After recently witnessing a lively and rather interesting discussion on the topic of Chai lattes, I decided I must give one a try. I had heard from one person that they are simply marvelous, and from another that they are quite disgusting, and I was puzzled at how such opposing descriptions could be embodied in one simple mug of this sweet and creamy drink. ( Probably akin to how a hotel breakfast can be both “wonderful” and “not very good”, at the same time, depending on who you ask. )

Now, I tried a friend’s Chai latte one time, but I don’t quite remember if I liked it or not.

So I had one today … it was good, though very rich, not something I could have very frequently without feeling some discomfort afterward, but very enjoyable nonetheless. So there you have it, my humble opinion on the topic of Chai Lattes. … now where was I going with this …

Oh, yes, now I remember, the incommunicable attributes of God. And what, you might wonder, does this have to do with Chai Lattes? Well, I’ll tell you.

For you see, I drank my Chai while reading about the aforementioned attributes, one of which is omnipresence, which, (of course) means that God is present everywhere, at the same time. Amazing, I know, but He’s an amazing God!

Anyway, I was reading a chapter on this very topic ( God’s omnipresence, not Chai Lattes … confusing, I know ), and happened upon the following passage. Even though you might have to read it several times to get it (I had to, and I place the blame for my murkiness of mind squarely on the murkiness of the delightful drink I was enjoying), it is quite a lovely little read:

When you wish to do something evil, you retire from the public into your home, where no enemy may see you; from those places of your house which are open and visible to the eyes of men; you remove yourself into your room, yet, even in your room you fear some witness from another quarter; you retire into your heart, there you meditate: He is more inward than your heart.  Wherever, therefore, you shall have fled, there He is. From yourself, whither will you flee? Will you not follow yourself wherever you shall flee? But since there is One more inward even than yourself, there is no place where you may flee from God angry, but to God reconciled. There is no place at all whither you may flee.  Will you flee from Him?

Flee unto Him.

Herman Bavinck
The Doctrine of God

Beautiful, is it not?! 

So back to Chai Lattes, if you’ve never had one, you really must try one sometime … be adventurous! :) You might like it … and then again you might not! [grin]

What’s your favorite winter-time drink for chilly days?

…a walk on this de-liciously lovely, warm day!

We stopped by to visit our friends the horses…

oh, and the donkey…

they are always so happy to see us.

the cows aren’t quite so enthralled…

a few stray milkweed pods were found and promptly cracked open so the seeds could fly away in the breeze.

what an amazing beautiful day!

And look at that – the roses are still blooming!

65 degrees at 7:30 PM on November 6!

And it’s supposed to be COLD! :)

There’s nothing like a walk on a gorgeous fall day. God’s creation simply amazes me. It’s too beautiful for words. It’s so calming and peaceful to be out with the breeze rustling in the trees, and all the warm golden hues, with the sun reflecting off it all. I love it!

Some of the things I saw while I was out enjoying the weather today…

Berries…

and flowers…

and those beautiful fuzzy-things that I don’t know what they’re called…:)

and soft, spongy moss…

and deer tracks…

and ruby-red leaves…

 I love this time of year! Spring is nice, and I love it, too, but Fall has a beauty all its own. It’s a very calming beauty, for me. The sun reflecting off all the golden hues on the leaves and plants gives a “warm-ness” to the air that you can almost feel! I love it!

I went for a walk last evening, up to my favorite spot to think and pray nearby our home. I walked along the edge of one of the soybean fields and up through it, on a path made in the soybean plants by water draining off the field.  I stood there in the middle of the field for a long, long time, watching the sun set behind it and looking up into the clear, blue sky that seemed to go on and on. It was one of those moments that I wish could last forever! The wind was very cold as it rushed and rustled through the trees, played with my hair, and made all the little plants dance for joy, and it made me appreciate my nice warm coat even more! (yes, *ahem* for “that” person [you know who you are], I do wear coats [even bulky ones] in extreme circumstances :) ) 

I’m going to go out and take another little walk to my “spot” tonight, too. I love to go out running, as well, but when everything around me is so beautiful, I feel like I’m missing out on it if I run by it instead of just walking! :)

I was reading in Lamentations last week, and have been mulling over these verses from chapter three a lot in the past few days.

Yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
       for His compassions never fail.

 They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.

 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.”

 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him;

 It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Lam. 3:22-26

I often tend to think of my little struggles as “exempt” from having to be surrendered to the Lord, because they are just that: little. (compared to others who are struggling with things a lot more serious than me). However, the Lord has been showing me that He is allowing these “little” struggles to teach me how to trust Him; how to wait for Him. I asked Him over and over to take it away. But, He has taught me that if I practice giving these things to Him now, then when more serious struggles and temptations come, I will  be able to stand up under them better.

So, :) this is what the Lord has been teaching me! What about you? What has He been teaching you recently???

My first cup of tea of the season…the first of many more to come!

I have been preparing pictures to go in a slide show for the graduation ceremony I will be participating in on May 8, and I thought I would share the pictures here. Enjoy! :)

:: Kitty Crazy Kid ::

June 21, 1993 – my second birthday

(can you seen the resemblance?)

:: Little Freckled Cutie ::

May 1, 1996 – almost five years old

:: Still Growing :: 

June 24, 2002 – Eleven years old

:: And Still Got Those Freckles ::

June 18, 2004 – almost thirteen

:: Now ::

February, 2009 – seventeen

My mom, sister, I had a blessed time voluteering at City Union Mission today. I am so glad we were able to work there, and I hope to do it again soon.

We worked in the store, where people can come and pick out a certain number of free Christmas gifts for their family. Most everyone who came in was so grateful and great to work with. I enojoyed it thoroughly.

We arrived around 9 am. We began to get aquainted with the store, and then began to welcome people in. I wanted to be a little more original in my greeting than just “Hello,” so I said “Good morning!” to the people I escorted around. Then it got to be noon, and 1 pm, and 2 pm, and I was still saying “Good morning!”, until someone gave me a funny look, (by then it was 2:30), and so I realized I should start saying “Good afternoon!” instead! :)

I’m happy that we were able to share Christ’s love there during this joyous season celebrating His birth!

The temperature dropped enough while we were in Minnesota for my mom, grandmother, and I to go and slide around on the lake/pond (affectionately christened “Lake Jesse”) behind their home on Sunday evening. It was fun!

The settings on my camera were way off on these next pictures, but I thought they looked neat anyway!