Hello! What lovely cool weather we're having! I love these temperatures. However the wind is making a bit of a problem in my gardens. They were dry to start with after the heat and blaring sun for several days, now the wind is drying them further. I hate to water until it's really necessary because in these conditions, it is likely to blow away with the wind. Now it's hard to pull the many weeds that are sprouting. At least we got a tiny bit of rain during the night.
Mom finished painting the pieces of the baby crib and Clint and I are headed out to "plant" some of them in the garden. I need the support of the headboard and footboard for the delphiniums that are being blown about in the wind.
I picked a bouquet out there today starting with two stalks of bee balm. It had apparently been knocked over by a passing deer or maybe the wind. I added some fading coral bells and what I think is a weed (tickseed? possibly), some daisies, gaillardia (sp?), brown-eyed susans, daylilies, and lavender. It looks really pretty and is the perfect example of the colors that are vivid in the garden right now.
This afternoon while Clint was doing computer work, I got some sewing done on the new blouse I was talking about the other day. It's not going to be the greatest fit, but looks like it will work with a nice camisole under it. Let's face it, I'm hard to fit and patterns and clothing nowadays are made much differently through the necklines than they used to be. I have heard several ladies comment on the difficulty of finding correctly fitting garments that are modest. I have narrow shoulders and that only contributes to the problem, plus I'm no genius at fitting patterns. Something that fits someone else well will gape and be very low cut looking on me. Anyway, this pattern has a tucked front inset, one of the lovely little details about the blouse. I so enjoyed putting it together It was easier than I thought it would be and the outcome was lovely. I am so enjoying the fabric as well. It's a simple ivory cotton with a little bit of a weave pattern and flowers embroidered across the fabric in single stitching of ivory. Only a little bit more to sew and it will be done. I'm dreading the next few steps as it involves putting a front band on for buttons. That's always boring and my only machine that makes good buttonholes is acting up. Hmmm....
Spent a while this afternoon straightening up the bobbins on my lace pillow. It sits in front of the one dormer window on a stand and the other day the wind knocked it over. In case I have never explained, I am a bobbin lacer. I actually haven't done much lacing for a few years, but am self-taught and have several pillows with projects on them sitting around the house. Bobbin lace is a very old technique dating from the 1500's in Europe. It involves weaving lace on a stiffly constructed pillow over a pattern. The bobbins hold the thread and you pass the them back and forth in different movements to create lace. It's very intriguing and maybe some day I'll get a picture of one of the projects on here. I designed a free form picture once and have that framed and hanging in the dining room.
Went to town to run errands today and saw some old friends. Also saw my son and his boss at lunch. When I got home I got a few chores done and so all in all it's been an interesting day of small, but important accomplishments. I also got to knit a while as we drove to town. I've been concentrating on finishing the lace shell I've had going for too long. I'm really close as I'm nearing the pattern change for the bodice front. That goes very fast and hopefully it'll be ready to wear yet this summer. I'd surely like that. I hope after all this work it fits better than the blouse I'm sewing!
I am so close to finishing the sequel to "The Fields of May." I hope to type a bit more this evening. The publisher and I are scheduled to meet next week. How exciting!
I was thinking alot about being faithful today. The other day I heard a verse that really spoke to me. It was 2 Timothy 2:13, "If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself."
Even if I am lacking faith, God will not deny Himself. Why? Because His word is tied to His name and He cannot and will not deny Himself or His word. I was also pondering some of the names of God today and this seems so appropriate. God reveals Himself in the Old Testament through some of His various names, like Jehovah Jireh, Our Provider. His character is reflected in His names and in another scripture, the Bible declares that He has magnified His word above all His name (Psalm 138:2). He has willingly and purposefully linked His character to His word and His name. This is a comfort to me. It tells me that even when I pray and I don't see the victory right away, He is faithful and cannot lie. He and His word are inseparably linked to provide for me, even in my faithlessness. Blessings, LORI
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
FORSAKE NOT THE ASSEMBLING OF YOURSELVES TOGETHER
What a fun day I had today! We were invited to a baby shower this morning and so Rhiannon and I started the day off with a nice visit with old friends at that event. As soon as we were done we headed home to prepare to go to a graduation reception. Clint was still working, so I got a nice nap before we left for that open house. That was nice as well. More visiting and lovely food.
When we got home, I proceeded with the next steps in a new project--paper making! Yes, that's right, paper making. Actually it's a bit more like paper recycling. I had my mother in law shred a whole garbage bag full of newspaper for me as the raw material to begin the project. I had checked a book out of the library that tells how to make paper. I will be using dried flower petals and herbs to enhance the papers. It's a very interesting process, but I'm only part way through. I need a few more materials that I wasn't able to scrounge together yet to finish the procedure. I'll report on how it goes as soon as it's done. I got interested in doing this when I used a lovely piece of stationery purchased from a ministry. I am sure it was homemade paper and was not only beautiful, but looked so elegant when written on.
I also cut out a blouse today. After cleaning the winter clothes out of my closet the other day, I realized I am woefully short on summer clothing. However, even though the blouse was going together so well, it appears not to fit. I am not sure I can fix it. Oops. This happens often to me and I usually can rig up a way to make it work--this time I'm not sure. I'll finish it and hope that by some miracle before it's all said and done it will work out in the end.
I'm also working diligently on my second book. I am really hoping to get it published along with the third in the series by the end of the year or first of next year. I am just a few pages from finishing typing all that I had written. Only a chapter or so remains to be written to fill in an empty time frame. I talked to the publisher the other day and began to make plans for the preliminary things that have to be done to get the process started. The third book is all together in my mind, but only about half or less written. Did anyone of you that have read my first book find any clues that are in "The Fields of May" that suggest the story line for the sequel? Just curious.
After the sun dipped behind the woods a bit, Rhi and I sowed two more rows of green bean seed. I am hoping for these rows to flourish. I'm a bit disappointed in the four rows I planted earlier. They didn't come up in spots and that concerns me. I need to have plenty ripening at a time so that it's worth running the canner. We are almost out of canned beans and I was depending on these to fill the shelves for winter.
I think we are finally at the end of the strawberry crop for the year. It was a bumper crop around here. We got several quarts for ourselves, a pie, and many to eat fresh as well as selling eight quarts to a friend. That doesn't even include the many beautiful berries that went to waste from too much rain, too little sun, too much sun, and etc. I guess that can't be helped.
What's blooming in the garden? Lavender is in full bloom around the house landscaping and the Bluebells of Scotland that JT got me for mother's day have begun to open. This is very exciting since it's a flower I've never tried raising before and it looks so healthy. Also a pink speedwell is blooming. I really like those short little flowers. And....oh! I was very excited to see the perennial baby's breath that I planted last year open up. It's a lovely cloud of white in the first little bed inside the garden gate. It welcomes you to the garden very nicely. Mom finished painting the pieces of the baby crib I got for free a few weeks ago. I will probably get them up in the garden tomorrow or Monday. She's repainting my wicker end table that sits out there. She also finished painting our patio set and bought us a new umbrella! Wasn't that a blessing?!
We have a busy day tomorrow at church with a fundraiser event in the evening. There will be a corn toss tournament and lots of food and fellowship. I am looking forward to that. As Christians we need to get together often. Two of the couples from church that have been gone for two weeks on an Alaskan cruise will be returning tonight and we look forward to seeing them again as well. Being with friends and fellowshipping is a wonderful thing. The Bible reminds us in Hebrews 10:24-25, "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." Enjoy your Sunday, hopefully with your church, family, and friends. Blessings, LORI
When we got home, I proceeded with the next steps in a new project--paper making! Yes, that's right, paper making. Actually it's a bit more like paper recycling. I had my mother in law shred a whole garbage bag full of newspaper for me as the raw material to begin the project. I had checked a book out of the library that tells how to make paper. I will be using dried flower petals and herbs to enhance the papers. It's a very interesting process, but I'm only part way through. I need a few more materials that I wasn't able to scrounge together yet to finish the procedure. I'll report on how it goes as soon as it's done. I got interested in doing this when I used a lovely piece of stationery purchased from a ministry. I am sure it was homemade paper and was not only beautiful, but looked so elegant when written on.
I also cut out a blouse today. After cleaning the winter clothes out of my closet the other day, I realized I am woefully short on summer clothing. However, even though the blouse was going together so well, it appears not to fit. I am not sure I can fix it. Oops. This happens often to me and I usually can rig up a way to make it work--this time I'm not sure. I'll finish it and hope that by some miracle before it's all said and done it will work out in the end.
I'm also working diligently on my second book. I am really hoping to get it published along with the third in the series by the end of the year or first of next year. I am just a few pages from finishing typing all that I had written. Only a chapter or so remains to be written to fill in an empty time frame. I talked to the publisher the other day and began to make plans for the preliminary things that have to be done to get the process started. The third book is all together in my mind, but only about half or less written. Did anyone of you that have read my first book find any clues that are in "The Fields of May" that suggest the story line for the sequel? Just curious.
After the sun dipped behind the woods a bit, Rhi and I sowed two more rows of green bean seed. I am hoping for these rows to flourish. I'm a bit disappointed in the four rows I planted earlier. They didn't come up in spots and that concerns me. I need to have plenty ripening at a time so that it's worth running the canner. We are almost out of canned beans and I was depending on these to fill the shelves for winter.
I think we are finally at the end of the strawberry crop for the year. It was a bumper crop around here. We got several quarts for ourselves, a pie, and many to eat fresh as well as selling eight quarts to a friend. That doesn't even include the many beautiful berries that went to waste from too much rain, too little sun, too much sun, and etc. I guess that can't be helped.
What's blooming in the garden? Lavender is in full bloom around the house landscaping and the Bluebells of Scotland that JT got me for mother's day have begun to open. This is very exciting since it's a flower I've never tried raising before and it looks so healthy. Also a pink speedwell is blooming. I really like those short little flowers. And....oh! I was very excited to see the perennial baby's breath that I planted last year open up. It's a lovely cloud of white in the first little bed inside the garden gate. It welcomes you to the garden very nicely. Mom finished painting the pieces of the baby crib I got for free a few weeks ago. I will probably get them up in the garden tomorrow or Monday. She's repainting my wicker end table that sits out there. She also finished painting our patio set and bought us a new umbrella! Wasn't that a blessing?!
We have a busy day tomorrow at church with a fundraiser event in the evening. There will be a corn toss tournament and lots of food and fellowship. I am looking forward to that. As Christians we need to get together often. Two of the couples from church that have been gone for two weeks on an Alaskan cruise will be returning tonight and we look forward to seeing them again as well. Being with friends and fellowshipping is a wonderful thing. The Bible reminds us in Hebrews 10:24-25, "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." Enjoy your Sunday, hopefully with your church, family, and friends. Blessings, LORI
Friday, June 26, 2009
IGNORANCE GONE TO SEED
Another hot day! I went out to the garden at about 8:45 this morning and pulled weeds. It was so hot already that I didn't stay out there long. I got alot done and really cleaned up some areas, but as I said in an earlier post, the weeds have taken over and it's a job bigger than one woman!
