Posted on in Aging, Book quotes, Faith, Family, Humor, Just do it, medical treatment, Music, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Writing Life, Yield

Oi, Yoi, Yoi

Urban dictionary says of this Hebrew phrase: “A reduplicative diminutive of oy expressing frustration or exasperation.”

The best laid plans for a schedule get blown to pieces by doc and dentist this week. Yep, Monday and Tuesday mornings have been my inviolable times to write. Dentist could see me at 11:40. Dermatologist can see me at 11 AM (her only opening all week), so I called dentist to take his 2PM opening, so guess what? This is my few minutes. Yep, I really need a new schedule. Especially if I am to continue being a volunteer to help sort and stock food stuff at Inter Parish Ministry on Tuesdays when Bob goes to work in their parking lot directing traffic. Drawing from my reading this morning …

O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, that so I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.” Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long. In Jesus’ name. Amen

A W Tozer The Pursuit of God

“Begin in mercy a new work of love within me.” To be drawn anew into His love by mercy. What an enormous gift! Oh yes, readers, yield to Him and ask for a new work of love within you.

He is never more delighted than when we yield to His work of love within us.

God is a Person, and in the deep of His mighty nature He thinks, wills, enjoys, feels, loves, desires and suffers as any other person may. In making Himself known to us He stays by the familiar pattern of personality. He communicates with us through the avenues of our minds, our wills and our emotions. The continuous and unembarrassed interchange of love and thought between God and the soul of the redeemed man is the throbbing heart of New Testament religion.

Tozer Pursuit of God

“The throbbing heart of New Testament religion,” I just love that! The church we currently attend places huge emphasis on how many are baptized each year. Tozer emphasizes “continuous and unembarrassed interchange of love and thought between God and the soul of the redeemed person” as the HEART of the New Testament. Where is that taught? Once baptized what happens to those souls? Is their growth in knowing Him as celebrated as their decision for baptism?

This time of year we are many times seeking the perfect gift for another. Are we seeking the heart of the New Testament for ourselves? Continuous and unembarrassed interchange with the Holy One. Oh yes, Lord help me to make that our gift exchange this year!

What do you think God would want the most?

Nope, not something necessarily in a box. I think what He most desires is our unhindered yieldedness to Him. Our ears open to listen. Our wills yielded to obey. Giving Him our all because He gave all for us. Each one of us. Individually. Unreservedly.

I think God is amused by the following song written by Woody Guthrie and sung by Pete Seeger. If God has a mailbox this is what He wants in it the most!

Of course, you must find a box you fit in, someone to help you with the stamps on top of your head, etc. I hope the song plants the idea firmly in your mind that most of all God desires all of you as His gift.

Posted on in Book quotes, Challenge, Faith, Just do it, Listen, Prayer, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Worship, Yield

The Cry of the Deer continued

I mentioned a while ago that I am re-reading David Adam’s book The Cry of the Deer. This chapter is entitled ‘Let Loose in the World.’ Those of us who know the Risen Christ have been echoing this message for many centuries.

I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Colossians 1:25-27 NIV

“Christ in you, the hope of glory.” He lives in you, walks with you,etc. He is let loose in the world, not just in one body, but in the bodies of those who believe in Him and yield to His indwelling. David Adam wrote: “In many ways the Celtic Church took the Resurrection for granted, because they experienced in their lives and worship the real Presence of the Risen Lord. When we are faced with the Risen Lord, to spend our time looking into an empty grave is a foolishness. Christ the Risen Lord wants us to walk with Him in the fullness of life. He is not a theory about death and survival, He is a Person to be encountered, a Presence to meet. He is the Resurrection. He is let loose in the world.”

Have you yielded to His Spirit, that He might indwell you wherever you go? Do you practice the Garden Song in your everyday life? “And He walks with me, and He talks with me”? Is Jesus let loose in the world through you? My mother taught my sister and me this song as we rode in the car. She always made me sing the alto part so we could harmonize. To this day I love this song and practice the sentiment it portrays. Maybe A. W. Tozer said it best?

Brandon Lake understands the concept!

Posted on in Art, Faith, Illness and Health, Listen, Music, Prayer, Worship

Tear Off the Roof

The image above is the traditional one of this Bible story. Jenkins has given it a new and perhaps more accurate image? It certainly left a smaller hole in the roof!

