Friday Foto Friends: Hidden in the Secret Place

Good Friday morning from Still Waters Pond! It's time for some Friday Fotos! Wasn't sure what I would have to show you that I hadn't already posted earlier this week, but then this beautiful Red Shouldered Hawk flew into our pine tree just outside the back porch overlooking the pond, and stayed long enough for me to catch a few pictures before he flew away.

If you think he looks like he is hiding from something, you may be correct.

 

 

There were several big crows flying around and pestering him and loudly cawing back and forth to try and drive him away. So he flew into this tree and crouched down under the branches to get a little bit of cover from their onslaughts.

Sadly I felt like I could identify with him, although hawks are predators and he may have been too close to the crow's nest...that I don't know...but they sure did make a racket and let him know that they didn't like him in their territory under any circumstances.

Sometimes we feel like we are being hammered by the enemy and we just need to hide away for a while  until they get tired of yelling at us and go away.

And then, when we feel like the coast is clear...when it seems safe enough to stick our neck back out there and look around...

We take one last quick look, and then take off as fast as we can for the next safe limb, farther away from their jeers and intimidating swoops that were intended to strike fear in our hearts and minds so they could feel more powerful than us.

We look for a safer spot where we can get a better look at our enemies and prepare for our next move, which in the case of this hawk was a flight across the pond to a more protected vantage point further away.

King David had similar experiences with his enemies, and this is what he wrote in thanks and praise to Almighty God for His protection:

Psalm 27:5-6 NKJV

"5. For in the time of trouble

He shall hide me in His pavilion;

In the secret place of His tabernacle

He shall hide me;

He shall set me high upon a rock.

6.  And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;

Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;

I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord."

Psalm 28:6-7

6. "Blessed be the LORD, 

because He has heard the voice of my supplications!

7.  The LORD is my strength and my shield;

My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;

Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,

and with my song I will praise Him."

Perhaps we needed this lesson from the hawk today to give us encouragement and hope. It certainly spoke to my heart, and I hope it will to you as well, in case you ever find yourself feeling like this hawk probably felt.  I know we usually think of the hawk as the enemy, but not in this scenario. He was being bombarded by the loud, noisy, "know it all" crows. They were the bullies, taunting him and being obnoxious and very disturbing.  The hawk really had no other recourse to defend himself except to find a place of refuge for a while until they got tired of pestering him. The hawk took the low road...he hid himself for a little while until they gave up, and then his head "was lifted up above his enemies" and he could move on to safety.  I actually found myself rooting and cheering for the hawk.  I was happy to see him escape those pesky crows and get to higher ground where he was safe. I think I heard him give a victory cry as he flew across the pond and foiled the plans of those who sought to harm him. 

Notice that the scripture verse above says "my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me"... (Psalm 27:6).  To me this means that God literally lifted up King David's head above his enemies.  God gave him the strength and power to overcome the evils that surrounded him on every side.  David knew that without God's help he was helpless. He acknowledges that it is the LORD who is his strength and shield. "My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped."  May we also recognize that it is God who gives us our strength and shield in the time of trouble...and put our trust solely in Him.

"And with my song I will praise Him."

Just some good food for thought for us today as we deal with the enemies of our lives.

Keep looking up toward heaven...God always has a better plan.

Happy Friday!!

 

Friday Foto Friends-A Very Present Help

Dear Friday Foto Friends...
As most of you are aware this is a very busy week for our family...and we've had lots of things going on in addition to what was planned.  First of all, I want to say THANK YOU to friends for your thoughts and prayers...as well as a big Praise the LORD for His healing and strength.  I started the week out with a tummy virus which rather knocked me for a loop for a couple of days. Our son, the bridegroom, also had a "bug" and had to spend a day at home resting.  We are so very thankful that no one else has gotten "the bug", and the wedding is set to take place this Saturday as planned.  I will be posting more about that next week I am certain.

For now I will just post a few pictures of things that I've been doing this week in addition to recuperating.  I don't have a picture of this, but in addition to the "bug", somehow our car had a very flat tire...actually a big gash in it, rendering it totally unfixable. So, on that particular day (Monday), we were forced to stay home and rest and recuperate and wait for our son to come home from work to help us get the flat tire off and take it 25 miles away to be replaced. I want to give our youngest son a BIG THANK YOU for doing exactly that after working hard all day; he never stopped to eat supper or anything. He just took care of that tire and had it back home and back on the car (in the dark) in a couple of hours...and then he was able to eat, take a shower and "crash" for the night. Praise God for our wonderful children.

