Psalm 148- who’s who in the world of PraiseGod.

Psalm 148

Hallelujah! Praise God from heaven,
      praise him from the mountaintops;
   Praise him, all you his angels,
      praise him, all you his warriors,
   Praise him, sun and moon,
      praise him, you morning stars;
   Praise him, high heaven,
      praise him, heavenly rain clouds;
   Praise, oh let them praise the name of God—
      he spoke the word, and there they were!
6 He set them in place
      from all time to eternity;
   He gave his orders,
      and that’s it!
7-12 Praise God from earth,
      you sea dragons, you fathomless ocean deeps;
   Fire and hail, snow and ice,
      hurricanes obeying his orders;
   Mountains and all hills,
      apple orchards and cedar forests;
   Wild beasts and herds of cattle,
      snakes, and birds in flight;
   Earth’s kings and all races,
      leaders and important people,
   Robust men and women in their prime,
      and yes, graybeards and little children.
13-14 Let them praise the name of God—
      it’s the only Name worth praising.
   His radiance exceeds anything in earth and sky;
      he’s built a monument—his very own people!

   Praise from all who love God!
      Israel’s children, intimate friends of God.
   Hallelujah!

Did you know there was a Royal Wedding last week?

I wasn’t invited, but they let all of us nobodies watch from afar

on television.  I watched the news after to see :

1) her dress

2) the balcony kiss.

But weddings have always seemed like private affairs to me.

I got married on a Tuesday afternoon and didn’t send out any

invitations.  Some people showed up anyway and that was fine-

but I felt like it was between Frank and me and God.

So I wasn’t  all that interested in the details or guest list- until I heard

that Posh Spice and David Beckham and Elton John were invited and

President Obama wasn’t.  If you have a big powerful wedding- I think

you should invite big powerful people.  Not sports and music personalities.

But it wasn’t up to me.

I  do, however , like the guest list above.

The “Come and praise the Lord with us” guest list.

It starts up in the Heavens- includes all the powerful entities (Angels,warriors,

Stars, Sun, Moon, Rainclouds).

Then it gets down to earth and invites everyone who is anyone- Sea dragons, ocean

waves, weather and it’s relatives,mountains,hills, orchards,forests, wild beasts, cattle,

snakes, birds, Kings, leaders, important people.

And the list goes on men and women in their prime and of course,

the ever present graybeards and little children.

We are all invited!!!

We fit into the intimate friends of God- especially if we know His Son, Jesus Christ!

This is it – the party of the millenium- of the ages- and we are invited!

I’m there!

Spring view

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I have been so incapacitated with this sciatica.

It just won’t go away and it flairs up and catches me when I’m not expecting it.

So I’m taking advantage of the quiet moments when it is biding its time,

planning an attack.

I went out and  took some pictures the other day.

AND made it to a greenhouse-(Quailcrest, outside of Wooster).

For me- Spring means greenhouses as well as new growth.

I love the smells, the humidity inside the structure, the

drippy atmosphere, THE DIRT!!!

So – without further ado, here is MY springview.

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lily of the valley, trillium, bloodroot, and wild geranium.

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narcissus

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Virginia blue bells

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ajuga, or bugleweed

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flowering quince

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a yardfull of violets-

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And greenhouse- GLorious greenhouse!

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I bought herbs and lavender- I just can’t wait to get it into the ground!

(DIRT- MARVELOUS- Dirt!)

Today it is raining- but hopefully not ALL day!

Isn’t Spring grand?

Psalm 22- guest blog-by Frank Fodor

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This is holy week, a week of passion , so I chose the 22nd Psalm

o look at.  The psalm is one of being overwhelmed, which David

feels, but interestingly, the Psalm skips down the Davidic line

some 1000 years later and focuses on the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

From its beginning line, Jesus quotes in aramaic,

“Eli, Eli, lami sabaththani?”

“My God, my God, why have  you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from helping me? And from the words of

my groaning?

