Joy Is The Fruit That Will Not Grow ~ Hymn

 

Joy Is The Fruit That Will Not Grow
~ words by John Newton

Joy is a fruit that will not grow
In nature’s barren soil;
All we can boast, till Christ we know,
Is vanity and toil.

But where the Lord has planted grace;
And made His glories known;
There fruits of heavenly joy and peace
Are found, and there alone.

A bleeding Savior seen by faith,
A sense of pard’ning love;
A hope that triumphs over death,
Give joys like those above.

To take a glimpse within the veil,
To know that God is mine;
Are springs of joy that never fail,
Unspeakably divine!

These are the joys which satisfy,
And sanctify the mind;
Which make the spirit mount on high,
And leave the world behind.

No more, believers, mourn your lot,
But if you are the Lord’s;
Resign to them that know Him not,
Such joys as earth affords.

ht: Cyberhymnal

Pink Saturday ~ L.A. Zoo

Welcome to another round of Pink Saturday hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

The week before Christmas I met my brother, SIL, young niece, older niece, and grand nephew at the Los Angeles Zoo. Our very first stop was to have a look at the Pink Flamingos. Leonard and Mandy were giving me a hard time and as soon as we spotted the Pink Flamingos they said “Oh perfect for Pink Saturday”. After this stop we were off to see the other animals in the Zoo. My full Zoo post will be for ABC Wednesday next week since we are on Z. Yep they had to kid me about that one, too.

This is my brother Leonard with his daughter Hope who turns 1 this month and me and my grandnephew Jackson who just turned 4 in November. He’s holding the map and helping us navigate. Mandy, Hope’s mother and Michelle, Jackson’s mom were ahead of us and Michelle took this photo.

For more Pink Saturday Posts go click away at Beverly’s!

San Francisco ~ Saints Peter and Paul Church

There was so much to share from my extended weekend in San Francisco in December and then Christmas took over as it should. Now that life is a little slower I’ll share another beautiful church I visited.

The present church, with its twin lofty spires that soar 191 feet into the sky, was completed in 1924. For over a century, the church of Saints Peter and Paul has served parishioners, charmed the numerous tourists who visit it daily, and has been an inspiration to the members of North Beach community. A ribbon verse from Dante’s “Paradiso” spans the facade and translates:

“The gory of Him who moves all things penetrated and glows throughout the universe.”

This mosaic inscription placed just above the three entrances to the church connects the four large pillars upon which rest the symbols of the four Evangelists: Matthew (An angel), Mark (A lion), Luke (An ox) and John (An eagle). Original plans, regrettably laid away to rest, called for spectacular outdoor mosaics covering the entire facade. The twin spires (191 feet) have become a landmark in the area. The church is 100 feet wide and 160 feet long. The magnificent rose window measures fourteen feet in diameter.

Friday’s Fave Five

It’s almost Friday again and time to ponder some favorites from the past week! Visit Susanne at Living to Tell the Story to join in or to see other Favorites!

So on Sunday we flew back to Southern California from Washington. In a lot of ways my daily life in Southern California is easier than when I fly back to my house in Washington.

1. At the very top of my favorites this week, and probably for several weeks more, is the fact that my 911 neighbor, Summer, and her boyfriend are gone for good! I didn’t even realize the stress that their presence had on our quality of life until this week and the amazing difference we have experienced! We have peace. Peace is amazing. Peace with God is the most important thing in life but daily peace in your living conditions is way up there, too. I don’t have to tense up when I hear them come home. I don’t have to hear the yelling and screaming. I don’t have to get jolted out of a deep sleep with loud thumping on the floor and screaming. The photo of the empty deck in my collage is the deck that had their stuff on it before. That emptiness is such a welcome sight. Oh how sweet it is…

2. Starting to walk regularly again with Willow is another favorite. OK, so I put on way more poundage than I imagined and I need to cut back on food and increase my activity. On a more positive note,  it’s great here in Southern California to still see roses blooming and other plants flowering with lots of color. The Yellow rose is a photo from one of Willow and my walks.

3. Dear and I have also started walking together when he gets home from work and before we eat dinner. This has been a good time to talk and check out the neighborhood. The Sunset photo is from one of our late afternoon walks.

4. Meals for two. How easy that is. That’s one of the bonuses of my lifestyle in Southern California. We have actually eaten in for 4 nights in a row. That’s good for us. Don’t worry though, tomorrow we’re headed back to El Tecolote for our meal out!

5. The last favorite is seeing some beautiful sunrises this week. There’s something about the quiet of dawn that is wonderful to experience.

 

ABC’s of The Word ~ Voice

 

John 5: 28,29 ~ “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out – those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.”

John 5: 24-25 “I tell you the truth whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.”

To visit more ABC’s of the word click over to Pam’s at Grey Like Snuffie.

WFW ~ Psalm 121

 

Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the hills-
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip-
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you-
the Lord is your shade at
your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm-
he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your
coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Aren’t you glad the God of the Universe has time for us??

For more Word Filled Wednesday visit our faithful hostess Amydeanne!

Tablescape Tuesday ~ Black and Gold

Welcome to another round of Tablescape Tuesday hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. Today I’m sharing the table I set for an early birthday dinner for our two sons. Both of their birthdays are in January and Dear and I will not be in Washington on their birthdays so we decided to celebrate with them while we were still in Washington last Friday night.

I bought these great black and gold dishes at Target Christmas clearance. I got 8 dinner plates and 8 salad plates for under $30. I thought they had a more masculine feel than some of my other dishes for the guys!

The heavy black iron candle holder for the centerpiece with the Fleur de lis design was a find at Goodwill a while back. Again, I liked the heavier bulkier look for the guys.

Christmas clearance at Target was great. I went on the day everything was 75% off. The Fleur de lis napkin rings were under $5 for 8 of them. The little gold cocktail napkins were $1.24 for a 4 pack. The two pack of goblets that I decided to turn into candle holders were clearance also but I forget how much. The shimmery gold tablecloth was originally from the Pottery Barn that I bought at Goodwill. Now the really great thing about this tablescape is that we actually sat down and ate dinner at it. It was a great time of celebrating Josh and Dan’s lives and thanking God for them and how they’ve enriched all of our lives!

Josh is married to Laura and all four of these young adults graduated from Inglemoor Highschool in the Northshore School District of Washington in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.  They chuckled at the fact that Black and Gold were their High School colors! Go Vikings! My sister Lana G! was able to join us for our dinner celebration, too. Fun times….

For more Tablescapes around the blogisphere visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch.

 

Ruby Tuesday ~ The Sign Edition!

Mary at Work of the Poet challenged us to come up with a Ruby post using signs this week. Here is what I came up with.

There’s a little ruby mixed with the Orange in this fun sign I saw outside an Irish Pub in the North Beach Area of San Francisco in early December.

We spotted this sign in downtown Seattle on New Year’s Day. What you have to realize about Seattle and Snow is that there are many, many very steep hills/roads in the Seattle area. These become quite treacherous with snow and ice on them. Snow is not fun to drive around in here.

Visit Mary at Work of the Poet to see more Ruby Signs.