Psalm 98- Music of praise for the Most High!

Psalm 98 (The Message)

Psalm 98

Sing to God a brand-new song. He’s made a world of wonders!

   He rolled up his sleeves,
   He set things right.
2 God made history with salvation,
   He showed the world what he could do.
3 He remembered to love us, a bonus
   To his dear family, Israel—indefatigable love.

   The whole earth comes to attention.
   Look—God’s work of salvation!
4 Shout your praises to God, everybody!
   Let loose and sing! Strike up the band!
5 Round up an orchestra to play for God,
   Add on a hundred-voice choir.
6 Feature trumpets and big trombones,
   Fill the air with praises to King God.
7 Let the sea and its fish give a round of applause,
   With everything living on earth joining in.
8 Let ocean breakers call out, “Encore!”
   And mountains harmonize the finale
9 A tribute to God when he comes,
   When he comes to set the earth right.

   He’ll straighten out the whole world,
   He’ll put the world right, and everyone in it.

The Message (MSG)

Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Sing praise- sing praise!

Praising the Lord with song- clapping in applause for His salvation- joining in with creation in a brand-new song!

Sometimes we sing songs from our throats- often it comes from our hearts- and then there are the times when we intellectually agree with the theology of the song and it becomes a whole song of praise.

I am looking forward to this time when we join up with all creation- when fishie voices and ocean breakers fill out the choir along with the harmonizing mountains!  I want to be part of that jam session- singing my lungs out in a “tribute to  God when He comes.”

I love to sing praise songs. 

I love hymns, as well.

When I am really in need of worshipping, I grab a hymnal and sing my way through it until my voice is hoarse and I can close the last page. 

Worship and praise teams are good- they keep the whole congregation on the same page- they harmonize well- they teach the newest songs to the congregation- they usually look good and sound good- but really?

Really, I want to sing with the Creation Band.

So, once again, I say,

Even so, Come Lord Jesus!

Amen.

Fancy Cashew Brittle- Microwave- easy! No picture- just the recipe!

Ingredients:

2 cups  roasted salted cashew halves

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 tsp butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

 

Method:

In 2 quart microwave safe bowl, stir together nuts, sugar and syrup.  Microwave, uncovered for 6 to 8 minutes at high- stop after 3 minutes, stir well- continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes- mixture should be light brown.  While mix is in microwave, prepare a large cookie sheet with either parchment paper or grease well.

Mixture will be VERY HOT- take from oven and stir in butter and vanilla.  Continue to microwave at high another 2 minutes- mixture should be caramel colored.  Remove from microwave and add baking soda.  Stir quickly until light and foamy and soda is thoroughly mixed in.  Immediately pour onto baking  sheet and spread out as quickly as possible.  Let brittle stand 30 minutes or until cool – then break into pieces. 

To coat in chocolate- put half of desired amount of chocolate into microwave safe container.  Melt on high for 1 minute- take out and stir- if chocolate is melted, add the remaining pieces and stir them in to melt into the already melted chocolate (if the first batch wasn’t completely melted- repeat process using 30 second increments until melted)- then dip cashew brittle into chocolate and coat.

Technical difficulty…

I can’t seem to get my pictures uploaded.

And the posts I want to put up need pictures.

So – I will keep trying – and until then-

I will be doing my psalm later today.

I just hate it that the last post was that dopey “pocketbook” entry- a bit of capricious whimsey that bothers me everytime I log on to upload the pictures for …well, suffice it to say, I’m frustrated!

My Pocketbook

quince and pocketbook treasures 001

That’s what my mother always called it.

I call it a purse or in this case, a bag.

I think it’s supposed to be a designer- but I don’t know enough about designers to have recognized it and I threw away the tag. 

Cynthia bought it for me at a consignment shop- and I really like it.

Designer or not- it is big and roomy with lots of pockets (hence the title)- and it is real leather and smells like an expensive bag (at least it did when I could smell- now with this cold I cannot smell anything!).

Aidan likes it, too.  He was rummaging around when I was at their house and kept making “hmm!” sounds.  Like as if he was finding treasure.

Which brings me back to the picture above.

quince and pocketbook treasures 002

my pocketbook treasures.

A small whistle from the fair, a booklight, and my traveling measuring spoons.

These are so handy- they go into my purse every time I change it up.

They are good to have in a pinch, can attract attention if I’m in a jam- AND- they are great for distracting small children during long church services.  (except the whistle- I wouldn’t use that during a long church service.  Although it might be interesting to see if it would – NO- I WOULDN’T use that during church services, at all.)

Do you have pocketbook treasures?

Are they shiny and useful and noisy?

Just wondering.

A Basket of Bread bears…(subtitled Lord of the bears)

Halloween bread bears 008 

In my family, we sing the children to sleep.  There is a bathtime ritual, a couple of books read, prayers said, and then- songtime.

