A different kind of show.....

Last night Ken and I went to a very different kind of show....  It started off like this.

This picture does not do the sunset justice.    The sky was painted all shade of red and pink and light blues.  It was simply gorgeous as we drove west at sunset.  Normally we would not be leaving the house at 8:30 pm.  That in itself makes for an interesting "start" to our evening.  After a kind of short drive (think one and a half hours) we finally arrived at our destination (thanks to Google directions).  Mark my words, we would NEVER have found this place without GPS!  The first order of business was to apply lots of.....

 

Even with a heavy coating of this bug spray and long sleeves and long pants, I was still getting eaten up by the swarms of bugs.  HOWEVER...... IT  WAS SO WORTH IT!

We drove to one of the three "dark spots" in Illinois.  Those places that are free enough of ambient light to really see the stars.  We were rewarded with an amazing view that actually could take your breath away.  Ken set up his tripod and took many pictures of the sky dotted with stars.  You could actually see the Milky Way!  Something I haven't seen since my childhood in northern Minnesota. 
We were also treated to many "shooting stars" - meteors falling to earth.   Thanks to being so near to Chicago it was actually difficult to sort out what were meteors and what were passing airplanes!  I could not believe the number of planes flying at high altitudes that you could see from this location.  They were literally crisscrossing the sky.  The meteors would most often appear high in the sky and fall vertically before disappearing.  Really cool to see.  Ken has not looked at his photos yet, so we don't know exactly how much of this show he caught on film.  But seeing it in person was an experience. 

Ken had met a couple of camera buddies who had set up their own tripods in the same spot.  He had plenty of "camera chatting" with these two young guys - both were so excited to actually see the Milky Way for the first time!  I spent a bit of time trying to escape the bugs while sitting in the car.  I still had a wonderful view of the sky.  It is such a great way to contemplate the God who spoke and created this.  And to consider that he knows each one of those stars by name!  Sitting in that dark nature preserve, listening to the sounds of nighttime, with the canopy of stars overhead, that big, powerful God seemed so close. 

I was remembering all the nights I spent as a young girl,  staring up into the sky at Lake Maud.  I remember it being so dark you could not see the hand in front of your face!  But the stars were amazing.  Every night seemed to be colored with the Northern Lights.  I could pick out the various constellations with no trouble.  I especially remember finding the North Star and the Big and Little dippers.  With these memories was a huge sense of thankfulness.  Thankful for my parents who saw the benefit of a lake home.  A place away from the day to day life.  Outdoor fun with lots of family.  As an adult, I began to realize the sacrifices that my mom and dad made for our family to be able to have vacations, to see relatives, and to have so many wonderful times that would never have happened without Lake Maud.  My dad built the cabin - board by board, nail by nail.  It was added on to, year after year.  Improved as there were funds to do so.  I don't know exactly what the square footage was of that cabin, but it was a tiny home way before tiny houses were a thing.  And it was most often pretty filled up with family.  When Ken and I first started dating, we talked about our families experiences on a lake.  Ken had great memories of his own at Lake Malone in Kentucky.  And I had Lake Maud.  I don't have any pictures of Ken and I together on our first trip to the lake in 1973.  But I do have this shot of us in 1978.

Last night, the star show caused a flood of memories for me.  I was struck by the sameness of the sky.  The pattern of the stars that were scattered by the hand of God.  But also by the passage of time.  There we are - Ken and I - much younger, standing at Lake Maud.  I remember that trip and the evenings spent under that same canopy of stars.  So thankful for photos and memories.  So, so thankful.  And I am thankful that I know that the God that could call those stars by name, knows my name. 

As I am approaching my 65th birthday, I have been doing a lot of thinking about the dreams and plans that I had so many years ago.  Some have certainly been realized.  But I also know that there are many, many things that I have not yet accomplished.  Places I have not visited.  People that I have yet to meet.  The most comforting thing is knowing that God has plans, purposes and a destiny for each one of us.  Even when we might feel like we have not accomplished anything or that we have fallen short of meeting a goal, God has not given up on us.  God's Not Done With You by Tauren Wells says it all so well. He's got a plan and he is going to finish what he started.   Looking up at that sky, it was sure good to know that God is not done writing my story.  And he is not done writing your story either!

