Revitalize Your Church

I can identify with this poem by Beethoven and am sharing it in honor of his birthday. . .  My bad hearing  Does not trouble me here.  In the country  Every tree  Seems to talk to me, saying, "Holy! Holy!"  Inside the forest is enchantment  Which expresses all things –  Sweet peace of the forest!  Almighty, I am happy  In the woods,  Blessed  In the woods,  Every tree has a voice  Through thee.  O God, what glory  In such a woodland place!  On the heights is peace –  Peace to serve thee –  How glad am I  Once again  To be able to wander  In forest and thicket  Among the trees,  The green things and the rocks.  No mortal can love  The country as I do;  For woods and trees and rocks  Return the echo  A man desires. I found this at Your Daily Poem  This poem is in the public domain .

Earth's crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God; But only he who sees takes off his shoes;   The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries." -- Elizabeth Barrett Browning

I was facing a difficult day. Many issues demanded my attention, my schedule was packed full of appointments, and my energy level was low. The needs around me seemed overwhelming, and the phone rang off the hook. Realizing that I had not yet had my quiet time with God, I decided to escape from the office for a few minutes and find a place for solitude. A long time ago, I learned that if my soul is not anchored, I’m not much good for anybody. I drove to a beautiful lake, and spent some time centering my mind on my Creator. It seemed as if my Heavenly Father was speaking his love, strength and peace to my heart. Then, I read Psalm 25:5, which states, “My hope is in you all day long.” All day long! Just think! God is with me all day long – every single moment of every single day. All day long, he offers his peace. All day long, I can rest in his grace. All day long, He demonstrates his love and faithfulness. All day long, I can depend on Him. He never goes out to lunch, never takes a bre...

Larry, the great fishing legend, sent this treasure to me the other day -- GOD: Frank, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there on the planet? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But, all I see are these green rectangles. ST. FRANCIS: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers "weeds" and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass. GOD : Grass? But, it's so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees; only grubs and sod worms. It's sensitive to temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that...

This is really beautiful -- and reminds us of how amazing God's creation is.

There is a Celtic saying that heaven and earth are only three feet apart, but in the thin places that distance is even smaller. A thin place is where the veil that separates heaven and earth is lifted and one is able to receive a glimpse of the glory of God. -- Sylvia Maddox

“Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection, not in books alone but in every leaf in springtime.” -- Martin Luther

"Simply gazing at a daisy reveals the mind of God." -- James Bryan Smith