Come and Worship!

Sunset at Gulf Shores, Alabama

In God's Care

When Mama chose the inscription for Daddy's tombstone, which she would share when it was her turn to be buried beside him in the cemetery of the little country church where they were members, she selected three simple words: In God's Care. 

Those three words summarize what she and Daddy always believed: They were always in God's care--always had been, always would be. That profound truth comforted and strengthened them--and me, too.

They would agree, as I do, with these words spoken by the Apostle Paul: "I am persuaded that neither life nor death nor anything or anyone else can ever separate us from the love of God found in and expressed by Christ Jesus." See Romans 8.

What a comfort! How it strengthens us to face whatever happens to us.

Wonder and Worship

I photographed this sunrise from the balcony on another day.

 I woke up when it was still dark but decided to stay in bed for a few minutes longer and listen to BBN Radio via an app on my phone. As I gazed out the large, uncovered windows, I marveled at the beautiful changes in the sky as a new day dawned.

While watching the dramatic changes, I focused on these words to a song that was playing on BBN Radio: “I will glorify the King of Kings. I will glorify the Lamb.” I lifted my hands in praise and worshipped Him.

The Creator's Work

The one who made the Pleiades and Orion, 

who turns darkness into dawn

and darkens day into night,

who summons the water of the sea

and pours it out over the surface of the earth —

the LORD is his name.

—Amos 5:8, Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

Prayers of Praise

One day I heard Elisabeth Elliot quote a few words found in the Te Deum (tuh-DEE-um). Being unfamiliar with the Te Deum, I searched the Internet for information about it. I learned that it is an early Christian hymn of praise, possibly written by Saint Augustine or Saint Ambrose in AD 397. The words Elisabeth quoted are translated this way in the Book of Common Prayer:

Sunrise over the Gulf of Mexico--Gulf Shores, Alabama

We praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship thee: the Father everlasting.
To thee all Angels cry aloud: the Heavens, and all the Powers therein.
To thee Cherubim and Seraphim: continually do cry,
Holy, Holy, Holy: Lord God of Hosts;
Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty: of thy glory.

I plan to memorize those words so that I can readily (and often!) offer them as a prayer of praise to God.  I also plan to read regularly Psalm 104, which is a beautiful hymn of praise. Would you like to do that too? 

Behold! Believe!

The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

~Psalm 19:1, NIV

When my husband and I take a walk in the neighborhood, I'm awed by the beauty of the skies. On the evenings we stay home, we miss seeing grandeur like that in this photo. Yet, God faithfully creates awesome skies whether or not anyone notices them. But, oh, what a blessing it is to behold them and to worship the One who created them.

I Love That Flag!

While riding in a car with my husband, I often say, “Oh! Oh! Oh! Slow down if you can. I love that flag!”

As he checks the rearview mirror to make sure we won’t get hit if he slows down or pulls over, he says, “How many flag pictures do you need?”

“I never get tired of taking photos of flags. They are so beautiful, especially when they are being unfurled by a gentle breeze.”

Indeed, I have no idea how many flag photos "live" on my various hard drives. Flags lining the streets of small towns in America. Flags proudly displayed on front porches. Flags in vast grazing lands in the foothills of snow-capped mountains. Flags draped across coffins of American soldiers. Small flags flanking tombstones. Oversize flags looming large against a beautiful sky filled with cotton-candy-like clouds. Flags flapping wildly in strong winds generated by an approaching storm. Flags carried by people in a parade....

Perhaps I love the flag because of all it represents. I love it because it reminds me how blessed I am to claim America as my “home.” 

Wait for the Light!

When troubles come, we worry about how things might turn out. We feel uncertain about what we should do. If it seems that the outcome may not be the one we want, the one for which we pray, we feel hopeless and disappointed.

Having felt this way in times past, I love to watch the sunrises, particularly those over the ocean for they are so striking. Out of the blackness of the night, the first signs of dawn appear above the eastern horizon. The light is barely discernible, at first, but grows ever brighter. The sun rises slowly, its movement imperceptible to the human eye as the bright orange ball rises higher and higher, bringing welcomed light and warmth to a dark and chilly world. 

