In Other Words Tuesday ~

 

 

“If we could understand everything God does, then He’d have to be a small god–small enough to fit in our little minds.”~ Randy Alcorn ~

This quote kept sending my mind back to Job. So I decided the best response and “other words” would be to quote from this book that confirms over and again that we do not understand and comprehend our God with our limitations on this earth.

Excerpts from Job:

Job 38: 1-2, 4-5

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.

Job 40: 1-5

And the Lord said to Job:

Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it.

Then Job answered the Lord and said: Behold I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed not further.

Job 42: 1-6

Then Job answered the Lord and said:

I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me. I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

The upside to this is that God teaches us how He wants us to behave even if we don’t understand Him fully or even partially, we do have His instructions to us about the way He wants us to behave. We need to respond in obedience to what He says and intructs us to do on this earth. We trust and hope in our future with Him where we will see Him as He is…

Romans 11: 33-36 ~

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”


 For more In Other Words head over to Finding Joy in the Morning…

Ventura…Where it all Began, the Bayles/Spiro Friendship and First Hike…

On Sunday Dear and I drove North for a great breakfast at Allison’s Country Cafe in Ventura before we headed to the Ventura Fair Grounds Flea Market. The Flea market was row upon row of stuff,  Antiques, Shabby Chic, New, Old, Furniture, Chotchkies, Jewelery, Treasures and Junk…

The weather was lovely but we got toasted because we forgot our sunblock. Silly Washingtonians in California!

 

But the real fun treat was to see Two Trees. This was the site of our very first Bayles/Spiro Hike way back in early 1985. We know it was before Katie (Katherine) was born so Jamie was a wee babe…

 

I stood at this intersection to take the photo of Two Trees. That was quite the infamous hike with Dave, Jody (who we think had her arm in a cast), Lucy, Bridget, Jamie (a baby then), Dear, Ellen, Josh and Dan. Of course the first thing our boys wanted to do was to climb those two trees. We were never exposed to being outdoor type people till we started our friendship with the Spiro’s. We credit them with dragging us along on their outdoor adventures and teaching us the love of being able to tell the story of survival after the fact… God Bless them dearly!

Click to read more about Two Trees.

Any photos missing from my posts are the result of Photobucket blacking out all my photos that I stored on their site since 2006.

Heir of the Kingdom ~ Hymn

Heir of the Kingdom

Heir of the kingdom, O why dost thou slumber?
Why art thou sleeping so near thy blest home?
Wake thee, arouse thee, and gird on thine armor,
Speed, for the moments are hurrying on.

Heir of the kingdom, say, why dost thou linger?
How canst thou tarry in sight of the prize?
Up, and adorn thee, the Savior is coming;
Haste to receive Him descending the skies.

Earth’s mighty nations, in strife and commotion,
Tremble with terror, and sink in dismay;
Listen, ’tis naught but the chariot’s loud rumbling;
Heir of the kingdom, no longer delay.

Stay not, O stay not, for earth’s vain allurements!
See how its glory is passing away;
Break the strong fetters the foe hath bound o’er thee;
Heir of the kingdom, turn, turn thee away.

Keep the eye single, the head upward lifted;
Watch for the glory of earth’s coming King;
Lo! o’er the mountain tops light is now breaking;
Heirs of the kingdom, rejoice ye and sing.

Words: Anonymous, Music: Lowell Mason (1792-1872)

Fall Into Reading ~

How exciting a new season of reading is here! I’m a little behind with my summer list so I’ll need to start my Fall reading with these and add a few more…

Leftovers from my Summer Reading…

Hood~ by Stephen Lawhead – “Like the forest itself, Hood is deep, dark and at times savagely brutal- yet full of enchantment and hope. Internationally acclaimed author S.R. Lawhead has created a lyrical rendering of a time-honored story that will lead you down strange pathways into another time and place.

The Documents in the Case ~ by Dorothy Sayers – “An intricate murder mystery.” “Each of the characters is revealed in a series of letters and statements which work up to a dramatic climax”

New for my Fall Reading List…

Faithfulness and Holiness, The Witness of J.C. Ryle ~ J. I. Packer/ J. C. Ryle – “With admiration for a life well-lived, beloved author J.I. Packer endeavors to introduce this great man of faith as a spiritual mentor to a new generation.”

Taste and See ~ John Piper – “…this devotional of contemporary meditations on biblical reality will whet your appetite for more of God himself and refresh you in your daily communion with Christ.”

Peace Like a River~ Leif Enger – “…a heroic quest, a tragedy, and a love story, in which ‘what could be unbelievable becomes extraordinary”

Pierced by the Word ~ John Piper – “31 meditations to awaken your faith”

The Tale of Beatrix Potter ~ Margaret Lane – “Few life stories are so intriguing as that of Beatrix Potter, artist and author, whose stories and pictures, which took the nurseries of Victorian England by storm, still have heart-lifting freshness and appeal”

The Dean’s Watch~ Elizabeth Goudge -“An English cathedral town in the mid-nineteenth century forms the background for the warm and gentle story of Isaac Peabody, an obscure clockmaker, and of Adam Ayscough, the brilliant, pious Dean of the cathedral, whose great love for his parishioners is stifled by his own unconquerable shyness.”

I was excited to find this Goudge book at the local library. It was the only one of her books on the shelf. I’ll need to read it first since it’s due in October. I’ve read two of her children’s books which I thoroughly enjoyed. Her descriptions are so wonderful.

