15 July 2010

Peace in His Garden

The entire earth is the Lord's,
so our garden is His too,
and I love to stroll its many parts and sit in the shade of one of its trees.
There, in the garden, is one of the places I feel most at peace-
serenaded by the calls of birds,
fanned by gentle breezes
and under July's clear blue sky.
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May you find peace in His gardens too.
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"...the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof."
I Corinthians 10:26 KJV
Blessings,
Aimee
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Photos:
lupine - after flowering
coreopsis - early sunrise
wildflower--shasta daisy
hardy waterlily - tucked in for the night
wallflower - pastel patchwork

14 July 2010

The Word on Wednesday: Life's Storms


"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,

to them who are the called according to HIS purpose."

Romans 8:28 KJV

--
"Now we see only a dim likeness of things. It is as if we were seeing them in a mirror. But someday we will see clearly. We will see face to face. What I know now is not complete. But someday I will know completely, just as God knows me completely."

I Corinthians 13: 12 NIrV®

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'We see things from the bottom up,

but God sees things from the top down.'

The Heart of Texas

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It is part of the human existence to know pain, suffering and what seem to be

insurmountable challenges

(painful events/circumstances/losses in our lives).

These times test our faith to the core and we, like Job in the Old Testament,

may scream out 'Why'?

Sometimes the answer to this age old question may come---

at a later date;

often an answer never comes.

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-It is human to want to know the 'why';

it is faith to trust even when we may never know the answer to that question or when we do have an answer--but it is not one we'd like it to be.

I understand--been there.

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What it comes down to for me is:

Do I really believe God's Word and His unfailing love for me?

Do I genuinely believe He WILL take ANY circumstance in my life

--tragic, unfair and difficult

though it may seem from my very limited human perspective--

and

use it for my good?

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Sometimes I just have to say--
"Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief"

and trust that His grace is sufficient for even me.

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May you see God in the midst of your storms and may you see from the 'top down',

Blessings, Aimee

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Notes:


1) The Heart of Texas, 2008 documentary, Plaidshirt Productions. Wikipedia article here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Heart_of_Texas (links at bottom to movie site) Above may be a quote or paraphrase--can't find the original note I made. True story about a family who loses their young daughter in a hit and run accident. It is a story of faith and forgiveness when faced with a tragedy. It is a story of grace and love. I heartily recommend it.


2) NIrV® Verses
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL READER’S VERSION® . Copyright © 1996, 1998 Biblica. All rights reserves throughout the world. Used by permission of Biblica.
NEW INTERNATIONAL READER’S VERSION® and NIrV® are registered trademarks of Biblica. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica


3) "…My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. ..” II Corinthians 12:9 KJV (part of)


4) "Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief." Mark 9:24b KJV


Photo: historic PNW church built 1858

13 July 2010

Recent Travels

Recently my dad gave me a PNW tour book and it didn't take me long to mark all the places I wanted to see this year. Of course, my list included lots of small towns, rural areas, historical places, parks, refuges and unusual sites like the Mima Mounds:)
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Not too long after this, a friend and I made a trip to one of the places on my list--this one in Oregon--and here is some of what we saw
(BTW--It is always fun to see a new area and meet new people!)
 

 
A historic courthouse
 

 
an old building in the downtown district--look at that amazing detail!!


 
this reminds me of a movie theater--but I am not sure what it really is.
 

 
a healthy and very tasty snack for the road from a farm in the area.
SO good!
More, more:)
 

 
a rural scene we passed;
I never get tired of seeing farms!
 

 
Can you see the occupant?
 

 
A hillside vineyard (taken through the side window);
this area was SO beautiful!
 
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And peaceful--I am really into peaceful!

How about you?
Do you like country or city?
Rural or urban?

Blessings,
Aimee
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Photos:
Dallas, Oregon
and various rural settings western Oregon.
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