The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe.
Proverbs 18:10 NRSV
Many times this has been the verse I have lived and counted upon for deliverance in tough situations. As I reflected upon this recently I was reminded that I can only run into my strong tower if there are no hindrances and obstacles between God and me. The Holy Spirit is able to help clear those obstacles away. Daily I ask the Holy Spirit to show me if there are any obstructions between me and my Lord. If there are, I pray for help in clearing those away so I have clear and open access to my strong tower.
When oppression becomes familiar and identifiable, I need to push back the darkness – run to the LORD and stand up for what He has purchased for me with His blood.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Sometimes I collect quotes that speak to my faith and spiritual growth. here are a few that might inspire you, also.
I have been an Associate of the Convent of the Transfiguration for MANY years – at last count about 29! Wowsers! Even I am surprised. The Transfiguration is an Episcopalian convent located in Glendale, Ohio a neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. For more information click here https://www.ctsisters.org/index.php/history.html
Let us have a little sanctuary of silence in our hearts into which the voice of God alone may come.
Mother Eva Mary, CT
What could you begin as a spiritual discipline to clear a space, a little sanctuary of silence in your heart where God might speak to you?
Another woman who has influenced my walk was Basilea Schlink. She was born Karla Schlink in 1094 Germany and became a Lutheran religious leader and writer. She co-founded the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary in 1947 to 2001. The Sisterhood has branches in Germany and Phoenix, Arizona. I have a tiny booklet of her writing entitled “The Weapon of Prayer.”
Prayer: being able to say anything and everything to Him whose love is measureless and whose power is boundless. He will supply all our needs.
M. Basilea Schlink
Would you dare to try this? My mother taught me early in my life to sing “In the Garden.” The refrain says, “And He walks with me and He talks with me…” Have you ever walked with Him and talked with Him throughout a day, a week, a month? This kind of prayer is powerful and not to be discounted.
When I was visiting recently with my friend, Betty, in New Mexico she shared this quote with me. It is taken from the ESV Global SB Notes regarding Abiding in Jesus.
To abide in Jesus means living in a daily, close relationship with Him, characterized by trust, prayer, obedience, and joy. The Holy Spirit’s presence and activity within Christians gives evidence that they are abiding in Christ (John 8:31, 6:56. 15:4; 1 John 2:6, 27-28; 3:6).
That is a meaty quote that will likely take the serious Christian some quality time to unpack. Can you say that all of these areas are functioning in your life, empowered by the Holy Spirit? I will be reviewing this as a form of self-examination for some time to come.
I recently had a birthday. Four weeks after my birthday comes my older sister’s birthday. Here she is as a child.
Now, mind you, she sent me a card for my birthday this year and asked me “Don’t we have a picture of you like this?” I think she forgot the photo of herself shown above!
Myself as a child
So below is the card. I opened it on my way in from the mailbox. And even in the midst of this awful pandemic, I LAUGHED OUT LOUD!!
And inside it read …
Yes, our mom cut our hair back then. She used to line up my bangs with a mole on my forehead. After years of that haircut I swore I would grow out those bangs and never have bangs again. I have only had a few times in my adult life when I had bangs. Besides, my hair grows so quickly it is hard to keep bangs! So here we are as adults laughing at Mom and remembering a funny memory together. That is a blessing!
It’s not all bad walking the dog in autumn! Especially when the sun surprises you with neon!
BOOM!
October 23 and the woods on our hill was showing more ground!
The Ginkgo tree is one of the last in our yard to turn. Here she is in her yellow gown with the Pyracantha shrub starting to glow red.
And SURPRISE! October 28 I was working at my desk and happened to look up. At first I wondered “Whose cat is that?” By the time I grabbed my iPhone I was fortunate to get you a photo of Mr. Chubbs, a groundhog! New to our bird feeder area as far as I know.
As Mom would say, “Will wonders never cease!” And off he waddled. Not underfed, that one!
We began noticing the autumn changes September 30.
Persian Shield
Chrysanthemum
Maple
And the changes just kept happening! For years I have referred to the maples in autumn colors as ladies in their Gowns. And then when the leaves fall, the Ladies dropped their gowns! Here is the Cotillion at Adams Lake.
Bob and I both love reflections in still water. We will return to Adams Lake next summer to try to capture good photos of the giant lily pads there.
Here are the ladies along St. Rt. 32 awaiting their Cotillion ball entrance!
Yes, it would be difficult to leave my maples, especially this time of year. I know, those are not only maple trees, but predominantly maples. And then there is my second favorite traveler, before she ever dreamed of getting hurt!