Head on over to Callapiddar Days to see all the books you’ve never even heard of …

Wedding Customs ~ A Look Back to the late 60’s…

These Photos were taken November 22, 1969. This was the day of my sister Vera’s marriage to Nick. I wanted to show y’all what we used to do to all the cars in the wedding party. We’d make these huge crepe paper flowers and string them together and decorate the cars. We’d use the colors that were going to be used in the wedding. The kids in these photos are my 4 younger brothers and sisters. Tim, Steve, Lana G! and her twin Leonard.

 

Lana G! has curlers in her hair. She and Leonard were the flower girl and ring bearer in the wedding…

One other interesting note was that it was very difficult to get our favorite florist to arrange and deliver flowers on this day because they were USC Alumni and huge fans and this was the day of cross town rival games so USC was playing UCLA.

Big mistake in my photo album experience is using these magnetic layered page albums that were so popular in the 60’s and 70’s that make your pictures impossible to take out and scan today….

 Any photos missing from my posts are the result of Photobucket blacking out all my photos that I stored on their site since 2006.

Prayer ~ O Gracious Light

 

O gracious Light
Pure brightness of the everlasting Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
And our eyes behold the vesper light,
We sing praises, O God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O giver of life,
And to be glorified through all the worlds. [Amen]
~ Phos Hilaron

This is attributed by some to the martyr and bishop Athenogenes (d. c. 305), who is said by tradition to have sung this hymn (“O Cheerful Light”) as he was burned for his faith.

I John 1:5 ~ This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

John 8:12 ~ Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

I Peter 2:9 ~ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Revelation 22:5 ~ And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Show and Tell Friday ~ Lavender Bathroom

Today I’m showing you my little dark lavender and green master bathroom in Washington. We have a Gambrel roof so the ceiling is slanted and cuts into our wall space. This gives us limited room for cabinets, etc.

This is a view to show you the slanted ceilings

We added this little cabinet above the toilet to give us some storage space.

I decided to use lavender accessories in the cabinet and most of these items are gifts I have received.

This Abalone shell and other shells are from a collection Dear’s parents had.  The whole Master Bedroom Suite has a nice cozy retreat feel because of the slanted ceilings. They are the only rooms on the top level of our home in Washington so it’s a very private retreat. Thank you for visiting my site today. May God bless you with His peace and joy. Have a wonderful weekend. Oh and thank you for your comments. I do read every one and appreciate your kind words and the time it takes to post them…

For more show and tell head over to There’s No Place Like Home.

Friday’s Feast ~My 2nd ~ September 21st, 2007

Appetizer
What is your favorite type of art?

I enjoy the Impressionists like Monet…

Soup
When was the last time you got a free lunch (or breakfast or dinner)? Who paid for it?

My family was celebrating my niece’s birthday Saturday Sept. 15th at a wondeful restaurant in San Marino, California and my sister Lana picked up the tab for all of us.

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how emotional are you?

I am probably a 6 in the world of emotions. I’ve become more comfortable showing my emotions as I’ve grown older. I’ll take a hanky with me especially at church because it seems this is where my tears flow easier. Oh and after I’ve had a glass of wine I cry easier, too. 🙂

Main Course
Approximately how long do you spend each day responding to emails?

Probably only about 15 minutes top…

Dessert
To what temperature do you usually set your home’s thermostat?

We like to keep the house on the cooler side especially at night. In California we like it at 72 degrees for air conditioning and 68 degrees for heat but we turn off the heat at night…

To see more Friday Feasts go here

Thankful Thursday ~ Psalm 145: 1-10

  I am thankful for our great God the King and I’ll joyfully sing my praise to Him…

Psalm 145: 1-10 ~

I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.

Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.

One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.

They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds.

They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.

The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.

All you have made will praise you, O Lord; your saints will extol you.

To see more Thankful Thursday Posts go to Sting My Heart.

Holiness ~ J.C. Ryle ~ 1877

Well I’m behind others who are reading Holiness by J.C. Ryle in the blog world but that way I can glean from the book and their reviews and hopefully comprehend the book better. The full text of Ryle’s original work on Holiness is included in J. I. Packer’s book Faithfulness and Holiness. Here’s a quote from the book that I wanted to share from chapter 2 on Sin…

“In the next place, a right view of sin is one of the best antidotes to the overstrained theories of Perfection, of which we hear so much in these times. I shall say but little about this, and in saying it I trust I shall not give offence. If those who press on us perfection mean nothing more than an all-round consistency, and a careful attention to all the graces which make up the Christian character, reason would that we should not only bear with them, but agree with them entirely. By all means let us aim high. But if men really mean to tell us that here in this world a believer can attain to entire freedom from sin, live for years in unbroken and uninterrupted communion with God, and feel for months together not so much as one evil thought, I must honestly say that such an opinion appears to me very unscriptural. – I go even further. I say that the opinion is very dangerous to him that holds it, and very likely to depress, discourage, and keep back inquirers after salvation. I cannot find the slightest warrant in God’s Word for expecting such perfection as this while we are in the body. …Christ alone is without sin; and that all we, the rest, though baptized and born again in Christ, offend in many things;

…we do not love God so much as we are bound to do, with all our hearts, mind, and power; we do not fear God so much as we ought to do; we do not pray to God but with many and great imperfections. We give, forgive, believe, live, and hope imperfectly; we speak, think, and do imperfectly; we fight against the devil, the world, and the flesh imperfectly. Let us, therefore, not be ashamed to confess plainly our state of imperfections.”

James 5:16 ~ “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”

I John 1:8-10 ~ “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

I am imperfect and I prove it many times a day but thanks be to God that He keeps leading me forward and He continues His work of sanctification on me.