Rainsong

Compassion

2012-01-26T09:11:00.000-08:00

From "Edges of His Ways" by Amy Carmichael
January 26

Snow in the Garden (by Ray)

For those who have to do with forgetful people.

"I have compassion", our Lord said as he looked at the multitude. (Mark 8:2) I have often found it easier to have compassion on the multitude than on the individual, especially a rather tiresome individual. But our Lord Jesus never failed in this keener test of compassion.

You know how a tune heard before recalls, when you hear it again, not only the place where you heard it, but all the surrounding circumstances. It seems to me that when our Lord used exactly the same words, "How many loaves have ye?" (Mark 8:5) He was trying lovingly to recall to the Twelve what they had forgotten, even His boundless power and mercy. (Mark 6:38)

When next we have to deal with a forgetful boy or girl, perhaps this way of His will help to guide our ways. It is so easy to feel inwardly impatient, but He Whom we follow never did.

"Jesus Master, I would be

More and more made like to Thee."

(link) Good pre-christmas reads.

2011-12-26T06:15:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays

I have spent the last 8 days in bed....mostly in bed. It has been a long time since I was this sick. YUCK. I did not do any writing (or shopping or visiting) but I got a little bit of reading in. I am just happy that school is out so that I did not have to keep up with my students.
Deb's favorites at Music of the Rain

Foggy Walk on the Snohomish River Dike

2011-12-10T11:44:00.000-08:00

December 9, 2011 Walking the Snohomish River Dike Jason and Ray

The thing that seemed so odd this cold December morning was that we drove away from a home bright with sunshine into the thick fog of the river valley to go for a walk. You might think that since you cannot see very far in the fog that there would be nothing to see. The truth is, when the vista is just off the end of your nose you see what you have missed on sunny days.

Bomber

It seemed like good duck hunting weather. The season is open. We did see three river boats with hunters as well as a father and son out for duck. The fog was so thick I think most hunters decided to just go to work.

Wet Web overlooking the ponds

More wet webs on weeds

Yet more wet webs. Beyond the winter grass is the river

Bomber

Ray and Jason

The Path on the River Dike

Chilly mist muffles sound

Pack Leader

Cat tails

River grasses mark the waterway in the fog

Golden Kinglet ???

We had a great time. We laughed (we missed Chris) and watched the dogs romp along. The boys revisited old geo-caches without adding to their total. Geo cashers like to keep track of how many finds they have the way bird watchers like to track birds they find. By the way, we did see a few more birds than the kinglet. Mallards few over us in pairs, apparently unaware of hunting season. A flicker teased the dogs. We could actually hear more birds than we could see. What we did see is the beauty of a foggy winter afternoon....right in front of our noses.

Find what you are looking for?

Deb's favorite reads around the web, December 8, 2011

2011-12-09T09:03:00.000-08:00

Web favorites for the first week of December are posted on Music of the Rain. Most of them are about getting out and getting dirty now that the garden has been put to rest for winter. Humm. There is a good recipe for a cookie of a candy (or maybe a candy like cookie?). Click on "Web Favorites"

Keep the Faith; Matthew 24: 3-8

2011-12-07T13:11:00.000-08:00

Glacier National Park 2007, the beginning of a steep and narrow path

Something just happened. The Son of YHVH/God pronounced misery upon the upper-crust religious folk in the Temple. The Temple was the very center of Jewish life. At least that was how Jewish life was supposed to be centered. Not just on a beautiful building but on the Elohim, the God Almighty whose throne, the mercy seat, was said to rest in the inner-most room of the temple. Never mind that the Spirit, the Glory of YHVH, had left years ago. In his Son, Y'shua ha Machiach (Jesus who is the Christ) He now stood as a common man among common men. If only those arrogant men realized just how common they truly were.

He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. John 1: 10-11 RSV

In a dramatic moment, Y'shua pronounce misery upon the religious men with whom he had been extremely patient. The worst of the misery would be that they would face the full force of the seven woes without the comfort or aid of their Elohim and Messiah ......until they acknowledged him with the words, "BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF YHVH" (Psalm 118:26 ...which goes on to say, "we have blessed you from the house of YHVH). "And Y'shua/Jesus came out from the Temple and was going away....Matthew 24: 1a

What just happened? I imagine the disciples running through the scripture files in their heads, the many readings and lessons they had sat through over the years, trying to mentally catch up, to even know what question to ask. Their comments about the central building in all of Israel did not bring a reaction that most Pilgrims in Israel would have expected. As a point of fact, Y'shua foretold doom for even the building. The boys finally started putting the facts together and began asking their questions directly to the man they just followed out of the Temple of Israel.

As he (Y'shua) sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?" Matthew 24:3 RSV

It looks like they asked three questions, when will this be (the destruction of their temple), what sign, and when is the close of the age. Greek does not work like English. The last two questions are really just one question that does not translate well. ....what is the sign of your coming (the Parousia) which closes this (that) era?

Of the commentators that I have reviewed, they are firmly divided. One speaks of everything that follows in Matthew 24 and 25 as Temple destruction. The other sees Y'shua fully focused on the return of Messiah and the End Times. Both make good arguments. Either way, the disciples have just been handed a bombshell. What responsibility do they have? How much time do they have to get ready? (...when will this be?) How long will the coming trouble last? (...what is the sign that you are coming to end this era?)

The answer?

And Jesus answered them, "Take heed that no one leads you astray. Matthew 24:4 RSV

The question is not "when" or "how long," as a matter of fact, a question of time is not appropriate. We who believe in Y'shua, have an answer for all our questions. Faith. You must prepare yourself to "see" with eyes of faith (word study link: blepo- on Be Careful What You See). Our Elohim has assured us that he will not leave us (though he just left the religious at the doomed Temple) nor will he ever forsake us.... I am with you always, to the close of the age." Matthew 28:20b RSV

Look with eyes of faith. The Word (Y'shua IS the Word made flesh) is the substance of our faith, Hebrews 11:1. This is the only way to not fall to the primary problem of false Messiahs and their seductive lies.

For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray. Matthew 24:5 RSV

The Greek transliteration of "I am the Christ" is egoo eimi ho christos. The Hellenist way of communicating the name of Elohim's anointed Messiah. Instead of YHVH the Hellenist Greek would say "egoo eimi" (I AM). The apostle John uses this very phrase as a name of Y'shua to the Hellenistic believers he wrote to. "ho Christos" is just the Greek translation of "ha Machiach" or The Messiah. A much stronger deception than how it reads in English.

If the believer can stand firm on the Word of YHVH, written on the hearts of us who are indwelt by the very Spirit of YHVH that deserted the Temple of Israel, if by our faith, we see Y'shua and trust that when things are at their worst, he has not forgot us. He has not left us on our own, than the rest is just details. The Apostle Paul said it well...

What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies; who is to condemn? Is it Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written,

"For thy sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:31-39 RSV

Isn't that what faith is about? It is not about freedom from persecution. Y'shua actually promises we will be horribly persecuted. It surly is not about wealth. We are to live as beggers in the Spiritual realm, prayer is to define us. This life we have chosen, this difficult path, so steep and narrow, the way that few will find, is about becoming like our Y'shua/Jesus, about knowing the One who so loved us that he paid the blood penalty that we were unable to pay. He asks nothing in return except that you give up your perception of yourself and live the life he gave up, let Him live through you. Galatians 2:20.

And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth-pangs. Matthew 24:6-8 RSV

How than shall we live? Can we be sure of anything? When I ask that question, I realize something about myself. There is more I need to learn and practice about faith. Death cannot separate me from the love of YHVH. The thing is, Y'shua/Jesus did not come so that I would worry about death. He did not even come so that I would stop worrying about death or dying. He came to give me LIFE, abundant, glorious LIFE. Is it easy? I doubt it, it is compared to a steep narrow path. Is it carefree? I am sure it is not, I am to be a spiritual beggar, to show mercy, to cry with those who cry. But with Paul I again say, In all these things, we are more than conquers through Y'shua who loves us!

While the walking is still easy, learn to walk by faith. Deb at Glacier National Park 2007

Robert H Gundry, MATTHEW-A Commentary on His Handbook for a Mixed Church under Persecution, Wm B Eerdmans Publishing Co. Grand Rapids 1982, 1994

RT France, The Gospel of Matthew, Wm B Eerdmans Publishing Co, Grand Rapids / Cambridge, UK 2007

Commentary on the New Testament use of the Old Testament (Matthew section by Craig L Blomberg), Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, Michigan 2007

Be Careful What You See

2011-12-05T09:41:00.000-08:00

A word study on the Greek word, blepo (blep'-o) as used in Matthew chapter 24; see, take heed.

Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, "You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down."

As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?" And Jesus answered them, "Take heed that no one leads you astray.
Matthew 24:1-5 RSV

At the basic level, blepo (Strong's #991) means more than just look at something. It communicates the idea of understanding what it is that I see. Matthew 24:4, "understand what you see" so that no one can trick you or lead you astray.

Other places Matthew has used blepo: Y'shua/Jesus has used blepo to describe why people do what they do based on their understanding as well as their lack of understanding.

But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Matthew 5:28 RSV

"Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Matthew 6:2-4, 6, 17-18 RSV

YHVH knows how his beloved creation looks at things. The natural man is strongly affected by the image of a person instead of the heart of a person. I personally believe that this is a reason we must "see with eyes of faith". YHVH's servant Samuel had to be reminded of looking at a person the way YHVH/LORD look at them.

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."
1 Samuel 16:7 RSV

The only thing the natural man can see is the outward appearance. YHVH alone can see the heart. Without faith it is impossible to see as YHVH sees.

Look at how Y'shua/Jesus spoke to different groups of religious people. The first group is of faith, the 2nd is simply religious.

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, "Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?" And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is he who takes no offense at me."
Matthew 11:2-6 RSV

Then the disciples came and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
Matthew 13:10-14 RSV

It takes faith in the Word of YHVH (and Y'shua is the Word of YHVH) to understand what we see in this world.

There are many frightening events taking place in Matthew chapter 24. The chapter begins with the disciples focused on the shadow of the heavenly reality, the Temple. Y'shua directs the boys to "have a good look, understand what you are seeing" An empty building, beautiful on the outside, but empty.The Spirit of YHVH left long ago. Now Y'shua has also walked away.

Rather like King Saul and David. Saul was beautiful on the outside but full of rage, insecurity and death on the inside. David was thought to be part of a band of traitors, robbers, vag-a-bonds, but he was the chosen of YHVH. David was not chosen for "looking presidential" but for his heart. Men of faith would look at these two kings and see who YHVH had chosen. Men who looked but did not really see, blepo, would respond to Saul the way the disciples first responded to the temple, "See how beautiful, how impressive!"

To see as YHVH sees, to blepo, cannot be learned. It has to be accepted by faith.

And without faith it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Hebrews 11:6 RSV

If you are a believer in Y'shua the Messiah (Jesus who is the Christ), ask YHVH to open your eyes to see as you read through Matthew 24 that you may "stand firm" (to take your stand on Torah) in the days to come. If you are religious, and feel somewhat afraid as you read through the things to come, perhaps you will accept the prompt of YHVH/God to believe in Y'shua, to die to yourself and let him live through you to eternal glory. In the days to come everyone will go through the events foretold in Matthew 24. Only we who believe will press forward to eternal life. Won't you take the hand of love offered to you and follow on the hard narrow path?

Open your eyes, see with your heart, where Y'shua takes the throne of life.

Deb's picks for best posts of Thanksgiving Week

2011-12-01T08:20:00.000-08:00

Sunrise, December 1, 2011

Deb's favorite reads for this last week of November On Music of the Rain

Desolate! Matthew 23:38 - 24:2

2011-11-29T09:57:00.000-08:00

Misery. Seven charges of hypocrisy, seven woes, leveled against the scribes who have appointed themselves the guardians of Torah and the Pharisees who claim to live life by the standard of Torah. The actors (for that is what a hypocrite is) are suddenly swept into drama that they did not foresee. Though YHVH himself longed to gather them under his wings*(1) as a hen gathers chicks, to protect them from the cold world and from themselves, they arrogantly refused. They made a choice to resist truth and lovingkindness*(2) offered at the Mercy Seat.

Behold, your house is forsaken and desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, "You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down."

Matthew 23:38--24:2 RSV

Drama. The Mercy Seat was a place to experience the lovingkindness of YHVH when a soul is deserving judgement. Jerusalem is guilty of sin, guilt worthy of death. But Jerusalem is Beloved of YHVH who longs to shower them in lovingkindness. Within the walls of the Temple, the children of Israel were close to their Elohim-God. Being close is not enough. They needed to go all the way into the heart of the Sanctuary. To confess their arrogant sin and come humbly before their Elohim for Mercy. But they refused.

Behold. This house, this precious temple of YHVH, the one piece of real-estate in The Beloved Land that made the Hebrews uniquely Jewish is pronounced desolate, empty. Was this a snap decision on Y'shua-Jesus part?

"Behold, you (Jerusalem) trust in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Ba'al, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, 'We are delivered!' - only to go on doing all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, says the LORD. Go now to my place that was in Shiloh, where I made my name dwell at first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. And now, because you have done all these things, says the LORD, and when I spoke to you persistently you did not listen, and when I called you, you did not answer, therefore I will do to the house which is called by my name, and in which you trust, and to the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh. Jeremiah 7:8-15 RSV

"I have forsaken my house, I have abandoned my heritage;
I have given the beloved of my soul into the hands of her enemies.
My heritage has become to me like a lion in the forest,
she has lifted up her voice against me; therefore I hate her.
Jeremiah 12: 7-8 RSV

Thus says the LORD: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. For if you will indeed obey this word, then there shall enter the gates of this house kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their servants, and their people. But if you will not heed these words, I swear by myself, says the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation. Jeremiah 22:3-5 RSV

YHVH (the LORD) has warned His beloved again and again. He sent men who hear Him. Men who speak warning from YHVH, begging the people to repent, but it fell upon stone hearts. The children of Israel continued in the way of hypocrisy. Even when Y'shua, the Son of YHVH came they would not "shemah" (listen with an intention to obey) The story of misery and arrogance, of people who honer themselves above all else is well documented in the gospels. BEHOLD, your house (not My house) is being left to you..........DESOLATE!

For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Matthew 23:39

Israel has a choice to make. One sentence, spoken in sincerity will bring YHVH, the Elohim-God of love, back to the object of His delight. "Blessed is he who comes in the name (HaShem) of YHVH. Have the ears of YHVH heard the longed for sentence? From the beloved nation, no. From individual Hebrews, yes.

And the crowds that went before him and that followed him shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" Matthew 21:9 RSV

But from the people as a whole, especially those who "sat in Moses seat" (Matthew 23: 2-3) there was a stubborn heart, false dignity born of arrogance and self-love." With open ears and heavy heart, Y'shua walks away from The House of YHVH. He knew all that was about to come (Matthew 24 and 25 for instance). He knew that if they did not gather "under His wings" they did not stand a chance of surviving the coming tempest. The Glory had departed. Not even the splendid building would stand without its primary occupant, YAVH of Y'srial. It will not stand as a museam to the formar glory of Israel. It will be flattened. Even today, only a wall that once encircled the Temple of YHVH stands in memorial. But the foundation of the house itself supports a building whose people are opposed to those who call upon the name of YHVH.

Are we a people without hope? Is there no place in creation to meet with our Elohim? We do have hope, and we who believe have become the Temple of YHVH. The mercy seat, the throne of YHVH, is the hearts of believers. When we come together, Y'shua, the Word of YHVH is in our midst (Matthew 18:20). It will not always be this way. The Temple will be built again and YHVH will again take His throne in Jerusalem. But until that day we who believe have an amazing privilege.

For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us.

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 2 Corthians 4:4-11 RSV

Just like the Children of Israel, Believers in Y'shua will face the tempest. But it will not crush the soul that trusts in Y'shua. There is a way to live, not to ourselves as the Scribes and Pharisees did. Not seeking honor for ourselves. but for our God and His Son. We can live Torah observant as unto YHVH. Stand by your faith (life on the foundation of Torah, the Word of God). Do not be conceited, but fear...

But if some of the branches (Children of Israel) were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in their place to share the richness of the olive tree, do not boast over the branches. If you do boast, remember it is not you that support the root, but the root that supports you. You will say, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in." That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast only through faith. So do not become proud, but stand in awe. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off. And even the others, if they do not persist in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you have been cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree.

Lest you be wise in your own conceits, I want you to understand this mystery, brethren: a hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles come in, and so all Israel will be saved; as it is written...
Romans 11:17-26 RSV

"Stand fast through faith" and you need not fear desolation. Y'shua has promised we who believe that when we choose Him, He will stand with us.

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." Matthew 28: 16-20 RSV

*(1)Wings of cherubim overshadow The Mercy Seat. Exodus 25:20 (for instance)
*(2) Lovingkindness is what Hellenized Christians refere to as Grace

Robert H. Gundry, "Matthew: A commentary on His Handbook for a Mixed Church Under Persecution". William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids

Black Friday on Whidbey Island

2011-11-26T11:23:00.000-08:00

The Beach at Oak Harbor on a beautiful Black Friday

Every year, since Chris and Jason were young enough to need a reward for being "good at grandma's house," Ray and I have built a tradition of getting out to have fun with our family on what we used to call Black Friday. I say used to call it black friday because the meaning has changed. Back in the day, black friday meant that we did not shop or indulge in materialism the day after giving thanks to YHVH-God for all he has provided for us. It was also our reward for our restless sons who had abandoned their overalls and barn boots to dress nice and use the table manners we practiced at home, at grandma's table. They would rather have been out with the wild things. Now Black Friday just means that merchants are in the black on the Friday after Thanksgiving (if they are willing to wait that long) because of America's need to camp in a parking lot so that they can be the first of the crowd to fight for one of five discounted TV's.

Deb and Rudy Valentine at Fort Casey

I digress; we made a picnic of turkey sandwiches and pie, grabbed our cameras, GPS's, dogs and winter jackets for a trip to Whidbey Island to go geo-caching and birding.

Bomber and Rudy

Please do not get me wrong. I am not against Christmas. Jason and Ray have promised to put up lights for me this weekend. Chris has been shopping. As I keyboard I am sipping my morning joe from one of my Christmas mugs. What I am against is the wild materialism that never brings lasting joy.

Killdeer

Christmas cookies are fun to make and give away. Dressing up in reds, greens and bright blues, accessorised with goofy socks, santa hats and gaudy flashing light jewelry is fun for me. That is a lot for someone who does not officially celebrate Christmas. I love my children and family and participate with them on a day that has deep meaning and precious memories. But do I think the Messiah was born in a manger on December 25? Not even!

The Olympics from Fort Casey

What is Black Friday to me? It is a day to spend with people we love, doing what we love. A day to extend our attitude of Thanksgiving, not just for our health, what we have, or what we have survived in the past year. It has become a day to show our love to each other. We bring our imperfect love with our sandwiches and spend a day outside of the house, away from our screens. We are far from being a perfect family. Ray and I parented by the seat of our pants. Our poor boys have had to struggle and adjust to our dysfunction. But we love each other. We are all for one, one for all even though each of us needs our space on occasion. Black Friday reminds us to come out of our corner (maybe more accurately, to come out from behind our screens), without TV, without gifts, to simply share a meal, listen, and play.

Ray tucks Rudy into his jacket to give him relief from the cold wind

Black Friday seems to make the upcoming holiday season all the more precious. Ray and I celebrate Channakua. Chris has a child like delight in the "magic" he can make for Christmas. He loves being Santa at events. As a fireman-EMT and a emergency room worker, he sees enough horror to permanently mess up his attitude toward humanity. But he still loves to spread joy to those around him. Jason does not really love or hate Christmas. He indulges friends and family with gifts whenever he is able but would rather not get up early to go visit extended family or even open gifts. All Ray and I know for sure is we love our Y'shua-Jesus and are grateful for these boys YHVH has loaned to us.

