02/28/10

Isaiah 30:18
And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.

02/27/10

More visions of snow.....

We are supposed to have more snow this coming week. I honestly want to enjoy each season for what the Lord gives, but I must now admit that I will be ready for some spring. :)

02/26/10

A few more scenes from the walk that day in the park when it snowed. Click on the first one to view it better. There are geese swimming in the pond. :)

Here is a closeup of whatever plant is hanging over the fence.

Are you going through a hard time?

Are there days you feel the trial is too hard to bear?

I have felt that way many times through trials in my life.

Different trials teach us different things God wants us to learn. The times in the dark valleys are never easy, but God creates something new inside of us that we would have never known if we hadn't walked that road. We have to see them as treasures... something I had never thought of before until recently. I am just thankful God is there carrying me through them all.

This song is from Keith and Kristyn Getty. There is also another song after "Jesus Draw Me" you can hear if you'd like. I posted the words to "Jesus Draw Me" below the video.

Jesus, draw me ever nearer,
As I labor through the storm,
You have called me to this passage,
And I follow, though Im worn.

(Refrain)
May this journey bring a blessing,
May I rise on wings of faith;
And at the end of my hearts testing,
With Your likeness let me wake.

Jesus, guide me through the tempest.
Keep my spirit stayed and sure;
When the midnight meets the morning
Let me love You even more.

Let the treasures of the trial
Form within me as I go
And at the end of this long passage
Let me leave them at your throne.

02/25/10

A few snow covered thorns for your enjoyment today......

"Satan wants us to fear over the future, be angry over our present and have guilt over our past. But Jesus Christ brings peace."

I saw this quote on a blog I recently began reading. I loved it!

When I was a child it was so easy to say "squash the Devil, step on the devil, etc...". When I became a teenager/early adult, I figured if I was walking OK in the Lord then I wouldn't really have to worry about Satan doing these things to me. However, through my "later" adult years and even recently I have seen how Satan can take your weaknesses and turn them to fear, anger and guilt. He truly is a "roaring lion walking about seeking whom he may devour" and devour he does.

Satan tries to cause trouble in people, events, and circumstances and he thinks he's going to win. If we give in to those things he can get the best of us and then we lose our joy in the Lord. Anytime Satan can make a Christian miserable and doubtful he has succeeded in turning that person away from fully trusting in the Lord for his/her life.

We have to be prepared for battle.

We have to have our armor on and ready to fight.

We have to have our Sword of the Spirit... the Word of God... ready to cut away the false accusations Satan tries to use against us.

At those times in our lives may we draw further into God's Word so that we will be able to "stand against the wiles of the devil" and be "strong in the Lord." Satan has nothing for us except for failure and fear. Jesus came so that we may LIVE by faith in Him.

I love how the Lord Jesus put it in John 10:10, 11:

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

02/24/10

I loved capturing this ice on this plant. not sure if it is a wild rose or something of that nature.

We have been watching some of the Olympics. I must say, this time around I just haven't had a lot of time to watch many of the events. Staying up late is just not a good option when you have to get up at 5:00. lol

Have you ever thought of the life of an athlete? I have thought of all the dedication it takes to become so good in your sport that you are able to go to the Olympics. (Let's just say that I would never be able to go to the Olympics with the sport ability that I have. lol)

Those athletes work everyday for YEARS to accomplish the goal of the Olympics. Some of them arrive, have a fall or mishap and all of that work is lost for the goal they originally had. Others reach the goal of that medal.... they have their moment in the sun and then as the weeks, months, years pass people forget who earned what and it just becomes a part of history.

It is easy to admire the discipline in athletes, but how hard is it to practice it ourselves?

I'll be the first one to say it is hard to practice!!

Yesterday in our teacher's meeting we talked about how we can apply those principles to our "Spiritual Race."

Each day we, as Christians, are athletes. We are "running the race that is set before us." Our goal is one that lasts eternally and will never be forgotten. We have to train every day, every second of every day to arrive at our goal of living a life pleasing to the Lord.

The only way to train is to be in God's Word every day and learn more about Him.

You can't gain the strength of the Lord if you never lift your Bible off the shelf and open it.

