Beloved II .....

"In this union and communion with Him, love is brought to completion and consummation,

because as He is, so are we in this world."

-1 John 4:17

+

Equal parts

Humanity

and Divinity,

We move between the two,

marrying the two,

as He did,

Effortlessly,

Beautifully,

Between 

Groundedness

and Godliness,

A bridge from

Holy Ground

to Holy God,

Jacob's Ladder,

Living,

Lifting others

With Hinds Feet footing

in our own Belovedness

We become the way

to the High Places,

to their place,

as Chosen,

as Cherished,

as the Beloved

+

"He has made my feet like Hinds Feet,

He makes me walk in the High Places"

-Habakkuk 3:19

Lilies and Birds

~~

Blooming

Unfurling

Unfolding

Petals and Wings

Lilies and Birds,

Flowers and Flight...

Finally Found,

Opening,

to Love

and Light

and Lift

Beautiful

Long Awaited

Becoming...

~~

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

-Anais Nin

Quiet

"He will Quiet you in His Love"

-Zephaniah 3:17

~*

Storm Stilled,

We then Still,

and Soothe,

and become Shore

for others...

His Voice

Resonating

through our own

to fellow Travelers

on this restless sea...

We board their boats

as Jesus did,

and with that,

the waves bow down

the wind defers

and we give His incomparable Gift

of Quiet

~*

"And when He got into the boat, the storm ceased"

-Matthew 14:32

Epilogue...

(Pollak Vineyards, Greenwood, Virginia,

taken on 2/16/14)

Three months ago, I posted Hidden, illustrated with the photograph above.  The same post follows here, along with a photograph I took today, three months later, depicting the same vineyard....

Life comes back...Life always comes back...

* * *

...hard to believe they'll bloom,

much less bear fruit again,

this landscape of a thousand crucifixes

looking lifeless

and beaten...

but within each cross

flows the blood of beginnings,

perennial promise

of return...

of resurrection...

beneath the stillness,

this suspended animation,

are stirrings...

The scene which holds for the eye only death

belies unseen Life within...

welling up,

mustering,

and moving in ancient circadian concert 

with all of Creation,

as it readies itself,

for

 The Reveal.

"To everything there is a season, 

a time for every purpose under heaven"

-Ecclesiastes 3:1

* * *

(Pollak Vineyards, Greenwood, Virginia,

taken on 6/3/14)

Life Comes Back...Life Always Comes Back.

See

+

When I focus on what

i was

I lose sight of 

I AM

When I fixate only on the middle of the story

I become frightened

and forgetful

of

The Author

and

The Finisher

When I freeze-frame

on my grievous failings

on the heart-rending moments I wish I could undo,

fix,

re-frame,

I forego perspective of

The Big Picture...

...Framed in my Father's Arms

Seen through His Eyes

His Loving Lens

which Sees

Me

not my mistakes,

not my mishaps,

not my downright disastrous moves

and missed turns at Albuquerque...

but Me

His Child

His Beloved

His Precious One

"Be Thou my vision" I pray through the tears,

And He, with His trademark Tenderness,

with a knowing "you'll see" smile,

Gently lifts me to His lookout

Shares with me His view

Quiets the ferocious waves

Stills my self-flagellation

and Shows me

Hinds Feet

High Places

A Heart after His

Hope

a Future...

...and many blind,

who also need to see themselves as they really are,

as the apple of His eye....

...Hand in hand,

We Begin Again...

From His vantage point this time...

+

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

that saved a wretch like me,

I once was lost, but now I'm found,

was blind,

but now,

I see."

-John Newton

David

"Rise, Take up your bed, and Walk"
-John 5:8

+

He could've stayed there, you know...

In sackcloth,
In Ashes,
In Mourning,
In Grief...

And no one would have thought it strange

Indeed, they thought it strange when he arose,
when he ended his vigil
and took his place again
in the Land of the Living

The Child was Dead.
Remaining in the heart-rending remorse,
the regret,
the weeping, the wailing,
perhaps even wanting to die himself
would not bring back to life
the precious thing lost.

Still,
He could've chosen to stay

in the sorrow,
in the suffering,
in the sadness,
in the Ending...

and it might have been easier
it might have felt safer
and everyone would've understood...

...and Solomon and his Wisdom
Would have been Lost to the World
Forever

David chose to Get Up,
David chose to Live Again,
to Love Again,
to Try Again,
to Trust Again,

In God's Amazing Grace
In Second Chances
In Big Time Do-Overs...

And God Delivered...

...Big Time.

+

"Behold, I AM doing a New Thing;
Now it Springs forth,
don't you perceive it?"
-Isaiah 43:19

Fish

"Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah.  And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights."

-Jonah 1:17

+

God is God of the Light and the Darkness....

