SABBATH SNAPSHOTS: Drawn to Worship

9/8/13 Glaciers are massive. Even from a distance, their grandeur is evident. 

One of my favorite days in Alaska was our day cruising in Stephens Passage watching the eagles soar and the humpback whales “blowing” as they propelled themselves in and out of the water. But I was not prepared for the overwhelming sense of the beauty of God’s creation as we turned into the Tracy Arm Fjord (only about a mile wide) and approached Sawyer Glacier. Though I was only viewing from our balcony I felt compelled to be still. It was as if quiet was in order. Stillness was required to fully experience the moment. Though we pointed and oohed and ahhed, my insides were quiet. “Still” in spirit and in awe of my Creator.

The entire experience seemed to nourish my soul----as if I had encountered God. Wonder and awe filled me. The blue colors alone seemed to explode before my eyes. How many shades of blue can there be!

Be still and know that I am God;……I will be exalted in the earth. (Psalm 46:10)

I can’t fully explain it. The pictures won’t do it justice but they are definitely snapshots of a “Sabbath-type” moment. A time of worship.

SUNRISE--SUNSET

9/6/13 Travels this summer have afforded me views of sunrises and sunsets from the east coast where the sun's rays first hit the US shores to the west coast off the shores of Alaska. Great reminders of the privilege of having those glorious days to celebrate life.

July 17, 2013--Cadillac Mountain, Acadia Maine-- 4:32 AM

August 31, 2013-- Inside Passage, Alaska-- 8:53 PM

Yesterday as I attended the funeral of a friend's hubby, I realized how fleeting those days are. How precious to learn that the couple had known each other for 49 years, since their junior high days. Yet, how short those days of new sunrises must seem to the widow.

Psalm 39:4 reminds all of  us of the brevity of our earthly lives.

"Show me, LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.(NIV)

As I age the realization of how quickly life passes becomes very clear, as the NET version of that psalm states. 

"O LORD, help me understand my mortality and the brevity of life! Let me realize how quickly my life will pass! (NET) 

That truth reminds me to make the most of my days. 

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)

As Daddy used to say, "I'm grateful for each day the good Lord gives me. May I, too, be grateful and wisely live out each day I am given......from sunrise to sunset.

OH, BUOY!

9/4/13 Oh, buoy----ship anchored but I'm still floating......partly with swimmy head and unsteady sea legs......mostly with good memories mixed with a need to reclaim my "land legs."

Body still on Alaska time (AKDT).

Arrived Memphis 1:30 am. after driving in from Nashville flight. Rolled out of bed an hour ago. Getting ready to roll back in. 

What?? No turn down! No cute "shaped towel" on my bed. 

No Eggs Benedict with a filet. Where's room service?

Oh, buoy, reality is starting to set in.

God's Creation: A Pictorial Meditation

9-2-13 Psalm 19--a meditation from the Carnival cruise ship's Gideon Bible. Pix from balcony of 6297.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

    The skies display his craftsmanship.

Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known.

They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard.

Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. 

SABBATH SNAPSHOTS: Colorful Seattle

9-1-13 WHIRLWIND day in Seattle before embarking on the Carnival Miracle to set sail for Alaska....

Space Needle: Seattle's most emblematic symbol built in 1962 for the World's Fair

4th Ave. and Pike St. 

Seattle Waterfront's Great Wheel at Pier 57 on Elliott Bay

Pike Place Market: Unusual Veggies Abound

Seattle's  Eliott Bay Marina 

GONE CRUSIN'

8/27/13 Setting sail from Seattle in a few hours on an Alaskan inside passage cruise. A first ever "big" cruise for hubby and me.

The "surprise" team of 6 family and friends shocked my brother Buddy at the airport in Nashville yesterday, He thought that only he and his wife, Charlotte, were going on a leisurely cruise with their "regular" cruising buddies, Cindy and Billy. Char planned it all and he did NOT have a clue. I know, because he "puddled"----a few tears of joy and excitement for all of us. 

Praises for God's goodness!

See you in September.

Bon Voyage!

R.E.S.T.

8/26/13

REST---it’s the theme for our H2H (Heart to Heart) Women’s Ministry Bible Study this year. It’s so timely for so many. Tired people grow weary in trying, weary of forgiving, wearing of the pain and struggle. Weariness can be overwhelming.