One of the tiny little Whidbey Island Black Tails

We talked, we laughed, we saw things we have seen so many times before. We walked trails we have walked before. We marveled at the change and took comfort at everything being the same. We loved. We renewed our hearts and stretched our legs. We felt the wind on our faces and watched children fly their kites in the same wind, on the same grass that we have flown kites on, the very place my parents took me and my brothers to fly kites. Maybe for their Christmas and Ray's Hanukkah I will buy everyone a kite. Maybe I'll just print pictures. No one can go back in time, even with a kite on a windy day.

Rudy and Bomber after a long day.

As long as YHVH gives me the strength I will spend Black Friday in the car, going someplace where we only have to buy gas, to eat turkey sandwiches, to remember a fresh how much I love my boys and my man. Life has been known to throw some stones at us. We have come close to breaking again and again. But always we find that under it all are the everlasting, loving hands of YHVH. No one knows what a day will bring. Buying gifts, wrapping them in pretty paper to be ripped open by a loved one brings a moment of happiness. Nothing wrong in that. But joy comes from hearts connecting. And maybe, at the end of the day, sitting quietly together, tired but satisfied, taking the same ferry ride back home that we have taken hundreds of times before. Remembering that contentment is an inside job, not something that I can buy for someone else.

Happy Holidays (said the old woman who doesn't celebrate Christmas but who does celebrate)

Gathering Leaves at Lake Conner

2011-11-08T15:56:00.000-08:00

I have been moaning and groaning about not having any maple trees, or any other type of tree that drops leaves, for my garden.. There was joy on Sunday when Ray took me for a ride to Lake Conner, one of our favorite birding spots. He brought along a couple of yard waste bags and a rake just so I could have maple leaves in my garden.

Four squares of garlic, 2 soft-neck and two hard-neck. There is also a square of Shallots under the leaves in Box 2. About Shallots, I'm told by those who claim to know, that shallots should be planted on the shortest day of the year and harvested on the longest day of the year. I cannot imagine that would be enough time. Still, I plan to pick some up from the health food store in December just to see if this is true. By the way, the same "they" assure me that garlic goes in on the last day of October. Something about vampires? Never seen a blood sucker (not counting misquotes) in my life, only politicians.

The sweet smell of fresh cilantro. This is one weed that I let live.

Though it doesn't look like I got very much done, and it is true that I still have a lot more to do, I feel like I accomplished something!

In these two boxes there is Chard, parsley, cilantro, and leeks. Under the leaves of box 2 there are 4 squares of garlic and one of shallots. If the weather hold (and this time of year it probably will not), I'll clean up boxes 3 and 4 (a double box) and work on cleaning up the fence side of the box so that my pictures do not look so ratty.

Just for you, a bonus! A short film of the birds and mushrooms I spotted at the edge of Lake Conner.

Another Great Preparedness Post

2011-11-04T07:29:00.000-07:00

I wonder how they are doing in Japan? She isn't in the news much these days.

The disaster in Japan threw me for an emotional loop. I was heartsick for the people whose homes were destroyed by the Tsunami. For months afterward I found it difficult to write about the small details of my life, things that used to be fun to post about. Time and prayer has begun to heal that wound. Today I look at my life and wonder how far have I come in an effort to know how to live if a disaster strikes my land. The Dervaes, who just happen to write one of my favorite blogs, have posted their effort to date.

http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/2011/11/03/being-prepared/

Their post includes a series of questions to consider.

Weather: Could you tell / forecast the weather without the weatherman?

Medicine: Can you take care of your family without pharmaceutical drugs?

Water: Can you store water or do you know of a water source nearby? Could you filter the natural water source for safety, to make it palatable?

Security: Interesting subject, of course, and makes for very heated discussions.

Fuel/Energy: Could you function without it? Cook, clean, wash without modern appliances?

Food: Having a stockpile is good but think about long term - after the food runs out, could you grow or be able to get local foods?

Currency: Focus on alternative currency options... think beyond gold, can you barter goods or services?

Communications: You are cut off. No cell phones, no computers, now what?

Sanitation: What to do with trash and human waste?

Glancing at this list I can see that I have spent most of my preparedness time on my garden and hen house. Even so I am still not saving a lot of my own seed. Most of my vegetable seed is grown somewhere else. My 2nd food issue is that I have not put up any food this year because of the glass top stove we bought. This is a huge issue that we did not really think about when we were seduced by the pretty new stove. I am also uncertain how I would keep my chickens well fed so that they could feed us.

My guys have firearms, we have small dogs, otherwise security is something we depend upon YHVH for. He did not stop my car from being stolen but he has shown me how to live happily without it. The guys also take care of communication to some degree. Both trucks have C.B. radios. We do not have one at home. In addition, Chris has a shortwave. I have made a decision to not raise carrier pigeons. On a more serious note, we used to talk about where we would meet if communication was cut off if we were separated but that conversation was nearly a year ago.

This could get real boring real fast. I know about herbal medicine, where to find wild herbs, how to grow many other herbs. I do not know what to do with trash if the garbage is not being picked up or the toilet will not flush. If there is no fuel for the burb, I don't know how to get about. I have a small bike but I'm not very strong on hills. We used to think that we could keep toilet paper and cigarettes for barter, but that was before our son became a chain smoker. We cannot keep halloween candy in the house, how would we keep cigarettes?

Birthday at Red Bridge

2011-08-06T16:05:00.000-07:00

Lavender-Sour Cherry Focaccia---The Movie

2011-07-29T07:50:00.000-07:00

1 Thessalonians 1 5b-7

2011-07-27T08:42:00.000-07:00

Pass it forward. We were an example to you, you became an example to others. That, in a nutshell, is the basic message of 1 Thessalonians 1:5b-7.

....You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit; so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedo'nia and in Acha'ia. 1 Thess 1:5-7 RSV

When Messiah chooses us, when we know that we have been purchased by his blood, we are wrong to say, "I have my ticket to heaven." Heaven is not a destination, it is new life from the moment you are born from on high. You will find that you are on a journey along a steep and narrow path but you are not alone. There are others who stepped on the path before you, and still more who will come after you.

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1 RSV The way of righteousness is how we are to live. A. Roth in his "Aramaic English New Testament" teaches that "turning to YHVH" is a very Jewish idea. In the English speaking world we would call this action "repentance". When we turn to YHVH or repent of sin, we find the path of righteousness. The path is a way to live. A life of righteousness is a very specific way to live. I find that it does not come natural or easily on this difficult path. Y'shua/Jesus came to show us the way. Those who followed Y'shua gave the pattern for those of us who would follow them on the path. We in turn are to be an example for those who come after us.

The beauty of this walk of faith is that we do not need to become Pharisees, judging one another, practicing ritual fasting or other pious acts to stay on the path. Make no mistake, judgement (that starts from within), fasting and pious acts all have a place upon this path we walk but they are not the path. I personally believe that the Pharisees did what they did because they wanted to be righteous before God. I think that they wanted to be worthy of being imitated. But I know that we have an element that they did not have which keeps the Way from being added to or watered down by those who go before us. We have the breath of YHVH, the Holy Spirit who gives us life in addition to his Word which gives us the way.

The Gospel comes to all of us in Word, but for the chosen it also comes with the power of the Holy Spirit, the life breath of God. You can have religion with the Word but unless you have life, religion is all you get. With the Life of the Spirit you gain a relationship with YHVH. The power to live.

Why than is it so important to be tested, proofed, and to live as an example? For me, I know my YHVH but I cannot see Him. He constantly puts before me people who are walking on the path, who show me that even when it seems difficult, we have power to overcome the difficulty and to continue on. There are those who come after me, who watch how I walk, how you walk, on this steep, narrow path. They are encouraged by our walk. There are even many on the wide path of destruction, who have slid from the path or have not yet come to faith, who watch us walk in righteousness and they are encouraged to turn to YHVH, to repent. It is important that we follow Messiah so that those who follow us can give the glory, not to us, but to Y'shua!

Press on fellow Pilgrims.

Cedar Wax Wings

2011-07-25T09:05:00.000-07:00

Photo by Ray, Pure delight came from God

Just in case you did not know, a Cedar Wax Wing is a small bird. They were abundant at Silver Lake where we had family camp again this year. The following video was shot on day 2 of camp. Usually Silver Lake is all about Canada Geese and what they leave behind. This year it seemed as if the beautiful Cedar Wax Wing was begging for attention..... with far less to NOT step in.

By the way, the great shot above is from Ray. Great job!

1 Thessalonians 1:4-5

2011-07-22T09:46:00.000-07:00

For we know, brethren beloved by God, that he has chosen you; for our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5 RSV

YHVH has chosen you. Have you ever thought of that before? Do you believe it? He chose Paul who was busy killing and persecuting men and women of faith. If ever you have any doubt that you were good enough for God to choose, read Paul's testimony in the book of Acts, You are not good enough for God. It is the reason you needed Y'shua/Jesus (but that is the subject of another post). How do you know if you were chosen? First He will make sure that the gospel comes to you. But it will not come just with sound or words on a page. It will come with the full power of the breath of YHWH, the Holy Spirit. There is conviction of sin and finally, there is someone to disciple you.

but he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens; the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. John 10:2-4 RSV

Chosen: Y'shua said to an assembly of Pharisees, "many are called but few are chosen" Matthew 22:14. At that time he was speaking to the un-chosen, those who insisted that their religious choice and education were more to them than the Messiah in front of them. They saw the splendor of tradition and self-righteousness as far more precious than faith even though, as scholars of the Tanack (old testament) they must have known that righteous deeds, done in our own power, are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6, see end note). Here in 1 Thessalonians, Paul, Silvanus and Timothy are speaking to the chosen who have already shown that they are people of faith, love and hope (verse 3). Of the many who are called in Thessolin'ca, these were the chosen.

The Word: Paul, Silvanus and Timothy brought the Word, the logos (dabar in Hebrew) to the Synagogue in Thessolini'ca. They were not on a book tour, they had nothing to sell, nothing to promote but the Way, the gait, into the kingdom of light. They were here to invite the many in order for the few chosen to discover the gait that leads to life. Y'shua/Jesus is the Word of God, he is also the gait. All who would believe must come through him. Too many look at the Bible as a book of wisdom or a collection of myth with some insight for living scattered in. If this is your opinion of the Word of God, may I humbly suggest that you are not among the chosen? Ask God to show you for sure. The Word of God is alive and speaks to us. But you only know that when you are "born again", when your spirit is made alive.

The Holy Spirit: The chosen have the Spirit of God, his breath, living in them. I do not know how to explain this, I only know that it is true. Even Y'shua experienced a time of being filled with the Spirit of God.

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove; Mark 1:9-10 RSV

When the breath of God, the Holy Spirit, lives in a believer than the Word of God becomes far more than a book. The Word becomes alive and speaks to us. Maybe it is better to say that we become alive in the Spirit and can hear and understand the Word.

I remember the moment I became born from above at 21 years of age. No matter where I turned in the Bible, I gleaned fresh understanding. I struggled to understand the Bible before my salvation. It is almost amusing to read my study notes from that time.

With full conviction: Full conviction comes before you are born again. Those who are chosen feel the weight of sin and despite the shame of it, long for freedom in Messiah. The whole world watched as Casey Anthony stood and listened to the charges against her. There was such tension on her young face. A new look washed over her as she listened to the verdict. Not guilty, not guilty, not guilty. I do not want you to get caught up with how you feel about Ms Anthony, but with your own sin. It is no different than hers in the eyes of God. We are condemned but for the mercy of God. We cannot lie our way out, we are unable to have time off for "good behavior" (good works). We are guilty and we know it if we have been chosen. Unlike Ms Anthony, we have not been pronounced "not guilty" but "guilty". But Y'shua/Jesus stepped up and paid the penalty of our sin.

Conviction also comes after we are born again. It is what guides us on the path of life. It will convict us of sin if need be, but it is more likely to speak to us about living instead of why we are in need of a saviour.

God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Son. Why isn't the world at peace? I believe that it is because His love only rests on the chosen. If at this moment you do not believe, it is not because you are not chosen. God still sent his Son for you. Before you will experience the love of God you must come to Him. For those who believe there is joy, evidence of God's love when it seems that there should only be despair in living. Keep reading Thessalonians. Joy in life becomes evident. Do we who believe cry? If my own pool of tears means anything, than yes, we cry, we feel the pain of live. But we have hope. And more than hope, we have the compassion of the hand of God that allows us to keep walking in hope.

Before Heaven:

Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

And in heaven, where I wonder if I will cry for what was and those who refused to believe:

Revelation 21:3-4 and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away."

note: filthy rags absorb menstrual flow. The self-righteous are like a woman longing to present a child to her husband but without his power to produce a child, so that all she has to offer is the evidence of what she can produce without him. No life (baby) just menstrual rags (pads).

1 Thessalonians 1:3-4

2011-07-12T08:01:00.000-07:00

remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brethren beloved by God, that he has chosen you; 1 Thessalonians 1:3-4 RSV

Last night (July 10) I watered the garden by the light of a beautiful sunset. This morning, the summer day is overcast and rather dreary. It occurred to me that the same clouds that made the evening sky so glorious were the very clouds now making the new day seem dull and dreary. Maybe ministry is like those clouds. When I first embrace ministry it is glorious, but the daily grind can wear me down and leave me wondering if I have bit off more than I can chew. How do I continue on?

Your work of faith: The word translated work is ergon (er'-gon) and is a noun. It gives a name to what we do. The ministry you are called to is your work of faith. The men who wrote this letter assured the believers of Thessalonians that they are, "...constantly remembering you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith..."

When the assembly of Thessaloni'ca first received the Gospel they experienced three weeks of jaw-dropping excitement. Even those who did not go on to believe must have felt some joy of discovery as they dove into the Scriptures to argue their answer. Even so, it is important to remember that they were not given the commendation of being noble for searching the Scripture to see if what Paul was saying was true (Acts 17:10-12).

Now when they had passed through Amphip'olis and Apollo'nia, they came to Thessaloni'ca, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul went in, as was his custom, and for three weeks he argued with them from the scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ." And some of them were persuaded, and joined Paul and Silas; as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. Acts 17:1-4 RSV

With a "great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women," SOME of the Jews in the assembly believed that Y'shua/Jesus was the Messiah they had been waiting for. Why do I say that they have been waiting for the Messiah? Because God had entrusted them with the oracles of YHVH/God. (Romans 3:2). When YHVH spoke, the Hebrews were who he spoke to. They were the people whom YHVH instructed his word to be memorialized and obeyed. I do not want to be too harsh on the Hebrews, I must remember the church of today, instructed to watch for his soon return and to walk before him in faith, too often we concern our selves with issues that are so petty that we forget to watch in faith. It happens. Those who believe receive the Word with joy. They accept not only the call to salvation, but the ministry, the work of faith, work that will define their earthly life, happily.

Labor of love: When I first read this passage I wondered to myself, what is the difference between "work" and "labor"? Here in Thessalonians work is your ministry. I expected labor to be what I did to accomplish that ministry, but it is more than that. kopos (#2873 kop'-os) is toil, but this toil saps our strength and leaves us weary (Zodhiates' NT Word Study). At the end of the day, it leaves us unable to rest (No rest for the weary). The "work" embraced by faith results in "labor" sustained by love. Even if the bright clouds that prompted the work seem to become dull and heavy, we carry on because of love knowing that rest will one day come.

And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth." "Blessed indeed," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!" Revelation 14:13 RSV

Steadfastness of hope: hupomone (#5281 hoop-om-on-ay') this is not talking about people, it is about our endurance in the work we have been given to do. What keeps us going when someone else seems to have more interesting work or when we just want a break, a vacation to refresh our self? Steadfastness, remembering the faith and love that did not run from the cross. Y'shua knew times when the crowd made him weary. He knew times of temptation to be discouraged because they did not understand him. He must have felt tempted to slid out from under the yoke given to him by his Father. But he chose to endure, to be steadfast.

...let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1b-2 RSV

Jesus is my example. He remained "steadfast" for the joy, the "hope" that was before him. He asked God to show him if there was any other way to accomplish this work. There was no other way or the Father who loves him, who loves us, would have opened the way to an easier path. "...for the joy that was set before him endured ....despising the shame..."

Remember to pray, remember that others are praying for you, and you pray for them. There is work that is a privilege, glorious work embraced by faith, laborious work that must be continued in love, steadfast because of hope, the joy to come. I am in a dreary time but there are those who pray as must I for them, for the love that keeps us going. One day there will be rest, on the other side of those clouds.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, Hebrews 12:1 RSV

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood. So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:12-13 RSV

Bushwhacking on the Mountain Loop

2011-07-10T17:10:00.000-07:00

I have had the WORST time putting this video up. It has sound for a while, than it goes mute on both facebook and on you tube. Gurrr! I ended up redoing it from scratch.

This was the first day of Rays Vacation. Ray's nephew Dennis joined us for what was supposed to be a day of easy geo caching but it turned out to be some tough hiking on an overgrown trail. Loved it! At one place we had to step over a HUGE pile of bear poop. That is always a little unsetteling, but the poo was not fresh so most of us did not worry too much. That was actually where my little dog, Rudy Valentine, started to worry when he could not keep Ray and I next to each other. He isn't usually whinny out hiking like he is in this video.

BTW, Dennis tells me that he was not hurt. PRAISE GOD!

Summer Reading; 1 Thessalonians

2011-07-08T11:03:00.000-07:00

Years ago, while working at a local Christian school, I had two Greek students. Their home was Thessaloni'ca and they grew up speaking the language that I struggle to understand through books and commentaries. Talking with Dimitri about the meaning of words was joy. His sister Anthea was shy but charming. I think of them as I try to mentally enter the world of the Thessalonians, a place I have never seen.

Paul, Silvanus and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.

Who are Paul, Silvanus and Timothy?
Paul and Silvanus are Jewish men who are also citizens of Rome.

But Paul said to them (the Phillipan jailer), "They (the big wigs of Philippi) have beaten us in public without trial, Men who are Romans, and have thrown us (Paul and Silvanus) into prison; and now are they sending us away secretly? No indeed! But let them come themselves and bring us out." And the policemen reported these words to the chief magistrates. And they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans, Acts 16:37-38

Both of these men have a Roman name as well as a Jewish name. Saul/Paul and Silas/Silvanus.

Timothy is half Greek, half Jewish. He was raised by his Jewish mother and grandmother in the land of his Father. When Paul met him and realized what a quality young believer he was, he invited him to come with him on his journey.

How did they become acquainted with Thessaloni'ca?
Originally, everyone who was a believer in Y'shua (Jesus) were in Jerusalem. In the beginning believers were Jewish or had become worshippers of YHVH in the Synagogue. The Lord gave the Apostle Peter a vision that he would include gentiles in the kingdom of heaven, a difficult concept for life-long Jews. Peter was the first to witness the Spirit of God filling Gentile men in the same way that he had experienced. Paul was also called to bring the Word of Life to everyone, the Jew first and then to the Gentile. (a gentile is any person who is not a Jew). He and Barnabas set out to fulfil that mission. Other men felt the same call to spread the gospel. The problem was that Paul and Barnabas rightly understood that while we still enter into a covenant with YHVH, that covenant had a different administration than it did under Moses. Among the many changes in administration, such as a new high priest and a new, perfect sacrifice, the sign of the covenant, which is circumcision, was now of the heart, not done by the hands of men in the flesh. Jewish men came from Jerusalem to share the good news of the gospel with the world. Hallelujah! But they misunderstood that under the new administration of this covenant, men who believe no longer need to be circumcised in the flesh. Because these men were known as Judisers I assume that they believed that under Y'shua, all the world would become Jewish and live under the old administration of Moses. To solve this dilemma they all went back to Jerusalem where it all began, to discuss with the apostles and elders how to have unity. The result was the famous letter of Acts 15:23-29. Silas (Silvanus) and a man named Judas went with Paul and Barnabas back to their home church of Antioch where the letter was received with joy for the encouragement it gave to a unified body of believers.

