Psalm 23 - he restores my soul

The word of God has really blessed me this week, (to coin a super duper spiritual phrase).

When a certain scripture keeps popping up on a regular basis, you know you have to take notice, and the last week or two, Psalm 23 has been popping up. Alot. Probably because when it first popped up at our bible study, I thought to myself... "I hate that psalm... it's so irrelevant in this violent world and I can't relate to it". Basically I didn't believe it. But as Joice Meyer says, as a beleiver, you're sposed to "believe"... and the silly thing kept popping up so I started to think about it. Here's it is anyway...

" 1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff,they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

There's alot I could say, but let me just say... when I first sat down to read it, I was sitting in the green grass (pastures), and it's beautiful and sunny here in ol NZ... and I realised, I could either think about all the bad stuff that goes on, or I could leave it all in God's hands, and just enjoy my immediate surroundings. I was also at the bach during the long weekend. And I read the psalm again, in a little patch of grass, with onion flowers and sunshine... and I heard a snuffling in the grass.... and it was a little hedge hog. You know what my immediate thought was? I thought of the all the hedgehogs I'd just seen squashed on the road on the way there.... was this one any safer? but then the more I read the psalm, I realised that it was having an effect on me. And I realised , you either believe the bible is whole truth, and nothing but, or you don't. It must have it's place in life, somewhere. I can definitely relate to the other psalms... "why do the wicked prosper?"..."you have torn me to pieces!"..."my eyes are dry from weeping!"... but this one... well, summer is just coming on here, and peace is having it's way in me since I've been going through the psalm and just meditating on each line.

I remember asking in a previous post if the world really turned into a violent place in the short 12 years since my dad died? I think this psalm is moving towards rectifying that.

PS> I'm still doing the Daniel - pray 3 times a day - thing, and this is insight no. 2 !

IMAGE SOURCE www.mycovenantoflife.net

Tatting!

Well, I've started learning to tat! My shuttle came in the mail (with an extra two, since postage took a while!)... and the first thing I thought was... I've got the wrong thing! But a browse on the net told me these are called "flat shuttles". In fact, turns out you don't even need a shuttle to tat... but leave that to the pros.

So I started learning, using an online resource (where else?) and this is my first attempt. As you can see, it started out a bit wonky.. but I'm getting the hang of it. As I said before, my grandfather could tat, and it's always been my intention to learn. Luarna's mum, Audry can tat, and she tried sh0wing me breifly, but I didn't get it. I think I needed the thing in my hand. I can't wait to pick her brain next festival!

Daddy

Well, for some reason I was inspired yesterday by Daniel in the bible to pray 3 times a day. This is the insight for DAY 1...

We were encouraged in the e100 bible reading plan to write our own version of the Lord is my shepard, 23rd Psalm.
Mine is :The Lord is my Dad, he remembers my belongings when we are out in public.

And then I thought - "God is already our dad. But what I can't understand is that my Dad would have fought to protect me from harm, but God purposely brings it into my life to "purify me". And then I thought "but I know, even then , I'm still held in his hands,and he'll never totally forsake me". And then it hit me... Jesus on the cross... "My God, my God - why have you forsaken me ?". It's kind of blasphemous but I've often woundered if a few hours on a cross is really the worst anyone's actually suffered... I mean, christians have been tortured in communist prisons for decades at a time. But I just had the insight of the love between Jesus and God - the love of a child and his Daddy - and the pain of being rejected by your own dad. Like a kid lost in a shopping mall... where's my Daddy?

Another birdy pic

"For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; As far as the east is from the west , so far has he removed our transgressions from us" Psalm 103.

Painting

This the finished painting for my friend, Myra. It's her birthday next month, so I've just left it long enough for the paint to dry so I can varnish it.

And this is my latest practice. I think my script needs a bit of work... but my block letters are doing ok. I also need to practice twisting the brush to get nice points at the corners.

Yay :) I didn't realise I could upload more than 5 photos! Well, here's some special stuff from around our house. This first one is a picture of my Grandma (who died last year), on her honeymoon. Painted by my Mum's uncle.

This was my Grandfathers. Is it a sexton? I'm not sure but it's some kind of nautical equiptment. My Grandfather was a sailor.

This is a reprint of my Grandma as a child, dressed up as Little Miss Muffet. What a little actress!!

The embroidery was my Dad's mum (whom I never met). She did it for Dad as a little boy, and still hangs in Catherines room (which used to be my room, which used to be Dads!)

We have about 4 shelves of books like this. We love books. Some are really old. I love old books. Some are mums. Some are Dads. Some are Dad's Dad's. Some are Dad's grandfathers...

And this is an award my Dad got presented with at a work Christmas party. I'll never forget the intro. They said "This goes to a man, who if he found 5 cents outside his office would put up a sign on the door saying, Found 5 cents, would the owner contact me". The award says "HALO AWARD. 1953 - 1993. Presented to Roger M Dick. In recognition of his personal honest and integrety over the period of his 40 years of service and dedication to the Physics Department". They were just being dags, but it hangs next to my bed.

And this is a boat my Dad made. It actually floats. I think its a skiff, but don't quote me on that.

Irish dancing

Well, I've had my holiday for the year. I've been to the national Irish Dancing competitions in a little township called Paraparaumu, above Wellington (nz). It was Catherines second trip in a plane, and this time she was old enough to antipate it a week before we left...(yet still young enough to loudly ask on the plane who smelt like poo?)..
First photo is me and Catherine in front of our parlimentary building, named the beehive for obvious reasons.. (sometimes called the hornets nest by a shameless few :P)

And this one... well its actually the first time I've visited the beehive and didn't realise they sport a giant banana right outside, so I HAD to get a photo of that too.

This is our accomodation in Paraparaumu. A lovely little motel. It included a spa bath which we thought was pretty cool. Me and Catherine went in together in our togs. You can just see the rolling mountains in the background.

And this one is the actual dancing. This was the parade of champions... the only time youre actually allowed to film, or take photos. I didn't think to take close ups. I could show you a photo of Teresa with a sock pinned to her head to puff the wig up (tricks of the trade), but I was told I wasn't allowed to put it on facebook, and I guess this probably counts too.

And this is what I did today. I had to add this, coz it was a hellofa job, and I couldn't believe I actually got them all back into place.

Well, I just got some stunning earrings in the post. They are hand made from an etsy seller Rama star. They are hippy as and I love them. It's a bit escapist I know, it's not the 70's anymore, but when I feel like I want to to tell the world to get lost I'm gonna put these earrings on.

Also, I 've made a doily. In our household we have intracately made crochet doilies and table cloths made by my grand and great grand parents, and I thought I wanted to add to the collection of heirlooms to pass down to Catherine and make something worth keeping. So I found some vintage patterns on the net and made this. The thing is it only took a week, so I might try and make something even finer. I have also ordered a tatting shuttle off the net and can't wait to start learning. My grandfather could tat and I've always wanted to learn.

And last but not least, here is my Datsun at the shop. Yup. I gave it over to the proffessionals. And lucky too. They took the side panels right off and found alot more rust than they realised. So I'm looking forward to getting it back. I've chosen the colour. It's a dark green. They are taking their time though! they told me it would take a week and it's taken four!! oh well. Patience is a virtue a suppose.