My Heart Is There

 

 

Spending time with the Lord in the morning is so precious to me.  As I've told you Gail-Friends before, Streams in the Desert  is my favorite daily devotional guide.**  I've been using it for many years - over fifty - Wow!   I love the quotes and the poetry.  There is a newer edition with more up to date language, but I prefer my original edition, published in 1925.  I'm on my second copy and it is getting more and more ragged. (My first one fell completely apart.)  Like the Holy Scriptures, I'm always blessed by the focus of the reading for the day.  Yesterday's reading was so right for me.  I have to share it with you. 

My beloved, but tattered, copy of Streams

This is the Streams reading for August 26 that vividly expresses my heart:

"I remember a summer in which I said, “It is the ocean I need,” and I went to the ocean; but it seemed to say, “It is not in me!” The ocean did not do for me what I thought it would. Then I said, “The mountains will rest me,” and I went to the mountains, and when I awoke in the morning there stood the grand mountain that I had wanted so much to see; but it said, “It is not in me!” It did not satisfy. Ah! I needed the ocean of His love, and the high mountains of His truth within. It was wisdom that the “depths” said they did not contain, and that could not be compared with jewels or gold or precious stones. Christ is wisdom and our deepest need. Our restlessness within can only be met by the revelation of His eternal friendship and love for us.
—Margaret Bottome

“My heart is there!

’Where, on eternal hills, my loved one dwells

Among the lilies and asphodels;

Clad in the brightness of the Great White Throne,

Glad in the smile of Him who sits thereon,

The glory gilding all His wealth of hair

And making His immortal face more fair

THERE IS MY TREASURE and my heart is there.

 

“My heart is there!

’With Him who made all earthly life so sweet,

So fit to live, and yet to die so meet;

So mild, so grand, so gentle and so brave,

So ready to forgive, so strong to save.

His fair, pure Spirit makes the Heavens more fair,

And thither rises all my longing prayer

THERE IS MY TREASURE and my heart is there.”

—Favorite poem of the late Chas. E. Cowman

 

You cannot detain the eagle in the forest. You may gather around him a chorus of the choicest birds; you may give him a perch on the goodliest pine; you may charge winged messengers to bring him choicest dainties; but he will spurn them all. Spreading his lofty wings, and with his eye on the Alpine cliff, he will soar away to his own ancestral halls amid the munition of rocks and the wild music of tempest and waterfall.

 

The soul of man, in its eagle soarings, will rest with nothing short of the Rock of Ages. Its ancestral halls are the halls of Heaven. Its munitions of rocks are the attributes of God. The sweep of its majestic flight is Eternity! “Lord, THOU hast been our dwelling place in all generations.”
—Macduff

 

“My Home is God Himself”; Christ brought me there.

I laid me down within His mighty arms;

He took me up, and safe from all alarms

He bore me “where no foot but His hath trod,”

Within the holiest at Home with God,

And bade me dwell in Him, rejoicing there.

O Holy Place! O Home divinely fair!

And we, God’s little ones, abiding there.

 

“My Home is God Himself”; it was not so!

A long, long road I traveled night and day,

And sought to find within myself some way,

Aught I could do, or feel to bring me near;

Self effort failed, and I was filled with fear,

And then I found Christ was the only way,

That I must come to Him and in Him stay,

And God had told me so.

 

And now “my Home is God,” and sheltered there,

God meets the trials of my earthly life,

God compasses me round from storm and strife,

God takes the burden of my daily care.

O Wondrous Place! O Home divinely fair!

And I, God’s little one, safe hidden there.

Lord, as I dwell in Thee and Thou in me,

So make me dead to everything but Thee;

That as I rest within my Home most fair,

My soul may evermore and only see

My God in everything and everywhere;

My Home is God.

—Author Unknown

 

I hope you are blessed and encouraged by this devotional.  I'd love to know if you use a daily devotional guide and why you love it.

**You can read my other posts about Streams HERE

Blessings to you all.

---

Book Review: 52 Weekly Devotions for Families Called to Serve

One thing I say often is, “God bless the nurses!”  I mean it with all of my heart because they do a masterful job of serving us in times of illness and crisis. 

Where would we be without those who serve us? 

Think about what your community would be like without policemen, firemen, doctors, nurses and other first responders.

And now, imagine a country without a strong military for protection.

Rabbis and pastors are also our servants.  They are first responders in times of crisis, illness, and death.

It’s important to recognize the dedication and sacrifice of these people who serve us so faithfully.  They deserve our honor, recognition, and gratitude. 

Their families deserve our gratitude, too.  They're a part of their loved one’s calling and face great challenges due to long hours, extended periods of service during emergencies, and many times have to spend long periods of time away from their loved ones.

Karen Whiting’s book, 52 Weekly Devotions for Families Called to Serve is a great resource if your family is called to serve.  But – it’s not just for those families.  The book is valuable for parents, grandparents, and synagogue and church libraries. 

The book helps children understand why their family is called to serve and teaches lessons to help the family bond and support each other through the special challenges they face.  But it can be used by any family, synagogue, or church to understand and appreciate their first responders and their families.

Karen uses Bible verses, stories, and tactile activities such as arts and crafts, charts, scrap-booking, and letter writing to help those lessons stick. I love the fun, colorful illustrations, too.

The book is divided into fifty-two weekly sections.  Each section focuses on a particular aspect of service. For example, the lesson for week six, Time for Family, centers on enjoying family togetherness.  Every family needs this lesson, right?

Each lesson has:

·        a family beatitude

·        a weekly Bible verse

·        suggested activities to reinforce the lesson

·        a short story that includes the lesson (2 minutes)

·        a Bible story connection to the lesson (3-4 minutes)

·        chat prompts (these are great to get children to talk about the lesson)

·        scrapbook/prayer journal options (I love these)

·        frontline tips (example: send care packages to absent family members)

·        prayer

·        Wrap-up (example: talk about what you do to stay connected as a family)

Families can pick and choose what options to include as time allows.  

The book is being added to our synagogue’s collection of resources for parents.  I highly recommend it as a gift for families of first responders and for every family with children.  I say this because the book’s will assist in developing a closeness to God, to family, and to the community.

You can read a short portion of the book (free) at this LINK and then purchase it from Christianbook.com.

You can also purchase Karen's book on Amazon.com at this LINK

Karen Whiting has written twenty-six books. Be sure to visit her website  to see them.

Her blog, Family Faith and Food has a wealth of resources, tips, and encouragement for your family,  Be sure to visit.

You can also find Karen Whiting on:

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