Wilderness Whispers (2024)

16/08/2024

Fridayfootprints - Fridaay 16th August 2024

Each time we step into the gardens of our wilderness, there should be an expectation, a longing that we will endure.

There is always a sense of mystery in the air of nature. A place where dreams can be dreamt and hopes can be formulated. As we seek, as we long to discover something more than the harsh realities of the world in which we live, we are led by a spirit of discovery.

To open our eyes to the vast possibilities that exist in a spirit-led life is the evidence that surrounds us in nature.

Open your eyes and soul to the mystery of miracles and let your mind wander with angels in their garden waltz all dressed up in heavenly ballgowns. Join the dance and let yourself experience creation in all its glory because that is what it is there for.

09/08/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 9th August 2024

From the breaking dawn on the sun-kissed dew to the warmth of the sunset as it reflects on our soul bring a blanket of comfort that will last through the darkened hours.

Through it all, nature gives us the sunshine to illuminate our faith.

There is a special bond between humanity and creation when we take the time to absorb what the Holy Spirit reveals to us. Taking that first step into the natural environment around us is a chance to find a peace that permeates every cell of our existence. There is a feeling of knowing that there are words to be discovered in the sights and sounds we will never be able to spell or pronounce.

Messages written into the very fabric of nature go far deeper than any scripture, just as there is a companionship with God that defies the realms of possibility.

Let nature be the light that brightens your soul, deepens your faith and brings songs of praise to your lips. Seek His light, touch the miracles of His creation, and know that He is God as His Grace descends upon us and the warmth of the Holy Spirit fills us to the brim! Amen

02/08/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 2nd August 2024

Let your faith be cocooned in the heart of sacrifice.

And in our innocence may we walk through the wilderness of our existence, peeling away the layers of His Word as we discover truths that have a personal impact on our lives.

The gardens of His creation are a journey of discovery at every turn. The flora and fauna in their sights and sounds inspire us to discover all there is to know about His presence in our lives.

Each petal touched, each birdsong heard, each frog chorus, the wind song as branches creak and above all the touch of soil on our skin as we gently massage the life of nature into the living of our souls.

The deeper we delve into His cocoon, the more we discover the preciousness of the gift of grace we have been given and the depth of comfort this brings.

Welcome it! Cherish it! Immerse yourself in it and bring Glory to His Name! Amen

26/07/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 26th July 2024

Fruit is to flowers what Gifts are to the Holy Spirit!

Inseparable! Or that is how it should be.

The fact that these gifts are on offer should have us twirling and dancing through the floral fields of our wilderness in exuberant joy.

A dance where we scatter the fruits of the Spirit from baskets laden with His gifts.

The flower exists to bear fruit, just as we exist to bear testimony to the resurrection of our Lord and the salvation that is coupled with the acceptance of Him as our Saviour. That God’s Grace is on offer is a miracle of all miracles. That He has not turned His back on humanity riddled with greed, prejudice, hate and corruption is testimony alone to His patience and perseverance with us.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are there to bear fruit. We are not meant to be idle blossoms, bystanders to society! We are here to grow, mature and bear fruits filled with His holiness.

Lord may the sweetness of my fruit and the abundance of its harvest be to the glory of your name and a testimony to your grace, Amen
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19/07/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 19th July 2024

Nature calls us for a heart-to-heart with God!

A gentle whisper, that when we hear it, brings a peace upon us as His presence becomes real.

When our hearts connect as we step out into His creation, there is a feeling of fellowship that awaits if we dare enough to open ourselves to the power of His Grace.

And then through the cacophony of nature’s silence, He speaks to us in words that wash over our souls in a baptism of the heart.

To enter a wilderness garden is to step into the Holy Spirit’s sitting room. A place filled with floral ornaments and foliage-sprayed walls and with the “Son’s” light as a chandelier of biblical proportions. It is here that we can relax, comfortable in an intimate conversation with the Spirit, listening to the backdrop of angel sounds and bask in the peace that prayerful interaction with the Trinity brings to us as the wilderness whispers.

