A Wildflower Morning

 "Count the mercies! count the mercies!        Number all the gifts of love;      Keep a daily, faithful record        Of the comforts from above.      Look at all the lovely green spots        In life's weary desert way;      Think how many cooling fountains        Cheer our fainting hearts each day.      Count the mercies! count the mercies!        See them strewn along our way!     "Count the mercies, though the trials        Seem to number more each day,      Count the trials, too, as mercies,        Add them to the grand array.      Trials are God's richest blessings,        Sent to prompt ou...

  I've wondered before why Jesus would put a crown on our heads when we get to heaven.  I don't wear jewelry here, or showy stuff.  It seems uncomfortable and heavy to me.  I've never wanted to be a showy queen or princess.  If Jesus wanted to give it to me, I've been willing to accept it, but I've never wanted a crown myself. This morning when I was praying and contemplating the death of Christ and what it means to me, I had a new thought about crowns.  At the cross, Jesus took our sins upon himself, and died because of them.  It was my sins that killed him.  At the cross He gave me His life.  I accept His gift.  I am not worthy of that gift.  He did not give it to me because I have done great things, or even because I have done some good things.  He gave me His life, because of His great love, and because of my great need.  Without it, I would perish.  And that would break His heart, because He loves me.  At t...

We are children of the most Amazing, Awesome God.  He doesn't work on the exchange system, where He pays us for our work, or rewards us for how good we are.  He instead gives us salvation, not because we earned it, but because He loves us and loves to give good things to His children.  Our righteousness comes by faith in our Savior, not because of any amount of any good works we may do.   It's not because we are awesome that HE rewards us (gives us salvation), it is because He is AWESOME! -The most important part of a sermon I heard last week by David Asserick

Some more thoughts about blooming in hard places. Logan Pass, Glacier National Park Jesus prayed about our hard places.  He knew that we would have plenty of them.  He knew that life on this earth would not be easy for His followers.  So when He was praying (interceeding) for us, you and me, just before giving himself to death, he prayed,  "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from evil."  John 17:15 This prayer of Jesus reminds me of what we call "The Lord's Prayer", where Jesus gave us an example of how to pray.  In that prayer he said, "Lead us not into temptation,  but deliver us from evil." John 6:13. "Christians should exercise every ability which God has given them in an effort to answer this prayer.  They are to ask God earnestly and frequently to keep them from the evil in the world.  Christ has charged His followers to pray without ceasing.  Never fail to i...

Bitter Root Blooming in Adverse Conditions in Malheur, Oregon Desert One of the most amazing characteristics of wildflowers is that they make the best of where ever their tender roots find soil.  Like in the parable of the sower, some plants just don't get a chance, the unthoughtful people, like birds, are after them; the heartless people, like gophers, chew on them; an endless string of difficulties may beat on them like the sun drying the very life out of them until their existance feels hard as asphalt.  There aren't many places to grow in a cement driveway, but some persistent plants do it, and seem to even thrive.  They bloom where they are planted, even if it is tough to do so, making blooms and seeds for a future generation. Blooming in an Old Time Garbage Dump But me, I'm struggling to be content.  Instead of being thankful for the all the blessings poured out and overflowing on my life, I'm often chafing with discontentment over my present circumstanc...

 In mid September we took our lunch and headed up into the mountains for the  afternoon.  My heart was happy.  There was a beautiful garden growing by the side of the forest service road.  Bright red Indian Paintbrush stood out among the beautiful St. John's Wort, overlooked by perfect spires of Fireweed.  St. John's Wort isn't really anything to speak of by itself, but if it wasn't there, this garden wouldn't have looked sparse  The abundant yellow was there to make the red and pink look good, and it sure looked good to my eyes.  Down in the valley, everything was dry; the wildflowers were finished months ago.    Our shady forest trail was hiding some late summer treats for us.  The Huckleberries were abundant.  None of us could resist picking them, and even though I wanted to take some home to make pancakes or jam, I ate every berry I picked. We thought we were alone in the forest.  We hadn't seen a single car once w...

The sun rose quietly and nudged me awake.  Fresh air stirred me from my  tent nestled among the sub-alpine spruce trees. Quiet breathing from the remaining sleeping bags assured me that I had plenty of time.  Blue sky stretched above misty waters of Beartooth Lake , somewhere between 8,000 and 9,000 feet elevation in northern Wyoming, east of Yellowstone. Few mornings are more beautiful.  I pulled on my boots, jacket and mosquito netting hat, and took my camera, Bible, and watercolor supplies and headed out to meet with God in His garden meadow, all alone. Long shadows still stretched across the rock where I would still myself in anticipation.  Eagerly I savored  the sight of each wildflower.  Blue, pink, white and yellow hiding among green.  Buttercups gave gold as I passed.  The freshness of God stretched in every direction.  His love and glory written on every leaf and petal. His faithfulness and power stretched across sky an...