Tag Archives: Bible

I is for Instruction

 The Thames 106

 

Proverbs 1:7 ~ “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Proverbs 4:13 ~ “Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.”

Proverbs 8:10 ~ “Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.”

Proverbs 10:17 ~ “Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.”

Proverbs 23:12 ~ “Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge.”

Romans 15:4 ~ “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

Linking up to ABC Wednesday for the letter I. Thank you to Mrs. Nesbitt for starting the meme and for Roger and the team for administering it faithfully.

So this will be one of those weeks where I’ll be off kilter since Monday was a holiday here in the States. It will be a intense and interesting week with celebrations, interviews, remembrances, etc. What’s on your agenda?

School Days Already?

My brother emailed us this photo of our Little Hope walking to kindergarten on the first day of school. Thank you for letting me steal the photo L & M!

Hope first day of KHe said that it was a good first week and an emotional first week. I got emotional just looking at our youngest niece walking the path to her public school! Love the braids!!

Numbers 6:24-26 (ESV) and (The Message)

The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

and from the Message Version…

God bless you and keep you,

25 God smile on you and gift you,

26 God look you full in the face
    and make you prosper.

Beth, If you are reading this post check out the backpack that Hope is toting. Remembering our fun day in Poulsbo…

Has school started in your neck of the woods? I was telling Vee on one of her posts that I’m pretty traditional about school calendars and am always surprised to see school starting before Labor Day Weekend!

The Other Side…

I wanted to finish sharing my photos from the Duomo (Milan Cathedral). These shots are taken of the back and some from the sides.

This shot captures the lift that is used by construction crew to get to the top of the Duomo where restoration work is being done.

There are 2245 statues on the exterior of the Duomo, 96 gargoyles, and 135 Spires.

This is the one figure that I recognized on the outside of the Duomo. Have you read the account of David and Goliath from the Bible? Here are excerpts from 1 Samuel 17…

4 The Philistine army had a hero named Goliath who was from the town of Gath and was over nine feet tall. 5-6 He wore a bronze helmet and had bronze armor to protect his chest and legs. The chest armor alone weighed about one hundred twenty-five pounds. He carried a bronze sword strapped on his back, 7 and his spear was so big that the iron spearhead alone weighed more than fifteen pounds. A soldier always walked in front of Goliath to carry his shield.

8 Goliath went out and shouted to the army of Israel:

Why are you lining up for battle? I’m the best soldier in our army, and all of you are in Saul’s army. Choose your best soldier to come out and fight me! 9 If he can kill me, our people will be your slaves. But if I kill him, your people will be our slaves. 10 Here and now I challenge Israel’s whole army! Choose someone to fight me!…

…11 Saul and his men heard what Goliath said, but they were so frightened of Goliath that they couldn’t do a thing…

…16 Goliath came out and gave his challenge every morning and every evening for forty days…

…26 David asked some soldiers standing nearby, “What will a man get for killing this Philistine and stopping him from insulting our people? Who does that worthless Philistine think he is? He’s making fun of the army of the living God!”…

…31 Some soldiers overheard David talking, so they told Saul what David had said. Saul sent for David, and David came. 32 “Your Majesty,” he said, “this Philistine shouldn’t turn us into cowards. I’ll go out and fight him myself!”

33 “You don’t have a chance against him,” Saul replied. “You’re only a boy, and he’s been a soldier all his life.”

34 But David told him:

Your Majesty, I take care of my father’s sheep. And when one of them is dragged off by a lion or a bear, 35 I go after it and beat the wild animal until it lets the sheep go. If the wild animal turns and attacks me, I grab it by the throat and kill it.

36 Sir, I have killed lions and bears that way, and I can kill this worthless Philistine. He shouldn’t have made fun of the army of the living God! 37 The Lord has rescued me from the claws of lions and bears, and he will keep me safe from the hands of this Philistine.

“All right,” Saul answered, “go ahead and fight him. And I hope the Lord will help you.”…

…David took off the armor 40 and picked up his shepherd’s stick. He went out to a stream and picked up five smooth rocks and put them in his leather bag. Then with his sling in his hand, he went straight toward Goliath.