Lord, may my heart be filled with you. Amen.

12/07/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 12th July 2024

Immerse yourself in the scent of Him!

Let His aromatic whispers float through the recesses of your soul as we are called into prayer and praise at the miracle of His creation.

Let the scents of nature linger on the pathways that lead us through the wilderness as a reminder of His everlasting presence.

May the fragrances of fellowship in the Holy Spirit be a constant reminder of the Grace of God as we struggle through worldly challenges.

Lord open up my senses so that every pore of my being breathes in all that you have gifted me. Amen.

05/07/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 5th July 2024

mmersed in Fellowship.

Step outside and creation greets you as a sunrise on the soul. Softly enfolding; nurturing and caring as light beams carry a kaleidoscope of colours and sounds to fill the vacuum that the world has created within us.

Nature is home to the angels, directed by the Holy Spirit, to be the bearers of comfort and hope.

Fellowship whether human or spiritual requires a stillness of the mind and an opening of the heart. It needs us to be receptive and welcoming, open to any eventuality. And then, as the sun rises a light floods the gardens of our wilderness’ and we can become immersed in a fellowship with Him.

Feel His arms around you. Respond to His caress. Slowly we become in tune with our surroundings, and we become more like Him!

Lord may I become immersed in your presence. Amen.

28/06/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 28th June 2024

To dream.

To dream dreams much bigger than ourselves is to enter a world where only God exists. And where only God exists, our dreams begin to merge into reality.

When we can enter this realm where Heaven surrounds us, Angels toll the bells of our dreamless past and the firmaments rain down diamonds of Grace to glorify this transition. Then for a brief time, we are at one with Him as we absorb the Holy Spirit into our being.

Creation’s church is a ‘dream maker’. A place of profound peace, where prayer lingers on the lips as we converse with Him sharing our innermost fears and aspirations. A place of whispers spoken and heard.

To gaze upon nature in the gardens of our wilderness’, is to see His will formulated from the beginning of time and we pause in the presence of this power where not even the songs of our praises can do justice to His greatness.

Lord, may I dream a dream far bigger than my imagination and may they be worthy of your presence. Amen.

21/06/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 21st June 2024

No matter how desolate the gardens of our wilderness are, there is always hope!

It is hidden behind the walls of the fortresses that we build. In our desperation for hope, the cracks in our walls appear. Where there are cracks; there is faith. And if we allow faith to take root, then slowly the cracks will open, and lengthen. Faith will grow, spreading, widening and breaking down until the walls of our buttresses crumble and Hope is exposed to the Risen Lord.

And when Hope is freed from its bo***ge it discovers Love.

And in the miracle of Love, there is Peace.

Let Faith take root in the cracks of your lives. Let the walls of your castle fall. Let nature in and allow the sights and sounds of creation to dance with the Holy Spirit in a wilderness waltz exposing the garden of your soul to the world in all its splendour, bringing Glory to our Lord. Amen

14/06/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 14th June 2024

The waters of our baptism flow along the veins of creation which are the pathways to our soul.

They gather in a sea of fellowship at the base of our faith progressing from the old self to a new rising form ready to burst onto the world in all its glory.

Our footsteps along the paths of nature expose us to a connection with the Holy Spirit where we experience the ‘goosebump’ knowledge of His presence. It is here that we can connect with absolute peace, as our mind is fed with the soul food of angels who dance amongst the diamonds on the stage of His wilderness.

And so is Eden a garden of our own making! A place we allow ourselves to enter His world as He longs to enter ours.

May His peace endure in your lives as you draw closer in body and in spirit to the miracle of His Grace.

Amen

07/06/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 7th June 2024

The armies of climate change gather their forces to inflict pain and suffering on nature and humanity across the world. Creation’s mouths cry out as the waters of our baptism are fed with tears from a multitude of the living.

Each in our own wilderness, our security is threatened as mankind prefers war, power, greed and ego. However, our biggest threat turns out to be our neglect of the stewardship we have been given.

