~A WEEKEND JAUNT BRINGS UNEXPECTED BLESSINGS ☺

This past Friday night, my mom and I swung by Snoopy's to get some dinner (1.5 hotdogs for each of us with mustard, chili, and onions), along with fries (of course).  Afterward, we headed over to a Barnes & Noble branch we had never visited.  It's larger than the one we usually go to; in fact, it's HUGE--two-storied with an escalator.  In any case, we picked out some magazines to take upstairs and read, as they have a few tables and chairs up there (oh how I miss Borders--they had a sitting area right by the magazines, along with upholstered chairs stuck in cozy nooks throughout the store).  But, as it turns out, the Christianity section is also on the 2nd floor, so it's all good ☺.  Anyway, my mom discovered a magazine with which we weren't familiar.  It's called life:beautiful, and it turns out it's first publication year was 2007.  I wonder if they sell back issues ☺.

When we were ready to leave the store, mom and I went back downstairs and began threading our way between tables that had books stacked on them in order to get to the check-out counter.  She was walking in front of me, and she must have brushed up against a book on one of the tables because it fell onto the floor at my feet.  I bent over to pick it up and quickly scanned the front and back covers.  I ascertained that it was a book about a Christian doing mission work in Africa, and when I got home, I looked it up.

The book is entitled, Kisses from Katie, and to say it's an inspiring story would be a gross understatement.  Visit Amazima Ministries ("Amazima" means "truth" in Lugandan, which is the major language of Uganda).  Afterward, you must read through Katie's blog (this is a different blog than the one that's linked from the ministry web site). In addition, here are several youtube videos which are amazing to watch. I think we'd all agree that this is life beautiful indeed ♥.

On a different note, today I emailed a friend of my mother's and mine and told him all about this book and that I thought he would really enjoy it.  This is what he wrote back:

Cristy, this is so weird! Right now I'm in the back yard reading Kisses from Katie.  I got it yesterday from the library.  I'm currently on the 4th chapter.  God is so good!  Sounds as if we are on the same page (almost literally, haha!).

And, on a bit of a silly note, when I type "a-m-a-z" into my internet browser search field, I'm now taken to Amazima Ministries, whereas before I was taken to amazon.com.  And that's most certainly fine by me ☺

*I had wondered why Katie has adopted girls only--no boys (not that there's anything wrong with that, of course, but the question did cross my mind).  Then I read on Katie's blog that as a single woman, she cannot legally adopt boys.

~ ~ ~

~QUOTATIONS FOR THE DAY

The Angel in the Stone:
Taking Off the Old

"While most artists create by adding to something, a sculptor creates by taking away.  Michelangelo himself said, 'I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.'  To Michelangelo, every conceivable creation lay within the confines of a block of marble; he only had to take away the excess--in all the right places, of course...This is much how I envision the idea of taking off the old self, which Paul speaks of in Colossians 2:11....In essence, the truth presented in [this verse] grants us the chisel to start chipping away...the power to begin the sanctification process....When we strive for holiness, it can be our propensity to whip out our carving tools and start tapping our hammers somewhat aimlessly, hoping we'll discover something truly magnificent even if accidentally.  But before we start chiseling, we have to know what must be chipped away so we can eventually get to the angel in the stone.  In the New Testament, we see a lot of specific things that God lovingly forbids listed; many of them appear in Colossians...The Bible gives us clarity for what ungodly characteristics we should remove from our lives, convicting us of things that are not always so obvious....you can't have an exquisite sculpture without first knocking off all the pieces of stone that don't belong."

~From Chapter Five of, The Fitting Room: Putting on the Character of Christ, by Kelly Minter~

~ ~ ~

"As the sculptor devotes himself to wood and stone,
I would devote myself to my soul."
~Toyohiko Kagawa~

*Photion reblogged

~ ~ ~

~COMFORT

~ ~ ~

Oh this world's a curious compound

With its honey and its gall;

Its cares and bitter crosses,

But a good world after all.

