Mirrors... Reflections... In God's Image

And thus more and more will you be lost in the divine Image, and He will be revealed.” source

is for...  "Before" I realized  this porthole is actually a mirror 
Creature Captivated by its own reflection?
  
Dwelling in His secret place, and beholding Him, so that as a mirror you reflect His glorious face, you will be changed into that blessed Image, in soul and spirit, and in all your being.” source
Entertainment is the devil's substitute for joy. The more joy you have in the Lord the less entertainment you need.” ~ Leonard Ravenhill - ponder that!
Fair picture of delight...behold the lowliness and the gentleness and beauty of the Lord... at all times, and in all places, let this mirror in your hearts reflect the blessed Face of Christ. And let all your ways and all your works be compared therewith, and measured thereby... let this mirror be bright and undimmed.” source: Three Friends of God by Frances Bevan Chapter XXVI "The Unveiled Face"
"Human's are created in God's image. An image is a mirror or a reflection...everybody...Has intrinsic value and worth." ~ Tony Evans explores Racial Reconciliation YouVersion Bible app Plan
"If you have to be a porter or a labourer, let this mirror be bright and undimmed ..." link to source
 Imago Dei : theological term, applied uniquely to humans, which denotes the symbolical relation between God and humanity. The term has its roots in Genesis 1:27, wherein "God created man in his own image. . ." refers most fundamentally to two things: first, God's own self-actualization through humankind; and second, God's care for humankind. source
Jacquelyn Beth Law:  when I first saw my reflection in this mirror by a dumpster in our neighborhood I thought "I look old" but then, I decided to smile and take a picture and I saw a resemblance to my brother Bob, home I love and admire, and I thought, "Oh! Okay"
Keep Making Me by is a song that fits this post too, so I'll include again, in case you missed :)
"Laughing giddily" - I enjoy watching with subtitle on, in this case When Calls the Heart on Netflix
My soul follows hard after you." Psalm 63:8 par p. 253 Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard
"Natural condition of life for human beings is one of reciprocal rootedness in others." ~ p. 272 Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard
"Our purpose must then be to become One who loves Others with Christ’s agape~ p. 279 Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard
Purpose, when developed, will transform the social dimension of the human self and all of our relationships to others. Love is not a feeling, or a special way of feeling but the divine way of relating to others and oneself that moves through every dimension of our being and restructures our world for good." ~ p. 279 Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard
"Qumran : who referred to their group as the yehad, a term closely connected to the idea of oneness found in the Old Testament" source (Mic. 2:12). 
Random Reflections? 
Saturdays are my chance to be in the library helping people for a few hours. 
Trees reflected near dumpster in our neighborhood 
" Unveiled Face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." ~ 2 Corinthians 3:18
Vision for Unity: "Jesus, the Shema, and the Glorious Trinity" link to source  Vision for 
Whole human beings can emerge to form Whole human communities, under God..."Whole, as God himself sees them. Such a vision sets them beyond the wounds and limitations they have received in their past relationships to others. It is this vision of oneself from God’s point of view that makes it possible to regard oneself as blessed, no matter what has happened.  ~ p. 291-7 Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard
a glorious eXistence forever p. 297
Yehad is often translated as “community,” an English word whose etymology also reflects this notion of oneness or unity. link to source 
Zinnia and Lemon Balm in the 

Life Without Lack, Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart, and more, always more...

As “the Living Word” it provides an “intensive internalization of the kingdom”  so we can be integrated “into the flow of God’s eternal reign.” (The Divine Conspiracy, p. 362)
Begins with an audacious claim: 'The Lord is my shepherd, he gives me life without lack.' "
Core 52 Week 35 : Communion
Dallas [Willard] personally meditated on the Shepherd Psalm every day.” ~ Bill Gaultiere
Establishes “good Epidermal responses of thought, feeling, and action”
"Follow the Lord wherever He leads." ~ John Calvin qtd by Dallas Willard
Grow in Grace” means to utilize more and more Grace to live by, until everything we do is assisted by Grace. Then, whatever we do in word or deed will all be done in the name of the Lord Jesus (Colossians 3:17) Renovation of the Heart: Putting On the Character of Christ by Dallas Willard
 “He [the Psalmist] is living in the most real world, a world where Yahweh is present and available and actively involved in the lives of those who know and trust him” (Life Without Lack, p. 24).
I invite you to take a few minutes and go deeper in the Shepherd Psalm with me." ~ Bill Gaultiere
Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so”—is the only complete answer to the false and destructive images and ideas that control the life of those away from God. condition of humanity right." p. 152 Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard
 "Lingering on and Luxuriating in each phrase of Dallas’ version of Psalm 23..." ~ Bill Gaultiere
"Most powerful image and symbol of human history; the cross presents the lostness of man as well as the sacrifice of God and the abandonment to God that brings redemption." p. 148
Psalm 23 covers the whole of the spiritual life in God’s kingdom. It’s all there — except for the essential understanding of the historical Jesus.” ~ Dallas Willard