02/23/10

More pictures of ice from snow before last. :)

Since I have taken you down memory lane of how I met Steve, I need to share this story my wonderful brother wrote in his blog yesterday about my years prior to finding Steve. I had to laugh as I read it because he is absolutely right. There are just stories upon stories in our family it seems. I'll get back to when Steve proposed later.... :)

Grunts and Acceptance

Today was memory lane for my sister and how she and her husband first met. I must admit that I had something else planned for today's entry. But after reading her blog today, I felt that I must also tell my side of the story which actually starts way before that momentous day. Kellie was always a dreamy kind of child. In her mind, she was always somewhere else instead of where she was physically. When her teen years rolled around, all I can say is wooooowwweeeeee!!! Most boys didn't want to date her because, in my opinion, they had to ask Dad first. That was fine with me. I was going to have to be the choosy person when it came to my sister's date. Not that she wasn't choosy, but you know how older brothers are... Fast forward a few years...Thanksgiving in Holly Springs...a highly forgettable time in our family's history. We were invited by my aunt to go to my uncle's side of their family for Thanksgiving. They always play music, sing, etc and we thought it would be a fun change. Well, when we got there, Kellie and I knew no one but my aunt's family and we pretty much stuck together like we had been glued that way in a kindergarten art class. As we were enjoying the meal, my sister and I turned towards the door as someone enters. All three sets of eyes met in one fateful moment. My sister's eyes were popping out of her head. My eyes observed with casual coolness. The person entering the door would have walked into a pole if there was one there. He couldn't take his eyes off my sister. As has happened several times during our life, when he saw me, he thought Kellie and I were dating because we look nothing alike. Too bad that idea didn't manifest itself in his head forever...but I get ahead of myself. I'm a bit fuzzy on the details for the next few days, but eventually, he asked my Dad to take my sister on a date. My Dad consented and off they went. For my sister, it was looooooove. Christmas gifts were exchanged; time alone was spent; dates were frequent. For me, the honeymoon quickly faded into a pile of rotten roses that lifted its stench to the heavens. When he came over, I grunted hello. When he asked a question, I grunted the answer. When he left, I grunted goodbye. And all responses came with a granite face. The rest of the time, I was as scarce as hen's teeth. I will let Kellie share the rest of the details if she so chooses, but suffice it to say, the relationship ended none too soon! I still have the feelings of floating on cloud 9 when I remember that glorious day. The next boyfriend was waaayyyyyy better. No grunts at all, but it really wasn't meant to be and after a short time, they parted as friends. After that, the fateful day mentioned in her entry for today arrived and I was happy. He seemed like a nice guy and he was, again, waaayyyyyy better than the first one. As I got to know him and he came around more and more and more and more (did I say more???), I found myself actually staying around when he was here with nary a grunt escaping my lips and smiles were plenteous. After a little over two years of dating, they were married in a packed church where I felt as if I was a shuttle service moving people up and down the aisle (But that discussion could be another blog entry!). So there you have it. My part in my sister's dating is, in my opinion, one for the record books. Maybe I should write a book on how to help one's sister realize she's dating a jerk. Hmmmm...Best seller???


Thanks, Kevin.... LOL :)

02/22/10

Nineteen years ago today I had my first date with Steve. Those nineteen years have gone by quite fast.

When I posted my questionnaire about Steve and me last week I had some people "beg and plead" for the "story." Well, there are actually many stories in our life that I'll share in the coming days, but I'll start with how we officially met. It is priceless..... lol

Steve had been going to our church for a few months and had been newly saved. He would have been in my "College and Career" Sunday School class but was in a discipleship class since he was a new Christian. Their class came to our Christmas Sunday School party in Dec. 1990 and since I wasn't dating anyone I went with Kevin! ha!! I noticed Steve that night but didn't say anything to him. (You all may not realize this, but I am actually a bit shy around new people. I have to be animated when I meet new people in my job, but it takes me some time to warm up to strangers normally....) Anyway, later he told me that he thought Kevin and I were dating. I can understand how he would think that because Kevin and I look nothing alike.

Well, fast forward a few weeks. I was sitting in Sunday School, which was then in a side wing of the church. Steve passed by me sitting in my normal seat on the left side because I am such the creature of habit and when he did I noticed his eyes... they were blue... and he was cute. :) (He later told me he noticed how brown my eyes were... aren't we just sappy????)

Fast forward a couple more weeks.

