Enduring Word Bible- To Completion

Enduring Word Bible- #48

Philippians   1:3-11

Thanksgiving and Prayer

Paul's prayer for the people in Philippi.

He speaks of joy in remembrance,

and is filled with the hope 

of all the good things the Lord

 has already done

 and will continue to do 

in the lives of the faithful.

 Today this was a part of a farewell service

 for a pastor and his wife 

who teamed in ministry

 in a congregation for  23 years.

What a blessing-

 this partnership in the Gospel.

May this be the prayer 

for all who serve in ministry,

 and indeed for all of the 

Lord's church here on earth.

That the Lord may bring it to completion-

what He has begun.

Supplies:

Colored pencils

Gelato

Washi tape

 Illustrated Faith Vellum Die Cuts

Making Memories- #Dengrandloves

 Levi had a "sleepover" last week.

First - there was fun at the pool.

He loves to harvest his lettuce

 in his dinoland garden to eat for supper. 

 This part of his garden is getting a bit bigger.

 On a cooler evening it is out to the garden 

and the picnic table for banana bars 

and building Lego structures with Papa.

This is a great spot

 that is protected from the late day sun.

Night night routine is reading books

 and picking out a favorite Bible Story.

and singing from this Song book.

Levi loves sleeping in his "boat bed."

When there are "new things"

at home some times it is a 

good thing for "one-on-one" time.

It is hard work to be the BIG Brother- all the time.

Loving and learning what it means

 to be a "band of brothers."

It is always good to have 

a respite time at Papa and Gigi's.

(think they like that too)

Worship into the Week- Declare

Worship into the Week-

Luke 8:26-39

Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon
On the other side of the Sea of Galilee
 from Capernaum
is the country of the Gerasenes.
A man met Jesus as he stepped out on the land.
He knew Jesus.
Jesus had commanded the demons to come out.
Then Legion confronts Jesus 
and begs him to enter the pigs
 rather than be sent to the abyss.
It is rugged on this part of the shore
 with a high spot and steep drop off.
It would have been a pretty spectacular 
spectacle of the racing pigs
 for the edge of the ridge.
The herdsmen went in the city
 and country to tell the pig story.
Then others came to see what had happened.
They find the "possessed" man- clothed,
 in his right mind, 
and sitting at the feet of Jesus.
This scared them.
Those who had seen the event told them all about it.
Afraid- they ask Jesus to leave.
The healed man begs to go with Jesus.
Jesus sends him away,
telling him-
"Return to your home,
and declare how much God 
has done for you." 

That man had a BIG STORY.
Sometimes we may feel like
 we don't such a dramatic storyline.
Nothing worthy of sharing.
But, in the small scheme of things,
where there has been a God-intersection 
in our life- that is a BIG STORY.
Wherever home is-
wherever there is family and friends,
that's where we are SENT.
Sent to share the story of just 
what it means to be invited by Jesus
 to sit at His feet.
Because we all have been restored.

By My Spirit

Zechariah 4:6
6 Then he said to me, 
“This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: 
Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,"
 says the Lord of hosts.
Everytime I hear this phrase I think of this song by
Ron Kenoly
And that is pretty much 
what I have for this section.
But... So who was Zerubbabel?

Zerubbabel displays a plan of Jerusalem to Cyrus the Great

According to the  Biblical narrative, Zerubbabel was a governor of the Achaemenid Empire's province  Yehudi Medinata and the grandson of Jeconiah, penultimate king of Judah. Zerubbabel led the first group of Jews, numbering 42,360, who returned from the  Babylonian captivity in the first year of Cyrus the Great, the king of the Achaemenid Empire. The date is generally thought to have been between 538 and 520 BC.Zerubbabel also laid the foundation of the Second Temple in Jerusalem soon after In all of the accounts in the Hebrew Bible that mention Zerubbabel, he is always associated with the high priest who returned with him, Joshua (Jeshua) son of Jozadak (Jehozadak). Together, these two men led the first wave of Jewish returnees from exile and began to rebuild the Temple. Old Testament theologian John Kessler describes the region of Judah as a small province that contained land extending 25 km from Jerusalem and was independently ruled prior to the Persian rule. Zerubbabel was the governor of this province. King Darius 1 of Persia appointed Zerubbabel governor of the Province. It was after this appointment that Zerubbabel began to rebuild the Temple. Elias Bickerman speculates that one of the reasons that Zerubbabel was able to rebuild the Temple was because of "the widespread revolts at the beginning of the reign of Darius I in 522 BC, which preoccupied him to such a degree that Zerubbabel felt he could initiate the rebuilding of the temple without repercussions". (Wikipedia)

By the Lord's Spirit things move in the sphere
 where we live, not by power or might.
Good reminder when we think 
we have something to do with much of anything.