 Now I feel like this bee...busily gathering and preparing food for our family and for the wedding rehearsal dinner/wedding reception.  The wedding is not going to be really large (about 60 people), but to keep costs down for the bride and groom both families are contributing/preparing the food for the luncheon reception.

 I've been busily making my lists and checking them twice to be sure nothing important is being left out...

Oh, another praise...as I mentioned last week (HERE), my computer had died, and I thought I had lost everything in it.  We ordered a new (refurbished) computer online, which thankfully arrived earlier than expected.  It took me the better part of a day to get everything set up and running. We also ordered a special cable adapter that is used to transfer data from the old hard drive to the new, as long as the old hard drive wasn't corrupted by virus, etc. That arrived a few days later, and I was able to transfer all of our documents and pictures that were on the old computer, including my Picasa photo editing program! So now I can continue editing my pictures in the manner in which I am accustomed.  I give credit and thanks to my hubby for learning about this adapter in a YouTube video online.  It only cost us about $10.00, and it saved us a bundle!  It pays to "google" these things and learn how to do stuff!  (I can tell you one thing...my brain hasn't had this big of a workout since I retired exactly two years ago.  So thankful to know that it still works...)

Yesterday was my day to iron the wedding shirts for the men of the household.  My hubby will be co-officiating, our younger son and our grandson will be groomsmen...and actually, our grandson, who is flying in all the way from Maine, is going to be the Best Man. He is standing in for his daddy, who would have been the Best Man had God not needed him in heaven already...so that will be a poignant moment to see our fine, tall, handsome 18 year old grandson doing the honors that his father would have done. I know his daddy will be watching and smiling down from heaven.

 As I ironed my son's shirt (The Groom), I prayed with every motion across the bright white fabric.  I prayed that the Lord would be with him and bless him and his sweet little bride with many years of happiness, health and joy.  While ironing the sleeves I asked the Lord to wrap His loving arms around him to protect, strengthen and provide in the good times and the difficult.

That was a precious time of prayer and communing with the Lord, which made the task of ironing go much sweeter and smoother.

Early this morning at the crack of dawn I looked out the front window and saw this deer enjoying her breakfast on our lawn.  The picture is a little fuzzy because there was so little daylight.

 She stood there quietly eating for quite a few minutes, totally unaware of my watching (from inside the house).

 Then she walked across the driveway and yard and on down the road...

Isn't she lovely?  What a peaceful, beautiful way to start my busy day of cooking and ironing and checking things off my lists...

How fitting that the scripture passage we read this morning in  our devotions was from Psalm 46...

1.  "God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble..."

7.  "The Lord of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our refuge."

10.  "Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!

11.  "The Lord of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our refuge."

I love how the Psalmist repeats the phrase "The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge."  How comforting it is to know that no matter what we are going through, whether it be sickness, a busy schedule with limited strength, broken equipment and vehicles, preparing for a big change in our lives (even when it is a happy change...it is still a major adjustment), conflicting emotions...the bittersweet reminders with the joyous answers to prayer..."The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge."  Praise God for this refuge...and for His strength and very present help in all circumstances!  I am thankful that He caused me to "Be still, and know that I am God"...for just a few moments before starting a very busy day.

Now let us glide over to Deb's place at Breathing in Grace and see what our other Friday Foto Friends have been up to this week! Have a blessed and glorious weekend...take some time to "Be still, and know" the Presence of God in your midst!!

It's "Demo Day" at our "Fixer Upper"

Someday I am going to start a new blog all about our "Fixer Upper"...with all the before and after pictures along the way.  Most them are already in here somewhere, but I'd like to be able to set them apart in one big file/blog so I can access them more easily...and also maybe we'll get our own TV Show when they see what all we've done!  Ha ha!!

Lately I've been watching a lot of the HGTV series of "Fixer Upper" with Chip and Joanna Gaines...and I must say I am totally in love with them both and their sweet little family.  Every time I watch their show, however, I start getting "ideas" for more projects at our personal "fixer upper" home...and then my hubby and my sons get a little nervous...and sometimes just plain disappear!   Can't say as I blame them...because usually Mom's ideas mean lots of work for them!