"Quality of any relationship will be determined by the Quality of the communication, and any relationship that does not have continuing communication is a dying relationship." p.170 The Vision: The Final Quest and The Call by Rick Joyner 

Reading: 

"The Transformation of our  Thought life by Taking on the mind of Christ—his ideas, images, information, and patterns of Thinking—opens the way to deliverance of every dimension of the human self from the oppressive powers of darkness." ~ p. 175  Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard
"Ultimate freedom we have as human beings is the power to select what we will allow or require our minds to dwell upon." p. 142  Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard
VIM: Vision, Intention, Means p. 125  Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard
When you pray Psalm 23 you find that Someone is there waiting for you to greet you and guide you.”  ~ Dallas Willard
"eXult in hope of the glory of God." Romans 5:2 qtd. 198  Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard
Zzzz the sound a bee made as it buzzed in (and thankfully out) of my ear as I walked to my car

When the spirit of God shows up...

Acceptance: moving from thoughts of [me] to thoughts of God"
"Blessings To You, From God" Day 2 YouVersion Bible Plan 
Delightful gift - that time in the early morning... Divine Distractions are a Delightful gift"
"Eternal destiny is not cosmic retirement; it is to be part of a tremendously creative project, under unimaginably splendid leadership, on an inconceivably vast scale, with ever-increasing cycles of fruitfulness and enjoyment — that is the prophetic vision which ‘eye has not seen and ear has not heard.’" p.26 Soul Keeping: Caring for the Most Important Part of You by John Ortberg
Finished listening to Soul Keeping on audio and switching to digital written version.
Going back through visual book for a deeper dive.
Hebrews 12:15 "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled."
"It's the Nature of the Soul to Need" ~ Chapter 6 of this book:
"Keeper of the Stream" parable p. 16 Prologue Soul Keeping by John Ortberg
"Law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul... the soul was made to Love and do the will of God." p. 90 
"Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see." ~ C.S. Lewis God in the Dock
Nancy Ann Thomason Law Whalen's Wharf  8/14/2020
Our greatest worship is where we serve, work, play, live in Spirit and in Truth - Mark Moore Core52
Psalm 127 is fairness, justice, and recognizing the sovereign blessings of God in your life, even when life doesn’t seem fair. source: Encounter on YouVersion Bible app and here
Quiddity: the inherent nature or essence of someone or something p. 196 and 205 C.S. Lewis' Surprised By Joy 
"Resurrect your prayer-life, as scripture instructs..." 
"Suddenly in a heartbeat, I felt profoundly listened to..." from this wonderful video series 
"Thomas Aquinas wrote that this neediness of the soul is a pointer to God...There is only one area where human beings are unlimited... we have unlimited desire... This is the soul crying out. We never have enough. The truth is, the soul's infinite capacity to desire is the mirror image of God's infinite capacity to give." p. 95 Soul Keeping by John Ortberg 
"Unlimited neediness of the soul matches the Unlimited grace of God." p. 96 Soul Keeping
"Vvulnerable, precious thing about you called your soul" p. 44elcro of the soul is what Jesus calls 'desire'." p. 69 Soul Keeping
"When the spirit of God shows up, barriers are broken down."
"We have this hope as an anchor of the soul, firm and secure." ~ Hebrews 6:19
"His eternal eXistance, omniscience, and love are all beyond measure." p. 79 Soul Keeping
"Your soul is what integrates, what connects, what binds together your will, then your mind (those thoughts, feelings, and desires going on all the time), and then your body (with all of its appetites, habits, and behavior). God designed us so that our choices, our thoughts and desires, and our behavior would be in perfect harmony with each other and would be powered by an unbroken connection with God, in perfect harmony with him and with all of his creation. That is a well-ordered soul.The soul is what connects all those innermost parts together, connects them with God, and was made for harmony all the way through." p. 77 Soul Keeping: Caring for the Most Important Part of You by John Ortberg
Zephaniah 3:17 "The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; He will exult over you with loud singing."

