Sky and a little bit of Yellowstone

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We spent one day in Yellowstone, where we saw Yellowstone Lake, the Grand Canyon (of Yellowstone), hot springs, buffalo… we saw Old Faithful go off three times as well as Beehive Geyser, which erupts 0-2 times a day and is difficult to predict. And wouldn’t you know it, every time a geyser erupted my camera was dead. :)

What a beautiful, unique park Yellowstone is.

In case you can’t tell I like to include the sky in my photos.

“The place where I obtained the best… view of the canyon was a narrow projecting point situated two to three miles below the lower fall. Standing there or rather lying there for greater safety, I thought how utterly impossible it would be to describe to another the sensations inspired by such a presence. As I took in the scene, I realized my own littleness, my helplessness, my dread exposure to destruction, my inability to cope with or even comprehend the mighty architecture of nature…”
- Nathaniel P. Langford, 1870

Behold, I Make…

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All Things New.

That time of year has come again where we specifically devote several days to remembering the day death died. Yes, yes, we should remember it all year round, but I know for myself – I appreciate having a time where I dwell in the darkness of Friday, the quiet of Saturday, and the joy of Sunday.

Many people will be watching “The Passion of Christ” today. That movie is extremely well done – I love the moment at the beginning where as Jesus stands, he steps on the head of a serpent and even before the trials or crucifixion begin, we are reminded of the victory waiting at the end. (yeah, take that Satan!)

And my favorite quote is when the guards take a man from the crowds, Simon, to help Jesus carry the cross. And he says:

“Remember that I am an innocent man, forced to carry the cross of a condemned man!”

-Simon, from The Passion of the Christ

Wow.

I’m not going to prattle a lot, I just wanted to share this video.

May your Easter be joyful and among family as you celebrate, but may you also have a quiet time to be alone with the Lord.

What a God we have. Smile

Too Wonderful For Me

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Our church has been reading through the Bible, together, chronologically, and we finished the book of Job in January. I love the beautiful poetry in the latter chapters, where the Lord speaks to Job out of a whirlwind, and through a barrage of posed questions and even a couple of sarcastic comments, breaks down the reasoning behind any appeals for mercy Job could have given.

These chapters are one of the moments where instead of God “becoming less” – tearing down the curtain of the tabernacle, drawing close and lifting us closer to Himself – He reminds us, almost coldly, of our smallness juxtaposed to His infinite glory.

With every question He gives and every answer He demands, we are forced to sink lower and lower, our pleas and excuses for why we deserve mercy caught in our chest, our hand pressed to our mouth to avoid presenting foolish words to the great YHWH.

Being able to understand, even slightly, just who we are compared to the Lord, makes His grace and loving attention to us all the more great and praise-inspiring.

From these chapters I was inspired to do a drawing, which I just finished about a week ago. Smile Check it out.

Job 38-40

…the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm. He said:

“Who is this that obscures my plans
with words without knowledge?
Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone—
while the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?

Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea
or walked in the recesses of the deep?
Have the gates of death been shown to you?
Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?
Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?
Tell me, if you know all this.

img-304085833-2What is the way to the abode of light?
And where does darkness reside?
Can you take them to their places?
Do you know the paths to their dwellings?

Surely you know, for you were already born!
You have lived so many years!

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Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook
or tie down its tongue with a rope?
Can you put a cord through its nose
or pierce its jaw with a hook?
Will it make an agreement with you
for you to take it as your slave for life?
Can you make a pet of it like a bird
or put it on a leash for the young women in your house?
If you lay a hand on it,
you will remember the struggle and never do it again!
Any hope of subduing it is false;
the mere sight of it is overpowering.

