Swords

I spotted this strange looking plant the other day in a garden center, and had my camera with me. It's called a Flaming Sword, and is a Bromeliad. This type of plant needs no soil! They are native to Venezuela, where they grow on rocks or tree trunks. They are sold in soil filled pots, though, and will do alright that way, as well. They absorb all needed nurtients through the air. There was a song called "All I Need Is The Air That I Breathe", and this Flaming Sword reminds me of that. We need air for our physical body, but the word of the Lord for our spirit. So here is another sword, one that penetrates to our very depths.

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight." Hebrews 4:12

Flower Of The Gods

The Crape Myrtle is one of my favorite trees of the summer. They have so many different colors, and they bloom for months! We have all of these around here now, plus many more. According to English folklore, myrtle will only grow if a woman plants it. This may have something to do with the legends about it. The Greeks and Romans believed that myrtle was favored by the goddesses of love, Aphordite and Venus. It was referred to as the flower of the Gods, and also associated with immortality as well. We've been meaning to plant one in the front yard for years, but never got around to it. I still can't decide on a color. Any suggestions?

"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord's renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed." Isaiah 55:12,13

The Long Walk Home

"You can't go back home to your family, back home to your childhood...back home to a young man's dreams of glory and fame...back home to places in the country, back home to the old forms and systems of things which once seemed everlasting but which are changing all the time - back home to the escapes of Time and Memory." Thomas Wolfe

Meet Ron Zaleski. He has been walking through our valley this week. Barefoot. Wearing this big sign. Actually, Mr. Zaleski is from Long Island, New York. And he is walking barefoot from New York to California. He has not worn shoes for 33 years, except when going to church. This is all because he is trying to draw attention to the fact that our vets are not getting proper mental health attention when they are discharged. During the walk, he hopes to collect a million signatures on a petition to send to congress and the president, making counseling mandatory for all vets before discharge. In 2009, we lost more vets to suicide than we did in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined. And though the returned vets are back, they will never be able to go home again. Not like it was. Not like they remembered it. That they are not being helped is unthinkable. Mr Zaleski's website is http://www.thelongwalkhome.org/ Fortunately, there is one who never changes, and we can always come home to him, no matter how bad things have been.

'I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord almighty." Malachi 3:6

Stealing Time

Phil, that little clock on your wrist is so pretty and shiny...


I just had to slip it off and take a better look

Do you think it would fit me?

NO!! You can't have it back, it's mine now!

Uh-oh! Does anyone know how to tell time and read this thing?

Well, since no one has come after me, I guess I have a new watch!! Hee hee!

They say that you can't steal time, but these pictures prove that you can. I snapped them a couple years ago when sweet Ella was two. She just turned four today, and the time has indeed flown since she swiped Phil's watch on that cold winter day. Of course she had stolen our hearts long before she stole the watch. That day is seeming very far away now, as this toddler has become a beautiful girl. My birthday wish for her is all the watches and all the time in the world.

But I trust in you, O Lord; I say "You are my God." My times are in your hands..."

Psalm 31:14

Would You Eat This?

Meet the Lionfish; you may shortly be having a very close encounter with him. He is is one of the most poisonous fish in the world, delivering venom from up to 18 dorsal fins which have spines as sharp as needles. Extremly painful, but rarely fatal, it's stings can cause convultions, breathing problems, and collapse. It is believed that this fish was introduced into the waters off of Florida by hobbysists and collectors in the 1990's. It is now a relentless predator in the waters and is threatning the entire eco-system of the coral reefs. It is eating all the fish that keep the reefs healthy, and one group has even called the Lionfish a plague of biblical proportions. Some reefs have 1,000 per acre now, with the population expanding 700% in four years. It can live up to 15 years. Oh, and one other thing. It has no natural enemies. The only predator who can wipe it out is us. So there is a big move now to catch and eat this fish out of existance. They are already serving it in restaraunts in Washington, D.C. They say it tastes like a cross between snapper and grouper. Would YOU eat it? I can think of many things we eat that look much scarier or slimier. For instance, lobster, squid, and snails. I wouldn't mind eating him, but what if there were just one of those tiny needle spines left....perhaps the cooks should be sure they health insurance.

First picture taken by me from the newspaper, all others from the web.

"What goes into a man's mouth does not make him unclean, but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him unclean." Matthew 15:11

Without Light

Those first two pictures look like the end of the world, don't they? This is what we drove under and through this evening as we were on Afton Mountain heading home, down into our little valley. No rain, no wind, nothing but this fearful vision looming ahead. But soon this hole formed in the clouds, with wonderful light peeking through. And the hole got bigger, and lighter, until the whole sky was finally alight with pale blue and sun, as if nothing had ever happened. All just a bad dream, a momentary hitch in time, a reminder: Where would we be without the light? It means so much more when you've been through the darkness.

"Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who is perfect in knowledge? You who swelter in your clothes when the land lies hushed under the south wind, can you join him in spreading out the skies, hard as a mirror of cast bronze?" Job 37:16,18

The Sweetest Perfume

Have you ever seen a flower down

Sometimes angels skip around

And in their blissful state of glee

Bump into a daisy or sweet pea.

Do you have sweet peas where your live? Around here, they grow wild on the sides of highways. In the 17th century, a Sicilian monk sent it's seeds to England. And the flower we know today was hybridized by Scottish nurseryman Harry Eckford. In recent years, New Zealand has been a source of new varieties. There are many different colors, but they are best known for their scent, which is sensous and captivating. It used to be highly prized by perfumers, but now the synthetic form is mostly used. There were perfumers back in bible times. Once a woman came up to Jesus and poured a jar of very expensive perfume on him. His disciples didn't like this, and said that the perfume would have been better used if it was sold and the money given to the poor. Here was his reply.

"She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throught the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her." Matthew 26:10,13