To make a long story short, Paul and his new partner, Silas, set off on a journey to encourage the churches that Paul and Barnabas had established with the letter from Jerusalem. Along the way they brought the good news of Y'shua for all men to Phillippi. While there they were beaten and imprisoned. Instead of moaning about their circumstances, they praised God in the dark. God set them free from prison by knocking down the prison. Salvation came to the house of the Warden (the jailer) but the city asked them to leave. Thus bruised and cut but strengthened in Y'shua, they came to Thessaloni'ca where they got right to the mission of sharing the good news in the local synagogue. People of all sorts responded. There is no evidence that they told the assembly about the drama in Phillippi and what God had done for them, only what the Scriptures said God would do for all who believe.

Jealousy is an ugly attribute. It slips up on a soul and does not introduce itself, everyone but the jealous person sees it for what it is. After three weeks of speaking in the Synagogue of Thessaloni'ca where a few Jews and even more God fearing men became believers in the Way, believers in Y'shua/Jesus (according to FF Bruce, God-fearers are gentiles who worship YHVH by doing everything according to Torah EXCEPT being circumcised in the flesh). Acts 17:5 says that the Jews became jealous. The rest of Acts 17 tells the result of their jealousy ending with forcing Paul to leave the infant church. Apparently Silas and Timothy stayed behind for a short while to establish the church in Thessaloni'ca. Would the breath of YHVH, whom we call the Holy Spirit, be enough to sustain this infant assembly of believers in the midst of so much opposition? Could the church stand under the weight of jealousy? Would they still respect Paul and his companions?

The first letter to the Thessalonians will give the happy answer.

Party at Ben and Rebecca's

2011-07-04T14:40:00.000-07:00

Ellensberg

2011-06-25T09:42:00.000-07:00

Ellensburg has gone green. My mind has a picture of Ellensburg that is dry and yellow except for the cottonwoods that grow along the river banks. Maybe I've just not been to Ellensburg in the spring. The hay fields were green, lawns were green, everywhere I looked the dominant color was green. Oddly enough the town itself has gone Al Gore-Obama green. Coming into the city from Blewett Pass we were greeted by giant white windmills. Driving out of the city we saw bank upon bank of solar panels. That was kind of kewl. At first I thought, "What an eyesore" but I quickly pictured what a dam would do to the landscape and decided that green electricity isn't nearly as bad.

Like it does with everyone else, the economy is not smiling upon us. We are still finding opportunities get out camping. However we try to have a duel purpose to our trips. No more long, exciting trips to Yellowstone and beyond. This trip was about scouting for a deer camp this fall. Too often we go cold, settling in a spot hoping that there will be an animal to harvest.

Last time we got out to camp for a few days we dug clams. They were expensive clams but never mind. The good thing for us is that we love our home state of Washington. As much as we love to travel, as much as we hate what politics have done to our wild places, we still love Washington.

Chris and Bomber came on this trip. Chris just finished his second Tear Drop Trailer and was trying it out. He was pleased with the work. People were sure interested in it.

We loved the signage on this tree. The humor of people who live off the grid cracks us up. The truck was moving when I snapped this, normally I would not post a picture this fuzzy but the picture describes what I saw better than anything I could write. The top sign is a neighborhood watch sign. The next one says, "No Light Beer" and the last one says "No Video Games". Sounds like good rules for life. I wonder what caliber the neighborhood watch is?

"I do not accept that."

2011-06-18T08:37:00.000-07:00

What a powerful phrase, "I do not accept that."

I know who Oprah is. I have seen many of her shows in the 25 years that she has been on American TV. I know some hate her, some love her. To me it was just TV. A place to land or skip if nothing else interested me. I have been enjoying is her show about the making of the Oprah show on the OWN network. Watching the making of shows for the final season has peeked my interest in watching her last season. One of these final season shows had a powerful effect on me. There was a guest who apparently was a regular for a while. There seems to have been a tiff between Oprah and the guest whose name starts with an L (she wrote a book, "Peace From Broken Pieces") She came to the show to clear the air between herself and Oprah. They had a heated (though not hateful) exchange. Ms L said something to which Oprah responded, "I do not accept that". I was stunned.

"I do not accept that."

I wish I had said that phrase to so many people I love. Women who have come to me, to tell me how I have destroyed life as they know it. These relationships have always started out positive. I would be told things that made me uncomfortable. One past friend told me that I was more of a soul-mate to her than anyone she had ever known in her life. Everyone knows that if they get put on a pedestal the only place to go is down. As a Believer in YHVH (a Christian) I do not believe in the Hindu concept of soul mates. I realize that is not what she was telling me, but it still seems like an ugly term to me. I am told that she is one of two powerful women who wanted to take me before the Church for sin, though I was never accused of any sin. If I had been accused I would have faced it, but all I ever got was silence. When it comes to being a soul mate, "I do not accept that."

There were two other woman friends, both of them powerful members of my churches, both of them married to important men in the church. I worked shoulder to shoulder with both of them. Prayer for the ministry was an important part of my life with them. Supporting their leadership roll in the ministry was a key element of our relationship. Both of them came to me at some point to "tell" things to me. Both of them started treating me with disdain and gave me no reason to doubt that I was the object of gossip. Both of them are strong Christian women whose relationship with their God I respect. Both of them shocked me in the way they handled the "root of bitterness" they perceived had come between us.

I need to say something about sin at this point. Specifically, conviction of sin. There is a concept that I learned early in my walk of faith. First, I sin. I try not to, but I still do it, I sin. I sinned and contributed to the break down of the relationships I have mentioned. Second, both the devil and Elohim/God convict me of my sin. Isn't that shocking. The devil as well as God convict me of my sin. How does one tell the difference? That is an important question because there is only slavery with the devil but there is forgiveness with God, the father of our Lord Y'shua/Jesus.

If we confess our sins, he (the God of Light and Father of Jesus) is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 RSV

How do you know the difference? I think it was a speaker whose name was Elton Gilliam who cleared this up for me. He taught that when God convicts me of sin, he convicts me of a specific incidence of sin. But when the devil convicts of sin he uses a broad brush (compared to God's fine point pen). In other words, God convicts of specific sin. The devil attacks your character. For instance, God may convict me of stealing a pen from work but the devil will simply call me a thief, which is a character attack. Because I am a blood bought child of God whose "sin" was 100% paid for on the cross (the wage of sin is death, Romans 6:23) I have been given the character of my Lord. When I sin it is between me and God, first and foremost, but my sin will cause bitterness between people and needs to be made right. The family of God has no room for bitterness. It must be cleansed and removed so that harmony under the head of Y'shua/Jesus can reign in the Kingdom of YHVH. Therefore God convicts of specific sin that can be confessed, forgiven and made right to the best of my ability. When the devil attacks my character I might be tempted to say, God made me this way, there is nothing I can do about this.

Two dear friends have come to me in days past, rightly wanting to make things right between us. The first brought me a 3x5 card detailing my sin that God had convicted her of (what?). At the end of the list she said that I speak in half truths and lie. When I asked her to be specific she refused, it was up to me to come up with the specific lies, not her. How does a girl agree with that? I have spent years anguishing over that moment. Because I love her I desperately wanted to make things right between us. Instead I found myself shunned by the ladies of my church. I suspect gossip. I SO wish I had loved her enough to say, "I do not accept that." If I could turn back time I would have been bold enough to stand up to the enemy who would plant bitter seed between the children of God but the time was not right, I had lessons to learn. Instead I went into shock that a fellow believer would be the source of an enemy attack.

A second beloved friend came to me and said that after a night of prayer and fasting she knew that she had to tell me that I do nothing but make her job harder than it needs to be and am the reason she is so miserable. How I wish I had said, "I do not accept that." She had some crazy stress going on in her life at that time. My whole ministry under God was to make her work as smooth as possible. Obviously I failed at that and instead I let her tell me that I make her miserable. She could not or would not give me any examples, she expected that if it was clear to her what was wrong with me, it must be equally as clear to me because she prayed about it. Heartbreak. Her and another woman in the ministry often had their heads together, treating me with disdain. What if I had just been strong enough to say, "I don't accept that." What if I had loved her enough to talk about what I have observed instead of panicking about letting down yet another dear friend?

The devil is good at what he does, he goes for bruised nerves. A family member has told me that if not for me her life would be perfect, up until now I have let a number of people say that to me, knowing that no one can make another person miserable or unhappy, that is a response to lessons that God is teaching us through other people. I choose how I respond, so do they. God gets the glory for the positive things that happen in life. When things go bad and we choose to see some person as a thorn in our flesh, how can we not instead give thanks to Elohim/God for that circumstance, that person, and learn to walk as Y'shua/Jesus walked, He who was despised and forsaken of men...men who thought they were doing God a favor by persecuting him (Isaiah 53:3-7). He is my example to follow, so it is short sighted to think that I will not come under persecution from within the religious community, even from believers in Y'shua/Jesus. It is, as Amy Carmichael was fond of saying, a chance to die to self and live for him who died for me.

By the end of the Oprah show, Oprah and Ms L were able to talk about what really happened. They came to an understanding that their assumptions about their own actions were misinterpreted by the other person. Both thought the other intended ill, both believed they had done everything right. Ms L was a religious woman that Oprah respected, Ms L loved Oprah deeply. Yet a root of bitterness had grown between them. It was gone by the end of the show. I imagine there was still wounds that needed to heal but at least the cancer was ripped out. It is never too late, at least as long as we still draw air, bitterness can be removed and healing can begin. That IS something I accept.

Of Swords and Nails

2011-06-09T07:22:00.000-07:00

Learning Hebrew is like learning to read the roadsigns on the path of life. I have been trying to learn it in my spare time, on my own. The little bit that I have learned throws open windows of heavenly light on the path God/Elohim has chosen for me.

Not long ago we were talking about covenants in Sunday School. The covenant of Noah was blown off as a covenant of Judgement. That is not what I remember about the Noach Covenant but it had been so long since I had looked at it that I made the wise decision to hold my tongue until I had a chance to look at it with fresh eyes. There are times when Elohim draws me to his Word in curiosity about one subject than takes me in a direction I did not expect, much to my delight. This has been the case again and again with Genesis 9:12

And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations." RSV

At times I get a sense that Hebrew is difficult to translate. It seems like a simple enough language, but I need to remind myself that I am hardly out of preschool when it comes to Hebrew. Sometimes I worry that the translator was anti-Semitic. Some things make no sense when looking at the little bit of Hebrew I am learning next to the English that I know fairly well. With my preschool education in Hebrew it could be that I am too stuck on the word pictures that the letters make. I'm just saying I could easily be all wet here (no flood pun intended)

"This is the sign" I went to Genesis 9:12 to reexamine an old word study of the word covenant. I did not get that far. I stopped hard at the word translated "this," z'ot. The 2nd part of this word "ot" is made from the letters translated "alpha and omega" in The Revelation 1:8, 21:6 and 13. Hebrew letters are not just simple symbols that represent sound. Each letter tells a story that contributes to the word they build. Alpha and Omega would be the alaph and the tav in Hebrew. The mighty God (alaph) and the sign (the cross-tav). Alaph and tav are the first letter of Hebrew and the last letter (the first and the last, the beginning and the end). 'ot is all through the book of Genesis even though it is not translated into English.

Zayin is the 7th letter of Hebrew. We use the letter Z to translate the letter zayin. Zayin represents a sword. Much to my amazement "z'ot" seems to be a picture of the sword of the God of the Cross or what we might know as the sword of the Spirit. Could it be that the Sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17, Hebrews 4:12, Rev. 1:16; 2:12, 16; 19:15, 21) which is the Word of God, is the "this" of Genesis 9:12?

Then there is the word translated "sign" or "token" from the Hebrew "'owt". 'Owt is another word that seems to have given the English translators trouble. It shows up in Genesis 1:1 translated "and" (heaven and earth). Again the basic word 'ot which is God of the Cross" is used with the added letter, vav. Vav represents a hook or a nail that connects two ideas or items. This is why it is often translated "and". But when added to 'ot it communicates a connection, a hook, between heaven and earth. It is not wrong to say that 'owt communicates "God nailed to the cross"

I am looking at Genesis with awe! The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, by the mighty God nailed to the cross, is symbolic of the covenant Elohim made with Noah and all flesh. Amazing.

A Whole Lot of Nothings

2011-06-07T07:54:00.000-07:00

After almost 35 years of making Easter Baskets for my family I got a great idea. Someone else should be in charge of Easter Baskets. On Easter morning there were no jelly beans, no bright cello "grass" or chocolate bunnies. My Easter basket was a small cardboard box that made squeaky noise. Welcome to my world (from left to right) Bertha, Miss Purdy, Stella (formally known as Pecker Head because of her habit of pecking at the sides of the baby box ALL night long) and Lil'bit. When they came to my house they were just downy little black fuzz-balls. I live a very small life. I work from home, I've been almost a year now without a car and my walking partner, Connie, has retired and travels. Since the Nuggets have come into my life I have a reason to get up and get dressed at the start of every day....I do not want the neighbors to see me in my robe when I go out and let the girls out.

As a gardener, the most upsetting thing I have witnessed this year is not the lousy weather hitting most of the United States, it was the television coverage of the Japanese Tsunami. It made my small life, my small scale troubles seem utterly pointless. In America, when we think of emergency preparedness, gardening skills are on the list of top 10 skills. Then I watched that wave cover the Japanese farm land. I was sick for the people of a tiny nation that took care of themselves. Really, the nuclear disaster was secondary to the farm disaster. It has taken me this long to settle in my heart that God is still in control, that He is still Merciful and can be counted upon no mater what this world throws at us. The simple things in life are still the good things.

The little garden is still coming along. After a nasty spring we are on our second clipping of lettuces. Radishes have been eaten and replanted and eaten again. Even small lives go on and the joy of Elohim is still my strength to rejoice for the gift of today as well as being able to face an uncertain tomorrow.

The good thing about the tsunami, the tornadoes, the droughts, floods and the price of gas (we only have a surban now)? Everything, anything, is a chance to practice thankfulness, to rejoice in my small life and the joy that those around me infuse into my days. Little potatoes and plan old onions are a good reason to celebrate life. L'chime! Life is worth the living because Y'shua lives!

Preparedness (from Homestead Revival)

2011-03-13T06:08:00.000-07:00

I wish I had written these terrific posts but am happy I came upon them.

The following link is to the blog, "Homestead Revival"
It is a list of posts on getting ready to survive in a crisis without becoming stingy or fearful.

http://homesteadrevival.blogspot.com/2010/03/prepping-basics-index.html

First Garden Video for 2011

2011-02-16T15:31:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday President Lincoln

2011-02-12T21:09:00.000-08:00

I look forward to Abraham Lincoln's birthday. Peas can go in. I know, February peas do not get ripe any earlier than mid March or April peas. I don't care, I just want to get something going. So happy birthday Mr. President! I put Fava beans in too. I played with the idea of planting radishes and salad in the cold frame but decided to wait until St. Patrick's day for the rest of the cold weather veggie friends.

Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And when the LORD smelled the pleasing odor, the LORD said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease." Genesis 8:20-22 RSV

Things are getting serious in the world. Wars and rumors of wars. There is something comforting about pushing a seed into the soil, waiting to pluck the fruit of it from the vine, tasting the miracle of creation. Living in the moment, remembering that there is more to life than the little things, like sinking seed into soil. But there is still great strength that comes from joy and YHVH, the LORD does not despise small things. While there is still time I am grateful for moments of joy while poking seeds into the ground, looking for the rainbow, the sign of the covenant between God and all of us who have come since Noah. I want to remember the souls who call troubled lands home, to pray, to watch. I want eyes to see the soul right next to me, needy and in need of I friend (I've been there a time or two)

Just for today though, I want to remember President Lincoln, who is known for greater things than pea planting day. I want to remember my gram'ma who taught me about this day. A wild day that began with sweet spring breeze and progressed to wild wind and pelting rain. Sweet dreams little seed, Lord willing, I will be watching for you.

Strawberries in my window.

2011-02-02T14:48:00.000-08:00

Most of my Asparagus bed has been cleaned up for spring. I used raw compost on the beds. The result has been all sorts of interesting things coming up, most of which I pluck right up. But in one portion of the bed there are strawberries. I have no idea what sort they might be.

Years ago I saw a project in Sunset Magazine to make a living ball of strawberries. It is not looking like a bio-mass of berries yet, but I'm hoping for the best. The project needs to be start in January. I know it is already February, so I am behind the eight ball.
The ground today is frozen still, so I did not get very far. This little patch of strawberry plants (and moss) are all that I have left to clean up. I managed to get enough to to put a few into the mat pot without damaging the plants but the rest will have to wait until the ground warms up. Hopefully that will happen before the asparagus comes up.

Ground Hog's Day

2011-02-02T07:44:00.000-08:00

It is still early but it looks like there will be shadows. Here in western Washington it can be difficult to tell which 3 hours was spring. Blooming daffodils are probably a better tell than a rodent who may or may not crawl out of bed to see his shadow. Maybe daffodils are no better than Phil at letting me know when it is spring. I have had to put on a heavy coat for my daffodil walks.

The garden looks like such a wreck today. The dopey mess in front of box 2 is supposed to be killing grass for the next box that will be going in this spring, but all it does is look junky. I should care, but I am into what can be done with the carrots (I need the squares for peas and fava beans) and the new range (stove with oven) that will be delivered to my house tomorrow. WooT! The old one simply will not brown anything, baked or roasted, though Ray has changed elements, timers and thermostats. (he tried to reuse and refresh, not because he is green but because he really is Scottish) Ray wanted to put down new flooring first but the stove came on sale at a price that was too tempting. Carrot cake anyone?

Point no Point in Washington

2011-01-26T05:57:00.000-08:00

We thought we got up on time for Sunday School. Both Ray and I were dragging. Too sick to even watch TV last Sunday we wanted to be there this week. By the time we were both dressed and ready Church was three-quarters over. Maybe if we just got out and did something we would start feeling better. Point no Point on the inside thumb of Washington's peninsula is always refreshing. With a full thermos of coffee and a jacket on Rudy and we were off.

Our favorite January bird, the Scoter, was dining on mollusks that clung to the pier at the Edmond's ferry landing. It seemed like a good start to the day. I think we both fell asleep on the boat ride even though we had a "window seat". Beautiful views for such a gray day.

Like all the beautiful places in Washington, Point no Point has become thick with expensive homes. Day trippers like us are lucky that no one has figured out how to get expensive houses on the beach or bluff...yet. There is still a lonely feeling walking the shore, though it isn't like it was even just a few years ago. We could see many couples and their dogs doing the same thing we were. The one exception we noted with disgust is that most dog owners are not inclined to pick up after their dogs. Yuck. It isn't that difficult.

Even on a gray day the water tends to run a deep crystalline aqua green. Like most western states, Washington has been overwhelmed with rain this winter. We suspect that there has been so much run-off that the inland waters are thick with runoff. I cannot remember a time when gray was such a dominant color, even with the gray sandy beach.

You cannot see it here but Seattle is just across the water. The clouds eventually rolled away to reveal small boats scattered everywhere, drifting in the current with families jigging for black mouth. A man and a young boy were walking the beach with a bucket and shovel gathering shrimp and beach worms for bait. Right on the point they had placed comfy folding chairs and were casting from shore for black mouth.

For the most part our birding days are behind us. We cannot convince Rudy that birds are only for looking at. Monika, the photographer extraordinaire and author of "Orca Watcher" (her link is on my side-bar. SJI is San Juan Island), already has one hundred birds on her list for 2011. I read her with envy. She lives the life that Ray and I used to dream about. We are trying to stay content with Scoters spotted on the Ferry. On this trip we also saw Red Breasted Mergansers, Golden Eyes and Cormorants. Birds that everyone easily overlooks. They are everywhere. There might have been a Grebe by the Port Townsend Ferry landing. It was this seagull with his prize starfish that gave us pause. We have seen seagulls toting all kinds of things but this was the first time we have seen one swimming with a starfish. It must not be too rare. There was a second gull down the beach doing the same thing.