It was Sunday, February 10, 1991. We had just finished church and were greeting someone new at the front of the church. I turned around and there he was standing in the pew behind where I was standing. He said these famous words, "Hey, I'm Steve. You're Kellie, right? Well, how old are you?!" ha!!!!! I immediately respond, while fluttering my eyelids at him, "I'm 19, but I'll be 20 soon!" He then asked if I would like to go out, etc... (During this conversation I had to let him know he'd have to ask my Daddy if he could take me out... this was to a 23 year old.)

Oh, we have had some good laughs over those lines through the years!

Well, at that moment, I just knew he had asked me to marry him. Oh, yes. We were gonna get hitched in the next week.

Daddy said I floated out of the church that day and to the car. I believe him. The thing that makes me laugh is the memory of Kevin saying to me "Wouldn't that be funny if you married Steve Fowler?????" He said this because our first cousin on my Dad's side is named "Steve Fowler!"

That week I waited for him to call. It was near Valentine's Day. I had envisioned a dozen red roses delivered with a message of "All My Love, Steve...."

Well, he called one night and we talked for a bit of time, but there were no flowers and no mushy gushy. In my mind I figured he could not resist such a wonderful, caring, lovely person.

Yeah, right.

Fast forward a few days to the next Sunday, February 17. I had told my best friend at the time ALLLLLL about him. Basically, I decided we should begin planning that wedding! Well, as I had turned in the pew and was talking to her, in walks my "husband to be".... ON THE ARM OF ANOTHER CHICK.

Yeah, you heard right. My "man" was "two-timin'" me.

Now, let's remember here... was he "officially" my "man" yet? I think not. Did my mind think so. Oh, yes.

My face fell as low as the deepest crevice in the ocean. I could not believe he had asked me out and then brought another chick to church.

I was being reallllly spiritual that day, wasn't I????

I was so mad and steaming over this fact that I don't recall ANYTHING from the message. (Let's just say at that point in my life and even years later I had lots and lots........ and lots of growing up to do!)

I found out later that the day Steve asked me out was the day after his uncle had passed away and he met "CHICK" at the funeral later that day. Her name was Martina. I still am not fond of that name. lol

Boy, wasn't HE blessed to have two women pining over him at once?

He did call me that week. We set a date for February 22, 1991... he would come over to our house and meet Mom, Daddy and Kevin before we actually went out for our first date.

He came over to Mom and Dad's, in mid-winter, in short sleeves and no coat. The man was nervous. lol We enjoyed hanging out and getting to know each other and at the end of the evening he had to officially ask Daddy to take me OUT somewhere. Poor Steve... he had to go "under fire" with Daddy causing him to do some squirmin'. Daddy gave his blessing and the next week we went to Mazzio's Italian Restaurant. I was so nervous I could barely eat my lasagna. Steve must have felt majorly comfortable after what he went through asking me out and he said, "Are you going to eat all of that lasagna!?" I, of course, said he could have it and he proceeded to take the plate and enjoy the rest. We have laughed about that a lot, too.

Our first date began the "ending" of the relationship with the "chick" and three weeks later he decided I was the only woman he could handle. (I'm sure he has felt like that many times through the years. lol)

I am blessed that the Lord brought us together.

I am blessed because he's what I prayed for....

I am blessed because he's mine.

02/21/10

You can tell the size of your God by looking at the size of your worry list. The longer your list, the smaller your God.
- Unknown

Wow, isn't that the truth!?

So many times I find myself worrying over things and mulling them over in my mind to try and figure them out. All that time I am continuing to make God small and put Him in a smaller and smaller box saying, "No, really, God... I got this all handled..."

OH, really? I don't think so.

I need this reminder EVERY day.

Philippians 4:6
Be careful (worried) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

02/20/10

This ice was from our first snow. This is where I was hit on the head by melting snow from the barns trying to capture these and a few more! The ice looks like little beads on a necklace.



I had forgotten to respond to a question that KT asked me a week or so ago. :)

She asked if I could go anywhere in the world to photograph something where would I go and what would I photograph.
That is a hard one, actually.

There are so many places I would love to visit in this world. I don't think I could narrow it down. Here are just a few glimpses of places I'd love to visit and what I'd love to photograph. (All of that considering our "ship came in" and dumped a load of money in our laps. lol)

Europe
In general I'd love to visit ALL European countries. However, I'd love to go to Germany first because that is where my ancestors are from.

Austria would be wonderful so I could capture those beautiful scenes I have loved from the Sound of Music.

Great Britain has so many different areas to photograph... the busyness of London and all of the royal areas, Scotland in all its golfing glory, the countryside is just beautiful.

