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Posted on 10/31/2019 8:53:22 PM PDT by JustAmy
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| Besides...they have those happy little smiling "faces". That's one thing I love about them; or at least I do about pansies. Not sure if I've seen violas or not. LOL!
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Bible in a Year:
[They] muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:2
Author Henri Nouwen recalls his visit to a museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, where he spent hours reflecting on Rembrandt’s portrayal of the prodigal son. As the day wore on, changes in the natural lighting from a nearby window left Nouwen with the impression that he was seeing as many different paintings as there were changes of light. Each seemed to reveal something else about a father’s love for his broken son.
Nouwen describes how, at about four o’clock, three figures in the painting appeared to “step forward.” One was the older son who resented his father’s willingness to roll out the red carpet for the homecoming of his younger brother, the prodigal. After all, hadn’t he squandered so much of the family fortune, causing them pain and embarrassment in the process? (Luke 15:28–30).
The other two figures reminded Nouwen of the religious leaders who were present as Jesus told His parable. They were the ones who muttered in the background about the sinners Jesus was attracting (vv. 1–2).
Nouwen saw himself in all of them—in the wasted life of his youngest son, in the condemning older brother and religious leaders, and in a Father’s heart that’s big enough for anyone and everyone.
What about us? Can we see ourselves anywhere in Rembrandt’s painting? In some way, every story Jesus told is about us.
How might you reflect again on the story Jesus told and on the Rembrandt painting? As the light changes, where do you find yourself?
Father, help me to see myself for how much You love me.
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Thank you.
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Aw what a cutie! :-)
Hope you had a good day!
That bulldog wears the cowboy hat well.
The viola flower is way smaller but otherwise like a pansy flower. They are the same genus. My family grows them for sale with the pansies. I always liked pansies. Violas are even cuter, miniature versions. Snapdragons are my other lifelong favorite. Those unique snappy flowers and the sweet fragrance. Heavenly!
Love it, MEG!!
Verse For a Certain Dog
Such glorious faith as fills your limpid eyes,
Dear little friend of mine, I never knew.
All-innocent are you, and yet all-wise.
(For Heaven's sake, stop worrying that shoe!)
You look about, and all you see is fair;
This mighty globe was made for you alone.
Of all the thunderous ages, you're the heir.
(Get off the pillow with that dirty bone!)
A skeptic world you face with steady gaze;
High in young pride you hold your noble head,
Gayly you meet the rush of roaring days.
(Must you eat puppy biscuit on the bed?)
Lancelike your courage, gleaming swift and strong,
Yours the white rapture of a winged soul,
Yours is a spirit like a Mayday song.
(God help you, if you break the goldfish bowl!)
"Whatever is, is good" - your gracious creed.
You wear your joy of living like a crown.
Love lights your simplest act, your every deed.
(Drop it, I tell you- put that kitten down!)
You are God's kindliest gift of all - a friend.
Your shining loyalty unflecked by doubt,
You ask but leave to follow to the end.
(Couldn't you wait until I took you out?)
Dorothy Parker
Happy caturday and dogurday, all!
Yes indeed! :-)
Bible in a Year:
We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. 1 Thessalonians 2:4
When the legendary composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901) was young, a hunger for approval drove him toward success. Warren Wiersbe wrote of him: “When Verdi produced his first opera in Florence, the composer stood by himself in the shadows and kept his eye on the face of one man in the audience—the great Rossini. It mattered not to Verdi whether the people in the hall were cheering him or jeering him; all he wanted was a smile of approval from the master musician.”
Whose approval do we seek? A parent’s? A boss’s? A love interest’s? For Paul, there was but one answer. He wrote, “We speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts” (1 Thessalonians 2:4).
What does it mean to seek God’s approval? At the very least, it involves two things: turning from the desire for the applause of others and allowing His Spirit to make us more like Christ—the One who loved us and gave Himself for us. As we yield to His perfect purposes in us and through us, we can anticipate a day when we will experience the smile of His approval—the approval of the One who matters most.
Whose approval do you find yourself seeking and why is their validation so important to you? How could God’s approval satisfy even more deeply?
Father, it’s far too easy to seek the applause of those around me and to desire their praise. Help me to lift my eyes to You, the One who knows me best and loves me most. For further study, read Living an Authentic Christian Life at discoveryseries.org/hp111.
Thanks for the ping, poem (Verse For a Certain Dog) pic. Just got back walking my golden Charlie around the sub with my wife. He carried his Pepe-looking frog toy with him the whole time.
GREAT FReepers thread BUMP!
Aw, looks like my Moose when he was a puppy.
:)
Thank you.
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Hi there Shadow! You are lovely!
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