People who need rest and refreshment often turn to pills, alcohol, even the spa to reenergize their sad lives as Max Lucado says in “Facing Your Giants.” But do they? There may be a reprieve from the weariness and the pain may be postponed, BUT is it removed?

Jesus Calling (8/3) reminds us that in such times, one should be quick to pray. Oswald Chambers “My Utmost….” entry (8/20) reminds us that our Lord is the One who establishes rest. 

Crickett, our WM director gave a helpful acronym to remember these truths

Re-order your priorities Lay all your burdens prayerfully before the Lord.

Exercise restraint. Learn to say, “No.”

Slow Down. God can redeem our time for His purposes.

Trust God. ‘Nuf said!!

“Are you tired? Worn out?  Burned out on religion?  Come to Me. Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest.” (Lucado, 8/15)

R.E.S.T. might not have a tune but it has it’s own lyrics for the heart---and those words are meditation for today.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  (Matthew 11:28-29, NIV)

SABBATH SNAPSHOTS: HOPE 2

8/25/13 Sabbath Snapshots (8/11/13) did not include a picture because at the time I could not find it. I asked each blog reader to create his/her own mental snapshot of the "Hope" wreath at Jones Cancer Clinic. Today I found it---on my iMac computer, which I rarely use anymore. Compare it with the one you imagined. Let me know how you fared. 

Hope is imbedded in the book of today's snapshot #2. Author Sarah Young's first book, Jesus Calling, is the "little" book that gave me BIG hope during that first year (2009) of my cancer struggle. It continues to be my daily devotional book, as it is of many.

 I hope to have a cuppa with her someday to share my thanks for allowing God to use her and her writings to bless so many of us.

ADDENDUM---WOW---ABOUT AN HOUR AFTER I HAD POSTED THIS BLOG ENTRY----SARAH YOUNG SENT A TEXT ASKING ME TO COME FOR TEA. SHE WAS IN NASHVILLE AREA AND SO WAS I! 

WE SPENT AN HOUR & A HALF TOGETHER OVER TEA! (CONSTANT COMMENT) WHAT A DELIGHTFUL DAY.

What an answer to the prayer of my heart! 

GOD STORIES

8/24/13 God Story #1. Or maybe it was just a "God Wink." Either term works for me because God blessed my socks of earlier this week.

It all started Tuesday morning while perusing the local section of the Commercial Appeal. A mere glance at a child posing for his first day of school caught my attention. The little fellow looked so familiar. The caption underneath gave the name of the child's parents. Oh my! No wonder he looked so familiar! He looked just like his daddy had looked when I had taught him at that very same school 39 years ago. My next thought was wondering how that young man was faring in life. I wondered how to get in touch with him----but with phone books obsolete & LinkedIn requiring an email address, I didn't have a clue. Oh well, I kept the sweet picture of the little one to show hubby, who allowed me to reminisce. I remember lots more about all those early years of teaching and making home visits than I do about more recent events.

That night I attended a Give365 event with my other like-minded folks and as I'm waiting to enter the auditorium.......there is that same little face all grown up. What are the chances? Coincidentally, I don't have a clue! I don't do numbers. But spiritually, to me, it was a God-incident and my chances for those seem to beat the odds of humanity's numbers.

I approached him and he remembered his "Miss Dotsy" saying that he and Ann, another "alum" of my class, had visited at a recent parent's meeting. What a fine young man,.....husband and Daddy of 3. What a blessing to meet him. What a God-wink!

He emailed me a picture so there's pictorial proof of this God Story.

BTW, it seems as if there might be a God Story #2 just around the corner. It's imbedded in hope. I'll let you know tomorrow.

APATHEISM

8/23/13 Even Pastor Cole can often throw out a 50¢ word. Probably some are his own creation. Recently he introduced us to apatheism. It's the belief/theology of one who knows God or knows a lot about God but God doesn't matter to him. It's evident in the way he/she lives his life. Not quite agnostic---just an apathetic approach to God. Believers without teeth for their belief.

I don't know about others, but I don't want my life to be seen as a life of one who practices apatheism. I want to know Him and I want others to know that I know Him when they see my lifestyle.

Apathy + theism. Not for me. I prefer to live a life worthy of the label---Christian.