Live in Day 7

My last great-grandparent died 16 years ago.
My last grandparent died 6 years ago.
My last parent died 7 days ago.

I found satisfaction in the labor of loving.
What now?

1 Work
2 Work
3 Work
4 Work
5 Work
6 Work
7 Done.

And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.
So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
Genesis 2:2-3

Rest in the work of the cross.
Rest in the empty tomb. 
It is complete.

Jesus said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
John 19:30

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9

So what now?
Rest.
Discover peace there.
Live in Day 7.

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See more interpretations of 7 around the world at Corner View.

Related:

• My rest is a person
• Find rest in worship
• Reward is in the rest
  

I want to be a mirror

So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:27

I don’t do it well.
But it is my goal.

I want to be a mirror.    

Of His image.

I want to reflect more of Him.

Conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29).

All of us, then, reflect the glory of the Lord with uncovered faces; and that same glory, coming from the Lord, who is the Spirit, transforms us into his likeness in an ever greater degree of glory.
2 Corinthians 3:18 (GNB)

I don’t want to see me.

I want to see Him.

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For more visual interpretations of me, visit our friends at Jane’s.

Saturday—Corner View

I forgot my camera on Saturday, but thankfully Jenna never forgets hers.She took this picture of me and one of my sweet spirit-friends that I get to see once a year. Don’t you love friends that you may not talk to for 364 days, but when Day 365 hits, it’s like you never skipped a beat! Diane and I caught up Saturday on all things family, spiritual, relational, and whatever else we could think of. It was a blast. * * *

For more of Saturday around the world, visit the links at Jane’s.

Summer—Corner View

For everything there is a season,
and a time for every matter under heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1

Making chex mix means: Let’s take a trip.

Everybody comes out to play in the summer.Fresh peaches bring out Granny’s cobbler recipe.Summertime treats are the coldest and sweetest. Yours is the day, yours also the night;
you have established the heavenly lights and the sun.

You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth;
you have made summer and winter.
Psalm 74:16-17

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For more views of summer around the world, visit the links at Jane’s.

“Noticing” breath - Corner View

How long can you hold your breath?
Try it now.     
                    [Use this online stopwatch]

Did you make 50 seconds?
If you’re an adult in moderately good health, you should have.

We take an average of 10-20 breaths per minute, breathing in and out every 4-5 seconds, more when we exercise and more among the youngest.

We can live only 4-6 minutes without oxygen.

Yet we rarely notice our breathing.

It comes so naturally we don’t think about it. 

Until it doesn’t. Then we can think of nothing else. It signals we’re in distress. Slow down. Come up for air. Breathe deeper.

Moving air is life. Inhales and exhales.

We need stirring.
We need an efficient flow of Spirit, in and out.
Notice Him. He’s on the move. 

I am a lung

Presentation by LisaNotes 

In his hand is the life of every living thing
and the breath of all mankind.
Job 12:10

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For more interpretations of noticing, visit the links at Jane’s.

Daily—Corner View

Everybody’s thirsty.
Daily. 

My outside plants wilt without water.
Daily.

Even inside, a certain pampered plant thinks he’ll die without a drink. Daily.Deeper in, I’m drinking from the Psalms on Twitter, #sclp.
Daily.When I don’t drink enough, 
I wilt.
I thirst.

This year my daily drink is measured.
It satisfies.
Daily.

I give water in the wilderness,
rivers in the desert,
          to give drink to my chosen people,
the people whom I formed for myself
          that they might declare my praise...
Isaiah 43:20-21

. . . daily.

* * *

Have you committed to drink daily in Bible reading this year?
How’s it going? 

For a variety of daily around the world, visit the links at Jane’s place.

Bliss—Corner View

There are days when you grit your teeth and do what you have to do. Because it’s right. It’s honorable. It’s what needs to be done.

And it is, after all, what you want to do.

But sometimes on those days, just when you least expect it, God will give you a wink and pull out a miracle from behind His back to bless your way.

I saw Him do it today. I tip my hat to Him for His extreme skill in surprises.

Getting my mom to two doctor’s appointment today was extremely difficult. Extremely.

But in between the two visits, my sisters and I decided on the spur of the moment to wait it out at my house. We anticipated sitting in the shade while Mama rested in the car.

Not to be. She asked to come inside.

So she walked. Up the steps. We were shocked. Once inside, she said this looked like a good place to sit down. She headed for a chair and made herself at home. Within minutes, she was fast asleep. She had found her bliss. 

I never thought my mother would be able to visit in any of our homes ever again. Yet here she was, unplanned, unexpected. And happy for a few minutes.

At least until it was time to get up. Not so happy then…

But then who is? Nobody wants to leave bliss.

But bliss we find on earth will always leave us. The most we can do is mark the print it leaves on our memory. And look forward to the bliss that will last eternally with Jesus.

I’m marking today’s blissful moment. It was fleeting. But for now, I am treasuring it. 

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Where have you found bliss lately?
Visit around at Jane’s to see what bliss looks around the world.

from where i’m sitting—Corner View

It’s another bridge.

Just when I got routinely brave crossing one scary bridge, this one rises up. A new daily commute. And new challenges on the other side.

