Uncommon Smell 

12 Jun 2019 2 Comments

by Barbara in Five Senses Tags: , ,

Uncommon Sense(s)

4smell_Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

Smell—aroma, fragrance, odor, scent

  • Smell the atmosphere—salty ocean air, fresh mountain air, storm air, forest air, after-the-rain air
  • Smell nature—fragrant flowers, fir trees, ocean brine, a baby’s breath
  • Smell what we created—air fresheners, detergents, shampoos, lotions and perfumes—clever and close, but poor imitations
  • Smell your home—clean sheets, Christmas branches, chili on the stove, cookies in the oven, candles on the table
  • Smell the repellent—forgotten food in the fridge, garbage in the summer, ashes on the grate, sweat on warm bodies

Spiritual smell

  • The priests burned fragrant incense and burnt offerings—pleasing aromas to the Lord.[1]
  • They carried a censer of burning coals and fragrant incense before God so they wouldn’t die.[2]
  • Christ gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.[3]
  • We are the aroma of Christ.[4]
  • Through us, God spreads His fragrance everywhere.[5]
  • The gifts we give in His name are fragrant offerings, acceptable sacrifices, pleasing to God.[6]

Tomorrow’s smell—our prayers

Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand.[7]

 

[1] Ex 29:18; 30:7-8 [2] Lev 16:12-13 [3] Eph 5:1-2 [4] 2 Cor 2:15 [5] 2 Cor 2:14 [6] Phil 4:18 [7] Rev 8:3-4
Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

Uncommon Taste  

06 Jun 2019 2 Comments

by Barbara in Five Senses Tags: , ,

Uncommon Sense(s)

3taste_Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

Taste sweet, sour, salty, bitter, tangy, delectable

  • Taste a little nibble, a lick, a bit, a nip, a sip
  • Taste considering, evaluating, assessing, savoring
  • Taste instantly declining or inviting a second bite, a lure for more
  • Taste test coffee too hot, coolattas® too cold, dinner just right
  • Taste to savor the flavor to determine dismissal or indulgence

Spiritual taste

  • Taste and see that God is good. [1]
  • His Word is like honey. [2]
  • His wisdom is sweet. [3]
  • His supply is filling. [4]
  • His promise is for more. [5]

Tomorrow’s taste 

  • Pleasing and fully satisfied at the marriage feast of the Lamb.

“Hallelujah! … Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come … And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”[6] 

[1] Ps 34:8, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” 
[2] Ps 119:103, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
[3] Prov 24:14, “Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul.”
[4] Ps 81:10, “I am the Lord you God… Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.”
[5] Matt 22:4, “Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner…and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.”
[6] Rev 19:6-9
Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

Uncommon Hearing

30 May 2019 2 Comments

by Barbara in Five Senses Tags: , ,

Uncommon Sense(s)2ears_Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

Ears large, small, lobed, protruding

  • Ears holding earbuds, fitted with aids, covered with muffs, cupped to hear
  • Ears bejeweled with dangles & diamonds, hoops & studs, silver & gold
  • Ears alert, straining, muffled, unhearing
  • Ears, gifts from the Creator, perceiving revelations and listening for more

Spiritual ears

  • Opened by God to hear His voice[1]
  • Learning His secrets[2]
  • Discerning His whispers[3]
  • Listening to learn[4]
  • Receiving direction[5]
  • Awaking to listen[6]
  • Hearing the cries of the poor[7]

Tomorrow’s ears

  • Hear, take to heart the words of prophecy because the time is near[8]
  • Listen for the sound of the trumpet[9]
  • Anticipate music not yet heard, a new song [10] 

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.[11]

[1] Isa 50:5

[2] Ps 25:14

[3] Matt 10:27

[4] Prov 18:15  

[5] Isa 30:21

[6] Isa 50:4-5

[7] Prov 21:13 

[8] Rev 1:3

[9] 1 Cor 15:51-52

[10] Rev 14:2-3

[11] 1 Thess 4:16-17

Uncommon Sight

23 May 2019 1 Comment

by Barbara in posts

Uncommon Sense(s)

1_Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay

Eyes brown, green, blue, and hazel

  • Eyes wide, set deep, round, aslant, lidded, lash-fringed
  • Eyes blinking, searching, reading, observing, watching
  • Eyes alert and asleep, squinted and open, seeking and peeking
  • Eyes, gifts from the Creator, revealing wonders and ways and what’s ahead

Spiritual eyes

  • Seeing God’s invisible qualities revealed in mountains, skies, and sea[1]
  • Looking to the Lord, radiant and unashamed, seeking His face, receiving His strength[2]
  • Seeing Him, believing in Him as the Lamb of God[3]
  • Perceiving and receiving truth and revelation that those before us longed to see[4]
  • Seeing with certainty what is yet unseen[5]
  • Beholding, as in a mirror, the glory of God, transforming us into His image[6]
  • Opening wide to see fields of need[7]
  • Watching, waiting, yearning for Christ[8]

