Uphill idealist

Yes we can! I accomplished writing two, nine page papers for my outstanding courses from last semester and I'm giving out a blogging cheer! One more to go and I'm caught back up... Keep the prayers going please. Tara Image@ http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://ec1.images-amazon.com

This morning the alarm went off all to early. Actually I don't think it was the time that was the problem, but my dislike of ordinary (snowy in march!) Monday mornings. I'm grateful that at the end of the weekend, I accomplished completing a project for an outstanding college course. I spent some fun time on Friday night watching old episodes of Lost's first season with my kids and husband. I had all day on Saturday to play with some art projects, reflecting, retreating and absorbing. Sunday I spent a wonderful time in worship and community with my new church: Singing, discussing scripture, and being encouraged. I am grateful beyond words for all of this. Sleep was not high on my list of things this past weekend, but after having the flu last week I'd felt I'd slept a lifetime away. So here's the catch as I think upon what I'm most and least grateful for today. I'm grateful for the things ( like this weekend) that fill my life. In fact, I'm one of t...

Loosing someone you love has a way of changing the way an individual sees the world. Before my older sister passed away, I was still encapsulated in the stage of childhood that feels as if you are standing at the very center of the world. Life was simple. I was living in a loving supportive home with my two siblings, hard-working salt of the earth father and dutiful devoted mother homemaker and a home cooked meal every night of the week. We even had the tradition of Pot Roast and all the trimmings every Sunday. My life was in balance. The summer of 1983 marked the point in the shift of my life perspective with the earthquake that was the death of my sister. While I was always aware of the health problems that she had with her heart, I wasn't aware of the severity of her illness that July that I was packing for my annual trip to my church camp in Ohio. There was a conversation that I held with my sister before I departed for my "week away", where I asked her if she was ok ...

I remember the morning that Mr. W's youngest son left to make a life for himself away from the family farm. Our family had worked for Mr. W even before I was born, so my memories of him and his two boys farming together were an extension of my own family life. I honestly can't remember Mr. W's boys not being a part of my life. Every morning, it was my job to collect water from the well for morning household chores. As I carefully carry gallons of fresh water in the bucket upon my head, Mr. W would smile and greet me saying, " Here you go. (Handing me a fresh-plucked flower from his own flower bed) A daisy for my day-star!" Mr. W had planted many different wild flowers in his flowerbed. Every day he would water and weed those wild flowers. It was in a way his morning ritual like my water carrying. I carried water to the kitchen and Mr. W tended to his flowers as he waited for his sons' to get ready for the days work. Mr. W has two sons, Michael and Simon. Micha...

The image posted above (The Lord Reigns) is by He Qi and I have loved his art for a very long time. Below is some more info on the who and what concerning the artist. Take a few minutes to look at his fantastic artwork. "Dr. He Qi 17 Da Jian Ying Xiang Nanjing, CHINA, 210029 please check He Qi's website: www.heqiarts.com Dr. He Qi is a professor at the Nanjing Union Theological Seminary and a tutor for master candidate students in the Philosophy Department of Nanjing University. He is also a member of the China Art Association and a council member of the Asian Christian Art Association. He has been committed to the artistic creation of modern Chinese Christian Art for more then twelve years. He hopes to help change the "foreign image" of Christianity in China by using artistic language, and at the same time, to supplement Chinese Art the way Buddhist art did in ancient times. In his works, He Qi has blended together Chinese folk customs and traditional Chinese painti...

God is calling to each one of us, "Come back to me, with your whole heart." The parable of the prodigal son is an expression of the complex structure of family relationships, grace and forgiveness and ultimately God's perspective on our place with him. Grace, light, warmth, comfort, and healing are represented in the role of the Father in this parable. The character of the father is a sketch of God's grace filled attitude towards humanity. Just as the father in this parable longs for his lost son to return home and his eldest son to return to a relationship based on grace and not judgment. God desires us to come back to him. It could be said that the father in this parable represents grace , the prodigal son imperfect humanity , and the eldest son judgment . All three of these characters are ones that each one of us can play out in out own lives. We can be givers of grace and breathe life into the world around us. We can be imperfect like the prodigal son: self seeki...