O my God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear.

And in the night season, and am not silent.”

I’m sure at some point in our lives, we have all felt that way,

but in spite of our feelings, it all comes down to trusting.

“ But you are holy, who inhabit the praises of Israel.

Our fathers trusted in you, they trusted and you delivered

them  They cried to you and were delivered.  They trusted in

you and were not ashamed.”

In spite of our faith or the faith of our fathers the feeling still remains-

“ But I am a worm and no man.  A reproach of men and despised of the

people.  All those who see me laugh me to scorn.  They shoot out the

lip, saying, ‘He trusted in the Lord let Him rescue Him;

since He delights in Him!’”

Matthew records these exact events. (See Matthew 27: 42-43)

Real faith is like the trust of a child.

“ But you are He who took me out of the womb.

You made me trust when I was on my mother’s breasts. 

I was cast upon you from birth

Adversity stares me in the face- many bulls have surrounded me.”

A reference to the Roman soldiers around the cross-

“Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.”

Bashan is the district east of Jordan, the exact location of the crucifixion.

“ They gape at me with their mouths .  As a raging and roaring lion-

( See Matthew 27- 27-31)

“I am poured out like water, and all my bones are our of joint;

my heart is like a potsherd.”

Potsherd is broken pieces of earthen ware, it is what Job used to scratch

himself with when he was in pain and misery.(Job 2:8)

“My tongue clings to my jaws, you have brought me to the dust of death.”

“I thirst.” John 19:28

“For dogs have surrounded me. The assembly of the wicked has enclosed me.”

Dogs, a reference to Gentiles, see Matthew 15; 21-27.

They pierce my hands and my feet, I can count all by bones.”

Reference is to Jesus not having his legs broken.( See John 19:31-33)

“They look and stare at me.  They divide my garments among them

and for my clothing they cast lots.”- recorded by all four of the gospel writers.

“But you, O Lord, do not be far from me, O my Strength, hasten to help me

Deliver me from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog.

Save me from the lion’s mouth and from the horns of the wild oxen.”

Jesus’ body was not mutilated or cast into a common grave as was normal

for crucified criminals.

“ You have answered me.  I will declare your name to my brethren.

In the midst of the congregation I will praise You.

You who fear the Lord, praise him!

All the descendants of Jacob, glorify Him.

And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!

For he has not despised nor  abhorred the affliction of the afflicted,

nor has He hidden His face from him.  But when me cried to him-

He heard.  My praise shall be of you in the great congregation;

I will pay my vows before those who fear Him.  The poor shall eat,

and be satisfied;  those who seek him will praise the Lord.

Let your heart live forever!  All the ends of the world shall

remember and turn to the Lord.  And all families of the nations

shall worship before you.  For the kingdom is the Lord’s and He

rules over the nations.” (See Zechariah  14: 16,17)

“All the prosperous of the earth shall eat and worship all those who

go down to the dust shall bow before Him, even he who cannot keep himself

alive.” (See Philippians 2:5-11)

“A posterity shall serve Him, I will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation. 

They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will

be born, that he has done this.” (See Hebrews 2: 10-13)

Thursday at twilight-

It has been a bright and shining day.

The sky blue, the clouds white and high-

like castles above our heads.

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We went into the farmland and bought flour and noodles and lettuce, etc

from the bulk stores.  The Mennonite women in their caps and long dresses

smiled at us with our happy little boy and laughing baby.

The baby is leaving tomorrow.

Going with our prayers and blessings and tears.

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It was a beautiful day.

And this early evening, the skies are even bluer-

the shadows coming over the landscape in hues of indigo.

I believe in happy endings, but also in contained sorrow.

What I really believe is that this is not the end.

When we first moved to our location, here in Copley, the house was a little

old 1 1/2 bedroom building with yellow paint peeling off the wooden siding.

I was pregnant with our oldest son and it was our first home.

