

 

October.  Saturday is a wonderful day for a new month to begin, especially a month that brings autumn colors, bountiful harvests, clear blue skies, warm days and cool nights.  Make a joyful noise unto the Lord for His creation sings of His goodness!

Good Day, Sunshine!

(original photo by Casey)

Shout for Joy

I started my last two posts with the words "I hate" and "I dislike."  Time to exit the negative train and focus on the joy-filled highway.  Sometimes it's "real" things that bring me joy and sometimes it's just an attitude adjustment.

Yesterday it was wine tasting with friends while enjoying one of the most beautiful views of any wine region ~ riding my bike on its brand new tires ~ eating dinner al fresco with the family in our backyard sanctuary ~ Mom having a weekend break from her cancer treatments

Today, I awakened to the gray of early morning knowing that the fog-filled skies that will transition to brilliant blue within hours ~ the tiny finches eating their first meal (of many) at our bird feeder ~ the luxury of some quiet time before the family begins to stir.  I will need an attitude adjustment on having to take Mom back to her treatments, but today marks a third of her way to the finish line and that's something to be joy-filled about.

For the director of music. A song. A psalm. Shout with joy to God, all the earth!... Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music...A psalm. For giving thanks. Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth....They raise their voices, they shout for joy; from the west they acclaim the Lord's majesty.... Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. (Psalm 66:1, 98:4, 100:1, Isaiah 24:14, 49:13 )

Summer (Life) Zen

Mom's idea of a great summer (or winter or spring or fall) day is reading.  And this woman can read!  Once she gets into a magazine or newspaper or book, she enters her own private world.  The concentration is so intense that she moves little and notices less.

Yesterday, while we were busy working in the yard, making dinner and just generally buzzing around, she sat as still as a statue completely engrossed in her magazine.  So still, in fact, that the little birdies decided she wasn't a problem and returned to gorging themselves on the bird feeder just inches above her head.  Mom had her summer zen thing going on and was in her zone.

The best part is once she sat down for dinner, she gushed over all the fab recipes (she hates to cook), the cosmetic powers of a good foundation (she disdains make-up for herself), and the mountain climbing vacation (she's afraid of heights).  I think the reason Mom has lived to the hearty age of 95 with her brain and enthusiasm still in tact is because she has discovered her perfect blend of real and fantasy living.

Hot Town, Summer in the City

The sights and sounds of summer.  So thankful for the simple pleasures of this season right in my own backyard:

Wishing you sweet summer pleasures without spending much money on gas.

Vision Correction

Road Trip ~ Atlanta continued

 

One of the unexpected pleasures of our Coca~Cola Museum adventure was a short movie featuring a lab geek and his assistant searching for reasons for Coke's massive, worldwide popularity.  We had already decided to experience the entire museum (well, except for having our pictures taken with two larger-than-life cartoon characters) so we dutifully got in line for the big event.  I say "big" because it was filmed in 3-D and shown on a massive screen in a tiny theater.

I did question the implications of signs over each entry way that read, If you have a back problem, are pregnant or don't want to get wet, please sit in the back two rows.  My Groovy companions shot me a glance but we decided to sit in the big girl seats so we moved along until we found seats that weren't dappled with fresh spots of water.  

Coca~Cola ripped a page right out of the Disney handbook when they made this movie because it was more like a theme park ride.  As we followed the main characters' quest, we experienced moving seats, cold air, wind and splashes of water, all in places appropriate to the adventure on the screen.  And the 3-D effects were so vivid I swear at one point that a sharp spear of wood was going to touch my face.

We oohed and aahed like little kids.  We may have been easy to please on that unbearably hot summer day in Atlanta, but pleased we were.  The special effects not only enhanced the movie experience, they cooled us off and left us laughing.

What really amazed us was the believability of the 3-D effects that came to life simply by wearing a cheap pair of cardboard glasses.  While our life experience told us this just couldn't be real, our eyes readily received the images, and our brains suspended reality and drew us into the 3-D world.

 As we walked back to our hotel, I began thinking about the life application in this movie experience ~ application as to how we choose to see things, which impacts how we live.  Some of us don't need a vision correction.  We see and live clearly, openly, boldly, joyfully in truth and integrity.  

