Weekend Words

Reach Out

He lifts us up, gives us His strength;
So we, in turn, can give.
Reach out to those who need His touch,
And show them how to live.

We are His hands, His eyes, His feet,
Asked to give so that others may eat.
Provide for their immediate needs,

And then in friendship, plant the seed. 

The Gospel - true and wonderful,
God's love so rich and bountiful.

We have His life, His love within,
That frees us from the weight of sin.
So freely given us from above,
Can we do less than share His love?

(LHK 2011)

Filling the days

A new crochet project...

a blanket/throw for my lounge room

Cutting out calico doll patterns...

From this book...

This one is for you Lisa...

a sometimes visitor to my garden

Good books...

Just finished reading Stronger Than Pain.  What an amazing (true) story!  Challenging and inspirational.

And dipping into A View From The Buggy.

Some scenes from my river walks this week...

"The question is not what you look at, but what you see."

-Henry David Thoreau

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Happiness is the settling of the soul into its most appropriate spot."

- Aristotle

 "The leaves fall and the wind blows, and the farm country slowly changes from the summer cotton into its winter wools."

- Henry Beston

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us, or we find it not."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

 "Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike."

- John Muir

And what better way to end a walk...

"The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely."

-Louisa May Alcott

xx

Weekend Words

Easter Thoughts

For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,

And as a root out of dry ground.

He has no form or comeliness;

And when we see Him,

There is no beauty that we should desire Him.

He is despised and rejected by men,

A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;

He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Surely He has borne our griefs

And carried our sorrows;

Yet we esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten by God, and afflicted.

But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

And by His stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;

We have turned, every one, to his own way;

And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

(Isaiah 53:2-6)

We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body.

Hebrews 10:19–20

It was a dark and somber day in the outskirts of Jerusalem. On a hill just outside the city walls, a Man who’d been attracting crowds of eager followers for the past three years hung in disgrace and pain on a rough wooden cross. Mourners wept and wailed in sorrow. The light of the sun no longer brightened the afternoon sky. And the intense suffering of the Man on the cross ended when He cried out in a loud voice, “It is finished” (Matthew 27:50; John 19:30).

At that very moment, another sound came from the great temple across town—the sound of ripping fabric. Miraculously, without human intervention, the huge, thick veil that separated the outer temple from the holy of holies tore in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51).

That torn curtain symbolized the reality of the cross: a new way was now open to God! Jesus, the Man on the cross, had shed His blood as the last sacrifice—the one true and sufficient sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10)—which allows all who believe in Him to enjoy forgiveness and enter into a relationship with God (Romans 5:6–11).

Amidst the darkness of that original Good Friday, we received the best news ever—Jesus opened a way for us to be saved from our sins and to experience fellowship with God forever (Hebrews 10:19–22). Thank God for the message of the torn veil!

By Dave Branon - Our Daily Bread Devotionals

"He is not here; he has risen, just as he said..."

Matthew 28:6

Easter Hymn

Autumn

Autumn is definitely in the air, but the temperatures have been quite warm, almost like summer...

I've been cutting back the hellebore leaves on the plants along my side garden, then running over the leaves with the mower to mulch them...

The new growth and buds have appeared already...

My neighbours over the back fence were quite interested in what I was doing...

Also cooking up batches of apples for the freezer...

some from my trees and some from a roadside stall

Browsing some good reading in between the work...

Finished this blanket.  Need to find a home for it now...

And remember these squares I knitted last year?  I got them out again, but need to knit 7 more (28 to make the blanket)...

then I can send it off to Wrap with Love

Finishing off a re-read of a Janette Oke book, but have some to pick up from the library this afternoon, so will let you know what my next pick is.


I've also started a new crocheted blanket :) will show you next post, but in the meantime, I'll leave you with some more autumn colour from my recent morning walks...

Did I mention autumn is my favourite season :))

xx

Weekend Words

Are You There?

Lift me Lord,
Out of the hole I'm in.
It's getting deeper, the sides are getting steeper,
And slippery and boggy and pulling me down.

I look to Your word,
And kneel in prayer.
But the taunting and fears don't subside.

Where are you Lord?
I need your hand,
I can't do this on my own.

My thoughts have turned inward and downward,
I reach up but there's no-one there.

He says in His word He will love us and guide us,
And keep us and hold us and bring us His joy.
I'm waiting, I'm holding, I'm hoping, I'm praying,
But the voices......

They mock me and tell me to turn,
From His way and His word and His teaching and truth,
Will I heed them and go my own way?

Where are you Lord?
I can't hold on.....

But You can!
You won't let go.
I cannot slip from Your grasp.
I only need to rest in You
And You will see me through!

(LHK 2009)

April Yarn Along

For Yarn Along this month, I've almost finished the lap blanket I've been working on.  Just a couple more rounds and an edging...

 

and I'm eager to start these two books

I read many of Jerry Bridges' books years ago, and having recently re-read one of them (Respectable Sins), I'd forgotten how much I enjoy his writings.  So I'm starting another one (The Discipline of Grace).  I'm sure it will be challenging.

And a new one that just arrived and I'm eager to get into (might start it tonight) - Adopted by the Amish. If you read the Amazon reviews in the link, you will see that the so called 'Shelly" does not rate the recounting very highly.  I'm interested to form my own opinion, not that I am an expert, but I have had some (sort of) first hand contact, not with the Amish as such, but with the conservative Mennonites. Will let you know my thoughts...

I did like these words at the beginning of the book:

"I am searching for a faraway place,

a place where my past is but a distant memory,

a place where I can cast my sorrow to the wind,

a place where my spirit shall be reborn,

and my heart renewed."

And while we're on the subject of Amish, for those who only visit my blog from Ginny's Yarn Along, you might be interested in this story I posted on my latest Weekend Words, about some 'Amish' people I know.  The direct link is HERE.  It's a good read!


My e-pal Darrell, who I met recently when he was in Tasmania on his cruise, sent me this CD from an on ship performance Tribute to Roy Orbison, and although he's not 'the' voice, John does a very good rendition of the great Big O classics.  I'm really enjoying it!  It's very easy listening.  Thanks Darrell...

www.johnstephan.com

Of course one needs sustenance for all this reading, crocheting and listening, so I made some rock cakes...

Here's the recipe...

I did substitute about 1/3 cup almond meal for some of the flour, and substituted some allspice (because it's not as sweet as mixed spice) for some of  the mixed spice.  I would have used some wholemeal flour to replace some of  the white, but I didn't have any.  They are still pretty good :)

 And I'll leave you with Jefferson and Anushka's latest creation...

Jaya...almost 4 weeks old now, and smiling already!!

xx

Weekend Words

It all started with this book...

You might enjoy this fascinating story about a local 'Amish' family I know. 

 Read it HERE 

(unfortunately there are a few ads you'll need to scroll past, but it's well worth a read).

It brings to mind this Bible verse:

"...In quietness and confidence shall be your strength..."

Isaiah 30:15

Stanley

I have been away.  

I had a brief sojourn to my 'happy place' - Stanley.  Stayed at the cabin park, walked (and walked and walked) on the deserted beach, waded in the water, collected seaweed for my garden, caught up with some friends, and ate fish and chips.  The weather was perfectly different the whole time, and here's the proof...

 blue sky and sunshine

 walking...

and back again

 from Green Hills

 where I collected my 3 garbage bags of seaweed for the garden

walking to buy my fish and chips

sunrise

early morning cloud colour

 amazing light

my kind of sky

 storm coming

and after the storm

I'm back home now, but the memories live on...

xx