Be. Patient.

WWAGGD?

mini pig

photo from: http://scienceblogs.com/zooillogix/2008/03/miniature_pigs_pets_of_the_fut.php

"Well answer me this Richard, what sort of animal would serve a desert with peas in it?" 


The best letter-of-complaint-EVER!

very cool: Shabby Blogs

Dear world:

Too much of my life is too serious to take blogging seriously.

Seriously.

Love,
me

saturday: good things

patience, young padawan

work in progress

brain-ups

the bluebird of happiness lives in our pond. true story.

the work in progress progresses

one year after the Great War...

printed in Hagerstown, MD

a story of heroism at home

& romance

$1 at the Harper's Ferry flea market

waterlilies & tadpoles

summer!

some little friends

dear people-that-lived-here-before-us, thank you for planting these

the HUGE leaf

Some silliness...in honor of Friday.

i found a HUGE leaf out in the yard. It covered most of the porch -
COOL!

green is the new black, yo

and of course, it ended up inside as decoration

little red riding hood :)

things you can take inside: columbine

little bits of beauty,
wrenched off their stems & taken inside;
treasures of the eyes

the limit of the possible

Then will I confess unto Thee that thine own right hand can save me. - Job 40:14

O my soul, delight in despair!
We have passed the limit of the possible -
the eleventh hour is done
all bridges burned...
our bones all broken,
our spirit crushed,
we are alone, sprawled in darkness -
there is no question:
we have come to the end of our strength.
Delight! Take delight, O my soul!
For now there is clarity.
The only unbroken thing in this groaning world
is Himself, and we are fully
and irrevocably in His hand.

I am yours, save me. 



The Delight of Despair
"When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead"
—Revelation 1:17
It may be that, like the apostle John, you know Jesus Christ intimately. Yet when He suddenly appears to you with totally unfamiliar characteristics, the only thing you can do is fall “at His feet as dead.” There are times when God cannot reveal Himself in any other way than in His majesty, and it is the awesomeness of the vision which brings you to the delight of despair. You experience this joy in hopelessness, realizing that if you are ever to be raised up it must be by the hand of God.


“He laid His right hand on me . . .” ( Revelation 1:17 ). In the midst of the awesomeness, a touch comes, and you know it is the right hand of Jesus Christ. You know it is not the hand of restraint, correction, nor chastisement, but the right hand of the Everlasting Father.

Whenever His hand is laid upon you, it gives inexpressible peace and comfort, and the sense that “underneath are the everlasting arms” ( Deuteronomy 33:27 ), full of support, provision, comfort, and strength. And once His touch comes, nothing at all can throw you into fear again. In the midst of all His ascended glory, the Lord Jesus comes to speak to an insignificant disciple, saying, “Do not be afraid” ( Revelation 1:17 ). His tenderness is inexpressibly sweet. Do I know Him like that?

Take a look at some of the things that cause despair. There is despair which has no delight, no limits whatsoever, and no hope of anything brighter. But the delight of despair comes when “I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells . . .” ( Romans 7:18 ). I delight in knowing that there is something in me which must fall prostrate before God when He reveals Himself to me, and also in knowing that if I am ever to be raised up it must be by the hand of God. God can do nothing for me until I recognize the limits of what is humanly possible, allowing Him to do the impossible.

- oswald chambers, my utmost for his highest

A hopeful garden

a little oasis of green & growing things,
that i can visit during the work day
for a few moments of rejoicing
and gratitude.

(cucumbers above, snap peas below)

i am most fascinated: how to keep the deer at bay?

j and i built the frame & filled it in with 3+ tons of dirt - a lot of fun & a lot of sweat

the beans are the most impressive looking at this point

“You want me to say that I have changed my religion because somebody pushed me into it, or for the sake of money or to get a job. But you are lying. You should know that I changed because I found the Truth. I will kiss the rope that hangs me, but I will never deny my faith.” - Tahir Iqbal, Pakistan, 1992

Jesus said:

"... you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake... And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one    another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved."

Ivory Coast: Ethnic-Muslim militias have been running house-to-house 'cleansing' operations in ethnic-Christian regions. The situation is dire: 27,000 refugees are hiding in a church building in Duekoue, the town where Muslims massacred around 800 civilians on March 28-29.

Syria: Christian communities who do not support political changes favorable to Islam are under fire. Eye witnesses report seeing around 20 masked men on motorcycles open fire on a home in a Christian village outside Dara’a, in southern Syria.

Israel: In the north, Muslims from Syria and Lebanon are pouring across the border and terrorizing the streets of little towns, violently protesting Israel’s existence.

Sudan: Muslims from the north, backed by the Khartoum government, have been harassingsouth-bound Sudanese, many of them Christians. Over 300,000 people have moved from the north to the south since October. President Omar al-Bashir has repeatedly stated his intention to reinforce sharia law when the south officially secedes in July.

Nigeria: Over 300 Christians were slaughtered in Kaduna after Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian, was elected on April 16, defeating Muslim and ex-military leader Muhammadu Buhari. In a murder-bent rampage, Muslim-led rioters looted Christian homes and businesses and burned roughly 288 church buildings; approximately 14,000 Christians and Christian-sympathizers have been displaced.

Turkey: Christians face discrimination, slander and attacks on their churches. Missionary activity is considered a national threat. In March, Istanbul police arrested two Muslims, ages 17 and 18, accused of plotting to assassinate a Christian pastor.

