Roll on Summer!

WORDLESS  WEDNESDAY

Trusting God's Sovereignty

1 Samuel 3: 18
And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.

I was struck again by these words uttered by Eli, the high priest. Though Samuel had just told him that the Lord was going to punish, yeah, extinguish his lineage, yet the old man, knowing his own sin and yet trusting his God, recognized this revelation was from the Lord and submitted to it.

Some of us were discussing the way we are easily able to say, "It is the Lord" and give him praise and thanks when good Providences come our way. It is much more difficult to say this same thing when things look less than rosy, especially when the situation is dire.

Our God will do all things for the good of his people and for his own glory. Blessed be his name!

Roll on Monday!

Next Monday is March 1st..... The official first day of Autumn in this part of the country.

Perhaps it will herald a cool change. {sigh} I know from many years of living in Central Queensland that the heat and humidity do not realise that it is March and continue merrily on, perhaps for another two months.

After several weeks of much needed rain and cloudy weather, we have had two stifflingly humid days. The build up to more rain no doubt.

I just love the colours in the Autumn leaves picture above. We don't ever see leaves like that here so I thought I would post them just to enjoy the beauty of it. If you are living somewhere that is very cold, may the sun soon shine for you. And to those in the sweltering heat like us, let us endure just a little longer.

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. "
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Cinquain

Beyond Blue Stockings posted on the cinquain form of poetry and asked for some examples. This is not my style of poetry but never one to shirk a challenge, here is my feeble attempt. Pop over and join in. (I have posted this beautiful sunset photograph before. It is taken just out of town and I love the look and feel of it with the wind mill and power pole.)

Sunset

glorious, painted

glowing, inspiring, magnifying

declaring the glory of God

Creation

The Narrow Way

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matthew7: 13, 14

Our Pastor recently used a good illustration when preaching on this passage.

Imagine a great mass of people, packed into the street, surging forward.... In the excitement many are carried along. The street is filled, everyone is caught up in the frenzy. Who knows what the final destination is?

But then, imagine a solitary explorer, in a tunnel. The path is narrow. the cliffs rise up on either side. There is darkness all around and only one way out. Just one possible destination.

I've been thinking more on this. Last year we visited the local caves. The guide turned off the lights and the darkness was a deep "felt" blackness. But what made the tour possible for us? The light! "I am the Light of the world" .

These have been good thoughts to begin a new year. It is usually a time when we make resolutions, re-schedule, re consider our commitments. As I think about 2010, I am purposing anew to follow the straight path. It is the narrow path, the path less travelled. But it is the path that leads unto life! If we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, read, study and put into practice his Word, we have that assurance that we are on the right path. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."

The Amazing Eye

“Presented with a word’s image on the retina, average readers of English can, within a few 10ths of a second, match it with one of 50,000 or more words stored in their mental dictionaries, comprehend its meaning in context and proceed seamlessly to the next word.”
—Susan Okie, in her review of Reading in the Brain

Marvel again at the incredible way God has created the human eye!

I read this quote at Miscellanies. Yes, I do link to that blog a bit, because he has some very linkable quotes over there!

Aftermath of the Bush Fires

The Mt Archer National Park is usually a tranquil place to visit.

Typical Australian bush land, inhabited by lots of native birds and animals.

Gorgeous bush walks, with a kiosk and picnic area at the top of the mountain.Look out for swooping magpies and kookaburras!

After years of drought and not enough clearing and bunrning off done in the National Park a bushfire has been raging on Mt Archer for thwo weeks.

Last weekend these fires threatens lives and houses in the suburbs which join the park area.

This family is the only one which has lost their home due to the fire. Locals and businesses have quickly come to their aid to set them up in a house with clothes and furnishing. Aussies are always generous in these situations.

This is how the area looks now.

We are very thankful to our local firies and all the voluteers from other places who have battled these blazes, risking their own lives, in the last couple of weeks.

Apparently the fire is expected to keep burning until it rains.....

Aussie Sunset

The beautiful sunset scene I drove into a couple of days ago, just out of town.


I love the Australian Bush!

Into the Bowels of the Earth

Excursion through The Caves system with the local homeschoolers.

Inside the Cathedral Cave. (Top)

Access has been improved and weddings and concerts are sometimes performed here. It holds about 60. The tour guide turned the lights off for several minutes and we sat in total darkness. This was to show the children what it was like for cavers before electric lighting was installed. It has been done very effectively using a lot of natural nooks and crannies.(below)

The owners have also built a labyrinth of ladders, bridges and walkways which make the tour accessable even to non - cavers (such as myself). They gave the children choices of an exit adventure too which was great!

Photographs taken November 2008

The Heavens Declare ....

Spectacular evening sky after a storm!

There was actually a rainbow only minutes before but I was so rapt in the glorious sky I was too late with the camera. You can just make out the fading colours on the bottom left.

Taken 30March, 2009

"Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light, praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens." Psalm 148:3.4

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