God the Artist
God intended that we become witnesses of his beauty, design, color, and pleasure so that we could gain a more intimate, real and personal knowledge of him. God does not want to be just a thought to know, but a personally engaging friend and Father whose relationship with us is filled with memory, delight, and moments to be experienced and enjoyed.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4
Through nature, we observe that ours is a God of variety.
The key to enjoying God in every moment of these daily pleasures is to open the eyes of my mind to see and to appreciate what he has given. A thankful heart galvanizes the connection between my God and me.
It is when we come to see what he has given that we begin to be mature. It is when we understand that God's gifts are with consideration of our truest needs - for love, beauty, purpose, belonging - instead of for our selfish gratification, material possessions, ownership. When we are humble and appreciative of who he really is, then we move down the road to a more foundational intimacy with him. But without a heart of thanksgiving in which we recognize his chosen gifts, our joy will not be full.
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever. John Keats
Joy is not just a word to be understood or a spiritual concept to be studied. No! Joy is a depth of feeling to be experienced, based on real pleasure and bliss, which God created us to revel in, to respond to, and to enjoy.
We must remove those things in our lives and schedules that put blinders on our soul's eyes. We must engage with his very present, physical reality through what he has created us to observe every day.
We must choose to stop and experience and enjoy God's personality.
Dear God, the Artist and Creator of all that is beautiful in the universe,
Thank you for making creation so beautiful. Please open my eyes and my heart to observe the lessons you would teach me about yourself through nature. Let me be like a child and look with delight at the design, beauty, and element of nature. Thank you for making my world a place where you intended me to experience pleasure, delight, fun and deep satisfaction. Help me to understand that apart from finding you as the source of that satisfaction, I will not truly experience lasting joy. Help me to order my life so that I may better experience peace and comfort from being in your creation, amidst the beauty you prepared for me to enjoy.
-Sally Clarkson; Dancing with My Father; pp. 85-104
526. Found out I was able to make a DVD on my own. . . Not exactly how I wanted it, but made it in spite of losing my work temporarily on the computer.
527. Managed to get the party set up like I wanted.
528. Hubby’s 50th birthday party went well over all. . . Choosing not to focus on what didn’t go as planned!
529. My amazing mom for helping me host a great party
530. My fantastic brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew for staying to help me clean up
531. Glad we went to 3rd service. . . Great worship and message
532. A nap!
533. Great ending to a baseball game
534. Hubby’s birthday day. . . He is our gift
535. Great bowling scores for the kids on their first day of league play
536. Good first volleyball practice for our girl
537. Fun with my son
538. Lots of thank yous from my girl
539. First field trip to the LA County Fair. . . Good parking, enjoyable time exploring exhibits, air conditioned exhibits, a snack stop, and the retreat of our air conditioned home afterward!
540. Spending ALL DAY AT HOME! Got the house in order, had a good school day, rested, had a home-cooked meal all together
541. Chocolate cake!
542. Lots of pleasantness from my girl
543. My son making math corrections on his own
544. My son saying he’d share his fair ride tickets with his sister
545. Scrapbooking!
546. Kids playing school together and having fun
547. Good attitudes about school
548. Free entrance into the LA County Fair tonight
549. The kids getting to share their fair finds with their dad
550. Josh sharing his ride tickets with his sis
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4
Through nature, we observe that ours is a God of variety.
The key to enjoying God in every moment of these daily pleasures is to open the eyes of my mind to see and to appreciate what he has given. A thankful heart galvanizes the connection between my God and me.
It is when we come to see what he has given that we begin to be mature. It is when we understand that God's gifts are with consideration of our truest needs - for love, beauty, purpose, belonging - instead of for our selfish gratification, material possessions, ownership. When we are humble and appreciative of who he really is, then we move down the road to a more foundational intimacy with him. But without a heart of thanksgiving in which we recognize his chosen gifts, our joy will not be full.
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever. John Keats
Joy is not just a word to be understood or a spiritual concept to be studied. No! Joy is a depth of feeling to be experienced, based on real pleasure and bliss, which God created us to revel in, to respond to, and to enjoy.
We must remove those things in our lives and schedules that put blinders on our soul's eyes. We must engage with his very present, physical reality through what he has created us to observe every day.
We must choose to stop and experience and enjoy God's personality.
Dear God, the Artist and Creator of all that is beautiful in the universe,
Thank you for making creation so beautiful. Please open my eyes and my heart to observe the lessons you would teach me about yourself through nature. Let me be like a child and look with delight at the design, beauty, and element of nature. Thank you for making my world a place where you intended me to experience pleasure, delight, fun and deep satisfaction. Help me to understand that apart from finding you as the source of that satisfaction, I will not truly experience lasting joy. Help me to order my life so that I may better experience peace and comfort from being in your creation, amidst the beauty you prepared for me to enjoy.
-Sally Clarkson; Dancing with My Father; pp. 85-104
527. Managed to get the party set up like I wanted.
528. Hubby’s 50th birthday party went well over all. . . Choosing not to focus on what didn’t go as planned!
529. My amazing mom for helping me host a great party
530. My fantastic brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew for staying to help me clean up
531. Glad we went to 3rd service. . . Great worship and message
532. A nap!
533. Great ending to a baseball game
534. Hubby’s birthday day. . . He is our gift
535. Great bowling scores for the kids on their first day of league play
536. Good first volleyball practice for our girl
537. Fun with my son
538. Lots of thank yous from my girl
539. First field trip to the LA County Fair. . . Good parking, enjoyable time exploring exhibits, air conditioned exhibits, a snack stop, and the retreat of our air conditioned home afterward!
540. Spending ALL DAY AT HOME! Got the house in order, had a good school day, rested, had a home-cooked meal all together
541. Chocolate cake!
542. Lots of pleasantness from my girl
543. My son making math corrections on his own
544. My son saying he’d share his fair ride tickets with his sister
545. Scrapbooking!
546. Kids playing school together and having fun
547. Good attitudes about school
548. Free entrance into the LA County Fair tonight
549. The kids getting to share their fair finds with their dad
550. Josh sharing his ride tickets with his sis
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