Remember: To Think Of Again


Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,
    for they have been from of old.
Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
    according to your steadfast love remember me,
    for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!
(Psalm 25:6-7 ESV)


On this 31st Day of Quiet, I had the pleasure of returning to “my garden,” our local botanical gardens, which I joined back in February. I have enjoyed going every so often alone or with a companion to see the seasonal garb. 

Today was an unseasonably warm, yet rainy day. I put on my walking shoes, carried the umbrella and strolled with my camera phone to my favorite haunts. The Victorian garden, the English woods, the Japanese pond and surrounding foliage. And just before I left, a stop at the small Chinese secret garden to sit in the gazebo. 

I take photos to remember. The palette of autumn colors were so rich and varied. For our last day together, I will share the colors I captured and some of the textures, too! Enjoy the quiet and remember to mark the goodness of God in your lives.

I also want to thank Pam Farrel again for giving me persmission to share generously from her book: 30Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time. In the last chapter, she reminds us that the Israelites built altars to recall God’s goodness and faithfulness in their lives.

And here are some ideas for us to mark our journey to pass on a legacy of faith:

Consider a yearly tradition of writing a Christmas or Thanksgiving poem.

Make a heirloom gift such as a quilt or…a piece of furniture to commemorate an event…

Plant a tree…

Create a tangible marker like a fountain or a verse etched in wet cement.

She leaves us with this question:

What can you make that  could become a remembrance of your walk with Christ?

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

 To read all the post in the 31 Days of Quiet series, click here.

Special thanks to the Nester for hosting the 31 Days of Challenge this year!

Poem: A Piece of Imaginative Writing in Verse

 
When my soul is in the dumps, I rehearse
everything I know of you,
From Jordan depths to Hermon heights,
including Mount Mizar.
Chaos calls to chaos,
to the tune of whitewater rapids.
Your breaking surf, your thundering breakers
crash and crush me.

Then God promises to love me all day,
sing songs all through the night!
My life is God’s prayer.
 

(Psalm 42:6-8 The Message)

Psalms and poems,
April showers and May flowers
That is what Spring is made of.

The poetic language of the Psalms express my heart, as my joy ebbs and flows with the sunshine and clouds of Spring. To celebrate and contemplate this season of joy, my heart is drawn to poetry and to flowers. Poetry is celebrated this month, so I thought I’d join the festivities by posting some poem/prayers of my own, some from others and some from God’s word.

Flowers are the iconic representation of Spring, and with my new access to varieties unlimited through the Missouri Botanical Gardens, I will have photos to share. Last week, I went with my sister and the nieces and nephews. We were able to enjoy the superb display of orchids.

I plan to highlight guest poems on Thursdays, so if you have a poem you’d like me to post or link up here, please send me an e-mail with your poem or link at kelrohlf@gmail.com

Without further ado, here are some flowers and  a poem.

cloudless blue (Kel Rohlf)

 

cloudless blue raked by bare branches

redbud blossoms soften the view
warmth of spring swishes past
with just a hint of winter chill

man made droning behind the scene

breaks in upon this dream
echoing a great stream rushing
behind the woodland screen

senses drop to the underbrush

greening, growing unseen life
lush
underneath the winter gloom