I read this passage this morning in connection with a devotional by Dale and Junaita Ryan and was reminded again of God’s faithfulness and goodness to His people.

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying:
       “I have loved you with an everlasting love;
       I have drawn you with loving-kindness.
I will build you up again
       and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel. 
Again you will take up your tambourines
       and go out to dance with the joyful.
Again you will plant vineyards
       on the hills of Samaria; 
the farmers will plant them
       and enjoy their fruit.

 For the LORD will ransom Jacob
       and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they.
 They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion;
       they will rejoice in the bounty of the LORD—
the grain, the new wine and the oil,
       the young of the flocks and herds. 
They will be like a well-watered garden,
       and they will sorrow no more.
 Then maidens will dance and be glad,
       young men and old as well. 
I will turn their mourning into gladness;
       I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.
(Jeremiah 31:3-5, 11-13)

I’ve started reading Windows of the Soul  lately.  I didn’t like it at first but have gotten more into it as I continue to read. Last night I didn’t want to put it down. The author speaks of the power of stories – the story of his own life and stories that have impacted him like Atticus Finch and Vincent Van Gogh .

Here is a piece from the book:

A Prayer for Understanding

Help me, God

To realize that in being crippled that I learn to cling, and in limping that I learn to lean,
that victory comes not in how courageously I struggle
but in how completely I surrender
and that this is how I am to grow,
by being defeated,
decisively,
by constant greater things.
Help me to understand that Your power is perfected in weakness,
so that when I rendered weak,
You are given the opportunity to be shown strong.
Help me to understand, too,
that “more things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of,
for so the whole round earth is every way
bound in gold chains about the feet of God…”

Then I switched to Bott Radio Network: 91.5FM here in the Lou.
The 12:00 talk was by Bob Coy on Focus on the Family.
His talk was called Caring for America’s Oprhans.
Did you know May is National Foster Care Month?
He begins his talk on the importance of being picked and the power of someone’s choosing. 
He mentions Christian Alliance for Orphans.
He also mentions Exodus 3:7:

The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.

His talk is powerful and he calls Christians to live out James 1:27:

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

 

An article I started to read today but have yet to finish is Betrayal and the Loss of Faith by Dan Allendar as well . Since I’m reading it and like it so far I thought I’d share it with you.

A few songs from Once -  music by The Frames: Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova

• Falling Slowly
•  Say It to Me

One of the many lovely songs from Over the Rhine

• I Want You to Be My Love

Thanks for introducing these songs to my cd player Angela and April!

 (I randomly found the picture of the little singing animal- so cute!!)

today i started watching Away From Her. so far, i strongly recommend it.

…an article from the director- Sarah Polley 

…first paragraph from the synopsis:

Away From Her is a beautifully moving love story that deals with memory and the circuitous, unnamable paths of a long marriage. Married for 50 years, Grant and Fiona’s commitment to each other appears unwavering, and their everyday life is full of tenderness and humour. This serenity is broken only by the occasional, carefully restrained reference to the past, giving a sense that this marriage may not always have been such a fairy tale. This tendency of Fiona’s to make such references, along with her increasingly evident memory loss, creates a tension that is usually brushed off casually by both of them. As the lapses become more obvious and dramatic, it is no longer possible for either of them to ignore the fact that Fiona is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

Two of my friends are doing a Photo Contest! Join in on the fun!

Here is the info:

A Photo Contest of The Dassler Effect , Forest Park 365, and Edward Crim Photography

Theme: “Evoking Spring.” Photos needn’t be “about” any particular subject. They simply need to accomplish the theme. You decide how to do that.

Deadline: Thursday, April 30th, 2009, when all photos will be posted on The Dassler Effect in the order submitted, without the names of the photographers.

Announcement of Winners: Friday, May 15th, 2009 on The Dassler Effect. All photos will be tagged with photographer infomation.

Judges: Judging will be done by an as-yet-to-be-determined panel of 4 or 5 judges with good eyes. Ed Crim will serve as the head judge, with a double weighted score. Judges will assign each photo a score between 1 and 10. The pictures accumulating the 4 highest point totals, respectively, win.

Prizes:
* 1st: $100
* 2nd: $20
* 2 Honorable Mentions

Rules:
* Photos must be 500 pixels by…well, not quite infinity, but any heigth reasonable enough for blog viewing (500 pixels is the width off most of the pixtures on The Dassler Effect and any pictures submitted which are larger will be reduced to this size).
* Photos may only have undergone post-processing in the following areas: brightness, contrast, noise reduction, sharpness, saturation, color balance, curves, levels adjustments, dust spotting ,and cropping.
* Email your photo as an attachment with your name, your picture title, your location (city and country), and your blog address if desired.
* If a recognizable person appears in your photo, you must have them fill out this modeling contract and mail it in. Email for snail mail address.
* One photo per contestant please.
* Non-digital photos will be accepted if mailed in time to be scanned. Email for snail mail address.
* The Dassler Effect retains the right to not accept any submission. I do not forsee a problem here, by the way. However, I simply need to give myself some wiggle room.

Also, see this link on Neil’s Blog for the rest of the information.