And a good God must have made it,

Leastwise that is what I say,

When a hand is on your shoulder in a friendly sort o' way.

 ~Author Unknown~

~ ~ ~

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

~2 Corinthians 1:3-4~

~ ~ ~ 

~APRIL SHOWERS BRING MAY FLOWERS

"Gardens will flourish,

Dew and rain will make everything green."

~Zechariah 8:12c,d (MSG)~

~ ~ ~

"It is when the gray shades of life encircle me that I'm glad there is rain to think about.  Something absolute.  Something calculateable.  Something that speaks of reason and order.  And miracle.  Because I need to know that 1 + 1 still equals 2...that every time a raindrop falls, it must be born from some timeless formula that will go on and on always.  I need to believe that even when I don't know the how or the why, some Rainmaker does."

~From, As Is: Unearthing Commonplace Glory,

by Krista Finch~

~ ~ ~

"Up on your feet! Eat and drink - celebrate!

Rain is on the way; I hear it coming."

~1 Kings 18:41 (MSG)~

"And now, God, do it again - bring rains to our

drought-stricken lives."

~Psalm 126:4 (MSG)~

"Let us know, let us press on to know the LORD; his going forth is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth."

~Hosea 6:3 (RSV)~

"Pray to God for rain - it's time for the spring rain - 

to God, the rainmaker, Spring thunderstorm maker, maker of grain and barley."

~Zechariah 10:1 (MSG)~

*Photion reblogged

~ ~ ~

~QUOTATIONS FOR THE DAY

~ ~ ~

"The scene unfolding right outside your window is worth more than the most beautiful painting, and the crackers and peanut butter that you're having for lunch on the coffee table are as profound, in their own way, as the Last Supper.  This is it.  This is life in all its glory, swirling and unfolding around us, disguised as pedantic, pedestrian non-events.  But pull off the mask and you will find your life, waiting to be made, chosen, woven, crafted."

 ~From, Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life, by Shauna Niequist ~

 ~ ~ ~

"Creator God, lead me in circles of recurring wonder for things that seem commonplace."
~Carol Knapp~

*Image reblogged

~ ~ ~

~POEM FOR THE DAY

The Watered Lilies

The Master stood in His garden,

Among the lilies fair,

Which His own right hand had planted,

And trained with tend'rest care.

He looked at their snowy blossoms,

And marked with observant eye

That the flowers were sadly drooping,

For their leaves were parched and dry.

"My lilies need to be watered,"

The Heavenly Master said;

"Wherein shall I draw it for them,

And raise each drooping head?"

Close to His feet on the pathway,

Empty, and frail, and small,

An earthen vessel was lying,

Which seemed no use at all;

But the Master saw, and raised it

From the dust in which it lay,

And smiled, as He gently whispered,

"This shall do My work today:

"It is but an earthen vessel,

But it lay so close to Me;

It is small, but it is empty--

That is all it needs to be."

So to the fountain He took it,

And filled it full to the brim;

How glad was the earthen vessel

To be of some use to Him!

He poured forth the living water

Over His lilies fair,

Until the vessel was empty,

And again He filled it there.

He watered the drooping lilies

Until they revived again;

And the Master saw with pleasure

That His labor had not been vain.

His own hand had drawn the water

Which refreshed the thirsty flowers;

But He used the earthen vessel

To convey the living showers.

And to itself it whispered,

As He laid it aside once more,

"Still will I lie in His pathway,

Just where I did before.

"Close would I keep to the Master,

Empty would I remain,

And perhaps some day He may use me

To water His flowers again."

~Author Unknown~

*Lily image reblogged

~ ~ ~

~POEM FOR THE DAY

Matthew 27:57-66
Matthew 28:1-10
Mark 15:42-47
Mark 16:1-8
Luke 23:50-55

Luke 24:1-12
John 19:38-42

John 20:1-18

~ ~ ~

To Joseph's tomb where none had lain

They carried Him whom foes had slain.

