Our Comfort in a Desolate Place

Posted on March 7, 2014 by Donna Harris

Our Comfort in a Desolate Place

40 Gifts of Lent | Gift 3

Reflections on Matthew 13 – 18

Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away…” But Jesus said, “They need not go away…” Matthew 14: 15-16

It would not be long before the disciples and the followers of Jesus would experience a very tragic and frightening desolate place that they have never experienced before. They don’t understand what is to come. They only know what they see and feel right then, at that time and place. They become agitated, restless, and worried…even with Jesus standing beside them.

Often we feel that there is no hope in the worst of times, that there is no one that will listen or understands the pangs of fear and anxiety that hurls when the evening approaches. Do not fear when the darkness shuts out the light and you are alone with your thoughts, do not turn away from Jesus to search for comfort elsewhere. He is with you.

If you want to believe but can’t, stop looking inside; go to Jesus and say, “Help me believe.” You will be comforted. You will be satisfied to overflowing.

Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. Matthew 14:19 – 20.

“The provision Christ makes for those who are his is not bare and scanty, but rich and plentiful; an overflowing fullness.” (Matthew Henry)

We should not be surprised when God goes above and beyond all that we would ask or dream.

Why I write about 40 Gifts of Lent

It’s so much fun to be on the receiving end of good gifts! I am anticipating the arrival of Easter and celebrating the most amazingly good gift I’ve ever received. I want to focus my heart on the fulfilled expectation of Christ’s first coming and the glorious expectation of His second coming. I want to focus on the freedom I have in Christ to overcome strongholds, yet also to gain strength, hope, and peace as I lean into the trials…continue reading here.

Take heart, sons and daughters

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Donna Harris

Take heart, sons and daughters

40 Gifts of Lent | Gift 2

Reflections on Matthew 8 -12

You are not a second-class citizen. If you know Christ, He is even now cleansing you and thereby enabling you to approach Him with gladness. Expect your faith to be strengthened. Expect to be touched by Christ. Expect a miraculous healing of your heart.

Take heart, sons and daughters…Jesus is the gift. Come to him, you who are weighted down with grief and suffering and you will find rest for your souls. He is gentle and lowly and he understands everything about you.

Ask him to touch your life. He will stretch out his hand to you.

And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him…Matthew 8:3

“I will come and heal him.” Matthew 8:7

He touched her hand…Matthew 8:15

“If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” Matthew 9: 21 – 22

…he went in and took her by the hand… Matthew 9: 25

Then he touched their eyes… Matthew 9:29

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11: 28 – 30 (The Message)

About 40 Gifts of Lent

I love the anticipation of celebrating birthdays with my children and grandchildren and can’t wait to gather again with my family and friends around a brightly lit tree at Christmas. My focus for any event or special occasion is mostly on the gift I will buy and then tape it up with all of the wrapping and trimmings to make it a beautiful presentation to give away. I do enjoy watching them rip into the paper and toss the pretty bow without a care to get to the inside of that package.

It’s so much fun to be on the receiving end of good gifts!

I am anticipating the arrival of Easter and celebrating the most amazingly good gift I’ve ever received. I want to focus my heart on the fulfilled expectation of Christ’s first coming and the glorious expectation of His second coming. I want to focus on the freedom I have in Christ to overcome strongholds, yet also to gain strength, hope, and peace as I lean into the trials…continue reading here.

Life and Light

Posted on March 5, 2014 by Donna Harris

Life and Light

40 Gifts of Lent | Gift 1

Reflections on Matthew 1 – 7

You are the light that shines for the world to see. Matthew 5:14

The gift of God’s son as the light of the world gives life
A darkness has been flooded with light and is no more
His infinite love for us has shattered this darkness
And the flicker of light grows bigger
The gift of life and light to the world cannot be hidden

If your life, by its order, by the way in which you handle pressure, by the way in which you take criticism, by the way in which you treat the people who work under you, if you are like Jesus Christ, the beauty of that is going to show up the reality of the environment. A good light shows you real color, right?

Have you ever noticed that sometimes you pull out a pair of socks, and you can’t tell if they’re blue or black, and you look in one light and you still can’t tell, and you have to come to a good light in order to tell whether it’s blue or black? A real good light shows you the real colors. If you are a Christian walking like Jesus Christ, then the beauty of your life shows everybody around you what is good and what is bad.~Tim Keller, Salt and Light

About 40 Gifts of Lent

It’s so much fun to be on the receiving end of good gifts!

Lent is usually about giving something up to remember the sufferings and ultimate price that Christ endured on our behalf. But I’m not doing that this year. While I’ll never forget the price Jesus paid to rescue me, I don’t want to give something up in order to remember…to receive inner peace or a personal triumph of going without.

