KONY 2012

Joseph Kony....#1.  

Not number one on New Yorks Best Seller's List.  Not number one on any pop music list.  Not number one in peace.....number one in war.  He is a general of an army of his own.  An army made from children he has abducted.  He forces the young girls into sexual slavery and young boys into taking a gun and fighting for him.  What is his goal?  Power.  This video was created to make him famous; to make him a household name.  If the people of the world are made aware and show that they care and they will DO something....maybe he can be stopped.  We have to remember that God is sovereign.  He knows who this man is, where he is and how to stop him.  He WILL bring him to justice....or to repentance.  I will be praying for the end of this terror, and also for the salvation of this man.  

"If you do nothing in a difficult time, your strength is limited. Rescue those being taken off to death, and save those stumbling toward slaughter. If you say, 'But we did not know about this,' won't He who weighs hearts consider it? Won't He who protects your life know? Won't He repay a person according to his work?" ~Prov. 24:10-12

Earth House Happenings

The Earth House is an old church building converted into a coffee shop and event location.  They host several classes (dance, yoga, martial arts) throughout the week and several events like open mic night on Thursdays and the occasional local band.  Taking place on February 17 (a Thursday) the Earth House will be having a Jazz+Sushi fundraiser; one of its most anticipated events of the year!!! Tickets are $25 and it includes a variety of the towns best sushi and wine.  There will be live music and a contest for the best outfit.  The theme is 50's!! I know where I will be Feb 17.  How about you???

~Typography~

Typography is the study and manipulation of letters and type.  It is an art form in the words themselves.  It is the "art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible."  Typeface is the construction and use of different type forms, or fonts.  Not every typographer does typeface and not everyone who does typeface considers themselves a typographer.  


Enjoy the way letters can say more than the words they spell out....

TY

PO

GR

AP

HY

Plaid and Simple

Do you ever find yourself going through stages of liking one thing over another?  These days it's plaid.  Somehow plaid is back of beyond; a call of the wilderness.  In many shapes and forms, colors and shades; each plaid is uniquely set apart to itself.  

Anecdote of the Jar
By Wallace Stevens

I placed a jar in Tennessee,
And round it was, upon a hill.
It made the slovenly wilderness
Surround that hill.

The wilderness rose up to it,
And sprawled around; no longer wild.
The jar was round upon the ground
And tall and of a port in air.

It took dominion everywhere.
The jar was gray and bare.
It did not give of bird or bush,

Like nothing else in Tennessee.

Songbird

I used to feel caged.  It was when I lived how I wanted and did whatever pleased me.  I was a slave to my own desire.  To be a child of God means to have freedom.


"What's keeping you from flying free above the trees and seeing clearly?"

a little bit of this....a little bit of that

I've always enjoyed the idea of making my own "this and that".  But where to start?  I dabbled in crochet, food prep and making my own journals.  Due to inspiration from a friend I've begun experimenting with different hand and body scrubs.  The one I like the most right now is a simple mixture.  


Ingredients:


2 cups brown sugar
2 cups olive oil (although you may want to add more for the mixture to combine thoroughly)
2 cups oatmeal 
optional - a few drops of your favorite scent.  


I tried it out with lavender and love the results.  Feel free to play around with the combination of ingredients!  Perhaps you may want to add a little water or bake the oatmeal instead of adding it raw?  Be creative and share your results! 

God's Presence For The Journey

Happy New Year to all!!  I don't know about you, but 2011 was a LONG year, full of challenges and great joys.  I was SO happy that the first day of the year fell on a Sunday because I was able to celebrate it by worshiping the God of creation with His people.  Pastor David Whitla gave a challenging sermon in the evening from Exodus 33:1-17.  


If you look back through the book of Exodus you see how God brought the people out of Eygpt and all the marvelous works He did for their sake and for the sake of His glory.  You see how they dwelt with Him in the wilderness.  Amidst these blessings there is also shame and grief.  The people worshipped a graven image; forsaking the law of God and His holy name.  In chapter 33 God tells Moses that the people will still enter the land of Canaan, but that His presence would not go with them.  When the people heard this, they were greatly dismayed.  The future must have looked very bleak.  Moses went to the Lord in prayer, interceding for the people.  The prayer can be found in verses 12-17.  When we break the prayer down there are six lessons to learn.  


1) Moses confessed his weakness.  He had a very heavy burden placed on him to lead the people of Israel.  He acknowledged his inadequacy to accomplish the task on his own.  


2) Moses expressed his assurance of the Lord's favor for the journey.  God knew him by name; He had a deep relationship to Moses.  The same is true of all His people.  The degree of our assurance that Gods favor is with us will determine our level of confidence in His ability to help us in our time of need.  


3) Moses sought growth in grace during the journey.  He knew God, but wanted more.  Shouldn't each one of us want to know our Creator and Father more intimately?  It's important to remember that God is the one who provides the growth.  Moses asks God to show himself.  


4) Moses pleads God's promises.  God had entered a covenant with Israel and Moses approached God with holy boldness.  God's children can claim past promises for future blessing.  


5) Moses pleads God's presence for the journey.  If God's presence did not go with them they did not want to go.  They would rather live in the wilderness with God than go into Canaan without Him.  


"O my Lord Jesus Christ, if I could be in Heaven without thee, it would be a hell; and if I could be in            hell and have thee still, it would be a heaven to me, for thou art all the heaven I want."  ~Samuel Rutherford   


"I would rather be in Hell with Christ than in Heaven without Him." ~Martin Luther


6) Moses prayed for God to be glorified in the journey. God had set His people apart to bring glory to Him among the nations.  How were they to do that if His presence did not go with them? Ask God to go with you, not so you may be blessed, but so that He will.  


God answered Moses' prayer graciously and said that He would not depart from them but would keep His promise to be their God.  When God calls us to any service, He will furnish His people with all that is necessary to accomplish the task.  He will give direction and strengthen us when we seek His face.  Why was God merciful to Israel when they were such a "stiff-necked people"?  He was pleased with Moses, their mediator.  We have a mediator FAR greater than Moses.  "My children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.  But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.  He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world." ~I John 2:1-2


To wrap all this up there are a few reminders of what experiencing God's presence means for us.  Having God with you means companionship, confidence, guidance, provision, spiritual needs met, protection, rest, comfort, and the ability to persevere to the end of the journey.  


Begin each new morning in His loving arms because every day has the promise of the endless Day (Rev. 22:1-5).  Happy traveling, fellow pilgrims!