Windows

Photo credit: jensvins

May we be windows

Revealing His life within us

To those still in darkness.

..

Heritage of Faith

Photo credit: jensvins

May we always be grateful

For the legacy of faith

Left in our keeping from those

Who have gone before.

..

Reflection

Photo credit: delikizinyeri

Find a place and reflect

On all God has done

And is still doing

In your life.

..

Anticipation

Photo credit: Rebecca812

Do you still long for His coming?

..

Thankfulness

Photo credit: Matthew Clark Photography & Design

Take time to remember

All the tiny blessings from God

That color your life today.

..

Consuming Fire

--Third Day - Consuming Fire

..

Love Is Here

--Tenth Avenue North - Love Is Here

..

The Return

Photo credit: pacifictheme

Are you looking forward to His return?

..

When All Seems Lost

Photo credit: Claire Alice Young

When all seems lost

Turn to the One

Who restores all hope

And wipes away every tear.

..

Simple Pleasures

Photo credit: Yin.Shen

Take time to smell the flowers

And enjoy the simple blessings

That God provides to enrich our days.

..

The Watchers

Photo credit: Burrard-Lucas Photography

The whole world is watching us,

Waiting to see if our claim of Christ

Makes any difference in our lives.

What will the world see in your life today?

..

Tired Out

Photo credit: _silent

Tired of it all?

Let Christ bear your burdens

And give you rest.

..

Altars in the Street

So many lives are flickering out like untrimmed candles in our cities. Maybe we can't always be there because of distance or time to show them the love of Christ in a tangible way, but what is to stop us from praying fervently for them right now and wherever or whenever else God lays them on our hearts?

--Tait - Altars

..

Giving It All Up

It is surprisingly easy for our lives to veer out of control. Fear and uncertainty can swallow us whole in these times if we let them. Yet if we let go of our death grip on our lives and instead let God be in charge of them completely, we can know His incredible peace even in the midst of the chaos surrounding us.

--Tait - Lose This Life

..

God of Nature, God of Grace

 The Glory of God in Creation

The God of nature and of grace

In all His works appears;

His goodness through the earth we trace,

His grandeur in the spheres.

Behold this fair and fertile globe

By Him in wisdom plann'd;

'Twas He who girded, like a robe,

The ocean round the land.

Lift to the arch of heaven your eye

Thither His path pursue;

His glory, boundless as the sky,

O'erwhelms the wondering view.

How excellent, O Lord, Thy name

In all creation's lines!

Spread through eternity, Thy fame

With rising lustre shines.

These lower works, that swell Thy praise

High as man's thoughts can tower,

Are but a portion of Thy ways,

The hiding of Thy power.

O shouldst Thou rend aside the veil,

And show thy dwelling-place,

The souls which thou hast made would fail

'Twere death to see Thy face.

Can none behold that face and live?

Yea, sinners may draw near:

The Lord is kind, and will forgive,

His love shall cast out fear.

Millions amidst His presence stand,

Who feel, while they adore,

Fulness of joy at His right hand,

And pleasures evermore.

--from Sacred Poems and Hymns by James Montgomery

..

God Spoke

God the Creator

Praise the High, the Holy One!

God o'er all, the first, the last:

For He spake, and it was done;

He commanded, it stood fast.

At His word, from darkness light,

Harmony from discord broke;

Weakness started into might,

Beauty out of dust awoke:

Fire and water, air and earth,

Heard His voice and hush'd their strife:

Death itself, by wondrous birth,

Grew the parent of all life.

Plant and flower, and herb and tree,

Sprang spontaneous from the sod;

Sun and moon, and land and sea,

Day and night, beheld their God.

Fishes, fowls upon the wing,

Beasts, and all that creep or fly,

Every breathing, moving thing,

Peopled forest, flood, and sky.

But while all was fair and good,

All accordant to His will,

None their Maker understood,

Mind and thought were wanting still.

God, His glory to display,

With His image crown'd the whole,

Breath'd His Spirit into clay,

And made man a living soul.

