Category Archives: Nature

It Is Well With My Soul

Posted in Healing, My thoughts, Nature, Prayer by

It is well with my soul.

I wanted to relax earlier so I looked to see if there was anything interesting on TV.
I flicked from channel to channel.  A game show, a food programme and a dance show.
My eyes, ears and mind were bombarded with advertisements, bodies gyrating and loud music.
No definitely not relaxing.
I turned the machine off.
Then I got a call on my mobile.  I was talking for some time.
I began to get a headache.
Is this mobile frying my brain?
I wonder what neuroscientists think of that.
If I take a call again it will have to be on my house phone.
How could I relax?
I retreated to my room.
The room lit up.
The sun shone in the living room window giving warmth and brightness.
The sheep grazed in the field across the way, enjoying the warmth on their backs before sunset.
There was stillness in the air.
Be still and know that I am God.
I began to relax.
My eyes soaked up the light and beauty of the green trees and pastures.
My ears are enjoyed the stillness and my mind did not have to work.
This was better than any TV programme, beauty massage, or therapy session.
The trumpet flowers turn towards the evening light.
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It was such a beautiful evening Brendan and I went out to the local beach.
The sun was going down.
The sea was calm with a gentle ripple lapping the shore.
A bird called in the distance.
A heron stood motionless on the water’s edge, eyes concentrating.
Seals froliced in the shallow water, a little exercise before bedtime.
Children’s voices echoed across the water from the nearby caravan site.
Making memories before holidays are over and school days loom on the horizon.
There is time for everything under heaven.
We returned home.
We looked up into the moonless sky.
There was an extravaganza of stars and the mist of the Milky Way.
The Lord put on a show for me this evening.
I will magnify my creator and my God.
God made all these things for us to enjoy.
I cannot but praise him.

What is man that thou art mindful of him?
The son of man that you care for him?  Psalm 8 v 4

I see the Stars,
I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul my saviour God to thee.
How great thou art, How great thou art.

Lyrics from Hymn How Great thou art.

It is well with my soul.

A Scene That Brought Back Childhood Memories.

Posted in Holiday, Ireland, My thoughts, Nature, Provision by

My husband and I were out for a drive one evening.
There were road works on the main road into town so we took another route.
We came upon a farmer bringing his cows in from the field to be milked.
It was just as well we were not in a hurry.
The docile creatures with full udders ambled back to the farm yard.
I thought of the scripture, 

“The Ox knows its master.”  Isaiah 1 v 3

The farmer opens the gate and the cattle lift their heads and turn for home.
We drove behind the farmer patiently.

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I said to my husband “This reminds me of my childhood.”
I grew up in Co Down.  My father was a dairy farmer too.
I remembered my sisters and I bringing the cattle back from the meadow in the summer evenings.
The cows would swish the flies away with their tails.
We had a pet cow that let us have a lift on her back home.
Cattle grazing in the meadow beside a stream, where there is fresh water is a picture of abundance.

He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will graze in broad meadows. (‭Isaiah‬ ‭30‬:‭23‬ NIV)

The Lord describes the Promised Land as a place flowing with milk and honey.
Wherever there is cattle one will not grow hungry.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’  I will send an angel before you..
Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. (‭Exodus‬ ‭33‬:‭1, 3‬ NIV)

My parents worked the farm to raise ten children.  We had plenty of milk, cream, buttermilk and butter, rich food to feed us.

Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds.
Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt. 
(Genesis 41 v 18 NIV)

The picture of the cows walking home to be milked has stayed with me.
We have often spent holidays in Co Kerry, Ireland.
Last time we were there a herd of ninety cows filed past to the back of our house at six every morning and evening. They knew it was time for milking.
The farmer did not even have to call them.
I believe God was showing me His provision of abundance then as well.
Let us believe God’s word today.
Let us have faith to enter into our inheritance of a land flowing with milk and honey.

