Lightkeeper's Journal

Living Life in Relationship to God

 

Article and Photography by Norma Beaird

 

Psalm 16:7-11

I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel:

my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.

I have set the Lord always before me:

because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth:

my flesh also shall rest in hope.

For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell;

neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy;

at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

 

Curtis has always said that King David, author of the Book of Psalms, lived his life in relationship to God.  I really began to think about that and search my heart. Did I honestly live my life in wholeness, in relationship to God?  After all, we are part of the Genesis One creation story because He is still creating and we are a part of His creation.

 

Genesis 1:27

So God created man in His own image,

in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

 

This entire universe, planet and our surroundings are a part of God's glorious creation. Everything we experience is lived in relationship to God, whether praising God, preparing food or dealing with daily situations that result in chaos and aggravation. 

 

No matter what we're engaged in or what emotions we're experiencing......prayer, church, work, vacation, listening to music, walking in nature, hunting, fishing, happiness, sadness, success, failures, sin, redemption, crying, laughter, confession and forgiveness.....life can be lived in relationship to God. 

 

We don't live in one world, while God lives in another.  He is a part of all of it. 

 

When King David woke up, he praised God.

When he was hurting, he cried out to God.

Whether his words were proclamation, frustration or lamentation, his entire life was lived in relationship to a Holy God.

 

We share everything with God - our heart and soul, our ups and our downs, the joy and the grief.  He is included as He is our Father.  If we're truly connected to the Creator of the Universe, we live every moment in tune with the One who breathed life into us.  He must be Lord of all.

 

Why?  Because...

 

When we wake up each morning, we experience the blessings of God.

When we have food on our table, we have the provision of God.

When we encounter evil, we have the protection of God.

In happiness or grief, we can experience the love of God.

When we see the sun, moon and stars, we see the hand of God.

When we hear a bird sing, we hear the creation of God.

In sunshine or storms, we can feel the power of God.

Viewing blue skies and cotton clouds, we see the artwork of God.

When we experience a beautiful flower, we breathe the fragrance of God.

When we see a rainbow, we see the promise of God.

When someone sings a song or plays an instrument, we hear the gifts of God.

When we read the Bible, we can know the peace of God.

When we read Bible prophecy, we discern the warnings from God.

When we spend time in prayer, we enjoy the comfort and strength of God.

 

Life is best lived in the total relationship to God. We are soul, mind & body. Nothing is separated from God. Working or resting, laughing or crying, in noise or silence, we experience it all, knowing that God understands the deepest needs of our soul. He rejoices with us on the good days and dries our tears on the bad days.  He created the Earth, and all of us.  In the midst of trouble, sickness or pain, He's still in control of it all. He will guide us with His hand.  He gives us free will and yearns to be our Father, our Healer and Guide. For those who are spiritually lost, He longs to be their Savior.  He loves us.  We love Him.  We serve Him. 

 

He is God. 

 

Glory to His Name. 

 

 

All scripture is King James Version.

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2022, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved. 

 

 

Faith Changes the Impossible...

 

Photography and Article by Norma Beaird

 

Faith Changes the Impossible....
to Possible. Miracles are Real and Divine.

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Your survival depends upon your faith in God. Faith is about believing that God is God, that He answers prayer and that miracles are still possible. The world's answers are temporary and cannot offer lasting solutions. Money, power or status cannot guarantee stability. Change is inevitable and even frightening to those without faith. But, when we believe...our faith in the Creator of the Universe makes the impossible.... POSSIBLE. Your true key to success is salvation, prayer and belief. There's not a magical formula, a ten-step process, or a current religious trend that can do what God can do in your life.

Matthew 19:26
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Mark 9:23
Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

Luke 1:37
For with God nothing shall be impossible.

God is not a trend or a Santa Claus in the sky. He is the Creator of Heaven and Earth. He loves you. He wants to be the stabilizer on life's rocking ship. The world will catapult us into stormy seas and God desires to anchor us in His presence, power and knowledge. His power is a power to change.... and it can change your circumstance, your health, your financial situation or your impossibility. With God, all things are possible. We must first believe in Jesus as our Savior and repent of our sins.

Romans 10:9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

We are coming to a time in this country (and in the world) where we must learn to depend on God for our survival. The world's political and financial systems have failed us and will continue to fail. Family and friends may be there for you....or.... they may not.

Remember, fear and unbelief will make people behave in strange ways. Fear will drive a sane person crazy and will render them dysfunctional. But, when all else fails, we can cling to our faith in God. We must depend upon God to guide us through these perilous and uncertain days. Jesus still saves, miracles still happen and the promises of God will stand.

Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

All scriptures are King James Version.

 

 

Copyright 2022, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved.

 

Jesus in the World

 

Jesus in the World

Photography by Norma Beaird
Poem by Curtis Beaird

He meets us in the silence of our soul,
The rancor of the world invades our spirit.

He speaks to us in a quiet voice of calling,
The seductive voice of the world spoils and destroys.

His mercy endures forever,
The will of the world is relentless and demanding.

His peace passes understanding,
The world thrives on chaos and fear.

He is an ever present help in time of trouble,
The world manipulates division and strife.

He always creates and cares,
The world drains and exhausts.

He renews our spirit,
The world attacks with a smile.

He waits patiently for an invitation,
The world abandons with delight.

Revelation 3:20

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice,

and open the door, I will come in to him,

and will sup with him, and he with Me.

 

And the world falls silent.

 

 

Copyright 2022, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved. 

