The Comforter's Rapt Attention

Sunset in Venice
By: Amy Guerino 11/2011

In my previous post on Judith, I showed this painting that was inspired by the word picture of the River of Life. God gave it to her from Ezekiel 47 and Revelation 22 to help lead her home.

However, I had no idea that He would have comfort for me in the same painting as I mourn her departure from this broken world.

Judith's focus was the River because she was about to be overtaken by it in death and into the arms of her Heavenly Father to new life. As I am not allowed that privilege just yet, the Holy Spirit gave me word pictures in the structures represented in the painting.

The Prison - the brick building on the right.
"You were dead in your trespasses and sins." Eph. 2:1
Held as a prisoner...needing to be freed but unable to on my own.

The Palace - White/greyish building on the left.
"So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God., built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. " Eph. 2:19-21

The Bridge - The obvious picture is Jesus and the cross...from enslavement to sin and death to being a member of God's household. But God had something more...

Ann Voskamp in her book 1,000 Gifts writes,

"I cross over a bridge, and the river's a ribbon like a thread passing through the eye of a needle. And in that moment, another strand of eucharisteo (a greek word for thanksgiving) slips through the eye of my soul.

Who trusts the Bridge Builder?

Count blessings and discover Who can be counted on.

Trust is the bridge from yesterday to tomorrow,
built upon with planks of thanks.

Remembering frames up gratitude.

Gratitude lays out the planks of trust.

I can walk the planks
- from known to unknown -
and know:
He holds!"

He has taken my beloved Judy-Mom home. I will continue to count the blessings, logging them into my gratitude journal. These will build planks of thanks as I cross future unknown bridges without her but I know HE HOLDS!


God is now in the process of taking home my beloved, Gram, my mother's mom. She is 90 and has been a second mother to me, the perfect grandma. This photo is of the four generations of Portuguese ladies taken in 1998. My Gram (Claire), me, my Mom (Janice), and my daughter (Elizabeth Claire, after my Gram).

Trusting the Bridge Builder as I cross another unknown.

For a Time of Sorrow

“Sorrow is one of the things that are lent, not given. A thing that is lent may be taken away; a thing that is given is not taken away. Joy is given; sorrow is lent.

We are not our own, we are bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:19-20), ‘and our sorrow is not our own’ (Samuel Rutherford said this a long time ago), it is lent to us for just a little while that we may use it for eternal purposes. Then it will be taken away and everlasting joy will be our Father’s gift to us, and the Lord God will wipe away all tears from off all faces (Isa. 25:8).

So let us use this ’lent’ thing to draw us nearer to the heart of Him who was once a Man of Sorrows (He is not that now, but He does not forget the feeling of sorrow). Let us use it to make us more tender with others, as He was when on earth and is still, for He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities (Heb. 4:15).”

~ Amy Carmichael
Edges of His Wings



I am finding that this grief, the loss of my beloved Judy-Mom, is forcing me to lean on Him who once was the Man of Sorrows. Comfort is found in the fact that his suffering is over and mine will one day be as well. Until then, I will trust Him to use our family's sorrow for His eternal purposes and be grateful that it is just "lent" to us for a time.

Judith Guerino: June 26, 1944 - November 24, 2011

Christmas 2009 at Judith's (G.G.'s) House

"The greatest gift we can give one another
is rapt attention to another's existence."
~Sue Atchley Ebaugh

My mother-in-love not only listened well but she gave rapt attention to my existence.
It came in many forms:

• Long phone calls
• A book I was reading - she would buy and read it as well
• Encouragement when I was struggling in a hobby or with other relationships
  
• A sought out gift
• Special time just for us girls during vacation visits
  

Her example of love taught me how to make someone feel and know they are special; rapt attention indeed.

As her cancer journey neared the end, I desperately wanted to give her the "rapt attention" of her precious existence in my life. I was praying for the opportunity to do so.

The answer came in a phone call on October 26, 2011 with her son. Matt listened to her explain how God brought to her remembrance the passage in Ezekiel 47:1-12 where the River of Life flowed from the temple. Ezekiel had this vision where he was ankle deep, then knee deep, thigh deep, and waist deep. At that point he wasn't allowed to be overtaken by the river but Judith knew she was about to. She was ready to let go and let the river take her into the arms of her heavenly Father. Such a picture brought her incredible comfort after several weeks of incredible suffering. She was ready to go home.

In the past when Judith and I would share with one another what God was teaching us, she would often find a common theme or point of connection. Days would go by and I assumed my musings would be forgotten. However, she would often surprise me by studying the passage in the Bible that touched me so deeply and would want to talk more. Or, she would buy the book I mentioned and would ask to discuss it again once she read it. It is said, "Imitation is the highest form of flattery one can give." Judith gave this to me very often.

To give her the gift of rapt attention I knew I needed to lean into this word picture of the river. I studied Ezekiel 47 and Revelation 22 on the River of Life. With my son we looked up Randy Alcorn's answer to "What is the River of Life?" in his Heaven for Kids book. I was stunned to see his imaginative musings,

"The River of Life may have numerous offshoots flowing throughout the rest of the city....Perhaps we'll travel in gondolas throughout the city like many people in Venice, Italy!"

This was the lovely connection to Judith as she traveled to Italy and experienced a gondola ride in Venice. Tommy wrote her a lovely letter showing his rapt attention by quoting Randy and asking her to ask Jesus about it. He is hoping both of them can ride a gondola together on the River of Life someday in the New Jerusalem on the New Earth.

