Saturday, February 16, 2013

Separate from his creations




He stirs up the sea with His power, and by His understanding He breaks up the storm ... these are the mere edges of His ways.
Job 26:12, 14

I have always loved and adored the seashore. Even as I child I marveled at the vastness of the ocean and remember looking out into those miles and miles of water and thinking of the old song "... He's got the whole world in his hands."     ...  marveling at how huge He must be.
Now, as an adult, I continue to marvel at the beauty of His creation. It is at the seashore in the early morning sun or late evening sunset, after most of the folks have gone off to seek adventure elsewhere that I feel most at peace.
However, I must remind myself that although He created the oceans and the beautiful sunsets, God himself is not in the sunset anymore than an artist is in his paintings. While I may see reflections of the artist's in his work. The person himself is separate from it. Likewise, I see the reflections of God's personality in a sunrise or sunset but He Himself is not in either one. He is separate from His creation. This is such and important truth! It means:
When something is hurt He can heal it.
When something is wrong He can right it.
When something is broken He can mend it.

It is so good to know that nothing can deplete or weaken the the power of God or His love for me.

Joining Charlotte forSpiritual Sundays








Sunday, February 10, 2013

Thrifting and a little cheating

Hope everyone had a wonderful week-end. It was sunny here but cold... well cold to us here in the south. Sending warm wishes to those of you in the north east. I can't even imagine dealing with that much snow.
It has been a lazy week-end here but I did manage to get in a little thrifting. When I went in my favorite thrift shop the first thing to catch my eye were these glasses.



I loved the color and knew that they had to come home with me. I stopped in another little shop and  spotted these beautiful toile pillows. I already had some toile fabric and plans to make some but this was even better, they were already made! I'm sure I'll find a use for my fabric but for now it will go in my fabric stash.



Sorry about the quality of this shot but the sun was  pouring in through the windows.
Sun???     windows???         That gave me a great idea!
I have mentioned earlier how I was so ready for spring so I decided I was going to cheat a little. I was going to have spring in one room of my house now! I set about replacing winter pillows and throws with the new pillows and some shabby shams across the back of the chairs.



I removed the little snowman vignette and replaced it with a bucket of spring flowers and eggs. Yes, I said eggs. If I'm going to cheat I may as well go for some spring eggs as well. I then decided to print Spring in blue and place in a small frame just in case anyone had any doubts about the season.


I even added a few daffodills to the crystal vase. I am really trying to hurry spring along here.


The rest of the house may be dressed for winter with snowflakes and snowmen but this little room is ready for spring. I think this will be the perfect place to do my morning devotions. I can set in the sunshine, and pretend it is already spring. Maybe I should get out the sun glasses and lather on a little sun screen just to help convince myself it is spring. Do they make candles with a sun lotion scent? 

Thanks for dropping by. I would be delighted to share my little sun room with you. Y'all come back now.

I'm linking to Motivate me Monday
                    Blue Monday
                    Sunlit Sunday
 Come join me for some fun.

                   

Monday, February 04, 2013

Something old, something new

something borrowed
something blue

I know you've all heard this traditional rhyme which details what a bride should wear at her wedding for  good luck. Ever wonder when or where this tradition started? 
I wonder about things like that but I am a curious one and prone to wild goose chases... hmm... I wonder where that term originated too. Anyway . . .

Each item in this poem represents a good-luck token for the bride. If she carries all of them on her wedding day, her marriage will be happy. "Something old" symbolizes continuity with the bride's family and the past. 



"Something new" means optimism and hope for the bride's new life ahead. "Something borrowed" is usually an item from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride. The borrowed item also reminds the bride that she can depend on her friends and family.

As for the colorful item, blue has been connected to weddings for centuries. In ancient Rome, brides wore blue to symbolize love, modesty, and fidelity. Christianity has long dressed the Virgin Mary in blue, so purity was associated with the color. 


Before the late 19th century, blue was a popular color for wedding gowns, as evidenced in proverbs like, "Marry in blue, lover be true."
I have heard these rhymes all of my life but I never new about the blue wedding gowns. I guess your never to old to learn.
Come join me at Blue Monday with Smiling Sally


Saturday, February 02, 2013

A path less taken


Now the angel of the Lord spoke to Philip,saying,
"Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down
from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is desert.  Acts 8:26

If you visit friends who live on the coast, they will know of a local path to the beach.  You may walk over wooden planks instead of beautiful boardwalks, and the occasional thorn may stick you, but chances are good you're at a prime beach location. It's a spot barely dotted with locals who quietly allow rows and rows of tourists to pack in from an entry point at a much farther distance.

     Crowds were packing in to hear Philip preach and see him perform miracles. He had no plans to leave Samaria. Then, just like that, God sent word to Philip that he must hit the dessert road. . . and he had no idea why.
      How many of us would have said, "But have you seen the crowds who are coming to worship? Why am I being sent to the desert alone?"
      In Philip's case, we know why. God wanted him to encounter the Ethiopian official. 

      Following Christ involves taking a less populated and often lesser-known path. Sometimes this path is not well-defined, so you find that your steps are more hopeful than sure.

       Phillip was drawing crowds, but was suddenly sent to the desert to talk to a single man. How many of us would walk away from the admiration of the masses to travel to a desolate place for one conversation?
God didn't send Philip to the desert forever - just for a moment.

     The path less taken does have its advantages.  It gives you an opportunity to view God's creation as He intended it - wild and free, not safe and manicured. Without all the noise, you hear His voice more easily.  You're not fighting crowds who have chosen an easier, more traveled route. No, this less-traveled path gives you quiet solitude, populated only by those who reside there or who have walked this same path previously.

And you learn that, if you must, you can travel this path alone. Because if you know who is leading you, you know where it leads.

     Lord, I may choose a different path to the beach today as a reminder that Your path is different from all that the world offers.  Yours is the only path to eternal life.
Source: Devotions for the Beach


Linking to Spiritual Sundays  Hosted by Charlotte