While I was out there working today, one of my main jobs was to dead head more of the never-ending crop of daisies! I do this by gathering a bunch of the stalks together and clipping them low with scissors; then I discard the clipped ends. One thing I noticed while doing this is the incredible amount of tiny seeds that the daisies throw off as soon as they are touched. Their dried heads just explode with seeds, sending them in every direction. This would account for the fact that there was such a profusion of daisies in bloom a few weeks ago and the phenomenon of them sprouting up everywhere, in the paths, and all over where they weren't planted. In the hot humid conditions, they stuck to my clothes and skin. You could hear the seeds raining down each time I brushed against a plant or touched a stalk.
This reminded me of one of my favorite sayings that I first heard from some of the evangelists I love to listen to--Ignorance gone to seed! When something goes to seed it is in it's last cylce of life, trying it's hardest to continue its influence. "Going to seed" calls up images of something dead, dry, and ugly, but with the potential to reproduce itself in abundance. When referring to ignorance gone to seed, I think we are looking at the epitomy of stupidity; ignorance in abundance with an eye to spreading its influence.
Sadly, we have the potential to become like this. When we lose sight of the truths of scripture we are left to our own devices. We can easily become like those in the days of some of the judges of Israel who were just doing what was right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25) without regard to any solid truth to guide them. It's pretty obvious that we are facing some of these same situations in the world today. Many people have traded in the wisdom of a loving God and the truths that once guided them. Justice is perverted because people have spurned the true, guiding principle (the Bible) and now we even have a hard time seeing what is the right thing to do since so many have put off restraint and are leaning on their own so-called wisdom.
Just listen to the news for a while and you will hear all kinds of things that will support what I'm saying. Crazy, unthinkable things being done every day, at every turn. Romans speaks of the results of people insisting on their own way and rejecting God--Ignorance Gone To Seed. Verse 21 and 22 of chapter 1 reads: "because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools."
I so want to guard against being ignorant. It starts with forgetting God, forgetting to be thankful. I never want to become "ignorant" in that sense and have my ignorance go to seed. There are so many applications of this. We can be ignorant in so many ways. But a sure way to avoid such a trap is to continue thanking God and acknowledging Him, allowing Him the right to rule in our lives. This is accomplished in part by dwelling in and believing in His word. When you put His word first in your life, you will not be darkened by your own foolish thoughts, unable to see truth and wisdom.
What's new in the garden? Well, I saw a hollyhock blooming in the middle where in other years there were several. Oh, well. We'll try hard to seed more for next year. Also a nice bushy yellow flower that I can't exactly name is opening. Also opening are lilies and the lovely cerise colored bee balm. And most exciting of all--my white rose that I loved so much has finally proven to be alive!!!! I was so excited yesterday when I went out to survey the various developments in the last 24 hours. I peered closely at the sprouts of morning glories that I planted all around the base of the very thick, dead stalks of my old white rose that appeared not to have made it through the winter. I didn't want to pull it out just yet and thought it would make a great "trellis" for morning glories to climb. Lo and behold, down near the bottom was a sprout of green leaves! I am so glad I didn't ruthlessly remove it yet! There's still hope!
We had such a nice hot wind blowing today that I hung laundry out very late in the afternoon fully expecting to have it dry by nightfall. It's in and folded already and another load hung out!
Was out and about today and saw lots of beautiful sights. The day was a bit less humid and big, fluffy clouds adorned a bright blue sky. While I was passing one of the many cornfields around here, I noticed a team of horses coming through the rows. The blue sky in the background and them plodding along was a picture worthy of a postcard. I am so thankful for my country life and the sights I get to enjoy daily. Also I noticed several large, showy trumpet vines blooming alonside the roads and in people's yards. They are so lovely. I have always enjoyed their intense red/orange color. I planted a few, but they are just tiny yet and I'm hoping for huge plants in another year or so. They do grow fast.
Hope you are studying your Bible and putting God first. Blessings, LORI
While I was out there working today, one of my main jobs was to dead head more of the never-ending crop of daisies! I do this by gathering a bunch of the stalks together and clipping them low with scissors; then I discard the clipped ends. One thing I noticed while doing this is the incredible amount of tiny seeds that the daisies throw off as soon as they are touched. Their dried heads just explode with seeds, sending them in every direction. This would account for the fact that there was such a profusion of daisies in bloom a few weeks ago and the phenomenon of them sprouting up everywhere, in the paths, and all over where they weren't planted. In the hot humid conditions, they stuck to my clothes and skin. You could hear the seeds raining down each time I brushed against a plant or touched a stalk.
This reminded me of one of my favorite sayings that I first heard from some of the evangelists I love to listen to--Ignorance gone to seed! When something goes to seed it is in it's last cylce of life, trying it's hardest to continue its influence. "Going to seed" calls up images of something dead, dry, and ugly, but with the potential to reproduce itself in abundance. When referring to ignorance gone to seed, I think we are looking at the epitomy of stupidity; ignorance in abundance with an eye to spreading its influence.
Sadly, we have the potential to become like this. When we lose sight of the truths of scripture we are left to our own devices. We can easily become like those in the days of some of the judges of Israel who were just doing what was right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25) without regard to any solid truth to guide them. It's pretty obvious that we are facing some of these same situations in the world today. Many people have traded in the wisdom of a loving God and the truths that once guided them. Justice is perverted because people have spurned the true, guiding principle (the Bible) and now we even have a hard time seeing what is the right thing to do since so many have put off restraint and are leaning on their own so-called wisdom.
Just listen to the news for a while and you will hear all kinds of things that will support what I'm saying. Crazy, unthinkable things being done every day, at every turn. Romans speaks of the results of people insisting on their own way and rejecting God--Ignorance Gone To Seed. Verse 21 and 22 of chapter 1 reads: "because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools."
I so want to guard against being ignorant. It starts with forgetting God, forgetting to be thankful. I never want to become "ignorant" in that sense and have my ignorance go to seed. There are so many applications of this. We can be ignorant in so many ways. But a sure way to avoid such a trap is to continue thanking God and acknowledging Him, allowing Him the right to rule in our lives. This is accomplished in part by dwelling in and believing in His word. When you put His word first in your life, you will not be darkened by your own foolish thoughts, unable to see truth and wisdom.
What's new in the garden? Well, I saw a hollyhock blooming in the middle where in other years there were several. Oh, well. We'll try hard to seed more for next year. Also a nice bushy yellow flower that I can't exactly name is opening. Also opening are lilies and the lovely cerise colored bee balm. And most exciting of all--my white rose that I loved so much has finally proven to be alive!!!! I was so excited yesterday when I went out to survey the various developments in the last 24 hours. I peered closely at the sprouts of morning glories that I planted all around the base of the very thick, dead stalks of my old white rose that appeared not to have made it through the winter. I didn't want to pull it out just yet and thought it would make a great "trellis" for morning glories to climb. Lo and behold, down near the bottom was a sprout of green leaves! I am so glad I didn't ruthlessly remove it yet! There's still hope!
We had such a nice hot wind blowing today that I hung laundry out very late in the afternoon fully expecting to have it dry by nightfall. It's in and folded already and another load hung out!
Was out and about today and saw lots of beautiful sights. The day was a bit less humid and big, fluffy clouds adorned a bright blue sky. While I was passing one of the many cornfields around here, I noticed a team of horses coming through the rows. The blue sky in the background and them plodding along was a picture worthy of a postcard. I am so thankful for my country life and the sights I get to enjoy daily. Also I noticed several large, showy trumpet vines blooming alonside the roads and in people's yards. They are so lovely. I have always enjoyed their intense red/orange color. I planted a few, but they are just tiny yet and I'm hoping for huge plants in another year or so. They do grow fast.
Hope you are studying your Bible and putting God first. Blessings, LORI
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
THE ARTISTIC HEART OF GOD
I was talking a bit on the last post about God, the Master Artist. I want to say a little more about that today for all you artists or aspiring artists out there. I am so encouraged by some of the verses found in the book of Exodus as they describe the preparations for the tabernacle. There are nearly too many to quote here, but I'll highlight a few and encourage you to read the 35th and 36th chapters of Exodus in their entirety to get a clearer picture of the whole scene.
A few years ago as I was reading through Exodus, I was encouraged to find numerous references to artists. I have always felt that art in the modern church has been a bit overlooked. I don't think we do it on purpose, and there's certainly a trend to correct that, but we just are not as focused on works of art as our predecessors were in the old days of Europe. Consider Michaelangelo's paintings in the Sistine Chapel. Many great works of art adorn the cathedrals of Europe and were tremendous tributes to the magnificence of our Lord and His work. The last time we went south, we visited a church in Kentucky whose sanctuary walls are adorned with several master paintings. They depict biblical scenes and use the art of oil painting to bring glory to God.
Somehow, in the American church until just recently we have largely forgotten the place that quality art can play in drawing a person to an experience of awe and reverence. In Exodus 35, verse 10 we read: "All who are gifted artisans among you shall come and make all that the Lord has commanded,". Then Moses goes on to list all the tabernacle furnishings that are needed. Notice that the artisans are considered "gifted." Nearly every kind of item you could think of was needed, even down to clothing for the priests. This idea alone challenges me to sew to the glory of God. Are the things I can sew as a homemaker reflecting God's glory and excellence? Do I dress in such a way as to honor Him with what I've made? With the lack of available modest and lovely clothing on the market, isn't that reason enough to learn to sew?
Let's look at verse 25 and 26 of the same chapter, "All the women who were gifted artisans spun yarn with their hands and brought what they had spun, of blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. And all the women whose hearts stirred with wisdom spun yarn of goats' hair." Wow, I start to really get excited at that verse! I just learned to spin at the fair last fall when a few dedicated ladies took an afternoon to teach me. I haven't invested in a wheel yet, so I'll probably have to be re-taught! Not only is this yet another verse that elevates artistry to a place of ministry, but it speaks of the giftedness of women artists and that their "hearts were stirred with wisdom" and art work resulted!! Are you getting as excited as I am at the possibility that the creative arts of women all across the church can be really used for the glory of God?
Be sure to read verses 30-35 where some of the artists are named. Moses told the children of Israel that the Lord had called them by name and filled them with the Spirit of God. It was God who filled them with all wisdom and understanding in their particular crafts so that they could design and create the varied items needed for the tabernacle. He also put in the heart of some of them the ability to teach. This indicates that the crafts were to be passed on. Don't stop at verse 35, keep reading through chapter 36 and get the full picture of the scope of this project. Notice that the artisans are continuously called "gifted" and referred to as "filled with wisdom."
I hope that these chapters and highlighted verses are an encouragement to you, especially if you are an artist or craftsperson that has been hoping to glorify God with your special area of interest. God is the Master Artist and He still gifts people to glorify Him!
What's new in the garden? Well, I can't say for sure as for this morning, since I haven't been out there. It is about 95 degrees out today according to one thermometer I checked. I spent a little time setting up a sprinkler on the tomatoes, raspberries, and squash early this morning in the vegetable garden. It was already almost unbearably hot then. I did notice last night that the liatris are beginning to bloom. I have been anxiously awaiting their opening. They are a fuzzy purple flower whose many tiny flowers form a tall spike. Very pretty. Also in the "herbaceous border," I have a few nice yellow lillies of the tall spotted variety opening. I'm not sure if they are called Oriental lilies or what, but they are not the stella d'oro daylily types of the landscaping. The garden will need watering sometime this evening. I decided to try to arrange the sprinkler, a traveling type apparatus, later this afternoon. It will do a nice job and hopefully the flowers will get a nice drink that will last a few hours 'til tomorrow. Blessings, LORI
A few years ago as I was reading through Exodus, I was encouraged to find numerous references to artists. I have always felt that art in the modern church has been a bit overlooked. I don't think we do it on purpose, and there's certainly a trend to correct that, but we just are not as focused on works of art as our predecessors were in the old days of Europe. Consider Michaelangelo's paintings in the Sistine Chapel. Many great works of art adorn the cathedrals of Europe and were tremendous tributes to the magnificence of our Lord and His work. The last time we went south, we visited a church in Kentucky whose sanctuary walls are adorned with several master paintings. They depict biblical scenes and use the art of oil painting to bring glory to God.