Asia
China - I'd love to visit the Great Wall of China someday.

Nepal/China - It would be awesome just to stand at the foot of Mt. Everest and photograph her from there. Climbing is not in my thoughts here....

India - Hmmm... yes, I would like to travel there but from watching Amazing Race on TV I know that it has some interesting areas. However, I do think seeing areas such as that would cause me to have an even greater appreciation for what I am blessed with in America.

South America
Chile - I'd love to view the ocean and see the mountains so close by. Chile has always been an interesting country to me... plus, I could go out to the Easter Islands to see and photograph those huge heads. ha!

Australia
Yep... the "Land Down Under"... would love to go all around there and photograph. I would also like to hop over to New Zealand in the process. BEAUTIFUL areas.

Africa
Kenya - the beauty of the animals there. I would have to have a serious telephoto lens so I wouldn't get eaten by a lion, but it would be awesome to observe.

Tanzania - I'd love to see where they mine the gem Tanzanite. ha!

North America
Well... I have so many places around North America I'd like to visit. This summer we'll get to take a trip to a certain area of our own country.... one that I am so excited to be seeing. Wanna know where we are going?????

Hmmm... I may have to surprise you.

There are so many places I didn't even list. Let's just say I wouldn't mind visiting all areas and learning about the people and how they live. I think all of that is so interesting.

Where would YOU love to travel if you could go anywhere in the world?

02/19/10

Just know that a story about when Steve and I met is comin'..... you just have to wait a few more days. lol :)

This is a pansy in the frost.

I saw this and thought it was so true so I had to share:

Prayer is when you talk to God; meditation is when you listen to God. - Diana Robinson

I have learned this valuable lesson in the past few years. For the longest time I just figured I was doing just fine to read my Bible and pray and tell God all I needed, etc...

I was so wrong.

I needed Him in a more in-depth way and He showed me through various events in my life. Really searching the Scriptures and thinking on what He has said truly draws us closer to our Lord. When we stop talking and start listening we KNOW Him and we find His way really is best.

Psalm 42:1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.

02/18/10

Here are the before and after pictures of our window treatments in the den. I had forgotten to show them for "G"!! :)

Before - best I could find....

After :)

Here are some quotes today that I found. I have others that I'll share in the next few days, too.

Trials are medicines which our gracious and wise Physician prescribes because we need them; and he proportions the frequency and weight of them to what the case requires. Let us trust his skill and thank him for his prescription.
- Isaac Newton

Sometimes God has to put us flat on our back before we are looking up to Him.
- Jack Graham

02/17/10

Peaceful beauty.....Here is another survey I "stole" lovingly from my online friend Wendy's blog. :) It is all about me and Steve.


Where did the two of you meet? At church.

What was the first thought that went through your head when you first met him? I was taller than he was when I wore heels.

Do you remember what he was wearing? I believe he had on a navy sport coat, dress shirt and tie and probably khaki pants.

Where did you go for your first date? He had to come to our house for the "first date" to get to know Mom and Dad and ask Dad officially if he could take me out. YES, I am thankful Dad made guys do that because it showed me who really wanted to go out with me. We will be instituting that with Mikayla. :)

Where was the first time you kissed? Isn't this horrible... I can't remember! I know it took a while. LOL

When was the first time you realized you liked him? When he asked me out. Now, there is a longer story involved here but they didn't ask the question about what happened in the month after we began dating. If you want THAT story, you'll have to ask/beg/plead.

How long did you know him before you became a couple? Pretty much a month. :)

How did he propose to you? We were watching the summer Olympics in July 1992. He came over on a Wednesday night and was as nervous as a pole cat. He finally asked me to go out on the back deck and there he proposed. (He had been so nervous because he had waited for Dad to get home to officially ask him his blessing but he was on a haul so Mom told him to go ahead.) There is another story with this..... (We like stories)

Do you have kids together? Yes... you read about them a lot. lol

Have you ever broken the law together? Where? Not that I know of......

What's his best quality? He is so patient, helpful and kind. He completes me.

Do you see him as your partner in your future? Forever and always

What is the best gift he gave you? Himself.

What is one thing he does that gets on your nerves? He can have moments of snoring. lol

Where do you see each other 15 years from now? Close as ever, holding hands, loving each other still.

What causes the most arguments? Finances..... Although, we truly try not to yell.

