Bright Shiny Objects

Why do we fix our eyes on bright shiny objects of this world

rather than gaze into the brightness of God’s glory, that shines

into this world of darkness we live in?

May we long to sit at His feet,

More than holding hands

With humanity.

May we run into His embrace

rather than into human arms.

May we lift our eyes longingly

And look into his lovely face

rather than fixing our eyes on

things in this earthly realm…

May we see clearly with heavenly eyes

And not with earth’s foggy vision

May we hear with clear perception

and not with ears clogged with earthly wax.

May He give us supernatural balance

to stay on the highway of holiness

and walk in His ways

and not our own.

May He gently pull us away

from the edge of cliffs

When we lose our hope

And can’t see what’s ahead.

May He be our joyful song

in the night when we weep

Tears of grief and pain

from deep sorrows of this life.

May He snatch us from the enemy’s grasp

set us free to become what we’re created for

To fly high above the storms

To be fully awake and alive!

May He whisper in our ear

And calm our every fear

May He smile on our day

Because His Word, we obey.

May we be divinely led

As we eat His Word, we’re fed

By the bread and wine that’s

His Body and his blood.

May we daily seek His forgiveness

As He washes us with His Word

In Him we are complete

Only in Him we are pure.

May we look to the bright future

When He comes to take us as His bride

We’ve made ourselves ready and

our dress is without spot or wrinkle.

© Copyright 2009 Marie Nease

Effortlessly

Feathers work with sky

Effortlessly, and so birds fly...

Feathers catch the air

And birds soar unaware

of effort, for they take wing

because it’s meant to be.

Everything about a bird

Is made for flight.

Their shape, their hearing

And even their sight.

Everything about our being

Is made to know and love the Lord,

Intimately...

Our hearing and seeing

Our heart leans toward

His voice, that calls

us and woos us to be

exactly what He’s

created us for.

As bird’s feathers work with the sky

Effortlessly, they soar, they dive

And gravity, they defy

as daily they do what they’re

perfectly designed to do.

The best way to fly is to be light...

Birds know to use turbulence

To their advantage, and they learn to

ride the currents of air

that are rising upward...

As we allow our hearts to be light

To use difficulty and adversity

To our advantage

We can ride the currents

of air that are rising upward

and we will fly...

effortlessly...

It’s usually not a battle, but a mystery

That a bird lifts their wings to fly

so it shouldn’t be a battle

for us to be who we’re born to be

to lift our spiritual wings and fly.

A bird’s wings can become damaged

and the bird is earthbound for awhile

as it’s feathers heal.

Be encouraged , my friend,

God’s with you in each trial.

His purposes for your days

He promises to reveal.

So, set your face toward the endless blue

Feel the breeze catch your feathers

Allow your keen vision to see the view

Of destiny’s colors blending together

In a finished painting of life.

So, remember, you’re meant to sing

And to spread your wings

And soar

To fly high above the troubles of this world

And see His pleasures and plan unfurled

In you, a bird made perfectly for flight.

And Father, Son and Spirit’s delight.

Effortlessly.

© Copyright 2009 Marie Nease

17 February 2009

"What I am gradually discovering is that
in the writing
I come in touch with
the Spirit of God."
~ Nouwen

And, for me I come in touch with the Spirit of God
through photography
through friends and family
through pain and hurt
and experiencing God's healing touch
in the midst of the pain.
through the valleys and climbing the mountains
through the aloneness of my singleness
and experiencing God's presence
even in the loneliness...
through knowing love
even in my singleness
through giving to others. evem in my emptiness.
through allowing God to move in and through me,
through His creative touch
that He paints in living color
on the black and white shadows
of my life.


Marie
February 14th 2009

I ‘m a stone in the midst of rushing river

Smoother now from water flowing over me…

Yet, it seems love, the true, sweet love of a man, evades me…

I allow the river of life to flow over me with His changing waters

To wash, to cleanse, to refresh

My thirsty, thirsty single soul.

Many days there’s joy in this simple life I lead,

Yet this heart longs to share the joys, with a man

Sent from the heart of God.

So on and on the River flows

Will I allow His current to take me

Where it will?

Yes, I choose to trust the rushing river’s current

will take me where I’m designed to go

And knows who I’m meant to travel with

On the rushing river

Of life.

Marie Nease

February 14, 2009

Godnight

Good night, Godnight,
sleep well my friend.
Only Jesus knows our
beginning and our end.

Good night, sleep loose
relaxed in His gentle care.
Only Abba knows how to
bring deepest heart repair.

Good night, dream dreams
of a future and a hope.
Only His Spirit brings joy
and allows us to cope.

Good night, Godnight
rest peacefully in His embrace.
Only the Trinity knows how to
take us to a higher place....

where we can flourish
and not just exist
where we can triumph &
through His strength, persist.

So, goodnight, Godnight, my friend.

Written for my bro-friend Rob - he's being quiet today so I'm concerned and praying more than ever.....

Winter Musings

Winter's slumber weighs heavy on my spirit,

Like rain, frozen on fragile branches,

nearly touching cold earth.
May warmth from the Son

cause spiritual icicles to melt,

like drops of grace,

like new mercies

every morning...

So thirsty, mouth and lips are dry,

Cracked, like miles of desert lands.

