Ordinary or Extraordinary?

As I read Ann Voskamp's blog post describing her journey with unexpected heart failure, two words resonated with me....."ordinary glory". Ordinary glory.....finding the glory of our Papa God in the ordinary ~ the laughter of children, the rising or setting of the sun, the beating of our own hearts.  As I shared with Joel her written words he responded with....."There really is no ordinary glory". This does ring true.  The glory of the Lord comes into our ordinary and makes it all extraordinary.

When we walk through the valley and find ourselves looking back on that season, it is important to use our spiritual eyes to see how God released His love and wove His goodness, His glory into each step along the way. He makes the ordinary extraordinary.

And what is the ordinary?  Well, I mentioned a few above.....the laughter of children, the beating of our own hearts.........the rising or setting sun.  I guess it is those things we take for granted in life, like our next breath.......or the food set before us.  Yeah.

When we traveled West through all the wide open spaces in the winter of 2015, I noticed all the different sunsets...and began to photograph them as I realized each one held it's own beauty.  In our neighborhood it is hard to find the sunset or sunrise with all the trees and houses that block the view. Not so on our favorite farm where I can wake early and view the sunrise from the window that brings it right to me on the upstairs landing.  It never fails to bring gratitude to my heart.  So, too, the sunset over our favorite Iowa lake.

Our favorite Iowa lake at sunset

The sunset we saw in Kansas was different than those we experienced in Arizona.  I hope I never tire of pausing to experience God's ending to another day created for our enjoyment.  We were not able to see the eclipse here with our overcast skies, but even watching it on our TV, we were completely in awe of this unusual occurrence.  Our Creator's intricate detail and power displayed!  Those events do amaze us and should!   But I throw out there the idea that the ordinary can amaze us too.

Bill Johnson in his book, The Supernatural Power of the Transformed Mind, said we need to live in the "everyday miraculous". and it should just be the norm.  Miracles seen as normal.....now there's an idea worth contemplating.

Ann Voskamp has encouraged millions of people to write down every single thing they are thankful for in each day......it changed her life, and when she shared her story with the rest of the world it has changed others too.  Being grateful for it all....because we are here to experience it.  Because we are here to receive it from our Papa God and share it with others.  Because when we do give thanks for the ordinary it does become something more.

So, maybe there is no ordinary when we let God into our lives.  Maybe it is all extraordinary.......and maybe when the Lord's Prayer reads.....thy Kingdom come on EARTH as it is in Heaven.....that here on earth does include the everyday miraculous.  And the extraordinary includes not only a rare eclipse, but the every day sunrise and sunset.   Thank you Papa for making the ordinary extraordinary!

Showering Us With His Affection

What happens when God's way of communicating with us becomes new and somewhat mysterious?  I recall nearly three years ago when Holy Spirit made Himself known in a powerful way.  I had never experienced this kind of encounter and did not know anyone then who had, but during a time of worship in our home, He came like a heavy blanket over me.  It lasted for 4 months.   The first two weeks were intense and my body felt the Presence in such a physical manner that at times I needed Joel's support to walk.  Now, stay with me here, as I speak with honesty, because this is what I experienced.  This kind of physical and spiritual encounter continued at a lower level for over 3 more months, subsiding greatly by the end of the 4th month.  And then it was over.  It is hard to describe, but we definitely knew it was from God.  It put us on a quest to understand the experience more of course, and we have read about others with similar encounters since then.

 Saturday while watching the movie "Holy Spirit Reborn" a pastor asked this question..."Why is the church so afraid of Holy Spirit?"  With tears in his eyes he truly wondered why people are afraid to experience the Presence of God in ways where Holy Spirit is in control.  Well, I know I had little idea what I was doing when I asked God for "more" of His Presence.  I certainly was surprised when He gave me what I asked for and beyond!  I thought I had it all wrapped up tightly in a bow and I thought I knew how it would present itself.  Surprise!   BUT I would not have missed it for the world.  Not. for. the. world.  At the end of those 4 months I felt God's love for me in a way I never had before, I became good friends with Holy Spirit, and inner healing was a "side effect" of those wrap around, come on down, I desire all of you days.  I did not want it to end.

I have longed for that same season once again, but have not experienced it at that level.  I pondered why until I heard someone say that there are hundreds of ways to communicate with God and I realized I need to be open to how Jesus/Holy/God wants to communicate with me now in this new season of my life.

