“When i consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, The moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained” Ps. 8:3

To the untrained eye or for those who believe they don’t have a creative bone in their body, creativity may seem like random activity.  It may seem like a potter is making it up as they go, the artist is picking paints at will, the dancer is just moving to the music or that a writer just knows what words to put together, but in fact what one sees in these activities is the product of hours, days, months or years of careful consideration of how to portray something that inspires the artist, craftsman, dancer, musician, writer or creative mind.  Part of the process involves altering the plan sometimes in the moment of creation.

As of late, I have been fiddling around with making decorative wreaths as a means to creatively express myself when time does not allow for more complex works of art.  Often the piece begins with a design element that inspires the whole and before the first piece of ribbon, floral or item is applied to the wreath form, I have imagined it in my mind how I want it to go.  Sometimes, in the process of putting it together I realize that I may not have thought something out thoroughly, or the actual production is missing an element, a color, a texture or there may be something I thought would work well does not fit or can be manipulated the way I thought it would be.  This is where skills and experience work together in the creative process to complete an intended outcome.  I am not satisfied until I have matched the physical with the imagined and then I am able to step back and say, “yes!”.

David, in writing this Psalm is praising and contemplating the creative God who put the world together.  I like to think maybe these words came to him on a hillside one night while tending sheep.  Whatever the reason, he calls to mind how God’s creation was formed in Genesis 1 and 2.  To read that narrative, creation seems to be a series of random commands, “let there be light…let the earth bring forth grass…let the earth bring forth the living creatures…let us make man” – but an examination of nature, all the ecosystems, the universe, the seasons, the human body, etc. will reveal that creation is anything but random.  Everything is connected together and serves a purpose for another element of creation.  If one is to believe that God created the world, then one has to also realize that another of God’s attributes is intellect, thoughts that carefully considered the results of each component of creation and that same intentional creative process placed us in the life stream of the universe, designed for a purpose and destiny.  “And God saw that it was good”.

“And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.”  Mark 6:46

I had the opportunity not too long ago to rise early, enter into prayer and devotions with a group of others and then begin to ascend a mountain trail.  As a group we reached a beautiful stopping place but then was challenged to go even higher.  I really didn’t know what I was gettig myself into and honestly at a couple of points along the trail I questioned the wisdom of my actions.  My conclusion on the matter was I had gotten too close to the top to turn around and a sense that the work was worth it.  When we made the last ten or twelve steps on rocks and roots to arrive at the top, my breath was taken away with the beauty, the serenity and the sense of accomplishment.

As we paused to take it in, I reflected on how much mountain tops factor in to unique and life-changing moments for biblical figures.  Abraham passed an immense faith test on top of a mountain and met Jehovah Jireh (Gen. 22:14), Moses received the Ten Commandments on a mountain top (Ex. 20:1-17), Elijah was encouraged to return to the work of a prophet at the top of a mountain (1 Kings 19:8-18), Jesus prayed on the mountain (Mark 6:46) and the disciples met Jesus on a mountain to receive the Great Commission (Matt. 28:16-20).  These are just a few examples.  Why?  Perhaps it is because on the top of a mountain puts one in a place of solitude and quietness that gives God room to speak clearly.  Perhaps it is because God recognizes that only the few chosen will persevere the tests that takes them to the mountain top.  Whatever the reason, God seems to hold an affinity with giving mountain-top experiences that transform us and if we will press our way to that place, whether it is a real mountain or a figurative mountain, one thing I know is it is well worth it.

Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce.

Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease.” Jeremiah 29:5-6 (NASB)

 The world is all in a tizzy this week as the long-awaited baby of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle of Great Britain brought forth their first child. I has been a bit of daylight in a news stream that is dismal and discouraging. We have come to live in a time where all the news on the networks is “BREAKING NEWS”. We are inundated with mass shootings, political intrigue, natural disasters and overall negative information. Even newscasters seemed eager to share a story that could make us all smile and be in awe if only for a moment. If we allow it, the news will give us no hope for tomorrow and a sense that God has abandoned us and this world. The fact of the matter is that dire times are not new to this world for nothing is new under the sun (Ecc.1:9) and in the time of Jeremiah, the people who were living in captivity felt much the same way.

