In Woodland Solace

In Woodland Solace!

In Woodland Solace,

I find my peace

Problems may exist

But not then

I feel bliss

The forest whispers

relief from pain

A balm for the broken,

sad, and the vain

In nature’s embrace,

my mood is light

My faith renewed,

my heart takes flight

Out here I see 

the handiwork of my Creator

A masterpiece of wonder,

a testament of His glee

The woods remind me

to rest on Hope

To trust in the ONE 

who makes my spirit cope

With every breath,

my soul revives

In the woods,

I find my heart’s alive

-written by Donella Gallo

Deuteronomy 30:20 …that you may love the LORD your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him.

Camping 4th of July 2019 on Lake Okatibbe in Mississippi

~Noah

All I Really Need to Know, I Learned From Noah’s Ark

Written by Miscellaneous Contributers

• Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.
• Stay fit. When you’re 600 years old, someone might ask you to do something REALLY big.
• Don’t listen to critics - do what has to be done.
• Build on high ground.
• For safety’s sake, travel in pairs.
• Two heads are better than one.
• Speed isn’t always an advantage. The cheetahs were on board, but so were the snails.
• If you can’t fight or flee - float.
• Take care of your animals as if they were the last ones on earth.
• Don’t forget that we’re all in the same boat.
• When the doo-doo gets really deep, don’t sit there and complain - shovel.
• Stay below deck during the storm.
• Remember that the ark was built by amateurs and the Titanic was built by professionals.
• If you have to start over, have a friend by your side.
• Remember that the woodpeckers INSIDE are often a bigger threat than the storm outside.
• Don’t miss the boat.

Found this on http://powertochange.com/life/learnfromnoah/

And Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him. Genesis 7:5

This is a picture I took of the Mediterranean Sea 

when I visited Nerja, Spain in 2007.

Resting

Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. Genesis 2:1-3

Being brought up in Andalucia, a nap or siesta was part of our culture. When we moved back to the United States, my parents just changed our nap time but it was still a routine for our family. My parents were very active at home, work, ministry, education, athletics, music, etc. so they understood the importance of taking time to rest. 

As an adult I cannot tell you how many times I have heard someone guilt another person by saying things like "Oh must be nice to be able to nap." As if naps or quiet times are not available to everyone. I really never understood that mentality but it seemed to me that they were securing meaning and worth by all their pursuits and not having to have any rest.

Resting (a nap or quiet time) is good and necessary not only for our spiritual welfare but also for our physical and mental. God gave us an example in these verses to go by and we need to listen in order to receive the blessings of a good rest!

 My son's daughter Isabella posing on a statue at the zoo on our visit in 2009.