Kept in Embracing Love

To be kept by God!  A powerful concept that can influence a life by living in that reality.  What does it mean to be kept?  It implies in simple meaning to be held, sustained, preserved and saved.  The very notion of being kept has the connotation of ownership. Some rebel at that idea because our very nature does not like to be owned by anything or anyone.

It is amazing that God in His infinite knowledge, knew His own before they ever came into existence. He knew who would turn to him and who would seek to become His own.  It is a refuge to be kept by God as we journey through a world that has chaos and rebellion.  It is a spiritual oasis where we are refreshed and nourished in His embracing love, forgiveness, grace, mercy, peace where joy, hope and healing are found.  Our souls become soothed and infused in new life.

In the photo below, the sky was full of billowing clouds illuminated by the sun breaking through the formation. If you look closely, you will see the sun as a round orb encased in blue with surrounding light.  It was awesome to actually see the sun without being blinded by its light.  It also was a reminder that God draws us out of blindness to be kept by His illuminating Light in the navigation of life.

Thank you dear Lord for Your protective and keeping power, both known and unknown - spiritually, physically and in the deepest part of our soul.  I am grateful that we are each called to be Your own.... that is Your will.  We only need to respond out of our will in saying yes back to You.

The Silent Ones

I begin anew, with my first post of 2020.  I have titled it 'The Silent Ones' in consideration of the multitudes of humanity - man, woman and child - across the face of the globe over thousands of centuries.  The Silent Ones are those we never heard of and yet have left their footprints of indelible destiny in the navigation of civilization throughout the course of time. We have cultural differences but within the human heart; we share the same emotions in love, fear, happiness, grief, to name a few.  Our faces can hold smiles and they can shed tears.  We know emotional pain through loss and physical pain through adversities. We know hunger and thirst and we know the nourishment of food and drink.  We know the feeling of attraction and repulsion.  Some know poverty and some know riches.  We bleed the same color, we breathe the same air and we enter and exit this world the same way.

The Silent Ones go on to make their contributions to society and make history without any fanfare.  They obey their elders in youth and obey the law of the land as adults.  They pay taxes, go to work every day and struggle within the confines of jobs and money.  Some go to war and experience kill or be killed.  Some pray for peace with unwavering faith in a wavering world.  Some reverence God and country and some profane the same.  Some know freedom and some know captivity.  Some have experienced the goodness of men and some have experienced evil.  Each has lived their lives through portals of survival in struggle and success in resolve.

A Silent One may wonder as the capsule of time closes in....  'I am an unknown - what difference has it made in the universe'.  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow states - The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day.  Silent Ones are as the stars, invisible in the glare of the day, of who and what dominates in human universal importance.  And yet, without the glare, you become known and find out that your life has mattered and has made a difference with others within your orbit of existence.

There are a number of powerful scriptures that are assurances that you didn't happen by accident and your life is crucially important by our Creator.  I mention several here - Jeremiah 1:5  'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.....'  and Psalm 139:1-24.... 'O LORD, you have searched me and known me!  You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.  You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted in all my ways.  Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.  You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.'

WELCOME BACK  as I also return to to The Turn-Up Patch for a new season with postings of fresh thoughts and photography during this new year of 2020.


 

Quilts of Valor

Last week we celebrated Veterans Day - a day that honors our military veterans across the land.  It is yearly held on November 11th.  You can click on this link regarding a prior post that I wrote about Veterans Day.... https://turn-uppatch.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-veteran.html

This year, the communities in our John Day Valley celebrated our veterans from Friday throughout the weekend and into Tuesday with various events to commemorate and to show appreciation for our military.  One such event was "Quilts of Valor".  It was an evening put together by the Grant County Piecemakers Quilt Guild.  Members from this Guild spend most of the year creating patriotic quilts to be awarded to local veterans.  The room was arrayed with many beautiful quilts, some shown here....

These photos are inadequate in showing the detail and creative thought that went into each and every quilt displayed.  My positioning was awkward in trying to take photos since there was a large crowd that attended this event and some quilts were blocked by people movement.  However, these do give you an idea of the artistry and love that went into each and every creation on view throughout the room.  Veterans were called out to receive their quilt, announcing their name and military branch served.  It was a special way to thank our vets and show recognition.  And thank you to the ladies who spend much time and devotion for making these unique quilts in honor of our veterans.

I end this post with several quotes worth mentioning.... "For the veteran, thank you for bravely doing what you are called to do so we can safely do what we are free to do" - Unknown
"We gather to remember, to honor those who've died, and thank God for the veterans who still stand at our side." - Greta Zwaan

See you next time at The Turn-Up Patch!! 

 

Beauty in Rock Formations

Travels in October took us through parts of Idaho, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado and Texas.  We made this whirlwind trip in eight days.  Since there was not much time for stopping and taking photos along the way, I took most of my photos through the window of a moving pickup truck with an iPhone camera.  Since the movement of the truck was not smooth, I was impressed with the quality and clarity that this tiny camera produced in photos.  Rock formations of color and grain was impressive as the highway curved in and out of the terrain.  Some of the scenery seemed similar to the fossil beds we have in eastern Oregon.   My collection of photos on this trip was extensive and it was difficult to pick out just a few to share with you in this post.