Jesus, thank you so much for the wonder of the sky and the knowing that you know my name.  Holy Spirit, comfort all of us when we feel like we have fallen short.  Give us all reminders that there is so much more ahead for us all - regardless of our age!  Thank you for GPS that allows us to find hidden gem places to see your creation with open eyes.  Thank you Jesus!  Amen

Off the beaten path with the "mountain man"!

We have had a wonderful vacation.  It has been so unlike our "normal" vacations (which tend to be beach and/or museums/attractions).  Neither Ken or I tend to be "outdoor" people.  Yes, we do like to visit botanic gardens/arboretums and parks.  This vacation spent mostly in wooded mountains was something new and amazing for us.  A number of people asked me why we would ever consider a vacation to North Carolina. It has been a wonderful, peaceful time spent in nature. And the best part of the trip is that nothing was more than a two hour drive!  You really can't beat that!

Yesterday we decided to drive across the Great Smoky Mountain National Park to visit Gatlinburg TN and see the top half of the National Park. To start the day, we stopped at a very hidden waterfall that is actually on the Cherokee Indian Reservation.  By the way, that reservation is worth a visit!  We were surprised to find all of the signs written in Cherokee!  The Soco Waterfall is not shown on most maps and we just happened to see it on Google Maps (when we happened to have phone service - which was spotty at best).  There was only one small sign for the waterfall from one direction.  There was a small pull off and then a trail between the guard rails.  It was a short walk - straight down - and Ken was thankful for that walking stick we purchased a few days ago.  ***Side note - we both totally forgot that we are FLYING on this trip and really didn't consider how we are going to get that very big stick home!  

The Soco waterfall was so worth the walk.  Ken and I were totally alone on the viewing platform - just the sound of that water.  It was awesome!   So secluded and unspoiled.  By the time we left the viewing area to walk back up that treacherous path, a stream of people were on the way down to see the falls.  It felt like such a gift for us to be there, alone and have time to soak it all in.  

We proceeded into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  We had visited a few days before and were planning on just driving through (as I mentioned before).  We didn't get very far into the park when we found out that the only road through the park was closed!  Apparently there had been a serious accident and there was an ongoing investigation.  The only way to get to Gatlinburg was a LONG way around the outside of the park.  So, the best laid plans of man sometimes don't work out. 

We decided to drive another stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway instead.  We had already driven several different sections.  But this stretch has the highest point of the Parkway. 

When we got to this viewing site, there was a path leading up to a viewing platform.  It was almost straight up!  We never made it to the top.  We stopped at this point and took a few pictures.  The actual high point of the parkway is 6,200 feet.  So much beauty and so many breath-taking views.  The clouds are so close you can almost touch them.  The mountains go on and on.  Around every turn is another picture perfect view.  I can't wait to actually see the photos that Ken took.  My Iphone pictures will be nothing compared to his, I am sure. 

The Blue Ridge Parkway was a surprising, wonderful part of this trip.  This two lane road zigzags up and down through the mountains in North Carolina and Virginia.  The average speed limit is about 35 miles per hour, so this is not a "quick trip" route.  We drove from mile 460 to 390 and that 70 miles took us about 3 hours including many, many stops for photos.  But there is literally NOTHING along the road - very few spots to get on or off of the parkway - no gas, no food and also only a couple of "comfort stations" (think restrooms).  What there is - TREES AND MOUNTAINS.  Also lots of wild flowers, butterflies, bees and even an occasional bird.  Also very frequent overlooks. 

All in all, this was a really wonderful trip.  We managed to snag a great deal on a really nice hotel in Asheville, that provided a "base camp" for some of our adventures.  As I mentioned, we never had to spend more than a couple hours in the car (with the exception of the Blue Ridge Parkway - which was worth it).  Today we began our trip back to reality with a drive mostly on the interstate.  It was also raining.  What a contrast to the wonderful days of sunshine and quiet roads. 

