Category: Creator

Pause: To Linger For a Time


The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters. He refreshes and restores my life . . . 
(Psalm 23:1-3a Amplified)


Spending time with the Shepherd of our souls in a familiar place each day can be comforting, but some occasions call for a pause from the ordinary. It may be as simple as getting up and going for a walk with God in your neighborhood or as elaborate as visiting a place far away from home.

Either way, taking a break from the routine can enhance your relationship with God. Not everyone has the luxury of going to distant lands, but if you love being outdoors with the Creator take your Bible outside to sit on the patio. Or take a blanket to your local park and just lie in the grass soaking up God’s presence.

Often changing up our location can be a way to commemorate significant seasons of life. Maybe you need to set aside a day to make a decision or take an afternoon to grieve a loss. 

I will let Pam Farrel speak to us today about a way she navigated a time of grief:

When my father died, traditional quiet times were not easing the pain. My friend . . . brought over a gift from my women’s ministry team. It was a small rose bush. Planting, pruning and caring for that plant gave me time to talk to God about my feelings and a positive result– a living, growing, blooming beautiful result. It felt like my dad’s death wasn’t insignificant but rather significant because one small corner of the world became a more beautiful place, a reminder of a life lived.

She also shares how choosing a special place or activity can enhance our relationship with God:

Some days just demand that we stop, step out of the normal pace of life and look full face into the creation so we can connect with the Creator. Of course, you can pray in your dining room at home, but somehow when pivotal prayers are uttered in poignant settings they become etched in your mind and heart.

Won’t you consider this challenge from Pam today:
Look at the calendar for the coming year, is there an event you can make special by stepping into nature and feeding your relationship with God?

©Pam Farrel from 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time (IVP). For more devotional books by Pam http://www.Love-wise.com


Posted on by kelrohlf 4

Where: At or In What Place


But the LORD God called to the man, 
“Where are you?” 
(Genesis 3:9 NIV)


YOU ARE HERE
YOU EXIST
YOU ARE HERE
YOU HAVE VALUE
YOU ARE SACRED AND DISTINCT
YOU ARE HERE
AT THIS TIME
IN THIS PLACE
FOR THIS REASON

The voice of love is calling out: “Where are you?”

I believe that the Creator is asking each individual this question everyday. It may even be a question you ask yourself: Where am I? How did I get here? Do I want to be here? Where do I want to be? 

Where is a question of proximity . . . nearness. Are you close to where you were created to be? Are you near to the Creator?

YOU ARE HERE. 

Is that answer enough? I think so. 

YOU, exist as an individual, a distinct entity. YOU ARE part of a whole. It’s not “You is here,” but “You are here.” YOU, the plural. YOU, the collective, the communal that exists in community. YOU ARE HERE. HERE, where every other human being exists, part of the whole human experience. 

The dictionary says that the universe is “a systematic whole held to arise by and persist through the direct intervention of divine power.”

YOU ARE HERE. 

And the same one who asks “Where are you?”
Also knows that YOU ARE HERE.
And He likes it that way.


Where are YOU?





Posted on by kelrohlf 3