All things bright and beautiful....take the time to look around you.

One of my favourite Sunday School hymns was “All things bright and beautiful”. I think I loved  it so, because it spoke of things I could understand, things I could see – beautiful things – our hearts are created to love God’s Creation.

The story goes this simple little hymn was first published in 1848 in a collection of hymns designed to raise money for the deaf and dumb, and was written by Mrs Cecil Frances Alexander (1818-95), wife to the Archbishop of Armagh and Protestant Primate of Ireland.

sited 23/6/2016: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/3668059/The-story-behind-the-hymn.html

So I thought I would translate it into images starting with verse one.

       The Eastern Rosella is one of the prettiest and most colourful birds found on the east coast of Australia… and on the Quiet Side of the Great Lake. Our bird bath gets a lot of use, by a variety of birds, large and small. Some who drink and others who take a bath! It looks like on the day I took this shot, there had been many birds through as there is little water left.

       One Pelican and a jetty full of Black Cormorants and one Seagull – all happy to share.

I don’t know if this Tawny Frogmouth is as wise as he looks. But there is something intense about the owl variety. They appear to be deep thinkers.

When I see a rainbow I think of God and His many promises.

Verse 2 coming next post.

Blessings,

Marilyn

“The Lord your God will never fail you or abandon you.”

We have a term on the east coast of Australia that I only remember being used in recent times. Because it is associated with gale force winds and heavy rainfall that lashes the coast its name alone strikes fear in people’s hearts. It’s called the “East Coast Low”. On the Great Lake the wind direction with this weather pattern prevents the flow of water in the lake escaping to the sea, thus we sit and watch the water rise and pray against flooding.

This time before the rain began the flocks of swans that reside around the Quiet Side gathered on the lakeshore.

They appeared confused, settling in a number of flocks along our shoreline then paddling out into the lake a little way, but then returning as though they were waiting for something.

When the rain began in earnest and the winds blew they remained there in a tight bunch – united against the elements.

And days later when the rain stopped and the lake flooded up to our back fence, they remained, enjoying their private pools of water. Like sentinels they seemed to guard us for those few days. In the stillness of twilight  their soft musical calls filled us with joy and hope. What a gift from God!

Through this whole episode I felt a peace that wouldn’t be flooded. Looking back it reminds me of God’s promise:

“…be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic… For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”  (Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT)

Blessings,

Marilyn

Let us love one another, for love is from God..1 John 4:7 (ESV)

My last book, “Showdown in the Umbrella Tree” saw the humour in the rivalry between the nectar loving birds on the Quiet Side of the Great Lake. Such was the drama (in the story) that the Great Creator Himself had to intervene. In the end the lorikeets and the noisy miners learned to love and respect each other.

Setting the background:

The Rainbow Lorikeets (above) and Noisy Miners (below) cause havoc when the spikes of red buds ripen in the umbrella trees. Both are native birds to Australia, both love nectar.

The little Noisy Miners could possibly be considered ugly. They don’t have the brilliant colours of the parrots, but they make up for their lack of beauty in personality. Even we humans tend to favour those who are more beautiful. Praise God, He looks at the heart!

These little birds give us lots of entertainment. They’ve taught their families to swim in our bird bath and our swimming pool. One little guy in particular is more adventurous than the others. In my book I named him Neville. He dives from our clothesline into our bird bath, not once but over and over. As a result we need to keep it topped up with water. Our little Neville is hilarious and provides us with endless entertainment.

The lorikeets are inclined to be boisterous and even bullies, even with each other! They are all intent on getting what they want, so they cause hullabaloo in the umbrella tree. Sadly humans are not much better when we see footage of New Year Sales with people running everywhere snatching what they can from tables and even other people.

So with the history of the two varieties of birds I had to laugh when I edited this photo. We have a neighbour who occasionally puts out sweet treats for the lorikeets. Here the lorikeet troops appear to be rallied, and their leader sits above giving instructions.

But look closely, and there on the railing second from the right is a little Noisy Miner – ‘hopeful Harry’ or rather ‘hopeful Neville’ – he looks as though he is thinking if he keeps a low profile no one will notice him, and he will get some of the treats.  The lorikeets appear to be accepting, perhaps they learned a lesson from my story?