Sometimes clouds obscure this wondrous sight, as it did the morning when I took the picture posted here. But I waited patiently for the sun to rise above the cloud cover and to shine its glorious light on the earth.

In like manner, may you and I learn to wait patiently on the Lord to provide light for the dark paths on which we sometimes walk. As we wait, may we follow the advice David shares in Psalm 27:14, NIV:

Wait for the LORD;

be strong, 

and let your heart take courage;

wait for the LORD!

As we wait for Him to act, may we be encouraged by what our God says in Isaiah 41:10, NIV:

“...do not fear, 

for I am with you; 

do not be dismayed, 

for I am your God. 

I will strengthen you and help you; 

I will uphold you 

with my righteous right hand.” 

GOD--with us!

In the Clouds

 As I viewed the tops of the clouds through the window of the plane, I felt such awe over the Creator's handiwork; and then I thought, "The God who made all this wonder made me, too!" That prompted me to humbly ask, as did the writer of Psalm 8:4, "What is mankind...what am I...that You, O God, are mindful of us?" 

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God writes the Gospel
not in the Bible alone,
but also on trees,
and in the flowers
and clouds
and stars.
~Martin Luther (1483-1546)

My Source of Help

Bowman's Beach, Sanibel Island, Florida

A little sand between your toes

always takes away your woes.

~unknown

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Note: Although I do love going to the beach to relax, it isn't the sand that takes away my woes. It's this assurance found in God's Word, which I've paraphrased just a bit to help me realize this awesome truth applies to me--as well as to those to whom the words were originally addressed. 

My help comes from the LORD

Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow my foot to slip;

He who keeps me will not slumber.

Based on Psalm 121:2,3

Declare!

The heavens declare the glory of God, 

and

the sky proclaims the work of His hands.

~David, in Psalm 19:1

Quiet and Peaceful--Without and Within

I could never stay long enough on the shore; the tang of the untainted, fresh, and free sea air was like a cool, quieting thought.

~Helen Keller

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...make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business...

1 Thessalonians 4:11

Praise Him

Yes!

As I write these words, today is my birthday. The schedule is full, so I set the alarm last night so that I’d be sure to have plenty of time to pray, to read God’s Word, to write, to sing praises to Him, etc.

Why are those activities so important to me?

I realize that, apart from Him, I’d have no life, no blessings, no abilities, no opportunities, no resources for study, and no time to sit at His feet and learn about Him so that I can love Him more and serve Him better.

My daily Bible reading brought me to Psalm 108. As I read those ancient words, written by King David, my whole being said, “Yes!” and “Amen!” to the glorious truths found in those 13 verses.

• My heart is steadfast, O God, because day by day You’re teaching me to love You and trust You.

• I will sing (and I do!) and make melody with all my being.

• I will give thanks (and I do!) to You, O LORD, among all the people (in casual conversations and in my writings, which are on my blog and in a local magazine).

• I am beginning to understand more and more that Your steadfast love and faithfulness extend higher than the heavens, far beyond where the human eye can see.

• I want You to be exalted above the heavens.

• I want Your glory to be spread over all the earth.

• I know that You alone give victory in all of life’s battles; thus I can courageously face whatever You allow to come my way.

Will I have a happy birthday—no matter what happens or doesn’t happen? Yes!

Sunrise at Crescent Beach, Florida

The Earth Is the LORD's

Overlook at Big Walker Mountain in Virginia

The Heavens Declare

The heavens declare the glory of God, 

and 

the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

Psalm 19:1, ESV

Photo taken in my neighborhood around 8 p.m.

Make Life Beautiful

In an article in the June 2013 issue of Southern Living magazine, writer Allison Glock talks about her great-grandfathers’ gardens, which were as different as the men themselves. One man’s garden was formal. The other’s was wild and free. Yet, each one was filled with beauty.

“In both houses,” Allison says, “there were jars of fresh flowers, blooms that reminded them that life could be beautiful, that they could make it so” (p. 78, “Portrait in Green”).

