Heaven in a Wild Flower

To see a World in a grain of sand
And Heaven in a wild flower
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour -William Blake

Earth laughs in flowers.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) ...

The Gift

The Gift Time wants to show you a different country.

It's the one

that your life conceals, the one waiting outside

when curtains are drawn, the one Grandmother hinted at

in her crochet design, the one almost found

over at the edge of the music, after the sermon. It's the way life is, and you have it,

a few years given.

You get killed now and then, violated

in various ways. (And sometimes it's turn about.)

You get tired of that. Long-suffering, you wait

and pray, and maybe good things come - maybe

the hurt slackens and you hardly feel it any more.

You have a breath without pain. It is called happiness. It's a balance, the taking

and passing along,

the composting of where you've been and how people

and weather treated you. It's a country where

you already are, bringing where you have been.

Time offers this gift in its millions of ways,

turning the world, moving the air, calling,

every morning, "Here, take it, it's yours."

~ William Stafford ~

Silence

"Silence comes to heal the blows of sound."

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Be Still ...

God Speaks to Man:

I speak to you.
Be still
Know I am God.

I spoke to you when you were born.
Be still
Know I am God.

I spoke to you at your first sight.
Be still
Know I am God.

I spoke to you at your first word.
Be still
Know I am God.

I spoke to you at your first thought.
Be still
Know I am God.

I spoke to you at your first love.
Be still
Know I am God.

I spoke to you at your first song.
Be still
Know I am God.

I speak to you through the grass of the meadows.
Be still
Know I am God.

I speak to you through the trees of the forests.
Be still
Know I am God.

I speak to you through the valleys and the hills.
Be still
Know I am God.

I speak to you through the Holy Mountains.
Be still
Know I am God.

I speak to you through the rain and snow.
Be still
Know I am God.

I speak to you through the waves of the sea.
Be still
Know I am God.

I speak to you through the dew of the morning.
Be still
Know I am God.

I speak to you through the peace of the evening.
Be still
Know I am God.

I speak to you through the splendour of the sun.
Be still
Know I am God.

I speak to you through the brilliant stars.
Be still
Know I am God.

I speak to you through the storm and the clouds.
Be still
Know I am God.

I speak to you through the thunder and lightening.
Be still
Know I am God.

I speak to you through the mysterious rainbow.
Be still
Know I am God.

I will speak to you when you are alone
Be still
Know I am God.

I will speak to you through the Wisdom of the Ancients.
Be still
Know I am God.

I will speak to you at the end of time.
Be still
Know I am God.

I will speak to you when you have seen my Angels.
Be still
Know I am God.

I will speak to you throughout Eternity.
Be still
Know I am God.

I speak to you.
Be still
Know I am God.

god speaks to man - essene gospel of peace

In The Garden

This hymn I like to share was a favorite of my fathers. I was brought near tears hearing it again ...

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses
And He walks with me
And He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known
He speaks and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing
And He walks with me
And He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known
I'd stay in the garden with Him
'Tho the night around me be falling
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling
And He walks with me
And He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known
Words and Music by Charles Austin Miles, 1913

Miles gave the background to this beautiful hymn in his own words:

"I read the story of the greatest morn in history. The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, while it was yet very dark, unto the sepulcher. Instantly, completely, there unfolded in my mind the scenes of the garden, where out of the mists comes a form, halting, hesitating, tearful, seeking, turning from side to side in bewildering amazement.

"Falteringly, bearing grief in every accent, with tear-dimmed eyes, she whispers, 'If Thou has borne Him hence.'

"He speaks, and the sound of His voice is so sweet the birds hush their singing. He said to her "Mary!"

"Just one word and forgotten are the heartaches, the long dreary hours, all the past blotted out in His presence."

Have a blessed evening everyone!

Tim

Set on Fire!

The ennobling power of love

When a human heart is set on fire with love, the entire human being is enlightened by its radiance. All extraneous things step back to the background, and a soul can completely, sometimes even ecstatically, plunge into contemplation of the beloved one. Even the most dry and boring people change when they fall in love, their soul softening and becoming bright, as if having wings. For other people a person who is loved by someone does not seem to be any better or more handsome than others, but for the lover he or she is the only one, the incomparable and the irreplaceable. This is the idealization that is so often described in literature. It means that through an external cover, we, in light of love, see the ideal side of the loved one which is hidden from others. It is present in every human being, as an image of God, not noticeable, and very often suppressed by the external shell, by appearance or "character," which is always something secondary, and not representing the "essence."