41 Goliath came toward David, walking behind the soldier who was carrying his shield. 42 When Goliath saw that David was just a healthy, good-looking boy, he made fun of him. 43 “Do you think I’m a dog?” Goliath asked. “Is that why you’ve come after me with a stick?” He cursed David in the name of the Philistine gods 44 and shouted, “Come on! When I’m finished with you, I’ll feed you to the birds and wild animals!”

45 David answered:

You’ve come out to fight me with a sword and a spear and a dagger. But I’ve come out to fight you in the name of the Lord All-Powerful. He is the God of Israel’s army, and you have insulted him too!

46 Today the Lord will help me defeat you. I’ll knock you down and cut off your head, and I’ll feed the bodies of the other Philistine soldiers to the birds and wild animals. Then the whole world will know that Israel has a real God. 47 Everybody here will see that the Lord doesn’t need swords or spears to save his people. The Lord always wins his battles, and he will help us defeat you.

48 When Goliath started forward, David ran toward him. 49 He put a rock in his sling and swung the sling around by its straps. When he let go of one strap, the rock flew out and hit Goliath on the forehead. It cracked his skull, and he fell facedown on the ground. 50 David defeated Goliath with a sling and a rock. He killed him without even using a sword.

51 David ran over and pulled out Goliath’s sword. Then he used it to cut off Goliath’s head.

Hope you made it through my longer than usual post. There’s more and you can read the whole account in the Old Testament in the book of First Samuel. Reading this again makes me want to sing “Only a Boy Named David”. Did you ever sing that song?

Tuesday got away from me. Now I’m doing some scrambling today to get reconnected to my brain. Our glorious sunshine from the weekend is hiding away for now and hopefully will return soon. What are you enjoying this week?

Sunlit Sunday~

I’m trying something new today. I’m joining in with My Little Home and Garden for her Sunlit Sunday Meme. Here are my offerings from a very cold walk about the yard on Saturday morning when our temps tried to make it out of the 20’s.

I love the sparkly effect the sun has on the snow.

Brrr…

We had a wonderful frost effect on anything that had moisture on it overnight.

There’s nothing like a dry sunny day after a snowfall!

Psalm 18:28 (ESV) ~

For it is you who light my lamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.

Hope you all have a good productive week and that you enjoy God’s light in your part of the world.

Moving Ever Forward…

The Lenten Season is one of my favorite times of the year. Looking forward to celebrating Easter, contemplating all that Jesus has done for us and seeing everything new. I showed you my Lenten Rose buds a while back and wanted to make sure not to forget to show you the blooms.

My girlfriend Beth gave me this plant for my birthday a few years ago and I’m so glad it has survived despite my brown thumb. It really is a wonderful sight for sore Winter eyes! Thanks Beth!

My Ladies Bible Study group has been praying for me during this “Wedding Season Countdown Crunch” to be able to have some “Mary” moments instead of all “Martha” moments. You can read that story in the Bible in Luke and a longer version in John.

Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:38-42).

Today we are headed to the Venue to drop off items for the day of the wedding like cake toppers, guest book, menu cards, a Celtic Cross, some Marine insignia chargers for the head table, etc. We are also making 4 other stops on the way home. Tomorrow the flower girl arrives from Texas. She’s bringing her parents, too. We are excited to see them all. Another brother and his wife arrive tomorrow. My ring leader sister comes back to her home here in Washington. Our son from Eastern Washington will be traveling over the Cascades to join in all the hoopla. Things are going to get noisy around here! This is only the first small wave…

4 Days till the wedding, 3 days till our all day Clubhouse event on Saturday for friends and family that have traveled from hither and yon.

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods and that you can have some “Mary” moments during this Lenten Season…

Anyone Need a Rock?

Do these guys really think they know more than Jesus?

 

I spotted this on the way to Canada on the side of the road. Right away these verses came to mind.

Matthew 24:35-37 (The Message)

“Take a lesson from the fig tree. From the moment you notice its buds form, the merest hint of green, you know summer’s just around the corner. So it is with you: When you see all these things, you’ll know he’s at the door. Don’t take this lightly. I’m not just saying this for some future generation, but for all of you. This age continues until all these things take place. Sky and earth will wear out; my words won’t wear out.

“But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven’s angels, not even the Son. Only the Father knows.

“The Arrival of the Son of Man will take place in times like Noah’s. Before the great flood everyone was carrying on as usual, having a good time right up to the day Noah boarded the ark. They knew nothing—until the flood hit and swept everything away.