Tomorrow’s eyes

  • Look at Him face to face, seeing the glory we now dimly glimpse[9]
  • Behold Him and become like Him[10]
  • See Him and wear His name on our foreheads[11]

Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him… So shall it be! Amen. Rev. 1:7

[1] Romans 1:20, [2] Psalm 34:5; 105:4, [3] John 1:29, [4] Matthew 13:16-17, [5] Hebrews 11:1, [6] 2 Cor. 3:18 NASB, [7] John 4:35, [8] Rev. 1:7, [9] 1 Cor. 13:12, [10] 1 John 3:2, [11] Rev. 22:4

 

Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay

I love Ds

16 May 2019 1 Comment

by Barbara in The Lighter Side Tags: , ,

D2Image by Tatutati from PixabayI love daisies dancing on delicate stems, daffodils, and dragonflies.

I love my daughter and daughter-in-love and granddaughters.

I love diamonds—the ones that sparkle and those that define a ballfield.

I love darling dimples on cheeks and chins.

I love devotion, devotedness, dedication—to a spouse, a friend, a cause—to God.

I love delightful down comforters, dirigibles dawdling above, and denim duds—soft shirts and stretchy jeans.

I love the dawning of ideas that delight my mind, develop my imagination, and delve deep.

I love ducks & ducklings dipping in the pond, dolphins dipping in the sea, and dipping my toes in the ocean.

I love dipping chips in salsa, veggies in ranch dressing, and double dips of ice cream.

I love Dunkin’ Donuts coffee—dark brew, please.

I love dare devils who do what I only dream.

I love deer and dear friends and dearer memories.

I love seniors who dodder but determine to do life.

I love dark chocolate and devil’s food cake drenched in frosting.

I love dreams that direct my passion and demand my attention.

I love delivery trucks dropping off parcels.

I love dates and dinners and dinner dates.

I love dwelling—savoring where I am, when I’m there.

I love driving down the highway to happy destinations on delightfully sunny days.

I love difference makers who discard disgust and decide to do good.

I love dishes—china or porcelain with designs of deep blue.

The D I love best is discovery, the delight of detecting something different and dazzling and distinctive that draws me to further discovery.

Image by Tatutati from Pixabay.

Re-live your Miracles

09 May 2019 2 Comments

by Barbara in posts Tags: , ,

miracle_Image by Fathromi Ramdlon from PixabayOn her son’s second birthday, I wished my young friend a “Happy Birthing Day.” (Really, moms do the labor and babies get the attention!) Her response triggered something in my heart. She said, “I love thinking of what I was doing each hour two years ago.” I replied,

“I think it’s important to re-live our miracles and let the awe envelop us again.”

Those words nestled in my mind and I’ve been thinking about them ever since. So often I have rejoiced in a miracle, a special grace, a breath-taking beauty and let the moment fade. Life goes on, at a rapid pace, and so do I. But today I accept a challenge and extend it to you—

Let’s pause to remember and

re-live our miracles,

reflect on our special moments,

savor the grace,

feel the awe once again,

and allow our hearts to swell with gratitude.

For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord; I sing for joy at what your hands have done. How great are your works, Lord, how profound your thoughts! Psalm 92:4-5

Image by Fathromi Ramdlon from Pixabay

I Love Spring

02 May 2019 4 Comments

by Barbara in posts, seasons Tags: , , ,

See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come. Song of Sol. 2:11-12a

spring2_Image by Couleur from Pixabay

I love anticipating the explosion of tiny green buds into a verdant canopy and carpet that cocoon me in new life, seemingly overnight. Is the sky bluer or it does it only appear that way against the contrasting green?

I love the bursting brilliance of color that shoos away winter’s gray—golden forsythia waving in the breeze, bobbing yellow daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths and tulips flaunting petals of pink and purple, yellow and red.

I love leaving my bulky coat in the closet with scarf and gloves, donning a simple sweater instead.

I love days that stretch longer and seventh-inning stretches at Yankee games.

I love blossoming cherry trees, magnolias, and dogwoods.

I love stepping outside into sparkling sunlight shining from the bluest of blue skies, dotted with cumulus clouds, cheerful, puffy and white.

I love strawberries for $1.99, sweet and juicy, which promise to become sweeter and juicier.

I love spring rains that produce rushing streams, full reservoirs, and splashing puddles.

I love swaths of rich brown, freshly, plowed earth intersecting green farmland, ready for seeds.

I love spring because it’s a season of promise. It reminds me that winter—in nature and in my life—is not as harsh or fruitless as it appears. I have seen many winters pass, annually and personally, and each one was followed by a season of singing.

Spring. Promise. Hope. Beauty. Life. Singing.

Image by Couleur from Pixabay. 

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