I don't know if Ray slept on the Ferry ride home or not. We both crashed once we got home. Our spirits felt a lot better though.

Winter Sowing

2011-01-25T13:44:00.000-08:00

Nope, I did not buy a sewing machine. I followed Catherine's lead and started some seeds. Winter sowing is for seeds that should be started in the fall or need to be exposed to a chill before they will sprout. It seems incredibly easy. Time will tell.

I thought it would be a good time to learn to do flowers, but the flower rack is HUGE. I went the safe route and went right to herb rack. Two of the herbs I chose to try do have flowers. This is for learning. The third package, in case it is difficult to tell from my photography, is parsley.

I peeled the label off of a Costco salad box and pierced the bottom with my pink knife. Than I filled it with soil. There are a number of different types of containers you can use. I'll include links at the bottom of this post. The web page I read said to label your container with duct tape. I used garden tags right inside the container.

I was not vary careful with my choice of seed. I tend to be planning ahead challenged. Parsley seed is more likely to sprout if it has a time of dark. Chamomile is said to sprout best if it is exposed to light. Oh brother! Chamomile seed is so fine that I was afraid if I sneezed it would fly away and be lost to the dust on the window seal.

The Echinacea and parsley were tucked under about one-fourth inch of soil. The chamomile was sprinkled on the surface of the soil. Finally the lid of the salad box was pierced with more holes. I actually had a little fun making chicken foot prints in the lid with a knife. It was a slow day.

The soil was sprinkled with tap water. The web page advises me to put the container on the poach or someplace where I can keep an eye on it. The cold frame Ray made is still empty and waiting. I tucked the package into the cold frame and and am now waiting for sprouts.

About the flowers... I did bring home a package of cosmos but it turns out that they are annuals and I do not need to winter sow them. They can just go right into the ground when the time is right.

Winter Sown dot com, claiming to be the authority on this subject. They are good.http://www.wintersown.org/

If you read "A Gardener In Progress" (see the side bar of the blog) Catherine had at least three posts about winter sowing with very helpful pictures. Apparently there is still time to winter sow.

Weak high pressure is holding back the rain we have had so much of, but not the clouds. It is still a very gray day. The weather prophets do not give much hope that it will get pretty any time soon. It is, after all, still January. It might get all the way up to 50F today.

Signs of Life

2011-01-20T06:48:00.000-08:00

I really do read the blogs on my sidebar. I love experiencing the beauty that Cathryn makes in a climate not unlike my own on A Gardener in Progress. Same with the Nature Nut in Oregon. Flowers mystify me. My mothers garden overflows with pretty. I feel lucky if the weed whacker is working this week. So will you please forgive me for going a little ga-ga over this tiny purple viola? I feel so honored that what comes easily for others is gracing my attempt. Maybe violas just have pluck. Maybe it is because I toss her pretty sisters into my salads (my reasoning being that I can grow food but fail at flowers). Whatever, welcome to my garden! Please (really), make yourself at home!

Coffee and Chives. Not a good combination for the pallet but for an old woman who has been too long inside with the flu. Coffee has sounded nasty for the last five or so days. Thanks to over the counter meds, I have been able to function at school. There were the prayers of dear friends and fellow teachers. Just this morning coffee sounded good again. A good sign I think. I got out for the first time yesterday. I had to collect the gifts that to puppies left. Sort of like an Easter egg hunt without the joy. It is one way to get around and inspect the garden. Passing by the herb garden (which thankfully the puppies also pass by) I saw chives poking up. A refreshing sight! How can something that I see make me feel so much better?

In the Pacific North West we are just entering what is traditionally the four coldest weeks of the year. The last two week of January and the first two weeks of February will tempt my gardening spirit, but experience tells me that I need to wait to get dirty until mid February. On President Lincoln's birthday I'll celebrate by poking peas into the ground. This year I am also going to hide Fava beans in the dirt. The page I was reading assured me that when crocuses began to show it would be time to plant Favas. There are not crocuses in my yard, an oversight I hope to reverse next fall, but there are a few daffodils. They are showing. Is it a trick or can I plant those Favas?

Winter Camping My new cold frame looks like an old fashioned pup tent. Ray made it for me just before I got sick. It has been out for five days without me getting to take a close look. It is not right where I want it yet, but it is portable. The plastic sides will be snugged and tucked. I am so hungry for salad that does not come from a plastic costco box! I'm ready to get dirty (Mike Rowe would be happy, I'm sure). Soon enough I will be busy with new and daily chores. Surly there is value in being patient and waiting for the season. There is a time for everything under heaven, and the season of dark is a time to look for the light. Not just the light that draws the green herbs to come out from the hidden places in the soft soil. It is a time for my heart to look for the light of life.

Mark 6:30 and 31 tells of the apostles having a good ol time telling what they had done for the kingdom in the power given them by Y'shua. They had been so busy that there was not even any time to eat. Exciting times! It must have been tempting to jump right in and do more. But our Y'shua, who know what is best encouraged them to come away and rest. I hear that call while I look for a reason to start the slow food again. I envy bloggers that I read in Texas and California who garden all the year around. But the call, at least in the PNW, is to rest for a little while longer. Now for the power to not jump the gun.

More cold rain after yesterday's sun. Night comes quickly. Wind from the south. Weatherunderground.com is predicting that both the high and low for the next 24 hours will be 43. Humm, it is 34 F right now.

Is it possible to outgive God?

2011-01-09T13:35:00.000-08:00

I gain such joy from my gardening that for brief moments I feel guilty about it. How can plucking a perfect radish or gloating about purple pea blossoms bring pleasure to my God? Generally there is no fellowship with other believers. Just the bird song in nearby trees, the sound of neighbor boys shooting hoops in the park and the insults passed between the neighboring beagle and my two terriers as once again they search for a way through the fence, challenging each other to back up their bark with teeth.

It is winter now. Nothing urgent needs to be done in the garden except for putting my dreams to graph paper. That doesn't need to be done outside. Hot tea and a blazing fire inside will do. Thumbing through seed catalogs and personal notes, I remember pouting about needing to go into school to work for a week. Not that I mind, I just like being at home. As I justified my grumping to myself I thought about last summer and how I would not have been able to afford to eat fresh if not for my garden. Teachers do not get paid in the summer. I wondered for a moment how the other teachers make do without a garden. As clearly as if someone were standing beside me, I heard a voice say, "You grow it for them". The thought make so much sense that I did not ponder where the voice came from. I just did not want to tell anyone about what I heard. What if I fail? What if I have to give away the best things? What if my best things are not good enough to give to others?

God is so Good! Last night Constance and I were trading notes on facebook. She shared how she gave food away from her garden to God's people. She testified of the faithfulness of God in increasing her yield so that she could share and still have more than enough. Isn't that just like our God?

But my gardens are just a bunch of squarefoot gardens and while they are enough for Ray and me, they are not very big. That is what I was thinking. Did you know that there is a principle of God, practiced by Y'shua/Jesus? When you entrust your little bit as a gift to God, he makes it into much. It isn't a grantee or a promise, it just is. What He chooses to do with my offering is up to him. By faith I am publicly proclaiming what has been laid upon my heart. Here is my crowded little garden. It is my gift to you and your people Elohim. To God be the Glory!

Overcast and snowy. Gonna be cold tonight.

Swans and Snow

2011-01-08T16:46:00.000-08:00

The snow was tardy. We were promised snow and snarled traffic last night but at first light the garden all but glowed green. We decided to go do a little birding. This snow shot was toward the end of our day near Lake Bosworth.

There have been rumors of a Sand Hill Crain grazing with the Swans in Stocker Field near Snohomish. We did not see the crain but as we drove past Harvey Field (which is actually a little airport) we did see my nephew David getting the mail. He works at the airport.

Looking toward Everett, it doesn't look like snow clouds.

Walking the dike along the Snohomish River. Swans. Coots too. There were mallards.... or maybe they were just decoys. Hunting season seems to attract lifeless birds.... and I don't mean the feathered kind

Pretty Abby and her mom. Turns out Abby is frightened of gunshot and mom didn't realize it was hunting season. The sound of guns do not bother Rudy so she walked with us for a while thinking Abby would notice that the sound did not bother Rudy. Isn't that funny? Everything else seems to bother Rudy. It was all for nothing. Abby was still freaked out by the sound of shotguns. Poor thing. At least she didn't drag mom back to the car. Mom got her after a thunder storm. Found her running from the sound. Humm.

It is hard to tell but when we got to Lake Conner (a pond really) It was just starting to snow. You can see it against the trees. Or maybe this is just a really bad picture.

Swans from Ray's camera. This was still along the flats.

Really Rudy, I wanted the shot of the Birds, but if you really want your picture taken, ok.

Hey, the Seahawks won! Everywhere we went today people were saying, "Can you believe the hawks are plaing in a play-off? What a joke." Sounds like the joke was on the Saints. Whoot, whoot!

Five Days Later

2011-01-05T05:52:00.001-08:00

Thar be (macro) micro-greens Captain!

The excitement I feel when seeds and water are added to dirt makes no sense. They are doing exactly what they were created to do. Even so I feel nearly as deep a sense of joy for sprouting seeds as I do about the news of a new baby.

Constance of Angel Farm has a much simpler way of growing micro greens. No dirt, no container except for the lid to a Styrofoam egg carton. Next time I grow micro greens I am going to try her way. She recommends tiny tomatoes with micro greens. Maybe they can still grow tomatoes in Texas. Mine are probably nine months out. There are some good things about living in this era; Trader Joe's sells trays of current tomatoes. After wondering who had to pick those tiny little toms and who ate the little ones. Now I know.... me!

These are the mixed greens (all lettuce) that I planted on the 1st (my odd way of celebrating the New Year). So far the paper pots are holding up well. Now, to find enough light to keep the babies happy. Why didn't I think of that earlier? I think last year I got out my sadd's light (multi-spectrum winter light) for my seedlings.

Back to work (school work that is) so the babies can grow in peace.

Ray just came home from graveyard and announced, "It is a cold, COLD rain out there." The wind is coming fast from the South and it should get up to 47 but it doesn't feel very warm.

Scratching the gardening itch

2011-01-01T07:06:00.000-08:00

January 1, 2011 At 7 AM in the Pacific Northwest it is still dark. First light has not penetrated the dark of this day of ones. Ray had to get up at 4 AM for work so we did not stay up to welcome the new year. I'm wide awake now and though I am trying to just chill, my head is filled with things I want to do today to celebrate the new year.

The Territorial Seed Catalog is almost committed to memory. My palate is ready to experience fresh greens, peas, spinach and bok-choi. There are at least 6 weeks until I can poke peas and radishes into the cold soil. To scratch my itch for growing things I plan to welcome the new year by making a half dozen paper pots to start lettuce and spinach in. Chris will be building a custom fit cloche for my square-foot-garden. His cloches will allow me to set out my salad starts when the peas go in.

The barbecue wok in the picture will be the home of micro-greens if all goes as planned. I love using the wok for grilled veggies in summer but it just sits in the cupboard taking up space for the rest of the year. I have been resisting using it for greens for a while but the urge to grow food is strong this year. The wok will be lined with a square of landscape fabric and mel's mix (hey, the wok is a square, so surly this counts as square foot gardening) before the seed is sprinkled thickly into soil mix. If the seed is still alive there should be a salad to harvest in two to three weeks.

The rest of Deb's New Year's Day plans

Make paper pots and start lettuce and spinach
Create and start a wok full of macro-greens
Inventory last years seed
Inventory another pantry self
Make pastry for Chris' apple pie (filling in the freezer)
Make clam dip for the guys
Make today's pantry food, "Black Bean Tostadas"
Maybe most important, work on finishing Luke 10 study
If there is any more time to the day, finish the grid for this years garden.

I'm sipping green tea today. One of the three gardening magazines Ray bought me yesterday claims that green tea leaves (or maybe it was the tea? humm) are super food for gardening. Cheer's! The sun is up and day one of 2011 looks to be beautiful.

Happy New Year to you and yours!

My Small life, 2010

2010-12-31T07:38:00.000-08:00

I have nothing profound to say that would sum um 2010. I live a very small though satisfying life full of passion and people that I love. I did not plan to post a final blog for the year until I read North West Nature Nut's final blog. Thanks Nut!

A quick review of 2010 before the unknown of 2011 unveils.

January 2010

February 2010, we have belonged to Bomber for one year.

March 2010 Getting parsley ready for the new garden. That day it seemed as if we might have a sunny summer. That might have been the last nice week until July

April 2010

May 2010 Rudy; this must have been the one spot of sun in spring

June 2010 Overcast days make pretty pictures.

July 2010 and it still has not got above 69 degrees F

August 2 2010 Chris was the only brightness in the day.

September 2010 Getting ready for the hunt

October 2010

November 2010

December 2010

Thanks for the beautiful idea NWN!

http://www.naturenutnotes.com/2010/12/year-in-review.html

Raymond's sense of snow

2010-12-29T08:26:00.000-08:00

One of the first things you might notice about us as a couple is that I like to putz, he likes to get-er-done. There are days when we clash but most of the time our life is lived as if Elohim fixed what was broken or missing in our souls.

Yesterday I felt a slight twinge of panic when I saw Ray heading out the kitchen door with a bag of shredded paper to cover the artichoke stub by the back fence. My guys keep the lawn mown without any nagging, they cook on that monster of a barbecue, they build the hard structures of the garden and set up watering systems so that our return from camping trips finds everything alive and well. Without complaint they buy the things I want for the garden. What they do not do is get dirt on their hands, that is my job. I think I deal fairly well with others using my kitchen (and leaving the evidence) or tracking across the carpet with whatever they stomped through outside. But the garden is my sanctuary. The mess is my mess, the order of things is my order of things. But there was Ray, headed out to do something, to add stuff in my holy place.

I am a woman with some sense. I've been wanting to mulch the artichoke too, but not just before sunset. I had in mind a mix of compost and leaves or straw (I don't have any leaves or straw) that would both feed and protect Miss Artichoke. We talked once about recycling shredded paper. Just when I think he doesn't hear me he proves otherwise. I got over myself, I hope my apology was sincere. After 36 years I should know to trust his sense of snow. It came, right on time this morning. Thanks Ray!

The wind is coming in from Alaska instead of Hawaii. The cold collided with the warm and made snow. There is a 50/50 chance of more snow tonight. It could get down to 29 degrees. I'll be happy for 2 dogs and a husband at bed time.

More more from the pantry in January

2010-12-28T22:05:00.000-08:00

OK, I get that it isn't January yet. Last night (Monday, December 27) nearly everything about dinner came from the pantry or freezer. Chili and corn muffins. From the pantry, tomatoes and sauce, black beans, corn meal.
http://musicofrain.wordpress.com/2010/12/28/chili/

From the 2nd shelf of the pantry:

Dry Yellow (Huro?) beans
Dry Black beans (lots of black beans)
about 1/3 of a 10lb bag of white wheat flour
Dry Navy beans
Tempura batter mix
box of 7 grain pilaf mix
box of mushroom and wild rice mix
box of Zatarianes Jambalaya mix
box of Falafel Mix
Black Bean Soup mix
Pad Thai mix

Then there was a few forgotten jars of "stuff"

Costco size yellow mustard
Costco size mayonnaise
small bottle Ranch Dressing
Dijon Mustard
Country (coarse) Dijon Mustard

The original pantry post:

http://songs-of-coming-rain.blogspot.com/2010/12/january-is-eat-from-pantry-month.html

A Hole in the Clouds

2010-12-27T11:42:00.000-08:00

All week the weather guy has been a prophet of wet gloom. He has assured me that I should expect to be wet should I dare set foot outside of the door. He tells of wind and the possibility of thunder showers. No sane woman would carry an umbrella in that kind of wet. I am not famous for my sanity. It has been a bone chilling kind of cold out. The wet sort of cold that hot soup and coffee cannot chase away.

I felt a twinge of rebellion while zipping my jacket to my chin before stepping out the door to the garden. Who goes out in late December to putz? I thought that I would at least have a look-see. Why I grabbed my stool and tools is a mystery. Cold isn't so cold when you are on a dirty mission.

My artichoke had not been trimmed back. It does not have a hopeful look for coming back to life. Since this is my first ever artichoke I am choosing to believe that it is still possible for it to spring back. I cleaned out the snapdragon stems, more like hay really. There is a creeping rosemary in that box that I was pretty sure would be an annual but it looks to be hanging on. A few tap-root weeds were hoping to squat near the artichoke but I evicted them with a toss over the fence. The box was given a bit more soil but I could see that what she really wanted was compost (coming darling, asap)

It felt so good to work with clippers and shovel that I turned to my Purple asparagus, intent on making the bed look like someone cared. Crack grass and chickweed, salmon berries (?) tomatoes that grew like weeds because of the homegrown compost used on the bed were mercilessly scratched and tugged at until they released their hold on the asparagus bed. There was a distressing amount of moss for a garden bed that should be neutral in PH. Sweetening the soil is on my to-d0 list. So is adding a layer of fresh compost and steer manure. Yuck, I know, but it sure does make happy asparagus and happy asparagus is giving asparagus.

I only intended to putz. When the asparagus bed was about 25% done my arthritis began to assert herself, letting me know that I needed to stop for a while. But I'll be back.

Carrots, a few shallots and an onion or two, missed at harvest are all that are in the garden this winter. I had forgotten about these leeks. Rather pathetic looking little things I think. Moss in the square-foot-garden too. Buggers! Actually, the garden is telling me that she needs me and to come back soon. I will.

For now, I am attempting to stay content by getting my seed order ready. It doesn't seem too soon to start with a plan for next years Toy Box. Peas AND fava beans can settle into their squares come Lincoln's birthday. Maybe the ground will stop being squishy by then. Even before the Presidents birthday I have a plan that will have me gardening. To celebrate the new year I will start a tray of lettuce and another of spinach. As soon as my TSC order gets to my house I will start a pot with purple artichokes. There are also the custom fit square-foot-garden cloches I am working on. I can do those without a zipped up jacket.

Why is the south wind feeling so cold? Maybe because it is wet? Cloudy with just enough wind to force open the occasional hole in the clouds. A range of 40's for our temperatures. A high of 47, a low of 43. Said to be cooling off enough for the possibility of snow before the week ends.

January is “Eat From The Pantry” month

2010-12-26T11:40:00.000-08:00

In January I try to go through my pantry and freezers to feed my family for the month. I like to spend as little as possible, buying only fresh dairy, eggs and a few fresh vegetables for Ray's lunches.

My pantry is probably supposed to be a linen closet but I like to use it for a pantry. It is probably too hot in winter since the back wall is up against the fire place. Since we are talking about putting up more produce from the garden this coming year I will probably need to move the pantry to a cool, dry place. but for now I am only interested in using what is there.

Just from the top shelf, up over my head and out of sight:

Two unopened packages of Splenda packets (how did that happen?)
about 1/2 cup brown and red rice mix
one 14.5 oz can coconut Milk (might just toss that, it has been there a LONG time.
1/2 bag of stick pretzels
jar of dry garbanzo beans
jar of red lentils
small jar of adzuki beans
Package of Bakers Bittersweet Chocolate
about half a package of Bakers German Chocolate.
Open box of Whole grain Pancake mix
Open box of whole grain Baking Mix
Open box of Pumpkin Pancake mix
Open box of white elbow Marconi
Powder Milk and Gluten flour that I use with the bread machine
Bay leaves
Poppy Seeds
Dill Weed
Chopped dry onion
Cinnamon

This is just the top shelf. I am not sure if I will keep the boxes of pancake and baking mix. I bought the pumpkin mix last year and the baking mix last summer but I don't know when I bought the whole grain pancake mix. I'm thinking I should toss the pancake mixes, whole grain products do not stay nice in heat.