Somehow, in the American church until just recently we have largely forgotten the place that quality art can play in drawing a person to an experience of awe and reverence. In Exodus 35, verse 10 we read: "All who are gifted artisans among you shall come and make all that the Lord has commanded,". Then Moses goes on to list all the tabernacle furnishings that are needed. Notice that the artisans are considered "gifted." Nearly every kind of item you could think of was needed, even down to clothing for the priests. This idea alone challenges me to sew to the glory of God. Are the things I can sew as a homemaker reflecting God's glory and excellence? Do I dress in such a way as to honor Him with what I've made? With the lack of available modest and lovely clothing on the market, isn't that reason enough to learn to sew?
Let's look at verse 25 and 26 of the same chapter, "All the women who were gifted artisans spun yarn with their hands and brought what they had spun, of blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. And all the women whose hearts stirred with wisdom spun yarn of goats' hair." Wow, I start to really get excited at that verse! I just learned to spin at the fair last fall when a few dedicated ladies took an afternoon to teach me. I haven't invested in a wheel yet, so I'll probably have to be re-taught! Not only is this yet another verse that elevates artistry to a place of ministry, but it speaks of the giftedness of women artists and that their "hearts were stirred with wisdom" and art work resulted!! Are you getting as excited as I am at the possibility that the creative arts of women all across the church can be really used for the glory of God?
Be sure to read verses 30-35 where some of the artists are named. Moses told the children of Israel that the Lord had called them by name and filled them with the Spirit of God. It was God who filled them with all wisdom and understanding in their particular crafts so that they could design and create the varied items needed for the tabernacle. He also put in the heart of some of them the ability to teach. This indicates that the crafts were to be passed on. Don't stop at verse 35, keep reading through chapter 36 and get the full picture of the scope of this project. Notice that the artisans are continuously called "gifted" and referred to as "filled with wisdom."
I hope that these chapters and highlighted verses are an encouragement to you, especially if you are an artist or craftsperson that has been hoping to glorify God with your special area of interest. God is the Master Artist and He still gifts people to glorify Him!
What's new in the garden? Well, I can't say for sure as for this morning, since I haven't been out there. It is about 95 degrees out today according to one thermometer I checked. I spent a little time setting up a sprinkler on the tomatoes, raspberries, and squash early this morning in the vegetable garden. It was already almost unbearably hot then. I did notice last night that the liatris are beginning to bloom. I have been anxiously awaiting their opening. They are a fuzzy purple flower whose many tiny flowers form a tall spike. Very pretty. Also in the "herbaceous border," I have a few nice yellow lillies of the tall spotted variety opening. I'm not sure if they are called Oriental lilies or what, but they are not the stella d'oro daylily types of the landscaping. The garden will need watering sometime this evening. I decided to try to arrange the sprinkler, a traveling type apparatus, later this afternoon. It will do a nice job and hopefully the flowers will get a nice drink that will last a few hours 'til tomorrow. Blessings, LORI
Monday, June 22, 2009
It was certainly a warm, sunny day here in Michigan! Clint got a sunburn while mowing the lawn. I got a little red while deadheading flowers, but I got them all done and am thankful for that! I decided to trim up all the meadow sage which circles the front of the house as well as the back deck. I used the wonderful little rolling cart seat that my mom got me several years ago. It's such a handy garden helper! It made the job easier and actually enjoyable! I worked really hard today doing a 4 hour cleaning job this morning followed by a complete afternoon of laundry and garden work. Still not done at 8 in the evening!
What's new in the garden? Well, the hollyhocks are blooming. They are my favorite flower, but I seem to have less of them this year. The only ones nearing maturity are the ones that "volunteered" up near the house. (More on "volunteering" later) They reseed themselves and apparently didn't do that great of a job of it last year. Many are also destroyed by some sort of pest that eats their leaves until they look like lace; one of the only kinds of lace I don't like! But I'm thankful for the ones that are blooming. Also making its debut is bee balm. I think it will be red, but I'm not sure. Might be a purple one. It's a new one put in this year and so we'll have to see what transpires. I have a coral colored rose, a bright red and a lavender one all blooming right now. Also a white one has a few blossoms left as well. Yesterday I purchased a purple ice plant and planted it in the rock garden area of the English Garden. It is very bright and showy and I am hoping it will do well where I placed it.
I need to go pick strawberries yet tonight as I know there are several waiting out there. I worked so hard today that I'm kind of dreading that job this late in the evening. But it was so hot out that I decided not to get in the sun any more until it dips behind our woods a bit.
I wanted to share with you what happened on the weekend with a fun little project I tried. Rhiannon and I went to a garage sale that had six linen placemats and napkins in pristine condition for sale for $2. At first I drove away and left them there, but the more I thought about it, the more I decided I needed them. They were white with blue butterflies and flowers embroidered on them. I had Rhiannon turn the car around and went back to purchase them. In just a few hours I had an outfit made for Emma from the items! It was so cute but the top was too small. I re-worked it and altered the style a bit and if fit beautifully. She wore it to church on Sunday! The butterflies ended up on the front pant legs and the little tank-style top that flares at the hips had the embroidered flowers and scalloping on it. I put some of the edge scalloping down the back and made button loops for three buttons. It is a very cute little outfit and all out of leftover linens! I hope to post pictures of her in the "creation" very soon.
I was taking a walk the other day when I noticed the beautiful orange lilies "volunteering" alongside the road just as they do each year at this time. My Grandma Corey coined that phrase for the family. "Volunteering" means they weren't planted, but seeded themselves. I've always loved those flowers and the combination that is naturally made in July with oranges and the blue cornflowers that grow wild along the road; at least I think it's cornflowers. Anyway, another wild purple/blue flower is growing right now and our road is loaded with them. Alongside the orange lilies they make a lovely palette. I amazes me that there are color combinations in nature that you might not think of using anywhere else, but they are very lovely and harmonious. God is a master artist. Loving creative things and hobbies as I do, I have always identified with God as an artist. I feel it's a side of our Lord that we often overlook. But His wonderful artistic nature can be seen all around us.
When we were visiting Glacier National Park a few years ago, I was struck most of all by the incredible combination of colors. The turquoise blue of glacial lakes against the blue/green of spruce forests and the dazzling white glaciers on snow-capped purple mountains. It was breathtaking. An area artist had made pottery in similar colors and had it for sale in the gift shop. I bought a small piece for Kori because I was so impressed with the colors. Again, it was the ability of God that painted that master work of art. I noticed a similar phenomenon at the Badlands. The colors of the striated earth are incredible! There is everything from brown to rust, to red to purple, all in stripes along the caverns of exposed earth. I kept thinking it reminded me of the muted colors of hand-dyed wool. (There's nothing I love to knit with better than real wool!) I wonder why someone hasn't knitted sweaters in stripes to mirror the landscape of the badlands--it could be done in hand-dyed wool and be a real intriguing item! Lovely!
All of the loveliness of the earth points to the ability of the Master Artist, God Himself. I'll try to add a few more thoughts on that tomorrow. Artists, stay tuned! Keep cool! Blessings, LORI
What's new in the garden? Well, the hollyhocks are blooming. They are my favorite flower, but I seem to have less of them this year. The only ones nearing maturity are the ones that "volunteered" up near the house. (More on "volunteering" later) They reseed themselves and apparently didn't do that great of a job of it last year. Many are also destroyed by some sort of pest that eats their leaves until they look like lace; one of the only kinds of lace I don't like! But I'm thankful for the ones that are blooming. Also making its debut is bee balm. I think it will be red, but I'm not sure. Might be a purple one. It's a new one put in this year and so we'll have to see what transpires. I have a coral colored rose, a bright red and a lavender one all blooming right now. Also a white one has a few blossoms left as well. Yesterday I purchased a purple ice plant and planted it in the rock garden area of the English Garden. It is very bright and showy and I am hoping it will do well where I placed it.
I need to go pick strawberries yet tonight as I know there are several waiting out there. I worked so hard today that I'm kind of dreading that job this late in the evening. But it was so hot out that I decided not to get in the sun any more until it dips behind our woods a bit.
I wanted to share with you what happened on the weekend with a fun little project I tried. Rhiannon and I went to a garage sale that had six linen placemats and napkins in pristine condition for sale for $2. At first I drove away and left them there, but the more I thought about it, the more I decided I needed them. They were white with blue butterflies and flowers embroidered on them. I had Rhiannon turn the car around and went back to purchase them. In just a few hours I had an outfit made for Emma from the items! It was so cute but the top was too small. I re-worked it and altered the style a bit and if fit beautifully. She wore it to church on Sunday! The butterflies ended up on the front pant legs and the little tank-style top that flares at the hips had the embroidered flowers and scalloping on it. I put some of the edge scalloping down the back and made button loops for three buttons. It is a very cute little outfit and all out of leftover linens! I hope to post pictures of her in the "creation" very soon.
I was taking a walk the other day when I noticed the beautiful orange lilies "volunteering" alongside the road just as they do each year at this time. My Grandma Corey coined that phrase for the family. "Volunteering" means they weren't planted, but seeded themselves. I've always loved those flowers and the combination that is naturally made in July with oranges and the blue cornflowers that grow wild along the road; at least I think it's cornflowers. Anyway, another wild purple/blue flower is growing right now and our road is loaded with them. Alongside the orange lilies they make a lovely palette. I amazes me that there are color combinations in nature that you might not think of using anywhere else, but they are very lovely and harmonious. God is a master artist. Loving creative things and hobbies as I do, I have always identified with God as an artist. I feel it's a side of our Lord that we often overlook. But His wonderful artistic nature can be seen all around us.
When we were visiting Glacier National Park a few years ago, I was struck most of all by the incredible combination of colors. The turquoise blue of glacial lakes against the blue/green of spruce forests and the dazzling white glaciers on snow-capped purple mountains. It was breathtaking. An area artist had made pottery in similar colors and had it for sale in the gift shop. I bought a small piece for Kori because I was so impressed with the colors. Again, it was the ability of God that painted that master work of art. I noticed a similar phenomenon at the Badlands. The colors of the striated earth are incredible! There is everything from brown to rust, to red to purple, all in stripes along the caverns of exposed earth. I kept thinking it reminded me of the muted colors of hand-dyed wool. (There's nothing I love to knit with better than real wool!) I wonder why someone hasn't knitted sweaters in stripes to mirror the landscape of the badlands--it could be done in hand-dyed wool and be a real intriguing item! Lovely!
All of the loveliness of the earth points to the ability of the Master Artist, God Himself. I'll try to add a few more thoughts on that tomorrow. Artists, stay tuned! Keep cool! Blessings, LORI
Friday, June 19, 2009
Garden Chatter
A big thanks goes to Rhiannon for helping me with the pictures for the last post. I hope you enjoyed seeing Miss Emma who is eye-high to a daisy! Looks like she was enjoying picking one of them in one of the pictures.