How long have you been together? Since our first date on February 22, 1991. :)

02/16/10

A couple of more shots from the snow last weekend.


I recently taught my class about Joshua and the Israelites when they defeated Jericho. It hit me this year as I was teaching this lesson how much faith and trust Joshua had to have in the Lord. All God wanted the Israelites to do was march around the city a total of 13 times over 7 days (and be quiet while doing so!), then on the last lap of the last day, shout and blow horns and the walls would fall. This had never been done before to capture a city -- especially one as large as Jericho! Yet, all those years of testing in the Wilderness was not just as punishment for unbelief. It was a time that they began to fully rely on God and TRUST Him.

I am sure there were those who thought it was crazy to march around the city, but they marched, shouted, blew horns and watched as the walls fell. AND.... the walls didn't fall on THEM. They had to have fallen inward toward the city because the Bible only talks of how the Israelites immediately went over the wall to capture the city.

When we have a Jericho in our lives, let us remember the lessons learned by Joshua and the Israelites. Joshua had much faith in his Lord and the time in the Wilderness only caused that faith to grow stronger. Joshua also prayed and asked God to be with them as they went into battle. We must look to Him for our strength because when the "walls" look too hard to defeat, God can knock them down. We have to be willing to follow His lead and He'll do the work for us.

I Peter 5:7 - Casting all your care up on him, for he careth for you.

02/15/10

Here is a picture of Mikayla from her piano recital on Saturday. :)


These are cardinals from times in the snow. I love to see them against the white. They are so beautiful.
Randomness today.... I know about the movie below, but most are facts I found or Kevin told me!

Did you know that this past Saturday, Feb. 13 was the first time in recorded history that 49 out of our 50 states had snow!???? Thought that was quite interesting.

Have you ever seen the movie Flywheel? It is produced by the same church who made Facing the Giants and Fireproof. It is a great movie with a great story. It was their first movie so the cinematography isn't like ones from "Hollywood" but the story is MUCH better. I recommend it to all!

Cats sleep 16-18 hours a day. I can attest to that because of our two. ha!! Here are a few pics to prove their laziness....


When you die, your hair still grows for a couple of months.... (Hmmm.... never thought of THAT.)

Elephants are the only mammals that can't jump.

In the average lifetime, a person will walk the equivalent of 5 times around the equator.

Stressed is "Desserts" spelled backwards. (Maybe that is why we crave them when we are stressed! LOL)

"Goodbye" came from "God Bye" which came from "God be with you"

SO....
God be with you till I write again. :)

02/14/10

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope you enjoy the love you share with others.

Maybe you'll even get some chocolate.....

I John 4:10
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

I John 4:19
We love him, because he first loved us.

02/13/10

Snow.

Piano Recital.

What a day!

We woke up to more snow this morning, but it was all SNOW and no sleet or rain. It was great snow for snowballs and making a snowman.

Steve had to work all night last night because of the snow coming in and didn't get in until this morning around 7:00. The kids and I decided to go to a local park and enjoy the snow beauty while he was sleeping. The roads were fine so we took off.

It was beautiful to walk around that park and see the snow in an area I normally don't get to view. Overall the walk was peaceful until some boys decided to scream and yell their way over to where we were. Our peaceful walk ended for some time after that. It was wonderful just being with Wesley and Mikayla and observing the details of the snow. I have more pictures to share!!!!! I was also thankful we went this morning because by mid-afternoon the snow was almost all gone!! This afternoon was Mikayla's first piano recital. She played "Princess Waltz" and did an awesome job. She kept saying she wasn't nervous, but I am sure she had a twinge of it. We gave her flowers when it was over and she was so excited to get them. (I took a few pictures of them, too. lol) I had a picture but Blogger is not uploading my other pics tonight!!!

02/12/10

Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes.

How do they sound?

Well, if you love chocolate and your mouth is watering just over seeing these pictures, then you would LOVE these cupcakes.


I made these last night (with a bit of Mikayla's help before she had to go to bed) for their class' Valentine party today. Kevin helped me find this scrumptious recipe.

Oh, Goodness.

Here is the recipe from Ina Garten. (Food Network)

Ingredients for cupcake:
1/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
11 fluid ounces Hershey's chocolate syrup
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

Ingredients for ganache:
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces good semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. (I don't have one of these so I just used my hand mixer and we were A-OK.) Add the eggs, one a time. Mix in the chocolate syrup and vanilla. Add the flour and coffee granules and mix until just combined. Don't overbeat, or the cupcakes will be tough. (Once I saw I had mixed till combined I used my spatula to make sure the rest was fully combined.)