I am very glad that we have a couple of "buffer" days between those mountain days and our arrival home.  Tomorrow Ken will be visiting with a friend and former co-worker.  And then we will be driving (two hours) back to our airport location for our trip home.  It has been a long time since I visited mountains.  As a matter of fact, other than a few short trips through smaller mountains, driving on interstates, the last time I actually saw mountains was when I was 9 years old.  I needed this trip to remind me just how majestic mountains are.  And also just how deep the valleys are.  One morning Ken and I had breakfast at a really fancy McDonalds (that may seem like a contradiction of terms -but it was the Biltmore McDonalds) there was a grand (player) piano filling the room with music.  Suddenly "How Great Thou Art" began playing.   Yes, a perfect song.  Listen to How Great Thou Art performed by Home Free to catch a bit of what I was feeling.

I have done so much praising, just thanking God for the beauty of His marvelous creation. Everything seems so green and so fresh and the air is so clean and crisp.  We had some twists and turns and some of our plans didn't work out.  But it was a wonderful time of rest and relaxation and lots of photo taking.  All in all, just a wonderful vacation.

Jesus, I am so thankful for the opportunity to spend time in your creation.  Holy Spirit, remind us all to step outside, to look up and down and to see and celebrate the world around us.  When things are moving so fast around us, give us places and spaces for rest.  Thank you for waterfalls that remind us of your living water.  Thank you Jesus.  Amen

Being amazed today....by the creation AND the creation of men!

So once again Ken planned a trip to take some pictures.  We started off the day looking for a place that did not exist! The internet does not always provide accurate information, as we all know.  So we drove to a spot about 30 miles from home, looking for a covered bridge.  There was no bridge to be found.  Apparently the site is in Oregon not Illinois!  So we headed for another spot that Ken had selected.  The photo above is one of my favorites from today. I loved the random placement of this leaf on the bridge.  Such a beautiful part of God's creation.  It was a much better weather day today - the sun was shining, it was warm and breezy.  Instead of waiting in the car (which I did yesterday), I actually walked around the entire park we visited.

The place we visited was the I & M Canal Passage in what was once Aux Sable Illinois. This amazing man made canal was built entirely by hand from 1832 until it was completed in 1848.  Here is a bit of what I found on line about this canal....

The Illinois and Michigan Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. It ran 96 miles (154 km) from the Chicago River in Bridgeport, Chicago to the Illinois River at LaSalle-Peru. The canal crossed the Chicago Portage and helped establish Chicago as the transportation hub of the United States, before the railroad era. It was opened in 1848, its function was largely replaced by the wider and shorter Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in 1900 and it ceased transportation operations with the completion of the Illinois Waterway in 1933.

Did you see this?  This canal helped establish Chicago as the transportation HUB of the United States. And those 96 miles were all created by men.  This sign in the picture above, talked about the Irish immigrants who worked on the construction of this waterway.  Quite a big deal in the 1830's.  At the location that we visited today, the canal actually runs OVER another river!  They build an aqueduct that carried the canal over another flowing river.  

This is a picture from underneath the aqueduct.  Really very amazing.  How amazing and creative were the men that designed and then built this 96 mile canal.  How wonderful that this canal has been preserved so that we can still appreciate it today.  I recently blogged about the revelation that during the next year,The Holy Spirit will be releasing "Divine Intelligence".  You know, those new and innovative creative ideas that will bring about changes that will reveal the power and presence of the Jesus to the world.  I get so excited when I consider what is ahead.  I truly believe that right now, there are people out there with creative ideas that will change medicine, technology, travel.... really everything.  It is not hard to imagine how much things can change the world when you consider this blog....the internet....the World Wide Web.  Even just 30 years ago, this seemed impossible.  I am so thankful for the advances in technology that allow the Word of God to travel around the world with just a click of a send key.  And that increases my excitement as this Divine Intelligence begins to manifest.  I just can not wait!   