Exhaustion

 

Photography by Norma Beaird

Article by Curtis Beaird

 

“Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.” Psalm 143:4

There is tired, and then there is tired. Physical fatigue is an easy fix — sleep. Not that we rush to give ourselves permission to rest; but, we a least know the answer to “bone-tired", and that is sleep.

Spiritual fatigue is a different matter.

A nap won’t do it. Like it or not, and we don’t, there are those times when body and soul are overwhelmed to the point that we feel that our life has been, in the words of King David, “beat down to the ground”; and, we “dwell in darkness.” And, not just any darkness, but the darkness like “those that have been long dead.”

In that bleak moment when we are sure that it can’t get worse…..then it does.  David went from being overwhelmed to complete collapse. He describes it in one phrase, both blunt and sharp as a hammer strike to an anvil “…my spirit faileth”.

Thanks be to God we are not there often, but when we are there, we are there.
The question. What’s the way up and out, “lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit?”
I’ll skip thrashing the world’s solutions. They all fail and we know it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be writing this, and you wouldn’t be reading it.

Unlike our usual strategy, David did not stare long and hard at his misery, tormenting himself with the “what if’s, the woulda, shoulda, couldas; and, if only I had”….. and then modulating into the “They should’ve” or “Why didn’t they?” ….all of which turns our face down, and uses our energy to dig the ditch deeper, shutting out the possibility of finding the light.  Instead, David looked up.

“Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications:

in Thy faithfulness answer me, and in Thy righteousness.” Psalm 143:1

David took control of his mind and its focus, which was no small challenge, since his reason for worry was life threatening. He had enemies that wanted him dead.  But, instead of camping out on the dismal possibilities, he tells us,

“I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Thy works;

I muse on the work of Thy hands.” Psalm 143:5

David had something that we may be a little thin in having. He had a personal past, while his people had a long history filled with, to him, the obvious actions of God. From victory in battles to forgiveness of sin,

King David understood all of life in general,

and his personal life in particular, in terms of God.

Things didn’t just happen. His way to the future was never in his hands alone. David knew what he needed. “…my soul thirsts after Thee, as a thirsty land.” (Psalm 143:6)  David had few, if any explanations, that were disconnected from God. We have many. How often do we stand before the storms of life, caught in dismay, paralyzed by the question….“Why?”

David, living all of life before God, was free to pray, “Cause me to hear Thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in Thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto Thee.” (Psalm 143:8)

And in the face of it all, who hasn’t felt His urgency?  “Hear me speedily, O Lord….”

Grace and peace

 

All scriptures are King James Version

 

 

Copyright 2022, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved. 

God's Angels Watching You

 

Photography by Norma Beaird

 

God’s Angels Watching You
By: Norma Beaird

When I bow down in humble prayer,
To give requests for you,
I’ll pray protection for your life,
God’s angels watching you.

When I ask God to meet your needs,
As faith says He will do,
God’s messengers will minister,
They’re angels watching you.

When you go out to do your work,
Your chores or daily tasks,
An angel's flying by your side,
If you will only ask.

For angels are a gift from God,
And they will not neglect,
To keep us from the path of harm,
To guide us and protect.

For long ago in Bethlehem,
We call it Christmas time,
Angels told the birth of Christ,
A virgin birth divine.

Then when my Lord was crucified,
And in the tomb He laid,
Three days later angels came,
To roll the stone away.

When Paul and Silas were in jail,
While singing songs of praise,
An angel came to them at night,
And helped them to escape.

For Hebrews states within God’s Word,
When strangers do appear,
You may be entertaining too,
An angel unaware.

For angels fight on our behalf,
When we engage in praise,
So praise the Lord in everything,
And angels come your way.

For angels are our ministers,
They’re sent from God above,
To guard us in our daily walk,
And show us God is love.

Take comfort in Psalm 91,
In everything you do,
For God will give His angels charge,
They’re watching over you.

Now if you’re walking down the street,
Or in your truck or car,
And if you’re in your bed asleep,
An angel’s never far.

For if you live your life in faith,
As we’re commanded to,
Then you will be surrounded by,
God’s angels watching you.

 

Copyright 2022, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved. 

Written in 2003. 

Psalm 91

An Interview with an Avian

 

Photography by Curtis Beaird

 

....Curtis photographed this gorgeous picture of Dolly, the Eurasian Collared-Dove. 

 

The following are her avian favorites:

 

1. Song in a Hymnal - "I'll Fly Away"

2. Book - "Lonesome Dove"

3. Song by a Country Artist - "Wings of a Dove"

4. Song by a Pop Artist - "When Doves Cry"

5. Old movie - "The Birds" by Alfred Hitchcock

6. First Lady of the U.S. - Lady Bird Johnson

7. Gospel song - "His Eye is on the Sparrow"

8. Favorite saying - "Birds of a feather flock together."

9. Her favorite band - The Eagles

10. Favorite old TV show - The Partridge Family

11. Her favorite town - Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

12. Favorite Sesame Street character - Big Bird

13. Favorite cartoon - Road Runner

14. Favorite car of all time - Ford Falcon

15. Favorite female singer - Sheryl Crow

16. Favorite Basketball Player - Larry Bird

17. Favorite Love song - "Wind Beneath my Wings"

18. Most favorite bath product - Dove Soap

19. Favorite flower - Bird of Paradise

                and...

20. Favorite Bible Verse

 

Matthew 10:16

"Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves:

be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves."

 

 

 

Copyright 2022, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved.