Little Star

Twinkle, twinkle little star,
In the heavens, so very far!
Reminds me of Jesus that special day,
In a manger is where he lay.
He came to bring us hope. Love and life he gave.
For our very sins, he died, to save.
Twinkle, Twinkle little star,
Which brought the wise men from afar,
Bring me now this very day,
Closer to Jesus, this I pray.
by Heidi Johnson

My Pumpkin Painting

Happy Fall Ya'll !

I can't hear you!

I wonder how often God is talking and we just can't hear him. My husband Mike has had an ear infection for a few weeks and he is constantly saying," huh, What did you say?" I am wondering how often I say the same thing to God and then just ignore HIS response. Sometimes I am just too busy to even hear him in the first place.

Mike has an appointment with an ENT doctor on Tuesday. I am curious to find out what is wrong and how his hearing will be restored. The doctor will probably clear out some gunk in his ear. I wonder what kind of gunk needs to be cleared out of my life so that I can better hear God?

I think He tries to speak to us through our thoughts. Kind of like the image of the angel and devil sitting on your right and left shoulders. However, it isn't an angel speaking, it's God. Sometimes, He wakes me up in the middle of the night to bring something to my attention. Sometimes He gives me a verse from the Bible that speaks to a need that I have. Sometimes He shows me something beautiful in nature that he created to make Himself real to me. Sometimes He is silent. He is usually silent when I ask Him a question and expect an immediate response. I often ask God, "What is your will in this situation?" This is when I am really listening because I am not sure what to do. However, I have found that sometimes God just wants us to ask and pray and seek him for a while before we get an answer. This meditation draws us closer to Him and prepares our heart to accept the answer. Lately, I have asked God several questions but haven't heard any clear answers yet. I guess I need to keep asking, praying, reading his word and listening. Huh? God is that what you said?

Creative Caring

Creativity

I recently had to write a definition of creativity for an online class that I took. Readers feel free to post your definition below.

A definition of creativity would need to be in transition since as you grow in your knowledge of inspiration, you are constantly adapting the meaning.

My current definition is:

Creativity is the process of inspiration, designing something new and meaningful to you, usually in the format of your giftedness. I believe that creative ideas and thoughts are gifts from God and sometimes come to us in supernatural ways. People experience flow or joy as they participate in creative acts. Creativity is enhanced through the arts. I see creativity as a seed and the arts as the water, sun and soil that help it grow. As it grows learning occurs. The arts are avenues used to express what you are creating and learning. However, as you are participating in the arts, you are creating and learning through the process. It is a harmonious relationship. Creativity can also be expressed through technology. People can use blogs, pod casts, animation.... These avenues allow the author to share ideas with a global audience if they wish. Technology provides feedback for the author of the creative work as people comment or share work.

Check out this site:(http://www.creativitywith.com/) It is a great site to encourage creative thought. My favorite part is its study of creative people and what we can learn from them. We can learn to be more creative by studying techniques of creative people. For instance, Leonardo Da Vinci was one of the most creative people. Some of his creative practices were to write with both hands and to look for patterns and relationships among everything he encountered.

As I watch the butterflies in my garden this summer, I am amazed at God's creativity. I personally think the butterfly is one of his most beautiful creations. So graceful, gentle and lovely! Why don't I study the techniques of creativity from the creator of the heavens and the earth? I can study His creativity easily because it is all around me. However, I can also go to his human form by studying Jesus's creative acts. Jesus, God's son used some of the most creative ways of relating to people in his time. He washed his disciples feet, showed love and acceptance to women and children at a time when they were belittled. He made wine out of water. He took what he had, a basket of bread and fish, then multiplied it to feed thousands. He spent time with his Father and withstood temptation by quoting his father's words. Above all, He saved all of us by dying for our sins.

What does this teach me about creativity? To care for people in a creative way, I need to use His techniques and tools. Spend time with God. Study his word. Humble myself. Believe and expect miracles and love those who are difficult to love or unaccepted by society. Use the gifts that he has given me. Be ready to sacrifice what I have for others.

God Created Everything

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens! These are a few of may favorite things!

Weeds!

I have been pulling weeds in my free time this spring... I have an abundance of weeds. The most popular weed is wild strawberry. An appropriate name for a wild weed. The problem is that it is growing among my evening primrose. Primrose grows a little like weed too but I don't consider it a weed because its flowers are so pretty and it is not overly invasive. Then there is another weed that grows like a vine. I'm not sure what it is called, it has a white trumpet flower a little like a morning glory. It is a terrible weed because it winds itself around everything. When I pull it too quickly, I end up killing the flower or plant that it has wound itself around. So I have to gently unwind the vine from the plant. As I weed, I like to think of analogies. Today's analogy is how being a gardener who weeds is like God caring for us. He cares about the details in our lives. He cares enough to unwind the vines(sin) that choke us.

