Tag Archives: beauty

Be Thou My Vision

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A break in the clouds

“Vision is the art of seeing things invisible”
Jonathan Swift – Thoughts On Various Subjects

I often think the scenes, I try to capture and preserve in photos, are little bits of the great beauty that Jesus pours out upon His creation. Whether anyone notices is not relevant to beauties existence, it is there just because God is good. Scene upon scene in unending splendor speaks of the glory of God. This is also true in my life; I have ongoing grace lavished upon me by God. Sometimes I have the eyes to see it, and thank Him, but often I am too preoccupied and it goes unnoticed. Like the beauty in nature, grace is not given only where it will be appreciated, it is freely poured out in abundance because that is the nature of God.

You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever. (Psalm 23 :5-6)

I continually have to remind myself to pray for eyes to see, ears to hear, and wisdom to comprehend all that Jesus is doing. Then with a heart of gratitude I can see, hear and give thanks.

Dawn of Revelation

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Morning beauty

 

I have no great thoughts,
but I know wonderful revelation is out there.
There are colors to enthrall the eyes still to put on canvas.
There is music that will lift the heart, but awaits a composer.
There are poems to inspire the soul, that remain unreleased.
There is great beauty that will captivate the beholder,
but we have lost our purity to take it in and give it away.
I need clear eyes to see, unstopped ears to hear.
A clean heart to bow before the Lord and receive all he wants me to know.
This gives me hope.
I pause from my daily activities,
and pray for God’s Holy Spirit,
to come upon me,
and make His glory known.

“No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him”—
but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:9-10

Lasting Beauty

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Elephanthead Lousewart

Elephanthead Lousewart

We too often pursue beauty trying to make ourselves beautiful. But this is fleeting and soon fades. Instead pursue the creator of all things, Jesus, who wants to make our lives eternally beautiful to the glory of God.

(See Isaiah 40:8 and Matthew 6:28-33)

Rightness of Creation

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A beautiful design

The Lord loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love. Psalm 33:5

I rejoice in the rightness of creation—how it all fits together perfectly. This is another sign of God’s unfailing love.

Grace Is Calling

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Oh, what a beautiful morning.

Each new day has beauty woven into it by the Creator. It is not fleeting or only for a select few, but wonderful gift given to all those who will partake. The Grace of God is like that on a spiritual level. A gift of forgiveness, joy, and renewed beauty, taking us beyond ourselves into the everlasting. One day those who receive it will look and go “Oh!”

Dreamscape

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Lake Stuart

A heavenly dream

We all dream,
Life is full of dreams.
Our dreams are sometimes good, and sometimes nightmares.
Sometimes dreams come true…sometimes not.
But all our dreams will fade and get old with us.
I wonder if God dreams?
I bet his dreams are good.
Good beyond our wildest dreams,
And His dream will never end.
For in Jesus we are not the dreamer, but the dream.

Approaching the Throne of God

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moonclouds

The heights of heaven

I can approach the throne of God in His grace and be confident I will find mercy and help. (Hebrews 4:16)
I can leave my past behind and know that it does not cling to me.
Life is be pure again.
It is not mine to lose or spoil, I can only receive it, and it is a new gift every morning.
This amazing grace comes with God’s power to live for Him,
And the knowledge that He will never leave me nor forsake me.
I do not have to worry about tomorrow for the end of my story has been written.
I can breathe in the peace of God.
I can rest in the knowledge that God will cause all things to work out for good when I walk in His love. (Romans 8: 28)
When I get lost, He finds me and restores my soul.
What Jesus has started in me will be carried onto completion by His grace and power not mine. (James 1: 6)
The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. (Psalm 145:8)
Give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His love endures forever. (Psalm 106:1)

The Grandeur of God’s Love

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So large it is hard to comprehend

Some things are hard to explain even seeing a picture does not fully reveal the enormity of what you see. The Grand Canyon is one of the most photographed places in the world but no words can describe, or picture convey the enormity and grandeur of that place. You have to experience it for yourself, even then it is more than the mind can wrap around. This is also how it is with John 3:16

I will never fully comprehend the height, width, or depth of God’s love. But, when God blessed me with children, I read John 3:16 with new insight. I looked at my child and cried at what God allowed to happen to Jesus because of His love for me.

To hear ugly words used against your child hurts.
To see your child keep quiet in the face of accusations is hard.
To see your child rejected, causes deep pain.
To see your child in sorrow brings terrible heartache.
The thought of your child suffering is unbearable.
But to stand back and allow your child to die is grief beyond compare.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. John 3:16

Multnomah Falls

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Multnomah Falls and the celebration of Pentecost

Certain elements of this picture transform it for me from nondescript picture into wonder to behold. The elements are the water cascading down, and the rock balancing the picture in the foreground. Without them I would have tossed it away.

This is the same for my life certain elements make it so worthwhile. The Rock of my salvation, Jesus, who anchors my life in his forgiveness and love.

“The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be God, the Rock, my Savior!
2 Samuel 22:47

The second element is the Holy Spirit cascading down, refreshing and anointing my life with God’s goodness.

“ ‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams. Acts 2:17

Multnomah Falls a celebration of Pentecost.

The Full Measure of Life

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Dogwood

Reflecting the Creator

Of this life what shall we measure?
Is it time or is it treasure?
Beauty, fame or accomplishment?
Result in choking compliment.
These become for us gods, dressed as goals,
And bring forth pride, to become deep holes.

To be like Him should be our hope,
faith and love a heavenward slope.
Thus reflecting the Lord in all his glory,
And have His light become your story.
Can only be borne upon a tree,
All of Him and none of me.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  Ephesians 3:17-19