Gateways to Joy

I'm sure many of you are familiar with this writing by A poor Methodist woman, eighteenth century. I found it in Elisabeth Elliot's book 'Gateway to Joy: reflections that draw us nearer to God.' There are several writings that I read that I wanted to share.  Things that slow us down to see the beauty in life.  This sums up how I feel at times when washing dishes by candlelight.  I do that sometimes to quite my soul and see the beauty around me, even though at times there is chaos around me like now for instances. Kids are quarreling... need I say more.  So I still away.  Yes.  I get still and fly faraway in my mind. This is what I read: "I do not know when I have had happier times in my soul, than when I have been sitting at work, with nothing before me but a candle and a white cloth, and hearing no sound but that of my own breath, with God in my soul and heaven in my eye...  I rejoice in being exactly what I am, a creature c...

This new year is very important to me.  For one, God has chosen to let me see "a new'" I'm excited to see what ... new things .... awaits me. As I shared with you on Wednesday, my word for the year is: Petros...Rock...Cornerstone . As I go through my daily routine of reading many of your blogs...I'm blessed.  I wonder if my blogging has moved any of you the way I'm moved by you? In reflecting on my wanting to be a ROCK or CORNERSTONE for my faith.   I wonder? How will I go about doing it?  I pray. Then I go to visit Ann ... you know Ann without the fanciful "e"?  Ann who helps us see the cross in the clothespin. Ann who reminds us "all is grace " when living in the "upside down world." She causes me to REMEMBER that my seemingly mundane work is  MY HIGH CALLING...my service to him...a holy work...my holy experience.   A calling and sacrifice that I give to Him each and everyday.  She helps me see ho...

And the WORD became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. ~ 1 John 1:14 Today is a start of something new.  Each Tuesday I will write about words as is  Ann Voskamp ,  Holley Gerth .  I'm doing this to see how my awareness of my words will change me as well as others. Ann at A Holy Experience has blessed me in ways that I couldn't have imagined by her dedication of sharing her words, thus her life, for others to read.  Her words have become her journal which she shares at: A Holy Experience.   Thank you Ann. Ann and Holley thank you for including us, the reader, to participate in word change by penning our words...our thoughts. Words and writing is very important for communication.  It is in that very form that  I AM, the creator  of the universe chose to speak to His creation via the Holy Bible.  Giving us:  HIS WRITT...