blog - annabeth istvan

02 Jul

field to French toast

Posted by annabeth

who doesn’t love delicious French toast?! eggy & sweet, spongy & tasty to eat. this breakfast delicacy delivers cinnamon-y & syrup-y goodness! from flour milled to bread baked, French toast requires time, care, & work, to eventually produce this delightful morning time sweet—a process! like cooking French toast, our lives are process. we don’t wake up to insta-sweetness. we wade through grief. we battle sickness or even the fight to believe. but when we submit to Jesus, trusting His process, we will find goodness in the end. it won’t always be sweet in the moment, but we can look […]

10 Jun

lily pad well

Posted by annabeth

the sweet repose of a water lily paints a picture of stillness & rest. a refuge, for frogs & dragonflies, insects of all families, to pause. the green leaf only a glimpse of the plant, as long stems wind down to pond bottom where roots nestle, a hidden network. it’s through secret connection the flower floats & flourishes, through this abiding deep below the water, all things flow. rest is enjoyed, by many, because the water lily is planted, tucked in & secure in a deep place only it knows. because of this, it grows & it provides a place […]

06 Jun

Go forward by Guide

Posted by annabeth

rollercoaster. we get on—for thrill & for fun—& all we know is we’re sitting down, strapping in, in for the ride. then, as we’re uplifted, we drop, fly, roar! wherever the tracks guide. we’re completely out of control, all we can do is sit, go with the flow, & laugh. isn’t this true—life in God is a little like a rollercoaster. whooosh! we’re going forward in Him, by trust & rest, & it is fun. Joy. Freedom! we don’t have to figure it out. we just need to trust. The Life Engineer made the thing, & on Him we depend! […]

23 May

Help’s Here

Posted by annabeth

the first step to not drowning is to acknowledge you are drowning. this seems silly. but imagine you’re in the ocean with no boat & no buoy. head barely bobbing above water as icy dark water chops threaten to swallow life, muscles screaming —exahausted from treading. hungry, hopeless, helpless. wouldn’t your reality be desperation?? *sploosh!* a white ring splashes in cold water—a lifesaver tossed from above. will you grab it? or will you choose to drown? this picture just painted is all of us! we’re all drowning without saving, until we realize our need. rescue requires humility. the point […]

18 May

touch my ugly

Posted by annabeth

touch my ugly let Your love light up my coffin be with me & the cobwebs wisp away, my heart remembers its song again & everything new— from my piano key toes to garden brain. I want to walk with You in the cool of the day, going forward together that’s all I desire: together. have my ugly. I let You in—to my basement of dark & spiders & dust fix me. find me. only You can make it better the pain like cabooses crushing my chest yet normal because it’s all i’ve known yet You yet, You touch my […]

08 May

pocket

Posted by annabeth

what’s in you? we’re all like a pocket, with a space to be filled. but we must be emptied first to begin again.

18 Apr

FUN

Posted by annabeth

tummy blender hill bender hair dryer screaming higher, rollercoaster adrenaline. black & white abc’s absorb tea steam bathes in afternoon sunlight cat on lap, book lover dream. tall friends of brown & green lead eyes up with their branches waving in breeze fresh air canyon view flowerswild & sparkly dew, hikers paradise. board game night camaraderie around the table laugh till snort, pee—the gang’s all here. travel high flying jet to new everything exotic cuisine like cuy bright geometric patterned shawl funky music hola que tal? adventure junkie delight. what’s your idea of fun? have you thought of the Presence […]

10 Apr

violet lilac velvet robes from another world

Posted by annabeth

life is like one breath, like one blink. so let’s embrace, even cubicle space. after all, life is now; this is it! there is no rehearsal, we are here, performance fit! let’s embark on a quest for the good. find the joy in all things and you will never be without in the drought. enjoy Yeshua. & never underestimate the power of the small—pollen, seeds, a yes. & may that seed given to you from heaven find a yes in your heart, like how fuzzy yellow pollen dot, carried by a busy bumble bee travels to populate earth with beauty. […]

28 Mar

pillow talk

Posted by annabeth

You’re not like the others. You’re not like the sand, shifting and eroding, ebbing and flowing as tide comes and leaves. or star—born, sparkle, implode. breath, comes, goes. there’s grace laced throughout Your royal robes and burning eyes, leaving no trace of former scars or lies. You love to forgive, You love to forget. You don’t count my mistakes. or look at my forsaken state of mind. but call me beloved, found, Yours… all along. this false reality—me me me—ice melting beneath, nowhere to go but sink, is taken in a blink. when You look at me. and taken, I […]

27 Mar

receive your handwritten invitation

Posted by annabeth

everyone is invited to The Party. & once there, everyone has presents waiting to be opened. sadly, many choose to not accept their invitation. they don’t believe the good news of acceptance so they ignore their invitation in disbelief. of those who accept their invitation, many never open the presents given to them. some open a few presents while still leaving a pile of presents untouched. while the fewest group of all, are those who receive from the goodness of the Giver. they are of humble childlike meekness &, with simplicity, they accept the invitation to life & then go […]