Pakistan: On April 30, hundreds of Muslims in Gujranwala attacked Christian homes, a school, and a Presbyterian church. They were irate that authorities had released two Christians accused of blasphemy.

Egypt: On May 7, at least 12 Christians were killed in Cairo when Muslims attacked two churches, set fire to Christian-owned homes, and looted Christian businesses. Over 200 were seriously injured.

Bangladesh: Six Christians operating a medical clinic for poor Damurhuda villagers were arrested on March 24 for “hurting religious feelings” after local Muslims objected to distribution of Christian literature at the clinic. The six were released on bail, but they are now identified targets for jihad.

Ethiopia:In March of this year, at least one Christian was murdered and dozens of others injured when over 3,000 Muslims set fire to 59 churches and at least 28 homes in western Ethiopia. More than 4,000 Christians have been forced to flee their homes.

(Source: Smyrna Ministries International)

eyes to see

irises & rain clouds
tuesdays and the grace of God
pressed but not crushed
coffee and the knowledge
that the sun will come out
and the Son will come back.
all this beauty was not left
by mistake; our Lover is
intentional, and to sweeten
the separation, has given us
eyes to see the water-iris bloom.

[compelled]

i did not sow, and yet i reap
so much beauty. my soul's silos
overflow; there is not room for this plenty.
like this small flower, my heart is compelled
to open, spreading the fragrance of blessing.
What am i, small as i am, to do with this magnitude of goodness?
God who formed me tell me - how can I praise You today?

En·mi·ty:

noun: the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something.

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers..."-Genesis 3:15

This uninvited visitor had made his way into the house, on a ledge in the hallway outside the kitchen. Fortunately, I was not home at the time. Also good, black rat snakes are non-venomous constrictors, and I'm pretty sure that's what this is (josh apprehended him with the aid of a towel and put him in a bucket, and jeremy stood guard while i took pictures...just in case he was POISONOUS). Interestingly, he kept rattling his tail, probably trying to convince us he was very, very dangerous & we should back off. Here's his mugshot:

And here's the wikipedia pic of a black rat snake; pretty similar, eh?:

plant something

[even in the fall]

Slow motion video of: Falling Jell-O

falling & rebounding is quite astounding.

Song: On May Morning

Now the bright morning-star, day's harbinger,
Comes dancing from the east, and leads with her
The flowery May, who from her green lap throws
The yellow cowslip and the pale primrose.
Hail, bounteous May, that dost inspire
Mirth and youth and warm desire!
Woods and groves are of thy dressing,
Hill and dale doth boast thy blessing.
Thus we salute thee with our early song,
And welcome thee, and wish thee long.
- Milton

promises

"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be moved, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed."
- Isaiah 54:10

"Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you."
- Jeremiah 29:12

"I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them, I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them."
- Isaiah 42:16

"And this is what he promises us - even eternal life ."
- 1 John 2:25

"He has given us His very great and precious promises..."
- 2 Peter 1:4

(oikos)

we have come to a heavy part, my friend
and
the singing is difficult,
i am very weary.
the song itself is heavy - each note is like a stone,
each syllable like a brick of gold.
sing with me, for i am filled with the heaviness of the song
and i long to drop it
and be silent.
sing with me, lest the song be silenced
and music perish from the earth.

[the wastefulness of creation]

Three Ridges Trail
April 23, 2011

(these pictures are for you, laura)

and it was clear,
out there in the fog
with the trees towering over us,
that God's sanctuary is not made
with human hands,
but rather through the Word,
in whom dwells all the goodness and majesty and holiness
of God the Father.
We had walked into one of those held-together places
where the beauty of creation
held up a mirror to the One
at the right hand of God.


Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Psalm 16:11

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Colossians 3:1

He Is Risen Indeed

my love is sleeping in the other room
as the neighbor's dog scratches at the door and barks.

Rain, thunder, and repetitive birdsong
steal in through the window screens.

It's Easter Sunday.
He is risen...

...but the dishes aren't washed
and the floor isn't swept
and that dog is still barking.
And barking...

...but He is risen.
The Lord Christ is risen from the dead...

...but my puny tomato plant is
being beaten down by the rain
and laundry needs doing
(and barking barking barking)
and tomorrow's Monday and my feet hurt...

...but He is risen.

Lord, listen to the grimy misery of my heart,
encrusted with the mundane
and saturated with trivialities;
right now, it cannot soak in the Easter glory
or revel in redemption.

Lord, help me!

Tangled in chains of self-focus, my spiritual feet
cannot run to the tomb to rejoice with the angels;
My ears are tuned only to creation groaning in frustration.
How else could one barking dog drown out out the whole host of heaven?
Day and night they do not cease to say,
HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME.

Laden with spices, the women went to anoint your body; they loved you.
Even in their grief, their faith was strong - the stone was too big
for them to move, but they trusted you.
You led them to an open mystery, you rewarded their faith with Christ,
you replaced their tears with wonder.

You are mighty; you are Life.
In perfect obedience to Love
you fulfilled the written requirement.
You are worthy; you are the Lamb.

Forgive me, Jesus, for lingering so long today
before acknowledging your authority over death and its children;
in my head, I know you are the Light of the World
but the shadow-nature lurks within,
darkening my heart from you.
Only in your victory is sin conquered.
Only in your light do I see light.

Forgive my unbelief. Thank you for your grace. Lead me in your truth.

Alleluia!
Amen!

a little vase of violets