Jesus, thank you for the beauty of your creation that was all around me today!  Thank you for this amazing historical site that reminded me that you are in charge of divinely inspired ideas that change the world.  Holy Spirit, keep us all open to the new and seemingly impossible ideas that you give to us.  Thank you for your plans and destiny for all of us.  Amen

Goodbye Scrapbooking, Hello West Virginia.........

 

One of the very best things about scrapbooking at a hotel is that the husbands bring the kids to swim in the pool!  That means I get Grandma time with my little sweeties.  I just love the above picture of "Mermaid Lia"!  She has really learned how to swim this summer and loves to swim underwater with her goggles.  She went from being a bit timid in the water, to full on swimmer in just a matter of weeks.  I guess this is another one of those "when they get it, they get it" things.  I managed to finish 46 pages of scrapbooking.  Not a record for me (I think I once did 58 pages on one of these weekends), but I was very happy to complete what I did!  I left from the hotel, drove home and unpacked MY car, only to turn around and PACK Ken's car for our vacation.  It was a bit crazy, and unfortunately, one of my fears came to pass.  We stopped for lunch about 125 miles out from home and Ken said "Didn't we have a garment bag of clothes?"  Well, it is still hanging in our closet at home.  And in that garment bag were all of Ken's work clothes for his meetings over the next few days, plus the dress I was going to wear to the dinner on Tuesday night.  There was no way we were turning around.  So we stopped at Kohls and bought Ken some new clothes.  I tried to find a dress, but this is not an easy task for me.  So I decided I will wear something that is already packed in my suitcase (black pants and a new top I just bought) and they will have to like it!  As I said, it is not the end of the world, but kind of a crazy start to this trip! 

Yesterday we drove to the middle part of Ohio and spent the night and then this morning we drove into West Virginia!  This was especially meaningful to me since I got to cross another state off of my "states I need to visit list"!  I still have 15 states to get to, Ken only has 7.  Unfortunately there are only 4 of these that we BOTH need to see!  And if you take out Alaska and Hawaii, the two we both need are Nevada and Maine!  We are hoping to be able to complete all the states before we are too old to really enjoy the travel.

 

Now back to West Virginia.  I was amazed at this state!  The mountains were amazing.  It was a cloudy, overcast day and the we actually drove up into the clouds .  It was not just fog, you could see the clouds coming down from the sky.

This picture really doesn't show exactly what I saw, but you can get the idea.  It was breathtaking. I was thinking about Psalm 144.  It begins with a proclamation that God is our rock and fortress, a stronghold and our deliverer, a shield and a refuge.  Then beginning in verse 3 it says......
Lord, what are human beings that you care for them, mere mortals that you think of them? They are like a breath; their days are like a fleeting shadow.  Part your heavens, Lord, and come down; touch the mountains, so that they smoke.  Send forth lightning and scatter the enemy.

Yes, today, it looked like the top of the mountain was smoking and I felt as if God had reached out and touched both the mountain top and me!

We stopped at a "Scenic overview" which was just spectacular.  It was on the side of the tollway and the traffic was zipping past.  After I looked down and saw this view, I felt sorry for everyone that just drove past!  What a picture of God's beauty they missed!

I think that Psalm 104:10 speaks to the view.......
"He (God) makes springs pour water into the ravines it flows between the mountains."
I am so thankful for seeing this new part of the United States.  And I am so thankful for another day to see and experience God's creation in new and different ways!

Jesus, thank you for grace and patience and provision - that includes Kohls stores.  Thank you for your amazing love and care that just overwhelms us as we see your amazing work in nature.  Give us all courage to step out of our busy routines, and wisdom to grab on to the opportunities to stop and breath in more of who you are as you show yourself in creation.   Amen
                                                                    

Sometimes it is just worth it! And sometimes, it is NOT!

 

Usually when Ken and I travel, we are very frugal.  We watch each and every penny.  Since this vacation was to celebrate our 40th Wedding Anniversary we decided to splurge and upgrade more than usual.  We have been known to opt for an ocean front room in Florida and we know - IT IS WORTH IT!  So the decision to get a Falls view room was pretty easy.  We even choose a room that has both American and Canadian falls view.  That picture above is from our floor to ceiling windows in our room.  We have two easy chairs positioned to the window and this view.  I can't wait for the light show and fireworks tonight!  Yes, there is even one window that opens and you can clearly hear the falls (and we are on the 17th floor)!  We have had a spectacular day.  Another perfect weather day.  What a blessing!  Our hotel couldn't be more convenient- we walk out, cross a road and take the "Falls incline railway" down to the Welcome Center. 