‘Fear not I have overcome the world’….. is not our excuse to turn our heads away.

Along with nature, stand the poor and the destitute. The sick and the lame. The outcasts and the infirm.

Wherein lies our belief if our focus on God allows us to be blind to the pain and suffering of creation in the pursuit of human gratification? How barren is our Eden if it remains a desolate wilderness devoid of hope? The same Hope that we have been promised through the cross.

When the storm clouds burst their fury over the world, where is the Grace that humanity should be showing as we have been shown? We have been given the creation as the most wonderful blessing and how we treat it is our method of worshiping Him.

Be in fellowship with nature and encounter the Holy Spirit.

31/05/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 31st Nay 2024

There are so many views that each of us has of our wilderness.

We observe our different landscapes and vistas, sucking in the hues, sights and sounds. Yet at the same time, these views are snapshots taken from afar!

With the advent of the Holy Spirit in our lives we have the opportunity of experiencing the gardens of our existence from the inside. It is here that we have the chance to interact directly with the Trinty.

There is no need to view the elements of our faith from afar. The Holy Spirit is there to be felt: Gently and effortlessly, as all deep relationships should be. Through God’s Grace we have been gifted the greatest miracle…. that we can have Him with us all the time.

Walking through life we need to let our footsteps lead us down the paths that bring us to the inside of our relationship, and there to revel in the best that He has promised us! So rather than from the outside looking in, let us be on the inside looking around in the power of the Holy Spirit.

24/05/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 24th May 2023

Prayer, Praise and Worship.

As we walk through creation’s cathedral, light shines through the stained glass windows of His miracle and we are inspired as a natural reaction to our environment. It is here that we discover the gift of the Trinity as Three becomes One.

The Trinity comes alive as we immerse ourselves in His presence. Every element of our surroundings becomes the call to prayer, praise and worship. The elements of earth, water and air merge into the kaleidoscope of nature that makes up our wilderness. The welding together of prayer, praise is the cornerstone of our Faith as we explore the nuances of the power of having the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as an ever-present force and our baptism is completed.

The wait has been worth it! Now we walk with more bounce in our step and more song in our hearts.

May you sing His praises and know that the elements of nature combine to form the most beautiful blossoms, there for all to see as the wilderness’ whispers become the mass choir of worship to glorify His name. Amen

17/05/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 17th May 2024

A journey through the gardens of my wilderness follows a winding route as I take in the sights and sounds of creation’s bounty.

Now and then, there is a chance to step back and absorb the full vista of nature’s offering.

This journey is not about a specific destination, rather it concentrates on His companionship and fellowship along the way. It is filled with whispered wisdom and none more so than when we take the opportunity to pause and pay attention to the detail in the gift He has gifted us in His Eden.

Each time we can focus on the finer nuances of His creation, we are blessed with the awareness of His miraculous power.

To view the panorama before us is to see the Glory of God!

To see his miracles up close is to experience the awe-inspiring power of the Holy Spirit as He breathes new life into our souls.

A special power in the petals of His making speaks a language only the soul can understand.

Welcome, Holy Spirit, welcome.

10/05/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 10th May 2024

Nature is the “Upper Room” of our wilderness.

Flower by flower, petal by petal, prayer by prayer to seek out the companionship of creation as a soul longs to form a closer bond with him.

Each day is another invitation to find solace in the fellowship of His handiwork. A chance to delve deeper into a relationship with our surroundings. As we search for the footprints of angels on the paths we tread that will lead us to a deeper understanding of the Holy Spirit that we await.

Hear the sound of His whispers in the clarion call that bursts forth from trumpet mouths clothed in His royal cloak. Waving in the breeze His Words are breathed out to the world.

And as the air vibrates we turn our faces to Him, seeking …. and wait His anointing.

Come, Holy Spirit Come!

03/05/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 3rd May 2024

Who knows how many more days we have with Him in our presence?

As we walk with Him in the gardens of His creation, we experience His light and see the miracle-working power emanating from all that surrounds us.

