Friday, January 30, 2015

Guard Rails

"S. Stefano di Sessanio/Rocca Calascio-L'Aquila" by taymtaym on flickr

The highway of the upright avoids evil;
 he who guards his way guards his life.
Proverbs 16:17


Resistance effort.

Awareness of enemy forces.

Alert to ambush.

Yes, friends, we are at war with the evil one.  Everyone on the defensive.  Put up the guard rails.






Saturday, January 24, 2015

Dreaming

"secret passage" by Chad Cooper CC BY 2.0

   It was winter,...
John 10:22


We did have a light coating of this white stuff last night but not enough to make a scene like this one.  It's gone today...........
Now, what is that stuff called again?

Well, I can dream.


Friday, January 23, 2015

Taming Coldzilla

"Coldzilla" by Sally L. Smith

Is anyone among you sick?
 Let them call the elders of the church 
to pray over them
 and anoint them with oil 
in the name of the Lord.
James 5:14

It's been a fruitless week.  The only thing good is my fever is gone and I'm feeling better.  Actually, I'm very happy about that!

It started with an innocent tickle in my throat that turned into a hacking cough and then it hit me.  My daughter's children had it last week and I merrily babysat thinking, "I've had all the cold strains."  That was very naive of me but I ignored the warning that "mutants" were on the loose.
Well, to save very boring fever and mucus stories and the fact that I tried everything including oils, I did get better... acquainted with Netflix. 
Mindlessness was my game for 3 1/2 days.  Now I have to catch up.

Keep washing your hands, folks.  The common cold is really Coldzilla and it's out to get you.




Sunday, January 18, 2015

Following the Shifting Shadows?

"myst,trees,beams" by fdecomite on flickr CC BY 2.0

 Every good and perfect gift is from above,
 coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,
 who does not change like shifting shadows.
James 1:17



I'm not a fan of change 
so it is good to know someone 
who never changes.



Friday, January 16, 2015

A Storehouse of Snow

"Storehouse of Snow" by Sally L. Smith

Have you entered the storehouses of the snow
    or seen the storehouses of the hail,...?
Job 38:22

I'm sure many people in the world think that their city must be one of the "storehouses of the snow."  This is a photo at the front of our house in January 2011. 
 It's a far cry from West TN with only a little frost, 28 degrees and bright sunlight today.  That year it snowed before Christmas and we didn't see the ground completely until March.  After that there were even more snows.  We just left the lights shine on our trees until February but our neighbors had enough of our festivity and one day we came home and someone had unplugged them for us.  The outlet was in our garage but they trespassed to turn them off.  I guess they thought we had forgotten them or they put their "Scrooge" in overtime but we actually enjoyed them that long.  They were so beautiful peeking through the snow. 
We planted little trees like these in front of our house when we moved to Tennessee and we've continued the tradition of lighting them at Christmas.  There's no snow but the joy is still there.


Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Write-Overs

"I love a sunburnt country." by Linda/newkidontheblock on flickr CC BY 2.0

Their deeds amount to nothing;
    their images are but wind and confusion.
Isaiah 41:29


Sometimes my days are so full that they seem like a page with a thousand write-overs.  As soon as I work on one thing, another pops up for my attention.  Thing One is put aside because Thing Two is more important at that time.  Before I know it, I have pockets of Things...all undone.  Surely this is not just me.










Friday, January 9, 2015

What is Wisdom and Understanding?

"A vial of Wisdom" by Sally L. Smith

And he said to the human race,
    “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
    and to shun evil is understanding.”
Job 28:28

Wisdom and understanding...these are things for which we are constantly seeking and yet, here they are for the taking.


This is a necklace I made about five years ago.  I love seeking out vintage items (that probably need to be in the garbage) and making something new and usable again.  This was an old salt shaker, I think, with the stand broken off, and a glass used by an optometrist, a vintage key and random beads and things.
Yes, there is a small market for this kind of jewelry and sometimes I find it, though finding wisdom and understanding is far better.