In the house the rooms were light and bright and renovated- but worn and

lived in.  The kitchen was small and had room for a small table to eat at- and

the cabinets were pine and few.  Inside one of my cabinets a child had written

his name with permanent black marker,  BRIAN.

The first time I saw his name, I was annoyed. 

I tried to scrub it out with Lysol.

I tried several other products, but the name remained.

And so, I decided to pray for Brian, everytime I opened the cupboard door

I prayed for Brian.  I prayed for him every day for 7 years.  And then –

we tore down that little house and built a new one with new cabinets and big

bedrooms and bathrooms and a huge kitchen.

But by that time I was used to praying for Brian and so I kept it up.

By then it had become,”Lord, please protect Brian from the evil in the world,

and bring him safely through the storms in his life.”

Then, one day, a young man in his thirties knocked on our door.

He was selling Omaha Steaks- frozen foods, individually packed.  He said that

he had a couple of orders he couldn’t deliver and was wondering if we would

like to look at the quality of the meats and get them at a good price.

I was just about to say no thanks and shut the door, when he said, “You know, I

used to live here, in this neighborhood, but the house isn’t here anymore.”

I looked at him, and said, “Brian?”

He was shocked.

“Yes, how did you know my name?”

“Because you wrote it on the cabinet  door in permanent marker.

I’ve been praying for you for years.”

He shook his head in disbelief.

“Seriously, you’ve been praying for me?”

We talked for a good while after that.  No further mention of steaks.

He said he’d had some troubles as he grew up- ended up in jail a couple of times-

but he’d always been given an opportunity to get right- to do things better- and that

he was finally doing well .

He left after thanking me for praying for him.

I still pray for him, sometimes.

And I’m going to be praying for that laughing baby.

Always.

Wednesday Noon

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It just wouldn’t be Easter if I didn’t make dozens of bunny dinner rolls!

They smell wonderful- and look really cute.

And they taste delicious.

I just don’t like eating them.

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For one thing – they are just TOO cute.

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The ears are too skinny and hard.

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And I make them for the Bake Shop in Ghent to sell.

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They look really neat with the brown eggs in baskets, though, don’t they?

Tuesday Afternoon.

Think grey.

Imagine gloomy.

Visualize mist and sluggish winds.

Then shiver.

That is my picture gallery for today.

Taking a picture is too depressing.

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I’m depressed because this little guy is going

to his parents at the end of the week.

Fostering children is a good and noble job for

loving parents.  It helps give children a strong

start in this world.  I’m all for loving children

who need a soft place to land when their parents

run into trouble.

But it sure hurts to have to give them back.

Monday morning

I slept last night.

It’s been so long since I’ve managed to sleep,

this is a small celebration.

Pain is a magnifier of problems.

And an isolator of individuals.

I have felt like I don’t completely

belong anywhere.

I don’t even sleep when my family does.

I have become other.

But today, after 5 hours of sleep,

I am home, again.

Home in my family-

home in my mind.

So, in celebration of this great event,

I grabbed my camera to document the

occasion.

Here is a random sampling.

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-magnetic ladies(one with child) riding on an elephant

bookend.

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-porcelain rabbit teapot.

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-bark and spaghnum moss growing in my front yard.

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-tiny and small daffodils !

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– yellow cowslip or primrose- depending on your mood.

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– Irish moss littered with fall debris.

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-early violets, still in their bed and nightdress-

slowly opening one eye to see if it is time to waken.

Like the violet I am rather tentative in my celebration.

One night of sleep!- or- Only one night of sleep?

Pain still lurks.

It is around the corner, waiting.

It is behind the curtain awaiting its cue.

But this is Easter week.

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There is ample reason for celebration and joy.

A Psalm of pain- Psalm 38

Psalm 38

A psalm of David. A petition.

1 LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger
   or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Your arrows have pierced me,
   and your hand has come down on me.
3 Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;
   there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin.
4 My guilt has overwhelmed me
   like a burden too heavy to bear.

