On the Lookout!

So, I slung my camera around my neck and headed off on an ordinary walk on a much traveled trail to see what I could see—something new and different, fresh and wonderful would be nice…



Never know what you’ll find when you look up!



These trees think it won’t always be winter… and this ivy is undeterred by the rainy cold from its climb to the heights!



Something about the curls makes me smile…



And nature has its ruffles too…




My trail is at present a stream bed but who minds a little water when it’s gurgling and rushing with such grace…

And those are my notes from nature for this week.

~~Keep looking for the unexpected. Looking up is a good place to start.

~~Remember seasons do come to pass. Winter will not stay.


~~Look for grace notes along the way—the curls and frills that add beauty to life.

~~And if your trails turn to rushing streams, listen for the gurgle of grace to accompany you.

--LS

“But I received mercy…and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.”

I Tim.1:14 ESV

And I thought Nevada was a ‘moonscape’…

“Sin City” has its glamor and glitz but it can’t compare to the wonders of God’s creation that surround it.  Here are a few pics from our travels in the area… taken mostly at the Valley of Fire and the Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area, and a few round about coming and going. 
On top of the treat of a trip was the treat of a new camera that offers a 25mm wide angle and an amazing 12X zoom capability.  See what you think ( :


These are ‘newbie’ Barrel cactus growing on the hillside.  I couldn’t resist stopping to get a closer look.  This so reminded us of our old stomping grounds.  Glorious, sunny, and silent…

O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. Ps104:24

I had very much fun trotting along in barefeet studying the tiny animal prints along the way, left in the wash from the night visitors…

Some spots you’ve just got to stop and take note of the grand vistas…

What does this one remind you of?

It’s called Elephant Rock.

Heaven is His throne, and the earth His footstool! (Is.66:1)

Mesquite! a mainstay of the Arizona desert, is also seen here in the less arid areas.

Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.  I Chron.29:11
--LS
Thanks for sharing our travels…We were blessed with record breaking warm temps (70F) for this time of year—unknown since 1975!  Thanks be to God who plans our steps ( :

World Travelers

My feet have traipsed new territory this week....

 I’ve tread the cobblestones of Rome,

[Incidentally, this guy's alive. This is no mere statue.  How would you like that job?!]

...walked the winding streets of Paris...

...and the back alleys of New York City.

 
The byways of Venice along the canal were my favorite…

   For now, I’m glad the visit was semi-virtual though I almost got a real blister.  If I ever again attempt all these places in two days I will get some comfier shoes!

“…and behold, all was vanity and a striving after the wind…” Eccl.2:11

—LS in LasVegas

Happy Fish

Out walking one snappy bright day I clicked a picture of these happy fish freshly adorning the gradeschool fence in our neighborhood…And I was reminded of the ‘happy fish’ song, Los Peces in El Rio, that our family is fond of at this time of year.  It’s a rendition by Mannheim Steamroller  [Click here to listen as you read] that has added spice to our Christmas music collection over the years but it wasn’t until this year that I realized it is indeed a traditional Spanish carol, all about the happy fish in the river delighting in Jesus’ birth, in contrast to the young mother, Mary, going about her mundane chores… Something for sure gets lost in  the literal translation but it’s a happy song and I love the idea of the fish swimming about in delight that Jesus has come ( :



Meanwhile, the brilliant freezing weather here has been a treat and has transformed muddy spots to marvels.






                  
And sodden fallen leaves to gems.






Isn’t that just how it will be one glad bright day just ahead?!


Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality.
(I Cor.15:51-53)





In the meantime, we watch and wait, sometimes with tears, for the better days that are coming!
Here’s hoping you are making the transition into the New Year,  from holiday to mundane days with grace and glory—and the heart of a happy fish eager for Jesus’ coming!
--LS

Life is the little walk before.

‘Life is the little walk before.’



‘How one takes this walk determines the forever destination…’ (—Ann Voskamp*)

This week is a reminisce of paths I’ve known, in honor of my Dad (pictured above) who walks alone now in the darkening shades of Alzheimer’s disease with the mental confusion and communication disability it brings.   We’ve walked many trails together.  This one he must walk alone, with the Unseen One as guide.  He is in Good hands.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. Pr.14:12 NKJV

Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.

For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matt.7:14 NASB

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Jn.14:6 ESV

Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? Ps.139:7 ESV


When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, Then You knew my path. In the way in which I walk they have secretly set a snare for me. Ps.142:3 NKJV
You know when I sit down and  when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar.
You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Ps.139:2,3
NASB



But He knows the way I take; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. Job 23:10 NASB



You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Ps.16:11 NKJV


But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. Prov.4:18 ESV



May all your trails in 2011 be with God.   We walk by faith, not by sight...

--LS

P.S. Way to go Dad! Thank-you for marking out the way of faith for me to follow.

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If you have not yet met Ann Voskamp, I commend to you her writing at http://www.aholyexperience.com
She is an artist with words and photography, reflecting winsomely on her walk with God as a farmer’s wife and mother of a brood of 6.