If we are not heavenly minded, we are of no earthly good - Richard Baxter

16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), 1 Pe 2:16–17.

Great God, Jesus of overflowing grace, move my heart to pray for Your saving power among the nations. Burden me with the plight of people who have no access to the gospel! Amen

(In Memory of Emma 2011)

Because your steadfast love is better than life,

my lips will praise you.

4 So I will bless you as long as I live;

in your name I will alift up my hands.

5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,

and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,

6 when I remember you upon my bed,

and meditate on you in the watches of the night;

7 for you have been my help,

and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.

8 My soul clings to you;

your right hand upholds me.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ps 63:3–8.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSnzYnOe6kI - The Gettys

The perfect wisdom of our God,

Revealed in all the universe:

All things created by His hand,

And held together at His command.

He knows the mysteries of the seas,

The secrets of the stars are His;

He guides the planets on their way,

And turns the earth through another day.

The matchless wisdom of His ways,

That mark the path of righteousness;

His word a lamp unto my feet,

His Spirit teaching and guiding me.

And oh, the mystery of the cross,

That God should suffer for the lost

So that the fool might shame the wise,

And all the glory might go to Christ!

Oh grant me wisdom from above,

To pray for peace and cling to love,

And teach me humbly to receive

The sun and rain of Your sovereignty.

Each strand of sorrow has a place

Within this tapestry of grace;

So through the trials I choose to say:

“Your perfect will in your perfect way.”

13 Consider the work of God:

who can make straight what he has made crooked?

14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ec 7:13–14.

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

3 He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ps 23:1–3.

16 HE SAW THAT THERE WAS NO MAN,

AND WONDERED THAT THERE WAS NO ONE TO INTERCEDE;

THEN HIS OWN ARM BROUGHT HIM SALVATION,

AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS UPHELD HIM.

17 HE PUT ON RIGHTEOUSNESS AS A BREASTPLATE,

AND A HELMET OF SALVATION ON HIS HEAD;

HE PUT ON GARMENTS OF VENGEANCE FOR CLOTHING,

AND WRAPPED HIMSELF IN ZEAL AS A CLOAK.

18 ACCORDING TO THEIR DEEDS, SO WILL HE REPAY,

WRATH TO HIS ADVERSARIES, REPAYMENT TO HIS ENEMIES;

TO THE COASTLANDS HE WILL RENDER REPAYMENT.

19 SO THEY SHALL FEAR THE NAME OF THE LORD FROM THE WEST,

AND HIS GLORY FROM THE RISING OF THE SUN;

FOR HE WILL COME LIKE A RUSHING STREAM,

WHICH THE WIND OF THE LORD DRIVES.

20 “AND A REDEEMER WILL COME TO ZION,

TO THOSE IN JACOB WHO TURN FROM TRANSGRESSION,” DECLARES THE LORD.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Is 59:16–20.

59:16 In context (vv. 1–15), the description of sinfulness in the land shows how depraved the nation had become and how far it had strayed from God. Isaiah did not excuse himself from this picture (6:5); “no man,” not even the prophet, was standing up against injustice and ungodliness and interceding for the sinful community. The “man” God looked for, but did not find, could be (1) a righteous king like Hezekiah, (2) some other leader, besides Isaiah, who might respond to His messages through the prophet, or (3) no “man” at all, since the nation’s problems were beyond human solution and God must bring salvation Himself (vv. 16–21).

Ted Cabal et al., The Apologetics Study Bible: Real Questions, Straight Answers, Stronger Faith (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2007), 1073–1074.

Go To Dark Gethsemane - Idellible Grace (Sandra McCracken)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEBkrAugvr4

1. Go to dark Gethsemane, ye that feel the tempter's power

Your Redeemer's conflict see, watch with Him one bitter hour

Turn not from His griefs away; learn of Jesus Christ to pray

Learn of Jesus Christ to pray

2. See Him at the judgment hall, beaten, bound, reviled, arraigned

O the wormwood and the gall! O the pangs His soul sustained!

Shun not suffering, shame, or loss; learn of Christ to bear the cross

Learn of Christ to bear the cross

3. Calvary's mournful mountain climb; there, adoring at His feet

Mark that miracle of time, God's own sacrifice complete

"It is finished!" hear Him cry; learn of Jesus Christ to die

Learn of Jesus Christ to die

4. Early hasten to the tomb where they laid His breathless clay

All is solitude and gloom. Who has taken Him away?

Christ is risen! He meets our eyes; Savior, teach us so to rise

Savior, teach us so to rise

Lord, You had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of yourself that you had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, You set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, You stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. You didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, You lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

Lord, I affirm you are strong and mighty, loving, loyal and tender. It took strength and love to be obedient on the cross. Forgive me yet sometimes I am fearful of riducule and get indignant when I am mistreated. Help me to grow to love You more everyday. May you give me the opportunity to spread Your love to all people from all tribes and nation.