Supplies:
Colored pencils
Fine-point Sharpie pen
Washi tape
Distress ink 

DenGardens

In the garden- an update.

4 inches of rain so far this month.

Makes me think of the verse:

"He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers."

Psalm 1:3

Seems like some days we do 

have a stream of water in the back yard.

The growing things are prospering.

But the balloon flowers love it.

The Filipendula- Queen of the Prairie love it.

The Hydrangea adore the moisture.

This Stella D'Oro daylily is ready to open.

You can see why this loosestrife

 is called- Gooseneck.

The flowers in a pot nuzzled 

against the hydrangea.

Brilliant Bee balm-

it does attract the bees.

Coneflowers brighten 

this corner right now.

The rampant loosestrife.

Lady Godiva - Yellow

English Marigold

Trying something new- 

I don't have very good luck 

with traditional marigolds.

Some gatherings on the deck cart-

highlighting a begonia from a friend.
So the daily rains continue-
sort of like living in the tropics.

Instagram- #dengardens

Worship into the Week- Trinity

Worship into the Week-

John 8 :39-59

Only part of this section was the Lectionary reading

 for this past Sunday, 

but I think it helps to have the larger portion

 to read to get a better context.

It helps to read the previous section

 to understand why the Jewish leaders

 were so upset with Jesus that they 

picked up stones to throw at him.

Jesus had told them they were 

children of the devil because 

they did not "hear" His words.

That was maddening enough.

Then He tells them that His Father is God.

Last straw.

This section helps to "flesh out" 

other readings for Trinity Sunday.

I love to think about Jesus 

and this Three in One mystery.

Complicated even for the most learned Bible scholar.

"Before Abraham was, I am."

He would be the Light for all Nations.

He was not shackled with earthly realms.

 He was without boundaries.

Most of all- He was not alone.

All of His earthly journey 

was with the presence of the Spirit and His Father.

What comforting HOPE for me today-

that even though I cannot comprehend this gift to me,

I journey HERE-

not alone.

Supplies:

Visual Faith Ministry-Visual Church Year
childrens-bulletin-john-854-61619

Colored pencils

Gold gel pen,

Fine-point Sharpie pen

Junk mail ephemera

99 Years of Blessings

Florene Alma Marie Denninger

June 16, 2019

99 years old today.

A day to celebrate

because such days are worthy of just that-

celebrating.

This was taken in 2013 at Sara's wedding.

 Grandma Florene lives in Vinton, Iowa 

these days to be near her daughter, Lois.

We were able to stop by 

for a visit the end of April.

This Father's Day it is somehow fitting

 to share the mother and son together photos.

Things are a bit harder these days

 for our storyteller matriarch.

But, there is also great license to stitch together

past days into "new stories."

Sometimes they are woven together

 in such ways that we are brought

 to tears in laughter.

So, on a day of great blessing-

 of knowing a Savior's great love

 for 99 bountiful years,

it is also ok, if you only

 want to eat cookies.

Grandson #7

 Welcome to the World-

Jonah Dalton Wilson

Born June 13, 2019

2:26 pm

7 lb 8 oz    21 3/4 in

to Sara and Joshua Wilson

a tiny little bundle

of joy

A dad blessed with a third son-

who has been heard to say a few times

 the past couple of days-

"I have so many children."

Oldest brother Levi comes

 to meet his littlest brother.

A bit of awe and wonder.

Doesn't get old- 

this grandchild love.

Blessed beyond imagination.

Reunited at home with Big Brother 1-

 and Big Brother 2!

Just trying to figure out this family life stuff-

may just take Jonah a few tries.

Be Joyful Always

Be Joyful Always.

1 Thessalonians 5:16

On a small easel,

sitting on a book 

in the corner.

A simple verse reminder.

Just a bit of colored image 

that becomes a breath prayer

in a moment of the day.

Perhaps to whisper a moment

 of encouragement from hundreds of years ago-

right into the streaming of my days.

Thank you, Lord.

