"The Hound of Heaven"

"I fled Him, down the nights and down the days, I fled Him...
For, Though I knew His love Who followed, yet was I sore adread...
Fear wist not to evade, as Love wist to pursue...
'Ah, fondest, blindest, weakest,
I am He Whom thou seekest!'"

Amazing!!!

This poem has inspired countless people since it was written in the early 1900's by Francis Thompson. He was able to strike the emotions, with a beautifully graphic words that draw a picture of God's persistent love for us. Among those inspired; "Lord of the Rings" author, J.R.R. Tolkien, as well as, journalist and catholic social activist, Dorothy Day.

These old verses present a fresh reminder that life is full of joy and sadness, but over all of life the Love of our Jesus Christ is a persistent hound following us until we recognize He is what we have been running from and searching for all at once.

Follow the link if you'd like to read it yourself.

http://www.cs.drexel.edu/~gbrandal/Illum_html/hound.html

The Forest Wild

Children's author, Mercer Meyer, wrote a story about Herbert the timid dragon who wanted to be a brave Knight. Herbert the Dragon lives "in the forest wild." Although I'm hardly timid, I do associate with his desire for adventure. I also feel as if I've grown up on the edge of "the forest wild." This isn't a scary thing at, but rather a comfort. Now I live in the city wild and I miss the comfort of the forest.

Trees help me think clearer...
Ok, so the trees don't actually help me think,
but the way that God made them is worth stopping to reflect on.

Generally speaking
Trees -
- stand strong
- point to the heavens
- dig deep to have strong roots which gives them a strong foundation
- the seasons of change are very important to its growth...
And the list goes on for quite some time.

If I am like a tree and Jesus is the gardener... much to ponder. I'm going to leave this for you to ponder (exposition would defeat the purpose of a short blog entry.)

When was the last time you took time out to just look at the world around you?

Perhaps you could use a fresh perspective...

even if it comes from the edge of the forest wild.

Seeking Inspiration?

I was once catching up with an old friend who had become an artist. He was in the middle of a big project and had fallen in a rut, that had lasted for several months. When I asked him what was wrong, he told me that what basically had happened was that he had lost his muse and he was trying to find it again.

Lost his muse... What is a muse? And how does one lose it? More importantly how does one find it again?

According to Webster, "Muse"
verb; to be lost in thought
noun; (Rooted in Greek and Roman Mythology) a woman, or a force personified as a woman, who is the source of inspiration for a creative artist.

Each person is an artist of sorts, regardless of how creative one happens to be. Some are just more obvious about it, or I should say more artistically creative than the rest of us. Accountants could be said to be artists with numbers, just as a roofer could be considered an artist with a hammer. So don't sell yourself short. Whether we're artists or not, we all need and seek inspiration.

We all have days where we 'lose our muse' or as I'm seeing it, need to find something that preoccupies our mind in a good way. We are looking for that something or someone that will inspire us to do even better. No one can find for you. You have to find for yourself.

Recently, I've been wonderfully surprised by interesting conduits for inspirations. Why does it take us so long to open our eyes and see all that God has put around us? If this day finds you lacking in 'muse', here are few things that I have found to inspire me.

People who are starting over - no matter how big or small
The sun glistening on the morning dew
Chimney smoke
The 19 yr old, who is majoring in music with her upright bass
The stillness in a fog
The Japanese girl who is seeing God for the first time and told me, "God is beautiful."
The uninhibited laughter and play of children
When random strangers break through social barriers to give another stranger a compliment
Answered prayer

Open your eyes and see...

~

Psalm 51:6
"Behold, Thou desirest truth in the inward being;
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart."

Treasure in a Stream of Light

Today is an adventure. God has given us the map. Jesus leads the way. With the Holy Spirit as our faithful companion, it is up to us to find the treasure that today may hold.

I was walking through the woods the other day. It was a cold crisp morning and there was a beautiful and haunting fog. The kind of day that makes one forget what time it is and makes one want to quietly wonder about all sorts of things in life. As I walked along, the fog cleared just enough and the sun came bursting through the trees. In that beautiful moment, I wanted time to stop. Just long enough, so that I could play in God's light. I ran over to a sun stream and jumped in it, feeling the warmth through the winter's air. For a moment, I was a little girl just playing outside enjoying God's creation.

