Back to the past

Solitude is not isolating but an opportunity to talk with Jesus.

Quote for Today:  Were I to wander with no purpose to the thoughts of my mind, the eternal force of God's hand would ever guide me on my way. (From my book that6 never was) Copyrighted

Today is a new beginning. It contains lessons of yesterday and the promises of tomorrow. The journey is only guaranteed for the moment we are in, not for what is yet to be. We often find ourselves facing obstacles to our faith. Everyone faces them. Sometimes we find ourselves in a place of personal let down, a vacuum. Any number of things can cause this. How do you treat this and where do you go with it? Who do you blame? Should you blame God? His purpose is far above ours and not within our understanding. This is a form of solitude and an opportunity to talk with Jesus. Some will close themselves off because the result was not what they wanted. My answer will be a question. Where do you want me to go from here Lord? The answer might not be fourth coming but you will be answered. I have waited years for an answer and am still waiting for some answers. Luke 11:9 “ So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.” Remember, it took multiple tries for the door to be opened. Answers are provided at the proper time, his time not ours. Don’t turn your back on Him because the answer was not immediate. It WILL come in HIS time.

I thought maybe it is time for some spring thoughts. It is obvious that just about all of us northern latitude dwellers need some warm sunshine. With yet another snow storm looming we need some HOPE that SPRING is on the way. First let me say that where I live the promise of spring is when the male Northern Cardinals begin to sing their territorial song. I have such a cardinal doing just that. That brings a coast to coast smile every time I hear it. This does not mean spring is just going to happen tomorrow but it gives a spot of hope that it will be beginning soon. Sunshine amidst a foot of snow and ice is reason to celebrate. I love photography of our feathered friends. I recently shared some of them privately and they were well received. So! Guess what? Right! Today is yippee, the birds are coming.

Since my favorite winter bird is the cardinal and he is singing the song of spring, he will be first. 

I was filling the feeder when I stopped to take this picture. Decked out in his finest he was singing his territorial song. Beautiful bird any time of the year.

Here he is on the feeder. This is what he was waiting for.

  

His mate is always there when he shows up. Difficult shot. She is first to take off with any sudden moves or noises.

The next series is of a bluebird that was kind enough to pose for me. She was not afraid of me so I was able to get fairly close to take her pictures. That was my explanation to the inn keeper where we were staying at the time. She had tried and couldn’t get this kind of picture. Enjoy.

Next is a fun picture and a VERY hard one to get. This is by, the way, our smallest falcon at 9” long (the American Kestrel). As a teen I was privileged to hold one of these little beauties on my hand. It had flown into a window of a friend and been dazed. It was released when it recovered.

This was a shot taken from 50 or so feet. He was at the top of a pine tree on the neighbor’s property. This is a favored spot for birds of prey. I have a bunch of pictures using this spot.. Note the very distinct facial markings.

Next and finally a woodpecker. This is not just any woodpecker. This is the largest woodpecker in North America. The Pileated Woodpecker is 16” long with a wing span of 29” this is one large bird. The photograph and the one of the Bluebird was taken at the Feathered Nest Inn in Woodstock, Virginia.

  

I hope you liked the spring/summer detour. I very much enjoyed bringing it to you. I may share some more thoughts of spring in the near future. As always, remember to "Always Love The Details."

Starvation

 Death by starvation is slow.

Mary Hunter Austin

There are many forms of starvation none of which are pleasant. For anyone who has witnessed starvation of anything in this world, animal, vegetable or human, the memory of it is near impossible to erase. The Lord said to feed his sheep. ((Jn 21:15–17) He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.") The first two times (bosko) referred to physical feeding of the flock.  The third time (“shepherd,” poimaino) referred to the spiritual feeding of the flock. The physical feeding of the flock is important for the physical health of the individual. It is the lack of food that causes the depravity we experience in a starved entity. Plants wither, animals and people grow weak and the skeleton become visually pronounced. These are easy to recognize and remedy compared to spiritual depravity. Consider what it is like to be deprived of food for the body. The pain of starvation can be severe enough to influence behaviors not normal for anyone. The need to feed the hunger can be overwhelming. Theft and even harming others to get what the body needs to survive.

