Sewn

Sewn to Your side,
I hear You.

Sewn to Your side,
I hear You.
Louder than any other.
Clearer than all the others.
How You care for me.

Intimately known,
Finely intertwined.
A fusion as such,
Is this love affair.
How You care for me.

My beloved,
I am Yours,
You are mine.

love & light...♥

We Dance.

 

 



"And I've been told
To pick up my sword & fight for love
Little did I know that love had won for me

Here in Your arms You steal my heart again
And I breathe You in like I've never breathed now

When my faith gets tired and my hope seems lost
You spin me round and round and remind me of that song
The one You wrote for me and we dance.."

In the broken places, in the tension, know that God is fighting for your heart in all the secret places. That something beautiful inside of you is forming. He will never leave you as you are but will restore you. Give you knew strength and courage to be brave and face fear.

love & light...♥



Limbs and Branches | Jon Foreman

(Image Source)

Limbs and Branches.

Years out of date, I have finally taken time to sit and listen to this beautiful record by Jon Foreman, of Switchfoot.
A collection of songs that didn't exactly fit on some of the Switchfoot records. I've always found lovers of Christ, who are musicians, poets (outdside of worship), have a distinct and new revelation of who God is in the songs and music they create. It's the way they're written, like an obvious yet hidden truth. It is already evident in Switchfoot songs, I wouldn't expect less from Jon Foreman.

A beautiful record, I'd advise everyone listens to!

"Two things You told me: that You are strong 

And You love me, yes, You love me.

Your love is, Your love is, Your love is strong..."

Visit JonForeman.com

love & light...♥

Breaking the Binding, Through Smoke.

(Image Source)

N.B. to be read with NEEDTOBREATHE'S 'Through Smoke' playing in the background. This came to me a few years ago, now I have managed to complete it.

Noise;

To my left, to my right.

I am surrounded by the noise.

I yell,
But will I ever be heard?
Yell, and I will never be heard.

"A thousand teachers and very few fathers.."
Finding it harder to hear You.

So, I stop.

How did I get here? Lost?!.
It echoes. I wait, I listen,
For a voice, so small.

On the floor. Desperate.
Fumbling, searching, for what I should know.
With that, I break the binding.

You separate my right from wrong.
You define the truth from their answers.
You are my liberation.

"When I'm lost in a place that I thought I knew, give me some way that I might find You."

love & light...♥

Violoncello

The Violoncello aka Cello.

I long to learn this instrument.
Just the motion of playing it, is so beautiful
It's sound is so distinctive from common instruments. There is a deep yearning budding out of this instrument.
I have no intention of limiting myself to learning solely one instrument. I've always felt an instrument has it's own soul, just as it produces it's own sound. I wanted to share this beautiful piece with you. 2Cellos cover of U2's 'With Or Without You'.

 

love & light...♥

"I stand undone, and I'm amazed..." | Rita Springer



I wanted to share this beautiful song, this Tuesday morning.
Now more than ever am I fascinated by the wonder of God. It is a beautiful mystery how He is able to capture me, over and over.

This song has moved me.
Each word, weighted.

Rita has a way of letting the rawness/honesty of her worship come forth in such a beautiful way. She is one of my few inspirations. I pray our hearts will be open, coming undone solely for Christ, that He will always have His rightful place, rule and reign in our hearts.

love & light...♥

Meditation.

"Enchantment needs a mind, and the emotions are given as a wellspring." - Ravi Zacharias

Those words and I found myself returning to a favourite past time of mine, drawing and painting.
Honestly, it has been too long. I remember nights I would stay up painting, creating. Long before I played any instrument. In those moments I found my self lost, in a trance so to speak. I've missed the feeling of paint, the colours between my fingers.
Our God is an artist. With an eye and heart for beauty. A gift He has imparted in many of His children. The least I can do is share mine.

I saw a beautiful print by Catherine Parr called 'Meditation'. Here is my version (I used watercolours for this).

Currently listening to:

 

love & light...♥

How Old is the Essence of You?

(Image by Oleg Oprisco)

'N.B. To be read whilst Bryan and Katie Torwalt's 'Weight of Glory' plays in the background.'

How old is the essence of you?

How old is the essence of you!
The age of a spirit, it cannot be measured.
I came from a place, boundless of time
From glory, and
Back to glory will I return.
To the glory of the Eternal, Uncreated One.

"Let no man despise you of your youth!" They say.
But what did You say?

I dance, I revel in You, and
For that sacred moment
I realise, unawares
I am nothing but a spirit.

A spirit set free!
A spirit borne witness to.
I am known; I long to know
More.

For the glory of One I came
For Him and Him alone to be exalted!
For that intimacy to be deeper
For me to understand just how loving You are!
For it not to be taken for granted,
It was all I had known, now it is all I know.

"So let the weight of Your glory
Come and settle on us now..."

love & light...♥

"For I have kept you..." | Andrea Marie Reagan

 

So, it has been a while since I shared beautiful music. Partly because I have struggled to find something genuine. 

I wanted to share the beautiful Andrea Marie Reagan with you all, this Tuesday evening. You'll recognise her voice from some of United Pursuit's worship records.
There is such a simplicity about her, her spirit and it comes out in her lyrical writing and her spirit when she sings out. I hope you enjoy and are just as captivated as I am.