I think we need more moments like that, where we take time to enjoy the Light of Christ through the fog of our busy lives and to delight in the simple things the Lord has blessed us with. I pray that in the business of life, I can catch those treasures to pause and watch a bird, stand long enough in one place to feel the warmth of the winter sun, or quiet my busy mind to listen to the rain.

"The heavens are telling of the glory of the Lord, the expanse is declaring the work of His hands." Psalm 19:1&2

New Year, Same Heart

Step out into the freshness of the New Year! It lets us walk away from all that has happened last year and look ahead to all that is yet to come, not in forgetting but learning and moving on. I've heard over and over how resolutions are ridiculous, or not taken seriously, or made to be broken. January 1st is merely the gift of starting fresh that we need to move forward. Be they resolutions, goals, or determined deeds (whatever you wish to call them), I think they are good for us. Here are a few things that I would like to better myself in...

Enjoy each moment ~ Breathe Love ~ Listen Harder ~ Speak Slower ~ Take Time Out ~ Pray Purposefully ~ Talk to God as soon as I wake up everyday ~ Read my Bible, not just to read it but to love it ~ Walk Slower, so that I can really see what is around me ~ Drink more water ~ Encourage people around me ~ Thank the bagger/checker every time I go through the grocery line ~ Focus on one thing at a time ~ Continue to Dream Big!

Happy New Year

A Christmas to Remember

Twas the week of Christmas and all through house, There was hustling and bustling, and moving about, For days the snow had been falling from heaven, more that I'd seen since 1987! The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
Then moved for the wet boots and snow pants to dry there. By the fire, we sat and drank coffee and tea, cooking and baking and chatting with glee...

I could keep going with the week of Christmas rhyming scheme, but story telling in rhyme tends to get silly.

I truly have had an extraordinary week. It was like going back in time. I've grown up hearing stories of what Christmas was like for my Mother growing up on a farm in Minnesota. She tells these stories in such a way that I can feel the anticipation of her little girl self waiting for the pond to freeze over so that she can go ice skating. I can smell the hay and animals as she talks of the hours spent playing in the barn. And I can almost taste the sweet Norwegian dishes of krumkake, kringle, and Minnesota harvest bars that her mother would make. This Christmas gave my Mother a taste of her childhood and I got share it with her.


For the first time in years my family got to truly enjoy the holiday and take as much time as we liked. My younger sister and I spent hours outside everyday, snowboarding down our driveway! With a little sledding and snowman building thrown in. Our house was filled the fragrant aroma of a Norwegian woman who has the time to cook. Our days were spent by reading and writing, listening to our radio speakers (Stuart & Jill Briscoe, Ravi Zacharias, Dr. David Jeremiah, and Erwin McManus just to name a few) with music and laughter, watching Lord of the Rings and cheezy Christmas movies, and most of all enjoying the day.

Society promotes busy-ness. We as indivivuals are expected to keep up with the world. I have been challenged as my life was slowed down beyond my control. God knew what He was doing - God knows what He is doing. Why is it so hard to trust Him? King Solomon Wrote, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." (Proverbs 16:9) We must make plans and then we need to trust that the Lord will guide our steps.

So the next time your plans are changed beyond your control: you're snowed in, you're stuck in traffic, or your flight is delayed, trust that God knows what He is doing. I encourage you to enjoy the change of pace that it offers. You may even find out it is precisely what you need in order to do what needs doing the rest of the time.

Christmas Eve Eve

The children's author, Kay Thompson, wrote a beautiful story about a little girl named Eloise. (You'll have to read it, or at least watch the movie.) One thing about Eloise that becomes 'rather' obvious is how much she loves Christmas. She loves Christmas so much that she even celebrates Christmas-Eve-Eve!

Why do people with that kind of enthusiasm seem so hard to find? I think we all take turns blaming commercialism, family, work, etc. (Definition: Enthusiasm; intense and eager enjoyment, interest, or approval.) Last time I checked, enthusiasm is a personal choice.

Today is Christmas-Eve-Eve, and I have so much to be thankful for, and so much to celebrate in anticipation of the joyous day where we remember our Lord Jesus' birth. The unusual snow in Seattle has given us a unique opportunity to slow down. I am challenged to take the opportunity to enjoy and to anticipate. I want to have that contagious child-like faith with the enthusiasm of Eloise. What would you do if you had a moment to slow down and actually enjoy what was going on around you? I'm going to enjoy what God has given me - today!