smiles on faces
Looking Loved
Children, Faith, family, grace, Motherhood, rest, Trust, Uncategorized, VulnerabilityTrust
Cause me to see, Lord
courage, Faith, family, grace, Motherhood, Prayer, rest, Teaching, Trust, UncategorizedCause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.
Psalm 143:8
I watched a little boy digging a tunnel from the place where the tide crept close up to his mama’s feet. His lanky arms, working hard with occasional glances up to meet eyes and small of his mama.
A straight line, little clumpy hills bordering the hollowed out path from edge of ocean to his mama.
She smiled towards him, then towards me as I stepped over his tunneled path to walk down towards the open space of shore.
Her smile, a knowing smile, the sweetness of motherhood, our bond.
What beautiful stories are the ones of mamas and children, brief moments of treasure.
We walked on, my husband drifting ahead, slightly towards open water. My walk more slow, a response to the invitation of space wide and unhindered now.
I reach down to touch a washed up feather, wet, dull and textured, beaten by surf into its shape. I’ll place it in my book, allow it to dry, become white again and cause me to remember it as my treasure.
This morning’s verse, a morning verse, a call to God to turn my heart, my eyes and mind towards grand things and small things. The King James Version, more direct a request asking “Cause me to know you and see you, God.”
Cause me, stop me in my haste; may I be unable to look away, to not be aware of you, Lord.
Turn my face, Lord. Open my eyes and heart to the wide expanse of your glory and to the smallest of stories that invite my reading along.
New and Foreign Territory
courage, Faith, Prayer, Teaching, Trust, UncategorizedShe asked if I’d help and I was hesitant.
“I don’t want to say yes and not do it well. I want to make sure it’s right for me, want to make sure I can connect.”
I told her I knew nothing about being a Missions leader because, well…I’m just not a mission type person. It’s all so foreign and far away. I’m not worldly thinking. I told her I’d look into it, see what a leader should look like, don’t want to do it halfway.
All the countries, all the places all over the world and “Shoot! I’m afraid to even get on a plane!”
All my life I’ve considered my work my mission, called it that sometimes.
poverty, abuse, homelessness and suicide
My mission field is my work.
Still, I promised I would consider leading and the deadline to tell her, I missed it, but knew she was waiting to hear, waiting for me to pray about it.
I hadn’t until just now.
Asked God, “Clarify to me what you would have me do.”
Last week I met someone who described faith in action as being a deliverer of God’s kingdom right where you are to as many people as possible, to just start a spread.
I read in Matthew, a parable of an invitation to a wedding, unopened by many, ignored by many.
Then today, thinking about the question, the nomination…I journaled again, the words of Jabez…Bless me indeed, adding little words…good things, best things, right things.
Then on to the next line, a simple, vulnerable, powerful prayer…
Enlarge my territory.
I stopped, knew it then, underlined the words, straight solid and bold.
I researched the goals, the purpose of WMU and I decided to help.
Woman’s Missionary Union challenges Christian believers to understand and be radically involved in the mission of God.
To be challenged to understand more and to be radically involved.
To help the women and girls of my church as believers becoming more involved in things we see as “foreign”.
Linking up to hurriedly talk about help for Five Minute Friday…I think I took longer, though.
prayer for the middle
courage, grace, Prayer, rest, Trust, Vulnerability, wonder
Dear Lord,
Help me to live with purpose, with meaning, with intention.
And let those three not be measured or determined by
another. Let the three be determined only by you
and by your promise.
Help me not linger, disenchanted in the waiting,
the waiting for time to do all I feel so deeply you’ve made for me to do, the things of me, made by you.
Help me to move from hope to knowing.
Yet not rush, head and heart stumbling over self, a careless and haphazard effort driven by insecurity or comparison.
Dear Lord, help me to live as you purposed, as you promised.
Help me to live and love in the middle of hope and heart and
best to come
in time.
because of mercy and because of asking
and of believing,
I say
Amen.
And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” And Jesus in pity touched their eyes and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.
