Just a Few Thoughts About the Weather

I have to confess that I am a weather geek.  Big storms are an awesome display of power, and to keep it in perspective, it is only a smidgen compared to God's power.  Looking at storms of the past and learning how they were put together by certain conditions can be a lesson for us in our prayer life.

When I have not spent time in prayer or in God's Word, my perception of circumstances in my life can get a little off.  Add an unexpected event or crisis, and my perception becomes warped and my eyes look inside rather than up.  I begin to wonder if God has abandoned me.  The storm winds begin to push me off my foundation because I have not rooted myself in Him.

When I have been spending time in prayer and reading my Bible, then my perception is spot on and the biggest crisis will not uproot me because I am steeped in His promises for me.  The winds may blow and the rain may come, but I know from where my help comes from.

How about you?  Have you let the storms of life push you to and fro?

Blessings,

Patti

A Weekend in the Upper Penisula On Lake Superior

The weather was gloriously warm and sunny during the day and crisp and cold at night, but I would shiver all over again to fill my eyes with the beauty of God's creation.  Lake Superior, to me, is the best place on the planet.  I have travelled around the entire lake as well as around the country.  While every region has something that is striking and memorable, I am still drawn back to the greatest Great Lake, Lake Superior.

My family took advantage of the clear weather to travel 7 hours to the shores of Superior.  Our purpose was to spend time together and see the Painted Rocks, Tequahmenon Falls, Grand Marais and the gem of the north, Lake Superior.  We were not disappointed!  God showed us his splendorious glory in the moonless sky lit with millions of stars and visible planets and in the crashing of the waves upon the shore.  We were reminded that God put the stars in the sky and he knows them by name, and if he knows the stars he made, stars that are not alive or created in his image, how much more does he know us?  How much more does he love us?  How much more can we mean to him than we already do?

Which makes me pause to reflect on my heart - is my heart after God's own heart?  Not always, and for that I am ashamed.  My flesh rises above the calling of my Lord and I struggle with loving my neighbor, my spouse, my co-worker because my heart is not what it needs to be.  And that makes me pray for a new heart, a heart that seeks to love as God loves.

How about you?  How is your heart today?

In Christ,

P