Long Key Natural Area, Davie Florida, May 9, 2013

Beloved, do not imitate what is evil but imitate what is good.
3 John 1:11

This shrub is called buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)

Long Key Natural Area, Davie Florida, May 9, 2013

I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
Psalm 9:1-2

My photo walks these past few months had filled me with a deep sense of awe and wonder at the created world. In a 24/7 news cycle life where the wonder of creation is eschewed for lurid tales of the depth of human depravity with some feel-goodness sprinkled in to round things out, these walks are a necessity. They renew me and draw me closer to God and more deeply into the mystery of God's ongoing work. 

Yes, we need to know the full measure of the injustice in the world, the depth of the suffering of its people, the names and faces of all who need our prayer, our strength, our action, lest we do nothing and become the very thing we hate, yet in a small pond today filled with blooming white water lilies dancing in the morning light, God declared once again for me the beauty of a redeemed creation shaped  and formed by God's own hand and given life through God's sacred breath. For this I am ever grateful.

Where have you seen evidence of the wonderful deeds of God this day?

God of all creation,
in your hands you create the wonders of this world
and breath upon them your Holy Spirit that they might live.
We give thanks for the daily reminders of your presence
that they might draw us more deeply into knowing you
and proclaiming you.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen. 

"The Lady in the Garden," The Butterfly Garden at the parsonage, May 7, 2013

Give ear to my words, O LORD;give heed to my sighing.
Listen to the sound of my cry,my King and my God,for to you I pray.
O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice;in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.

God not only desires our praises and our requests,
but also to hear our sighs and cries,
our pain, our sorrow,  
even those that arise from the most hurting places in our soul. 
God desires to patiently listen to us, 
even when such cries wonder about God's place and presence,
God's activity, at such moments;  
And the doubts and the anger that often accompany them. 

Has there ever been a time when you shared your pain with God
or did something hold you back from being honest with God?
What does it mean for you to have a God willing to receive your pain and hurt and bear them with you?
What do you need to share with God today?

Healing God,
you know our pain and do not leave us
to suffer in solitude, but come to us,
to offer your healing presence and strength.
Even as we bring our cries to you,
we trust that nothing in our lives is beyond
your touch and the power of your grace.
Amen.  

Monarch emerging from cocoon, The Butterfly Garden at the parsonage, May 7, 2013

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
1 Peter 1:3

Because Jesus lives, we live with a hope that will not fade, cannot die, will not be taken away from us. Because Jesus lives, we live in him, through him, for him, forever. 

The gift of baptism tells us that we die to sin and rise daily to new life in Christ - 
What needs to be made new in your life?
Would you ask God to make it so?

In Christ through our baptism we are born into a living hope - 
Where have you seen evidence of such a living hope today?
Have you given thanks for the blessing of such glorious reminders?

God of all hope and blessing,
renew us daily in our baptism
that may we live made new 
through the power of resurrection,
a witness to the world of your enduring love.
Amen!

Secret Woods Nature Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, May 6, 2013

and I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.
Romans 15:29

All we do reflects Christ, whether we want it to or not - we do not get to pick and choose - or turn the light of Christ in our life on and off as the situation warrants. We are as Paul says, "Ambassadors for Christ." All we are and do become witness. 

How will you honor Christ before others today?

What is your greatest stumbling block in your embodying the love of Christ in your life for the sake of others?

What one thing could you do today to address that stumbling block?

Gracious God,

You call us to witness to your boundless grace

that as others are before us they may see you

and experience your love.

Help us Lord to overcome every stumbling block

that we may serve you with the whole of our lives.

In Jesus' Name. Amen. 

Secret Woods Nature Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, May 6, 2013

I will protect those who know my name.
When they call to me, I will answer them;
I will be with them in trouble,
I will rescue them and honor them.
Psalm 91:14b-15

In our most troubling times, the Lord is especially present for us; the one who suffered for us enters into our suffering, offering us hope.

Especially in times of trouble, the Lord invites us to offer our burdens to him: our fear, our worry, our anxiety, our hurt, our pain, our shame. In whom or what do you seek rescue?

To call upon the Lord in our need may be difficult if we are not prepared to do so. How might you better prepare yourself?

Has there ever been a time when you experienced the Lord rescue you from trouble?

Most gracious and merciful God,
you hear the cries of your people 
and rescue them in their time of need.
Be with us in our troubles 
and let the assurance of your strength and compassion
still our fearful and anxious hearts,
in Jesus' Name we pray, amen. 

Fern Forest Nature Center, Coconut Creek, Florida, April 20, 2013

But each has a particular gift from God, one having one kind and another a different kind
1 Corinthians 7:7b

Everyone has a gift given by God, unique to them, for the glorifying of God and the building up of God's kingdom.

Do you believe this to be true?

Do you know your gift? How have you come to know it?
If you do not, where might you seek the help of others to help you discern it?

How is God's gift made visible in your life?

Most holy and gracious God,

you have made us all in your image 

and gifted us with purpose:

to glorify you, to build up your kingdom,

to embody your love.

May we seek to know this gift,

and with the help of others 

live it out more deeply and honestly 

in our lives.

Amen.