Thoughts from May 22

      Dear readers,

     Just wanted to say my cousin, Mom, Dad, and I went for a hike this morning to see the sunrise. I got up at 5:45 (earlier than my normal) which I enjoyed very much as I am naturally an early bird. We grabbed our stuff and drove to the trail system on one of the ridges nearby our home. Gorgeous sunrise! Sabbath morning. God is so good. Hour - twenty - five minute hike. The temp was fabulous (it is now in the 80's and 90's degrees F in the day, so morning is the way to go for me!). Saw two little adorable frogs (or toads, not sure which :D ). The golden sun. Time with family. Fresh air.

     Good stuff! Things that matter.

     Exciting stuff happening in my life like these hikes, and music concerts, I might post about some of it sometime. Also, more garden pics are lined up whenever I get around to sharing.

     More I could write, and maybe I will later today or another day.

     Stay close to God and follow Him!

     Have a wonderful Sabbath day and following week.

     And take a moment to especially enjoy His handiwork in the universe. You don't have far to look! 

     "For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." Eph. 2:10, NLT

     "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Gen. 1:1, NLT

     "In the beginning the Word already existed.

    The Word was with God,
    and the Word was God." John 1:1, NLT

     "For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith." 1 John 5:4, NLT

     Bye,

     Christina Austine

Thoughts from January 19

      Dear reader,

     What I learned from reading through Genesis (NKJV) from Jan. 1 -- Jan 18, 2021:

• God is powerful. I mean, really powerful! (All of Genesis)
• God loves science (Gen. 1, 2)
• God loves beauty (Gen. 1, 2)
• God thinks history is important (All of Genesis)
• Satan will flat out contradict God at times (Gen. 3)
• Satan will make things seem better or worse than they really are (Gen. 3)
• God wants so much to save us (Gen. 3)
• God knows all, but still wants us to talk to Him (Gen. 4)
• May I be righteous and walk with God like Noah (Gen. 6, 7)
• God is an engineer and an architect (Gen. 6)
• God is orderly (Gen. 6, 7)
• God is a poet (Gen. 8)
• God speaks to us in a way we can understand (Gen. 8, 9)
• May I trust God, and believe what He says, and not elevate myself, unlike the builders of the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11)
• May I be a peacemaker like Abram (Gen. 13)
• May I be generous and loving like Abram (Gen. 14)
• May I follow God unlike Abram with Hagar (Gen. 16, 17)
• God cares about even the humblest of us (Gen. 16)
• God sees each of us (Gen. 16)
• May I be compassionate like Abraham (Gen. 18)
• God is compassionate and merciful (Gen. 18)
• God goes to great lengths to show mercy (Gen. 19)
• May I follow God immediately, unlike Lot (Gen. 19)
• May I be a good influence, unlike Lot (Gen. 19)
• May I be truthful, unlike Abraham (Gen. 20)
• May I be faithful like Abraham and obedient like Isaac (Gen. 22)
• May I trust my parents' advice like Isaac (Gen. 24)
• May I be honest, unlike Jacob and Rebekah (Gen. 27)
• May I be a hard worker like Jacob (Gen. 29)
• May I be close to God like Jacob (Gen. 32)
• May I be forgiving like Esau chose to be (Gen. 33)
• May I not be jealous or envious, unlike Joseph's brothers (Gen. 37)
• May I not excite jealousy or envy, unlike Joseph (Gen. 37)
• May I be faithful like Joseph (Gen. 39)
• May I be pure and resist temptation, like Joseph (Gen. 39)
• May I give God the credit, not me, like Joseph (Gen. 41)
• May I be one of integrity no matter what station in life God allows me to be in, like Joseph (Gen. 39, 41)
• May I be forgiving like Joseph (Gen. 42 - 50)
• May I be thoughtful like Joseph (Gen. 45)
• May I use wisely the talents God has given me and the abilities He has allowed me opportunity to develop, like Joseph (Gen. 47)

     God has given us the Bible for a reason -- there is so much to learn about Him, about our world, about our heritage, and about us from it!

     Blessings on your day. :D 

     Bye, 

     Christina Austine

Thoughts from January 13 (2021!!!)