It can last a long time.  But it is comforting and quieting and bonding time and well worth spending.  My oldest son, Luke, has been singing my grandson to sleep with simple little tunes – and recently he heard Aidan singing one of them to his stuffed bear as they danced in a circle, bear swinging wildly-

“I am the Lord of the bear, bear, bear!”( to the tune of “Lord of the Dance”)

Today I am the Lord of the bread bears!

I made whole wheat bears, I made Italian bears, and I made spelt flour and oat bran sourdough bears!  And they all kept their shapes and minded their manners whilst in the oven- coming out pretty much still in the same shape they entered.

Here is a whole grouping of photos- bears in and out of disguise- all to please your fancy on this Monday before Halloween!

Halloween bread bears 003 -bears in the basket awaiting costuming.

Halloween bread bears 004 -whole wheat bears, masked and ready.

Halloween bread bears 005

BOO!

Halloween bread bears 007 -bears with little brothers!

Halloween bread bears 011 Italian Bear and spelt and oat bran sourdough bear-  bears in pairs!

Halloween bread bears 012 -bears getting dressed!

Halloween bread bears 013

– bears bagged and ready to go!

They looked so cute, I couldn’t keep the pictures all to myself.

Psalm 139- Life .

Psalm 139
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

1 O LORD, you have searched me
       and you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
       you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
       you are familiar with all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue
       you know it completely, O LORD.

5 You hem me in—behind and before;
       you have laid your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
       too lofty for me to attain.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
       Where can I flee from your presence?

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
       if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
       if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10 even there your hand will guide me,
       your right hand will hold me fast.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
       and the light become night around me,”

12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
       the night will shine like the day,
       for darkness is as light to you.

13 For you created my inmost being;
       you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
       your works are wonderful,
       I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you
       when I was made in the secret place.
       When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
       All the days ordained for me
       were written in your book
       before one of them came to be.

17 How precious to  me are your thoughts, O God!
       How vast is the sum of them!

18 Were I to count them,
       they would outnumber the grains of sand.
       When I awake,
       I am still with you.

19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
       Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

20 They speak of you with evil intent;
       your adversaries misuse your name.

21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
       and abhor those who rise up against you?

22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
       I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
       test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
       and lead me in the way everlasting.

Growing up has a way of changing your perspective.

When I was a girl, I found this psalm a little frightening.

It seemed to me that God was watching all the time- looking over my shoulder, testing me to see if my goings and lyings and words and sittings and even my thoughts were acceptable.  And I feared that they were not.

Being hemmed in was not high on my list of desirable positions, and just the thought that there was no where to flee made me want to!

 

As a young woman I looked at the “fearfully and wonderfully made” portion and felt safe.  Suddenly, His hand laid upon me was comfortable and Fatherly. And I had no problem hating those who hated the Lord and counting them as my enemies.  “If only you would slay the wicked, O God!”  was my prayer when my sons were young and I wanted to protect them from those who sinned against children.

And now, when I read this psalm- I see that it is about being known.  Searched  out- through and through- cleansed, forgiven, grace granted and being led in “the way everlasting.”  It is about the journey- the steps on the journey.  Walking with the Lord, learning to make the choices that bring me closer to Him,  It’s about knowing His way and walking in it.  It is the assurance that I’m not alone- that I walk beside the Lord God, Almighty and He has been there to guide me from before I was ever born.  And the assurance that He will lead me home.

A basketful of quince…

quince and 'shroom 002

I picked them several weeks ago.

And they didn’t look very good then.

And then- life got very busy.

I was preoccupied with knitting.

Mainly socks- but a couple of cosies got into the basket as well.

apple picking and tractor tale 028 quince and pocketbook treasures 004socks, yarn, L fairy 002

crafts and cozies 003 crafts and cozies 014

And then the baby was born- and I got to be resident Grandma most of this week!

Luke's Apples, Leaves and Baby 463 Luke's Apples, Leaves and Baby 520 Luke's Apples, Leaves and Baby 507

So when I came home today, and smelled a sweet and earthy smell in my kitchen- I found this basket of wrinkly quinces.

quince and pocketbook treasures 003

-wrinkled and browning-

Which I intend to make into pickled quinces, tomorrow.

Here’s the recipe Robin and I found at least 16 years ago- in hopes, someday of having a bumper crop of quinces.  We never did.  So we never made it.

This is the year of the pickled quince!

Ingredients:

6-7 quinces

15  fluid oz. cider vinegar

1 1/2 lbs sugar

rind of one lemon

3 whole cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

1 inch piece of ginger root

1 allspice berry

2 vanilla beans

Method:

Put the vinegar, sugar and lemon rind into an enameled saucepan.  Wrap the spices in a muslin/cheesecloth bag and add to the pan.  heat until sugar dissolves, cover and simmer10 minutes.