Matthew 20:32-34
Linking up with Jennifer Dukes Lee at Tell His Story and Suzie Eller’s prompt, Lord, I need a sign.
Live Free Thursday
Wait and See
Faith, grace, Prayer, rest, Trust, Vulnerability
The morning, for me means a pocket of quiet, either peaceful or pensive.
The evening walk finds me seeking, seeking, seeking.
An intentional unraveling, unfolding, disposal of day.
Pushing forward. Heavy walk, no lightness in pace or stride..
Walk feeling like consequence, not reward, some days.
Still, I walk, moving forward to the place of sometimes better for it.
The morning, sometimes the same.
Rote, habitual, methodical list, gratitude becomes cliche, I fear.
Then, walking I remember the morning’s request and pause to ask again.
It bears repeating, beckons for conversation.
Draws me near to God, I pray again.
Waiting, more attentive now, more straightforward and certain of my plea.
Then walk on as if tossed upwards, floating towards blue sky
untroubled then, unburdened, more genuinely submissive.
Then, again, a sweet reply, unexpected quite so clearly and quickly.
I remember then, the evening walk, the morning quiet.
The reasons why.
The joyous being heard, being known despite frailties or frustrations.
“Wait and see.”.
You are the God who sees me.
I have now seen the One who sees me. Genesis 16:13
Color and Heart
courage, Faith, grace, rest, Trust, Uncategorized
I began to think, if this happens at just the right time and the precisely right way, then I will know it is just as it should be.
That I should continue to create the Colors of My Bible journey, story, art.
To visit friends, honor them and God, telling the stories of us.
I got lost, though, and I wondered if maybe it was a sign, the directions told me I’d arrived when in fact I was crossing one of three old country bridges over a wide, wide river.
If precision and pattern or duplication of previous experience were signs of favor, perhaps this was a sign of something else.
Of course, I took it that way.
But, only for a second or two, this time
remembering asking God for an unfolding of my day in early prayer.
Giving up control as a measure of contentment.
I will feel confident and determined, I will write. I will paint.
I won’t rationalize and manipulate the patterns, colors, textures and encounters.
Setting out to create the perfect blog, column or canvas.
Ending up with an attempt at duplication and nothing more than effort, no heart.
Thankfully, the heart knows clearly and the mind slowly remembers.
Then I’m afforded moments, sort of stumble upon open windows of times that are
Quiet, calm and easy.
And I fill the time with heart, words, and colors
Words come, precise and uncontrived.
Stories flow from relationship, encounter or stillness of memory saved, unfolding without agenda.
Nothing good by force, Lisa.
Art, writing, stories and encounters…life.
Layers soft, colors thick, stories touchable.
Less force, always heart.
More heart.
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
Proverbs 4:23
Create.
Not Be Overtaken
courage, Faith, Prayer, rest, Trust, Uncategorized, VulnerabilityTurmoil was all around.
Thoughts and questions about how and when might be the end of grace, of safety and whether calm might return again…before another wave overtook them. Overtakes us.
The water must have been dark, dark and ominous because of the storm and emotion of the day.
Jesus was praying on the mountain, mourning the horrific loss of John, seeking understanding from His Father…doing what He needed to do to continue His calling.
The storm was treacherous and maybe the disciples left on the boat thought, surely this is the end.
The mercy of God has run out on us.
But, Jesus came to them, walked across the waters raging and calmed them, calmed the storm saying: “Do not be afraid.” Matthew 14:27
Take heart. Be assured, truly.
Believing in Mornings
courage, Faith, grace, Prayer, rest, Trust, UncategorizedThe emotion of morning makes believing more possible.
Opportunity, like sunlight through the tall trees in the side yard, is almost here. If I am patient and look towards the morning as it spreads across the day, I choose to believe.
If I am patient and look towards the morning as it spreads across the day, I am sure of my choice to believe.
Quietly, assuredly, right on time.
It’s no wonder I love the morning.