Silhouette . The Farmer Bringing in the Harvest

Posted in My thoughts, Nature, Provision by

A photo oppportunity came my way today.
I did not have to get up early to catch the sunrise or wait till sunset.
I am glad because today is windy and cold and not conducive to be outside for long.
The hot days of summer in Bright seem to have passed.
My iPad can be temperamental.  When I click the button it sometimes seizes up.
I took a number of shots, but this is what turned out.

image
The tractor and trailer passed by my house.
My neighbour was gathering in this harvest of hay.
It will be used to feed his cattle and horses through the winter months.
You can see the rays of light silhouetted through the trees and giving off rainbow colours.
I am reminded of this scripture.

“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” (‭Genesis‬ ‭8‬:‭22‬ NIV)

This was given to Noah after the earth was flooded. God promises mankind that the earth will never again be flooded completely and he put the rainbow in the sky to remind us of his covenant.

Farmers need faith in God to do their work.  They plant the seed in the spring time.  They trust God that there will be dry days to get out in the fields to get the ground ready.
Ground is ploughed up, harrowed and then seeds sown.
The seeds grow up as the weather improves and the ground get warmer.
God causes the seed to grow.
As the crop ripens there will always be a warm day for the farmer to go out into the field with his heavy duty tractor and equipment to bring in the harvest.
God promises there will be time to bring in the harvest.
I was studying about the god of Baal.  He was the god of thunder that people of old worshiped and made sacrifices of their children to in order to get good weather for harvest.
God our Father is the only true God, revealed through Jesus.
He is In control of thunder, lightening, hail, rain, wind and sunshine.
He promised he will give good weather for the harvest.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.  (‭Psalm‬ ‭19‬:‭1-4‬ NIV)

Praise The Lord.

Cheri Lucas Rowlands | August 15, 2014 at 12:00 pm | Tags: light, photography,silhouette, sunset | URL: http://wp.me/p23sd-n4i

I Always Have Difficulty Working the Shower When On Holiday

Posted in Holiday, My thoughts, Nations, Nature, Travel by

I always need my husband’s help to show me how to work the shower when we stay abroad. When I travel I have come across such a variety of showers in hotels and apartments.

I was in Homebase recently and my mind could not take in the variety of bathrooms and showers.

In this competitive market an hotel’s rating could balance on how good the shower is! Is there power in your shower? Each hotel wants their name to be number one on trip advisor.

My daughter manages a hotel in Belfast that has been awarded number one on Trip Advisor.   I believe the award is due to my daughter’s management skills.

I have never come across instructions on how to use showers. The owner always presumes that the user is up to speed with modern utilities, or has access to the internet “to google it”.

Usually there is a metal dial that is hard to grip with wet hands.   Not a simple tap that can be turned easily. One has to adjust it to get the right temperature.  If I am undressed I run the risk of freezing with cold water or being scalded with hot water as I turn the dial.

I am staying in a cottage in a quiet village near the Tatra Mointains in Slovakia.

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It seems we stepped back in time. My neighbours were preparing blueberries to make Jam. I awoke the first morning and went to wash. It was too early to awake my husband.

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I reached into the shower to turn the knob at the top. I thought, “I will get the water running before I get undressed.” Cold water sprayed me from left and right and soaked my arm and dressing gown. I tried the next knob to the left and right?  It would not budge.

I have never come across such a complicated shower unit in my life, and so unexpected since this is the country. All I want is a shower that works simply and helps me get washed in the morning, not a torture chamber that threatens one with sprays of cold water.

I began to feel this shower unit behaved like an enemy and was out to stop me having a simple wash. Will I have to resort to a quick freshen up with a facecloth like the old days before showers were used. It certainly would be less complicated.

I checked out the bathroom upstairs. I decided to have a bath instead and used the shower head to wash my hair. I was going to steer clear of the torture chamber downstairs.

Later that morning my husband went to wash. I did not warn him about the torture chamber.  I wondered, “Will he be my knight in shining armour again to rescue his distressed wife, wrapped in a towel?”

He got the shower working!  Hurrah.

There was even a radio in the shower to help one whistle while you wash. He conquered my enemy. What a great husband I have!

This shower seemed to be an upright hot tub. With all the knobs turned to the proper position, water sprays from various openings along the wall, to massage the occupier. The reward for discovering how to get the shower working!

When Brendan and I speak at conferences in different countries, we need an interpreter to help us communicate. In future I will need an interpreter to show me how tho use the modern gadgets!

