The Great Outdoors!

This morning as I was reading about Abraham
 and studying what the Bible has to say about "HOPE",
a few words jumped off the page at me.
When God talked to  Abraham,
HE TOOK HIM OUTSIDE, 
and said 
"Look up at the sky..."
Genesis 9:22

Those words,
 "HE TOOK HIM OUTSIDE",
made me think of how many times God ministers to me
and restores my soul by taking me outside!

God often calls our attention to things in the world
that He has made and takes care of,
and reminds us to
"Look at the birds of the air;
they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not much more valuable than they?"
Matthew 6:26

In the book of Job,
God does not explain why Job went through all his troubles,
but in Job chapters 38 and 39,
He simply calls Job's attention to nature.
His language is picturesque...
even mentioning He is the one who
"sets the wild donkeys free"!
Job 39:5

Last night my friend TJ and I went for a walk 
just before the sun set.
"No matter how stressed I am," TJ said,
"I always feel better
 when I get outside and go for a walk."

So maybe you might want to
GO OUTSIDE TODAY
and see what God has to show you!
He said,
"And you will seek Me and find Me,
when you search for Me with all your heart."
Jeremiah 29:13

Maybe, like my friend TJ, you'll find it does you good!

I know it certainly helps me to go outside...

It seems to help me see God in nature,

feel His presence near me,

and remind me of His promises.

Happy Fall!

Thanks for dropping by!

Although I've been marveling at many wonderful Names for God,

I don't have a new one posted this week.

You might find one that meets your need by perusing them all

in my new format at Rock4Today!

Norfork Lake

After several hectic days,
my husband suggested a little quiet boat ride on Norfork Lake
to bring a little peace into our souls.

He had just had the motor on the boat worked on,
and was anxious to see how it would run.

He opened it up,
and it purred like a kitten,
slicing through the calm blue-green waters
and making a beautiful wake.

There weren't a lot of people on the lake,
...maybe because it was the last weekend before schools reopened.

Our presence startled a grey heron into flight.

It gracefully flew just above the water
and found a perch in a tree.

All too soon we headed back to the boat dock,

...tied up the boat and headed back to shore,

...and thanked God for the abundant rainfall
that had replenished our lakes and rivers after the drought.

As we were leaving the lake area,
two fawns stood so still watching us
that it looked like they were just posing for a picture!

This past winter I did a post showing how low our lake levels were.

If you missed it and would like to see the difference the rain has made, click HERE!
Thank you to all of you who prayed for rain!

Thank you to Stewart for allowing me to link
with birders across the globe!
To see a gallery of bird photos, click on his name.

And, 

as always,

to see my latest Rock4Today post,

featuring the Names of God on Rocks,

click HERE!

The Importance of Stress Relief!

I was feeling a bit stressed this past week. 

For me, there's nothing like a day trip to the beautiful Buffalo National River

to put things back in perspective, help lighten my load of cares,

 and reduce my stress level!

Want to come along with me for a short tour?

To get a better look at any of the pictures,
just click on them to enlarge!

After crossing the River at Woolum,
we headed toward Richland.
 My husband says that as a boy he picked cotton there.

The cotton fields were located behind these vines
between Richland Creek and the Buffalo River.
(The field is the pale green color in the background,
and is now part of the Buffalo River National Park.)

Here we are at the bluffs by the lower base of  "The Narrows", ...or as the old-timers called it - "The Narrs".  (My husband always has his ice chest prepared with bottled water for such an occasion as this!)

We didn't go far before realizing different shoes were needed for making this climb!  My granddaughter borrowed a pair of her Papa's tennis shoes, and I decided it was in my best interests to stay below since I didn't bring mine.

This narrow ledge of rock gave the place its name of "The Narrows".
They didn't try to walk across the narrow rocky ledge, 
because they could have fallen several hundred feet if they would have slipped!
(Photo by Gary)

This is one of the views they had looking towards the river from the top.
(Photo by Gary) 

The sounds of their voices had indicated to me that they were safe,
but I was relieved to see them coming back down!
(Photo by Gary)

We headed back to the "River crossing" at Woolum,
 hurried to the farm to quickly change clothes, 
and barely made it on time for "Saturday Night Church".

It's so IMPORTANT to have a little stress relief from time to time!

It's amazing how God can use a little time in nature

and a visit to a very small country church

to refresh and renew my spirits!

Thank you, LORD!

Click HERE to see my most recent posting of Names of God on Rocks!

Seeing God in Nature

   I've been taking part in Laura Krokos' "Not About Me" challenge.

Today as I thought about what to post, I thought about Job.

Job probably thought a lot about himself and his terrible circumstances

until God showed up and opened his eyes to the wonders around him.

Today, I just want to look at some of the awesome

handiwork of God that is near me.
If you wish to enlarge a picture,
just click on it!

Swans and Canadian geese at our neighborhood duck pond

God's beauty in the clouds

God's beauty shining at Buffalo National River

 God's beauty showing in ivy growing on our oak tree!


Sometimes I just need to remind myself that
I am so fortunate to live in such a beautiful place!
Taking time to enjoy God's wonderful nature
takes my mind off ME and reminds me
how BIG and how AWESOME God is!


For more about the greatness of our God,
click here to check out my other blog with
the Names of God on Rocks!




Linking with Winsome Wednesdays and Women Living Well Wednesdays,
Alphabe-Thursdays, Brag on God Fridays, and Spiritual Sundays.