Total Eclipse at the Start

I've spent a good deal of my life thinking that morning people were just a little daft. Why would anyone enjoy getting up early? Certainly sleep was more desirable than any sunrise or quiet moment in a still home. Now I would have to concede that with a little maturity and gray hair comes a different perspective. Mornings are where it all happens.

We've had some unusual autumn-like weather here in the Blue Grass and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Autumn is my favorite season for many reasons. One prominent enjoyment; cool, crisp air. Fall is when I open every door and window, even if doing so invites gale force winds to blow through my home. My dog hides under her sheepskin and the cat anchors herself inside the carpeted tunnel of her cat condo while I walk around barefoot and clothed for the beach.

Last night temperatures dropped into the 50s. Ahh, bliss! I woke to the sound of baby birds singing and cool tranquility to greet me. It makes me happy. Instead of stumbling out to the kitchen and impatiently waiting for the first cup of caffeine to issue from the Keurig,, I excite my dog with, "Wanna go outside?" She starts spinning circles and can barely contain herself while I put her collar on and open the door. It's even more glorious than I had hoped. It rained last night. We are greeted with a heavy mist and the sunrise making the grass glisten like faceted glass. She runs out to inspect the perimeter of the property. I watch the sun peeking through the trees turning on the colors of red, orange, blue, periwinkle and gray in the sky as it does. This is perfection.

I make a quick dash to the kitchen for that cup of coffee and return to watch the familiar transitions of light on my favorite oak trees across the meadow from my home. They are my favorite part of living on my property. I hope no one buys the lot across the street and builds on it. I don't know how I would manage knowing they were there but I was unable see them. For me it would be like being separated from loved ones I could never see again. Shaking that thought from my head I take it all in. The dahlias and perennial sunflowers growing tall by the mailbox, the chrysanthemums growing below them promising to burst open with fall colors a month too soon and the mist on the meadows. The dahlias and sunflowers stand out like Masai warriors hovering over the mums. Somewhere I hear a humming bird.

Days like this begin with promise. They infuse me with hope and remind me to take time to put all the things I wrestle with aside for a moment. Doubts about my faith and doctrine pale in comparison to the splendor of God's creation. Worry about the kids and family legacy subside as I am reminded that God holds the sun in its place in the universe and knows when a sparrow falls, several of which are at the bird feeder chiding me for allowing it go empty. It occurs to me that birdsong should be a reminder of His sovereignty. The cares and concerns I have are still there but for a brief moment I am where I should be and they are totally eclipsed by the magnitude of God. If only I would take time to let every day begin with an eclipse like this one.

O LORD, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.

Out of the mouth of babies and infants,

you have established strength because of your foes,

to still the enemy and the avenger.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

what is man that you are mindful of him,

and the son of man that you care for him?

Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings

and crowned him with glory and honor.

You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;

you have put all things under his feet,

all sheep and oxen,

and also the beasts of the field,

the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,

whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

(Psalm 8 ESV)

Character Flaws, Sin and Remediation

I have been thinking about my last post in which I offered to talk about how having a job has shown or magnified my character flaws. Before I do though, I want to distinguish between character flaws and sin. My character flaws predispose me to sin in certain areas more readily than in others. Indulging in my character flaws is sinful. Entertaining the idea of indulging my character flaws is sinful. They are the weaknesses in me where my flesh makes itself known by screaming, "You know you want to!!" Too often I hear Christians lamenting that they "make mistakes" or are victims of their genetic make-up and intimate that they should, therefore, be excused from culpability for being prone to certain activities. Our cultural dependence on a medical model to define our behavior has given many what they see as a plausible excuse for sin. I don't see that caveat in the Word. For Christians, the Word is always our standard. It is the standard by which all will be j

Fear Down, Hope and Peace to Go!

Last night I had the honor and privilege to present some information to the women of my church. I cannot begin to tell you how much I love and appreciate them. The seminar I did was on fear. God is clever and He had me present the information to them because I needed it. It's not that I don't want to study things for my own benefit and growth, but whenever I do a topical study to teach it, I see how badly I needed it and how much more I have to repent of than I realized. Sometimes you don't know what you don't know. That's a topic I want to return to in another post. I want to talk about the ladies for a moment. They are an incredibly loving group of women. Women who seek God and are teachable. They have gone out of their way to include me and love on me, which speaks volumes of their characters because I am not all that lovable. I am not being self-deprecating here. I am a mix of endearing and maddening qualities like anyone else. What I am telling you is

Super Church a song for the Emergent-sy

In the early 70s I was in a youth choir at my church. Our youth pastor was a musician and his way of connecting with us as a group was through the choir and music. Somehow there was an affiliation between him and The Continental Singers, New Hope and Jeremiah People. He was worked with Moishe Rosen of Jews for Jesus too, I think. Are any of these names familiar to you? Though I remember the church fondly I was a profoundly lost and troubled young woman during my years there. That and time have muddled the memories quite a bit. Today I was digging through some old paperwork and one of the books to the musical we did. It's Getting Late For the Great Planet Earth, a folk rock oratorio by Cam Floria. Yes, that's right. Cam Floria put Hal Lindsey to music. There's a lot to laugh about and some to groan about but as I was looking through the songs and remembering, I found this little ditty and I only wish I could sing it for you. Just remember that this is circa 1972 and even th

rambling rosemarie

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