I'm writing this Saturday night, going to save it as a draft and try the 'scheduled post' feature of blogger and see how this works out. I don't want to overwhelm you with two posts in one day, after all!
I'm sitting at my computer with a soft light on. The snow is falling outside, heavily and gently in big, fluffery flakes, turning our almost melted world back into a magic looking one. It makes me feel so peaceful. I had some music playing in the background and then I realized it was competing... with other music. And that music was LIVE. And that music was SO beautiful. Its the sound of Mr. Miles and his friend Nathan practicing worship music for tomorrow's service.
Songs like Blessed is the Name of the Lord, and Lord Have Mercy... and their voices and playing together wafting up through the floorboards is moving me to tears. I'm reminded, the God who can turn our melted away landscape into a pretty winter wonderland in the span of a few brief hours is all-powerful. His ways are beyond our comprehension. The weathermen can predict conditions all they want, but God can change all that in a heartbeat.
So it is with the economists. They're just reporting it like it is. They want us to be careful, live within our means. God wants whats BEST for us. Sometimes that just seems wierd, when you think of it. For, as the song says "He gives - and takes away" I'm sure it does not always feel like what we have is best. I'm sure if I got "it" all taken away from me I'd fall flat on my face. For its all nice, and good - but its all a crutch. If you're leaning too hard on that 'ol crutch, when its taken quickly, you'll fall.
And sometimes, thats where He wants us to be - flat on our face, though He'd rather it be a willing thing. Its when and where we are 'richest' - strange as that may sound. Its where we have intimate communion with Him. And the more 'stuff' we get to look after, the more easily we are distracted, tending to the things of the world.
I'm reminded of Solomon. He had it all. Knowledge and wisdom. Castles and cash. Slaves and animals. You woulda thought he'd be in luxury - always amused by all this things. But, even he summed it up like this:
Ecclesiastes 2
1 I thought in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good." But that also proved to be meaningless.
2 "Laughter," I said, "is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?"
3 I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.
4 I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. 5 I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. 8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well—the delights of the heart of man. 9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.
10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my work,
and this was the reward for all my labor.
11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun.
So, I'm going to get down, flat on my face, freely and I'm going to thank the Lord for all my blessings (and not just the THINGS) I'll get used to being down there, so when my crutch is taken, I may already be flat - and the crutch will be... just a crutch. Something nice to use if its handy, but not something that I rely on when I should be relying on the Lord.
I thought today would be a great day to share some FREE stuff with you. If you go to the site of Phil Wickam you will be able to download this BEAUTIFUL worship album, in it's entirety, for free. So though I am blessed to hear my husband's and Nathan's awesome songs of Praise as they practice, you can have something good to listen to, too!
You will be asked to fill out a your name and email address and then he will send you the link. What a sweet thing to do - its a great album, I've been listening to it while working on my spirit while my machine works on my physical body.
click
HERE to visit Phil and get his album!
And I found out about this free album through a newsletter I recieve which gives me MORE free music each month. If you've never heard of it before, its the FreeCCM Newsletter, and you can sign up for it by clicking
HERE. This is a great place to hear new releases - the free songs this month are Mike Farris - "Streets of Galilee", Darlene Zschech - "Call Upon His Name" and Derek Webb - "She Must and Shall Go Free"
There are also new free desktop wallpapers and greeting cards from Crosscards which you can find by clicking
HERE.
*****
BEFORE the big flurffy snowfall of last night (cause you are reading this on Sunday, so its last night - oh, I could get so confused prewriting this!) Before this snow, on Friday, I took some photos down by the lake again. I thought I would share a few. Click them to view a bit bigger.
I think a racoon mebbe, what do you think?
My friend Cicero always takes these looooonnnng shadow pics...
so she inspired me. Visit her blog(click
HERE) and I bet you'll see one somewhere.
She does 'two headed' ones with her husband.
I'll have to get Mr. Miles to lend me his head soon.
*****
Thrift Store "Good Buy" alert!
I bought one of these at the thrift store the other day. It was still in its new wrap and I only paid $3 for it. I looked it up and it regularly goes for $9.99. I love gadgets. Its actually my gift to Sabastian, our van, cause it folds up nice and flat. It gets tight hauling a full size colander around when we are camping. This will be good for so much more.
I keep breaking things at the store too. Before Christmas I broke a lid to a beautiful teapot set. I made the mistake of telling the ladies and they would NOT accept payment. I tried every which way to convince them to charge me, but they would not. Sigh.
So, on Thursday, when I bought this colander, and was having a good look around, (and when I look around I really look AROUND - my whole self twists and turns and... well, they hide some good stuff either way down on the floor or way up near the roof for heaven's sake!) And, I'm clumsy at the best of times. Plus this with a big purse that day and ... I broke a picture frame! So, this time, I put it in with all my purchases and paid for it first, THEN asked the clerk to take it out and throw it away!!! LOL - she told me she would not have made me pay, so I'm glad I DID!
Do YOU have a 'breaking something in a store' story to share too?
Well... I've chewed your ear off for long enough this morning. I hope you have a great day!