Scoop the batter into the muffin cups (I used a 1/3 measuring cup... perfect!) and bake for 30 minutes, or until just set in the middle. Don't overbake! Let cool thoroughly in the muffin pan.

For the ganache, cook the heavy cream, chocolate chips, and instant coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally.

Dip the tops of the cupcakes into the ganache. Place the cupcakes on a baking rack with wax paper underneath in case there are drips. Place in a container or a box with sides tall enough to cover the area of the cupcakes.

Do not refrigerate.

You can add something to the top that goes with the season you are celebrating. We used cinnamon hearts since it was for Valentine's Day.

02/11/10

You have to click on this picture to view the ice on it more closely. It was quite interesting!

Psalm 8:3-4
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and stars, which thou hast ordained;
what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

Psalm 103:11
For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

These verses were read in our teacher's devotions this morning. I love how the Lord brings things in front of us continually to remind us of His great love, but also of His great power. If you read this post last week, you saw where I had talked about how big God is, yet how much He loved us.

Today we watched a video similar to the one I linked to in that post. This video took the same thought process, but a little differently. I loved how the gentleman pointed out just how BIG the universe is, yet God is mindful of ME.

Little. Old. Me.

He loved me so much that He sent His Son to come down, take on our human form and die for us on the cross.

These next two pictures were shared in the DVD we saw today. They were taken by the Hubble Telescope. I can't give you everything verbatim but I hope to get you thinking! I don't claim to be a scientist but I found the information I learned very fascinating.

This is a picture of two galaxies that are millions of light years away from us. My mind cannot even comprehend light years. The one on the left is called the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) and its Companion Galaxy. It is filled with millions upon millions of stars.... stars that are still forming. At one time scientists thought the larger galaxy would "swallow up" the smaller one, but they are very far away from each other and that will never happen.


God is so big.

We think we are big, but we are but grasshoppers.

Isaiah 40:22, 26
It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth ou their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is trong in power; not one faileth.

This is a picture of the "X Structure" at the core of the Whirlpool Galaxy. I realize scientists call it an "X" but what do you see?

I see a cross.

I see a galaxy that may be "far away" to us, but God is so big He can make an image to show the likeness of His Son to remind us that no matter how far out we go in this universe, it is still HIS and He made it.

Isaiah 40:28
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

I am in awe.

Not only is He a big God, but He is also the God of the smallest details in our life and in His Creation like ones seen here in this picture. That is why I love macro photography. (click to view detail larger)

"Before you decided what to do with God, God decided what to do with you." - Louis Giglio

Isaiah 6:3b
Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

To view more images from space, click on the HubbleSite Picture Album

02/10/10

This is a cute funny one of my students wrote today about America's flag. I typed it in just as he wrote it. :)

"The flag means a very lot to me. It was flung when war world 1 was going on. When the bombs were busting. And the people could see that the flag was steal there."

You gotta love second graders....

02/09/10

If you click on this picture you can view the detail much better.


Some days we feel that the world is crashing all around us. I, personally, feel like Peter when he walked on the water going towards Jesus a lot of days. He was walking ON the water just like Jesus when he kept his eyes on Him, but as soon as he started looking at the stormy waves around him, he began to sink. Jesus was there immediately to save Peter.... to hold on to him and bring him up out of the water.... to give Peter HOPE that he was OK if he would just keep his eyes on the Savior.

I read this in my devotional the other night and it has been something I have thought on since. It is a letter from Amy Carmichael, missionary to India from 1895-1951, who rescued children who were "married" to the Hindu gods. This letter is to one of the girls she rescued. I love the last part, especially.

You have given me starry joy. When I gave you your name (Star) I prayed that you might grow up to be a star in this dark world, and now you are learning some of the wonder of the stars. Do you know that Venus is always covered with cloud and mist, and that it is the light shining on the mist which makes it look so beautiful? Isn't this a figure of the true?

Sometimes what feels like a cloud and mist is allowed to come and seems to cover us. But it doesn't matter. If only the sun of the love of the Lord shines up on us, the very mist and cloud will be turned to beauty.

Isn't it wonderful to think that all the Bible people and our Lord Himself looked at those very same stars and constellations? The first time I realized that, I gazed and gazed at the shining worlds.

