Well, it's April 1st again. My birthday. Way to go Lord for timing that one! I like being born on the first day of the month. There are only 12 days out of a possible 365 that that can happen to a person and I got one! My coworker didn't believe it when she found out though. She thought it was a joke and called my supervisor and had her look in my file to double check. Which I suppose would make a good April Fool's joke.
I'm supposed to meet some girls for dinner, but I'm contemplating renting some ridiculous costume to show up in and maybe get kicked out for being a sideshow. Now that would be a memorable birthday...wouldn't it?
Showing posts with label thankful. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thankful. Show all posts
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Garments of Salvation
I hate that stupid saying that goes "When life hands you lemons, make Lemonade." I've been handed more lemons in my life that if I tried to make lemonade, I just might drown in it. And besides, I don't have enough sugar.
I do however very much enjoy the saying that goes "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free." I want that freedom. I want to gobble it all up. I want to leave my rotten old self behind and gobble up all the freedom that Christ died for to set me free. And not so that I can go and live like the Queen of Sheba on a mountain top saying "Look at me! I'm free! I'm free!" No. I want to live the words Isaiah declared in chapter 61:
"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
5 Aliens will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the LORD,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.
7 Instead of their shame
my people will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
they will rejoice in their inheritance;
and so they will inherit a double portion in their land,
and everlasting joy will be theirs.
8 "For I, the LORD, love justice;
I hate robbery and iniquity.
In my faithfulness I will reward them
and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the LORD has blessed."
10 I delight greatly in the LORD;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise
spring up before all nations."
For only by the power of the Holy Spirit are these things possible. Let Him breathe on you today, so that like the title of this blog, you too may be Free to Be (His).
I do however very much enjoy the saying that goes "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free." I want that freedom. I want to gobble it all up. I want to leave my rotten old self behind and gobble up all the freedom that Christ died for to set me free. And not so that I can go and live like the Queen of Sheba on a mountain top saying "Look at me! I'm free! I'm free!" No. I want to live the words Isaiah declared in chapter 61:
"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
5 Aliens will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the LORD,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.
7 Instead of their shame
my people will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
they will rejoice in their inheritance;
and so they will inherit a double portion in their land,
and everlasting joy will be theirs.
8 "For I, the LORD, love justice;
I hate robbery and iniquity.
In my faithfulness I will reward them
and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the LORD has blessed."
10 I delight greatly in the LORD;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise
spring up before all nations."
For only by the power of the Holy Spirit are these things possible. Let Him breathe on you today, so that like the title of this blog, you too may be Free to Be (His).
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Hiking the Cascades
Days Unemployed: I. forget.
Maybe it's for the better that I've forgotten. Today, this is what I did.
Hmmmm, better than sitting in an office all day, no?
View right above Olallie Lake, (Northern Cascade Range)
Reflection in the water of the mountain above it. Talk about placid water reflection!
Reflection of the Alpines
Standing in front of Olallie Lake
Talapus Lake, elevation 2,600 ASL
Talapus Lake, Northern Cascade Range
Anyway...fun stuff. You would have liked it.
Maybe it's for the better that I've forgotten. Today, this is what I did.
Hmmmm, better than sitting in an office all day, no?
View right above Olallie Lake, (Northern Cascade Range)
Reflection in the water of the mountain above it. Talk about placid water reflection!
Reflection of the Alpines
Standing in front of Olallie Lake
Talapus Lake, elevation 2,600 ASL
Talapus Lake, Northern Cascade Range
Anyway...fun stuff. You would have liked it.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Night Swimming...(Remember that R.E.M song?)
I don't suppose I've done this much swimming in the summer since I was a little kid. Seattle has had the hottest summer on record since temperatures were being recorded back in 1891. In certain places we have capped out at 109 degrees, though Seattle proper hit 103 last week. You'd think we were living in Arizona or something. I can't remember the last time it even rained! I'm not complaining about that fact, it's just a fact that I'm stating. It's been an incredibly hot summer and I've loved it.
My friends and I have frequented many, many of the lakes and rivers in the area during the day and even very late into the night for a swim. I love getting together with my darling friends and feeling so carefree, jumping off the docks and into what feels like bathwater for a late night swim. I've been relishing these days and nights. It goes something like this:
(A 10pm phone call and I'm almost in my jammies) "Hey Colleen! It's too hot to sleep so we are all going swimming, you in?" ....heck yes I am.
I love that fact that I can just up and go whenever I want. It's such a liberating feeling and when I arrive down at the dock I seriously feel like I'm twelve again. We all feel that way. You forget that really you are a grown up with a job and bills or a mortgage to pay. No. Down at the dock it's just you in your swimsuit and the laughter of your friends as you all splash and dunk and dive again and again, just like when you were a kid. I've floated on inner tubes, eaten drippy popsicles, gone to bed very late and watched my face explode with freckles these last 4 weeks.
These things have helped me to momentarily forget that I lost my job, or the fact that the relationship that I was in flopped or that I'm really not sure at all in what direction my life is going in whatsoever.
I guess what I'm saying is this...it's been a rough summer, but God's grace is still sufficient for me and I see that in the little things, no matter how small they seem, like night swimming. :)
My friends and I have frequented many, many of the lakes and rivers in the area during the day and even very late into the night for a swim. I love getting together with my darling friends and feeling so carefree, jumping off the docks and into what feels like bathwater for a late night swim. I've been relishing these days and nights. It goes something like this:
(A 10pm phone call and I'm almost in my jammies) "Hey Colleen! It's too hot to sleep so we are all going swimming, you in?" ....heck yes I am.