At our house, now in mid-November, we can see way into the woods on our backyard hill. Today the rain is to come and the temperatures to drop back into the normal range. It has been a lovely “Indian summer” defined by Wikipedia and others as: An Indian summer is a period of unseasonably warm, dry weather that sometimes occurs in autumn in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere during September to November. In an article on the US National Weather Service‘s website, weather historian William R. Deedler writes that Indian Summer can be defined as “any spell of warm, quiet, hazy weather that may occur in October or November.” Several references describe a true Indian Summer as not occurring until after the first frost, or more specifically the first “killing” frost.
Yes, we have had a killing frost. Oh those Persian shields turned black! A lovely “Indian Summer” indeed.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens
When Jesus died on the cross they needed a tomb for His body. If you are familiar with your Bible the Jews needed to put Him in a tomb so they could make preparation for their Sabbath. Sabbath was sunset Friday night to sunset Saturday night. The plan was to return Sunday morning to finish His burial.
Joseph of Arimathea was able to provide a tomb for Jesus. He is mentioned in all four gospels. He was part of the Sanhedrin Council but secretly a believer in Jesus. He was wealthy and at great risk to himself asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Luke 23:53, “Joseph took down the body of Jesus, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever been laid.”
At our house we have been watching a program called The Chosen. It is available through an app. To learn more click on this link.
Remember when I described trying to hike to Piedra Falls? We could not get all the way to the falls due to mud and steep grade? Dan did spot a sight for us though! Wheeling above us was a Golden Eagle. So much fun to travel with our best friends! I found a photo on the web.
Dan knows how to identify birds in flight much better than I do. We were delighted to catch a glimpse of a golden eagle in its natural habitat. I liked the web photo below, too. What a wonder!!
Golden Eagle -Aquila chrysaetos- in flight, landing at a bait place, Kainuu, Utajarvi, Nordfinnland, Finland
Bob was certain we saw another in the field one morning. As you can tell from my snapshot, the web photos are much better!
Or is it a big hawk at the corner of the fences?
Does the eagle soar at your command and build its nest on high? It dwells on a cliff and stays there at night; a rocky crag is its stronghold. From there it looks for food; its eyes detect it from afar.
So we were traveling from Colorado to New Mexico and stopped for lunch at Rio Chama Coffee in Chama, New Mexico. My photo did not come out great, so this is their photo from the website.
There was a mother and daughter seated near us on the outdoor patio – but not too near of course! After looking at this white van in the parking lot for a while, I finally approached them and asked if that was their van. They said, “Yes.” I asked if it was okay with them if I took a photo of the logo on the window. I explained that our Grandgirls in Ohio both play volleyball. Unlikely they will ever meet for a match. As far as I know no Native American teams play in our girls’ tournaments!
So proud of our #6!And our #32 Athlete! Photo by Robert DutinaHigh flying Grandgirl Photo by Robert Dutina
Both girls are well grounded in their family, though you certainly cannot tell by looking at their flying and jumping skills! 😉
My sister drives a truck in Colorado. I wondered how she managed to get in it. I am taller than her and it was a stretch for me! Well, Bob took me for a ride in the truck and a CD was in the player. Cowboy and western classics. So when you view this video, that is what you hear in the background, and of course, the breeze!
And this tiny Aspen is next to Ponderosa Pines. I was startled to see what we in the east call “Spanish moss” hanging from the pines. I supposed Colorado might have another name for that, too! Any way there was moss hanging from some of the tree boughs. Not nearly as spectacular as in the southern US.
Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.
While driving in Colorado we passed a particular cattle ranch going to and from the ranch where we were staying and the town of Pagosa Springs. I spotted something I had never seen before! A skunk with huge long legs. I laughed out loud and made Bob turn around so he could see it too!!
Do you see it? Almost center of the photo? Just a bit right of center!
Yep! Every time we drove past I looked for the long-legged skunk. Trying to get a good photo for you. It was not always in the pasture.
I found this hilarious! Maybe it was the altitude. Maybe it was the injury from the ATV. Actually it’s called ” ‘Riggit’ Galloway cattle. They are a well documented archaic strain of Galloway, easily identifiable by the white stripe, running down their spine. The white colouration may include a widening of the stripe to cover much of the back, particularly on the hind quarters.” Information taken from the website https://www.riggitgallowaycattlesociety.co.uk/
Colorado likely has their own name for it. In the Old Testament (Genesis 30) distinctions were made between animals with spots, without spots, etc. I wonder how this kind of distinguished cattle would have been categorized?
