Showing posts with label TRANSFORMATION. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TRANSFORMATION. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

LET'S WALK IN THE LIGHT!

Marina photo by Linda Mose Meadows of St. Petersburg, Florida
A kaleidoscope is a cylinder with mirrors containing loose, colored objects such as beads or pebbles and bits of glass. As the viewer looks into one end, light entering the other creates a colorful pattern, due to the reflection off of the mirrors. Coined in 1817 by Scottish inventor Sir David Brewster,[1] "kaleidoscope" is derived from the Ancient Greek καλός (kalos), "beautiful, beauty",[2] εἶδος (eidos), "that which is seen: form, shape"[3] and σκοπέω (skopeō), "to look to, to examine",[4] hence "observer of beautiful forms." [5]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaleidoscope

Just days ago while visiting St. Petersburg, Florida I asked a dear friend Katherine if she enjoyed kaleidoscopes? I am sure it seemed like a quirky question to her but it was what popped into my mind. What prompted the question you wonder? My answer is that it must have been all that seemed to be happening in our midst, we were moving so quickly, but each occurrence left a memorable impression. It was one great blessed colorful layer upon another. The experiences were pronounced, vivid, colorful and lively. Here’s what I am referencing:
   
(i.e. Witnessing the uninhibited pelicans interfering with the fishermen’s space @ The Pier:    

Possibly it was our walking past the majestic Banyan Tree after leaving the Fine Arts Museum:


Or maybe it was the street banners hanging celebrating Carter G. Woodson.
Carter Godwin Woodson (December 19, 1875 – April 3, 1950)[1] was an African-American historian, author, journalist and the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Woodson was one of the first scholars to study African American history. A founder of Journal of Negro History (now titled The Journal of African-American History), Dr. Woodson has been cited as the father of black history.[2]

 The sight of the Miss Florida contestants (having many nationalities)and the little princesses, several of which were noticeably dark complexioned, made my heart leap with joy because this is now the great norm. Thank God! During my youth this diverse tierra wearing assembly didn’t generally occur publicly. Surely it was a celebration for me because my loved ones always realized and said so that beauty comes in all shades and sizes.  It warms my heart that little girls of color can see living, beautiful examples all around them. We continually believe in a world of inclusion:



Or it must have been Katherine’s alterations and outstanding couture designs
which were being donned throughout the pageant:




Countless other kaleidoscope excursions come to mind! I bet you have your own also? 

Gosh, I haven’t owned a kaleidoscope since I was a little girl living in the “Fruit Belt” in Buffalo, New York. Mileka and I were life long friends and generally if she received a gift from her folks, so did I!  I distinctly recall my kaleidoscope being a red cardboard cylinder filled with rattling pieces and curiosity got the best of me!  I did as children often do and took it apart! You guessed it! With my juvenile ingenuity I could not reassemble what instantly had been demolished! My dissecting the kaleidoscope and pouring out the contents exposed the fragile contents and that was the end of that gift.
After pulling apart this handheld toy, there still remained a puzzle about how those few pieces of plastic and card board shapes could create such an array of attractive shapes and visions with each twist of the wrist. I had no appreciation of the collected: mirrors, the filtered light and reflections needed to complete this masterful creation. My reborn excitement has me in pursuit once again in my adult life of a kaleidoscope. There will be no need to examine it and obliterate its beauty.  It’s magical, almost mystical how threads, beads, shards of glass, colorful shapes are transformed into geometric masterpieces. Like our life experiences some of these moments cause us to gasp in amazement and marvel at the colorful personalities, experiences, sights and sounds which can delight and uplift our spirits. We are often twisted by life’s surprises, but thank God for His marvelous light.  
 My trip to St. Petersburg was really God’s way of framing a myriad of events that expressed the hallmark of his presence. The few aforementioned shared occurrences for me beautifully exemplify that His presence is inescapable! 
Yes my friends, the Spirit of our living God dwells among us and His being is all around us. Scriptures can come to life! There is so much to be thankful for! And I felt compelled to remind you that in our simple abundance if we simply examine the layers and activities of our days, then it’s not hard to acknowledge and see the evidence of our Lord and Savior. Come on and feel the rays- it's alright to stop and appreciate life's kaleidoscope!