Faith and determination are expressed here. Did you know that Director of the Chosen, Dallas Jenkins, and Brandon Lake cooperated on this video and production of some scenes of the Chosen, telling not only the story of the man paralyzed since birth but also the woman with the issue of blood in Mark 2 and Luke 8. The music video below is form Lake’s latest album entitled Coat of Many Colors.

written by Brandon Lake, Chris Davenport, Jacob Sooter, Hank Bentley, Jordan Colle
Some of the lyrics are:
Tear off the roof 
The King’s in the house 
Just get me to Jesus 
I don’t care how 
I don’t have to wait to get the healing 
I gotta faith without a ceiling 
So tear off the roof 
‘Cause the King’s in the house 
  
There’s power in the presence 
Power in the blood 
Power in the name of Jesus 
There’s power in the presence 
Power in the blood 
Power in the name of Jesus 
And He has more in the hem of His garment 
Then the camp of the enemy 
There’s power in the presence 
Power in the blood 
Power in the name of Jesus 
  
I didn’t come here to hide in the crowd 
I’m pressing through to you 
I don’t care how 
Reaching out my hand to get the healing 
I’ve got a faith beyond the bleeding 
‘Cause I didn’t come here to hide in the crowd 
Oh 
  
There’s power in the presence 
Power in the blood 
Power in the name of Jesus 
There’s power in the presence 
Power in the blood 
Power in the name of Jesus 
He has more in the hem of His garment 
Then the camp of the enemy 
There’s power in the presence 
Power in the blood 
Power in the name of Jesus 
There’s power in the name of Jesus 
  
There is a life changing 
Grave shaking 
Dead raising power in the room 
Heart-healing 
Hell-stealing 
No ceiling power 
So tear off the roof

I am praying your faith determines to get to Jesus any way possible!

Posted on in Amazing Creations, Faith, Humor, Nature, Thanks

Bison That Should Have Posted

Earlier this week my post about Kentucky Bison went out with two of the same video. You see, my weeks have sort of become a mishmash and I have lost track of writing and posting. Maybe this is the new me?

I hope to get a new schedule for writing and posting. Until then, I may or may not post five times a week. Try to keep up! Oh, that was note to self?!?! LOL

How many times do we actually get to see the tongue of other animals? His lovely tongue was after the catalpa bean pods. (Underside is more white than this gray/black.)

A few seconds of yum!

Sort of like when you need just one more piece of pumpkin pie!

Posted on in Amazing Creations, Humor, Thanks, Traveling

Buffalo/Bison

When we traveled the Dakotas in 2018 one of the highlights of the trip for me was seeing the buffalo up close. Custer State Park has a herd of about 1300 to 1500. Not as large as Yosemite, but accessible to tourists. Here is a short film of the Buffalo round up that occurs there each year. Listening to the conversation of the commentators I am amazed at the coordination. When the cowboy conversation comes up I wanted the commentators to hush, which they eventually did.

Might not need to watch all of the video, but I found it interesting.

Recently PBS aired a special by Ken Burns on the American Buffalo. It was tremendous. I did not know the history of the military in trying to destroy the buffalo. They were hunted relentlessly and Americans in the eastern states wanted all sorts of things from the buffalo. The buffalo suffered and were butchered. The American Indians suffered tremendously. If you have not seen the special there is a link below. It is worth your time to watch.

https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-american-buffalo/#watch

After watching both episodes by Burns I wanted to see the buffalo in Kentucky. Were you aware there is a small herd in Kentucky? The park is only about one hour from our house!

See https://www.nps.gov/places/big-bone-lick-state-historic-site.htm

photo by r m dutina
photo by r m dutina

Frankly I was amazed watching one trying to snag catalpa seed pods from under the fence (10 seconds of fast tongue) and drinking from a hole that filled with water .

Posted on in Amazing Creations, Faith, Nature, Poetry, Thanks, Writing Life

November 22 Verse

We were blessed to see this the day before Thanksgiving. I am still rejoicing!

Doe Among Us© Molly Lin Dutina

We entered the paved trail with a sure sense of adventure
Had never before walked this path
Not five feet into the woods
Not five feet from the pavement
Acutely aware doe watches us
Husband looking at his camera settings
I had to calmly say, “A deer, dear”
Touching his arm to get his full attention.

