the gourd

 

Howard brought me home a beautiful gourd from Tanzania.

 The carvings on the outside are amazing.

But what is inside is the real Treasure!

 A beautiful African picture of the Holy birth.

I love this!

third sunday of advent

The desert and the parched land will be glad;
    the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom;
    it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
    the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the Lord,
    the splendor of our God. 

Strengthen the feeble hands,
    steady the knees that give way; 

say to those with fearful hearts,
    “Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
    he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
    he will come to save you.” 

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
    and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

 Then will the lame leap like a deer,
    and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
    and streams in the desert.

Isaiah 35:1-6

it's so cold

After a beautiful fall and first few weeks of winter

reality hit two days ago

when the temps plummeted and

the wind chill factors

became a factor.

It was -24 this morning

with the wind chill making it feel like

-34.

Howard left Tanzania this evening (his time) where

he's been experiencing

temps in the low to mid 30s for the

past 6 days.

Reality will hit tomorrow afternoon for my dear husband.

Poor guy!

second sunday of advent

On Friday night the girls and I were blessed and privileged

to hear and see Handel's Messiah performed.

It was the ultimate worship service.

At a pre-concert event 

the conductor walked through the Messiah

quoting scripture and pointing out key musical happenings.

It was an added bonus to what turned out to be

an evening to remember.

Every valley shall be raised up

every mountain and hill made low

the rough ground shall become level

the rugged places a plain

And the glory of the LORD will be revealed

and all mankind together will see it

For the mouth of the LORD has spoken

You who bring good tidings to Zion, 

go up on a high mountain

You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem

lift up your voice with a shout,

lift it up, do not be afraid

Isaiah 40:4-6, 9

first sunday of advent

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
    and in his word I put my hope.

Psalm 130:5