That is our Hotel at the top and a shot up the incline railway!  We were able to get a pass for the entire day so we could go up and down as often as we wanted.  There were lots of people on our first trip down.  At one point when I was sitting in the shade waiting for Ken to take some photos, I counted 7 different languages that I heard passing me by.  This is really a seeming hot spot for tourists.  And there are so many things that are simply NOT worth the money.  From the time we checked into our hotel, we have been pressed to get a "package deal" for attractions.  The hotel wanted to sell us a tour on a bus for $150 each!  Really!  Not going to happen.  The welcome center package deal ended up to NOT be a deal for us, since we had no interest in several of the attractions that were included in the price.  I think we have decided to just buy individual tickets for the couple of things that we really want to do and forget the package deals.  I am thankful for the CHOICE and the wisdom to know what is not worth it!

 

On our second trip down to the falls today, there was an amazing full arc rainbow over the Canadian Falls!  It just took your breath away!  It was so bright and so clear you could see every color.  



 



We walked up river to see if we could get a different angle of the rainbow.  I stood very close to another smaller waterfall while Ken was taking pictures, I realized that I had the same feeling in my spirit as when I sit on the beach and listen to the waves.  That powerful water, cascading down over those rocks, pouring down in an endless stream, reminded me of the ocean.   I told Ken that we either needed to vacation at an ocean or a very big waterfall from now on! 

 

Yes, there are times when it is just worth it for the experience.  In  the couple of days on this vacation we have said more than once, this is so worth it!  The hassle for the passports, the expenses, the crowds.  Yesterday was about seeing an amazing house created by a man.  And it was worth seeing. Today, it is all worth it to see this natural wonder.  There is something about the contrast (didn't I just write a blog post on this???) between the man made and the God created.   Nothing can really compare to all that is in God's creation.  There are flocks and flocks of birds and they live on a small outcropping of rocks just before the Canadian Falls.  Other than bigger birds, they are most likely safe from predators. They swooped and soared over the falls all day.  I have several pictures in which I caught a bird in flight, without really intending it!  And I can't help but think of my life verse - John 7:38 - "...Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water"!  Sitting here, looking out at the falls, it is a picture of all the power that flowing rivers contain.  And another reminder of just how powerful we are, when we are filled with the promise and presence of the Holy Spirit. 

 

More vacation updates will follow, I am sure.  Time for light show and fireworks!

 

Jesus, thank you for your guidance and direction that helps us discern what IS worth it and what is NOT worth it.  Thank you for the picture of your power displayed before us in these falls.  Holy Spirit, help us to grasp the power that we have within us, so that we may open the gates and let your love and grace and peace and the presence of Jesus flow out to the world. And Jesus, thank you for unexpected rainbows.   Amen

 

Finding the hidden beauty........

This has been a long and hard winter.  When we had yet another "winter storm warning" this week,  all we could do was sigh.  Most people didn't even pay any attention to it.  It was late on Tuesday afternoon before I noticed that dreaded "red stripe" over the weather forecast. Then when I saw that they were actually saying 4-6", well, you had to take it a little more seriously.  I went to bed thinking that we actually might dodge the bullet.  But, alas, when we awoke on Wednesday morning, we had a good 6" of snow.  Maybe a bit more.  And it was the wet, heavy, icky, sticky stuff.  I was pretty cold and wet by the time I got my car cleared off.  And, thanks to the time change this week (I mean, really, who thought it would be a good idea to change to daylight savings time when we are still in the middle of winter???), it was pitch dark on my way to work.  It was a long, long drive to work.  A trip that took me about 40 minutes and that is a lot for 6 miles.  Yes, 6 miles.  Nothing had been plowed.  There were ruts and ice and it was anybody's guess where the lane markings were.  So I can assure you that I did NOT enjoy the snow that morning.