Thursday, January 8, 2015

His Side

'Shining Tree" by Chris Matos CC BY 2.0

Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.
Amos 5:14-15

It seems that the trouble may lie with the fact that people are having a difficult time knowing what is good and what is evil.  It's impossible to know if you haven't been taught.  
Even the laws of the lands are nebulous on right and wrong.  How does one teach a child to disobey those laws and follow the laws of God first?  The "godly" ones have not stood up to the "nay-sayers" in the past and that is what has caused this dilemma.
Thankfully, there are many who face the enemy, take the ridicule, the lost jobs, the ostracisim, the loss of their family (yes, in third-world countries that happens every day) and stand up for the laws of God.  Oh, if only more believers would take up the banner for Christ.  What a better world that would be.



Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Morning Light

"Morning Sparkle Farkle" by Rachel Kramer  CC BY 2.0

You will pray to him, and he will hear you,
    and you will fulfill your vows.
What you decide on will be done,
    
 and light will shine on your ways.
Job 22: 27-28


It's a new day. 
 What vows do I need to fulfill before the day is over?








Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Sky Jewelry

"The last sunset of 2014 was a good one" by Rachel Kramer CC BY 2.0

I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous,
    your handmade sky-jewelry,
Moon and stars mounted in their settings.
    Then I look at my micro-self and wonder,
Why do you bother with us?
    Why take a second look our way?
Yet we’ve so narrowly missed being gods,
    bright with Eden’s dawn light.
You put us in charge of your handcrafted world,
    repeated to us your Genesis-charge,
Made us lords of sheep and cattle,
    even animals out in the wild,
Birds flying and fish swimming,
    whales singing in the ocean deeps.
God, brilliant Lord,
    your name echoes around the world.
Psalm 8:3-9  MSG

Being a jewelry-maker, I love the way "The Message" words this often-read passage.  I can see the necklace in this photo that the transcriber has interpreted...
God, the Great Sky-Jeweler.


Monday, January 5, 2015

Credence For Social Mores

"All shall be equal before the law: justice graffiti in Cape Town, South Africa" by Ben Thomas Sutherland  CC BY 2.0

 Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.
Isaiah 1:17

...and on and on.  The Bible has been the source of our nation's mores since its first written copy on the mountain.  Both factions, Liberal and Conservative, agree on these social mores above and yet people still question them and expect others to take care of them. 
 "I'm too busy.   Surely these don't apply to me.  I'm above the law.  I can do what I want.  It's a free country.  Let someone else do it." 
 These seem to be the thoughts of the people of the world.  More and more the laws given by God are being questioned in today's society.  Right is not taught, it is questioned.  We're in for trouble if we disobey God's laws.  He turned His back on His chosen people, Israel.  He can turn His back on us, too.


Saturday, January 3, 2015

Going It Alone

"Lonely Rider on a Damp Winter Morning" by Christian Guthler CC BY 2.0

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,...
Titus 2:11-12

Sometimes doing what this scripture says sends us out on the road all alone.  It's not until we're there that we realize we are being carried by a stronger power than ourselves.

Friday, January 2, 2015

Numbers

"Numbers" by Andy Maguire CC BY 2.0

Teach us to number our days,
 that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12 (NIV)

Numbers are not really my thing.  I'm drawn more to the colors in this graphic but it reminds me that I only have a few short years/days/weeks??? in my life and I want to make the most of them and do things that will please the Lord...not people.
My son calls people pleasing "seeking my audience."  As the class clown in school (a moniker that has stayed throughout his life), he is constantly getting himself in trouble by calling attention to himself.  He can't help it for this comes from my side of the family  ...from my Dad.  Dad always had a funny thing to say or do to break the ice in a ticklish situation or smooth the tension in a relationship.  I call that a "gift" and everyone loved him for it...the same with my son.  He keeps our spirits up even when his are down.
If we can help someone through their life with levity and encouragement, then we have done what God expects.  I'm adding another number to my age in a month and still trying to help as best I can.   I feel privileged that He has tolerated my meager attempts thus far so I'll continue seeking Him and finding ways to honor Him in my allotted journey.


Thursday, January 1, 2015

Clean Slate

"Skyboard" by Timothy Takemoto CC BY 2.0

 The old has gone,
 the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:17


We're starting a brand new year.  All the bad things of last year can be forgotten or forgiven.  Transformation can occur with God's help.  Let's set our course and learn from Him how to live our lives.
We can start with a clean slate.