.

this photo is of a crumbling curb and a grate that surrounds a small tree.
it’s a limited time parking spot that is usually open.  i could hardly get in or
out of my car door as the little tree and my door were having a tussle.
i was picking up some food-to-go from the ixtapa restaurant.  i had settled
the food into the car and thought i would snap a picture.  the dark spots on
the grate were from little drops of rain.  i made it into the car before it was
cats and dogs.

and it smelled so good on the way home.  burrito, baby!

✜

coming this weekend:
a quilt show at the champoeg heritage visitor center, with more than fifty
historical and modern quilts to be displayed.
also, costumed volunteers from the piecemakers quilt guild giving quilt
demonstrations.  i assume that the costumes are of a historical nature.

i’m hoping to go and have a good look.

♥

“the rival conceptions of God”

i have a hard time keeping up with old clive here.
he makes his point very slowly and precisely, making the
reader think through what he is saying.

i am starting to think that i can’t do a very good job of writing
about what clive has written, even when the reading is broken
down into short chapters, without writing exactly what he has said.

i guess i’m just not very good at book reporting.  and i can’t write it
in a way that is interesting enough for you to want to read my post on it.

so i’m just going to say that reading this book is a good thing so far.

and
there are some good posts on it here.

.

.

peter and i went to the spring concert at george fox university last week.
the week before that we went to the university to see “the taming of the shrew.”
the concert was good and the play was totally fun.
i really liked seeing the action and costuming of the play.

.

i watched the first in the new series of “doctor who” this weekend.
they filmed it in america.  they have a scene of the the oval office.
in another scene the doctor wears a stetson.  it suits him actually.

.

i like pens with purple ink and fine tips.

.

who has a good recipe for stuffed eggs?  i have never made them.
i wonder how to get the yoke to stay in the middle when they are boiled.

.

i think that lady bugs are cute.

.

singing your thanks to God can do good things.

Lord, thank you for the beautiful blue sky
thank you for the white clouds passing by…

now, you can add your lines :-)

.

.

a few glass stones that have not fallen out of the stepping slab cj and i made.
and the blue in the corner of the picture is a pot that contains a spearmint plant.

.

i bought a new block home for the orchard mason bees and put it up next to the old one.
the female mason bees have been busy these last couple of sunny days.
hopefully busy with the cherry and pear blossoms.  the apple trees have no blooms yet.

.

i think i will keep the name “ruby” as an extra name.
it will be the first name on “my really cool extra names” list.

.

.

.

we are still playing with watercolour.

¢

i use to get a pet duckling to raise every spring when i was small.  i would dress it up in barbie clothes.

¢

never wear perfume or cologne to a wine tasting… never ever.

¢

i use to be an illustrator at tektronix.

¢

did you know that bj moore is really elvis?

.

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green water hose, wound up, on the porch.

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do you like the ¢ents mark?  ¢  i hardly ever see it anymore.

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sometimes a person living on the street seems like an angel when i look at them.

.

my mother once got so angry that she locked the bathroom door and started throwing bottles into the tub.
i don’t remember what she was angry about, but i remember thinking she was making quite a mess.
well, most of the bottles were glass in those days.

.

sometimes i would like to have another name.  i think i will use “ruby” today.

.

God bless you.
Love,
ruby

.

.

i forgot to read my mere christianity book this week.
so, no post on that today.

☀

BUT… ta ta ta daaaaa!  
i read something good that i really want to share.
so click and read it, okay?

April Bonus Poem: I will Build My Cottage, by Robert Mark Spencer, aka bob, at wilderness fandango.

♡

we matter to each other in ways we don’t realize.

✄

our heart matters.

★

i use to get gold stars on papers in first grade.  sweet old mrs. lamont.

✜

you can’t see your closest friend, but you can hear and talk to Him.

✺

okay, that’s all for now.

☆

.

