Thursday, September 29, 2005


I can only wish that the approach to my front door looked this good this year... Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Diverse Quotations from a Novel I'm Reading

I'm reading a novel with quotations at the beginning of each chapter. Some seemed worth sharing.

"Friendship is a very taxing and arduous form of leisure activity." -Mortimer Adler

"A woman is like a tea bag--you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water." - Nancy Reagan

"The best way to know a man is to watch him when he is angry." -Hebrew Proverb

"It is one thing to show a man that he is in error, and another to put him in possession of truth." - John Locke

Another tranquil view Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

A Bit of Information I Missed Out On

There has been much talk in recent weeks about Hurricane Katrina. It has been quite heart warming to both respond to the needs of hurricane victims and observe the widespread, compassionate efforts of diverse groups to reach out to U. S. residents so horribly affected by the storm.

I was unaware until today, however, of the efforts of the National Abortion Federation. According to their website:

"In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina>

Hurricane Katrina victims can call the NAF toll-free hotline to speak with professional hotline operators who can help with options counseling and with referrals to providers of quality reproductive health care services. On a limited basis, hotline staff also may be able to help raise the funds necessary to help cover the cost of quality abortion care. Many NAF member clinics throughout the country are offering free services or significantly reduced fees for services for women from the disaster regions.

Donations to our Hotline Assistance Fund will allow us to provide the financial assistance desperately needed by women affected by Hurricane Katrina."

While millions rally to donate and assist with life, this group instead chooses to use their platform to further their agenda of death under the guise of "hurricane assistance." I guess the amazing thing is that I can still be "surprised" by such efforts.

Monday, September 26, 2005


Another favorite picture...Paige is responsible for this one Posted by Picasa

Sunday, September 25, 2005

A Timely Message?

"This [Sermon on the Mount] is not just a description of what a man does; the real point is this difference between the Christian and the non-Christian. The New Testament regards that as something absolutely basic and fundamental; and, as I see things at the present time, the first need in the Church is a clear understanding of this essential difference. It has become blurred; the world has come into the Church and the Church has become worldly. The line is not as distinct as it was. There were times when the distinction was clear cut, and those have always been the greatest eras in the history of the Church. We know, however, the arguments that have been put forward. We have been told that we have to make the Church attractive to the man outside, and the idea is to become as much like him as we can. There were certain popular padres during the First World War who mixed with their men, and smoked with them and did this, that, and the other with them, in order to encourage them. Some people thought that, as a result, when the war was over, the ex-service men would be crowding into the churches. Yet it did not happen and it never has happened that way. The glory of the gospel is that when the Church is absolutely different from the world, she invariably attracts it. It is then that the world is made to listen to her message, though it may hate it at first. This is how revival comes. That must also be true of us as individuals. It should not be our ambition to be as much like everybody else as we can, though we happen to be Christian, but rather to be as different from everybody who is not a Christian as we can possibly be. Our ambition should be to be like Christ, the more like Him, the better, and the more like Him we become, the more we shall be unlike everybody who is not a Christian."

-D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (italics mine) - From a sermon first delivered sometime prior to 1959 at Westminster Chapel, London

Saturday, September 24, 2005

Busy Reading

I'm busy reading on this hot afternoon and ran across a quote regarding one of my favorite places that caused me to grin:

"People can lose their lives in Libraries. They ought to be warned." -Saul Bellow

As Promised...

I'm practicing with pictures as I indicated would be necessary. This time I thought I'd play with the settings. I rather like the larger pictures but realize it could take longer for the blog to load. We have only recently acquired DSL and it is easy to forget how slowly everything loaded...Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pictures. I made Tom stop frequently for me to take more.

Another view in the same general area Posted by Picasa

Along the road in British Columbia, Canada, not far from Skagway, Alaska Posted by Picasa

Friday, September 23, 2005

On the Posting of Pictures....

Since I know absolutely no HTML and have never attempted blogging prior to yesterday, humorous moments abound for Paige and Tom as I try to figure this out for myself. Paige is of this current generation and, consequently, fairly computer savvy, while Tom is a computer specialist with the U. S. Courts. They have always done computer tasks beyond word processing or e-mail for me (easier than teaching me) and find my sense of accomplishment in a small thing like publishing pictures on this blog amusing. While I learn many things visually and auditorily, for computer skills I must resort to kinesthetic means and "do it for myself." This leads to opportunities for increasing "patience" and/or having a "screaming hissy fit." Today is patience....last night was more like a "fit." At my age, such a fit is even less becoming than with a determined two-year-old.

So it is with some sense of pride that I offer a few favorite pictures ("favorite" with pictures is relative for me, like with songs and books....many favorites) as Hurricane Rita approaches Texas and Louisiana. If there seems to be a theme of cool colors, cool climes, and water of non-hurricane proportions, perhaps it is a reaction to what is to come and a reminder of the immense God who created and controls it all.

I best remember computer skills through repetition so don't be surprised if other "favorite pictures" are regularly posted. Hopefully, you'll enjoy the scene and I'll enjoy the overall aesthetics of this blog more.

A walk on the Olympic Peninsula Posted by Picasa

But a glimpse of God's awesome power and creativity
- Athabasca Falls, Alberta, Canada Posted by Picasa

A favorite place...
Lake Crescent, Olympic National Park Posted by Picasa

Thursday, September 22, 2005

An Accurate View

While I've only read excerpts of the writings of John Calvin, I ran across a quote credited to him recently that speaks to me.

"Man never achieves a clear knowledge of himself unless he has first looked upon God's face, and then descends from contemplating Him to scrutinize himself."

I have been reading D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Studies in the Sermon on the Mount recently and was reminded of part of his teaching on what it means to be "poor in spirit." His comments seemed closely related to the quote mentioned above.

"That, then, is what is meant by being 'poor in spirit'. It means a complete absence of pride, a complete absence of self-assurance and of self-reliance. It means a consciousness that we are nothing in the presence of God. It is nothing, then that we can produce; it is nothing that we can do in ourselves. It is just this tremendous awareness of our utter nothingness as we come face to face with God....The way to become poor in spirit is to look at God....He is the all-sufficient One."

Why does it matter so much that I be 'poor in spirit'? I am then in a position to comprehend more fully what Christ accomplished for me on the Cross and through the Resurrection and to see in Him a Savior sufficient to transform lives. Such love constrains me to serve him more faithfully.

A New Venture

After a year of perusing the blogs of others, perhaps it is time to venture into this world of thoughts, words, and images for myself. It will be interesting to see what transpires...