Some of us need a little or even a lot of vision correction but are too vain, distracted, enmeshed or busy to realize that we are no longer seeing or living in a way that is truly best for us.  We have bought into the cultural or self-made lies of who, what, how and when we should be.  We are no longer seeing things clearly. 

Some of us are self-aware enough to detect our own vision deterioration but often we need the help of a seeing professional such as a trusted friend, counselor or other who speaks truth in love to help us discern our need for correction.  We are fortunate enough to accept a course correction with our vision restored through clear lenses.

Some of us prefer to view the world through rose-colored glasses.  There's nothing wrong with a joyful approach but it's joy-despite-circumstances not joy-by-ignoring-or-pretending-circumstances-don't-really-exist.  We are no longer seeing things clearly because we hide from the truth rather than live the truth.

Some of us  have taken this whole vision thing a whole step further and have donned the 3-D life as a Christ follower.  Seeing life through His perspective, we realize that our own worldly vision with or without worldly correction, isn't the fullest life we can have.  Donning His 3-D glasses our experience becomes so much more than we can muster on our own.  Our enhanced senses become keenly aware of the Garden life we were meant to experience from the beginning.  It's a much larger-than-life scenario than even our most talented movie makers or most vivid imagination can conjure ~ and it's real. 

I want to be His 3-D wearing, wild child who fully, joyfully experiences the roller coaster ride of my life~ powered, protected and enhanced by Christ



 

Airport Encounter

Road Trip ~ Atlanta continued

I was sitting eating a take-out salad in the Denver airport waiting for my connecting flight to Atlanta.  Restless, waiting for my plane, I stand.  Not something I normally do ~ stand eating while balancing a tray full of salad.  I just felt compelled to stand.

A dark-haired woman to my right catches my eye, smiles and comments on the large turquoise Indian bracelet on my right wrist.  Jewelry.  That is what appears to have made the connection but as our conversation unfolded, I realized it was really divinely arranged.

Her name is Sally and she was flying from SoCal to Atlanta.  Her extended family of Egyptian Coptic Christians was gathering together for her uncle's funeral.  When I asked about current affairs in Egypt after the "Arab Spring" her expression turned sober.

"It's very dangerous to be a Christian in Egypt right now," she said.  "When the revolution first happened it was a good thing, but now with the Egyptian Brotherhood there is much persecution.  There are kidnappings, rapes, robberies of Christians.  But we believe Jesus is with us and will protect us.  I have been so blessed on this trip to Atlanta because I have met a good woman like you."

She said that after I told her that I, too, believed and was traveling to Atlanta as well.  I asked if I could pray for her ~ and together with our backs to the crowd, we faced a window and I prayed for Sally and her family.

What deeply affected me was her countenance.  She simply glowed with the love of Jesus ~ a heartfelt joy despite circumstances.  She was a living example of my "words for the year."  I pray that Jesus touched her that day.  I know that He touched me.
 

House Repairs = Joy Practice

Sometimes joy comes from unexpected and unwanted places.  Yesterday, my joy (and gratitude) was fueled by my good fortune of living in a safe, beautiful, uplifting community.  Today my joy really puts despite circumstances to the test.

A couple of weeks ago I posted that a rather windy and strong winter-style rainstorm resulted in a leak in our roof right over our bed.  I was grateful for the timing of that the newly revealed leak because we now have several months to get our roof repaired or replaced before next winter's rains.

Today, I'm doing the joy-filled dance that the newly discovered termite infestation is mild and a fairly easy fix.  The men are coming today and within a few short hours we can put that repair behind us.

Of course, we still have some long deferred outside-the-house repairs to do this summer, but  we had already factored those into our time and budget.


So I am getting a lot of opportunities to experience joy (despite circumstances) thanks to our house.  Since it gives us shelter, safety and a nice place to hang out, I'd say taking care of it is a good investment, even if the problems didn't bring me joy practice.



 

Ordinary Joy and Gratitude

My walk this morning brought me to tears.  This may sound maudlin, but I love my All-American neighborhood

I love the artfully designed and well-cared-for front yards ~ the tall, breeze-catching trees that line the streets ~ the smell of a freshly cut lawn ~ the sound of kids playing in my local park ~ the alternating brilliant sunshine and dappled shade ~ the pets and their people ~ the houses that started out the same but have taken on their owners' characters over the years ~ the neighbors who lives in these houses.

