tranquility

as nature surrenders to its creator, i actively surrender to god. crickets in dewed grass, cranes spin and leap and the soft blackbird flees around me. grace. winged creatures glide to slowly rest on lightly bobbing piers. boats spur the water sending ripples, an interrupted calm. slightly salted air. breathe in deep: lungs expanded, shoulders relaxed, rib cage open. “i will fight for you. you need only to be still,” He tells me.

yellow glistens off the melted water below my swinging feet. the choppy movement almost calms me. sounds of lapping on the shoreline and bird songs resonate the soft zephyr of the wind in the bay. the bird still sits perched, turning his head this way and that, as if to watch me, a friend to keep me company in silence. but there really is no such thing as silence. for music is heard in every noise or lack there of.

layers of purple, orange, pink, yellow, ivory and blue silently sink into the bay, one on top of the other. my friend has gone. like the wind, people pass in and out of this broken-hearted city. the sky turns a deeper pink and roses as it blends. the sun`s last farewell to the day, which will soon become utter beauty as night falls. sitting here i feel like the only one at peace. i try to block out the ruff of car engines and airplanes and listen intently to the composition of the bay that He is conducting in my willing hands. beauty. i want to indulge my whole self in the captivating serenity of His creation.

sculptures in the sand

if youve ever been to ocean city, you probably have seen or heard of the sand sculpture man. there is a guy who builds intricate sculptures of jesus and his life, and in the evening he goes out and preaches in front of them to the people of ocean city. this may sound a little crazy and i am the first person to say that i have never believed in this kind of evangelism. but as i listened to him speak, i watched a young guy`s heart change right there a few feet away from me. he was arguing and yelling at the man as if he was so angry with god for all of the pain that was in his life. i watched him struggle with the holy spirit, who was calling him to let go. i just wanted to hug the kid. you could see the pain and brokenness in his eyes as he fought with god. i wanted to let him know that god loves him so much! he tugged at my heart. god broke down his walls right there in front of my eyes. i prayed for him as i walked away back to my group, not wanting to leave them waiting for too long. this guy`s name was kevin. kevin gave his life to christ that night on the boardwalk.

i just began reading jeremiah this week. god is already working through this scripture to change my heart. i read the second half of chapter 2 this morning when god is telling his people that they are disobeying him and scolding them because they fill their lives with things that will destroy their hearts, and deny god. instead of allowing themselves to be glorified through god`s heart for them, they have disreguared him and his commands.

sometimes we get lazy. this morning i made a determined decision to get up earlier and spend some time with jesus. i havent been spending time in the morning, although there is nothing wrong with the afternoon, being on project it has been difficult to find time to spend with him in the afternoon, when i am all burnt out from the morning`s activities. i am reading jeremiah, and the devotional i read today talked about how to find time by praying while you prepare yourself physically and spiritually for the day:

tomorrow as you shower, praise god for the cleansing that jesus` forgiveness provides. as you`re getting dressed, thank god for clothing you with righteousness. when you put on your moisturizer, ask god to soften your heart to his leading throughout the day. as you apply your makeup, thank him for being the foundation of your life. when you put in your contacts, ask god to give you eyes to see his workings in the world. and as you put on your earrings, thank him for beautifying your life with the fruits of the spirit.