Perhaps it’s a reminder for us too.

Let us love one another, for love is from God..1 John 4:7 (ESV)

Blessings,

Marilyn

Note: Photos are all the work of the author exception being banner background and flag which are from Graphic Stock.com

Yes, there is a Quiet Side of the Great Lake.

When I set out to create the Tales from a Lake series, I decided its setting would reflect the glory of God. It would be a beautiful and peaceful place as the people and the birds and animals in the stories would live in harmony with one another. The Quiet Side would be a place of healing, an enchanting and mystical place which has been blessed with vibrant colour and splendour by the touch of its Creator.

Here are some of the images and scriptures that motivated the setting.

Let the skies sing for joy! Let the earth join in the chorus. Let oceans thunder and fields echo this ecstatic praise until every swaying tree of every forest joins in, lifting up their songs of joyous praise to him!  (Psalm 96:11-12 The Passion Translation)

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What a heavenly home God has set for the sun, shining in the superdome of the sky! See how he leaves his celestial chamber each morning, radiant as a bridegroom ready for his wedding, like a day-breaking champion eager to run his course. (Psalm 19:5 The Passion Translation)

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You made the moon to mark the months and the sun to measure the days. (Psalm 104:19 The Passion Translation)

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He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. (Psalm 23:2-3 New King James Version)

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         He has made everything beautiful in its time. (Ecclesiastes 3:11 New King James Version)

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Everything I am will praise and bless the Lord! O Lord, my God, your greatness takes my breath away, overwhelming me by your majesty, beauty, and splendor! (Psalm 104:1 The Passion Translation)

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You wrap yourself with a shimmering, glistening light. You wear sunshine like a garment of glory. (Psalm 104:2 The Passion Translation)

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ADDIT: The photos posted on this blog are the work of the author and are all taken from the banks of Tuggerah Lake on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. A truly beautiful place.

Blessings,

Marilyn

ENTER IN AT THE NARROW GATE

When God created man he gave us the gift of “freedom of choice”.

We have a number of bush paths around the Great Lake. Each one I find spiritually inspirational. They bring scriptures to mind.

Here we have the gate to the narrow pathway. It reminds me of Matthew 7:13 “Come to God through the narrow gate, because the wide gate and broad path is the way that leads to destruction – nearly everyone chooses the crowded road! The narrow gate and the difficult way leads to eternal life – so few even find it!” (Matthew 7:13-14 The Passion Translation)

Follow me through the narrow gate metaphorically as you walk through the cool shaded bushland towards  the light. The true light. God’s light – at the end of the pathway. This gate is closed to unbelievers.

Someone once wrote: “Both the narrow gate and the wide gate are assumed to provide the entrance to God’s kingdom. Two ways are offered to people. [remember, we have the freedom of choice].The narrow gate is by faith, only through Christ. It represents true salvation in God’s way that leads to life eternal. The wide gate includes all religions of works and self-righteousness, but it does not lead to heaven.

The narrow way is disciplined. Those who walk the narrow way are fruitful,  filled with the fruits of the spirit, love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, gentleness and self-control. Those who walk this path are prepared to love and forgive, to turn the other cheek. It takes commitment, it takes self-control (denying oneself), it takes forgiveness and kindness. But it brings joy and love and peace regardless of circumstances, and the knowledge of being loved by a Heavenly Father who chose you before time began and who even delights in you. Who has your best interests at heart. Believe it! It might take more effort but it is SO worth it!

So today, choose the narrow path where at the end you will walk into the light. Where that God-sized hole in your heart will be forever filled. Where you will walk in faith, not fear, and no you are never alone – Jesus is walking right beside you.

And so we emerge into the light, a place where you can sit on a seat and look out over the creek on your left as it empties into the lake or the broad expanse of the lake itself.

A special place for meditation and prayer. A place you can chill out and just bask in nature. Listen to the birds, feel the sun on your face, the breeze in your hair and hear the gentle lapping of the water.

It’s the narrow path that brings life in abundance.

Blessings,

Marilyn

THE UNFADING BEAUTY OF A QUIET AND GENTLE SPIRIT

All girls like to feel beautiful. The stories of beautiful princesses still lurk in the recesses of our minds. We style our hair, put on nice clothes and jewellery and add some makeup. We pamper ourselves, “Because we deserve it?” Hardly. But we do like to look our best.

