Sunrise With Fog

Sunrise With Fog
Every Morning is New

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

More Than Crumbs

More Than Crumbs

I have been in and out of every door in my home this morning photographing the
sunshine through the ice with layers of snow, and as the light has changed, the images have
changed.  This exquisite light brings hunger for more of what God would make known of
Himself through these masterpieces of nature. This beauty is a gift of grace.

 I am realizing more and more what a gift it is that He has given me a desire to
create beauty beyond what I can comprehend; this hunger to see more of His
creation in every possible nuance flows from the eternal vacuum He has placed in my
heart. It can only be satisfied with what He makes known to me each day through
the joy of delighting in Him through the lens of all that He has made.

I could not find such joy in these things without the Word engraved in my heart and
illumined by His Spirit.   He richly gives beauty above the commonplace and
usual provisions which we need as well, but this beauty lifts our eyes above our
circumstances to rejoice in the Beautiful One. Yes, we need food, clothing and shelter
to care for our physical being. God provides more than the bare necessities, exceedingly more!

In giving gifts through the years, I almost always have chosen to give gifts of a special nature
rather than purchase something from a list, something that will be a reflection of memories.
Isn't this what God does for us? We ask for crumbs, and would be content. Or perhaps we
ask for things of momentary vanity  of our own choosing  only to discover that through His dear ones
He often provides something wonderful for which we had not thought to ask.

Yes, He provides the drink of water.  Yes, He provides morsels of food to sustain our bodies.
But it is our souls that He feeds with such beauty beyond what we might conceive or imagine.
He also gives us the desire to see more deeply into the mirror. For those with the gift of sight, He appoints a hunger for the perfection of beauty, and the will to glorify Him in responding to the illumined scenes.

There are times when He stops us and pulls us up short with magnificent moments in His light. 
He enthralls us with visions so glorious that we stand in speechless awe of the Creator!
We become so filled with His joy that we are compelled to respond in creative manner allowing bountiful rivers of rejoicing to overflow with His love to others.

On occasion, the splendor is so glorious we can scarcely breathe; when we remember to catch our breath it must be expelled with words of praise to our Maker much as the sound of the wind appearing from far away to burst into a melody of love.

We are to write, to tell, and to remember the works of God Who in every manner provides light for our way, no matter our circumstances. This morning was such a morning.  There was such magnificent splendor before me that I could not come back in the house, though I was freezing. I did not know what the
dozens of photographic images would look like, only that I was compelled to take them to record
and tell others of the exquisiteness of God, revealed before me through all He created. 

I think of Abraham as the Lord told him to come outdoors and see if he could count the stars.
Could he number the grains of sand along the shore?  This morning was so filled with brilliance
that I could not count the diamonds of ice transforming the forest into a glorious display of the Lord’s power and glory through the miracles He created.

I am yet a child, filled with delight in the incomprehensible feast set before me. Imagine what is yet to be.
IMP 2/5/11



Saturday, March 19, 2011

Above The Wonder

Actively wait! A watched pot never boils. These thoughts have really been brought home to me the last couple of weeks as I have been watching for those little promises of spring's arrival.  There is a particular photograph that I am seeking so that I might finish a project, and that photograph is based on evidence of the bursting forth of spring. When I look too hard it seems that nothing is happening to bring it closer quickly. There are so many wonderful projects and many responsibilities to attend which take my mind away from such close watching. That is a blessing. In the hours and days of tending to life I find that God's orderly transformation of the landscape has been progressing as He intended. Although I know the season is changing I should not presume upon His moment by moment timing, but rather find delight in the surprises accompanying every part of time's moving forward. And it is such a delight to discover that which I have been expecting has blossomed; it seems the Creator is waiting to witness my joy and perhaps sing along with me in the moment. How can one not stand in wonder at what is made known and be brought to our knees in awe of the One Who spoke it into being. It is to His glory that I have been given witness of these glorious things. I am thankful.

Beyond the Wonder 


Beyond the wonder of present awe
            of morning sunrise heights
Beyond the miracles of present life
The majestic glory of God
shines with joy that fully delights.

What beauty remains to thrill my heart?
            I have no way to know
This taste of heaven delights my soul
with its lavish overflow
Revealing a bit of glory here below.

His divine Word is wholly perfect
            Not a hint of duress
Ancient truth fills me fully
The Words illumined by His Spirit
His light unfolds to bless.

His presence within His dearest ones
            More alive than life to me
Kindness overflows obedient hearts
flowing as a river
To love those the Son made free.

Symphonies in nature ebb and flow
            as waves upon the sea;
moved by power above the wonder
Surging continually to lift me
            Above what I by myself can be.