But then the sun came out.  And it was really the most amazingly beautiful snow that we have had this entire winter.  

 

 

 

Ken actually went out, right after work and got some incredible shots of the snow in the Morton Arboretum.   These are just a couple of my favorites.   Wow! 

 

Sometimes, isn't our life like this?   We are in a really messy, dark, icky, sticky place and then the sun comes out and we can start to see the beauty around us.  Sometimes even the stuff that CAUSED the mess we are in, is part of the very nice picture.  The thing is, on this morning when I was stuck in that traffic and slipping around on the roads, I didn't notice how the snow was sticking to the trees.  I missed that there were ice crystals around some of the branches and it almost looked like crystals hanging on the trees.  It wasn't until the sun came out that you could see and appreciate the wonder of this snow.   We need THE SON - Jesus to come into all of the junk in our daily life for us to find the hidden things.  When we begin to look at our problems and our troubles through the SON, we can see the amazing picture that is being painted.  It is a picture of the true plan and destiny for us.  All of the troubles and the problems and difficulties become something very different, when the truth of Jesus and the light of the Holy Spirit shines on them.  Those troubles don't go away, the problems and difficulties are still there.  But our eyes can be opened to see through the muck and find the beauty that is there.  We still had 6 lousy inches of snow......again....... on top of the piles of snow that have NOT melted yet.  There was still ice on the roads and ruts and slush.  But with my eyes looking UP, it was beautiful!

 

Jesus, thank you for the beauty that you have planned in your creation.   Holy Spirit, thank you for your reminder to look up and see the picture you painted with snow.  What an amazing wonder with the sun shining on it.  Thank you for Ken and his ability to capture these images to help us all to remember to see the hidden beauty.  Amen 

When a church sign makes me stop and think......

Last night I saw a great sign as I passed by a local church.  The sign read
"We plan, God's purposes prevail".  I loved it!  I was thinking about it all evening.  I realized that this was a shortened, re quote of Proverbs 19:21 shown above. 

This got me to thinking about all the times I make these great plans.  I am quite the planner.  I make lists.  I like to have things mapped out well ahead of time.  More than anything I like to have vacations planned and reserved months in advance.  Yes, I am a type A planner.  And then there was this sign...........

What a reminder.  How many times do I get irritate, perturbed, and downright angry when my plans don't materialize.  When things change or people change and the situation changes.  I confess that I have never stopped and considered that it might just be that Jesus had some other purpose that prevailed over my well thought out plans.  And truthfully, in the end, I am grateful that things did NOT go as I had planned.   I love the picture above.  Doesn't that photo bring a sigh?  I love sunsets, don't you?  I think that the reason this picture was chosen to accompany this verse is because at the end of the day, it is good to remember that God was in it all!  It was His plan and purposes that were worked out in the day.  And when we see these things in the natural world, we understand just how small we are in the big picture. 

Then I remembered seeing this picture on the internet last week.  This is called "the Hand of God Nebula".  The article said.in part about this photo.......

"....taken by Nasa’s Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array or NuSTAR and scientists are still trying to make sense of the nebula’s amazing shape."

 

So I will be remembering that my plans are just that...plans.  And I will also remember that Jesus has a purpose that will prevail over anything that I can try to plan.  And I will marvel at the wonder and beauty of God that is revealed in all of creation.  From the sunsets to the nebula's way out in space. 

 

Jesus, thank you for who you are.  Thank you Yahweh for your plan of creation, for breathing the Word - Jesus, and Holy Spirit for bringing it into being.  Holy Spirit, help me to hold my plans loosely and to celebrate your purposes.  Thank you for these amazing pictures.    Amen

 



Celebrating the seasons..

Summer is winding down and fall is almost upon us.  This week the temperature has been really "fall-like".  This morning it was 46 degrees.  That is down right cold for August!  This has been an unusual weather summer.  We only really had one stretch of moderately hot weather.   We are flooded with "back to school" ads and the school supply aisle at the stores are nearly impassable.  For me, back to school means back to work.  While I have enjoyed the summer off, it feels like time to be back at work. 

