Ruby-crowned Kinglet, McLane Creek Nature Trail, WA USA
All of our acts of kindness should be done with humility knowing that “all good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights”(James 1:17).
“If you imitate Him(Jesus), you are not walking in darkness, but you will have the light of life.” St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153 AD)
Let us reflect our perfect model, Jesus, in every humble act of kindness we do.
Carolina Wood Ducks, Eagle Lake, Western Chehalis Trail, WA USA
God desires that we share the intimacy found in his love with each other.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” - John 3:16
“To love is really to want what is good for someone else and then to act on that desire.
Real love is a leaping outside of the narrow confines of my needs and desires, and an embrace of the other’s good for the other’s sake.” - Bishop Robert Barron
Greater Yellowlegs, Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, WA USA
“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” - John 14:23
Jesus is within us. Waiting to talk to us. Let us take time each day and find a quiet place, as Jesus did, to talk to our God, our savior, our friend.
he (Jesus) would withdraw to deserted places to pray- Luke 5:16
Sunrise, Galveston, TX USA
“I am blessed,” Father Jim replied from his wheelchair, with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye, as I walked into church. This was Fr. Jim’s customary reply to my inquiry as to how he was doing.
Fr. Jim was a vibrant man in love with Jesus. Fr. Jim knew that although he had ALS, the disease did not define him; rather it was Fr. Jim’s love for Jesus, which radiated into every aspect of his being, that defined Fr. Jim Lee. Rejoicing in the Lord was Fr. Jim’s strength.
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4) These words were written by St. Paul while he was in prison but they could have been the words of Fr. Jim, for the Christian is not defined by his or her circumstances but by the love of God that dwells within them.
God loves us, so let us rejoice in the Lord always!
Hood Canal as viewed from Potlatch State Park, WA USA
“Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen” - Hebrews 11:1
Our Christian faith opens up new horizons even in the most troubling of times. For the last couple of years I have battled both heart issues and cancer but, through the gift of faith, I knew God was with me. Knowing God was with me then gave rise to hope, hope in Christ’s promise of our eternal home. Christian hope removes fear and gives us peace. Living in peace then enabled me to love, taking my focus off myself and onto the caring of others. And amazingly, caring for others brought me additional peace.
My heart condition has resolved and my chemotherapy is completed with my cancer in remission. I give praise to our Lord Jesus Christ for healing but especially for the virtues of faith, hope and love that can lift every dark cloud.
May the peace of Jesus Christ be with you.
Western Red Cedar tree, dead and stripped of bark it remains reaching toward heaven, Woodward Bay Nature Preserve, Olympia, WA USA
Paul wrote these words while in prison. In prison, yet full of hope. Christian hope is not whimsical optimism; rather, it is a vision based on the understanding that the merciful and loving God of the universe will provide. Our hope “forgets what lies behind but strains forward to what lies ahead” (Philippians 3:13). Christian hope has many facets.
In life, our hope is an understanding that by cooperating with God’s plan each of us can become the person, the saint, that God desires us to be.
In death, our hope is an understanding that if our faith, as demonstrated by our faith-filled actions, perseveres to the end we will rest in God’s peace forever.
For our planet and our communities, our hope is an understanding that in the end God will set all things right. Love, mercy and justice will prevail.
May each of us pursue our upward calling in Christ Jesus. Blessings for a hope-filled 2025.
Olympia Washington sunset with modified image from the Basilica of our Lady of the Rosary, Lourdes France
The only proper response to love (agape - unconditional, self-giving love) is agape love. The life of Jesus; his teachings, his parables, his passion, show us how to live in agape love. Let us love God and each other as Jesus taught us.
Merry Christmas
Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, WA USA
These words spoken by God through the prophet Jeremiah were to the people of Israel that had been displaced from their homeland and were in a foreign land (Babylon). They ring of hope but they also ring of responsibility. Hope that they will see God, responsibility that they must seek God.
As we prepare for Christmas, let us have an a heart that is calling, praying, listening and seeking God.
Mule Deer Buck in snow, Pueblo West, CO USA
With faithful and hopeful anticipation, we wait…
We wait with longing in our hearts for that which pleasures, presents and power cannot fulfill.
We wait for what our hearts desire, our King, our Lord and our God.
We wait for Christmas, the marking of time, when God became man so that man might be fulfilled and live eternally with him.
We wait……
Black-tailed Deer eating apple, Olympia, WA
The sun was setting as the the deer anxiously ran through the knee high grass up to an apple tree and began eating the apples. We should have such exuberance as we approach the Lord.
Psalms 34:1-8 - I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. Look to him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. O taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Fallen Maple Leaves, Olympia, WA USA
Seeing these leaves I could not help but think of our Lord’s passion and the wonderful love he has for us.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. - John 3:16
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. Romans 5: 7-8
Great Blue Heron, Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, WA
let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. - Hebrews 12:1,2
Pacific Beach, WA USA
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. - Psalms 46:1
Sunset, Pacific Beach, WA USA
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations,
Through Christ Our Lord,
Amen
- an ancient prayer written partially as a song in the 800’s and later as a prayer in the 1200’s.
Aspen at Sunrise, Colorado creek drainage, Northwestern Colorado, USA
Leaves know that blessings received are meant to be given away.
They speak of the splendor of your majestic glory, tell of your wonderful deeds. (Psalms 145:5)
The rain falls, the sun shines, the leaves grow, only to turn to gold, saying, “Thanks be to God” before falling to the ground.
The leaves know.
Fledgling Song Sparrow, Olympia, WA, USA
Oh, Little one,
let us hear your cry.
You who do not speak,
cry into our conscience.
Oh, Little One,
Teach us about dignity.
True dignity, found in who we are,
human beings, made in God’s image and likeness.
Oh, Little One,
Teach us about joy.
True joy, found in acts of love
for the most vulnerable among us.
Oh, Little Vulnerable one,
let us hear your cry,
so that one day we might hear your laughter,
and our joy will be made complete.
- Folks at “A Nature Walk With God”
‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ - Matthew 25:40
Diamond Mountain as viewed from Rabbit Ears Peak, Colorado, USA
Prayer for Peace
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
St Francis of Assisi
Sunrise, Colorado creek drainage, Northwestern Colorado, USA
Lake Cushman as viewed from Dry Creek Trail, WA USA
Large Leaf Maple, Squaxin Park, Olympia, WA USA
The bible, the scriptural authors, are not interested in self-determination but in the process by which a person awakens to God’s call. - Bishop Robert Barron
The great adventure is listening to and then following God’s call. From Abraham, to Mary and Joseph, to Paul, to Mother Theresa, the servants of God listen and follow.
My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. - John 10:27
