The Lord bless you and keep you: The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious unto you: The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26
California Poppies are one of my favorite wildflowers. Ranging in shades of yellow and gold, the flowers open in midday sun and close at night and on cloudy days.
Poppies grow easily in gardens, open fields and alongside roads and freeways. They even grow well in poor soil.
The golden Poppy is befitting as a symbol of the Golden State of California and has been chosen to be the California State Flower. A holiday has been designated for the Poppy on April 6 as "California Poppy Day"
Native Americans cooked the California Poppy plant in oil to produce hair tonic. The sap of the Poppy was used as relief for toothache and applied to open sores. The plant was also used as a sedative to help children sleep. Although the California Poppy is related to opium, it does not have the same effect as the opium poppy. The California Poppy stabilizes the psychological orientation of the user instead of disrupting it.
These vast open fields of Poppies were photographed at Lancaster, California. As the sun climbed high overhead, the Poppies began to open, smile and nod in the cool breeze.
Just as a Poppy flower unfolds its smooth silky petals to greet the warm rays of the sun, we too, can open our hearts to receive God's unfailing love.
And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7
60 miles west of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is an ancient little village of Acoma, also known as "Sky City". This 12th century Native American pueblo, nestled on top of a 367-foot sandstone mesa, is believed to be the oldest continuously inhabited community in the United States. Archaelogists date the occupation of Acoma back to A.D. 1150
Today only a few families live on the mesa. Life is very primitive. There is no electricity, plumbing or running water. Natural cisterns on the mesa trap rain water which provides drinking water for the village.
Traditionally, the outer walls of the pueblo homes had no windows or doors on the ground level. Access to the interiors was by ladders to the trap doors of their flat roofs. The ladders could then be pulled up if an enemy should attack.
In the picture below the ornate bar near the top across the 3 poles of the ladder represents a cloud through which the pointed ends of the poles pierce to help bring rain.
This white tapered ladder reaching up to the sky reminds me of another ladder. Jacob dreamed of a ladder from earth reaching up to heaven. And in his dream, angels were ascending and descending the ladder. At the top of the ladder was Jesus Who promised Jacob that He would always be with him and take care of him. Genesis 28:12-22
We too, can claim that promise today. God will be with us and take care of us just as He did for Jacob.
Stained glass windows are made of individual pieces of colored glass which do not mean much in itself until they are pieced together to form a pattern. Sometimes painted details are added to the design. When light is captured by the stained glass, the intricate pattern glows into a beautiful illuminated piece of art.
The center circle of the rose window above depicts the Virgin and Child, surrounded by figures of prophets. Second circle shows 32 Old Testament kings. Outer circle depicts 32 high priests and patriarchs.
Below are photos I have taken of stained glass windows at Die Gedachtniskirche der Protestation of Speyer, Germany. This Protestant church was built in memory of the protest that took place at the "Diet of Speyer" in 1529.
May God's love shine through the stained glass windows of our lives and may we always reflect the beauty of His character
If you've ever wondered what to do in London why not visit The Regent's Park? This beautiful place has 410 acres of spacious green lawns, lakes filled with ducks and swans, water fountains, lush gardens and gorgeous flowers everywhere. Always so very relaxing and inspiring to visit, it is a perfect place for a Sabbath afternoon walk.
It's the middle of May and the weather has turned warm. There has been no rain for weeks. Are there wildflowers left? The answer is a definite YES!
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