I want to anticipate and receive unexpected gifts during Lent. I want to rip open beautiful presents everyday to discover a different gift inside. When I discovered the link to #theLentChallenge to read the entire New Testament during Lent 2014, I immediately knew, by making this commitment, I would receive (at least) 40 gifts! My heart is bursting at its seams in anticipation for the gifts God will show me.

You are welcome to join me in opening a new gift everyday. It’s not too late to start.

More Grace,
Donna

Slow Down to Notice…on a Road Trip

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Donna Harris

I have a hobby of taking photos from a moving automobile. Like the one above of a barn and homestead with a for sale sign in front view. I can only imagine how many memories and stories that have been noticed in that home or the life that fed that old barn’s history…stories and words wrapped up and knotted deep into a legacy.

So I take a photo from a moving automobile because I slow down to notice this image of a story that is posted for sale. It’s there, off the road where it’s waiting to be noticed, captured and remembered.

Recently, my husband and I packed the car for a long road trip to home. It was pleasant to be the passenger with my main man and talk about our kids, our grandkids, life, work, politics…we talk about our parents that are living and the ones that have passed to a better place. Memories are shared on road trips. Road trips give us time to slow down and notice, even while the pedal is to the metal.

We slow down on this road trip to notice each other through the stories we share. It’s a verbal embrace. There is a connection when we laugh at each other’s corny jokes or disagree with the other’s opinion about a politician’s decision.

When we slow down and notice someone by listening to spoken words, there will be community, friendship, and a feeling of being safe.

Road trips are good for this. He is not looking at me while I talk, yet he notices me. He is listening to my words…my voice, my story. And when he shares a story, I may glance over at him, but mostly I’m looking out the window with my head leaning back and resting against the headrest…slowing down my thoughts to hear him and notice him.

It’s ironic that we own a house with a for sale sign in the front yard. Of course I know that bricks and mortar or beams of wood cannot contain life and stories but it’s the people with the stories that walk through an opened back door to have a cup of coffee at the kitchen table.

Slow down and notice them.

We may be selling a house but we are not selling the stories that happened in that house.

We’re on a road trip. We are slowing down to notice a lot more than just the two of us sitting in this car. We slow down to notice and talk about the goodness of God demonstrated everyday in our lives and the peace we have through Christ while enduring trials and a life transition.

When we slow down to notice…to remember the stories of God’s forever faithfulness to us, we are filled with awe and flooded with peace.

Stories are like a road trip. The years fly by at high-speed and there are twists and turns and potholes that slow us down. An unexpected and sometimes unavoidable crash stops us cold. We run out of gas. We have a flat tire. We need help with the repairs. We are forced to slow down and notice the grace and love from God, no matter what the circumstance.

So yeah, I want to slow down and notice my husband and family. I want to notice their stories and words, to embrace them and travel with them on a road trip wherever it may lead. I want to slow down and notice the beauty of God’s grace and his majesty…to hear his words. To be embraced and know that I am noticed by God.

The Flight of the Butterfly

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Donna Harris

The Strength of a Butterfly

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.

In order to live, a butterfly must fight its way out of the cocoon on its own. It is only through this struggle that it gains the strength in its body to move its wings and fly.

Life is like a butterfly – You go through changes before you become something beautiful.

The following are photos of one particular butterfly I spotted while vacationing last year at the Broadmoor Hotel and Resort in Colorado Springs, Colorado. While the views of the beautiful resort are breathtaking in grandeur, I found myself captivated with following one particular butterfly gracefully move, carefree from one hanging pot of Impatiens to another.

So many hanging pots of flowers and so little time for a butterfly to taste the sweetness.

I wondered how long this beautiful fluttering of wings would last.

Chasing a Butterfly

“You can only chase a butterfly for so long.”
― Jane Yolen, Prince Across the Water

Once upon a time, we had a Golden Retriever puppy. The cutest little puppy ever! Finding the right name for the newest member of our family was very important yet none of us could agree on the right name…until that day while in our backyard, our puppy began chasing a butterfly. The dog was running and jumping and zigging and zagging chasing the butterfly all about. That’s it! We had a name for our best friend to be. We named him, Chase.

I chuckled considering that I was running (not so much jumping) but definitely zigging and zagging to chase after this butterfly! Finally, it stopped for refreshment…I was ready for some, too.

The Butterfly…Again

Well, I must endure the presence of two or three caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies ~The Little Prince

This butterfly has certainly done its fair share of work! Flitting from one landing pad to the next, searching for the best nectar.