I have been thinking today about seasons.  I am very grateful that Yahweh planned for us to experience the ever changing weather and seasons.  There is a progression about this that, for me, helps me to know that there is something else coming ahead.  I am  always aware of the fact that my life is a process.  Sometimes this process has seemingly been stalled out (or even seemed to go backwards).  So, when I am living in the change of seasons, it is easier to  hold on to the idea that my personal process is ....... well PROCESSING!  I am so thankful that the Kingdom of Yahweh is always increasing.  And I am so grateful that we are all in the process of going on. The change of seasons reminds me that although I feel stuck and it may seem like nothing is happening, there is a PROCESS going on in my life. 

Last night I had an interesting dream.  There were fields of crops growing all around me.  There were fields of corn, there were fields of beans and fields of grains also.  Everywhere I looked there were just fields and fields.  As I was looking around, I realized that there were no roads, no houses, nothing but fields.  Everything was healthy and green and looked so wonderful.  There was also an aroma of freshness.  And then I heard a voice singing.....   The song was about the coming harvest.  When I woke up, I quickly wrote down the words.............
                    Green and growing, tall and strong
                    small seeds sown in the dark dark ground.
                    Plants sprang up and rain fell down
                    Soft breezes blow, crops all around.

                    Life filled water, flowing from heavenly springs
                    waters all the seeds sown by human hands
                    Sun shine and warmth bring forth great joy
                    Its harvest time all across the lands.

                    Reach out, reach out and find the place
                    Come on and join the race.
                    North or south or look west to east.
                    All around far and near, the harvest is here.

So now I will be looking around for the harvest. And celebrating that Yahweh has great plans for the changing seasons.  This is a reminder that no matter which season we are in, Yahweh is at work.  During the winter he is at work deep in the soil, preparing it to receive the seeds.  He works in the spring time when the seeds are sown.  He works during the summer when the sun and rain water the seeds and he works during the fall, when it is time to harvest. 

Yahweh, thank you for your great creation.  Jesus thank you for working in the seasons and in us!  You are an amazing God that plans everything and then bring revelation to us as we walk through our life.  Help me to see the harvest you are preparing for me and to remember that you are in charge.  Yahweh, please bless everyone preparing for this school year.  Be with the teachers as they are preparing for their classes. And Jesus, thanks for singing to me in my dream!  Amen                   
                   

                   
                

                 
                  

What an awesome Creator God!

 I am always so in awe of the Creator when I spend time in creation.  Yesterday and today were no exceptions.  WOW!  I love being at the beach!  Yesterday's sunset across the Gulf of Mexico was just breathtaking.  The clouds, the waves, the birds...... everything.  Simply amazing.  As I sat there and watched the waves, the pelicans and other wading birds, and the clouds and the sun, I was hearing in my head...."In the beginning...... "  I am so thankful that Yahweh has revealed parts of himself in all of creation around us.  I think of the power and movement of the water.  What a picture of His power.  Each of these birds has been created exactly for their enviornments.  The pelicans that can scoop their food out of the waves.  The wading birds that pluck the sand fleas with their long, scooped beaks.  Then the sun.  The heat and light and the reminder of the SON who brings us into the LIGHT. 

Last night I was thinking about how I might reflect the Creator.   Yahweh, I am thankful that you have given me the ability to hear your voice and speak your words.   Thank you that I can affect my enviornment, just by Your presence within me.  How powerful is that?  To be able to bring a measure of peace to places of stress.  To be able to speak truth into places of doubt or discouragement.  To bring love and kindness when others bring hate and grief.  To receive everything that Yahweh is and has and then to just reflect those gifts. 

Yep, I am grateful to be a reflection of the Creator.  He is awesome and I don't have to do anything myself.  That is a wonderful blessing.   I can relax and just soak up the Creator.  He has such a wonderful plan.  All we have to do is just receive it.  I am going to just keep on receiving all that I can.   And then I plan on letting all of that awesome stuff, just be reflected out.   What a great way to spend a vacation.