Masterpiece

Music beauty is created by pause.

Pause is the necessity for life's beauty song.  

 Song without rest... life without pause... is cacophony of misdirected notes.

Notes surrendered to intentional silence is masterpiece.

We Will Miss the Harvest

As I look outside our window and see the spread of farmland that blankets the area, I am fully aware that autumn is close.  The corn is stretched strong and tall, the ears are formed, and the tops of the stalks are tasseled.  Harvest is just around the corner.  We have enjoyed the seasons in this little Michigan home for more than a decade, but the winds of change are blowing.  This summer will be our last season here.


WE WILL MISS THE HARVEST...


Having grown up a Hoosier farm girl on my grandpa's farm, this makes me sad.  I relish the fact that my own children have tasted a little bit of what it's like to grow up in the middle of a corn field.  The stars are brighter, the crickets chirp louder, and the tree frogs sing an unforgettable melody. To pass the time, you climb trees, swing on the porch swing, and watch the deer play in your backyard.  But the winds of change are blowing...


WE WILL MISS THE HARVEST...


To a farmer, the harvest is the most important time of  year. He is rewarded for his labor of planting and tending to his fields and crops.  The harvest is a TANGIBLE reward for his diligent efforts.   But because the Michigan wind is blowing...


WE WILL MISS THE HARVEST...     


 God asks some to ready the ground and plant the seed, some to water the seed, and some to gather the harvest.  A rare few are called to all the tasks, but we are not among the few.  This is God's work here, and our specific job is complete in this little corner of His Kingdom.  It is difficult to leave before the harvest.  We cannot gather the fruits of our labor and experience a tangible reward.  It takes a lot of faith to leave the "field" and trust that someone else will come to tenderly and carefully gather the harvest for which we lovingly labored.  We are sorting through our tangle of emotions.  We are sad the wind is blowing...


WE WILL MISS THE HARVEST...


The ancient wind of change is blowing our family all the way from Michigan to Colorado.  We have no plan.  We only know that God is calling.  We follow.  We radically trust.  We know there are things that our eyes cannot yet see.  Our hearts are stirred, and we must obey the call.  Perhaps a readied field awaits our arrival.  Perhaps we will reap in our journey ahead.  Whatever God has planned, we will do our "BROKEN BEST" to follow His lead. 

WE WILL MISS THE HARVEST...

BUT SOMEWHERE A NEW "FIELD" AWAITS US AND WE TRUST HIS LEADING FOR THE JOB WE ARE CALLED TO DO...

LET THE WIND BLOW...

"We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News.  Each of us did the work the Lord gave us.  I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow."  1 Corinthians 3:5-6 

Treasure Tree

I am so excited to share a link to my *VERY FIRST~EVER* guest blog!   Today, I'm writing at Alise...Write!  I met Alise on Twitter a little less than a year ago. I have a deep respect for her and her writing, and I don't know if I've met anyone more genuine in the blogging community.  She is not afraid to wrestle with extremely difficult issues, and she always stretches my thinking.  Alise is a blessing, and I am so thankful our paths have crossed.    :)

Here's a bit of my piece about brokenness, cherry trees, dead branches, and God's love... Thanks for reading!  :)

Between our sidewalk and driveway, stands one of my favorite things, a weeping cherry tree.  Each new spring she blesses us with an enchanting array of pink and white blossoms.  When the wind whisks through her branches, the loosely attached buds create a seemingly endless snow of petals.  Late spring, she offers another gift.  FRUIT.  Her branches fill with bright red cherries that are picked, pitted, and fashioned into Grandma's sour cherry pie.  The summertime gift she offers is a hideaway for my children.  They love to climb into her strong, twisted trunk and escape behind her waterfall of branches.  Her secret cove is the perfect place to get lost in a book on a warm summer day.  These are all splendid gifts to be sure, but the most valuable thing I've ever received from Treasure Tree is not in her beauty, her fruit, or her hideout, but in the lesson of her DEAD BRANCHES.  To continue reading, click ~~>  HERE.