Psalm 8

Psalm 8 has always had a special place when it comes to my list of very-best-favorite verses; ever since first I read it alone in the empty sanctuary before service in my little church. Perhaps it is because I have a curious nature and it voices one of the questions I ponder most: Why?
 What can He possibly see in Mankind worth sending His only Son to die for us? Certainly not because of anything we have ever done.
  It is, I think, a question to which there is no humanly comprehensible answer. But that doesn't stop me from wondering.

 Lord, our Lord, 

   how majestic is your name in all the earth!

   You have set your glory 

   in the heavens. 

 Through the praise of children and infants 

   you have established a stronghold against your enemies, 

   to silence the foe and the avenger. 

 When I consider your heavens, 

   the work of your fingers, 

the moon and the stars, 

   which you have set in place, 

what is mankind that you are mindful of them, 

   human beings that you care for them?

 You have made them a little lower than the angels

   and crowned them with glory and honor. 

 You made them rulers over the works of your hands; 

   you put everything under their feet: 

 all flocks and herds, 

   and the animals of the wild, 

 the birds in the sky, 

   and the fish in the sea, 

   all that swim the paths of the seas.

  Lord, our Lord, 

   how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Makes you think, doesn't it?

-Gwyn

Today, I {am} love{d}

Today I am unreasonably happy. I can't stop smiling. It's like I have strings attached to the corners of my mouth and they keep lifting. I try and quit but...

:(

:|

:)

Every time. *cue insane laughter*
Do I have a specific reason for this unshakable blissfulness? Well...
 I'm saved by Grace. Unbelievably lyrical. Free to run & to jump like a deranged deer. To ride like no one is watching {Hey, Roanie, wanna go fast?}. Drive like I have something to do in town -- and that Hammie needs to go too. Annnd I got a shot of espresso in my frozen hot chocolate. Booya. The epitome of frozen delight. Knocking the socks clean off that snowcone in my last post.

 I'm so glad to be this happy again. In the last month things have been a little off-kilter, mostly because my Mum had to work a lot filling in shifts for vaca-ers and so was hardly ever home during the morning/afternoon. Plus we have a ton of projects to finish before the dreadful white stuff from heck arrives. Some of them quite big. Like the chicken house needs finishing, the deck sanded and stained, the horse sheds need a bit of patching -- thankyou bored horses. And things like that.

 Another thing bothering me a lot: My faith.

Faith means being sure of the things we hope for

 and knowing something is real

 even if we do not see it. Hebrews 11:1

 Over the past weeks I've been getting a pretty clear message that I need to grow and share. Everything from the text to the sermons at church -- to my own nightly devotions that oddly keep saying things like

 "Is your faith the same as it was last year? Even last month? It shouldn't be. God's gift of faith and grace is not a stationary thing. It is a living thing that must either grow or diminish. Like a child that does not grow needs to be taken to the doctor, maybe you're in need of a spiritual check up." 

 My Bible readings are also patiently pushing me in that direction, like, "Hey Gwyn, don't be afraid to stand up and say something." Because the truth is, I'm a coward. I don't have tons of confidence or charisma when it come to talking to people. Especially about something as important as eternal life, because -- here it is, my fatal flaw -- I might mess up.

God, examine me and know my heart:

test me and know my nervous thoughts. Ps. 139:23

Well, big news, self! It's not about you! You are just the mouth piece. Chances are, if you ever get the guts to actually talk to someone about this stuff, you won't even be using your words. That's the thing about the Holy Spirit, he'll take care of it for you. Piece o' cake then, right? Ha. This is a girl that actually forms what she's going to say on the phone before she calls to ask if she can borrow a horse trailer. From her neighbor.
 I will undoubtedly blame this on being a certifiable introvert -- I love and need solitude like extroverts love and need to be social, I get very overwhelmed at parties where I have to talk to a lot of people I kinda-sorta know, I would rather listen to someone talk than talk myself. Unless it had to do with horses, animals in general, or writing.
 But it has become an excuse that I hide behind with laugh and a change-of-subject attitude. I've finely pieced my own veil, thank to the unfathomable love and patience of Our Redeemer. I mean seriously, after all humanity has put Him through, how can we not sing How Great Thou Art like the Warblers in the third pew? If it had been up to me, I would have chucked Earth away a looooong time ago. But that's exactly why I'm not God. I and I am so so so glad I'm not. Because no matter what we've done -- no matter what -- His arms will still open wide when we realize we just can't go it alone.

God is being patient with you.

 He does not want anyone to be lost,

 but He wants all people to change their hearts and lives. 2 Peter 3:9

 Thinking we can is like being an ant on an ant farm that doesn't believe it needs the little farmer to feed it bread and sugar each night. It thinks it can live off the sand in its own little world. But sand has no nutritional value, my friends. And the ant will soon end up dead because it was too proud to eat the sweet sugar from above and too proud to ask for help. And then the farmer will be sad.

