Morning Coffee

"With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts."

~Eleanor Roosevelt

And the realization that the possibilities are endless!

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Where is your Olivet?

“If I have found grace in thy sight, show me thy glory.” Exodus 33:13

"Who has not in moments of meditation and prayer caught a glimpse of opening gates? Who has not in the secret place of holy communion felt the rush of some white surging wave of emotion – a foretaste of the joy of the blessed?

"The Master had times and places for quiet converse with His disciples, once on the peak of Hermon, but oftener on the sacred slopes of Olivet. Every Christian should have his Olivet. Most of us, especially in the cities and towns, live at high pressure. From early morning until bedtime we are exposed to the whirl. Amid all this maelstrom how little chance for quiet thought, for God’s Word, for prayer and heart fellowship!"

Streams in the Desert
By Mrs. Chas. E. Cowman

I have a chair that has become my Olivet. Early each morning I sit there and enjoy my first cups of coffee. I read the morning paper – and then I read a devotional, pray and write. Over time, this chair has grown to symbolize “quiet time”. Amidst the business of the day, I can take a cup of coffee – and often a piece of chocolate - and sit in this chair and immediately feel a sense of calm and restoration; my whole outlook seems to change. Some might think it just the coffee and chocolate -- but I know it is so much more than that!

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Morning Coffee in November

"A few days ago I walked along the edge of the lake and was treated to the crunch and rustle of leaves with each step I made. The acoustics of this season are different and all sounds, no matter how hushed, are as crisp as autumn air."      

Eric Sloane 

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Beginning to Prepare

It’s hard not to begin to plan for the upcoming Christmas season; the stores have been sporting decorations for weeks and retail radio and TV ads already have a decidedly Holiday theme. So I’m sure I’m not alone in my beginning to prepare.  This past week I found two things to use during this season of Christmas. The first is book for Advent devotions - Watch for the Light.

This is the Product Description:

“From Johann Christoph Arnold to Dorothy Day, from Madeline L'Engle to Karl Barth, from Saint Thomas Aquinas to Meister Eckhart, this unparalleled anthology offers wisdom beauty and spiritual nourishment from a wide spectrum of classic and contemporary sources.”

“Containing a selection for each day of the Christmas season, from the last week of November through the first week of January, Watch for the Light can be read through times of leisure or as a guide to daily devotions. Either way it will give new meaning to the phrase ‘holiday preparations.’"

I’m really looking forward to reading and meditating on these various writings and writers.

Secondly, a visit to our favorite thrift store yielded this little treasure. I already have several of these small plastic ornaments from the sixties. So it was fun to find another for my collection. I love the little details – right down to the “Gloria” banner held by the angel.

I think it might be time to bring out the others to enjoy, too.
Merry Christmas!

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Morning Coffee - Savoring Fellowships

On the last page of the devotional, Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Chas. E. Cowman is an invitation to join the “Streams in the Desert Prayer Fellowship”.

The reader of the book is invited to send her name and address to a "Los Angeles" address and in return she will receive a Membership card “admitting [her] into a fellowship with thousands of readers who pray daily for one another”. She will also receive each issue of the Streams in the Desert Fellowship Letter. (Don’t you wish you could read one of those letters? Can’t you just imagine the excitement on the day the letter arrives in her mailbox?)

This is such a good reminder of how lucky we are today to have the internet and all it provides for us; all of the wonderful blogs, websites and connections that sit at our finger tips just waiting to encourage, inspire or entertain us.

But I wonder who savors their “fellowship” more – Mrs. Cowman’s friend who waits patiently and expectantly for her monthly letter to arrive or someone like me who grabs a few minutes of reading time whenever I pass by my computer; Mrs. Cowman’s friend who, when her fellowship letter does arrive, reads and rereads it (many times I suspect) or someone like me who flits from piece to post, barely staying put for more than a minute or two.

This will be interesting food for thought over my coffee today!

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But Prayer...

November 2
“But prayer…” (Acts 12:5)

"Beware in your prayer, above everything, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do. Expect unexpected things, above all that we ask or think. Each time you intercede, be quiet first and worship God in His glory. Think of what He can do, of how He delights to hear Christ, of your place in Christ; and expect great things."

Andrew Murray

Streams in the Desert
By Mrs. Chas. E. Cowman

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Vote today! Celebrate our Freedom!

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Morning Coffee - Investing pennies

"Politeness and consideration for others is like investing pennies and getting dollars back."

~Thomas Sowell

I believe that while I enjoy my second cup of coffee, I'll consider all of the ways I can invest pennies today!

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