Canopy of Protection

Lush canopy of green leaves shelter the life beneath and amidst

Mystery, beauty, relief from heat, provider of shade, web of moisture

Heavens above, trees and green, ground

Christ, heaven, redemption, souls

Under the canopy of His protection

c2020 Lisa Lyons

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.” -Psalm 91:14-16

“Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.” – Psalm 57:1

Standing Firm

“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today….The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” – Exodus 14:13-14

When I am afraid…..stand firm.

When I am in trouble, the Lord will rescue.

When I need a defender, I need to be still, and let Him fight for me.

Standing firm like this round tower. A tower of strength, refuge and protection during trouble.

“In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge. For You have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth.” -Psalm 71:1,5

Love, Lisa

Eternal Things

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Outer Banks, NC Sound image captured by Ed Lyons

How do you write about things of which you don’t fully understand?  Writers are always told to “write what you know.”  But eternal things, heavenly things, the things of God…..how can a human being, while in this body of flesh, ever hope to know or understand or capture or write those things?

Here is what I know:

Jesus died for me.  He did this to make a way for me to be with Him forever in Heaven.

He rose again on the third day.  This was witnessed and recorded by many people.

These people were all willing to die for this report and this eyewitness event.  They never changed their stories under pressure.

He has changed my life completely since I believed in Him.  He has changed the life of my husband’s completely as well.  We are not the same as before knowing Him.  We go through struggles, but the sense of hopelessness, of despair, of meaningless existence…..totally gone.

He has rescued me from troubles and death countless times.  Miraculous rescues.  From waters, from floods, from fires.  From injuries and surgeries.  He has forgiven me my past and given me a fresh start.

He is my ever present Hope.

So I don’t need to know all the details of what I don’t know or don’t understand.  I just tell of what I do know.  Jesus is real.  He is the true Son of God.  He loves me, and He loves you…..so much.  If you are struggling to find hope, to find meaning….He is the answer.  The only answer.  And He will rescue you, no matter where you are, or what you have done.

Please reach out to me if you need help, or a listening ear, or just want to talk.

Love, Lisa

Ask Me How I Know

I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that God is real and that He cares about me.  And about you.

Ask me how I know?

Over and over, without fail, He gets me through the toughest days.

The toughest pain.

The deepest pit.

The Rescue  by Nathan Greene

He somehow wakes me up to a new day, fills me with new energy,  with new direction and purpose.

And that can only be God.

If you don’t know, or if you are questioning, reach out to Him.  Pray to Him.  Read the Bible.  Search, question, ask.  He is there.  Write to me if you’d like.

Love, Lisa

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.  And when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.  For I Am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” -Isaiah 43:2-3a

Life Preserver

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When I’m on a boat or ship, I like seeing the life preserver rings and lifeboats scattered about the ship.  Not only are they interesting, but they are comforting.  If the boat has trouble, we have a plan.  And knowing that we have a plan, I can relax and enjoy my time on the boat. 

In life, it’s not always so easy.  I look about frantically for the life preserver ring, for the lifeboat that will magically whisk me away from troubles.  Being a Christian is not a magic cure for “no more troubles.”  In fact, Jesus said once, “In this world you will have trouble.”  But then He finished by saying, “But take heart, for I have overcome the world.”(John 16:33) He’s bigger than what I see now; His gaze and reach and scope is so much more.  He’s there to rescue me, save me, and keep me from drowning, but these everyday troubles sometimes remain because He knows that it strengthens me and makes me more like Him.  He saves me completely and utterly, but the magnitude of that will not be fully seen until I am with Him one day.  And I will be utterly amazed at the enormity of His rescue.  Blessings, Lisa

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.”  ~Psalm 91:14-15