Cradle of the Sun

Cradle of the Sun
Originally uploaded by Thundercatt99

Sunset at Fogerty Beach in Oregon. My trip to the coast is in about 2 weeks!

The Struggle of the Butterfly

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared and he sat and watched the butterfly as it struggled for several hours to force its body through the little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared it had gotten as far as it could. The man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of cocoon.

The butterfly then emerged easily, but it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would expand and be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened! in fact, the butterfly spent its whole life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It was never able to fly. What the man, in kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved freedom.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If God allowed us to go through life without obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as we could have been.

And... we would never fly.'

~Author Unknown

Helen Keller once said, "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved."

A Cool verse! / 2 Corinthians 1:4

Justa verse we need to be reminded of every so often ...

"He [God] comes along side us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, He brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so we can be there for that person just as God was there for us." 2 Corinthians 1:4 [The Message]

Charlie Dog

Charlie Dog
Originally uploaded by Thundercatt99

My dog actually stopped for half a second to have her portrait taken!

The Weaver

Edgar Guest

The patter of rain on the roof,
The glint of the sun on the rose;
Of life, these the warp and the woof,
The weaving that everyone knows.
Now grief with its consequent tear,
Now joy with its luminous smile;
The days are the threads of the year--
Is what I am weaving worth while?

What pattern have I on my loom?
Shall my bit of tapestry please?
Am I working with gray threads of gloom?
Is there faith in the figures I seize?
When my fingers are lifeless and cold,
And the threads I no longer can weave
Shall there be there for men to behold
One sign of the things I believe?

God sends me the gray days and rare,
The threads from his bountiful skein,
And many, as sunshine, are fair.
And some are as dark as the rain.
And I think as I toil to express
My life through the days slipping by,
Shall my tapestry prove a success?
What sort of weaver am I?

Am I making the most of the red
And the bright strands of luminous gold?
Or blotting them out with the thread
By which all men's failure is told?
Am I picturing life as despair,
As a thing men shall shudder to see,
Or weaving a bit that is fair
That shall stand as the record of me?

From: Just Folks by Edgar A. Guest

Copyright 1917 by The Reilly & Britton

The Royality Quiz

Here's an online quiz I found ... Royalty Quiz ...

Click here: Nishi's A Dream I Dream Royalty Quiz My answer .

..

You are a King!
Strong, Wise, Noble, Compassionate.
A Born Leader!

You are the epitome of what every man should be. What sets you apart from the other men of rank and nobility is you combine every best quality they possess into one. You are skilled, motivated, ambitious, filled with a sense of purpose and morality. You know when to relax and have fun and when to be serious and courageous. You seek peace, prosperity and love in your life, and as a ruler, you seek it for your kingdom. Others follow you because of your ability to move them, and because you earned their respect. You are admired, even envied, but above all else, greatly loved.

Why of course!

Trail on Cape Lookout

Trail on Cape Lookout
Originally uploaded by Thundercatt99

A stroll along a trail on Cape Lookout on the Oregon Coast. Our next trip to the coast is next month! Yeehaw!

Martin Luther King Day

Being that this is the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday here in the USA, let me share some of my favorite quotes from this great man ...

Now, I say to you today my friends, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’

***

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

***

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.

***

All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality.

***

Man is man because he is free to operate within the framework of his destiny. He is free to deliberate, to make decisions, and to choose between alternatives. He is distinguished from animals by his freedom to do evil or to do good and to walk the high road of beauty or tread the low road of ugly degeneracy.

***

We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.

***

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

***

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

***

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.

Stone Ship

Stone Ship
Originally uploaded by Thundercatt99

Crater Lake National Park is just an awesome place to visit! He is Phantom Ship in the middle of the Lake. Phantom Ship is named for its resemblance to a ghostly ship sailing on the lake, especially when the fog rolls in, and for it's habit of often disappearing in the shifting sunlight. It was in full view this time! lol

The school that I'm now attending have as their nich name the "Badgers" and the motto of, "Its a great day to be a badger!" Something about that cracks me up, although its perhaps a tad distirning ... Be that as it may ... This is SO, um......mindlessly disturbing and annoying......but it's REALLY COOL!! Oh just watch.

