When It All Comes Together

Last night and today, our parish hosted a women's retreat.  Our speaker was Father Nathan Cromly, who is a priest in the order of the Community of St. John.  He also heads up Eagle Eye Ministries.

The weekend's theme was "The Better Part," taken from the passage in Luke 10, where Jesus visited the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.

Without going into great detail, I had passed along the link to the music of my "journey song."  Our retreat coordinator, Mary, quickly decided it should become the theme song of our retreat.

And so, for the first time, I had the privilege of singing it with other women, and hearing their voices join with mine to call on Jesus...to take us, and shape us, as we sat at His feet.

In 2006, I had no idea.

Wow.

Father Nathan

Adoration

Father Nathan and friends  :o)

An Update of Sorts

If you have been following my blog over the years, we have an item of unfinished business.

In this post from 2006, I wrote a song called "At Your Feet."  The words were posted, but I did not have the technology to share the music.

So, for better or for worse, here it is...!

Mary's Song (At Your Feet)

I walk into Your presence, Lord,
I fall down on my face
As I come before You, Lord,
I marvel at Your love and grace.

Refrain:
At Your feet, I find a place of perfect peace
At Your feet, I find a place of sweet release
At Your feet, I've finally found that I am home
So take me Lord; shape me, Lord
While I sit at Your feet

So many voices calling me
Can cause my heart to stray
But when I listen to Your voice
I know You'll show the better way... (back to Refrain)

Bridge:
I come and lay my heart at Your feet
I pour it out to You
And as I gaze into Your eyes,
You give me all of Your heart, too. (back to Refrain)

© 2006.  Joni Renee Johnson.  All Rights Reserved. 

Lord, I'm Amazed

For anyone who reads my blog with any regularity (and I hope there are at least a couple of people out there!), you may have noticed my lack of posts.  If you didn't, well, okay.  :o)

Our church organist, who has faithfully played at daily Mass for the past 30 years or so, took a nasty fall a few weeks ago.  In the process, he broke a bone in one of his hips.  Though no surgery was required, complete immobilization has been prescribed for proper healing.  I am his substitute, so have been playing more frequently.  In the process of that, my hands have received quite a thorough work-over.  Typing hasn't been as easy as I'd like.  That's all.

So, to make up for lost time, I have been pondering something over the past 24 hours.  Blowing the dust off the computer, warming up the joints, and away we go....!
_________________________________________________

Things that amaze me...

• Sunrises
  - Over the Kansas plains, over the mountains of Colorado, over the Great Lakes, over the hills of Ohio, over the forests of Michigan, over the Straits of Mackinac, over the skyline of Detroit or Cleveland...it's all good
• Sunsets
  - Ditto from above
• Raindrops
• Rainbows
• Storm clouds
• Sunny skies
• Faces of newborn babies
• Faces of new parents
• Faces of small animals
• Great, blue whales
• Tiny little jellyfish
• Elephants and giraffes
• Baby gerbils
• Tears of joy
• The laughter of a child
• The knowing chuckle of an older adult
• The first snowflake of winter
• The last leaf of fall
• The first budding flower of spring
• The mirage of water in the midst of highway heatwaves in summer
• A blowing field of ripened wheat
• The smell of quickly-growing corn on a muggy summer day
• The smell of freshly cut hay
• The smell of a newly plowed field
• The fragrance of rain-washed skies
• The longevity of marriages held together by sheer will, love, and the hand of God
• The stubbornness of a young child
• The stubbornness of an elderly person
• Hugs that heal
• Quiet moments in God's presence
• Beautiful, ornate cathedrals
• Simple, small chapels
• Artwork that comes from the soul of the artist
• Photographs that capture moments of historical events
• Photographs that capture simple daily occurrences
• Poetry that makes the heart sing
• Songs that eloquently sing of God's majesty
• Songs that speak from the reality of life
• Songs that use simple, straightforward lyrics
• A beautiful symphony
• A simple melody
• Honesty
• The love of my family and friends
• The love of a stranger
• The wonder in the face of a child, as they see their first fireworks
• The wonder in the face of an adult, as they see their millionth fireworks
• The cross
• The empty tomb
• The barren hill from which Jesus ascended
• The power of the Holy Spirit
• The truths of the Bible
• The steadfastness of His Church
• The love and mercy of the God who made it all

At least that's a good start...