Family pets….

Our family has had a multitude of family “pets”…ducks, chickens, ants, butterflies, lady bugs, turkeys, hamsters, fish, pigs, cattle, sheep, goats, horses…and of course, several cats and dogs…

We went through the typical “old MacDonalds” part of family life where “living in the country is great”….”having animals is good for teaching responsibility “….both of which are true…and we enjoyed all of those ideas…and now three of my four children and families live rurally…and continue to have animals…it will be interesting to see how the next two living generations land on this issue…choices….

One of my daughters found a cute little poodle for me after my husband passed away…(we had had one before he got ill)….great companionship over the years since he passed away…many, many miles of walking…many, many one sided conversations….many, many times of petting and care….my kitchen floor was always clean of any fallen food…he never met a stranger(not good watch dog  material)…

Age came in slowly for him…he still enjoyed life…but lately seeing, hearing and other bodily functions have been deteriorating…which has been sad…he would look at me like, “what is happening?” And I couldn’t explain…

I have known for a while that the time would come to have him put to sleep, but, I have been putting it off…not wanting to face it…I got the message that I would know the right time…yesterday was it….

I thought of a missionary we support who had gotten her chickens up to a great flock and then they all died from a virus overnight …all the time, care, energy, prayer she had put into those chickens had to have been so disappointing and met with tears…

And then you go on…not forgetting , but, moving forward…not without pain, but waiting to see what the next step is…healing….

We do it…through many big and little disappointments, hard times, good times…with God’s grace….and his healing power…

The deeper the hurt, the deeper the ministry….

Thank YOU….

2Corinthians 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

Psalm 119: 50 My comfort in my suffering is this:
    Your promise preserves my life.

Praise you in the rain….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgpaULjZOl8

https://biblehub.com/q/why_does_genesis_1_differ_in_creation_order.htm

Psalm 22…

 Psalm 22….

I know David wrote this psalm, but it such a future picture of Christ on the Cross…a person in extreme pain…at the end…..even to the point of saying, “it is finished”….

The dividing of the clothes, the mocking, the insults, the bones, the dry mouth, the piercings, etc…interspersed with praise…

From His prayer for further generations in John 17…

It is a somber psalm but, Triumphant….

Thank YOU…

Psalm 22

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of the Morning.” A psalm of David.

1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
    Why are you so far from saving me,
    so far from my cries of anguish?
2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
    by night, but I find no rest.

3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
    you are the one Israel praises.
4 In you our ancestors put their trust;
    they trusted and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried out and were saved;
    in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

6 But I am a worm and not a man,
    scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
    they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
    “let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
    since he delights in him.”

9 Yet you brought me out of the womb;
    you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
10 From birth I was cast on you;
    from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

11 Do not be far from me,
    for trouble is near
    and there is no one to help.

12 Many bulls surround me;
    strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13 Roaring lions that tear their prey
    open their mouths wide against me.
14 I am poured out like water,
    and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
    it has melted within me.
15 My mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
    and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
    you lay me in the dust of death.

16 Dogs surround me,
    a pack of villains encircles me;
    they pierce my hands and my feet.
17 All my bones are on display;
    people stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my clothes among them
    and cast lots for my garment.

19 But you, Lord, do not be far from me.
    You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver me from the sword,
    my precious life from the power of the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
    save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

22 I will declare your name to my people;
    in the assembly I will praise you.
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!
    All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
    Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or scorned
    the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
    but has listened to his cry for help.

25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
    before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
    those who seek the Lord will praise him—
    may your hearts live forever!

27 All the ends of the earth
    will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
    will bow down before him,
28 for dominion belongs to the Lord
    and he rules over the nations.

29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
    all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
    those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30 Posterity will serve him;
    future generations will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness,
    declaring to a people yet unborn:
    He has done it!”

My God…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG8h3qnV93c

Dumpster diving…

 Dumpster diving…

God chose yesterday to bring me back to some of my roots, “dumpster diving”….

You have to realize, growing up, we lived on ranches which had their own trash pile…but we had very little trash…no plastic, no paper, a few tin cans, very few glass jars( we reused the canning jars) the barn had a barrel for  used hay wire and later, string… we had wood stoves where we  burned the paper…we didn’t live in the Middle Ages, but things have changed in 70 years here in the US…new products…

We had open dumps, people put “good stuff “ along the edge in case  someone else could use it…there were “farm “ sales when the farm was being sold…not garage sales like we have today…

We had less stuff and we made do…

Anyway, some of my children, in college, did dumpster diving. In fact there were people who checked the dorm dumpsters regularly , picking up useable items to sell later to new students…enterprising…

My dad collected tin cans when California started recycling aluminum…some family still does…and so it goes…

I have had two family members minister to people who live in the dumps of two different countries….

So, Yesterday a friend wanted what was filling a dumpster, so here are two 70+ women dumpster diving…I had to laugh the whole time…”what goes around, comes around “…but, it was profitable.

“One man’s trash is another’s treasure”still holds…even worldwide…

We aren’t trash to God…He made a way to redeem us…giving us new life…new purpose…

Thank YOU….

Psalm 103:1 Praise the Lord, my soul;
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Redeemed…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_82cISZdFg

 

Psalm 20

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

Psalm 20:1-6, the “mays”….

God uses repeated words, themes, etc…this one is the “mays”…

If we put our names into the “you”…what a blessing…He is speaking to each of us…

1. May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;

2. may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

3. May he send you help from the sanctuary
    and grant you support from Zion.

4. May he remember all your sacrifices
    and accept your burnt offerings.

5. May he give you the desire of your heart
    and make all your plans succeed.

6. May we shout for joy over your victory
    and lift up our banners in the name of our God.

7. May the Lord grant all your requests.

6 Now this I know:
    The Lord gives victory to his anointed.
He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary
    with the victorious power of his right hand.

