PSALM 1:1-6

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.


But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.


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WHO IS TO PRAISE THE LORD?

What follows is a listing from Psalm 148 of who and what is to praise the Lord.

FROM THE HEAVENS AND THE HEIGHTS: 

His angels, His hosts,
Sun, moon, stars of light, highest heavens, waters above the heavens

WHY? 
Because He commanded and they were created.

FROM THE EARTH:

sea monsters and all deeps

lightning, hail, fog, frost, stormy wind fulfilling His orders
mountains, hills, fruitful trees, all cedars

Beasts, all cattle, creeping things, flying birds

Kings of the earth, all peoples, princes, all rulers, judges of the earth, young men, maidens, old men, children

WHY?

His name ALONE is exalted and supreme
His glory and majesty are above earth and heaven
He has lifted up a horn for His people, a song of praise for all His godly ones.

That sure does sound like ALL of creation.

That includes you and me!!

PRAISE THE LORD!!


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THE CURE

It has been a tough week.  I have the cure for that.  The best medicine in the world.  Sing a song, and not just any song, but one directly from the Bible.  If you aren't familiar with the melody of how most folks sing this song, that is sure to cure any ailment, don't fret.  Let the Lord work in you to make a beautiful melody for Him.


So,Warm up your vocal chords. 
 Here we go folks!  1-2-3


Psalm 100

A Psalm of Praise.

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.


Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing.

Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

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IN THE GARDEN

Summer is here in all it's glory.

The north east region of the United States had an unusually mild winter.  We were a bit concerned with the lack of snow, which would tend to very dry conditions.  

BUT.... the Father gave us another reason to give him praise.  The weather conditions balanced out.  We received the necessary rain and as an added bonus, the roses this year in our region are absolutely beautiful and abundant.

My husband and two daughters enjoyed an early morning walk through a beautiful romantic garden.  It reminded me of a song.

IN THE GARDEN

 "I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses; And the voice I hear, falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses....

 And He walks with me, and He talks with me, 

And He tells me I am His own. 

And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known.

He speaks and the sound of His voice is so sweet the birds hush their singing, 

And the melody that He gave to me, Within my heart is ringing."

Do you hear the song?  

Spend time in the garden with Him.

Have a glorious day.

WATCHING......

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Still...patience...keen...camouflage...regal...quiet...

They may be some of the word's one might think of when seeing this beautiful bird on a nature walk.

This stunning bird is a red tailed hawk, common here in North America.  But... as common as it is, to see a red tailed hawk soaring over fields or sitting quietly; most folks would stop and enjoy this gift of life.

  

My husband had spotted this splendid creature while driving down a road.  I'm sure Mr. hawk was waiting patiently for a mouse or rabbit at the time.  Now he seems to be looking directly at my husband while he snaps off a few pictures.


WATCHING.... would be a word to describe what this beautiful creature is doing.


We as the human race should take our cue from this guy.


 Watch...keep your eye open for opportunity... but don't let it consume you.


  Watch...be aware of danger...but don't let it overcome you.


Cornell Lab - live stream of red tail hawks


   
   

WISDOM....AS A FLOWING BROOK

WISDOM....SEEK IT

Have you ever looked at a piece of art and wondered what was in the mind of the artist as they painted their picture?

We may look and wonder what was in the Creator's mind when He put the world together. 

BUT...

We have access to the Master Artist.  You can read my previous post THE ARTIST OF ARTIST  to find out who He is.  He has given us His journal so to speak that we may know Him and what He was thinking.  That is why my husband and I love putting scripture on our pictures.  This particular scripture seems made for this photo that was taken while on one of our many nature hikes.

Proverbs is one of my favorite books of the Bible.  Why?  Wisdom.. I crave to know His.

The world is full of problems and at times those problems seem to want to dominate every aspect of life.  Everyone has an opinion as to how to handle all the crisis's going on in our world. When it gets overwhelming with every one's opinion, stop, find a place of quiet.  Get out the great book and seek His wisdom.  He has the answers for your situation.  Most of the time you can find the answers you need directly in the scriptures. While you are reading, you can ask Him for additional guidance for your particular situation.    

How do you know when it is His wisdom?

(James 3:17 KJV)  But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

The wisdom may not come right then and there.  It might come while you are taking a walk, or sitting watching people in a mall, or riding a bike.  The Lord is personal.  He knows you and how to best how to communicate with you.

Be patient. : )

One of my favorite accounts that shows a need for wisdom is in Matthew 17:24-27.  Get out your bible and read the account. Peter needed wisdom for the situation.  What I love most is Jesus' KINDNESS.  Jesus was thinking of the temple tax collector's.  He did not want them to stumble. He gave Peter the wisdom needed for the situation.  

