November 20, 2014

NOTICE - A Five Minute Friday Post

I made it back to the twitter party for Five Minute Friday and oh my goodness how I love this Community! From recipe to prayer requests, we cover it all (in 140 characters or less - with hashtags galore!) and we'd LOVE to have you join us! Thursday nights on Twitter, simply type in #fmfparty and jump right in!

OK... ready to write? Let's go! Tonight's prompt is: NOTICE


{GO}

I've mentioned it a few times... this annual get away that My Honey and I take with two other couples... four of our very best friends.  It's a tradition now and one we all look forward to every year.


One of the joys of friendships that run deep and true is that we have found the rhythm of silence and rest.  We trust in the quiet... we have learned that even then, God is at work.

There is always laughter, and lots of talking - don't get me wrong! We are all teachers, pastors, prophets, intercessors... we all have things that God has been speaking to us and shifting in us and bringing up to surface as deep calls unto deep.  Oh no - there is no LACK in the talking.

But we also have learned the value of waiting... not rushing... of truly preferring each other... I don't want to miss what He has been saying to you because I know it is amazing and it will impart something and I want the parts of Him that you have and have to give in abundance... it flows and goes this way throughout the room... throughout the weekend.


I suppose to say it simply we all love this get away, this mini-retreat because we know that we are all for each other and we trust in the pause.  

We value it and know how much we need it... We have learned to not push through a conversation or a meal but to linger slow and let Him move.


We have learned to take notice... to inhale and exhale and really open our eyes and our ears and our hands so that our hearts remain open and can be filled.

This moment right here... this was one of my absolute favorites:

We walk this little trail down by the river every year... meandering through the woods and around the bends, over bridges and circling back... we trade walking partners without thinking or trying, but over the course of our walk - we'll have caught up one on one with every person.

We all stop and drink it in... this Glory dripping from trees and how the skies beckon praise and the river flows like the Spirit, filling and refreshing as it moves beside us, and He moves within us.  We all slow to a stop and purposely close our eyes and inhale deep... slow... and then just let it go.

We turned the corner and got caught in a leaf storm... just enough breeze to force the branches to release as well and we are showered in letting go... in glory falling down.


And we count the days until we can do it all again!


    {STOP}

OK - that took a little longer than 5 minutes, mostly because - hello? Playing with pictures! 

We are so blessed with these friends who have loved us and prayed us through... who have lifted us up and let us pour into them as well... these friends who have lived life with us over the years and are at any given time brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers to us... and they allow us to be the same!




Five Minute Fridays gives us the chance to dive right in and share what He puts on our hearts! Click here to read what others have to say about "NOTICE"


Oh ...the fine print: if you don't know what FMF is!  Five Minute Fridays have been hosted by Lisa Jo Baker.  This week we start gathering over at Kate Motaung's.  FMF is open to anyone, so to learn more about it - and to jump in yourself (the more the merrier!) or just to find a linky to see what everyone is writing about today - click HERE!  The idea is to simply write... for Five Minutes flat... no editing, no deep thinking - or at least REthinking, no spell check - just write! Let it flow! We all write using a prompt that Lisa posts at 10pm Thursday night (EST.)  I'm loving the community of amazing bloggers and the creativity that flows from these magical Five Minutes!

What about you?  Are you blessed with some long term friendships where you can slow and take notice of how the Spirit is speaking - to them, and through them to you? I pray you are... I pray you are a friend like that to others, too!

It is such a gift!

38 comments :

  1. I love this post and the gift of friendship. God loves us to spend time listening and truly noticing one an other. What bigger blessing can we give that truly hearing someone.

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    1. Sara, thanks so much for stopping by! Amen... to be truly heard and seen and loved... there is not better gift that we can give! Amen!

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  2. "We have learned to take notice... to inhale and exhale and really open our eyes and our ears and our hands so that our hearts remain open and can be filled." Ahh, deep fresh breaths...and the scenery!!! We love the PNW. Our favorite vaca was out to WA- stunning. Makes me relax just thinking about it and reading this.

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    1. Oh Katie... if you ever head this way again, you'll have to let me know! We are blessed here with all kinds of beauty! Thanks for stopping by, friend!

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  3. I love those moments when you are out and you can stop and breathe it all in. I have never experienced real Fall leaves falling until last week in Brooklyn. I felt like Texas has been cheating me all these years and lying to me about Fall. I never knew it could be a slow process. Our leaves drop in a day. Ha!

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    1. Amanda, oh my... if Fall happened in a day I'm not sure what I would do. I would feel cheated for SURE! There is something glorious about a slow letting go... maybe it is because we can see the stages and watch the changes and feel the dying unfold slowly so we can process it and still find hope! (Or maybe it's because we ourselves are so slow in letting go!) Thanks for hanging out in my little corner here!

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  4. Okay, if you end up with like 20 comments from me, I am sorry. I am having issues tonight. Anyway, what I have been trying to say I adore the description of that walk with friends and these pictures take me breath away. Thank you for reminding me of the gift it is to sit in the pause with people we love.

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    1. Well now I am a little disappointed that (so far) there is only one comment from you! ;) It IS such a gift to Pause with the people we love! I so appreciate you, friend! Thanks for all the effort of commenting! ;)

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  5. What a blessing to have friends you can get away with, speak words and breathe laughter, and fellowship together! You've made my heart long for that kind of kindred souls, only to realize they're right around the corner from us. God indeed is good. (A retreat, though, will have to wait until our toddlers are a bit more self-sufficient, I'm afraid.) :)

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    1. I love that, Asheritah! That they are right around the corner... and yes, sometimes the actual get aways have to wait a bit, but the gathering together and loving can happen anywhere and everywhere!