August has Arrived...

 so far...
Bible Project videos Heaven and Earth, Agape, Atonement, and so many more 
"Choice that you make to seek the well-being of people other than yourself" ~ Agape video
"Decades later the most vivid memories remain those of color and sound." p. 96 Sudden Sea
Each community stood alone, isolated against the onslaught." p. 95 Sudden Sea R.A. Scotti
"Geography, topography, the lay of the land, became critical factors." p. 95 Sudden Sea R.A. Scotti
"Houses went to sea, boast came ashore, and ordinary objects were recast." p. 95
"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance, and his incomparably great power for us who believe." ~ Ephesians 1:18-19
Jack and Lillian
Kinney
"Lillian, Jack, and the clammers were the only four to survive the storm on Napatree." p. 198
Moore family found a haystack sheltered by a stone wall, and there in the field beneath a sky full of stars they spent the night." p. 192 Sudden Sea R.A. Scotti
Nature flaunting its supremacy..." p. 95
"Ocean changed to black marble." p. 152
"Patchogue, Long Island striking with such force that it set off seismograph in Alaska." p. 98
"...Quotient of drama to the glorious days." Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938
"Rooftops were Rafts..." p.95 Read this book in a matter of a few short days:
 "Summer of '38 had been miserable"
"Town by town, the Northeast darkened and was silenced." p.95
"Unimaginably violent, churning water." p. 95 chapter 8 "Upside Down, Inside Out"
"...Vaulting sea walls..." p. 83
"Women hiked their skirts up over their knees and men stripped to their undershirts while children slept on screened-porches, hair plastered against flushed cheeks." p. 83-4
"eXtreme hurricane is a sudden eXplosion of wind and water." It is... nature of flaunting its supremacy and cutting us down to size, reducing our finest creations to rubble, knocking us back centuries." p. 95
"Yawning chasms, in a hopeless jumble of power lines, signal towers, houses, boats, and thousands of tons of debris." p. 211
"Zinnias, dahlias, and golden rod are in bloom, the last of the berries are bright on the bush, and overhead the first trace of autumn colors the trees." p. 83

1303 - Beyond... Joy... and more...

Anything I could have imagined and
Beyond...
C.S. Lewis' Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life
"Dark backward and abysm of time." ~ Shakespeare qtd. p.14 Surprised by Joy
"Every man must tell his own tale." ~ C.S. Lewis p. 16 Surprised by Joy
"Fuss and Flummery of the Funeral." p. 20
Grimace, Gesture, and pantomime p. 4 of
"Horns of elfland" from Tennyson's "The Princess: The Splendour Falls on Castle Walls" qtd. p. 5
"Invention is essentially different from reverie." p.15
"Joy, which is... sharply distinguished from both Happiness and from Pleasure." p. 18
"Knickerbockers that button at the Knee." p.22
Lough was full of shipping; a delight to both us boys, but most to my brother. ... The flats of Lancashire in the early morning are in reality a dismal sight; to me ..." p. 11
 Mirror - it's a mirror! I had thought it was a window just like a port hole (see "B" above)
Nexus : a connection or series of connections linking two or more things p. 47
Obstinate by choice. One boy who lived near us... Our lives were already full, and the holidays too short for all the reading, writing, playing, cycling, and talking that we wanted to get through." p. 46
Perfunctory : carried out with a minimum of effort or reflection. p. 14
Quixotic : exceedingly idealistic p. 4
Robin Williams we watched Hook on his birthday (7/21) and Dead Poet's Society this week.
 
"Surprised by joy—impatient as the Wind." ~ William Wordsworth
"Two frightened urchins huddled for warmth in a bleak world." p.19
"Unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction. I call it Joy..." p.17-18
"Visible even to the careless and objective eyes of a child." p.45 Vapidest p. 48
"What more felicity can fall a creative / Than to enjoy delight with liberty?" p. 13
uneXpurgated - uncensored p. 14
"Your father knows what you need." Matthew 6:33 qtd. by ...
Zac Poonan "Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit" July 29, 2020 video link here