Click here: Flash / Banana Phone (Badgerphone)

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/badgerphone.php

The "old" badger thing is here ... and it lasts 60 minutes, or so I'm told! I've only made it 5 minutes before meltdown ....

Oh well .... back to homework ....

Trees in the Fog

Trees in the Fog
Originally uploaded by Thundercatt99

A foggy day looking out over the lake while cruising around.

psychoanalysis

Just a couple of thoughts I would like to share ...

There is a tendency in the Christian world to focus on the good things, "uplifting forwards" and the like. They have there place, as we are to focus on things that are pleasing. In times of trouble and pain there are at times this attitude of bear up, keep smiling, suffering makes you strong mentality. And there is some truth in that as well. Then there are the personalities which include Moses, Job, Jeremiah and others who show incredible scenes of what seems like spiritual failure. Great saints all. And there are some of the Psalms which express rage which the church at times seems to want to suppress. Here are a few lines from Psalm 89:

46 How long, O LORD? Wilt thou hide thyself for ever? How long will thy wrath burn like fire? 47 Remember, O Lord, what the measure of life is, for what vanity thou hast created all the sons of men! RSV

And Psalm 88: 13 But I, O LORD, cry to thee; in the morning my prayer comes before thee. 14 O LORD, why dost thou cast me off? Why dost thou hide thy face from me? 15 Afflicted and close to death from my youth up, I suffer thy terrors; I am helpless. 16 Thy wrath has swept over me; thy dread assaults destroy me. 17 They surround me like a flood all day long; they close in upon me together. 18 Thou hast caused lover and friend to shun me; my companions are in darkness. RSV

The Psalms to me are like a kind of soul therapy, psychoanalysis if you will. They show what a relationship with God and the world really look like. They do not rationalize anger, give advice about pain that shows little empathy for the suffering but rather, loudly at times, and vividly express these feelings toward God. Even rage! We don't and probably shouldn't cover up these feelings but it is far, far better to bring our moments of weakness to God, who alone has the real power to heal us! We don't need to dress up and put a good face on things to meet with our Lord, He can be trusted with reality. I find that these Psalms when meditated on allows us to take a different perspective on things. They start with a vent, an appeal, move on to reflection, answered prayers in the past and moves towards praise. God uses these words from the bible, among many others, to create longings I didn’t have, to start a dead heart beating, and to reveal, when I was incapable of seeing, the beauty, sufficiency, and majesty of Jesus Christ and his cross. This type of spiritual reality therapy does work for me and I wanted to share that with you all. I know that there are those hurting here ...

Be blessed ...

Drops of Red

Drops of Red
Originally uploaded by Thundercatt99

Canticle of the Sun

The Canticle of the Sun (or The Canticle of the Creatures), known definitely to be by St. Francis, is at once the most sublime of all the lauds as well as the most original. The legend goes that when St. Francis was recovering from an illness in a hut outside the convent of St. Clare, the nuns heard from his lips this rapturous new song. The informality, even casualness, of its composition and its rambling rhythms and rhymes make it as simple and unaffected in its form as the Umbrian dialect in which it is written. G. K. Chesterton, in his reflections on the saint, wrote of this work: "It is a supremely characteristic work and much of Saint Francis could be reconstructed from that work alone." Song, music, and poetry were so deeply a part of the nature of Saint Francis that in times of sorrow and sickness as well as of joy and good health he spontaneously gave voice in song to his feelings, his inspirations, and his prayers. Praise God that he did!

Canticle of the Sun

Most high, all-powerful, all good, Lord!
All praise is yours, all glory, all honor
And all blessing.

To vou alone, Most High, do they belong.
No mortal lips are worthy
To pronounce your name.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through all that you have made,
And first my lord Brother Sun,
Who brings the day; and light you give to us through him.
How beautiful is he, how radiant in all his splendor!

Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Moon and Stars;
In the heavens you have made them, bright
And precious and fair.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,
And fair and stormy, all the weather's moods,
By which you cherish all that you have made.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Water,
So useful, lowly, precious, and pure.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
Through whom you brighten up the night.
How beautiful he is, how gayl Full of power and strength.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Earth, our mother,
Who feeds us in her sovereignty and produces
Various fruits and colored flowers and herbs.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through those who grant pardon
For love of you; through those who endure
Sickness and trial.

Happy those who endure in peace,
By you, Most High, they will be crowned.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Death,
From whose embrace no mortal can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin
Happy those She finds doing your will!
The second death can do no harm to them.

Praise and bless my Lord, and give him thanks,
And serve him with great humility .

St. Francis of Assisi

no one thought they'd see you!!!

Upon entering heaven …

I was shocked, confused, bewildered as I entered Heaven’s door,Not by the beauty of it all, by the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven who made me sputter and gasp –the thieves, the liars, the sinners, the alcoholics, the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade who swiped my lunch money twice.Next to him was my old neighbor who never said anything nice.

Herb, who I always thought was rotting away in hell,was sitting pretty on cloud nine, looking incredibly well.

I nudged the angel, “What’s the deal? I would love to hear Your take.How’d all these sinners get up here? God must’ve made a mistake.

And why’s everyone so quiet, so somber? Give me a clue.” “Hush, child,”said he. “They’re all in shock.

No one thought they’d see you.”

Author Unknown strikes again

Boiler Bay Sonata

Boiler Bay Sonata
Originally uploaded by Thundercatt99

Another photo to share ...

Hey, progress has been made!

This is one of those note to myself kind of things but I figured I'd share it if there are others who feel less than 100% today ... and maybe a touch down about stuff ...

One of the myths of Christianity that being a Christian means always being happy, confident, almost blissfully filled with the Holy Spirit. What I've seen from my experience is that those who don't struggle at times, do not ask the hard questions do not really get truly strong in the faith and have a more fragile faith when things get tough and challenging. For most Christians, conversion does not bring about drastic differences that you can perceive. Most of us still suffer from more-than-occasional doubts, discouragements, getting mad at God, and all-too-frequent sinning. It is a narrow road we walk.

Of course ... There are also lots of times we are graced with joy, and strength. Some real soaring Spiritual highs and growth! But alas, it takes a lot of living in faith to grow out of the negative things, and we never entirely leave them behind. It takes a long time to lay-down the blocks of the foundation. The building blocks include: faithfully attending worship, even when you feel down; praying regularly even when you'd rather spend the time doing something else, working at serving others, forgiving others even when you're really mad at them, and the many other Christian practices we know about.

When we do these things for month after month, year after year, and one day we look back and say 'hey, I've made a lot of progress! I don't suffer from doubts nearly as much as I used too! I don't lose my temper nearly as often as I used to, etc..."!!!!! Hey! Progress has been made!

Tim


1 Thess 5:16 Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Antoine's Rockpile

An interesting quote I would like to share with you all ....

"A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral."

~~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Inundation of Information

Where is the Life we have lost in living?
Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?

T.S. Eliot

How much time have I spent thinking of the inundation of information that is at my fingertips every day? That has been at my fingertips for years, starting with Myspace and now with Twittering? Do you remember when Facebook became the new Myspace, then Blogs gained over Facebook, then Twittering became the new Blogging, and now everybody’s Tweeting? What’s next?

What do I do with the eleventy-two ways I have to connect with 750 of my “best friends” these days? Do I really know 750 people?! And if I vaguely remember them from ten years ago, am I supposed to write on their wall? Or is accepting their friend request enough of a hello? How do I sift through all of the chatter and noise? How do I find the depth? The life? The human behind the 140 characters? How do I cull out what’s important and leave the rest? How do I flippin’ know when to stop reading?

And, seriously, how do I know when I need to stop chattering?