Rediscover this poem among my notebooks I was sorting through. It's about the site I chose to research for my senior project in Landscape Architecture, a hidden canyon nestled in the Nipomo Mesa.
Black Lake Canyon
Unyielding sorrow
songbirds overhead
is it the wind or the waves
that paves my heart
to this place?
Black Lake Canyon
Isn't death beautiful?
say I to the fallen oak tree
whose leaves are still green
the quiet seeps into my heart
in this place
Black Lake Canyon
nature unwinding
oak woodland and
coastal scrub dance from
side to side
and I pause to examine my heart
with this place
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Rest,
I realize now, in the stillness between the rain, that I'm tired. Tired of being the girl with everything together, of the thoughts that keep racing through my head, of the countless moments I give to worry. Real consideration of this realization means taking a step back- recognizing what it means to rest.
"Rest?" you may ask. Yes. Rest. Because you are not your circumstances and although there may be plenty of things you'd like to fret about at the current moment, none of them is worth your time. So imagine letting each of them go. Put your yoke on the shoulders of the one who has carried the weight of us all.
A friend recently lent me, "The Rest of God" by Mark Buchanan which talks all about Sabbath:
______________________________________________________________________
Jesus shows up, and those who should know better, who should be paying attention-priests, lawyers, teachers, apostles-typically miss it, while those least "deserving"-shepherds, children, beggars, whores-typically grasp it, and immediately. It turns out, numbskulls are numb every day, and seekers of grace awake nearly always.
And yet, of all days we might set apart to practice the art of attentiveness, Sabbath is an outstanding candidate. Sabbath invites us to stop, In that ceasing, fresh possibilities abound. We can shut out eyes, if we choose-to relax without guilt. But there is also time enough to open our eyes, to learn again Jesus's command to watch and pray.
_______________________________________________________________________
What scares me is how dependent I've become on these un-restful thoughts. Yet, in the stillness, I can ask the questions I've been avoiding:
1) Is this worshipful?
2) Is this thought drawing me closer to God?
3) Is it true, praiseworthy, right...good, excellent?
4) Is this bringing Glory to God?
And the answer is easily no. But in the midst of a world which honors the desires, whims, thoughts, and ideas which may come and go- it's easy to loose sight of why we must prayerfully choose rest. It's easier for me to think of resting as fully trusting God. When I've placed my trust in Him I no longer have to plan, work, and achieve. Our success isn't determined by the efficiency of each of our achievements but instead in our faithfulness as a child of a loving Father. In order to rest, all we really have to do is be a humbled recipient of grace.
"Rest?" you may ask. Yes. Rest. Because you are not your circumstances and although there may be plenty of things you'd like to fret about at the current moment, none of them is worth your time. So imagine letting each of them go. Put your yoke on the shoulders of the one who has carried the weight of us all.
A friend recently lent me, "The Rest of God" by Mark Buchanan which talks all about Sabbath:
______________________________________________________________________
Jesus shows up, and those who should know better, who should be paying attention-priests, lawyers, teachers, apostles-typically miss it, while those least "deserving"-shepherds, children, beggars, whores-typically grasp it, and immediately. It turns out, numbskulls are numb every day, and seekers of grace awake nearly always.
And yet, of all days we might set apart to practice the art of attentiveness, Sabbath is an outstanding candidate. Sabbath invites us to stop, In that ceasing, fresh possibilities abound. We can shut out eyes, if we choose-to relax without guilt. But there is also time enough to open our eyes, to learn again Jesus's command to watch and pray.
_______________________________________________________________________
What scares me is how dependent I've become on these un-restful thoughts. Yet, in the stillness, I can ask the questions I've been avoiding:
1) Is this worshipful?
2) Is this thought drawing me closer to God?
3) Is it true, praiseworthy, right...good, excellent?
4) Is this bringing Glory to God?
And the answer is easily no. But in the midst of a world which honors the desires, whims, thoughts, and ideas which may come and go- it's easy to loose sight of why we must prayerfully choose rest. It's easier for me to think of resting as fully trusting God. When I've placed my trust in Him I no longer have to plan, work, and achieve. Our success isn't determined by the efficiency of each of our achievements but instead in our faithfulness as a child of a loving Father. In order to rest, all we really have to do is be a humbled recipient of grace.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Home: the truest harmonies
This is the place you've longed for. Where you can put your feet to rest. There is the warmth of a fireplace and fresh brewed apple cider. Loved ones surround you, peaceful. Your brother is scanning the daily crossword puzzle, mum has one of those romance novels in hand, Dad is inspecting the sports page and grandma has her knitting needles out. There is something about home that's infecting. It reaches deep inside us and plucks at the heartstrings that ring the truest harmonies.
Among our families, we realize the grounding importance of our being. God speaks to our hearts and says,
"I am your home, yet these people are your interior decorators. Without them, you can't become who you are. Without them, you won't be able to see what it is within you that must change. And with them, you will become the body of Christ. So know that you are home."
Among our families, we realize the grounding importance of our being. God speaks to our hearts and says,
"I am your home, yet these people are your interior decorators. Without them, you can't become who you are. Without them, you won't be able to see what it is within you that must change. And with them, you will become the body of Christ. So know that you are home."
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