MINT GREEN WHISPERS OF SUMMER AIR

Mint green whispers of summer air fill the spaces that left
me a long time ago with the winter winds.

And, when my ear turned to listen to the whispering breezes,
a kiss lightly touched my lobe and moved swiftly along.

Before it left, where it landed, there remained the imprint
of summer branches before fall.

Melancholia draped the air all around me where once
summer leaves were hanging there.

Mint green whispers of summer air, please come to me
again, when the trees are bare.

Have you gotten to the point when a sniff in the air and a
breeze brushed by almost unnoticed - not just any old
breeze, but one with a special whiff?!

And has it ever taken you back to a place in time that you
had forgotten ever existed?

Like in childhood?
And as in school days?
To a time when life was forward looking and filled
with wondering about what life would bring
and how long it would take to receive it?


Copyright (c) 2007 Rev. Lainie Dowell.
The Mountainside Ministries. All rights reserved worldwide.

I Am Desert Walking

Rev. Lainie Dowell

Let us go out to the desert.
We can get some rest.
But, before we do that,
we have to prepare.

Because ~
- The air is hot and dry in the desert
- The desert is barren and friendless
- The shade is nowhere to be found
- The water is hidden from view,
if there is any around anywhere
- The night is colder than the daytime
is hot

There. . .
What you have is an overview.
Somewhat of a scaled down look at
what awaits your trek to the desert.

And, if you should take your family
and friends along for the sake of
companionship when you arise from
your rest ~ well, then, do not expect
to have much of a rest?

And, you can forget about the thanks
for allowing others to accompany you
to the desert. Grumbling, mumbling . .
Scripture calls it murmuring and complaining.

Ask the Israelites.

Bowlegged time is at hand.
Cross-eyed time is here.
Run-you-ragged-and-silly time.

Rest?

Forget it.

Did you not know there is no rest for the weary?
That is an old adage to be sure, but it is also
a truism nevertheless.

If cool, calm, and collected time is what
you are after,

If reflection time is your aim,

If need-to-be-alone time is your heart's desire,

Then~
Clothe yourself in God's righteousness.
Wrap up in His mighty presence.
Dress down in your appearance.
It is filthy rags, anyway, and all of your
garments are covered with sin
instead of stained by Jesus's blood.

And~
If you have not believed and received
Jesus as your personal Savior and as
the Lord of your life,

Then ~
You will forever remain parched in a
desert land crawling all around on
sinking sand.

It is just so good to get away and to know
you are not alone in the desert.



Silent Whisperings . . .
Wearer of the Iron Robe
Copyright (c) 2004. Rev. Lainie Dowell.
The Mountainside Ministries. Columbia, MD.
All rights reserved worldwide.
Rec'd Tuesday, August 10, 2004, 7:13 a.m. EST.
A Shepherd Woman's Heart

The Summer of My Youth

I smell the summer of my youth ~ that time in my life ~

When the fragrance from a flower was the perfume for my body
When the song from a bird was the music for my heart
When the light from the sun was the heat for my soul
When the light from the moon was the cover for my night fears
When each new morning signalled a brand new day to come
When tomorrow could not come fast enough
When I wondered if there would even be a tomorrow

I smell the summer of my youth ~

It lifts me up and away from the tomorrows that finally came
It carries me back to the yesterdays of my youth
It covers my longing to grow old and respected in my old age
It nourishes the motherlove and fatherstrength encased deep within

It comforts
It consoles
It consumes
It contains
It consults
It contacts
It continues

And, Lord, I pray it would always be thus.
For, in the summer days long gone are memories known to me alone
May the earth give them up to live on when I am in the earth among
the ones who knew what I have just learned . . . And that is . . .

The summer of my youth would never fade
with the winter of my days

I thank God for allowing me to be born in due season.
And I thank Him for allowing me to be born again.

If you live each day as precious to lose it along the way,
then God will retrieve it for you the moment He knows you have
gone astray -- away -- far removed from His presence, loving hand,
kindness, peace, forgiveness, and His heart of hearts.

You see, the day may be gone; but it is not lost.
Reach inside your bosom and retrieve it from
where He placed it. Bless you.

Silent Whisperings . . .
Wearer of the Iron Robe

Copyright (c) 2004. Rev. Lainie Dowell.
The Mountainside Ministries. Columbia, MD.
All rights reserved worldwide.
Rec'd November 2, 2004.
A Shepherd Woman's Heart