11.24.2009

blaze orange

having grown up in the suburbs of the northeast, camoflauge & blaze orange did not even touch our vernacular.  sure, there was the weird neighbor up the street who trapped squirrels & released them in another part of town so that his hunting dogs wouldn't bark so much, and there was the bear rug on his floor that we only saw by peaking in his front door once a year while trick-or-treating.  but otherwise, i did not grow up anywhere near a culture of hunting and fishing.  so up to this point, i have carefully avoided all camoflauge and blaze orange from touching my body.  until tonight.  our new house is situated very nicely in the beautiful woods of minnesota.  so understandably, my husband has been begging me every day since we've had keys to the house to talk a walk in "our woods."  unfortunately, our moving date was not so nicely scheduled at the peak of deer hunting season. hence the need for blaze orange to at least graze our heads.  and during a delightful walk this evening through the foggy woods, i had blaze orange on my body.  and i was thankful for it.

small town love

being new to town, we have been visiting different churches each sunday.  sneaking in a little late this past weekend, we sat in one of the last pews.  imagine our surprise when we look to our left at the one other couple sitting in the same row and see the faculty member whose office is right next to nate's!  this is not the first indication that we are back in small-town-land, and i love it.

11.06.2009

well watered.

and oh, so thankful.

Psalm 104

1 Praise the LORD, O my soul.
O LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty.
2 He wraps himself in light as with a garment;
he stretches out the heavens like a tent
3 and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind.
4 He makes winds his messengers, [a]
flames of fire his servants.
5 He set the earth on its foundations;
it can never be moved.
6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
7 But at your rebuke the waters fled,
at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;
8 they flowed over the mountains,
they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them.
9 You set a boundary they cannot cross;
never again will they cover the earth.
10 He makes springs pour water into the ravines;
it flows between the mountains.
11 They give water to all the beasts of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 The birds of the air nest by the waters;
they sing among the branches.
13 He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work.
14 He makes grass grow for the cattle,
and plants for man to cultivate— bringing forth food from the earth:
15 wine that gladdens the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart.
16 The trees of the LORD are well watered,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17 There the birds make their nests;
the stork has its home in the pine trees.
18 The high mountains belong to the wild goats;
the crags are a refuge for the coneys. [b]
19 The moon marks off the seasons,
and the sun knows when to go down.
20 You bring darkness, it becomes night,
and all the beasts of the forest prowl.
21 The lions roar for their prey
and seek their food from God.
22 The sun rises, and they steal away;
they return and lie down in their dens.
23 Then man goes out to his work,
to his labor until evening.
24 How many are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
25 There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small.
26 There the ships go to and fro,
and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.
27 These all look to you
to give them their food at the proper time.
28 When you give it to them,
they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.
29 When you hide your face,
they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.
30 When you send your Spirit,
they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.
31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD rejoice in his works-
32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
who touches the mountains, and they smoke.
33 I will sing to the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
as I rejoice in the LORD.
35 But may sinners vanish from the earth
and the wicked be no more. Praise the LORD, O my soul. Praise the LORD. [c]
Footnotes: [a] Psalm 104:4 Or angels [b] Psalm 104:18 That is, the hyrax or rock badger [c] Psalm 104:35 Hebrew Hallelu Yah ; in the Septuagint this line stands at the beginning of Psalm 105.