Rise And Shine!

If you’ve read this blog for awhile, then you know that I’m a huge fan of sunrises (and sunsets for that matter).

So much so that I’ve walked outside on several mornings in my pajamas just to snap a picture.

Don’t judge me 😉

If they’re letting kids have a pajama day at school (who came up with that goofy idea anyway?) well then . . .

Anyway on a recent morning, I saw this amazing handiwork from God.

Rise and Shine

Beautiful, right?

I can’t see something spectacular like this and not see the hand of God in it.

But, think about this – is the sun just there for us to admire, or do we recognize that without it, we wouldn’t even survive?

It’s humbling to consider that the sun is an important part of God’s brilliant provision for us and just one example of His grace.

The sun’s energy warms our planet. Hot air blows from areas heated by the sun to cooler areas. The sun’s energy brings rain. Water evaporates from the ocean and falls to the land as it cools. The sun powers the winds that move the water vapor to the land. The sun’s energy renews air. With our sun’s energy, plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. The sun’s energy grows food. Plants capture sunlight and store it in sugar, starch, and fat. – https://www.icr.org/provision-of-God/

God not only gave us the sun to sustain our lives here on earth, He also gave us His Son to save us from our sins.

My hope is that the next time you see a beautiful sunrise, you’ll remember where it really came from – our gracious Heavenly Father above.

Rise And Shine His Light

As I was considering today’s article, a poem I recently read almost jumped off the page it was so perfect for this.

I hope you enjoy.

Every Sunrise

Every sunrise is a present, a gift from God above,
Gift-wrapped with scarlet ribbons and tied with bows of love.

Each is a new beginning, a time to start anew,
While all the stars are sleeping, and the rose is fresh with dew.

Each day’s a new creation, too lovely to ignore,
And we may not find a blessing, just outside our door.

We cannot keep the past, like fireflies in a jar,
Nor journey to the future by wishing on a star.

Every sunrise is a blessing, a gift for just today,
Rejoice, my friend, embrace it before it fades away!
~Author Unknown~

May your ordinary days become extraordinary when you remember His matchless grace.

# # #

¹Quotation courtesy of The Institute For Creation Research. From “Nature Reveals God’s Provision”, n.d. para. 2. Web. Accessed 1 March, 2022. Retrieved from https://www.icr.org/provision-of-God/

Our Exceptional God

Always Open – The Master Artist’s Gallery

The Master Artist's Gallery is always open

A few days ago, I woke up, opened the shades, and saw this breathtaking sunrise right outside my window.

I couldn’t help it – I immediately went outside to take a picture in my pajamas, no less!

It’s okay, we have nice neighbors. 🙂

The sunrise was too beautiful to pass up and just go on with my day without thanking God for it.

I will never stop delighting in God and the gifts He has given to our world, including this stunning sunrise.

The Master Artist’s gallery is always open and free to the public.

No waiting in line

No restrictions

All ages welcome

Praise God!

The Master Artist’s Gallery

Someday the “Light of the world” will illuminate us and there will be no need for a sun.

Can you imagine what we will see then?

All of this from God’s loving hand.

God gave us the sun, never to worship but, among other things, allow us to “see” His magnificent creation!

God's gallery of creation

Anyone who has visited my blog for any length of time will know that I sometimes share poetry from other writers.

Louis Gander is one of my favorites. He is so talented that I’m going to share another one of his poems.

Enjoy!

His Painting

Alone, the sun rises
over people unknown.
Although they ignore it,
its sunlight is thrown,
over the river and
through the faint fog,
like lone little flowers
on top a dead log,
growing so freely,
so gentle, so bright –
as God’s great creation
is seen from His light.

Some hovering noises
seem somewhat bizarre,
trespassing nature
from places afar –
while God, the Great Artist
keeps painting His way –
another day passes
just like yesterday.
A bright colored sunset
surrounds a lone loon.
Reflected on water,
His bright crescent moon.

Now stars hold God’s canvas
while brush strokes so grand,
paint wide vivid colors
with love’s perfect hand.
And God – although we
cannot even imagine –
prepares us a place, in
His painting called ‘Heaven’.
So things we see here
will seem dreary and gray,
compared to the next one
that’ll blow us away!

John 14:2
In my Father’s house are many mansions:
if it were not so, I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you.