Why does a Child do the Very Thing you Told him Not to do.

Posted in Family Friday, My thoughts, Nature by

Have you ever told your child not to touch the biscuits you have left in the cupboard?
He does the very thing you told him not to do!
Temptation comes and he takes the biscuit.
How often have you been disobedient to parents or those in authority over you?
The problem seems to be in our nature.
We do the very thing we are told not to do.

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In the garden of apple trees today I am reminded of the story of Adam and Eve from the scripture.
I believe that God created man and created the earth for him to enjoy.
God gave man free will and gave him charge over all creation.
God met Adam in the garden and talked to him.
He did not have to work hard.
He just had to tend the garden and enjoy his surroundings.
One thing God asked of him was not to eat the fruit of a certain tree.
There were loads of others to eat.
What did Eve do?  She picked the forbidden fruit and gave it to Adam.
Temptation came to her in the form of a serpent.
They disobeyed God.
Don’t we often do the same.  Disobey guidelines we are given for our own good.
We are like Adam and Eve.
But the good news is Jesus came on earth to rescue us from our sinful nature.
If we believe in him he gives us the power to obey and not be disobedient.
We can we restored to walking and talking and hearing from God and taking charge again of what God created us to do.

Summer Lovin Enjoying the Beauty of Fruit produced in the Hot Summer of Slovakia

 

I am on a visit to Slovakia this summer. No I’m not heading to the beach, I am heading to the countryside. After being picked up from the airport we travelled for fifty kilometres north. We  passed fields of wheat, sunflowers, grapes and maize nearly ready for harvest. What a variety of crops!  This is a rich land with hot sunshine to ripen the different foods. image Nearby where I was staying there were apple, peach, plum and apricot trees full of ripened fruit. image There was so much fruit there were not enough people to eat it or harvest it and use it for jam or bottling. So much fruit perishing. I thought of the verse from Scripture where Jesus spoke, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (‭Matthew‬ ‭9‬:‭36-38‬ NIV) imageT I could understand these words more clearly as I watched apples fall to the ground and decay. Many people do not know that God loves them and wants them to know his healing and blessing in their lives. A friend made cakes for us, one was flavoured with apricots and the other was made with plums. I loved the taste.  This is my summer lovin.  Coffee and fresh cake!  Can’t beat it. http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/summer-lovin/

From the Top of the Sand Dune I watch the Seals.

Posted in Cancer, Healing, Ireland, My thoughts, Nature by

From the top of the hill near where I live I can see the sea at Rossglass.  There lives the biggest gathering of common seals in Northern Ireland.

image from Islay Natural Trust.

 

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My son and I were out for a cycle on Wednesday morning.
I live two miles from the local Rossglass beach.  It suits me fine to go for a cycle locally as the roads do not have steep inclines.  The journey takes in some fabulous scenery and coastline along the way.
As I cycle along the road there is a stillness in the air.  I can hear the bees buzzing in the honeysuckle that is bursting out of the hedgerows.
My son is keen to advise which gears to use to tackle the hill ahead.
But I am enjoying what my eyes and ears are sensing.  I am not in a hurry.  I don’t have an appointment to keep.  It is good to be outdoors on a warm summer’s morning in Ireland.
We have rich farmland here.
There are different crops are at different stages of growth.
Some farmers grow Maize for cattle fodder.
Potatoes are growing in one field with rows of purple flowers and lush green leaves.
Another field has rapeseed growing.  It is ripe for harvest.
Another field is sown with barley.  It will turn golden soon.
The fields are ripe for harvest.
All the farmer has to do is plant the seed and it multiplies in the ground producing a good income for the farmer.
He has faith.  He is not fretting every day looking to see how his crop is growing.  He trusts God who causes the seed to grow in the ground.
God has promised seed time and harvest.

 

As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.” (‭Genesis‬ ‭8‬:‭22‬ NLT)

 

We can take courage from the farmer and sow good into people’s lives and it will produce a harvest in due course.
God is pleased when we bear fruit.