This message that Jeremiah sent to the captives in Babylon was meant to encourage them to go on with their lives while they waited on God’s timing of release. He is telling them to live in the present moment, enjoy the good things that come in this lifetime and to conduct themselves as though the promise was already happening. The truth is that while the news feeds would have us live in gloom and doom constantly, there is a whole lot of life and joy going on that doesn’t get the news feed attention. People are getting married, babies are being born, victories are being won, seasons continue to cycle around, life accomplishments are being rewarded and celebrated all over this world. It is true that in this period of time between Christ’s first and second coming, we are told in the Bible that there will be “wars and rumors of wars…famines…earthquakes” (Matt. 24:6-7) and much of what we see today reminds us of this. But we who trust in God, know that there is a promise of an eternal glory. While we are waiting, we will be wise to take Jeremiah’s advice.

For every time you hear about a negative news story or incident, I challenge you to seek something positive to reflect on. It will not necessarily change the world, but it will certainly change your attitude. For me this week, as a mother and a grandmother, I choose to reflect on the giddy and happy faces of two new parents that have brought a beautiful boy into this world that all the world has been anticipating. I remember my own emotions at holding the miracle of life in my hand and it causes me to smile.

“For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground, He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him” Is. 53:2 (NASB)

AND

“The axe is already laid to the root of the trees, therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down & thrown into the fire.” Matt. 3:10 (NASB)

My neighbor took the time to cut down some trees in her yard that I guess she felt like were either becoming a nuisance or threat to her property.  One of the trees was a beautiful flowering pear tree.  Every spring it budded beautifully but in the summer the pears were small and the squirrels would quickly roll them away when they hit the ground for food.  The other morning I noticed that the stump was bringing forth new growth and I realized that her cutting the tree down was not enough to eliminate it.  My mind ran to the two texts above.

Isaiah was describing Jesus prophetically as one who would come out of the root of Jesse which was a description of his physical bloodline through Mary.  He was by blood a descendent of David, the one to whom it was promised Messiah would come from.  The indication in the text is that the shoot is coming out of a place that by all physical practicality should not produce any sort of growth or blessing.

Matthew was describing John the Baptist’s testimony and preaching in the wilderness when Jesus came to be baptized.  He was declaring that God had already sent the One who would judge the sins of the world and the means he used to describe Jesus was one of taking an axe to the root of sin.  John understood that if one wants to get rid of a tree, a weed or any other nuisance plant you have to get it out by the root.  If not, the root will spring forth new growth but in this case not the good kind of growth but sin.  Unless we get to the root of sinfulness through Jesus Christ we are merely doing a temporary fix to the problem.

My neighbor (I believe) was trying to get rid of a tree but because she failed to go to the root and stump grind it out, the tree is now rapidly taking on new growth and will replace the old tree.  Sin works the same way, unless we apply Jesus to the heart of what causes the sin and only treat the symptoms, sin will crop back up often in a new way and in a more flourishing way.  On the other hand, Jesus was the intended descendent of David to bring salvation to the world.  Even though, the family tree of Jesse may have been taken down to a stump, nothing could stop the fact that Jesus would still come forth as a new shoot of growth.  The stump may not be worth looking at and may seem like more of a nuisance than the original tree but the benefit is far greater and more flourishing in God’s hand.

Once again, God shows me through nature, His intention, grace and mercy and depending on which side of the fence we are on, the tender shoots coming out of this stumped tree can be viewed either as a blessing or a curse.

The other day, I left a device at home that is normally connected to my cell phone.  When I finally got the two together, the phone and the device were not automatically connecting as I supposed they would.  In an effort to get them to sync, I accidentally did an option to pair the device with the phone as though it was brand new.  The end result was that a lot of my data in the device was wiped clean and re-set to zero information.  I knew it was a mistake when I did it, but I couldn’t stop the process.  I started to get frustrated but then realized that my cell phone was still holding the data.  Even so, I liked the convenience of reviewing a month’s worth of data on my device without my phone.   Then I decided to take the high road about the situation.  What seemed inadvertent may have been subliminal.  Better yet, what if God was trying to speak in the middle of my frustration?

Everything needs a re-set from time to time.  That is the purpose of seasons, rest and new beginnings.  God gives us a re-set every morning we are allowed to open our eyes and see a new day.  His mercy is everlasting.  When our devices are not performing correctly, often all that is needed is for us to power it down and re-boot which re-sets some of the settings and gets it back up and running.  So often we get frustrated with re-sets for the reasons I mentioned above; it means we have to start again when we don’t want to or because of the inconvenience it all.  So this is where I paused with myself and began to meditate upon the things that I need to re-set in my life.

We spend so much time wrapping up in the unimportant, stressing about things we cannot change, overthinking the obvious, worrying over details and generally getting too wound up.  This little inconvenient re-set, caused me to re-set my thinking and consider the direction of my life, my commitment to myself and pursuing my dreams.  Thank you Lord, for a re-set.