Only You can cause clouds to form

Bring drenching desert storm

To deeply satisfy thirsty sands.

Equilibrium’s been pulled by a strange gravity

That seems to be surely from this earth...

Would you equalize me?

Only in You sweet balance returns.

Spiritual symmetry.

This heart, you made has songs deep within

she longs to share in harmonious blending

of lives giving & receiving in love’s pleasure unending

Bringing glory to Father, Son and Spirit....

Until He comes to gather his bride

And take her to the place

He’s prepared for them

To love, forever.

By Marie Nease

January 29, 2009

Longing for Spring...again... funny, but every cold winter

I ache for Spring....

^{God, You Are Known}

^{God, you are heard in the breeze that moves the wind chimes to sing...}

^{You are sensed in the sunshine that warms my skin to a rosy glow...}

^{You are heard in the bird song whose notes filter in through my windows...}

^{You are felt in the touches shared between man and wife who enjoy pure ecstasy in their love.}

^{You are heard in the music written in the midst of heartache and the storms of life...}

^{You are in the rushing river that refreshes and flows on...and we are washed and forgiven.}

^{You are our protector and comforter in the midst of storms and hurricanes.}

^{You are in words, whispered and gentle, bringing hope to heavy souls.}

^{You are in morning mist, rising above majestic mountains, clearing to reveal a vivid blue sky day.}

^{You are known in prancing, dancing children who remind us to live, carefree and full of joy!}

^{God, you are known.}

^{God, I need to know you......}

The Shack. Have you heard about this book? I read it all in one week, now I'm going back through it and reading parts of it again: the passages that moved me the most, caused little goose bumps to cover me and the passages that threaten to change me on the inside. If you haven't yet, please read it!

The following is one of those passages.....

"Then what's with the pearly gates and gold stuff?

"That stuff, my brother," Jesus began, laying back on the dock and closing his eyes against the warmth and brightness of the day, "is a picture of me and the woman I'm in love with."

Mack looked at him to see if he was joking, but it was obvious he wasn't.

"It is a picture of my bride, the Church: individuals who together form a spiritual city with a living river flowing through the middle, and on both shored trees growing with fruit that will heal the hurt and sorrows of the nations. And this city is always open, and each gate into it is made of a single pearl..." He opened one eye and looked at Mack, "That would be me!" He saw Mack's question and explained, "Pearls, Mack. The only precious stone made by pain, suffering and - finally - death."

"I get it, You are the way in, but --" Mack paused, searching for the right words. "You're talking about the church as this woman you're in love with; I'm pretty sure I haven't met her." He turned away slightly. "She's not the place I go on Sundays," Mack said more to himself, unsure if that was safe to say out loud.

"Mack, that's because you're only seeing the institution, a man-made system. That's not what I came to build. What I see are people and their lives, a living breathing community of all those who love me, not buildings and programs."

Mack was a bit taken back to hear Jesus talking abut "church" this way, but then again, it didn't really surprise him. It was a relief. "So how do I become part of that church?" he asked, "This woman you seem to be so gaga over."

"It's simple, Mack. It's all about relationships and simply sharing life (with me). What we are doing right now- just doing this- and being open and available to others around us. My church is all about people and life is all about relationships. You can't build it. It's my job and I'm actually pretty good at it," Jesus said with a chuckle.

For Mack these words were like a breath of fresh air! Simple. Not a bunch of exhausting work and a long list of demands, and not the sitting in endless meetings staring at the backs of people's heads, people he really didn't even know. Just sharing life.

"But wait-" Mack had a jumble of questions starting to surface. Maybe he had misunderstood. This seemed too simple! Again he caught himself. Perhaps it was because humans are so utterly lost and independent that we take what is simple and make it complex? So he thought twice about messing with what he was beginning to understand. To begin asking his jumbled mess of questions at this moment felt like throwing a dirt clod into a little pool of clear water.

"Never mind," was all he said.

"Mack, you don't need to have it all figured out. Just be with me."

After a moment he decided to join Jesus, and he lay on his back next to him, shielding his eyes from the sun in order to watch the clouds sweeping away the early afternoon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This reminds me of the lyrics to a song by Brian and Jenn Johnson.

A Little Longer

What can I do for You?
What can I bring to You?
What kind of song would you like me to sing?

'Cause I'll dance a dance for You
Pour out my love to You
What can I do for You beautiful king?

'Cause I... can't thank You enough.
I can't thank You enough
What can I do for You?
What can I bring to You?
What kind of song would you like me to sing?

'Cause I'll dance a dance for You
Pour out my love to You
What can I do for You beautiful king?

'Cause I... can't thank You enough.
I can't thank You enough
All of the words that I find... and I can't thank You enough.
No matter I try... I can't thank You enough.
Then I hear You sing to me

"you... don't have to do a thing
Just simply be with me and let those things go
'Cause they can wait another minute

Wait... this moment is too sweet
Would you please stay here with Me
And love on Me a little longer"

I hear You say...
"You... don't have to do a thing
Just simply be with me and let those things go
'Cause they can wait another minute

Wait... this moment is too sweet
Would you please stay here with Me
And love on Me a little longer
I'd love to be with you a little longer
'Cause I'm in love with you