You gave me life and showed me kindness,

 and in Your care You watched over my life. Job 10:12

Thank goodness God's a better ant farmer than I was. Mine lasted three weeks tops in those little plastic boxes and tubes. But as you can see, we're still here. But it won't last forever, just like any farm. The day will come when God will harvest and the wheat will be separated from the useless chaff. So if you're a bit of chaff now, you might want to think about putting out some grains. You'll be much prettier and happier for it.

On the day when the Lord Jesus comes. . . .

all the people who have believed will be

amazed at Jesus. 2 Thes. 1:10

I didn't plan this post, or if I did I didn't plan it like this. I just wrote what was on my mind or maybe even what was on my heart. I don't know if anyone will benefit from my writings today, but I know that I did. Putting your feelings into words seems to increase their potency and really clear up what the dickens you are feeling. Just scroll up to the beginning again, I had no clue why I couldn't stop smiling. Now I do.
I'm loved.
I really do matter.
The sunshines and the breeze is cool.
And I matter and am loved by the One who made both.
What's not to smile about?

-Gwyn

He put a new song in my mouth,

a song of praise to our God. Ps. 40:3

Before I formed you in your mother's womb, I knew you. Jeremiah 1:5

In our Faith are we "me-monsters"?

 This is something I feel very strongly about. I have also seen it increasing just about everywhere. Too often we try to take credit for God's work; and with the rapidly mutating "society"{I often wonder what Jane Austen would think of today's definition} with its me-centred attitude, it's getting harder not to follow the flow.

Many people make the mistake of saying they can fix themselves - whether it saying "I chose Jesus"{see the Me-Monster creeping in that statement?} or "I accepted Jesus" Wait. You "accepted" Jesus? Wouldn't that make you higher than He?
 The fact of that matter is we "cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord, or come near to Him;"*
 Many may be shocked at this; I was when I first learned.
   Then are we all doomed? is the next natural, maybe even sarcastic question. Well, no actually. It goes on:
"But{and it's a but the size of New York} the Holy Spirit has called us by the Gospel, enlightened us with His gifts, sanctified and kept us in the True Faith."*

How often do we even remember the Holy Spirit? Mention Him? We talk about God the Creator and Jesus Christ, but scarcely ever acknowledge the work of the Holy Ghost. Yet it is to Him that we owe everything! Without Him we wouldn't even know God.
  {Don't think that because I separated God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit into different parts that I believe that there are three Gods - no, there is only one God and He is Triune, and neither parts of the Trinity are set higher than the other}

Why does the Holy Ghost call us at all? Read these verses:

"I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from
 their ways and live." Ezek. 33:11

"{God} wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." 1 Tim. 2:4

"The Lord... is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9

So, why isn't everyone saved? Many people reject the Holy Spirit and His Word, so they continue to be stubborn and unbelieving. They are under God's judgment by their own fault.

"You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!" Acts 7:51

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often have I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing." Matt. 23:37

But God richly rewards those who believe in Him:

"God so loved the  world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

This is eternal life" that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent." John 17:3

"If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Rom. 10:9

I have to finish now, but I will leave you one last verse :){thought you could get away, huh?}

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will -- to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freeliy given us in the One he loves." Eph. 1:3-6

Horse things... an abscess and a Bible verse

 Weird title, huh? :P

Well, today Shyanne was limping badly on her right front leg. She wouldn't put much weight on her heel at all. That, to the experienced eye, is the tell tale sign of an abscess in the hoof. *bangs head on table* 

 An abscess is nothing serious(unless it continues to worsen) and will sometimes heal itself. But usually you have to give it many treatments of soaking the hoof in special salts and hot water (after you locate the abscess and let it drain). Which is really a pain in the behinder when you have to heat the water in the house and then slog it all the way to the east pasture. Then you have the task of trying to keep the horse's foot in the water, because it stings them,  This is not easy an easy project.  And they splash you in the struggle and then the water turns to ice because horses have the nerve to always get abscesses during nasty weather(e.g. Today it's freezing, windy and sleeting). I think they plan it all out.

You might be able to tell that I have traveled this road before. I don't have to soak Shyanne's foot. Yet. Dad thinks it might heal on its own. *Oh, please!!* So yeah,  I'll keep you updated. If anyone has questions about abscesses, you now know who to talk too! *smiles weakly*

On to the other horse stuff!

In the High School Sunday class last Sunday I ran across an awesome Bible verse! I was so excited because I finely found the place in the Bible where it actually speaks of the majesty of the horse!

(Summery of the chapter: God is basically putting Job in his place when he questions God's justice and control)

"... Do you give the horse his strength

or clothe his neck with a flowing mane?

Do you make him leap like a locust,

Striking terror with his proud snorting?

He laughs at fear, afraid of nothing;

he does no shy from the sword...."

Job 39:19-22

Something about that verse was just awesome to me at that moment; ya know? Have you ever gotten really excited about a verse you came across in the Bible?