The Birds Of The Air

 Last week my husband discovered this nest of a sabiá (robin) built on top of our water heater outside. Quite the interior decorator, I'd say!

                                     Look at the cute greenery circling the top of the nest...

And the red trim! Maybe she's getting ready for Christmas, huh?

Well, since the day the nest was discovered, we haven't seen any bird in or near the nest. Not sure what's going on. Maybe she detected that I'd be nearby taking TOO many pics...Gotta find a safer, more private place, she said. 
But I daily hear robins singing, charming us with their plaintive but melodic songs. We are in our Springtime here in southern Brazil so the variety of birds with their songs and activity is an entertainment for me these days. Gotta love it.
                                                           Can you find 2 birds here?

 "Oh, robin, fat robin, you're the symbol of Spring!

    You're the orange-breasted creature with a sweet song to sing.

Without you my yard would be a quite dreary place,

For you add to its beauty with your color and grace..."

(except from "Message Of The Birds")

Postscript Oct 16: A comment by a reader got me curious so I researched a bit and found out that the sabiá (or sabiá-laranjeira) is a Turdus rufiventris or Rufous-bellied Thrush which is only one of about 85 species of the thrush family. Wow, I learned alot!

  "And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, 

   and the birds of the air have nests,

   but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head."

    (Luke 9: 58) 

Still Life

These flowers in a church window caught my eye recently, I took several pictures of it from different angles. Could hardly choose which one to post. Are you as blessed as I am by looking at the lines, light and colors here? Wowzers...

This photo makes me think of this verse...

"Be still, and know that I am God:

I will be exalted among the heathen,

 I will be exalted in the earth."

(Psalm 46:10) 

AND...the other day I heard this beautiful song which goes along with this theme. I pray that it is a blessing to you.

The Love Of God

                               Thank You, Lord, for your comforting Word to me this day.
"For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  (Romans 8:38,39)

On His Wings

A recent return plane trip was uneventful (we love "uneventful"!) except for our landing. As we neared our destination, the pilot came on and said the normal, giving the general weather report about where we were about to land..."58 degrees and cloud-covered", not at all unusual for our fair city. As we gradually lost altitude, I could see kind of a whitish glow through the clouds up ahead and surmised that it was our city. But the clouds below the plane just looked like they were getting thicker and thicker, it was like a carpet of darkish cotton (it was 11:30 p.m.).  As we descended down into that carpet, it was white swirling around outside, then in a couple minutes it was black swirls and we could see nothing. After another minute or so I strained my eyes and began to faintly see a couple of lights glowing below us and then, all of a sudden we realized that those were the lights of the runway! In a few seconds we had landed and I saw that the fog was quite thick there at the airport, visibility looked to be no more than two blocks. 

What I don't understand, is why they could land then, but on other occasions (2 times) they couldn't land because of fog and we had to go back! Anyway, as I thought about this experience the next day, I was kind of shaking my head at the wonder of it all. I was also imagining the pilots...Were they high-fiving it when they landed, saying something like "Yes! we did it! a bit risky but, hey, such is flying." Hopefully, they were totally confident about going ahead and landing. I'd hate to think that they did it taking a risk!

As I thought about this experience the next day, I had grateful tears as the Lord showed me, not only that He (not the pilots) was the one protecting us but that circumstances in our lives are often like this. As the dark swirls of difficulties surround us the Lord says "Trust Me. I will carry you on My wings and we will arrive at the planned destination."  I am one very blessed and grateful child to have such a God and Father!

"As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings,

taketh them, beareth them on her wings:

So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him."

 (Deuteronomy 32:11,12)

                                                                 

180 Movie

If I could choose another ministry besides the one I'm in, it would be to fight for the lives of those unborn babies that some mothers don't want. So I am going to do my small part and share this powerful little 33-minute movie with the prayer that it will change someone's heart and mind.
Please take time to watch it.

"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live."

(Deuteronomy 30:19)

Favorite Foto From A Trip

I took over 400 pictures this week on a trip and this one is my favorite. The not-in-focus look seems to make it even better. My unprofessional opinion.

This is a Bolivian Jaminawa Indian lady and her 5-month-old baby girl. Words can't describe how I feel when I look at this...

"How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?

And how shall they believe in Him in whom they have not heard?

And how shall they hear without a preacher?"

                                                 (Romans 10:14)                                                           

God's Thoughts and Ways

Have you ever needed these verses? I sure have! They have been my comfort on different occasions.

