Photos...

Photos...

I enjoy taking pictures of detail, or nature, of interesting things and angles...sometimes I enter them into competitions at local fairs or magazines...sometimes I get awards, ribbons or even the bigger rosette ribbons and sometimes I get nothing...even a dollar or two in reward money...I like seeing the other pictures in the competition...I like the adulations, the praise from the prizes...

But...none of my competitors or myself would have a scene to photograph if the Creator hadn't put it there in  the first place...I can't make a sunset, a wild animal, the great waterfalls, or  a flower...we just capture a moment in time...

The photographs really aren't an "I " did it, it is a "we" thing...the credit is due      really to the creator...

11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Luke 14:11

16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16

As much as I like the honor of a big ribbon, I really want the viewer of one on my photographs to see the intricacies of the creation ...the design of the Master Designer...thank YOU...

Soap making...

Soap making...

Armed with gloves, long pants, long sleeved shirts, close toed shoes, safety glasses, scales, plastic bowls, ingredients, silicon scapers, plastic molds, thermometer, and directions, several women tackled the "science" and art of soap making at the local park and rec kitchen.

The teacher is a local soap maker who sells her soap all over, "the Idaho soap company". A fun teacher, who shares her love of the craft willingly...comfortably...this is the second time I have joined her class, leaning new things each time ...just as she goes to conventions each year to learn more and more from speakers from all over the world..

The thing is, you start with some ingredients that are caustic to the body and end with a product that you use on your skin....the chemistry changes in the reaction of mixed ingredients...

Saponification -"saponification /sa·pon·i·fi·ca·tion/ (sah-pon″ĭ-fĭ-ka´shun) conversion of an oil or fat into a soap by combination with an alkali....." Medical dictionary ...

http://www.soaphistory.net

As each woman attending the class is different, so the products came out just as different, colors, scents, even though the recipe was the same..each a particular variety...

It made me think of the changes, transformations we find in the Word...and there are many ...

Void to creation...
Dust to man by the Creators word...
Mud and spit to sight at the Savior's crafting...
Saul to Paul...
Sickness to health ...
Water to wine...
Sin to goodness...
Pouting to praise...
Death to life...
Heartbreak to joy...
Craziness to soundness...

Etc...
Etc...
Etc...

Transformations, thank YOU that You have the power to change our hearts, our causticness to something useful...with an aroma that is sweet to soul ...


And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:18

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
Philippians 3:20-21

Jesus meets all ages...vocations...cultures...

Jesus meets all ages...vocations...cultures...

Seniors, Anna and Simeon
Children, boy with loaves and fish
Men in their prime, leaders in area
fisherman
Woman at the well, caught in adultery, ill for years
Parents
Tax collectors
Fishermen
Pharisees
Shepherds
Worshippers at synagogue
Political leaders
Homemakers
Tent makers
Lepers, outcastes
Farmers
Celebrators
Soldiers
Prisoners
Diners
Seekers
Mourners
Etc...
Etc...
Etc...

Be ready to meet Jesus...whatever you are, whatever you do, whoever you are...no one is too insignificant or too great to meet Him...no one is too good nor too bad ....thank YOU...

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
John 3:16-18

A few verses...Isaiah ....

A few verses...Isaiah ....

As I read through Isaiah, there are verses that seem to rise from the pages...these are just today's for me...what promises....what declarations!!!

Thank YOU...


But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. ”
I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.
"I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.
"This is what the Lord says— Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.
Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses.
Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.” “This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by myself, It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts.
For this is what the Lord says— he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited — he says: “I am the Lord, and there is no other. I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob’s descendants, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I, the Lord, speak the truth; I declare what is right.
Declare what is to be, present it— let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago, who declared it from the distant past? Was it not I, the Lord?
And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me.
"Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.
By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear.
Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.
I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’

"Listen to me, Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I am he; I am the first and I am the last. This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.
If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea.

Isaiah 43:1,7,11,19,21,25,44:6,8,24,45:12,18-19,21-23,46:9-10,48:12,17-18

Pesky Mosquitos....

Pesky Mosquitos....

There were two mosquitos touring my house early this morning...seemingly floating around looking at everything, going from to room to room, finally settling in my bedroom to "visit"...they must have entered the night before while I had the door opened to let the dog in or out...they really weren't welcomed with open arms, but they came anyway...

I was reading quotes about God like...

"People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and they pass themselves by without wondering " ...Augustine

Followed by scripture from Isaiah about God making the sun go backwards as a sign for King Hezekiah...