No one is fierce enough to rouse it.
Who then is able to stand against me?
Who has a claim against me that I must pay?
Everything under heaven belongs to me…

Who shut up the sea behind doors
when it burst forth from the womb,
when I made the clouds its garment
and wrapped it in thick darkness,
when I fixed limits for it
and set its doors and bars in place,
when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;
here is where your proud waves halt’?img-304085833-4

Can you bind the chainsof the Pleiades?
Can you loosen Orion’s belt?
Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasonsor lead out the Bear with its cubs?
Do you know the laws of the heavens?
Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth?

Can you raise your voice to the cloudsimg-304085833-5
and cover yourself with a flood of water?
Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?
Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?

Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens
when the dust becomes hard
and the clods of earth stick together?

Then Job replied to the LORD:

I know that you can do all things;
no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.img-304085833-7

I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?
I put my hand over my mouth.
I spoke once, but I have no answer—
twice, but I will say no more.

My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes

 

 

 

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Hidden Gems

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"<br

When you first become an artist, you’re like that rock. You’re in a raw, unnatural state, with hidden gems inside. You need to dig down deep and find the emeralds tucked away inside you. And that’s just the beginning. Once you’ve found your gems, you have to polish them. It takes a lot of hard work. Oh, and here’s the tricky part. Look at the crack in the geode… You see that big green crystal there? You could spend years polishing that, and it wouldn’t be worth much at all. The smaller crystals are much more valuable. And there may be some even deeper inside that you can’t see.

~Whisper of the Heart

Coming Soon!

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Reblogged from Writing for His Glory:

Click to visit the original post

Something is coming!  Something exciting!

 

My very first published work is being release this March!  Self-published through Lulu

 

Scribblings is a collection of illustrated short stories, poems, (and some little extra pieces).  The book will include popular stories such as Angel Wings, By Morning, a piece from Stephen of Scarborough and many more.  Also poems such as…

Read more… 58 more words

This will be the first published work of my good friend, Laura. It's coming out on March 15th - which is only 2 weeks away!! :D Make sure to check it out at Lulu.com then.

Apology

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So last night I saw this picture on Facebook and shared it:

It got a few angry comments from some of my friends. The next day a friend sent me a FB message that opened my eyes and revealed that my action was shameful, since its motivation had not been love. A lot of times I do things without thinking, and this was one of those times.

By posting this video, I was encouraging division. I was drawing a line and placing labels on others, putting them below and me above. “Better than thou” attitude. All attitudes that God condones and hates! God does not seek to change people through pointing fingers and judgement, but through His love.

I want to apologize now to those I wounded. I let my pride and self rule me, instead of stopping to think.

It’s beyond cliche, I know, to bring up ‘what would Jesus do’, but He wouldn’t have posted or encouraged this picture on FB, because that’s not His character. And so it shouldn’t be mine.

1 Corinthians 13 -  “Love does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking.”

My motivation for everything I do should be love. God is patient and kind to me, and then I turn around and act selfishly and without consideration. I am here to reflect God’s character, and this action did the very opposite.

I was terribly wrong, and I apologize to those who were offended by my post. Please forgive me – I did not think and I did not do the right thing.

There’s not really anything more I can say… Please forgive me.

http://www.godvine.com/Start-the-Love-a-Girl-s-Awesome-Appeal-to-All-Christians-1152.html

Of Puddles and Giant Marshmallows

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Reblogged from Writing for His Glory:

My friend Sarah and me being our awesome selves on a rainy Washington day.  :)

Had a great time with my friend Laura yesterday and this was a result... :D

Valentine's Day: True Love Waits

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Reblogged from Writing for His Glory:

To everyone who is still waiting for God to bring them together with their special someone; this is for you.

After waiting patiently he received what was promised. Hebrews 6:15

A huge thank you to everyone who e-mailed me a picture.  You guys made this happen.

The amazing result from StoryGirl's project. =)

Besides the Point

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From my journal, April 13th, 2011

Do we wait to submit our requests to God until we are sure we will get an answer, or

Do we submit our requests to God regardless and therefore get  answers –

Or is getting an answer besides the point?

2011 in review

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The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 4,800 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 4 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

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