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Still Saturday: Clear Out and Cultivate

September 18, 2015 By Sandra Heska King

CLEAR OUT AND CULTIVATE

 

“If we are going to live appropriately in the creation we must keep the Sabbath.

We must stop running around long enough to see what he has done and is doing.

We must shut up long enough to hear what he has said and is saying.

All our ancestors agree that without silence and stillness

there is no spirituality, no God-attentive, God-responsive life.”

~Eugene Peterson in Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places

 

CLEAR OUT AND CULTIVATE2

CLEAR OUT AND CULTIVATE3

 

Clear out the clutter.

Cultivate solitude.

Cultivate silence.

Cultivate wonder.

CLEAR OUT AND CULTIVATE4

CLEAR OUT AND CULTIVATE5

What clutter do you need to clear out in order to cultivate more wonder today?

In the stillness,

Sandy

Sandra Heska King - Still Saturday

Welcome to the Still Saturday Community where we pause after a busy week, move in quiet pilgrimage, maybe linger a while in some still place, and soak in the beauty of images and reflect on the depth of sparse words. We’d love for you to join us. Grab the button and link up below. We all love to hear if something especially speaks to your heart, but please don’t feel pressured to comment. Simply take some time to be still together, to gaze long and drink deep.

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Filed Under: Blog, Still Saturday

Comments

  1. Lux says

    September 18, 2015 at 7:45 pm

    Serene photos and comforting words. Happy weekend!

    • Sandra Heska King says

      September 19, 2015 at 9:06 am

      Happy weekend to you, too, dear Lux.

  2. Joanne Norton says

    September 18, 2015 at 8:01 pm

    As usual, ya dun good. And you made me smile and smile and smile some more. I LOVED this!! Thank you for sharing it. Blessings…

    • Sandra Heska King says

      September 19, 2015 at 9:07 am

      You make me smile, Joanne.

  3. Andrew Budek-Schmeisser says

    September 19, 2015 at 1:26 am

    Wish I could clear the clutter…but the clock is running, and there are thing that have to be done. Things HE suggested.

    What the heck. I’ll rest when I’m dead.

    • Sandra Heska King says

      September 19, 2015 at 9:12 am

      Well, you definitely need to “shut up” and listen to HIM. 🙂 Sending hugs to you, Andrew.

  4. Michele Morin says

    September 19, 2015 at 6:02 am

    Stunning pictures, but what I’m really coming away with is the realization that I have a Eugene Peterson deficit. Thanks for his words this morning — they always turn my focus toward God.

    • Sandra Heska King says

      September 19, 2015 at 9:19 am

      LOL, Michele. I’m glad I could feed you a little Peterson appetizer today. 🙂

  5. Patricia @ Pollywog Creek says

    September 19, 2015 at 6:27 am

    Don’t you love sandhill cranes and their little red caps?

    Silence and solitude are my love language, so I fully embrace this quote.

    Have a wonderful weekend, beautiful friend.

    • Sandra Heska King says

      September 19, 2015 at 9:24 am

      It’s only been in the last couple years or so that they’ve showed up in our fields–or that I’ve actually noticed them. They are too funny. And their call is so distinctive.

      A beautiful weekend to you, too, dear Patricia.

  6. Jasmine @ Heart in Formation says

    September 19, 2015 at 7:52 am

    Thanks so much for sharing this place–I almost don’t even want to type..the sound of my keys breaks the stillness of my home at this moment…
    I uploaded 2 links and am enjoying “walking through”
    Bless you so much!
    Love from Holland,
    Jasmine

    • Sandra Heska King says

      September 19, 2015 at 9:34 am

      I’m so glad to see you here today, Jasmine. I’m looking forward to tiptoeing into your shares. (Is Holland as in the Netherlands?)

      • Jasmine @ Heart in Formation says

        September 19, 2015 at 10:01 am

        Yes, Sandra, The Netherlands–thanks for welcoming me!
        *and can I just share, when I saw your name there was a bit of glare or fading or something and I thought I read: “He’s Shaking” which is so cool if I think about the wind blowing the leaves of an aspen….
        Love to you,
        Jasmine

        • Sandra Heska King says

          September 19, 2015 at 11:00 am

          “He’s Shaking.” That’s pretty cool. 🙂

          We have some dear friends in the Netherlands. My parents “met” them on line many years ago, and they’ve visited the States several times. My mom is gone now, but they still do remote computer work for my dad–and they have all kinds of cameras set up in their house (except their bedroom), so my dad can “visit” them (or their chicken houses) any time. 🙂 Personally, I prefer my privacy, but it works for them. 😉

  7. Patricia Krank says

    September 19, 2015 at 7:53 am

    Your pictures are beautiful. They make me want to take my camera and go on a search for the stillness you speak of. Thank you Sandra and blessings to you dear one.
    Patti

    • Sandra Heska King says

      September 19, 2015 at 9:39 am

      Morning, Patti! Have camera will travel…

      The crane(s) and the deer just appeared. I just happened to have my eyes in gear and my camera in hand. 😉

      Hugs to you.

  8. Jason Stasyszen says

    September 19, 2015 at 12:01 pm

    Love that phrase “live appropriately.” So true and powerful. Gorgeous photos, Sandra! Thank you for the quiet contemplation. 🙂

    • Sandra Heska King says

      September 19, 2015 at 8:11 pm

      Maybe you could preach a sermon on that. Or write a song. 😉

  9. Janis Cox says

    September 19, 2015 at 8:33 pm

    That’s just what I did today. Cleared out lots of papers from writers’ conferences. Why do I keep them? I never get a chance to look at them again.
    Thanks for hosting,
    Blessings
    Janis

    • Sandra Heska King says

      September 22, 2015 at 10:57 am

      I have a bunch of the same. I need to do the same.

  10. Diana Trautwein says

    September 19, 2015 at 11:22 pm

    Lovely, lovely – in every way. LOVE the photos. And that quintet by Peterson (of which this book is the first) is on my top ten list, for sure. Thanks, Sandy.

    • Sandra Heska King says

      September 22, 2015 at 10:57 am

      😀 😀

  11. Constance Morrison says

    September 19, 2015 at 11:38 pm

    Beautiful photos, Sandra! You’ve reminded me of how quiet and still we have to be to get wildlife photos. Shouldn’t I be even more willing to be quiet and still when the prize is hearing His voice?

    • Sandra Heska King says

      September 22, 2015 at 10:56 am

      Funny thing about those deer and crane photos. They were by the side of the road. I got out of the car to take the photos. Didn’t seem to bother them a bit. But still is usually better. And yes… it’s pretty hard to hear the best prize if we don’t quiet ourselves.

  12. Joanne Viola says

    September 20, 2015 at 6:10 am

    Your photos are just beautiful! And Eugene Peterson’s words are stirring. Grateful to have stopped here this morning. Have a blessed Sunday!

    • Sandra Heska King says

      September 22, 2015 at 10:54 am

      Hugs to you, Joanne.

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