Songs from the Fire



Songs from the Fire

          Have you ever sat around a crackling, snapping campfire or in front of a fireplace and found yourself listening to the fire hiss and sing? The wood used for a good long-lasting fire is a big chunk of wood we call “the back log.” The rest is kindling which will burn up hot and quickly disappear.

            When the back log catches fire it often begins to make a multitude of melodic sounds. When the snapping and crackling of the fire slows down, there is a whistling, squeaking, even a flute like sound coming from the back log.

            Often the room grows quiet and everyone seems drawn to listen to its music, the songs of the forest fill the room. The log sings from the memories of the song birds in spring, the hoot of the owl at night, the flute like sound of the tree frog chirping after the rain. The log sizzles a song of when the high winds blew strumming their music through its branches and recalling too of the hissing snow in a harsh winter storm.

 

“But the people of God will sing a song of joy, like the songs at the holy festivals.

You will be filled with joy, as when a flutist leads a group of pilgrims to Jerusalem,

the mountain of the Lord—to the Rock of Israel.”  Isaiah 30:29 NLT

 

            It’s a writer’s fancy to hear songs of the forest singing from a sizzling log in the fire. But it is a bit of a parable of our lives. Each of us has collected many songs from our own lives over the years.

            Some of the best songs remembered and sung are the ones resulting from the times we were “in the fire”, of life’s trials. Some people may never learn to sing until the flames kindle a sweet memory deep within of how God’s love never failed them.

            It’s the songs from the fire that are most effective, most remembered, and most beautifully sung.

 

“Songs from the Fire” by Dee Kamp from Strength for Today, Hope for Tomorrow -by Dee Kamp

Joy is Like a Magnet

Anna's Joy by Dee Kamp

 

Joy is Like a Magnet

When I was very young and my family had all gathered together to celebrate a birthday for a relative, my cousin and I crawled under the table and when we thought no one was looking we popped out from under it to sneak candied roses from off of the cake.

We were certain no one could see us, that is until our grandmother put her head under the table laughing at us saying, “You silly kids, we wondered what was happening to those roses!”
When our grandmother shared what we had been doing, the whole room burst out in laughter. Oh the pleasure we had being around our grandmother who would show her love for us in many ways and always share her joy was in loving Jesus.

“…in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

Psalm 16:11 KJ V

 What a promise! Nothing on earth compares to joy that comes from God’s heavenly love. Joy is like a magnet to others, and this joy is not limited to exuberant children, or special grandmothers, but for all who believe in Him.

 People may spurn us, misjudge us and even oppose us but they are helpless to our prayers and helpless against the joy we feel knowing how deeply we are loved by God.

 

“Joy is Like a Magnet” by Dee Kamp, Grace Every Morning Ministries© July 13, 2016

photo by Dee Kamp

Life Like Rain from Heaven

On one side of the narrow road I saw the natural scene of Eastern Washington’s semi-arid desert with its crusty dry earth and abundant sage brush. But on the other side of the road was a contrast so lavishly becoming it took my breath away.

The lush side of the road was under life changing miracle of waters by the workings of giant sprinklers spraying waters from the great Columbia River.

 “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, an do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:10-11 NIV

 

It’s the obvious, of course, yet still amazing, how water is able to renew and refresh such an arid and dry land to thrive and bloom and produce crops for our nation.

Refreshment, vitality, nourishment and new life- that’s what Scripture’s promise carries forth to us. God’s Word gives us a spiritual strength we need every day to sustain and refresh us to thrive and grow in our faith, refresh our weary hearts and produce good fruit.

 Wherever we are in the world, what dry season we may be in, the Word of God will bring life like rain from heaven to our thirsty souls.

“The Bible is to the thirsty soul what water is to a barren land.” Our Daily Bread

“Life Like Rain from Heaven” by Dee Kamp, Grace Every Morning Ministries© July 7, 2016

Dead End Roads or New Beginnings

 

Dead End Roads or New Beginnings

I love to photograph pathways, trails and narrow roads in the forests, to the ocean, in the desert and along old roads. Some of the photos show these paths, trails and roads leading off to what appears to be dead ends. But do they?

“If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” Psalm 139:10-11 NIV

I wonder to myself, why have I never noticed all these beautiful and interesting paths before? How many have I over looked and how many times have I anticipated where they lead, worried what it would take to follow them, and wondered  who can I trust to lead the way?

In Ephesians 1:4 we learn we can rest assured God has chosen us before the foundation of the world and trust He has designed and created a path for our lives that that is uniquely created for us in every season of our lives.

