And I quote...

"We must serve God in a holy freedom; we must do our business faithfully, without trouble or disquiet, recalling our mind to God mildly and with tranquility, as often as we find it wandering from Him." -Brother Lawernce

Peace, Dude

"I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid." John 14:27

You Capture: Get Down Low

"I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my permanent promise to you and to all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will be seen in the clouds."  Genesis 9:13-14

We like rainbows on sidewalks too.

You Capture: Get Down Low

Sign of Summer

Swimsuits on the clothes line drying in the sun.

Treasured Finds

This is my latest collage featuring metal items that I've found/saved for several years. I dumped them out the other day and started playing with them. I adhered them to round wooden circles that I used crackle medium on. I wanted them to match the frame that I picked up at a thrift store. I've been saving that frame for a while, originally I was going to paint it, but the shabbiness and color combo grew on me.

My little found treasures are a bit hard to see in the photo above, so here's a detail shot. 

I don't remember how I acquired all of these items, but I do with a few of them. The butterfly fell off a hair clip that I wore in high school. The ornate cross is from a key chain that a friend gave to me and I never used. My favorite is the old key that says "BEST". I found that in a parking lot last year. I think the several of the coins were found in a parking lot too. All in all, I think they make a nice collection.

The Priceless Gift

I have realized lately that I have something very useful and precious to me: a working knowledge of the Bible. I know the stories, I know how to study it, I generally understand it, historically and doctrinally, I have lots of scripture memorized. These important skills have been mine since the beginning of my adulthood, and they are evidence of my dad's faithful instruction and influence in my life.

From the time I was small and all through my growing up years, my dad taught me the Bible. My dad read me the Bible stories daily as a child. He challenged me to memorize scripture and learned it right along side of me. I was expected to read the Bible on my own daily. We studied the Bible together every morning. From him I learned doctrine and theology. My dad in an almost literal way poured God's Word into my life, and I'm still reaping the benefits.

As an adult I realize that what my dad gave me was vitally important. Many Christians who did not have the advantage of a father who was so diligent in Biblical instruction, have to start their study of God's Word on their own or later in life. I have always had a pool of knowledge and understanding to pull from, and it's all a credit to my dad who took the time to teach me.

So Dad, when you read this, know that you have given me the best gift you ever could have, and it's a gift I intend to pass down to my daughter. Thank you for your faithfulness.

You Capture: Water

We spend a lot of time at the local pool in the summer. Swim lessons Monday through Thursday, and the afternoon swim session on Wednesdays. By the end of summer we are tan despite repeated applications of sunblock, and Gemma's hair is much blonder than it is naturally.

The pool looks pretty serene in this picture. It was taken a few minutes before the whistle blew for the swimmers to get in for lessons. The pool in the morning  looks so much different it does in the afternoon. In the afternoons it's busy. People, children, splashing everywhere. Lifeguards shout at kids, "Don't run, walk! Walk! I SAID WALK!"

Why is it that kids always want to run at a pool? I've seen kids run and slip, get back up, and start running again! Sometimes someone ends up bleeding. Those kids aren't usually so quick to start running again. WALK! It's written on the cement, it's posted on the walls, Moms are forever reminding their kids not to run, and the lifeguards must get tired of repeating commands that no one listens to. Foolish, forgetful kids. At the risk of sounding like a stereotypical mom, one of these days someone is going to slip and crack their head open right there on the sidewalk.

Why is it that we never want to follow the rules? There is something inside of us that compels us to break the rules, test the waters, see just how far we can push things. When we're told 'no' or 'don't' we immediately want to, no matter if the reason we're told not to is to keep us safe.

God has rules that He has set up for us, not to spoil our fun, but to help us live life in a way that is best for us. He is the One who made us and He knows the way we need to live. Good parents give their children important rules such as: brush your teeth, work hard, treat others and yourself with respect because they love their children and want to help them succeed.

God is the same way, He is our Father who has given us rules to live by because He loves us and wants us to succeed. His rules are summarily these: 1) Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. 2) Love your neighbor as yourself.

Of course, we're going to mess up. We're not going to live by these perfectly and all the time, but God is ever the loving Father. After we've slipped, fallen, and scraped up our knees because we weren't following the rules, He picks us up and says lovingly, "That hurts doesn't it? I'm sorry you fell. Let me get you a bandaid. Would you like me to help you remember to walk from now on?"

You Capture: Water

A Thought:

If we will not admit our poverty, He will not meet our need.