Does Splenda go bad?

It wasn't exactly a Christmas Bird Count

2010-12-22T05:16:00.000-08:00

Belted Kingfisher; Fort Casey Ferry Landing on Whidbey Island.

Most of my morning was spent at the dentist for my semi-annual visit with the hygienist. She is sweet enough but sitting in her chair is not my idea of a good time on one of the rare PNW pretty winter days. Double that sentiment on December 21, the shortest day of the year. From sunrise at 7:56 AM (that is 4 minutes before 8 AM if you think like I do) to sunset at 4:17 PM we do not have much daylight to play in. I am good about brushing and flossing, I don't know why it takes so long to polish my teeth but I've been seeing the same dentist and hygienist for years and we like to get caught up on each others lives. It was close to 11:00 before I was out of the chair and on my way to Whidbey Island with Ray and Rudy Valentine.
Our normal plan is to not have a plan. Ray got some pictures for me from the ferry deck while I sat in the truck with Rudy, waiting for my Advil to kick in. I have a nasty case of TMJ from a minor motorcycle wreck when I was 18. A trip to the dentist reminds me that my jaw is falling apart quicker than my teeth are succumbing to old age. Looking at his pictures reminded me of the days we used to participate in the Christmas bird count on Tweeter. Rudy does not have the same attitude toward birds that we do. He would love to catch one for lunch, not just count them. At least I think that is what all the singing is about when he sees one.
The short trip to Whidbey Island. The sky looks brighter across the sea than over Mukilteo.

First Stop, Langley, Washington on Whidbey Island.

I tried to get Rudy to sit by the boy and his dog, but Rudy doesn't like brass dogs any more than he likes ceramic bunnies. He was having nothing to do with Langley's brass boy.

Brass boy must have thought it was Mardi Gras. He has beads on.

Good ol' Bug Bear wasn't afraid of Brass Dog. He sat bravely for a picture.

The little park at the Langley Marina. For only $250 a night you too can wake up to this view. There are houses to rent. Between us we didn't have money for a cup of coffee so we will not be staying at the charming little house any time soon.

The brand new Ferry "Chetzemoka" that makes the run between Fort Casey and Port Townsend. I know that there is a reason behind the name. I am sure it is a contest winner and has a kewl meaning. But I don't get it. I know what a "moka" is, a popular Washington coffee drink (or is that Mocha?). But what is a Chetze? Ray's only comment was that someone needs to tune the engine. He thought it was making too much black exhaust for a new diesel.

The State Park at Fort Casey was nearly deserted except for an old guy in a Subaru who probably was counting birds for Christmas and a younger man who came down the trail from the Fort, sat on a picnic table and played his trumpet to the cold wind, probably until the trumpet got too cold for his lips to press against. Beautiful view, good music and interesting old guy counting birds while we ate our simple lunch in the truck looking at the birds.

From the truck we saw Golden Crowned Kinglets (a first for Ray), Zebra (or is it a white crown?) Sparrow, Song Sparrow, a Northern Flicker and a Spotted Tow Hee. There was a bunny too. There were more but as soon as I rolled down the window to take a picture, Rudy started singing that song of his and they all scattered. We hope to spend New Years Eve at Fort Casey but I think Ray works that night. We at least hope to get there sometime in January. Rudy can stay in the trailer while we say hello to the birds.

January is when we usually see Scotters in the Keystone ponds. It is so close to January that we made a stop at the ponds on our way back to the Clinton Ferry to look for them. To our mild disappointment they were not there. Common Mergansers and Buffelheads were in the ponds but no Scotters. On the ride back to Mukilteo we were given a window seat. There were flocks of birds at the ferry landing. I put my binoculars on them to see if I could discover more than the usual cormorants and buffel heads among the flocks of black birds.

Scotters. There were flocks of them at the Clinton docks. We've seen them here before but usually we find many more that are easier to see at Keystone. Whoo-hoo! We did get to see our favorite January bird (in December) before we left the island.

Remember those birds we saw at Mukilteo before we set out on our adventure? The birds that reminded us that this was a good time of year to see Scotters?

They were Scotters. (Yep, I can see that two of them were Buffelheads or Golden Eyes)

A little of this and that

2010-12-21T07:24:00.000-08:00

First light is softly penetrating low clouds. It assures me that I did not miss the historic Solstice eclipse. My neighbors bare pear tree makes an eerie view against the gray morning. It is almost a haunted setting for the day ahead. White Christmas is rare in the Pacific Northwest. We are quite fond of them when they do come but snow season is still a month away. We love bright Christmas lights for the cozy romance they bring to these dark December days.

The January Sunset Magazine came just the other day. It has me itching to garden, to cook and to travel. There was a feature article about a northern California family who do not fill a can of garbage in a year. Right now I am looking at two grocery sacks and a Costo Chex box sitting on the kitchen floor waiting to go to the trash bin. I don't want to make a big footprint, but I am sure that I do. One wasteful habit confronts me each morning before I am awake enough to think about the impact. My beloved Keurig coffee maker with its little plastic cups of ground coffee. I see the top of a carton of half and half in one of the sacks waiting to exit the house. Somewhere in one of those brown bags are the contents of my vacuum cleaner. I like my Dyson. It does not use bags and lives a long time. But I wonder if there is a better way to dispose of the waste. I see a used container of almond milk, used daily in my morning smoothie with a dollop of yogurt from a plastic tub. The flavor comes from berries that I find in clear plastic containers, probably shipped from Chili. This will take some thinking through. I am a smart woman, I can figure this out.

In the Garden: I enjoy reading Sunset's PNW garden advice. Sunset and The Westside Gardeners PNW timetable have often kept me from starting too late or too early. The Sunset guide has me in the mood to go shopping (was that me that was writing about cutting back?)
Grow a new rose. I am all over that! Something that I intend to learn to do this year is start a cutting garden. A new rose or two would fit the scheme! In Robe I had two roses that I adored. One was a deep dark sexy red that Jason rescued from a new home owner. It did not fit into her gardening scheme. It provided large flowers on long stems for the many years it lived with us. The other Robe rose was a yellow David Austin. More flowers than me or the bees knew what to do with. There was a season when I thought I would stick to all purples, lavenders and shades of cinnamon to salmon in the front flower garden. No yellows, pinks, reds or white. Now all I want are seasonal blossoms for my table. Last year I got sick of taking pictures of the same color again and again. I want wild abandon in the cutting garden and a new rose seems like a good place to burst out.

The Westside Gardener's "Vegetable Timetable" by Travis Saling
http://westsidegardener.com/quick/timetable.html

Fresh from the garden in January. Did you know there was something fresh from the garden in January? I have carrots in my garden. I should have kale and Brussels sprouts but I did not get my act together in July. Sunset is telling me that I can also have Jerusalem Artichokes fresh from the garden in January. They are far lower on the glycymic index than potatoes and easier to grow in the PNW than Sweet Potatoes. Since I garden in containers I should be safe to give them a go. Looks like they will need some tall support. I'm going to add that to my list of hard scape projects for Ray and Chris.

Wooden dowel clothes dryer (they come from China now and the price has shot through the sky!)
Ladder type trellis for vine crops.
Cold frame for the garden (why did I sell all my old window frames?)
Box garden with supports for Jerusalem Artichokes
Deck cover.

Now, to get ready to visit the Dental Hygienist. After that, Ray and I are going to Whidbey Island for the afternoon. I wonder what I have for a picnic?

Deborah.... who is delighted with the gray headed "angel" Not all of us angles are young and beautiful on the outside.

It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas

2010-12-20T11:32:00.000-08:00

We do not have a tree this year. We talked about going to get a little Charlie Brown tree for $5 from a neglected farm in Machias (between Lake Stevens and Granite Falls on Highway 92) but sadly (or not) when we drove by the farm was closed. As far as I can tell, a Christmas tree is pure pagan so I'm not really broke up about it. I've read the doo-dah's about it being evergreen like Jesus or something like that. I am not convinced. It still seems as pagan as a yule log. None the less, it is one of the scents that I enjoy this time of year.

The view out my window is in shades of deep green and gray. There is a damp chill in the air that persists. Even so, I put a jacket on me and another on Rudy; tucked my garden gloves and clippers into a paper grocery bag and walked to the green area behind the house. As much as he likes to cuddle, Rudy is a terrier at heart and needed to run and hunt rodents even if he needed to wear a jacket in the field. After all he is part chihuahua and longs for warmer places than western Washington. We made one loop around the pond with a side trip to the creek and I had enough boughs without doing damage to any one tree or wild holly. I did make a stop in the front yard for Laurel leaves and Spanish lavender that should have been trimmed at summers end to complete the bundle. Add new ribbon to old glass jars and the effect becomes all that I hoped for.

The last of the Christmas Cookies went with Ray to Kimberly Clark last night. They were just a day ahead of stale. Two weeks with the Jr-high spoiled my Christmas Cookie Plans. Not to worry. I have more ribbon and jam to give away. There are a few more biscotti that are fresh, wild blackberry and strawberry jams and Ray plans to make his mother's Nutz and Boltz to stuff into little bags. That should be enough. And if it isn't, please know that in my heart I wanted to find something expensive and unique for you, but it isn't happening this year.

By the way, The idea for pretty jars of greens came from reading Northwest Nature Nut at http://www.naturenutnotes.com/2010/12/holiday-goodness.html

The Jam idea was stolen from Momma Pea of A Homegrown Journal at
http://ahomegrownjournal.blogspot.com/2010/12/dear-mama-pea.html

Reclaiming Shalom

2010-12-11T08:50:00.001-08:00

I am taking back my house one corner at a time. I never lost my home like so many others. There are three men living in my home. I am related to all of them. Sometimes my house starts to look like a flop house or a drop off your stuff, cook and run because there is no time to clean up after yourself. I get it, I've sure done it. Let me back up a little bit.

I am the keeper of the keys at our house. As the only female, I am the one who wants my space to be more than functional even IF we never have anyone over because my guys need to sleep after working graveyard. Though no one else will see it or appreciate it I want vacuumed carpets and clean counter tops. I want the laundry folded and put away. I want the cupboard doors free of yucky greasy finger prints and the stove wiped clean after something has been fried. I don't even mind washing the pots that have been stacked near the sink (next to the empty bottles that have not made it to the recycle bin). I could fret and fuss all day. I want my corner to be Deb ready when I come out to settle in for time in the Word, for prayer and to check out what is going on at facebook. There is no peace on earth to be found in my little corner! How am I expected to pray for my friend and fellow teacher, Eva, whose class I have been subbing in because this young mother has developed an infection in the lining of her lungs and can hardly take a deep breath, never mind that it is hard for her to just get dressed she is so run down. How can I pray for my Uncle Chuck who is scaring my mom with his blood infection (whatever that is?) and trip to hospital? And what about my other dear friend and fellow teacher, Crystal who is also home sick, though she is also young and strong. I just read on facebook that her husband has lost his job, I need my peaceful corner to pray for Crystal. And c'mon, my Pastor has been in and out of the hospital, his wife, another fellow teacher, is tightly wound and trying not to fret, don't I need my corner for that? Oh, and Ray, who has the unhappy job of sending guys home early from work just when they need the money the most, because management doesn't want to do the job. These beloved friends and family need to be prayed for and there is no peace in my place on earth!

Contentment is an inside job. That is the words that used to greet me at my desk in Robe Valley. Contentment is not about the circumstances in my living room. It isn't about wishing someone else had vacuumed or rebooted the dishwasher. It is about the peace that comes because my Savior, my Y'shua has Shalom for me that is greater than my irritation at the family I love for not treating me like the queen of everything. A place on earth to meet with my Lord is nice, but nicer still is my Lord dwelling in me. No props needed. So I lean against the back of a chair, catch my breath and begin to remember just who it is that I serve, that there is much for me to do for those who live in my house, it is my pleasure to serve them as unto my Lord. I only fret when I get fussy that they are not serving me. It isn't even true that they don't serve me, they do so much for me.

It has been a crazy week. I have loved just about every moment. Today is the Sabbath, but I was looking for the wrong kind of rest. It is my soul that needs to rest in the Spirit. I intend to take back my house a corner at a time just for the joy that it gives to all of us, but my rest will be in Y'shua. He is my Peace on Earth, Shalom is here, even in the clutter. Today I want to bless the mess with the love given to me by my Lord, praying while I polish; sharing the soul rest that has been given to me on this Sabbath Day.

Legacy

2010-12-08T05:43:00.000-08:00

I know next to nothing about Mrs. Edwards except that her husband was a politician. I saw this quote on Breathless Expectation, a blog I have only reciently discovered.

"The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered, we know that. And yes, there are certainly times when we aren't able to muster as much strength and patience as we would like. It's called being human. But I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious. And for that I am grateful." -elizabeth edwards

The Light of the World

2010-12-05T06:55:00.001-08:00

Spent a quiet evening at home, just Ray and I on the 4^th night of Channukah remembering Y'shua, the light of the world.

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12 RSV

As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." John 9:5

But where is Y'shua/Jesus now? Where is the light? The Word made flesh, born to the woman, where is he? The man, the king of Israel, bruised, betrayed and bloody by the hand of men whom he so loved, where is he? Didn't he say that as long as he is in the world that he is the light of the world?

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16

We who are his servants have his light, his truth. For a Messianic like me, Channukah is not about a romantic flame, it isn't about jelly doughnuts and good food. The candles and the food, the traditions of giving are all part of Channukah but they are not what make the eight days precious to me. Remember Acts chapter 2? All were gathered in a room after the 50 days of Shavuot (Pentecost) when suddenly the room was filled with the sound of a roaring wind (a mighty groaning Spirit, AENT footnote) and fire sat upon every one of them. The Spirit appeared to them like tongues of flame. It was the Channukah of the Spirit of Elohim, The servant lit all who followed him, giving light to the world. Y'shua lives in me, in each of us who believe that he is the Messiah, the Son of the living Elohim.

For you have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3

And how have you who believe died?

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

Our life is the light of truth. Each of us who believe has experienced this life at a point in time. The Sprit of Elohim lives in us so that the Light of Life, the Messiah, is in the world because he lives in me, in you who believe. Let the light of your life shine before men in such a way that we give glory to Elohim.

as it is my eager expectation and hope that I shall not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. Philippians 1:20

Happy Holidays

2010-12-04T08:55:00.000-08:00

As close as I could come to a wreath. The frosty grass that should not be growing around my paving stone. YHVH give grace on this 4th day of Channakah

Kislev 25, The First Night of Channukah

2010-12-02T08:14:00.001-08:00

It makes sense to me that a whole week is given to celebrate the light of the world. On our calendar, December 1^st was the start of Channukah or Hanukah (however you choose to transliterate the Hebrew characters) I'm still not very good at the traditions. I was raised with Christmas. I still cherish Christmas breakfast with my family. But I have come to a place in my life that I look forward to the 8 days of Channukah.

Just about everyone who follows "The Way" knows that the only place in the Bible that speaks of Channukah is in the New Testament.

And the Feast of Dedication occurred in (Jerusalem) and it was winter. And Y'shua/Jesus was walking into the Temple in the porch of Shleemon/Solomon. And the Yehudeans/Judeans surrounded him and said to him, "How long will you hold over our souls if you are the Mashiyach/Christ? Tell us openly. Y'shua answered and said to them, "I have told you and you do not believe! Yochanan/John 10:22-25

The center candle on the Channukah Menorah is the Servant which brings light to the others, just as Y'shua came into the world to bring light to us. He is the one who lit the flame of Acts 2 in the upper room. He is the one who said to let your light shine. Consider lighting a Menorah this week and learning of the Light of the World. Often it is said of Christmas that it is a time of magic for children, a time when adults become like children. For the community of believers in Y'shua/Jesus we are encouraged to leave childish things behind (1 Corinthians 13) The Light of the World is Truth. It is truth that illumines men, not made up explanations about candy canes and evergreen boughs.

As Messianics we believe that Y'shua was born during the fall feast of Sukkoth but that he was conceived during Channukah. John Parsons of Hebrew for Christians teaches that Channukah is probably a 2^nd Sukkoth celebration, a rededication of the Temple after it was defiled at the time of the Maccabaeus. So again, it makes sense to me that we celebrate the Light of the World, the very Son of Elohim, The Word made flesh who came to dedicate us as the temple of God.

Want to join our celebration but do not know where to start? Hebrew for Christians is a perfect place. A quick google or bing search (Messianic Channukah) will bring all kinds of pages for you to read. Be careful, there are many pages that are strictly tradition. Interesting to read but not honoring to the one who came to illumine your soul, to give you life by giving his life. Keep it simple but ask the Spirit of Elohim to open your eyes. He will not let you down.

"…I HAVE told you and you do not believe!" Yochanan 10:25b
But those who did receive Him He gave to them authority that they might be sons of Elohim, those who have believed in His Name. Yochanan 1:12

Aramaic English New Testament

Christmas Cookie Time

2010-11-29T15:47:00.000-08:00

For many years now Ray and I have been celebrating Hanukkah to the best of our ability. With the exception of family gatherings, we celebrated Hanukkah exclusively until both boys moved home. They both still love Christmas. But no matter what our spiritual or material focus, I tend to change seasons by baking cookies to give as gifts. I used to send them all to local fire departments. But these days I just give them away to friends and co-workers (both mine and Ray's). The house smells amazing! Now if we can all just stay out of them until they bring joy to our cookie and coffee loving friends.

I put together a list of the cookies, some even have links to my recipes, on Music of Rain. I noticed that I forgot two of Ray's mom's cookies. He will surly be making that marshmallow cream fudge that I wish I could dislike (just for the ingredients) and Rum Balls. Wicked good!

http://musicofrain.wordpress.com/2010/11/28/christmas-cookies/
As the overworked waitress likes to say, "Enjoy"

National Buy Nothing Day

2010-11-28T06:34:00.000-08:00

In the 70's we called the day after Thanksgiving, "Black Friday". It was our protest than. Now Black Friday means something entirely different. The children of old hippies call it "National Buy Nothing Day".

It has never made sense to me, spending Thursday giving thanks for all that God has done for us in the last year, only to get up early on Friday for a wild spending spree. If I am going to be honest, I have to admit that not buying anything the day after Thanksgiving was not my primary motive. I married a wild man. Together we raised boys on a mountain valley right next door to where the wild things are. We did sit down at the kitchen table for meals but going to grandma's house for Thanksgiving was a formal affair for my country boys. No overalls or barn boots, NO FIGHTS. I spent most of my year preparing them to keep their elbows off the table and their arms at their sides. Say, "Please" before "pass the potatoes," do not take that last serving of anything, no gas wars, and clean up your plate before you take it to the sink. I was happy with my boys when we got into the car to go home. If they did some foe-pah, I would hear about it later. We had a whole year to work on it. The promised reward? On Friday we take left-overs and go sledding!

Even when T-day was spent at one of the grandma's homes, I still made a Turkey and pumpkin pie. We would need sandwiches and dessert for Friday. Ray would pack a feast into the jeep while we got pillows, sleeping bags and snow clothes into the back seat with a nice nest for any dogs we had at the time. Sometimes we were on the road before first light, sometimes not, it was a casual day of music for our children's hearts and "I spy with my little eye" all the way to the Y. The Y is the gas station that marks the corner where sledders turn off of Stevens Pass to Blewett Pass in Washington State. Dad can make sure we have enough gasoline in the tank, mom can get coffees, licorice and bags of nuts to sustain us on the final leg of our journey.

There was always a crowd of families who made the journey. There must have been lots of good boys at grandma's table the day before. I cannot believe how blessed we have been. The sledding area is not for the faint of heart. Ray had so many pictures of both boys while they had air time. No broken bones, no cracked heads. Only the occasional bruised sit-down on our wild boys. Chris tended to plan for distance, Jason for height. Me? I spent the afternoon laughing and prayed for safety.

At dusk, which comes early in the Northwest, we would drag our tired but still raring to go boys into the car. As long as we were this far we would end our night with a drive through Leavenworth to see the Christmas lights. A few oohs and awes before heading home where everyone was sure to sleep sound, except for Dad who had to unload the car.

This year we remembered those days while snuggled up together on the couch in front of the TV. I guess we got old. We might still get ourselves to Leavenworth before Christmas for a new ornament. We don't really celebrate Christmas much any more but we love the traditions, the lights and the music. Our boys still love Christmas. Maybe we will go find a fresh tree somewhere. But that will be another story.

Turkey Thyme

2010-11-23T09:06:00.000-08:00

I am wondering if all the sunny essence has gone to sleep. I'll let you know after Thanksgiving dinner. The Rosemary and sage are in a similar hibernation.

First Snow

2010-11-21T12:31:00.000-08:00

First snow in South Everett today. A good time to slow down enough to take a picture of the rose that is too cold to give her perfume.

I've been crazy busy with school for the last two months. Missed you guys too.

This is the sign of the Covenant

2010-10-09T11:25:00.001-07:00

"I (Elohim) set my bow in the cloud and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.

But is the bow in the cloud the sign of the covenant between Noach (Noah) and his descendents? It sure could be. It is what I have always been taught.

I am still learning Hebrew. I still cannot sit down with the Torah and just read. I am learning though it seems that I am slow. Even so, light still manages to break through. The word translated "This" in Genesis 9:12 is the Hebrew word "Zayin-aleph-tav". "Aleph-tav" is the base word, a picture of the God of the Cross. The Aleph is the strong leader, God. Tav is the sign letter. When Moses developed his aleph-bet, the Tav was the cross. Throughout the Torah, Aleph-Tav is untranslated unless it suits the need of the translator. Generally it is simply skipped over. But in Revelation 1, Jesus introduced himself to John as, "the Alpha and Omega" which is the Greek equivalent to Alaph-Tav, the God of the Cross.

In Genesis 9:12, Aleph-Tav is prefixed with Zayin, the sword. The sword of the God of the Cross. You may wonder, what made me think that this sword of the God of the Cross is the Word of God. It was the Apostle Paul who told the Ephesians that the full armor of God included "the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God" Ephesians 6:17. But wait, there is more! The person introduced to us in Isaiah 42:1, speaks for himself in Isaiah 49:2 when he says, "He (YHVH) made my mouth like a sharp sword". The writer of Hebrews (4:12) proclaimed that the Word of God is sharper than any sword that it could be compared to. And when John gave the Revelation, He told of the Son from whose mouth came a sharp two edge sword (Revelation 1:16) which is used to make war (Revelation 2:16).

How effective is the Sword of the God of the Cross? The Apostle Paul taught that it is unlike ANY earthly weapon in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. We do not wage ware like the rest of the world.

Matthew 26:51-52. Peter did not understand the weapon of divine warfare on the night of the arrest of Jesus. He pulled a weapon from its sheath and cut off an ear. Rebuke for Peter and restoration for the one whose ear was sliced off was the result. By Acts 2:37 Peter knows how to use the Sword of the God of the Cross, and the crowd is "cut to the quick".

When Simion spoke to Mary he said, "a sword will pierce through your own soul… " I am sure it was the sword of the Spirit that he spoke of. Luke 2:35

In this world, the sword brings death. It is used to defend oneself or to be an aggressor. It is interesting to me that an earthly sword is not used to punish offenders. Instead, the children of Elohim are instructed to stone those who have committed a capital offense. The sword of God, the Word, brings life, not death. From the time of Eve, the enemy of souls has asked us to choose a way that makes us our own god, decider of our own fate instead of standing our ground in faith on the Word of God, which is the sign of covenant between Elohim and we who have descended from Noah.

A New Day; Luke 9:18-22

2010-08-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

There were a few things that I learned from commentaries on this passage of Scripture. Generally I like to complete my study BEFORE I look at a commentary. Luke 9:18-22 seems straight forward enough. As a matter of fact, it seems like all the information I glean from this passage has been given to me in the chapters and verses that came before. Praise Elohim for minds that are wiser than my own.

This is the first time Luke does not have Y'shua praying alone (Luke 4:42, 5:16, 6:12)

And while he prayed alone with his disciples, he asked them and said, "Who do the crowds say about me that I am?" Luke 9:18 AENT

My human mind is able to gather facts but there are times that truth comes by the breath of Elohim and his word, in my heart or lap. Herod asked who the people said Y'shua is. None of their answers rang true to him. But there is no evidence that Herod was able to put the facts and opinions together to come up with the truth. His fear told him one thing, his servants were divided over different answers, but none of their answers were the truth.

When YHWH puts a question on your heart (like he did to Herod, like Y'shua did with the disciples), where do you go to find the answer? Even though today we "see as by a mirror, in dark reflection;..." 1 Corinthians 13:12a and must request "That the Elohim of our Master Y'shua the Mashiyach, the Father of glory, may give to you the Spirit of Wisdom and of revelation in the recognition of him. And that the eyes of your hearts may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, ..." Ephesians 1:17-18 we can still run to prayer with the Word for Truth.

Pray with others. I can testify that he speaks to individuals (glory of glories) but has promised to be in the midst of two or more who gather together (Matthew 18:20) Who do you say that he is?

The One who sets us free must suffer.

Then he said to them that he, the Son of man, would suffer many things and that the elders and chief priests, and scribes would reject him. And they would kill him and on the third day he would arise. Luke 9:22

It shocks me that the very man who has already set two people free from the grip of death, who has healed sickness that no doctor can cure and sets men free from the dark spirits that have taken hold of them cannot prevent his own suffering. At the cross the crowd will taunt him, "he saved others, he cannot save himself" But he did not come to save himself, he came to save me, to save you, and the cost was overwhelming. He paid the whole cost. In return he will ask that we pick up our cross (the penalty for sedition in Rome) and follow him as our only King.

Don't decide this emotionally, go to prayer, challenge him to be real to you. A cross will not be thrust upon you. You cannot inherit the result of someone else picking up the cross, you must prayerfully pick up your own.

He was in the world, and the world existed by His hand and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But those who did receive Him He gave to them authority that they might be the sons of Elohim, those who have believed in His name. Those who neither by blood nor by the will of the flesh nor by the will of a man, rather were begotten by Elohim. Yochanan (John) 1:10-13

I am my brother’s keeper. Luke 9:12-17

2010-08-12T08:36:00.001-07:00

"You give them something to eat."

I find it easy to put a wall around my heart. My deepest joy is in breathing in the breath of Elohim. Even so, for reasons that are difficult for me to understand, the wound I feel when people belittle me for what I do (or fail to do for them) and the rejection they express for my Messiah and his Father, hurts. Being a spiritual beggar is not a burden most of the time. Being dependent on the grace, the loving kindness of an unseen but very real bride-groom is an amazing way to live.

I live in an era when tolerance for others is the demand of the day. The tension of life is that I am not to "shove my religion down their throats." My solution tends to be isolation, living behind the walls of my secret garden, not wanting to lick my own wounds or be responsible for offending others. Except that the way I choose to conduct my life within my walls is not walking in the freedom that Y'shua has called me to. You may well wonder what this has to do with the passage of Luke that is under consideration today.

Now the day was ending, and the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the crowd away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and get something to eat; for here we are in a desolate place." But He said to them, "You give them something to eat!" And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless perhaps we go and buy food for all these people." (For there were about five thousand men.) And He said to His disciples, "Have them sit down to eat in groups of about fifty each." They did so, and had them all sit down. Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them, and broke them, and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the people. And they all ate and were satisfied; and the broken pieces which they had left over were picked up, twelve baskets full. Luke 9:12-17 NASU

Everything in the first half of this chapter received a delightful "Amen" from the depth of my soul. Receiving power and authority to fight the enemy as I proclaim the kingdom is a challenge I willingly accept (though I, like the disciples, did not fully understand it). Becoming a spiritual beggar as I go from town to town without personal means, without a backpack or money to provide for myself seemed like a reasonable challenge. Being dependent on strangers, just as Elijah was upon the widow sounds acceptable to me. But to have others dependent upon me? What do I have to give? And that is just the point that Y'shua is making. Because I have nothing to give but my faith in Him, He is showing me that I have all that I need.

Like the twelve, I feel some level of compassion for those who come to hear the message of life. Let them go and find rest and food in the world. Let them be dependent upon strangers as I have been. But my King, my bride-groom asks me to provide for them. I am sure he said the some thing to the widow of Zarephath. (1 Kings 17:8-16 ) Like her, I look at what I have and realize there is only enough for a little cake of bread for me and mine. I simply cannot fathom how I can feed others. I even protest, "I cannot make others want you my Y'shua." He quickly reminds me that "making others want him" is not in my job description.

But what do I have for them? The little I have in this world is not elegant, it is not desirable. What satisfies me is not the food of proper hospitality, it is not worthy of a buffet fit for guests of a king. But my beloved asks me to trust Him, not the resources. Bring to Him what I have. After all, even what the twelve brought to him was not theirs; it was a gift from a stranger (John 6:9). It was hardly enough for them, but for such a crowd? Surly Y'shua meant to send the crowd to proclaim the Kingdom, to depend upon the hospitality of strangers just as he had sent them to do. The Twelve had come to rest and revel in the accomplishments of the past. Now Y'shua commands them to feed this crowd, to live before them what they have been proclaiming and like me, there is, perhaps, a deep feeling of not being adequate. "You give them something… " Prepare them as if the caterer has arrived, knowing that you have placed what you have in Y'shua's hands. Knowing that there is only water in the jars (John 2:6-11). But I am willing to obey, to be seen as the fool for my beloved. Stepping outside of my comfort zone, I organize the people he has prepared to receive. He has fed their souls, and as his beloved, I will obey him because I have believed him.

It isn't the bread that is broken so much as my heart. He picks it up, he blesses it and keeps giving to the bride, to set before the people. In my broken heart is the secret of satisfaction, the filling of the Messiah of Elohim. His love has both broken and expanded my heart. He breaks down my wall and his own loving kindness gushes out. I give him my inadequate love, my heart, and he breaks it, feeding the many love hungry souls (as I once was) and wonder of wonders, gives me not twelve times what I gave him, but twelve baskets full.

My cup overflows in the valley of the shadow of death. And truly goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life! (Psalm 23)

Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples ventured to question Him, "Who are You?" knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.

So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My lambs." He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Shepherd My sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Tend My sheep. John 21:12-17 NASU

A Weekend in the Rainforest

2010-08-10T07:56:00.000-07:00

We came for a wedding. Ben and Rebeca sent an invitation for us to witness their covenant to forsake all others, in good-times and difficult, to love, to cherish, until death parts them. A beautiful couple, a good match. Family came, everything was ready.

Ray and I also came, anticipating a warm August weekend both in solar heat and family. Family was warm but during this unusual weather year, the rain forest lived up to its name. Generally we can count on days of sunny bliss in August. Not so this year. At the last minute the wedding was moved to a hall in Arlington. Maybe not as breath-taking of a setting, but a place were the promise of growing love and commitment was made just as sincerely. Even so, Ray and I stayed at Turlo Campground in Robe Valley and remembered why we love this place.... and why we are now content to visit instead of living there.

The plan was to walk as many of the old paths that we once counted as familiar friends. We had a good start but the wet kept us close to the trailer. We marched all over Turlo and Verlot. Chris came with Bomber on Saturday. He and I walked while Ray slept. The noise in the Hall pierced through Ray's temple and he needed time to relax the sound away. The rains were just starting, softly on our faces, a sensation I miss in town. What I had forgotten was how these soft rains can leave me feeling wetter inside my clothes then outside. A simple walk left our skin soaked but not our jackets.

Twilight comes early in a mountain valley. The sun sinks into the fingers that are the cragy peeks the encircle the river. There is no TV, not Internet or cell-service to interrupt our appreciation of all that the Creator, Elohim, has provided in this portion of His Creation. Never mind that the cloud cover was low and thick. There was no star-gazing to be done, but the rain was there to sing her lullaby on our tin (aluminum actually) trailer roof. It is a song we adore when it only lasts a night or two. In the morning, the song of the Thrush was missing. But the blue Stellar Jay could be heard. It brought a smile to both of us.

Breakfast at a cafe in town for a final family gathering before we all went our own ways again. It is sweet to be part of such a big, raucous group. So many little ones, just as it should be. We laughed, we teased, we got caught up with each others lives, than we hugged good-by (till we meet again.

Back to the rain forest for Ray and I for yet one more night to relax in the embrace of her wet love. A little Geo-caching (very little), a little camp cooking, a lot of kicking back and just talking of what comes next for us. Dreaming.

Congratulations Ben and Rebeca. We pray for you that love serve you well. We pray that the one who proclaimed, "the two shall become one" be precious to you. Honor Him and He will walk with you, in good times and bad, and you both shall live. The favor of Elohim, who brought you together shine on your marriage from this day forward.

Oregon Spring in Washington

2010-08-05T06:58:00.000-07:00

I realize that the rest of the country has been busy keeping up with their tomato harvest. I read about stewing and saucing, canning and freezing. They brag (maybe they are not bragging) about neighbors who run and hide when they come with yet another paper sack of beautiful red tomatoes.

Green has been the dominant color in the tomato patch this cold, wet, western Washington season. The peas held on to the end of July, Lettuce keeps giving and giving, and I have learned to love garden greens, but the tomatoes that grace my meals come from Trader Joe's. The cucumbers had to be replanted three times before they were able to do anything but rot in the ground. Even now, the vines that I celebrate are not doing much, if there is a home-grown cucumber before the end of the season I will be delighted. But pickles? Forget about it.

Just this morning I was talking myself into being content with just the pretty pink sunrise, the kind that seems to foretell a storm. My country is not at war, my children are not starving and my husband still proclaims his love for me. I am blessed beyond what most of the world is able to grasp yet I easily take it for granted and start to fuss about how God is maybe too busy to remember me. Peh-shaw (as Leah used to say). After a moment of praise in the pink light of the sunrise the words of Lamentations 3:22-23 began to roll through my head. The steadfast love of The LORD never ceases, His mercies never come to an end. That is how I learned it. Here it is from the Complete Jewish Bible.

But in my mind I keep returning to something,

something that gives me hope -

that the grace of ADONAI is not exhausted,

that his compassion has not ended.

[On the contrary,] they are new every morning!

How great your faithfulness!

All this from a tomato that is just beginning to blush.

Thursday, August 5; Thunderstorms could roll through this morning but the afternoon should be hot (by PNW standards) reaching the upper 70's to mid 80's. Still muggy out.

Flowers of Olympic National Park

2010-07-31T04:25:00.000-07:00

Day Trippen, round trip from our home in Everett to Obstruction Point Road off of Hurricane Ridge Road in Olympic National Park. A sunny Friday On July 30th. Most of the park was nearly shoulder to shoulder crowded. Unlike Mt Rainer National Park, the vast majority of the cars we saw had Washington State plates on them. In Rainer nearly one third to half of the cars have out of state or Canadian plates. The Olympics are our little big secret.

My submission for Fertlizer Friday....

July Vacation 2010

2010-07-28T07:14:00.000-07:00

We started with Family Camp at Silver Lake in Watcom County. We were both feeling run down because of the theft of our car. I think everyone else at family camp just thought we were anti-social jerks. The blues will do that to you.

We tried to have some fun at Family Camp. This is the one trip that Ray puts on the pink... Pink Flamingo that is. Deb has a collection of Pink Flamingos that Ray displays at Family Camp. I don't think anyone else appreciates it, but we have fun with it.

This is the only evidence that Chris was with us.... his truck and some kayaks. I think he might have been feeling the weight of loosing the car too. He ended up not putting the boats in the water.... which sort of added to our anti-social jerk status (he brings them for the campers). The day we were going to launch the kayaks, we went for a morning walk. All kinds of weirdness happened on our way to the beach. Ray was after a geo-cache, Chris was feeling our stress, and me? Way out in the forest where it was hot and muggy, while in a dress and boat shoes. I drew an arrow in the path to let the guys know I went back to camp, Rudy panicked when he could not find me, Chris was caught between finding what happened to Ray and needing to be on the beach. When we all met back up at camp we felt better even though a bit guilty about missing the group at the beach. God bless Barb for checking on us (sorry about that Barb). Really, we do love our church, but just couldn't take care of beach fun this year. We did not hear one way or the other if it was an issue for anyone. I should have said something, but it did not seem right at the time. Oh well.

The pictures are out of order. This is the first day at Salt Creek on the Straight of Juan de Fuca. The first pretty day of vacation. Before sunset the fog rolled in thick.

Later that same day at Salt Creek. Or maybe this was the next morning. Ray and I went for a walk while Jason slept.

Beach Hoodoo that someone made from kelp and drift wood

What happens when a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it? I don't know if it makes a sound or not but it does get pretty with fungus things.

Canada is out there somewhere

Found the beach at the end of the trail.

One of many tide pools

I remember years ago when our local beach was still covered with shell fish.

On our last day the sun burst through. It was my only chance to get out for sunset pics. I came close! But I am such a dope. I kept glancing up at the sun to check how close it was to setting. I had such a headache from that. I bailed before it actually set but I like the pictures all the same.

We got Rudy out on the Kayak twice during vacation. I would not go so far as to say he liked it, but he was OK with it. He jumped on by himself, even walking through the water the second time to get on board. If you knew my Rudy you would know what a big deal that was. He doesn't like water, even though if Ray or I are taking a shower he wants one too.

We survived and a good time was had by all (for the most part at least)

More Vacation--Purple Haze in Sequim

2010-07-28T06:56:00.001-07:00

When we first pulled in the back of that truck was full of lavender. That guy is FAST. Purple Haze is our first stop for lavender. The first farm we ever visited while in Dungeness, the first place where we fell in love with all things lavender. Apparently we are not alone.

Washington State has experienced one of the coldest, wettest spring and early summers that I can remember. Sequim is in the "Rain Shadow" of western Washington, meaning that they do not get much rain. Even so, this year it was gloomy and cold. The fields are still stunning but usually I catch the scent of Lavender well before I can see the fields. Not so this year. I did not notice the scent until I went into the gift shop.

Purple Haze gardens. Below is Jason, just back from saying hello to the Peacocks.

More Vacation--Jardin du Soleil in Sequim

2010-07-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

Maybe it was the scent of the lavender that calmed our spirits. Maybe it was exhausted acceptance of our Honda. We were just a little calmer by the time we started walking through the lavender fields of Sequim. So much overwhelming beauty. Chris came to family camp with us. He had to get back to work before Sequim. Jason hoped to paddle Sequim Bay with his dad but it was so cold and we were so down about the car that we walked all over the place but did not get the boats into the water.

Jason and me at J du S. He didn't even make fun of us for loving the Lavender. I think he would have rather put paddles in the water, but there were a few geo-caches to find with his dad. That helped.

Jason across the field.

Do you see what I saw?

One of the many sample gardens. Always before there has been brilliant blue sky, even in the early part of the day, but not this year. The rain held off but the gloom of gray skies and fog wrapped itself around us. The nice thing is that I get heat sick easily, that was not an issue this year.

My Ray (should I get cheesy and say ....of sunshine?)

I never noticed that the shop was gray. It blends right into the sky.

First Day of Vacation, July 15

2010-07-28T06:15:00.000-07:00

This was how we started our vacation.

A stop at the tow-lot to look at the Honda.

A call that our car had been recovered. There was not enough of it left to put it back together. Allstate paid $1,400 for it. Better than nothing but it doesn't get me back on the road. We thought we were handling the theft OK, but we were a little on the blue side at family camp. Did not even take a single picture there.

Fishers of Men, Luke 9:10-11

2010-07-12T08:44:00.001-07:00

One of the things that makes me go, "Humm" is remembering that Y'shua told his first followers that he would make them "fishers of men". Right after he sent them to minister, he took them to Bethsaida, The House of Fishermen.

