Wonder

Our word for this Five Minute Friday is:

Wonder

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When I was a young girl, the wonder of Christmas came wrapped in colorful paper tied with pretty ribbon,  stockings hanging limply from the fireplace mantle, tins filled with Christmas cookies, carols and  candlelight and most of all Santa Claus. The wonder of gifts tumbling over themselves under the tree and stockings filled with all sorts of little delights made sleep a total impossibility. I was so taken with the wonder of it all.

These days there is a different kind of wonder. The wonder of a gift given with such all encompassing love. A gift whose wrapping was marred by the dirt and dust of a stable; a gift more precious than any ever given and unnoticed by nearly all the world; a gift simply and humbly placed where any heart can find it and make it its own. And the miraculous wonder, that it is mine.

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I'm joining the Five Minute Friday community at Lisa Jo's. Won't you come?



Blessings,
Linda

Jesus Was Here

I saw you Jesus - right here in my own home - just a few days ago:

- in the smiles on the faces of those I love most dearly
- in the gentle way a grandson helped his great-grandfather
- in the hands that labored and served
- in the way a father and son leaned in to talk and listen
- in the tears falling down my Dad's cheeks

I heard you Jesus:

- in the voice of a son who prayed thanksgiving
- in the laughter of little girls playing
- in the conversation around the table
- in the thanks
- in the sharing of memories - nearly one hundred years old
- in the "I love you's"

I felt your presence Jesus:

- in the hugs and kisses
- in the young hands that clasped  weaker older hands
- in the listening hearts, generations passing down memories of You
- in a butterfly clasped in tiny hands
- in the joy of children running and climbing trees
- in the wonder of eternity placed in our hearts
-in the moments, these once in a lifetime moments, to treasure in my heart 

Thank you for coming Lord Jesus. Thank you for staying. Thank you for making everything sweeter.

Blessings,
Linda

His Plan

With an inner clock set in motion by the One whose word brought them into being, they know it is time to return. When the days warm to just the right temperature, I see them hovering around the empty space where the hummingbird feeder hung all last summer. In the same way they knew it was time, they remember the place. It’s time to make the mixture of sugar and water they have come to depend on.

To read the rest of this devotional please visit Laced With Grace. I would be so grateful.

Blessings,
Linda

Thanksgiving

Psalm 100
^"Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
² Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
³ Know that the Lord Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

⁴ Enter His gates with thanksgiving
And His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
⁵ For the Lord is good; 

 His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations.

This quiet home will soon be bursting at the seams with family and friends. I'm going to take a week off and enter this beautiful season with joy. 

Wishing all of you the most joyful of Thanksgivings. If the Father had given us the one eternal gift of salvation, it would be more - so much more - than enough. Instead He daily lavishes us with gifts, wrapped in grace and love. Blessings heaped up and running over. 

With deep gratitude for the gift of your friendship and love,

Linda

Still Saturday - After the Storm

"The sound of 'gentle stillness' after all the thunder and wind have passed will be the ultimate Word from God." 
Jim Elliot


Joining my dear friend Sandy this beautiful Saturday morning.



Blessings,
Linda
 

Five Minute Friday - Stay

The Five Minute Friday word for today is:

Stay

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It comes with a promise, this word stay. When I speak it, lying somewhere underneath is a promise of faithfulness. It must not be spoken lightly. If it doesn't hold true, it leaves a trail of pain in its wake.

We often say it easily, meaning it for the moment. But life bumps against it, and we call it back. It is, perhaps, inconvenient now or even too costly. It becomes a hindrance to plans newly formed. So we toss it aside, often leaving innocent victims standing alone on the sideline of our important lives.

There is One who promised to stay. He said it with His life - in the midst of more pain and selfless suffering than we can understand. He meant it. There is nothing, not a more important plan, or failure to perform that will cause Him to break that promise.

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I'm joining Lisa-Jo and all the other wonderful writers here:



Blessings,
Linda

It Is In the Doing

If I am looking, He is there - right in the middle of a green and brown day. One of those days that feels the same as all the others. One of those days when "everyone else" is out and about, doing new and interesting things - things that really make a difference. I plod through the apparent sameness, complaining ever so quietly under my breath about how tired I am of the dull routine.

I go through the day, shoulders up around my ears, head hanging low and my gaze cast downward - and it comes. That gentle whisper, a soft touch willing my shoulders to relax.

"Daughter. Do you remember the things you've been reading - the ones about doing all things as unto Me?  You agreed with it, if I remember correctly. Rejoiced in the truth and wonder of it."

My heart beat quickens, and I mentally ascent.

"Do you remember what I said - about the value of those things?"

"Yes Father," I whisper.

"Is it enough, dear daughter, just to read the truth?"

I shake my head feeling the weight of his words.

"Live them out daughter. Let them move from the page to your heart."

I ask forgiveness and step into the ordinary with a heart turned toward Him.  I look up, see the bright splash of color in the midst of the ordinary, and the day grows a bit brighter.

^"Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like."
James 1: 22-24 (The Message)

Joining my precious Em at imperfect prose today.




Blessings,
Linda