wisdom...

The first step to wisdom is silence.

The second is listening.

~Anonymous

Be still, and know that I am God... ~Psalm 46:10

...and now we wait...

As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. ~Matthew 27:57-60

...and so we wait...

with sorrow

and with hope...

voice in the night...

Voice In The Night

I heard Your voice in the night
calling to me in the ocean waves
as they broke upon the shore...
beckoning...whispering...

Come to Me..
Come to Me...

I heard Your voice in the night
crying out to me in the wind
as it whistled in the trees...
beckoning...shouting...

Come to Me...
Come to Me...

The sound of wind and waves
awakened me within,
pulling me from the darkness,
beckoning...calling...

Come to Me...
Come to Me...

The voice...
LOUD and THUNDEROUS,
yet soft...a whisper...
Come to Me...

POWERFUL and FORCEFUL,
yet gentle...an invitation...
Come to Me...

Awakened by Your call,
drawn by Your invitation,
I could not help but respond
as You whispered a shout ...

Come to Me...
Come to Me...

God calls to us...
-through the voices of others
-through the voice of His creation
-through the voice of His Word
-through the voice of His Spirit...

We need only to quiet ourselves before Him...to listen...and we will hear Him calling to us...with His voice of love.

...Listen...

'...your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." ' ~Isaiah 30:20b-21

"Be still, and know that I am God..." ~Psalm 46:10

for His glory...

In human intercourse the tragedy begins,

not when there is misunderstanding about words,

but when silence is not understood.

~Henry David Thoreau

In light of the problems many of us have been experiencing in Blogger the past few days--that of our "followers" mysteriously disappearing and our comments sections not working properly--I thought this quote would be appropriate.

When we are suddenly faced with "silence" from our regular blogger buddies, either from no comments being left or from their faces disappearing from our "followers" list, most of us fall immediately into self-doubt or introspection. What did I say to offend? Was I boring? What was IN that last post?!?! Where have they gone?!?

And an even bigger question brought up from the very depths by the unexplained silence: "What do we do (and how do we feel) if no one comments or follows us?" That question takes us right to the heart of the issue. That one should make each one of us examine why we blog in the first place... is it about the strokes? the praise? or is it to share the awesomeness of God in our worlds? to share with others the wonders of knowing the Creator of the universe?

My blogger friend, Billy, addressed the "follower" issue in a post today, and we, his readers, were reminded that it's not about who reads our blogs or about how many readers we have each day. Or, at least it shouldn't be. It's about how we let God speak to us and through us by what we write or what photos we share... and it's about the community we are involved in as we write our blogs and read those of others. It's about how we bring glory to our Father--the true Writer of all our stories--rather than to ourselves.

As for me, I don't have a huge list of followers, and to be completely honest, at times in the beginning, that bothered me a bit. I saw other bloggers with multitudes of followers, and I wondered what I was doing wrong. Then I remembered why I started my blog in the first place--it wasn't about me... it was all about God, the Giver of all good gifts. It was about looking for Him all around me... and as my title says, it was to be "...thoughts about everyday life--with its joys and sorrows and oh, so many mysteries-- about opening our eyes to see God's hand and HEART in the details of daily life and about learning to hear His whispers of love in the midst of a shouting world..."

And that purpose, that mission statement if you will, does not require comments from others, nor does it require followers. It simply requires that I open my eyes and my heart to see His hand and to hear His voice. And that I am faithful to acknowledge His presence, His GOODNESS, in my daily life.

So, if others would like to join me in the adventure, I say, "Come along with me! Let's do this thing called 'life' together!" And, when there is silence--when the praise or encouragement is not heard and when no one else seems to be "in it" with us--let us each continue to do that which God has called us to. If it is writing, let him write. If it is photographing, let her photograph. But in all things, let us seek His face and give Him the glory...

"Perseverance must finish its work

so that you may be mature and complete,

not lacking anything."

~James 1:4

the language of silence...

Be still, and know that I am God

~Psalm 46:10

A great silence overcomes me,

and I wonder why I ever thought

to use language.

~author unknown