When the apostles returned, they gave an account to Him of all that they had done. Taking them with Him, He withdrew by Himself to a city called Bethsaida. But the crowds were aware of this and followed Him; and welcoming them, He began speaking to them about the kingdom of God and curing those who had need of healing. Luke 9:10-11 NASU

The twelve had been gifted with power and authority over demons and disease before being sent out with the challenge to bring nothing but dependence on prayer, to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. http://songs-of-coming-rain.blogspot.com/2010/07/luke-9-1-6.html

The twelve return and give a report of what happened while they are out there, without money, without a pack, dependent on prayer and the kindness of strangers as they tell of the coming kingdom of God. Y'shua takes them to Bethsaida, translated "house of fishermen". The crowds come after them. And what does Y'shua do? The very thing that he sent the twelve out to do. Proclaim the kingdom of God and heal those who had need of it.

I have read that the twelve must have been exhausted. I have read that Y'shua himself must have been depressed about the death of John the Baptist. I know that when I write it is easy to insert thoughts into a text that are not there. I do not blame the authors of commentaries for saying these things. They actually make sense. But I have this nagging thought in the back of my head that says, they were all energized. The Joy of the LORD is strength. Nehemiah 8:10b and in John 4:31-33 He tells his disciples that his very food is to do the will of the Father who sent him. There is no hint of exhaustion or depression as Luke tells us that when the crowds followed him, He picked right up with the testimony of the kingdom of God and healing.

What is it that makes me "weary in well doing?" It does happen. I suspect that I have a selfish nature, one that cares more about me. I think my "powerlessness" is a source of depression. But am I powerless? What do I know of being a Spiritual beggar? As I considered how I could make application of chapter 9, verses 1-6, I had a difficult time imagining not bringing my "stuff" for my own comfort. That can wear a girl out. At some point I have picked up Martha's attitude, that the practice of hospitality is a lot of work that requires help. Mary chose to listen to the LORD while Martha fussed. I want to spend my 10 minutes in prayer and get on with it. My personal challenge is to become a spiritual beggar and to depend on Y'shua this week more then on myself. I suspect I will be given many opportunities. I want to pass the test. I want to live in victory.

I adore how this short passage ends, with yet another example of Y'shua welcoming the crowds to tell them of the kingdom and healing them. I like getting out and seeing the Spirit of God at work in my life, then watching a master do what I just stumbled through to show me how to go deeper.

May YHVH show you favor as you come begging at his throne today.

The Sunset Rose

2010-07-10T07:54:00.000-07:00

Today: I noticed this rose was open last night when we walked the dogs. It was a slightly deeper yellow last night. Can you see the slight ping tinge? That is what makes me think of the sunset.

The same bud yesterday.

Saturday, July 10: Morning fog, significantly cooler and partially cloudy. Highs in the mid 70's.

Fertilizer Friday on July 9

2010-07-09T08:04:00.000-07:00

Oregon Spring

There is a very sweet gal who goes by Tootsie. She has people all over the web posting beautiful pictures of what is blooming in their gardens on Fridays. I have been looking at some amazing gardens. I'm not really much good with flowers. If I look carefully I can find a few that grow simply by dumb luck. In honor of Tootsie (and all the pages I look at that led me to her) here is a Fertilizer Friday from a vegetable gardener in Everett, Washington.

Early Blue Still not a flower, but It did look pretty in the morning light.

Rabbit Ear or Spanish Lavender.... It depends on who you ask. This grows in the front garden with hardly even a thank you.

No idea what this is. (OK, I do know it is a Rose) Ray rescued it from a tangle of weeds in the back garden and moved it near the sidewalk. It looks like a yellow rose (duh) with red flames (double duh) but as it opens it will have just about all the colors of the sunset at different stages.

It probably is not easy to tell, but this is white lavender, just getting ready to burst into blossom. . . . if you can classify lavender as "bursting" into blossom.

Is this a weed? It came up through the mint by the north fence. What ever it is, I rather like it.

Miss Kathryn Pink Lavender, the first to blossom, the first to need snipping. It smells a little on the purfumy side to cook with. I like a tad more camphor to balance the sweet for cooking. But I had to clip and pic the first. Sweet Melissa is blooming by the back gate. The Hidcote keeps getting a darker shade of purple every day. The Provence looks like it is struggling to blossom but is quite alive and I am hopeful to have a bit of this classic for my herb tin.

HOT (ok, hot for the PNW) Highs kissing 90 degrees, clear blue sky.

First Lavender 2010

2010-07-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

First Lavender of 2010 in Everett. Miss Kathrine, short pink.

Now I need to change my aviator. Then I will be stuck in my room for most of the day with the AC. I get sick in the heat (people down south will be laughing that above 83 degrees is hot enough to make me sick!!) But I have my bouquet to sniff and keep myself mellow. Meanwhile, grow, grow, grow (that was for the tomatoes and pumpkins)

Thursday, July 8: Heat advisory, highs in the lower 90's, clear, blue sky.

Luke 9:7-9 Have you Heard of Y’shua or do you Know Him? Part 1

2010-07-07T09:57:00.001-07:00

From the day that John the Baptizer was arrested by Herod Antipas (the tetrarch), Y'shua had been standing in Herod's front yard proclaiming the Kingdom of God. Masses of people came to hear him. They witnessed healing, freedom from demonic powers and even resurrections. Who was this man?

Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Eli'jah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen. Herod said, "John I beheaded; but who is this about whom I hear such things?" And he sought to see him.

Luke 9:7-9 RSV

Peter said, "The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." 2 Peter 3:9 The social outcasts like the woman with the flow of blood is as important as a synagogue official. This Herod, the son of Herod the Great who killed the babies of Bethlehem, hoping to kill the King of the Jews in that bloody sweep, will also have a chance to be saved by faith. Unfortunately for this Herod, he will go down in history as one who hears the word but does not understand it. Luke 8:5 and 12

It stuns me to realize the gift of mercy that was given to Herod Antipas. The words of Joseph, sold into slavery by his brothers, could be said of John to Herod Antipas, "As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good. . ." Gen 50:20a Elohim sent two witnesses to Herod. The first was John the Baptizer. The other was less well known but may have had at least as much influence.

John feared no man. At the risk of an audit (at least in my world) he witnessed to tax collectors. He called on soldiers to repent without fear of reprisal. He not only spoke the truth to the religious but told them of his disgust (you brood of vipers!) Luke 3:12-14 It should not shock me that John would proclaim the message of "repent" to the self proclaimed "king", the tetrarch of Galilee. FF Bruce, in New Testament History, records that Antipas visited his brother Philip at Philip's home, where he fell for his sister-in-law. He divorced his wife of 20 years to have her. Torah allows a man to marry his sister-in-law IF her husband has died without a child. Phillip was still alive and she obviously had a child. John spoke to his face about their sin. Antipas could not have the popular preacher inciting the crowds against him. He had him arrested. Scripture records that he "liked to listen to him" and I'm fairly sure they didn't swap stories of their childhood. Herod had private audiences with the forerunner of Messiah.

There is a hint of another witness at a personal level in Luke 8. As Y'shua went from town to town proclaiming the gospel, a group of regulars accompanied him. Among them is a woman by the name of Joan'na, the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward. The wife of the man who has the most trusted and constant access to Antipas was a close and constant follower of Y'shua. Luke 8:1-3

For Luke to say that "Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done…. " seems like an understatement.

My dad is a mechanic. I watched him work on cars for most of my childhood. I've listened to him tell others what could be done to make their cars or boats run well. Sometimes I can listen to a squeal or a ping and can correctly say what the problem is because of my time with my dad. Just as often I get it all wrong. My dad used to say about me that I know just enough to be dangerous. My brothers tell me that I am mechanically inclined because I can screw up anything. (they bought me the T-shirt). After all the time I spent listening to my dad and watching him work on cars, I was absolutely clueless the first time I had to change the oil in my car. I don't know cars, I know about them. And I do know enough to be dangerous. While driving my youngest to work early one morning I watched the temperature rise in my car. My solution, much to my son's horror, was to drive faster to get more air flow and maybe cool the engine. Jason, who does know more about cars then me even though he never (as far as I know) spent time with my dad in his garage, knew we needed to pull over and shut things down. I do know just enough to be dangerous. In spite of the witnesses that Elohim sent to Herod, as much as he knew about the coming Messiah and the Scripture, he knew just enough to be dangerous, not safe.

He had heard that the great prophet Eli'jah, who had not died, would be coming back (Malachi 4:5). He seems to know that a prophet like Moses would come (Deut 18:15-22) but is sketchy on the details. One thing he is sure of, he seems to have another John on his hands, a man whom the crowds adore.

I hear so many people speak of my Messiah in crisis . . . "pray for me because _____" They call him "the man upstairs" They blame Him for the consequences of their own sin, not realizing what he has already done for them because of their own sin. They compare his love for them to their mother or fathers love and demand to know how he can call himself a God of Love. They hope they can do enough good in their life to "outweigh" the bad, the sin, to avoid Hell. They know enough to be dangerous. Thinking that they can do enough good deeds to not go to hell, they do not know that all their righteous deeds are but filthy rags to Elohim. The only righteous deed that out weighs sin is the sacrifice of Y'shua/Jesus, by faith. Being born from on high, dying to self and living for him who died for us. There is no other way. Religion alone is "knowing enough to be dangerous." Doing good is "knowing enough to be dangerous." Just knowing about Jesus is dangerous, but knowing him is eternal, abundant life.

FF Bruce, New Testament History, c. 1969, Anchor Books edition 1972 New York

Lotsa pics, too few words

2010-07-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning, 4th of July. It did not feel like a holiday. I think the temperature got all the way up to 61. I do not think that I have ever seen this tree bloom. I have given school children the what-for these last ten or so years for playing on it. Finally it does something to let me know it was worth rescuing. I still don't know what it is, but I like it.

Right after church we went to the Everett Farmers Market on the 4th. The sky was still dreary but the purple fireweed looks bright in front of the gray marina and the even grayer sky. I had planned to make ice cream but it was just too cold out. I still have berries and it is heating up today (July 6)

I guess the theme for today is "Tree Fruit" These are yellow transparent that look neither yellow nor transparent.

One bright, pretty pie cherry.

We went for a walk on the river early this morning. I think we need a tree at home that grows fishing gear like this one does. It might be hard to see, but there is a red and white bobber hanging from the branch, almost ripe and ready to pick.

Some day I will learn and remember the actual name of this flower bush. I have looked it up a dozen times. It used to grow outside our fence in Robe Valley. In early summer Ann and I would walk up old mountain roads in the evening. I always call it Annie's flower because she used to gather a few for her table. She though the scent was just like warm peaches.

Hello Mickey! We met this ol' boy coming up the trail looking for someone to play football with him. He dropped it at our feet, at bombers feet.... Rudy wanted nothing to do with the big ol' drool machine.

Bomber LOVES Geo-Caching. I know I said we were out for a walk, but really, my guys do not go for walks unless there are caches to find. I found a Cedar Wax Wing, a Belted King Fisher and all the other tweeters I usually find by the river. I am pretty sure that I saw a Gold Finch in the trees near the parking lot but didn't get a close enough look to know for sure.

Deborah.... waiting to see what the sun brings!

Tuesday, July 6: Clear skies, bright and sunny.

71 degrees at noon, 76 is the predicted high.

Luke 9: 1-6

2010-07-05T09:29:00.001-07:00

Luke chapter 9 invites us to evaluate the information Luke has given us. It is, if you will, a section quiz before transitioning to the next saga. Luke will give us a multiple choice question about who he is. But none of the popular choices are correct. Then, in light of who he is and our relationship to him, who are we and how should we live?

And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal. And he said to them, "Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them." And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. Luke 9:1-6 RSV

The sent ones. Of all those who followed him, who were disciples of his, there were twelve called by Y'shua. Luke 6:12-16 gives the circumstances of their calling. After a night of prayer, Y'shua called his disciples to himself and before them all, named twelve as his chosen ambassadors or apostles. In Luke 8:1 they are said to be with him, but aside from being named as the twelve, they do not seem to have a special roll that distinguishes them from the rest of the disciples. They are there to observe him but I do not see them participating in his ministry. But here in Luke 9 we become privy to the instruction for the mission they are about to be sent on.

He called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases…. No other details are given; Y'shua simply gave the twelve power and authority. My head wants to know how that happened. There is no hint of laying on of hands, of a ceremony of any kind. Just the fact that it happened. But in chapter 10 there is a warning.

Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." Luke 10:19-20 RSV

Word study review:

Power- http://musicofrain.wordpress.com/2010/06/17/luke-846-power/

New word studies:

Authority- http://musicofrain.wordpress.com/2010/07/04/authority-luke-91-5-word-study/

Kingdom- http://musicofrain.wordpress.com/2010/06/30/kingdom-word-study-luke-91-5/

The twelve have supernatural power and they go with the authority of Y'shua. The dark, fallen world of spirits who are in bondage under the prince of the power of the air must submit to the authority of Y'shua when they are confronted by any one of the twelve. They also have the power to heal disease. Neither of these are the whole of the story. They have these gifts for a purpose. Proclaim the kingdom of God. The power to heal disease is probably so that men can see that they have authority since physical man cannot see what the spirit realm knows. See Luke 5:17-25 But again, the purpose is to proclaim the kingdom of God.

The kingdom is near to you, but it will not envelope or absorb you. You will not suddenly find that you have tripped into the kingdom, nor can you just move along with the crowd. A decision must be made. Enter or walk away. There is only one way to enter. You must be born from on high by faith in Y'shua ha Mashiyach (Jesus who is the Christ).

And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Luke 6:20 RSV Y'shua sends the twelve out to preach the kingdom of God. The sermon on the mount (as it is called by readers of Matthew) begins very much the way the sermon in Luke 6 starts. Of first importance is that the favor of Elohim (Blessed) is on those who are beggars in spirit. Not beggars in the world of men, but beggars in the spirit realm. The kingdom of Elohim belongs to them and he favors those who pray to him for what they need. In light of that they are not to bring a rucksack with a bed roll, extra clothing or money for restaurants or hotels (at least for my 21^st century understanding). They are to live according to the blessing of Luke 6:20, dependent on YHVH for their daily bread. Their whole focus is to be proclaiming the kingdom of Elohim.

From town to town, the hospitality they received would be prepared for them by YHVH. In "The History of the New Testament" by FF Bruce, the Essines of the day were not restricted to Qumram. There were followers of the sect in most towns of the holy land. Traveling Essines could depend on a place to sleep and a meal from other Essines when they traveled. Apparently Y'shua wanted his followers to practice and receive this same hospitality. When they traveled they were to find the home that was receptive to them and stay there as they proclaimed the kingdom of God in that town. Even if the town or the host rejected the message of the kingdom of Elohim and his Messiah, they still could be assured they had a place that was provided for them not by the host but by their Lord. If the citizens of that town rejected the good news brought to them by the ambassadors of Y'shua, then they were to go through a ritual to shake off the dust of that town and walk away, no sleep was to be lost, no self loathing because of their failure.

Romans 12 is an appeal to believers to prove what is the will of God by changing our thinking from how we conduct ourselves and survive as people of this world, and how we have been called to live as citizens of the kingdom of Elohim, who have been born from on high and stand firm on faith. Believers are given gifts. Our privilege is to use our gift as a functioning member of the body of Messiah. In the first epistle to the Corinthians Paul teaches that there are varieties of gifts from Elohim for a variety of service. We are united by one and the same Spirit or breath of Elohim for the service of one Messiah. Not everyone is a sent one (note: not simply the office of apostle, but the calling of a missionary), not everyone has speaking gifts. Many of us are gifted to give aid to those who are sent, be it hospitality or aid, but all of us have one purpose, proclaim the good news of the kingdom.

I am just not sure how I am doing. It is easy to feel isolated. Y'shua has given me this amazing gift, and I am hanging on to it, but am I doing my part to proclaim His kingdom?

Do I live in dependence on Elohim or my paycheck? I count the income we have as a blessing. But is that what I am supposed to do? Again in Romans chapter 12 there is the exhortation to not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. How am I to live in light of that?

I suspect that the clout of the world is the glory that the devil is willing to share with those who, in one way or another, will bow and worship him. It is bondage. Choose ye this day whom you will serve…. Y'shua gave everything for me, I don't want to hold back for him.

Surprise....

2010-07-02T11:24:00.000-07:00

Surprise! My car was stolen early this morning. The only thing I saw on the security camera was tail-lights. That is such a unsetteling feeling. It isn't even the first time it was stolen, it isn't the 2nd time, this is the third time and it doesn't feel any better than the first time. It is an older Honda Civic that I only use for errands but it doesn't help. Hondas are beyond easy to take and start. I have a cyber friend in Thailand who put into words what I have been thinking, "What is God doing? Praise him before it becomes clear, this was no accident."
Surprise! After I settled down, a walk about the garden to see if anything was new seemed like a good idea. Raspberries are coloring out.

Surprise! Twelve tiny jars of wild blackberry jam. Now I need to make a little bit of bread or popovers. Like my mom used to do, I save the "foam" that gets skimmed off to use fresh on bread. This is so good. The hill is still covered with ruby berries that should be ripe just about the 4th of July.

This Calendula blossom wasn't really a surprise. I have been watching her slowly open for the last two days. Looking good today.

This is just the bouquet of the week with my squarefoot gardens (three of them anyway) in the background. Box 1 has three kinds of peas (snow, snap and shell or English), carrots, beets, chard, lettuces, a tomato and sweet peas. Box 2 holds more lettuce, broccoli, sweet purple torpedo onions, cippolini onions, shallots, leeks, more chard and snapdragons. Box 3 has tomatoes (3 paste and a yellow persimmon), three kinds of beans, basil, carrots (because carrots love tomatoes), and peppers. Seems like there is something else but I don't remember what. I am starting to love my back yard.... who really needs a car anyway?

Friday, July 2; overcast, showers likely most of the day, low-53 high so far (noon) 73

Lavender is almost ready

2010-06-28T11:49:00.000-07:00

Hidcote has gone from little green arrows to a nice deep purple and sunshine fragrant.

This is pink Melissa, one of my very favorite lavenders for baking. She has been stuck in a pot since we left Robe Valley. Looks like it is time to take some cuttings and get that sunny lavender garden out of my dreams and into the yard.

Just last year, Ray and I found this Provence at Jardin d'Solai. I could never get this one to live through winter at Robe. Our last winter was quite mild. There are a few buds, very few, should be just enough for.... something.

Originally this garden was going to be a moonlight garden. We bought two white lavenders just for this garden from smaller growers on the Olympic Peninsula. I did not bother to keep the tags that came with the plants. Both assured me that they were white lavenders. It is a little early to tell, but this one is lavender (pale purple).

This is the other "white" lavender. Last year every blossom was medium purple. I was starting to think there was something wrong with my soil. This year, about half the blossoms are medium purple and half are actually white. There is a very small Nana Alba just behind this one, too small to blossom, from a plant I had in Robe that always gave white blossoms. If that one comes up purple I'll know it is the soil.

This is Miss Katheryn. The buds have not blossomed yet so it is a little difficult to tell, but she is a sweet pink on a very petite plant. This is her first year so I do not know how she is for baking yet.

Feeling a little bit mellow now.

A Tomato Tear-drop

2010-06-25T09:39:00.000-07:00

Two full days of summer in the Pacific Northwest and the garden responds.

When we were putting up a new home in Robe Valley I learned to appreciate container gardening. That year I was limited to a tiny knot garden and potted plants. I have kept potted plants ever since. Most of these are herbs growing on the back deck, Parsley, basil, dill, bay laurel, pink lavender and a mixed pot of parsley, chives and golden marjoram. Then there are those pretty strawberries. Two of my four square foot gardens, which technically are container gardens, are in the background.

June 25: One tiny, tear-drop of a tomato. My very first! It is a Siltz Tomato. I didn't lead with this picture because it was so difficult to get that little baby in the cross-hairs. There is so much going on in this pot that my auto focus couldn't figure out what I wanted. I always liked auto focus before, now I wish I could shut it off if I need to.

