Equal parts photo blog and faith walk, "Up the Sunbeam" exists to highlight moments in time that reveal something of God, His matchless character, His wondrous work, or our privileged interaction with Him. I hope it blesses your heart!
It has been a long while since I have posted anything here. I have been busy completing three years toward my B.A. in English and my senior year is underway. My current class (Creative Writing) has finally given me the space to take off the tight harness of academic writing rules, and it feels SO GOOD!! After reading my first assignment, Mom and Daddy gave it their thumbs up and suggested I make it a blog post, so here it is. It is my story and their story. It's a little longer than my usual posts, but as with everything I have ever posted here, I pray it encourages you to run "up the sunbeam to the sun" (C. S. Lewis). "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." 1 Corinthians 11:1 NIV I sat above them on the stairs. Looking down through the window-like openings in the partition between the living room and the stairway, I listened to the basketball players, football players, baseball players, wrestlers, track athletes, both the lettermen ...
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God in High Places
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Standing atop the very spine of North America, the Continental Divide, I drink in the majesty of what for me, is an always-place. This view, these rocks, this air runs through my life like a favorite melody that recurs again and again in a movie soundtrack. It's a place I always seem to go back to, a place I never get tired of, a place I miss deeply when I'm far away.
Ancient people felt God's presence on high places too. Sadly, though they felt Him on peaks and high mountain slopes in the land of the Bible, too many of them chose to put up asherah poles and places of worship to other "gods" instead.
What arrogance! What pride! Like beautiful Lucifer who wanted to elevate himself from an already high place of honor to the highest place, to the place of the Almighty, these people placed themselves too high. These created ones created things with their own hands and set about to worship their own creations rather than the One who created them!! Have you ever witnessed greater folly? Have you ever seen a more devastating fall?
To stand on ground made holy by His beauty and power and pay tribute to anyone or anything other than the God who hallowed it was worse than spitting in God's face. It was a willful, purposeful act of rebellion and hatred toward God.
Paul taught that God has revealed so much of Himself and who He is through His creation, that "people are without excuse." He went on in his letter to the church at Rome to say this:
" . . . they traded the true God for a fake god, and worshiped the god they made instead of the God who made them—the God we bless, the God who blesses us. Oh, yes!" Romans 1:25 MSG
May I never use holy ground to elevate anything or anyone but Yahweh! May I never build monuments to created things on high places meant for worshiping the One who created everything! May I always have eyes and heart open to notice and investigate the extraordinary presence of the God who breathes my name and sustains the life He created in me.
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She So Sweet, my precious daughter who is about to turn 15, knew I was struggling with this post today--lots of interruptions had me fighting for coherent thoughts. She read what at the time was just fragments of what I had started and she wrote her own reflection in response--she is pure blessing to this Momma's heart--her writing brings me to holy ground . . . Enjoy!
How could they look at such an awe-inspiring sight, and not know that it was our Creator who composed the beauty that stood before them?
How could they stand watching a perfect flame set on the beautiful mountains, and not give all thanks to our impeccable God?
How can I stand and only focus on the horrific tragedies of this world, and forget to say, "Wow, Father. You are amazing," every day?
When I stand in altitudinous places such as those, I remember that I am His daughter. He created me. Me! He remembered me! He loves me! He does this for me! ~~Ashtyn Friday~~
Where and how do you experience high places?
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Joining Ann Voskamp in counting His graces for her Multitudes on Monday
I hope you'll join in if you haven't already!
In the counting of the endless gifts I say with C. S. Lewis,
"This also is Thou!"
#401-415
401. Late night train whistle in the distance . . . 402. Mommy and Daddy sharing God's love with the world on YouTube! How cool is THAT?! (Daddy's message is in two parts, moving from left to right)
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403. God's wisdom shared by His daughters (great morning at BSF) 404. Self-control--clearly the Fruit of the Spirit! 405. Lunch with fun friends 406. The balm of sleep when a migraine comes 407. Shout of joy in the morning when the migraine is gone!! 408. A phone conversation that felt constructive 409. Hero Husband taking me out to lunch--I really like being with him!! 410. Blank notebook paper 411. That our last name is Friday and not Monday! =) 412. Knowing what I believe and why I believe it 413. A brother-sister collaboration where they both have "a vision!" 414. The bittersweet sorrow-joy that came with the news that Hero Husband's Grandma woke up in heaven on this Sunday morning. Welcome home Grandma! 415. The 96 faithful years lived by sweet Fannie Gaines!
Word became flesh . INCARNATION The Flesh-wearing Word lived and breathed and moved among us, sharing our space-and-time existence, for a span of 33 years. In that mere blink of history, He spanned the chasm between divine love and human desperation. Christmas . . . His coming. We so easily envision His birth, the praising angels, the Joy to the World, the Peace on Earth, the Good Will to Men, shepherds, wise men, drummer boys--the Christmas card comes to life in our mind's eye. But do we rewind a little further, go back to the moment where He took off His glory like a glistening robe and left it hanging on a hook in Heaven's hallway? Do we envision the moment He handed His crown to His Father and said, "Don't worry--I've got this! I'll go!" Do we reckon with the sacrifice it was for Him to limit all that He had always been to the permanent wearing of humanity, just so He could rescue us from the dragon . . . and ourselves . . . and our ugly sin...
The old fence no longer holds anything in or out . Posts still st a n d where hard-working hands placed them . . . when? I don't know. Most of the wire is gone and with it the memory of who put it there or what treasure it kept safe. What is left is weathered, worn and rusted so heavily the wire looks sculpted rather than twisted together. Long years of exposure to water, air and sun have eaten away at what once was new 'til it is rendered useless, though still dangerous. Rusted iron, corroded metal, brittle wire showing the breakdown of its once shining strength--it speaks. In Eden, everything broke, and the first corrosion began. Things began to fall apart, to waste away. Time became a thief, fear entered stage-left and death stalked us all. Maybe that was when we started trying to hold on to things . . . earth things. Maybe that was when we became grabbers inst ead of givers. Maybe that was when we first fell for fool's gold. "They say that where your...
-- Up and down the neatly laid out streets of our little Iowa town were big old wonderful houses that stood stately and dignified where they'd stood for decades. Almost all of them were white. Ours was white too, until . . . Daddy painted the front door bright red! What did people think, I wonder? These tried and true traditional Iowans--what did they make of the young basketball coach and his strange door-painting ideas!? Didn't he know the rules? Was he a rebel? Red wasn't even one of the school colors! What did it mean??? To him it meant "pizzazz!" After all it was his favorite color!! It was vivid and bright and positive--all things that he is. The red door was his way of making it OUR house, distinct and memorable. Painting the door red was the smile he put on our house to match the one he always wears! I was 5 and I was delighted! How deliciously scandalous it felt to have that flashy red door on our big whit...