“Holy, holy, holy! Lord God almighty!

Early in the morning my song will rise to thee” AME Hymnal #25

I saw this today and my heart began to sing.

“She openeth her mouth with wisdom;

And in her tongue is the law of kindness.” Prov. 31:26

I was walking one morning and saw this beautiful camellia tree.  I was struck by it’s beautiful symmetry and the way the pedals had fallen in a perfect circle around the trunk.  For some strange reason, I viewed the pedals as words, kind words and words of wisdom that land on the lives of those around us.

Jesus taught that on the day of judgment, everyone will be held accountable for the idle words we speak and that by our words we will be justified or condemned (Matt. 12:36-37).  That has always been a strong warning to me that we are to be careful about what we say and to be mindful in speaking life and wisdom rather than following along with and contributing to gossip, lies and slanders.  So when I saw this tree I envisioned the pedals as those words that speak good things, encouragement, wisdom and hope and leave a positive mark on the lives to whom and for whom those words were spoken.  The Proverbs woman was known for many positive attributes but I think it is her wisdom that caused the praise of others to fall upon her.  I can imagine that her words were as pleasing as this shower of flower pedals on the ground.  They were as sweet as the scent of flowers.  They were wisdom tempered with kindness making them soft and gentle to the ear and for the eye.

If we could envision what our words would look like to others, would they be like these beautiful flower pedals or would they be dried and crackly leaves?  Would they be soft and gentle or prickly as briars?  This was a moment early in the morning when I was given pause to consider the nature of my words and how they may be perceived.  I’d like to think they are as beautiful as these pedals but I am reminded that I need to be careful with every word that proceeds out of my mouth.  I am also reminded that my words come from the heart and the nature of my words is a reflection of the nature of my heart.  If I want beautiful words I have to have the beauty of God within.  If I want to speak wisdom, I have to have wisdom.  If I want to speak gently, then I need a gentle spirit within.  The power of our pedals (words) is something that can speak life or death and if I expect to speak life, I have to have the life of Christ living on the inside.  That is the power of our pedals (words).

The other day, it was overcast and misty when I stepped out of the local YMCA to go home after a workout.  I could hear the familiar sound of geese honking and I looked up to see where they were coming from or where they were going.  I thought for a moment that they may have been above the clouds when suddenly they appeared from over a stand of trees, flying rather low but in formation.  As they flew overhead, the familiar honking noise was like a conversation.  Geese are known for doing this as if to encourage the leader but also to communicate the location of the rest of the flock.  Scientists say that they mate for life and when one becomes injured or sick while in migration, at least one will fall back with that goose until either they are on the mend or die.  In that moment I was reminded of an earlier scene in which a flock of geese inhabit a local area and I always enjoy watching how they tend to one another, look over the goslings and protect each other from outside threats.  To some folks they are a nuisance because they can literally take over a highway, a pond a yard or a parking lot.  I see them as community in action.

Biblically speaking, we are encouraged to restore others when they stumble, bear one another’s burdens and not grow weary in well-doing (Gal. 6:1-10).  Unfortunately, we too often are quick to rip each other to shreds, talk bad about one another and  leave people alone when they make mistakes.  What if we paused for a minute and took a lesson from the geese; honk for one another, remain faithful in our relationships, supported one another and looked after each other as simply as the geese?  What would it look like if we built our communities with the same kind of support network as the geese?

As an artist, the contrast of light and dark are an important part of an overall design to any given piece.  Nothing can be all light nor can it be all dark if we are interested in capturing an audience or the eye of someone examining our work.  The concept of light and dark is a common theme in spirituality as well.   In Christianity we ascertain that Jesus is the Light of the world (John 1:6-10; 1 John 1:5).   We are commanded to be light to the world, not hiding our faith (Matt. 5:14-16).  But perhaps one of the most intriguing verses for me is found in Psalm 139.  Here David is reflecting on the omnipotence and omniscience of God declaring that there is no place to hide from God, stating that he cannot even hide in the darkness because with God, there is no darkness (Ps. 139:11-12).

I saw this one morning when I was walking in the pre-dawn hours and it struck me that I was observing what the Psalmist was saying.  I also saw in this moment what it means to be a light in a dark and dying world.  Our character, our witness and our being should be as starkly contrasting as this light shining through the darkness.  It was a moment to pause and consider my own stance and maybe it will do the same for you.  Am I truly the light shining in the darkness I should be?  Are you?