At first it looks like a wild, unprofessional arrangement. And it is. But sit with the picture for a minute and see what it says. Listen. Do you hear? The gift is in the colors and how they compliment each other. How they blend. How they reinforce each other. Today I will be more attentive to the amazing colors around me. I hope you will spend a few minutes of your day appreciating the diversity and the unity of life around you. Take in the colors. May this day be one of gratitude and appreciation.
Ducks on the ground are cute and taking photos of them is fun as they waddle and splash around the pond. But unless he looks up, he won’t see the graceful beauty of the white bird floating above his head. Look up. Don’t keep your eyes on the ground. Look up and be amazed. Yes, it’s a metaphor. At least one a day is good for you!
Few things are more beautiful than clouds during the Monsoon season in the Sonoran Desert. What a wonderful reminder of creation’s gentleness and power in the same blink of an eye. Thank you, Creative Genius, for displaying your breath of Grace.
Mr. Hummingbird and I have something in common. We’re both waiting for the dawn. We’re watching for the morning’s arrival. Waiting. Watching. Being still. Listening to the silence. Looking here and there for signs of darkness retreating. It’s almost like putting yourself into a contemplative moment, settling in for an experience of The Holy. What if we treat this day as the bearer of the Sacred, the means by which The Mystery lives within all the good creation? Makes the dawn extra special, doesn’t it. So, pull your chair over to the window and watch. Something remarkable is about to happen. The gift of today is arriving and it bears a presence and a promise: with you always. I think it’s getting lighter outside.
They’re not very pretty. That is, some limbs are missing, their shape is not attractive, rather scrawny. But. When I saw them I thought of a burning bush story and I looked at all the surrounding bushes and they weren’t glowing and I thought to myself: See what light can do! Light, the light of the morning, is life-giving, an energy source that, like an electrical current, powers up the average and turns average into astonishing. “I am the light,” he said once. I am the source. Walk in that Light and you’ll glow today.
Holiness is not the way to Christ; Christ is the way to holiness.
C.H. Spurgeon
I’ve got to look better, act better, do better, sound better…I’ve got to be better before I can become friends with God. And if I try harder, pray more, study twice as much as I do now, then I will be qualified to follow Christ. I need to be holy in order to associate with the Holy.
I feel for the person who thinks this way. The fact of the matter is, he’s exactly wrong. Holiness is not a requirement for friendship with God or for participation in God’s church, the Body of Christ. Holiness is the outcome of surrender and commitment. Remember the line in that old hymn: Just as I am without one plea…O Lamb of God, I come.
I wonder how many people miss the richness of life in Christ because they are convinced they can’t make the cut? Not good enough. Not worthy. All the while, it’s not a question of worthiness. It’s the realization that I can’t do it all myself and the courage to take the chance. Holiness is the gift, and Christ is the giver.
So, what is this? It’s the medal platform at the Floral Olympics. It’s the representation of The Trinity in Theology. It’s an aid in learning to count: 1, 2, 3… It’s the invasion of alien flower brains that will take over. It’s a mirage. It’s not really there. It’s a lovely plant beside a path. That’s all. That’s plenty. Don’t make life any more complicated than it is. Live simple. Open your eyes. Be amazed in this moment. Say: Thank you.
Always nice when a friend stops by for breakfast. Or to chat a little, or just to say hello and “I was thinking about you recently and wanted you to know how much I appreciate your friendship.” Think today about your friends, the close ones and the casual ones. And hold them in your mind and heart in the presence of Christ.
Shining Spirit 
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