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by tracycpoetry

My Morning Anthem….

The song “Good and Gracious King” by CityAlight has become an anthem for me lately.

Let’s face it… on most days, even the best around us want something from us. Bosses want us to produce. Family wants us to love, support, and nurture. And church and community want us to serve…. As they all should. But it’s no wonder we can easily slip into falsely believing our identity is what we do rather than who we are.

That’s why time sitting at the feet of my Maker remembering that He is “the King in need of nothing” who loves me simply because I am His is an absolutely necessary recentering moment for me. Walking into my day singing “empty handed I rejoice” and “by Your love I am accepted” frees me from being overwhelmed by my tasks for the day because of a desperate need for acceptance weighs me down with the fear of messing up. Instead, I can face the tasks and people in front of me as a completely loved masterpiece of my Maker.

How I perform today doesn’t make or break me, but simply allows me to imitate my maker by creating love and beauty all around me from the over-flowing joy and love of His Spirit in me.

“You deserve the greater glory
Overcome with joy I sing
By Your love I am accepted
You’re a good and gracious King”

by tracycpoetry

Feeling dry?

Some thoughts as we begin a new week….

If you feel like you’re dried up and not able to shine anymore, it may not have anything to do with your work environment or even your abilities. You may simply be in need of a new thing….

Perhaps take this Sunday afternoon to do some soul searching (between March Madness games, of course 😂).

New may not look like taking a career break to realign life and values like I have chosen to do. But if you’re feeling dry, reconnecting with your own soul and your Maker might be well worth the time investment.

by tracycpoetry

Lessons from the Lawn

It’s almost-but-not-quite the day Allen comes to mow our lawn. So it’s a bit of a jungle out there with clovers and other weeds vying for their place in our front yard along with the grass.

But, upon looking out the front windows, I was treated to a sight I may have missed had our lawn been perfectly manicured….

I looked out to see a whole menagerie of urban wildlife, from a mother and baby bunny to a whole variety of birds, happily playing our front yard.

It reminded me of that scene from Disney’s old Snow White film where all the furry forest creatures are keeping Snow White company as she happily sings in the woods.

I realized…. all of the weeds and tall grass were actually attracting the amazing wildlife I was enjoying. I couldn’t help but wondering if in all of our striving for perfection, we miss – or even destroy – the beauty around us.

That is one reason I’ve titled this blog (and future book), Ragamuffin Oasis. Perhaps the true places of oasis (rest, refreshing, and thriving) are not the well manicured facades that consumerism and even religion tell us we need.

Perhaps only in admitting we are human and embracing are scruffier, imperfect, ragamuffin selves can we every be truly free.

by tracycpoetry

Simply Not Enough

In case I’m not the only one who has those days of simply feeling not enough to accomplish any and every task in front of me, please remember these words Saint Paul wrote to the Church in Rome so long ago: “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”- Romans‬ ‭8:11‬ ‭(New Living Translation)

(And thanks to The WORD Among Us for having just the right words at just the right time in your devotional guide today! )

by tracycpoetry

Nothing is Beyond….

Another post. Another news report.

More sorrow. More anger. More frustration.

And there are moments these days where all of these emotions flow through my own soul in a split second “roller-coastering” along with the highs of the joy and thankfulness of next breaths that so many in our world no longer have….

It is so easy for all of us to feel that nothing will untangle the messes in our world and in our own hearts so light can get through again.

But today I read Psalm 139 and I was reminded of these lyrics from a song written by Rich Mullins & a Ragamuffin Band back in the early 1990s called, Nothing is Beyond You:

Where could I go, where could I run
Even if I found the strength to fly
And if I rose on the wings of the dawn
And crashed through the corner of the sky
If I sailed past the edge of the sea
Even if I made my bed in Hell
Still there You would find me
‘Cause nothing is beyond You
You stand beyond the reach
Of our vain imaginations
Our misguided piety
The heavens stretch to hold You
And deep cries out to deep
Singing that nothing is beyond You
Nothing is beyond You
Time cannot contain You
You fill eternity
Sin can never stain You
Death has lost its sting
And I cannot explain the way You came to love me
Except to say that nothing is beyond You
Nothing is beyond You
If I should shrink back from the light
So I can sink into the dark
If I take cover and I close my eyes
Even then You would see my heart
And You’d cut through all my pain and rage
The darkness is not dark to You
And night’s as bright as day
Nothing is beyond You
You stand beyond the reach
Of our vain imaginations
Our misguided piety
The heavens stretch to hold You
And deep cries out to deep
Singing that nothing is beyond You
Nothing is beyond You
And time cannot contain You
You fill eternity
Sin can never stain You
And death has lost its sting
And I cannot explain the way You came to love me
Except to say that nothing is beyond You
Nothing is beyond You
Nothing is beyond You

(Copyright 1998 – Liturgy Legacy Music / Word Music / ASCAP / White Plastic Bag Music / SESAC / De Cristos Music / BMI)

These words were such a sweet reminder that although we human-types have collectively made a mess of our world and wandered far from the Garden we were created for, we can never ever ever wander beyond our Maker’s reach.