.
life is an adventure, from the first breath to the last.  don’t you think?  the good, the bad, the mystery.  so many things to see and learn.  no shortage of different people to talk to.  and best of all, i have the Holy Spirit of God as my counselor and comforter, always with me.  always softly speaking to my spirit, which i also call my heart, since what i think of as my spirit is located around about my heart.  where do you feel your spirit?  sometimes i feel things right behind my eyes, but mainly it seems around my heart.  though, sometimes both together.

when i was younger, i thought one had to make big plans or do something grand to call it an adventure.  now, this does not seem to be the case.  now i think that quite a bit of adventure can take place in creativity, imagination, planning, playing.  it can take place in my home, my yard, neighborhood, town, state.  it can be something very small.  but, mainly it is knowing that God’s Holy Spirit is with my spirit.

that is the ultimate adventure.

to see one word tuesday, hosted by peter pollock, click here

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what do you treasure?
who’s the one
who owns your soul?
the world is full
of
the thing
that pulls at hearts
to gain control.

evil gains access through the heart

from proverbs 4:

The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,
   shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
¹⁹ But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
   they do not know what makes them stumble.

⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble,
..whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—
  if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—
..put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

~

photo by cj rosback, photo edit by n. rosback

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do you see the problems in the church ?

i can not tell you the future

but, i can tell you why the problems are there.

and i can tell you the only way to healing and renewal is Jesus.

~

in the previous post, i mentioned “getting our butts out of the church and
getting our heads out of our butts.”
i know that is not exact, well… to tell you the truth, it’s wrong…

~

“get your butt out of the church”… actually it has to do with my heart, not your butt.

what is my focus?

i am not owned by the church, i am owned by God.
my focus must be on God and God alone.
i am owned by God.
i belong to God.
not a church, not my family, not my job, not money, not my desires,
not my friends, my pet, my plans, or my life.
they are not to be my main focus.

~

“get your head out of your butt”… and again it’s not your butt, or your head, but…my heart.

i must look at my heart…

really look at it
come to my God as a child
give everything to Him
every care, every lifetime hurt, every adult worry
put my heart in His hands and be a child
go back and let my heart be a child heart without hurt and worry,
without anger, leaving all issues to Him… and rest there.
my heart belongs to God
go to him with the heart of a child
seek Him first

let go of my expectations
be the servant at heart
strive to be the lowest at heart
God is my master
not a church, not my family, not my job, not anything or anyone in the world.
God is my master, my focus.
go to Him with the heart of a servant.

~

so, i can’t just point my finger at your butt, your head, or the church.  go figure.

it’s actually me, and my heart before God.  and yours.  and everyone’s actually.

Jesus did not say these things just to hear Himself talk.

i believe he meant every word He said.

and i have not been doing it.  (note to self, “just do it”.)

no more wondering and complaining.

when i mess up…He told me what to do there too.  (just do it.)

i have no excuses when i don’t look at my own heart and put my focus on God.

i must do my part in the huge and glorious body of Christ Jesus.

yep, it’s really up to little old me…well…and you too.

and taking the old log out of the eye and all that stuff.

.

.

i have read a couple of posts today that are about churches and the wars that go on
with the people within those churches.

people say it’s going on everywhere…

i thought…what the crap is wrong with us?

my mom use to say “just think of all the starving children in china” when i didn’t want
to eat the slimy tomato bread stuff or the chalky lima beans she served up.

i must be turning into my mom…ugh…because i was thinking “just think about those
underground churches in china, ethiopia, north korea, iran, turkey…?

do you think that they are arguing over worship songs, or carpet colours?

we need to get our butts out of the building and our heads out of our butts, man.

i know, my mother would not have said that…then again maybe she would have.

.

.

i am so behind at taking any photos. it seems with the lack of sun that
my interests have been on other things.  since this is the case, i have chosen
to post a shot from summer 2010 in indiana.

think hot, humid and windy.
my hair kept flying in front of the lens.
they were getting rain, and the field was pretty muddy.

this is the momma horse, her colt is behind her, with peter and cj.

.

.

i am like a stone
earthbound
pulled toward the inner core
the gravity of it all

stones are better than i
listening to God
when He calls them to move

and the sea
it knows the voice of God
and obeys

but i
i have the mind

thinking
wondering about the universe
or what’s for supper

i have the heart

wanting
longing to be the shining star child
i can not be

~ 
more at the site of jason stayszen

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a fool thinks himself to be wise,
but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.

william shakespeare