As you can see from the pictures, the paths are narrow in some places. They were not planned that way. This garden kind of evolved from literally three trees that we planted when the lawn was first seeded. I placed them in somewhat of a triangle and then after the lawn grew up I decided it was needing a flower garden out there. This is the wrong way to go about making a garden by the way, and that accounts for my ongoing battles with grass. I took the tiller and just drove it around in curving shapes between those first three trees and this is what resulted. Of course, in between there was alot of digging up of sod, re-forming the inner and outer beds and etc. Also I went to alot of trouble amending the soil in the inner beds. They were literally lawn that was cut away and tilled deeply, filled with all kinds of organic material and originally intended to be "raised." At first they were slightly raised with all the stuff I had used (straw, wood chips, and lots and lots of composted dirt) but gradually they settled.
I was just out in the garden tonight after supper doing the deadheading of millions of daisies and a few stray irises and much as I wanted to be careful, I'm afraid some late bloomers went along with the old. It made a great difference in the look of the garden, but still there is more to be done. The weeds are almost out of control. The profusion of daisies hid many small weeds for a time and now they are visible. I am convinced that me and ten gardeners together could not get the upper hand with it. I did my best until the darkness and thunder threatened. We got alot of rain today and are forecast to have more. I knew I needed to quit and get in to clean up in case the power went off robbing me of water.
I didn't notice anything new blooming, but some things are nearly ready to pop open. My tall delphiniums withstood last night's storms fairly well, one was leaned over and not having a proper stake, I leaned it against, you guessed it, a bed of daisies! I'll have to do better for it tomorrow. After the cutting of so many daisies, the garden definitely lost the light that all that white provided. It's amazing how flowers can create light or darkness in an area. Now the vivid purples and darker colors come to the forefront. It's very interesting.
Picked another huge bowl of strawberries this evening. I regret that many are going to waste right on the plants. I don't use straw as diligently as I should and with the rain they got too wet. Also many were not ripening correctly without enough sunshine.
I was pondering how we can learn a lesson from the daisies. There were so many of them and nearly every one looks exactly alike. Yet, if they stood alone and not in profusion, they wouldn't be as lovely or effective. Isn't that how it sometimes is with us? We are part of a bigger picture. We as Christians should be who God wants us to be as individuals, but still we have a responsibility to fit into the larger picture, for instance, to be a part of a local church. The local church is then part of the church worldwide. Together we make a great difference and impact. Few of us do lots of great things alone. How many people do you know who have done big important things all by themselves? I trust they are few. But together we bloom very well and create a lovely landscape in the world just like the daisies created in my garden. So today if you are discouraged at your success or lack thereof, remember that the little things you do really matter. You are part of a bigger picture. The church needs everyone, not just a few famous visible preachers or evangelists. Paul told this to the Corinthians and described the church as a body. No part of the body does well without the other. We all "look" better when we work together to accomplish Christ's commission. Blessings, LORI
As you can see from the pictures, the paths are narrow in some places. They were not planned that way. This garden kind of evolved from literally three trees that we planted when the lawn was first seeded. I placed them in somewhat of a triangle and then after the lawn grew up I decided it was needing a flower garden out there. This is the wrong way to go about making a garden by the way, and that accounts for my ongoing battles with grass. I took the tiller and just drove it around in curving shapes between those first three trees and this is what resulted. Of course, in between there was alot of digging up of sod, re-forming the inner and outer beds and etc. Also I went to alot of trouble amending the soil in the inner beds. They were literally lawn that was cut away and tilled deeply, filled with all kinds of organic material and originally intended to be "raised." At first they were slightly raised with all the stuff I had used (straw, wood chips, and lots and lots of composted dirt) but gradually they settled.
I was just out in the garden tonight after supper doing the deadheading of millions of daisies and a few stray irises and much as I wanted to be careful, I'm afraid some late bloomers went along with the old. It made a great difference in the look of the garden, but still there is more to be done. The weeds are almost out of control. The profusion of daisies hid many small weeds for a time and now they are visible. I am convinced that me and ten gardeners together could not get the upper hand with it. I did my best until the darkness and thunder threatened. We got alot of rain today and are forecast to have more. I knew I needed to quit and get in to clean up in case the power went off robbing me of water.
I didn't notice anything new blooming, but some things are nearly ready to pop open. My tall delphiniums withstood last night's storms fairly well, one was leaned over and not having a proper stake, I leaned it against, you guessed it, a bed of daisies! I'll have to do better for it tomorrow. After the cutting of so many daisies, the garden definitely lost the light that all that white provided. It's amazing how flowers can create light or darkness in an area. Now the vivid purples and darker colors come to the forefront. It's very interesting.
Picked another huge bowl of strawberries this evening. I regret that many are going to waste right on the plants. I don't use straw as diligently as I should and with the rain they got too wet. Also many were not ripening correctly without enough sunshine.
I was pondering how we can learn a lesson from the daisies. There were so many of them and nearly every one looks exactly alike. Yet, if they stood alone and not in profusion, they wouldn't be as lovely or effective. Isn't that how it sometimes is with us? We are part of a bigger picture. We as Christians should be who God wants us to be as individuals, but still we have a responsibility to fit into the larger picture, for instance, to be a part of a local church. The local church is then part of the church worldwide. Together we make a great difference and impact. Few of us do lots of great things alone. How many people do you know who have done big important things all by themselves? I trust they are few. But together we bloom very well and create a lovely landscape in the world just like the daisies created in my garden. So today if you are discouraged at your success or lack thereof, remember that the little things you do really matter. You are part of a bigger picture. The church needs everyone, not just a few famous visible preachers or evangelists. Paul told this to the Corinthians and described the church as a body. No part of the body does well without the other. We all "look" better when we work together to accomplish Christ's commission. Blessings, LORI
PICTURES!
Finally! Here are some pictures of the English garden that I so enjoy. My granddaughter, Emma, is the cute little girl in the one picture. She loves to go to the garden and smell the flowers. Shouldn't we all take time to do that?
I hope you can get a glimpse of what the garden looks like from these few pics. It is making a gradual transition from pastel to vivid color just this week since these were taken. The profusion of daisies that you see are the ones now needing to be clipped down! Notice the garden "room" in the middle of the picture. This is where I like to relax with a good book, mostly my Bible, or my knitting. The "room" is an old queen-sized iron bed frame I picked up at a sale. The sheer drapes are up but the lace canopy was hung only a few days ago and doesn't appear in the pictures. Inside the "room" are an iron bench, a willow chair, and wicker coffee table. Some of the pictures are taken from the east view and some from the west.
I hope you enjoyed sharing the delights of my garden with me. Hopefully I'll have more pictures in the future as the face and mood of the garden changes. Blessings, LORI
I hope you can get a glimpse of what the garden looks like from these few pics. It is making a gradual transition from pastel to vivid color just this week since these were taken. The profusion of daisies that you see are the ones now needing to be clipped down! Notice the garden "room" in the middle of the picture. This is where I like to relax with a good book, mostly my Bible, or my knitting. The "room" is an old queen-sized iron bed frame I picked up at a sale. The sheer drapes are up but the lace canopy was hung only a few days ago and doesn't appear in the pictures. Inside the "room" are an iron bench, a willow chair, and wicker coffee table. Some of the pictures are taken from the east view and some from the west.
I hope you enjoyed sharing the delights of my garden with me. Hopefully I'll have more pictures in the future as the face and mood of the garden changes. Blessings, LORI
Thursday, June 18, 2009
HARD WORK, WEEDING OUT, AND WINDOW WASHING TIPS!
This was a day of hard work! I decided to get up and start in accomplishing things in a disciplined manner. I have been a little lax in what were very stringent disciplines for years. It seems I have been too busy to get my walks in as often lately. I never missed a regular exercising schedule for years; now suddenly it's a discipline that has almost slipped away from me.
So I decided to start off with Bible reading, then a walk, and then on to work. I had in mind to scrub the baby crib that I picked up for free so that it will be ready to paint. I found an old laundry basket in the garage that somehow got left out there. I decided to scrub it up and have one more basket to use. (I'm trying to get rid of excess stuff or put it to use--one or the other!) So with the leftover washing water I scrubbed the basket--like new! I also used the water to wash the garage windows. They really needed it. I admit I didn't do the greatest job. Now that the afternoon sun shines through I can see all the spots I missed. This is a little handy homemaking tip that has worked well for me: I learned a few years ago that hot, soapy dishwater makes a good window cleaner! I fill a bucket with hot water and a few squirts of dish soap and take a cloth and wash the window glass with this solution. Then just wipe dry with a paper towel--no rinsing! I'm amazed at the outcome and it's a very inexpensive way to clean. If I had been a bit more diligent and taken the job a little slower, the garage windows would look better, but even my feeble attempt netted a huge difference.
I then made up a new bucket of water and set to work on the parlor and dining room windows. I took the lace curtains down and washed them while I worked on the windows and screens. I thought if I hurried I could get the curtains to dry on the line before any rain came. We've been hearing storms are in the forecast and I wanted to have all my washing and drying work done in case of a power outage again. Well, I didn't need to give that a second thought. By the time I had the curtains washed the sun was shining! After I hung the curtains out I decided to spread the 6 bags of mulch my mom bought me for the English garden. That pretty much covered all the bare pathway areas. I have used 24bags of mulch this year. I know, I know; I should have had a truckload brought in! This is only for the pathways, not the areas between flower clumps. I did much of that area with cocoa mulch. Maybe the garden is out of control!
I disciplined myself to work on my sequel today since I have a goal of publishing the next two books within the year or early next year. I got some typing done and the accomplishment felt good. I think I was more disciplined today with alot of things because I was so frustrated yesterday with things that were out of my control. It seemed really nice to just dig in and have something to point to at the end of the day that was "finished."
It was really hot out in the garden today as I was spreading mulch. I had to weed the pathways before I could complete the job. Even though there is black plastic in them, the weeds and some aggressive plants seem to find their way through. As well as sneaking up through the plastic, I have noticed that the accumulated years of mulch have broken down into a really good planting medium--a nice, fine stuff that resembles the best potting soil! That means that all that has to happen is a few seeds drop from the surrounding beds and they have a lovely environment in which to grow right in the middle of the paths! Maybe in another few years I should rake all the old mulch from pathways up into the beds and start completely over with fresh mulch. Sounds like an expensive endeavor. Hmmm....I'll have to think that one over.
While I was out there I noticed that the deadheading really needs to be done and it will take some time. I kind of enjoy that job to a point, but then it becomes overwhelming. If you want to do a really good job of it, you need to be careful and get only the ones that are dead. It's so easy to whack off some good flowers after you get a little tired and want the job done in a hurry. I also noticed today that I finally got really ruthless with many of the little flowers that had sprouted in the pathways. I was tolerant of them for the first few months of the season, but now they are bugging me as they crowd my paths. I was thinking about how this can be likened to our Christian lives. There are things in every person's life that need to go--they just need to be dealt with and ruthlessly weeded out. We as humans have a tendency to mess around and allow the weeds of our lives to stay in place too long because it's too hard to deal with them. Even the good things (like flowers that are done blooming) must sometimes be eliminated to make room for growth of a different kind. It is imperative to move on to the next level. I tend to hang on to things more than is necessary and I have become conscious of this in the last few years. I do not want to hold so tightly to things that I never have room for the new blessings and levels that God wants to give me or take me to. It is possible to cling so tightly to things--houses, stuff, habits, etc., that you fail to move on to the deeper things the Lord has in store for you.