But pure beauty, the kind that comes from God can only be found on the inside, and it is God who sees the beauty of our hearts. Without that internal beauty we are little more than a store mannequin. Because it is that internal beauty that drives the heart into action.

The disciple Peter writes “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” 1 Peter 3:3-4 (NIV) That’s the way I’d like to be perceived!

Saint Augustine says: “Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul.”

There is a purity in the beauty that comes from God. It is the purity of peace in the stillness of the new day as it breaks over the Great Lake. I see it in the beautiful creatures God has made, all things great and small, bright and beautiful.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.”

“The beauty of creation is a universal hymn in praise of its Maker” – Blessed Ildefonso Schuster

So my goal for this week is to aim for a quiet and gentle spirit, for that unfading beauty that comes from within. How about you?

Blessings,

Marilyn

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?”Job 12:7-9

We can learn from the birds!

Day by day our feathered friends on the Quiet Side of the Great Lake can live beside each other in harmony. Why can’t we the triumph of God’s Creation manage to do the same?

When it comes to water birds on the Quiet Side of the Great Lake everyone knows their place.

The water birds along our shores include, Caspian Terns, Oyster Catchers, Egrets of all sizes, white-faced Grey Herons, Pelicans, Royal Spoonbills, Black Swans, Pied Stilts, Masked Lapwings, Seagulls, numerous species of ducks, Darters and Cormorants. Occasionally we see massive hordes of Australasian Coots and flocks of Avocets.

Each year we see the migratory Bar-Tailed Godwits who fly down to Australia and New Zealand from Alaska. Travelling approximately 11,000 kilometres flying continuously over the ocean over a seven-day period, they demonstrate amazing feats of strength. Their bodies are created with special features that allow them to do this.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/09/070913-longest-flight.html

While the list of bird species on the Great Lake is lengthy, all manage to forage for food around each other and in total harmony.

We humans could take a leaf out of their book.

” As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.” Proverbs 27:19. We can only surmise our feathered friends are tolerant and patient.

Brian and Simmons and Jeremy Bouma in their book “Grace and Hope” remind us:[As God’s children we should] “bless those in need; .. breathe words as ‘beautiful gifts’ that are encouraging and gracious; .. ‘be kind a nd affectionate toward one another’; and ..lovingly forgive each other out of the depths of Christ’s own love he has for us.”

Simmons, Brian; Bouma, Jeremy (2015-02-16). Grace and Hope: A 40-Day Devotional for Lent and Easter (The Passion Translation) (pp. 88-89). BroadStreet Publishing Group LLC.

These examples of harmonious living are endless, I have photo files full of them.  It never fails to intrigue me.

Aren’t God’s created creatures amazing?

Enjoy your day!

Blessings,

Marilyn

BENEATH THE SHELTER OF HIS WINGS

The Quiet Side of the Great Lake is a home to hundreds of swans. They often spend their nights close into shore along a stretch of the lake just a little way from our house. About a hundred may be there early in the morning when I arise. Their soft bugling, trumpeting and crooning sounds can be heard as they interact with one another. They are very pleasant sounds and in accordance with their gracefulness. We are truly blessed.

In most cases swans mate for life and are wonderful parents.

Occasionally these beautiful Australian black swans give birth on our side of the lake. It is so exciting when we see a little clutch of cygnets with their parents.

Swans are warm-blooded just as we are and cygnets need to be protected from extreme exposure to heat and cold. Water temperature is a lot lower than the temperature of the cygnet’s body and they tend to lose heat rapidly when swimming in cold water. The little ones easily become tired and fatigued so mum will stop swimming and lower her tail into the water in a flat shape. The cygnet then climbs on and makes its way between her wings to the position behind her neck. Here it can see all that is going on and if it wants can huddle down between mum’s wings where they are totally covered while they warm up and rest.

When in the nest she shelters them from the heat with her wings like a sun-shade.

These beautiful birds with their great wings brings to mind these words from Psalm 91: 1-4

“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
He is my God, and I trust Him. For He will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings.”