All the power of love consists in the fact that through love we are as though touching upon the internal beauty of a human being. We cannot leave the person ... we would like to be joined with the loved one forever. A soul that has experienced those feelings even once will preserve memories about their transforming and creative power for the rest of its life.

It is exactly in the rushes of love that a soul experiences a deep need to come out of the boundaries of its own personality in order to be united with a loved one. The need for love witnesses that it is impossible to retire into oneself, all the natural limits of individuality are overcome in love, and its shell is torn apart. That is why in the rushes of love a human being starts to be burdened by himself: to retire into oneself, in the light of love, means to condemn oneself to loneliness, to find oneself in a metaphysical emptiness. That is why our soul is tirelessly looking for somebody to love in order to find a point of rest and a purpose for existence.

The power of poetic imagination that is so characteristic for young love, through which we idealize a loved one, is not some play of fantasy. On the contrary, it reveals a deep thirst for a spiritual and absolute life.

~Bishop Alexander (Mileant)

There is so much in these paragraphs that resound deeply within my soul I can't really summarize it!

Tim

In Awe of Wonder

Here is a cool quote from Joshua Abraham Heschel.

"Dear Lord, grant me the grace of wonder. Surprise me, amaze me, awe me in every crevice of your universe. Delight me to see how Christ plays in ten thousand places, lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his, to the Father through features in men's faces. each day enrapture me with your marvelous things without number. I do not ask to see the reason for it all; I ask only to share the wonder of it all." Sometimes I think we spend to much time isolated in our living rooms, not to hot, not to cold and we lose the awesomeness, or wonder of the world around us.We lose the wonder in the little things, the seasons, a deer in the meadow, a child licking an ice cream cone ... Even in the mudane things He is there. (Something I tend to forget.) There is a tendency to live practical lives and miss the awe, reverence and wonder all around us. God intends for us to discover His presence in the world, and the people He loves around us.

Have a blessed day everyone! Tim

Every Seventh Letter - TORAH

An interesting thing I found in a blog ... Just because the Bible was originally written in Hebrew/Greek, that does not mean God cannot do wonderful things in His Word in Any language.

FOR INSTANCE. take the book Genesis.. in the original Hebrew language.

Genesis 1:1

what is the 7th letter ?? it is a " T "
what is the 14th letter? it is a " O "
...and the 21st letter ? it is a " R "
....and the 28th letter ? it is a " A "
....and the 32nd letter ? it is a " H "

all I did was look at every 7th letter !

Now.. Exodus 1:1

what is the 7th letter ?? it is a " T "
what is the 14th letter? it is a " O "
...and the 21st letter ? it is a " R "
....and the 28th letter ? it is a " A "
....and the 32nd letter ? it is a " H "

Now .. Leviticus.

Every 7th letter ..

...........???? NOTHING !!!!!! "gibberish" (forgive me Lord ) !!

NUMBERS 1:1

what is the 7th letter ?? it is a " H "
what is the 14th letter? it is a " A "
...and the 21st letter ? it is a " R "
....and the 28th letter ? it is a " O "
....and the 32nd letter ? it is a " T "

DUET: 1:1

what is the 7th letter ?? it is a " H "
what is the 14th letter? it is a " A "
...and the 21st letter ? it is a " R "
....and the 28th letter ? it is a " O "
....and the 32nd letter ? it is a " T "


Look !!!! The first two books are pointing to Leviticus
The last two books of the torah are pointing to Leviticus also

LEVITICUS IS THE TORAH (the law) !!!!

Its amazing the off the wall "gems" one can find in the Bible!

Tim

Camping With Elijah

Good afternoon! A thought on 1Kings 19:9-14. Elijah, had said so often that he had “been very jealous for the Lord of Hosts.” A fiery intense man for sure, one I can’t wait to meet in heaven. (Can you imagine going camping with Elijah…but I digress…) Yet for all that, there is something very profound that the great prophet does not understand, prompting God to teach him a lesson:

“And He said: ‘Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord.’ And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.”

When vigilantism, thunder and zeal have done their best, the “still small voice” will, in the end, prove far more effective. Just a thought …

Tim, who has been camping of late ….