The writer of Hebrews (it is disputed as to who the writer of this book is!) says as instruction to the church, "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food." (Hebrews 5:12) How sad that Christians would stay on "milk" when they could have graduated to "steak." We would be appalled at a ten year old child who still cried for his bottle and never ate solid food, but we don't think a thing of being a Christian for that long and showing very little growth. It is like deadheading flowers--sometimes we have to get rid of the old stuff and move on to the new. There comes a time to get off that bottle and start eating. And then it naturally follows that you will even begin to feed yourself at some point. After all, we expect that a child will do that after some time, don't we? If we never move on we become like my garden is right now--shaggy and tired looking with new flowers trying their hardest to compete for sunlight. Challenging thoughts with which to check ourselves.
Newly blooming items: Kniphofia or "torch lilies," they attract hummingbirds, foxgloves in white and lavender, and daylilies. I noticed that with the advent of the brightly colored flowers, the butterfiles are once again frequenting my garden!
I have talked with some of you and know you are anxious to see pictures of the garden. I will try my best to get them on here. We have certain factors that make it difficult for me to get that done, but it is my intention, really! Thanks for your interest. Blessings, LORI
So I decided to start off with Bible reading, then a walk, and then on to work. I had in mind to scrub the baby crib that I picked up for free so that it will be ready to paint. I found an old laundry basket in the garage that somehow got left out there. I decided to scrub it up and have one more basket to use. (I'm trying to get rid of excess stuff or put it to use--one or the other!) So with the leftover washing water I scrubbed the basket--like new! I also used the water to wash the garage windows. They really needed it. I admit I didn't do the greatest job. Now that the afternoon sun shines through I can see all the spots I missed. This is a little handy homemaking tip that has worked well for me: I learned a few years ago that hot, soapy dishwater makes a good window cleaner! I fill a bucket with hot water and a few squirts of dish soap and take a cloth and wash the window glass with this solution. Then just wipe dry with a paper towel--no rinsing! I'm amazed at the outcome and it's a very inexpensive way to clean. If I had been a bit more diligent and taken the job a little slower, the garage windows would look better, but even my feeble attempt netted a huge difference.
I then made up a new bucket of water and set to work on the parlor and dining room windows. I took the lace curtains down and washed them while I worked on the windows and screens. I thought if I hurried I could get the curtains to dry on the line before any rain came. We've been hearing storms are in the forecast and I wanted to have all my washing and drying work done in case of a power outage again. Well, I didn't need to give that a second thought. By the time I had the curtains washed the sun was shining! After I hung the curtains out I decided to spread the 6 bags of mulch my mom bought me for the English garden. That pretty much covered all the bare pathway areas. I have used 24bags of mulch this year. I know, I know; I should have had a truckload brought in! This is only for the pathways, not the areas between flower clumps. I did much of that area with cocoa mulch. Maybe the garden is out of control!
I disciplined myself to work on my sequel today since I have a goal of publishing the next two books within the year or early next year. I got some typing done and the accomplishment felt good. I think I was more disciplined today with alot of things because I was so frustrated yesterday with things that were out of my control. It seemed really nice to just dig in and have something to point to at the end of the day that was "finished."
It was really hot out in the garden today as I was spreading mulch. I had to weed the pathways before I could complete the job. Even though there is black plastic in them, the weeds and some aggressive plants seem to find their way through. As well as sneaking up through the plastic, I have noticed that the accumulated years of mulch have broken down into a really good planting medium--a nice, fine stuff that resembles the best potting soil! That means that all that has to happen is a few seeds drop from the surrounding beds and they have a lovely environment in which to grow right in the middle of the paths! Maybe in another few years I should rake all the old mulch from pathways up into the beds and start completely over with fresh mulch. Sounds like an expensive endeavor. Hmmm....I'll have to think that one over.
While I was out there I noticed that the deadheading really needs to be done and it will take some time. I kind of enjoy that job to a point, but then it becomes overwhelming. If you want to do a really good job of it, you need to be careful and get only the ones that are dead. It's so easy to whack off some good flowers after you get a little tired and want the job done in a hurry. I also noticed today that I finally got really ruthless with many of the little flowers that had sprouted in the pathways. I was tolerant of them for the first few months of the season, but now they are bugging me as they crowd my paths. I was thinking about how this can be likened to our Christian lives. There are things in every person's life that need to go--they just need to be dealt with and ruthlessly weeded out. We as humans have a tendency to mess around and allow the weeds of our lives to stay in place too long because it's too hard to deal with them. Even the good things (like flowers that are done blooming) must sometimes be eliminated to make room for growth of a different kind. It is imperative to move on to the next level. I tend to hang on to things more than is necessary and I have become conscious of this in the last few years. I do not want to hold so tightly to things that I never have room for the new blessings and levels that God wants to give me or take me to. It is possible to cling so tightly to things--houses, stuff, habits, etc., that you fail to move on to the deeper things the Lord has in store for you.
The writer of Hebrews (it is disputed as to who the writer of this book is!) says as instruction to the church, "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food." (Hebrews 5:12) How sad that Christians would stay on "milk" when they could have graduated to "steak." We would be appalled at a ten year old child who still cried for his bottle and never ate solid food, but we don't think a thing of being a Christian for that long and showing very little growth. It is like deadheading flowers--sometimes we have to get rid of the old stuff and move on to the new. There comes a time to get off that bottle and start eating. And then it naturally follows that you will even begin to feed yourself at some point. After all, we expect that a child will do that after some time, don't we? If we never move on we become like my garden is right now--shaggy and tired looking with new flowers trying their hardest to compete for sunlight. Challenging thoughts with which to check ourselves.
Newly blooming items: Kniphofia or "torch lilies," they attract hummingbirds, foxgloves in white and lavender, and daylilies. I noticed that with the advent of the brightly colored flowers, the butterfiles are once again frequenting my garden!
I have talked with some of you and know you are anxious to see pictures of the garden. I will try my best to get them on here. We have certain factors that make it difficult for me to get that done, but it is my intention, really! Thanks for your interest. Blessings, LORI
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
LOVE IS IN BLOOM
Yes, love is in bloom! By that I mean that my rose named, "Love," is blooming. It's a beautiful bright red with lighter edged petals. It's a gorgeous plant that was given to us for our 25th wedding anniversary.
It's been quite a week here already. I finally got a chance to pick strawberries. I was gone on the best day for picking--yesterday. I decided it had to be done today. I picked 7 quarts from the patch! That's measuring them after they were cleaned and hulled! Even at that several berries were past ripe and had to be left out there. I've never had the patch bear this much before. It's been amazing. We froze this group once again.
I did alot of weeding since the frequent rains have made that task easier. Our clay soil is resistant to being worked only a short time after the rain. A few days and it's no longer easy to till or weed or dig. I have to take advantage of the rain cycles for some things. I got a chance to till as well and now the nice, freshly turned dirt really makes the garden look good! I do have some problem areas out there that still need attention, but that is for another day.
I planted a "penstemon" today. I saw some somewhere and decided they were a must-have for the English garden. Pulled a few weeds out there as well. I noticed that the grasses have begun for the year. They are my worst enemy in the garden. I pulled several and only made a dent in the clean up work.
What's blooming out there? Lots of great stuff. Almost all the delphiniums are open and they are gorgeous. A few roses are open and the honeysuckle greets you with its scent as you enter through the garden gate. Next to it is the old-fashioned, heavily scented rose. It's worth a trip to the garden right now for the smell alone! I got the lace canopy hung over the bed frame and as soon as the sun decides to shine again, it will make a nice little area of diffused light for reading.
I finally discovered what the "mystery" flower is that I have grown to enjoy so much. I checked out a book while in the library today and ran on to a picture of it. It's "Lychnis" or "Campion." These are the ones I transplanted from Jt's house the other day. They are profuse and their magenta flowers against their silvery gray foliage are a striking addition to the garden. They remind me of velvet. I definitely want to cultivate large drifts of this showy flower. I also noticed that I need to do some dead-heading soon. The daisies are especially needing to be shorn. They are so profuse that it will take some time to get all the spent flowers clipped off. But that's kind of an enjoyable job becuase when you clip them down, all the many smaller flowers that are amongst them begin to appear!
While I was in the garden late this afternoon, I was kneeling down and weeding a specific area. At about eye level was a large stand of coral bells. Suddenly a ruby-throated hummingbird came right up to me and began flitting from flower to flower, drinking at his plant of choice. The hummingbirds seem to flock to the coral bells. He didn't seem to be at all scared of me. As he drank he came closer and closer. I even said, "hi," to him and it didn't seem to deter him at all. I guess they are getting very used to me being out there. He put on quite a show and I was able to see him very close up and get a really good look at his beautiful iridescent feather colors. Lovely!
Another blooming item of note are the clumps of dianthus in the landscaping around the porches. Wow are they beautiful! I never imagined when I put them in last year that they would winter over and grow so profusely. They are a bright pink with white variegated petals. The clumps are huge and so full of flowers it's like a seed catalog picture! What an unexpected surprise!
In spite of all the beauty of the day, I had several frustrating moments. It seemed that some things I've been trying to accomplish just resist coming to fulfillment. Today was that kind of day in so many ways. I thought alot about "open doors." In the Revelation chapter 3, verse 8, the Bible speaks of Jesus as "He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens." These verses are referring back to a verse in Isaiah 22:22. It is comforting to me to meditate on the fact that the Lord I serve is able to open and shut doors! I must choose to rely on Him even when there seems to be resistance. After all, the Apostle Paul felt resistance in the important work of the ministry. He was opposed and hindered (Romans 1:13), but eventually he accomplished his work. In another scripture (1 Corinthians 16:9) Paul says, "For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries." I have a tendency to give up too soon. It's a lesson to learn. I was thinking as I went to the strawberry patch today, how thankful I am to be living on this pretty country property. It once seemed like such an unreachable goal. No kidding. Several years ago before we built this place, I was incredibly frustrated in what seemed like an endless search for the right, affordable property. It was as if the dream of living on a piece of acreage would never come true. I am sure that all the things that frustrated me today will one day seem so insignificant and I will wonder why I spent any time at all in aggravation over them.
I hope that you enjoyed this day. It was very humid here with lots of cloud cover and misty, foggy-like moisture in the air. Despite the less-than-sunny conditions, it was a day to be lived and enjoyed because "this is the day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24 Blessings, LORI
It's been quite a week here already. I finally got a chance to pick strawberries. I was gone on the best day for picking--yesterday. I decided it had to be done today. I picked 7 quarts from the patch! That's measuring them after they were cleaned and hulled! Even at that several berries were past ripe and had to be left out there. I've never had the patch bear this much before. It's been amazing. We froze this group once again.
I did alot of weeding since the frequent rains have made that task easier. Our clay soil is resistant to being worked only a short time after the rain. A few days and it's no longer easy to till or weed or dig. I have to take advantage of the rain cycles for some things. I got a chance to till as well and now the nice, freshly turned dirt really makes the garden look good! I do have some problem areas out there that still need attention, but that is for another day.
