Choose Carefully…

who you ride with…

On my walk this morning, this jaunty crew of bikers rode by, out for a ride on this beautiful day. It was a different scenario last night when a motorcyclist pulled over on the shoulder across the road from our house…he had hit a deer…a fawn, I later learned. This is the third time since we moved here that a deer has been struck by a vehicle just at the bottom of the hill heading south from our house. From my porch observations, I was relieved to hear that the rider was not hurt and the bike was not damaged, with the exception of deer hair in the front tire. But, I was particularly in love with the fact how several other bikers did not abandon him on the side of the road but stopped and/or CAME BACK to check on their friend and stayed with him until he could begin down the road again. Impressive and inspirational…

Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah

As I stood on the shore of the lake this morning, a hymn came to mind…one of my favorites…this is one of the verses…

“Open now the crystal fountain,

Whence the healing stream doth flow;

Let the fire and cloudy pillar

Lead me all my journey through.

Strong Deliv’rer, strong Deliv’rer,

Be Thou still my Strength and Shield;

Be Thou still my Strength and Shield.” 

…from the hymn, “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah” 

Grace not wasted

New song finished and dedicated to a dear family member whose Christ-led life, on the brink of eternity these days, was a beacon of light for me…

How do you measure a life? Is it done by days, months, or years? Is it done by great accomplishments, monetary success, or number of friends?…For me, and from my perspective, the Apostle Paul said it best…”But God’s grace has made me what I am, and His grace to me was not wasted.”

Transformation

from Glory to GLORY

“Who stops to pick up a butterfly?”, I asked myself, after spotting this beauty sadly laying on its side along the shoulder of the road… but that’s what I did. As I leaned over and gently pinched its wings together between my thumb and index finger, besides feeling the flood of summerly childhood memories from the happy August pastime of ‘catching’ butterflies that used our unpaved driveway along the shores of Lake Flower in Saranac Lake N.Y. as a resting place, I noticed that it was still alive. Probably injured by a passing car, and not having the strength to protest, I looked it over, saw that all of its wings were intact and it had all four of its legs. Wondering what to do, and not willing to leave it in the road, I decided to place it in a spot, that if it WERE to die, it might find comfort in the familiar – amidst the yellow and white wildflowers. I left it there and only looking back once, I proceeded down the road for my daily walk. As I took in the sights and sounds of the lake, I wondered about the butterfly… would it be there…would it still be alive? And upon my return, though one of its two antennae was rather droopy, there it was…alive and in a different position than I had placed it. Though all in shadow, not knowing if I would see this beauty again – and leaving it in God’s care, I took out my camera and took several photos…I wanted to honor this little marvel of God’s creation – this mysterious transformative creature – from caterpillar, to chrysalis, to butterfly, and too, with the aid of this photo, to pause and remember that God, driven by a passion we entrust to His plans and purposes, delights in transforming His children. Depending on our personalities the thought of change can make us bristle or fearful. But there are times when He calls us into an unprotested holy rest, asking only from us a humbled willingness on our part to patiently wait…while our gaining heart listens to hear His call and our soul, to feel His life-infusing breath faithfully lifting us, with soaring gratitude, onto our next appointed God-transforming destination…