Glorious moments upon the heights
Almost to touch His face,
            Faith brings me close; I stand tall to see
I am affirmed to the praise of His glory,
Before time began, God rejoiced over me!

Buoyed in a sea of the Father’s love,
guided by His Spirit to understand,
Enabled to respond with love to others
With Christ like compassion and grace,
            More as the Father planned.

In quiet stirring of morning light
            before the dawn of day
There is an air of expectation
Creation is tuned to God’s melody,
            Waiting with excitement to play.

I am made in His image to love,
To offer prayers back to the Light.
Words inspired of the Spirit,
Rejoicing in hope for each new dawn,
            The King is victorious over the night.

I am a child of heavenly love
Having received from what is the Father’s above
through Christ our Savior and Lord.
He is the radiance of eternal God,
He alone is worthy to be adored.
With awe in witness of His glory
            Confident to approach the throne,
Promised assurance of One above the wonder,
made known in miraculous display,
Eternal God named me as His own.

3-4-10 Ina May Pummill

 

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Unusual Visitors


Unusual Visitors

 Being a “town” girl all my life, moving to the country involved many surprises. The first years of our marriage my husband and I lived on a little three acre plot on the banks of the White River.  We had many unusual experiences there before moving into the middle of a forty-acre wood, subsequently purchasing more acreage surrounding the initial purchase.  Our experiences in learning to live in the backwoods would fill at least a book or two, but for the moment I am thinking of our experiences with flying squirrels.
One Christmas morning we were awakened by a little clicking noise. It was still dark and so I just listened and tried to get the direction of the sound. Finally I could not ignore it any longer, turned on the lamp, and finally located our little visitor. An inquisitive flying squirrel was sitting on the curtain rod just looking around, unconcerned with us. What to do? We decided to try to open the glass door and then I got a broom to try to direct its pathway, having closed the door to the hallway so it would not escape into the rest of the house.  My husband then went to the side of the squirrel and coaxed it toward the door. It did not try to run. It would walk a ways then look down at us, then walk a little more, finally easing out the door into the night. That has happened again a few times; once we discovered it on a bookshelf in the den, just looking around. That was a little more of a challenge to get him to the door, but it was successful.
Since they are nocturnal creatures we rarely see them outdoors, apart from their nightly appearance. They seem to be creatures of habit. Every evening, just about dusk, as the whippoorwills begin their stirring call, we hear scrambling little footsteps on the roof of the deck, just like clockwork. Shortly one squirrel will peer over the edge of the roof, then sail off and glide to a tree several yards away.  They always sail from exactly the same point and glide exactly the same direction.
One year we had several bird feeders hanging from the beam above the deck. One evening we were waiting for the nightly squirrel gliding, and suddenly there were such antics, as you could not imagine. They were trying to glide down the wire to the bird feeder… round and round they went, one would almost make it and another would scramble down and bump into the first and go tumbling on to the porch rail. We could barely see them in the growing darkness, but their huge eyes glowed like miniature moons. Finally they tired of that and moved on.  I am glad it is beginning to get a little warmer in the evening so that we may sit outdoors and continue watching for these little furry neighbors. It is a gift to be given opportunity to witness the delicate detail and the unique personality of one of God's special creations.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011


Lengthening days.... shortening shadows...
The sun’s warming rays feel so pleasant to me.
All God’s creation begins stirring anew
After winters slow pace...after resting for a while....
Now being restored with vigor and new life
Through God’s gentle warming touch.
After winter’s subdued light...
After cooler days and longer shadows
Slowly, faithfully signs of spring begin to appear.
I expectantly begin watching and listening,
I feel the renewal in my very being.
And begin looking for these gifts I trust God to send.
I can hear the increased joy in the melodies of the birds.
The ground is warming with the soft spring rains
That God lovingly sends for renewal.
Everything feels right, drawing me to the woods to see...
Yes Lord...Yes! They are right where I expect them to be,
They are blooming...delicate little Trout Lilies growing free.
The flowers make an orderly predictable appearance.
They are a gracious blessing God provides,
A stable, comforting reassurance of His nearness.
One morning I hear the Phoebe’s call,
Back from her winter journey,
Back to sing to me in greeting of spring.
Then a flash of red as the Summer Tanager arrives...
And the quarrelsome antics of the hummingbirds begin.
More little wildflowers begin to show,
Spring beauty, rue anemone, buttercups...
All right where God planted them ages ago to grow.
This resurgence of life energizes me as well.
But the continuity of the seasons,
The arrival of everything in the expected timing...
To see His hand constantly at work.
Is a gift of comfort from God,
Just like I feel when I go to a familiar passage in His Word,
It is a contentment, a peace, a joy....
It is another reminder that He will not leave me.
He is faithful from season to season.