Junkyard Theology

I met with God in a junkyard yesterday. This weekend I took an adventure with my son Ben to a junkyard. Looking for parts for his baby Ford Explorer of course! lol But I think I saw some shadows of God there as well. I saw Him first in a sticker in my foot. I was searching for a jack that someone had left out there so that we could use it, and as I bent down to pick off the sticker - I found the jack. Oh, thank You Lord!

And then again later on, as I gazed about - sitting atop what once was a screaming hot red firebird, the wind was blowing and I was just generally feeling God's love. I wondered: how many of us belong in a junkyard? And how many times do people look us over: needing or wanting just one part of us or another? Yet God pulls us out of the yard; all the parts we have with us. And He cleans us up, takes out the bad parts - replaces them with shiny new ones. After all the major repairs are made, He gives us a beautiful glossy paint job. If we mess up and ask for forgiveness, He runs us through the car wash.

So today, I'm thanking God for pulling me out of the junkyard and making me into what is becoming beautiful car! Or in my son's case ... A beautiful red Ford Explorer ...Abba, my prayer today is that You would remind me when I need routine maintenance. I love You, and all I want is to serve You and bring You glory! Keep me renewed, Lord Jesus!

Amen.

And A Meadowlark Sang

An oldie but goody ...

And A Meadowlark Sang

Ravindra Kumar Karnani

"The child whispered, 'God, speak to me'

And a meadow lark sang.

The child did not hear.

So the child yelled, 'God, speak to me!'

And the thunder rolled across the sky

But the child did not listen.

The child looked around and said,

'God let me see you' and a star shone brightly

But the child did not notice.

And the child shouted,

'God show me a miracle!'

And a life was born but the child did not know.

So the child cried out in despair,

'Touch me God, and let me know you are here!

'Whereupon God reached down

And touched the child.

But the child brushed the butterfly away

And walked away unknowingly."

Tim ..... On the other side

Since coming home fron the hospital, barely surviving a major heart attack with complications, doing the near death thing .... I have been asked often in various forms, "What was it like?" Here is how the question was put in the Yahoo group "a_savedsinglesgetaway":

Tim, what was it like ? what were you thinking and feeling during the whole time ? Did you think you were going Home ? Any Visions ? Any Voices ? Was there a Light in a tunnel ?

Would you be interested in sharing ?

As you know we all were praying for you, Melissa and your family did you ever think at some time during the whole time going to the hospital or in the hospital that things may have turned out different ?

I'm not really ready to answer this question yet but this is the answer I gave to the group:

I'm afraid I'm going to be disappointing answering this. My experience through the whole thing is so much different than for my family those around me. Never once did I think about death or dying ... It just never entered my mind! I don't really know what happened the first days other than I dialed 911 to have the Chiloquin ambulance to the hospital. I remember only very little of the emergency room and nothing after that until I woke up in Medford a few days later. All I can really say is that whenever I went through big anxiety or whatever (I was real sick for a couple of weeks in Medford and had to have 3 more surgeries) the Lord always provided this peace, a feeling of warmth and assurance no matter how much "faith" I had at the time.

The effect on Melissa, Ben, Xalina and Shay, was totally different. They were told I had next to no chance of living more than a few hours. I can only begin to imagine what that was like! Xalina in fact was told that if she wanted to see her Dad alive she better get in the car right now and make the trip to Klamath. She lives 6 hours away (I guessed it was 5 hours this trip) in Lincoln City. It was only a couple of days later after the "life flight" to Medford and many hours of surgery that the story changed and I was going to make it after all. My eyes still tear up thinking about all this ...

One thing I would like to point out is that a whole lot of Christians were involved in this which shows to me Gods hand in all this. My main surgeon Dr. Yondell, the greatest heart Doctor on the Left Coast, is very up front about his faith as well as the other surgeons. Many Nurses as well.

One last thing ... Please keep us all in prayer. Melissa and I are still sorting things out, My son Ben has lost it more than a couple times but is coming around with me and other issues in his life. The toll of Ben and his stuff on our marriage has been high. Xalina still calls me everyday to see if I'm alright. I have to see her again someday soon so she can see with her eyes I'm getting better. Its going to take awhile for things to return to normal ... In fact it never will as this has been such a life changing thing for all of us. Thank God for each new day ... I know now how precious they are ... troubles, hurt or not ...

Have a blessed afternoon everyone!

Tim

The Master Weaver

Something I came across:

"There is a Jewish belief that there is no such thing as coincidences. If you take the Hebrew word for 'coincidence' & spell it backwards, you get "God has woven." What may appear to us as coincidences are all part of God's plan.