We may not be able to change the world's problems, but if we follow the Lord's example in our own lives and walk with wisdom, my guess is the world's problems won't seem all that important.

Enjoy His creation today and seek His wisdom.

   

NATURE and CHURCH

The Quiet In The Start of Spring

Nature brings a refreshing to my soul like nothing else.  It is where I commune with the Father.  It is my church.

As a young girl, I loved going on early morning walks.  There would be nothing more exciting than finding a beautiful spot near a creek or an open field where the birds would be flitting around and the deer may be grazing.  I just knew God was there. I could feel His presence.

God doesn't dwell in buildings.  He dwells in us.  Where we are, He is.  For each one of us, we can find a spot where we will be more aware of Him.  For some that spot might be the Word of God and a cup of coffee or listening to some quiet praise music or maybe on your bed before you fall to sleep or when you first wake up.  Although, I enjoy all of them, communing with the Father while enjoying nature is my personal favorite.  

There are times, I think how absolutely beautiful nature is, but then I remember this is after the fall of Adam and Eve.  What will it be like at the return?  Oh, things to ponder.  That is one for you to commune with the Father on. He does love YOUR company.

Find your place of rest and talk to Him.  He will listen.  

              

HE WILL CARRY YOU THROUGH

This is a picture I took from the same bird sanctuary I had talked about at last weeks post.  I love how the colors of spring come out gradually.  It is as if you are looking at a sepia picture; but, oh, there is a spot of red.  The grays and the brown's are even beautiful.

My hope with this blog is that you are inspired to take a moment and read the scriptures.  I am not a preacher.  I am a daughter of our Heavenly Father that endeavors to walk with Him. 

This verse is in a chapter of the Bible where the psalmist is being persecuted for living his life the best he knows how according to God's Word.  He knows he is not perfect, he knows at times he sins, but he knows his Heavenly Father is always there for him.  Even though God has forgiven him, the world wants to publicize his failures and even make up a few for good measure.  He finds his rest in keeping his eyes on the Creator and enjoys the comfort of praise.

In the midst of your troubles, praise Him.  You will be amazed how small troubles seem, when you keep your thoughts on Him.

My Song In the Night

I had posted this picture in March and had decided to post it again.  Tonight May 5th, the biggest full moon of the year will occur.  Say a prayer for your brethern while you enjoy God's creation and take some pictures while you are at it.

I love this picture and the verse!  How powerful!

I am sure there is not a man or woman on this earth that has not felt the way the psalmist felt when he wrote Psalm 77.  He wondered if his lot was to be that of Israel.  Will the Lord cast off forever and be favorable no more? 

But... wait!

Then he recalled the Lord's deeds and remembered His wonders that He performed for his fathers of old.

So....He took his eyes off himself,

and remembered how God does deliver.  He does not forget His own.

Look away from your problems,

and call to remembrance,

YOUR SONG IN THE NIGHT!

The Lord is Gracious and Full of Compassion

I wanted to title this post with the latter half of this verse.  We truly have a GREAT BIG WONDERFUL GOD!

Many times I hear people talking about God's wrath or judgment or testing.  Then I come across verses such as the one in this image. 

Sometimes, we forget His wonderful works and walk away from His banner, which is love.  When we walk out from under His banner, we get wet, and for what?  Something the world has to offer?  Does the world have anything that can compare with what our God has already given, and what He will give, as we walk with Him?

He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered!

He Has Made the Summer and Winter

  I thought I would post this for all of us that are missing the snow here in the Northeast and other places.  It seems a little backwards this year.  This weekend they had a nice snowstorm down south; we are still enjoying spring like weather. I love how my husband embellished this image that I took.  You can really feel the cold. 

I have learned in my days of walking with the Lord, there is always something that I can give our God praise and thanks for.  In times of turmoil in our country, I can still see God's goodness and hand of blessing.  I think sometimes we whine too much.  Some folks pray for snow because they love it.  Maybe they want to go skiing.  Others can't stand it.  Maybe one person is praying for snow and one person is praying for the snow to go away.  Are we asking amiss?  Perhaps we should stop trying to direct God and  enjoy more of what is around us.  There is no perfection in this world, but there is a lot of evidence of God's mighty hand at work.  

In chapter 74 of Psalms, the psalmist recognizes he and his brethren are in a dire state.  Yet, he does not let the situation dominate his soul.  He instead turns and remembers and reminds God (which He seems to really like), of His goodness and times of deliverance for His people.

Praise Him, He has made the summer and the winter, (even the mild ones).