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  6. It is so important for all of us to take time and notice. Going on retreats/get-aways really is good for the soul and helps us to notice more. I loved being a party of the Twitter party tonight...my first time. I cannot wait until the next one! :)

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    1. Tara, I am so glad you jumped in to the party last night! How did I not know it was your first time playing along? It's such a fun night and the community there is so encouraging and uplifting! I am so happy that you joined us! And yes - I agree... it does us well to slow down and notice more! Retreats help for sure... I am trying to be more intentional about doing it in my everyday life as well! Thanks for stopping by!

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  7. I love this! It reminds me of how I feel when I see the sunset on my early morning walks. You see God. You feel free. You feel real. It's just awesome. AND...our Fall really will never occur down here in Florida, so I LOVE the pictures here friend! They made me breathe in a whole new way! Thanks!

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    1. Bethany, oh yes... it is that connection with God ...that being known and held... it's such a gift when we connect like that with Him one on one, and it's a whole different gift when we connect with Him like that through friends, too! My hubby used to live in Florida for a few years... I would miss an actual Fall (although the warmer weather sounds nice right about now!)

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  8. I love leaf storms! - and your fav photo - it's so hard to capture how Fall really looks - and you did it perfectly! Those friendships are such gifts from God - what an awesome blessing! Shalom!!
    ~Maryleigh

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    1. Exactly... I am really not a fan of wind - but if it means I can get caught up in a leaf storm then I am all for it! It's so majestic somehow! Thanks so much for stopping by Maryleigh!

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  9. Karrilee, what a gift...this time -- this trusting pause, the ebb and flow of time together, of being known and so deeply caring about what God is doing in the other. And your photos -- mercy, how beautiful. Thank you for the gift in this picture of friendship. I love you.

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    1. So... I miss you, friend! April and May seem so far away! Love you bunches! Blessed that I feel we fall into this same kind of rhythm! Wishing we could do it again! xoxo

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  10. Karrilee...I really understand the unity of having friends who share the same beauty of Christ as you and your husband do. We all have the ability to truly understand each other, to listen and share all the miracles and everyday blessings from God. These friendships are a blessing! I love your photography...it really captures the theme of your post as well.

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    1. Verona, these friendships truly are a blessing and a gift! Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a blessed weekend!

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  11. The pictures never count against the 5 minutes - ever ! ;) There is such beauty in noticing these moments. They are the balance in our lives, the moments that keep us in awe of life. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. LOL! Amen, Deborah! The Photo playing definitely does not count in the Five Minutes, I agree! Thanks for hanging out a bit in my little corner! Have a blessed weekend, taking Notice!

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  12. Taking notice...I sense the Spirit prompting my 2015 word to be "Wonder". Essentially, to take notice of the wonder around me, regardless of season or mood or position. Your weekend sounds like a time of enjoying the wonder all around. Fall being my fave season, your photos invoke happy feelings in me!!! LOL xo

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    1. Susan... you may or may not be surprised at this - but just a few days ago, I had the same thought! (Wonder being my OneWord365 for next year!) I love it!

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  13. For just a few minutes I was walking the leaf strewn path with you and noticing all of God's Glory in your photos and words. The retreat you take with your closest friends sounds like an incredible experience. Thanks for giving us so much to think about. Beautiful post.

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    1. Thanks so much for stopping by and walking along that path with me, Mary Clare!

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  14. Your post (and those delicious pictures) really made me smile... first time in a while that I've connected with someone writing from a Christian perspective. Because you've basically detailed exactly why I follow a Pagan path, and the absolute beauty I find in my version of church - Mother Nature herself.

    Blessings to you, and may you continue to get these beautiful moments from God.

    - Melissa
    http://www.measi.net/measiblog/

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    1. And there is just so much beauty to be found, right? The challenge for me is to stay present and drink in those moments as they unfold - but I am learning! So glad you walked with me a bit along that path! Thanks so much for stopping by, Melissa!

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  15. You take the most beautiful photographs! And I love the message too :)

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  16. Your words and pictures are moving! And what a great message on love... being fully known and fully loved- it all starts with noticing. Love this! Thanks for sharing your gift.

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    1. Karen, thanks so much! Being fully known and fully loved can/will change your life! I appreciate you stopping by, my friend!

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  17. WOW! What a gift God has given you in those relationships!

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  18. What a gift long friendships with deep roots must be. We have a couple of long lasting friendships but the roots aren't dug in as deep as I would hope. i love how you are cherishing those relationships by taking time with them. Love us girl.

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    1. They are such a gift... and having lived and grown up in this same small town, it makes it easier to grow them, I know but it also makes it easier to take them for granted! I am trying not to do that! It's all about being Intentional, right? Love you, friend!

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  19. Ah ... you captured the leaves flying off the trees. And those shots made me smile ... and yes, pause.

    I hope this has been a weekend of grace-filled pauses for you, Karrilee ...

    Peace.

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    1. I know, right? I was hoping it would show up on film but you just don't know how clear it will really be at the time! So glad this breathed a little Pause into your day! Praying grace-filled pauses for you as well, Linda! Happy Thanksgiving!

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Thanks so much for stopping by! I always love to hear your thoughts! Remember to: Speak Life - Be Love - Shine On!
~Karrilee~

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