He created Both;

Make no mistake,

Both serve His Purpose:

The thing that engulfs us in Night
becomes the vehicle God uses to

Deliver us to New Day

That which entombs us 

becomes the scene of Salvation,

of stones rolled away

The great fish

becomes the Ark

that transports us to High Ground

The event that deals the leveling blow

may very well be the burial

which precipitates Birth

When our compasses are spinning

God encompasses us,

God carries us,

God commands the "fish"

and the thing that swallowed us whole,
that dragged us to depths previously unfathomed,

suddenly serves as a segue,

Death defers

and we are given back

to Life.

+

"You have brought up my life from the pit...

Salvation is of the LORD."

-Jonah 2:6,9

Emergence - a haiku

+

The Kingdom of God

Spilling out, Flooding the earth.....

She's burst her cocoon

+

"Eye has not seen, nor has ear heard,

nor have entered into the heart of man

the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

-1 Corinthians 2:9

Hineni

+

Subjection to Trials is a Sacred Trust

With Isaiah, we say, "Here am I" to God,

and He takes us up on that.

It is not when we live in Ivory Towers

that our testimony is meaningful

to those in despair,

But when we, too, have been lost

When we know the bitterness of endings

When we've waded through 'Which-Way-Is-Up?'

and Not Knowing

When we've stood in the Painful,

Excruciating Pause

Between

Authored

and

Finished...

That place, my friends, that Sacred Ground

is where Trials are Transmuted into Meaningful Testimony

Into the Sustenance our Sovereign meant our lives to be

Into very Bread of Life

and Living Water,

For all who are thirsty,

For whosoever will...

Here am I, my Lord, Send me.

+

"Do not be afraid; I am He Who Lives...

Death will be swallowed up in Victory."

-Rev. 1:17-18, 1 Cor 15:54

Answered Prayer...

+

....Comes in Unexpected

Sometimes Disruptive

Sometimes Downright Disorienting Packages

Like a Rogue Wave

Your Boat is Blindsided

By this New Beginning

Not "Wrapped-Up-Pretty-With-A-Bow-On-Top"

As we've been taught all Gifts should be

But Messy

Misfit

Misaligned with our Best-Laid-Plans

and Illusions of control

Welcome the Mess

Welcome the (temporary) Imbalance

and Loss-Of-Bearings

Know that you are being Lifted

Know that you are Held

Know that you are Carried, and the Way is being cleared

For New-Normal

For Good and not Evil

For Hope and a Future

For More than your heart dared to ask, expect, or imagine.....

For Answered Prayer

For The Beginning.

+

"As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day."

-Genesis 50:20

lost and found II

~*

Amazing,

This Knife's Edge

between 

Fearsome and Fearful

White Tiger

Trembling in the suffocating "safety"

of his self-made hiding place

for fear of being found...

Find me anyway.

~*

-e.a.a. "hindsfeet" 5/11/14

"the son of God came to seek and save that which was lost..."

-Luke 19:10

Gentle

"And He said, Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.  And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of gentle stillness and a delicate, whispering, still, small voice."

-1 Kings 19:11-12

+

...God reveals himself here to Elijah, not in destruction, but in Gentleness.

He shows Himself to be trademarked by Tenderness

defined by a "Delicate Voice"

The God Who created the worlds with a Word

reveals Himself in a Whisper.

The One Who could've overwhelmed Elijah with His Magnanimity

instead came to him, His beloved, His chosen

in the minutiae,

in the diminutive,

in the Still Small Voice...

in Gentleness.

It's important to speak rightly of our God, especially to those in distress, those under duress, those dealing with the destruction that this world and its brokenness can bring upon us.

It is important to not be like Job's friends, who came under rebuke from the Most High, for misrepresenting God's character and His heart toward His beloved.

It's been said that those who intimately understand their God are God's mercy to His creation;

Understanding God's gentleness is a good place to start.

Meriam Webster expounds on this, God's defining characteristic, this way:

Considerate or kindly in disposition; amiable and tender.

Not harsh or severe; mild and soft: a gentle scolding; a gentle tapping at the window.

Easily managed or handled; docile: a gentle horse.

Not steep or sudden; gradual: a gentle incline.

Of good family; wellborn: a child of gentle birth.

Suited to one of good breeding; refined and polite: a gentle greeting to a stranger.

Noble; chivalrous: a gentle knight.

One of good birth or relatively high station.

tr.v. gen·tled, gen·tling, gen·tles

To make less severe or intense: The peaceful sunset gentled her dreadful mood.

To soothe, as by stroking; pacify.

To tame or break (a domestic animal, for instance): gentle a horse.

To raise to the status of a noble.

to tame; render tractable.

to mollify; calm; pacify.

to make gentle.

to stroke; soothe by petting.

to ennoble; dignify.