I planted a "penstemon" today. I saw some somewhere and decided they were a must-have for the English garden. Pulled a few weeds out there as well. I noticed that the grasses have begun for the year. They are my worst enemy in the garden. I pulled several and only made a dent in the clean up work.
What's blooming out there? Lots of great stuff. Almost all the delphiniums are open and they are gorgeous. A few roses are open and the honeysuckle greets you with its scent as you enter through the garden gate. Next to it is the old-fashioned, heavily scented rose. It's worth a trip to the garden right now for the smell alone! I got the lace canopy hung over the bed frame and as soon as the sun decides to shine again, it will make a nice little area of diffused light for reading.
I finally discovered what the "mystery" flower is that I have grown to enjoy so much. I checked out a book while in the library today and ran on to a picture of it. It's "Lychnis" or "Campion." These are the ones I transplanted from Jt's house the other day. They are profuse and their magenta flowers against their silvery gray foliage are a striking addition to the garden. They remind me of velvet. I definitely want to cultivate large drifts of this showy flower. I also noticed that I need to do some dead-heading soon. The daisies are especially needing to be shorn. They are so profuse that it will take some time to get all the spent flowers clipped off. But that's kind of an enjoyable job becuase when you clip them down, all the many smaller flowers that are amongst them begin to appear!
While I was in the garden late this afternoon, I was kneeling down and weeding a specific area. At about eye level was a large stand of coral bells. Suddenly a ruby-throated hummingbird came right up to me and began flitting from flower to flower, drinking at his plant of choice. The hummingbirds seem to flock to the coral bells. He didn't seem to be at all scared of me. As he drank he came closer and closer. I even said, "hi," to him and it didn't seem to deter him at all. I guess they are getting very used to me being out there. He put on quite a show and I was able to see him very close up and get a really good look at his beautiful iridescent feather colors. Lovely!
Another blooming item of note are the clumps of dianthus in the landscaping around the porches. Wow are they beautiful! I never imagined when I put them in last year that they would winter over and grow so profusely. They are a bright pink with white variegated petals. The clumps are huge and so full of flowers it's like a seed catalog picture! What an unexpected surprise!
In spite of all the beauty of the day, I had several frustrating moments. It seemed that some things I've been trying to accomplish just resist coming to fulfillment. Today was that kind of day in so many ways. I thought alot about "open doors." In the Revelation chapter 3, verse 8, the Bible speaks of Jesus as "He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens." These verses are referring back to a verse in Isaiah 22:22. It is comforting to me to meditate on the fact that the Lord I serve is able to open and shut doors! I must choose to rely on Him even when there seems to be resistance. After all, the Apostle Paul felt resistance in the important work of the ministry. He was opposed and hindered (Romans 1:13), but eventually he accomplished his work. In another scripture (1 Corinthians 16:9) Paul says, "For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries." I have a tendency to give up too soon. It's a lesson to learn. I was thinking as I went to the strawberry patch today, how thankful I am to be living on this pretty country property. It once seemed like such an unreachable goal. No kidding. Several years ago before we built this place, I was incredibly frustrated in what seemed like an endless search for the right, affordable property. It was as if the dream of living on a piece of acreage would never come true. I am sure that all the things that frustrated me today will one day seem so insignificant and I will wonder why I spent any time at all in aggravation over them.
I hope that you enjoyed this day. It was very humid here with lots of cloud cover and misty, foggy-like moisture in the air. Despite the less-than-sunny conditions, it was a day to be lived and enjoyed because "this is the day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24 Blessings, LORI
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Preparing for Rain
After writing my blog the other day when the church power went out, we had another incident of power outage the very next day! We were all sitting here visiting on Monday evening when suddenly the lights went off--no warning! The sky had turned a bit cloudy and the wind picked up, but no major rain or storms had even occurred. We thought it would last only a few minutes, but to our surprise we were without power until 1:00p.m. on Tuesday. After living in the country for years, I have learned to "draw water" each time there is even a hint or threat of a storm. Too many times in the early years I found myself without power after a storm. It's not a problem to cook--we've always had gas stoves and they can be lit with a match. Not having light does not bother me--I keep plenty of candles and oil lamps on hand. It's the lack of water that is really hard to live with. Out in the country we have well water and the pump will not run when the power is off. I have always wanted to install a pitcher pump for just such occasions!
We were completely caught off guard on Monday. We should have known since Rhiannon warned us earlier in the day. The office at the plant where she works has very sophisticated weather predicting devices since they are dealing with farm work. We waited all day and no rain so we got real comfortable with the fact that nothing was going to happen and we were caugh off guard. She was the only one prepared--she had drawn two buckets of water for her own. Smart girl!
Well, all this made me think of the many warnings in scriptures that tell us to be prepared and not to be caught off guard at the Lord's coming. The parable of the wise and foolish virgins is a good one to illustrate this. The wise virgins had oil in their lamps so that when the bridegroom came for the wedding, they were ready. Of course, there's much symbolism that can be understood by delving into the cultural wedding customs that this parable depicts, but for now suffice it to say, we need to be ready to meet the Lord at all times! Even a little thing like a power outage can help us remember what we need to be doing spiritually.
I haven't had the chance to write for several days due to extreme busyness, etc., etc. I'll just go ahead and include the latest news on the end of this older entry. The gardens are producing profusely. Strawberries in abundance. The flower garden is making a very gradual change from the pastel early summer colors to the carnival-colored mid-summer mix. I think it was a more graceful change this year indicting that I must have been effective in adding new plants and dividing and mixing others. Hooray!
Today we took Emma on her first trip to the zoo. She is crazy about her little books that have animals in them. She imitates the monkey and the seal and loves to be bounced up and down to imitate the kangaroo. We surely had fun. She took a nap in the wagon midday and we all wished we could have too!
The weather is lovely and I'm planning on transplanting a few flowers yet this evening. I'm in the process of adding an old lace tablecloth to the top posts of my big bed frame "room" out in the garden. I thought it a fitting use for a tablecloth that was showing wear. The lace will provide a bit of sun shade over the top of the area and look pretty too. It's a very heavy weave and should stand up well to the elements.
Last week I picked up an old wooden baby crib and springs alonside the road. Turned on their ends, the side bars will make great trellises. The end pieces will make wonderful "fences" for the delphiniums and other top-heavy flowers to lean against. I already buried the springs on one end for a morning glory trellis. I plan to paint the other pieces before adding them to the garden. Strangely enough, I found the free crib at the house next to the one where I bought the bed several years ago that serves as my garden "room." I guess I'll have to keep scanning that street for garden ornaments! What a coincidence. Blessings, LORI
We were completely caught off guard on Monday. We should have known since Rhiannon warned us earlier in the day. The office at the plant where she works has very sophisticated weather predicting devices since they are dealing with farm work. We waited all day and no rain so we got real comfortable with the fact that nothing was going to happen and we were caugh off guard. She was the only one prepared--she had drawn two buckets of water for her own. Smart girl!
Well, all this made me think of the many warnings in scriptures that tell us to be prepared and not to be caught off guard at the Lord's coming. The parable of the wise and foolish virgins is a good one to illustrate this. The wise virgins had oil in their lamps so that when the bridegroom came for the wedding, they were ready. Of course, there's much symbolism that can be understood by delving into the cultural wedding customs that this parable depicts, but for now suffice it to say, we need to be ready to meet the Lord at all times! Even a little thing like a power outage can help us remember what we need to be doing spiritually.
I haven't had the chance to write for several days due to extreme busyness, etc., etc. I'll just go ahead and include the latest news on the end of this older entry. The gardens are producing profusely. Strawberries in abundance. The flower garden is making a very gradual change from the pastel early summer colors to the carnival-colored mid-summer mix. I think it was a more graceful change this year indicting that I must have been effective in adding new plants and dividing and mixing others. Hooray!
Today we took Emma on her first trip to the zoo. She is crazy about her little books that have animals in them. She imitates the monkey and the seal and loves to be bounced up and down to imitate the kangaroo. We surely had fun. She took a nap in the wagon midday and we all wished we could have too!
The weather is lovely and I'm planning on transplanting a few flowers yet this evening. I'm in the process of adding an old lace tablecloth to the top posts of my big bed frame "room" out in the garden. I thought it a fitting use for a tablecloth that was showing wear. The lace will provide a bit of sun shade over the top of the area and look pretty too. It's a very heavy weave and should stand up well to the elements.
Last week I picked up an old wooden baby crib and springs alonside the road. Turned on their ends, the side bars will make great trellises. The end pieces will make wonderful "fences" for the delphiniums and other top-heavy flowers to lean against. I already buried the springs on one end for a morning glory trellis. I plan to paint the other pieces before adding them to the garden. Strangely enough, I found the free crib at the house next to the one where I bought the bed several years ago that serves as my garden "room." I guess I'll have to keep scanning that street for garden ornaments! What a coincidence. Blessings, LORI
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Today was a busy day around here again. Clint and I had a cleaning job to do this morning and when that was over we treated ourselves to lunch in town. After a little shopping we came home to prepare for Wednesday evening prayer meeting--that meant me getting a quick supper fixed and him doing more polishing and studying on his teaching.
This morning I was really concerned about going to do a cleaning job as I had hurt my back yesterday and it was giving me much pain. Clint prayed for me before we left. I had a hard time bending over this morning or tying my shoes. I actually wore a back brace to the job, and was basically miserable the whole time I was there. If you know me very well, you know this is totally not like me. Well, I'm happy to report I have received a touch of healing from the Lord. I began to feel better this afternoon and got so much better that I went out and picked two rows of strawberries before we went to church! Praise the Lord! I am so thrilled with God's gracious care for me.
We got about two quarts of berries off the rows this afternoon. They were quite nice, but obviously we need rain. They were fewer and smaller in comparison to the last picking two days ago. I am hoping for rain sometime tomorrow. I plan to plant a few new perennials and need them to get soaked well after they get in the ground. That's always the best scenario.
I was reading some in the Old Testament this morning and found the passage where the Israelites were begging for meat to eat during their wilderness journey. I realized that discontentment is actually a lack of faith. It's like saying God isn't doing enough in response to your circumstances. This is so displeasing to God. It prompted me to check my attitude and determine to be joyful even in adverse circumstances. Wow, what wonderful blessings today!
I hope to post some pictures of the English Garden in the next few days. It is putting on quite a nice show right now. Some flowers that I can't name just opened today. They are a fuzzy leaved, silver color with a flat four or five-petaled flower in bright fuschia/burgundy. I love them. Also blooming are the pale pink old fashioned roses, lots of sweet william, violas, some iris, daisies, coral bells, canterbury bells in pink and purple, yellow columbine, all colors of delphinium, pink verbascum, white and pink yarrow, various other roses, clematis, love-in-a-mist, gazanias (??I think that's what they're called) yellow daylilies, meadow sage, dianthus, etc. I accidentally killed some of my favorites--liatris--while trying to eradicate poison ivy. I bought a nice new healthy one today to help fill in. I also purchased another color of dianthus.
Hope your day was a wondeful as mine, Blessings, LORI
This morning I was really concerned about going to do a cleaning job as I had hurt my back yesterday and it was giving me much pain. Clint prayed for me before we left. I had a hard time bending over this morning or tying my shoes. I actually wore a back brace to the job, and was basically miserable the whole time I was there. If you know me very well, you know this is totally not like me. Well, I'm happy to report I have received a touch of healing from the Lord. I began to feel better this afternoon and got so much better that I went out and picked two rows of strawberries before we went to church! Praise the Lord! I am so thrilled with God's gracious care for me.