If you look at a beautifully woven rug or needlepoint from underneath, all you'll see is a disjointed crisscrossed tangle without any pattern or harmony. God is the Master Weaver, but all too often we, with our limited human perspective, manage to see only the crisscrossed tangle. We should never lack the faith that there is a pattern and that a/the Master Weaver is watching over it."

Pretty cool stuff huh! Just wanted to share it with you all.

Finding The Will

The phrase "finding the will of God" is a popular one. But when thinking of it I can't remember any New Testament command to 'find Gods will' or find any instructions to go about it. So the question becomes, does God even have a specific and detailed mysterious at best will for us?

In a few scriptural cases people were directed where to go, who to see. I've had the obvious "sign" every now and again in my life as well. There seems to be no indication at all that the day to day lives of average Christians were directed that way, however. The conclusion I come up with is that its Gods will for us to make Biblically based decisions about the issues we face. Could it be that many Christians are suffering because they are waiting for God to make clear decisions for them. Sincerely believing they are "waiting on God," or "letting go and letting God." Could it be that God expects us to think, research, seek counsel in order to make wise decisions? Maybe we are to take baby steps so we can get ready to run the race.Could it also be that for whatever reason we are just being indecisive while waiting for God to send a thunderbolt or some obvious sign like an answer out of heaven. Taking the risk out of it all. Meanwhile ... a decision is forced on us with the passage of time. Could this be the reason some of us don't have a mate, the job we want, a calling or whatever? And when all this procrastination leaves a sad result we may wonder why God has it in for us. And we are alone or ...

In Colossians Paul tells us that the way to understand God's will is through the gift of wisdom. " ... we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding." (Colossians 1:9) In Colossians 2:3 he gives the source of this wisdom "...Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." In James 3:13 we have, "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in humility that comes from wisdom." I take this to mean that wisdom is evidence of Christ living His life in us. In Romans 12:2, "Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good pleasing and perfect will."

Could it be that we ARE Gods will, or a least in His will when we live our lives close to Jesus in our choices in life? Maybe a more mature faith is when we know He is there with us when we do make decisions and takes risks, instead of relying on some sign to come. I think that he wants us to take steps ... in short go for it ... knowing He will be there when we fall. It may be more a matter of finding the will, than waiting on it.

Just some thoughts ...

Tim

You're Blessed!!! ~ Matthew 5

I just love this version of the Beatitudes from Matthew 5 ...

You're Blessed

1-2 When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:

3 "You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

4 "You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

5 "You're blessed when you're content with just who you, no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.

6 "You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.

7 "You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'care-full,' you find yourselves cared for.

8 "You're blessed when you get your inside world, your mind and heart, put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

9 "You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.

10 "You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.

11-12 "Not only that, count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens, give a cheer, even, for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

~The Message Bible

Amen! Kind of puts it all in perspective doesn't it?

http://bleuzcattstudio.com/greeting_cards_butterflies_and_wildflowers

Wrecking Yard Theology

I met with God in a wrecking yard yesterday. This weekend I took an adventure with my son Ben to a junkyard. Looking for parts for his baby Ford Explorer of course! lol

But you know, I think I saw some shadows of God there as well. I saw Him first in a sticker in my foot. I was searching for a jack that someone had left out there so that we could use it, and as I bent down to pick off the sticker - I found the jack. Oh, thank You Lord!

And then again later on, as I gazed about - sitting atop what once was a screaming hot red firebird, the wind was blowing and I was just generally feeling God's love. I wondered: how many of us belong in a junkyard? And how many times do people look us over: needing or wanting just one part of us or another? Yet God pulls us out of the yard; all the parts we have with us. And He cleans us up, takes out the bad parts - replaces them with shiny new ones. After all the major repairs are made, He gives us a beautiful glossy paint job. If we mess up and ask for forgiveness, He runs us through the car wash.

So today, I'm thanking God for pulling me out of the junkyard and making me into what is becoming beautiful car! Or in my son's case ... A beautiful red Ford Explorer ...

Abba, my prayer today is that You would remind me when I need routine maintenance. I love You, and all I want is to serve You and bring You glory! Keep me renewed, Lord Jesus!

Amen.

The Prodigal Son in "F"

This is about my favorite parable. What do you think of this translation?