Show-Off Time!

Some of you will remember my post about the "thirty orchids-in-waiting". Well, it's time to show you the result...

There were really 31 buds but 2 were deformed (or eaten by bugs) so that left 29. They began to open up just a very few days after I announced them so I have been enjoying them for almost a month! I felt like I was
receiving a lovely gift every time one of them opened.

I must say that I was, um, humbled maybe? when I passed another house this week and saw that they had this same type of orchid on their porch and there must have been at least 100 on their plant! I almost stopped to ask if I could take a picture of it and...had they counted theirs? But I didn't.

Without further explanation, I will just post several photos. Yes, yes, I took pictures from every angle and distance and with various amounts of light. Couldn't get enough of these beauties and I do believe our computer is about to explode. What fun, huh?
                         (pssst! Don't forget to click on each photo to see their maximum beauty!)

"He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered:

the Lord is gracious and full of compassion."

((Psalm 111:4)

In The Corner Of The Garden

In the corner of the garden

  by the old waterhose

I see lovely callalilies,

  orchids, iris and a rose.

    No one else pays much attention

      to these simple little flowers,

    But I come here daily and I

      feel that I could stay for hours.

    Oh, it's me in this corner

      with my flowers and my Lord,

    It is here I feel His presence

      and I think upon His Word.
                        -©R.Nunley 2011


"Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen,
 I will be exalted in the earth." -(Psalm 46:10)

The Top Left Side Of My Right Fourth Finger

I know, that's a strange title. But I've been very impressed these days about the importance of what we sometimes think are unimportant, or even useless, parts of our body. Let me tell you, the top left side of the right fourth finger is extremely important! Who would've thought that one little spot would be NEEDED for so many different things?! Like holding a pen, wringing out a rag or, yes, holding a cup...and that's why I burned that little spot.

I had heated up some milk in a new cup in the microwave. It is obviously made of some different material  because, unlike my other cups, this one got hot before the milk did! So when I picked up the cup...well, you guessed the rest of the story. I got a royal burn...

I won't go into the details of the healing process but my husband was kind enough to offer to knead the pizza dough for me last Saturday. You know...I might let him do that more often, he did a fine job. Tried to twirl it, too, but I think that might take some more practice. 

Not only have I been reminded to be more             
appreciative of certain people, but my right
fourth finger has also suddenly become a very
comely and honorable member of my body.
Thank You, Lord, for this blessing!




This experience has all been a wonderful reminder to me of these verses:

"Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:

And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness."

(I Corinthians 12: 22,23)

Remembering 9/11

(photo: internet)

On that infamous morning of September 11, 2001 we were in Brazil. I was ironing clothes in our living-room and my husband was in a store buying this very computer that I am using as I write this. Then a friend nearby phoned to inform me of what had happened in NYC. We were so far away, geographically, from what was happening but our hearts and minds were right next to them-our people in our country. Over the next several days and weeks we very often heard the phrase "we will never forget" or "we will remember".

Indeed, we have much to remember and never forget...but not only regarding 9/11. Did you know that the Bible has the word "remember" (or a form of it) at least 200 times? Can it be that remembering is an important thing to do? Indeed! I would personally like to do a little Bible study regarding that word, for I would like to be reminded of those things that God wants me to remember. In my years of increasing forgetfulness, may it never be said that I forgot what He has done for me!

"I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old."  (Psalm 77:11)

                      

But God remembers, too. How wonderful this is! Many verses speak of the things that He remembers...or not, such as our sins that have been forgiven. The day will come, perhaps it has already, when many people will forget 9/11.  Not so with our God. He will always remember what needs to be remembered!

"When He maketh inquisition for blood, He remembereth them; He forgetteth not the cry of the humble."  (Psalm 9:11,12) 

Searching For Words

That's what I'm doing as I try to think of a title for this post of a photo that I took today of a hummer. It was almost sunset time but I didn't realize there was such little light, I should've used the flash. But I love the way it turned out! Light is a beautiful painter. I don't know why the wing turned out pink, maybe she was blushing because I was taking her picture.

                                                            

To Be Like Christ

This post will be a bit longer than usual, a bit different, too-not the normal flowers 'n blessings (although it has flowers and has been my blessing!). So please bear with me.