I love its clarity and confidence, love its comfort and cocoon-like embrace.
I woke feeling slow and tired, disguising discouragement in more acceptable words.
I woke in need of the morning.
Like choice of word, I sometimes ride the fence of emotion.
Choose to look too far ahead or too far back.
But, morning gives a chance to pause, gives reason to believe.
I read Matthew 13, a series of little stories. Jesus using them to teach about choices. How to plant seeds, care for them and how you should let the weeds grow amongst the wheat.
Later you’d know what didn’t belong and you’d harvest good things.
Jesus talked about heaven as a treasure, a pearl and about the smallest of all seeds, mustard that would grow tall…so tall that birds filled its branches.
I thought, “Thank you, Lord, I so love the birdsong”.
And morning, reminded me then, aren’t we worth more than many sparrows if we would only believe it true?
The people were confounded by His parables, found them ridiculous and nonsensical.
So, he left them there with his stories.
And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.
Matthew 13: 58
I go back to the side yard, abundant in bloom thinking again of choice.
Then, decide to pray and to believe.
The bigger and heavier the disdain, the more powerful and possible the prayer.
Deciding to believe, choosing to pray.
Believing in mighty things.
Every morning
Life and Treasure
courage, Faith, grace, Prayer, Teaching, Trust, Uncategorized, Vulnerability, wonderI noticed it there.
The early morning humidity touched my face like a clothes dryer opened to reach for clean towels. Clinging to my skin thick, unwelcoming and uninviting, I fill bowls with cool water for the dogs and glance toward the corner of porch.
Such a heavy morning, blah, slow moving pessimistically blah
I see it and move to capture it, getting closer to notice its frayed edged wings.
Black velvet and azure blue with little specks of bronze, I’m careful as I reach for it, my thumb and finger delicate in grasp.
Wings broken and pressed like a sentimental bloom, I decide to save it, for the sake of simply feeling fortunate in its finding.
So, I bring the butterfly inside, lie it down on the page of the day’s Psalm and carefully move my Bible to the center of table as I go to make coffee.
The house is quiet and cool, ceiling fan whisping my hair and the butterfly just slightly shifting on thin page of Bible.
I read from Psalm 7, thinking of harmful and hurtful times.
I thought of anger, fear, lives lost and of blame and judgement, of understable hatred and hatred stirred up.
Thought of my thoughts and I wondered then, do I really understand?
Could I maybe understand more clearly?
Noticing verses, timely and clear, I pause.
O’ Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands, If I have repaid my friend with evil…. Test me, you who test our minds and our hearts. Psalm 7:3,9
Help me to see me clearly.
Then, I prayed and wrote and thought of hopes to see more clearly.
To do no harm if I could help.
Like the butterfly, captured and killed on back screen porch.
Could harm have been prevented?
Had it come in to escape the weather or maybe Colt, the happy lab bouncing in the air, excited by its beautiful movement snapped his mouth sharply and clipped its wings?
Brought it to the porch, a delicate and beautiful treasure harmed by rough exchange of play.
But, found by me.
A thing of beauty, tortured, lifeless, but beautiful still.
Life, its beauty remains.
Life, a treasured gift.
Morning Love and a Prayer to abide
courage, Faith, praise, Prayer, rest, Trust, Uncategorized, Vulnerability, wonder
Lord, help me live in a way that my actions,my thoughts and my words can’t help but show how strongly you love.
And help me to be so trusting in my walk and so firm in my faith that no doubt or fear will hinder or make questionable my belief in You.
Remind me of the place of your dwelling, my heart, so that the ramblings of my mind not overshadow the Spirit of you, the Holy Spirit in me because of Jesus and mercy and grace, unmerited…unmerited.
Guide me to find you again and again and to remain there, that a place of abiding in you.
Lead my fingers to the words of ancient truth, truer today than I’ve known before.
Do not love the world.
Love God. Love your brother.
Abide in light.
I John 2:7-17
In the name of and because of Jesus, I pray.
Amen
Lisa Anne Tindal 