——-

On a personal note: I was in touch with Louis recently. He’s had some health issues and would really appreciate your prayers.

His gift of writing is a blessing to the world.

# # #

Our Exceptional God

Be A Noticer

February 16, 2021 Gracie

Be A Noticer – A Welcome Escape

Are you a noticer?

Does a gorgeous sunrise cause you to stop what you’re doing to take notice of the awesomeness that is the new day?

For me, it’s mostly yes.

Sometimes though, I get in a hurry and blitz on past the beauty right in front of me.

Here’s a recent sunrise. You wouldn’t believe how many of these awe-inspiring moments I have on my phone.

be a noticer

Please don’t miss those moments of bliss.

Only God can paint the brilliant sky.

Be a noticer.

It’s a welcome escape that God gives us in a world often filled with turmoil.

Life’s Beauty We Sometimes Neglect To Notice

In a world that’s turned so ugly this year, glimpses of God’s goodness are welcome reminders that there’s much more to this earth than the evil we are seeing now.

We can count on this –

God is so good, and His light shines

and will continue to shine through this darkness.

John 1:3-5

Think about this.

In a world that seems so out of control, we have a Sovereign Lord who called the heavens and the earth into being by . . . His . . . words.

Nothing or no one is more powerful than that.

So take notice!

When the sunrise hits your face, when your baby takes his or her first steps, when the one you love first popped the question – those moments of joy are given to us by God.

Turn off the mainstream news and get your heart and mind set on God and His blessings.

Practice Noticing

You’ve heard this before, but it’s so important.

Don’t lose hope.

Keep a journal of past and realized blessings as a reminder of God’s goodness.

I know things seem bleak right now, but something good will come of this.

But how?

I wish we had the answer to that, but we’re not God.

Just trust like your life depends on it.

Don’t let those nagging doubts stirred up by evil cloud your trust in God.

God’s Goodness Is All Around Us

Recently, I read an amazing devotional that emphasizes the importance of keeping our minds on Christ.

I’d like to share it with you here.

Enjoy!

How do we cultivate a heart of hopeful expectancy in a world that seems to be coming apart at the seams? We look for evidence of God’s goodness all around us. In fact, start writing down the things you see. In due time, something both natural and supernatural will take place within you. You’ll become a noticer. Someone who looks for and experiences the goodness of God wherever you go.

There’s a system in your brain that responds to your most consistent thoughts. Whatever thoughts you have on repeat, your brain scans your environment to find “evidence” to back up your beliefs, even if those beliefs are wrong. For example, if you rehearse thoughts of insecurity or self-contempt, or fear, your brain will be on high alert to find evidence to confirm your rehearsed thoughts.

So, what if you retrained your brain to look for the coming Kingdom? What if you looked around each day with expectancy that something good is coming your way? Each day, God pours out fresh mercies. Every morning, the heavens declare the glory of God. Because Jesus is always with you, you need not be shaken. (see Psalm 16:8). – Christian author, Susie Larson.

# # #

Susie Larson Live, courtesy of Faith Radio, “Goodness Is Coming.” 2-01-21. Web. Accessed 11 February, 2020. Retrieved from https://myfaithradio.com/2021/goodness-is-coming/

Our Exceptional God

Our Creator And King

November 14, 2018 Gracie

The Wonders Of Our Creator

There are countless reasons to delight in God – our Creator and King.

He is the maker of all things, including you and me.

Creator and King

The sunrises and sunsets that we enjoy today, wouldn’t happen were it not for His commands during the creation of the world.

¹⁶And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. ¹⁷And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, ¹⁸to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. – Genesis 1:16-19., (ESV).

All living creatures – from the dinosaurs of old to your family pet sleeping over there on your couch, to every amazing creature that ever existed in the wild – all designed by God for His great pleasure.

And He put us in charge, under His Sovereignty and reflecting His glory.

It’s very humbling, if you think about it.

That’s why I love the videos I’ve seen from Illustra Media. I’ve only watched a few. They’re not only intellectually stimulating, but also amazing visuals pointing to God’s creation.

Allow me to share a short one about hummingbirds with you.

God’s Exquisite Workmanship

His exquisite workmanship

Have you ever seen a hummingbird lighting on a tree outside your window? We have one who visits us occasionally. When he flies by, I have to stop everything I’m doing just to watch in awe.