Kathy R gave me two zucchini plants. The flowers always look like they come from Hawaii to my eyes (having never been to the island state). Thank you Kathy, they look like they are doing well. Those are lemon cucumbers in the smaller pot. They should probably be thinned.

That tiny tiny sprout is a cucumber. Big deal you say? Probably, but this is the third time I have replanted cucumbers and the first time I have seen a sprout. The PNW has been so cold and wet this year, I am amazed that I have anything at all. God is good to create things that are determined to do well. Dumb-luck gardeners like me are thankful.

Calendula, in my top ten herbal flowers. Nice medicinal, pretty plant.

Luke 9 Overview

2010-06-24T09:47:00.001-07:00

And he said to ALL, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." Luke 9:23

Deny self, deny allegiance to the world, and follow Y'shua. Luke has invited us to follow Y'shua as a witness to his earthly life and ministry. We have watched as Y'shua laid out his agenda (set the captives free), was rejected at home, healed the sick and deformed, banished demons from the lives of men and asserted authority over the elements. Who is he and what (if any) is our responsibility to him?

Luke chapter 9 is an invitation for the reader to take a look at their own path in life in the light of what they have learned about the extraordinary life of Y'shua ha Mashiyach. The chapter begins with the twelve receiving power and authority from Y'shua with orders to proclaim the kingdom of God. It ends with a warning to those of us who may have a divided heart to proclaim the kingdom of God.

We are going to watch the 12 be challenged to proclaim the kingdom. At first, seems that this is something they are to say but they will be challenged to proclaim the kingdom in their dependence on Elohim in as they step out with the message (verses 3 and 4) and later as they consider the needs of those who come to hear the message (verses 12-17).

We as an audience will be asked to clarify who Y'shua is. Do we agree with what the world believes (verses 7-9) or has Elohim revealed himself to us as he has to Peter (18-20)?

Finally, as ordinary citizens of the kingdom of God, we need to consider if we are willing to deny ourselves, deny our former allegiance and follow Y'shua. Our ways, which are deeply entrenched, are not his. We are fickle and sometimes faithless. The focus is him, not circumstances, no matter how dazzling the circumstances seem to be. The chapter ends with a challenge.

But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God and don't look back.

Wild Blackberries

2010-06-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

Usually I have to go hiking up some old clear cut to find these Northwest prizes. This time I just had to go out the back gait. That is not to say they were easy to pick. It was still a steep walk. Rudy and Bomber kept whining because old women shouldn't be going down nasty bluffs like that. Good boys that they are they came along to make sure I was safe (and to be sure that I did not go on an adventure without them.)

The thing about a patch of wild blackberries is that it takes a couple of days to get enough to make jam or pie. It is worth the wait. Lots of ruby red berries for my next picking.

Deborah.... all hot and yucky feeling, but with a small bowl of fruit in the ice box waiting for more ripe berries.

The Yellow Breasted Chat

2010-06-22T10:40:00.001-07:00

The Yellow Breasted Chat we found. Ray posted it to Tweeters and than....

The Tweeters started coming. Way kewl lens.

Still the one

2010-06-22T08:01:00.001-07:00

Coffee and Lunch at Starbucks in Mill Creek

Yesterday (June 21) was our 35th anniversary! I have an old Orleans song rolling through my head....

"We've been together since way back when....
Your still the one-- I want whispering in my ear;
Your still the one-- I want to talk to in bed,
Still the one that turns my head.
We're still having fun and your still the one."

We were completely without a plan for yesterday. We spent too much money on the new BBQ. Since we like to play with our new toys (and it was way too cold and wet to try out the new Kayak) we dressed for birding, tucked Rudy into the 'burb and drove north toward Mt Vernon to hit the Skaget County Co-op and do a little Fir Island bird walking. We did not get much and we did not see birds besides a sparrow or two. The ride was nice.

At the Mill Creek Central Market (yep, those are the kind or rides we take when we do not have a plan), right next to the 20 dollars a pound Copper River Salmon, we found a pile of bright, fresh Kodiak River Coho for 8 dollars a pound. The fish guy cut up our prize into 4 steaks and filleted the rest. Barbecue here we come! A few apple chips bundled under the flame, a glaze (sauce?) of butter and olive oil with fresh parsley, garlic and chives with a sprinkle of dill (my garden dill isn't ready yet and the fennel is too small) and I was in the Salmon business!

Ray ate peas for dinner. If you know Ray, you know he NEVER eats cooked peas. Even if English peas are raw he doesn't really want to eat them. He does like sugar snaps if I make a ranch style dip with lots of garlic, lemon and dill. But last night he gobbled up the Orange Saffron Butter Linguine with peas and shallots from the garden and asparagus, even had 2nds! I did notice a small pile of English peas on the side of my plate, but no snow peas left on either of our plates.

Recipe at "Music Of Rain" http://musicofrain.wordpress.com/2010/06/22/orange-saffron-butter-sauce-on-spring-vegetables-and-pasta/

Did I mention birding in Skaget and not seeing anything? So there I was, grilling salmon on the back deck. I kept hearing a bird that sounded like a kid blowing on a toy train whistle, sometimes it would change up and sound like a play-ground whistle (the kind with a small ball in it to make a twitter sound). I can only hear out of one ear, so it is difficult for me to tell where a sound is coming from. I called Ray who quickly found the sorce of the song. It was a somewhat largish yellow breasted bird in a pine tree just down the hill in the draw behind the house. We thought, warbler? because of the bright yellow and new song. Ray kept coming back to a rare bird called a Yellow Breasted Chat. He got a decent picture of him but his lens isn't powerful enough to really draw it in, and sent it off to "tweeters". It wasn't long before he got conformation that it was indeed a rare Yellow Breasted Chat. Right in our back yard! When I went out this morning it was sitting an a bush just outside of my back fence, singing away.

Picture at Music of Rain: http://musicofrain.wordpress.com/2010/06/21/yellow-breasted-chat/

Good start to another year! And.... it is actually sunny today.

You're still the on that makes me laugh,
Your still the one that's my better half,
We're still having fun and your still the one!

Farmers Market to Dad Day Dinner and Dessert

2010-06-20T19:25:00.000-07:00

Rain, rain rain. We LOVE the Farmers Market when it rains. Really, No, really, we do!

Church was good, but as soon as it was over we hustled out to the market after a stop at Starbucks (hi Rebecka!!). Our favorite farmer from Fox Island in Skaget County had a big load of Strawberries for a fine Fathers Day dessert.
This cool wet weather means that the asparagus is still coming. So are the greens. You wouldn't think that the berries would be sweet in this weather, but oh, my, yes they are!

This little dolly likes the sweet cherries!

Brave souls in the rain at the market. It did get a little crowded under the quick shade. Do you still call it quick shade when it is a rain cover?

This bakery uses all Washington State ingredients, except for the lemon in Rays favorite Lemon-Sour Cherry Bread.

Just past the boys head are raspberries. Everyone has strawberries, but these were the only raspberries I saw. By the time I asked if I could take her picture for my blog this little cutie walked by and blocked the evidence.

Market treasure.

Did I mention that Ray got a new BBQ? He put it together while I made ice-cream. All those umbrellas and we are ready for the western Washington outdoor life.

Simple Strawberry Ice-cream. You can find my recipe and loads of how to pictures at Music of the Rain:

http://musicofrain.wordpress.com/2010/06/21/simple-strawberrie-ice-cream/

Something new and beautiful day by day

2010-06-19T13:30:00.000-07:00

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases,

His mercies never come to an end;

They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness

I knew that a poppy was growing against the fence. I even noticed that the pods were filling out and bending over from the weight of the flower inside. I have seen other poppies in the neighborhood blooming and still did not think much about these in the shade of my garden. I walked and puttered about the whole of my garden and wondered at the arugula sprouts, the pumpkin leaves and zucchini blooms without seeing the orange glow along the fence. Just as I turned to go inside again, there it was, something common that filled me with wonder. The music of the passage in Lamentations 3 has been drifting along the edges of my soul ever since. The steadfast love of YHVH never ceases, His mercies never come to and end....

Washington Tomatoes in June

2010-06-18T19:17:00.000-07:00

This is for perspective. The first rung of my tomato support is at twenty inches. That is the top of my tomatoes, some of my best tomatoes as a matter of fact. I am in Everett. I do not know if this is normal for June tomatoes in western Washington. What I do know is that is has been crazy cold and record wet on the rainy side of the state. Yesterday (June 17, the high temp was 59) I am not ready to bag the whole works yet but neither do I hold out much hope for more than a tomato or two. I just read a post from The Family Garden, which I think is in California, but she did write how her garden had some cool weather but the tomatoes just "took off" when the weather warmed up. Kewl! I'm stoked again ....sorta.
http://themorsefamilyspot.blogspot.com/2010/06/in-tomato-patch.html

Oh look, blossoms on the Black Plum Paste Tomato (seed from Greenheart Gardens on Lopez Island) When I goggled this heirloom, the information said they were very short season. I sure hope so.

These are Persimmon Tomatoes from Territorial Seed Company in Oregon. What was I thinking? With out a quarter or something for perspective you cannot tell from the picture that even the blossoms are larger then the plums.

A side view of box number 3. These plants were started in my bedroom on March 1. The beans that you can see are not doing much better. I put them in when we have a warm day and then worry about them through the rain and chill.

Another view of the same box. That itty-bitty thing on the right is a pepper plant that likes the chill even less then the tomatoes.

This is a Siltz. This tomato is determinant and is not recommended for a Square Foot Garden. It likes its big black bucket, but even this cold tolerant tomato would rather be warm. It is busting out with blossoms though.

I got a little nuts with the tomatoes. Two of these are Siltz that I started from seed (TTS) the rest are plants I bought from the farmers markets. They are indeterminate and could go in the garden but I put them over here because I have no idea how they were raised and want to protect the garden from disease. There are no guarantees, but I'm trying. Yes, I see the contribution from the puppies, but isn't nitrogen good? I know, yuck, but they are not very tall puppies.

Finally, these are just so I can say I gave the Topsy Tervy an honest try. In the brown planter is one of the Black Plumb. It isn't doing so well but it has survived some really cold days. Next to it in the white pot is a patio tomato, just to compare another small container plant. There is basil just surviving on the top part of the brown pot. I hung a picnic table weight on the Topsy to encourage it to grow down instead of up.

Did you see those beautiful peas? The last picture is to show off something red in the garden.

Deborah ....now get out and get dirty

Luke 8:40 - 56

2010-06-18T10:03:00.000-07:00

Who deserves mercy? Who is worthy of a 2nd chance? It is difficult for me to read the account of Ja'irus who came to Y'shua begging for another chance for his daughter, and the hopeless, unnamed woman and not wonder, who has more value or is more worthy of life?

In America we are at times locked in a battle about quality of life. Medical miracles are expensive. Actually, simple medical care is expensive. The woman of Luke 8:40-56 has become impoverished in her pursuit of health. For 12 years she could not be cured by anyone (vs 43). Her community would consider her legally unclean for all of that time. Anyone that she touched, or who dared to touch her, would become unclean for some 24 hours. The times that she lived in had no feminine products to make her life a little cleaner. The blood simply continued to flow from her for all those years. Who would show such an outcast a kind face? Who did her shopping, how did she eat or earn any kind of living? The Scripture gives no hint. The only clue that Luke gives us about her, outside of her malady is that she is a woman of faith. It brings tears to my eyes. Somehow Elohim brought her to a place in life where she was not bitter in her isolation and weakness. Like Elijah alone at the brook, I am sure God provided for this daughter of Israel. But even the great Elijah enjoyed fellowship.

On the day Y'shua returned from his mission to the demonic across the lake, he was welcomed by the crowd. With in the group was Ja'irus, a father figure in the Synagogue, but more importantly, the father of an only child, another daughter of Israel. But this daughter was only 12 years old and dying. Her father was not ready to give her up to death. In humility, he comes to Messiah, begging for the help he has heard Y'shua is able to give.

All that the last 12 years of their lives have been leading up to come together, right on the street of that town in Y'shua. A father comes with humility, pleading for the life of his only child. A woman comes quietly from behind with hope that has led her by faith. If she touches Y'shua, He will then become unclean and unable to help the little girl. But if she does not take this chance it may not come to her again. Who is more worthy? The much loved child who could have her whole life ahead of her or a woman who has made no apparent contribution to the community? How many of us would choose the child? Would we turn on the woman of faith for the life of the child?

I am sorry to confess that I would probably choose the little girl. I tend to see irritation in Y'shua's words, "who touched me?" Even though I know how the story ends, with the voice of compassion and love, I still hear irritation. I honestly doubt there was even a hint of ire in his voice. He knew that the woman needed to complete her journey of faith.

Paul said....

Man believes with his heart and so is justified and he confesses with his lips and so is saved. The Scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame." Romans 10:10-11

This woman needed to know right from the loving words of her Messiah that she must not feel shame. He healed her body and her heart and made her whole in the presence of the community. Her seemingly fearful confession brought words of compassion from Messiah. I wonder how many times she had received words of scorn from the crowd before this day? "Daughter, your faith has made you well, go in peace."

Short Study on "the fringe of his garment" http://musicofrain.wordpress.com/2010/06/13/the-fringe-of-his-garment/

Word Study on "power"

http://musicofrain.wordpress.com/2010/06/17/luke-846-power/

The high point of her life suddenly became the moment of agony for Ja'irus. His daughter died. Hope was gone. Tears would be his food for as far as he could see into the future. Before Ja'irus is able to respond to the news of his only child's death, the voice of Y'shua penetrates his ears and must shine bright in his thoughts, "Do not fear, only believe...."

Do not fear, only believe and she will be well. Could he understand what Y'shua said? Could he make sense of the words. Did he, like Martha in John 11, think that perhaps Y'shua meant she would be well in the afterlife? I imagine that this father who had just been touched by the sting of death was propelled toward his daughter by the Spirit of God to witness an event more amazing then even her birth. With his wife, he witnessed her resurrection.

"And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again on the resurrection on the last day." Jesus said to her, "I AM the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live. And whoever lives, and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

Hidden Treasure

2010-06-17T13:51:00.001-07:00

Will they be jam? Maybe pie? They could just top a bowl of yogurt or ice cream. It is possible that they will only be popped into my mouth some warm day. I know that I have already claimed them but really there is no reason to expect that the very bird who planted the vine might not eat the fruit. These are outside of the fence so I'm not sure that it is OK to cover them with a net. But I am sure thinking about it. Before the grass got long I could see blossoms all up and down the bluff.

Another "if"

If I find myself half-carelessly taking lapses for granted,

"Oh, that's what they always do,"

"Oh, of course she talks like that, he acts like that,"

then I know nothing of Calvary love.

Lavender Brownies

2010-06-09T12:52:00.000-07:00

Too cold out to play in the garden, so I made Lavender Brownies. Have to use up those buds before the new batch colors out.

Recipe at Music of the Rain:
http://musicofrain.wordpress.com/2010/06/09/lavender-brownies-with-dark-glaze/

Sunny Day "If"

2010-06-08T06:30:00.000-07:00

There has been bird song since 2 in the morning. My night time temperature dropped to 48 degrees, a sign of the day being warmer. Maybe momma birds were encouraging their babies that this light trouble ushers in a blessing of warmth in the coming day.

If I can discuss the shortcomings and sin of any;

if I can speak in a casual way even of a child's misdoings,

then I know nothing of Calvary love.

Where is your faith?

2010-06-07T08:23:00.001-07:00

Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, "Let us go over to the other side of the lake." So they launched out. But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger. They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. And He said to them, "Where is your faith?" They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, "Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?"

Luke 8:22-25 NASU

A day like any other: Y'shua, the Son of God, lived an extraordinary life. Those who chose to follow him (Luke 8:1-3) to cities and villages to proclaim the Kingdom of God were given the privilege of knowing the mysteries of the kingdom. Mysteries that were riddles spoken in parable to the majority who flocked to hear the popular rabbi speak (Luke 8:10). They were witnesses to the dramatic changes that came to lives as their Lord spoke. More than anyone else in the Galilee, they were exposed to the secrets of the kingdom of God. They did not set roots or sow a crop, but simply followed Y'shua wherever the Spirit led Him. An amazing life became a normal everyday life.

A boat was not an unusual setting for the followers. He had used boats to preach from. He had shown them his power from a boat and for some of them, their eyes began to open in realization that he was unlike anyone else they had ever known. (Luke 5:1-11) On this day, the boat was transportation to the other side of the lake. Perhaps welcome relief from crowds; or maybe from their public persona or a time to think about nothing except getting the boat from the put-in to take-out. On this day, no different than other days, they set out on the lake with experienced boatmen, away from the crowd. But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake. . .

This boat trip is the only passage where Y'shua is said to sleep (Matthew 8:23-27 and Mark 4:36-41). I know that my LORD never sleeps (Psalm 121) but the physical body of the man had to sleep. The crisis began as Y'shua slept.

A fierce gale: word study
http://musicofrain.wordpress.com/2010/05/26/luke-823-part-2/

Wind: word study
http://musicofrain.wordpress.com/2010/05/30/luke-823-part-3/

When I first read through this passage I expected that "wind" would be translated from the Greek word pnuma which is translated both wind and spirit. I expected this to be an epic battle between the kingdom of God and the prince of the power of the air. But the word just means moving air. It is moving with ferocity, but it is not a spirit. Paul uses the same word in his letter to the Ephesians to describe different doctrines that toss believers in the Kingdom back and forth. This wind was a fierce one and seemed to be aimed right at them

Descended: word study
http://musicofrain.wordpress.com/2010/05/25/luke-823-part-1/

Perish: word study
http://musicofrain.wordpress.com/2010/06/01/word-study-perish-luke-824/

So often I have read this passage and said with the disciples, . . .He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him. . . and apparently have missed the point. Where is your faith? Too often I have thought that some circumstance would crush me. Where is faith? The Apostle Paul wrote:

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, "FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED." But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Rom 8:35-39 NASU

There is no circumstance, there is nothing in all of creation that can separate me from the Love of God, which is in the Messiah. Y'shua absolutely can calm the storm. He apparently is willing to do this for us if we ask, but it will not be long before the next crisis arises. Where is faith? Will we perish and does he care? Those who are IN Y'shua ha Mashiyach (Jesus who is the Christ) will face extreme danger, but never alone (Matthew 28:18-20). The bodies of many will perish as a result. Unless the rapture comes first, all of us will die. But will we live? The Lord lived by faith (standing firm on the Word of God) and when the time was right he entrusted his Spirit to the Father and gave his life for ours. We only die once Hebrews 9:27. Even dying cannot separate us from the Love of God. We get to live every day in abundance.

A former teacher used to say, "Fear and excitement feel the same in the pit of your stomach, you get to decide which one is motivating your response." I often cannot control how I physically feel in response to a circumstance, but I can choose to believe that this physical response is excitement. I am about to see God at work in my life. There is a not so old song, the chorus says, "I have decided I'm gonna live like a believer, turn my back on the deceiver, I'm gonna live like I believe." Where is your faith? What do you believe about your life in Y'shua? Can you live for him in victory? Do you understand that you can walk in victory by faith in the One who overcame everything on your behalf? Live like you believe. And if the Kingdom of God is a mystery hidden in a parable to you, call on Y'shua for salvation, He longs for you!

Lavender Scones

2010-06-04T19:23:00.000-07:00

Under the umbrella off my kitchen door it smells of summer in a lavender field; even as a late spring rain pounds the fabric and runs in rivulets to the wooden deck below. A cup of tea and lavender scones bring the essence of summer as if I sit in the eye of the storm. Peace for a moment, the essence of rainsong, and a moment to survey the work that came before.

Recipe posted at Music of the Rain

http://musicofrain.wordpress.com/2010/06/05/lavender-scones/