      Dear reader,

     Welcome to 2021! I know for many people (including myself), 2020 carried with it some very hard things. However, God also gave us many beautiful gifts. Challenging times help us to grow, and give us unique opportunities to serve others in new ways -- for example, like holding a normally-in-person playathon fundraiser virtually, so strings students could still join together, share music, participate in community, and raise money to help our area recover from the Easter tornado (see my blog posts about it here and here, and see the fundraiser's YouTube videos here)

     For American History in school, I was assigned a project that was to write a hymn talking about God's power in Creation. I'm pleased with it and wanted to share it. It is adapted from Genesis 8 and Job 38 and 39, NIV.

Verse 1

Who has shown the dawn its place?

Who can take light to its home?

Who has said where sun shall raise?

Who its dwelling place has known?

Chorus

Seedtime, harvest, cold and heat,

Summer, winter, day and night;

God’s creation does repeat

His wisdom, power, and foresight.

Verse 2

Who cuts channels for the rain?

Who disperses lightning bolts?

Who producing frost can claim?

Who makes way for thunder’s roll?

Verse 3

Who the Pleiades’ chains can bind?

Who Orion’s belt can loose?

Who leads out the stars to shine?

Who the laws of the heavens knew?

Verse 4

Who has given horse its strength?

Who has made the eagle soar?

Who receives the lions’ thanks

For food that gives them strength to roar?

     May your 2021 be blessed abundantly!

     Bye,

     Christina Austine

Thoughts from December 5

      Dear reader,

     Welcome to December! ❄ The afternoon of November 30, we actually got snow! Barely any, but enough to claim as the first snow of the season...😄

The Messiah

Part I

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins.

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Isaiah 40:1-3, KJV

^Pastel yellow, into peachy pink, into lavender, into blue. I never grow tired of God's artwork!

Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:

Isaiah 40:4, KJV

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

Isaiah 40:5, KJV

∨Sir Bentley loves Christmas!

For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;

And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts.

Haggai 2:6-7, KJV

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.

Malachi 3:1, KJV

But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:

Malachi 3:2, KJV

And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

Malachi 3:3, KJV

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Isaiah 7:14, KJV

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Matthew 1:23, KJV

^I love our Christmas tree, decorations, and lights -- I especially love the lights on cold, dark winter evenings when there is a warm fire in the fireplace!

O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

Isaiah 40:9, KJV

For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

Isaiah 60:2-3, KJV

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

Isaiah 9:2, KJV

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6, KJV

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

Luke 2:8, KJV

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

Luke 2:9, KJV

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2:10-11, KJV

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Luke 2:13, KJV

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Luke 2:14, KJV

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.

Zechariah 9:9-10, KJV

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.

Isaiah 35:5-6, KJV

He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Isaiah 40:11, KJV

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Matthew 11:28-29, KJV

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:30, KJV

Bye,

Christina Austine

Thoughts from November 24

      Dear reader,

     I am continually amazed and inspired by the sky! Whether daytime or nighttime, "The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork." Ps. 19:1, NKJV. Make sure you take the time to read the whole chapter. It is simply beautiful! I love the words. And when you are reading it, take a look at how seemingly suddenly the verses switch from talking about the sky to the law. Isn't it, though, not sudden at all, but just going from God's handiwork in the sky to His handiwork in His law? Perhaps from how the heavenly bodies obey God's law to how beautiful His law is, or from how beautiful is the sky to how beautiful is His law? Or from the heavenly bodies telling about God to what they are actually "saying" without words -- that is, from saying that the heavens talk about God, to "quoting" them? And isn't the law a reflection of God's character? Of course, you put into your law what is important to you. So one way of telling about God is to tell what is important to Him. And the beauty and power of God revealed in His Creation and His law humble us to worship God.

     Anyways! On to some photos of the sky.

^This was about 6:45 or so this morning.

^I was thrilled to see Venus was up! I had been sleeping in too late to see it.

NASA/JPL-Caltech, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

^As I was looking for Venus photos on Wikimedia Commons, I found this one that was taken by Mariner 10 as it left Venus. The photo is a "contrast-enhanced false color view".