Now consider what starvation of spirituality is like. There are few if any outward signs of spiritual depravity. The signs are there but few of us are able to see the underlying pain and emptiness or hunger. It is hard to imagine someone who is deprived of the word of God in the world but the reality is that there are many souls living in a vacuum devoid of the knowledge Christ or the graces of God's spirit. When someone is in such a state it is hard for them to acknowledge the possibility of what God and Christ are offering. It is like living in total darkness and suddenly light illuminates everything. Things never known to exist are visible, touchable, accessible. It is much the same as physical hunger yet different. It was not visible to the outside world but very much felt in the heart and soul of the person experiencing it. We are the light of this world, called and commissioned to be the example to others that the promise of Christ's forgiveness of sins through God's grace is real. We are to be the image of God on this earth. If you become the visible light for others, If you spark the spirit to see the light of grace outside the vacuum, a soul will be given hope where there was none. It may not be known to you but the life given to the hopeless is of no small consequence. Christ said "feed my children." It is as relevant today as it was back then.

May the good Lord bless and keep you safe.

Remember to "Always Love The details."

reaching out and being personal

 

For quite some time and in many posts I have relied on the quotes and sayings of others to save time in preparing my posts. The problem with that is it is not truly personal. It gets the message across but falls flat when it comes to life in this day and age. Today's Brainy Quote says it all. Just because life speeds up does not mean our hearts and brains stop working in favor of non-communication of the heart. In recent years there has been a huge increase of views with few increases in comments. It is a blessing to be visited by so many readers. In no way am I complaining. The blessing is in reaching so many wonderful souls. It is beyond my understanding how that is possible. Our Lord works His wonders in many ways. When it is you whom he works through, we are often humbled and amazed at His work and the results. In so many ways it shows us what it must have been like for the disciples when He called them and they left everything to follow Jesus. How wonderful it must have been to see all of the works and miracles in their presence. Today the calling to follow is one of faith and belief in the grace of the Lord. The physical presence may not be there but in time you can feel His touch and hear His voice and you know He is really there with you, guiding you and teaching you the way you should go. I often find the words used are not my words but those chosen for me to say or write. On reading them myself it is a teaching experience for me as well as a humbling experience. All of the things mentioned in the quote above are of the Lord. The Lord is kind. The Lord is profound love experienced through His grace whenever we humble ourselves in His presence. 

May the good Lord bless and keep you safe.

Remember to "Always Love The Details."

Saints

It is not a man’s condition, but virtue, that can make him truly great or truly happy. How mean soever a person’s station or circumstances may be, the road to both is open to him; and there is not a servant or slave who ought not to be enkindled with a laudable ambition of arriving at this greatness, which will set him on the same level with the rich and the most powerful

John Gilmary Shea, Pictorial Lives of the Saints (New York; Cincinnati; Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1887), 502.

Consider this: Had it not been for the eternal love of God, Christ would not have been born as pure gift for the forgiveness of a sinful humanity. Humanity has not stopped sinning in the 2000 years since that sacrifice. The forgiveness has covered it forevermore. Be joyful and repent of our sinful short comings. His love has conquered our sinful ways for all time.

May the good Lord bless and keep you save.

Remember to "Always Love The Details."

A higher law

 

Few are called to serve God by great actions, but all are bound to strive after perfection in the ordinary actions of their daily life.

John Gilmary Shea, Pictorial Lives of the Saints (New York; Cincinnati; Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1887), 495.

It is in the heart of a dreamer to be famous in the eyes of those around us. Fame is not without its cost or consequences. For the Christian it is not what we do but what Christ deems is needed to produce the results He desires. If fame is gained in following His word, then it is to the glory of God that fame is obtained. It is far sweeter to know Christ has blessed us with His grace than to bask in the fame the world would place on our shoulders. It would be far better to bask in the love of our father in heaven than to be held on a high pedestal in this world.

May the good Lord bless and keep you safe.

Remember to "Always Love The Details."

Eternal Love

 

4 See, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts.

The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition (Washington, DC: National Council of Churches of Christ, 1993), Mal 4:1–3.

The birth of the Lord has passed and we live in the day of the Lord's presence. Rejoice in the loving presence of His grace. Lowly though we may be, He keeps us safe no matter what the day brings. Do you not know you are precious to Him? Do you not know it is as though no one else exists, that you are the only one in His presence? Do you not know there is nothing He does not know about you? We are blessed to be able to be in His presence in the Holy of Holies. His death on the cross tore the curtain that separates us from the Holy of Holies and moved it into our bodies. When we believe we become Holy ground. We are now the home of his presence through the Holy spirit of God. That is how special we are to Him. That is how much He loves each and every one of us. We do not deserve his love. We cannot earn His love nor is it for sale. It is free gift. It is the beginning of eternity in His grace. 

May the good Lord bless and keep you safe.

Remember to "Always Love The Details."

Happy New Year

I don't believe in New Year's resolutions. I think if you want to change something, change it today and don't wait until the New Year.

Georgina Bloomberg

Happy New Year

Happiness and Blessings.