Sunshine and the Sea

Six hours of driving (north, then west, then south) along winding roads might be worth it.

Kintyre, Scotland

Picturing Grace

At Capernwray, half of the school attends a seminar on Friday while the other half works. The next week, they switch. I am on the team that listens to the seminar first.
Last week, however, I missed the seminar due to leaving for my outreach in the morning. I enjoy listening to the speaker, so was disappointed to miss it. Yesterday, while the other team attended the seminar, my team had work day.
I attempted to request to go to the seminar, but the rota had already been made and I was needed to help with the duties. My job would be working on some craft projects. I know I cannot skip, and honestly do not mind doing the work, but I still wanted to go to the seminar rather than attempt to listen to the recording.
On Friday morning, prepared to do my duty, I went early to talk to my supervisor. Upon briefly explaining my situation, she immediately said, “Go to the seminar!” Expressing my thankfulness, I hurried to the conference hall. All I could think was, “Thank You, Jesus!” This is an illustration of God’s grace to me. My request could easily have been rejected. There was no reason I should skip work, but my supervisor allowed it. She didn’t even want me to make up the work later. There is no reason God should forgive my sin, but He did. I cannot earn God's favour, it is freely given.
I think I enjoyed the seminar even more than I would have otherwise. Knowing I could have missed it increased my gratefulness to attend. I was glad to be there and very encouraged by it.

Having to do with Weather

“Creation’s revealing His majesty,” declare the lyrics of the song “Indescribable” by Chris Tomlin and Louie Giglio. In concurrence, Romans 1:20 states that God’s “invisible attributes…have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made…” The last several chapters of Job depict this, enlarging my view of how the elements and creation bring glory to God and reveal the Creator’s power.
Elihu, Job’s friend, describes various aspects of the weather, using each one to point to God. He expresses rain as “his mighty downpour” (Job 37:6) and says, “By the breath of God ice is given…” (Job 37:10). The clouds and lightening “turn around and around by his guidance, to accomplish all that he commands them on the face of the habitable world” (Job 37:12). Concerning lightening, Elihu additionally proclaims, “its crashing declares his presence” (Job 36:33).
After recounting each of these weather conditions, Elihu exhorts Job to “consider the wondrous works of God” and rightly asserts that “God is clothed with awesome majesty…he is great in power” (Job 37:14, 22-23). As the Creator, God formed the elements and has dominion over them. The book of Job shows that He is immanent, directly involved with creation. Like the psalmist relates, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1).

Concerning Horses

"Do you give the horse his might?

Do you clothes his neck with a mane?
Do you make him leap like the locust?
His majestic snorting is terrifying.
He paws in the valley and exults in his strength..."
- Job 39:19-21

"His delight is not in the strength of the horse...
but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love."
-Psalm 147:10-11

Let It Snow

Most of the students left to travel or have gone home for Christmas. Here at the castle, it is only those who will stay over winter break to work as staff for the holiday conferences. Last week, as all the students packed and cleaned for the break, we were delighted by a flurry of snow. That flurry was just the sneak preview. This morning we awoke to the real thing coming down. It continued all morning leaving us with this:


I feel like I live in Narnia.

To the Ruins

[directions in the form of prepositional phrases.]

Out the gate,
Up the road,
Over the fence,
Onto the footpath,
Between the branches,
Through the mud,
Across the field,
Toward the horses,
Beside the hedge,
Past the dirt mounds,
Along the trail,
Around the bend,
Into the yard,
Near the shed,
Until the stream,
Beyond the bridge,
[turn at the bathtub,]
By the sheep,
Atop the hill,
Amid the trees,
To the ruins.

[of what, we are not certain.]

Thankful for a Saturday of sunshine and good company.

2.0

It was a good day.

[Thanks for being our chauffeur and photographer, Norbert.]

Complete with staying up until midnight the night before, waking up to a sign that read, "Happy Birthday, Hannah!", many similar wishes at breakfast and throughout the day [plenty of hugs too], opening parcels from the fam and presents from the roommates, a seminar on finances during which I was crowned with a lovely tiara [and not allowed to remove it nearly the entire day], lunch at The White Eagle [BBQ chicken, chips, and salad], Cricket practice in the afternoon [no new bruises, which is great because I still have some from last week], standing on my chair while everybody sagn to me at tea [they nearly forgot], finding notes and gifts every time I checked my pigeon hole [which was frequently], practicing the Christmas programme [knitting during the scenes without me], "baking" in the microwave [digestives and Mars Bars!], talking with the family, watching You've Got Mail, and staying up until midnight again.