To take the time, rather; to make the time to bask in His light, so much of Him is revealed. From broad landscapes to miniature plants, something always creeps into our soul and says; ‘here I am … see Me’.

We can catch our breath in a ‘Wow’ moment and know He is with us. Nothing in the world should be taken for granted. Our senses should forever seek out the soul food of His fellowship as we journey with Him through the Eden of our existence.

Lord, may you be a spotlight on my transgressions and a floodlight on my road ahead. May the wisdom of His Word dance as whispers on the sunbeams off angel wings as they flood my soul.

26/04/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 26th April 2024

Nestled in a bed of petals lies life.

Gently held in nature’s cupped hand are the ingredients for new life. Seed and womb in its tiniest form will give rise to a new life; full of gentleness and sweet fragrances, yet at the same time powerful enough to grab the attention of any passerby with the simplest of calls ….

Stop and smell the roses!

As the Risen Lord walks amongst us we are reminded of His gentleness and the sweet-smelling aroma of His Word as it works its way through our senses. In His hands, He holds the ingredients of our faith for those who will stop along the way and pay a little more attention to the bounty He holds out to us. The basis for life in His hands offers a rebirth of miraculous proportions.

Not just any promise but ‘the’ promise.

Wait, I will send you a comforter! And so we wait Lord. Hold out your hand to us, that we may rest secure in the comfort of your grasp surrounded by the aroma of your Grace.

We wait, Lord; comforted by You.

19/04/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 19th April 2024

Besides still waters!

To find Him there: To listen, meditate, contemplate, pray and in so doing to be absorbed into the core of His being.

This is the nectar for the soul that we derive from our fellowship with the Risen Christ. To experience His presence as we walk through the gardens of our existence as we stop and savour the sweetness of all that His creation offers up to us.

In the sights and sounds of nature, we find a perfect stillness within ourselves. Our own still waters. Where, in the waters of our baptism, we come to a deeper understanding and knowledge of the miracle of His resurrection and the confirmation of His holiness. Surely this is the sugary syrup of our faith that we should be flocking to?

If we can experience this, then it is only a short wait before we will receive the promise of the Holy Spirit.

Wait besides the still waters. Wait and believe! There is more than a watery baptism to come!

12/04/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 12th April 2024

To experience fellowship with the Risen Lord during this period of Christ’s affirmation of the miracle of His presence is our opportunity to be fully wrapped in the miracle powers of His presence.

It is a time to fully appreciate the miracle of the Living Christ in our midst!

And miracles abound.

Any day, any time; we just need to reflect on the events going on around us. Creation in all its elements surrounds us. And therein lies our Lord. If we can see, feel, and hear, then we become aware of His presence and just how miraculous this is.

To be cradled in His holiness is our initiation into His resurrection. To feel Him wrap around us as we become immersed in His scent. To experience the petal gentle softness of His love that nurtures our faith. Washed and cleansed by His fellowship. All these are but a forerunner of what is to come after His ascension.

Just to be with the Risen, Living Lord is a miracle enough. Praise Him Hallelujah.

05/04/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 5th April 2024

And so we start another journey: Our Emmaus Road of 40 days.

A journey not to the light, but with the light! The time between the resurrection and his ascent into heaven is there that we can experience the Risen Lord. Now is the time, not of wondering who He is but knowing without a shadow of a doubt.

This is a walk with His light all around us. A time to experience the miracles that surround us every day.

Each walk we take in nature serves to reinforce the miracle-working power that we can drink in with morning dew. His spiritual power exudes from the pores of all creation and the scent of His Glorious presence is the light that accompanies us every step of the way.

What a road this is to travel. What a travelling partner to have. So much to learn and absorb.

Praise Him, Praise Him, He is risen, He is with us. Amen.

29/03/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 29th March 2024

It is a long walk through the wilderness of our Lent.

It is an even longer walk to be alone with our sins as we prepare to sacrifice all for His sake. How have we have prepared ourselves to feel the full weight of the cross as we carry the burden of our misdemeanours to our own Calvary Hill.

