Sunrises and Rocks..The story of the photograph ......

I feel so privileged to be able to use this photograph as my CD cover. Let me take a moment to give the backstory.....

For months I had been attempting to say “overwhelmed” in a picture. I thought that a sunrise would say it nicely and settled on an online stock photo depicting the sun coming up and spreading it’s warmth over a green grassy field and one lone tree stretching heavenward for all of it’s needs. That was a good idea, perhaps, but it still didn’t capture the essence of being overwhelmed. What to do?

While sharing my dilemma with a friend and sharing with her the story of the rocks my son had given to me....more about the rocks in the insert of the CD which tells that story and the lessons that God is teaching me through this simple gift of 4 rocks. The rocks are inseparable from the songs that have been recorded....so, I was telling you that I was telling my sweet friend about my dilemma.

She had an idea...it turns out that her brother-in-law, in Minnesota, is a professional nature photographer and has the most beautiful picture of rocks on his website. She told me to check it out and if I liked it, she’d contact him to see if he would let me use the photo. Well, I did like it...alot...and he has allowed me to use it. He is a fellow believer and very supportive of what I’m doing.

He explained to me that he captured the picture quite by accident as he was out at Sugarloaf Cove, Lake Superior, Minnesota trying to capture a sunrise...oh really? So was I! It just wasn’t working out for him...oh really? Me either! He happened to down look at his feet and saw the water rushing over the stones. He stood there trying to time the incoming water so as to capture the water’s power, covered and uncovered rocks, and the water’s foam in perfect timing. This photograph is the result.

Praise God for His own perfect timing...
2 people trying to capture the sunrise, for different reasons,
2 people beholding rocks and gazing at their beauty,
2 believers, bound in Christ, capturing “overwhelmed”....
for such a time as this...

Thank you Darren. My heart is blessed by your generosity to me and your support in this call of the Lord. May the Lord bless you abundantly!

Check out his website of beautiful photographs at www.darrenolson.com

Blessings to you for your day! And, whatever happens to you today, find God in the details....He may just be working behind the scenes of any given situation to accomplish something incredible in you a little further down the road....

Cindy

New Year 2010

Praise God for new beginnings! Surely His mercies are new each day! No resolutions for me this year just a deep abiding conviction and desire that each day will be, must be, deeper still with Christ than the day before.

Each moment, a cherished one.
Each breath, deeply inhaling God’s grace.
Each step, walked out with my Maker.

I may stumble along the way, I may feel squeezed by the cares of life but He is the Lifter of my head. He sustains us moment by moment.

So, with our finite minds we say “Happy New Year” precious Lord..timeless, eternal, unchanging God...walk with us, guide our steps, guard our hearts, shower down Your incredible mercy...

we are desperate for You!

Reflections...past, present and future...

Time to “un-decorate” our trees, put the ornaments away, take the lights down, return the unwanted gifts, go on a diet because of all the goodies that we consumed ... whew, I’m exhausted just typing it!

Seriously, while we will do those things listed above, Christmas is never really over for the believer. I mean, sure the day passes, the season passes, and we flip our calendars but if we abide in Him and He abides in us then we get to celebrate Him, His very presence, every day of every year. What better gift could he give us than Himself - Emmanuel, God with us (John 1:14), His very life, His righteousness, His benefits (1 Peter 2:24)! Oh it just thrills me to think of all that He blesses us with every day of our lives.

For me, I’ve been thinking more and more about how very good God has been to me in 2009. He has taken me to deep places and grown my faith in ways that, given the choice, I would never have desired but He knows best and is molding me, more and more, into His image. The Refiners fire....indeed...and I’m learning to surrender!

And then there’s the last week of December...there has always been something so special to me about the last week of December. The celebrations behind us and the new year before us...we find ourselves standing between the old and the new. We find ourselves standing on the precipice of untouched days ahead and it sets our hearts to dreaming of all that can be and maybe will be. I find it so refreshing and exciting, even with the unknown of those days.

So Happy New Year my friends! I pray that you will reflect on 2009 fondly. I pray that even in the ups and downs of this past year you will have seen the mighty hand of God in your life. I pray that as you stand on the brink of 2010 you will be more determined than ever before to press in and press on. More determined to surrender to His will and the calling on your life!

Be blessed!
Cindy K.

Mixing - underway!

Today has been spent in the studio watching, listening to the mix of the songs that are on my CD. Wow! It's truly an amazing process and GAT3 studios is just awesome. They have walked me through this entire process with such authentic attention and interest to the heart of my vision. From the incredible musicians and background singers they have arranged, to the current mix process they have honored the call of my heart. Thank you GAT3.

So many of you have told me that you would like to purchase a copy of my CD and I think the best way to allow that would be to let you pre-order a copy. With this in mind, I've added a Buy Now button and as soon as the CD is available I will mail it or deliver it to you. You know where to find me at church :) and I'll make every effort to get it into your hands ASAP. I hope to have the finished product in hand by the first week of January 2010.

My blog address to pre-order is http://psalmfortyfiveone.blogspot.com

Please take advantage of this option and I thank you for your love and support throughout the process. God has blessed me with the very best friends and family. I love you all.

And what a process ... truly, what a ride this has been! Who would have thought that out of the midst of my fear, pain, anxiety, illness, uncertainty ... our Father would open this door of opportunity... I thank you Lord for turning my sadness to joy, for being the song that I sing. We're still walking this journey out aren't we God? But, I trust in You! I trust in the work You have already done in my health and I surrender to Your will for the rest my life! I chose to praise you while I have my being! (Psalm 146:2) Oh may You be blessed by this project! It's all for You! I love You wildly!

Look upon the cross.....

Everywhere we look, if we look with spirit eyes, we can see Him! I was out walking the other day and looked up into the trees. I noticed that in the top of the tree it appeared that the branches had formed the shape of a cross. This is what I saw....



Can you make it out? Oh I hope so. I hope this is not one of those ... "guess you had to be there moments". Look in the top of the tree...










Well, it struck me as I walked, in fact, I almost walked into a mailbox looking up so intently....everywhere we go, everything we see, everything in our lives are because of an awesome, holy, sovereign God.

Today I was reading Psalm 99 - 103. Can I share a little of what He impressed upon me? I'm not typing all the verses, just the key words, phrases that especially ministered to me.

Psalm 99: 5 - 9
Exalt the Lord our God
And worship at His footstool;
Holy is He.

Moses, Aaron, Samuel.....they called upon the Lord (vs 6)
He spoke to them...(vs 7)
They kept His testimonies....(vs 7)
Oh Lord, our God, You answered them....(vs 8)

Oh to have that same level of confidence and intimacy....

Psalm 100:5
For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.

Just in case we think we need a reason to worship Him..that verse offers us a very good one!

Psalm 101:1
I will sing of lovingkindness and justice, to You, O Lord, I will sing praises!

Our goal for each day....are we singing and praising Him with the songs of our heart? In every season? Under every blue sky? Under every stormy one?

Psalm 102: 26-27
You, (God) endure....
You, (God) are the same
And Your years will not come to an end....

Psalm 103 (I love this entire Psalm)

Bless Him who heals, redeems, loves, changes not - I on the other hand am simply dust (vs 14) and He knows it yet He walks with me through all of my "dusty days". He withholds no good thing from His children....His lovingkindness is everlasting to everlasting....

His sovereignty rules over all.

What a faithful God, creative in all His works....and all of creation acknowledges Him....we must only cease our striving and simply know that He (alone) is God. Be blessed today, my fellow bags of dust! You are loved with the everlasting love of an everlasting God.

Cindy K.