Peel and core quinces and quarter.  Add them to the pickling juice.  Simmer for about 1 hour, or until quinces are soft but still hold their shape.  Cool in the liquid.  Strain quinces and place in a clean preserving jar.  Bring the liquid to a rapid boil and cook until reduced by half.  Pour over the fruit which should be completely immersed.

Place the 2 vanilla beans in the jar and cover tightly.

Keep a month before using.

I’ll let you know how they turn out.

Does anyone know what you use pickled quince for?  I’m thinking it would be like an appetizer, something akin to watermelon rind pickles.

I wish I remembered WHY we were so anxious to make these.

They sure have a lot of good spices in them.

quince and pocketbook treasures 008

I want to get them done so I can go back to these socks-

bamboo and wool in a charcoal grey!

———————————-UPDATE———————————————–

pickled quince x 2

I got two jars and only one blister!

The quince was really a pain- most of it was thrown away!  But I ended up with two small jars and I’m happy with that!

Dhal- or what I have been calling spicy Indian soup for years!

And I made soup from a link Celia had on her blog- Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.

I can’t figure out how to put up the link from this update area, but look on the blog list on my sidebar

and you will find her!

I love this soup- I lost my recipe I had been following before!  And I just discovered this has a great

glycemic index for diabetics!  Yes!  I love it when a plan comes together! (cue A-Team music)

A bouquet of prayer

 Baby and prayer bouquet 001

I’m expecting  a new grandson, soon.

That means Willow is expecting and ripe with this baby.

This morning – in anticipation of the event- I walked around the yard- praying for them.  The baby, Willow, Luke and Aidan.  Praying for safety and timing, for wisdom and strength, for health and endurance, for joyous beginnings.  Just praying.   And as I walked and prayed, I picked a branch here, a spray there, a pinch, a pull, and suddenly- a BOUQUET was in my hands.

It was built on the wings of prayer- the pine for the mountains Willow was raised in, the eucalyptus for its fresh enduring fragrance, parsley- that’s for perseverance, sage for wisdom, rosemary for remembrance, bittersweet for the pain and the joy to follow, lavender for the sweetness, and lemongrass for the freshness of spirit.

I didn’t plan what to pick- this is what I had available in my garden today- but it is all appropriate for a new mother and baby.  I brought it inside and wrapped it together with a ribbon and added a bow- a prayer bouquet.

 

Baby and prayer bouquet 001 Baby and prayer bouquet 002 Baby and prayer bouquet 004

 

Of course, I am also prepared with baby and little boy toys-

Baby and prayer bouquet 005

Flowers are fine- but the way to Aidan’s heart may just run along a Thomas the train railway track!

Psalm 58 (The Message) Psalm 58 A David Psalm 1-2 Is this any way to run a country? Is there an honest politician in the house? Behind the scenes you brew cauldrons of evil, behind closed doors you make deals with demons. 3-5 The wicked crawl from the wrong side of the cradle; their first words out of the womb are lies. Poison, lethal rattlesnake poison, drips from their forked tongues— Deaf to threats, deaf to charm, decades of wax built up in their ears. 6-9 God, smash their teeth to bits, leave them toothless tigers. Let their lives be buckets of water spilled, all that’s left, a damp stain in the sand. Let them be trampled grass worn smooth by the traffic. Let them dissolve into snail slime, be a miscarried fetus that never sees sunlight. Before what they cook up is half-done, God, throw it out with the garbage! 10-11 The righteous will call up their friends when they see the wicked get their reward, Serve up their blood in goblets as they toast one another, Everyone cheering, “It’s worth it to play by the rules! God’s handing out trophies and tending the earth!.

Psalm 58 in The Message reads like an advertisement against political commercials playing on the television right now.  It is all about who is the biggest liar and cheat.  Seriously, I wonder if they think that we want ANY of them in charge at this point. 

“Is this any way to run a country?”  is my question as well.

It is hard to celebrate- hard to see under the deception of lies and subterfuge.

Hard to even choose to vote.

God warned Israel about the hardship of having a king to rule over them.(I Samuel 8: 1-22)

Samuel Adams, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and their crew threw off the yoke of kingship to bring us freedom.

And here we are watching the “leaders” of our world wallowing about -crawling “from the wrong side of the cradle” .

Sometimes the Psalms seem to be so imprecatory and blood thirsty that we turn away and find one that is more fitting to soothe our senses.  But I stopped here today and stayed to contemplate the violence.  I read past the description and the curses and ended up at the celebration. 

Because someday, hopefully soon, God WILL step in and say “ENOUGH!”

And then we will see the real King on the throne.

Even so, Come, Lord Jesus!