Childs Eye View of Love

A cool little piece found through my wandering through blogs ...

Child's Eye-View of Love

Recently my youngest daughter, Eden, sent me a list of quotes that came from little children. Each child was asked to describe what love meant to them. Their answers were, at times, quite intriguing.

One in particular, from a four year old boy named Billy, has stuck with me. He said, When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.

That thought seems to say it all: When someone loves you . . . your name is safe in their mouth.

Behold this clarity of vision as love is defined by a little child. When we truly walk in Christ's love, those around us will be safe -- and others will see the love of Christ that controls us. Beloved, to walk in covering love is to show ourselves truly acquainted with Christ. Let us ask God, Father, show me my heart. Is Your love ruling, even in the unseen areas of my life? Are the names of others safe in my mouth?

Road Trip: Paulina Lake

It was hot and smokey here in Chiloquin, so my son Shay and I loaded up the car and headed out on another road trip! In Central Oregon, a little southeast of Bend, is a little known treasure called Newberry Crater. At some point in prehistory, the top of the mountain collapsed in on itself, leaving a large depression. Within this depression two lakes have formed, East Lake and Paulina Lake. And here is where we ended up ...

Paulina Creek Falls is located just west of Paulina Lake outside Newberry Crater. This double falls drops 60 feet onto the jumble of rocks below. The jumble of rocks is the result of the falls slowly eroding their way upstream. ( I imagine that eventually it'll work its way upstream to Paulina Lake, then its bye bye lake. lol) The upper viewpoint overlooks the falls from the south side of the creek. The lower viewpoint is accessed via a quarter mile trail down to the creek below the falls.

Here is Paulina Peak being reflected in Paulina Lake.

We checked out East Lake to see if we wanted to camp there, but alas, no dogs allowed on the beach and it just wouldn't be right tying up Charlie Dog.

Shay showing off his mushroom hat!

It was an excellent adventure to get away from the smoke and there is still a lot more to explore here for sure!

Grandson Pix!

Time for some Grandpa braggin' ... Here is the latest picture of my Grandson Francis and son Ben!

Wild Iris

Love Should Grow Up Like a Wild Iris in the Fields

Love should grow up like a wild iris in the fields,

unexpected,

after a terrible storm,

opening a purple mouth to the rain,

with not a thought to the future,

ignorant of the grass and the graveyard of leaves around,

forgetting its own beginning.

Love should grow like a wild iris but does not.

Love more often is to be found in kitchens at the dinner hour,

tired out and hungry,

lingers over tables in houses where the walls record movements,

while the cook is probably angry,

and the ingredients of the meal are budgeted,

while a child cries feed me now and her mother not quite hysterical says over and over,

wait just a bit,

just a bit,

love should grow up in the fields like a wild iris

but never does really startle anyone,

was to be expected,

was to bepredicted,

is almost absurd,

goes on from day to day,

not quite blindly,

gets taken to the cleaners every fall,

sings old songs over and over,

and falls on the same piece of rug that never gets tacked down,

gives up,

wants to hide,

is not brave,

knows too much,

is not like an iris growing wild but more like staring into space in the street

not quite sure which door it was,

annoyed about the sidewalk being slippery,

trying all the doors,

thinking if love wished the world to be well,

it would be well.

Love should grow up like a wild iris,

but doesn't,

it comes fromthe midst of everything else,

sees like the iris of an eye,

when the light is right,

feels in blindness and when there is nothing else is tender,

blinks,

and opens face up to the skies.

~ Susan Griffin ~

Being Right!

Some thoughts going through my mind over the past few days ...

Christianity can be a real challenge for me, as Jesus calls us to accept our mistakes. Accepting is not the same as excusing, however much the two things may get confused in my head. I am what I do, and I cannot hide from that. But darn ... I really want to be "right." Even more difficult, Jesus asks His followers to admit that we cannot do anything about our mistakes without the loving grace of God.

Grace is a foreign element for people who like to be right, as it means trusting in God instead of in yourself alone. (That’s not easy when you secretly think that God should hand over the managerial duties of the universe to you.) A friend at work (whose name I cannot spell lol) helped me to realise this when he said, “It is more important to be kind than to be right.”

This jolted me. I thought of Jesus’ words: “Seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness.” There is surely a difference between the righteousness that Jesus makes a priority and merely being right, a difference that Paul elaborates on in his first letter to the people of Corinth:

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing…Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Corinthians 13:2, 4-5

Once you know this, it gets easier to be generous with other people and not chalk up their mistakes on some private slate. It ceases to matter whether you were in the wrong or in the right, or possibly a mixture of both. St John of the Cross, a Spanish mystic who suffered imprisonment and persecution for his faith, wrote that, ”In the evening of life we will be judged on our love.” He was drawing on the Bible’s teaching that faith, hope, and love are the only things that will last into eternity, ‘and the greatest of these is love’.

Have a most blessed evening everyone!

The Pirate Ten Commandments

This one is a bit unusual ... The Pirate Ten Commandments

1. Avast on all other gods, an' avast on them graven images too.

2. Don't be usin' My name unless ye mean it, or I'll 'ave ye walk the plank.

3. Remember who provides yer swag and booty and show yer gratitude every week.

4. Don't be disrespecting yer Mum and Da, ye mutinous whelps.

5. Avast on killin', ye scurvy knaves.

6. Stow yer oar where it belongs, if ye get my meanin'.

7. Keep yer grubby mitts off of swag that ain't yers.

8. Tell the truth or I'll 'ave ye keelhauled.

9. Don't be wantin' to moor to someone else's berth.

10. Don't be wantin' someone else's lad or wench or booty.

The Grace Prayer

The Grace Prayer

For Thee I thirst.
Into Thy hands I commit my spirit,
My soul, my body, my life,
This problem, all unforgiven states.
Thy will is my will.
Thy will be done through me.
Heal me at depth.
Reveal that which needs to be revealed.
Heal that which needs to be healed
So I can glorify You, God,
And live in the fullness of grace.
It is finished.

By Reverend Debbie Tyson

Have a blessed evening everyone!

Tim