Weekend Words

 From Beside the Still Waters...

Anxiety and Praise - Read: Psalm 145

"Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever:" - Psalm 145:2

Our local newspaper has a daily column written by a doctor, and one day he had an article about anxiety disorders.  This doctor said that 40 million Americans contend with chronic feelings of dread, or with irritability, insomnia, upset stomach, and a host of other issues.  About the only remedy he offered was medication.

As Christians we know that worrying is based on a lack of trusting and thanking God in our everyday walk.  Forms of the words trust and praise appear hundreds of times in the Bible, with many of these occurring in the Psalms.  We have countless blessings to thank God for.  We can have salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ, and we can trust God for all our needs today, tomorrow, and forever.  "Therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name" (Hebrews 13:15).

Praising God is the antidote for every trouble.  It relieves tension and drives away depression.  When discouraged, praise God (Psalm 42:5).  Praise Him with an upright heart (Psalm 32:11).  We can lift up our hands in praise (Psalm 63:4).  We can use our tongues to praise His righteousness (Psalm 35:28).  Jesus gave a very simple antidote for anxiety and despair.  "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).

There are cases of depression that have physical reasons.  In these cases or in times of extreme stress, medication may be needed to help a person calm down and sleep, and to promote mental healing.  But even with medication it will always help us to get our minds off our troubles and remember today's key verse.  Let's bless God "every day" and praise His name "for ever and ever."

Sylvan Lapp - Atglen, PA

From Oasis of Hope...                                                                            

Finding Peace and Comfort in His Hold

[Jesus Christ] is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17 ESV

The puzzles of our lives sometimes seem jumbled.  Pieces mix and shift on the puzzle mat.  We lose patience, trying to force pieces to match.  "Why is this puzzle so impossibly huge?" we might ask.  Overwhelmed, frustrated, tired, and even angry, we want to sweep it off the table and quit.  We can't understand how pieces fit because we can't see the intricacies of the big picture.

Our lives are types of puzzles.  We have difficulty understanding how every detail can come together.  The puzzles of our lives fit perfectly, from infinity past to future with no dimensions or boundaries of time or space.  In all details of everything within any experience, today's suffering pieces somehow fit into the grand puzzle created before time began.

And Who is holding this puzzle together?  Jesus Christ, our Savior.  His hands hold the puzzle and embrace each piece of our life.  His sovereign, wise, loving, powerful, and good hands hold our future.  He's accomplishing His redemptive work as He brings together each detail.  Our souls can find peace and comfort, not in knowing how the puzzle will look, but in the beauty of His finished plan when we dwell forever with Jesus in the new heaven and earth (Isaiah 65:17; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1).

We can trust Him with our today to be okay because we're in His hold.  And one day, we'll see the whole puzzle worked out for His glory, vibrant in beautiful perfection. 

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28 ESV)

We'll sing, "To the great One in Three, eternal praises be, hence evermore.  His sovereign majesty may we in glory see, and to eternity love and adore" ("Come, Thou Almighty King," author unknown).

We don't see the completed picture yet, but today, let's praise Jesus, finding peace and comfort as He holds all things together.

- Lauri Hogle

(All artwork by Rachel Yumi Chung)

Garden talk...

Working in the garden, moving the rhubarb that was crowding out the little lemon tree.  It had been in a pot at Marnie's place and she brought it over and planted it in the garden.  It was quite a shock for it as it had been in the pot for a couple of years...

So I moved all the rhubarb to the other side of the garden...

Poor little tree!  

I gave it a trim (hopefully haven't killed it!), and spread some seaweed mulch around it...

I saved the rhubarb I thinned out, and also some of the lemons off the tree...

We picked up the seaweed when we make an unexpected detour to Pardoe Beach on the way home from Devonport, as Marnie wanted to get some photos for her Beanie/Jumper Instagram account...  

If I'd known we were going there I would have taken more empty bags.  But we found 2 in the car that we were able to fill...

Hopefully we can get back there again soon as seaweed makes a great mulch/fertilizer.  And it's free :)

the beans are growing well

I've been picking some each evening to have with my dinner

And a few ripe blackberries to have with my breakfast

The Roma tomatoes are doing well considering they are growing in a pot...

I was surprised to see one hiding in the middle starting to ripen

The apples are only small, but there are a lot of them...

Denver came over this week and chain sawed the top off the pittosporum that was growing up under the power line to the house...

should be easy for me to manage now and keep trimmed

While he was here, I got him to do a few more jobs :) ...

Chopping down these two trees that were growing up against the house...

I like trees, but not against the house.  This photo was taken June last year, so they were much bigger now

Much better ...

I will probably (eventually) plant a low growing cottage garden border along the side of the house

Roses in the garden a few weeks ago...

"If a person does not keep pace with their companions, perhaps it is because they hear a different drummer.  Let them step to the music they hear, however measured and far away." 

- Henry David Thoreau

Artwork: Yen Hoang

Have a great week friends :)

xx

Weekend Words

From Our Daily Bread...

Artwork by Amanda Claire

Fear of the Unknown - Read: John 16:31-33

"In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

Fear woke me at 3am on the first day of the new year.  The year ahead weighed heavily on me, overwhelming me with dread.  Illness in the family had long wearied me, and now, thoughts of the future made me afraid.  Will more bad things happen?  I wondered.

Jesus' disciples understood the fear of bad things happening.  Even though their Master had prepared and reassured them the day before He died, they were still afraid.  They fled when he was arrested (Matthew 26:56); Peter denied Him (John 18:15-17, 25-27), and they went into hiding (20:19).  Their fear during the upheaval of Jesus' arrest and crucifixion, as well as of persecution, led them to act contrary to his command to "take heart" and His promise, "I have overcome the world" (16:33).