She started when he noticed her
She stood and slowly began to walk away
It was only then that we saw the fawn
Resting calmly a few feet behind her
How do they signal each other so silently?
Before long a small herd stood
Walked up the hillside
Vanished into the honeysuckle shrubbery
It wasn’t until Bob printed this that I saw the face of the fawn behind her! photo by r m dutina
photo by r m dutina

“And they walked up the hillside” so camouflaged had I not seen them go up I might have missed them totally! Deer are common in our area, but I do not tire of them (unless of course they are eating my garden plants!) I think one reason I love the white tailed deer is that deer are mentioned so often in Scripture.

The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
    he enables me to tread on the heights.

Habakkuk 3:19 NIV
Posted on in Art, Book quotes, Faith, Just do it, Listen, Nature, Prayer, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth

Asleep in The Boat

The blog opens with a painting by Ludolf Backhyusen used by the Ignatias.NYC in a newsletter.

In 1999 The Printery House published an icon called Storm on the Sea of Galilee. I was so impressed, I bought myself an 8 x 10 copy. It hangs on my office wall.

You could order 25 card copies at https://www.printeryhouse.org/ProdPage.asp?prod=PCA504&tracker1=REL. Also larger reproductions at https://www.printeryhouse.org/ProdPage.asp?prod=A04

I was asked to write a devotional for our crochet and knitting group of Convent Associates. I chose this icon and the meditation below. The Matthew 8 story seemed to be surfacing in many places all at once , so it seems timely.

I have been re-reading The Cry of the Deer by David Adam, Meditations on the Hymn of St. Patrick. At the end of chapter entitled “Death is Not Fatal” Adam has Exercises. This one goes with the icon!

Meditate on Psalm 23 – “The Lord is my Shepherd.” Make an affirmation by reading very slowly, giving meaning to each word. The Lord is my Shepherd . . .

Then read Matthew 8:23-27

Pause		Be still and know that He is God and that He is present … peace … etc …
Picture	A calm lake, beauty, a lovely place.
	Allow a storm to hit it. 
	A violent storm. The waves are wild, the wind is fierce.
	Trees are bending, branches are breaking.
	It gets dark. Things get worse. 
	Things are really out of control. Chaos.
	Then . . .
	A still small voice.
	It pierces the storm and somehow triumphs over it.

	Peace be still. 
	And there was a great calm.
	Who would have believed it a minute ago?
	It was like the end of the world . . . everything
	doom and disaster and
	now
	the still waters.

Ponder	This is not a picture of a lake. It is my life.
	Stormy, tempestuous, violent.
	Strange, unpredictable winds blow.
	Many a time we are in danger of sinking.
	So many storms are because we ‘go it alone.’
	We do not call upon Him. And Jesus sleeps.
	“O what peace we often forfeit,
	O what needless pain we bear,
	All because we do not carry
	Everything to God in prayer.”
	“Save us, Lord!” they said “We are about to die!”
	Wake Him.
	Call upon Him.
	Know that He is the Lord and Saviour.”
Promise	To wake His Presence in my life.
	Promise to call upon Him in my need: “To Thy Cross I look and live.”
	Affirm: “With Jesus in my vessel I can smile amid the storm.”

Prayer	“Lord Jesus, the sea is so large and our boat is so small.”
	“Lord, save us or we perish.

I arise today 
Through the strength of his death and burial.

I give absolutely all credit to David Adam for this meditation.

Posted on in Amazing Creations, Faith, Nature

Suet Feeder

Our bluebirds seem to have left for other locations. When I was cleaning up the front flower bed recently I hung out a suet block in place of the dried mealworm feeder. The block was untouched for days and days.

This morning I noticed there were dents in a few of the edges. As I sit here writing a couple sparrows have come to feed on it. One was feeding and one was on the look out. So nice that the birds look out for one another! If only we each did that more in our circle of influence. Next time I looked up they were gone and a hawk was flying over. Truly, we do not feed the smaller birds as bait for the hawk!

The hawk lives nearby and we see it frequently.

The sparrows returned soon after the hawk flew over. There is one munching and watching me type now. I think he drops as much as he eats, but I have not looked to see if there are other birds below him that are being provided for. Do not want to scare him off!