Synonyms

1. clement, peaceful, pacific, soothing; tender, humane, lenient, merciful. Gentle, meek, mild refer to an absence of bad temper or belligerence. Gentle has reference especially to disposition and behavior, and often suggests a deliberate or voluntary kindness or forbearance in dealing with others: a gentle pat; gentle with children. Meek implies a submissive spirit, and may even indicate undue submission in the face of insult or injustice: meek and even servile or weak. Mild suggests absence of harshness or severity, rather because of natural character or temperament than conscious choice: a mild rebuke; a mild manner. 3. temperate. 5. noble. 7. manageable, docile, tame, quiet. 9. courteous; polished.

+

"Your Gentleness has made me great."

-Psalm 18:35

Rest - Haiku trio

+

Still, I now can feel

God's motion all around me

at Rest in my ark

At Rest, I realize

Noah couldn't steer either

"God is Great, M'Sabu"

Dove and Olive Branch

I smile at my smallness

Storm Spent, Rest in sight...

+

Shore

+

My Beloved,

Hear Me:

I AM Sovereign over the storm

I AM steering the ship,

every circumstance

every "happenstance"

every joy

every sorrow

I AM in control

I do not ask you to walk out on water

I ask you to invite me in to the boat

it was not Peter's heroics that harnessed the gale

but rather My Word,

Peace, Be Still.

I AM the Way

where there seems to be no way

and I AM directing your Path

with a Wisdom you cannot now fathom,

in ways you cannot possibly hope for or ask

I AM the good Shepherd,

I AM your Shepherd

I will not leave you lost

you are Mine,

I AM yours,

I AM with you

I will lead you,

and I will,

without fail, Beloved

bring you back

to Shore

+

"Do not remember the former things,

nor consider the things of old;

Behold I do a New Thing...

I will make the way in the wilderness

and rivers in the desert."

-Isaiah 43:18-19

Rise

"Rise up, My love, My fair one...

for behold, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, 

flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come...

Rise up, My love, My fair one..."

-Song 2:10-13

+

Buoyant hearts

Resilient beyond reason

Bear witness to the Heart that bore them

hearts having borne a backbreaking cross

given up for dead

thought bested...

But slowly, slowly, long shadows are cast

incredulous eyes turn to see,

Gold dispels dark

Sky turning, turning...
and the Word again spoken,

"Let There Be..."

Life stifled and silenced

now has the final say,

now breaks,

is Reborn in the breaking,

Graveclothes give way to Irrepressible Light

Unfettered,

Unbroken,

Unburied,

We Rise

+

"Did I not tell you if you believed,

you would see the Glory of God?"

-John 11:40

safe keeping

for my Maddie

June 11, 2003 - April 18, 2014

+

Given me for safe keeping

Given into this life

too turbulent,

too heavy for her heart

she tethered me to terra

when time and again

 I would've flown

and now she flies

finally free

finally weightless,

boundless,

unburdened

Resurrected 

back into the Heart of God

from whence she came

to keep me

+

Rest well, my Dear one

finally at Peace

finally Home

"...this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you..."

-Don McLean

Passover...

+

I ask breadcrumbs

from Bread of Life,

settle for glimpses

from The-God-Who-Sees

Lame and Blind

I  await a few alms

When He would make me walk

When He who holds me

as the apple of His Eye

would give me sight...

Egypt bearing down hard

trapped between Sea and Slavery

I beg for a boat

from the Hand Who Parts The Water...

+

"He brought them out from there,

that He might bring them in."

-Deuteronomy 6:23

pinscratch

+


a million moments had to happen just so,

a thousand planets align,

to make this one pinscratch on the road

in this exact place,

at this precise moment in time

how can that awareness fill my mind 

with anything less than profound peace,

and letting go

and come-what-may trust

why now do I feel I need to protect 

and guard and preserve
the pinscratch....

why can I not lie on my back
a pinscratch on this road myself

arms outstretched,
breathing deep,

laughing out loud

into the sky...


+

Cross Over II

Matthew 14:22-33

+

Twelve verses depicting Twelve men

unwittingly sent into a storm of hurricane proportions.

 Jesus actually sent his followers,

his beloved,
his friends,

into the tempest,

without Him.

He knew exactly what they were in for.
He knew exactly what He was doing.

He knew the terror they would face
the bewilderment they would bear
the betrayal they would feel.

and yet

He surrendered them to the wind's fury,
letting them battle the waves all night long;
It was more important for these messengers of Salvation
to know their Savior,
to know the Lord of the Storm,
than to be spared the storm.

The gale did not sink God's chosen,
but served to shipwreck the vestiges of their faulty faith

They saw, first hand, Salvation Himself surface,
and dominate what threatened to drown them.

The storm was not an end;

It was an integral part of the path

to the Beginning

Jesus didn't send them into the storm to destroy them,

He sent them into the storm to get them to the other side.