I love that my All-American neighborhood sits in an All-American town.  It is clean.  It is safe.  It is beautiful.  And it's a short drive away from one of the most exciting cities in the world.

Make no mistake, things are not perfect in my perfect-looking town.  But for right now, today, this moment, I am going to bathe in the joy and gratitude I feel for the ordinary, the every day, the simple pleasures of my All-American neighborhood.

Can I Hear a Shout of Joy for the Leak in our Ceiling?

It has been cold and raining for three days.  Yesterday a leak developed in our bedroom ceiling and I stopped complaining about the rain.  Instead I was grateful that it happened now instead of during our real (winter) rainy season.  It will be dry and warm here in a day or two, summer will soon be ushered in, and we can have a new roof installed without much hassle.  I don't look forward to the expense but I am thankful for the timing.  Just trying to practice joy in circumstances.

Erosion by Any Other Word ...

Road Trip ~ Grand Canyon

Stick with me on this.  A few definitions are in order before I begin.

erosion ~ (n) 1.  the state of being eroded or the process of eroding 2. the group of natural processes including weathering, dissolution, abrasion, corrosion and transportation by which earthy or rock material is removed from any part of the earth's surface.

weathering ~ (n) any of the chemical or mechanical processes by which rocks exposed to the earth decay to soil.


dissolution ~ (n) 1. decomposition into fragments; disintegration. 2. termination or extinction by dispersion 3. extinction of life; death 


abrasion ~ (n) the process of wearing down or rubbing away by friction 2. a scraped or worn area.


corrosion ~ (n) 1. the act or process of dissolving or wearing away, especially metals  2. a substance, such as rust, resulting from such a process.


And now for a quick geology lesson...

The Grand Canyon was created by mountains forming, fluctuating sea levels, and the relentless eroding forces of moving water and wind.  It was a process that began 2 billion years ago with the colliding of Earth's surfaces to form North America.  The resulting heat and pressure from the process created the dark metamorphic rock that is now lies at the "basement" of the canyon.  Over time subsequent layers of diversified earth have been deposited by water or formed by geological processes.  Around 70 million years ago the continual moving North American Plate overrode the Pacific Plate, formed the Rocky Mountains and as a result, uplifted what is now known as the Colorado Plateau from sea level to thousands of feet above sea level, setting the stage for the carving of the Grand Canyon.


The real story begins...


A mere 5 or 6 million years ago, the Colorado River began carving out the Colorado Plateau as it flowed from the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of California.  The volume of water varied seasonally and over time.  Ten times the amount of water flowed during the last Ice Age 12,000 years ago than it does today.  Flowing water erode the softer upper canyon walls, exposing the harder layers underneath.  Wind continued to erode the exposed surfaces, layers collapsed, buttes and pinnacles formed.  Eighteen miles at its widest and about 200 miles long, it's an amazing testimony to the power of erosion, and it's a story that continues today.


The human application?


To quote the brochure, "Grand Canyon ~ a land to inspire our spirit ~ one of Earth's most powerful, inspiring landscapes ~ overwhelms our senses."  It is a mind boggling story of  geological processes played out over unimaginable time spans to create incredible beauty.  Most of us don't normally think of words like erosion, weathering, dissolution, abrasion and corrosion as agents of beauty.  We typically correlate them with destruction, impairment and even death.

As I stood out and looked at the sweeping vistas, I really had no words to describe the vision.  Even photographs capture but a narrow view of the almost unimaginable beauty.  The diversity of colors and shapes, the vastness, did not bring words like destruction to mind when I imagined the canyon being formed.  Instead I saw erosion in a new light.  I saw the beauty that was revealed when layers were pealed back; layers that could only have been revealed through the difficult process of erosion, weathering, dissolution, abrasion and corrosion.  It could have been formed no other way.

And so is God doing a work in me.  Over time, He has eroded the layers of pride, selfishness and other human foibles to reveal a more Christ-focused creation in me.  When I look back at some of the pain, uncomfortable circumstances or difficult seasons of my life I realize now that I was merely being formed into an upgraded version of myself.  Heaven knows, I have a ways to go before God's intended beauty is fully revealed in me, and I know it's a lifelong journey.  But my prayer is that at the end of my days, He will step back and say, "Well done, good and beautiful daughter."

So once again, I embrace joy ~ despite circumstances ~ because there simply is no other way to reveal my personal Grand Canyon.