The Beauty of the Season and of God's Words

The back pain which afflicted me last April seems to be finally easing up. I still have bad days, but overall, I think that God has answered my prayers. I think that the pain I’m still experiencing is something I can live with, and something I may have to live with it.

Over the past several months, I’ve been studying Bible verses to give me hope, passages to lift me up and remind me that God will never leave me nor forsake me.

I’ve also been getting out more and enjoying the beauty that God has blessed us with this time of year.

May God bless you this week and beyond. Chris

Magical Kinstone

It hasn’t quite been a month since I visited my friend in Minnesota. South of where she lives, and just about across the Mississippi River from Winona, is a fascinating place called Kinstone.

Kinstone is 30-acres of peaceful beauty filled with stone sculpture, natural buildings, planted prairie, and views of the Mississippi River. It features three stone circles, dolmen, standing stones, labyrinth, thatched cordwood chapel and more. 

In 1994, Kristine Beck, the founder and creator of Kinstone, purchased the land which had been part of her family’s original dairy farm.  Kristine’s focus is on the beauty and wonder of nature. For her, Kinstone is a melding of the Earth with art to form sacred spaces that invite and inspire people to experience the life-giving power of the land to transform, energize and revive.  

I wish I would have had more time to explore the place when I stopped in that day.

I also wish that the battery on my camera hadn’t died. You’re probably going to look at these pictures and wonder, “Her battery died? But she took all these pictures.”

Well, you know me. Even when I regret something, there is always something to love. 

Read more about Kinstone by clicking this link.

What - or Who - should we trust?

 Some trust in wagons and some in horses. But we will trust in the name of the Lord, our God. (Psalm 20:7, New Life Version)

Last spring, I bought a newer vehicle. It has a ton of safety features, all of which blow my mind. It tells me if I veer from my lane and when someone moves into my blind spot. It yells at me if another car approaches me when I'm backing up. How can a vehicle know all that is happening?

Of course, it also has a light that comes on when I have a low tire – a feature my last three cars have had. Unfortunately, the light didn't go off even after Hubby put air in the tire. Hmm? How trustworthy is that?

Or, actually, how much should I trust all these other features? If I pull over in front of someone because one of those lights didn't come on, who's liable? The manufacturer? They put enough trust in all these safety features that my car insurance is lower because they believe the chances of me having an accident are lower.

But what – or who – can we trust 100% of the time? Who warns us every time we stray into the other lane? Whose lights always come on when there is the need to be cautious?

God is the only One we can trust with everything, all of the time. As long as we put our faith in Him, He will not let us wander. He will keep us from harm.

Minnesota in the Fall

Nearly every season allows us to spread joy in our outside places. From patriot flags in the summer to snowmen, Santas, and penguins during the winter. Granted the lights of Christmas win all decorating contests, but autumn, with its parade of pumpkins, satisfies all our senses. The smell of fallen leaves, the crunch of those same leaves underfoot. The taste of pumpkin spice on our lips. Cool nights and turning our faces to the fleeting warmth of the afternoon sun.

Many people say that fall is their favorite season. I would say mine too, except that it’s followed by a miserable winter. But anyway. Pictures. 

A few weeks ago, I visited a friend in Minnesota. Those small towns along the banks of the Mississippi River take their fall decorating to a new level.  Especially in quaint Wabasha. 

Perhaps we embellish our surroundings so much this time of year because we revel in the beauty mother nature supplies. Not that we could ever compete with her.

Get outside and enjoy this season, before we are blasted with frost and snow. Maybe make some new friends along the way.

A Visit to A Toy Store and More

I haven’t been blogging much lately. I don’t know if I’m just being lazy or what. And when I have posted about any trips I’ve taken this summer, I mostly just share pictures and not the long stories I used to write. But maybe you like just pictures instead of my ramblings anyway. Let me know.

            I’m going to try to start writing more, whether you find that boring or not. I’ll still always try to include pictures.

            The last road trip I took was to see my friend Julie in Minnesota the weekend of Sept 29.

            On Saturday, she took me to Lark Toys, which is a huge toy store, but is also way more. 

               

   First inside is Memory Lane, with multiple displays of toys from the past.

All of us older adults kept pointing to toys, exclaiming, “I had that when I was a kid.” And any of today’s kids who were being dragged along were like, “Where’s the Nintendo?”          

               But I think everyone likes a carousel. I don’t care how old or young you are.       

 

An otter for me.

               And a loon for my sister Judy.   

            Oh, hello there, Mr. Stegosaurus.              

 And of course, it’s autumn, so everywhere outside, there were pumpkins and mums, haybales and corn stalks.           

     Happy Autumn, Everyone. I only wished it didn’t mean that winter is next. 

The Perfect Body

 

 It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. (1 Corinthians 15:42-43, New Living Translation)

I know. Nobody wants to think about dying or what is going to happen next. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, you have nothing to worry about.

But here’s what I take from this passage.

Our bodies on earth aren’t perfect. On the outside, we have scars, wrinkles, our teeth are crooked, our noses are too big. We may even be missing fingers or toes. 

Inside, we may be worse. We could have diabetes, cancer, or chronic pain. Worse than missing fingers or toes, we could be missing a kidney, a spleen, or part of our colon. We may have someone else’s heart beating in our chest.

And then there’s the emotional baggage we carry inside. The fear of the future, the pain of regret, the sorrow of loss. Depression, anger, worry. So much going on in our heads, or at least in mine.

But someday, when God is ready to call us home to heaven, we will have eternal life with a new body inside and out. We will still be us, but we won’t have any pain, fear, or anxiety. We won’t be broken or weak.

I’ve been writing this blog for over thirteen years, and I’m unsure how many of those years I’ve been writing my Sunday inspiration. If you’ve been reading these for long, I hope you have turned your life over to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that you know Jesus as your Savior and have asked for forgiveness of your sins. I’m praying you all go to heaven someday.

I’m just one small-town girl living in a big world and praying for you all.