I don't believe in impossibilites!

I started this collage almost two weeks ago, and now I've finally finished it. The wording says, "I don't believe in impossibilities." and quotes Mark 10:27 "With man it is impossible, but not with God; for with God, all things are possible."

When I started painting the background I didn't know exactly where I was going to go from there. I toyed around with a few ideas, trying to print the elephant on tissue paper, but I couldn't get it to work. Eventually I printed the elephant on regular paper and adhered it to the background with matte modpodge, which allowed me to paint on it with watered down acrylics. The scalloped border was made with tissue paper, coated in modpodge, and then drawn on with a paint pen.

I'm fairly pleased with the end result, though I wish I could have gotten the elephant to print on the tissue paper. The original idea was to be able to see the background through a sheer layer of pink. Maybe next time I want to print on something sheer I'll try tracing paper, which is just a bit sturdier and should adhere to the computer paper better for printing.

You Capture:Fun

I have fun with photography,

And fun in my garden.

I read for fun,

And paint for fun.

I find decorating fun.

And spending time with my family

is at the top of my list of fun!

"Every good and perfect gift comes from God above..." James 1:17

You Capture: Fun

Ten things I love about a solitary morning walk:

1. Being alone with my thoughts.

2. The smell of wet dead wild grasses.

3. The ridiculous looking alpacas sporting their summer hair cut.

4. Patches of shade.

5. Listening to a mocking bird sing, first imitating a tweeting small bird,
then a song bird, next a blue jay, and finally trying to screech like a hawk. I wonder what a mocking bird's own song sounds like?

6. The red headed, blue eyed horses that come up to a fence to greet me and have me scratch their ears.

7. Quiet time to pray.

8. Down hill.

9. Seeing some of the quirky ways people landscape, or don't landscape, their yards.

10. A breeze picking up two thirds of the way through when you are starting to get hot and tired.

Just playing...

With my new macro lens for my lensbaby. I'm still perfecting the accordian focus on it.

Numbered

There have been two unexpected deaths among my acquaintance in the past few days. Each of these men are now worshipping in the presence of Jesus, but they didn't expect to be with Him so soon.

It's a reminder to me to make the most of my life here on earth. Not one minute more is promised to anyone. I want to live with purpose, pleasing my Savior and blessing others in His name. Time is so short, I don't want to waste a moment.

"Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 91:12

You Capture: Your Best Shot

I loved the shot of this 'clean' laundry on the line. I say 'clean' because it's actually dirtier than before it was washed. This laundry was done pioneer style, with a metal scrub board, by a group of first graders. Their intentions were good and they had a lot of fun, but truth be told, they're lousy at laundry. The wash water was pretty dingy and they freshly scrubbed clothes were dangling in the dirt. It was a nice effort, but inadequate.

My life is the same way. I can never be good enough, clean enough, holy enough. My best efforts are inadequate to qualify me for heaven. I am not able to clean myself from the stains of my sin; it's like washing in dirty water. Good intentions aren't enough to save me from myself.

But that's where Jesus comes in. My precious Jesus who came to save people from their sins. I am not good enough, but He is. His righteousness cover my inadequacies. Through His death on the cross, I am made clean. Isaiah 1:16 says:

" 'Come now, and let us reason together,' " says the Lord, " 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.' "

And in Ezekiel 36:25 it says:

"Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness."

This is all I have left to say:

     How deep the Father's love for us,

     How vast beyond all measure,

    That He would give His only Son

    To make a wretch His treasure.

     -Stuart Townend

You Capture: Your Best Shot

Work in progress...

This is a painting I've been working on today. Since taking a picture of it I've filled in all of the white places with grays and browns, but it's still not done. Hopefully I'll be able to work on it tomorrow, but we'll see. Tomorrow is shaping up to be pretty busy.

My life is a work in progress too. I spent a bit of time in self-examination this morning and I'm not where I want to be. I want to be more loving, more faithful, more Christ like, than I am now. Who I want to become and who I actually am don't match up.

I don't think that anyone ever really 'arrives' if you know what I mean, in this life. The Christian walk is all about being perfected, with the emphasis on being. There's not going to be a time on this earth when I'll have it all together, where my desire to be like Christ is going to match my ability to actually follow in His steps. It will come one day, I know. In Psalms it says that "when we see Him, we shall be like Him." So until I see Him face to face, I'll be trying to remember this:

"Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."  Philippians 1:6