Men set a guard; men sealed the stone;

Men left Him there to sleep alone.

The sabbath passed: the first day came,

And Mary turned to hear her name.

While Salem slept, the Mighty dead

Had risen from His rocky bed.

In Him our hope, our longing are,

Who is our bright, our Morning Star.

~ By Dr. Johnstone G. Patrick ~

~ ~ ~

*According to the MacArthur Study Bible, Salem was Jerusalem's original name (Genesis 14:18).

*Photion source

~ ~ ~

~A "WAIT" SANDWICH (ON WHEAT, WHITE, OR RYE)

~ Isaiah 30:18 ~

~ ~ ~

 

"But the LORD still waits for you to come to him

so he can show you his love and compassion.

 For the LORD is a faithful God.

Blessed are those who wait for him to help them."

~ ~ ~

*Image reblogged

~ ~ ~

~HABAKKUK: ONE WHO EMBRACES AND GOES TO HIGH PLACES

Though the fig tree do not blossom,

 Nor fruit be on the vines;

The produce of the olive fail,

And the fields yield no food;

The flock be cut off from the fold,

And there be no herd in the stalls,

 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

I will joy in the God of my salvation.

GOD, the Lord, is my strength;

 He makes my feet like hinds' feet,

He makes me tread upon my high places.

~ ~ ~

I have enjoyed studying through the book of Habakkuk today--as it's a very short book, this task was very much possible ☺.

I highly esteem John MacArthur's treatment of it.  I had never realized that it resembles a mini Job (in both form and content), with Habakkuk questioning God, followed by His answering back, and concluding with Habakkuk embracing renewed trust and strengthened faith in Him. In fact, according to MacArthur, a possible translation of "Habakkuk" is, "one who embraces." He goes on to say, "By the end of the prophecy, this name becomes appropriate as the prophet clings to God regardless of his confusion..."

In addressing the book's "interpretive challeges," MacArthur states,

 "The queries of the prophet represent some of the most fundamental questions in all of life, with the answers providing crucial foundation stones on which to build a proper understanding of God's character and His sovereign ways in history.  The core of his message lies in the call to trust God (2:4), 'the just shall live by faith.'"

MacArthur explains that the crux of this book's message centers on the awareness of and distinction between "the act of faith" (justification by faith) and "the continuity of faith" (sanctification by faith). He explains, "Faith is not a one-time act, but a way of life." In other words, faith must prevail, even if one is feeling demoralized because their life is not an easy task, or they have observed others going through tough times, or they have experienced or been witness to injustice (or perceived injustice).

Chapter 3 marks a transition in the book from argument (due to Habakkuk's "theological quandary"), to prayer.  In verse 19, he is willing to accept that "security and hope were not based on temporal blessings but on the Lord Himself."  And again, "Ultimately, Habakkuk realized that God was not to be worshiped merely because of the temporal blessings He bestowed, but for His own sake" (JM).

This book is probably best known for its "Hymn of Faith" (JM), a gem of a passage which comprises verses

3:17-19 (and which I've included at the beginning of this post).  And well so, as it is affecting and poetically beautiful.  But it is worthwhile to mine the book for its diamonds-in-the-rough as well.

On a slightly different note, in Falling in Love with Jesus (Chapter 6), Kathy Troccoli references an allegorical book, Hinds' Feet on High Places.  In it, a fawn named Much-Afraid "learns how to go to the high places with the Chief Shepherd."  Whether due to fear, a theological crisis, or whatever else might be creating a speed bump or even a roadblock in our faith path, it is important to overcome, so that we may "walk on [our] high places."  As Troccoli says, "I want to live in such a way that I continually let Him take me to higher places."

~ ~ ~

I think the book of Habakkuk just might have become my "life book."  Now, I've heard of countless people having a "life verse," but never a "life book."  Until now, that is ☺.

*Source of first image
*Source of second image

~ ~ ~