From where I sit, I see another burden.

But then I hear this song on the radio, Traveling Light (Sara Groves and Joel Hanson), one of my favorites...

I was doubling over the load on my shoulders
Was a weight I carried with me everyday
Crossing miles of frustrations and rivers raging
Picking up stones I found along the way

I staggered and I stumbled down pathways of trouble
I was hauling those souvenirs of misery
And with each step taken my back was breaking
'Til I found the One who took it all from me

Down by the riverside
I laid my burdens down
Now I'm traveling light
My spirit lifted high
I found my freedom now
And I'm traveling light

...and it reminds me: I don’t have to sit and stare at my burdens.

I can lay them down.

So before I cross the bridge, I sit by the river.
And I hand over my burdens—to One who handles them best.

From where I sit, it’s still pretty scary.

But my spirit is lighter because every time I sit with Him, He unpacks my load.

     28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 
     29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 
     30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Matthew 11

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More views “from where i’m sitting” at Jane’s place.

Do you collect Bible verses?

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
Psalm 130:5

Fifteen years ago when I first visited the church that is now family, I was amazed by how many brothers and sisters could recall Bible verses at a moment’s notice. It inspired me to memorize more myself.

Memorizing scripture hasn’t come easy to me. It’s hard, repetitive work. And even after I think I’ve got one, it escapes quickly if I don’t use it. 

But it’s one of the most beneficial spiritual disciplines I’ve ever undertaken. Not only does God use His words to bless me as I’m learning them, He also returns them to bless me later in unanticipated ways.

So when you come across a verse that means something to you, write it down on paper. Then intentionally make efforts to write it on your heart and capture it in your soul.

This is one collection you’ll never regret building. 

10 favorites from the Old Testament

Exodus 33:13-14 (NIV)
1 Samuel 2:2
1 Kings 17:13-14 (NIV)
2 Chronicles 15:7
Psalm 4:8
Psalm 73:28
Proverbs 31:30
Isaiah 26:3-4
Daniel 9:18
Zechariah 4:6

10 favorites from the New Testament

Luke 16:10-11
John 5:24
John 6:28-29
Acts 17:27-28
Romans 4:20-21
Ephesians 3:17-21
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
1 Timothy 6:6-8 (NIV)
2 Timothy 2:13
Hebrews 4:16

Some favorite chapters worth memorizing

Psalm 27
Psalm 34
Psalm 145
Isaiah 12
Isaiah 43
Matthew 5-7
John 1
Romans 12
Philippians 1-4
Hebrews 12
James 1
2 Peter 1

For a set of ready-made memory scriptures, I recommend Fighter Verses from Desiring God. They work great for Jenna and me to memorize during our school year.

Get their list of verses free. Or buy the pack of cards.

If you’d like additional free resources from the web on memorizing, visit Ann at Holy Experience.

It’s not about me perfecting the words.
It’s about the Word perfecting me.

So I keep plugging away at my memory verses, 
a little at a time.

Progress is sometimes hard to measure,
and success, even harder.

But as long as I do at least a little,
it keeps the door open for God to do a lot.

~ At least a little

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More on Bible memorization

Statues—Corner View

I only have piddling offerings for this week’s theme, statues.

Because none are technically statues.

Well, …until I looked up the definition of statue:

a three-dimensional work of art, as a representational or abstract form, carved in stone or wood, molded in a plastic material, cast in bronze, or the like

So if you play generously, these will qualify.

This rock seat has had a few homes in our yard, the current being at the water’s edge. Jenna and her ducks play here.

One of my s-i-l’s gave me this angel garden decoration in memory of Kali’s birthday a few years back. She’s slept comfortably in this same bed for years now. I brought this rabbit home from my mom’s house a few weeks ago. When I tried to move it today—by its ears (a bad move)—the ears broke off. I gingerly set them back atop his head.

So as long as he agrees to sit very still among the flowers, no one ever has to know, right?It reminded me of my favorite “statue” Bible story (1 Samuel 5:2-4). After the Philistines stole the Lord’s ark of the covenant from the Israelites, the Philistine’s own statue god Dagon fell face down before the ark.

They put Dagon back together.

But the next morning, not only had Dagon fallen again, but his head and both his hands had also fallen off, leaving only its trunk intact. The Philistines were so scared, they returned the ark.

I’ll be checking my rabbit’s ears in the morning. 

You shall have no other gods before me.
Exodus 20:3

Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.
Acts 17:29

For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.
Psalm 86:10

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For more statues and fountains around the world (much better than mine, I promise!), visit the links at Jane’s and our gracious hostess again this week, Joyce.

Garden—Corner View

To cultivate a garden, you need tools.
To cultivate a relationship, you need tools, too.

In growing my relationship with Jesus, one tool I use is the classic devotional book, Morning and Evening, by Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892).

Since this week’s Corner View theme is garden, I pray that you will be blessed by the following words from Spurgeon and by the views from my mostly unkempt gardens.

* * *

Lo, the flowery month is come!

March winds and April showers have done their work, and the earth is all bedecked with beauty.