I was once told by someone that I needed to be more like Christ. I'd have to agree on that point, I do need to be that. We all need to! But the reason this person said that was because I was publicly bringing it to their attention that certain doctrines they were embracing were not Biblical. I guess they thought that we should be accepting of all doctrines, no matter what they are, kind of  the "let's live in love and peace since we're all God's children" sort of thing.

Anyway, that got me to thinking quite a bit about the subject of being like Christ. There are several Bible verses which mention this idea (or command), one being I Peter 2:21: "For even unto this were ye called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps." I'm not here to give a Bible study, although certainly ample time could be spent examining this subject. But I just want to point out that being like Christ is not just "love, joy and peace". It is also confrontation, rightous anger and defense of God's Name, Word, doctrines and morals!

In light of this, I recently did a study of Matthew, the first book of the Gospels which tell about the life of Christ. I listed every verse which told about Christ doing the above things, things which we normally think of as negative. There were at least 75 verses or occasions where Jesus was "negative" in His actions and words to others. And that was just the record of one book!

Should we be like Christ? You bet! Not only should we show the love and kindness that He certainly had, but we should also have His courage and strength of character to confront sin, show righteous anger and defend His Word and Name.
                                              
 May He give us wisdom to know how to be like Him,
 to do what He would do.

"Behold, I send you forth as sheep
     in the midst of wolves:
  Be ye therefore wise as serpents
    and harmless as doves."        
(Matthew 10:16)

Rain

Let the rain kiss you.

Let the rain beat upon your head

   with silver liquid drops.

Let the rain sing you

   a lullaby.

The rain makes still pools

   on the sidewalk.                    

The rain makes running pools 

   in the gutter.

The rain plays a little sleep song

   on our roof at night.

And I love the rain.

  (Langston Hughes, April Rain Song)

Last night the rain began, one of those "soft soakers", and it was still raining this morning. So I walked around the yard to take pictures of what the rain was doing, part of the "embroidery of the earth", a description of nature that a friend shared with me this week.

 

                                                    Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving;

   Sing praise upon the harp unto our God:

Who covereth the heaven with clouds,

Who prepareth rain for the earth,

Who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.

(Psalm 147:7,8)

Thirty Orchids-In-Waiting

What a lovely and very exciting surprise I discovered today! I was watering the plants and went to throw a drink on the "apple orchid" plant. There to my wondering eyes I beheld loads of orchid buds-at least thirty (that's 3-0, thir-ty) of them! Not only does it seem a bit early for these but that is a LOT of orchids on one little plant!

 Last year this plant produced around six orchids so thirty just seems like a huge amount! Oh, but I'm excited. This was definitely my "pinkest rose" for today. :) (In case you're wondering, one picture was taken with flash, the other without, but both within a few minutes.)

I don't find a spiritual truth for EVERYthing I post on here but this one definitely made me think of how the Lord has blessings just waiting for us. Sometimes they are BIG and totally unexpected, too! We may not recognize them as such just yet, but they're there, just waiting to be revealed at the right time. What a loving and generous God we serve!

"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.
 But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God." (I Corinthians 2: 9,10)

Mulling Around In My Brain

I have thoughts of SO many things I'd like to post here that sometimes I end up hardly doing any. Not of the main thoughts, anyway. Thus the favorite photos, wordless Wednesdays and such. I just like to post something, even if it's just a picture. Let's see, isn't it said that a picture is worth a thousand words? Well, then I guess I have said something, haven't I?!

I take photos like this...

...or this

...or this

and then end up wondering why I took it or what I'll do with it.  What can I say about it in a post that would show a blessing from the Lord or that could be of encouragement to someone? Other than saying that there is beauty in the light, color and lines of these and that God is the author of beauty...and that He chose to bless me with this beauty...then I have nothing else to say about them. Or not much. I could tell you the story behind each one, right? But I'll leave that to your imagination.

See you on a later day this week. And thanks for visiting here!

                                 "Now the God of peace be with you all, Amen." (Romans 15:33)

Wordless Wednesday: Sunset Splendor

(Later...I had to add some words to this. But they're not mine, they're God's.)

"The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken,

and called the earth from the rising of the sun

unto the going down thereof."

(Psalm 50:1)

"While You Were Gone..."

...we had a party!

We budded and bloomed,

we showed off our beauty...

and God looked down at us...

and admired our beauty and smiled for joy.

It was one awesome party!"

 "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive honor and glory and power:

for Thou hast created all things,

and for Thy pleasure they are and were created."

(Revelation 4:11)