In my Quiet Time.....

Read this today:

"God reveals Himself and His activity to all of us, but very few really want an encounter with Him. Encounters cause extreme changes in our plans, our perspectives, and our personhood, and most of us hate change. In reality, though, the very act of trying to protect ourselves from change is the very thing that makes our lives the boring mess that it sometimes is."

Wow. God.....change my plans, my perspectives, my personhood!

Ash Wednesday

This is not my face.

But......my face may look like this later today. I haven't decided yet. As a life-long Baptist, I have never been a member of a church that recognized Ash Wednesday with the imposition of ashes on the forehead.

I have had friends who "gave up something for Lent", but I never did. I never really felt led to do that. Perhaps it was because I didn't truly understand why, or perhaps I just was too self-aborbed to learn more about it.

Oh, I know all about Ash Wednesday and what it means! We lived in New Orleans for over three years, and I worked for a costumer there who created beautiful Mardi Gras gowns from bolts of fabric and trays of beautiful gems. Our focus was more on the flamboyant balls and parades leading up to Fat Tuesday. While some people truly recognized Ash Wednesday for the religious significance it deserves, for others it was just a day to sleep off the partying from the day before. Ash Wednesday was the day they cleaned up the streets and repaired all the damage from the prior celebrations.

Now I find myself visiting a church that places more significance on Ash Wednesday than I ever have. Tonight we are attending a service where you can receive ashes on your forehead if you so desire. I'm not sure.....will everyone do that? I don't want to join in for the wrong reason.

Would love some input on this subject.........

Ethereal Beauty

Yesterday I had to tear myself away from Oklahoma and fly back to Missouri. It wasn't non-stop, so I had a quick layover in Dallas before we took off for St. Louis.

After boarding the plane in Dallas, the pilot announced that there was going to be a delay. The de-icer "something" was broken, and they hoped to fix it quickly. It was snowing in St. Louis, and we needed to be able to de-ice. I was ok with that! Better safe than sorry!

After an hour delay, we took off. The flight was pretty uneventful. I have to say, I love to fly, and I was pretty comfy in a plane that was only somewhat full. I had wi-fi in the air, and my Nook app, and a great window seat.

As we began our descent, someone behind me exclaimed "Oh my gosh! Look outside!" I was dozing a little, but I quickly woke up and looked out the tiny window.

I am reluctant to describe what I saw because there is no way I can do it justice.

Outside my window was the most beautiful, captivating sight I have ever seen. It literally took my breath away. We were flying directly through snow clouds. The snowflakes were shimmering like diamonds in translucent hues of pink, white and blue. It was absolutely breathtaking. I just kept staring out the window thinking "This can't be real".

Everyone on the plane was exclaiming over the beauty in the sky.

I don't think I will ever forget it.

I hope not.