Now and then, life seems to be perfectly ordered and at other times, it seems to be a sea of randomness. This post will flow into the random category. My comments will be attached to the pictures included in the post.
- Top photo – getting pruned is not a pleasant experience, but it is sometimes needed to promote long-term health and future growth. Lately, I feel like God has been pruning my spiritual being. Cutting away old growth to make way for future vitality. The pruned area may be tender and raw for a while, but it will receive healing and comfort in due time. ( John 15:2 )
- First photo below – yesterday morning as I walked along in the cool of the morning, I heard church bells ringing. Across the way, a Catholic Church building was ringing the bells in their bell tower. This is a sound that I often heard while we lived in Romania, but not so much here. The sound of the bells serves to call our attention to something… the church or school or cathedral. The sound is a reminder for us to divert our attention from the hustle and bustle of life and realize there is so much more to be concerned about than business as usual. ( Haggai 2:9 )
- Second photo below – hope and change.. we hear the words, but often we do not see the results that we “hoped” to see. This photo was taken this morning as I walked along in my neighborhood. It was a reminder to me that God still calls people out to address basic – but very important – ministry tasks. I am not familiar with the ministry or organization, but the top of the truck cab mentioned an effort to feed the world. May the Father empower them to do so… amen. ( Proverbs 22:9 )
- Third photo below – we can dry up if we get trapped in a hostile environment. The photo is of two little red worms that are struggling along and certainly will dry up and die when the sun gets hot and the moisture of the morning evaporates. The last few days we experienced a lot of rain that forced some of these little guys to exit the earth and wriggle away here and there. We can learn a lesson from them. If we stray into an area that is inhospitable for us… one that is void of the spiritual nourishment that we need, we too can dry up and die… or maybe just feel dead. This can easily happen if we abandon some of the spiritual necessities that keep us strong and vibrant. Honestly, for various reasons, we can easily be distracted from our Bible reading, prayer, and fellowship time. ( Psalm 63:1 )
- Fourth photo below – speaking of Bible study, I took this picture of the dining room table this morning. Lately, my sweet wife has been more involved in studying the scripture and journaling about what the Lord is teaching her through His written Word. I love that woman and I wish that I could read as fast as she does! ( Matthew 4:4 )