It would take a study in itself as to what caused these rock formations millions of years ago.  The evolving process in nature is a marvel to behold and these formations are a testament to forces that defined them.  Each was unique and had their own personality in appearance.

The formations generate a sense of mystery and respect as one considers the passage of time and elements involved in such creations.  They remain unmoved as life cycles around them as it has done throughout the centuries in history.  There is 'rock' symbolism in the bible and used figuratively as the Rock in reference to Jesus for protection, strength, refuge, foundation, salvation.  Rock speaks about the nature of God who is solidly unchangeable in His ways and justice.   There is a line in the hymn Rock of Ages that says... "Lord, you are our rock.  Let us hide ourselves in thee."

Until we meet next time at The Turn-Up Patch.... here is a quote by Thomas Jefferson, "In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock".

Wildlife in the Tetons

Recently, we journeyed to Jackson, Wyoming for an art festival held annually in September.  The galleries showcase amazing artwork in oils, watercolors and photography as well as bronze statues.   Much of the scenery in this area is captured in these artisan creations.  When your view the actual Tetons, it is awesome how these mountains become personified by the movement of weather giving a different mood in landscape.  I kept my camera busy and it was difficult to pick out several photos out of the many taken for this post.  The second photo is a popular scene that you see in many paintings with the barn and backdrop of the mountains.  This picture was taken just as the sun was setting in a mix of cloudy sky.  Of course, God's art festival was constantly surrounding us in the grand display of the Teton Mountains, crowned by clouds, blue sky and sunsets.

There were visitors at the campsite - three bull moose!  They are accustomed to people but caution needs to be taken since they are still a wild animal subject to agitation if they are bothered.  Park rangers are usually vigilant to make sure that camera happy photographers don't get too close.  They are a huge animal and can move fast, up to 35 miles an hour and it would be quite a chase if there wasn't a tree to hide behind.  Most people are respectful and keep a safe distance.  You can admire and also be intimidated by their massive antlers, also called paddles that are used for territorial fighting and courtship.  The antlers can weigh up to 40 pounds and are shed annually in the winter, making room for new growth. 

I don't know what is the most unusual sight - the moose or the photographers.  When word spread of a wildlife sighting in the campsite, you'd see photographers hustling down the path with their gear to capture that one great shot.  Some looked to be weighed down by extensive camera equipment slung over shoulders and in backpacks with tripods and super long range zoom attachments.  Others would have compact cameras and simple smartphones to take that one picture for personal satisfaction.    Cameras and people would be in a cluster.  I wonder what the moose thinks as he looks at this spectacle of humanoids and things that go 'click'!!

These are just a few photos of the many taken.  Perhaps I can share more in a later post.  Meanwhile, I hope you will come back to the Turn-Up Patch in a few weeks for another visit.

I leave you with this simple truth in a quote from Aristotle...."In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous."

The Storm and God's Song

The end of June brought a spectacular storm with clouds that developed over the region with jaw dropping color, formation and lightening.  The clouds, shaped within their own movement, danced across the sky in blends of gold, orange, pink and blue.   Lightening added to the drama and made it a photographer's delight if lucky enough to capture it's bolt piercing through the storm.  

It is during times like this in the presence of such awesomeness in nature, that one can feel very small.   Words cannot begin to describe the unfolding scene and one can only appreciate how truly great our God is, the Maker of the universe.

This summer has brought some unusual opportunities to photograph and most of it has happened without having to travel.  Often, there is beauty awaiting to be discovered in the silent subtlety of a flower or the roaring motion of a storm.  September will soon be here with its own surprises in the season of Fall and the beauty it brings.

Nothing can be more wondrous then God's ultimate creation - when He breathed His breath of life into man and man became a living soul.  I like to think that man and woman were originally created to be God's song.  In the redemptive sense, as we breathe or take in God's breath, we also release this breath back to Him and our life is the voice that becomes a living song in praise and intimacy with the Almighty Source of Life to whom we belong.


I hope you will join me at The Turn-Up Patch in a few weeks.  Until then, here is a beautiful quote by John Powell.... "God sends each person into this world with a special message to deliver, with a special song to sing and with a special act of love to bestow."

Silver Spur & American Flare at our County Fair

The Grant County Fair in John Day will be celebrating the longest running annual county fair in Oregon - 110 years!  Various businesses in the local communities have decorated in accordance with the theme entitled 'American Flare at our County Fair'.  The streets of Mt Vernon have summer flags that add color and patriotism on display for all to view as they travel through on Highway 26.  It fit right in for the Fair's theme this year......

A local restaurant in Mt. Vernon did a splendid job in the 'American Flare' decor.  Owned and operated by Jackie Osborne, the Silver Spur is a popular eating house for locals and tourists alike.  Jackie, with assist from a few friends, created the flag horse and sign advertising the Grant County Fair and Rodeo visible from the highway.  The forefront of the building greets customers with ample flowers and varied western motif emanating a hospitality welcome.

The patio in the rear of the building is set up for the summer season and offers ambiance with flowers and cozy country scenery.  Next time you visit Mt. Vernon, stop in at The Silver Spur to enjoy some of Jackie's fine cooking or gather with friends over a cup of coffee....

Until the next time we meet at The Turn-Up Patch, here is a great thought from John Wayne to leave you with.... "Tomorrow is the most important thing in life.  Comes into us at midnight very clean.  It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands.  It hopes we've learned something from yesterday."