 

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. (‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭5, 7-8‬ NLT)

 

We turn down a road that stretches along the Rossglass coast.
I suggested we stop for some refreshment. I had already prepared some coffee.
We parked our bicycles down a path to the beach and rested on top of the sand dune.
This particular coastline is an area where common seals congregate.  It has the largest colony in Northern Ireland.
“Perhaps we can catch a glimpse of some seals today” I said to my son.
This is a safe, quiet part of a large bay stretching from Ardglass to Newcastle.
The seals blend in with the colour of the stones and outcrops along the coast.
There must be plenty of fish in the bay.  Seals are not the friend of fishermen.  They eat too many fish.
The timing of our stopping off could not have been better.
The tide was coming in.  The seals lie on small islands offshore,  safe from anyone disturbing them.
As the tide rises the islands get covered with water.  The seals move to the next piece of dry ground.  There were about twenty heads popping in and out of the sea circling around after being dislodged from the rocks by the incoming tide.  Mother seals frollicked with their pups in the water.
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
A mother seal and her pup climbed onto an outcrop of rock not far from us.  Their black glossy bodies rippled up onto the rock to enjoy the warmth of the sun and just laze.  Others mothers and pups soon joined them.
The biggest seal, a male, took the highest point of the rock outcrop.  From the top he could be on the look out for danger, protecting his herd.  I suspect he was the head of the group.  They were of various colours, white specked, grey and black.  They blended in with the colour of the rocks.  I counted thirty seals.
I had a never to be forgotten opportunity to see the seals close up.  Different factors contributed to this moment.  There was a high tide and warm sunshine just happening as we were out this morning.  I could not have planned it better.
I sat for half an hour savouring the experience of this intimate scene.  The seals were oblivious to their visitors.  We were well camouflaged on the bank nearby.  From the top we could observe the wildlife.  It was special moment.
I did not have my camera with me that morning.  I went back the next day trying to capture some seals on camera.
Conditions were different.  The tide and the seals were far away.  As if to say “You will not recapture the moment” a mist quickly rolled in from the sea.  I keep the sightings of the seals in my memory.
Sometimes God displays his Glory just for our eyes.

 

“He leads me beside still waters to restore my soul.”  Psalm 23

 

 

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Containers filled with Blossoms That Open to the Sun.

Posted in Healing, Ireland, My thoughts, Nature by

I use window boxes as containers to  display flowers on my kitchen window sill.

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No this photograph was not taken in Greece, Italy, Spain or other sunny destination.

The colourful daisies open up in the brilliant sunshine.  If it is cold or wet they don’t show their faces and stay tightly closed.

We are a bit like these flowers when someone loves us.  We open up when someone is warm and encouraging to us and we feel safe with them.

Jesus is described in Malachi as the Sun of Righteousness who rises with healing in his wings.

God is love and there are no shadows with him.  His love causes us to open up like the flowers and become beautiful like my display of flowers.

It was taken in my back yard, where I live in Northern Ireland.

Ireland is known for its forty shades of green as mentioned in the song written by the Man in Black Johnny Cash after his first visit to here.

We have a high rainfall in Ireland.  But where I live at the moment is in the shadow of the Mourne Mountains so the clouds have dropped all their rain before they get this far.  We have many sunny days.

The bright display is cheery on my window sill and will keep on blooming till autumn.

Then I will empty and store my containers till next spring.

 

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I Found a Ladybird in My Garden

Posted in Cancer, Family Friday, Ireland, My thoughts, Nature by

I found a ladybird in my garden.  I did not have any in my last garden.

Hoorah.  It has blessed my garden.

I hope it brings its friends to kill the greenfly that want to consume the tender unfurling shoots and flowers.

I was considering how necessary and useful this small beautiful creature is in our gardens.

I mentioned in another post about how greenfly hindered my success at growing one of my favourite flowers, the lupin.

The lupin plant’s leaves unfurl in Spring. In May the first flower heads appear.

The greenfly love the new growth of the flowers. They leave the tough leaves alone.

Only a few pale, spindley flowers survived.

The ladybirds eat greenfly.  Ladybirds in one’s garden mean healthy flowers.

I was reflecting on the use of the ladybird and thought about my work as a mother with my children.

My young children are like the unfurling, tender shoots of the lupin.

As they grow up in the world the influences thereof and the lies the enemy of their souls tell their young minds, can hinder their beauty, maturity and development in life.

