He is Risen!

“Rejoice heavenly powers! Sing choirs of angels! Exult, all creation around God’s throne! Jesus Christ, our King is risen! “Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor, radiant in the brightness of your King! Christ has conquered! Glory fills you! Darkness vanishes foerever!”

His steadfast love never ceases

On this most special day, I am reminded of what I should remember each day with each breath: God is with us at all times, in all places. He is the God of Life, and His steadfast love and mercy never cease, whatever the circumstances or conditions.

Shot at sunrise while walking to the beach at Ohope on our second morning there.

Tauranga

Ohope

Ohope

Sunrise, Sunset, Ohope Bach, North Island, New Zealand

Ohope Beach lies on the Bay of Plenty, a long crescent shaped bay four hours east of Auckland.  It recently was rated as the top beach in New Zealand.  The beach here runs for miles, offering great waves for surfing and boogie boarding.  Excellent fishing is found both in the ocean and Ohope Harbor, or Ohiwa as it is also called.  Morning and evening light is never the same, never boring, sometimes subtle, sometimes shocking, but always alluring and enduring.

Ohiwa, Ohope_harbour

lilies and Ohope sunrise

Norfolk pine, Bay of Plenty

Ohope Harbor, Ohiwa

Bay of Plenty, Ohope Beach

Ohope Beach

Ohope Harbor, Ohiwa

West End Ohope

West End Ohope

West End Ohope

Immanuel: God with us, always present

I know God is transcendent, lifted high above and beyond anything I can possible imagine. Yet, as promised in Isaiah and made visible in Jesus Christ, He is with each of us NOW, here, in every breath we take, every beat of our heart, in every molecule that is us. We can "kill" Him with our words and actions, we ignore Him as we decide what is "ours" and what is "His," yet He never leaves us. He died for us out of His incredible desire and love for us.  He rose again so that we would know He will never abandoned us and can follow Him into life eternal!.

"Let me never be tempted to think that my sins are too great to be forgiven, too abominable to be touched by your mercy.  Let me never run away from you but return again and again, asking you to be my Lord, my Shepherd, and my refuge."  Henri Nouwen

Strawberry Mt, John Day, OR