The grasslands of the wilderness overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing. As I looked down into the valley from the overlook on Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park, the sun broke through the clouds to light up the valley below. Even through the dark cloud, it was as if the valleys were shouting for joy. It made my heart sing that morning.
I am grateful for these times when the light breaks through and I see God in his world. My heart overflows with the joy of his presence in my life. Prayer Great God Give us songs of joy this day. Fill us with your love and beauty to overflowing. Amen
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Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. We had hiked the Stony Man Trail the trail on our last trip through Shenandoah National Park and knew this would be a good one. It is a short hike to a rock outcrop that looks out over the valley below. The skies were mostly blue with just a few clouds in the early afternoon of this very windy day. When we got to the top I set up my camera on the tripod and got ready to take a shot of the vista in front of me when all at once a rainbow appeared. This were not the type of sky or weather in which you would expect see a rainbow. I stood there in total amazement to see something so beautiful and so unexpected.
As I walked back down the mountain I just couldn’t get over the amazing and unexpected view that I had just seen. And then came to my heart something even more amazing, the grace of God. Amazed! We sometimes use this word so much it looses its power, everything is amazing. I think we can do the same thing with the grace of God. This is especially true for those of us who have known the story of Jesus most of our lives. We need to be reminded again and again how amazing is the love of Christ, knowing that he sits on the heavenly throne where we can always find grace and mercy. Prayer Amazing God Bring us reminders of your grace this day and help us to never loose a sense of how amazing is Your love and grace. Amen And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. When I stepped out the door to see if it has stopped raining I saw the raindrops on my clematis. I decided to get my macro lens and try to capture the fresh raindrops. After I took the image I loaded it onto my computer and opened up my editing software. I first had to crop the image so the drops and detail would be more prominent. Then the colors were a little flat so I increased the luminance and saturation of the yellows. To make the flower stand out more I darkened the blacks and shadows and lightened the whites and highlights. For a finishing touch I added a slight vignette. So I ended up with this transformed image, one that I hope brings out the beauty of the raindrops on the flower.
The amazing thing about following Christ is that we are on a journey of transformation. The more we think about him, the more we read his words, the more we stand amazed at his glory, the more we are transformed into his image. We become the person God sees, the person he created, the person we are now and will be in the future. Prayer God Who Transforms We humble ourselves before your glory. Transform our lives this day as we walk in your light. 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