In Your name I pray, Amen

Prayer Adapted using:

Eugene H. Peterson, The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2005), Php 2:5–8.

Proverbs 3:6

6 In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Pr 3:6.

People often talk about God’s sovereignty in salvation as if it were a theoretical, theological debate. This hymn is so refreshing, because it puts this Biblical truth into its proper context. Knowing that God is sovereign in my salvation sets me free to worship him. Instead of constantly evaluating where I stand with God based on what I’ve done, I can marvel at what Jesus has done to secure my salvation.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz5dCj3McBw - Matthew Smith

My Lord, I did not choose You,

For that could never be;

My heart would still refuse You,

Had You not chosen me.

You took the sin that stained me,

You cleansed me, made me new;

Of old You have ordained me,

That I should live in You.

Chorus:

My Lord, I did not choose You,

For that could never be;

My heart would still refuse You,

Had You not chosen me.

Unless Your grace had called me

And taught my opening mind,

The world would have enthralled me,

To heavenly glories blind.

My heart knows none above You;

For Your rich grace I thirst;

I know that if I love You,

You must have loved me first.

credits

Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA4fZn6Kxy4

VERSE 1

Alas, and did my Savior bleed

And did my Sovereign die?

Would He devote that sacred head

For such a worm as I?

Was it for sins that I had done

He groaned upon the tree?

Amazing pity, grace unknown

And love beyond degree

CHORUS

My God, why would You shed Your blood

So pure and undefiled

To make a sinful one like me

Your chosen, precious child?

VERSE 2

Well might the sun in darkness hide

And shut His glories in

When Christ, the mighty Maker, died

For man, the creature’s, sin

Thus might I hide my blushing face

While His dear cross appears

Dissolve my heart in thankfulness

And melt my eyes to tears

© 1997 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI).

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhZhmxLTe7c - Young Oceans

Praise the Lord Ye heavens adore him

Praise him angels in the height

Sun and moon, rejoice before him

Praise him, all ye stars of light

Praise the Lord for he hath spoken

Worlds his mighty voice obeyed

Laws which never shall be broken

For their guidance he hath made

* All creation join the song of praise

Let every tongue declare His mighty ways

And we will sing of Your goodness and mercy all of our days

Praise the Lord for he is glorious

Never shall his promise fail

God hath made his saints victorious

Sin and death shall not prevail

Glory! Glory! All glory to You Lord! (4X)

Praise the God of our salvation

Hosts on high, his power proclaim

Heaven and earth, and all creation

Laud and magnify his Name

2 ... return to the LORD your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, 3 then the LORD your God lwill restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will mgather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Dt 30:2–3.

Deuteronomy 7:6–9 (ESV)

6 “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,

I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life

14 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that iwhere I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am lthe way, and mthe truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have pknown my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Jn 14:1–7.

Week 42 in 52 Weeks for Dogs. This is a shot I've had in mind for ages having seen a few similar on Flickr but I didn't have a lapphund shaped cookie cutter. I still don't have one but picked up a couple of these yummy gingerbread lappie cookies at our show yesterday. Taivas was most unimpressed that she only got to eat a tiny bit after the photoshoot - I ate the rest :o)

Suffer me never to think that I have the knowledge enough to need no teaching. Help me, Lord as I consider my ways of others, not to judge, but rather to see what to, and not to emulate. Amen

37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Jn 7:37–38.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z3pjXmNq2g - Elenyi & Sarah Young

Come Thou fount of every blessing

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

Streams of mercy, never ceasing,

Call for songs of loudest praise

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

Sung by flaming tongues above.

Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,

Mount of God's redeeming love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer;

Hither by Thy help I'm come;

And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,

Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,

Wandering from the fold of God;

He, to rescue me from danger,

Interposed His precious blood.

1. If you could hie to Kolob

In the twinkling of an eye,

And then continue onward

With that same speed to fly,

Do you think that you could ever,

Through all eternity,

Find out the generation

Where Gods began to be?

2. Or see the grand beginning,

Where space did not extend?

Or view the last creation,

Where Gods and matter end?

Methinks the Spirit whispers,

“No man has found ‘pure space,’

Nor seen the outside curtains,

Where nothing has a place.”

If you could hie to Kolob

In the twinkling of an eye,

And then continue onward

With that same speed to fly,

Do you think that you could ever,

Through all eternity,

Find out the generation

Where Gods began to be?

O to grace how great a debtor

Daily I'm constrained to be!