Hummingbirds are not only beautiful, if you consider the fact that they beat their wings over eighty times a second, all day and every day, their very nature is extraordinary.

We know “Who” we have to thank for their amazing design.

Please enjoy.

God bless

###

Our Exceptional God

No Time For Patience

June 1, 2017 Gracie

Confession Time

Ssshhh, let’s just keep this private between you and me.

I have no time for patience.

It takes too long. 🙂

Seriously, practicing patience is hard.

There’s my timetable of when I think things should happen, (silly human), and then there’s God’s timing.

We know Who controls the outcome of everything in our lives, and it isn’t you and me.

Hurry Up, And Wait

As hurried and busy as we all are, it still seems we do a lot of waiting.

Waiting on this person, waiting on that thing.

It doesn’t matter what it is, even the little stuff sometimes.

Waiting, waiting, waiting.

Years ago, I worked for a female executive who was very generous with her gift-giving. That’s a good trait for a boss to have, right?

I’ll never forget one birthday of mine.

She gave me a nice gift certificate for a facial at a fancy beauty salon.

I was excited.

It wasn’t just any facial. It was nine layers!

Facials come in nine layers?

Who knew?

nine layer facial

I’ll never forget it. The day arrived, and I lay there on the salon table in a small backroom as the esthetician smoothed each layer on my face. There were layers of seaweed and clay, plus lots of other rejuvenating, moisture-producing, ingredients mixed in.

It felt good, and it smelled good.

Time to close my eyes and relax.

This facial is great.

Aaahhh, so great.

Truly.

#reallygreat.

The Reveal

The tech told me to relax for the next hour as the facial mask did its work.

She then abandoned (I mean left) me alone in that little room.

Everything was fine for a few minutes, and then the ingredients started to harden on my face.

The nine layers stiffened up like concrete.

My head, weighing about a thousand pounds now, started to hurt.

The new age music she piped into the room began to creep me out, and the blanket on top of me was getting all kinds of warm.

Where was she? How long has it been?

I tried to move my concrete head.

Fear took over.

The Bible says many times not to fear.

No time for patience

Does that command include suffering through a nine layer facial mask?

Where was she?

What if they all leave and forget about me back here?

After one of the longest hours of my life for the sake of beauty, the tech finally came back and took off my constricting layers.

I silently assured myself that I would never go through that again.

No Time For Patience? Practice Makes Perfect

I am not a fan of feeling out of control.

Roller coasters scare me.

On a serious note, how often does that happen to us in life?

We go into a situation, and it doesn’t quite turn out the way we planned. In fact, things can go terribly wrong. Layer builds upon layer of disappointment and we feel suffocated in misery.

Turn Your Impatience Into A Strength

We can get ourselves into so many predicaments, and then we want God to bail us out.

It could take awhile.

While we’re waiting, whether it’s a few minutes or even years, God hasn’t gone anywhere.

He’s still in control, loving us with His perfect love, and He knows full well our real pain and suffering.

Sinclair B Ferguson quote

Restlessness Is Another Opportunity To Pray

God always has a reason and can use our trials for His glory. We may not understand the reasons for our predicament at the time, but when impatience hits, instead of grumbling about it, why not stop and pray silently?

Pray for God’s will, His timing, and His grace.

Lord, please help us with our lack of patience.

Help us to trust You more, no matter what.

Don’t Move Ahead Of God

My husband and I talk about how often, when we’ve blindly rushed headlong into making a big decision, it turns out to be wrong every time. On the other hand, when we’ve specifically prayed, waited on God’s timing, what we thought was good for us either rightly fell into place or it didn’t. We know God was with us throughout and we trust His ways are best, even when His answer is No! Perspective and perseverance are essential.

Whether it’s waiting for the right job or trusting God through our illnesses, we should seek His comfort through the valley of frustrations.

The Apostle Paul encouraged believers in the book of Romans to remain firm in their faith.

Faith is living and active. It represents our confidence in God’s grace.

^**12Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. – Romans 12:12, ESV.

Keep your sense of humor, and know that the One who created that beautiful sunset outside, also created you. God never makes a mistake.

God created the sunsets

I hope this post has brought you a smile and some encouragement.

God bless you.

# # #

*Sinclair B. Ferguson quotation, public domain and as quoted from Christian quotes.info

Our Exceptional God

« 1 2 3 »