wings of refuge

                                                                       Source: spic.kr via Joyce on Pinterest

May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, 

the God of Israel, 

under whose wings you have come to take refuge. 

Ruth 2:12:b

          

How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!

People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

Psalm 36:7

Surely he will save you

from the fowler's snare

and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of night, 

nor the arrow that flies by day,

nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, 

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

Psalm 91:3-5

yesterday's storm

Before Strike's game got started we all got chased away from it by a storm - albeit a beautiful storm. Fun tho' .... driving in and out of it along the edge of it. Strike captured this pic on my i-phone.

thoughts re: struggling

  

                                                       Source: essentialingredient.wordpress.com via Joyce on Pinterest

²⁸ Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome." Genesis 32:28

***

¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸ And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18

***

transformed - metamorfoo -  to change into another form, to transform, to transfigure

There's an old legend about a man who watched and watched and watched a butterfly struggling to force its whole body thru' a tiny hole in its chrysalis Finally the man thought he'd help the butterfly and he slit the chrysalis just enough to allow it to emerge easily - which it did! But ... the butterfly never was able to fly.

The restricting chrysalis and the difficult struggle to emerge from it were critical elements of the plan God had for that butterfly. Both were designed to force the fluid from the butterfly's swollen body into its wings so that, when the time was right, it would be ready and able to fly (enjoy freedom!).

***

⁴ ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

⁵ He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Revelation 21:4,5a

creativity simply defined

Source: designworklife.com via Joyce on Pinterest

just hangin' around

This fella seems to like hangin' out in our backyard

"wordless" wednesday

Perhaps the fact that I was at a loss for words is the very reason I was "drawn to the garden" as I tried to think of how we might attempt to comfort and encourage our friends as they mourn the sudden death of their son. And perhaps it's also the "why" behind why we ended up on their doorstep bearing bulbs and seeds of all things. Bleeding Hearts. Forget-Me-Nots. Sunflowers. Morning Glories. I hope/pray that in time, as butterflies, bees and birds interact with the "something beautiful" they're designed to become, such interactions will serve as timely encouragement (when they need it most) to draw near to God and rest assured that in doing so He will draw near to them.

⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you.

James 4:8

visitors

Not sure if they're finally finding our feeders - or if it was just that I was enjoying a very low key day and so I noticed them more than usual.  Whatever it was, I sure enjoyed their company today.  

no words

Sometimes no matter which words I choose - and no matter how hard I try to arrange them in an order that makes sense, the effort is futile. Seems there are just some times that defy words. 

Sunday I gave up trying to wrap words around discombobulated (my own word) thoughts almost before I even started trying - and instead asked my friend who had just learned of her son's tragic death to consider the email I fumbled to type as one big hug that I was wrapping around her in an attempt to absorb some of her pain and grief. That is, after all, what I would have wanted any words I might have used to do. To somehow ease her/their burden.


¹⁸ Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. ^{I John 3:18}

Yesterday was a rainy day - as if the earth itself was mourning the loss of this young man. The girls and I headed over to the family's home to attempt to do something more practical toward the end of easing their burden. Before we left our house I failed again to write words of comfort and encouragement that I felt would do what they were intended to do. And even as we visited at their home it seemed I just kinda babbled (blubbered is more like it!) - used too many meaningless words.  

How does one make sense of such tragedy?!

In the car on our way back home a song came to mind and I sensed perhaps it was God's way of helping the girls and I to understand that when we find ourselves at a loss for words, it's ok. It's ok  because God's Word faithfully (since the very beginning of time!) speaks Truth - which is exactly Who & What we need to cling to during such times as this - and only He is SO good (key word here) at it.


⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ^{John 14:6}

*

***

 The last thing I need is to be heard

 - but - 

to hear what HE would say.

***

*

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ^{Romans 8:28}

This song below is my prayer on behalf of our grieving friends and all who have been impacted by the tragic loss of this young man (my family included). I pray that as God's Word is shared at the funeral, during that time set apart to be still before attempting to move on, they/we will just know that God is "in this place" - and I pray that HE will speak - that HIS Word will pour down like the rain and tears have been - and wash our eyes to see His Majesty. 