So, if you ever watch the "Fixer Upper" program on HGTV, you will know that Chip's favorite day is "Demo Day", the day when they tear down all of the old stuff and make way for the new.  There is just something about ripping out old walls, cabinets, carpet, floors, or whatever is in the way or in need of replacing that totally makes you feel great!  It's a great stress reliever...just grab a hammer and start pounding on some boards or ripping down an old fence for example...Well, let's start at the beginning and you will see why this fixer upper fence needed to be fixed!

(This is the Memorial Garden for our son, which is a part of the enclosed courtyard)

One of the features of our "fixer upper" home is the enclosed courtyard/backyard, which exists not only for privacy, but for the practical purpose of keeping out the bears

and other critters in our neck of the woods.

You've seen some pictures of this area throughout the years...we've made some improvements here and there, but the fence itself has been in need of a lot of work for quite a while.

And HERE are some pictures of the gate and front side of the fence, which help you to see 

why it needs to be replaced.  We decided to start with this section below, and will repair other sections a little at a time.  

So, last night our son brought home two sections of fence to replace this front section...and the gate will be built by hand. (By my son)

 So thankful for strong men to take care of these "deliveries"....above my two sons and hubby

And so today it was MY turn to get involved, besides just taking pictures!

"DEMO DAY"

I must be related distantly to Chip Gaines! Put a hammer in my hands and let me go to work.

I also couldn't help but think about our beloved former President Ronald Reagan,

when he said to Germany:

"TEAR DOWN THAT WALL!"

And then hubby wanted to get in on the action:

And suddenly there was a new view of our back yard appearing...

And we both stood back and said, 

"Gee, It's kind of pretty without the fence...maybe we shouldn't replace it...

But then again, we do love our privacy here...and the security of no 

bears or other wild critters in our immediate back yard..."

And so....this story is to be continued

Stay tuned for further developments.

Some thoughts about being in a safe place:

"He who dwells in the secret place of the 

Most High shall abide under the

shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord,

'He is my refuge and my fortress;

My God, in Him I will trust.'

Sure He shall deliver you from the snare of  the fowler

and from the perilous pestilence.

He shall cover you with His feathers,

And under His wings you shall take refuge;

His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,

Nor of the arrow that flies by day,

Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,

Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday."

Psalm 91:1-6

I know a fence is not a secure item to keep out the enemies of our home and/or souls...We need the security that only God can supply...

"He IS my refuge and my fortress; 

My God, in HIM I will trust!"

Amen!!!

And Goodnight!

Sleep Tight!

Who's Holding YOU?

Deuteronomy 33:27:  "The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms..."

Safe in His Arms

Psalm 119:117 ~ "Hold me up, and I shall be safe..."

Psalm 119:114 ~ "You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word." 

Mark 10:14-16 ~ "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."  "And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them."


It seems as though the news these days just keeps getting more and more frightening and discouraging...whether it be the state of the world at war, or the state of the economy, the political turmoil in our country, the unemployment rate...wherever we turn, the news is not good.  If we are not strongly grounded in our faith and our personal convictions, we can be tossed to and fro in an angry sea of anxiety, fear and doubt.  We find ourselves surfing the news channels in hopes of finding some good news for a change, and once in a while we may happen upon a good human interest story or some other positive words of encouragement...but not too often.  After a while we begin to wonder why our bodies are feeling so tense and stiff, and why our hearts are pounding and we can't seem to stand in one place for long because we are so filled with dread.  Suddenly we begin to realize that we are allowing the world to hold us hostage to fear and hopelessness, and we have to do something to stem the tide of negative emotions.

God said in the book of Isaiah:51:12-13; 15-16

"I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die, and of the son of a man who will be made like grass? And you forget the Lord your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth; You have feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he has prepared to destroy.  And where is the fury of the oppressor?"  "But I am the Lord your God, Who divided the sea whose waves roared~The Lord of hosts is His name.  And I have put My words in your mouth; I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, that I may plant the heavens, lay the foundations of the earth, and say to Zion, 'You are My people.'"

"I will lift up my eyes to the hills~from whence comes my help?

My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;

The Lord is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,

Nor the moon by night.

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;

He shall preserve your soul. 

The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in

From this time forth, and even forevermore."

Psalm 121

Amen.

What more can I say?

Perfect Rest.

 Thank you, Jesus.