The melodious songs of the birds here in the mountain seems to resound as a beautiful song of praise to the one who created all creatures great and small. I pray the words I write will be a song of praise, lifted up in joyous prose to the glory of my Heavenly Father.
Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord.Psalm102: 18
Thank you
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Colossians 3: 23
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.
Psalm 19: 14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer
Psalm 63: 3-8
Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
Ink on paper is as beautiful to me as flowers on the mountains; God composes, why shouldn't we?~AudraFoveo-Alba
Psalm 50: 11
I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine.
Psalm 46: 10
Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.
Psalm 104: 12
The birds of the air nest by the waters; they sing among the branches.
How great thou art
..when through the woods and forest glades I wander, and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees. When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur, and see the brook and feel the gentle breeze, then sings my soul, My Savior God to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
Psalm 145: 16
You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
Those little nimble musicians of the air that warble forth their curious ditties, with which nature hath furnished them to the shame of art--Izaak Walton
"Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive--it's such an interesting world. It wouldn't be half so interesting if we know all about everything, would it? There'd be no scope for imagination then, would there?"~Anne ofGreen Gables
I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book! When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library ~Jane Austen~Pride andPrejudice
In this sequestered nook how sweet, to sit upon my orchard seat, and birds and flowers once more greet~William Wordsworth
Song of Songs 2: 10-13
"Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me. See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me."
Habakkuk 3: 19
The sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.
Everywhere I have sought rest and not found it, except sitting in a corner by myself with a little book~Thomas Kempis
"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your masters happiness!' Matthew 25: 21
A Writers Prayer
Lord, I praise you and thank you for blessing me with the gift of writing. I know that in my own strength I can do nothing, but with you all things are possible. It is only by your grace that I am your child, and only by your grace that my writing will ever be used for your glory.
Lord, help me never to forget that I need to make time to sit at your feet daily. At your feet and in your presence is where I will find the greatest inspiration for writing. There is no substitute for studying your word and seeking your truth. While books on writing, writing courses, and classes can be helpful, nothing will ever compare to the time I spend alone with you. In the midst of daily distractions and busy seasons of life, teach me to be still and know you. Only when I spend time in your presence will others be able to see your reflection shining through the words I write.
I pray I will never forget that the ability to write is a gift to be used for your glory, not my own. It is not for the purpose of seeing my name on the cover of a book or listed in a magazine, but for the purpose of seeing you lifted up, exalted, and glorified. Help me never to become prideful or draw attention to myself. I pray that through my writing others will be drawn to you and desire to know you.
Help me to overcome my fears and doubts and to step out of my comfort zone. Remind me that I have nothing to fear and that you already know the plans and the purpose you have for the words I write. I simply need to trust in you, step out in faith, and write. Help me to use this gift of writing wisely. Remind me not to put it off until tomorrow, for I am not guaranteed how long I have here on this earth to do your work.
Help me to take seriously the stewardship of this gift you have entrusted into my care. Remind me that being a writer is a calling and a ministry, and that I need to pursue my calling with diligence. Lord, help me to by your faithful servant; then when my life here on this earth is over and I am welcomed into your presence, I will hear you say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!."
I've been recovering from major surgery over the past month. For the first 2 weeks I didn't feel like doing anything, and my daily routine consisted of going from the bed to the couch and watching TV. I'm not a big fan of television and rarely watch it, but following my surgery I was so miserable that watching TV was about the only thing I felt like doing. My morning would start out with the Today Show, which was followed by endless cooking programs on the Food Network. It became a daily ritual for me. Before long, I started to feel far away from God and wondered what had happened to me spiritually. Before my surgery, I had a strong relationship with God and looked forward to my daily quiet time. I couldn't wait to read my Bible each morning and spend time in prayer. I would often journal my prayers or write what God's word revealed to me following my quiet time. Suddenly, I was finding it difficult to pray at all and realized my Bible had scarcely been opened since my surgery. I hated the distance I felt from God and how drab life had become. Depression had set in and I was constantly discouraged about my recovery process, feeling sorry for myself, etc. No matter how hard I tried to feel better about things, I continued to feel down.
One morning, when I woke up, I decided to open my Bible rather than turning on the Today Show. Song of Solomon 2: 15 stood out to me.
Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes.
While Song of Solomon was written about a love relationship between a bride and her bridegroom, it is also often thought to represent the relationship between the church (the bride) and Christ (the bridegroom). John 15: 4-5 says:
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in Him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
It soon became clear to me that I had allowed some little foxes to spoil my connection to the Vine! I had allowed TV to nibble away at my time rather than seeking wisdom and direction from the word of God. No wonder I was feeling so discouraged! Rather than producing spiritual fruit, I was producing the worldly fruits of complaining and whining about everything. While the programs I was watching each day were not bad programs, they nonetheless had consumed my life to the point where I was not taking the time to nurture my relationship with God. I was engrossed in all the cooking shows and learning about preparing gourmet meals while spiritually I was starving to death.
The very first day I opened my Bible rather then reaching for the TV remote, I felt such a difference in my attitude. I was renewed spiritually by the power of God's word, as my thirsty spirit drank deeply of the beautiful message of God's love and mercy. I began to see life in a positive way again rather then dwelling on the negative. I was made aware of how quickly the little foxes can come in without us realizing they are there and destroy our relationship to the Vine.
Little foxes come in many shapes and sizes; excessive TV watching, continual cell phone usage and texting, too much computer time, the desire for material things, busyness, being involved in too many activities, job stress, worry, fear, relationship issues, and a multitude of other everyday things. When we feel distant from God and spiritually weak, it's not because God has moved, it's because we have allowed other things to crowd God out of our life.
One way to see where you are spiritually is to do a fruit inspection. What evidence of spiritual fruit can you see in your life? Galations 5: 22-23 says the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If we aren't seeing these fruits in our daily lives, chances are there are some little foxes nibbling away at our relationship to the Vine. Beware of those little foxes!
The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely~ Louisa May Alcott
Relax and enjoy a cup of tea
The mere chink of cups and saucers tunes the mind to happy repose~George Gissing
"If you want to see birds, you must have birds in your heart"~ John Burroughs
Watch the Birds!
I enjoy watching birds, and the tiny winged creatures have brought me hours of joy and pleasure . God's creation is so beautiful and diverse, and I never tire of seeing the unique variety of birds outside my window. Besides, God's word tells us to "look at the birds of the air," and that is reason enough for me to watch the birds.
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them...Matthew 6: 26
Home, the spot of earth supremely blest, A dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest~Robert Montgomery
He is happiest , be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort~Jane Austen
Psalm 42: 1-2
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
"Early summer days are a jubilee time for birds. In the field, around the house, in the barn, in the woods, in the swamp--everywhere love and songs and nests and eggs~Charlotte's Web
The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles~Anne Frank
I value my garden more for being full of blackbirds than of cherries, and very frankly give them fruit for their songs--Joseph Addison
I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance that I should have been by any epaulet I could have worn--Henry David Thoreau.
Don't underestimate the value of doing nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering. ~Pooh's Little Instruction Book
To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment~Jane Austen
Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop~Ovid
You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me~ C.S. Lewis
A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself~AbrahamMaslow
Let your bookcases and your shelves be your gardens and your pleasure grounds. Pluck the fruit that grows therein, gather the roses, the spices, and the myrrh~Judah Ibn Tibbon
"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your masters happiness!' Matthew 25: 21