Just take a look around! With new eyes-see, feel and marvel the warm rays of the true and transformative beautiful light!


I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Psalm 27:13 (ESV)

Joyful, Joyful,
Linda Mose Meadows, Inspirational Author of: The Blessedness of Believing A Devotional Journey of Life’s Lessons and God’s Promises and Co-publisher of Eyes of Faith Magazine
http://blessednessofbelieving.blogspot.com/
http://blessedauthorlm.wordpress.com/
http://eyesoffaithmagazine.blogspot.com/

Thursday, March 24, 2011

MEET YOU AT THE WELL: HAVING A HEART-TO-HEART WITH JESUS!

Change and Transformation by Father Earnest Graham

Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman

13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

John 4: 13,14

Reference Scripture: John 4:1-26 (New International Version, ©2011)


All of our lives we’ve heard words, words that have molded, shaped, prompted and prodded us to either to be at a standstill or words that literally gave us wings to soar. Not long ago I received an amazing gift from Ann Meyer, I think of it as a welcome gift to St. Martin’s Administrative Team. This gift was an unexpected literary treasure entitled Guerrillas of Grace-Prayers for the Battle by Ted Loder (see inside front cover).

Listen to Me Under My Words

O God, I come to you now

Asa child to my Mother,

Out of the cold which numbs into the warm who cares.

Listen to me inside,

Under my words

Where the shivering is,

In the fears

Which freeze my living,

In the angers

Which chafe my attending,

In the doubts

Which chill my hoping,

In the events

Which shrivel my thanking,

In the pretenses

Which stiffen my loving.

Listen to me, Lord

As a Mother

And hold me warm,

And forgive me.

Soften my experiences

Into wisdom,

My pride

Into acceptance,

My longing

Into trust,

And soften me

Into love

And to others

And to you

Maybe it was the Holy Spirit, maybe it was just a woman of God that sensed I would benefit tremendously from an inspirational book, or just possibly it was our preceding conversation about the office atmosphere that lovingly erects ministry and insulates joy, peace and caring! I don’t know, but I do know that when I read, I began to include this gift of prayers as part of my work day devotional, the words of the prayers scaled my heart matters and reminded me of how sacred my relationship is with God. It’s not taken lightly. So I easily connected with the prayer Listen to Me Under My Words. And really appreciate how God helped make the prayer so relevant to John 4.

So as I read John 4: 1-26 I appreciated the Samaritan woman’s frank and direct conversation had with Jesus. She attempted to earnestly converse. What really seemed apparent for me was that while she spoke, there were deeper issues- layers of words under her words which revealed her disappointment, her outlook, and ultimately her humility. Her sarcasm and loneliness were no stumbling block for Jesus’s replies. Her quizzical nature couldn’t stump or thwart the reality that what Jesus desired for her far outweighed her reality! She had stumbled upon a moment in time that changed her and many generations later to come! She visited the well at a strategic time that God had divinely orchestrated. Jesus’ words of life would become a wellspring to be reinvigorated, renewed and experience transformed natural and spiritual living! Let’s make our way with haste to that well! Don’t you want to go?

Published in Lent Devotional (The Journey to Surrender) 2011 Lenten @ St. Martin's Episcopal Church


Listen to Ce Ce Winans sing: I Surrender ALL and let the music minister to your spirit and renew your outlook!


Revived & Overjoyed!
Linda Mose Meadows, Urban Views Weekly Columnist and Inspirational Author of: The Blessedness of Believing A Devotional Journey of Life’s Lessons and God’s Promises and Co-publisher of Eyes of Faith Magazine

http://blessednessofbelieving.blogspot.com/

http://blessedauthorlm.wordpress.com/

http://eyesoffaithmagazine.blogspot.com/

You’ve Got A Friend

  One of my favorite  songs is: “You’ve Got A Friend (originally by Carole King with Roberta Flack ) This song came rushing to my mind as I ...