As I reflected on her words, I recalled the times I’ve visited (and photographed!) the garden of a humble, gentle-spirited man who lives in a small house. Like Allison’s great-grandfathers, this man has also surrounded himself with beauty.

He has planted flowers almost everywhere in his small yard. Other than a grassy pathway, which runs alongside his house and leads to his “sitting area” and to his small vegetable garden near the back fence, almost every available inch of his yard is ablaze with color.

In order to add a splash of color to the part of the yard that is more utilitarian than beautiful, he has hung a sunflower flag on a tree near a table covered with an assortment of unfilled flower pots.

He is happy to share the beauty of his garden with others. For example, when children in his neighborhood ask to be allowed to help him plant and weed and water, he teaches them to care for the plants and to appreciate their beauty, as he does.

Like Allison’s great-grandfathers, he believes life can be beautiful and that people can make it so.

They’re right, aren’t they? We can—and do—cultivate beauty in all kinds of spaces, whether in huge formal gardens surrounding a mansion or in limited space alongside a small house.

We also create beauty in all kinds of ways, not just in flower gardens. Consider: the chef who makes each entrée a work of art…the fashion designer who adds detail to a garment to make it uniquely beautiful…an interior designer who knows just what to put where in order to create a stunningly beautiful room.

Even folks who don’t get paid to create beauty do it instinctively. Take, for example, the person who creates beauty by artfully arranging assorted, chopped, colorful veggies…the man who washes and waxes his car until it looks brand new...the child who gathers a handful of wild flowers to present to her mother... the toddler who draws on a wall with a crayon…

Because we humans have an innate longing for beauty, we either find it—or create it!

Poets and writers use words to paint pictures for us to enjoy; photographers and artists create visual feasts. Even folks who don’t consider themselves artistic or creative, crave beauty and, thus, create it in all kinds of places and with whatever materials are at hand.

Even when life is hard—especially when life is hard—we have a need for beauty. We flank caskets with flowers to soften the harshness of death. We place flowers and balloon bouquets around the room of those who are ill. We dress in bright colors in order to lift our spirits.

Yes, life can be beautiful. And we should make it so! In the process, let’s also take time to thank our Father for the beauty He’s already provided for us, as Folliott S. Pierpoint did when, in 1864, he penned these words:

For the beauty of the earth,

For the glory of the skies,

For the love which from our birth,

Over and around us lies;

Christ our God to Thee we raise

This our hymn of grateful praise.

His Works

Last evening, our immediate family gathered at our older daughter’s home to enjoy family time and to celebrate the 4^th of July by having fun with some fireworks the guys had provided. We laughed and talked and screamed and covered our ears and ran around as the sparklers spit and sputtered and zoomed and boomed. After the fireworks had been used up, we gathered our belongings and hugged each other, saying what a fun time we’d had while making some wonderful memories.

But while I was still seated in one of the folding chairs, I happened to look up at the sky. The stars were twinkling in the velvety black night sky, making no sound whatsoever. How beautiful. How serene. And certainly a huge contrast to all the noise and flashing lights we’ve just experienced, I thought. And it was.

I thought about the stars the next morning when my daily Bible reading brought me to Isaiah chapter 40, where I found these words in verse 26: Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars, the One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; because of the greatness and the strength of His power, not one of them is missing (NASB).

While we’d been laughing and talking and having fun with manmade lights, the Creator had been providing an awesome show in the night sky, as He has been doing night after night for untold centuries. It’s sad that we rarely see it. It’s sadder still, that, seeing it, we fail to worship the One who created those stars—and everything else!

(C) 2014 by Johnnie Ann Gaskill

Note: I failed to take a picture of the night sky, but here is one that I took (through the windshield) while my husband was driving us to the fireworks show. The clouds also were created and are sustained by the Creator, as are the family members He's blessed us with! Seeing His work should remind us to praise and thank HIM.

As Vast As the Heavens

Mount Rainier in Washington

Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.

Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,

your justice like the ocean depths.

You care for people and animals alike, O LORD.

How precious is your unfailing love, O God!

Psalm 36:3-6, New Living Translation