We got about two quarts of berries off the rows this afternoon. They were quite nice, but obviously we need rain. They were fewer and smaller in comparison to the last picking two days ago. I am hoping for rain sometime tomorrow. I plan to plant a few new perennials and need them to get soaked well after they get in the ground. That's always the best scenario.
I was reading some in the Old Testament this morning and found the passage where the Israelites were begging for meat to eat during their wilderness journey. I realized that discontentment is actually a lack of faith. It's like saying God isn't doing enough in response to your circumstances. This is so displeasing to God. It prompted me to check my attitude and determine to be joyful even in adverse circumstances. Wow, what wonderful blessings today!
I hope to post some pictures of the English Garden in the next few days. It is putting on quite a nice show right now. Some flowers that I can't name just opened today. They are a fuzzy leaved, silver color with a flat four or five-petaled flower in bright fuschia/burgundy. I love them. Also blooming are the pale pink old fashioned roses, lots of sweet william, violas, some iris, daisies, coral bells, canterbury bells in pink and purple, yellow columbine, all colors of delphinium, pink verbascum, white and pink yarrow, various other roses, clematis, love-in-a-mist, gazanias (??I think that's what they're called) yellow daylilies, meadow sage, dianthus, etc. I accidentally killed some of my favorites--liatris--while trying to eradicate poison ivy. I bought a nice new healthy one today to help fill in. I also purchased another color of dianthus.
Hope your day was a wondeful as mine, Blessings, LORI
Sunday, June 7, 2009
MORE SURPRISES
Yesterday I wrote about pleasant surprises. Well this morning we had a surprise, not necessarily a pleasant one, although everything turned out ok. While we were in Sunday School, the power went out. Suddenly the lights went off and we weren't sure why. Soon, someone came to our downstairs classroom and checked on us, saying that a large tree limb had fallen over the road right outside the church. It had knocked down power lines. This was completely unexpected as there was no storm going on, no high winds; just a mild Sunday morning.
We finished the class, everyone wondering what would happen when it was time to start church with no power. After all, we wouldn't be able to rely on the new "countdown clock" up on the power point that counts down the minutes until the service starts. What would the worship team do without electricity? How about the preaching? What will the pastor do without a microphone? And to top it all off, we had scheduled a taco bar fundraiser dinner immediately following the service. What about that?
Even though the proper agencies were called the power was not restored in time to start the service. The power trucks drove up and were working right outside the sanctuary windows, which, by the way were open to let in a breeze. Rhiannon led a few songs accoustically on her guitar. We determined not to have our other instruments like piano, drums, and tambourine join her since it would too easily drown out the guitar and voice. When we started singing, it occurred to me how dependent we are on being electrified for worship. It seemed hard to sing and I'm sure others found it a challenge as well. Add to that the fact that we didn't have the words up on the power point and had to sing from memory. I guess we never realize how much we are depending on something until it is gone. The exuberant songs we are used to singing take on a much more subdued note when the bass, keyboard, microphones and all the other powered aids are gone.
It made me think about praise from biblical accounts. I wonder if I would be an exuberant praise-er if I had to praise constantly without the full worship team? It's a good question to ask yourself. Paul and Silas sang songs at midnight in a dark, nasty prison cell with their feet fastened in stocks. And they were not imprisoned for any crime; it was for preaching the gospel! Their singing, praying, and praising was followed by an earthquake which resulted in the salvation of the prison guard and all his household. That account appears in Acts, chapter 16.
Another example of praising people is the incident of the destruction of Jericho. The people of God were instructed to march around the city for seven days. On the seventh day they marched around it seven times. All the time they marched the people were to be in total silence. But then when Joshua gave the command they were to shout! When they did the city walls fell down. All this without the aid of microphones!
A lesser known Bible account shows the effects of earnest praise. It is found in Nehemiah 12. Take time to read the whole chapter when you can to get the full picture. The entire book of Nehemiah is about the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. The accomplishment was a great one for the people since they had faced much opposition in this task. When the job was finally done and the day came for the dedication ceremonies, two thanksgiving choirs were commissioned to sing and lead many people up to the temple. No microphones or electrified instruments were there to aid the people in this great praise. There were trumpets and such, but the noise had to be completely humanly generated and verse 43 tells the result. It says in part..."so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off." Apparently the noise of singing and praising was carrying beyond the city walls, maybe even to other surrounding villages.
I was reminded by the power outage this morning that I cannot depend on the presence of certain instruments and helps before I praise the Lord. As a Christian, I must be able to praise the Lord, sing to the Lord, at any time regardless if I have the keyboard, electric guitars and lots of volume backing me up. I should be able to sing a new song to the Lord at any time. Sobering thoughts prompted by surprises. Blessings, LORI
We finished the class, everyone wondering what would happen when it was time to start church with no power. After all, we wouldn't be able to rely on the new "countdown clock" up on the power point that counts down the minutes until the service starts. What would the worship team do without electricity? How about the preaching? What will the pastor do without a microphone? And to top it all off, we had scheduled a taco bar fundraiser dinner immediately following the service. What about that?
Even though the proper agencies were called the power was not restored in time to start the service. The power trucks drove up and were working right outside the sanctuary windows, which, by the way were open to let in a breeze. Rhiannon led a few songs accoustically on her guitar. We determined not to have our other instruments like piano, drums, and tambourine join her since it would too easily drown out the guitar and voice. When we started singing, it occurred to me how dependent we are on being electrified for worship. It seemed hard to sing and I'm sure others found it a challenge as well. Add to that the fact that we didn't have the words up on the power point and had to sing from memory. I guess we never realize how much we are depending on something until it is gone. The exuberant songs we are used to singing take on a much more subdued note when the bass, keyboard, microphones and all the other powered aids are gone.
It made me think about praise from biblical accounts. I wonder if I would be an exuberant praise-er if I had to praise constantly without the full worship team? It's a good question to ask yourself. Paul and Silas sang songs at midnight in a dark, nasty prison cell with their feet fastened in stocks. And they were not imprisoned for any crime; it was for preaching the gospel! Their singing, praying, and praising was followed by an earthquake which resulted in the salvation of the prison guard and all his household. That account appears in Acts, chapter 16.
Another example of praising people is the incident of the destruction of Jericho. The people of God were instructed to march around the city for seven days. On the seventh day they marched around it seven times. All the time they marched the people were to be in total silence. But then when Joshua gave the command they were to shout! When they did the city walls fell down. All this without the aid of microphones!
A lesser known Bible account shows the effects of earnest praise. It is found in Nehemiah 12. Take time to read the whole chapter when you can to get the full picture. The entire book of Nehemiah is about the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. The accomplishment was a great one for the people since they had faced much opposition in this task. When the job was finally done and the day came for the dedication ceremonies, two thanksgiving choirs were commissioned to sing and lead many people up to the temple. No microphones or electrified instruments were there to aid the people in this great praise. There were trumpets and such, but the noise had to be completely humanly generated and verse 43 tells the result. It says in part..."so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off." Apparently the noise of singing and praising was carrying beyond the city walls, maybe even to other surrounding villages.
I was reminded by the power outage this morning that I cannot depend on the presence of certain instruments and helps before I praise the Lord. As a Christian, I must be able to praise the Lord, sing to the Lord, at any time regardless if I have the keyboard, electric guitars and lots of volume backing me up. I should be able to sing a new song to the Lord at any time. Sobering thoughts prompted by surprises. Blessings, LORI
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Hello, everyone! I had said in my last blog that I wanted to say a bit more about the Bible characters that didn't "finish well." I have decided to veer off that subject for now, but encourage you to think about that for a while as you read your Bible. Notice the way several notable people's lives ended. There are certainly many that started strong for the Lord and finished poorly or at least less than their potential for God. It's a challenging thought to keep in mind when studying the scripture. It will encourage you to finish strong in the race of life as the Apostle Paul did, (2 Timothy 4:7). It's an encouragement not to give up just before the race ends! That's certainly a temptation some are facing in these last days.
So many interesting things have happened since I wrote last. The one I am thinking of most was an unexpected surprise that occurred yesterday. I was out walking around the perimeter of the yard (hadn't done that in ages) and as I passed a dense, thick section of fencerow, I noticed a bright pink/purple spot amongst the undergrowth. Upon closer inspection lo and behold it was two different plants of dianthus that were absolutely flourishing in the weeds! This was very exciting to find a "free" plant in the color shades I most need to encourage in my garden! I have a habit of dumping any hanging baskets I have at the end of the season in the fence row and apparently conditions were just right for these brave little plants to winter over and really flourish for the next season. Wow! what a delight I had in planting these new starts in my garden. The same wonderful thing happened up around the house in the landscaping. I had put dianthus of a different color, sold as annual bedding plants, at the edge of the area to add color last year. They came back this year as well and most seem very strong and thick! What a blessing!
I got to attend a few garage sales this weekend where I found several bargains. I was looking for a certain style of loose jacket to wear with most outfits for the summer. I had already purchased the fabric but was having trouble finding the pattern that suited me. I went to a garage sale yesterday afternoon and here was the perfect pattern, like new for 50cents! Also at the same sale was a brand new roll of clear contact paper marked $1 that was over $5 originally. We use alot of that stuff to cover the jackets of our very imposing book collections around here. Also at the same sale was a book I had always wanted that I had purchased back in 80's on a trial basis. I sent it back feeling it was more expensive than I needed to pay for at the time. Here it was in like-new condition for 50cents! Now if that wasn't enough, the same sale had an old decorative iron floor lamp, newly wired with shade for $3. I own that now as well as a tooled leather purse they sold for 50cents. Clint found two cd's that he liked as well. It was a great day for us and the bargains!
We got a notice from friends of ours that we knew clear back from our days at Rosedale Bible Institute, now Rosedale Bible College, that they were going to be in the area for a visit. They are church planters in the Soo. We met them today for lunch and visiting. It's always so good to see them, renew old acquaintances, and hear about their work among people in the north.
Sold more perennials today and that's always a blessing. I hope you had a great weekend as well. I hope to write more tomorrow or Monday with new devotional thoughts. Blessings, LORI
So many interesting things have happened since I wrote last. The one I am thinking of most was an unexpected surprise that occurred yesterday. I was out walking around the perimeter of the yard (hadn't done that in ages) and as I passed a dense, thick section of fencerow, I noticed a bright pink/purple spot amongst the undergrowth. Upon closer inspection lo and behold it was two different plants of dianthus that were absolutely flourishing in the weeds! This was very exciting to find a "free" plant in the color shades I most need to encourage in my garden! I have a habit of dumping any hanging baskets I have at the end of the season in the fence row and apparently conditions were just right for these brave little plants to winter over and really flourish for the next season. Wow! what a delight I had in planting these new starts in my garden. The same wonderful thing happened up around the house in the landscaping. I had put dianthus of a different color, sold as annual bedding plants, at the edge of the area to add color last year. They came back this year as well and most seem very strong and thick! What a blessing!