A Particular Butterfly

“…butterflies lead you to the sunny side of life. And everyone deserves a little sunshine. ” ~Jeffrey Glassberg

We should bask in the sunshine of God’s grace and goodness. We should notice God’s power through the tenacious strength of a butterfly. Count the moments you have each day to experience the Lord’s presence, to be strengthened by his grace. For the more your heart is strengthened by grace the more it will beat for God’s glory.

These photos are borrowed from my photo blog, Remember the Year, a scrapbook and journal of visual memories. I hope you will visit there soon. http://photolog365.wordpress.com

Winter Inspiration

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Donna Harris

Patchwork Barn

Brown and Red Barn

Our God manifests Himself in our mangers and muck, our mundane and mess. Ours is the God manifesting Himself in the unlikely and unbearable, in the surprise and the second-chance. The God Who bears the burdens and brings the hope. ~Ann Voskamp

“Listen to your life.
See it for the fathomless mystery it is.
In the boredom and pain of it,
no less than in the excitement and gladness:
touch, taste, smell your way
to the holy and hidden heart of it,
because in the last analysis
all moments are key moments,
and life itself is grace.”
~Frederich Buechner

I prefer winter and fall,
when you feel the bone structure of the landscape–
the loneliness of it,
the dead feeling of winter.
Something waits beneath it,
the whole story doesn’t show.
~Andrew Wyeth

Weeds in unison
Move with the sun
Balancing the snow

Searching for Sanctuary

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Donna Harris

Redeemer Presbyterian Church, PCA (www.redeemindy.org) Indianapolis, IN

While standing in the check-out lane at the grocery store, I watched the young lady who was robotically scanning labels and punching in price codes for fruit and vegetables and with meticulous organization, bagged each item that I was about to purchase …she never turned her eyes away from that task.

To be honest, I wanted her to hurry-it-up and not to be so careful with the bagged lettuce and carrots. It didn’t matter to me if produce was mixed with dairy or if a jar of tomato sauce was placed in a bag with paper napkins.

But I stopped that impatient urge of aggravation to notice her. To appreciate her methodical and calculated process of scanning and bagging food.

So I spoke to her: “Hey! Thank you so much for organizing this chaos of food and stuff! I guess you have been standing here for a long time already. How’s your day going?”

WOW! Her comments almost brought me to my knees. She looked up at me with clear eyes and a beautiful smile. “Thank You!” was her reply.

She proceeded to tell me about her day as a cashier (I will never take grocery store cashiers for granted again) and she gave me a peek into her family. She is also attending a community college and working for a better life for her children. Our conversation continued as I shared with her some tidbits about my family and the peace that God has given me through the trials I am facing. I noticed that she slowed down scanning food. She slowed down organizing the bagging procedure.

She felt that I wanted to listen to her…and she wanted to listen to me.

I continued to compliment her, to praise her work ethic and striving to succeed for her family…and I sweetened all of that with nuggets of God’s grace and the peace He gives to them that search for all that. And while we chatted, the strangers standing in line next to me had their ears opened and eyes watching us, with pleasant expressions on their face.

So you see, we are all searching for sanctuary. A better place to be.

The photo I shared of this post is of a sanctuary, a photo of the interior of a grand and humble church. Perhaps it’s the image you may think of when you consider where to go for sanctuary. But sanctuary can be found wherever you are.

I discovered sanctuary while standing in line at the grocery store talking with a stranger about God’s love and grace because God was with me…with both of us.

She is searching for sanctuary. I am searching for sanctuary.

Our deepest and most enduring peace and happiness…a sanctuary–can only be found in God.

Wisdom About Life From a 7 Year Old

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Donna Harris

This is what you get when you sit a 7-year-old down and ask him to tell the camera what life is all about…..Things like, “The point of life is actually not all about easiness. It’s about hardness.”
(Please try to ignore the fact that he is wearing his sister’s pink socks.)

This clip is shared by my friend, Amy of her son explaining what life is all about. She earned an MBA and now is a SAHM to four kids and married to an economics professor. There is never a dull moment in their home. Here is Amy’s words:

Sometimes I feel it is futile to write or speak about anything, because it’s all been said before by people much wiser than me! Do I really have anything new to say? But recently I’ve come to realize that I do have a unique perspective on God’s goodness: the way I see it being played out in the life of my family. So here I stand and write, at the intersection of God’s Grace and our family. I have been very blessed with a very giving, loving husband, and children who make me laugh. It is a real-life Family Circus cartoon here many days.

To discover more winsome wisdom and most times hilarious fun, check out Amy’s blog at Frankly Journaling. (www.franklyjournaling.blogspot.com)

Donna Harris‑More Grace

A Life Filled with More Grace is a Story Worth Sharing

Our Comfort in a Desolate Place