Monthly Archives: February 2016

1057. When all is said and done, we exist only in relation to the world… ~Diane Ackerman

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The more we exile ourselves from nature,
the more we crave its miracle waters.
~Diane Ackerman

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In the name of the daybreak
and the eyelids of morning
and the wayfaring moon
and the night when it departs,

I swear I will not dishonor
my soul with hatred,
but offer myself humbly
as a guardian of nature,
as a healer of misery,
as a messenger of wonder,
as an architect of peace.

In the name of the sun and its mirrors
and the day that embraces it
and the cloud veils drawn over it
and the uttermost night
and the male and the female
and the plants bursting with seed
and the crowning seasons
of the firefly and the apple,

I will honor all life
—wherever and in whatever form
it may dwell—on Earth my home,
and in the mansions of the stars.
~Diane Ackerman

In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. ~Hebrews 1:10  ✝

**Images via Pinterest; collage by Natalie

Practicing the presence of God

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Julie (aka Cookie)'s avatarcookiecrumbstoliveby

“I must first have the sense of God’s possession of me
before I can have the sense of His presence with me.”
Watchman Nee

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(remains of St Kevin’s Monastery, Glendalough National Park, County Wicklow, Ireland / Julie Cook / 2015)

A.W. Tozer tells us that to the convinced Christian, “the practice of the presence of God” consists not of projecting an imaginary object from within his own mind and then seeking to realize its presence; it is rather to recognize the real presence of the One whom all sound theology declare to be already there, an objective entity, existing apart from any apprehension of Him on the part of His creatures.
The resultant experience is not visionary but real.

The world would have us all believe otherwise…

It is however our faith, our belief, our experience, our relationship that teaches us, tells us, assures us that His presence is indeed…

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1056. To live is not merely to breathe; it is to act; it is to make use of our organs, senses, faculties – of all those parts of ourselves which gives us the feeling of existence. ~Jean-Jacques Rousseau

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Out of the waters of God’s life come
the creatures of earth, sea, and sky…

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With the birth of the creatures there is the emergence of
seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching…

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The light of the sun and the whiteness of the moon can now be seen.
The wind blowing through the leaves of the trees and
the crashing of ocean waves can be heard.

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The early morning fragrance of the earth can be smelled.
Its fruits can be tasted and its textures touched.
~From THE BOOK OF CREATION by
J. Philip Newell, Celtic theologian, poet, scholar, and teacher

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I’ve read it over and over again, and yet with each journey into its words and imagery I find more to love about the Scriptural circumstances and implications of the Creation story in Genesis. The fact that sensory perceptions came into play on the 5th day with the birth of the creatures, however, had never jumped out of the text and into my awareness until I read this passage above in Newell’s book. And that’s very surprising for a person who puts a high premium on the delights opened up through the 5 senses or for one who thinks that the loss of one or more of the senses would be a devastating mishap. Jean Houston said, “Our senses are indeed our doors and windows on this world, in a very real sense the key to the unlocking of meaning and the wellspring of creativity.” I agree, but they are not only that, I think some of the most divinely delicious parts of existence and many of our creaturely comforts come to us through our ability to see, hear, smell, feel, and touch. Our senses as well as everything else Yahweh incorporated into the fabric of our being and that of Creation’s life itself are sacred fibers that serve His purposes. As such all our organs, senses, and faculties must be revered and made use of throughout our lives.

Ears that hear and eyes that see–the Lord has made them both. ~Proverbs 20:12  ✝

**All images via Pinterest except the one by Wendy MacDonald; all collages created by Natalie