Blossoms in our back garden when I lived in Oxford “Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it?”~Isaiah 43:18-19
This verse seems to have come up a lot these past few months—for my family, for our little theater company, and lately for me personally.
I really don’t know what this “something new” will involve in various areas of our lives over this new year. Though there are some inklings, I have no idea how they will play out. God’s plans generally runs so very differently from mine, from what I would expect…but then, it seems to be His rule to work in ways that might seem to us backward, as I’m reminded by my Christmas series this year and a recent article by Mark Charles. And yet His plan is always ultimately the best and most beautiful, even though mingled with heartache. Would we really have wanted Jesus to come any other way than how He did?
Well, I have one new thing starting tomorrow that I want to let you know about—a new website! Over the next few days, www.kierstiplog.com will transition to take you to a more complete writer’s website I’ve been developing through the gracious expertise of Rick Loe and his website design. I’m excited to introduce it to you all! However, Pioneer Diaries will, for now, still exist under the new domain www.kierstplogblog.com. Each site should also link to the other. I’d love to hear what you think of this new format!
I don’t know about you, but I’m moving into 2014 with a mixture of excitement and uncertain trepidation. Though we never know how a year will pan out, there are times when I’m more aware of that than others. In the midst of this, a bit from an Elizabeth Goudge book, The Scent of Water, spoke to me last evening. I’d never really gotten into Elizabeth Goudge before, though I’ve heard of her for years through writers like Lanier Ivester, but my parents gave me this novel of hers for Christmas this year. I expected to find the quiet beauty of an English countryside and well-developed characters, but I didn’t know it would be so spiritually deep. I’m not even sure I knew Elizabeth Goudge was a believer.
In the story, an older man who has struggled mentally for years reaches out to a young woman with similar heartaches. He tells her only three prayers are necessary, with only three words each:
“Lord, have mercy.”
“Thee I adore.”
“Into Thy hands.”
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| English snowdrops |
Though at first these might seem almost simplistic, they truly do sum up much of living a life surrendered to our Father’s hands, though of course there is far more, such as reaching out to build the kingdom and love our neighbor—not that those are separate things.
But into 2014, I want to have the spirit of those prayers centering my heart.
And wait and see what new things He will do.