Supplies:

Joanne Fink mini canvas and easel

(Michael's-purchased 3 years ago)

You Got This- Momma

 This youngest daughter heads

 to the hospital on Thursday to have son #3.

We had a last minute Target run this evening.

 Earlier this week we had talked about 

how the "baby preggo" shots are a bit different

 by the time you get to the third one. 

So to document the end of this third pregnancy

 we hit the back aisles of Target.

 Snapped a few shots of this beautiful little momma.

Wondering how life changes 

forever with this third son.

Yup- some pretty poppies. 

and a prayer for this little family-

Dear Heavenly Father,

we ask your care and tending

 for the health and delivery of this little baby. 

Guard and protect this little momma.

Be with the caregivers, nurses and doctors and 

give them a good measure of expertise.

Take away the anxiety of becoming 

a family of five for this mom and dad. 

Bring grace and  resilience

 to the two older brothers.

Bring the bountiful good to this family,

in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Pentecost 2019

Pentecost 2019

Worship into the Week

John 14:15-31

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

The Helper- the Holy Spirit is sent to us.

This comes to us at our Baptism.

Power beyond what we have

 as humans here on earth.

Supernatural gifting sent by the Father

in the name of Jesus.

The gifts of the Spirit to His people.

Today I was blessed to worship

 at my home congregation.

  Six Christian communities worship

 in the building each week. 

They sing in their own heart language.

We heard their praise and worship.

I give thanks for seeing a bit of 

heavenly worship today - this Pentecost.

I give thanks for this Paraclete gift

 to His church here on earth.

Supplies:

Visual Church Year
childrens-bulletin-john-1427-6919

Magazine cutouts

Junk mail

Bulletin cover

Ephemera

Colored pencils
Fine-point Sharpie pen

In the Garden

You keep him in perfect peace whose                                

                                  mind is stayed on you, 

                                   because he trusts in you.  

                                 Isaiah 26:3

I

An evening walk in the garden

 is so peaceful.

Daylight is fleeing 

and the work of the day is ending.

Colors are more brilliant and not as

 washed out with the sun's caress.

There are multiple images 

repeated over and over 

of flowerhead and petal.

I am reminded in my "willy-nilly" garden-

that even the small details in God's world

 are planned by the Master Gardener-

the Creator himself.

#dengardens on Instagram

Worship into the Week-Before the World

Worship into the Week-

The High Priestly Prayer

 John 17

A conversation between Jesus and His Father.

One that the disciples were overhearing.

A bit of praise,

review, foretelling.

Jesus recounting that His Father has loved him

 before the foundation of the world.

And so He has loved me.

I get caught in my realm 

of tangible now and present tense.

Forgetting that the realm of time moves

 in dimensions that I cannot fathom.

 I have to forget that my reality in time 

and space gets readjusted

 when it comes to God and His plan of time.

Everything about that and how Jesus fits

 into the scheme of things defies

 all of my expectations.

All of my finite measurements

 just don't fit His scale.  

Jesus lived his life to bring 

His father glory and to make HIM known.

In ways beyond my understanding -

 before the foundation of the world.

Something to learn here.

A prayer that moves across known time

 to bring to me the blessing 

of the fullness of the goodness of God.

Reaching right into eternity 

with an expansive inclusiveness

 that does include me-

even now.

Supplies:

Visual Church Year

childrens-bulletin-john-1724-6219

Colored pencils

Junk mail

Sharpie pen

Pressed Down

So I don't know if this is true for anyone else.

 The pansies start to droop in the

 heat of summer here in Virginia.

Time to replant pots. 

But, I cannot throw in the trash 

the last few remaining blooms.

 They looked a bit ragged when I finally

 got to snipping them off.

 I pulled down the remaining phone book

 that I keep just for pressing flowers.

Flipping through to find a good spot -

 I found the pansies pressed from last year.

I added this year's petals.  

One week later here they are together. 

I am not really sure what 

happens with them next.

They will end up on something

 in a collage of sorts.
But whenever I do this pressing of flowers-
 it always makes me think 
of this section of Scripture.
Luke 6:36-38

36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not,

 and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;

 38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down,

 shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap.

 For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

Oh, Lord, may these petals that are flattened 

at the end of their life be a reminder to give freely. 
Even at the end- they still give.

The blessings are far more than I can imagine.

 Your rich grace, mercy and love are simply available to me-

poured right into my lap.

How great is this goodness to me. Amen.