5 My wounds fester and are loathsome
   because of my sinful folly.
6 I am bowed down and brought very low;
   all day long I go about mourning.
7 My back is filled with searing pain;
   there is no health in my body.
8 I am feeble and utterly crushed;
   I groan in anguish of heart.

9 All my longings lie open before you, Lord;
   my sighing is not hidden from you.
10 My heart pounds, my strength fails me;
   even the light has gone from my eyes.
11 My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds;
   my neighbors stay far away.
12 Those who want to kill me set their traps,
   those who would harm me talk of my ruin;
   all day long they scheme and lie.

13 I am like the deaf, who cannot hear,
   like the mute, who cannot speak;
14 I have become like one who does not hear,
   whose mouth can offer no reply.
15 LORD, I wait for you;
   you will answer, Lord my God.
16 For I said, “Do not let them gloat
   or exalt themselves over me when my feet slip.”

17 For I am about to fall,
   and my pain is ever with me.
18 I confess my iniquity;
   I am troubled by my sin.
19 Many have become my enemies without cause;
   those who hate me without reason are numerous.
20 Those who repay my good with evil
   lodge accusations against me,
   though I seek only to do what is good.

21 LORD, do not forsake me;
   do not be far from me, my God.
22 Come quickly to help me,
   my Lord and my Savior.

Ever spend extended time in serious pain?

It can be debilitating.

Sometimes your breathing is so shallow that you get

lightheaded.  Pain can eat away at your spirit-

it can escort you right into the threshold of

depression.  And you find yourself looking for

distractions and/or purposes.

Why am I in this place of torture?

What can I do to lessen this misery?

Where can I find some release/relief?

You feel isolated and alone.  Your sense of

yourself is diminished and you feel like you

are being punished.

It can get pretty bad.

This psalm has that kind of logic- pain logic- in it.

Not that David hadn’t sinned.

Not that he didn’t deserve the guilt and sorrow

that he is describing.

It is just that  WHEN you are in pain- the whole

world of creation and the Creator seem to be

in collusion against you.

You become a suffering diva.

This is MY pain.  My sorrow.  My sin.

My back (OH, MY BACK!).

You call out for help.

for mercy.

You confess.

You look at those around you like they don’t

know or care,  they can quickly become your

enemies.

I’m so thankful that Jesus Christ knew pain and death.

He can understand this perspective even though He

did not give in to it. 

The last two verses are the best in the psalm.

They redeem the entire litany of pain that comes before them.

21 LORD, do not forsake me;
   do not be far from me, my God.
22 Come quickly to help me,
   my Lord and my Savior.

AMEN. 

Hot cross buns

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I know it’s a little early- if you are following the church calendar,

but I haven’t baked anything recently and that is very hard on my feeling

of well being.  ( So is sciatica, but this is on a different level of pain.) 

I need to have some dough raising somewhere to make me feel whole.

And these made me feel a whole lot better!  Smile

I really didn’t follow a recipe-

I boiled a small potato, mashed it up and added 1-2 tsps of yeast when the water

cooled sufficiently.  Then I added 1/2 cup sugar and stirred it up and let the whole pan

rest to proof the yeast.

I added enough flour ( 3 to 5 cups) to get a stiff dough, 1 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of cinnamon

and 1/2 cup soft butter and kneaded it all together.

I chopped up a slice or two of crystallized ginger and  cup currants

and added them at the end of the kneading process, so they were incorporated in the dough.

Then- I went to the couch to rest my sore leg and back for about an hour or so.

(After putting the dough in an oiled bowl and covering it.)

Then after the dough was almost doubled in size, I rolled it into small balls of uniform

size and placed them in a round cake pan.  Allowing it to raise for another hour and a half-

and then baked them at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes.

006Then I let them cool and mixed up some icing

sugar and half an half and drizzled crosses on each bun.

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Delicious and perfect for both the tummy and the soul!

Hot Cross Buns!