I love that fact that I can just up and go whenever I want. It's such a liberating feeling and when I arrive down at the dock I seriously feel like I'm twelve again. We all feel that way. You forget that really you are a grown up with a job and bills or a mortgage to pay. No. Down at the dock it's just you in your swimsuit and the laughter of your friends as you all splash and dunk and dive again and again, just like when you were a kid. I've floated on inner tubes, eaten drippy popsicles, gone to bed very late and watched my face explode with freckles these last 4 weeks.
These things have helped me to momentarily forget that I lost my job, or the fact that the relationship that I was in flopped or that I'm really not sure at all in what direction my life is going in whatsoever.
I guess what I'm saying is this...it's been a rough summer, but God's grace is still sufficient for me and I see that in the little things, no matter how small they seem, like night swimming. :)
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Grown-Ups Don't Climb Trees
But I do. I went for a walk the other day along the waterfront. It was another beautiful Indian Summer day and the leaves were spectacular. The air was a crisp cool and along the water the sun shown down and danced like stars upon its black surface.
It wasn't until I was on my way back that I noticed it. The tree seemed like a large old grandmother holding out her strong arms for a hug, and I went right for it. It was a willow tree after all and something about willow trees always seem to have a feminine melancholy air to them. About four feet up the trunk of the tree it split into a perfect seat and there were plenty of knots and ragged slices of bark that worked well as easy hand and foot holds for me to climb. It was meant to be.
So I hiked myself up into its branches, turned around and nestled myself down in the center of the tree. The branches came so far down and since its leaves were still on it, I was hidden in plain sight. I sat there by the water, hidden in the tree and just rested. I leaned my head back and listened to the swishing of the branches in the wind. I listened to the water lapping up again the stone wall. I listened to people having conversations below me and smiled to myself because I could hear and see them, but they had no idea I was even there.
I don't know how long I sat there, but I sat there a long time; until I was done. I sat there like a kid. A kid with nowhere to go, nothing to do, no money in my pockets, not a care in the world...carefree.
In that tree, I was not a woman with a job to do. I was not a woman with responsibilities, or bills to pay. I was not a woman. I was just a kid again.
Sometimes, we need moments of remembering what it's like to be a kid. Sometimes, it's the grown-ups who forget to think outside the box and it's the kids that do. Kids climb trees. Kids don't worry about the economy. Kids don't worry about who's going to provide for them, or how they are going to make their way in life.
Children are carefree. That's how God wants us to be in our trust of Him. Carefree that it's all been taken care of. If we are not careful, we will miss it because of the concerns and worries of this present world. If I was so worried about my own "worries", I promise you I would have missed that lovely tree. I would have missed that opportunity to sit and rest and enjoy the lovely little experience that God gave me. He knows what I like and even though it was in front of my face I could have missed it, but I didn't. Why? Because I was thinking about Him. I was focused on Him and in seeking Him, He opened His hand and in it was a tree for me to climb. Not even because I asked for it, but because He's my Father and He knows me well.
Matthew 6:32,33
32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Disclaimer: The last time I climbed a tree I ripped my pants, right proper. So if you are a tree climber like me or even if you're not, proceed with caution when climbing and be up for anything. :)
It wasn't until I was on my way back that I noticed it. The tree seemed like a large old grandmother holding out her strong arms for a hug, and I went right for it. It was a willow tree after all and something about willow trees always seem to have a feminine melancholy air to them. About four feet up the trunk of the tree it split into a perfect seat and there were plenty of knots and ragged slices of bark that worked well as easy hand and foot holds for me to climb. It was meant to be.
So I hiked myself up into its branches, turned around and nestled myself down in the center of the tree. The branches came so far down and since its leaves were still on it, I was hidden in plain sight. I sat there by the water, hidden in the tree and just rested. I leaned my head back and listened to the swishing of the branches in the wind. I listened to the water lapping up again the stone wall. I listened to people having conversations below me and smiled to myself because I could hear and see them, but they had no idea I was even there.
I don't know how long I sat there, but I sat there a long time; until I was done. I sat there like a kid. A kid with nowhere to go, nothing to do, no money in my pockets, not a care in the world...carefree.
In that tree, I was not a woman with a job to do. I was not a woman with responsibilities, or bills to pay. I was not a woman. I was just a kid again.
Sometimes, we need moments of remembering what it's like to be a kid. Sometimes, it's the grown-ups who forget to think outside the box and it's the kids that do. Kids climb trees. Kids don't worry about the economy. Kids don't worry about who's going to provide for them, or how they are going to make their way in life.
Children are carefree. That's how God wants us to be in our trust of Him. Carefree that it's all been taken care of. If we are not careful, we will miss it because of the concerns and worries of this present world. If I was so worried about my own "worries", I promise you I would have missed that lovely tree. I would have missed that opportunity to sit and rest and enjoy the lovely little experience that God gave me. He knows what I like and even though it was in front of my face I could have missed it, but I didn't. Why? Because I was thinking about Him. I was focused on Him and in seeking Him, He opened His hand and in it was a tree for me to climb. Not even because I asked for it, but because He's my Father and He knows me well.
Matthew 6:32,33
32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Disclaimer: The last time I climbed a tree I ripped my pants, right proper. So if you are a tree climber like me or even if you're not, proceed with caution when climbing and be up for anything. :)
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