Our Mint Forest

Off the Top of My Head

I'm not emotional. I cry am pretty emotional when it comes to dying dog stories, but who isn't? The kind I mean is like crying during church, or lifting my hands because I feel 'spiritual', or weeping while reading about Jesus' suffering. Do you have to be emotional to be a Christian? I don't think so. If I lifted my hands during prayer or said 'amen' during the sermon, I would feel like the Pharisees.

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret; and thy Father who seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Matthew 6:5-6

I, for one, would feel like a hypocrite. I don't lift my hands during daily worship, so why do it in church, where everyone could see? Of course, I'm not judging those who do. I think it's wonderful to see people do this.

Your thoughts?

Grace be with you,

Abby :D

Psalm 1

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;
his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

I love this psalm. I think it describes how a righteous man should live. I've been reading in the Psalms, but I still think that my favorite is either this one or Psalm 23.

What is your favorite psalm?

Grace be with you,

Abby :D

My friend Nehemiah is starting a writing blog and was wondering if anyone would like to join. Check out his post here.

(nearly) wordless: dandelion

Well, it's not Wednesday, but I posted a (nearly) wordless anyway. Who doesn't love dandelions? They're so whimsical.

Hated

I want the world to hate me.


If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.
John 15: 18-19



I want to be the complete opposite of the world. I want to stand out, apart from the world's ways, be hated by their systems, glorify God in everything I do. I want to be hated by the world. To be persecuted just like Jesus. And while I don't exactly want to be hated (after all, who does?), I want to be like Jesus. I want to be chosen out of the world. I want to be a child of the Most High.

Your thoughts?

Grace be with you,

Abby

Our Strawberry Crop

Yum! God has blessed us with some nice sweet strawberries. They are really good with cream and our mom has tried her hand at strawberry lemonade.

What is your favorite way to eat strawberries?

Grace be with you,
Abby :D


Photos by Leah

Frolic!

I've finally gotten around to this. Hooray! There's some great giveaways over here!


Favorite thing about summer? Hmm... I like the heat. Why? Two words: The pool. :)

In your opinion, the best scent in the entire world? I really love the smell of mint. Or lavender.

An embarrassing moment: Oh, my. There's so many. I'll have to pick one, let's see. Ah ha! One time, we were doing a recital at an assisted living home. Leah and I were doing a duet on the recorder. Well, in the middle of the song, I burst out laughing. Then Leah started laughing and we had to start over 2 times. :P It was SO embarrassing. Another? All right. This one is just awkward: I was playing with my brother outside on the porch, and I got the idea to charge into the yard like a warrior (think "For Narnia and for Aslan!") using a bamboo rod for a sword (bright idea, right?) Well, I charged with my 'sword' in front of me, and as I did I noticed the next-door neighbor watching me. That sure was a red-faced moment. :)

This is a bit overdone, but, what's your clothing style? Uh... comfortable? Yeah, some of the things are wear are rather unfashionable.

Deep question time: vanilla or chocolate? Chocolate, for sure.

What do you think: is the Twilight fad dying out?  And if it is, are you dancing over its grave? Yes, I think it's dying out. I haven't heard as much about it lately. And again, yes, I did not like the vampire craze. ICK!

Favorite quote? I don't have one. There's a lot of quotes that I like, but I can't pick one.

Best thing that has ever happened to you and why? Hard, hard question. I think it was when my mother announced that she was pregnant with twins. (After a tubal reversal and a mistake with the number of babies)

Traveling: where would you want to go? I'd like to go to Paris. (Doesn't everyone?)

Favorite food? Spaghetti.

What type of music do you like? I love hymns. They're so old-fashioned and pretty.

Canon or Nikon? (If you're not a photographer, don't feel like you have to answer this...) I couldn't tell you for my life. I'm not a photographer.

Are you a squeamish person? Any stories? Nope. Sorry to disappoint.

Flipflops, bare feet, or heels? Bare feet all the way. :)

Do you like old black and white films? Yes. Especially Ma and Pa Kettle.

Skirts or jeans? Skirts.

Fresh or saltwater? Freshwater.


Grace be with you,

Abby :D