+

"Peace, Be Still."

-Mark 4:39

Cross Over

+

Be brave, Beloved
Let your eyes take in the View

Step into this bounty

Meticulously Crafted,

Created,
just for you

all was ashes
all is Beauty
all was lost
all is New

Complete your Crossing

into All That Will Be,

behind you now nothing

but an unbroken sea

in which is buried
 all that is past,

all that imprisoned
and possessed you

Time now to Reap in Laughter
Time to Rest in Joy

Time to Return to the Land of the Living
to take leave of tears
and Begin

you endured,

Now Enjoy

Every Good and Perfect Gift

I had waiting for you

on this,

The Other Side

+

"Have I not commanded you?  Be Strong and of Good Courage;
do not be afraid, nor be dismayed,
for the Lord your God is with you
wherever you go."
-Joshua 1:9

Held

+

You can Let Go

Because I never do

You can relax your hold

Because it is I, The Most High

Who Holds You

Let fly, Let fly

My little one...

You are Mine

You are Mine

You are Mine

I AM height, I AM depth,

I AM width, I AM breadth,

and you are braced in Me

What fear can possibly remain

when you are so perfectly Loved,

when you have My Word

that Never, will I Ever, Ever forsake you?

What clinging can continue

when you are carved, My Beloved,

into the Very Hand of God?

+

"God Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support.  I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let you down nor relax my hold on you!  Assuredly not!"

-Hebrews 13:5 (Amplified Version)

Resurrection...

+

Feel Me

My Love

As close as Breath

And Inhale

Deep

Deep,

As Adam did

That First Breath

Which Began Life

In The Beginning

And Breathes Still

Lay Aside

dogma, deeds, dead works

(all these counterfeit conduits to Me)

And Come

Naked, Open Handed, Empty

Let Me Breathe Again

Breath of Life

Know, as Adam did

This intimate intubation 

Deity inseparably interwoven

with Dust

Enfolded,

Enmeshed,

Emmanuel

With you

In you

One with you,

and

Live

+

"Prophesy unto the Wind...and say to the Wind,

'Thus says the Lord God:

Come from the four winds, O Breath, and Breathe upon these slain,

that they may Live."

-Ezekiel 37:9

Here Comes the Sun....

+


.....sorry to so shamelessly 'borrow' from the Beatles there,
but Harrison said it so well, it bears repeating......

....especially today.....

it finally happened.....

the first day of

Spring

We made it.......

through the falling, the darkness, the dying......

the cold, the fear, the hard broken road........

Here We Are

on the other side...

Winter now graciously concedes,
her important work completed.

Satisfied, she steps aside,

to make room for Light,

for Life coming back,

for All Things New....

Here comes the Sun my friends,

it's going to be Glorious.

+

"Their Path is like the light of dawn
which shines brighter and brighter
unto the Perfect Day"
-Proverbs 4:18

Dark

"I will give you the treasures of darkness,

and hidden riches of secret places"

-Isaiah 45:3

+

It is a sacred trust to be subjected to the dark night of the soul.

True treasure is not brandished in broad daylight,

not before it is unearthed from punishing pressure,

considerable confinement,

darkness that feels like death,

black as night,

the treasure hunter subjected

to the same surroundings

as the treasure itself,

deep calling to deep

There is a communion with Christ which only happens

when we share in His sufferings,

when we are crucified with him,

when we undergo the extreme duress

despised by those content with cubic zirconias...

Therein true riches are found

Therein Gift is formed

From this burial we are unearthed

Resurrected

and we become the Reveal

of the One True God,

The Treasure

+

"I, the Lord, form the light and create darkness"

-Isaiah 45:7

be healed....

+

Healed, we become healers

A beautiful relay of Redemption

A domino effect of Divine Energy

and Grace

Paying forward what we could never have paid for

Freely Given, we freely give

and become fountainheads

for all who are thirsty

for all who need beauty

for whosoever will...

Quenching the thirst of thousands

Soothing weary souls

Holy hands holding gently,

tenderly,

broken hearts,

as our hearts are Held...

...till they too become whole

till they become healed

and in turn

come to know

for themselves

The Healer

+

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me

to heal the brokenhearted"

-Isaiah 61:1

Beginnings - a haiku ...

+

The waters subside

Tempest transformed to New Day

Noah's dove finds Rest...

+

Isaiah 54:11,12

now....

~*

...the smoky taste of my coffee

brimming in my moody maroon mug..

Perfect...

puppy snoozing, breathing softly,

she knows all is well....

Vanilla and Sandlewood

flickering, burning away,

silent and golden in waning winter's light...

and steady Oaks

standing their snowy watch,

ancient and noble outside my window...

their stillness staying me,

grounding me,

in the gorgeous gracious Gift

of

now.

~*