Our fellowship with the Trinity has strengthened us for this very purpose – with our death to self, we are bathed in His light and anointed by His Grace.

For the whole period of our Lenten journey, we have had His light shine down upon us and now as we take the final steps, we wait for a glow to emanate from within and to shine out into the world and onto all who are gathered at the foot of our crosses. In His light we seek our faith, through His Grace we find our life and our salvation. The ultimate sacrifice from God is measured through the sacrifices we make to Glorify Him.

May you be blessed this Easter by the presence of the Holy Spirit within you. May His light shine out from you as a beacon to the world and may the strength He has imparted to you throughout your Lenten walk in the wilderness be the rock of your faith in the days that follow.

As we await your Comforter, Lord we praise your mercy. Amen.

22/03/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 22nd March 2024

To convert the harsh rocks of our wilderness into the water-smoothed pebbles of our baptismal riverbed is a Lenten process that takes time and commitment.

It is only when we seek the full fellowship of the Trinity that we get to the heart of the Grace that has been promised to us. Searching for His peace, nature in all its forms, offers us a perspective of just how tightly the Trinity is bound together and the softness of His Grace that lies at the very core of His existence.

Each year’s Lenten journey is an opportunity to delve deeper and deeper into our relationship with Him. And in our silent meditation, we start to discover the pastel shades of faith, love and hope. We discover that our wilderness is not a dry and desolate landscape but rather littered with the water-rounded pebbles of our baptism as the comfort He offers.

Our journey is to re-gather the pebbles and nurture the memories and experiences each one brings to mind. Let the waters that formed them wash over us and cleanse us anew. Let the droplets scatter and sustain the lives around us and may the earth of our wilderness be transformed into a paradise of fellowship.

Amen.

15/03/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 15th March 2024

Finding holiness is a never-ending journey on the paths that traverse our wilderness.

Be!

The command to strive, practise, carry out, do, and become.

To be holy as He is Holy is something we strive for yet struggle to attain. Holiness for some becomes an unattainable goal that soon gets lost along the way as we deal with what the world throws at us and what we throw at ourselves!

To find the peace that He offers means focusing on His light. And when His 'light behind the white' shines upon us, the reflection of His fellowship is the beginning of the transfer of spiritual DNA that is the essential ingredient in our fulfilment of holiness.

Lent is about spending time in an introspective reflection and examination of our own holiness and the realisation of just how far we still must travel.

To embark on this journey hand in hand with the beauty of creation around us is all the motivation we need.

Seek Him. Find His light in the whispers of nature and may your wilderness become a place of comforting fellowship and not a testing ground of failures. Let His whiteness envelope you. Amen.

08/03/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 8th March 2024

My wilderness is layered with pastel petals. A calming presence that lightens my load on the pathways of my journey. Each shade reflects the softness of His Grace. A gentleness that continues to nudge me away from my transgressions and faults.

It is a rainbow of compassion that hangs over His creation that surrounds me. No stick is needed! Only His subtle guidance as soft as the early morning sun, and as awe inspiring as the evening sunsets.

My time with Him is best spent in these contemplative hours. Before work starts and after it has ended. In between? It is in the ‘in-between times’ that I rely on the strengths garnered in my meditations to carry me through.

In prayer and praise, His gentle pastel persona dwells within me. I only have to pause to hear Him, to acknowledge His presence, and then I am sustained for one more moment in time. Every heartbeat is a chance to have Him near me. An opportunity for His fellowship in nature’s floral vase where the sights, sounds and fragrances permeate every cell of my being.

Then He is in me completely and my soul sings! I am lifted by angels to fly on wings of the Spirit in free abandonment of worship and my wilderness becomes a paradise. Amen.
devotional

01/03/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 1st March 2024

Our Lenten walk through the wilderness is to rediscover the Trinity and not a journey in spite of the Trinity.