And another wonderful thing is that the stars are shining all day long, passing over our heads by day as by night - only we can't see them till it is dark. There is a lovely meaning in that, but I leave you to find it out for yourself.

Do you see it? Do you see that if every day was sunny and going our way that we would miss out on those stars??? Stars shine through in the darkness. Those stars are a picture of Christ being our hope. Even in our darkest hours He is there shining through.

02/08/10

My question of the day on Saturday was "What is your favorite childhood memory?"

I can answer my own question today. :)

My favorite childhood memory would have to be growing up on a farm. Every part about it was special to me.... right down to the smell. ha!

Life was so simple then. My Mom and Dad worked extremely hard and taught me the value of hard work. Life was not easy and we were NOT rich, like so many people "thought" of farmers. I take that back... we were rich, but not in the things of the world... we were rich in love for one another. Mom and Dad sacrificed much for us. I never realized just how much until I got married. Once I moved out of the house Mom and Dad began to re-decorate. It was time because they had done without for so many years so we could have what we needed. That may be why I am content to have what I have and I don't need to get something new all of the time. I learned that life was not better because of acquiring new things.


I will be the first to admit that when Steve and I got married we wanted a lot of things that Mom and Dad had worked all of their lives for to that point. The Lord taught us through some hard lessons on finances and other things that happiness can only come through a greater knowledge of the Lord. He alone provides joy and provides all we NEED. I think all young couples go through some of that. What I learned growing up and what I learned when we were first married has caused me to greater appreciate what we do have and realize it is all gifts from the Lord. With Him providing I can be content.

This picture is of the stop/start button for the feed auger that took the silage down the trough for the cows. It always makes me sad to see it permanently in the "stop" button. It has been that way for close to 25 years.

Back to my original topic... sorry for the rabbit trail.

There were other aspects of the farm that are always wonderful memories for me:

I loved having the freedom to roam around the barns all day. The worries of the world today were not so strong then. I couldn't imagine letting Wesley and Mikayla do that now without me calling to find them and make sure they are OK.

I loved the cows and the sounds of their chains around their necks that held their number. Each cow was numbered and Daddy kept records on each one to help him know how they were doing.

I loved the "mooing" that came each day.

I loved walking into the milking parlor and watching Daddy milk the cows.

I can look back now and say I loved helping get the cows in, although at times I was scared to death of those huge animals. ha!

I can remember trying to get a cow to go forward into the waiting area at the barn and it almost ran over Kevin because I was not paying attention.

I fondly remember the day Kevin and I were "bored" and we were crushing silage (corn the cows ate) with a rubber mallet. I failed to move my hand out of the way as Kevin dealt a crashing blow that was supposed to be for the corn.... but instead my finger was dealt the blow. I lost a fingernail and learned how painful a rubber mallet can really be....

I remember the day I was chased up the tree by the crazy cow that had the gate around her head. Oh, if I only had a picture of THAT!!!

I remember the day Daddy, Kevin and I were walking in the pastures and saw the rain coming.... and tried to outrun rain. We didn't and we got soaked. (We had some adventures with Dad!)

I remember Kevin trying to drive the scout across the dam in one of our other pastures. I can still see Daddy opening the gate to get us out of there. Those pastures I just talked about are now subdivisions.

I remember our garden in the bottom of the road we live on and we had 7 foot okra. We also had some serious black-eyed peas that year. It was always wet that year and I had my boots sucked off of me and stuck in the mud. I was always scared of insects and didn't do well in picking the veggies. Mom would always come behind me and pick a zillion that I had missed.

I remember making mud pies by that garden on the road.... the main road that is now beside our house that is paved and full of traffic.

I remember the golf cart adventures where I ran up the Sycamore tree and got the cart stuck and then ran into the road the same day and almost had Kevin "killed" by an oncoming car. (We were just not used to traffic then. lol) Let's just say I was grounded from even RIDING the golf cart for a while.

I remember my Daddy getting up at 2:30 every morning to milk the cows. I also remember some sleepovers where my friends and I went out at that time of the morning and did not tell Mom we were going. Let's just say we didn't have any sleepovers for a while, either.

There are so many others, but you get the "picture." Life on the farm was always a wonderful place to be and I am so sad that Wesley and Mikayla have not had the privilege to learn life through living on a farm. Thankfully, they both appreciate their heritage and love it as much as they possibly can.