Let that grace now like a fetter,

Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love;

Here's my heart, O take and seal it,

Seal it for Thy courts above

8 Rejoice not over me, O my enemy;

when I fall, I shall rise;

when I sit in darkness,

the LORD will be a light to me.

9 I will bear the indignation of the LORD

because I have sinned against him,

until he pleads my cause

and executes judgment for me.

He will bring me out to the light;

I shall look upon his vindication.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Mic 7:8–9.

38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Jn 7:38.

Noel - Chris Tomlin (feat Lauren Daigle)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Vwu-t7QRaE

"Noel"

Love incarnate, love divine

Star and angels gave the sign

Bow to babe on bended knee

The Savior of humanity

Unto us a Child is born

He shall reign forevermore

Noel, Noel

Come and see what God has done

Noel, Noel

The story of amazing love!

The light of the world, given for us

Noel

Son of God and Son of man

There before the world began

Born to suffer, born to save

Born to raise us from the grave

Christ the everlasting Lord

He shall reign forevermore

Noel, Noel

Come and see what God has done

Noel, Noel

The story of amazing love!

The light of the world, given for us

Noel

Revive Us Again

1 LORD, you were favorable to your land;

you restored the fortunes of Jacob.

2 You forgave the iniquity of your people;

you covered all their sin. Selah

3 You withdrew all your wrath;

you turned from your hot anger.

4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation,

and put away your indignation toward us!

5 Will you be angry with us forever?

Will you prolong your anger to all generations?

6 Will you not revive us again,

that your people may rejoice in you?

7 Show us your steadfast love, O LORD,

and grant us your salvation.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ps 85:title–7.

22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 BUT when he saw the wind,4 he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Mt 14:22–33.

4 Rescue the weak and the needy;

deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ps 82:4.

Kamera: Olympus IS-100

Film: Ilford HP5+

Kjemi: Rodinal (Stand)

No cropping, no post-processing, film has not been pushed or pulled.

My old student camera from the 90s still working like a charm.

An awesome small ´point-and-shoot´ 28-110mm bridge camera with super fantastic Olympus lenses - which was the reason why I bought it at the time.

Grant me, O most sweet and loving Jesus, to rest in You!

Tell the Coming Generation

78 A MASKIL OF ASAPH.

1 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;

incline your ears to the words of my mouth!

2 I will open my mouth in parable;

I will utter dark sayings from the old

3 things that we have heard and known,

that our fathers have told us.

4 We will not hide them from their children,

but tell to the coming generation

the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might,

and othe wonders that he has done.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ps 78:1-4

You must give me credit for resisting the temptation of posting a shot from Trillium Lake in over 40 days.

I miss her. : )

I have heard that my neighbors up Lolo Pass Road have had their power restored. Huzzah!

Explore - Jan 20, 2011 #476

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ro 5:6–8.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=STlxdghSczI

There is a love that calls me by the name

Sure as the sun, the moon, the stars remain

Your love for me will never change

Jesus, Your lo - o - ove

Je - sus, Your love

There is a love that takes me by the hand

Guiding my heart to find its home again

And where You are is home to me

Jesus, Your lo - o - ove

Je - sus, Your love

So let my heart tell You again

When seasons change and stories end

Your steady love

It will sustain me through it all

Je - sus, Your love

There is a peace that stays though storms may come

I hear Your voice within the winds that blow

I hear Your song, it calls to me

Jesus, Your lo - o - ove

Je - sus, Your love

So let my heart tell You again

When seasons change and stories end

Your steady love

It will sustain me through it all

Je - sus, Your love

There is a strength that rises up in me

To know that You've been here be - fore me

A strength beyond what I can see

Jesus, Your lo - o - ove

Je - sus, Your love

So let my heart tell You again

When seasons change and stories end

Your steady love

It will sustain me through it all

Je - sus, Your love

So let my heart tell You again

When seasons change and stories end

Your steady love

It will sustain me through it all

Je - sus, Your love

There is a strength that rises up in me

To know that You've been here be - fore me

A strength beyond what I can see

Jesus, Your lo - o - ove

Je - sus, Your love

So let my heart tell You again

When seasons change and stories end

Your steady love

It will sustain me through it all

Je - sus, Your love

You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.

9 You visit the earth and swater it;

you greatly enrich it;

tthe river of God is full of water;

you provide their grain,

for so you have prepared it.

10 You water its furrows abundantly,

settling its ridges,

softening it with showers,

and blessing its growth.

11 You crown the year with your bounty;

your wagon tracks woverflow with abundance.

12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow,

the hills gird themselves with joy,

13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,

the valleys deck themselves with grain,

they ashout and sing together for joy.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ps 65:8–13.