Good Stuff This Week

I got the texture on my kitchen ceiling, and after it dried, I painted it. Wednesday night after work I installed my new ceiling light, and I must say, it looks wonderful! I still need to do something with the walls, but I'm going to put that off until I can see what's available that I can afford. Now I am moving on to painting in my other rooms. A big messy job that involves a lot of furniture moving! What fun!

And yes, we have more snow! I just keep telling myself that the forecast is for upper 60's by the end of the week.

I'm planning a trip to Texas the end of this month. I hope to take two of my sisters along, and we will go to visit my Texas sister and my oldest son, who is also down there. I am also looking forward to seeing my friends and attending the church I belonged to when I lived there!

Read some good stuff this week:
In her April 9th post, Amy wrote about humility. A rare quality in today's world.
Ann over at Holy Experience shared some thoughts on the oil of gratitude that were a blessing to me!

I have some of my best times of prayer while I am driving. I don't close my eyes, though! Coming home from work late one night this week, I heard this song on the radio. It transformed my commute into a time of worship. Talk to you soon!

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night. Psalm 92:1-2

Behold The Lamb

God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called.
“Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.”

“Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”

The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.”

So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together, Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?”

“God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together.

When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!”

“Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”

Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” Genesis 22:1-14

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved:
God shall help her, and that right early.
The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved:
he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Come, behold the works of the LORD,
what desolations he hath made in the earth.
He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he
breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder;
he burneth the chariot in the fire.
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted
among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Photo: a shady spot in a neighbor's yard
O God, you are my God, I wait for you from the dawn.

My soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you.

I came to your sanctuary, as one in a parched and

waterless land, so that I could see your might and your glory.

My lips will praise you, for your mercy is better than life itself.

Thus I will bless you throughout my life,

and raise my hands in prayer to your name;

my soul will be filled as if by rich food,

and my mouth will sing your praises and rejoice.

I will remember you as I lie in bed, I will think of you

in the morning, for you have been my helper, and I will

take joy in the protection of your wings.

My soul clings to you; your right hand raises me up.

Psalm 63:1 - 8

"Eternal God, unchanging, mysterious and unknown.
Your boundless love unfailing, in grace and mercy shown.
Bright seraphim in ceaseless flight around your glorious throne.
They raise their voices day and night in praise to you alone.

Let every creature in the sea and every flying bird;
Let every mountain, every field and valley of the earth;
Let all the moons and all the stars in all the universe
Sing praises to the living God, who rules them by His word.

Hallelujah! Glory be to our great God!
Hallelujah! Glory be to our great God!"
Fernando Ortega
photo: the beautiful old tree in my front yard

It was a very dry summer. The big old tree in my front yard was throwing down leaves and twigs in protest. Then recently we were blessed with a lot of moisture, and now it almost seems like spring again.

Instead, it is time to preserve all the wonderful gifts from the garden. Putting up produce is an enormous job, but it does afford ample time to listen. My sister has been listening to talk radio as she works in her kitchen for years. As for me, I have rediscovered "Messiah" by George Frederick Handel. I have found that a paring knife works wonderfully well as the conductor's baton, and no one minds if I can't roll my rrr's as well as they do on the CD! The familiar music takes me back to high school chorus days. I never could get all the way through the "Hallelujah Chorus" without choking up!

Having lived a good number of years since those high school days, I am better able to appreciate "Messiah." It amazes me to think that Handel completed it in a few short weeks.

He takes us through the scripture, telling us the story of Jesus. At first it is the prophesy foretelling Jesus' coming:

"Comfort ye, Comfort ye, my people...

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord."

He tells us what an impact Jesus would have on the world:

"I will shake the heavens and the earth...

But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire.

And he shall purify..."

He tells of the pervasive darkness of the times. But wait - there is hope!

"Darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people

...the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light.

Upon them hath the light shined.

For unto us a child is born...and his name shall be called Wonderful..."

Wonderful indeed!

"He shall feed his flock like a shepherd, and he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young."

And then the passage we all know:

"Come unto me all ye that labor...and I will give you rest.

Take his yoke upon you...for he is meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls...

His yoke is easy and his burden is light."

Jesus suffered on the cross:

"He was despised, a man of sorrows...he gave his back to the smiters...he hid not his face from shame.

Surely he hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows

...and with his stripes we are healed."

His suffering was not only physical:

"All they that see him laugh him to scorn.

Thy rebuke hath broken his heart.

He looked for some to have pity, but there was none,

neither found he any to comfort him

...see if there be any sorrow like unto his."

But glory be unto God:

"Thou didst not leave his soul in hell

...lift up your heads O ye gates...and the King of Glory shall come in

..let all the angels worship him

...thou art gone up on high."

"Hallelujah! The Lord God Omnipotent reigneth...the kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ...and he shall reign forever and ever."

But there is more:

"I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand on the latter day upon the earth...and though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God

...since by man came death, by man came also

the resurrection of the dead

...as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive

...I tell you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in a twinkling of an eye

...O death, where is thy sting? "

And so:

If God be for us, who can be against us?

It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again

...at the right hand of God, who makes intercession for us.

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain...blessing and honor, glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne...Amen!"

Washing, peeling, chopping, slicing, boiling, blanching - it's a lot of work. These busy times in my kitchen have become special times of worship for me, and I think everything I put up will be especially tasty because of it!