I got to attend a few garage sales this weekend where I found several bargains. I was looking for a certain style of loose jacket to wear with most outfits for the summer. I had already purchased the fabric but was having trouble finding the pattern that suited me. I went to a garage sale yesterday afternoon and here was the perfect pattern, like new for 50cents! Also at the same sale was a brand new roll of clear contact paper marked $1 that was over $5 originally. We use alot of that stuff to cover the jackets of our very imposing book collections around here. Also at the same sale was a book I had always wanted that I had purchased back in 80's on a trial basis. I sent it back feeling it was more expensive than I needed to pay for at the time. Here it was in like-new condition for 50cents! Now if that wasn't enough, the same sale had an old decorative iron floor lamp, newly wired with shade for $3. I own that now as well as a tooled leather purse they sold for 50cents. Clint found two cd's that he liked as well. It was a great day for us and the bargains!
We got a notice from friends of ours that we knew clear back from our days at Rosedale Bible Institute, now Rosedale Bible College, that they were going to be in the area for a visit. They are church planters in the Soo. We met them today for lunch and visiting. It's always so good to see them, renew old acquaintances, and hear about their work among people in the north.
Sold more perennials today and that's always a blessing. I hope you had a great weekend as well. I hope to write more tomorrow or Monday with new devotional thoughts. Blessings, LORI
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
It was certainly a pretty day here in Michigan. I am loving the weather, not too hot. Just perfect for me. We finished a big housecleaning job today. It's always so nice to finish a job and have the satisfaction of the completion.
We also made one more step to finishing the wall in Mom's kitchen--we bought the board to go between the paper and the painted section. Hopefully before the week's out that will be completed.
I sold a few more perennials today and potted up some new ones. It's fun to see my extras get homes and me get $$$. As for the gardens, besides potting some new starts, I did some minor weeding and watered the veggie garden. I intend to till tomorrow and so with our hard, clay soil I needed to water tonight. Most everything is up; beans (the last row I planted is trying to push through) potatoes (a few still popping up), and onions. I also planted a few pepper plants and some squash today. After I till in the morning I hope to plant a row of "dry" beans for use in soups, etc. Also I have a few packages of herbs I may try to fit in here and there. They were free and I might as well plant them and see what comes up! After that the garden planting will be all completed, as far as I can tell at this point.
It seemed like today was all about completion--the job, the garden, the new wall decor. I am a person that tends to put things off especially when it comes to projects. I currently have at least 4 knitted sweaters under construction, more sewing projects than I can count that are unfinished, crocheting projects the same, at least 4 embroidery projects, etc., etc., etc. The list goes on and on. That's not to mention all the projects in my mind that I WANT to do and haven't started. I have a cupboard full of fabric that was mostly purchased with certain yet unfinished garments in mind! I have two books in the works that are in partial stages of completion and several more in the mental development stages! Many household chores like spring and fall cleaning projects that are pressing to be done and more decorating that I'd like to eventually see finished. Wow, it could be overwhelming!
I would like to discipline myself to be one who completes what I start. It's a mark of maturity. God has alot to say about "completion" in the Bible. Consider Philippians 1:6, "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;" God does not start things and then not finish them. If you have trusted Christ as your saviour, you are a work in progress that God will be faithful to bring to completion. What about the times when you feel "incomplete?" The word declares in Colossians 2:10,"and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power." (Clint is currently teaching on Wednesday evenings from the book of Colossians and it's really been good!)You are both complete in Him and being assured of the good work begun in you being brought to completion. It's a win/win situation!
I have often heard Clint and other favorite evangelists speak of "finishing well." There are those personalities in the Bible that finished well and those who did not. I want to be one who cooperates with the discipline and leading of the Lord so that He is pleased with my progress. I hope to write more tomorrow on "finishing well." Blessings, LORI
We also made one more step to finishing the wall in Mom's kitchen--we bought the board to go between the paper and the painted section. Hopefully before the week's out that will be completed.
I sold a few more perennials today and potted up some new ones. It's fun to see my extras get homes and me get $$$. As for the gardens, besides potting some new starts, I did some minor weeding and watered the veggie garden. I intend to till tomorrow and so with our hard, clay soil I needed to water tonight. Most everything is up; beans (the last row I planted is trying to push through) potatoes (a few still popping up), and onions. I also planted a few pepper plants and some squash today. After I till in the morning I hope to plant a row of "dry" beans for use in soups, etc. Also I have a few packages of herbs I may try to fit in here and there. They were free and I might as well plant them and see what comes up! After that the garden planting will be all completed, as far as I can tell at this point.
It seemed like today was all about completion--the job, the garden, the new wall decor. I am a person that tends to put things off especially when it comes to projects. I currently have at least 4 knitted sweaters under construction, more sewing projects than I can count that are unfinished, crocheting projects the same, at least 4 embroidery projects, etc., etc., etc. The list goes on and on. That's not to mention all the projects in my mind that I WANT to do and haven't started. I have a cupboard full of fabric that was mostly purchased with certain yet unfinished garments in mind! I have two books in the works that are in partial stages of completion and several more in the mental development stages! Many household chores like spring and fall cleaning projects that are pressing to be done and more decorating that I'd like to eventually see finished. Wow, it could be overwhelming!
I would like to discipline myself to be one who completes what I start. It's a mark of maturity. God has alot to say about "completion" in the Bible. Consider Philippians 1:6, "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;" God does not start things and then not finish them. If you have trusted Christ as your saviour, you are a work in progress that God will be faithful to bring to completion. What about the times when you feel "incomplete?" The word declares in Colossians 2:10,"and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power." (Clint is currently teaching on Wednesday evenings from the book of Colossians and it's really been good!)You are both complete in Him and being assured of the good work begun in you being brought to completion. It's a win/win situation!
I have often heard Clint and other favorite evangelists speak of "finishing well." There are those personalities in the Bible that finished well and those who did not. I want to be one who cooperates with the discipline and leading of the Lord so that He is pleased with my progress. I hope to write more tomorrow on "finishing well." Blessings, LORI
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Beauty, Bounty, Blessings
Let's talk about BEAUTY, BOUNTY, and BLESSINGS! Clint helped me with a cleaning job today. Together we logged in about 9 1/2 hours and we're not done yet! I was so glad he was there to help me, otherwise this would have been a job that took me several days to complete. We will try to finish it tomorrow. In this economy, we are thankful for the job--BOUNTY, BLESSING.
After I got done with the cleaning, I headed home and hurried to prepare my supplies for tomorrow. My mom, God bless her, had done my laundry and had it all folded neatly--BLESSING. As well as that, she had found someone who was more than willing to give me a start from an old-fashioned yellow rose in their yard. The rose was waiting for me to plant when I got home--BEAUTY, BLESSING.
I knew when I got home that I had to take time to pick the strawberries. I was afraid if I waited one more day, I'd lose some. I think I picked about 2 1/2 quarts of the ruby red berries. They were just wonderful--BLESSING, BOUNTY. This is the second picking so far-BOUNTY.
After I got done with that Mom washed and hulled them all getting them ready for the freezer--BLESSING.
Rhiannon made supper while I had been picking the berries and she concocted a wonderufl dish of something like homemade chicken helper. She used a leftover chicken breast that I had cooked along with two others yesterday. We also made chicken salad out of them. Supper was delicious--BLESSING, BOUNTY.
Today we learned by e-mail that some of our ministry friends were in a very serious accident and while they and their animals that happened to be with them were unhurt--BLESSING--much damage was done to their vehicles and belongings. They are trusting the Lord to use His people to help them recover the items that make for their means of ministry and I was reminded of my own BOUNTY and that I might want to think about BLESSING them.
After supper I found time for a little walk. I shortened the walk as I just suddenly ran out of steam about halfway through what would be my normal distance. I did notice the incredible BEAUTY of the roadside wild flowers that are currently blooming. There are lots of what I would suspect are wild phlox. They are tall and range in color from white to dark lavender. A large group of them was blooming in a wooded area amongst wild berry bushes. The berry bushes are currently flowering in a lovely white. Mixed together this made the most lovely scene. Just breathtaking BEAUTY.
My garden is currently exhibiting the most exciting array of colors. There are burgundies, pinks, roses, whites, purples, lavenders, and a bit of yellow. BEAUTY. Also blooming in BOUNTY are a new favorite--meadow sages--I think the other name may be blue salvia, but I'm unsure. I put them in the landscaping around the front and back two years ago and they are now huge. I love their purple spires and full, abundant look-BOUNTY.
I couldn't help thinking about the verses in Romans chapter 1 as I was walking this evening, enjoying all of the BEAUTY in God's creation. This passage declares that men are without an excuse that will be justifiable in saying they didn't realize that God existed. Beginning at verse 19 the passage reads, "because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse."
I thank God I can live in a place that has scenic beauty. Michigan in the spring and summer is a lovely place. I am reminded by the BEAUTY of my surroundings that it is God who provides us with many BLESSINGS and BOUNTY! BLESSINGS, LORI
After I got done with the cleaning, I headed home and hurried to prepare my supplies for tomorrow. My mom, God bless her, had done my laundry and had it all folded neatly--BLESSING. As well as that, she had found someone who was more than willing to give me a start from an old-fashioned yellow rose in their yard. The rose was waiting for me to plant when I got home--BEAUTY, BLESSING.
I knew when I got home that I had to take time to pick the strawberries. I was afraid if I waited one more day, I'd lose some. I think I picked about 2 1/2 quarts of the ruby red berries. They were just wonderful--BLESSING, BOUNTY. This is the second picking so far-BOUNTY.
After I got done with that Mom washed and hulled them all getting them ready for the freezer--BLESSING.
Rhiannon made supper while I had been picking the berries and she concocted a wonderufl dish of something like homemade chicken helper. She used a leftover chicken breast that I had cooked along with two others yesterday. We also made chicken salad out of them. Supper was delicious--BLESSING, BOUNTY.
Today we learned by e-mail that some of our ministry friends were in a very serious accident and while they and their animals that happened to be with them were unhurt--BLESSING--much damage was done to their vehicles and belongings. They are trusting the Lord to use His people to help them recover the items that make for their means of ministry and I was reminded of my own BOUNTY and that I might want to think about BLESSING them.
After supper I found time for a little walk. I shortened the walk as I just suddenly ran out of steam about halfway through what would be my normal distance. I did notice the incredible BEAUTY of the roadside wild flowers that are currently blooming. There are lots of what I would suspect are wild phlox. They are tall and range in color from white to dark lavender. A large group of them was blooming in a wooded area amongst wild berry bushes. The berry bushes are currently flowering in a lovely white. Mixed together this made the most lovely scene. Just breathtaking BEAUTY.
My garden is currently exhibiting the most exciting array of colors. There are burgundies, pinks, roses, whites, purples, lavenders, and a bit of yellow. BEAUTY. Also blooming in BOUNTY are a new favorite--meadow sages--I think the other name may be blue salvia, but I'm unsure. I put them in the landscaping around the front and back two years ago and they are now huge. I love their purple spires and full, abundant look-BOUNTY.
I couldn't help thinking about the verses in Romans chapter 1 as I was walking this evening, enjoying all of the BEAUTY in God's creation. This passage declares that men are without an excuse that will be justifiable in saying they didn't realize that God existed. Beginning at verse 19 the passage reads, "because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse."
I thank God I can live in a place that has scenic beauty. Michigan in the spring and summer is a lovely place. I am reminded by the BEAUTY of my surroundings that it is God who provides us with many BLESSINGS and BOUNTY! BLESSINGS, LORI
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