More details

This picture shows one of God's prettier details. I managed to snap this from the back door.
I have been stuck in Leviticus, thus the delay in posting a blog. I love the word of God, and I know there is a reason for Leviticus, but it is mind numbing, and definitely not breakfast reading material. Laws for sacrifice, checking for what kind of ooze is seeping out of sores, ... you get the point.
As I waded through the laws the Israelites had to follow I remembered a very encouraging verse.
Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill."
I looked up the word fulfill and it means to complete, finish, make complete. I am so grateful that we live under grace and not the law. Jesus completes me, and I am clean in Him.

The details

I haven't given up on reading through the Bible yet, though I confess I got bogged down in Exodus. Numbers is going to be a bear. There is an old saying, "The devil is in the details." I don't think it's the devil. God is all about details. Just read the last 10 or so chapters of Exodus.
I took this picture when we were hiking through the temperate rain forest in Alaska. My skin tingled with anticipation as I wandered through God's creation. I just knew, if we were very quiet and a little patient, we would get to see fairies flitting in and out of the ferns, or gnomes peeking from behind the roots of trees, or a hobbit coming out of door in an enormous tree trunk. The sunbeams pierced the tree tops in God's lush playground, but alas, no sparkling wings fluttered past, and no little bearded men peeked out at us. But I do have a lot of pictures of ferns and flowers and trees that give testimony of God's attention to detail. His creation inspires the imagination to dream of the magical.

Happy Birthday Yola

You are 81 now and when we skyped with you yesterday you didn't look a day over 65. Thank you for having such a wonderful spirit of adventure that brought you to visit everywhere we wandered. This picture was taken on the coast in Taiwan in '87. I didn't get a picture of my most vivid memory. It had to do with the interesting sculpture in the ladies room and helping each other get back up ... You have made all my kids think it is normal for in-laws to get along because you loved my extended family from the day I became a Sharpe. When I grow up I wanna be just like you, only I don't wanna make quilts, but I would like to live in Mendocino ...
Happy Birthday Mom!