Chosen Joy

Today is Day 21. And its all about JOY.To read the collective tread lightly over here.

Scatter Joy

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Am I the scatterer of, stumbler of the stumbled on?

Do I throw it out for seekers and needers starving for joyers?

Am I the depleter of or replenisher of?

Has He not provided like mana, the morsels of Joy enough to feast on, then re-stock the life shelves with?

When will I be the Joy in the life of the hungry for?

When will I take my portion and give it back to the malnourished in sadness, the Joy-starved?

So Today I choose Joy.

And look to pick up with a cheerful heart, renewing the heart with gratitude.

And knock the socks off others with the Joy that I have so graciously been given.

Strong Joy, meaty Joy, pulsing the veins,the life-blood, beating the heart, filling the soul.

Today I choose, for me and my house, JOY.

She sings like music to the ears of a weary one.

Transforms the death march into the dance of joyous celebration. Trumpets the return of living.

Joy, the tear-wiper, Joy, the soul- cleanser,

Joy the re-storer of dry-bones death.

Ode to Joy, a Alleluia Chorus of Praise for the hearts of the weary women.

Counting it all this in all,

Joy.

Leaning into the Joy of the Lord, a walking cane, a brace, my rod and staff.

Joy.

And I bleet like a sheep, crying out to my Shepherd,

Restore my Joy as I choose Joy,

Today.

Joining Deidra

And L.L. Barkat for In On and Around Mondays.

Catching Some Z’s

Today is Day 20. To  read the collective tiptoe over here for other words. Today’s word is Laughter. And Rest.  A double portion for your weekend.

Hope you are able to rest a bit in His Grace and Mercy this day and every day.Catch some Z’s and LAUGH.

Z’s

Z is zig zaggy.
Beats to his own drum.
With his horizontal, vertical, diagonal sweeps
Zooms in and out, looking for a word to join.
Poor Z, least used.
But Z can be so useful
Zipping up jackets, zesting lemons.
Z should zip his lips sometimes.
Gets too zealous and full of zeal.
Going on and on about zoology and zenzizenzizenzic.
Bragging about his membership in all those
Elite Greek clubs. Watch out Z.
There’s zeta phi and zeta mu and more.
Bu Z knows his place.
At the end of the line.
Hanging out.
‘Til he’s needed.

Catching some Z’s,  

Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence.

Proverbs 100:2

Joining Sandra today and a new friend, Cheryl.


Day 19 – Peace In A Sea of Change

Today is Day 19.

{Writer’s Prologue – Strangely my spirit grieves the two/third’s way through, my math mind is icky, or so, I find myself in this Series. It has brought so much richness and fullness and I release to God the Day 32 which is to say the first day without the Series guiding and shaping.  And your eyes and heart here provide me a richness of community. If you would like to receive posts via email click here. The future is full of endless possibility and words beyond this series. Thanks for being a Pilgrim with me. ]

There is what is called the “cushion of the sea.” Down beneath the surface…there is a part of the sea that is never stirred. The peace of God is that eternal calm which, like the cushion of the sea, lies far too deep down to be reached by any external trouble or disturbance…
Dr. A.T. Pierson

Do you know this place where change looms all around. And it feels like sediment stirred up from ocean’s floor. You seek the sieve to filter what of it is good. Perhaps its all. Good. From the God of Good.

Can you hear the seas roar loud like Lion’s roar, a strong bold change.

We sit for long sessions now, The Patient One and I. And there is so much for us it takes my breath away. So much for us to discuss and navigate through. This ship, our lives.

Our church is experiencing deep and wide and profound change. We may make one too as it makes its, change. I walk around with a grievous spirit. And fear that I will weep on Sunday as I serve communion at the rail. I look in eyes that experience a ripping kind of change. Division and confusion. We vote on change.

In our church in days, in our country in days.

And colleges will vote on whether my child comes to them or not. Or maybe its a sweeping decision of a committee of one at these institutions.

But God knows. And he loves. And we desperately seek His will in a sea of change.

For us it may involve boxes and change of address forms, but it may not. That is the way of releasing all to Him. That is the way of abandoning plans while seeking His.

There may be changes in schools and there is a deep desire to seek this path He has for the middle one, the one who looks at schools for art and schools based on Military dictums or simply coming out into the world.

It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean revel in Him.

The Message, Philippians 4:4-7

And maybe peace in a sea of change is handing him the oars, the paddle, the motor, any steering mechanism on board and drifting.

Drifting on the swells of trust into His arms.

And praying for Him to guide and steer and love us.

Into oceans of change. While we release and abandon our compasses, our course.

He the Map Holder. We fall into His arms.

And I weep.

My ocean is one of tears. May they be salted with sweet and savory knowing that His ways roar with excellence and perfection.

And that the cross is squarely in our cross-hairs, our plumb line His horizon.

{Writer’s postscipt- Thankful for a community of tear-catchers. You know who you are}

To read the collective click here. Today is Day 19. I weep. Todays word is Change.

Linking this post with my friend, Shelly at Redemption’s Beauty. She is writing for 31 Days. Can you hear the release in the air.

Walking

This is Day 17. You may read the collective here.

Yesterday was FearTomorrow, I will be reflecting somewhat on Emily Wierenga’s book “Chasing Silhouettes” and Emily’s beautiful story of hope and redemption.

Today, is a new day…and we’re simply Walking.

To wake up and walk.

Oh the joy in the new mercy steps to life.

To take a step away from old and into the hope-filled new.

From the past  to the promise-filled present.

Like brick-layers we lay a step, lay- place a foot on the path,

Seal it with the concrete Promise of The Cross

And Prayer. Always.

Fill the holes and cracks, the porous with portions of faith.

Make it steady, make it firm, solid

Soil fertile,

Soil rich, with Hope

And walking out not alone but with.

With the weary fellow pilgrims.

With the broken, hurting co-laborers.

Alongside a community of sojourners.

Covering in grace, clothing a weary walker in a word.

Bracing her up with the walking stick of prayer,

Carved in words, as wooden vessels of encouragement.

Walk alongside you weary walkers,

Step in tandem with the others.

Bear up the burden of the fellow traveller.

And carry her when she cannot take another step

As the hands and feet of the Water Walker,

Be the hands, the feet of Him. The Christ.

Walk beside, walk behind,

Walk in love, throw out the seeds of hope to find your way along the trail.

From this to that, and here to there

The One Who Walked On Water has walked it all before.

So Brave and Steady you may tread, along the Walking Path of Life.

So Brave and Fear-less you now may run,

Down the road to Truly, Freely  Living.

The one that’s mark for You.

Writing in community with Duane, Emily, Jennifer, and Ann