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.  ^{John 1:1-5}

beautiful day

Today was such a beautiful day! Really enjoyed just stickin' close to home and playin' with my new camera in the yard.

buzzzz!!!

flowers from Playmaker

boquet of asparagus from spokes :)

beez bum ;)

These are SO tiny!

beauty-full supermoontage

My husband, Strike & I hiked to a ledge in a nearby state forest to watch the the beauty-full supermoon rise the other night.  Enjoyed interacting with it too :)  

God did all the super cool supernatural effects. 

We were just in the right place at the right time

 to enjoy the show.

⁸ For you were once^(P) darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light^(Q)9 (for the fruit^(R) of the light consists in all goodness,^(S) righteousness and truth) ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord.^(T) 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness,^(U)but rather expose them. ¹² It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.¹³ But everything exposed by the light^(V) becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.

Ephesians 5:8-13

I wonder...

edited a bit

“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures."


Henry Ward Beecher

I remember beginning to sense that creation seemed to be a form of incredibly creative expression and effective communication in much the same way that artwork is for most any real artist. As I looked more closely than perhaps I ever had before, it seemed I was finding "glimpses" of the nature of God inherent in nature. I began to see God's Works (... trees, water, light, the relationship between butterflies & flowers etc.) as illustrations of concepts in His Word (The Bible) and I was fascinated/amazed/inspired by how this understanding allowed so much to make so much more sense to me in much the same way that pictures/illustrations give depth to our understanding of stories and instruction manuals. And, well ...

...I wonder if I'm onto something here. Might God have imparted/implanted/communicated pieces/glimpses of each and every attribute/aspect of Himself somewhere/somehow into creation?! If true, that would mean that creation as a whole is one incredibly vast and creative expression of the the Creator, Himself - and that "clues" about Him are "hidden in plain sight" all around us. 

A feeble analogy of this concept I find difficult to wrap words around might be found in, of all things, a puzzle - and perhaps even moreso in this puzzle in particular:

Somehow I get the impression that when the artist conceived this magnificent mural he realized that those who would give it a glance would no doubt be treated to a feast for the eyes. But some would draw closer and linger to look closely enough to see each individual canvas panel for the unique work of art that it is and realize how, when combined with numerous others, each contributes a clue toward understanding the overall design inherent in "the big picture". For them, for those who would really appreciate his work, the artist would take great pleasure in rewarding them with a depth of understanding limited only by the amount of time they were willing to spend studying the details of his creation. 


And it occurred to me that this reminds me of Someone Else I Know:

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 

² Day after day they pour forth speech; 

   night after night they reveal knowledge. 

³ They have no speech, they use no words; 

   no sound is heard from them. 

⁴ Yet their voice^[b] goes out into all the earth, 

   their words to the ends of the world. 

In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. 

 ⁵ It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, 

   like a champion rejoicing to run his course. 

⁶ It rises at one end of the heavens 

   and makes its circuit to the other; 

   nothing is deprived of its warmth.

Psalm 19:1-5

  

I'm no theologian and I don't claim to understand why I seem to see so clearly something that so many can't (refuse?) to see at all. That being that God is - and that He is good - and that He went to great lengths to reveal Himself to us because He want's us to enjoy (key word here)a personal relationship with Him. I'm just a simple someone who seems to see pretty much everything differently than pretty much everyone else seems to - and who would just really like to wrap words around why that is.  The only way I know how to even attempt to do it is by using both words and illustrations which, ironically, is exactly what I believe God did so good (yep that is the right word here) in the beginning - and, more recently, for me personally - in such a creative way. 

1 In the beginning was the Word,^(A) and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.² He was with God in the beginning.^(D) 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.^(E) 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

^{John 1:1-5}

For a closer look at and better understanding of the big picture above click here:  http://www.muralmosaic.com/cpaws.html.   And for a closer look/better understanding of the Really BIG Picture, go for a walk in the woods - or stand at the edge of the ocean - or look up and into the night sky - or treat yourself to a boquet of flowers ... and study the details.

                                                                        

With all of creation telling the story,
Might I, with you, proclaim His glory.

excerpt from A Poem to a Sunflower

~By Katherine R. Lane (April 19, 1995)~

prettiest pirate i ever did see!

Playmaker's recital song this year! She dressed the part for her recital too which definitely added an element of fun to her performance. Recorded this at home yesterday afternoon.