If we trust the Lord with all our hearts, the One who knows us best, we will discover those new paths that look like they are going nowhere are not dead ends at all― but fresh new beginnings.

“God does not give us everything we want, but He does fulfill His promises…leading us along the best and straightest paths to Himself.” –Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“Dead End Roads” by Dee Kamp, Grace Every Morning Ministries© June 30, 2016

 

A Face Full of Joy

 A Face Full of Joy

Today I choose joy. Yes, the choice is ours. For many years I waited for joy to find me. I looked for joy in others, I looked for joy in things, and I looked for joy to come when in sorrow and struggling. I even looked for joy in a weather report!

“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.” John 17:13 NIV

Joy flows from a foundation of truth and Jesus reminds us that joy comes from knowing the Father through Him.

A heart full of love reflects a face full of joy. When women are pregnant people will often say she “is glowing”.  When people fall in love they say they have “sparkling eyes”. This is due to an increase of love within their heart. It’s not chemical, it’s spiritual!

Life is short, travel in the lightness of His joy, in the strength of His joy. In His final prayer Jesus prayed that His disciples would experience the full measure of His joy, now, not later.

  So stop and smell the roses, pick a bouquet of joy, dance like a child in the rain puddles splashing some hope around. The more time we spend in His presence the more we are filled with the wonder and miracle of this sustaining joy within us come rain or come shine.

No matter if we are 18, or 98, no matter the circumstances of life, when times get rough we can recall the promises of God, and we are able to live in peace in the fullness of His joy. So let us do the unnatural thing, pick flowers, splash in puddles, and let the glow of His joy shine through.

“In the race of life, God our heavenly Father has come alongside of us through the Person of the Holy Spirit. And when we think we can’t go one more step He puts his everlasting arms around us, and gently walks with us to the finish.” Ann Graham Lotz

“A Face Full of Joy” by Dee Kamp, Grace Every Morning Ministries© June 18, 2016

Lesson in Resting



Lesson in Resting

When it came to the topic of rest, God took a paragraph in Exodus 20: 9-11 to spell it out for us.

“Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, h but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Exodus 20-9-11

Once on a trip far from home in the R.V.  I watched as an elder man got out of his camper slowly and stiffly followed by a chattering, leaping and full of zeal one little boy about nine years old. Carefully the elderly man set about setting up a couple of outdoor lounge chairs by the camp fire while the boy waved a fishing pole around and chattered up a storm. By the time all was set up it was nearly noon but grandpa got out his tackle box and fishing pole even it was late in the day to fish and led the boy down to the trail to the lake.

Later on I see them return with a string of perch and grin on the boy’s face stretched ear to ear. He hopped around and grandpa corralled him into the camper and soon we could smell the wonderful aroma of fish frying.

Before long the boy leaped out and grabbed his fishing pole eager to get going again. But instead I saw grandpa go sit in the chair, lean back and pat the chair next to him waving the boy over. With a shrug of his shoulders the boy obediently followed suit and as grandpa napped the boy stayed put in respect until grandpa woke up. That day, one young boy learned more than how to fish he learned the importance of respect and resting too.

And that’s when I remembered and learned a lesson in resting.  God’s message and command to rest is not just for sleep, but for respect to Him, not just for some but for everyone, and not just for our bodies but our minds and soul as well.  

“In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day.” God’s message is plain. If creation didn’t crash when I rested, it won’t crash when you do!”  Max Lucado

“Lesson in Resting” by Dee Kamp, Grace Every Morning Ministries© June 3, 2016

Living in the Kingdom Light

 

 

Living in the Kingdom Light

I rise before the dawn waiting for the sun to make its way over the eastern ridge of hills thick with salted predawn fog.  I turn to the west where the dullness of the sand dune grasses and the flat colored sea wait to soon be transformed.

I catch my breath as the rising sun spreads its fingers of light over the dune grasses turning them to shades of gold and the sea now blue with white iridescent waves.

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world.

 Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12 NIV

 

A little sparrow lifts its head singing brightly as the sun spreads all around him.  And the Holy Spirit prompts me to wonder all over again how God sent His Kingdom Light into a dark world; our Savior, His beloved Son, Jesus.

 “…giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:12-14 NIV

“I will pull you out into the Light again. I will gently cleanse you, washing off the clinging mire. I will cover you with My righteousness and walk with you down the path of Life.” Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

“Living in His Kingdom Light” by Dee Kamp, Grace Every Morning Ministries May 25, 2016