But Christ's death and resurrection proved His authority and power over life and death.  He has the ultimate victory.  Even though the sinful state of our world makes suffering a certainty, we can rest in the truth that all things are subject to the authority of our wise and loving God.  Jesus' presence is with us (16:32-33), just as it was with His disciples, who later confidently went on to share the gospel to the world.  May God's promise that He's in control strengthen our hearts to trust Him in this new year and be courageous even when we don't know what the future will bring.

- Karen Huang

Artwork by Shrawani Bose

From A Lamp Unto My Feet...

Fear God and Fear Nothing Else

The world is shaking with fear. "What will become of us?"  "Where will it all end?"  "What if Russia...?"  "What if cancer...?"  "What if depression...?"

The love of God has wrapped us round from before the foundations of the world.  If we fear Him - that is, if we are brought to our knees before Him, reverence and worship Him in absolute assurance of His sovereignty - we cannot possibly be afraid of anything else.  To love God is to destroy all other fear.  To love the world is to be afraid of everything - what it may think of me, what it may do to me, what may happen today or tomorrow for which I am not prepared.

The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1, RSV).

And yet, Lord, the truth is that I am often afraid.  I confess it.  All the weight of Your promises seems sometimes to be only a feather, and the weight of my fears is lead.  Reverse that, Lord, I pray.  Give me the healthy fear that will make light of all the others: "the fear of the Lord is life; he who is full of it will rest untouched by evil" (Proverbs 19:23).

- Elisabeth Elliot

Artwork by Cyndy Szekeres

The quiet life...

 Returning to my usual routine after a busy (but lovely) time with the family here.  I've received a few more photos from family to fill in some gaps so will add them now...

The wedding cake...

that Marnie made

In its bushland setting...

My four...

Jefferson, Natasha, Marnie, Ben

Hazel, Hayley and Ben...

because I didn't have any photos of Hayley in the previous wedding post

I also managed to finish the crocheted blanket I was making for Denver and Sophie as a wedding gift.  Didn't get it finished in time for the wedding, but had it ready to give to them when they returned from their honeymoon yesterday...

Now I can get back to working on Marnie's birthday blanket...

She chose the colors (which don't actually look like 'colors' in this photo), but has left me to decide on how to do the squares

I think 2025 might be the Year of the Granny Square :)

xx

Weekend Words

 From Oasis of Hope...

Call and I Will Listen

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

Life in this world is stressful and not without complications.  The news is full of gloom and doom.  There's traffic to deal with.  Social media.  Hurrying to and fro, without accomplishing much of anything.  Details can become overwhelming.

There are challenges such as needing a job.  Bills to pay.  Dealing with serious illness.  Family responsibilities.  How can we manage it all?  We might feel as if we're on a merry-go-round.

Some people may go to a psychiatrist or counsellor to discuss their problems and try to find answers.  Others seek mysticism to search their inner spiritual guide for solutions.  Many of the solutions we search for don't end up being as helpful as we hope.

We all want to be heard.  We want our loved ones to listen to what we say.  Even better, we want them to hear us and the emotions behind our words.

Who is the first one you turn to when needing help?  A trusted friend?  A spouse? Are they helpful?

No matter who we go to for help, one thing we can rest upon is that God wants us to come to Him with anything.  We can call out to God.  He promises to hear as we seek Him.  We can come just as we are.  We don't have to clean ourselves up before coming to Him.  God promises He will listen to us.

Wherever we are, we can pray to Him asking for forgiveness, seeking comfort, and bringing any concerns we have to Him.  He already knows what is on our hearts.  We simply need to come.  Best of all, He is the One with all the answers.

Won't you call out to Him today?  Bring your concerns, heartaches, and needs to Him.  He already knows.  He's waiting.

- Julie Wilson Smith

From In Green Pastures...

Prayer in Busy Days

It is in prayer that God shows his face to his children, that they have visions of his beauty and glory, that the sweet things of his love come down as gifts into their hearts, and that they are transformed into his likeness.  If you would be blessed, get many seasons of prayer into your busy, harassed, tempted, struggling life.  It is in these quiet moments that you really grow.  Somewhere in every vexed, feverish day get a little "silent time" for prayer.  It will bring heaven down into your heart and make you strong for service.

Late Family Christmas celebrations and a wedding...

Had almost all the family here for some late Christmas celebrations... 

And remember these little Christmas trees I was working on before Christmas...

I managed to get them finished...

all 20 of them!!

Added some little wooden shapes...

And packaged them up for the family...

The family were also here for Denver and Sophie's wedding.  In a beautiful rainforest setting...

I don't have any of the official photos yet (and I didn't take any), these are a few the family took...

Sophie and Denver

Denver, Jaya and Sophie

Tom, Marnie and Jaya

Me, Jefferson and Jaya

And if you are wondering why Jaya is in so many, I think these are ones Jefferson sent to me :))

cowboy Ben

rice boy and rice girl (Jaya and Hazel)

I don't have any of Hayley :(( 

Hopefully there will be some in the official photos.

Or of the lovely wedding cake Marnie made!

And some random photos from their time here...

Dylan, Hazel and Jaya at Tazmazia

at Boat Harbour beach

And it was Natasha's birthday the day she and Dylan left.  I was supposed to be at the lunch too but came down with a bad migraine and a cold that morning... 

Marnie, Natasha and Sophie

Natasha, Sophie, Denver, Dylan

Thankfully the rest of the family made it special for her :)

It was a crazy chaotic time with them all here, but so lovely to see them!

Resting and recovering now :))

xx