He took off on his own. There are flecks of suet all over the ground. I suppose if other birds do not get them the vole or whatever it is that lives underground in my flower bed will come up for a fattening feast. I am fairly certain the vole cannot climb the iron post the suet feeder is hanging from. Guess even the vole deserves a feast now and then? Uncertain about that as it digs tunnels through my flower beds and under the plants, etc.

Oh phooey! I just asked the internet if voles can climb poles. Well, no surprise they have been studied climbing trees (which obviously have bark to cling to). But I had no idea until I read https://blogs.agu.org/thefield/2021/03/19/why-did-the-vole-climb-the-tree/

Click the link above if you want to learn more!

A northern red-backed vole climbing down a tree. UAF photo by Todd Paris.

Praise the Lord from the earth,
    you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,

wild animals and all cattle,
    small creatures and flying birds

Psalm 148:7,10 NIV
Posted on in Amazing Creations, Beagle, Faith, Moving, Nature, Thanks

Drought and Worms

When there has been a weeks long drought, little rain, followed by weeks long drought. Does that mean when it finally rains it is moving day for the worms? They were all over the drenched sidewalks when I walked Lucky this morning. Itty bitty short ones and longer adults.

Then when we crossed the street in front of our house in the road was the longest, largest night crawler I have ever seen! At least ten inches long!! I was soaking wet and could not get my iPhone out of my pocket, but really, this surpassed Two Men and a Truck! More like a freight train!

Gloomy gray day, but the retention pond is getting more water, the dog poop scooper was easier the rinse (in the down spout). Lucky and I are indoors and getting dry as I work in the office on the blog.

Grateful for the much needed rain! 🙂 Yes, I am tempted to run out there with the camera now and see if I can show you that GIANT night crawler!! Naw! the rain is still coming down.

Also grateful that I no longer need to put bait on hooks. One year our son fractured his arm and had to wear a plaster cast most of the summer. One of the ways to amuse him was to go fishing. His cast went down to his fingers, so me, Mom, got to bait the hook each time he drowned a worm. Oh yippee! It was a gooey summer for me! He has a son of his own now, and so far, no broken arms!

Matthew 5:45
Posted on in Art, Beagle, Book quotes, Faith, Family, Humor, Just do it, medical treatment, Memories, Nature, Prayer, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Thanks, Worship, Yield

Mahalo, A Word We Learned in Hawaii

  • Mahalo – Thank You – (even on the garbage can flaps)
  • Bird feeders full and busy with bird traffic
  • Cake to bake and pies to create
  • Sweet potatoes 25 cents a pound and bound to cost less after Thursday!!
  • Lucky responding well to Glucosamine Chondroitin, though she still limps
  • turkey!
  • then turkey sandwich spread will follow
  • cranberry sauce
  • lately more sunny days than gloomy
  • Our Lord and Savior
  • Advent begins
  • books of our faith, including prayer books and hymnals
  • online Christian music I can search and play
  • shopping online makes some this so much easier
  • Baby Francesca continues to improve
  • white bread, mayonnaise and left over turkey slices sandwich!
  • fragrant candles
  • those who read my blog and comment
  • those who read my blog and are encouraged but do not comment
  • Betty continues to improve
  • Margie making great strides in her recovery
  • Outdoor Christmas lights
  • the wonders on our walk at Ten Mile Creek park
  • The joy of taking Lucky for a ride
  • wind moving the pinwheels reminds me of the movement of the Holy Spirit
  • those willing to help the less fortunate
  • landscaper who sweeps up leaves off the lawn
  • my friend Lori who absolutely loves all things Christmas
  • banyan tree sending out new leaves on Maui
  • Bob selected cookies for us
  • Willing contributors to Empower Youth toy drive
  • Zoom study of Franciscan book, meeting 10 people there weekly
  • union Township crochet and knit group
  • Crochet and knit monthly meeting at Convent
  • Bi-weekly group with church folks
  • Our family
  • Grandchildren!
  • Mint Chapstick
  • good medical care without too much waiting
  • dental care
  • safe walking area
  • my spiritual director
  • But wait! There’s more!! As Kathy says “There is ALWAYS something to be grateful for!”

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1 Thessalonians 5: 18 KJV