The Prodigal Son in "F"

Feeling footloose and frisky, a featherbrained fellow forced his fond father to fork over the family finances. He flew far to foreign fields and frittered his fortune feasting fabulously with faithless friends. Finally facing famine and fleeced by his fellows in folly, he found himself a feed-flinger in a filthy farmyard. Fairly famished he fain would have filled his frame with the foraged foods of the fodder fragments left by the filthy farmyard creatures.

'Fooey', he said, 'My father's flunkies fare far fancier,' the frazzled fugitive found feverishly, frankly facing facts. Frustrated by failure and filled with foreboding he forthwith fled to his family. Falling at his father's feet, he floundered forlornly. 'Father, I have flunked and fruitlessly forfeited family favor.'

But the faithful father, forestalling further flinching frantically flagged the flunkies. 'Fetch forth the finest fatling and fix a feast.' But the fugitive's faultfinding frater frowned on the fickle forgiveness of the former folderol. His fury flashed.

But fussing was futile, for the far-sighted father figured, such filial fidelity is fine, but what forbids fervent festivity? The fugitive is found! "Unfurl the flags, with fanfares flaring! Let fun and frolic freely flow!" "Former failure is forgotten, folly is forsaken! And forgiveness forms the foundation for future fortitude."

~Author Unknown

Broken Things

Broken Things

you can have my heart though it isn't new

it's been bruised and broken

and it only comes in blue

it's been down a long road

and it got dirty on the way

if i give it to you will you make it clean

and wash the shame away

you can have my heart

if you don't mind broken things

you can have my life

if you don't mind these tears

well i heard that you make old things new

so i give these pieces all to you

if you want it you can have my heart

so beyond repair nothing i could do

i tried to fix it myself but it was only worse

when i got through

then you walked into my darkness

and you speak words so sweet

and you hold me like a child

till my frozen tears fall at your feet

you can have my heart

if you don't mind broken things

you can have my life

if you don't mind these tears

well i heard that you make old things new

so i give these pieces all to you

if you want it you can have my heart

~Julie Miller

And the marvelous, unbelievable truth is that he does!

And A Meadowlark Sang

An oldie but goody ...

And A Meadowlark Sang
Ravindra Kumar Karnani

"The child whispered,

'God, speak to me'

And a meadow lark sang.

The child did not hear.So the child yelled,

'God, speak to me!'

And the thunder rolled across the sky

But the child did not listen.

The child looked around and said,

'God let me see you'

and a star shone brightly

But the child did not notice.

And the child shouted,

'God show me a miracle!'

And a life was born

but the child did not know.

So the child cried out in despair,'

Touch me God, and let me know you are here!'

Whereupon God reached down

And touched the child.

But the child brushed the butterfly away

And walked away unknowingly."

Practicing the Silence

Even though I live in this small town my life is rather noisy. Kids work,, the phone, the list can go on and on. Many people cannot abide silence, for whatever reason. They cannot drive their cars without the radio or some other noise...err...music device operating at all times. Similarly, there are those who have the TV on all the time, even if they are not sitting down actively watching it.

Being silent means more than just holding your tongue. It means listening for the softest, most subtle sound of all - the sound of the soul. And every time someone listens to that voice of conscience, every time someone chooses to do what is right, regardless of the consequences, every time someone listens to that inner voice and does something generous or compassionate, that for me is beautiful evidence of God.

Sometimes, I will sit still, close my eyes, and empty my mind of busy thought, and be conscious of the silence. But it's not really silence, as in the total absence of sound, but rather, it's the small daily-life sounds no one notices in the usual cacophony of their typical days. It's the hum of a refrigerator, the whirring of a fan, the whoosh of cars passing in the street, the chirping of birds and crickets (I really like the crickets!), the howl of a train's horn, the roar of a lawn mower, and so on. I've found that practicing the silence will many times inspire me to write, and will even sometimes bring on a feeling of contentment that I can't quite explain.

When someone speaks in a whisper, you cannot hear him unless you are very close to him and everything else is very quiet. You cannot hear God's Whisper unless your heart is quiet and you draw near to God. You may experience storms in life; your child might get sick ... disaster happens ... But you must listen to God's still small Voice. Thoughts?

Learn To Be Quiet


Franz Kafka

You need not do anything.
Remain sitting at your table and listen.
You need not even listen, just wait.
You need not even wait,
just learn to be quiet, still and solitary.
And the world will freely offer itself to you unmasked.
It has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.


Franz Kafka, 1883-1924, was a popular Czech novelist and short story author.