^The sunrise at about 7:00 or 7:15 am

^I just love seeing mountains out my front window!

^And a warm fire on a frosty day is an added bonus.

     Have a beautiful day!

     Bye,

     Christina Austine

Thoughts from November 23

      Dear reader:

     Take a moment to read 1 Thessalonians this week. I only have time to go over chapter one today.

     Things for us to do as we go about our daily lives

• Give thanks to God for those close to us (vs. 2, NKJV)
• Mention them in our prayers (2)
• Remember their work, faith, love, patience, and hope in Christ before God (3)
• Know our "election by God" -- God chose us and wants us (4)
• Follow the Lord, receive the Word, endure trials in the "joy of the Holy Spirit" (6)
• Be an example to all who believe (7)
• Let the Word and your faith in God sound forth and go out (8)
• Turn "to God from idols to serve the living and true God" (9)
• Wait for Jesus to come (10)

     Things God gives us

• Grace and peace (1)
• Faith, love, and "patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father" (3)
• The gospel "not...in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance" (5)
• The Word (6)
• "[J]oy of the Holy Spirit" (6)
• Deliverance "from the wrath to come" (10)

     "...and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come." 1 These. 1:9, 10, NKJV. He is coming -- just wait!

     Have a blessed day!

     Bye,

     Christina Austine

Thoughts from November 16

     Dear reader:

     I opened up Bible Gateway this morning for my daily devotions, and the verse of the day struck me as so simply beautiful.

     "Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law." Psalm 119:18, NIV.

     Lord, open my eyes. I am blind. I don't know what You want to show me today. But You are not stopped by blindness! You healed Bartimaeus in Jericho of physical blindness (Mark 10:46-52); You offered healing to the church in Laodicea -- they didn't even think that they were blind, but You knew, and You offered help that they didn't ask for and didn't know they needed (Rev. 3:17-18); You can heal me. Thank You.

     Show me wonderful things in Your law. Why Your law? Well, Your laws are good (Ps. 119:39), righteous (Ps. 119:62), enduring (Ps. 119:91 -- this is another good verse to think about, so be sure you look this one up), right (Ps. 119:137), and true (Ps. 119:142). They give room for the saving of life (Ps. 119:156) and they are eternal (Ps. 119:160). Your law was the psalmist's delight (Ps. 119:92), he loved it (Ps. 119:113), and he stood in awe of it (Ps. 119:120). This one is too beautiful to paraphrase, so here it is: 

     "Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble." Psalm 119:165, NIV. 

     Do I need peace now! Especially do I realize my need for peace this year, with all the un-peace in my world so suddenly! And here's this one:

     "I long for your salvation, Lord, and your law gives me delight. Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me." Psalm 119:174-175, NIV.

     I need sustaining, too! Lord, help me to praise You every nano-second of my life. Help me to delight myself in Your law and let You sustain me.

     And in simply looking for what the psalmist says about God's law, what a list of wonderful things I have found in God's law! Then too, that's just talking about what God's law is like, not what it actually teaches! I could go on and on, but the morning is getting late and breakfast will be ready before long. :D

     Have a beautiful day!

     Bye,

     Christina Austine

Thoughts from July 25

     Dear reader:

     Well, it's been about two months since I was posting last! I've been having some fun doing crochet projects. I'm making a multicolored granny square blanket for me. It has pink, orange, yellow, blue, and purple. This morning I took some photos of the birds at the feeders in our back yard. It's been a long time since I did that, and it was really fun! Here are some of the photos:

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House Finch

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White-breasted Nuthatch

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Sir Bentley was helping me. I think that in addition to bird-watching, I also did some cabbit-watching!

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Carolina Chickadee

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Tufted Titmouse

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Ruby-throated Hummingbird

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I also went out in our garden and took some photos.

Calendula flower

Spaghetti squash

Banana peppers

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     This past Thursday was Sir Bentley's first birthday! We gave him a birthday cake of wet cat food with one blue candle in it. No, we didn't light the candle, yes, we did sing to him, yes, he did get a birthday present which he loved (a box and some crinkly wrapping paper), and yes, he did eat the cake (or at least some of it) quite happily!