Come my soul, put on your best clothes and gather a bouquet of heavenly thoughts.

 

In Jesus I find not only fragrance, but a bank of heavenly scented herbs.

I find not one flower, but all kinds of beautiful flowers.

He is my rose and my lily, my violet and my cluster of henna.

When He is with me it is May all year round,
and my soul washes her happy face in the morning-dew of His grace,
and I find solace in the birds who are singing His promises.

Precious Lord Jesus, let me know the blessedness that dwells in permanent, unbroken fellowship with You. 

The rose is considered the most beautiful of flowers,
but Jesus is infinitely more beautiful in the garden of the soul
than all the roses of the earth.    Whatever beauty there is in the material world,
Jesus Christ far exceeds that in the spiritual world.

What emblem can possibly describe His beauty?
Human speech and earthborn things fail.

All of earth’s choicest charms commingled only feebly picture His abounding preciousness.

Blessed rose, bloom in my heart forever!

 * * *

Thanks to Joyce for hosting Corner View again this week. View the links for more garden views.

Thanks to Jenna for letting me use her new camera to take these pictures!

Thanks to Charles Spurgeon for sharing his love of Jesus so beautifully.

Read all of May 1, Morning, Beautiful Flowers & Herbs
Read all of May 1, Evening, Blessed Rose

Animals—Corner View

Is this normal?

Ducks waddle around in everybody’s front yards, yes? No?

We’ve got these new additions in the back yard…

Both my daughters love having their own puppy. (Does that mean the puppies are cousins?)

When Morgan was small, she always pretended she was a dog. But maybe that was better than Jenna pretending she’s Little Red Hen. (Do well in your play tonight, Jenna!)

God’s creativity is unparalleled in the animal kingdom!

I’m thankful for these “animals” he’s allowed in my life because I derive so much pleasure from them. (Well, not counting the gerbils, but Jenna still has fun with them…)

For more animals around the world, visit Joyce, our wonderful substitute hostess for Corner View.

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Earth Day—Corner View

This week’s theme for Corner View is Earth Day, which is Thursday.
(See more worldwide pics here from us ordinary folks.)

I love nature. Sometimes I wish I had been a meteorologist (I’ve loved The Weather Channel since day 1, 1982).

Or a zoologist (we’ve kept dogs, cats, turtles, fish, ducks, gerbils, snails, crabs, lizards—but I can’t convince Jeff to let me get a snake. Yet).

Or a horticulturist (I have 16 houseplants as of last count). I’m thankful Morgan has chosen this for her career. 

Weather & animals & plants affect everybody indiscriminately. Who isn’t aware when a thunderstorm rolls through through, or who can ignore a cute little puppy, or who doesn’t notice the scent or color of a fragrant bush in full bloom?

My mom and me with Jenna’ new puppy:  On a field trip Monday to the National Weather Service, we learned more about the complexities and advances in weather forecasting.

They showed us many computers and instruments and monitors, but The Weather Rock was my favorite tool there:

The Weather Rock

If this rock is wet, it’s raining.
If this rock is dry, it’s not.
If this rock is white, it’s snowing.
When this rock is warm, it’s hot.

If you can’t see this rock, it’s night;
If you can then there’s daylight.
If you see or feel it shake;
Obviously – an earthquake.
But if this rock should up and go,
Surely there’s a tornado.

You’ll get an accurate report whenever
You need to know about the weather.
But if your quest is not yet done,
Get your EMA to call the “HUN”
John “Rusty” Russell

Whichever part of nature you delight in the most, be a good steward of it. And let the blessing of the gifts lead you to a greater appreciation of the Giver.

Enjoy the creation; worship the Creator!

You are the LORD, you alone.
You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them;
and you preserve all of them;
and the host of heaven worships you.
Nehemiah 9:6

* * *

Suggested actions from the official Earth Day 2010 campaign include:

• Bring your own cloth bags to the grocery store.
• Reuse water bottles and bring your own mug to the coffee shop.
• Buy local and organic food.
• Use less water.
• Get educated on conservation.
• Promote a green economy.
  More here.

Thank you, Joyce, for hosting Corner View while Jane takes a coffee break.

Contrasts #2—Corner View

It’s the 1-yr anniversary of Corner View! So we’re choosing a favorite past theme to redo.

My “Contrasts #1” was life among death; trash or treasure; and contrasts that Jesus taught.

Today, Contrasts #2 is outward styles.

I struggled with buying a Kindle. I’m a bibliophile from way back. Would I be betraying my true love if I cheated with a Kindle?

Nah. Just more to love.

I do like FREE though. Could I get that with a Kindle? Yes. (Well, once you get past the cost of the Kindle itself.) Of my 26 books/documents currently loaded, only one cost money (ESV Study Bible for only $9.99).

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin was one of my first Kindle freebies.

Then two weeks ago as I was deciding what books to take home from my dad’s bookcases, I discovered he had the hardcopy version of this same book on his shelf.

That made me smile. 

Old versus new.
Traditional versus modern.
My dad versus me.

But content? Some things never change!

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For more Corner Views, visit the links at Spain Daily.
And wish Jane a Happy Anniversary while you’re there!