Through the scriptures we learn that Jesus wants a close relationship with us.  For each of us that will look differently, and we won't all experience His presence in the same way.  Still, He longs to talk with us and have us talk with Him the way friends do.  He walks with us through every minute of every day.  He is not found just inside the walls of a church, He is found in you, around you.

Abi Strumwell, a Bethel church teacher says, "A relationship with Jesus is not about rules......it is about having many different ways to bond with Him."  In nature, in music, in dance, in art, in laughter, in tears, in quietness, in loudness, in encounters that shake our world."

Holy Spirit is a gentleman and will not make Himself known in us unless we give Him permission, but He wants to draw us closer to our God and in doing so it will shake up our world.   Our God is without boundaries, limitless, and crazy about His children.  Yes.  He is crazy about us.  He wants to make Himself known in us and I believe He gave us a new Spirit to love and empower us as we welcome Him.  He wants to shower us with His affection in a variety of ways.

                           

Delight In The Day

"Don't take a single day for granted. 

Take delight in each light-filled hour!"

Ecc. 11:8

The Message

Isn't this a great verse to start our day with~ I like to begin my days by saying a favorite verse..."This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.."  This verse in Ecc. that I read recently on a notecard,  goes right along with that. 

So often we get caught up in the busyness of life, no matter our age or abilities.  We often take our tomorrows for granted..or wish for tomorrow, losing what is offered to us today.  Certainly, there is a precious gift offered to us each day~ and as this verse implies, we can really find something to be delighted about every single hour.  We need only look around us to be inspired.

I can see my neighbor out trimming his lilac bushes while his sweet grandson plays at his feet.  I miss my own grandchildren so much, and am delighted to watch this little toddler move about, 

We have a bird feeder and hanging basket of flowers right outside our window to enjoy throughout the day.  So far I have seen finches, sparrows, cardinals, a morning dove and an Oriole eating there.  The squirrels have given us more than a few laughs, too, as they try to eat from the feeder. 

 I can look over and see our 11 yr old miniature schnauzer sleeping on the loveseat.  He brings me companionship every day.

The phone connects me to all those I love and care about around the country! 

 To my left is a pile of books I am reading and re-reading. Do we realize how many people do not own one single book?  I am so thankful to have a friend whom I call my "book fairy" who sends me book cards as special gifts. She has no idea the joy her gifts bring to me. 

 I can watch TV, turn on the radio, or put in a CD all at my fingertips.

Hearing the doctor tell me "everything looks normal" gives me more reason to delight in all the days I have been given.   

 My husband is on disability due to Lyme disease so he is home quite a bit of the time.  I love having him home and even though I do not desire for him to be sick, I truly delight in his company. 

My laptop connects me to the world and my blog to all of you.  I delight in knowing you and writing until my heart is content. 

 I could go on and on and on.....

Yes, each day is a gift from God.  Don't take a single one for granted.  DELIGHT in each light-filled hour!

Wednesday Wonders of Nature

Several days of dense fog gave our neighborhood a beautiful coat of white. Joel took these photos so we could share God's blessings of nature with others. Today we are expecting up to 1/2 inch of ice on everything. What a strange winter it has been!

For The Beauty Of The Earth

I love everything about Fall. The sounds, the smells, and God's paintbrush sharing with us rusts, golds, oranges, and greens. Beautiful! This tree is at the end of our cul-de-sac and graces us with it's vivid colors every year. How can anyone look at this proud, sturdy, vibrant creation and not believe in God!

As I look out my living room window over a blanket of colorful leaves on the ground, I see bushes and trees painting a picture without a canvas, and I can faintly hear the sound of geese honking as they fly overhead, heading back from the nearby river. Squirrels are scurrying around preparing for winter, and the wind speaks of colder days ahead. There is so much to enjoy about autumn.

If we just take the time to really see our surroundings, we can only bow down on bended knee, lifting our arms in praise! The hymn "For The Beauty Of The Earth" comes to mind.

For the beauty of the earth

For the glory of the skies

For the love from which our birth

Over and around us lies

Lord of all to Him we raise

This our hymn of grateful praise!

For other inspirational posts visit Charlotte and Ginger at Spiritual Sundays:

http://www.bloggerspirit.blogspot.com/

Moment of Beauty

Here is my moment of beauty to share with you today....strange? A strong and sturdy Maple tree without its leaves in a place in time before spring fully arrives.... I find this tree in our yard beautiful to look at and filled with hidden meaning for my life. A

M.O.B. Enjoy!