Hallelujah, praise the One

God o'er all, the first, the last:

For He spake, and it was done;

He commanded, it stood fast.

--from Sacred Poems and Hymns by James Montgomery

..

Beginnings and Endings

The Creation and Dissolution of all Things

In the beginning, God said "Be!"

And all things were,--heaven, earth, and sea:

God, in the end, once more will say,

"Perish!" and all shall pass away.

But Thou, O Lord! for ever art:

The orb of Thine eternity

Is one great whole, without a part;

Past, present, future, meet in Thee.

Convinced of sin, my soul would bend

Before Thee in the lowest dust;

Yet to Thy Throne by prayer ascend,

With trembling awe and childlike trust.

O look in loving-kindness down

On a frail worm with Thee at strife;

Eternal death were in Thy frown,

Thy smile will be eternal life!

--from Sacred Hymns and Poems by James Montgomery

..

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord

Photo credit: LifeHouseDesign

Hymn 1

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord,
God of Hosts! when heaven and earth,
Out of darkness at Thy word
Issued into glorious birth,
All Thy works before Thee stood,
And Thine eye beheld them good,
While they sang with sweet accord,
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord!

Holy, Holy, Holy! Thee,
One Jehovah evermore,
Father, Son, and Spirit! we,
Dust and ashes, would adore;
Lightly by the world esteem'd,
From that world by Thee redeem'd,
Sing we here with glad accord,
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord!

Holy, Holy, Holy! All
Heaven's triumphant choirs shall sing,
When the ransom'd nations fall
At the footstool of their King:
Then shall saints and seraphim,
Hearts and voices swell one hymn,
Round the Throne with full accord,
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord!

--from Sacred Poems and Hymns by James Montgomery

..

An Eye Toward Our Future

Photo credit: Cillo [eklipse]

We've waited so long, but one day soon we'll see Him face-to-face.

..

Works of Living Art

All of the wonders of nature are an expression of God's love for us. So, too, was Christ's death on the cross as a way to bring mankind back to Him. Now God wants to express His love again, but this time using us to touch the world we live in. Are we willing to be his works of living art?

--Rebecca St. James - Expressions of Love

..

Total Trust

We must give all of ourselves to God, not keeping back one iota of our will or being, to truly know our purpose in this life. Total trust is what He asks of you and me, not to take advantage of us as an imperfect person would, but to transform us into all we were meant to be when He created us in the first place. This, as scary as it might seem for all of us who feel we must remain in control, is the only path to true joy and fulfillment.

--Aaron Shust - To God Alone

..

Led By The Father

Photo credit: Bego Tamayo

May your trust in the Lord

Be like that of small child's,

Willing to be led toward wonders

By the faithful hand of his father.

..

Simple Wonders

Photo credit: Valentina Lovato

Take time to enjoy His simple wonders.

..

Taking Joy

Photo credit: im on tambourine

Take time to take joy in the Lord and his goodness.

.. 

Pain Medicine

Photo credit: Nhat Linh

No matter what you're going through

God's door is always open.

..

Making a Splash

Photo credit: Sid Black

Why settle for mediocrity in your Christian walk?

Make a splash, and let His grace in your life be known.

..

Arise

We care about so many things that are unimportant in the long run. May we this Easter arise from our short-term outlook and prepare our hearts and lives for Christ's return, applying an eternal, God-oriented perspective to our present actions and attitudes.

--Shane & Shane - Arise

..

Faithful to Forgive

If we take an honest look at ourselves, our thought lives, and our actions, we can see better than anyone else just how utterly sinful we are. Yet despite all of this God still loves us and wants a relationship with us. As we confess our sins to Him he is faithful to forgive us. What a glorious feeling it is to be forgiven.

--Sanctus Real - Forgiven

..

Dancing in His Presence

Photo credit: Hannah.at.the.disco

When you feel God's love embracing your spirit

Don't be afraid to dance in His presence.

..

April Fool's Day Focus

Photo credit: gbrummett

If you must play the fool today

Be a fool for Christ.

..