     Anyway, it was a beautiful Sabbath morning! After joining friends for Bible study and watching my church's livestream, and after rice and veggies for lunch and a walk on our street with Dad, I met up virtually with my friend Lani for the Bible study we like to do together. It has been a very long time since we got to do this, because one or the other or both of us have been busy with our summer! Today we started reading through Esther and got about three or four chapters in. Esther is such an action-packed book! It is honestly a bit fairy-tale-like to read but better because it is absolutely true. For instance, it is about a king in a faraway (to us) land and it happened thousands of years ago, if you read the first chapter the descriptions of the decorations are so gorgeous, the good-guy/bad-guy interaction is intense, the bad guy gets killed the same way he was planning on killing the good guy, and Esther is a perfect heroine as she starts out an orphan! We are thinking about writing a children's book version of Esther. Ruth would be another good story to do. Maybe we could even publish it on Amazon as an e-book!

     I thought that the way the Complete Jewish Bible (I found it on the Bible Gateway website) put Esther 4:12-14 read really neat:

     Upon being told what Ester had said, Mordekhai asked them to give Ester this answer: “Don’t suppose that merely because you happen to be in the royal palace you will escape any more than the other Jews. For if you fail to speak up now, relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from a different direction; but you and your father’s family will perish. Who knows whether you didn’t come into your royal position precisely for such a time as this.”

     God may have you where you are "precisely for such a time as this" pandemic. Trust him and lead His guiding, and never think that a life of faith is boring! For proof, just read Esther.

     Have a blessed week!

     Bye,

     Christina Austine

Thoughts from May 23

     Dear readers:



   


     Well, quite enough has happened in this past week to tell you about! (It seems I may be doing more like weekly posts than daily posts this summer -- I'm busy!) For starters, Mom, Ms. J, and I kind of walked through some poison ivy on Sunday. Thankfully though, we immediately washed it off when we got home and I don't think any harm was done; it was low to the ground, so probably wouldn't have touched our feet a ton, more our sandals. One day this week we saw a huge, beautiful rainbow. One evening, AJ, Ms. J, and I were playing an animal-themed board game on our dining table, we looked out the window, and there was a RACCOON under our bird feeders! That was exciting! It was reminiscent of the Sam Campbell books with Rack and Ruin being the featured raccoons early in the first book, and Loony Coon and tribe in later stories. Let's see now, does he want watermelon or peanuts? We all visited a Georgia botanical garden, and AJ let me use his camera to take some photos of him and Ms. J, he took some photos of Ms. J and me, Ms. J took some photos of AJ and me, and Dad took some photos of the three of us.

     Ms. J, AJ, and I have been playing in the kitchen! We made three fruit-based dessert recipes. Two of them we've already tried, and they were scrumptious! The third, I have the same expectations for. Here are links to the recipes:

• We made the apricot bars. https://24carrotlife.com/2015/03/18/dried-fruit-bars-and-bites/
• We made this one with 1 cup pumpkin seeds instead of the nuts. We want to make a variation, with dates instead of figs, and can add in peppermint for a chocolate-peppermint flavor, and we also can try using part millet flour and part pumpkin seeds for fewer calories, and to not use up our pumpkin seeds so fast. Also with this variation, we could whip up some millet cream and pour it over the top of the balls, then stick them in the freezer for the cream to harden into a glaze -- and them serve with fresh strawberries! https://frommybowl.com/cacao-fig-bliss-balls/
• This one we ate for dessert for lunch today. MIND-BOGGLINGLY DELICIOUS!!!!!! It really feels like apple pie! Again, we used 1 cup pumpkin seeds instead of 2 cups nuts, and again I think we could use at least part millet flour (though we'll have to try it to see if the millet flour gives it a bitter taste). We also used water instead of oil, and we ended up using two apples rather than one (which was definitely not too much apple). https://minimalistbaker.com/apple-pie-date-bars-free-detox-guide-ebook/

     In our Bible study today, Lani and I went through the book of Jonah. Fascinating story! One neat thing we noticed was that there are four things that God specifically provides for Jonah (or appoints, depending on your version; the word is the same that applies in all four of these instances) -- a fish, a plant, a worm, and an east wind.