It is a chance to spiritually reconnect with that which is near and dear to us. Lent is a period of growth. A time when we nurture the expectant buds of faith until they burst into full bloom as the redemption from His sacrifice.

His Grace and love lie in the roots of creation as they form the lifeblood of nature that surrounds us and the world in which we live. No matter how desolate the wilderness may appear His creative force lies just beneath the surface waiting for that one drop of water from our baptism to bring a life renewed.

This is the pathway that our footsteps must tread. And with introspection comes the excitement and expectation of what fellowship with the Trinity can bring.

May all your journeys lead you closer to Him and further from temptation making your wilderness worthwhile. Amen.

23/02/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 23rd February 2024

Our Lenten journey from the Garden of Eden to our wildernesses and back is a pilgrim road that stretches through the years of our lives.

It is a journey through a variety of garden landscapes from the green and luscious to the parched and desolate.

Yet in each garden, there is peace to be found.

A sense of calm where we can spend time in little spots of spiritual holiness that we find along the way.

All creation provides us with the opportunity to interact with God. By giving ourselves over to seeking peace and calmness in prayer, we find our focus being firmly fixed on the Holy Spirit and it is here that the temptations of our wilderness dissolve as we are overwhelmed with sensations of fellowship in the spirit and presence of the Trinity.

The deeper the calm, the more our faith is focused on God and our pilgrimage leaves footprints for others to follow in our endeavour to reach His eternal garden in Heaven.

If our thoughts and prayers are centred on Him then our praises are impervious to temptation, and we can join creation's chorus to paint soul-songs on the canvases of our baptism. Amen.

16/02/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 16th February 2024

We do not start our journey in the wilderness as holy beings. Rather the path towards our personal transfiguration starts with our first Lenten step and is followed each year by another Lent and a further walk with a lot more steps.

Each part of our walk through this wilderness provides a little more spiritual clarity and step by step, brings areas into focus as we walk in faith. As our inner lens becomes clearer, so we see areas of our spiritual composition that we need to work on as Lent after Lent our collage takes shape.

Whilst our final transfiguration will only be at the end of our journey when we enter our everlasting home with Him, there are so many areas of illumination that take place along the way.

Each Lent, we are inspired to discover Faith, hope and Love and explore them to their fullest.

Lord during our Lenten walk if there is no other area that we bring into focus, let Love be foremost! That we see love and understand it. Love for you and for humanity that surrounds and love for your creation which sustains us.

When all is blurred lord, I pray that love comes into focus. That I may experience it and show it. To you and to all.

Amen.

12/02/2024

In my last post I used the phrase ' a gasp in time'.
What is a gasp in time?

It is longer than a snapshot, yet not as long as a moment. A gasp is defined not only by its length, but by its content.

A gasp is a chance to capture a few of the Holy Spirit's molecules of breath. A chance to breath in spiritual sustenance and then to hold it inside us for long enough for it to find its way to our soul.

If a gasp can capture just a mouthful of the air that was breathed over the waters of creation then we are so much closer to being transformed.

A gasp in time - an infilling of spiritual goodness.
Amen.

09/02/2024

Fridayfootprints - Friday 9th February 2024

Our Daily prayer. "Our Father who is …… give us this day our daily bread"

He has given us creation in its finest form to provide us with our spiritual needs. Nature surrounds us, and gifts to us our ‘Daily Dose’ of soul food.

If we can but immerse ourselves, even for the shortest gasp of time in His presence – we will hear His voice.

We will see Him at work from the beginning of creation. We can observe the scale of the tiniest birds and know that we are more important to Him than any of these. Our plea is answered every day, all day.

Let us find ourselves in fellowship with nature to come into fellowship with the Holy Spirit as His representative in the gardens of our wilderness’. Let us feast on His bread in a congregation of hungry humanity that cries out for His presence at the dinner table.

May our ‘bread’ pleas become praise as our prayers are sent on the wings of angels to our heavenly Lord and our day become a little lighter and brighter in the company of creation as we break bread in communion with Him.

Amen

Wilderness Whispers