Awesome Deeds

from Psalm 65:1, 4-8(NASB, The Message)

Silence is praise to You, [Jerusalem-dwelling] God,
And also obedience. You hear the prayer in it all. . .
How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You
to dwell in Your [holy of holies].
We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Your holy temple.
By awesome deeds You answer us in
righteousness, O God of our salvation,
Earth-Tamer, Ocean-Pourer
Mountain-Maker, Hill-Dresser,
Muzzler of sea storm and wave crash . . .
Dawn and dusk take turns calling, "Come and worship."


Earth-Tamer,
You have created infinite opportunity for my soul to praise Your holiness and majesty. You teach me perspective and humility with the greatness of simplicity.
Ocean-Pourer,
You renew my life with steams of righteousness, always leading to rivers of goodness, and oceans of more. You teach me the Source of power.
Mountain-Maker,
You let me stand in high places, knowing blessings beyond need. You teach me the wonder of holiness and glory.
Hill-Dresser,
You decorate the landscape with beauty that escapes description. You teach me the joy of details.
Muzzler of sea storm and wave crash,
You tame the turmoil inside my soul with ease. You teach me the peace of grace.
I, too, come and worship at dawn and dusk and moments in between. For such Perfect Love brings me to my knees where I offer wordless soul-songs of praise to You. Amen. ~ dho

Truth's Choice

Truth is the great equalizer, a weapon of revelation. So often we stand at the crossroads and look both ways, the world to our left and righteousness to our right. Here we are confronted by Truth. Truth says we will experience both delight and disappointment in life. In its most honest moments, the world will tell you stories of both. Living a righteous life in Jesus will reveal the same lessons. There is a freedom on both paths; however, the consequences remain vastly different. In the world, everything depends on me, but in Jesus, He provides everything I need. Truth always reveals a choice. The world chants Pick me! Pick me! all the while Jesus whispers I choose you! The world offers no guarantees, no refunds, no exchanges. Jesus offers grace, forgiveness and eternal life. Truth demands a choice. I choose Jesus, the most Divine Gift. ~ dho

Henri Nouwen writes:
The joy that Jesus offers His disciples is His own joy, which flows from His intimate communion with the One who sent Him. It is a joy that does not separate happy days from sad days, successful moments from moments of failure. This joy is a divine gift that does not leave us during times of illness, poverty, oppression or persecution.

John 8:31-31(The New Jerusalem Bible)
Jesus said to those who believed in Him:
If you make My Word your home
you will indeed be My disciples;
you will come to know the truth,
and the truth will set you free.

Empty Hands

God always pours His grace into empty hands. ~St. Augustine

I sometimes find my hands too full, holding all the moments that charm me, claim me, constrain me, conceal me. Sometimes I hold to them in fear that I will lose them or not find them again. Then, sometimes I hold to them in joy for the same reasons. Either way, I hold to them tightly, hands full! Only when I lay them at the altar, in confession or celebration, can I open my hands to the Holy Father. The vivid imagery that comes to my mind is kneeling with my hands empty, palms up, and knowing His grace falls gently to me. Holy Father, may we know Your Glory in our every moment. ~ dho

O my soul . . .

Psalm 103 ~ The Message

O my soul, bless GOD! From head to toe, I'll bless His holy name!

O my soul, bless GOD, don't forget a single blessing!

He forgives your sins - every one

He heals your diseases - every one

He redeems you from hell - saves your life!

He crowns you with love and mercy - a paradise crown.

He wraps you in goodness - beauty eternal.

He renews your youth - you're always young in His presence.

God makes everything come out right. He puts victims back on their feet.

He showed Moses how He went about His work, opened up His plans to all Israel.

GOD is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, He's rich in love.

He doesn't endlessly nag and scold, nor hold grudges forever.

He doesn't treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.

As high as heaven is over the earth, so strong is His love to those who [revere] Him.

And as far as sunrise is from sunset, He has separated us from our sins.

As parents feel for their children, GOD feels for those the [revere] Him.

He knows us inside and out, keeps in mind that we're made of [dust].

Men and women don't live very long; like wild flowers they spring up and blossom,

But a storm snuffs them out just as quickly, leaving nothing to show they were here.

GOD's love, though, is ever and always, eternally present to all who [revere] Him,

Making everything right for them and their children as they follow His Covenant ways

and remember to do whatever He said.

GOD has set His throne in heaven; He rules over us all. He's the King!

So bless GOD, you angels, ready and able to fly at His bidding, quick to hear and do what He says.

Bless GOD, all you armies of angels, alert to respond to whatever He wills.

Bless GOD, all creatures, wherever you are - everything and everyone made by GOD.

And you, O my soul, bless GOD!

". . . Possibility discovered the unexpected, assumed the predictable and hoped the impossible. Of all the routines possibility choreographed, His unforced rhythms of grace* became my favorite. This dance revealed the heights, depths, widths and strength of His Amazing Grace. Too high for words, too deep for tears, too wide to grasp, too strong to fail, He held me in all circumstances ~ good and bad, easier and harder, known and unknown. Mercy reached through, beyond my human fraility, and Grace restored my soul." dho excerpt from my devotional journal ~ 10/8/06 * Matthew 11:29 (The Message)

In memorial ~ Mary Sue Howell October 7, 1929 ~ October 1, 2006

Rooted in Christ

Like the mangrove, our roots planted in Christ grow deeply. He is the Provider and Protector of all, our El Shaddai, our God-all sufficient.

The roots of the mangrove create and shelter a complex ecosystem. Over time, mangrove trees nourish and replenish the soil, allowing other plants to form roots. These mangrove roots are the source of food and nutrients for both animals and micro-organisms. And, they "breathe air".

Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. Colossians 2:6-7 (NAS)

photo/Mangrove in Roatan, Honduras/taken by Donna Oswalt July, 2007

In the Wilderness

Thomas Merton writes in his book Thoughts in Solitude: The Desert Fathers believed that the wilderness had been created as supremely valuable in the eyes of God precisely because it had no value to men . . . God's plan was that they should love Him in the wilderness and that they could always look back upon that time in the desert as the idyllic time of their life with Him alone.

Holy Father ~
I fall on my knees in Your presence. You illumine my mind when darkness lingers. You protect my heart when doubt threatens. Your rescue my soul when uncertainty challenges. When I am weak, You strengthen me. When I stumble, You catch me. When I am weary, You hold me. In countless ways, You bless me! My prayers of praise, insufficient but whole-souled, applaud Your Glory. Still on my knees, I surrender my own desires and offer this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, for He is Grace. Amen. ~dho


Doxology
To Him who can keep you from falling and bring you safe to His glorious presence, innocent and joyful, to the only God, our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, authority and power, before all ages, now and forever. Amen.

Jude 1:24-25 (The New Jerusalem Bible)