     I could maybe write more but need to hurry up and go, so here's a parting thought that I included in a card I wrote to someone today: "The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will exalt Him" (Exodus 15:2, NKJV). Have a joyful day in Him!

     Bye,

     Christina Austine

P.S.: Sir Bentley the cabbit turned 10 months old today!

Thoughts from May 16

     Dear readers:

     We've had company the past week (and will for another month and a half or so), so I have been way too busy to write (and probably will be for the rest of the summer!). Anyway this blog should be a fun thing, not a burden, so I'll write when I have time if I want to. I just now finished catching up on  reading Lani's blog.

     My friend Ms. J has been showing me how to braid my hair, and she has been doing all sorts of beautiful things on my hair, and braiding ribbons into it! I am finding that it is a lot of fun to play with my hair, and as I have hair past waist length, there is a lot that can be done with it.

     The other day, Ms. J and I recorded a violin duet of "All Creatures of Our God and King" to send in for special music for my church next Sabbath. That is such a pretty tune! The arrangement we played was in Bb major, which sounds really solid and grounded on my violin.

     The current homeschooler thing we are doing is watching ladybugs and caterpillars grow up (doesn't everyone have plastic containers with bugs in them sitting on their kitchen counter? ;D) Here's a pic of each:

These (above) are the baby ladybugs. If they were about a million times larger, they would be terrifying!

And these are the caterpillars. I think they are painted lady butterflies or something.

     Last night after supper Mom and I went experimenting in the kitchen! In a cookbook I gave her for Christmas, there is a recipe for fruit salad with a lime-maple cream drizzled over the fruit. The recipe used cashews for the creaminess. Well, we thought we could use millet as a substitute for the nuts. So we blended up some cooked millet we had in the fridge, and added flavoring according to the recipe. 4 tablespoons of lime juice was a little strong! Plus, the mixture was hot because the millet blends easier that way, plus both Mom and I had just brushed our teeth! All that combined made it absolutely gross! We kept adding a little more honey, and then tasted again, then added a little more honey, and so on. We did successfully get a perfectly smooth texture, though. Finally we just stuck it in the fridge and decided to finish it today before lunch. Mom said it solidified in the fridge, so we'll probably be adding a bit more water as well as more honey. But, it definitely has potential, and we think we can get it tasting good by the time we eat it for dessert after lunch today!

     Surely God laughs along with His children as they live life with Him and make funny mistakes! And when we make the not-so-funny mistakes, He is right there beside us, ready and waiting to help us return to walking in His way. Micah 7:19 says, "You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea." (NIV) I love those words: "You will again have compassion on us;" as He forgives us again and again when we truly repent, and this one here too: "and hurl all our iniquities" as He throws them away never to be seen again! Another version puts the verse this way: "he shall turn again, and have mercy on us. He shall put down our wickednesses, and shall cast far into deepness of the sea all our sins. (he shall return, and have mercy upon us. He shall put down our wickednesses, and shall throw down all our sins into the depths of the sea.)" (WYC) Isn't that just beautiful? Meditate on His beauty and have a glorious day with Him!

     Bye,

     Christina Austine

Thoughts from May 2

     Dear readers:

     Can you believe it's May already? Exciting things have been happening in my family!

     We've seen Rose-breasted Grosbeaks before at our bird feeders. I think they migrate and stop over at our place or something. We saw them this week! The males are so beautiful, and so differently colored than the other seed-eating birds we have.

     I finally finished all the recordings of music pieces I was doing for various things (whew!). But it was fun.

     This week, I have been pretty much either without something I wanted to write, or too busy to write! That's ok though, because when I do write, it is fun.

     Today I made a drawing of a moose.

     My friend Lani (at https://wereallinthistogether279395205.wordpress.com) and I had another Bible study today. We've finished going through James, and started 1 John. 1 John is so beautiful, all about God's love, and loving others! It is almost poetic in language, and appeals to my imagination and my heart. "We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. . . . This is the message we heard from Jesus, and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. . . . But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness" (1 John 1:1, 5, 9).

     Have a beautiful week!

     Bye,

     Christina Austine