Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. As I sat inside the camper looking out the window waiting for the big storms to end, suddenly the sun came out and there was this kind of light that I call rainbow light. It is a kind of light with gold and green hues that happens when the sun is low in a sky filled with clouds and moisture. I grabbed my camera and hurried down to the lake and sure enough there was a rainbow. This one was unusual in that you could see the rainbow, the rain from the lower dark cloud, and white fluffy clouds and blue sky above.
As I edited the image I thought about how all rainbows require sunlight and rain - sometimes after a hard storm or sometimes after a gentle shower. All of us have days filled with white fluffy clouds as well as dark stormy and rainy days - sometimes even at the same time. When we have our foundation firmly fixed on God then we can withstand the rain and storm; look through to the white fluffy clouds; and see the beauty of a rainbow. Prayer God of Light Thank you for being our strong foundation and guiding us through the storm to see your beauty. Amen
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Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel. It was just an ordinary morning at the campground. The fishermen were putting in their boats and there was some color in the sky but mostly clouds. It wasn’t the kind of sunrise over water that a photographer hopes to capture. But I had still gotten up early just in case there was a chance for the spectacular. While I didn’t get the prize winning photograph I did see beauty and I had some time to just sit quietly in God’s presence.
I have come to see following Christ like this. Most days are just regular days with routine daily activities. The important thing is to just stand firm in all you do knowing that the standing firm is a way of sharing the gospel to all those who happen to see you even when you don’t see them. I have seen some spectacular sunrises and for those I am grateful; but I am also grateful for the ordinary days when I just walk quietly through my day trusting in Christ’s love for me. Prayer Lord of Ordinary Days Fill us with your Spirit so that we can simply stand firm whatever happens conducting ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Amen You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Savior, On the drive up to Newfound Gap we stopped at the pullout with a clear view of the Chimneys. According to my grandmother, these mountains got their name because they looked like the chimneys of two houses. As I looked up, you could see the spring green gradually working its way up the mountain, with the lower elevation trees much more green than the ones at the top. Right after the 2016 fires you could only see the burned tree trunks and the rock outcrop but gradually the vegetation is taking the place of all that was lost. The mountain remains in spite of the trauma of the fire. Now the green is gradually returning to heal those wounds.
These mountains are formed by the power of our God who stills our turmoil; who answers our questions with awesome and righteous deeds; and who brings hope to all the ends of the earth. We have wounds too, brought about by many and various traumas, but like the green returning to the mountain, because we serve a living God there is hope, a new day dawns, and there will again be a time of singing songs of joy. Prayer God Our Savior We see your mountains and we are filled with wonder at our salvation. Fill us with your hope and give songs of joy in your presence. Amen But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. I found them again in the same place they were last year. Lady Slippers are a much sought after wildflower in the spring. The way my grandmother used to talk about them they were much easier to find in her time then they are now. I would not have found them the first time if there hadn’t been some other wildflower seekers who pointed me in the right direction. As I walked the trail again I looked for things I remembered about where they were last year. A little off trail I found my reward, the secret place where they were hidden.
We need secret places where we can go to find hidden things. We know that Jesus spent much time in secret places. So when he was teaching his disciples about what prayer is he told them to find a secret place and close the door. This is hard to do in our busy world filled with distractions. Like my hike, you have to work at it. It also helps to have guidance from the scriptures, from a mentor, from a friend. I don’t know how long I sat in front of the Lady Slippers with my camera, nothing else mattered at the time. We need times like this when we go to our secret place and sit with open hearts in God’s presence. Great are the rewards - peace, confidence in a God who loves us, clarity of vision, strength to face the challenges of the day. Where is your secret place? What do you find there? Prayer Lord Jesus Meet us today in our secret place. We open our hearts to you. Amen |
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Soli Deo Gloria,
1 Corinthians 10:31
© 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Karen Milligan
1 Corinthians 10:31
© 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Karen Milligan