 Isn’t it great to know our God loves us so much, when things go pear-shape he will protect us and walk beside us through the storm. He provides a place of refuge and safety. When we cry out for His help, He will wrap us in His feathers and hold us fast beneath the shelter of His wings!

Blessings,

Marilyn

Reference: cited: http://www.swanlife.com/cygnets-first-two-weeks.html 18/4/2016

Photos are the property of the writer.

Take time to smell the flowers!

I love taking photos of flowers. They are all so different. The hues of some are so vibrant, while others are so delicate. So I suddenly had to find out why.

There’s something about writing a blog – every time  you do, you learn something.

ProFlowers web site describes it like this:

“Bright colors or dull colors are fixed in the genetics of a flower. Flowers that are bright in color are meant to attract birds, bees and other insects in order to help the plants reproduce.

 If the plant calls for pollination, the bright flower and sweet pollen will coax birds, bees and insects to land on it. As these animals eat the sugar or honey, some of the pollen with stick to their feet. When they land on another flower some of that pollen will spread and voila! Pollination occurs.

 If reproduction through pollination is done by way of wind and air – the pigments of the plant will be inconspicuous and dull with bad tasting fruit. “http://www.proflowers.com/blog/how-flowers-get-their-color

Wow!  Now some of you may see this as simple evolution.

But the Book of Romans I:20 in the Bible says this: ^“For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.”

When I read how intelligently the dynamics of nature is balanced, I cannot help but see God. The more we delve into the biodiversity of our world, the more a higher power of intelligent engineering becomes obvious. Our God, the One True God is truly amazing!

Isaiah 55:8-9 says this: “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts”.

I can’t but praise God with the words of the Psalmist:

 “The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.
They speak without a sound or word;
their voice is never heard.
Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
and their words to all the world.”

(Psalm 19:1-4) NLT

Follow the link below for an inspirational message.

http://www.123greetings.com/encouragement_and_inspiration/poetry/take_time_to_smell_the_flowers.html

Blessings,

Marilyn

Yes, it’s that time of year again.

The last book I published on Amazon.com was entitled “Showdown in the Umbrella Tree”. Probably a confusing title, but on the Quiet Side of the Great Lake where all my stories are set, we have an umbrella tree which sits on my neighbour’s fence-line and is right beside my back balcony (see cover below)

Once or twice a year the umbrella tree grows long spikes of red buds filled with sugary nectar. The brilliantly coloured Rainbow Lorikeets love this nectar and they come into the area to feast on it. The buds seem to be best around three to four o’clock in the afternoon.

It’s amazing that every bird has to sit in the one place! If you look closely there are eight lorikeets on this frond. Believe me they don’t hesitate to knock each other off!

The interesting thing is there are also some locals who love the nectar, and they don’t care much to share it. The little grey Noisy Miner birds who are native to our area and who are not related in any way to the brown Indian Myna birds are also nectar lovers

So the problem arises when the Noisy Miners who keep a steady eye on the progress of the red buds all year become inundated with Rainbow Lorikeets who have just dropped in for a feast and a good time.

Noisy Miner spying!

A game begins with the two different species chasing each other out of the tree. The lorikeets are all about fun and togetherness, playfully pushing and shoving. They are extremely noisy as they eat and play and get so excited that they don’t just push out the little “Noisies”, they even push each other out of the tree. With the lorikeets it’s “anything goes!”

It can get quite raucous in the tree as the lorikeets move in and the Noisy Miners object to their presence. The Noisies are less about fun and more strategic as they begin to attack in a bunch screeching. They can be headache material and get rid of the opposition by wearing them down. There is no “Do to others as you would like them to do to you.” Luke 6:31 NLT. But then again they are only birds.

And while it is highly entertaining watching them it also helps me realise that in the higher order of mankind at times we can be just as careless, thoughtlessly , jostling for positions at work and play at the expense of  others.

Let’s this week make a concerted effort to “love one another” as Jesus told us to (John 13:34). To “treat others as we wish they would treat us”. Let’s be encouragers not discouragers, let us share not be selfish , may we help not hinder, love not hate. Let us bear fruit! Remember for those who love God, it will be “by their fruits you will know them.” (Matthew 7:20)

Blessings,

Marilyn