Judith and Marilyn on a Gondola ride
(Fall 2009 - their husbands are at the other end of the boat)

The following day I stumbled upon Nancy Leigh De Moss's podcast on "The River of God." At that moment I felt God's rapt attention to Judith's existence. In the podcast Nancy walks through the Bible's rivers from Genesis leading to the River of Life in Revelation 22. Her pause at Ezekiel 47 to mention her special love for that passage felt like an extra touch from the Comforter to me.

As I listened to Nancy, I remembered that Jerry sketched a few bridges for the kids when they were in Venice (2009). The ultimate opportunity to give Judith rapt attention was placed on my heart.

I decided I needed to watercolor paint the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, Italy with a gondola. Beyond just greeting card sized painting, I hadn't attempted something on my own but I was trusting the Great Artist to help me overcome my confidence hurdles and do this out of love for my Judy-Mom.

God's comfort of the River of Life, Randy Alcorn's imagination of gondolas on it one day, and Jerry's sketch became my inspiration. As I prepared and painted I gave praise for answered prayer.

Matt was able to take my painting to Judith on his last visit with her (November 7-9, 2011). As a picture says a thousand words, my painting hopefully communicated my deep love for her. God has used her existence to shape me into an image that more closely resembles our Savior.

Special thanks to Marilyn for her photographs in Venice.

Celebrating with A Grateful Heart

"Like the proud mother who is thrilled to receive

a wilted bouquet of dandelions from her child,
so God celebrates our feeble expressions of gratitude."
~ Richard Foster
(Prayer: Finding Your Heart's True Home p. 85)

Thankful for 10 fingers and a new way to use them.

As my friend said, "So many people think they cannot memorize but anyone can say a phrase 10 times out loud."

Simple things done on a daily basis may lead to a great reward.

For me, it has been the memorizing of 1 Peter...all 104 verses. It has been an exercise of discipline and faith. Discipline to use my 10 fingers each day to go over yesterday's verse 10 times and then adding a new verse, saying it 10 times out loud.

As I followed Dr. Davis's simple and straightforward method I still needed faith to step out of my comfort zone and attempt something that I may fail at. I tried it. And when it got hard, I asked the Lord to show me how to get over a hurdle....and He did.

A creative idea leaps over the hurdle.

Dr. Davis explains that "memorization is partly visual." So, he encourages you to photograph the verse with your eyes as it looks on the page of your Bible.

The small print, long paragraphs, and stark white pages in my Bible overwhelmed me. How can I focus on one verse? My first hurdle.....I can't do this straight out of my Bible like Dr. Davis. Do I give up or go to prayer and a brainstorm?

"Father, the temptation to see a string of hurdles laid out for me on a track that I can't run is bombarding my mind. However, I know that your Word is the tool to fight against the enemies attacks. Show me how to do this....give me an idea that will work for me, while still putting into practice Dr. Davis' advice."

A stack of index cards didn't sound appealing but breaking the larger passages down was necessary to see the small steps. And, anything with beauty helps my eyes make a mental photograph.

With scrapbook paper and a larger print I made my own pages. The photograph I was able to take with my eyes included color, phrases put in smaller paragraphs, and only 12 verses on the page! Creative baby steps...a bit of beauty put in a plastic sheet that I could carry with me everywhere.
The reward of making it to 12 verses came when I could take it out of the plastic sheet and put it in my notebook....along with a picture (thank you Lidia) that really captured what those verses said and meant to me.

Of course, I wasn't finished saying those verses out loud on a daily basis. To help me stay focused when I was reciting them with each verse number said aloud, I made a bookmark. I was able to have my notebook closed and just put my finger on the verse number as I recited.

Each page that I made is unique. This helped me take that snap shot in my mind. The bookmarks with matching paper reminded me visually where I was.





P.S. Now that I'm done with 1 Peter (but still recite it once a week), I've begun Ephesians to follow the sermon series at church. Dr. Davis's practical method works and I'm retaining what I've memorized.

A Quiet Mind

Crepescular Rays at Rockaway Beach, Oregon

Photo taken June 2011

When winds are blowing, waves are rising, falling
And all the air is full of dust and spray;
When voices, like to sea birds’ plaintive calling,
Confuse my day;

Then, then I know Thee, Lord of highest heaven
In newborn need discover Thee, and find
Nought can discomfort him to whom is given
A quiet mind.

When hopes have failed, and heavy sadness crusheth,
And doubt and fear would weave their deadly spell,
Then thought of Thee my troubled spirit husheth;
And all is well.

In midnight hours when weariness ignoreth
Heaven’s starry host, and battle wounds are mine,
Then Thy right hand uplifteth and outpoureth
Love’s oil and wine.

O Blessed Lord, beyond the moment’s sorrow
I see above, beaneath, before, behind–
Eternal Love. Give me today, tomorrow,
A quiet mind.

~ Amy Carmichael

The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

This poem and verse is in my heart and in my prayers for a short term mission team that we are sending from Harvest Community Church to Boma, South Sudan. May those who go and the family who are left behind have a quiet mind given by God in supernatural ways when the circumstances scream otherwise.

I remember when Matt went to Sudan and how intense the happenings at home were. Spiritual armor is very much needed. So, I'm praying daily as they will be gone from September 20 - October 3rd. May God's kingdom work be advanced to the praise of His glory.