You can purchase her beautiful record 'Here Begin' on iTunes!
Visit: Andrea Marie Music

"We're all rubies in the dust, waiting to be seen.
Waiting to be clean, just longing to be free." 

 

love & light...♥

Loving the Miles, For Your Sake | Mary Oliver

(Image Source)

It's Good Friday; I wanted to share this.
Such a beautiful poem, capturing the experience of coming to God in the first days.
Too often we can easily get caught up in the daily drudgeries of life we forget that moment, that experience of coming to God in our first days. Mary Oliver beautifully captures her experience, I am sure, experienced uniquely by many lovers of God.
For His sake, may we continually love the miles.

By Mary Oliver

Coming to God: First days

Lord, what shall I do that I
can’t quiet myself?
Here is the bread, and
here is the cup, and
I can’t quiet myself.

To enter the language of transformation!
To learn the importance of stillness,
    with one’s hands folded!

When will my eyes of rejoicing turn peaceful?
When will my joyful feet grow still?
When will my heart stop its prancing
    as over the summer grass?

Lord, I would run for you, loving the miles for your sake.
I would climb the highest tree
to be that much closer.

Lord, I will learn also to kneel down
into the world of the invisible,
    the inscrutable and the everlasting.
Then I will move no more than the leaves of a tree
    on a day of no wind,
bathed in light,
like the wanderer who has come home at last
and kneels in peace, done with all unnecessary things;
every motion; even words.

love & light...♥



Oleg Oprisco

 

I have just discovered an amazing fine art photographer named Oleg Oprisco.

This print reminds me of Hillsong's 'Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)'. Such beauty and mystery in this print. There is a sense of fearlessness, trust, longing and hope in this print from the woman who stands there. It truly moves me.

 

"Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders,

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever You would call me.

Tae me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith would be made stronger

In the presence of my Saviour."

Visit: Oleg Oprisco

love & light...♥

Live FashionABLE

 

Live FashionABLE, another beautiful find.
I wanted to share this organisation with you all.

Leaving a life in the sex industry and moving into rehabilitation, women in Ethiopia oftentimes find it a struggle to gain work in the economical world; thus finding themselves trapped and returning to a life in the sex industry for sustainability. Live FashionABLE provides work for women in the form of retail production, helping them become orientated into the economical world.

 

Here is a little bit about the organisation:

" 'Women At Risk' is an organization we have partnered with to rehabilitate former sex workers. This work requires not only getting these women off the streets, but also providing them counselling and helping them find alternate means of income – this is why we created fashionABLE. Our ultimate goal is to help these women become healthy and productive members of society.

Headquarters for scarf production are in Addis Ababa, the capital city. Scarves are made by women in the program, as well as other Ethiopian sources that include women and men, to help meet demand. While being supported by those sources, fashionABLE is continually funding the training of more women in order to employ as many women as demand will allow. All the while, we are meeting the mission that your purchase of a fashionABLE scarf continues to create sustainable business for more women in Africa.



 

Your purchase of a fashionABLE scarf creates sustainable business in Africa. We are committed to long-term solutions to fighting poverty, and our main focus is creating opportunities for vulnerable women. That means that your purchase of a scarf creates jobs, so that the women are not dependent upon charity, but instead are a vital part of a developing economy.
 

So our strategy is two-fold. We work with women to help them start small business cooperatives, and we partner with and require manufacturers to also employ women with fair wages and fair hiring practices."

Visit Live FaahionABLE

love & light...♥

 

I danced with You like no other.

 

N.B. to be read whilst Rick Pino's 'My Romance' plays in the background. (started 1/1/14; reflections of 2013)

With patience, with endurance.

With patience, with endurance.
I ran, I run.
I danced with You like no other.

You birthed something new in me.
Set on fire, I sang anew.
I sang a new song.

In every heartbeat, You were there.
In my joy and despair, You were there.
You heard my cry and answered.
You taught me to trust, so I did.

In every chord, melody, I felt You.
The wind whispered Your praises.
The earth sang of Your goodness.
As sure as the sunrise, greatly were You to be praised!

Truly, there is something in Your laughter.

Like the Autumn leaves, I fell.
You taught me to wait. Still,
You teach me to wait.

You humbled me again,
You showed me of Your goodness.
Your faithfulness.
I am my brother's keeper.

Now I stand before You
To be filled, emptied and filled again.
To sow, to bear fruit and sow again.
To testify, to be tested and testify again.

Not knowing what lies before me,
You order my steps. You are my guide.
I am Your beloved. A vessel to be used for Your glory.
So will I always dance with You like no other.

My soul can't dance without You,
Unto You, be ALL the Glory!

love & light...♥

Banana Bread

 

 

A basic recipe from a friend. I wanted to share Banana bread with you all. I did alter the measurements slightly.

Ingredients

• 285g plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 110g butter, plus extra for greasing
• 225g caster sugar
• 2 free range eggs
• 3 overripe bananas, mashed
• 85ml buttermilk (or normal milk mixed with 1½ tsp lemon juice or vinegar)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.
2. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large mixing bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs, mashed bananas, buttermilk and vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture and mix well. Fold in the flour mixture. Grease a 20cm x 12.5cm/8in x 5in loaf tin and pour the cake mixture into the tin.
5. Transfer to the oven and bake for about an hour, or until well-risen and golden-brown.
6. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving

love & light...♥