Sometimes I think Old Testament consequences would be good for men like this who keep giving dates and times to the Lord’s return. Fortunate for men like this that we are living in the age of grace. The problem is that men like these lead others astray. It’s also fortunate for me that I live in this age of grace. I’m not saying I do everything right…

Deut. 18:20-22 (NIV) “A prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death. You may say to yourselves, ‘How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?’ If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously…”

Mat 24:3-5,10-11 (NIV) …”Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered, “Watch out that no one deceives you, for many will come in my name,.. At that time many will turn away from the faith… and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.”

It’s good to know what the Bible teaches so you aren’t caught up believing false teachers…

Photobucket replaced all my photos with blurred out versions and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Read to Me the Blessed Bible ~ Hymn

 

Read to Me the Blessed Bible

Read to me the blessèd Bible,
On its sacred pages shine
Grace and truth and tender mercy,
And a Savior’s love divine.

Refrain

Read the Bible,
Now the lamp of life burns low,
These will cheer me,
When the agèd feet move slow.

’Tis a fount of living water,
Where the soul its thirst may slake,
Bread of life it freely offers,
Unto all who will partake.

Refrain

Read to me the blessèd Bible,
Read it carefully and slow,
’Tis a refuge and a shelter,
From the stormy winds that blow.

Refrain

It is comfort for the troubled,
To the lonely ’tis a guest,
For the penitent, ’tis pardon,
To the weary it is rest.

Refrain

When you read about the City,
Whose fair day ne’er ends with night,
Death is not the king of terrors,
But a messenger of light.

Refrain

Words: Mary I. McClean, 1894

What a Wonderful Sight!

 

Genesis 9: 12-16 (The Message) ~ God continued, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and everything living around you and everyone living after you. I’m putting my rainbow in the clouds, a sign of the covenant between me and the Earth. From now on, when I form a cloud over the Earth and the rainbow appears in the cloud, I’ll remember my covenant between me and you and everything living, that never again will floodwaters destroy all life. When the rainbow appears in the cloud, I’ll see it and remember the eternal covenant between God and everything living, every last living creature on Earth.” Genesis 9: 12-16 (The Message)

 

Ezekiel 1:28 (NIV)

Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, …

 

 

I’m always excited when I see a rainbow. And when I see double, that’s really special. How about you? We spotted this one late in the afternoon on Monday.

I’m linking up to Susan’s Outdoor Wednesday.

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Blessed Be His Name ~

Psalm 34:19 ~
Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

Isaiah 43:1-3

But now, this is what the Lord says-
he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel;
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior….”

Isaiah 43:18-19~
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

So God promises to bring us through the wilderness. He does not abandon us. We can cling to these next great promises for our future…

Isaiah 35: 9,10 ~
But only the redeemed will walk there,
and the ransomed of the Lord will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Romans 15: 4~
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

So I hope these verses encourage you to know that in the midst of our wilderness times, our times in the desert, and times of affliction (which are inevitable here on this earth), our hope, the promise that sustains us and lets us say “blessed be the Lord” is that Jesus has gone before us on this wilderness road and He promises because of his saving grace to bring us through our wilderness to our amazing gift in the future in heaven with Him. We have a future with Him without “sorrow and sighing.”

Romans 15:13 ~
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Blessed be His Name!

 

Round Robin Photo Challenge ~ Statues

It’s time again for the Round Robin Photo Challenge! The theme is Statues. Please visit the Round Robin Blog to see more entries.

Hello Fellow Robins! Looking forward to seeing your statues today.

I decided to go with this copy of Michelangelo’s David in it’s Goliath proportions!

I took these shots at the Forest Lawn in Glendale, California. That’s my daughter Katie standing next to David to give you some perspective.

 

Have you ever read the story of David and Goliath? This giant of a man and the Philistines were taunting the Israelites and challenged them to send someone out of the nation of Israel to fight Goliath and if they could kill him the Philistines would be their servants. If not the Israelites would have to serve them. Every one in the Israelite army was afraid to face this giant but David a shepherd boy was really upset that this giant would taunt David’s God and he decided to go up against Goliath.

1 Samuel 17: 4, 41-51 (New Living Translation)

Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was over nine feet tall!

Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him,  sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy.  “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods.  “Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled.

David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel!  And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!”

As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him.  Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground.

So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword.  Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head.

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.