All the while watching and hearing  these two minute creatures fly around lighting here and there....these tiny ones which can carry big diseases as they  move from area to area...

The big and the little, God created it all...what a wonder...with purpose, with delight, from the mountains to the valleys, from the thinner-than-a-hair legs of the mosquitos to the thick ponderous legs of the elephant...to each of us in his image...what a Designer...thank YOU...

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand — when I awake, I am still with you.
Psalm 139:13-18e

https://www.britannica.com/animal/mosquito-insect

I'm the boss...

I'm the boss....

Watching America's funniest Home videos the other night, I was intrigued by the toddler who repeatedly answered an adult, " I'm the boss" as the adult egged this little diapered 2-3 year old on...asking "isn't grandma the boss, or mom or dad", as he repeatedly, heatedly, replied again and again, " I'm the boss" brandishing his little pointer finger in the air, emphasizing his outspoken point...

Oh, my...been there done that...maybe not the same exact scene, but similar with either my children, my grandchildren or those I babysat in the past...those willful, headstrong little humans...or maybe they weren't  so little...they have actually come in all ages, come to think of it realistically...myself included in that scene..."I am the boss"...

I can picture myself saying to God, "I didn't want it that way, I wanted it my way,...I want to be the boss"...and He just smiles and lovingly redirects my tantram...with a "timeout" or discipline of some sort...

Reading through the book of Isaiah, nation after nation fall before the Holy One, the high and mighty who have reigned, thinking they were the Boss...

“Woe to the obstinate children,” declares the Lord, “to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin;
This is what the Sovereign  Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.
You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’ Therefore you will flee! You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’ Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
Isaiah 30:1,15-16,18,21

In the end, and through all time, we really aren't the "bosses" we may have thought we were...thank YOU, in Your sovereignty, You have declared your kingship...

 “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.
By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear.
They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone are deliverance and strength.’” All who have raged against him will come to him and be put to shame.
But all the descendants of Israel will find deliverance in the Lord and will make their boast in him.
Isaiah 45:22-25

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, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations.
Psalm 22:27-28

Wheat and barley

Wheat and barley....

I walk through an area that has lots of grain, not a place where they harvest, that is the next field...but this trail has grain growing near it, like it was planted for the birds...so doves, quail feast there...they jump up and down, reaching the heads of the grain, scattering it about  while others greedily eat it...it is like they are the gleaners on the edge of the big fields ripe for harvest...the heads of grain are full, plentiful, provided freely for these birds...provision...

26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Matthew 6:26
I am reminded not to worry...

In Leviticus, I am reminded to bring my first fruits to the Lord...my offerings to Him...my heart...
“‘Every grain offering you bring to the Lord must be made without yeast, for you are not to burn any yeast or honey in a food offering presented to the Lord. You may bring them to the Lord as an offering of the firstfruits, but they are not to be offered on the altar as a pleasing aroma. Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings. “‘If you bring a grain offering of firstfruits to the Lord, offer crushed heads of new grain roasted in the fire. Put oil and incense on it; it is a grain offering. The priest shall burn the memorial portion of the crushed grain and the oil, together with all the incense, as a food offering presented to the Lord.
Leviticus 2:11-16

As I was reading Hosea, I am  reminded of judgement ....
“They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no head; it will produce no flour. Were it to yield grain, foreigners would swallow it up.
Hosea 8:7

Gideon was threshing grain, hidden in a wine press...
The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior. ” “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family. ” The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”
Judges 6:11-16
I am reminded of a reluctant leader, whom the Lord used....

Boaz and Ruth at the threshing floor...I am reminded of provision and redemption....
Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you! ” Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said. “The Lord bless him! ” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian-redeemers. ” Then Ruth the Moabite said, “He even said to me, ‘Stay with my workers until they finish harvesting all my grain.’” Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It will be good for you, my daughter, to go with the women who work for him, because in someone else’s field you might be harmed.” He also said, “Bring me the shawl you are wearing and hold it out.” When she did so, he poured into it six measures of barley and placed the bundle on her. Then he went back to town.
Ruth 2:19-22,3:15

Reading Psalm 1 reminds me to be fruitful, not chaff that blows in the wind...
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
Psalm 1:3-4

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Matthew 9:37-38
Jesus speaking to his disciples...I am reminded that He tells us to be workers in the kingdom...



Thank YOU for the reminders...these are but a few...You Are Lord of the Harvest...the Provider...the Judge...