The lies and the pride of life land on our children’s head are like the greenfly landing on the tender flower heads.

I want to be like the ladybird.

A mother and father need to instruct the child against the dangers of believing the lies of the devil and not to believe others who would lead them into temptation to drink, greed, immorality and go the way of the world.

The bible says train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.  Proverbs 22 v 6

We tried to rear our children with this in mind.  I hope we have stopped the “greenfly” damaging their thoughts to some extent by telling them the truth.

Like the humble ladybird that eats the greenfly we parents are to eat up the lies and influences of the world that affect our maturing children.

The lies will be bread for us.

“If The Lord delights in us he will give us the land, a land flowing with milk and honey.

Don’t rebel against The Lord. Don’t fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us, their defence is gone and The Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”  Numbers 14 v 9

Photograph thanks to New Scientist

How Weeds, Slugs and Caterpillars disappear!

imageBrendan enjoys flowers. He worked with his pots,  filling with compost, planting, watering, feeding and refreshing.
When we lived in a town house our window boxes were overflowing with lobelia and petunia, thanks to my husband’s expertise.
People passing admired the display of dangling colours.
We collected various shapes and sizes of pots over the years.
Their numbers would be added to as presents on birthdays.
When we moved house the pots came with us.
Brendan’s garden of pots increased.  Daffodils and tulips and primroses sprouted each spring.
Window box displays continued each summer.
Roses did well without much attention.
There was always some flower growing as the seasons changed.
Even in winter there was colour from primula and pansies that danced in the breeze.
Over the last two years, as our children left home, Brendan and I came to realise our home and garden were too big for us.
The birds had flown the nest.
It took time for us to let go and move on.
We had many happy times and memories raising our children in our home in Downpatrick.
Brendan and I now have a new start, a new beginning.
We moved house this spring.
A house that is easy to maintain, no more ashes, just the flick of a switch for heat.
Out plants are having a new beginning as well.
We brought our plants in pots with us.  The yard out back looked like a garden centre.
Over the last few weeks Brendan and I have been sorting them out.
It is sunny where we now live and if my pot plants do not get watered often they will quickly deteriorate.
I was sorting out pots that did not seem to have any life in them and I was pleasantly surprised to find a harvest of bulbs.
I won’t know what they are until next spring.  I suspect most of them are daffodils.  Anyway our pots needed fresh soil so contents of all pots had to be inspected and sorted.  We found little tree shoots growing in some.  Seeds from trees in our last garden took root.  I have ash, sycamore and lime saplings potted out separately. Dead roots and weeds were disguarded to the dump.  The other contents of the pots were choking out the flowers intended to be growing taking away the nutrients and water.

A new beginning for bulbs next year.

I do not need to use slug pellets or roundup.  Other pests of our pot plants at our last house was snails.  They loved the trees, walls and hid under the rim of the pots.  They came out at night to eat.   Caterpillars just loved nastursums.  They munched at the tasty leaves.  The butterflies have not arrived yet so I don’t know if I will have caterpillars.

One way of getting rid of weeds, caterpillars and slugs is to turn up the heat.
The heat and the sunshine just causes them to wither up.
So our pot plants have a new start with weeds and slugs gone.
All is needed is watering regularly with the odd boost of Miracle Gro.
Flowers are blooming and a little pruning here or there is keeping things going well.
I am getting plenty of exercise, fresh air and sunshine as I water my plants.
Perhaps my new situation is telling me God is just dealing with my enemies in the spirit.
Like the slugs and weeds they cannot live in the new conditions.
The heat was turned up in our situation with having cancer and children leaving home.

Job in the bible went through suffering and did not know why.

But by means of their suffering, he rescues those who suffer.
For he gets their attention through adversity.
“God is leading you away from danger, Job, to a place free from distress. He is setting your table with the best food. (Job 36:15, 16 NLT)

God has brought us to a broad place, free from distress.
I can testify that God is good and faithful to keep his promise.  Believe and hope in God.
Brendan and I can flourish and grow without hindrance in our new territory.
God is faithful.  He said in His Word he will deliver us from our enemies.

O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy.  (Psalms 107:1, 2 KJV)