Coffee perking, flames flickering. Steam and smoke swirling.

Husband smiles.

Crows fussing

Exodus 14:14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.

Psalm 37:7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!

God wants us to stop, pause. We are to see, smell, hear and taste all that He has created. Small and large it is all amazing wonderful awe inspiring. Let the Holy Spirit calm your soul so that you can pause.

You are loved.

Today I was thinking on the word breakfast. Break the fast. I thought of all the hugs I have missed over the last several months.

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
    when it is in your power to act. Proverbs 3:27

I miss the warmth of a hug from family, friends, students and even strangers.

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

When this Pandemic has passed I will never again pass up an opportunity to hug others.

If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 1 Corinthians 12:26

I miss seeing others hug each other in joy or to give comfort. Or just because… they are loved by God.

We are all loved by God, we are all held in his arms. Hugging each other helps us through this life until we are in heaven, and then we can run into Jesus’s arms to receive the treasure of his hug.

You are loved.

I love to take pictures of food. Why??? I see art work. A person created the taste to merge together, to create a masterpiece for your taste buds.

But as any great cook knows taste starts with the eyes, then the nose and moves to the taste buds.

When I snap the picture I am trying to find a way to remember the moment that the chef created. The picture cannot capture the smell or taste but it can remind me of the experience.

In the Bible there are many references to food.

Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”Nehemiah 8:10

Oh, the food that God created raw and full of flavor.

God then created us to enjoy and eat from the land. He made us to create, so of course we try to capture the glory. The artist, the mother, the friend who wants to feed us takes the gifts God has blessed us with and creates the dish to be seen, smelled and tasted.

For he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.Psalm 107:9

So take the time to appreciate that meal in front of you. Give thanks and praise to God and share God’s love with all those who are with you.

You are loved.

Recently I went to Bend Oregon with my sister friends. Plane, car and walking were the means of transportation. The trip was well worth the travel.

The trip had me thinking on the current Bible study I am doing, The Quest by Beth Moore. Two of her “re-calibrating questions” from the Bible are:

*Where are you? Genesis 3:9 This is when Adam and Eve were hiding from God. God knew where the were, He just wanted them and us to think on the idea of “where am I”

*What are you seeking? John 1:38

So as I spent my week traveling I kept these two questions in my thoughts. Especially when I saw my sister pull out a fold up map. Then another sister added a print out from the computer and last the cell phone.

So I had to ask myself what do I use for my map for my life. The Bible, the book, the printed out verses and the apps on the cell phone. But, do I really turn to them? Do I wander around never looking to God for the answers? Do I forget He, the almighty, gave me a map? Do I even know where I am really going to?

On one of our walks God had left a map for anyone who needed it. What an amazing image.

When we finally got to Bend Oregon it was so beautiful, I could not stop looking at the glory. Before I was a Christian I would wonder why anyone would want to look and worship God for eternity. Sounded boring. But now I think about the hours I can look at God’s creations for hours and hours. Think about it the creator will be so much more than what he created.

Yes, I get lost and distracted. But I know that all I have to do is look to my God and to study His map and I am no longer lost but Found.

You are loved always.

This week I have been taking a watercolor class in Bend Oregon. With David Lobenbergart.

https://www.lobenbergart.com/https://www.lobenbergart.com/

I have found that the process of learning to paint is enhancing my perception of the world.

The process has reminded me that I must study God. By learning about God I can perceive him all around me.

The more I look for God, the more I see Him. He is everywhere. The thing I must do is to always keep my eye on God throughout the day. So that I see Him in all things.

My painting is rough. Okay maybe a bit not so good. The reality cannot be captured. Even if I could paint as well as the instructor the work would not show the wind the smells, the sounds. The work would not show the true glory.

I have truly been enjoying the watercolor classes. The joy of having my eyes opened so that I see so much more. I can only imagine that as I continue to paint I will continue to see more and more details of this beautiful world God has given us.

I can only imagine the glory and beauty of heaven, our true world is with God and it will be glorious.

Remember you are always loved.

Today is my birthday. For the last couple of weeks my wonderful husband has given me a small gift each day.

The fun part was he would leave it out in plain sight, for me to discover.

I need to remember the fun part of life is to look for the small gifts that are in plain sight. All from God.

That feeling of warmth on your face.

The perfume of life in the air. That stray rosemary trying to live between the rocks.

A coffee cup given to you by a dear friend. All gifts are from God, accept them with joy.

Remember you are so very loved by God. Be aware that the gifts are there in plain sight.

Today I am flying out to visit with my sister friends. So I will be trusting.

I trust that everyone is doing their best to be safe. Mask… Sanitizer… Common sense.

I trust that the pilots are wise. The mechanics did their jobs… The list goes on.

But most importantly… I trust God. As Bob Goff said… No matter what I will get home. Either home with my love, Gerald or my home with my beloved Jesus.

Juneteenth, even typing it correctly my spell check does not recognize the word. Guess it does not know. It is okay not to know something. It is okay and good to attempt to understand. It is not okay to judge others for not knowing.

Friday, when Google and Facebook had Juneteenth on everything, I was confused. So of course I looked it up – wow.

One of my friends on Facebook asked how many knew of Juneteenth before? Most all the response where the same as mine. First time.

Another person put angry faces on all our comments and said we should have talked to our black friends. Yikes.

Why hadn’t I know has been bothering me since. I think the reason for me it is partly because Juneteenth is in June and my summers are usually very isolated. I teach so I am not around other people very often.

Why didn’t any of my friends tell me before. Is is because I live in Kentucky?

Why is this the first time social media decide to integrate the message onto the platform?

I feel like one of my students who tells me they do not know enough to know what questions to ask.

So many questions. So much to learn.

I do believe that if we look to God and ask for His help He will lead us to the correct questions that need to asked. We need not fear the asking or the answers. Listen for truth, and love everyone always.