God the Master Painter

Painted Sky

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
(Psalm 37:7 ESV)

The other night as I was working on portraits for a client, I noticed the orange hue hitting our back window. I knew it was time to grab my camera; I was not disappointed when I stepped out on the back porch.

I love it when God paints the sky like He did the other night. For some reason, it gives me comfort. It reminds me of God’s promise to never give up, but to wait on Him. I have to admit, patience is not my strength. He is teaching me though.

Have you seen God’s beauty this week? Today, I am linking up with my friend Joan to share His Beauty. Click on the image below to read more of His Beauty…

Beauty in His Grip Button

Thank you for stopping by today!

Love and peace,
Iris

God the Solid Rock

Superstition Mountain Nov 2011

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” ~ Psalm 18:2 (ESV)

To be perfectly honest with you, I do not like Arizona. Yes, I have been living here for the past 20 years, but I still don’t enjoy the summers. You see, I grew up by the sea and you cannot take the salt water out of my veins…

There is one particular place though that I continue to go back to: the Superstition Mountains. I have photographed the mountain range several times, but every time they look different.

I really cannot explain why this mountain draws me so often. It may has to do with God. Every time I see the mountain (actually every day), I am reminded of God – the SOLID rock in my life. No matter where my path takes me, I can count on God. He is the true constant in my life.

To some, a mountain can be something daunting, but for me it is sheer beauty. Massive, unmovable, solid, beautiful…just like our God.

Have you seen God’s beauty this week? Today, I am linking up with my friend Joan to share His Beauty. Click on the image below to read more of His Beauty…

Beauty in His Grip Button

Thank you for stopping by today…
Love & peace,
Iris

Thankful Thursday ~ God’s Shelter

“I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.”
~ Psalm 57:9 (ESV)

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
~ 2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV)

Wow, were in the world did the month of June go? Please remember that in the month of July, my friend Lynn at “Spiritually Unequal Marriage” is hosting Thankful Thursday; in August my friend Laurie will be hosting the weekly meme at “Women Taking a Stand“.

I chose the title “God’s Shelter” because I am currently reading Sheila Walsh‘s book “God’s Shelter for your Storm“.

I often say to friends in real life and on the internet: I do not know where I would be without my faith in Jesus Christ. Sheila’s book really emphasizes that we as humans and believers are not perfect, but we have Someone who makes us perfect in God’s eyes; Jesus Christ.

Today I read a snippet of the short book that really hit home. Sheila is talking about Peter’s denial of Jesus and the homecoming of the prodigal son. Both turned their backs on God, but God was waiting for them to return. Sheila writes:

“If you have taken your father’s inheritance, broken his heart, spent all you had, and ended up feeding pigs, where do you go? Peter would tell you and the prodigal would say, ‘Turn your heart toward home, toward God. Cling to His promise that He’s got you covered with His lavish, unmerited grace. His power is made perfect in your weakness. Just recognize your need for the Shelter when you stand exposed and vulnerable.'” ~ Sheila Walsh “God’s Shelter for your Storm (page 106)”

Isn’t that powerful?!? I tell you, my sweet friends, I have read/heard the story of the prodigal son and Peter’s denial so many times, but every time I read/hear it, it gives me goose-bumps. His grace is just amazing; and I am so thankful for it. No matter how weak I am, He will cover me with His amazing grace.

What are you thankful for my dear friends? Please leave your link below to your Thankful Thursday post or leave me a comment.

Thank you for stopping in today; remember: His grace is amazing, give Him thanks and do not take it for granted.

Thankful Thursday Participants

1. A Grateful Heart
2. Tess
3. God’s Perfect Promises
4. Laurie @ Women Taking a Stand
5. Georgia
6. Lynn (spirituallyunequalmarriage.com)
7. Eileen Leacock
8. Aisling Beatha
9. Beth (The Unfinished Project)
10. rj’s mama
11. Living So Abundantly
12. Books
13. Chris
14. It Feels Like Chaos
15. LaughingLady: Feelin’ Patriotic
16. Noreen @ Life Blessings
17. What are you Thankful for?
18. Time To Wakey-Wakey!
19. Not Just Any Road
20. Jenny Anne@Royal Little Lambs
21. bp
22. Cup of Goodness
23. Thankful for Horse Sense
24. Sherry
25. Shanda: A Pause on the Path
26. GinaLaughed
27. Sharon’s Reservoir
28. Servant, Wife, Mother
29. Lisa
30. Hope Easter
31. Inspirations from Phather Phil – Thankful Thursday: Step-By-Step
32. Carol
33. Happiness Manifesto
34. becky aka theRAV
35. Joseph Young

Learn more about Thankful Thursday here.

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Living Fearlessly – God’s Faithfulness

First I like to thank you joining me in the journey of living fearlessly in 2010 (and beyond). Second I want to announce the winner of the books “Fearless” and “Fear Not Promise Book” written by Max Lucado. Drum-roll…the winner is: Kim (comment # 5 on the original post from 01.01.2010) – Congrats Kim — I will contact you to get your snail-mail address 🙂

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” ~ Romans 8:28 (ESV)

How can you tell a father who is facing lay-offs; a wife who’s husband left her for another woman; parents facing the death of a child, families loosing their home, chemotherapy …that everything is working out for the good? I often have a hard time comprehending what is happening. Do I question God because not everything is working out the way I think things should work out?

We all have our fears. I my personal opinion, fear in itself is not a sin, but how we handle it can send us in the wrong direction. Fear can consume us to the point that we are afraid of stepping out into life; or even worse…gambling, lying, stealing…But we don’t have to have fear consume us.

I think that we sometimes loose focus because of fear. We only see our current circumstance and don’t look at the bigger picture — the eternal picture. Take my past as an example. I feared coming to the US, leaving family and friends behind with an uncertain future (would I find work? what support would I have). Looking back though — leaving Germany was the best that could have happened to me. Removed from family and friends, God had my attention. He was waiting for me with arms wide open to put my trust in Him, not myself.

Over the next week, I would like you to look back at your past. What was the biggest step you have taken? What was your greatest fear about taken this particular step? Failure, insecurity, rejection? I would love to hear about your past fear(s) and how you have overcome it. What brought you through?

If you have a blog, please share your past with us (link below). If you don’t blog — journal and share part of your thoughts in the comment section. You can journal/blog at your own leisure; there is no deadline to answer the above questions.

Today I leave you with a quote by Max Lucado you may want to ponder:

“When fear shapes our live, safety becomes our god. When safety becomes our god, we worship the risk-free life. Can the safety-lover do anything great?…For God? For others?” ~ Source: Fearless

Living fearlessly — trusting Him with my future…