After I have released the primrose from the choking vine it is free from the burden of the other plant waying it down. It sways in the breeze. It can bloom and be what it should be.

I'm excited that I don't have any wild strawberry weeds in my real strawberry patch! Yet! I picked my first Strawberries today! I'm so excited. They are beautiful, sweet and a little tangy! Yummy! I picked some a little early before the bugs and other critters get them.

If you want to write, then write....

The funny thing about writing is that you don't think that you have anything to say until you start putting words down on paper. Then the words just sort of flow out of you. It is just a matter of which direction that you want your words to go. Do you want to pull up a memory, bring out an emotion or synthesize an event? As I began this post, I didn't have a particular topic in mind, I just started writing to see where my thoughts would lead me. They have led me to the topic of writing. I've been reading, "If You Want To Write" by Brenda Ueland. A book I would recommend to anyone who wants to expand their creativity. Mrs. Ueland states, "everyone is talented, original and has something important to say". She states, "the ardor for the creative impulse is inhibited by criticism, self doubt, duty and nervous fear..." She suggests that the creative power and imagination is the Holy Ghost (Spirit).

I agree with her. When I am using my creative gifts, I feel like they are from God. No matter what I am creating, a new recipe, story, lesson or work of art...the ideas are not my own but from God's Spirit living in me. Yes, my efforts are needed to carry out these creative endeavors. My experiences influence what I create; yet ultimately, they are a reflection of God in me and the world around me.

Good-byes

One of my students is moving back to India. It is very sad. It is hard to say good bye and not know if you will ever see someone again. Especially someone that you have known well for 149 days minus a few absences! Today we all wrote her letters and drew special pictures of her. She cried and then we all shed some tears. Her dad wrote me, "she is weeping every day at home and doesn't want to go back to India". I hope that she is okay!

She wrote the class a letter. She said that she will still be our friend. A good point! Even though she is moving across the world, the friendship doesn't end. The memories are still there. We can still write. The world has become smaller due to Internet. It is so easy to instantly send messages across the world. It still amazes me!

I am blessed with 18 of these wonderful little darlings! They make me laugh and sometimes cry! And I can always learn something new from them! It seems like the school year will last forever but before you know it, it's time to say goodbye.

We recently had to say good bye to our Jack Russell Millie. We had her since she was just a puppy. She was 14 when she passed away. Those years went by so quickly. I am so thankful for the memories! She will still be my friend. I like to think of her sitting on my friend Jill's lap in heaven.

Sonshine!

I am thankful for the rain and wind last night! I could hear the power of God in the thunder and see it in the lightening!Hopefully, the storm blew all that pollen away! Sorry Bees, I'm sure that you would like some of that pollen. God provides for all our needs. He gives us rain, wind and the much needed sun today. The sun brightens our world. I'm thankful that Jesus is the light of the world. It is amazing to me how all the planets revolve around the sun. That is just as it is supposed to be. God as the center of our universe. Things don't work out when I try to put myself as the focus because God designed it so that He would be the source of energy, light, love and goodness. It surely doesn't come from within me.

This is a photograph of my butterfly garden two summers ago. These beautiful orange flowers popped up in the garden and the butterflies loved them. The flowers remind me of the sun. The butterflies symbolize how we are changed into a new creation when we begin a relationship with God's Son! Sonshine!

Human Season

The idea for Human Season came from a Keats Poem ( My friend Julie Lee introduced me to Keats.) Again at home group we were in Hebrews discussing 6:4. We discussed how there is a difference between falling away from God and going through certain seasons of growth with God. It made me think about the natural order to the seasons. Similar to seasons in our relationships with others and God. It is spring now and I seem to see God everywhere, in the Snowbells that pop up in different places in my garden each year. I also see God in the blooming Dogwood trees that are in their last days. However, at other times, I don't see Him. Maybe because I'm not looking for Him or in a winter season of hibernation. Could I be there for a reason so that in the spring my eyes will be opened to his grace and glory?

God Even Cares About the Cheese!

The idea for this blog came from a discussion at a home group meeting. We were talking about the need to recognize how God works in our lives every day! Too often I overlook the things God does and the ways he answers prayers. I live day to day and forget what remarkable things he does in my life and the lives of others. I don't want to overlook these things anymore so I plan to write them down. Feel free to join me. Comment on anything He has done in your life.

My title

God Even Cares About the Cheese!

Comes from a day recently when I was working at a homeless shelter. I was making sandwiches with my wonderful little friend Katie. We had to make 43 sandwiches and three requested no cheese. We had exactly 40 pieces of cheese. Yes, it seems like a very small thing to be overlooked. But that is exactly why I want to write it down. It is one of those small miracles that I would normally overlook. However, I don't want to overlook these things anymore! I want to thank God for being so involved in my life that He cares about such a detail as providing enough cheese for a homeless person's sandwich.
I look forward to the daily miracles in the days ahead!