Extra….

Psalm 91:14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;

Psalm 3: 4 I call out to the Lord,
    and he answers me from his holy mountain.
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

Psalm 21:2 You have granted him his heart’s desire
    and have not withheld the request of his lips.

Psalm 20: 7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Thank YOU…

Psalm 20 song…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_2vcFdAsUk

Hebrew version…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k3iNvfVgts

 Day 8…. There is no place like home….click, click…there is no place like home….

We had an amazing breakfast with family before leaving to drive home…three of my nieces and their father,my husband’s brother….catching up, laughter,history….

Then off across central Oregon, on a windy clear day…

It is not often you can see all of the  Oregon snow mountains, but yesterday we could ..so we started out by Mount Hood several days ago and ended up seeing it from a distance…beautiful….

Family, friends, sightseeing…a great combination…in a few days while the world around us went on …I barely watched the news until yesterday morning…then is was a praise time in Washington D.C. with the special day of “Rededicate 250” on the Mall…praise music, Christian speakers, families, etc. gathering, not protesting or complaining, but praising God…what a way to start the week…

Oh, that we could come together in peace, working things out in a civilized manner, with concern and care for one another instead of   

Violence and chaos…giving dignity to all…

Thank you for sharing my little trip…my pictures …my life for a week…t has been a blessing to me….

1 Chronicales 7:14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Thank YOU…

If my people…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g08ZUz6ifTE

Day 7…over the mountains and through the trees…

 Day 7….over the mountains and through the trees….

Yesterday we crossed over the mountains and into the trees of western central Oregon to, the beginning of today’s journey across the high desert …and home…

Rainy, snowy, windy, beautiful, cool, warm…we have had it all…

God has given us so much variety, beauty…brilliant greens, blues, seas, flowers, People, foods, homes of all sizes, landscapes…you name it…his handiwork is all around us all the time…friends, family…

“Let us rejoice and be glad!”….

“And He saw that it was good….”

Of course there are the hard things as well…everyone has a story or life they maybe living…but, He is there as well…

“I am with you always…I will never leave you for forsake you…”

The resurrection of spring with its newness of life reminds us that we have made it through the winter and new life has come…

John 11: 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in (adheres to, trusts in, relies on) Me [as Savior] will live even if he dies; 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me [as Savior] will never die. Do you believe this?” 

Thank YOU…

Light of the world…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cLhaZIBSpo

 I hope I didn’t bore you with my fun road-trip…God has lessons in everything we do…we just need to look and acknowledge his “fingerprints” on our lives….

I couldn’t help but show these miniature ducks…their beaks are about 1/4 inch long, so tiny and cute..

Day 6….land of milk and honey…

 Day 6…land of milk and honey….

No sightseeing yesterday, people day…

We went to the “Market of Choice” for dinner. A favorite…long aisles of various foods, salads, hot dishes, various cultures, etc…aptly named….I wish I had one close to my home…

We are so blessed as a nation to have so many choices…I feel at times like this is the land of milk and honey that God promised the Israelites coming g out of slavery in Egypt…

This trip we have traveled through all kind of agriculture that feeds so many…seafood, cattle, game hunting, fruits and vegetables of all kinds, wineries, canola oil, honey just to name a few…

Where I live it is fruits, potatoes, grains, onions, grapes, dairies, etc…

Another state maybe more minerals, gravel, etc…

 But, so much…Not all nations have that…

Plus, freedom to worship God…abundantly…not all nations have that…

I realize the following was written for the Israelites, but the principles are the same for us now…following Him is imperative…

Thank YOU….

Deuteronomy 11:8 “Therefore, you shall keep all the commandments which I am commanding you today, so that you may be strong and go in and take possession of the land which you are crossing over [the Jordan] to possess; 9 so that you may live long on the land which the Lord swore (solemnly promised) to your fathers to give to them and to their descendants, a land [of great abundance,] flowing with milk and honey. 10 For the land which you are entering to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it with your foot like a garden of vegetables. 11 But the land into which you are about to cross to possess, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of heaven, 12 a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.

13 “It shall come about, if you listen obediently and pay attention to My commandments which I command you today—to love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul [your choices, your thoughts, your whole being]— 14 that He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early [fall] rain and the late [spring] rain, so that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your [olive] oil. 15 And He will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. 16 Beware that your hearts are not deceived, and that you do not turn away [from the Lord] and serve other gods and worship them, 17 or [else] the Lord’s anger will be kindled and burn against you, and He will shut up the heavens so that there will be no rain and the land will not yield its fruit; and you will perish quickly from the good land which the Lord is giving you.

18 “Therefore, you shall impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul, and tie them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as bands (frontals, frontlets) on your forehead. 19 You shall teach them [diligently] to your children [impressing God’s precepts on their minds and penetrating their hearts with His truths], speaking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. 20 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 so that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth. 22 For if you are careful to keep all this commandment which I am commanding you to do, to love the Lord your God, to walk [that is, to live each and every day] in all His ways and to hold tightly to Him—

26 “Behold, today I am setting before you a blessing and a curse— 27 the blessing, if you listen to and obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am commanding you today; 28 and the curse, if you do not listen to and obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following (acknowledging, worshiping) other gods which you have not known.

29 “It shall come about, when the Lord your God brings you into the land which you are entering to possess, that you shall place the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal. 30 Are they not across the Jordan, west of the road, toward the sunset, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah, opposite Gilgal, beside the oaks of Moreh? 31 For you are about to cross the Jordan to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall possess it and live in it, 32 and you shall be careful to do all the statutes and the judgments which I am setting before you today.

This land….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q7PULELvok

(I realize this song isn’t a hymn or praise song, just a folk tune, but it kept coming to mind)…